Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Jeremy Lamb (HOU)

[fredericklove]

who's better at creating their own shot, Lamb or Beal?

Easily Lamb. But I don't agree with those who'd take Lamb over Beal, if we did that I'd go apes**t swearing.

Agree w/ Lamb better at creating and agree I'd take Beal over Lamb anyday in any draft.

[fredericklove]

I can see a lot of people who would like Lamb. The main problem I have picking Lamb is that he's kinda scrawny and I don't think he'd be that great in the physical NBA setting. Also, if you pick Lamb, he would likely have a higher ceiling than DeRozan, but it'll probably be at least 2 years before he gets up to speed. I'm not sure our fanbase has the patience for that.

Welll we've somewhat managed to wait for Demar and still waiting right now, so if Lamb has higher ceiling and plays exceptionally better, then 2 years are definitely worth the wait.

[Undefeated]

who's better at creating their own shot, Lamb or Beal?

Easily Lamb. But I don't agree with those who'd take Lamb over Beal, if we did that I'd go apes**t swearing.

Agree w/ Lamb better at creating and agree I'd take Beal over Lamb anyday in any draft.

Yeah, pretty much what marlo and frederick said.

[ballislife]

If we keep the 8th pick, I think Lamb will be our choice. But I have a feeling BC will make some kind of trade. He'll either trade back for Houstons picks and get Harless/Waiters or he'll trade out and get a proven young vet.

I think Lamb can do well under Casey, but I doubt this franchise has the patience when they're trying to win now.

[Lauzy Lau]

who's better at creating their own shot, Lamb or Beal?

Easily Lamb. But I don't agree with those who'd take Lamb over Beal, if we did that I'd go apes**t swearing.

thanks. I know Lamb scares people off with his label of soft but I think he'll surprise a lot of people next year. That being said, no one is taking Lamb over Beal in this draft. I just hope Lamb doesn't impress too much in workouts to the point that he moves out of our range.

I can see a lot of people who would like Lamb. The main problem I have picking Lamb is that he's kinda scrawny and I don't think he'd be that great in the physical NBA setting. Also, if you pick Lamb, he would likely have a higher ceiling than DeRozan, but it'll probably be at least 2 years before he gets up to speed. I'm not sure our fanbase has the patience for that.

Couple things, first watch the ESPN video posted earlier in this thread, he looks 10-15 pounds heavier from the last time we saw him, and his arms look a lot more solid. He's no Marcus Banks but his shoulders look a lot larger. For reference, look up pictures of Reggie Miller in his first season (not bulky arms, but still strong). But to your second point, he will provide the jump shooting this roster needs early on, and hopefully develop into a more complete player on the wing within 2 years. This also gives us time to experiment with DeRozan at the 3 or exploring trade scenarios for either player. Assuming Valanciunas takes some adjusting to the NBA game it's not the worst, but if BC really wants to push for the playoffs in 2012-13 then with Val coming in BC may not want a 2012 rookie at all (trade the pick).

Most of the points you make are valid. Experimenting Derozan at the 3 make sense and I have thought about that too. However, I still don't believe Lamb will be a great finisher at the NBA level. I also don't believe Lamb and Reggie Miller would have similar NBA styles of playing.

[Lauzy Lau]

I can see a lot of people who would like Lamb. The main problem I have picking Lamb is that he's kinda scrawny and I don't think he'd be that great in the physical NBA setting. Also, if you pick Lamb, he would likely have a higher ceiling than DeRozan, but it'll probably be at least 2 years before he gets up to speed. I'm not sure our fanbase has the patience for that.

Couple things, first watch the ESPN video posted earlier in this thread, he looks 10-15 pounds heavier from the last time we saw him, and his arms look a lot more solid. He's no Marcus Banks but his shoulders look a lot larger. For reference, look up pictures of Reggie Miller in his first season (not bulky arms, but still strong). But to your second point, he will provide the jump shooting this roster needs early on, and hopefully develop into a more complete player on the wing within 2 years. This also gives us time to experiment with DeRozan at the 3 or exploring trade scenarios for either player. Assuming Valanciunas takes some adjusting to the NBA game it's not the worst, but if BC really wants to push for the playoffs in 2012-13 then with Val coming in BC may not want a 2012 rookie at all (trade the pick).[/quote]

Most of the points you make are valid. Experimenting Derozan at the 3 make sense and I have thought about that too. However, I still don't believe Lamb will be a great finisher at the NBA level. I also don't believe comparing Lamb and Reggie Miller is a great idea because I personally believe they would have different styles of play. Reggie is also Reggie...he's one of a kind. [/quote]

[Th3RaptorSwag]

As a Raptors fan, I hope Lamb pans out similarly to Stephen Curry in regards to both being shooters. There was major concerns when Curry was drafted about whether he would be able to transition as a shooter being too small, but he is great. Hopefully Lamb can transition well also.

