What player do you think will surprise most on the forum with his play this year?

[bwgood77]

Which player do you think has the best chance of vastly exceeding general overall forum expectations?

[8on]

i'm going to go with Elie Okobo, international man of mystery. i don't think we expect him to be consistent, but i think that's exactly what he will be. i think he'll win the starting job no later than Game 41.

[bwgood77]

i'm going to go with Elie Okobo, international man of mystery. i don't think we expect him to be consistent, but i think that's exactly what he will be. i think he'll win the starting job no later than Game 41.

Yeah, that was my initial thought too....partly because many have high expectations for most of the others. I just remember KJ breaking out as a rookie after we traded for him and hope he can do the same.

[lilfishi22]

After a fairly lowkey Summer League, I think Bridges is going to surprise. He won't be some 20ppg scoring beast but I think he's going to come in and just be a real positive every minutes he's on the court. He'll defend, shoot, attack close outs, rebound and just play smart basketball. I feel like he's been kind of overshadowed by guys like Ayton and even Okobo because of our need at PG so a lot of attention has been put on Okobo, Melton and Shaq. Bridges on the other hand is behind a bunch of wings so he hasn't had as much attention on him.

[bwgood77]

After a fairly lowkey Summer League, I think Bridges is going to surprise. He won't be some 20ppg scoring beast but I think he's going to come in and just be a real positive every minutes he's on the court. He'll defend, shoot, attack close outs, rebound and just play smart basketball. I feel like he's been kind of overshadowed by guys like Ayton and even Okobo because of our need at PG so a lot of attention has been put on Okobo, Melton and Shaq. Bridges on the other hand is behind a bunch of wings so he hasn't had as much attention on him.

Oh, if he defends at a high level and hits 40% from 3 when he's out there I won't be surprised. I think people are very high on him.

[TASTIC]

I think Melton.

I watched a TON of highlights and scouting takes on him over the weekend and I think (cliche coming) he's simply a basketball player.

He has size, a motor, above average athleticism, a point to prove and a good situation with no real pressure on him. All he has to do is bring the ball up every so often and dump it into Ayton when Booker's not running point. Knock down some open 3s, make the scrappy plays and play elite on-ball D.

^Of course this could be the same spiel about Shaq Harrison (who I also like a lot!)

[lilfishi22]

After a fairly lowkey Summer League, I think Bridges is going to surprise. He won't be some 20ppg scoring beast but I think he's going to come in and just be a real positive every minutes he's on the court. He'll defend, shoot, attack close outs, rebound and just play smart basketball. I feel like he's been kind of overshadowed by guys like Ayton and even Okobo because of our need at PG so a lot of attention has been put on Okobo, Melton and Shaq. Bridges on the other hand is behind a bunch of wings so he hasn't had as much attention on him.

Oh, if he defends at a high level and hits 40% from 3 when he's out there I won't be surprised. I think people are very high on him.

I just don't think he's gotten much attention. People in the know, know what he's about and what he brings to the table but I feel like he's kind of being overshadowed because of our (lack of) PG situation, some of that nervousness around JJ's poor SL showing and Ayton being the #1 pick. But when he comes to play and proves he's a legit NBA contributor, I think he's going to surprise a lot of people especially those who aren't hardcore fans.

[bwgood77]

After a fairly lowkey Summer League, I think Bridges is going to surprise. He won't be some 20ppg scoring beast but I think he's going to come in and just be a real positive every minutes he's on the court. He'll defend, shoot, attack close outs, rebound and just play smart basketball. I feel like he's been kind of overshadowed by guys like Ayton and even Okobo because of our need at PG so a lot of attention has been put on Okobo, Melton and Shaq. Bridges on the other hand is behind a bunch of wings so he hasn't had as much attention on him.

Oh, if he defends at a high level and hits 40% from 3 when he's out there I won't be surprised. I think people are very high on him.

I just don't think he's gotten much attention. People in the know, know what he's about and what he brings to the table but I feel like he's kind of being overshadowed because of our (lack of) PG situation, some of that nervousness around JJ's poor SL showing and Ayton being the #1 pick. But when he comes to play and proves he's a legit NBA contributor, I think he's going to surprise a lot of people especially those who aren't hardcore fans.

I guess it depends on playing time. I think most expect him to be a really solid defender and 3 pt shooter.

[lilfishi22]

Oh, if he defends at a high level and hits 40% from 3 when he's out there I won't be surprised. I think people are very high on him.

I just don't think he's gotten much attention. People in the know, know what he's about and what he brings to the table but I feel like he's kind of being overshadowed because of our (lack of) PG situation, some of that nervousness around JJ's poor SL showing and Ayton being the #1 pick. But when he comes to play and proves he's a legit NBA contributor, I think he's going to surprise a lot of people especially those who aren't hardcore fans.

