The case for James Bouknight at 5

[Magic Mops]

I don't think Bouknight will be the pick at 5.
I like Murphy.
But at 8?
A little bit too high for him.
There are better options at 8.

I don't think the Magic would take him either. They will take Barnes. This is my attempt at predicting Bouknight would be a better player for us than Barnes.

My Top 8:

1) Green
2) Cunningham
3) Suggs
4) Bouknight
5) Kuminga
6) Mobley
7) Barnes
8) Tre Murphy - I don't know if this is just because I recently learned about him or what, but I'm high on this guy. Super quick release, great shooting percentages, energetic, powerful, long and a crafty inside scorer. You know what you're getting with this guy. Even if he doesn't project as a star, you know you're getting a guy who could contribute at a high level right away.

[Magic Mops]

I don't think Bouknight will be the pick at 5.
I like Murphy.
But at 8?
A little bit too high for him.
There are better options at 8.

I don't think the Magic would take him either. They will take Barnes. This is my attempt at predicting Bouknight would be a better player for us than Barnes.

My Top 8:

1) Green
2) Cunningham
3) Suggs
4) Bouknight
5) Kuminga
6) Mobley
7) Barnes
8) Tre Murphy - I don't know if this is just because I recently learned about him or what, but I'm high on this guy. Super quick release, great shooting percentages, energetic, powerful, long and a crafty inside scorer. You know what you're getting with this guy. Even if he doesn't project as a star, you know you're getting a guy who could contribute at a high level right away.

Everyone has his favorites.
I like also Murphy but more for a trade down.
Also McBride and Thor.

All in all FO has a draft board and we have to live with their choices.
They have a lot more insight and input as we armchair gms.

[Skin]

I don't think Bouknight will be the pick at 5.
I like Murphy.
But at 8?
A little bit too high for him.
There are better options at 8.

I don't think the Magic would take him either. They will take Barnes. This is my attempt at predicting Bouknight would be a better player for us than Barnes.

My Top 8:

1) Green
2) Cunningham
3) Suggs
4) Bouknight
5) Kuminga
6) Mobley
7) Barnes
8) Tre Murphy - I don't know if this is just because I recently learned about him or what, but I'm high on this guy. Super quick release, great shooting percentages, energetic, powerful, long and a crafty inside scorer. You know what you're getting with this guy. Even if he doesn't project as a star, you know you're getting a guy who could contribute at a high level right away.

Everyone has his favorites.
I like also Murphy but more for a trade down.
Also McBride and Thor.

All in all FO has a draft board and we have to live with their choices.
They have a lot more insight and input as we armchair gms.

Trade down for him would be ideal. Haven't seen this FO capable of that. They reached for Okeke.

[PrimeThyme]

I read a pretty interesting stat on Bouknight today. You hear the fact that he played in a weaker conference used as a knock against him a lot, && while it could be seen that way, the other side of that coin is the fact that synergy stated he took a total of 9 uncontested shots the entire season.

The Uconn roster he played on had absolutely zero shot creators/offensive threats. Combining that fact with the reality of the elbow injury, just gives me even more assurance that the shooting will be fine.

He's someone I'd still have a hard time passing on at 8. I could see siding with a Barnes at 5, but at 8 I'd take the highest upside offensive player. You could even talk me into Sengun if you believe that he projects as that. Bouknight, Sengun, && Giddey are the 3 guys I'd be targeting there though.

[GelbeWand09]

I read a pretty interesting stat on Bouknight today. You hear the fact that he played in a weaker conference used as a knock against him a lot, && while it could be seen that way, the other side of that coin is the fact that synergy stated he took a total of 9 uncontested shots the entire season.

The Uconn roster he played on had absolutely zero shot creators/offensive threats. Combining that fact with the reality of the elbow injury, just gives me even more assurance that the shooting will be fine.

He's someone I'd still have a hard time passing on at 8. I could see siding with a Barnes at 5, but at 8 I'd take the highest upside offensive player. You could even talk me into Sengun if you believe that he projects as that. Bouknight, Sengun, && Giddey are the 3 guys I'd be targeting there though.

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

[zaymon]

I read a pretty interesting stat on Bouknight today. You hear the fact that he played in a weaker conference used as a knock against him a lot, && while it could be seen that way, the other side of that coin is the fact that synergy stated he took a total of 9 uncontested shots the entire season.

