Rookie Discussion [19/20] [part I]

[BlazersBroncos]

Herro already has better court vision/playmaking skills while being just as shifty and a marksman. Herro is also a better defender

So, he is already better than CJ?

I think he is going to be really good (Hornacek is my comp), but I don't think he will ever be the pure scorer that CJ is. I can see him being a player in the same tier as CJ, that bubble All Star type tier.

But to say he is already better at court vision, playmaking and defense while being exactly the same level as a marksman and in being shifty? That's some real high praise, too high IMO.

[The_Hater]

Herro already has better court vision/playmaking skills while being just as shifty and a marksman. Herro is also a better defender

So, he is already better than CJ?

I think he is going to be really good (Hornacek is my comp), but I don't think he will ever be the pure scorer that CJ is. I can see him being a player in the same tier as CJ, that bubble All Star type tier.

But to say he is already better at court vision, playmaking and defense while being exactly the same level as a marksman and in being shifty? That's some real high praise, too high IMO.

Hyperbole with fans and their home team rookies is in full swing.

[Duke4life831]

Herro already has better court vision/playmaking skills while being just as shifty and a marksman. Herro is also a better defender

Bigger, better playmaking skills, just as athletic and shifty and as good of a shooter while being a better defender. So wait are you saying Tyler Herro is already a better player than CJ? It seems like you just said Herro is pretty much better at every major aspect of the game. Kind of lofty expectations dont you think.

[clyde21]

Herro already has better court vision/playmaking skills while being just as shifty and a marksman. Herro is also a better defender

Bigger, better playmaking skills, just as athletic and shifty and as good of a shooter while being a better defender. So wait are you saying Tyler Herro is already a better player than CJ? It seems like you just said Herro is pretty much better at every major aspect of the game. Kind of lofty expectations dont you think.

and here I thought I was a big Herro guy

[Duke4life831]

Herro already has better court vision/playmaking skills while being just as shifty and a marksman. Herro is also a better defender

Bigger, better playmaking skills, just as athletic and shifty and as good of a shooter while being a better defender. So wait are you saying Tyler Herro is already a better player than CJ? It seems like you just said Herro is pretty much better at every major aspect of the game. Kind of lofty expectations dont you think.

and here I thought I was a big Herro guy

Haha I wont lie, I had to double check to see if you wrote this. Didn't know anyone was higher on Herro than you haha.

[clyde21]

PJ might get the start at PF in Charlotte

Hornets coach James Borrego said he "could start" rookie P.J. Washington this season.

"I could start him, I could play him off the bench, I could play him at [power forward], I could be playing him at [center]," Borrego said. "He [offers] a lot of versatility to our lineup if he enters that consistent rotation." The praise didn't end there, either, with Borrego adding, "He’s been fantastic. Plays hard. Understands the game. Makes shots and rolls to the rim ... He can make a major impact in this rotation." The Hornets are explicitly leaning into their youth movement, so even if Washington doesn't start on opening night it sounds like he'll be earning fantasy-relevant minutes sooner rather than later.

[Marcus]

PJ might get the start at PF in Charlotte

Hornets coach James Borrego said he "could start" rookie P.J. Washington this season.

"I could start him, I could play him off the bench, I could play him at [power forward], I could be playing him at [center]," Borrego said. "He [offers] a lot of versatility to our lineup if he enters that consistent rotation." The praise didn't end there, either, with Borrego adding, "He’s been fantastic. Plays hard. Understands the game. Makes shots and rolls to the rim ... He can make a major impact in this rotation." The Hornets are explicitly leaning into their youth movement, so even if Washington doesn't start on opening night it sounds like he'll be earning fantasy-relevant minutes sooner rather than later.

this is good news. Team full of kids looking to make a name for themselves and no real focal point. just having the opportunity could mean the world.

[clyde21]

PJ might get the start at PF in Charlotte

Hornets coach James Borrego said he "could start" rookie P.J. Washington this season.

