2021 Draft thread. Woo! 15th pick here we come! Hoo. Ray.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

[
I'm starting to really like Cooper too. The guys FTr is remarkable, and I'm not too worried about an 82% FT shooter eventually figuring out how to shoot 3's.

Absolutely. If he's nailing FTs at a high rate, the range issue is almost assuredly a lack of core strength causing the breakdown of his mechanics.

With NBA trainers, he'll have that fixed within a season.

Ok, count me in on Cooper.

Yeah he's only 6 ft, but so is Chris Paul. And Kyle Lowry. Kemba Walker is 6-1. A.I. was 6 ft. Avery Johnson was 5-10. Damon Stoudamire, Jameer Nelson both 6 ft. The original Isiah Thomas was was 6-1. So I'm not worried about his height. Defensively his quickness and ability to get steals and charges I think will make up for his lack of length.

I do agree with PIF, depending on who's on the board at 15, it could be wise to pass on someone like say Garuba, if it can get us 2 guys in a trade down, such as Murphy and Cooper, for example.

[prime1time]

The guy is 24. I think what you see is pretty much what you get. He doesn't looks like he has the quickness or wiggle to his game to be 2nd or 3rd option scorer. He looks like a role player to me, though he is probably NBA ready right now. If I was a team in contention, looking for a little extra depth at wing, he'd be an interesting option with a late 1st. I'm not too enthusiastic about drafting him with our pick though. I just don't see a lot of upside. Offensively, he looks like a Dillon Brooks or Danny Green type of player. But those guys are also elite defenders. I don't know if Duarte has that type of defensive talent.

Are we looking for a 2nd or 3rd option? If we are that definitely changes how we should approach things. Also didn't know Duarte was 24. If we trade back, definitely someone to target but the age is tough. How is he that old? Wow.

We aren't necessarily looking for a 2nd or 3rd option, but if you are going to draft a guard in the middle of the 1st round, he better have the upside of a 2nd or 3rd option on offense. Most teams cannot accommodate a SG who is a mere 4th/5th option on offense unless they have a couple of really exceptional front court scorers. We are not one of those teams.

In your opinion where does elite shooting fit into roster construction? How should we judge the fact that a player like Duncan Robinson or Joe Harris may not be a 1st, 2nd or 3rd option, but that his presence on the floor creates better spacing for everyone else? In other words, in a league that values elite shooting, how valuable should it be?
https://www.registerguard.com/sports/20200127/chris-duartes-defense-becoming-weapon-for-oregon-ducks-mens-basketball
As far as defense goes, Duarte fits right with the players you mentioned I'd say.

Duarte joins UO legend Ron Lee as the only Ducks with at least six steals in two games during their career.

Duarte was named Pac-12 player of the week on Monday after combining for 54 points, 17 rebounds, four blocked shots and five assists to go with 14 steals. He committed one turnover in 75 minutes while shooting 50% from the field, including 7-of-13 on 3-pointers.

“We need that from Chris, he has a special talent,” Pritchard said. “He’s athletic and he can shoot it when he gets going. Defensively, obviously this week he showed what he is capable of. We’ve got to hold him to that standard because this team needs that.”

Duarte had three steals in his Oregon debut during a 71-57 win over Fresno State, but did not have more than two in any of his next 16 games. He had five in a 72-61 loss at Washington State on Jan. 16, starting a span of four games with a total of 21 steals.

[nate33]

Are we looking for a 2nd or 3rd option? If we are that definitely changes how we should approach things. Also didn't know Duarte was 24. If we trade back, definitely someone to target but the age is tough. How is he that old? Wow.

We aren't necessarily looking for a 2nd or 3rd option, but if you are going to draft a guard in the middle of the 1st round, he better have the upside of a 2nd or 3rd option on offense. Most teams cannot accommodate a SG who is a mere 4th/5th option on offense unless they have a couple of really exceptional front court scorers. We are not one of those teams.

In your opinion where does elite shooting fit into roster construction? How should we judge the fact that a player like Duncan Robinson or Joe Harris may not be a 1st, 2nd or 3rd option, but that his presence on the floor creates better spacing for everyone else? In other words, in a league that values elite shooting, how valuable should it be?
https://www.registerguard.com/sports/20200127/chris-duartes-defense-becoming-weapon-for-oregon-ducks-mens-basketball
As far as defense goes, Duarte fits right with the players you mentioned I'd say.

Duarte joins UO legend Ron Lee as the only Ducks with at least six steals in two games during their career.

