2023 Draft Discussion Part 4

[OakleyDokely]

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Higher: Julian Strawther, Brandin Podziemski, Jordan Hawkins

Lower: GG Jackson, Nick Smith, Keyonte George

you'd pick Podz @ 13?

Maybe, depends on the options available. I just think he's rated too low currently, which was the original question.

[NoBias]

Bilal Coulibaliy would be perfect next to Barnes and OG.

[Spates]

Higher: Julian Strawther, Brandin Podziemski, Jordan Hawkins

Lower: GG Jackson, Nick Smith, Keyonte George

you'd pick Podz @ 13?

Maybe, depends on the options available. I just think he's rated too low currently, which was the original question.

What do you see in Podz game that can scale upwards? He's clearly talented. But he looks unathletic and small for a 6'5 guard. He also seems very ball dominant.

[ATLTimekeeper]

you'd pick Podz @ 13?

Maybe, depends on the options available. I just think he's rated too low currently, which was the original question.

What do you see in Podz game that can scale upwards? He's clearly talented. But he looks unathletic and small for a 6'5 guard. He also seems very ball dominant.

Bigger than Terq

Most of these scoring guards 'are what they are' and they scale up by proving they can carry more of an offensive load in the NBA.

[Psubs]

Higher: Julian Strawther, Brandin Podziemski, Jordan Hawkins

Lower: GG Jackson, Nick Smith, Keyonte George

you'd pick Podz @ 13?

Maybe, depends on the options available. I just think he's rated too low currently, which was the original question.

I guess if they think he can shoot better and at least play good enough defense to start over Trent then okay.

Terq, I would not pick until the 20's as he'll probably be a bench combo guard like Quickley. Can Quickley eventually start like Maxey, maybe.

[WuTang_CMB]

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[Yallbecrazy]

If all we want is someone who gets buckets and doesn't do anything else, might as well just get the tallest player who can do so in Brice.

Maybe he'll learn how to pass like Derozan in his later years..... But Derozan locked himself in the gym every summer working on his game. Haven't read anything about Brice's work ethic (or lack thereof).

But this Podziemski name keeps appearing. I'm becoming way more interested in him now than Keyonte/Nick Smith Jr

Podz is the real deal man. I really like him

Ive watched his highlights and I don’t see much athleticism or explosiveness needed for a guard to succeed in the NBA. The guy has great stats in college but I rarely see him get past his defenders off the dribble. Probably better suited for the college/Euro leagues.

Neither does Trae Young or Steph Curry...now he's not those guys, but he's one of the most skilled guys in the draft. There's more than one way to skin a cat or score a basketball.

[HumbleRen]

Podz is the real deal man. I really like him

Ive watched his highlights and I don’t see much athleticism or explosiveness needed for a guard to succeed in the NBA. The guy has great stats in college but I rarely see him get past his defenders off the dribble. Probably better suited for the college/Euro leagues.

Neither does Trae Young or Steph Curry...now he's not those guys, but he's one of the most skilled guys in the draft. There's more than one way to skin a cat or score a basketball.

This is a reach lol.

Trae and Curry both have lethal first steps. They can blow by their defender at will.

[Yallbecrazy]

you'd pick Podz @ 13?

Maybe, depends on the options available. I just think he's rated too low currently, which was the original question.

What do you see in Podz game that can scale upwards? He's clearly talented. But he looks unathletic and small for a 6'5 guard. He also seems very ball dominant.

He's a great shooter so he can definitely play off ball, but no one on Santa Clara could generate their own offense so teams never worried about help defense unless it was to help on Podz.

I don't understand how Hawkins is rated higher than Podz (well I do since Hawkins' team won the National championship), but as a prospect Podz is much superior. They are both similar shooters, with an edge to Hawkins, but Podz literally does everything else better and some things significantly better. Neither is a good defender, but at least Podz has more strength and generates a lot more steals which shows his higher BBIQ. Hawkins doesn't rebound and Podz is exceptional at it. Hawkins can't dribble or pass and Podz is really good to excellent at that too.

Podz is also 10 months younger.

