2019 NBA Draft Prep

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

He'll be playing much more on the perimeter in the NBA. It's lazy analysis on the part of some to just think "he's 7-2, so he's gotta play post." To their defense, we've never seen a guy like this before. But if a 6-9 guy can play PG, I have to be open to the possibility that a 7-2 guy can play wing.

[Spud2nique]

Some have us getting both, Spud.

I'd be real tempted to stash Bouya for another year in Europe if things broke that way.

Love it. Wait, stash? Why can’t we just put him in our G league? You’re prolly thinking extra roster spot but..a prospect which we would invest so much in, I’d want him close to us. I don’t entirely trust the stash approach lol.

It’s kinda like owning a house in some parts of Europe. If you don’t have a property manager or check on your house from time to time, it could end up becoming another’s crib soon.

I’d keep him close.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

But I haven't heard a peep about any Hawks interest in him.

Nor has anyone.

He's still playing in Europe, of course, so it's not like there's much way for anyone to gauge it... that is, short of making things up just to have something to put in a blog.

[Jamaaliver]

Love it. Wait, stash? Why can’t we just put him in our G league? You’re prolly thinking extra roster spot but..a prospect which we would invest so much in, I’d want him close to us. I don’t entirely trust the stash approach lol.

I’d keep him close.

Nothing wrong with wanting Sekou close by. But I'd be hard pressed to start his rookie contract clock knowing he won't likely produce for years.

I'd be willing to let him develop on someone else's dime for at least a year and then bring him in during his age 20 season.

He just turned 18 in December, so he's still growing into his body.

NOTE: As of 2018, his English was very limited.

[Jamaaliver]

NBA Combine 2019: Prospects Who Boosted Their Stock After Thursday's Drills

Talen Horton-Tucker, SG, Iowa State

Horton-Tucker's growing stock isn't tied to what he is now but rather what he could become. One, he doesn't turn 19 until late November. Two, he might be the longest 6'2½" prospect we've ever seen:

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His build is as interesting as they get. He has the height of a guard, the weight of a wing (235 pounds) and the reach of a big man. If he can put all those assets together, he could be an offensive mismatch (longer than small defenders, quicker than big ones) and a versatile defender.


Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina

Little's college career was interesting...The former McDonald's All-American MVP went from being the prized piece of the Tar Heels' 2018 recruiting class to a full-time reserve on their 2018-19 squad. But he's treating the combine like he's making up for lost stock-boosting time. He impressed with his length (6'6" in shoes with a 7'1¼" wingspan) and then with his shooting (16 consecutive made threes, per HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

As ESPN's Jonathan Givony relayed, Little reportedly aced his interviews too.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

As for Little's forgettable numbers at UNC, he said at the combine the coaching staff never communicated "exactly what my role was, especially on offense."

Given Little's pedigree—he was pegged as a top-three pick in October—he could climb the draft boards in a big way if he keeps this up.

Bleacher Report

[Spud2nique]

NBA Combine 2019: Prospects Who Boosted Their Stock After Thursday's Drills

Talen Horton-Tucker, SG, Iowa State

Horton-Tucker's growing stock isn't tied to what he is now but rather what he could become. One, he doesn't turn 19 until late November. Two, he might be the longest 6'2½" prospect we've ever seen:

Read on Twitter

His build is as interesting as they get. He has the height of a guard, the weight of a wing (235 pounds) and the reach of a big man. If he can put all those assets together, he could be an offensive mismatch (longer than small defenders, quicker than big ones) and a versatile defender.


Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina

Little's college career was interesting...The former McDonald's All-American MVP went from being the prized piece of the Tar Heels' 2018 recruiting class to a full-time reserve on their 2018-19 squad. But he's treating the combine like he's making up for lost stock-boosting time. He impressed with his length (6'6" in shoes with a 7'1¼" wingspan) and then with his shooting (16 consecutive made threes, per HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

As ESPN's Jonathan Givony relayed, Little reportedly aced his interviews too.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

As for Little's forgettable numbers at UNC, he said at the combine the coaching staff never communicated "exactly what my role was, especially on offense."

