Lonnie Walker IV- Guard- Miami

JMAC3 · Post #1 » by **JMAC3** » Tue May 22, 2018 1:00 pm

Body Fat%- 5.65
Hand Length- 9.0
Hand Width- 9.5
Height w/o shoes- 6'3.75"
Height w/ shoes-6'4.5"
Standing Reach- 8'3.5''
Weight- 196.2lbs
Wingspan- 6'10.25''

Lane Agility- 10.87 (9th best)
Three Quarter Sprint- 3.06 (third fastest)
Standing Vertical Leap- 31.5 (13th best)
Max Vertical Leap- 40 (best was 42 inch)

Good size to play the 2 at nba level and has really big wingspan. Really solid fundamentals on jumper and has good elevation to create his own shot. Played off the ball mostly at Miami since they started a 5'7'' point guard. Started the year hurt, but started to come on at end of year and you can see the talent is evident.

JMAC3 · Post #2 » by **JMAC3** » Thu May 24, 2018 2:00 am

Nobody has anything to say about his game?

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Braggins · Post #3 » by **Braggins** » Thu May 24, 2018 3:07 am

Pretty good ceiling, but way too risky for 11 imo.

catch20two · Post #4 » by **catch20two** » Thu May 24, 2018 4:09 am

There’s gonna be a new Walker in town.

countryboi · Post #5 » by **countryboi** » Thu May 24, 2018 6:46 pm

Lonnie Walker: 'The Earth is definitely an illusion'

because of course he is a bit of a nut....at least he doesnt think the world is flat

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/05/21/potential-nba-lottery-pick-lonnie-walker-earth-definitely-illusion/629283002/

HornetJail · Post #6 » by **HornetJail** » Thu May 24, 2018 7:30 pm

still learning about a lot of these guys, but I think this would be an underwhelming pick at #11 and could be an odd fit with either Kemba or Monk? Based on what I've read, he isn't a great off-ball player and likes to pound the rock, but isn't good enough of a floor general to be a true NBA starting PG? Honestly sounds like it would be messy, like the Kemba/Lance pairing (of course Kemba is much better now), or trying to play two Monks at the same time. It sounds like he'd be worth a shot if we picked up a second 1st rounder closer to #20 if we didn't use #11 on a PG, but does it make any sense to take him over SGA, Sexton, or even another lesser prospect like Khyrie Thomas or Troy Brown? Can he do anything at an average-to-above-average level except score?

JMAC3 · Post #7 » by **JMAC3** » Thu May 24, 2018 7:42 pm

He should be a solid defender at the next level based on his frame, length and athleticism.

Don’t know if he is a lead guard at the nba level or not, but as a freshman on a team that started a 5’7’’ guard with him it’s not a super shock he played off ball.He has looked good in limited time as the pick and roll ball handler.

One thing I think we will see with JB is that we will run more of a equal opportunity offense that will have more players handling the ball and making plays. Think Kemba, Lamb, Batum, Monk and hopefully Lonnie as a main ballhandlers. Not just Kemba.

He is a better athlete than SGA and Sexton and a better shooter than either one. If can learn the pg position he is a steal. If he stays off the ball, his shooting looks like it will transfer.

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Post #8 » by **yosemiteben** » Fri May 25, 2018 3:04 pm

Maybe it's not fair, but I have a real tough time using the 11 to draft a one year guy that played under 30 mpg and averaged under 12 ppg.

MPM · Post #9 » by **MPM** » Sat May 26, 2018 4:57 pm

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/news/nba-mock-draft-2018-order-lottery-projections-suns-cavs-bulls-knicks-76ers/qjwh4oibccma1ltmw3vx74lgb

First mock I've seen that has us picking Walker at 11.

JMAC3 · Post #10 » by **JMAC3** » Sat May 26, 2018 9:21 pm

He had a hamstring issue to start the year. His stats aren’t amazing but he pops on tape. And he hit a good amount of clutch shots and had a couple game winning blocks.

