Sir-Swish-A-Lot wrote:Dalek wrote:I am all for smart gambles on size and athleticism, but the only caveat would be the player also has to have a motor and drive to get better. A guy like FVV is short, kind of slow, but due to his tenacity and work ethic he has become a starter in the NBA on a playoff team.
If there are questions about McDaniels and his motor than I don't think he will fit in Toronto. I'd rather take a flyer on a player that you know has that edge to play on a championship team. I'd put guys like Patrick Williams, Precious Achiuwa, even Yves Pons ahead of McDaniels because they have a pulse, play with that competitive edge.
I mean Pascal Siakam came in as an athlete who could not even shoot a jumper, and a year later he is a borderline All-NBA type of player. The Toronto system works, if the right people come to it. On the flipside you have Stanley Johnson who lacks the focus to even be rotation worthy.
There are no questions about Jaden McDaniels and his motor. He plays both ends of the court hard and is very competitive. None of the players that you mentioned are in McDaniels class nor have his potential or skill level. Your post just goes to show that you don't really know anything about Jaden and his game. Like I said before he is a certified top 5 talent in this draft and may be the best player out of this draft looking back in 5 years.
I can see where you are coming from as maybe McDaniels has more of an offensive game developed at this stage. I am talking more about motor on defense. From when I watch tape on Williams and Achiuwa I see high multiple effort defenders who use their athleticism to cover ground on defense. I don't really see that type of commitment with McDaniels. His numbers are okay but he is not a force on that end. You might see it differently.
Quite a few articles from draft sites point to McDaniels issues:
Mentality Overview: Aggressive, but not too aggressive. Will force a bit on offense, and isn’t always tuned in on defense, but he’s not chucking shots and being non-existent on the defensive end, either. Looks like he takes it personally in isolation defense and steps up to the challenge on defense (see Duke game). **CHARACTER CONCERNS OFF THE COURT**
https://www.thestepien.com/2019/06/18/jalen-mcdaniels-scouting-report/McDaniels is right in that same group of Achiuwa and Williams on almost all mock drafts, so I don't think you are accurate about them not being in his class.
McDaniels was pretty inefficient as a shooter, had off-court issues that led to him moving away from San Diego State, and is not a freak athlete.
