Gonzaga prospects (Clarke, Hachimura, Tillie, Norvell)

[doordoor123]

Clark's handle is functional enough...it's kind of like Jordan Bell level, you don't want it in his hands for too long but can push the pace a bit and within a certain range of the basket has no problem putting it on the floor. I've seen Clarke make some good inside-out passes too so there's potential there for more improvement as a playmaker but I don't know if that's ever gonna be a strength of his.

thing about Clarke is he's probably coming into the NBA at probably THE best time for a player of his archetype...multi-position defender who can guard out to the perimeter and protect the rim are pretty damn valuable players today, anything he adds offensively on top of put-backs, rim running and lob catching is a cherry on top.

he's essentially a sooped up version of Jordan Bell with a better head on his shoulders hopefully.

I don't Jordan Bell at all. I think he is a 3 and small ball 4. Bell had a better body. Clarke is 215 at his best. He is like Demarre Carroll in a lot of ways for me.

Lol you guys are hilarious, he doesn’t have a handle at all. He has good footwork and can get to the basket from the free throw line because he’s so athletic, but he doesn’t have a handle at all. He can barely dribble when he brings the ball up court. Plus developing a handle is the hardest skill to learn as a professional, otherwise it wouldn’t be so rare a skill because it’s the difference between someone being a good player or a great player.

[King Ken]

Clark's handle is functional enough...it's kind of like Jordan Bell level, you don't want it in his hands for too long but can push the pace a bit and within a certain range of the basket has no problem putting it on the floor. I've seen Clarke make some good inside-out passes too so there's potential there for more improvement as a playmaker but I don't know if that's ever gonna be a strength of his.

thing about Clarke is he's probably coming into the NBA at probably THE best time for a player of his archetype...multi-position defender who can guard out to the perimeter and protect the rim are pretty damn valuable players today, anything he adds offensively on top of put-backs, rim running and lob catching is a cherry on top.

he's essentially a sooped up version of Jordan Bell with a better head on his shoulders hopefully.

I don't Jordan Bell at all. I think he is a 3 and small ball 4. Bell had a better body. Clarke is 215 at his best. He is like Demarre Carroll in a lot of ways for me.

Lol you guys are hilarious, he doesn’t have a handle at all. He has good footwork and can get to the basket from the free throw line because he’s so athletic, but he doesn’t have a handle at all. He can barely dribble when he brings the ball up court.

He has enough handle considering his skill-set. He is a movement player. Those guys are low usage.

[doordoor123]

I don't Jordan Bell at all. I think he is a 3 and small ball 4. Bell had a better body. Clarke is 215 at his best. He is like Demarre Carroll in a lot of ways for me.

Lol you guys are hilarious, he doesn’t have a handle at all. He has good footwork and can get to the basket from the free throw line because he’s so athletic, but he doesn’t have a handle at all. He can barely dribble when he brings the ball up court.

He has enough handle considering his skill-set. He is a movement player. Those guys are low usage.

Yeah, but he isn’t a guy you want driving to the basket with the ball and making pick and roll decisions. He’s a guy you want in the post, passing out of the post or setting a pick and rolling with his athleticism. That’s his game.

[King Ken]

Lol you guys are hilarious, he doesn’t have a handle at all. He has good footwork and can get to the basket from the free throw line because he’s so athletic, but he doesn’t have a handle at all. He can barely dribble when he brings the ball up court.

He has enough handle considering his skill-set. He is a movement player. Those guys are low usage.

Yeah, but he isn’t a guy you want driving to the basket with the ball and making pick and roll decisions. He’s a guy you want in the post, passing out of the post or setting a pick and rolling with his athleticism. That’s his game.

He's a movement player.

[doordoor123]

He has enough handle considering his skill-set. He is a movement player. Those guys are low usage.

Yeah, but he isn’t a guy you want driving to the basket with the ball and making pick and roll decisions. He’s a guy you want in the post, passing out of the post or setting a pick and rolling with his athleticism. That’s his game.

He's a movement player.

Yeah, he’s totally like Steph Curry or Klay Thompson

Honestly you aren’t being very specific in saying that. Because guys like him aren’t running around screens, and if he’s only cutting off-ball to the basket and grabbing rebounds he’s pretty easy to stop. Especially since he isn’t the longest or quickest of guys, if that’s what you’re getting at. His money is posting up and rolling, like Montrezl Harrell. And that’s who I compare him most to.

[King Ken]

Yeah, but he isn’t a guy you want driving to the basket with the ball and making pick and roll decisions. He’s a guy you want in the post, passing out of the post or setting a pick and rolling with his athleticism. That’s his game.

He's a movement player.

Yeah, he’s totally like Steph Curry or Klay Thompson

Honestly you aren’t being very specific in saying that. Because guys like him aren’t running around screens, and if he’s only cutting off-ball to the basket and grabbing rebounds he’s pretty easy to stop. Especially since he isn’t the longest or quickest of guys, if that’s what you’re getting at. His money is posting up and rolling, like Montrezl Harrell. And that’s who I compare him most to.