Given Little's pedigree—he was pegged as a top-three pick in October—he could climb the draft boards in a big way if he keeps this up.

Bleacher Report

Wow, Horton hears a who!

[Geaux_Hawks]

Please take a step back... this just doesn't seem to be permeating the conversation very well on Bol's defense, so I'll continue to bring it up...

How many ***freshmen*** spend the first ***half*** of their college basketball careers ***looking lost*** on the court.

And gimmicky zone defenses like that Altman plays? So much more so.

I watch him, and see a pretty athletic guy making a LOT of plays just on instinct alone, but sometimes clearly out of position, no muscle memory to fall back on from playing Altman's defenses for a season or more... having to constantly think, and not just play ball.

https://streamable.com/857nm

Does he not know how to defend the post? He even concedes more space. At least get your hands up and be vertical.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Like does he not know where his position is on the floor?! Does he not have the awareness that he can't attack closeouts the way he does? I mean it could just simply be more about his effort and not having the ability to control his body than anything.

A lot of freshman do look lost or better yet still trying to adjust to being on the court, but Bol on defense is completely clueless with no awareness of things going on around him. I too have watched his games, and for every "instinctual" play he makes, I can find 5 where he isn't doing anything instinctively. At least those other freshman would give more effort to make it seem like they know what they are doing

You demonstrate my point more than you realize.

There's a presupposition that the defense Altman is playing in any of those clips is simple.

Watch again.

You see a guy not going after a player going down the lane because he just doesn't know any better.

Who of us who ever played the game on any level wouldn't know any better, though???

To the contrary, open your mind to the fact that Altman plays a variety of gimmick zone defenses where certain players are supposed to be responsible for certain areas of the court, and players are coached to play assignment basketball, much like football defenders are coached to play assignment football.... do YOUR job... expect your teammates to do THEIR job... DON'T abandon the space you're supposed to patrol... stay at home, don't get outside of the defense that's been called (!).

It's more complex as you get away from straight-up 2/3 zones, too.

I see Bol as a freshman, trying to be where he's been told to be, and just not yet comfortable mentally in a way that he can perform as he's physically able.

What's surprising to me is just how aggressive some people have become to push Bol down out of the lottery.... then again, I suppose it makes sense if you're one of those who want him to get pushed down out of the lottery for your own team's gain. I mentioned before and I'll mention it again that it's rum-ported that Ainge is hot for Bol.

Whatever zone defense Altman was running in those clips wasn't as difficult as you are making it. In fact, the guard went straight into the zone. Altman may run gimmicky zones, but i'm not sure if that's enough to truly give him a pass on defense. I will just concede that it's been a short sample size of games of him being in a zone though.

[Hazer]

So many excuses for a 7 foot shot blocker who struggled defensively against sub par competition.


It's okay to acknowledge he isn't a good defender yet.

Bol has been playing ball for years. This isn't a new assessment.

Jamal I’m finally starting to see what you and others saw in this Sekou kid. I’m not sure if I was watching his worst highlight reels before but he’s strong, fast and above all he gets after it on D. He’s usually draped all of his guy. He might fit in nicely with us, considering he and we have some time and maturing to do.

I’m still team Cam but this guy can hold his own.

Cam at 8th, Sekou at 10th, BAM!

[Jamaaliver]

Whatever zone defense Altman was running in those clips wasn't as difficult as you are making it. In fact, the guard went straight into the zone. Altman may run gimmicky zones, but i'm not sure if that's enough to truly give him a pass on defense. I will just concede that it's been a short sample size of games of him being in a zone though.

I think Sturt might be Bol's mother...or agent.

Otherwise, it makes no sense to not even acknowledge the long held reservations about his defensive awareness.

