The 2025 Rookie Class

tontoz · Post #461 » by **tontoz** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 1:24 pm

TGW wrote:
Kanyewest wrote:Queen playing great defense here....

https://streamable.com/kpqzvm

That was bush league.

Great job statpadding

tontoz · Post #462 » by **tontoz** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 2:13 pm

Queen showing once again he can't be bothered with defense unless he is trying to statpad his steal count. He might as well have been sitting in a chair.

Watch on YouTube

doclinkin · Post #463 » by **doclinkin** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 2:45 pm

Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:Rip Hamilton was a very subpar defender with the Wizards. What happened the rest of his career?

He played with Ben Wallace behind him.

Pretty sure DQ would be on a decent defensive team if he had Big Ben doing the dirty work.

Or Wemby nowadays.

Though I did think Sarr would be a decent match given the perimeter mobility.

What’s weird to me about DQ is how nimble he is on offense compared to how he’s stuck in tar on defense. That to me is simply want-to. Or coaching. He could be a bigger Collin Murray Boyles if he was as aware on Defense as he is on the scoring end.

closg00 · Post #464 » by **closg00** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 6:20 pm

tontoz wrote:Queen showing once again he can't be bothered with defense unless he is trying to statpad his steal count. He might as well have been sitting in a chair.

Watch on YouTube

I would hate to see highlights of Alex's first 17 games in the NBA. Look at the difference a full season and off-season did for Alex, and he still has a long way to go, same for most red shirt rookies.

tontoz · Post #465 » by **tontoz** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 6:28 pm

closg00 wrote:
I would hate to see highlights of Alex's first 17 games in the NBA. Look at the difference a full season and off-season did for Alex, and he still has a long way to go, same for most red shirt rookies.

I watched Sarr's entire rookie year. He didn't just stand around watching guys score.

I could play D as well as Queen does much of the time.

closg00 · Post #466 » by **closg00** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 7:38 pm

tontoz wrote:
closg00 wrote:
I would hate to see highlights of Alex's first 17 games in the NBA. Look at the difference a full season and off-season did for Alex, and he still has a long way to go, same for most red shirt rookies.

I watched Sarr's entire rookie year. He didn't just stand around watching guys score.

I could play D as well as Queen does much of the time.

Even this season I have watched Alex not challenge a shooter, he goes for blocks at and around the rim, but not as-much when someone is shooting middies, he stands with his hands down, and doesn’t go for shots he may be able to block, AND THAT’s FINE.
These kids are just getting started, perhaps Queen will always be a bad defender like Jokic, maybe not

tontoz · Post #467 » by **tontoz** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 7:45 pm

closg00 wrote:
Even this season I have watched Alex not challenge a shooter, he goes for blocks at and around the rim, but not as-much when someone is shooting middies, he stands with his hands down, and doesn’t go for shots he may be able to block, AND THAT’s FINE.
These kids are just getting started, perhaps Queen will always be a bad defender like Jokic, maybe not

Not contesting a mid range shot, which the defense wants them to take, is much different than letting them get to the rim uncontested.

Sometimes guys will fake a midrange shot just to get the defender to leave his feet and draw a foul so it is smart to stay down.

That is a lot different than this.

Watch on YouTube

closg00 · Post #468 » by **closg00** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 8:11 pm

tontoz wrote:
closg00 wrote:
Even this season I have watched Alex not challenge a shooter, he goes for blocks at and around the rim, but not as-much when someone is shooting middies, he stands with his hands down, and doesn’t go for shots he may be able to block, AND THAT’s FINE.
These kids are just getting started, perhaps Queen will always be a bad defender like Jokic, maybe not

Not contesting a mid range shot, which the defense wants them to take, is much different than letting them get to the rim uncontested.

Sometimes guys will fake a midrange shot just to get the defender to leave his feet and draw a foul so it is smart to stay down.

That is a lot different than this.

Watch on YouTube

The obvious point is that Alex is a better player today than he was 17 games into his first season, and he will continue to improve. You’re not claiming that Derik is done developing as a player are you?

tontoz · Post #469 » by **tontoz** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 8:16 pm

closg00 wrote:
The obvious point is that Alex is a better player today than he was 17 games into his first season, and he will continue to improve. You’re not claiming that Derik is done developing as a player are you?

No I am saying he is lazy af and doesn't care at all about defense. When someone tells me who they are I believe them.

Post #470 » by **nate33** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 8:28 pm

closg00 wrote:
tontoz wrote:
closg00 wrote:
I would hate to see highlights of Alex's first 17 games in the NBA. Look at the difference a full season and off-season did for Alex, and he still has a long way to go, same for most red shirt rookies.

I watched Sarr's entire rookie year. He didn't just stand around watching guys score.

I could play D as well as Queen does much of the time.

Even this season I have watched Alex not challenge a shooter, he goes for blocks at and around the rim, but not as-much when someone is shooting middies, he stands with his hands down, and doesn’t go for shots he may be able to block, AND THAT’s FINE.
These kids are just getting started, perhaps Queen will always be a bad defender like Jokic, maybe not

Statistically, Sarr is challenging a higher percentage of shots than any other player in the NBA, and it's not even close.

(The vertical axis is effectiveness of rim protection. It doesn't say, but I'm assuming it's based on FG% allowed.)

closg00 · Post #471 » by **closg00** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 8:36 pm

Clifford isn’t logging heavy minutes, yet he is untouchable in trades.

