Post#431 » by minimus » Mon May 25, 2020 2:50 pm
How many bad shooters we can have in rotation? The answer lies depends how high can KAT/DLo/Beasley trio can elevate our offense. Lets take GSW as an example. They had KD/Curry/Klay or Barnes/Curry/Klay trio, which allowed them to play multiple bad shooters. Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston, Iggy. They all played important role during their championship seasons. However, it was elite shooting ability from Klay and Curry that allowed to build whole team around. Sure, Green, Klay developed into top NBA defenders, Livingston and Iggy were defensive minded veterans with supreme athletic ability, but first thing was offensive identity.
I think considering age of our players, we might be just one trade, one draft, one season away from building our own identity. Rosas situation as GM is difficult, but he has been working tirelessly to make it more doable.
1) Josh Okogie, 21 yo. 6'3", 7' wingspan, 215lbs. Excellent athletic tools: wingspan, quickness, strength. This year, improved FG%, TS%, rebounding, rebounding, top3 among NBA non-centers in FT rate. Has two more years of rookie contract. Future role: primary PoA defender, 3&D player
2) Jarred Vanderbilt, 21 yo. 6'9", 7'1" wingspan, 215lbs. Very mobile, great hands, but not explosive leaper. Missed almost season with injuries in Kentucky and Denver. He has showed some potential in gleague as smallball PF because of his rebounding and passing ability. Has two more years of rookie contract. Future role: backup defensive minded PF defender. Can improve as defender significantly if he adds strength
3) Jarrett Culver. 20 yo. 6'5", 6'9" wingspan, 195lbs. Great athlete, but not elite. Has excellent jumping ability, but is not an explosive leaper. Good instincts in offense and defense. Has great hands in defense. Has three more years of rookie contract. He has showed some very good defense for rookie. Future role: versatile team defender, secondary ballhandler, facilitator. Can improve as defender significantly if he adds strength
4) Kelan Martin. 24 yo. 6'7", 7'1" wingspan, 230lbs. Strong, long for a wing. Can score from everywhere. Future role: big versatile wing, backup SF/SG
5) Jaylen Nowell 20 yo. 6'3", 6'7" wingspan, 200lbs. A bit undersized for SG. Gives effort in defense. Can score from everywhere. Future role: backup comboguard
6) Naz Reid 20 yo. 6’10", 7'0", 255 lbs. Naz had injury before draft, and failed most of test such as bench press (weak even for a wing), fat %. Very mobile, has good hands. Improved a lot during season as defender. Future role: backup C. Can improve as defender significantly if he adds strength and shed weight. Ceiling:
All these six guys dont have any serious limits in terms of athletic ability. They all can improve a lot. I hope to see our coaching staff working on some fundamentals such as closeout technique, footwork in defense, communication etc. I hope they will be able to align our young players to play smart defense, for instance, to avoid necessary fouls, we will see big improvement in defense.
We have three draft picks. Some defenders who we can draft:
1) Okoro - excellent athlete, versatile defender with promising slashing and passing game. Bad shooter. My comparison: Justise Winslow.
2) Devin Vassell - consensus the best 3&D prospect of this draft. My comparison: Thabo Sefolosha
3) James Wiseman - mobile, athletic, long big. My comparison: Hassan Whiteside
4) Tyrese Haliburton - long comboguard. My comparison: post injury Shaun Livingston with some inconsistent 3pt shooting
5) Onyeka Okongwu - mobile big. My comparison: Montrezl Harrell
6) Josh Green - strong, athletic guard. My comparison: Danny Green
7) Patrick Williams - strong, tough comboforward. My comparison: Treveon Graham with 3pt shot
8) Tyler Bey - mobile, athletic comboforward. My comparison: Kenneth Faried with defense
9) Paul Reed - defensive minded big. Undersized for C. My comparison: Keyon Martin
Players who might be available in trade talks: Aaron Gordon, Caris LeVert.
Players who might be available in FA market: Moe Harkless, Jae Crowder.
I am eager to see what our roster for 2020-21 season will be. For many years, I feel excitement for this team.