JoRain wrote:NavLDO wrote:Blackification wrote:Well he was considered the BPA at the pick so thats definitely true about why it was a no brainer. On top of that he was the best shooter in the draft when the league is becoming more dependent on shooters. Overall it as mostly a safe draft where there weren't many big reaches and the picks made sense.
In addition, I was happy to see McD grab Booker at our draft slot for another reason. Yes, he was highly regarded as the BPA; to me, that is important because it shows, at least to me, that McD didn't overthink the pick or try to get 'cute'. I was a little concerned, TBH. After he took Len instead of Noel/McLemore, and then Warren with guys like Harris, Wood, and Payne still available, I was beginning to think McD was 'overthinking' the process.
Now, all that said, I'm happy with Len and Warren as the selections, and don't think that McD necessarily chose poorly, but I wanted to see at least once where his top prospect left matched the majority consensus BPA, and this year, the two came together. Does any of this make sense to anyone but me? Or am I
??
And yes, I agree, Booker was a fairly 'safe' pick--a guy that I think has a high ceiling, but also a 'high floor', even if he wasn't at a position of great need, he fills a 'role' of a great need. At worst, he's Gerald Green, IMO. At best, yes, Klay Thompson-esque type player.
Would agree that Booker is fairly safe pick, with an NBA skill, but I strongly have to disagree with ceiling. I think his ceiling is quite low; his standing reach and wingspan are very small, so small that in fact there are only 7 players in the league with such a small measurements, best of them being J.J.Redick, O.J.Mayo and Gary Harris. To top that, Booker is bigger than all 7 which make those measurements even smaller in comparison. Add to that his lack of explosiveness and you get a player, who will not be able to finish constantly at the rim (showed that in college), not going to be able to get to free throw line and will be limited defensivly. I other words, he's never going to be like Klay Thompson. I don't think that is really fair to Booker comparing him to Klay, as these kinds of expectations will result in big disappointment for all. He might become like Redick if we're lucky, but I think taller version of Randy Foye is more likely, which is not that catastrophic picking 13 at all.
To sum it up, safe player with role in the NBA, but also very limited upside.
Overall I'm ok with the pick, giving the other options available, though personally, if we would be set on shooter, I would probably reach for Hunter as I believe his potential and versatility is higher than Bookers.
Sent from my iPad using RealGM Forums mobile app
I find it extremely difficult to believe that Booker's Wingspan/Standing Reach is the 7th 'shortest' in the league. Where are you getting this information from?
Booker, at 6' 5.75", 206lbs, has a
6' 8.25" wingspan and
8' 6.5" standing reach. He doesn't turn 19 for another 4 months, which means he is likely still growing to some extent, and may include his leg/arm length, especially considering his wingspan and reach were measured at the Combine, respectively, 2 and 1.5" longer than they did at UK's pro day last year.
Other prospects this year with one or both Wingspan/Standing Reach measurements 'shorter' than Booker:
Justin Anderson SF--6' 6.25'', 230.6, 6' 11.75'',
8' 5'' Michael Frazier II SG--6' 4.25'' 199.4,
6' 8'', 8' 5.5'' Jerian Grant PG--6' 4.25'', 198.0,
6' 7.5", 8' 4''Olivier Hanlan PG--6' 4.25'', 185.8,
6' 6.5'', 8' 4'' Aaron Harrison SG--6' 6'', 209.2,
6' 8.25'', 8' 4.5'' Andrew Harrison PG--6' 5.5'', 213.2, 6' 9'',
8' 4'' Tyler Harvey SG--6' 4',' 181.4,
6' 5.5'',
8' 2.5'' Stanley Johnson SF--6' 6.5'', 241.8, 6' 11.5'',
8' 6'' Kelly Oubre SF--6' 6.75'', 202.8, 7' 2.25'',
8' 6.5'' Norman Powell SG--6' 4.25'', 215.4, 6' 10.75'',
8' 6.5'' Terry Rozier PG--6' 2.25'', 190.2,
6' 8.25'', 8' 2.5'' DAngelo Russell PG--6' 5'', 193.4, 6' 9.75'',
8' 6'' Marcus Thornton WM PG--6' 2.75'', 177.4,
6' 7.75'', 8' 1.5'' JP Tokoto SF--6' 6.25'', 195.8, 6' 10'',
8' 4.5'' Rashad Vaughn SG--6' 5'', 198.6,
6' 7'', 8' 5''Delon Wright PG--6' 5.5'', 181.4,
6' 7.5'', 8' 5.5'' As a count at least 10 from this list that were drafted, I have a hard time believing your assertion that only 7 players in the NBA have shorter measurements than Booker.
His measurements, while not 'ideal' are far from him being considered unusually short, and that there are 4 prospects above that are SFs, and 5 prospects being SGs, yes, there are 7 that are PGs. 5 of the above are taller in shoes, and 4 are shorter by less than an inch. So, Booker's measurements are not so incredibly short that it means he doesn't, or can't, have a high ceiling is extremely fallible reasoning. And taking into account that his release point is so high, further adds to the fact that his perceived 'shortness' will likely not be an issue.
So, I'll reiterate my assertion that Booker does, in fact, have a high ceiling. His shooting prowess, talent level, and BBIQ, all while considering him still being 4 months from turning 19, lend to the fact that he is likely to have a high ceiling, and making an assertion based on arm-length, to me, is short-sided. He may never be a defensive stud, but I hardly think he'll be defensive liability, as his timed athleticism lends to the fact that he should be able to 'stick' with his guy.
