Taurean Prince = RoCo Lite?

[UnFadeable21]

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According to Cleaning the Glass, Prince ranks in the 87th percentile for forwards in 2020-21 (42.2%) on his long range shooting. The corner three is his sweet spot where he shoots 54%, or in the 96th percentile for forwards this season.

Jul 15, 2021

Prince has ideal physical tools for the role he's projected to play in the NBA, standing nearly 6'8 with a solid 6'11 ½ wingspan. He has a strong, mature frame that he's not afraid to use, and is a good athlete, being mobile, fluid and highly capable of playing above the rim.


Measurements
6'7" 220 lbs 6'11.5" wingspan

Pro comparison
A mix of Jae Crowder and Draymond Green.

Strengths
Defensive versatility
Motor
3 and D potential
Size
Rebounding
Shooting
BBIQ
Length


Weaknesses ​
Creating
Decision making
Too emotional at times
Lacks explosiveness

Prince is a very high intensity player who hates to lose. He plays hard on defense and has the versitility to guard positions 1-4 when needed. He has become a better shooter coming off screens and pulling up off the dribble, but is best at set shots. He has great size for the SF position and won't get beat up his rookie season.

Prince is a decent athlete, but he lacks explosiveness. He has become a better creator of the dribble this season, but he is still limited to what he can do. Lastly Prince can let his emotions get the best of him at times as he will pick up unnecessary fouls or argue with the refs.

Overall Prince will bring toughness and energy. He will find a way to be a contributor and has all the makings of becoming a coveted 3 and D player.

[UnFadeable21]

I would like to see Prince start at small forward. With KAT, DLo, and ANT in the starting lineup, those 3 guys usage is going to be extremely high. The other two guys are going to need to play above average defense and just be spot up shooters who can also run on fast breaks.

I would like Prince playing the 3 and Mcdaniels playing the 4 with each guy in the corner getting ready to shoot and be our main defenders.

DLo 6’5
Ant 6’5
Prince 6’7
Jaden 6’10
KAT 7ft

I actually like that lineup and think it has some good two way potential with skill, speed, length, athleticism and shooting at all 5 positions.

[Klomp]

I'm among the most optimistic on this board, but I think even this is a stretch.

[ecuhus1981]

Nets fan here. I can say that Taurean has tantalizing potential, and not to get worked up over early returns.

I agree that his skill set makes sense as a 5th starter. His defense doesn't *seem* great, because he gets caught ball watching and missing rotations in zone or team defense. But as a primary 1v1 defender, his advanced stats are truly elite.

On offense, he hits spot-up 3's at a good rate, and almost nothing else. The problem is, Prince fancies himself a 3-level, dribble-drive creator. He's just not one, at all. He gets blocked, stripped or called for charges frequently when he drives, and for an athletic marvel, he rarely finishes above the rim or through contact.

If your coach completely limits his role to 3&D, and if TP buys into it, he can be a really positive asset. S you mentioned, you have more than enough guys who need the ball in their hands more than him, and that's a good thing. The only downside is that Taurean seems to lose ambition when he plays this limited role. Look at his first 10 games in Atlanta, in Brooklyn and in Cleveland. He was scorching hot. But as his role diminished, so did his interest in doing the little things.

Call me an armchair psychiatrist, but I've watched him since Baylor. He thinks that grunt work is beneath him, he feels like he can be a star. But that chance is gone, and the limited starter role that he does well is good for him. Good luck.

[Klomp]

Finch also said they hope they can get 27-year-old Taurean Prince, who came in a trade from Cleveland for Ricky Rubio, back to "his basketball."

What does that look like?

"Being a highly impactful two-way player" Finch said. "Defensively he has the ability to switch, guard multiple guys in multiple situations. Play in transition and also make spot threes. His three-point shooting has been inconsistent, but we feel with the right shots he can get back to being an above-average and highly effective three-point shooter."

Prince is a career 37% three-point shooter. He shot 40% last season but took almost three fewer threes per game (3.8) than he took two seasons ago (6.7), when he shot 34%.

https://www.startribune.com/timberwolves-chris-finch-anthony-edwards-taller/600093003/

[moss_is_1]

He'll never be near the defender of RoCo, but he'll be a much better shooter. If he can stay in his role then he'll be valuable as a 5th starter. He can defend and hit open shots, but don't ask him to do much else.

[karch34]

RoCo was great at the 3. Prince could be very good there. Either at the 4 is not optimal and won’t lead to a good D.

[RedSalsa]

[gfycat][/gfycat]

Nets fan here. I can say that Taurean has tantalizing potential, and not to get worked up over early returns.

I agree that his skill set makes sense as a 5th starter. His defense doesn't *seem* great, because he gets caught ball watching and missing rotations in zone or team defense. But as a primary 1v1 defender, his advanced stats are truly elite.

On offense, he hits spot-up 3's at a good rate, and almost nothing else. The problem is, Prince fancies himself a 3-level, dribble-drive creator. He's just not one, at all. He gets blocked, stripped or called for charges frequently when he drives, and for an athletic marvel, he rarely finishes above the rim or through contact.