I guess it depends on playing time. I think most expect him to be a really solid defender and 3 pt shooter.

If he gets playing time, he's going to be really good. Given our rookie player over the past 5 seasons or so, they've all pretty much disappointed except for Booker and probably TJ. Len, JJ, Bender and Chriss all were all kind of raw and expected to bring certain things to the court but none of them consistently showed that. Where I think Bridges will surprise us is with consistency which is pretty rare for a rookie. Thinking of a younger Dudley, who always came in and did positive things on the floor and did it consistently.

[bwgood77]

I just don't think he's gotten much attention. People in the know, know what he's about and what he brings to the table but I feel like he's kind of being overshadowed because of our (lack of) PG situation, some of that nervousness around JJ's poor SL showing and Ayton being the #1 pick. But when he comes to play and proves he's a legit NBA contributor, I think he's going to surprise a lot of people especially those who aren't hardcore fans.

I guess it depends on playing time. I think most expect him to be a really solid defender and 3 pt shooter.

If he gets playing time, he's going to be really good. Given our rookie player over the past 5 seasons or so, they've all pretty much disappointed except for Booker and probably TJ. Len, JJ, Bender and Chriss all were all kind of raw and expected to bring certain things to the court but none of them consistently showed that. Where I think Bridges will surprise us is with consistency which is pretty rare for a rookie. Thinking of a younger Dudley, who always came in and did positive things on the floor and did it consistently.

I think people liked Booker and Warren when they got time, but the thing is, Bridges is a 4 year guy like Nash who usually comes in and contributes immediately. I agree he will play well when he plays but I don't really agree it will be a surprise if he does.

[jcsunsfan]

If Warren shoots 35% plus from three it will shock everyone and be a huge game changer. He suddenly becomes worth a LOT more in trade.

However, based on present observations out of the pick up games, I think it will be Elie Okobo. I think he is going to win the starting pg job (barring trade) and his confidence will grow significantly and quickly. He has the most complete skill set and athletic profile of all of our point guards. He has also played against full-grown men, with plenty of physical contact.

[Qwigglez]

I am really hoping it's Bender. We got a real coach this year and from what I've seen from videos of his style of coaching I think can make a huge difference for Bender. Bender is a system player and I believe can be an instrumental part of our success if used properly. Him spreading the floor for Ayton in the middle, his versatile defense, and his ability to bring the ball up the court after a rebound. He's not going to have eye-popping stats, but he's the glue guy we need at the 4 spot. If Igor can find Bender's aggression and keep him hungry, I think will be a major impact to the team.

Main problem is, I'm not sure how much time Bender is going to get. I would hope Bender starts, but I think we'd probably have Anderson starting, or Ariza starting or probably both. I don't think Bender would be as productive off the bench.

[Blackification]

I’m going with Ryan Anderson, coming off a bad year in Houston but his spacing and shooting will be a game changer like Channing was for us, on top of that he will be a great locker room guy and seems to bring an overall positive energy that is much needed after the last couple of years.

Do I think he will at times hurt us defensively? Sure, will it matter from an overall impact standpoint? I don’t think so in comparison to how much value he will bring on the offensive end. In Koko’s offense think we are going to see the Ryan Anderson that houston paid for when he got this big contract.

[jcsunsfan]

I’m going with Ryan Anderson, coming off a bad year in Houston but his spacing and shooting will be a game changer like Channing was for us, on top of that he will be a great locker room guy and seems to bring an overall positive energy that is much needed after the last couple of years.

Do I think he will at times hurt us defensively? Sure, will it matter from an overall impact standpoint? I don’t think so in comparison to how much value he will bring on the offensive end. In Koko’s offense think we are going to see the Ryan Anderson that houston paid for when he got this big contract.

With Jackson, Bridges, Ariza, Shaq, Melton, Canaan, and even Ayton I think it will be much easier to hide a marginal defender this year.

[batsmasher]

Who fits best with Igor's system? Bridges.

So I agree with the fish.

[Saberestar]

I go with Okobo.

I think that he is gonna be a big surprise because he probably ends as our starting PG, and that would be pretty impressive for a rookie selected at #31.

[oddity]

Okobo and Melton.

[Gorilla Warfare]

Josh Jackson but based off his summer league can be surprisingly bad.

[King4Day]

I think Anderson will have a great year for us.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Dragan or Ayton. Ayton could be a 20/10 guy from the jump. Dragan could outplay Anderson sooner rather than later. Either of those would be hugely pleasant surprises.