sisibilio wrote:VolumePoster wrote:Don't get me wrong, Magilla, I am very excited about Mirotic. I think he could be excellent for exactly the reasons you bring up. My concern is this: will he be able to finish in the paint? If he can, vertical be damned. Many - Kevin Love being the obvious example - have been able to compensate with craftiness and strength. But what I'm addressing is what may limit him. For me, the ability to get vertical is the question for Nikola.
The reason I worry about it is because it's the only question he hasn't answered.
I agree but Kevin Love is not a good example, he registered a 35" max vertical in the draft combine, and that was weighing 20-25 pounds more than he does now, so i wouldn't be surprised to know he has added a couple more inches to that.
Sometimes max vertical measurements and even the sprint timings are useless, because all that these potential rookies do is work on their explosion and speed but it doesn't necessarily mean that they'll upkeep it, or it's part of their game.
Just look at Joakim and DeAndre Jordan, who would you guess has a better vertical jump, or measured vertical jump at the combine? Most people if not all people would guess DeAndre, but the fact is, Joakim measured with a higher vertical leap than DeAndre by more than 6 inches! So yeah, Joakim may have measured in with a higher vertical at the combine, but it doesn't mean it's really going to be used as part of his game, or that his that more explosive than Jordan.
Sometimes people get excited about vertical jump without factoring in what they of game a player has, will they even use it in games or are they simply just good jumpers? There have been plenty of players who measured with great verticals but it's just not their games to be aggressive and attack the rim. In the same regard, there are plenty of players who have measured in with not so great verticals but have made up for it by their aggressive play and willingness to use every ounce of their vertical.
I guess my point is, with players like Mirotic or even Love, their games aren't ever going to be predicated on how high their jumping ability, or lack thereof, but more so their skill level and fundamentals of the game. All you need to do is look at their respective games to know that jumping isn't exactly going to make or break their career, as opposed to players such as DeAndre Jordan who if not for their length and explosive jumping ability, they'd unlikely be in the league since their skill level isn't all that great.