[Man of Steel]

Fair enough, we won't know for sure till he steps on the NBA court.

The Miller comparison was just for body type comparison, obviously Miller had a bigger drive to be assertive and step up when needed.

I can see a bit of the Steph Curry comparison as he seems to have a great jumper, good handles and is a better athlete than Steph. But Lamb has skinny legs which could be a problem too. And Steph has his ankle issues, so that's not really reassuring when trying to figure out Lamb's chance of succeeding at the NBA level.

tbh I think I'd be happier just trading #8 + Ed + Kleiza + JJ for Gay and signing Lin, Dragic, Lowry, or Nash (and draft Wroten).

2013 lineup of
Val/Gray
Bargs/Amir
Gay/DeMar
DeMar/Anderson
Lin/Bayless

could surprise us.

[CunningLinguist]

I personally consider Lamb to be the best wing player in this draft. I'd take him over Gilchrist, Barnes and Beal. I realize that's not the popular opinion, but I'm basing that on peak potential.

Lamb has great height and length for his position, a very strong handle, and a sweet shooting stroke. He can create his own shot and can shoot off the dribble and spotting up. He can score in the midrange, from deep and at at the hoop. He has very solid athleticism. As he gets stronger, he should be able to attack the basket and finish more effectively. It's amazing how many people forget how skinny some of the current NBA players were when they came into the league. Kobe was a pipecleaner when he entered the league. Jordan gained a ton of size as his career went on. Filling out your frame is a hell of a lot easier than gaining shot creating ability.

On the defensive side of the floor, Lamb has a lot of potential. He has the athleticism height and length to be very effective on D, he just needs to gets stronger.

I like Beal, but he has yet to show great shot creating ability and he's better at spot-up shooting than shooting off the dribble. His handle isn't that great either. He's certainly a great rebounder for his size. He's bit on the short side, which may put him at a disadvantage on the defensive end. I think he's a better help defender than man defender. His lateral quicks aren't that great and I've seen him get blown by several times. I still like him, I just think he's a bit overrated by many. I think many are looking at his production during his hot streak rather than looking at his translatable skills. My biggest issue is his shot creating ability, which at the end of the day draws me to Lamb.

Barnes is a prototypical small forward with perfect size and good athleticism. He's more smooth than explosive. I think he'll be a good scorer at the next level because he can create a shot off one or two dribbles. He's not the best ballhandler in the world, so he will have to take a crafty approach to creating shots, much like Paul Pierce. He's got a much better postup game than he's been given credit for. He is definitely not just a spot-up shooter. Due to his size and lateral quicks, he's got very good potential on both ends.

Although there are elements to his game that like quite a bit, I consider Gilchrist to be the most overrated prospect in this draft by a fair bit. The idea that he could be taken #2 in this draft boggles my mind. I'll start with the positives. He's very good, aggressive defender and rebounder. He has excellent passing skills. He runs well on the fast break. Now the negatives. His athleticism and handle are nothing special. His size is barely adequate for the small forward position - he's more shooting guard sized. This may negatively affect his defensive impact at the next level. His shooting mechanics are horrific. He has difficulty shooting off the dribble or creating his own shot. I've seen him have some difficulty scoring at the bucket in traffic against length. His body control isn't the greatest as he looks awkward attempting postups and he often lands awkwardly. I see him as being more effective offensively in the full court. Teams that emphasize a half court offense would be best to utilize his passing skills as a point forward.

Many compare MKG to Iguodala and Wallace in playing style (including myself), but he is nowhere near as athletic. For those of you who saw Ronnie Brewer play at Arkansas, he was a very similar player, though he played a lot of shooting guard, even down to the funky shooting mechanics. Brewer had superior ballhandling abilities. I think MKG could very well become a similar player to Brewer in the pros. Would you use the 2nd pick in a strong draft to select Ronnie Brewer? Since when has a wing player who has defense as his calling card been drafted that high?

I think one of the reasons guys like Beal and Gilchrist have such broad appeal is their high activity level. Their playing style is such that they get noticed very easily. This can sometimes override a dissection of how their games translate to the next level.

Sorry for the long post.

[edquantum]

If one of Lamb, Barnes still available draft them, if not trade the picks, tpe + davis or amir or something like that for something like Gay or iguodala.

[fredericklove]

I think many are looking at his production during his hot streak rather than looking at his translatable skills. My biggest issue is his shot creating ability, which at the end of the day draws me to Lamb.

