Official Speculation Thread '19-'20 V: Purgatory

[VFX]

"Most of us wanted Herro" KEK

Most you guys wanted NAW. But now that he is total trash and looks like he won't even be in the league after this contact, you glob onto whatever other player you can LOL.

Knowing our luck and bottom tier player development strategy, Okeke is going to suck too.

One was selected before our pick and one wasn’t.

One is buried deep on a bench and one is getting real minutes in the playoffs.

Judging rookies is hardly ever accurate, but we will still be waiting for Okeke and only able to pass judgement in another 2+ years. You don’t know what NAW will be 2 years from now. I would have still taken Herro and NAW before Okeke.

[MagicFan101]

"Most of us wanted Herro" KEK

Most you guys wanted NAW. But now that he is total trash and looks like he won't even be in the league after this contact, you glob onto whatever other player you can LOL.

Knowing our luck and bottom tier player development strategy, Okeke is going to suck too.

I disagree with pretty much all of this.

Both Herro and NAW were popular names in that class due to position fit and shooting.

NAW is stuck on a bad team with fewer vet locker room leaders but a wealth of depth at his position and he was less NBA-ready than Herro.

Comparing the accomplishments of Herro to NAW in polar opposite situations this early isn’t fair.

Likewise, early success (or lack of success) of these two has no impact on Chuma who will be asked to step into a larger role with Isaac out next year and the future of AG on thin ice.

[tiderulz]

"Most of us wanted Herro" KEK

Most you guys wanted NAW. But now that he is total trash and looks like he won't even be in the league after this contact, you glob onto whatever other player you can LOL.

Knowing our luck and bottom tier player development strategy, Okeke is going to suck too.

i rarely call anyone a bust after only their rookie year buried on the bench

[RookieStar]

Help me out here, I read in the numerous threads here someone claiming Okeke is only 6'6 without shoes on. Is that true? Is he only as big as Gary Clark?

[Xatticus]

"Most of us wanted Herro" KEK

Most you guys wanted NAW. But now that he is total trash and looks like he won't even be in the league after this contact, you glob onto whatever other player you can LOL.

Knowing our luck and bottom tier player development strategy, Okeke is going to suck too.

I disagree with pretty much all of this.

Both Herro and NAW were popular names in that class due to position fit and shooting.

NAW is stuck on a bad team with fewer vet locker room leaders but a wealth of depth at his position and he was less NBA-ready than Herro.

Comparing the accomplishments of Herro to NAW in polar opposite situations this early isn’t fair.

Likewise, early success (or lack of success) of these two has no impact on Chuma who will be asked to step into a larger role with Isaac out next year and the future of AG on thin ice.

And NAW was essentially turned into a PG by New Orleans. VT ran some offense through him, but he was not a PG.

NAW took his lumps this year, but he is going to be a playmaker. Herro isn't. I'd take either of them right now and be happy. I like Herro. He competes at the defensive end and he isn't afraid of the moment. He had some impressive blocks on guys curling off of screens in college. That's not easy. He did that to Ross in one of our matchups this year. He is benefiting from playing alongside Butler. Not because of Butler's gravity, but because Butler plays to win. He does so many things well and he'll make the right play, regardless of who ends up taking the shot. He is the antithesis of Fournier.

I know that there is a healthy amount of disdain for both Miami and Boston around here, but I've rather enjoyed that series. During the season, I seldom watch anything other than Magic games. It's so refreshing to see two teams that sling the ball around against a scrambling defense until they get a good shot. We spend so much time trying to force the issue with certain players and we seldom get a defense into scramble mode.

[pepe1991]

Help me out here, I read in the numerous threads here someone claiming Okeke is only 6'6 without shoes on. Is that true? Is he only as big as Gary Clark?

During USA u 19 camp in June of 2017 he was measured as 6'6 without shoes, it's on draftnet.com

Chuma and Clifford.



Justin Jackson and Cliff. J. Jackson is measured 6'6'75 without shoes.



Can you really tell the difference?

One inch means nothing ,but Okeke was college PF more than anything else. And if anything, there is ugly trackrecord of college tweeners that have no place in NBA. Lot of them are lottery picks. Not great lottery picks. ( WInslow, Derrick Williams, Jackson, Stanley Johnson...)

[Xatticus]

Help me out here, I read in the numerous threads here someone claiming Okeke is only 6'6 without shoes on. Is that true? Is he only as big as Gary Clark?