These are not new concerns...

[Geaux_Hawks]

Whatever zone defense Altman was running in those clips wasn't as difficult as you are making it. In fact, the guard went straight into the zone. Altman may run gimmicky zones, but i'm not sure if that's enough to truly give him a pass on defense. I will just concede that it's been a short sample size of games of him being in a zone though.

I think Sturt might be Bol's mother...or agent.

Otherwise, it makes no sense to not even acknowledge the long held reservations about his defensive awareness.

These are not new concerns...

Yeah I'm not too sure either. Zone may complicate things for young players, but usually you can see something in that zone where a kid shows some actual awareness. Bol has blocked shots by simply being a unicorn physically. Louis King played in that same zone and look miles ahead of Bol. Jaxson Hayes came in more raw than Bol, and has made a true splash on the defensive end.

[Jamaaliver]

I still see this kid in the mold of the Cali collegiates who put up numbers and don't affect winning. (Shabazz Muhammed, OJ Mayo, Zach Lavine)

But he is a baller. He could have solid trade value in a few years.

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[Geaux_Hawks]

I still see this kid in the mold of the Cali collegiates who put up numbers and don't affect winning. (Shabazz Muhammed, OJ Mayo, Zach Lavine)

But he is a baller. He could have solid trade value in a few years.

Read on Twitter

Yeah I think this kid could be something special. Coming from the Bradley Beal debacle thread we had, I kinda wouldn't mind seeing Huerter go to the bench as a 6th man microwave, and take a stab on this guy if Jaxson Hayes isn't available at 10. Has the "Double Wang" express left yet?!

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

Whatever zone defense Altman was running in those clips wasn't as difficult as you are making it. In fact, the guard went straight into the zone. Altman may run gimmicky zones, but i'm not sure if that's enough to truly give him a pass on defense. I will just concede that it's been a short sample size of games of him being in a zone though.

I think Sturt might be Bol's mother...or agent.

Otherwise, it makes no sense to not even acknowledge the long held reservations about his defensive awareness.

These are not new concerns...

"long held"

We're talking about a college freshman.

How "long held" can "long held" be?

The more coherent question might be to wonder why it's so important to you to shoot him down. I'm just asserting the facts of the whole picture of the whole situation.

Sue me.

[Spud2nique]

So many excuses for a 7 foot shot blocker who struggled defensively against sub par competition.


It's okay to acknowledge he isn't a good defender yet.

Bol has been playing ball for years. This isn't a new assessment.

Jamal I’m finally starting to see what you and others saw in this Sekou kid. I’m not sure if I was watching his worst highlight reels before but he’s strong, fast and above all he gets after it on D. He’s usually draped all of his guy. He might fit in nicely with us, considering he and we have some time and maturing to do.

I’m still team Cam but this guy can hold his own.

Cam at 8th, Sekou at 10th, BAM!

I think our Hawks war room just made some progress. We comin together a bit more here. We got some Cam and some Sekou on you! I’d have to give that an A/A- draft. I guess the minus part is simply for not landing Zion.

[Spud2nique]

Whatever zone defense Altman was running in those clips wasn't as difficult as you are making it. In fact, the guard went straight into the zone. Altman may run gimmicky zones, but i'm not sure if that's enough to truly give him a pass on defense. I will just concede that it's been a short sample size of games of him being in a zone though.

I think Sturt might be Bol's mother...or agent.

Otherwise, it makes no sense to not even acknowledge the long held reservations about his defensive awareness.

These are not new concerns...

"long held"

We're talking about a college freshman.

How "long held" can "long held" be?

The more coherent question might be to wonder why it's so important to you to shoot him down. I'm just asserting the facts of the whole picture of the whole situation.

Sue me.

Mystery player of the draft no doubt. We don’t know if his skills will translate to the pros, we don’t know if his health with his feet with hold up, we don’t know if his genes will allow his body to fill out to an NBA level. His defense is bad outside of pure shot blocking due to length.

