2021-22 NBA Rookie Thread (part 4)

[TheFutureMM]

Sold my Barnes ROY bet. I'm still a massive fan but with the way the other rookies are playing/rising, I just don't think he's going to be able to pull it out against the field. Watched Cade last night - he's giving Luka vibes (minus the step-back 3s).

[HotelVitale]

that highlight package of Alperen was a treat. once Sengun grows into his "manbody" , I mean goodness sake he's only friggin 19! he'll be scary and I genuinely think if he put his mind -and body- into it, there's no reason he couldn't be as offensively effective as Giannis one day. he's got absolutely fantastic footwork for his size and just a "cerebral" player with a healthy dose of flair and eye for the spectacular. he's obviously not a god level body like Giannis but I'm curious to see if he can find that balance of maintaining his touch and speed while beefing up a bit and become a star in this league one day

He's maybe one of those cases where watching the highlights doesn't help you get a player that much. The couple times I've caught him, Sengun has been really fun to watch less because of his funky post moves than because of his sweet passing, plus the post highlights above are only showing you when his moves and drives work, which leaves out most of what he's actually succeeding and failing at so far.

Coolest thing is that his brain works fast, he's anticipating and seeing things really well for a guy his size on both ends of the court. That's where the passing especially shines, he sees things as they develop and sprays the ball to guys on the go beautifully. Other hand, since he's neither quick nor fast his drives and spins often come to nothing, they're not that hard to defend in general. He's definitely good in the post but takes a while to work--so he turns the ball over a lot, both from there and off his passing. His moves don't quite look NBA-ish now. (He's also kinda slow on defense despite his anticipation, and he fouls an absurd amount. Hopefully that's just rookie stuff, though his physical limitations are clear since he looks v ground bound on D.)

He's a really interesting prospect to project. He's got a good understanding of the game and pace and a few things he does effectively, and I don't think people are crazy to squint and see something special, but there's still a lot of unknowns. How good can his shot get, for one--sometimes it looks like it could be a big weapon but sometimes like it could be a weakness or not much. And also his driving--is he going to use his smarts to be able to have counters for most defenses, or will that not really be much of his game at all in a few years? He's a weird mix of a skill-first player who's also very NBA raw.

[rate_]

January stats:

[Vampirate]

lmao barnes making very public his knee is why he's playing subpar these days.

fear can be a strong scent but insecurity just reeks. really, it just sucks for him he's the only player in the league playing through pain.

My criticism with Cade has never been his ice cold start in his shooting, it's more about him being turn over prone.

He's averaging 5.3 assists but to go along with 3.8 turn overs.

Part of the reasons does have to do with the quality of his teammates, but this was an issue going back to college.

He's going to need to work on it in the offseason.

It's a concern, but i'm not going to say it's an achilles heal since he can improve upon it.

[canada_dry]

O come on man. I know you have a horse in this race but Barnes isn’t some diva. Any unbiased fan would tell you the same. This is just such a silly take.

tbh i'm less concerned about barnes and more just annoyed how people wrote cade off as a bust in his first ten games coming off an apparently significant ankle injury but are now giving barnes so much allowance because his knee is a bit hobbled, as if no other nba player plays with hobbled joints.

the raps' medical team cleared him, his coach played him 33 minutes today, AND he still looked more explosive than cade. how many excuses can be made? i've seen a ton of posts that barnes is only playing poorly because he's the 5th option offensively. how would you describe those takes?

I would describe those scottie struggling because hes a 5th option takes as trash. Dont worry tho, those takes plague rhe raptor forum as well.

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[HiRez]

Rookie tracker through Jan. 14.

- Removed BPM
- Added offensive and defensive EPM breakouts.

Mobley sill on top by a decent margin, Kuminga qualifies for the first time.

[payton2kemp]

O come on man. I know you have a horse in this race but Barnes isn’t some diva. Any unbiased fan would tell you the same. This is just such a silly take.

tbh i'm less concerned about barnes and more just annoyed how people wrote cade off as a bust in his first ten games coming off an apparently significant ankle injury but are now giving barnes so much allowance because his knee is a bit hobbled, as if no other nba player plays with hobbled joints.

the raps' medical team cleared him, his coach played him 33 minutes today, AND he still looked more explosive than cade. how many excuses can be made? i've seen a ton of posts that barnes is only playing poorly because he's the 5th option offensively. how would you describe those takes?