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JMAC3 · Post #11 » by **JMAC3** » Tue Jun 5, 2018 3:45 pm

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nba/charlotte-hornets/article212412599.html

Lonnie workout highlights with us and interview

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countryboi · Post #12 » by **countryboi** » Tue Jun 5, 2018 5:35 pm

JMAC3 wrote:http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nba/charlotte-hornets/article212412599.html

Lonnie workout highlights with us and interview

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cocky little dude...Its kinda off putting and exciting at the same time.

Post #13 » by **fatlever** » Tue Jun 5, 2018 8:12 pm

Read on Twitter

JMAC3 · Post #14 » by **JMAC3** » Tue Jun 5, 2018 9:33 pm

Read on Twitter

?s=21

He is just so smooth and his jumper form is so nice. I get lack of production, but this guy has all the tools.

Westbrook averaged 3 pts his freshman year and 11.9 his sophomore year. So production isn’t everything just ask kaminsky.

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JMAC3 · Post #15 » by **JMAC3** » Wed Jun 6, 2018 12:45 pm

Mitchell averaged 7.4 pts/3.4 rebs/1.7 assists his freshman year. While shooting 25 percent from 3.

Sophomore year numbers 15.6pts/4.9 rebs/2.7 assists on 35% from three.

Lonnie freshman stats 11.5 pts/ 2.6 rebs/1.9 assists. He also shot 34.6% from three on 5.1 attempts per game.

He has almost identical numbers...

Mitchell 6-3, 6-10 wingspan, 40.5 inch vert, 3.01 sprint, 3.07 shuttle, 11.53 lane.

Lonnie 6-4.5, 6-10.25 wingspan, 40 inch vert, 3.06 spring, 2.91 shuttle, 10.87 shuttle.

Is mitchell a point guard, shooting guard or rookie of the year?

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MPM · Post #16 » by **MPM** » Wed Jun 6, 2018 1:53 pm

JMAC3 wrote:Mitchell averaged 7.4 pts/3.4 rebs/1.7 assists his freshman year. While shooting 25 percent from 3.

Sophomore year numbers 15.6pts/4.9 rebs/2.7 assists on 35% from three.

Lonnie freshman stats 11.5 pts/ 2.6 rebs/1.9 assists. He also shot 34.6% from three on 5.1 attempts per game.

He has almost identical numbers...

Mitchell 6-3, 6-10 wingspan, 40.5 inch vert, 3.01 sprint, 3.07 shuttle, 11.53 lane.

Lonnie 6-4.5, 6-10.25 wingspan, 40 inch vert, 3.06 spring, 2.91 shuttle, 10.87 shuttle.

Is mitchell a point guard, shooting guard or rookie of the year?

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A bit tough to deduce much from direct statistical comparisons like this - you could take almost any ho-hum freshman and compare them to Mitchell statistically (performance stats, that is). Who knows - Lonnie might be a great pro and I'll eat crow. He definitely has elite physical tools as you demonstrate above. I would personally avoid him at 11 (I voted for him at #17 in our mock) as what separates him from the Mitchell's of the world in my eyes is a lack of court awareness, basketball IQ, and mental toughness, which I value much more than physical tools. Mitchell had these in spades. Basically, I'm worried about what's between Lonnie's ears.

JMAC3 · Post #17 » by **JMAC3** » Wed Jun 6, 2018 2:19 pm

MPM wrote:
JMAC3 wrote:Mitchell averaged 7.4 pts/3.4 rebs/1.7 assists his freshman year. While shooting 25 percent from 3.

Sophomore year numbers 15.6pts/4.9 rebs/2.7 assists on 35% from three.

Lonnie freshman stats 11.5 pts/ 2.6 rebs/1.9 assists. He also shot 34.6% from three on 5.1 attempts per game.

He has almost identical numbers...

Mitchell 6-3, 6-10 wingspan, 40.5 inch vert, 3.01 sprint, 3.07 shuttle, 11.53 lane.

Lonnie 6-4.5, 6-10.25 wingspan, 40 inch vert, 3.06 spring, 2.91 shuttle, 10.87 shuttle.