If your coach completely limits his role to 3&D, and if TP buys into it, he can be a really positive asset. S you mentioned, you have more than enough guys who need the ball in their hands more than him, and that's a good thing. The only downside is that Taurean seems to lose ambition when he plays this limited role. Look at his first 10 games in Atlanta, in Brooklyn and in Cleveland. He was scorching hot. But as his role diminished, so did his interest in doing the little things.

Call me an armchair psychiatrist, but I've watched him since Baylor. He thinks that grunt work is beneath him, he feels like he can be a star. But that chance is gone, and the limited starter role that he does well is good for him. Good luck.

Agree
Don’t like him

[Killboard]

Jaden is the most similar player to RoCo in the roster IMO.

[gandlogo]

The way Finch and Rosas talk about Prince, I’m getting a Jae Crowder vibe, especially in what Crowder has done along side of Bridges. Be highly active for 25-28 mins/game. Knock down wide open looks. Guard multiple positions. May or may not be a starter. Hopefully he accepts his role.


Rk Player From To G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1 Jae Crowder 2013 2021 668 339 25.0 3.3 7.9 .419 1.5 4.4 .346 1.8 3.5 .512 .516 1.5 1.9 .777 0.7 3.5 4.2 1.6 1.0 0.3 0.9 2.0 9.6
2 Taurean Prince 2017 2021 301 210 25.8 4.0 9.7 .411 1.8 4.9 .370 2.2 4.9 .452 .503 1.5 1.8 .823 0.6 3.7 4.2 1.9 0.9 0.5 1.7 2.1 11.3


https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=crowdja01&player_id2=princta02#stats-per_game

[Klomp]

The way Finch and Rosas talk about Prince, I’m getting a Jae Crowder vibe, especially in what Crowder has done along side of Bridges. Be highly active for 25-28 mins/game. Knock down wide open looks. Guard multiple positions. May or may not be a starter. Hopefully he accepts his role.


Rk Player From To G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1 Jae Crowder 2013 2021 668 339 25.0 3.3 7.9 .419 1.5 4.4 .346 1.8 3.5 .512 .516 1.5 1.9 .777 0.7 3.5 4.2 1.6 1.0 0.3 0.9 2.0 9.6
2 Taurean Prince 2017 2021 301 210 25.8 4.0 9.7 .411 1.8 4.9 .370 2.2 4.9 .452 .503 1.5 1.8 .823 0.6 3.7 4.2 1.9 0.9 0.5 1.7 2.1 11.3


https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1=crowdja01&player_id2=princta02#stats-per_game

That's a pretty good comp, for more reasons than the hair

[Krapinsky]

Crowder has about 20 lbs on Prince, but that’s the player i thought he was going to be coming out of Baylor. Instead, he’s been more like Tony Snell.

[Klomp]

Crowder has about 20 lbs on Prince, but that’s the player i thought he was going to be coming out of Baylor. Instead, he’s been more like Tony Snell.

Looking closer at numbers and highlights, you have a point. Jae Crowder's career-high is 27 points. You may be surprised to know that Prince has five career 30-point games (in four fewer seasons). It's not all just standing in the corner either.

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[minimus]

Crowder has about 20 lbs on Prince, but that’s the player i thought he was going to be coming out of Baylor. Instead, he’s been more like Tony Snell.

Looking closer at numbers and highlights, you have a point. Jae Crowder's career-high is 27 points. You may be surprised to know that Prince has five career 30-point games (in four fewer seasons). It's not all just standing in the corner either.

Watch on YouTube

Yes, Prince is not Tony Snell. I wish we can find our version of Jar Crowder, how is built like a tank, tough, but also mobile enough to stay in front of perimeter players. Pairing Crowder type of comboforwards with MCD would give us a huge boost in terms of defensive and offensive versatility.

I thought Woodard can be that low profile 3&D player, but someone here mentioned that he is not good.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Still architype for my ideal PF next to MCD at SF is:
6'7"-6'8", 230-240lbs, wingspan 7", mobile, tough, can hit spotup 3s with league average accuracy

[Calinks]

I really like that we try to find guys that fit our mold when we can't get the star archetype. You hope to find guys who fit your system and get the most out of them. Prince looks like another guy who maybe fits perfectly and clicks with us. It's hard to do but when you find those perfect system guys their value goes way up. Like he could be a 3 million a year player on most teams but play like a 8 million player for us in our system, hope that is the case.

[KGdaBom]

I really like that we try to find guys that fit our mold when we can't get the star archetype. You hope to find guys who fit your system and get the most out of them. Prince looks like another guy who maybe fits perfectly and clicks with us. It's hard to do but when you find those perfect system guys their value goes way up. Like he could be a 3 million a year player on most teams but play like a 8 million player for us in our system, hope that is the case.

Some people don't believe me, but there was a time that Prince looked like he could be a star.