The Uconn roster he played on had absolutely zero shot creators/offensive threats. Combining that fact with the reality of the elbow injury, just gives me even more assurance that the shooting will be fine.

He's someone I'd still have a hard time passing on at 8. I could see siding with a Barnes at 5, but at 8 I'd take the highest upside offensive player. You could even talk me into Sengun if you believe that he projects as that. Bouknight, Sengun, && Giddey are the 3 guys I'd be targeting there though.

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

Theory about drafting Bouknight is similar to Cleveland having Sexton. He is great scorer and yet somehow they prefer Garland ? Playmaking unlocks so much. Look at Boston who had 3 all stars and they barely made playoffs becouse they are all limited decision makers.

[Magic Mops]

I read a pretty interesting stat on Bouknight today. You hear the fact that he played in a weaker conference used as a knock against him a lot, && while it could be seen that way, the other side of that coin is the fact that synergy stated he took a total of 9 uncontested shots the entire season.

The Uconn roster he played on had absolutely zero shot creators/offensive threats. Combining that fact with the reality of the elbow injury, just gives me even more assurance that the shooting will be fine.

He's someone I'd still have a hard time passing on at 8. I could see siding with a Barnes at 5, but at 8 I'd take the highest upside offensive player. You could even talk me into Sengun if you believe that he projects as that. Bouknight, Sengun, && Giddey are the 3 guys I'd be targeting there though.

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

Theory about drafting Bouknight is similar to Cleveland having Sexton. He is great scorer and yet somehow they prefer Garland ? Playmaking unlocks so much. Look at Boston who had 3 all stars and they barely made playoffs becouse they are all limited decision makers.

Imo playmaking and passing are the most important.

[tiderulz]

I read a pretty interesting stat on Bouknight today. You hear the fact that he played in a weaker conference used as a knock against him a lot, && while it could be seen that way, the other side of that coin is the fact that synergy stated he took a total of 9 uncontested shots the entire season.

The Uconn roster he played on had absolutely zero shot creators/offensive threats. Combining that fact with the reality of the elbow injury, just gives me even more assurance that the shooting will be fine.

He's someone I'd still have a hard time passing on at 8. I could see siding with a Barnes at 5, but at 8 I'd take the highest upside offensive player. You could even talk me into Sengun if you believe that he projects as that. Bouknight, Sengun, && Giddey are the 3 guys I'd be targeting there though.

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

we each have our own favorites, but Giddey can only pass and is non-athletic and cant really shoot, he will be eaten alive by NBA guards. you can teach someone to pass more, you can teach someone to be more athletic

[zaymon]

I read a pretty interesting stat on Bouknight today. You hear the fact that he played in a weaker conference used as a knock against him a lot, && while it could be seen that way, the other side of that coin is the fact that synergy stated he took a total of 9 uncontested shots the entire season.

The Uconn roster he played on had absolutely zero shot creators/offensive threats. Combining that fact with the reality of the elbow injury, just gives me even more assurance that the shooting will be fine.

He's someone I'd still have a hard time passing on at 8. I could see siding with a Barnes at 5, but at 8 I'd take the highest upside offensive player. You could even talk me into Sengun if you believe that he projects as that. Bouknight, Sengun, && Giddey are the 3 guys I'd be targeting there though.

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

we each have our own favorites, but Giddey can only pass and is non-athletic and cant really shoot, he will be eaten alive by NBA guards. you can teach someone to pass more, you can teach someone to be more athletic

I think working on your athletecism is much easier. Multiple players changed their bodies with time and work. From current top 10 players there are many who transformed their bodies and not one who learned how to play after they made nba. You can argue Kawhi, but his stats and abilities were far superior to Kuminga. He also made great improvement in college while Kuminga played worse every game.

[PrimeThyme]

Spoiler:

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

I can understand your perspective.

Especially in terms of his passing, as he just did not show enough of it at the college level. I've heard some argue that this is a result of the role he was asked to play at Uconn, && others argue that he just has zero court vision or playmaking skills whatsoever. I think the reality probably lies somewhere in the middle, but in general, it's an area he's going to need a lot of improvement in.

