dckingsfan wrote:Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:doclinkin wrote:
I would definitely trade 2 for #7 and #14.
7 Castle or Ron Holland.
14 Devin Carter or Jared McCain.
26 DaRon Holmes.
This is exactly what I would hope for.
Trade 2 for 7 and 14.
Draft Holland, Carter, and Holmes
Go for athleticism, defense, and transition scoring.
Hey CCJ & Doc, what are your arguments for taking Castle over Holland? Or, why do you think our FO might do that?
Positional length. BBIQ. Switchability. Winning.
Castle, if he can play PG, is huge at the spot. Check who they drafted in OKC. Giddey, Chet, Pokuchevski, Jalen Wms, or recruiting SGA. All are big for their position. If Castle can play at PG he's the biggest in the draft. Most times they say your position is who you can defend. Castle absolutely smothered even the small quick guards in college. And was the cooler for every other perimeter guy. He had not shown that aptitude for defense in High School, where he was an on ball floor general type. He showed skill in working the post-entry play with Clingan, despite not playing with a giant in HS or the U18 USA squad. His ability to adjust to the moment and do what is required of him and shape himself to good coaching bodes well for whatever is next.
Neither Holland nor Castle shoot well, both are high effort players with intensity and motor. So you figure they will work and improve. Holland has the better end-to-end speed and a Westbrook level of go-go-go to his game. High level athleticism, with cat quick reflexes. I don't see him bulking up much more on that frame, but it won't be from lack of effort. Still, Holland's effort and intensity did not translate to wins or to elevating his team. He was the most ball-dominant player on the squad, a squad that killed off the G League Ignite. (Okay, in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, fair. But if they all won and looked good, grew over the season, it gets another year). Individually Holland developed by the end of the year, but not in a team concept. His personal numbers improved only. Holland as primary playmaker struggled and was clearly out of position.
Meanwhile Castle was a man out there. When teams dared him to shoot he hit big shots. He is win focused. I expect him to struggle a bit at full time PG, but over the course of the season his game grew in a team concept and his playmaking worked well in chemistry with Clingan in particular. Castle showed that even without the ball he was able to affect the box score and +/- shifting to supplementary player to set up Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban with screen assists and pin downs etc. To me he showed enough all-court awareness that I expect his HS lead guard game resurfaces and shines. And if he struggles for a bit, so much the better. We will lose while he learns. I think he is an ideal fit next to any of the megastars in the next draft. We recruit our Pippen before we get our MJ.
My read is that his game also improves the value of poor defenders like Vukcevic or Poole. Anything that rehabs the value of Poole is useful, especially if it can raise his game to the point where he is tradable. Reports suggest that Poole's work ethic in the gym is tops on the team. Whatever results it has on court, maybe it turns around, maybe not, but sounds like he brought with him the Stef Curry shooting fanaticism. Castle figures to match that energy, and if so maybe the shooting of both could improve.
Maybe not. But there are steady developmental minutes available for a big guard. Whereas at forward there would be something of a clash between Holland Bilal and Deni. If Holland is the clear Best Player, then that doesn't matter, you take him. But if he is on the same tier as Castle, then take the guy who fits a need.
In my mind Castle is the combo guard version of Kawhi. A stone cold all business player who is win oriented. Lives basketball, no smiles. Room for expansion, I think he will build his midrange game and eventually stretch that to better comfort outside the line, but he will never shrink from the challenge. His intensity is not subject to overreach in the way I have seen out of Holland. I like the fire, but Castle's fire fit with a championship run. No mistakes, smart every play on D.
When I hear that the Spurs want to trade up, to me I think Castle is the guy they are looking for. And they think we will take him. He is too perfect a fit for Coach Pop. A coaches dream. A shutdown guy in the 1-3 spot who has untapped potential as a two-way captain and floor leader.