doclinkin wrote:Likely a moot point based on lotto odds, but somebody sell me on RJ Barrett. I'm not saying 'No', I'm just curious why he's a consensus top 3 pick in this draft.
He rebounds big for a SF. He's a willing passer (but he better be with that talent around him). He's young. Good size, athleticism.
Weighed against: He's a streaky shooter. Not a great 3fg shooter. Subpar FT shooter from the wing spot. Decent defender but not lockdown. His dribble drive is predictable, a lot of speed and power but not a lot of shifty in his game. And that is not the skill teams need most in a wing nowadays.
To me I wonder if we do get better value out of a trade out of that spot. You take Zion no question. Ja Morant has shown me what he can do in the bigs. He has an immediate role as a Wallstar understudy. His passing is better and his assist numbers will improve even, given better finishers around him. He doesn't have the accelration of a Fox/Wall, but he has the thing that is better: he sees the gamebetter. He has touch on his passes and change of speed that Walll didnt learn until 4 years in. We will see how he does in conference competition of the NCAAs if they make it. But his situational smarts are evident.
But outside of those two, the players I am greedy for should be available later on. I don't quite see Barrett as the no-question top 3 best value prospect in this year. I feel like, even squinting into the future, there will be a player later on who will be better quicker. So why not try to get a few chances, this year if there's a deal, or future picks if not. We have so many needs, and with such a broad field of talent maybe it makes sense to trade the slot to a team that will covet that potential, since everyone else projects him as top 3 value. I'd love to get multiple players on cheap contracts. Get a utility guy who fills a role for us as well as an upside pick later on.
I want Hunter. He fills a need. Fits well with who we have. Not an upside player, and his version of 'best player available' means: instant utility. He makes this team better.
I want Bruno Fernando. He fills a role as a defensive big, a highly proficient rebounder, and also has intriguingly developing skill that is catching up to his talent. He has one-hand-catch ability. Big soft hands. Like other former soccer playing bigs he has good footwork for his size, understands angles on defense, and unselfish play on offense. He will make the touch pass out of traffic. And has savage reaction speed on putbacks and dunks rolling down the lane. His athleticism and motor suggests he will adjust to NBA pick and roll defense even if right now he plays upright, and I can see him setting hellacious picks if he gets a big man tutor. There's something nastygood here with the right team and environment, I got a feeling. I've got the sense that he will become that keystone interior defender on a winning team. The guy who can call out reads and switches and make his team better, the way bigs are supposed to since they're the ones who can see the whole floor from underneath.
I like Clarke. He lets us play our under-rebounding bigs like Bryant or Portis (if we keep him cheap), and his lack of a developed outside shot will be less critical when they float out to play as en vogue face-up Bigs. His motor will make even boring nights interesting and will fire up both his teammates and the crowd. I like seeing his development in school, it bodes well for his future in the league.
A guy like Bol Bol intrigues me. Aside from foot injury fears he is the player with the 2nd most mindblowing physical talent in this draft. An anomaly, that level of developed skill fused with that length. If he can stay healthy he will be a puzzle for teams to solve. A lifer in this game, he plays like it is his birthright.
If we were lucky enough to bounce into the top 4 and Barrett was sitting there (I suspect the combine may displace him at that #2 consensus, if his tourney is decent but not world shaking) then to me I'd rather catch two of the above. Or one and a fistful of future picks from the right team.
I dunno. But if I could get Bruno and Hunter I'd feel good about the future with this squad.
I think getting Bruno and Hunter in the same draft is unrealistic. Those guys will both be mid lottery so I'm not really seeing how we'd get those picks. What's the selling point on Barrett? He's an 18 year old who embraces being "the guy." Compared to other wing players - Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard - he's light years ahead of them at the same age. Does his game have flaws? Yes. But the test for his career will be his love and passion for the game and how hard he's willing to work.
If we get the third pick I think we take RJ and don't look back. Compare RJ to freshman Beal. Look at how Beal's game has evolved. RJ has all the building blocks. He can attack off the dribble, he can create for others and he has confidence, maybe too much, in his shot. Lastly, he's creating his career around being the Man. His goal is to be the Man. I respect that. Players respond to their failures. They go into the gym and work at their game and improve. I'm more impressed by an aggressive young player, who's willing to be the man and fail, than an efficient college player who has great efficiency but would never get the ball in clutch situations. With all that said, I have no problem with any of the guys you mentioned. But when I see an 18 year old who's willing to step and take big shots in clutch moments and deal with that failure, I'm impressed.
