Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Jeremy Lamb (HOU)

[niQ]

Fran Fraschilla argues here that he would take Jeremy Lamb over Bradley Beal:

Personally, I'm leaning towards Lamb because of his size, length and effectiveness in an NBA offense's "sweet spot," the 15- to 18-foot range. And, I'm willing to overlook the Huskies' dysfunctional season with Lamb as their centerpiece because I can't ignore the poise he played with as a freshman. And, he did go for 23 or more points eight different times this season, despite the team's poor chemistry.

(It's a long article, so you'll have to read the rest to get his reasoning behind that decision)

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/n ... adley-beal

If Lamb is taken before Beal due to scoring need from teams before us, then we're gonna be so screwed when all 4 wings are taken in top 6. We half-ass tanked this season for none of Lamb, Beal, Barnes or MKG. That's frustrated.

Don't have insider access but if we miss out on Lamb, Beal, Barnes and MKG...then... that's just.. sad.

[gerrit4]

If Lamb is taken before Beal due to scoring need from teams before us, then we're gonna be so screwed when all 4 wings are taken in top 6. We half-ass tanked this season for none of Lamb, Beal, Barnes or MKG. That's frustrated.

Don't have insider access but if we miss out on Lamb, Beal, Barnes and MKG...then... that's just.. sad.

I doubt it - I think Perry Jones goes top 7. And also, there's always one or two guys that go earlier than everyone thinks they will - I wouldn't be shocked if one of Sullinger, Zeller, or Terrence Jones goes top 7 either.

[OAKLEY_2]

With all due respect man, no way Sullinger can play center.

He would be at best 3 down the charts there so we are talking maybe 5 mins a game in small ball situations working next to 7 footers. I'm pretty sure he can handle a bit of that.

[shortmikeshortt]

Lamb lovers will love this:

Draft Blog: @franfraschilla on why he'd take Jeremy Lamb over Brad Beal

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/7933246/nba-draft-making-case-jeremy-lamb-bradley-beal

[fredericklove]

Lamb lovers will love this:

Draft Blog: @franfraschilla on why he'd take Jeremy Lamb over Brad Beal

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/7933246/nba-draft-making-case-jeremy-lamb-bradley-beal

I got no insider privilege, can you just sum it up on what the article is saying?

[Undefeated]

Re: Lamb shying from contact

Lamb does shy away from contact, but I don't think that's the reason for his lack of intensity. I just think it has a lot more to do with how he's frozen out of the offense for long-stretches because of the ball-hogging mentality from Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright. I've seen Lamb work hard moving off of the ball curling of a down-screen with his hands on target ready for the catch-and-shoot, but his PG would either be looking the other way or on a dribbling odyssey trying to go mano-a-mano only to settle to shoot with a hand in the face. After some time, you can kind of see why Lamb is content with disappearing to the background staying on the perimeter. So I ask, why should he be running around and wasting his energy when he's being looked off, right? It's not like he's an inefficient chucker either because he's literally a very gifted scorer who can put the ball in the basket a variety of ways. He shot 60% in the arc for crying out loud, so it's boggles my mind why Napier and Boatright were taking almost the same number, if not more shot attempts.

[shortmikeshortt]

Lamb lovers will love this:

Draft Blog: @franfraschilla on why he'd take Jeremy Lamb over Brad Beal

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/7933246/nba-draft-making-case-jeremy-lamb-bradley-beal

I got no insider privilege, can you just sum it up on what the article is saying?

He likes both...says Beal's 3pt %s were very dissapointing but still believes he'll be an elite shooter, thinks Lamb is similar but credits his bad %s to Uconns poor execution...also talks about how Lamb is really good off the ball but wasn't screened for well at Uconn so he shot more contested shots than he needed to, which hurt his %s

Mentions Lamb's 60% shooting from 2...says that will bode very well for him in the NBA as he continues to add weight.

Says some teams like Lamb more, some teams like Beal more, and whilst the consensus is Beal, said it will still be a very difficult decision for a team looking for a SG....Concluded with...

Personally, I'm leaning toward Lamb because of his size, length and effectiveness in an NBA offense's "sweet spot," the 15- to 18-foot range. And I'm willing to overlook the Huskies' dysfunctional season with Lamb as their centerpiece because I can't ignore the poise he played with as a freshman. And he did go for 23 or more points eight times this past season, despite the team's poor chemistry.

