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Dan Z wrote:If The Bulls draft Hunter, Culver or Reddish do they slowly bring them along? Next year the Bulls will have LaVine, Porter Jr, Chandler Hutchison and Denzel Valentine at the 2 and 3 positions.
johnnyvann840 wrote:Just to elaborate on the above....Beard slides Culver around the lineup. He starts in a three-guard offense next to two ball handlers (senior Matt Mooney and sophomore Davide Moretti) and two traditional big men (seniors Tariq Owens and Norense Odiase). Culver also plays a lot of power forward over the course of the game, and his ability to guard bigger players gives Tech all the offensive benefits of playing four perimeter players without losing anything on defense. It’s important for his offense, too, because Culver isn’t a great outside shooter (31.6 percent from 3). He needs the extra space that smaller lineups create to attack the rim.
https://www.theringer.com/nba-draft/2019/4/5/18295786/jarret-culver-texas-tech-nba-draft
Even in college at TT, Culver was more of a 3/4 than a 2 (certainly not a 1). It worked for Tech because Beard could throw him out there with two good ball handlers in that 3 guard set, but he played a lot of 4 in their small lineups. He's not enough of a ball handler or outside shooter to be a PG. I suppose it depends on how much you believe in Lavine as a #1 option and pseudo PG because that is the only way you could use Culver in a positionless lineup with Lavine, Otto, Lauri and WCJ. I don't like it and don't think the Bulls would have much of a chance to be a winning team.
JimmyJammer wrote:AshyLarrysDiaper wrote:JimmyJammer wrote:
Aren't they theoretically shutting it down with that news?
They are, but again, why not just say you have a promise?
A promise sounds way better than an injury. You could still have the procedure, but it wouldn’t be the reason you’re shutting down workouts.
It's very unlikely an agent would announce that their client is about to have any kind of surgery less than a month before the draft without having the confidence that he'll be drafted at certain spot regardless. It's plausible they have received a promise from a team they like and have decided to put that info out there to shut things down. I see him going to the Knicks if they actually trade down, or possibly the Bulls at 7. In fact, based on our lovefest with the Duke guys, we are the team to watch in this affair.
Jcool0 wrote:
Ferulci wrote:Givony/Schmitz thoughts on RJ BarrettGivony: Mike, what's your read on Barrett as a prospect? Is he a clear No. 3, and do you think he should be in the mix at No. 2?
Schmitz: While I won't go so far as to say Barrett should be in the conversation for No. 2 overall, anyone who doesn't see him as the third-best prospect is wildly overthinking this.
Barrett is (and has always been) at his best attacking the rim, putting pressure on the defense and using his 6-foot-7, 210-pound frame to get into the paint and finish with strong body control. But because of Duke's inability to surround him with shooting -- 327th in the NCAA in 3-point percentage, according to Kenpom.com data -- he looked clunky trying to bully-ball his way to the cup.
Just look at this: (Image of Barrett barreling into 5 NC defenders in the paint)
Barrett could have done a much better job of making the simple kick-out pass and finding a smoother balance between scoring and playmaking, but for a physical, downhill driver, this spacing is far from ideal. North Carolina was able to commit all five defenders in the paint, with Coby White helping off the strongside corner -- something Barrett will rarely see in the NBA -- to take the charge.
Here's a glimpse of the lack of shooters Barrett had to choose from: (Image of spaced floor with - Tre Jones 26%, Cam Reddish 33%, Zion Williamson 33%)
Even with Zion Williamson at the 5, Barrett still had no room to operate. Tre Jones is close to a non-shooter at this stage, Jordan Goldwire is most certainly a non-shooter and Reddish is as streaky as they come. Barrett didn't display trust in his teammates consistently, and spacing like this is a big reason why he led the NCAA in charges, turned the ball over at a 19.5 percent rate in pick-and-roll and ranked in the 44th percentile as a finisher in the half-court. Barrett could have made a better play than barreling in for a charge here, but it's clear he wasn't put in the best position to play to his strengths at Duke.
What does Barrett look like when he has a spaced floor? Opportunities were sparse, but here's an example of the much more traditional spacing Barrett figures to see in the NBA.
He's likely to have an NBA-caliber rim-protector patrolling the paint rather than Gonzaga's Zach Norvell, but the lane should have more room.
Even against an pro-level athlete in Rui Hachimura (though not a great defender), Barrett is able to get downhill to his left and use his impressive stride length to step around the Gonzaga forward, getting to the front of the rim for the and-1.
There's no question Barrett has to improve as a perimeter shooter to maximize his potential long term. Becoming a more willing passer will also allow him to unlock his playmaking potential. There are questions on the defensive end of the floor, as well, despite his tools.