I think he does have a lower floor than a player such as Barnes, which is why I've said I could understand siding with Barnes at 5 over him. However, to me, I've seen enough to give me confidence that he's going to have legitimate ability to become a 3 level scorer at the next level.

Which if these playoffs show anything, is something you have to have if you want a chance to compete at the highest level in this league. I also think he brings more chops as an on-ball defender than the classic 6th man such as Clarkson or Williams does. He doesn't have elite instincts or intangibles on that end, but I actually think with the right coach he could develop into a more than serviceable defender. Has a knack for disrupting passing lanes too and turning it into offense at the other end.

The cutting is an interesting discussion because when I watch the tape on him, though it may not project all the way out at the next level, I saw an elite cutter and smart offensive player who was having to find a multitude of ways to get offense and create open looks for himself off the dribble due to the sheer amount of focus opposing defenses gave to him.

I wasn't really seeing exceptional passing on the part of his teammates, I think for the most part he was able to just create such separation on most of his cuts to the basket.

I just subscribe to the idea that a team in our position needs to keep taking flyers/stabs at high ceiling offensive players. Bouknight to me has a potentially valuable skillset in this league, && is someone I'd be taking a shot on if I managed a team in our position who is strapped for offense.

Sengun/Giddey have both grown on me as an option at 8 for those exact reasons. I think with Bouknights limitations, there is a reason why he's not mocking in the top 4, but with two picks in the top 8, I wouldn't let him fall past us.

[Magic Mops]

Spoiler:

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

I can understand your perspective.

Especially in terms of his passing, as he just did not show enough of it at the college level. I've heard some argue that this is a result of the role he was asked to play at Uconn, && others argue that he just has zero court vision or playmaking skills whatsoever. I think the reality probably lies somewhere in the middle, but in general, it's an area he's going to need a lot of improvement in.

I think he does have a lower floor than a player such as Barnes, which is why I've said I could understand siding with Barnes at 5 over him. However, to me, I've seen enough to give me confidence that he's going to have legitimate ability to become a 3 level scorer at the next level.

Which if these playoffs show anything, is something you have to have if you want a chance to compete at the highest level in this league. I also think he brings more chops as an on-ball defender than the classic 6th man such as Clarkson or Williams does. He doesn't have elite instincts or intangibles on that end, but I actually think with the right coach he could develop into a more than serviceable defender. Has a knack for disrupting passing lanes too and turning it into offense at the other end.

The cutting is an interesting discussion because when I watch the tape on him, though it may not project all the way out at the next level, I saw an elite cutter and smart offensive player who was having to find a multitude of ways to get offense and create open looks for himself off the dribble due to the sheer amount of focus opposing defenses gave to him.

I wasn't really seeing exceptional passing on the part of his teammates, I think for the most part he was able to just create such separation on most of his cuts to the basket.

I just subscribe to the idea that a team in our position needs to keep taking flyers/stabs at high ceiling offensive players. Bouknight to me has a potentially valuable skillset in this league, && is someone I'd be taking a shot on if I managed a team in our position who is strapped for offense.

Sengun/Giddey have both grown on me as an option at 8 for those exact reasons. I think with Bouknights limitations, there is a reason why he's not mocking in the top 4, but with two picks in the top 8, I wouldn't let him fall past us.

What do you like about Giddey and Sengun?

[basketballRob]

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

we each have our own favorites, but Giddey can only pass and is non-athletic and cant really shoot, he will be eaten alive by NBA guards. you can teach someone to pass more, you can teach someone to be more athletic

I think working on your athletecism is much easier. Multiple players changed their bodies with time and work. From current top 10 players there are many who transformed their bodies and not one who learned how to play after they made nba. You can argue Kawhi, but his stats and abilities were far superior to Kuminga. He also made great improvement in college while Kuminga played worse every game.

Kawhi shot 205 from 3 on 2.3 attempts his first year in college and most of those games were played when he was older than Kuminga was in the G league. Kuminga shot 246 on 5 attempts per game and was mostly younger than Kawhi in his freshman year.

So Kuminga is ahead of Kawhi's curve at this point.

[tiderulz]

I really see the appeal of Bouknight. He got all the moves we havent seen in a player since maybe Steve Francis. I really wanna love him as a prospect but somehow i cant.

