Bringing The Thunder: The JT Thor Thread

[BigSlam]

Cool name, and just saw this:

Read on Twitter

[MPM]

Have no real opinion on him as of yet, but he had a 7-foot-3 wingspan, the second-longest at the combine, and the second-fastest three-quarter sprint (clocked at 3.06 seconds) among frontcourt prospects.

Some footage of him going up against Jackson's Kentucky team. Shot under 30% from 3 on the season so this performance appears to be an outlying one.

Watch on YouTube

[yosemiteben]

I have a really hard time believing that guy is a first round talent.

[MPM]

I have a really hard time believing that guy is a first round talent.

Ditto. Been looking at various mocks this morning, scrounging tape where I can, and not really feeling him as a first rounder. NBADraft doesn't have him mocked at all, Wasserman has him at the back of the first round, etc. - seems all over the place. Wouldn't put him before any of the other more discussed 'bigs'

[BigSlam]

I’m not sure I understand what he projects to be in the NBA.

A SF?
A stretch PF?
A small ball C?

Or is he a dreaded “tweener”?

[yasuhara2241]

Never keep up with college ball so don't know these prospects but he looks long. Like the dude Boucher from Toronto. The only thing he doesn't have is Bouchers jumper but that was something Boucher didn't have until this year.

[SWedd523]

I have a really hard time believing that guy is a first round talent.

Ditto. Been looking at various mocks this morning, scrounging tape where I can, and not really feeling him as a first rounder. NBADraft doesn't have him mocked at all, Wasserman has him at the back of the first round, etc. - seems all over the place. Wouldn't put him before any of the other more discussed 'bigs'

Is that maybe indicative of how much of a crapshoot it is?

They all look relatively similar to each other, so why is this guy not even on draft boards while Jackson and Jones are lotto guys?

[MPM]

I have a really hard time believing that guy is a first round talent.

Ditto. Been looking at various mocks this morning, scrounging tape where I can, and not really feeling him as a first rounder. NBADraft doesn't have him mocked at all, Wasserman has him at the back of the first round, etc. - seems all over the place. Wouldn't put him before any of the other more discussed 'bigs'

Is that maybe indicative of how much of a crapshoot it is?

They all look relatively similar to each other, so why is this guy not even on draft boards while Jackson and Jones are lotto guys?

The crapshoot factor is very real with this class of bigs, for sure. I don't rate any of the bigs in this draft (outside of Mobley) much better than mid-to-late first rounders and agree that Thor is in that pack, I just see him at the back of it in the second with the Bassey's and Sims.

[JMAC3]

Are we only talking about this guy this much because he is working out for us? No way we should be considering him at 11 over the other options.

[MPM]

Are we only talking about this guy this much because he is working out for us? No way we should be considering him at 11 over the other options.

He's 100% a second round talent - where, who knows, but no way I'm looking at him in the first round. For a 'shooter' his splits are ugly (Bassey actually has a slightly better 3pt%, is a much better shot blocker, and only runs the 3/4 sprint a tenth of a second slower than Thor despite being a much bigger body), he doesn't rebound well, and only weighs 5 lbs more than Monk. He has good measurables, can run the floor a bit, seems to block shots at a good clip and does a few other things fairly well, but doesn't seem to have the distinct NBA-ready tools of the guys being considered late-lotto (despite their glaring warts). As mentioned, I put him back with the Bassey's and Sims somewhere in the second, but even there, I would be hard pressed to choose Thor over an athletic freak like Sims or a stat-sheet stuffer like Bassey. This all being said, after Mobley, there doesn't seem to be any surefire big bets from the top to the bottom of the draft.

[Braggins]

Hes 19 months younger than Kai Jones and was a bit more productive than him last year in college. So far I have all of the non-Mobley/Sengun bigs rated at least a bit too low for our pick at 11, so I'm not saying we should take any of these guys, but if Thor doesn't deserve a first round grade, or doesn't deserve to be in the discussion for our pick, then I don't see how Jones does.

[MPM]

Hes 19 months younger than Kai Jones and was a bit more productive than him last year in college. So far I have all of the non-Mobley/Sengun bigs rated at least a bit too low for our pick at 11, so I'm not saying we should take any of these guys, but if Thor doesn't deserve a first round grade, or doesn't deserve to be in the discussion for our pick, then I don't see how Jones does.

Agree to some degree - I've reached the point where none of the bigs in our range seem worth taking over Moody, Jalen J, Keon, Kispert - whatever wing falls to us. Kai, Jackson and Sengun all seem like mid-first talents based on their weaknesses and potential vs. production. This said, I take Kai over Thor every day. At 6'11" He moves like a guard (tremendous transition threat), defends the perimeter, shot 38% from 3, and puts the ball on the floor with relative ease. All the bigs seem flawed to various degrees, but I can see more diamond through the rough with Kai than I can with JT. We're all just guessing with these bigs though. So - if we stick at 11, I'm thinking wing (and Holmes/Noel/etc.), but if possible, I'd love to trade back and double dip with someone like Trey Murphy + a Kai/Jackson.

[JDR720]

The Hornets traded into No. 37 to select JT Thor here.

One of the youngest players in the draft, not turning 19 until late August, JT Thor is a long-term play who needs a strong development structure to reach his lofty potential. He has great size at 6-foot-9 for a player who primarily plays on the perimeter, along with exceptionally long arms (7-foot-3 wingspan) and intriguing touch from beyond the arc, even if he's still figuring out the difference between a good and bad shot due to his underdeveloped feel for the game.

Thor's potential defensively is significant with his combination of length, mobility and budding instincts as a rim protector and getting in passing lanes, although his extremely thin frame and lack of physicality are issues he'll have to work through long-term. --Jonathan Givony

[JDR720]

Yeah, just looking at that report I don't expect him to make it. Sounds like Bruno Cocobolo or whatever his name was.

[Braggins]

I had him rated higher than Kai (had both late 1st). I like this as a 2nd round pick.

[yosemiteben]

Saw this when it was posted and thought it was super random, but now I might give it a listen:

Read on Twitter

[amcoolio]

He is a lot like Pascal Siakam, but like if Siakam was 7 years behind

He's a better project than Richards, it will be interesting to see who gets cut

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Thor jersey is a must have.

[BigSlam]

Pick is in.

[BigSlam]

C

Not super high on this pick. Not sure drafting JT was the best move when we already have a rail thin project SF/PF who needs some time and development investment in McD.

I would have much rather gone with:
Dosunmu
Butler
Cooper