aporel18 wrote:Hal14 wrote:aporel18 wrote:
He projected more like a Saric than a Zizic, he's always played like a SF but a bit taller, so SF/PF, he isn't a big.
In the NBA, he might not be able to defend anyone but Jianlian's chair... it's hard to say because he's been two years playing against weak competition (probably advice comes from his dad, a former player). He was one of the best 2001 International players before going to the NCAA, he might be a pleasant surprise or a bust, but at #46 it's not a big deal.
We'll see.
I don't see Aldama playing the 4 in the NBA. He's not quick enough laterally to defend smaller/quicker wings out on the perimeter.
There's a couple of clips here where wings easily get by him off the dribble, and this is facing really weak low-D1 competition:
http://jtmbasketball.blogspot.com/2021/02/diggin-in-tape-part-1-santi-aldama.html
I see Aldama as a 5. A stretch 5...5 who's 6'11" and can shoot 3's like a Myles Turner / Vucevic / Towns type..
With that being said, A guy like Aldama who can handle the basketball well, has good dribble drive moves, good passer, good motor, can score and rebound at will, can score inside and is a 36.8% shooter from 3 and decent rim protector at 6'11" and only 20 years old, is arguably a top 20 prospect in this draft but since he seems to be so unknown, seems like a good chance he'll still be there with our 45th pick so might be hard to pass up.
Aldama is kind of like EJ Onu - a dude who came out of nowhere, wasn't on any big boards or mock drafts and then people realize he's 6'11" and shooting over 36% from 3, smooth form from 3, blocking shots, moves well on the court for a guy that size but kinda hard to gauge just how good he is due to weak competition. Can shoot the 3 but projects as a stretch 5 rather than a stretch 4 due to questions about defense / lateral quickness / switchability.
I think you'd have to rank Aldama over Onu though because a) 2 years younger so more of a window to develop b) better handle, better dribble drive moves c) more agile/nimble around the basket d) better passer and e) Patriot League is better competition than NAIA
Both are really intriguing players. Both could turn out to be a steal for a team that nabs them late 1st or early-mid 2nd round, puts them on the G-league team for a year as they refine their skill and get into a strength/weight training program and after that they could both turn out to be really good stretch 5's..
Aldama might be a 5 in the same way Kelly Olynyk is a 5... I'd say he'll probably be a slow 4, though his offensive skills could make up for that as a rotation player. But there's a chance he will grow and develop into a (poor man) Pau Gasol type of player who can hold his own on the defensive side of the ball while thriving on offense.
Aldama was the MVP in the 2019 U18 Eurobasket, so he's coming out of nowhere because he chose to join the Patriot League and that means no exposure. The NCAA isn't a good environment to project what a player can be at the next level. In that regard, it's a low level league, even if lots of American kids (and some from abroad) are hugely talented, so I find it difficult to predict how they will adapt to the NBA. IMO, is easier to know with kids from Euroleague. If Aldama competed, like Garuba did, against the best in Europe, he would've boosted his development and rank higher in the mock drafts, but instead he's stuck in a weak competition. Again, there's the educational side, so I guess in the long run he took the right decision even if he'll lose some millions in the process.
If Celtics pick him, I hope he shocks the world and develops into an unstoppable two-way beast, like with every Celtic rookie.
He's got a crazy amount of upside at pick 45 if he's still there, that's for sure.