[fredericklove]

Thx for the info, bud. I see some difficult decisions to be made on this difficult choice. I'l be glad if one of them falls to us instead of raptors picking early in the top 5 cos its guarantee that BC will draft a SF talent before these two, or put themselves to make a tough choice on one of the two. It's a good choice to have, of course, but oh well. And for teams that have the privilege to choose one of the two, I think it comes down to what the team wants out of their 2 spot. For Lolcats, Wiz, Cavs, and Blaze, do they want a big scoring weapon or a well-rounded player?

[JamesNaismith]

If Lamb is taken before Beal due to scoring need from teams before us, then we're gonna be so screwed when all 4 wings are taken in top 6. We half-ass tanked this season for none of Lamb, Beal, Barnes or MKG. That's frustrated.

Don't have insider access but if we miss out on Lamb, Beal, Barnes and MKG...then... that's just.. sad.

I doubt it - I think Perry Jones goes top 7. And also, there's always one or two guys that go earlier than everyone thinks they will - I wouldn't be shocked if one of Sullinger, Zeller, or Terrence Jones goes top 7 either.

There's always one or two guys that go earlier --- unfortunately Lamb may be that one.

[SkywalkerAC]

I think Lamb dropping to us is almost too good to be true. We're in a pretty good position to land him to be sure and I think it would be a good match, I'm just more than a little worried that he'll be gone. Casey gives him the role a bench scorer/defender, I think he's pretty much good to go - ready to be a pro, y'know?

In today's NBA you really need an elite 4-man wing rotation. DD/Lamb/JJ is a great start, Kleiza is a decent 4th wing but we've also got money to spend. Getting Lamb's combination of length and ball-skills at the 2 spot makes finding a suitable small forward that much easier to find. Batum comes to mind. Continue amassing athletic long-bodies that can knock it down.

Is Lamb too "laid back" to come in and provide scoring energy off the bench? will he not "buy in" to that role for coach Casey? I don't know but he looks pretty coachable to me. He won't come in and start (over DD or JJ) but I'm pretty confident that he can come in and play his role off the bench.

We need a develop a dynamic wing talent and Lamb projects to be just that.

[JamesNaismith]

Is Lamb too "laid back" to come in and provide scoring energy off the bench? will he not "buy in" to that role for coach Casey? I don't know but he looks pretty coachable to me. He won't come in and start (over DD or JJ) but I'm pretty confident that he can come in and play his role off the bench.

We need a develop a dynamic wing talent and Lamb projects to be just that.

That's almost exactly Lamb's gift and curse.

It's not even that he's so "laid back" (the kid scored 17.7ppg making him THE top scoring wing in the nation) but he only does what's asked of him; nothing more and nothig less.

His freshman year he's asked to just basically back up Kemba and step up when needed; he does exactly that. In the U19s he's asked to take a lead role and dominate and he does exactly that. He comes back to UCONN then Calhoun (when healthy) and the coaching staff inexpicably have Boatright and Napier hogging the ball up but again when the ball was given to Lamb he scored (again 17.7ppg was the best...ppl talk like he put up 11ppg lol)....the kid is insanely efficient.

The issue scouts have with him is he will not step up on his OWN to be the man. It's like he has to be instructed to do so or at least just given the ball to do so. This can be a good or bad thing depending on if the coach picks up on it. If a team just thinks Lamb is going to demand the ball in the clutch and take over well then you're in for a major disappointment cuz he'll wait around until he's called upon. But if you draw up plays for him; he's talented enough to come through.

So for our team he will be an excellent fit in some ways in that he will accept whatever role you give him as he really has no ego about himself and Casey will love his shooting and I suspect use him much like Terry for Dirk (Barg) where either guy scores in the clutch. But at times Rap fans will be frustrated cuz we didn't get the ball to him when he's the most efficient and he didn't ask for it either. The other things is he's also not a leader so we're defintely gunna want a PG (like Nash) that puts him into position to act and score.

[JamesNaismith]

If we remain where we are....THIS IS MY PICK.



