closg00 wrote:leswizards wrote:closg00 wrote:They gave him some run deep in the 4th, he will be ready for the next Olympics despite air balling and missing a bunny.
They gave him some run early in the game as well. The second quarter I think. He played well and France went on a run and took the lead. But then he missed a defensive assignment and they pulled him.
Good point, IF Bilal gains confidence the next couple of years in his decision-making and shooting, gets some swag and bag, he could be very good, but it’s hard to tell now if his hesitation on offense is going to be fatal for him, his comfort zone is slashing and dunking.
The great thing about Bilal is that he has a high floor. He is already a pretty sure bet to pan out as a respectable 3&D player who can start on an average team. His defense projects to be good enough to be a primary stopper. Offensively, he looks like he'll be at least good enough from 3-point range that teams will be reluctant to leave him wide open, and he'll attack a closeout and finish on the break. With just another year or so of defensive reps and catch-and-shoot 3-ball practice, he should be a Derrick Jones Jr. tier of player, and that guy was a starter on a contender.
If his defense is at the higher end of projections and his 3-ball improves a bit more, he can be a Herbert Jones/OG Anunoby tier DOPY candidate wing defender capable of switching 1 through 5 while being reliable enough from distance that teams will not cheat off of him. If his 3-ball gets better still, maybe he's a Mikal Bridges - a great defender who is a legit offensive weapon in a 3rd option role.
And he can build from there. If he develops an off-the-bounce game, maybe he looks like a Jaylen Brown, Paul George, or even a Kawhi Leonard. That probably won't happen, but it could.