[Dalek]

Nick Smith Jr. was my guy at the beginning of the season based on his skills as a scorer and playmaker. I thought he would end up a top five value player if he came into college and showed what he did at the Jordan Brand Classic. This is a scrimmage where defense is optional, but you can see his creativity with the ball and lethal shooting from different levels:

Watch on YouTube

No doubt the poor college shooting numbers are what people will focus on. I think the combination of limited games, some injury impacts that killed his practice availability, playing more off ball kept him out of rhythm. College is different than the NBA. Less games and everything being so intense that coaches rely on a lot of different data like Catapult Data that Musselman refers to, and I think he subtly hinted at Smith's condition post-injury being a concern.

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Smith Jr. did have a four game sample in late February where it all came together and he scored over 24 PPG including this fascinating match-up against Brandon Miller / Alabama:

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;t=431s

+Pedigree / Klutch Sports signed
+NBA level speed/handle
+Mid range diversity with jumpshot and floater
+Smooth distance release
+Lead guard more in the mold of De'Aaron Fox

-Health/knee concerns

I think they will have to dig into private workouts with him but from what I read earlier, he is a gym rat who goes hard in practice and games. I just think he got a good runway to play at his best and by the tournament coach went away from him.

[Yallbecrazy]

Ive watched his highlights and I don’t see much athleticism or explosiveness needed for a guard to succeed in the NBA. The guy has great stats in college but I rarely see him get past his defenders off the dribble. Probably better suited for the college/Euro leagues.

Neither does Trae Young or Steph Curry...now he's not those guys, but he's one of the most skilled guys in the draft. There's more than one way to skin a cat or score a basketball.

This is a reach lol.

Trae and Curry both have lethal first steps. They can blow by their defender at will.

'Although he is not the most explosive athlete, the threat of his jumper forces defenders to guard him way out on the perimeter, making it easier for him to get by his man and into the paint … [player] has shown the ability to create his own shot from inside the arc with a solid handle … He has a great floater from the mid range area as well that he can score with consistently when he is not able to get all the way to the rim …'

-nbadraft.net on

Spoiler:

Trae

'Far below NBA standard in regard to explosivenes and athleticism...Not a great finisher around the basket due to his size and physical attributes'

-nbadraft.net on

Spoiler:

Steph

[Dalek]

Maybe, depends on the options available. I just think he's rated too low currently, which was the original question.

What do you see in Podz game that can scale upwards? He's clearly talented. But he looks unathletic and small for a 6'5 guard. He also seems very ball dominant.

He's a great shooter so he can definitely play off ball, but no one on Santa Clara could generate their own offense so teams never worried about help defense unless it was to help on Podz.

I don't understand how Hawkins is rated higher than Podz (well I do since Hawkins' team won the National championship), but as a prospect Podz is much superior. They are both similar shooters, with an edge to Hawkins, but Podz literally does everything else better and some things significantly better. Neither is a good defender, but at least Podz has more strength and generates a lot more steals which shows his higher BBIQ. Hawkins doesn't rebound and Podz is exceptional at it. Hawkins can't dribble or pass and Podz is really good to excellent at that too.

Podz is also 10 months younger.

My feeling on why Podz would be rated lower is athleticism and shot creation space. He has high level skill getting his shot at the college level, but he doesn't seem to have a lot of separation on step-backs. He also has short arms and is average at best laterally. I don't think he generates the same amount steals in the NBA.

Hawkins to me looks longer on court, and a crazy high motor coupled with some athleticism so you could see him potentially defending quicker 1s. He won a title which will sway a lot of people (the Kemba effect).

Why I would bump both these guys from our pick, they both require the offense to revolve around them. Hawkins is running around screens and cannot create well for himself other than a one to two dribble pull-up. Toronto just doesn't have that type of offense and players to support it (other than Poeltl).

Podz does most of his damage with the ball in his hands and doesn't project as a lead guard because he will need a screen and elite spacing around him to become a threat. Can't see his value as a back-up 2 guard being worth a 13 pick.

[Spates]

Maybe, depends on the options available. I just think he's rated too low currently, which was the original question.

What do you see in Podz game that can scale upwards? He's clearly talented. But he looks unathletic and small for a 6'5 guard. He also seems very ball dominant.

Bigger than Terq

Most of these scoring guards 'are what they are' and they scale up by proving they can carry more of an offensive load in the NBA.