Duarte was named Pac-12 player of the week on Monday after combining for 54 points, 17 rebounds, four blocked shots and five assists to go with 14 steals. He committed one turnover in 75 minutes while shooting 50% from the field, including 7-of-13 on 3-pointers.

“We need that from Chris, he has a special talent,” Pritchard said. “He’s athletic and he can shoot it when he gets going. Defensively, obviously this week he showed what he is capable of. We’ve got to hold him to that standard because this team needs that.”

Duarte had three steals in his Oregon debut during a 71-57 win over Fresno State, but did not have more than two in any of his next 16 games. He had five in a 72-61 loss at Washington State on Jan. 16, starting a span of four games with a total of 21 steals.

If he is a great defender, then I'd be much more open-minded. Danny Green is a legit starter in this league. A young Danny Green is certainly worth a #15 pick. I just assumed that he wasn't a Danny Green tier defender because Danny Green tier defenders are pretty rare. I honestly haven't looked at any scouting videos of him other than the highlight reel posted here yesterday.

I don't know if I'd characterize him as an elite shooter though. 42% from 3 is nice, but it's coming from the college 3-point line and not on a ton of attempts. He might be a good shooter, but I'm not expecting Davis Bertans/Klay Thompson level lights-out shooting. I do like that he has a pretty quick release, but his release point is oddly in front of him, which might make it easier to block. What makes Klay and Davis so deadly is their very high release point.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Sharife Cooper whew! Not a great fit for the Wizards but probably the best guard in the draft in terms of getting to the rim. Better than Suggs, Cunningham, Giddey. His ability to find bigs for lobs and easy finishes is phenomenal. That jumper is the key though to him being a potential star.

I will be very happy if Cooper is the pick.

I noticed him early in the year when he became eligible somewhat late for Auburn. Seeing the impact Trae Young and Chris Paul have I think Cooper will be a solid NBA player at the very least.

[Ruzious]

Yes, I also think his main position is PF. However, a small-ball line up of Westbrook-Beal-Bertans-Rui-Garuba in some moments of the game could be interesting and fun to see.

Hee, I was just going to ask - what's his best NBA position. I'm very intrigued by his improvement in the 3.

As a defender - no question he is a PF. Like Hibachi says, he could pay small ball C in spurts. But some of the Cs in the league would give him a lot of trouble.

What is weird about his shooting is that his FT% is that it has come down year over year. But lately, he is shoot the 3 ball well (specifically in the corner). I think shooting coaches in the NBA could get him to be a reliable FT shooter and very solid at the corner 3 (guessing)?

I think he will struggle the first year on offense doing anything more than shoot the corner 3 and finish. I think he would be a solid defender very quickly. But hey, I thought Avidja was going to be better year one than he has been - so there is that...

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

[payitforward]

Sharife Cooper is very gifted kid. His ​activity level is really amazing! Per 40 minutes as a Freshman, he took over 18 shots & over 10 FTAs, yet he still managed to hand out almost 10 assists. Wow!

All the same, as a draft pick he really looks like a roll of the dice. The combination of his size & the fact that, basically, he can't shoot gives me pause. It's not just the 3 either. He can't shoot the 2-ball either. It would be no surprise at all if he didn't shine in the NBA.

OTOH, wow is he ever talented! Like I say... a real roll of the dice!

[payitforward]

Hee, I was just going to ask - what's his best NBA position. I'm very intrigued by his improvement in the 3.

As a defender - no question he is a PF. Like Hibachi says, he could pay small ball C in spurts. But some of the Cs in the league would give him a lot of trouble.

What is weird about his shooting is that his FT% is that it has come down year over year. But lately, he is shoot the 3 ball well (specifically in the corner). I think shooting coaches in the NBA could get him to be a reliable FT shooter and very solid at the corner 3 (guessing)?

I think he will struggle the first year on offense doing anything more than shoot the corner 3 and finish. I think he would be a solid defender very quickly. But hey, I thought Avidja was going to be better year one than he has been - so there is that...

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

Definitely a tremendous prospect -- all the more so at 19 years of age.

Would tommy take a guy who plays the same position as Rui?

[Ruzious]

As a defender - no question he is a PF. Like Hibachi says, he could pay small ball C in spurts. But some of the Cs in the league would give him a lot of trouble.

What is weird about his shooting is that his FT% is that it has come down year over year. But lately, he is shoot the 3 ball well (specifically in the corner). I think shooting coaches in the NBA could get him to be a reliable FT shooter and very solid at the corner 3 (guessing)?

I think he will struggle the first year on offense doing anything more than shoot the corner 3 and finish. I think he would be a solid defender very quickly. But hey, I thought Avidja was going to be better year one than he has been - so there is that...

