Who's our best guard prospect?

[Thaddy]

Gradey has been in a shooting slump and its exasperating his other lackluster skills. We're seeing him getting attacked off the dribble and struggle to close our on shooters.

Walter hasn't gotten the run Gradey has. He makes mistakes and commits turnovers but he also does great things on offense. He's been rebounding, attacks and getting paint touches, and drawing fouls. I see him as Agbaji+

Shead has been a good POA defender but his plus-minus is a problem. The team can't work well with his shooting issues. It impacts our offense heavily because RJ, Agbaji, and Barnes aren't good volume shooters.

Who do you see being the best player in 5 years?

I think it will clearly be Walter. He's a starting caliber player in by next season,. I'd even start him over Dick now.

[HumbleRen]

Gradey isn’t a guard, he’s a wing.

I had this argument with people 2 years ago with GTJ. I said he wasn’t a guard and people got mad at me lol.

We only have 2 guard prospects. Jakobe and Shead. Jakobe would have to be our best guard prospect due to his 2 way ability.

Shead is decent for a 2nd round pick but he won’t be in the NBA after his rookie contract if he doesn’t become an above average 3 point shooter by the end of his contract with us.

[artsncrafts]

None are great, Dick still has the best chance of "panning out" given he had some extended success and is only 20. Simply has to re-learn how to shoot though.

[Vampirate]

Gradey has been in a shooting slump and its exasperating his other lackluster skills. We're seeing him getting attacked off the dribble and struggle to close our on shooters.

Walter hasn't gotten the run Gradey has. He makes mistakes and commits turnovers but he also does great things on offense. He's been rebounding, attacks and getting paint touches, and drawing fouls. I see him as Agbaji+

Shead has been a good POA defender but his plus-minus is a problem. The team can't work well with his shooting issues. It impacts our offense heavily because RJ, Agbaji, and Barnes aren't good volume shooters.

Who do you see being the best player in 5 years?

I think it will clearly be Walter. He's a starting caliber player in by next season,. I'd even start him over Dick now.

Currently Walter imo, he's the only guy that can both guard decently and have decent ball handling skills (imo he's arguably top 2 on our team in that regard).

Basically Walter is the closest thing this team has to a go to scorer imo.

[PhilBlackson]

None of them are star prospects but JaKobe is the best one.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

Dick's the athletic one.

[RoteSchroder]

Gradey isn’t a guard, he’s a wing.

I had this argument with people 2 years ago with GTJ. I said he wasn’t a guard and people got mad at me lol.

We only have 2 guard prospects. Jakobe and Shead. Jakobe would have to be our best guard prospect due to his 2 way ability.

Shead is decent for a 2nd round pick but he won’t be in the NBA after his rookie contract if he doesn’t become an above average 3 point shooter by the end of his contract with us.

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

[HumbleRen]

Gradey isn’t a guard, he’s a wing.

I had this argument with people 2 years ago with GTJ. I said he wasn’t a guard and people got mad at me lol.

We only have 2 guard prospects. Jakobe and Shead. Jakobe would have to be our best guard prospect due to his 2 way ability.

Shead is decent for a 2nd round pick but he won’t be in the NBA after his rookie contract if he doesn’t become an above average 3 point shooter by the end of his contract with us.

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

[Syd-TK3]

Dylan Harper

[Indeed]

Gradey isn’t a guard, he’s a wing.

I had this argument with people 2 years ago with GTJ. I said he wasn’t a guard and people got mad at me lol.

We only have 2 guard prospects. Jakobe and Shead. Jakobe would have to be our best guard prospect due to his 2 way ability.

Shead is decent for a 2nd round pick but he won’t be in the NBA after his rookie contract if he doesn’t become an above average 3 point shooter by the end of his contract with us.

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

You can play as off-ball guard.
Dick is a guard from a defensive position stand point. His wingspan and size cannot guard small forward. Heck, even Agbaji got out sized by Hunter against Atlanta, you think Agbaji can play as a wing (or SF)? Note against most SF starters.

I do agree that skill set matters, and someone can play multiple positions. Like OG who can guard multiple positions and play as off ball shooter, he can basically play SG/SF/PF. Same for someone who can defend a single position with multiple roles on offense.

[bluerap23]

Jakobe

[YogurtProducer]

Gradey isn’t a guard, he’s a wing.

I had this argument with people 2 years ago with GTJ. I said he wasn’t a guard and people got mad at me lol.

We only have 2 guard prospects. Jakobe and Shead. Jakobe would have to be our best guard prospect due to his 2 way ability.

Shead is decent for a 2nd round pick but he won’t be in the NBA after his rookie contract if he doesn’t become an above average 3 point shooter by the end of his contract with us.

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

Danny Green was out staring 2 guard in a ring year.

You’re confusing a point guard for a guard.

[MessiahUjiri]

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

Danny Green was out staring 2 guard in a ring year.

You’re confusing a point guard for a guard.

When someone tries to say Gary Trent Jr isn’t a guard, that tells you everything.

[RoteSchroder]

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

You can play as off-ball guard.
Dick is a guard from a defensive position stand point. His wingspan and size cannot guard small forward. Heck, even Agbaji got out sized by Hunter against Atlanta, you think Agbaji can play as a wing (or SF)? Note against most SF starters.

I do agree that skill set matters, and someone can play multiple positions. Like OG who can guard multiple positions and play as off ball shooter, he can basically play SG/SF/PF. Same for someone who can defend a single position with multiple roles on offense.

