Clutch0z24 wrote:mtcan wrote:https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5X1SipteJ9/
If this is what the teams get to see in workouts and the combine...he is going top 5. The dribbling, the shooting...it all looks good. It is a shame Duke didn't let him do this and relegated him to being a lob catcher. There is a skillset that he has been working on that most of us haven't seen in North America. Remember...he's been playing basketball for 5 years and can do this. Masai and Darko will unlock more. You can't not develop him as a Chet/Wemby-type of player. LOL at the Deandre Jordan comps made earlier on. DJ could never do this.
Every player at this level looks like this in a workout in a practice gym....Even the worst NBA players....And yes also other big men....Its how you look doing it in an actual game with legit defenders on you.....Khaman has not yet shown it so you can't assume he can play that style in an NBA Game vs open gym with no one defending him.
Every NBA level player in an open gym is going to look ridiculous because they are highly talented to make it to that level but i will believe it when i see it on the court....If he does show it in 5 on 5 in workouts though with decent defenders on him no doubt he has a chance to go top 5.
This is lazy analysis. He didn't do these things because he was held to a very tight role at Duke. And the entire point is that he potentially offers versatility to his game and that matters when talking about prospects at the next level, especially a defensive big. His entire game also doesn't hinge on these facets, it's just a multiplier.
Simply put, how many people on Earth are his size and have his agility? People make comparisons to guys like Thabeet and others and it's so shallow. Those guys were absolute stiffs in comparison and didn't move anything like he does.
As is, he has already produced at a high level of efficiency in the NCAA as a lob-threat and inside finisher. But if you pair that with someone that can potentially pop in addition to rolling to the bucket, how do you even account for that as a defense? Especially if you have IQ/Walter/Ingram spacing the floor.
Also consider his offensive rebounding rate and FT percentage and those are all additional plus positive traits for a big that should translate over to the next level.
And that's not even accounting for his defense and shot deterence which could be all-nba level and which should play even better playing as a backstopper alongside Scottie and others. Has he been perfect? Of course not. And has he had bad games? No doubt. But that's not any reason why you ignore all the good too. That's the entire point of watching these guys over the course of a season.
Watching the playoffs makes it even more clear that players like Maluach that can defend and can't be played off the floor because of his potential shooting/defensive versatility/FT percentage isn't something you can overlook. A more athletic Zubac with the ability to stretch it from 3 is a pretty good player to potentially have.
The fact that he can be eased along behind Yak before throwing him in as a starter is even more reason why we should really consider him.
Say #4 and #39 to San Antonio for #8 and #14.