I dug for that info a long time ago. I don't know that he ever even measured that big, but it's been a long time since there was anything official on him. I think he was measured 6'7" in shoes at age 19. Some guys are still growing at that age. Some guys aren't. That 6'8" is what he was listed at Auburn, but that means very little. I expect he'll fall somewhere between 6'6" and 6'7", but that he will be listed at 6'7" on the NBA roster. It wouldn't be surprising to me at all if he is shy of 6'6" though.

I'm not so much worried about the lack of height. He has a nice frame, so I think he'll be able to handle himself against guys that have a height advantage. I really hope that he can defend out on the perimeter though. He is a smart team defender with active hands, but if he can't chase threes on the perimeter, he just isn't going to be a particularly useful defender. His offense has been wildly overrated on this board. His shot is okay. He has a lot to prove, but it is consistent and repeatable. He will screen and pop, but that's about all he has. He can attack an aggressive closeout. He won't create anything with his dribble and he isn't going to be effective in the post. He is as obvious a 3nD as you are going to find. That can still be a very nice player, but he doesn't at all solve our lack of shot creation.

[SOUL]

Eh, I think the term tweener was usually for bigs that neither fit into SF or PF that have no offensive game that either can't bang with bigs or not able to stretch the floor or be relied upon offensively or much defensively either.. (Derrick Williams types).

Winslow is a good player but oft injured, Stanley Johnson developed no offensive game, Jackson is a knucklehead.. all seem like way different players from Okeke who shot good in college and also had good defense.

Plus, since the game is going smaller I think tweeners are not really a big thing anymore.. there's just bad players/picks which is from all positions/heights/etc. If you can't really find time on the court right now then you either just suck or can't play your role.

Okeke will be fine imo, but yeah, not someone I'm relying on to take us to the next level.

[Xatticus]

Eh, I think the term tweener was usually for bigs that neither fit into SF or PF that have no offensive game that either can't bang with bigs or not able to stretch the floor or be relied upon offensively or much defensively either.. (Derrick Williams types).

Winslow is a good player but oft injured, Stanley Johnson developed no offensive game, Jackson is a knucklehead.. all seem like way different players from Okeke who shot good in college and also had good defense.

Plus, since the game is going smaller I think tweeners are not really a big thing anymore.. there's just bad players/picks which is from all positions/heights/etc. If you can't really find time on the court right now then you either just suck or can't play your role.

Okeke will be fine imo, but yeah, not someone I'm relying on to take us to the next level.

Pretty much all fours are modern tweeners. A four that can't acquit themselves against a wing after a switch is a defensive liability. That's just where the NBA is right now. You have to be able to defend up or down one position if you are going to be useful. Being able to defend fours just isn't valuable. I'm sure Okeke will be fine off the ball, but his point-of-attack defense is the concern. If he can defend in space, he could be a legitimate asset at the defensive end. If his feet are too slow, he probably won't ever be better than neutral at the defensive end.

[KillMonger]

Okeke was a stud in college, while he may not be the savior he should be super solid



hopefully it all translates and if it does there is a reason to be encouraged

[Ducklett]

"Most of us wanted Herro" KEK

Most you guys wanted NAW. But now that he is total trash and looks like he won't even be in the league after this contact, you glob onto whatever other player you can LOL.

Knowing our luck and bottom tier player development strategy, Okeke is going to suck too.

i rarely call anyone a bust after only their rookie year buried on the bench

He had a 29 point game and maybe he will be good, who knows. I said he looks like trash and won't be in the league, but things can change on a dime. However, he was getting crushed on by NBA writers for being extremely inefficient and looked totally lost against real defenses for good reason.

[tiderulz]

"Most of us wanted Herro" KEK

Most you guys wanted NAW. But now that he is total trash and looks like he won't even be in the league after this contact, you glob onto whatever other player you can LOL.

Knowing our luck and bottom tier player development strategy, Okeke is going to suck too.

i rarely call anyone a bust after only their rookie year buried on the bench

He had a 29 point game and maybe he will be good, who knows. I said he looks like trash and won't be in the league, but things can change on a dime. However, he was getting crushed on by NBA writers for being extremely inefficient and looked totally lost against real defenses for good reason.

Jimmy Butler at as a 22 yr old rookie played 8 mpg and shot 18% from 3. NAW's future will depend on how he helps himself to develop and how much work he puts in.

[Bensational]

"Most of us wanted Herro" KEK

Most you guys wanted NAW. But now that he is total trash and looks like he won't even be in the league after this contact, you glob onto whatever other player you can LOL.

Knowing our luck and bottom tier player development strategy, Okeke is going to suck too.

i rarely call anyone a bust after only their rookie year buried on the bench

He had a 29 point game and maybe he will be good, who knows. I said he looks like trash and won't be in the league, but things can change on a dime. However, he was getting crushed on by NBA writers for being extremely inefficient and looked totally lost against real defenses for good reason.