Most of us that watches him would closely carefully examine his translatable skills more than production, that's what most of the guys that watched most games do in the entire year if you just go back and look at the past draft thread. His shot creating ability is a concern of cos, he's not the type to create midrange or iso, but his two things which are his ability to break down into the lanes and an all around game all outweigh his shot-creating ability cos the skillset he has are obviously seen, he's shown alot of NBA caliber type of dribbles - hesitation/change speed, underrated court vision knowing where to pass, he doesn't try out-muscle for the board, he picks his spot to get those boards (knowing where the ball bounces off the rim) so it wasn't his strength as advantage at the college level for grabbing those boards, his shooting were inconsistent in 1st half of the season but slowly got back into the groove, and those body strength despite not knowing how well it'll convert to the NBA but at least he's not skinny and weak and short arms to begin with. Production is great but when we watch the game, we watch how he changes the game from the range of skills he uses, watches where he hangs around mostly, when he catches the ball what does he do, when/how does he attack, how does he get those board, when does he pass etc. We looked mostly on those things.

[MEDIC]

Not sure if this video has been posted yet:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7992014

Every time I see video of this kid, I want the Raps to draft him more & more. He's so smooth with the ball & has a nice jump shot.

He's definitely put on some muscle since his freshman year, which is encouraging.

In his interview, his mannerisms & even the way he talks reminds me Chris Bosh.

I was reading that his dad was a minister? Sounds like a BC type of player. lol

[Rhettmatic]

Did everyone see this Fran Fraschilla article?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/n ... draft-fits

Slots Lamb in at 4 to the Cavs.

It's Insider, so summary:

- Size, scoring ability and high ceiling make him great fit
- Younger than Irving
- Not soft at all
- Huskies never would have won NCAA title without him
- Would take Lamb over Beal
- Lamb will be a star

[DG88]

Did everyone see this Fran Fraschilla article?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/n ... draft-fits

Slots Lamb in at 4 to the Cavs.

It's Insider, so summary:

- Size, scoring ability and high ceiling make him great fit
- Younger than Irving
- Not soft at all
- Huskies never would have won NCAA title without him
- Would take Lamb over Beal
- Lamb will be a star

It wouldn't surprise me nothing has been set in stone as to who will go where. Remember back in the 2009 Draft Tyreke Evans was slated to go ninth in the early stages after the lottery. He ended up going 4th to the Kings. Lamb's length, athleticism and shooting ability is going to garner attention from a lot of the team ahead of us.

[RaptorReloaded]

Did everyone see this Fran Fraschilla article?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/n ... draft-fits

Slots Lamb in at 4 to the Cavs.

It's Insider, so summary:

- Size, scoring ability and high ceiling make him great fit
- Younger than Irving
- Not soft at all
- Huskies never would have won NCAA title without him
- Would take Lamb over Beal
- Lamb will be a star

It wouldn't surprise me nothing has been set in stone as to who will go where. Remember back in the 2009 Draft Tyreke Evans was slated to go ninth in the early stages after the lottery. He ended up going 4th to the Kings. Lamb's length, athleticism and shooting ability is going to garner attention from a lot of the team ahead of us.

What was the rest of Fran's mock draft?

[Double Helix]

Freeze the ESPN video at around 2:40 and you can definitely tell he's added good weight. I don't think GMs will be concerned about his ability to continue to add weight since he's already made good improvements.

[nahom1319]

Freeze the ESPN video at around 2:40 and you can definitely tell he's added good weight. I don't think GMs will be concerned about his ability to continue to add weight since he's already made good improvements.

Yeah but the question isn't can he put on weight its can he keep it. I'm pro Lamb but as a fellow hard gainer I know that if he takes a week off his high protein diet and workout he'll be back to square one. Furthermore assuming he's able to keep the weight how much do you expect him to gain? He's never going to be Lebron or Andre Iguodala. Maybe a shorter T-mac is more realistic.

[willis_reborn]

With more than a month of personal workouts to wow GMs, i expect to Lamb to be a lock to be gone before the 8th spot. If Beal slips, that would be one heck of a pickup for us. And if Beal and Lamb are both gone? **** you GOTTA consider PJIII then.

[MEDIC]

Did everyone see this Fran Fraschilla article?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/n ... draft-fits

Slots Lamb in at 4 to the Cavs.

It's Insider, so summary:

- Size, scoring ability and high ceiling make him great fit
- Younger than Irving
- Not soft at all
- Huskies never would have won NCAA title without him
- Would take Lamb over Beal
- Lamb will be a star

You know, I've always felt that way about Lamb. Ever since his tournament run as a freshman. He looks like a total package SG & I could never understand why the mock drafts had him rated so low. Every time I watch video of the kid, I come away extremely impressed (except that compilation on youtube of some poor defense.........I'll overlook that).

If he were to be drafted top 5, it wouldn't shock me at all.

[MEDIC]

With more than a month of personal workouts to wow GMs, i expect to Lamb to be a lock to be gone before the 8th spot. If Beal slips, that would be one heck of a pickup for us. And if Beal and Lamb are both gone? **** you GOTTA consider PJIII then.

If we are able to pick up one of Beal, Lamb or Barnes, then the tank will have been worth it. If not.....meh....