You're being ridiculous now.

[Klomp]

Another comp for Clarke I'm starting to see is Clint Capela

[316Hornets]

Think Clarke fits in Charlotte alongside Kemba. Would like to pair him with a stretch 5 like Kevin Love for best fit.

Kemba
Clarke
Love

is the dream

[Stillwater]

Another comp for Clarke I'm starting to see is Clint Capela

style of play sure, level of impact no.

[ruffian253]

Clint capella has no offensive game besides put backs. BC has a nice spin move and has a good first step that allows a creative 2-3 dribble drive to the basket for a layup/dunk.

[wesleyt95]

I still believe Rui w/ his 7’2 wingspan has just as much defensive potential as Clarke at the next level

[MemphisX]

People who rate Clarke high are fooling themselves. He is small. He does not have length. He can't shoot. I am am trying to figure out what his role will be in the NBA when most top small forwards are longer and bigger than he is right now. If he was 19/20 and you were talking about converting him into a defensive wing, I could understand some of the hype. But thinking he is going to do what Clint Capella does in the NBA is foolishness and that is even before we discuss the intrinsic value of Capella as a player.

[remi_222]

Ronny Turiaf forever

[wesleyt95]

People who rate Clarke high are fooling themselves. He is small. He does not have length. He can't shoot. I am am trying to figure out what his role will be in the NBA when most top small forwards are longer and bigger than he is right now. If he was 19/20 and you were talking about converting him into a defensive wing, I could understand some of the hype. But thinking he is going to do what Clint Capella does in the NBA is foolishness and that is even before we discuss the intrinsic value of Capella as a player.

I could see him still coming off the bench 5 years from now, he’s not the stud some see; Sekou is better/bigger right now and 5 years younger

[Yuri Vaultin]

Been trying to think of a decent comparison for Clarke. Would something like a turbo supercharged Carl Landry make sense?

[Coeur]

Think Clarke fits in Charlotte alongside Kemba. Would like to pair him with a stretch 5 like Kevin Love for best fit.

Kemba
Clarke
Love

is the dream

Best fit for Clarke is playing with Jokic in Denver. Jokic in the high post is so unique in today’s game. Clarke would be so good as a cutter and finisher. A perfect compliment to Jokic and the Nugs

[Coeur]

Been trying to think of a decent comparison for Clarke. Would something like a turbo supercharged Carl Landry make sense?

Dennis Rodman/aaron Gordon combo

[Yuri Vaultin]

Been trying to think of a decent comparison for Clarke. Would something like a turbo supercharged Carl Landry make sense?

Dennis Rodman/aaron Gordon combo

But Rodman's wing span was well over 7 foot. The Gordon one ain't so bad.

[giberish]

Been trying to think of a decent comparison for Clarke. Would something like a turbo supercharged Carl Landry make sense?

Slightly smaller/quicker Kevon Looney comes to mind. Which can have value, but not top-10 pick type of value.

[Illmatic12]

Been trying to think of a decent comparison for Clarke. Would something like a turbo supercharged Carl Landry make sense?

Hard to find a comp for Clarke because he's such a unique prospect. He has some definite flaws but he's such a ridiculous athlete very intelligent in his movements, and has a high motor.

I could see a Carl Landry-type, for sure.. I'd put him in that same "undersized energy forward who doesn't suck on offense" archetype. What made guys like Carl Landry, Brandon Bass, Big Baby Davis, peak Draymond Green, even Shawn Marion (extreme example) effective as undersized-energy 4s is the fact that they actually have touch on offense. We've seen a dime-a-dozen players like Reggie Evans, Derrick Williams etc who will rebound/defend but on O they can only sit in the dunker's spot, so their man doesn't have to guard them close. When teams tried to use that strategy on Landry, he was comfortable hitting open jumpers so before you know it he's burned your defense for a quick 10-15pts unaccounted. Defenses hate it when the designated "hustle guy" in the lineup has skill/IQ. Not only are they everywhere on defense, you have to actually pay attention to them on offense too. That's what makes facing a Draymond or Siakam so demoralizing - most successful teams have those types of supporting players.

Think the theory behind Clarke is that he'll find his niche as one of those overqualified hustle guys with just enough skill to demoralize opposing gameplans. Since he's not a typical shotcreator who draws a lot of attention, he's gonna get overlooked on the scouting report. So when he gets the ball he will usually be in space - but if he's anywhere near the paint he has the explosiveness to make a sudden dunk shot, or the touch to make a quick push shot or floater. Away from the basket he has midrange touch or can put it on the floor and finish at the rim, and hopefully will be able to knock down 1-2 corner threes a game. He's a vertical lob threat and will catch teams sleeping on back cuts. Also Clarke can actually grab the ball off the rim and go coast-to-coast explosively, I saw him do it many times in his Gonzaga film. He just seems like one of those guys where you don't need to run the offense through him, but you look up and he has 15-17pts and majorly impacted the game on both ends.