Thaddeus young

[Cashville_33]

He has quickly become one of my favorite players in the league. His constant movement and hard work really impressed me this year. I just wanted to know what you guys thought about him?

Potential? (offensively, defensively, and overall)
Comparison?
Expectations for next year?
Areas of improvement?
Work ethic?

I personally believe he will be a star in this league, but I have not followed him as closely as you guys have, therefore your opinions will give me great insight as to the type of player he is and can potentially be. Thanks

[LongLiveHinkie]

I think he can be a better version of Lamar Odom. He has that same skill set. Long arms, good inside moves, with a solid jumpshot that will improve. He isn't as tall as Lamar Odom, but their games remind me a lot of each other.

Thad need to work more on his jumpshot and ball handling. His work ethic is great from everything I've heard.

He has a really high basketball IQ and he is really good in his footwork. He knows how to use his pivot foot really well inside.

[SendEm]

Cedric Ceballos, Adrian Dantley, and Mark Aguirre are the type of post- up/excellent finishing SF that Thad is on the road to becoming.

[ahwi_quacoe]

I think he can be a better version of Lamar Odom. He has that same skill set. Long arms, good inside moves, with a solid jumpshot that will improve. He isn't as tall as Lamar Odom, but their games remind me a lot of each other.

Thad need to work more on his jumpshot and ball handling. His work ethic is great from everything I've heard.

He has a really high basketball IQ and he is really good in his footwork. He knows how to use his pivot foot really well inside.

Come on man , I don't dispute that he will be a good player but Lamar Odom. When Lamar Odom came out of college , the man was capable of playing all 5 positions. You can not say that their skill sets are the same. Lamar's game is completely different from Thaddeus. Lamar could handle the rock like a point guard .

[phiphan]

In the current NBA, I'd say he's most comparable to Antawn Jamison, with less skill on offense, but with more hustle and better D.

[LongLiveHinkie]

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Come on man , I don't dispute that he will be a good player but Lamar Odom. When Lamar Odom came out of college , the man was capable of playing all 5 positions. You can not say that their skill sets are the same. Lamar's game is completely different from Thaddeus. Lamar could handle the rock like a point guard .

Their skills sets are a lot alike. Odom has better ball-handling and a better shot right now, but when Thad refines these things, he will be like Odom. I can name you a handful of things right now they both share skill-wise:

-Both are very crafty around the basket and with their pivot feet.
-Both have a nice soft jump hook down low
-Both are good at anticipating rebounds coming off and getting in position for a putback or offensive rebound.
-Both can play down low and on the perimeter
-Both have similar builds. Odom has a couple inches on Thad, but both are long.

Just because Odom is more refined, doesn't mean they aren't alike. They are very much so.

[SendEm]

[quote="Westbrook36"][/quote]

Odom started out his career as a perimeter playmaker and slasher off of the dribble. Thad has started out as a interior finisher. Odom has much more in common with Iggy than Thad. Odom has sucked for a long time as a finisher he only shot .438% as a 20 year old. Thad is ALREADY shooting .539% at 19. It has taken Odom years to be an NBA PF after being a playmaking SF. Young entered the NBA with his dribbling and open floor play being his WEAKNESSES. Odom entered the NBA with those being his strengths. Young is learned the game from the inside out and Odom learned from the outside in.Thad is a poor playmaker while Odom is a 5+ assist guy depending on what his team needs from him that year. The only thing these two players have in common is that they slide between the PF and SF position.

[LongLiveHinkie]

Completely disagree. They play a lot alike if you watch them play. I also don't understand why people keep bringing up what Odom was like out of college. What does that have to do with me comparing Odom now? Nothing. Right now Odom's game is similar to Thad's. Odom's game out of college has nothing to do with anything.

[The Sixer Fixer]

The best comparion for Thad is a young Shawn Marion.

Neither guy was someone who plays were run through. Both were "opportunity" type player. What I mean by that is they got a lot of pts off offensive rebounds, steals, fast breaks, etc. They both spent a lot of time playing in the post despite not having the height/weight to be a typical post player. Marion was similar to Thad in the post in that he had a lot of moves down low that were not based on strength. It was more a case of using their quickness and court awareness to get off shots in the post.

Marion developed a 3 pt shot after a few years and I see no reason why Thad won't do the same. It became a strength for Marion in that Suns offense. Marion is an excellent defender and again, Thad has all the tools to be just as effective on D.

We should be very happy if Thad continues to grow like Marion did. He may never be the type of guy to average 11+ RPG like Marion (mainly cause Marion player more PF than I think Thad will), but I could see him a slightly better scorer than Marion.

[SendEm]

Completely disagree. They play a lot alike if you watch them play. I also don't understand why people keep bringing up what Odom was like out of college. What does that have to do with me comparing Odom now? Nothing. Right now Odom's game is similar to Thad's. Odom's game out of college has nothing to do with anything.

Thad's a poor passer and ball handler so, no they do not play alike right now...

[Fire BK]

The best comparion for Thad is a young Shawn Marion.

That's what I've been saying all along.

LOL, The only thing he has in common with Lamar Odom is that he's a lefty SF.... He couldn't be more different from the sharpshooting Mark Aguire, either.

Thad's an energy guy, a hustle guy, an athletic, versatile, lanky, defensive, gumby-type player. Think a lefty version of Matrix, w/ the tad bit less of an explosive lift.

He is 19. His offensive game is raw, but he will undoubtedly develop better post-moves and outside shooting as he matures.