Read on Twitter

Dat2U · Post #472 » by **Dat2U** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 10:15 pm

Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:
nate33 wrote:
The Consiglieri wrote:Queen's got a December '04 Birthday, Tre's is March of '06. Not a huge difference, but still a good 15ish months difference. Queen's age as a freshman just has always struck me as quite odd (age 20 for nearly all of his freshman year is something you almost never see).

Queen is 4 months OLDER than Sarr.
nate33 wrote:
prime1time wrote:The passing changes the conversation. You are wrong. The only argument before was that he couldn't pass like Jokic. Well...he can.

Read on Twitter

This is fair. The passing really is impressive. I still say the key will be his defense.
How good is Jokic defensively?
Oh, that's right. Rookie Derik Queen made him look like a statue when he wasn't fouling out and having 9 turnovers. Aaron Gordon does heavy lifting defensively for Denver.

How good is Sengun defensively?
It matters less and less the more effectively Reed Sheppard and others play.

You are dismissing Derrick Queen because DeMarcus Cousins never won anything. Derrick Queen strikes me as a nerd who was bullied and is now really big and very highly skilled. Boogie only bullied guys. I saw a gigantic Russian terrorize DeMarcus. I forget the guy's name but he punked DC. Derik Queen succumbs to cardio guys and he's not quick enough to guard Cooper Flagg.

P.S. Dallas should consider Flagg at C. He's not as strong yet as Cowens was, but Cooper is a beast inside and out. He will win ROTY.

Sent from my dedede using RealGM mobile app

Jokic is arguably the best offensive C of all time and he still needed to improve his defense to passable levels to win a ring. The times Denver hasn't gone far in the playoffs, Jokic was attacked relentlessly on defense and got exposed. The year he won, he stepped up defensively and was solid even despite being targeted.

Sengun has become a solid defender. Houston also has crazy length and size complementing him.

Guys like Sabonis & Vucevic have had very solid & productive careers but their defense never quite measured up whenever it actually mattered. Whatever case, there has been no comparable for a star big literally standing around for multiple plays on defense. When Wall started standing around on D in 2017-18, fans nearly crashed out online. I have no doubt Queen is a potential HOF talent and I thought he was incredibly special before the draft but that Ole nonsense does not fly in the NBA. As a rookie, for a terrible team and an interim head coach, its not being addressed for now but you have to admit that this behavior will have to change no matter who Queen plays with.

Dat2U · Post #473 » by **Dat2U** » Sun Nov 23, 2025 10:17 pm

closg00 wrote:Clifford isn’t logging heavy minutes, yet he is untouchable in trades.

Read on Twitter

Clifford is an older rookie too. Not playing him is stupid unless he's not ready which would be worrisome at his age. No one on that roster should be untouchable including Murray.

AFM · Post #474 » by **AFM** » Yesterday 1:20 pm

Great breakdown.

Watch on YouTube

tontoz · Post #475 » by **tontoz** » Yesterday 2:09 pm

AFM wrote:Great breakdown.

Did they mention that the Pels were up 2 with under a minute left and Queen left his man wide open for a 3?

AFM · Post #476 » by **AFM** » Yesterday 2:37 pm

tontoz wrote:
AFM wrote:Great breakdown.

Did they mention that the Pels were up 2 with under a minute left and Queen left his man wide open for a 3?

We get it. You irrationally hate this dude to the point that you're combing through all his games and recording any slip up with your phone, then uploading it to youtube.

tontoz · Post #477 » by **tontoz** » Yesterday 2:57 pm

AFM wrote:
tontoz wrote:
AFM wrote:Great breakdown.

Did they mention that the Pels were up 2 with under a minute left and Queen left his man wide open for a 3?

We get it. You irrationally hate this dude to the point that you're combing through all his games and recording any slip up with your phone, then uploading it to youtube.

Actually that clip was from The Association on NBA TV which i watch regularly for highlights. They showed it because it was the go ahead bucket for Dallas.

Funny how Queen shows up in other team's highlights.

tontoz · Post #478 » by **tontoz** » Yesterday 4:26 pm

Another clip from The Association where Queen is in the other team's highlights, showing off his matador defense

Watch on YouTube

dckingsfan · Post #479 » by **dckingsfan** » Yesterday 4:58 pm

Dat2U wrote:
closg00 wrote:Clifford isn’t logging heavy minutes, yet he is untouchable in trades.

Read on Twitter

Clifford is an older rookie too. Not playing him is stupid unless he's not ready which would be worrisome at his age. No one on that roster should be untouchable including Murray.

Yeah, the Kings are in a really awful place. They should just play the youngsters the rest of the season and trade any vet they can - but even that is going to be really difficult given who they have.

Post #480 » by **Zonkerbl** » Yesterday 5:31 pm

closg00 wrote:
tontoz wrote:
closg00 wrote:
I would hate to see highlights of Alex's first 17 games in the NBA. Look at the difference a full season and off-season did for Alex, and he still has a long way to go, same for most red shirt rookies.

I watched Sarr's entire rookie year. He didn't just stand around watching guys score.

I could play D as well as Queen does much of the time.

Even this season I have watched Alex not challenge a shooter, he goes for blocks at and around the rim, but not as-much when someone is shooting middies, he stands with his hands down, and doesn’t go for shots he may be able to block, AND THAT’s FINE.
These kids are just getting started, perhaps Queen will always be a bad defender like Jokic, maybe not

How dare. Jokic is a plus defender. He is always where he is supposed to be and doesn't commit bad fouls. Duncan didn't jump out of the gym either and he was one of the best defenders ever and Jokic is in the same league.