Fine, yes he is bigger than Terq lol. Size isn't the be-all and end-all, it's apart of the larger package. Podz size is concerning due to an apparent lack of strength and quickness. Terq is smaller but the questions aren't around his physical appropriateness for NBA ball, his questions seem to be around decision-making.

[ATLTimekeeper]

I can't say I've seen a lot of Podziemski, but his numbers don't indicate that he can't get by his man or into the paint. Plenty of shots in the paint and with good efficiency/high volume on his floater. Being on the ball isn't really a negative, but I would be more comfortable with more C&S reps. It's pretty normal for a star of a college team to be more ball dominant.

There's clearly a few different ways to think about scoring prospects, like if they can improve this shot efficiency, or take better shots, add a few points, etc. There's validity to that, like Tyrese Maxey struggled shooting but has become an excellent shooter in the NBA. In the end, these types of players are going to be compromising your defense. So what else do they bring? For Podziemski, he's got outlier rebounding for his size. There's lots of good associations with that skill, especially if you're concerned about his athleticism.

[dozo]

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He’s a typical high school sophomore and a once-in-a-generation talent. He’s the pride of Ypsilanti, Mich., and the future of the NBA. Not even old enough to drive and likely to be a straight-to-the-NBA No. 1 Pick, Emoni Bates is both a product of his era and way ahead of his time.

The media is twisted! How does a once-in-a-generation talent become an afterthought?

[Jadoogar]

Neither does Trae Young or Steph Curry...now he's not those guys, but he's one of the most skilled guys in the draft. There's more than one way to skin a cat or score a basketball.

This is a reach lol.

Trae and Curry both have lethal first steps. They can blow by their defender at will.

'Although he is not the most explosive athlete, the threat of his jumper forces defenders to guard him way out on the perimeter, making it easier for him to get by his man and into the paint … [player] has shown the ability to create his own shot from inside the arc with a solid handle … He has a great floater from the mid range area as well that he can score with consistently when he is not able to get all the way to the rim …'

-nbadraft.net on

Spoiler:

Trae

'Far below NBA standard in regard to explosivenes and athleticism...Not a great finisher around the basket due to his size and physical attributes'

-nbadraft.net on

Spoiler:

Steph

Sure but both of these guys dominated in college and were still projected to be drafted in the top 10.
This Pod guy is mocked in the 30s.

[ballchique]

Bilal Coulibaliy would be perfect next to Barnes and OG.

I would love Bilal Coulibaly. So intriguing. I wonder if he'll be available at 13 though.

[DreamTeam09]

I like NBADraft.net even tho most don't. Atleast they've been consistent in the young prospects game over the years.

Right now they have GG Jackson Ryan Rupert n NSJ making the jump into the top 12 leaving us with options such as Jarace Walker George and Wallace 13.
At 12 they have Can Whitmore going to OKC which would really hurt, he's probably the ideal fit for us outside of the top3.

[DreamTeam09]

Bilal Coulibaliy would be perfect next to Barnes and OG.

I would love Bilal Coulibaly. So intriguing. I wonder if he'll be available at 13 though.

Yes, I haven't seen him mock that high at all, and if he is, that means someone might fall to us

[ATLTimekeeper]

What do you see in Podz game that can scale upwards? He's clearly talented. But he looks unathletic and small for a 6'5 guard. He also seems very ball dominant.

Bigger than Terq

Most of these scoring guards 'are what they are' and they scale up by proving they can carry more of an offensive load in the NBA.

Fine, yes he is bigger than Terq lol. Size isn't the be-all and end-all, it's apart of the larger package. Podz size is concerning due to an apparent lack of strength and quickness. Terq is smaller but the questions aren't around his physical appropriateness for NBA ball, his questions seem to be around decision-making.

Let's check back in after the combine. Terq was 165 at last combine. There are definitely questions about his size.

The biggest question with Smith moving forward is his frame. The 6-4 guard has the size and athleticism to conquer his opponents, but his thin frame has left some questions with NBA decision-makers. Smith weighs just 165 pounds, something that has raised some doubters about how he would deal with the physicality of the NBA.

I haven't seen any questions about Podziemski being too weak for the NBA. It's a given that all of these scoring guards will have to get stronger.