But Barrett's so-so efficiency and oftentimes clumsy shot-creation moments were more a product of his circumstances rather than clear-cut flaws. Barrett's greatest strengths -- pushing in transition, attacking the rim with physicality and utilizing long strides -- were hidden by Duke's lack of spacing. The Canadian lefty should quickly show NBA scouts and fans alike why he was considered the No. 1 pick coming into his freshman season with all the makings of a longtime All-Star, so long as he's surrounded by shooters at the next level.
JG, what's your take?
Givony: I'm a little surprised by how quickly everyone seems to have settled on the fact that Barrett is clearly an inferior prospect to Morant -- a statement you widely hear among NBA folks. It's not something I actually agree with, personally. If I were making the pick for Memphis, I would be all over Barrett at No. 2, not just because of his positional fit on the roster alongside Mike Conley (although that helps), but also because of Barrett's overall talent level and modern NBA qualities.
These NBA playoff games have been eye-opening. The league's best teams have a big guard/wing in Barrett's mold who is asked to carry a huge amount of playmaking responsibility, both in the half-court and in the open floor. Having more size on the floor gives you clear advantages defensively with the amount of switching every team does. It also leads to numerous cross-matching situations in which the opposing team is forced to decide between giving up a good look early in the clock -- death in today's NBA game -- or having the wrong defender matched up with a team's best player, which is often just as bad.
Barrett is ideally suited for that big wing role with his ability to bust out in transition and make reads out of pick-and-rolls, as he's a much better athlete than he gets credit for. According to P3 sports science data from last year, Barrett tested very well relative to NBA athletes in acceleration and posted elite deceleration metrics.
He's a freight train once he gets downhill. He brings elite body control, and he's as aggressive as they come seeking out contact in the paint. He's going to continue to improve his pull-up jumper as his career moves along due to his outstanding work ethic, as he has already made huge strides in that area over the past few years. Combine that with his court vision, scoring instincts, competitiveness and the fact that he still hasn't turned 19 years old, and you have everything you look for in a modern NBA prospect.
Mike, like you pointed out, this Duke team was poorly constructed, which made it much easier for opposing defenses to pack the paint and force Barrett to navigate tight spaces while not possessing elite shooting ability himself. He's going to look much better with the ball in his hands surrounded by NBA shooters, especially as his feel for how to play to his strengths evolves into his 20s.
If we get a chance to trade up for him, I wouldn't hesitate.
WookieOnRitalin wrote:Game 1. It's where the series is truly 0-0.
heir_jordan22 wrote:Dan Z wrote:If The Bulls draft Hunter, Culver or Reddish do they slowly bring them along? Next year the Bulls will have LaVine, Porter Jr, Chandler Hutchison and Denzel Valentine at the 2 and 3 positions.
Hutchison and Valentine haven't shown anything that would guarantee them a spot in the rotation. Everything is up for grabs except the starting 2-5.
Dan Z wrote:heir_jordan22 wrote:Dan Z wrote:If The Bulls draft Hunter, Culver or Reddish do they slowly bring them along? Next year the Bulls will have LaVine, Porter Jr, Chandler Hutchison and Denzel Valentine at the 2 and 3 positions.
Hutchison and Valentine haven't shown anything that would guarantee them a spot in the rotation. Everything is up for grabs except the starting 2-5.
I agree with you. All I'm saying is that the 2/3 positions could get crowded (the backups in particular).
nomorezorro wrote:complaining about a 6'7" wing not having enough spacing is silly, because he was the primary reason duke had crappy spacing. if you're a wing whose primary skill is volume scoring, ya gotta be able to shoot.
givony has compared barrett to harden, which is such a dumb comparison because harden's game is almost entirely predicated on his outside shot being a gigantic threat!
Chi town wrote:Dan Z wrote:heir_jordan22 wrote:Hutchison and Valentine haven't shown anything that would guarantee them a spot in the rotation. Everything is up for grabs except the starting 2-5.
I agree with you. All I'm saying is that the 2/3 positions could get crowded (the backups in particular).
If we go Hunter Lauri will probably play a lot of backup C.
If we go culver Zach will probably play some PG.
Hunter
Otto 32 Hunter 10
Lauri 16 Hunter 16 Hutch 16
WCJ 32 Lauri 16
Culver
PG 32 Zach 10
Zach 24 Culver 12 Val 12
Otto 32 Culver 10 Val 10
Lauri 24 Culver 6 Hutch 18
Dan Z wrote:heir_jordan22 wrote:Dan Z wrote:If The Bulls draft Hunter, Culver or Reddish do they slowly bring them along? Next year the Bulls will have LaVine, Porter Jr, Chandler Hutchison and Denzel Valentine at the 2 and 3 positions.
Hutchison and Valentine haven't shown anything that would guarantee them a spot in the rotation. Everything is up for grabs except the starting 2-5.
I agree with you. All I'm saying is that the 2/3 positions could get crowded (the backups in particular).