[SendEm]

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That's what I've been saying all along.

LOL, The only thing he has in common with Lamar Odom is that he's a lefty SF.... He couldn't be more different from the sharpshooting Mark Aguire, either.

Thad's an energy guy, a hustle guy, an athletic, versatile, lanky, defensive, gumby-type player. Think a lefty version of Matrix, w/ the tad bit less of an explosive lift.

He is 19. His offensive game is raw, but he will undoubtedly develop better post-moves and outside shooting as he matures.

Mark Aguirre shot for a career .484%fg .312%3pt and .741%ft after entering the league at 22 years of age. A sharpshooter he was NOT and Thad could still one day be over a 40% 3 point shooter. Aguirre was a great POST UP INTERIOR player and scorer from the SF position like Thad will be. Although I am not saying that Thad will average 29.5ppg like Mark has.

[LongLiveHinkie]

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Thad's a poor passer and ball handler so, no they do not play alike right now...

Thad is a fine passer. His ball handling needs work, but that happens often with rookies. I already explained what they have a lot in common. Do you disagree with the things I listed?

I totally disagree about Marion too. Marion is a slasher who is quick and plays above the rim. Marion is more like Carney than Thad. Thad is a more off the ball type player than Marion is. Don't get me wrong, Marion can play off the ball too, especially with Nash, he gets anyone looks off the ball. But Marion is a guy who can get the ball and slash right to the rim. He has a quick burst.

Thad's game is actually better suited for the half court IMO, because of his post moves.

[Fire BK]

Mark Aguirre shot for a career .484%fg .312%3pt and .741%ft after entering the league at 22 years of age. A sharpshooter he was NOT and Thad could still one day be over a 40% 3 point shooter. Aguirre was a great POST UP INTERIOR player and scorer from the SF position like Thad will be

Right. He had an incredible mid-range game. That doesn't preclude him from being a sharpshooter. He was a deadly shooter from mid-range. I wasn't aware that "sharpshooter" necessarily denotes 3-pt range. That's not what I meant at all. Why he's so different from him is because Aguirre had an extremely polished offensive game. It was "sharp," if you will. And so was his shooting from mid-range and the wings.

Thad has all of Marion's athletic, gumby moves. He's not NEARLY as polished as Aguirre offensively. That's exactly what I was saying by perhaps the wrong choice of word in "sharpshooter." Point is, could Thad become a polished offensive player one day? More than likely. Re-read my post and you'll see that I said that explicitly.

But the poster was asking for a comparison, and Aguirre is a poor candidate for these reasons which you've already conceded.

[freshie2]

Thad's comparison is tough to make. He's too long to be compared to Dantley, Aguirre (they were undersized forwards even in their days...they did have great post games). Ceballos and Marion are too athletic and I don't think have the skill set that Thad appears to be developing. Prince is similar d/t his length, but I think Thad has a smoother game and is more athletic (not saying he's better than Prince).

It will be nice to watch him develop...having young players with some upside and (reportedly) solid work ethics is nice to see. Hopefully the off season brings some additional pieces and they can get lucky with their draft picks. If they are on the road to legitimacy in two seasons, Ed will have done a great job.

[dbodner]

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Mark Aguirre shot for a career .484%fg .312%3pt and .741%ft after entering the league at 22 years of age. A sharpshooter he was NOT and Thad could still one day be over a 40% 3 point shooter. Aguirre was a great POST UP INTERIOR player and scorer from the SF position like Thad will be. Although I am not saying that Thad will average 29.5ppg like Mark has.

Mark was in the top 10 in three point field goals made his rookie year. 25 three pointers made at 35% was above the nba average in both categories. 25 three pointers made was more than the Lakers, Jazz and Cavaliers mustered as a TEAM. Teams averaged 49 three pointers made per year at 26% shooting.

Mark Aguirre and Lamar Odom are both terrible comparisons IMO.

[sixersinsider]

I would have to second the prince comparisons.I was sincerley impresed with youngs abillaty to make decisions in the transition game(great passer)i was impressed by his body lanquage in this years playoffs(fearless)he is also a gifted post scorer.I m sure he could play the 4 on offense in five years(David west)I would need to pair him with a ron arrest josh howard type small forward that has the strengh to defend the powerfull physical forwards that this leauge offers.Thad will never be a dominant perimeter player.He will have to work hard to bulk up to get the utmost of his sparkling moves in the post

[sixerswillrule]

I think Prince is the best comparison to Thad. They are both leftys, obviously, but their styles of play are somewhat alike. They both use that jump hook effectively(but I think all leftys may do that. I am a lefty and I do... ). Prince has that spin move as well, but as someone mentioned earlier, Thad's game appears much smoother. Young may be the better rebounder of the two. If Thad can improve the areas of his game in which Prince is currently far superior(defense, outside shooting), it's possible that he could end up being the better player.

[SendEm]

Thad is too short to play PF. He doesn't rebound well enough and he doesn't challenge shots well enough. He may be 6'8" but when the balls in the air he plays more like 6'6" because he just doesn't get off of his feet well enough. Thad would have to develop the strength of Anthony Mason in order to hold his position well enough to be a plus for the Sixers on the boards as a PF. I haven't seen any evidence that he has an NBA future at PF, at least not for a team that wants to be the best.

[SouthJersey]

Thads also 19, give him a chance to learn how to rebound amongst the veterans of the NBA. Still, he is not a PF.

Thads in a league by himself. He may be like Prince, but in 5 years, he's gonna outweigh him by 50 pounds.