All aboard the LAMBWAGON! lol

[Lawnmower Man]

Is Lamb too "laid back" to come in and provide scoring energy off the bench? will he not "buy in" to that role for coach Casey? I don't know but he looks pretty coachable to me. He won't come in and start (over DD or JJ) but I'm pretty confident that he can come in and play his role off the bench.

We need a develop a dynamic wing talent and Lamb projects to be just that.

That's almost exactly Lamb's gift and curse.

It's not even that he's so "laid back" (the kid scored 17.7ppg making him THE top scoring wing in the nation) but he only does what's asked of him; nothing more and nothig less.

His freshman year he's asked to just basically back up Kemba and step up when needed; he does exactly that. In the U19s he's asked to take a lead role and dominate and he does exactly that. He comes back to UCONN then Calhoun (when healthy) and the coaching staff inexpicably have Boatright and Napier hogging the ball up but again when the ball was given to Lamb he scored (again 17.7ppg was the best...ppl talk like he put up 11ppg lol)....the kid is insanely efficient.

The issue scouts have with him is he will not step up on his OWN to be the man. It's like he has to be instructed to do so or at least just given the ball to do so. This can be a good or bad thing depending on if the coach picks up on it. If a team just thinks Lamb is going to demand the ball in the clutch and take over well then you're in for a major disappointment cuz he'll wait around until he's called upon. But if you draw up plays for him; he's talented enough to come through.

So for our team he will be an excellent fit in some ways in that he will accept whatever role you give him as he really has no ego about himself and Casey will love his shooting and I suspect use him much like Terry for Dirk (Barg) where either guy scores in the clutch. But at times Rap fans will be frustrated cuz we didn't get the ball to him when he's the most efficient and he didn't ask for it either. The other things is he's also not a leader so we're defintely gunna want a PG (like Nash) that puts him into position to act and score.

So if he does exactly what he is told, then can we just simply tell him to score 30ppg and become our franchise player?

[lolwut]

Is Lamb too "laid back" to come in and provide scoring energy off the bench? will he not "buy in" to that role for coach Casey? I don't know but he looks pretty coachable to me. He won't come in and start (over DD or JJ) but I'm pretty confident that he can come in and play his role off the bench.

We need a develop a dynamic wing talent and Lamb projects to be just that.

That's almost exactly Lamb's gift and curse.

It's not even that he's so "laid back" (the kid scored 17.7ppg making him THE top scoring wing in the nation) but he only does what's asked of him; nothing more and nothig less.

His freshman year he's asked to just basically back up Kemba and step up when needed; he does exactly that. In the U19s he's asked to take a lead role and dominate and he does exactly that. He comes back to UCONN then Calhoun (when healthy) and the coaching staff inexpicably have Boatright and Napier hogging the ball up but again when the ball was given to Lamb he scored (again 17.7ppg was the best...ppl talk like he put up 11ppg lol)....the kid is insanely efficient.

The issue scouts have with him is he will not step up on his OWN to be the man. It's like he has to be instructed to do so or at least just given the ball to do so. This can be a good or bad thing depending on if the coach picks up on it. If a team just thinks Lamb is going to demand the ball in the clutch and take over well then you're in for a major disappointment cuz he'll wait around until he's called upon. But if you draw up plays for him; he's talented enough to come through.

So for our team he will be an excellent fit in some ways in that he will accept whatever role you give him as he really has no ego about himself and Casey will love his shooting and I suspect use him much like Terry for Dirk (Barg) where either guy scores in the clutch. But at times Rap fans will be frustrated cuz we didn't get the ball to him when he's the most efficient and he didn't ask for it either. The other things is he's also not a leader so we're defintely gunna want a PG (like Nash) that puts him into position to act and score.

So if he does exactly what he is told, then can we just simply tell him to score 30ppg and become our franchise player?

We can also tell him to hand out the Gatorade. Then we can finally get rid of Jose.

[Dr Positivity]

As JamesNaismith alluded to, I think the whole idea of "He needs an alpha dog mentality/aggressiveness" is a little overstated in regards to a guy like Lamb or 06 Gay, because it's very unlikely any of these players on the board are going to be the best offensive player on an elite team, or should be drafted with that expectation. If we're deciding between Lamb and players like Damian Lillard and Moe Harkless, if the latter 2 players aren't talented enough to be anywhere near an alpha dog type offensive player anyways, to the point where it'd might actually be a problem if they considered themselves deserving of that kind of focal force, should we really care that much if Lamb is too laid back to be one?