"I could start him, I could play him off the bench, I could play him at [power forward], I could be playing him at [center]," Borrego said. "He [offers] a lot of versatility to our lineup if he enters that consistent rotation." The praise didn't end there, either, with Borrego adding, "He’s been fantastic. Plays hard. Understands the game. Makes shots and rolls to the rim ... He can make a major impact in this rotation." The Hornets are explicitly leaning into their youth movement, so even if Washington doesn't start on opening night it sounds like he'll be earning fantasy-relevant minutes sooner rather than later.

this is good news. Team full of kids looking to make a name for themselves and no real focal point. just having the opportunity could mean the world.

yea...I think all teams with nothing to lose should do this...just give the young fellas hella minutes and let them sink or swim

[Ball4life32]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care for the Hawks? I think even if everyone fulfills their potential they will ultimately be.. the Hawks. Feel-good regular season team and perennial 2nd round exit. I'm not too high on any of their prospects aside from Hunter and Bembry. I really don't like bigs that can't defend and Collins is very much Amare with a 3 ball instead of a midrange game. As a group they're a poor man's SSOL Suns.

You are not the only one but you are in a minority. I think the Hawks, with the three rookies they just added. are at least two - three years away from being called what they are. Hunter looks NBA ready. Reddish and Bruno have shown flashes in just two preseason games but they are not ready to be consistent on a nightly basis.

Reddish has to fight for time with Huerter, Hunter, and a few vets but he should be getting some decent minutes in spurts. I think Bruno will beat out Jones for the #2 big spot sooner than later; but he will find it tough going beating out Alex Len in just his 1st season.

There is a reason those two dropped to 10 and 34 and calling them what they are already is premature in my opinion.

The majority thinks they have a championship ceiling? I have seen a lot of comparisons to the Warriors, which is laughable.

About as laughable as thinking Bembry is a top 2 prospect for the Hawks. Is this based off two meaning less PS games? Btw here’s the Hawks core

Trae (played 1 season)
Huerter (played 1 season)
Hunter (hasn’t played 1 nba min)
Reddish (hasn’t played 1 nba min)
Collins (played 1 1/2 seasons)

They also could add another high pick to this core. Way too early to say what their ceiling though is imo. Trae/Collins are way ahead of any young Hawks players I’ve seen since watching the league since the early 2000s.

Also Collins +1.8 DBPM as a rookie. Amare never sniffed that in his career. We’ll see how he looks this year but I think he’s better defensively than what he showed last year.

[Marcus]

PJ might get the start at PF in Charlotte

this is good news. Team full of kids looking to make a name for themselves and no real focal point. just having the opportunity could mean the world.

yea...I think all teams with nothing to lose should do this...just give the young fellas hella minutes and let them sink or swim

If nothing else it will be fun to watch. I think the old school way of thinking when it comes to these kids needs to be filtered out. The game and the player has evolved enough in terms of skill and physical gifts that it's ok to roll the ball out there and see what you have if you're playing with house money.

[Buzzard]

this is good news. Team full of kids looking to make a name for themselves and no real focal point. just having the opportunity could mean the world.

yea...I think all teams with nothing to lose should do this...just give the young fellas hella minutes and let them sink or swim

If nothing else it will be fun to watch. I think the old school way of thinking when it comes to these kids needs to be filtered out. The game and the player has evolved enough in terms of skill and physical gifts that it's ok to roll the ball out there and see what you have if you're playing with house money.

I agree with this also. Pierce did this in ATL last season with Trae and starting in December Huerter. I fully expect Hunter to be the starter this season from Day 1 with Bruno getting substantial minutes by December as the #2 big ( if not sooner ). Cam's fit ( minutes wise ) is the biggest question mark for me.

[LewisnotMiller]

The majority thinks they have a championship ceiling? I have seen a lot of comparisons to the Warriors, which is laughable.

Only people comparing them to the Warriors are folks trolling.

No...I think some of the comparisons are about the process they are trying to follow, and the style of play they're hoping to institute.

