Officially Waived: The Kai Jones Thread

[luciano-davidwesley]

Is "fluid athlete" draft speak for lacking basketball skills?

[yosemiteben]

he gives me serious noah vonleh vibes. no clue how to play, but all the physical tools to be a star.

I feel like Vonleh with a high motor and better quickness would have been a more useful player, but you're definitely not wrong.

[fatlever]

I have a good feeling about him. He is a very fluid athlete who will impact games with his length. Melo is gonna love playing with him.

Melo will be playing for the Lakers by the time this dude is ready for real NBA minutes... not just five minutes here or there as a change of pace energy guy

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

[fatlever]

I know everyone says you can't judge players off of summer league, and I get that. But I don't watch college basketball, so this is my first time seeing any of our players. I have to form an opinion at some point start with. I could not be more unimpressed with the entire crop of rookies. And I just really hope that with more structure and Veterans around them, and some solid coaching, that they will look completely different in a couple of years.

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

[fatlever]

Let me correct that, and not to derail This Thread, but I do see some potential in Scotty and Thor that is worthy of a second-round pick. Although, I would have preferred we used our first second round pick on a veteran guard so that we didn't use our lottery pick on a monk replacement and could have used that on sengun, Moody, kispert, Jalen or the old dude from pacers.

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

[Rays Pompadour]

I know everyone says you can't judge players off of summer league, and I get that. But I don't watch college basketball, so this is my first time seeing any of our players. I have to form an opinion at some point start with. I could not be more unimpressed with the entire crop of rookies. And I just really hope that with more structure and Veterans around them, and some solid coaching, that they will look completely different in a couple of years.

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

You know, I thought that was what college was for - to learn a craft or skill...but we're in a different age. Jones only started playing basketball at age 15, so he's far behind even the basic developmental arc. It'll be interesting to see if the Hornets remain patient with Jones.

[Benjamin Linus]

Watch on YouTube

[LurkCobain]

Bizarro Giannis….Mitch DOES WORK!

[Rays Pompadour]

Hope he stays fearless. And he'll learn that hesitation kills.

[SWedd523]

I think he will excel more if we push him towards a 4/3 instead of a 4/5.

[vorbis]

if he can get his jumpshot in order and learn to possess the ball in traffic without it getting swatted by anyone within 5 feet, then the sky is the limit for him. straight to the stratosphere. those things are so learnable. I'm extremely encouraged by him after summer league. the stuff you can't improve, he's got.

[luciano-davidwesley]

I think he will excel more if we push him towards a 4/3 instead of a 4/5.

If we aren't drafting him for need at the 5 and wanted a 3/4 then we would have been better off drafting Jalen Johnson.

[SWedd523]

I think he will excel more if we push him towards a 4/3 instead of a 4/5.

If we aren't drafting him for need at the 5 and wanted a 3/4 then we would have been better off drafting Jalen Johnson.

I didn't say 3/4

I said 4/3, as in a perimeter oriented big more in the Bosh/Amare/John Collins etc mold than a back to the basket guy

[HornetJail]

I think he will excel more if we push him towards a 4/3 instead of a 4/5.

If we aren't drafting him for need at the 5 and wanted a 3/4 then we would have been better off drafting Jalen Johnson.

I didn't say 3/4

I said 4/3, as in a perimeter oriented big more in the Bosh/Amare/John Collins etc mold than a back to the basket guy

so a 4/5?

[SWedd523]

No. That would indicate low post plays

[BigSlam]

if he can get his jumpshot in order and learn to possess the ball in traffic without it getting swatted by anyone within 5 feet, then the sky is the limit for him. straight to the stratosphere. those things are so learnable. I'm extremely encouraged by him after summer league. the stuff you can't improve, he's got.

I’m with you vorbis: One if the things I pointed out pre-draft that I didn’t like about him was his tendency to crouch down when he has the ball in the paint allowing traffic to crowd over him. If he can learn to keep the ball high it would significantly reduce that - and with his explosion and length he’d be a force.

I also don’t like that 99.9% of his drives sees him go right. It’s super predictable.

Also, he needs to learn to not just rely on his length to protect the rim when someone drives on him. It’s almost like he allows them to get by him because he thinks his length will allow him to get over the top and prevent or alter the shot. But NBA dudes are too quick and too crafty for that, so he needs to focus on staying chest to chest with them - he has the quick enough feet to.

All that said, I’m still SUPER high on him. Sure, history suggests there’s likely a 70% or so chance he doesn’t max out his potential and becomes another “imagine if” type player, but he seems like a lovely kid and he plays with max effort and energy at all times so he’s super easy to pull for.

And I just don’t get the Biyombo comps at all. When have we ever seen Biyombo run the court like that or bust out a Euro like that or show that 2nd aand 3rd effort bounce like that or make some of those passes like that or shoot from the line like that or run the fast break like that or have any confidence in his jump shot like that?

All things that Kai has already shown so early into his pro career.

[Chapelchilla]

I like him a lot as a person already. He has raw skills out the ying yang too. Nothing like Biyombo who can't even catch a pass after 40 years, let alone dribble.

[fatlever]

Catch 22....
If he's your 4/3, it's gonna tank spacing unless next to a stretch 5, like pj. But if he's your pick/roll rim runner 5, he's gonna tank your defense. Needs 2 years to either develope off skills to be 4, or gain muscle awareness to be 5.

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

[SWedd523]

Well... Yeah, he clearly wasn't drafted for his right now production. Nobody ever claimed that from the start. He was always a developmental guy.


I don't get how we bitch and complain about drafting 4 year starters and polished guys from major programs who can provide solid production but have no real room for improvement

Then we freak out when we take a high potential phenomenal athlete who has shown flashes of greatness.

Where is the disconnect?

[fatlever]

As someone else mentioned, if the Hornets were looking for that long power forward type to develop, wouldn't they have gone after Jalen Johnson? It seems to me that they viewJones as more of a Clint capela type but with more offensive potential. And I really feel like that's where his value is in the future. Of course it would be great to have our very own Giannis at the four, with tons of offensive game. But even giannis needed stretch five like Brook Lopez next to him to really get the best out of his game.

Regardless, it will be very interesting to see how the Hornets handle his development next year. Do they believe he's better served with more game time and sending him to Greensboro? Or do they think he's better served being around veterans and Coach Borrego even if he's not playing much.

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app