nate33 wrote:pancakes3 wrote:i do like the idea of a rookie combo guard coming off the bench but i think we have a more immediate need for frontcourt talent
jaxson hayes, bruno fernando, bol bol, rui hachimura are all very solid picks for the mid/late lotto.
Fair point about positional need. Our greatest need is surely a PF for the future - our version of Pascal Siakam - a guy who do a little of everything on offense while being very switchable on defense and vacuuming rebounds.
What's interesting is that the two most prominent prototypes for that role: Siakam and Draymond, were both found late in the draft. I wonder if that's a skill set that just doesn't shine very much in the college game so its hard to scout. The guy I like later in the draft for us in that role is Brandon Clarke. Many mocks have him going high in the 2nd round, though Ruzious thinks he'll go in the 1st.
We just need to land a high 2nd or late 1st - presumably by trading Ariza.
Tricky to find, but not impossible. If you look for forwards and centers with good numbers of Steals per 35 mins you find solid defensive players. Andre Roberson, Ben Simmons, Draymond, Unibrow, etc. Steals by interior players show good situation recognition software. They don't seek the ball, it has to come to them, so steals here show they are opportunistic, poking the ball away and disrupting penetration. Steals by wing players are sometimes the opposite, showing gambling on defense, players leaving defensive position for glory stats and highlight breakaways.
Defensive rebounds (relative to position) show BBIQ for players at every position. Again not so much for offensive boards which can show big time athleticism, but can also be a marker for a tall player in a small conference, or players gambling for putbacks instead of falling back in transition D.
I'm pissed that Givony took his stat matrix over to ESPN but you can beat Basketball Reference into coughing up stats.
Search forwards and centers. Sort for both steals and defensive rebounding position. Career NCAA stats more than single year. or iso their final year in school. Reveals hidden gems like Noah Vonleh who is having a sneaky good defensive year on the Nix and is even hitting 37% of his threes. I'd forgotten about him.
Ideally you look for players with at least a couple years in college so you can see a track record of improvement in certain key stats. Overall improvement on weak spots, especially with increased usage indicates a gamer. A player who is smart enough to fix their own mistakes and loves to compete.
This year it suggests you take a flyer on Ethan Happ if he falls to a later pick. Or goes undrafted as is the case in some mocks. He's got that Draymond profile as a guy who just loves the game and will do anything to compete. He won't hurt you as a bench addition with a 2nd round pick, will improve the quality of your practice sessions. And if he ever develops an outside shot he will fight for starters minutes. Or better yet finishers minutes.
Take a look at Cameron Jackson of Wofford as a guy who could improve with big league training staff. Thicknecked so he will measure shorter, and carrying extra weight so there is room to lean up and get stronger. But he is filling the box score in a variety of interesting ways.
I could build the best Capital City GoGo squad on BBIQ all stars alone. At least they'd play fundamental basketball and would be a good training ground to send underdeveloped hypertalents for further schooling.