I think his floor as a ''positive impact player'' is much lower than Barnes as example. I'm sure he can score between 15-20 ppg maybe already at the end of his rookie contract but is he gonna help his team at the same time winning basketball games? i doubt it as long as he doesnt dramatically improve the other aspects of his game.

I'm just not a believer in scoring guards without good passing instincts & at best mediocre defense. I doubt a high usage player creates gravity without the combination of scoring & passing. Without gravity he wont raise the floor of his team & teammates, despite his scoring.

When you check the synergy stats. He may not have good shot creators/ offensive threats next to him, but he still scored on a unusual high amount of cuts to the basket. Which means he still had teammates that kinda created for him a ton. One of the reason i dont rate his good finishing stats at the rim too much because he got alot easy finishes off cuts.

On the other site for a player we hope becomes our lead scorer/ballhandler he was average (unlike Moody) as a lead ballhandler in the pick 'n role by synergy. Not a good sign. He was really bad as a spot up shooter. He was great in isolation but that is Lou Williams too i still dont want him as my lead ballhandler.

+ the last thing i wrote some days ago already. I dont believe a young team tolerates 2 players like Cole/Bouknight at the same time. Thats probably not healthy for a team to have 2 gunners without good playmaking. I would be absolute ok to gamble on Bouknight without Cole or if we trade him.

I'm absolutely with you on Sengun & Giddey. I hope we draft one of them.

we each have our own favorites, but Giddey can only pass and is non-athletic and cant really shoot, he will be eaten alive by NBA guards. you can teach someone to pass more, you can teach someone to be more athletic

I think working on your athletecism is much easier. Multiple players changed their bodies with time and work. From current top 10 players there are many who transformed their bodies and not one who learned how to play after they made nba. You can argue Kawhi, but his stats and abilities were far superior to Kuminga. He also made great improvement in college while Kuminga played worse every game.

i disagree. you can get in better shape, you can get stronger, but you cant really get more athletic. Look at Vuc, he worked on his game and body, but still slow and non-athletic.

[zaymon]

we each have our own favorites, but Giddey can only pass and is non-athletic and cant really shoot, he will be eaten alive by NBA guards. you can teach someone to pass more, you can teach someone to be more athletic

I think working on your athletecism is much easier. Multiple players changed their bodies with time and work. From current top 10 players there are many who transformed their bodies and not one who learned how to play after they made nba. You can argue Kawhi, but his stats and abilities were far superior to Kuminga. He also made great improvement in college while Kuminga played worse every game.

i disagree. you can get in better shape, you can get stronger, but you cant really get more athletic. Look at Vuc, he worked on his game and body, but still slow and non-athletic.

He slimmed down a lot, got more agile, defended well enough in pick and roll ( around 50th percentile). In the end who had higher ceiling on our team, below average athletically center or elite athlete forward ?
I dont know why you cant get more athletic ? Even i got more athletic since i started running.

[jonbob17]

we each have our own favorites, but Giddey can only pass and is non-athletic and cant really shoot, he will be eaten alive by NBA guards. you can teach someone to pass more, you can teach someone to be more athletic

Yah, I agree you can't teach someone to be more athletic. Each year the best passers (and often shooters) go undrafted because they are undersized and/or not athletic enough.

In Giddey's case he also has one of those attributes that can't be taught in his height. Which when coupled with his passing is an elite combination. The good thing about passing is it also correlates strongly to BBIQ, generally if you can pass well you have a good feel for the game.

HIs shortcomings are troublesome, though.

[cedric76]

I really hope bouknight goes 6, it would mean that either Kuminga or moody(my favorite pick) would be available at 8

[PrimeThyme]

Sure, you can't teach someone to be more athletic, but I think we've also learned over the last 8 years of drafting Atheltic defenders that teaching shooting, scoring, && high offensive IQ is a hell of a lot harder than it sounds like as well.

[tiderulz]

Sure, you can't teach someone to be more athletic, but I think we've also learned over the last 8 years of drafting Atheltic defenders that teaching shooting, scoring, && high offensive IQ is a hell of a lot harder than it sounds like as well.

offensive BBIQ is one thing, passing more is another. Bouknight wouldnt be brought in to be a PG, he would be a scoring SG.

[RookieStar]

I really hope bouknight goes 6, it would mean that either Kuminga or moody(my favorite pick) would be available at 8

More chance he goes 7(GSW)

[Skin]

The tide is rising!