I haven't heard anyone compare them in terms of talent or ability on the floor.

[LewisnotMiller]

this is good news. Team full of kids looking to make a name for themselves and no real focal point. just having the opportunity could mean the world.

yea...I think all teams with nothing to lose should do this...just give the young fellas hella minutes and let them sink or swim

If nothing else it will be fun to watch. I think the old school way of thinking when it comes to these kids needs to be filtered out. The game and the player has evolved enough in terms of skill and physical gifts that it's ok to roll the ball out there and see what you have if you're playing with house money.

Totally agree, although I think rolling out too many kids, or not giving them enough spacing, etc, is not the best path.

Still, in terms of Washington specifically, I'd have him out there from Day 1 if it's even vaguely justifiable.

[bebopdeluxe]

Sooooooo it's battle for runner up?

Unless an injury happens, I have a hard time not seeing Zion winning it. Even if someone is close to him stat wise, the narrative for Zion will be too much to overcome.

Simmons might have a chance but that's about it

It is pretty pathetic that this is still a thing around here.

[bebopdeluxe]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care for the Hawks? I think even if everyone fulfills their potential they will ultimately be.. the Hawks. Feel-good regular season team and perennial 2nd round exit. I'm not too high on any of their prospects aside from Hunter and Bembry. I really don't like bigs that can't defend and Collins is very much Amare with a 3 ball instead of a midrange game. As a group they're a poor man's SSOL Suns.

Hawks is nothing speciall, Dallas and Pelicans have potential to win tittles, Hawks I think have no chance to sniff that level.

Disagree HARD. They have a closer, a stud front court player in Collins, and several young upside guys like Hunter, Huerter and others.

They are going to be good.

[clyde21]

Jarrett Culver scored 17 points with six rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and four 3-pointers in 26 minutes against the Warriors on Thursday.

He's way ahead of the curve with plenty of chances to handle the ball. The Wolves kept him out of summer league to get him familiar with the system, and he's expected to play 1-3 as a backup. Culver's athleticism and length should keep him on the floor out of the gate, and it may not take him long to take minutes from Andrew Wiggins. He's worth a pick in the later rounds.

[clyde21]

Jordan Poole was terrific in his 21 minutes against the Wolves on Thursday, making 6-of-12 from the field for 19 points with three rebounds, one steal, one block and three 3-pointers.

The offensive production has been big for the rookie. The Warriors have said they're going to try to run some Klay Thompson-like actions to get him open, and he did get seven attempts from deep today. Additionally, Poole did show some on-ball production with some drives down the lane. He may get into the rotation sooner rather than later, but he's not a 12-team guy yet.

[LloydFree]

It's hard to say who's going to be 1st team All-Rookie. Some guys who I don't think are as good, like Hachimura, probably will get so much playing time on a bad team, they will likely compile enough to get in. Other guys will have more impact on good teams, but won't score enough to get recognized. If I had to guess:

1st team
Zion
Morant
Garland
Hachimura (Compiler)
Barrett (Compiler)

2nd team
Thybulle
Hunter
PJ Washington
Walker-Alexander
Culver

[stanch sabonis]

I guess no one thinks MPJ is going to do anything. If he's not hurt, there is no way he's not making a rookie team or even flat out winning roty

[kg01]

The majority thinks they have a championship ceiling? I have seen a lot of comparisons to the Warriors, which is laughable.

Only people comparing them to the Warriors are folks trolling.

No...I think some of the comparisons are about the process they are trying to follow, and the style of play they're hoping to institute.

I haven't heard anyone compare them in terms of talent or ability on the floor.

Some people have. But, you know how it is, a lot of people are jerks.

You're correct though in terms of the process they're trying to follow. In terms of play style, CLP surprised me in saying they actually try to follow the Heat somewhat. Said stte that, even though they don't get up and down the court fast, the rate at which the Heat runs their sets is apparently very high. That's what they (the Hawks) want to see.

I concur with Buzz in saying the Nash-era Suns is a more apt comparison than the Warriors though.