I'm standing by NAW. I think he'll be Brogdon good at least by the end of his rookie contract.

[Def Swami]

Help me out here, I read in the numerous threads here someone claiming Okeke is only 6'6 without shoes on. Is that true? Is he only as big as Gary Clark?

During USA u 19 camp in June of 2017 he was measured as 6'6 without shoes, it's on draftnet.com

Chuma and Clifford.



Justin Jackson and Cliff. J. Jackson is measured 6'6'75 without shoes.



Can you really tell the difference?

One inch means nothing ,but Okeke was college PF more than anything else. And if anything, there is ugly trackrecord of college tweeners that have no place in NBA. Lot of them are lottery picks. Not great lottery picks. ( WInslow, Derrick Williams, Jackson, Stanley Johnson...)

None of these players could shoot. Okeke shot the ball well over 2 seasons at college. That plus good defensive instincts should make him playable on most NBA teams over time. Okeke has always been a high floor, low ceiling kind of prospect. I actually look forward to seeing him next year. In some ways, I think he might fit better than Gordon.

[RookieStar]

Males normally stopped at 21. So.... unless someone has a recent ( like a month ) pic of okeke here then we dont know for sure what his height is right now( I have a friend who grew 5inches in 3months.. granted we were still 15 that time). Frame-wise he could be a modern PF right now.

Hopefully though he is quick enough to play the SF.

[zaymon]

Nobody is claiming he is next PG or Kawhi, he would need to greatly improve his quickness and off the dribble game, but 6'7 forward who shoots 37-38% from 3, is smart defender and soft touch around the rim could be solid starter nontheless

[pepe1991]

Help me out here, I read in the numerous threads here someone claiming Okeke is only 6'6 without shoes on. Is that true? Is he only as big as Gary Clark?

During USA u 19 camp in June of 2017 he was measured as 6'6 without shoes, it's on draftnet.com

Chuma and Clifford.



Justin Jackson and Cliff. J. Jackson is measured 6'6'75 without shoes.



Can you really tell the difference?

One inch means nothing ,but Okeke was college PF more than anything else. And if anything, there is ugly trackrecord of college tweeners that have no place in NBA. Lot of them are lottery picks. Not great lottery picks. ( WInslow, Derrick Williams, Jackson, Stanley Johnson...)

None of these players could shoot. Okeke shot the ball well over 2 seasons at college. That plus good defensive instincts should make him playable on most NBA teams over time. Okeke has always been a high floor, low ceiling kind of prospect. I actually look forward to seeing him next year. In some ways, I think he might fit better than Gordon.

How can you tell? This is factually false, if you base everything you know about them, without hindsight, based on college production.

Okeke in second year at college made 55 threes (38,7%) and 72% FTs
Winslow 46 threes, 64% FTs
D. Williams 42 threes (57%), 75% FTs
Stanley Johnson 43 threes (37%) and 76% FTs
Wesley Johnson 51 three at college ( 41,5%), 77% FTs

Winslow and Johnson were 1st year college players, Okeke did close to nothing in his first year ( 7 ppg, 34 threes made, 64% FTs)

Literally non of them is even average shooter in NBA. And all their sample size over one year is up there with Okeke.
Okeke was terrible at shooting from anything but catch&shoot and he showed no verstitality as player whatsoever.

Most objecitve expetation for him is to be 3 and D guy and rotation player. People here paint him as some swiss knife, uber elite defender who will shoot like Paul George and score like Klay Thompson. He won't. He wasn't even good scorer at college. 12 ppg is as limited as it gets. Even Iwundu averaged 12 ppg in last 2 years at college.

[basketballRob]

I don't think that's believable. First time I heard that.

It was widely rumored leading up to that draft.

Read on Twitter

?s=19

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That tweet says the Mavs wanted Brown (who wouldn’t?) and the Celtics would be open to acquiring Bamba.

How do these connect to “Celtics wanted to swap Brown for Bamba”?

You can find many more tweets talking about Brown for Bamba. That one probably wasn't a good example.

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[basketballRob]

The legend of Okeke continues. Apparently now he’s a defensive stopper with the offensive game of Herro and the ability to play the 3 or the 4. If he wasn’t injured he probably would have went #1 overall

He shoots like Klay Thompson and defends like Kawhi. Lol

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[PrimeThyme]

I personally find it quite sad how in order to get even somewhat excited about the future of this team we have to talk ourselves into an undersized tweener forward 2 years removed from basketball after suffering a major knee injury and then projecting as a second-rounder becoming something he is just not for this team.