WaltFrazier wrote:ESPN insiders did a 5on5 piece on the SL so far. 5 "experts" 5 questions.
In answer to who is the SL MVP so far, 2 of the 5 picked Suggs:
Young: Jalen Suggs. There is a belief that Suggs is a culture changer, a player who can lift up a franchise with his polished professionalism and hard-charging competitive motor. So far in Orlando, that has been the case. He looks like the kind of player who wants to do it all, from rebounding and defending to scoring, passing and leading. There are some Russell Westbrook vibes to Suggs' makeup, and the Magic have to be thrilled that he fell to them at No. 5.
Bontemps: Though he left his third game with a hand injury, Suggs showed the Magic, and their fans, everything they could have hoped for. Suggs, who dominated last year as a freshman at Gonzaga, has the potential to finally galvanize a Magic team that has been in desperate need of a true tentpole star to build around. He plays with a rugged, aggressive style at both ends of the court that's easy to fall for, and he can do it all on the court, as he showed by averaging 20 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals through those first two games.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32010903/nba-summer-league-2021-biggest-surprises-disappointments-far-las-vegasThis is what we missed out on, why some of us are still complaining.
Its interesting looking back at mock drafts and seeing some of the weakness for both players. It’s like evaluators had to struggle to come up with weaknesses for Suggs.
From NBA.com
As I mentioned above, Suggs could become a more consistent shooter, both off the dribble and catch-and-shoot.
Point guard is definitely his primary position but he has the potential to succeed as a combo guard in the NBA, which will hinge on his ability to solidify his jumper from midrange and 3-point range.
He could also improve as a shot creator if he is going to be a lead scoring option.
His quickness, speed and size helped him create separation in college but against faster, stronger defenders in the NBA, he may have to get more creative to score consistently at the next level. While that also includes pull-up shots off the bounce, more specifically speaking, when attacking the basket.
Suggs would benefit from polishing a variety of floaters - which he has already begun to develop - and finishes at the rim, as opposed to simply relying on his athleticism.
From the Ringer which I picked because they’re not afraid to go against the grain on their mocks:
MINUSES
Streaky shooter who lacks dynamic 3-point shooting ability off screens and handoffs, though his fluidity suggests he has the potential.
He should incorporate more offbeat or wrong-foot finishes inside instead of relying on his athleticism to fly toward the basket. He added a floater in college, which is one step forward.
No glaring red flags in his game. The typical stuff that’s regularly improved on with NBA training and development.
Now in comparison there were more holes in Barnes’ evaluation of weaknesses which is the typical stuff that gets pointed out on this board.
NBA.com
Barnes is far from an advanced scorer.
His jump shot is a bit robotic, regardless of range or shot type. He shot 27.5 percent from 3 on 44 attempts in college and he wasn't a great free throw shooter, either, at 62.1 percent. He's an effective dribbler, but he lacks when it comes to go-to moves to create space for his own shot.
For a forward who excels as a creator on the perimeter, he's not all that comfortable working out of the post. He can still pass with his back to the basket, but he doesn't have an array of post moves to get a bucket.
He's a raw project from a scoring standpoint, which could have a trickle-down effect on his playmaking if teams can just sag off of him or religiously go under screens.
The Ringer
MINUSES
He’ll need to get even quicker laterally on defense to become a player who can not only contain, but bother elite perimeter scorers.
Scoring from the perimeter appears foreign for him; he’s an interior-based scorer who lacks the dribbling moves to break down defenders for jumpers and he looks uncomfortable shooting, even from a standstill.
Shooting mechanics need to change. Looks stiff from the line and the floor. Has solid touch on layups, so there’s some potential if he finds the right shooting instruction.
Lacks an advanced low-post game.
If he doesn’t develop as a shot creator, how much will his playmaking matter? Like Lonzo Ball, he might first need a jumper to develop as an effective pick-and-roll playmaker.
On the other hand ESPN followed up with some college coaches post draft and they all talked about Barnes glowingly.
While the consensus entering the draft was that there was a clear top four atop draft boards, several college coaches didn't agree.
"There was an actual top three and people assumed there was a four. I don't think [Barnes] broke a tier," one said. "I don't think anyone considered Jalen Suggs for any of the top three spots, I really don't. You can argue the order of Cade, Mobley and Jalen Green, but you can't really argue Suggs should have cracked that."
As for why Barnes was able to break into the top four after starting only seven games for Florida State last season, coaches focused mostly on his intangibles.
"He can be an elite defender," one ACC coach said. "He can be a playmaker. The shooting is the question, obviously, but there's so much about his intangibles in combination with his size. If he can make some shots, all the other things are at such a high level. He's probably 6-foot-10, he's huge. Huge shoulders, long arms. He can dribble, he can pass. I'm a little concerned with his shooting, and not just his shooting, but the sequence of his shooting. It's not effortless. But he's so high on the other factors, I can see why he went fourth."
"I think it was his personality," another ACC coach said. "He has a contagious energy about him, I think that was attractive to Toronto. They have a coach [Nick Nurse] who prides themselves on defensive identity. Scottie isn't a very good on-ball defender necessarily, but he's a capable defensive playmaker. He can block shots, steal passes, wreak havoc. He has the length and athleticism to be very versatile. Those things all factored in. Offense, they have an unselfish mantra and Scottie is an unselfish person, unselfish player. A very good rebounder, very good passer. Toronto believes in their ability to develop shooting, and that's the one glaring weakness on offense that he has."
A lot of good stuff in there about Barnes and great that we should be excited about.
The last thing I’ll post is an analysis from Mike Schmitz who along with Johnathan Givony is the most knowledgeable draft analyst out there (he was yelling Sengun from the high heavens before, during and after the draft). Here’s his analysis of the top college players in the tournament. Notice he throws around the word superstar when evaluating Suggs. I didn’t hear that a lot from other analysts.
I almost feel like Suggs was done a disservice heading into the draft. He was compared to guys like Holiday instead of Lillard, Jamal Murray with elite defense or a more athletic Deron Williams. He was never really billed as a having allstar potential when in reality he might have a higher ceiling than Barnes and maybe even Mobley.