Generally speaking, I think we need to go by how society (or the basketball community) defines it, cause that's how language works. The definition for guards, wings, forwards aren't clear cut, but there are some general agreements based on defense, offensive play style, size, strength, etc.

For the situation HumbleRen's describing, I would probably use something like "on-ball guard". Gradey, GTJr, Steve Kerr, etc. aren't on-ball guards, to which I think everyone would agree.

[Merit]

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

You can play as off-ball guard.
Dick is a guard from a defensive position stand point. His wingspan and size cannot guard small forward. Heck, even Agbaji got out sized by Hunter against Atlanta, you think Agbaji can play as a wing (or SF)? Note against most SF starters.

I do agree that skill set matters, and someone can play multiple positions. Like OG who can guard multiple positions and play as off ball shooter, he can basically play SG/SF/PF. Same for someone who can defend a single position with multiple roles on offense.

Once Gradey gets a bit stronger he will guard some forwards. Right now he’s using his length/positioning on guards to account for his lack of foot speed.

I’m not too worried if Gradey’s a guard or a wing, so long as he develops well in his role for us - which he seems to be doing. I haven’t seen enough out of Jakobe to be certain of what his game will look like in the future, but he’s young and talented enough that I consider him our best guard prospect. I really like Shead because he’s my height and I feel our games are similar. I agree with Humble Ren that he needs a 3 to stick around in the league.

[Indeed]

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

You can play as off-ball guard.
Dick is a guard from a defensive position stand point. His wingspan and size cannot guard small forward. Heck, even Agbaji got out sized by Hunter against Atlanta, you think Agbaji can play as a wing (or SF)? Note against most SF starters.

I do agree that skill set matters, and someone can play multiple positions. Like OG who can guard multiple positions and play as off ball shooter, he can basically play SG/SF/PF. Same for someone who can defend a single position with multiple roles on offense.

Once Gradey gets a bit stronger he will guard some forwards. Right now he’s using his length/positioning on guards to account for his lack of foot speed.

I’m not too worried if Gradey’s a guard or a wing, so long as he develops well in his role for us - which he seems to be doing. I haven’t seen enough out of Jakobe to be certain of what his game will look like in the future, but he’s young and talented enough that I consider him our best guard prospect. I really like Shead because he’s my height and I feel our games are similar. I agree with Humble Ren that he needs a 3 to stick around in the league.

His wingspan being SG average is not going to allow him to play against SF. You cannot develop a wingspan, and his recovery is very poor, which is our biggest reason for being blow out this year. Teams are targeting him since early last month.

[HumbleRen]

Seems like semantics. A guard also consists of shooting guards, doesn't need to be strictly someone who has on-ball capabilities. Can also be defined by who or how you defend.

Many forwards or wings have better on ball abilities than SG's, doesn't mean they're a guard. I wouldn't call LBJ a guard and Jodie Meeks a wing. 10-15+ years ago, there were plenty of 3 point specialists at the PG/SG position..David Wesley, Eddie House, Steve Kerr, Seth Curry, a bunch of scrubs that KG played with, etc. Most people would refer to them as guards rather than wing players.

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

Danny Green was out staring 2 guard in a ring year.

You’re confusing a point guard for a guard.

Sure but as the playoffs got deeper, FVV started eating most of his minutes because FVV provided an actual guard skillset. The league has also evolved even from 2018-2019 days.

Look at the guards nowadays, the majority of them on contenders are all who can handle, create for others, defend and have a decent shot.

The guards who have a wing skillset are either getting passed around or having to accept very cheap deals such as Malik Beasley, GTJ, Teurean Prince, Landry Shamet, etc etc.

[HumbleRen]

It’s about skillsets to me.

You wouldn’t ever look at Gradey and think he can play actual guard minutes if IQ sat on the bench.

It is semantics but I just don’t think he’s the solution to our guard issues. You need some semblance of handles or wiggle on the ball.

Danny Green was out staring 2 guard in a ring year.

You’re confusing a point guard for a guard.

When someone tries to say Gary Trent Jr isn’t a guard, that tells you everything.

He averages less than 1 assist, has 0 on ball capability and plays on the wings as his source of offence.

He’s by the definition a wing.

[Indeed]

Gradey has been in a shooting slump and its exasperating his other lackluster skills. We're seeing him getting attacked off the dribble and struggle to close our on shooters.

Walter hasn't gotten the run Gradey has. He makes mistakes and commits turnovers but he also does great things on offense. He's been rebounding, attacks and getting paint touches, and drawing fouls. I see him as Agbaji+

Shead has been a good POA defender but his plus-minus is a problem. The team can't work well with his shooting issues. It impacts our offense heavily because RJ, Agbaji, and Barnes aren't good volume shooters.

Who do you see being the best player in 5 years?

I think it will clearly be Walter. He's a starting caliber player in by next season,. I'd even start him over Dick now.

Currently Walter imo, he's the only guy that can both guard decently and have decent ball handling skills (imo he's arguably top 2 on our team in that regard).

Basically Walter is the closest thing this team has to a go to scorer imo.

Walter can be a good #3 option with his mid range and shooting, but him lacking a first step may limit him as a "go to scorer".
I believe his defense and shooting will make him a plus player, but our expectation is probably having him as a lock down / point of attack defender, which could be too high.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

Dick was putting up 20+ a good portion of the year. If he comes in next year and puts up low 20's, this isn't much of a discussion.