Eye of the Tiger: The Tidjane Salaun Thread

[Liver_Pooty]

Clingan and Scoot are totally setting the league on fire for the Blazers.

[NCHeels2008]

I wanted Cody Williams. I watched a lot of his Colorado games and thought he'd be a smart pick with Castle and Holland off the board.

Since these guys were all 19 years old for me it was largely about archetype. I think the Wing archetype is the most valuable in the NBA right now, and at pick 6, more valuable than Salaun's Stretch 4 archetype, which is more valuable than Clingan's Center archetype. For me, a guy like Clingan, and Centers in general, are largely fungible in the NBA, unless they have playmaking skills ala Jokic that set them apart.

That being said, Salaun is a Hornet now. He is the youngest player to make a roster in the NBA this year, and appears to have a bright future.

I think true stretch 4s that can switch 1-4 or 2-5 are worth as much as a good wing

[Diop]

i wanted Edey over Clingan

[JMAC3]

we never had a chance to take reed, so how is it a "mistake"?
reed looked great in summer league, that was the convo
obviously No one is expecting reed to look like rookie of the year because he's going to be playing behind Van Fleet all season
Rookie conversations are all about opportunity.
salaun - No one should expect him to be in any conversations this year for rookie of the year or 1st or 2nd team. Just not going to get those kinds of opportunities. Id like to think most of us understand that. Best case scenario he carved out a role as a backup forward during the inevitable entry crisis at a point in the season. I think that's a realistic expectation for him this year. I think the real conversation comes maybe in the summer when I'm guessing the front office starts looking at offloading miles. Will he be ready to step in in a year or two and replace him in the starting lineup

Because there was rumors we liked him and wanted to trade up, that is all it will take for everyone to bitch and moan after he has first good game. A lot of "he should have went 1st" during the SL run, drawing comps to Steph Curry...

My main point is the guy we should have drafted will change every month this year on this board.

[Walt Cronkite]

Thought he looked totally normal in the other game for a guy that is a literal baby deer or whatever.

[wilson115]

First bucket in:

Read on Twitter

[Liver_Pooty]

It's early but this is looking like an all time bad draft. Glad we picked him.

[Diop]

Read on Twitter

the fact that he can play minutes already and not be a complete liability is honestly ahead of my expectations.

there always seems to be little positives like this that make me happy

[Snidely FC]

I hope they keep giving him 15 minutes a game

[fatlever]

It's early but this is looking like an all time bad draft. Glad we picked him.

right. try to name one rookie you think will average 10ppg this year. risacher, maybe. bud? sarr?

[Diop]

It's early but this is looking like an all time bad draft. Glad we picked him.

right. try to name one rookie you think will average 10ppg this year. risacher, maybe. bud? sarr?

Edey because he's starting and huge. he's at 8.8 now

[Liver_Pooty]

It's early but this is looking like an all time bad draft. Glad we picked him.

right. try to name one rookie you think will average 10ppg this year. risacher, maybe. bud? sarr?

Edey because he's starting and huge. he's at 8.8 now

That Wizards rookie who played at Pitt is averaging 11. I think they might be starting 3 or 4 rookies lol

[Bassman]

Here is what ESPN noted regarding the early impact of Clingan. Can’t look at his PPG alone since he’s averaging 13 MPG as a reserve.

“Rookie center Donovan Clingan is making the most of his limited role behind Deandre Ayton, packing 2.0 blocks and 2.3 offensive rebounds into the 13 minutes he's averaging per game. Among players who have seen at least 50 minutes of action, Clingan's 20% rebound rate ranks third and his 14.5% block rate is tops in the NBA.”

[Diop]

right. try to name one rookie you think will average 10ppg this year. risacher, maybe. bud? sarr?

Edey because he's starting and huge. he's at 8.8 now

That Wizards rookie who played at Pitt is averaging 11. I think they might be starting 3 or 4 rookies lol

i had to look it up. Carlton Carrington, never heard of him but a very solid start to the season for him.

they're 2 wins, 2 losses like us even though they're playing kids

[Liver_Pooty]

Edey because he's starting and huge. he's at 8.8 now

That Wizards rookie who played at Pitt is averaging 11. I think they might be starting 3 or 4 rookies lol

i had to look it up. Carlton Carrington, never heard of him but a very solid start to the season for him.

they're 2 wins, 2 losses like us even though they're playing kids

Jordan Poole has been playing well. They'll plummet as the season wears on those teenagers. If not good for them. Those fans deserve hope as much or more than us.

[MasterIchiro]

Here is what ESPN noted regarding the early impact of Clingan. Can’t look at his PPG alone since he’s averaging 13 MPG as a reserve.

“Rookie center Donovan Clingan is making the most of his limited role behind Deandre Ayton, packing 2.0 blocks and 2.3 offensive rebounds into the 13 minutes he's averaging per game. Among players who have seen at least 50 minutes of action, Clingan's 20% rebound rate ranks third and his 14.5% block rate is tops in the NBA.”

He will improve quickly too if his approach to training and practice from UConn remains constant. He improved so much Sophmore over Freshman and throughout his Sophomore season.

[yosemiteben]

Can we please put the random Clingan updates and commentary in the general NBA thread and not in here?

[Robot Rock]

I wanted Clingan too, but this doesn't appear to be a Bryce Young-over-CJ Stroud kind of thing. Salaun has his own level of potential that's at least more than you get out of most rookies here.

[MPM]

Can we please put the random Clingan updates and commentary in the general NBA thread and not in here?

And maybe an even more specific thread for Clingan posts from accounts with Husky logos?

[KembaWalker]

if he had even the "underwhelming" fast twitch athleticism that Brandon Miller detractors pointed to pre-draft, Salaun would be a freak

its just weird how he actually has no hops at all and like negative hangtime

hope his preseason shot shows up soon