Drafting a wing with Bargnani type talent + softness, is actually an excellent result with what teams are expected to get that late

[niQ]

I'm down with Lamb at 8th.

[Double Helix]

Over the weekend I came to this same conclusion. When I weigh all the pros and cons of all the prospects rumored to be available at 8 I see Lamb at the top of my draft board afterward and the reason is low-bust risk/potential star SG reward. I don't know about you guys but I like that combo in a prospect when picking at 8. I like some other players in this range, too, but some have less than idea size/athleticism for their ideal position or may have some attitude issues. Lamb seems to have the least negatives while still possessing a lot of upside and solid positives.

He has good length for the position.
He has 3 point shooting range.
He still has room to grow/upside.
I like his ball handling ability at that size.
He's capable of the spectacular play.
I like the program he came from and the fact that he had to grow into a larger role this year.
I also like that he won a championship.

I just like his chances of becoming an impact SG at the next level and I don't think he has much of a chance of being a bust. He's only 19. This is a really interesting draft and there are a number of names that I'll be happy with if their name is called on June 28th instead of Lamb's but Lamb is the one I'd be most excited about at 8. The SG spot has become weak in recent years and with Kobe, Ray Allen, Pierce, Manu, etc all getting closer to retirement I think Lamb stands a great chance of being a top 10 at this position someday if all works out and he puts in the work.

[Waylon Mercy]

Over the weekend I came to this same conclusion. When I weigh all the pros and cons of all the prospects rumored to be available at 8 I see Lamb at the top of my draft board afterward and the reason is low-bust risk/potential star SG reward. I don't know about you guys but I like that combo in a prospect when picking at 8. I like some other players in this range, too, but some have less than idea size/athleticism for their ideal position or may have some attitude issues. Lamb seems to have the least negatives while still possessing a lot of upside and solid positives.

He has good length for the position.
He has 3 point shooting range.
He still has room to grow/upside.
I like his ball handling ability at that size.
He's capable of the spectacular play.
I like the program he came from and the fact that he had to grow into a larger role this year.
I also like that he won a championship.

I just like his chances of becoming an impact SG at the next level and I don't think he has much of a chance of being a bust. He's only 19. This is a really interesting draft and there are a number of names that I'll be happy with if their name is called on June 28th instead of Lamb's but Lamb is the one I'd be most excited about at 8. The SG spot has become weak in recent years and with Kobe, Ray Allen, Pierce, Manu, etc all getting closer to retirement I think Lamb stands a great chance of being a top 10 at this position someday if all works out and he puts in the work.

Lets just pray he's still on the board I still don't understand how Chad Ford and Draft Express
have him 10th or lower. I'd imagine Colangelo would take him if he was on the board unless
Barnes slipped even though they might not think he can play the 3 or DeRozan.

[bboyskinnylegs]

Lamb and PJIII are my frontrunners for the pick. In Lamb's case, there's really nothing he needs to improve on skill-wise, he just needs to focus on getting stronger. I think he and DeMar can coexist on the wings as well. With regards to his assertiveness, it would be nice to see him be more aggressive, but I think that's something that Casey can get out of him. In fact, in his rookie season there's no way Casey would give him the green light offensively ahead of Bargs, or even DeMar for that matter, so if he can come in and be the same type of efficient, non-ball dominant shooter/scorer in his rookie season, that would be a perfect fit imo. I'm sure he'll be able to move up the offensive hierarchy as he proves his worth.

Klay Thompson, who was drafted 11th last year, had a solid rookie season where he averaged 18.5 pts/36 mins, on a decent 54.5 TS% and 14.9 PER. I think Lamb is a significantly better prospect who is better than Klay in just about every facet of the game.

[Dr Positivity]

I really feel like the many teams who pass on Lamb and Sullinger in this draft are going to feel rotten in a few years. Those guys are practically guarantees to start + all-star upside IMO. A dream draft for me would be taking Lamb 8, watching Sullinger fall to like 14 and then baiting Houston into taking our 2013 1st for that pick (because HOU has too many players to give them all minutes right now, with #16 and Motie both coming next year to their already deep team). That would be an exciting night.