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Tear it up in Indy Domas.

Great talent. Too young if we want to be relevant while Westbrook is playing like the GOAT.

Wish him the best in Indiana.

Will be a decent role player in a few years. Best of luck!

Rooting for his success.

Doing my due diligence on this guy, seems really polished offensively for a rookie. What exactly were the expectations of OKC's fanbase for him?

Jake0890 wrote:Doing my due diligence on this guy, seems really polished offensively for a rookie. What exactly were the expectations of OKC's fanbase for him?

I always thought of him as a non-psychotic Draymond Green, in a way. Not quite the same but similar skills.

He'll eventually be a consistent 3 point shooter. He was lights out before he hit his rookie wall. His ability to switch on D is exceptional. He's a very good passer for a big as well. If he adds some fire to his game it'd go a long way. In college he was known for his post work, and he does have good footwork, problem is he just didn't have the bulk to actually be effective in the post.

He might not be a star, but like Draymond is for the Warriors, he can be the PERFECT complimentary piece. If he puts on muscle and is able to play center, even better. The switching on D, the floor spacing and the playmaking will all be incredibly valuable if he has stars around him.

So his skillset really is top notch for a big. Two major issues holding him back: The mental and physical aspects of the game. Physically...Well he's a twig. That should get better in time, but he needs to be spending a LOT of time in the gym. He needs to get used to the speed and size of opposition players.

Mentally, at this point, he's a complete confidence player. He'll miss a couple of open putbacks, hang his head and won't be any good for the rest of the night. He has a long way to go in terms of just being confident in himself, and learning how to move on from making mistakes. Just goes too hard on himself.

Pairing him with Turner has the potential to create a really modern, dynamic front court. I hope he succeeds, he's a good guy to have. Skills are there, body is not. I think he'll get there, but he's still probably a couple of seasons away from being fully ready.

Jake0890 wrote:Doing my due diligence on this guy, seems really polished offensively for a rookie. What exactly were the expectations of OKC's fanbase for him?

He's got some potential. I literally have never seen anyone that just couldn't get a roll. He made some nice post moves but just couldn't get his shots to fall the last half of the season. I dont know if he'll be great at anything but he's pretty good at everything.

Sabonis should never have started and no matter how bad he played (he had a string of games this year where he went like 1-37 on 3 pointers) Donovan refused to yank him yet in the playoffs he never even played. Kanter obviously should have been the starter from day one and Sabonis should have backed him up playing maybe 12-14 minutes max as he just wasn't ready. Sabonis is always going to be limited to a large degree because he simply isn't very athletic and can't finish around the rim very well. He's a guy who eventually can probably be a good backup averaging around 10 points and 6 rebounds but I don't think he'll ever be much more than that.

Oh god, now Kanter should be starting at the 4? Lord save us.

sleestak33 wrote:Sabonis should never have started and no matter how bad he played (he had a string of games this year where he went like 1-37 on 3 pointers) Donovan refused to yank him yet in the playoffs he never even played. Kanter obviously should have been the starter from day one and Sabonis should have backed him up playing maybe 12-14 minutes max as he just wasn't ready. Sabonis is always going to be limited to a large degree because he simply isn't very athletic and can't finish around the rim very well. He's a guy who eventually can probably be a good backup averaging around 10 points and 6 rebounds but I don't think he'll ever be much more than that.

Starting with two centers, Adams and Kanter? Who would've been a backup center? I looked at his stats and didn't find 1-37 three pointers either.