Thaddy wrote:What about this screams good NBA player? In the NBA his athleticism isn't going to be anything new. A lot of the guys in the league were in the top percentiles when it came to hops. I don't see an electric acceleration that guards need in the NBA either. On top of all that he's got a weak handle and his shot isn't consistent and reliable. I would pass on this kid. I want a player with two defined skills whether it's scoring/passing, shooting/ball handling, shooting/rebounding, shot creation/defense, or any combination of those skills. Outside of Flagg and Harper the only guys I see who are worthwhile would be Maluach, Jakucionis, Johnson, and McNeeley.
McNeeley is pretty under looked. He looks better than Gradey when he was in college. He's an elite stationary shooter, handles the ball, and he can guard up and down the lineup. He looks like a better version of Christian Braun.
I'm a huge VJ fan, I think you're slightly underselling him. His athleticism is top-tier even for the NBA, his speed, body control, and vertical pop are elite.
His athleticism + motor + intelligence gives him a very, very high floor IMO. Even if his ball-handling and shot creation doesn't reach it's highest outcomes, I still see him impacting games at a Josh Hart level. Elite rebounding for a guard, great passing and secondary playmaking, combined with game changing point of attack defense while being a menace in passing lanes. If the on-ball creation does come along, he has Oladipo/Jimmy Butler upside, and is much already better and more advanced than both of those players at the same age.
People are also oddly low on his 3pt shooting which I don't fully understand. He shot 40% on ~100 attempts in his senior year in high school and 38.5% in the Olympic qualifying games this summer (on low volume, 5/13 over 4 games). He started the season off cold from three (3/17 over his first four games), but has been very solid in the games since (16/42, 38%).
I'm a big VJ guy, he's solidified in my Top 5, I think he'd be #3 on my board if the draft was today.