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

Definitely a tremendous prospect -- all the more so at 19 years of age.

Would tommy take a guy who plays the same position as Rui?

There's some positional versatility there that could help - Garuba can play some 5, and Rui can play some 3. Tbh, I don't know what Rui is.

[dckingsfan]

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

Definitely a tremendous prospect -- all the more so at 19 years of age.

Would tommy take a guy who plays the same position as Rui?

There's some positional versatility there that could help - Garuba can play some 5, and Rui can play some 3. Tbh, I don't know what Rui is.

The best thing that could ever happen to Rui is he is moved to SF and starts hitting 3s, IMO.

[pcbothwel]

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

Definitely a tremendous prospect -- all the more so at 19 years of age.

Would tommy take a guy who plays the same position as Rui?

There's some positional versatility there that could help - Garuba can play some 5, and Rui can play some 3. Tbh, I don't know what Rui is.

Yeah... the fact that a complete non shooter like Barnes is considered a top 7 prospect and Garuba closer to 20 is baffling. Garuba is 6 months younger, better body, better functional athleticism, and better production against better competition.

[payitforward]

You want the over-rated prospect to be chosen before your pick comes up -- otherwise there's a chance that you will take him!!

[Ruzious]

You want the over-rated prospect to be chosen before your pick comes up -- otherwise there's a chance that you will take him!!

Like in 2011 - when I was begging Toronto to pick Jan Vesely at 5.

[prime1time]

Cooper has good overall numbers but I think he might struggle to find a place in the NBA. So many of his plays are orchestrated. He's the main ball handler, a roll man and slashers/3-point shooters. Production in this context is very formulaic. Throw to the rolling big if the wings don't help. If they do help, throw the oop to the cutting wing or kick it out for 3. Etc etc. What happens to Cooper when he's not the dominant ball handler? I'm not saying he can't do it, but I want to see way more unscheduled plays. For a 6'1 pg who's going to be a liability defensively, I want to see a level of dynamism to his game. I want to see him read/react in a dynamic environment and making the defense pay.

His free throw shooting is good, and it shows potential for his 3-point shooting, but imo his 3-point form needs to be overhauled. He angles his back backward, he barely gets any elevation and he has a relatively slow release. As evinced by his 39% from the field, a terrible 22.8% from 3 on 4.8 3's a game and 4.2 turnovers a game, Auburn just gave him the ball and let him do whatever he wants. Right now, Cooper is limited to being a backup pg. If things go well and he develops his game, perhaps he can be a 6th man with significant creating responsibilities.

Ultimately, I think the most likely scenario is that he turns into a journeyman pg who never really finds a home. There are simply too many questions for me to support drafting him. Most of all is what does he do when the offense isn't orchestrated around him and the ball isn't in his hands.

Watch on YouTube

For the people who want him, do you see him exclusively as a back-up pg? Personally, I'd rather keep Ish or Neto, not to mention Cassius Winston.

[prime1time]

Watch on YouTube

Giddey has the dynamism that I like in my pg's. Look at how he's read and reacting to how the play unfolds. If his jumper starts to fall, Giddey could be a really good player. It will be interesting to see how Sheppard approaches this draft. Is he willing to swing for the fences and take a player like Giddey is he is available? Or will he go after a player who's more NBA ready right now. If we draft Giddey, he won't play much in his first year. But 3 years from now, with a better jumper he could be a problem for the league. His passes are crisp and have great space. In the PnR, he will be a problem. Defensively, he's a work in progress. But if he improves his jumper and his ball-handling, he could easily end up being a top 10 player in this draft.

[prime1time]

Watch on YouTube

-XA
The more I look at this draft class, the more impressed I find myself becoming. The top 4 are all studs, but there are a lot of good players to be had. Keon Johnson is a very interesting prospect. The first thing that stood out to me about Johnson was his explosiveness. The second was his shot selection. Third was his high release point on his shot.

Johnson is in the Jalen Green/Zach Lavine level of athlete. From the limited tape I've seen of both Green and Johnson, I'd argue that Johnson has much better body control than Green in the air. Johnson had some finishes that just left me shaking my head in amazement. Athleticism is tough to evaluate because for so long it was overvalued. In my opion, the way to avoid this is to connect your evaluation of athleticism to actual game impact. Johnson's first step and explosiveness will allow him to get past defenders. His ability to hang in the air and have body control will allow him to finish at the rim. Johnson will be an elite level athlete the moment he joins the NBA. Early on teams will sag off of him and force him to shoot. Against sub par defenders, he'll get to the rim anyway.