Is mitchell a point guard, shooting guard or rookie of the year?

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what separates him from the Mitchell's of the world in my eyes is a lack of court awareness, basketball IQ, and mental toughness, which I value much more than physical tools. Mitchell had these in spades. Basically, I'm worried about what's between Lonnie's ears.

What is this based on tho? Listening to Walker speak he sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders. What about his game says he doesn’t have a good basketball IQ? I just haven’t read this anywhere... does he need to get better at seeing the whole court? Yes. He was also a freshman playing in the ACC, I think he has a lot of time to get better at reading defenses.

Watching Mitchell at Louisville he wasn’t a visionary with the ball in his hands.

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MPM · Post #18 » by **MPM** » Wed Jun 6, 2018 2:38 pm

I get that a lot of folks like Walker, and - like I say - he's an athletic freak and I understand people tend to fall in love with athleticism/measurements this time of year, but it took me a quick minute to find this on NBADraft:

Weaknesses: Lacks defensive intensity, especially off the ball, as he has a habit of floating around the court instead of remaining engaged ... Looks lost at times on offense when the ball isn’t in his hands ... Needs to have the ball in order to be a threat offensively, but likely won’t be the primary option on offense, will need to develop his off the ball game. Has a tendency to settle for jump shots instead of probing the defense ... Focuses on scoring and as a result will sometimes force his offense or miss passing to an open teammate ... Needs to improve his court vision, especially in drive and kick opportunities ... Needs to ensure that he plays hard all the time, sometimes appears to be trying to conserve energy for the offensive end.

I also went back and quickly pulled this from The Stepien which has become my default source in absence of DX:

https://www.thestepien.com/2018/05/19/ball-handling-passing-defensive-versatility-wings-2018-draft/

Scroll down to the bottom for video and commentary:

This basically sums it up for me:

"Walker still has questions to answer about his basketball IQ and general engagement level on both ends, as he’s always been known for his tendency to float, but he has potentially dynamic tools as a shot creator and versatile on-ball defender. It’s always difficult to deduce which players will “figure it out” in terms of understanding the game, but if Walker can make that jump, he should be a very useful player thanks to his foundation of skills as a two-way player."

Do I think he'll find a role in the NBA? Sure. Just from what I saw across the year, he didn't impress me as someone who quite gets the game. That could be yet or that could be never. Could have been a byproduct of a Miami team that had poor off ball IQ in general, but I still like others much more at #11

EDIT: I gave to get back to work so I don't get fired (no time to go back and dig) but I don't recall anyone ever questioning Mitchell's bball IQ or effort.

LofJ · Post #19 » by **LofJ** » Wed Jun 6, 2018 2:38 pm

General maturity is what I see lacking in Lonnie Walker. I don't think he's dumb or lacking in basketball IQ, but given how hard the NBA grind is I think maturity is massively underrated. Impressively though this board is an exception. The general consensus here has been right on the money with regards to reading players. It's why Booker, Brogdon, and Mitchell were all highly regarded here. If we were just comparing athleticism and upside he should be the guy, but when there are other players with similar or better skill, similar size, and more maturity (SGA and Sexton) I'd rather we go with them instead.

Snidely FC · Post #20 » by **Snidely FC** » Wed Jun 6, 2018 3:06 pm

Only game I saw LW in this year was the season ending NCAA Tourney loss to Loyola. MIA had a 1 pt lead and the ball w 23 secs left. Inbounded the pass to Walker. All Lonnie had to do was catch and hold the ball and wait to be fouled. Instead he tried to advance the ball and turned into a Loyola defender who knocked it off LW's knee, turnover. Some might say being bad at inbound plays makes him a perfect fit for our Hornets. I thought it was a stupid play evidencing poor bball IQ. He also missed the front end of a 1 n 1 w 9 seconds to go that might have iced the game, which LCU won on a last second shot. The kid does pop on video. Maybe he is just young and made a few mistakes that lost one game. At the very least I see those season ending plays as support for those who suggest Walker might be a bit of a wild hair