The pros are he has great size (height) and crazy unseen skills from a 7 plus footer. It’s like he’s watching tapes of his dad’s (rip) teammate from the 90’s Timmy senior with that killer cross. Ball handling is uncharted for a guy like this.

A gamble like this sounds like a 12-20 range pick.

We have the 8th and 10th. Having said that I would have prolly said the same about Giannis AT THE TIME and now he was the clear cut best player in that draft.


Another bonus would be ratings. People like watching freaks. Lol. I mean that in the nicest way possible, like Giannis the freak.


Let’s see what he does in workouts.

[Hazer]

Jamal I’m finally starting to see what you and others saw in this Sekou kid. I’m not sure if I was watching his worst highlight reels before but he’s strong, fast and above all he gets after it on D. He’s usually draped all of his guy. He might fit in nicely with us, considering he and we have some time and maturing to do.

I’m still team Cam but this guy can hold his own.

Cam at 8th, Sekou at 10th, BAM!

I think our Hawks war room just made some progress. We comin together a bit more here. We got some Cam and some Sekou on you! I’d have to give that an A/A- draft. I guess the minus part is simply for not landing Zion.

Dribble pass shoot, that draft has Schlank written all over it

[Jamaaliver]

"long held"

We're talking about a college freshman. How "long held" can "long held" be?

The more coherent question might be to wonder why it's so important to you to shoot him down. I'm just asserting the facts of the whole picture of the whole situation.

Sue me.

<sigh>

Bol didn't start playing basketball last Fall.


Bol didn't start playing basketball last Fall.


Bol didn't start playing basketball last Fall.


Bol didn't start playing basketball last Fall.


Stop assuming that his first exposure to high level ball was 9 months ago. The whole picture includes the many years of high level basketball before Oregon.

Bol played for a high level prep school, played the HS All Star circuit, and was a part of the U-17 FIBA team...before getting cut.



Scouts, coaches, execs have been watching this kid for years. Just because you only have 9 games of observation doesn't eliminate the many years he was playing basketball in front of basketball observers at multiple levels.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

"long held"

We're talking about a college freshman. How "long held" can "long held" be?

The more coherent question might be to wonder why it's so important to you to shoot him down. I'm just asserting the facts of the whole picture of the whole situation.

Sue me.

<sigh>

Bol didn't start playing basketball last Fall.

Stop assuming that his first exposure to high level ball was 9 months ago. The whole picture includes the many years of high level basketball before Oregon.

Bol played for a high level prep school, played the HS All Star circuit, and was a part of the U-17 FIBA team...before getting cut.



Scouts, coaches, execs have been watching this kid for years. Just because you only have 9 games of observation doesn't eliminate the many years he was playing basketball in front of basketball observers at multiple levels.

*sigh*

Stop assuming I'm saying things I'm not saying, and recognize what I *am* saying... if you dare.

Almost NO player goes off to his first college experience as a finished product. Thus the dismissiveness you heard in my voice as I said, "how long held can long held possibly be?"

Heck, if we rewind back a year, Zion Williamson was not at all the clear-cut and much better developed talent right out of school, and yet it seems today with about 40 games worth of mostly-top-tier experience under his belt, we have an appreciably much improved and different product.



I think you yourself would acknowledge, any defensive criticism Bol would have received prior to graduating high school would have been largely related to the fact he's just too light down low to be effective unless he is able to block a shot... and where else are you going to play him in HS but down low....right?



So/but the point you keep avoiding is wisely avoided if you're that bound and determined to bury him on the basis of defense...

Did he play Altman's gimmick zone defenses ( Ref: https://fishduck.com/2019/03/oregons-chameleon-defense/ ) in HS or AAU ball?

You think?

[Jamaaliver]

He's not worth a top-10 pick, but I like the potential fit for a guy like Keldon Johnson as a 3 & D wing next to Trae.

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