Ultimately, Johnson's career success, however, will be determined by his jumpshot. In 2 to 3 years, as his jumper improves he's going to be very good. The way he see's the game and the way he attacks offensively is already so advanced. Low-post post-ups, mid-post pull-up jumpers, using his length and explosiveness to finish at the rim; all of this tells me that Johnson at this young age understands his strengths and plays to them. Some players never learn that. When you can combine athleticism/explosiveness with basketball awareness and great shooting the sky is the limit.

Drafting him for the Wizards is a bit touchy due to his struggling from 3. But Johnson will be a great consolation prize for a team that misses out on the elite players of the draft. The gap between Johnson and them isn't nearly as big as people would suspect. If he can become a good/great jump shooter, he will be a steal. At the same time, without the shooting, it's hard to envision him sticking anywhere. So the epitome of a boom/bust prospect. If we can add shooting via trade or free agency, I'd think about drafting Johnson if he fell. For the year he shot 29% from 3 (1.8 3's a game) and 70% from the ft line. (3.7 attempts per game).

[prime1time]

Watch on YouTube

Early in the year I liked Barnes a lot. But coming back to him now, there is a lot to be concerned about. Before I get into the negatives, let's get this out of the way, Barnes is an elite defensive player. As his body fills out, he'll be one of the rare players in the league that can guard 1-5. With a 7'3 wingspan Barnes has the potential to be an all-nba defender.

With that said, the reason I'm concerned about Barnes is his offense. From an offensive perspective Barnes is a very rudimentary player. Florida State masked his deficiencies by putting the ball in his hand and letting him just create. In the NBA Barnes won't have the ball and far from being a non-factor his bad shooting will actually be a negative on the offensive end. Barnes shot 27% from 3 (1.8 attempts) and 62% from the ft line (2.7 attempts). But his offensive struggles go far beyond his shooting woes. Barnes strikes me as the kind of player who got by only on his athleticism. When you're bigger, longer and stronger than anyone else, why develop your offensive skills. I haven't seen one consistent go to move that Barnes has. In the half-court, if he's looking to score he's either attacking the rim in a clumsy manner or he's shooting 3's. Now, he is good at finding open players but this skill isn't nearly enough to balance out his offensive woes.

In my opinion Barnes is at least 3 years away from being a competent offensive NBA player. Personally, I doubt he ever gets there. Barnes best chance of success is to be in a situation similar to Draymond Green. Surround him with shooters and utilize him here and there as the initiator of the offense. On a team like Portland, Barnes could actually fit well but on a team like the Wizards, a team that already has major issues shooting and being effective in the half-court I'd going to have to pass.

[prime1time]

Watch on YouTube

There's a conversation to be had about who will eventually be the best player in this draft. But as to who's the best player right now, it's Davion Mitchell and it's not close. NBA teams get trapped by consensus and stagnant thinking way too often so a consensus develops and people just run with it. Mitchell is so dominant in that tape, it's just absurd. His ability to shoot makes it easier for him to drive and his driving ability makes it easier for him to shoot. The closest comparisons I have are Baron Davis and Steve Francis. Maybe not as explosive at finishing around the rim, but in terms of getting to the rim, he's right there next to them. He will be able to get the rim at will in the NBA. He's too fast and his ball-handling is too tight.

The only question is his shooting. 44.7% from the 3-point line on 4.7 3's a game but only 64.1% from the ft line. I don't know what happened at the free-throw line, but I'm going to take his 3-point percentage as being indicative of how he'll shoot in the NBA. Attacking the hoop Mitchell just toys with defenders. His offensive skill level is already so high. Two dribble pull-ups, one dribble pull-ups with ease and perfect rhythm. NBA athletes are good, but they are not going to be able to stop him. Offensively, teams will either have to put their best defenders on him (and even then it's going to be tough) or they will have to help. His passing/playmaking shows a level of dynamism (i.e. he is able to read/analyze/react seamlessly).

I think there's a case to be made that Mitchell should go #1. Because of his height you can drop him down, but Mitchell will be a bonafide star. Not to mention he has all-NBA defense potential. More than any of that, though, Mitchell has it. There's an old joke that the only person that could slow down Michael Jordan was Dean Smith. When Mitchell is unleashed on the NBA, people will see just how much the structure at Baylor slowed him. In the pace and space game of the NBA Mitchell will be unstoppable. As his offensive game gets more multi-faceted - i.e. he adds in floaters and more creative finishes around the hoop (I would love if he watched some Tony Parker) - he's going to become even more dominant.