I would describe those scottie struggling because hes a 5th option takes as trash. Dont worry tho, those takes plague rhe raptor forum as well.

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It's because you guys have ball hog playing point guard, FVV is over-rated. Guys a chucker.

[dc]

Sold my Barnes ROY bet. I'm still a massive fan but with the way the other rookies are playing/rising, I just don't think he's going to be able to pull it out against the field. Watched Cade last night - he's giving Luka vibes (minus the step-back 3s).

I think Barnes will be fine. Hit a bit of a rookie wall and I think his knee has had some inflammation since getting COVID. Still plenty of season left if he wants in on the ROY race.

I thought Cade was a pretty safe bet to pan out from the start. I see him eventually as an Allan Houston level shooter, but with PG and playmaking ability. People probably want to see more athletic ability from a #1 overall, but a big guard with elite shooting to go along with PG abilities justifies being #1 most of the time.

ROY wide open but Mobley still the most valuable player right now and likely to stay that way. Guys at his size/position and 2 way ability are maybe twice a decade players.

[rate_]

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[Sphynx]

January stats:

That Giddey statline of 15/8/8 on almost 40% three point shooting is niiiiiice considering his age.

[dc]

To think some people said Kuminga was a bad pick at #7 and that we should trade him

I think most who didn't like that pick just thought he was too raw and wouldn't be able to contribute soon enough considering the age of the Warriors' core.

I mean, a lot of people thought the Warriors should've traded the pick regardless of who was available at #7, but then it was a sellers' market (and it still is) and teams with established vets were asking for sky high prices.

[basketballRob]

Dosunmu having a big game!

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[rockmanslim]

Kuminga has the highest ceiling from this year class.
By far the most athletic rookie, 2 way player, he will be a starter for the Warriors soon.

Based on eyeball test, his size, smoothness, easy explosiveness, body control/agility, coordination and speed off the dribble...if I squint a little bit, he reminds me of McGrady. Very intriguing.

[dc]

Kuminga has the highest ceiling from this year class.
By far the most athletic rookie, 2 way player, he will be a starter for the Warriors soon.

Based on eyeball test, his size, smoothness, easy explosiveness, body control/agility, coordination and speed off the dribble...if I squint a little bit, he reminds me of McGrady. Very intriguing.

He has size, speed, strength and body control so all the physicals are there. But I dunno if he'll be an efficient enough scorer to be a Top 1-2 offensive option on a good team. We'll have to see how he progresses.

McGrady had great handles and just outstanding scoring instincts, so I dunno if Kuminga can be at that level. One reason his stock fell is because he was a #2 option during his year at G-League and he just wasn't very efficient scoring the ball. Right now, the Warriors aren't putting him in that role. He doesn't have the burden on him to create for himself or others.

But even if he can't be a Top 2 option, he could still fill a Marion like #3 role, with elite defense at multiple positions.

[jordanwilliams6]

Ayo with 21/10 on 90% shooting, 3-3 from 3. Stepping up with Lonzo, Zach & Caruso all out. Big future in the league.

[rate_]

Yurtseven: 24 min | 10-12 FG | 22/11/1

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[Gusto1903]

Yurtseven: 24 min | 10-12 FG | 22/11/1

Against the second best Center in the NBA, Joel Embiid aswell

That makes 14 straight games with double digit Rebounds

[whitehops]

cade going against the two best teams/defense in the league in his next two games (suns today, warriors tuesday) so it'll be a good gauge to see where he's at leading an offense.

[HotelVitale]

Yurtseven: 24 min | 10-12 FG | 22/11/1

Against the second best Center in the NBA, Joel Embiid aswell That makes 14 straight games with double digit Rebounds

No knock on Yurtseven but I think every single one of those baskets was assisted or off a rebound, and all of them were basically un-contested. A few lobs, a few open layups/dunks off dump passes when the opposing center had to help, a few putbacks that came to him. (Plus one weird dunk where Drummond got poked in the eye and walked halfway off the court.) Definitely not saying that anyone could do what he did but it's not accurate if we're thinking that he scored over and through Embiid or whatever. Not his game right now, as a scorer he's more a hustling big filling the right gaps.