The Nik Stauskas Thread

[Eoghan]

Do not want..his combine numbers dont translate on the court. he does not have great lateral quickness and it shows on defense. this kid is Kyle korver which is not the worse thing in the world but if we I like young better and i think mcdermott has some of the same issues but is a even better scorer.

This is my concern as well, it seems like his defensive awareness is really poor.

I think he'd be a reach at 9.

[countryboi]

Do not want..his combine numbers dont translate on the court. he does not have great lateral quickness and it shows on defense. this kid is Kyle korver which is not the worse thing in the world but if we I like young better and i think mcdermott has some of the same issues but is a even better scorer.

This is my concern as well, it seems like his defensive awareness is really poor.

I think he'd be a reach at 9.

I will say this Stauskas is a very good ball handler and has good height...I am not completely against him i just like the other players better

[mrknowitall215]

My next question is, can he guard anyone? Hornets play good team defense, so if he truly is lights out at this level, I'd love to see him in a uniform.

Stauskas' defensive awareness is the elephant in the room for me. Offensively, Stauskas will be almost every bit of the player that he was at Michigan, but in the NBA (especially alongside a smallish point guard like Kemba) they won't be able to hide him away from the offensively potent wings like they did in Ann Arbor

[JDR720]

i want either Nik or Young....im 100% sure im gonna change my mind about 100 times before the draft

[EricAnderson]

Hes a perfect fit yeah he has flaws on d but the team needs more people who can shoot and put the ball in the basket

Yes he has some flaws but at 9 youre not getting a perfect player youre gonna get a player with quesiton marks reagrdless but his strengths are what the Hornets lack

[MasterIchiro]

That's true. Every player at pick 9 has major flaws and scary red flags.

Considering team strengths and deficiencies, I can live with a shooter, ball handler, play maker at the 2 whose weakness is the team's major strength and who's strength is the team's major weakness.

MKG and Clifford's team defense can pass him along.

There must be some advantage to playing an all-defense guy at SF.

I think his skill set completely alters the complexion of the offense. Only McDermott can rival him when it comes to impact, but SF minutes and PF are a precious commodity on this roster.

LaVine and Young won't impact right away and we are a win-now team.

It's tough to judge when we don't know what FA plans are. If they plan to sign Lance Stephenson, Stauskas makes far less sense and McDermott far more.

[LofJ]

Michigan's coach John Beilein doesn't coach defense all that well. They never seemed to guard the 3 point line and I think that comes down to system and coaching. It's hard for me to imagine Stauskas always being limited defensively with the athleticism he displayed at the combine.

[Marvel]

lol

Lol hey im just being honest. Theres only like 2 white guys in the NBA who are game changers, im not really liking our odds. Besides I want us to sign Lance.

There are more than just two really good white players in the league. And if it makes you feel any better Stauskas is actually Lithuanian, a country that has a great track record for producing good NBA players.

Game changers > good players

[W_HAMILTON]

Hmm, he's intriguing.

I don't like the idea of him being more of a PG, even though, come to think of it, we need another one of them anyway.

If we draft him, wouldn't that preclude us from going after a SG in FA, given that we'd also already have Henderson and Neal? Maybe they can move one (or both...) of them, but it seems like a bit much to draft this guy, sign a SG via FA, and then basically have to bench Henderson/Neal (or Stauskas, if they plan to bring him along slowly, which would be a fear given Clifford's track record).

[dmutombo321]

Hmm, he's intriguing.

I don't like the idea of him being more of a PG, even though, come to think of it, we need another one of them anyway.

If we draft him, wouldn't that preclude us from going after a SG in FA, given that we'd also already have Henderson and Neal? Maybe they can move one (or both...) of them, but it seems like a bit much to draft this guy, sign a SG via FA, and then basically have to bench Henderson/Neal (or Stauskas, if they plan to bring him along slowly, which would be a fear given Clifford's track record).

These are my thoughts too Ham. If Charlotte anticipates investing a boatload of $ on a Stephenson or Hayward in FA and still having Hendo/Neal and possibly CDR on the bench, why draft yet another 2 guard at #9?

I'm generally a draft for talent, not for position guy but only when we're talking about a transcendental type talent (i.e. Utah already has Favors and Kanter but if, for example, Embiid falls to them and his back checks out, theyd be fools not to take him).

I dont consider Stauskas a transcendental talent however, nor anyone who is likely to be available at #9; they all have their warts to a degree.

Accordingly, the FAs Charlotte intends to target should definitely be a consideration for the pick so they can draft someone who can play and be a difference maker right away as opposed to someone buried on the bench behind a pricey FA who's playing 36 mins per night.

[catch20two]

Redick + Dragic = Stauskas?

I think he could be good in the NBA but he's not on my shortlist for us.

[LofJ]

Redick + Dragic = Stauskas?

I think he could be good in the NBA but he's not on my shortlist for us.

Redick + Dragic = Steve Nash

A 6'6 Steve Nash is undoubtably worth the #9 pick.

[mrknowitall215]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/BaselineBuzz/status/469460693456920578[/tweet]

[LofJ]

Not that nbadraft.net's comparison is wrong in this case, but they're usually way off the mark with those.

[BlackOutBuzz]

I see they're also going with the Westbrook-LaVine comparison.

Sent from my SM-G900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Liver_Pooty]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/BaselineBuzz/status/469460693456920578[/tweet]

nbadraft.net is garbage.

[Liver_Pooty]

Redick + Dragic = Stauskas?

I think he could be good in the NBA but he's not on my shortlist for us.

Id be insanely thrilled with just Dragic, let alone adding Redick to him. Dragic would have been the second best player on our team last year.

[HornetJail]

Redick + Dragic = Stauskas?

I think he could be good in the NBA but he's not on my shortlist for us.

Redick + Dragic = Steve Nash

A 6'6 Steve Nash is undoubtably worth the #9 pick.

A 6'6 Steve Nash would be the #1 pick without a shadow of a doubt. I think a 5'6 Steve Nash would be worth the 9th pick.

I think Stauskas is closer to Redick than Nash or Dragic, but still a very good player. I just don't think he's a PG. Same with Lavine and Smart, I think they're all SGs. Exum could really be either one and be fantastic.

[mrknowitall215]

Redick + Dragic = Stauskas?

I think he could be good in the NBA but he's not on my shortlist for us.

65% J.J. Redick and 35% Goran Dragic. Similar to Redick, I think he'll be a productive player in the NBA, but a fringe starter, and short of All-Star consideration

[ARHornet]

If we can get Redick/Dragic at 9 you do it and don't look back. Stauskas is exactly the type of player we need. A 2 guard who can knock down shots outside and handle to ball well enough to create for himself and others when needed.