The argument against Mitchell is that his shooting is a fluke and his lack of size will lead to him being exploited on the defensive end. These are fair criticisms, but for me there's simply too much good tape of him knocking down shots. And you can see that he shoots with no hesitation. As far as the size goes, it's true teams will be able to exploit the lack of size, but they will also have to stop him. Mitchell will be a player that opposing teams will have to provide help to stop. In a league that loves to switch, even the most athletic big men will struggle to guard him much less average big men.

Needless to say but the Wizards should really try to trade up for him. I know I said the same thing about Kispert, but Kispert at his best is a player that needs to play off of another star. Mitchell has the ability to be that star. I'd take him over Kuminga and he should be in the conversation for the #1 pick.

[Hibachi_0]

As a defender - no question he is a PF. Like Hibachi says, he could pay small ball C in spurts. But some of the Cs in the league would give him a lot of trouble.

What is weird about his shooting is that his FT% is that it has come down year over year. But lately, he is shoot the 3 ball well (specifically in the corner). I think shooting coaches in the NBA could get him to be a reliable FT shooter and very solid at the corner 3 (guessing)?

I think he will struggle the first year on offense doing anything more than shoot the corner 3 and finish. I think he would be a solid defender very quickly. But hey, I thought Avidja was going to be better year one than he has been - so there is that...

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

Two days ago was the first game of the ACB finals and Gaurba had a terrible game. He put 1 point and 1 rebound in 15 minutes of play and he only shot two times, a two and a three. He seems to be picking up some of the bad attitude habits Luka also had when playing in Madrid, being constantly complaining to the refs. He looked really frustrated and annoyed with himself when he was on the bench, let's see if he can transform this frustration in motivation today. I see him having a great game tonight.

What's more impressive than his percentages this last games is how his shooting mechanics have changed during this year, looking now much more fluid and quicker. On defense, I don't have any doubts about him being in the discussion of top defender in the draft, what he has shown against elite european competition should be enould be enough to have him highly considered.

[dckingsfan]

As a defender - no question he is a PF. Like Hibachi says, he could pay small ball C in spurts. But some of the Cs in the league would give him a lot of trouble.

What is weird about his shooting is that his FT% is that it has come down year over year. But lately, he is shoot the 3 ball well (specifically in the corner). I think shooting coaches in the NBA could get him to be a reliable FT shooter and very solid at the corner 3 (guessing)?

I think he will struggle the first year on offense doing anything more than shoot the corner 3 and finish. I think he would be a solid defender very quickly. But hey, I thought Avidja was going to be better year one than he has been - so there is that...

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

Two days ago was the first game of the ACB finals and Gaurba had a terrible game. He put 1 point and 1 rebound in 15 minutes of play and he only shot two times, a two and a three. He seems to be picking up some of the bad attitude habits Luka also had when playing in Madrid, being constantly complaining to the refs. He looked really frustrated and annoyed with himself when he was on the bench, let's see if he can transform this frustration in motivation today. I see him having a great game tonight.

What's more impressive than his percentages this last games is how his shooting mechanics have changed during this year, looking now much more fluid and quicker. On defense, I don't have any doubts about him being in the discussion of top defender in the draft, what he has shown against elite european competition should be enould be enough to have him highly considered.

Yeah, that was an ugly game for him...

[Ruzious]

Garuba's now the player I can't get out of my head. I thought he was a nothingman on offense, but he's made 10 of 22 3's in his last 8 games - mostly corner 3's. And he's at least arguably the top defender in the draft. He reminds me of a 6'9 prime years PJ Tucker. He's got the thick body that can cover bigs while also having the quick feet to cover guards. I think PF is his main position - while he can play C. Eventually, he can be prime Horford - which was really good. Horford played C most of his career but probably would have been better at PF. When looking at Garuba's stats, remember he played in high quality Euro leagues. Still 19.

Two days ago was the first game of the ACB finals and Gaurba had a terrible game. He put 1 point and 1 rebound in 15 minutes of play and he only shot two times, a two and a three. He seems to be picking up some of the bad attitude habits Luka also had when playing in Madrid, being constantly complaining to the refs. He looked really frustrated and annoyed with himself when he was on the bench, let's see if he can transform this frustration in motivation today. I see him having a great game tonight.

What's more impressive than his percentages this last games is how his shooting mechanics have changed during this year, looking now much more fluid and quicker. On defense, I don't have any doubts about him being in the discussion of top defender in the draft, what he has shown against elite european competition should be enould be enough to have him highly considered.

Yeah, that was an ugly game for him...

Like Hibachi said, how he reacts in today's 2nd game of the series will say a lot about him.