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Following potential 2015 draftees

Here's a more Vezenkov specific highlight from yesterday's game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omn77cmzbkY

His movement without the ball seems great. Backdoor cuts, runs the floor well, quick trigger on the 3... I'm getting more and more willing to consider him in the second round even knowing he might be a liability in defense.
 
stitches said:
Here's a more Vezenkov specific highlight from yesterday's game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omn77cmzbkY

His movement without the ball seems great. Backdoor cuts, runs the floor well, quick trigger on the 3... I'm getting more and more willing to consider him in the second round even knowing he might be a liability in defense.
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Is he a liability on defense or a disaster. He seems slow but gets the job done.
 
fishonjazz said:
I agree with this but you must understand that part of the reason cy gets harassed about this stuff is because he brags so much when he is right, points out when others are wrong more than anyone, and is often rude to others.

He makes his bed, he can lie in it. He is a big boy who dishes out every bit as much as he gets.
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I don't keep a score of who does it and who doesn't and it was meant as a broader condemnation of that practice not just in this instance.
 
Handlogten's Heros said:
Is he a liability on defense or a disaster. He seems slow but gets the job done.
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Umh... he gets burned while in zone defense ... in Greece! As Sam Vecenie puts it "he might be the worst defender in the league" when he comes over. He's young though... he doesn't seem to be in defensive stance much. I don't know if his defense can be improved by working on his stance, footwork in D, etc. I posted another video of the same game last night. You can see him getting beat off the dribble on the closeout, simply because he's not in a stance. He's also pretty slow laterally.

On the other hand, from the limited footage I've seen he rotates well in D and has all around good bball IQ, so he might work into a system with better defenders where you can hide him.

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress 23m23 minutes ago

Huge game for Aleksandar Vezenkov in the Greek playoffs yesterday. 28 points on 16 shots in a win over Olympiacos. DX scouting video coming.
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They have probably seen more of him and can give better assessment. Can't wait for the defense part.
 
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fishonjazz said:
Good fair post except I would say that Burks has as much defensive potential as Mario.
He has good size, length, athleticism, and speed.
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I agree that Burks has the potential to become average to above average defensively. I also agree that he has good size, length, athleticism, & speed for SG, but imo Hezonja has elite size, length, athleticism, & speed for the position (as well as the ability to play SF). I just feel that we are getting close to solidifying our core for the next 5+ years & that we need to make sure we give ourselves the best opportunity to have as good of a starting lineup (& 6th man) as possible given the fact that we're missing that LBJ/Curry/etc. So long as Exum pans out, I believe we are 1 player away from being legitimate championship contenders, & I don't see Burks as that guy. Hezonja could be tho, especially offensively which imo is going to be the determining factor in whether or not we eventually become legitimate championship contenders.
 
Hezonja can be better defender than Burks on day 1 IMO(probably has better size and athleticism than him too). If he wants to, that is. He's had some very impressive performances both on ball and off ball. But he needs to be locked in and needs to want to play defense. That's the bigger problem with him.
 
NAOS said:
would you like to plop Dekker into the upper tank of this year's darft?
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Yeah probably. I'd easily take him over Oubre. He's got the size to play the 3/4 well. I don't know if I'd take him over Turner, that'd be a tough one. He's just a solid player that will improve with the spacing of the NBA, IMO.
 
fishonjazz said:
I agree with this but you must understand that part of the reason cy gets harassed about this stuff is because he brags so much when he is right, points out when others are wrong more than anyone, and is often rude to others.

He makes his bed, he can lie in it. He is a big boy who dishes out every bit as much as he gets.
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The only ones qualified to weigh in on this draft are me and b_line. We were both pimping Gobert two years ago. Oh, and honz was the ONLY one on Hayward's bandwagon. In fact, Gordon didn't have a bandwagon; it was just a two-seater on draft day.

We can just conveniently ignore the last draft in my case. Had Orlando taken Exum, I wanted Utah to go with Vonleh. In my defense, I recognized Vonleh as a project, just as Exum is. This year? I think a ton of prospects are so tightly bunched around #12 that it's hard to decide. Kaminsky is tempting, but I'm hoping the Jazz can bring Tomic over. So I'm leaning towards Dekker. I think he'd be a good fit. Can back up both forward spots and spread the floor with his shooting.
 
stitches said:
Hezonja can be better defender than Burks on day 1 IMO(probably has better size and athleticism than him too). If he wants to, that is. He's had some very impressive performances both on ball and off ball. But he needs to be locked in and needs to want to play defense. That's the bigger problem with him.
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Agree 100%, that's the risk with him. Aside from injuries, the only thing that will stop Hezonja from reaching his potential is himself. I would be reluctant to commit those type of recources to him if I didn't have so much faith in the player development/coaching staff (& team leadership).
 
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Aran Smith still likes Dekker for us

Nobody's stock took a more dramatic jump in the NCAA Tournament than Dekker's. He had a disappointing regular season statistically, in relation to expectations. But, through it all he remained a tremendous Robin to Frank Kaminsky's Batman, showing what an unselfish team player and teammate he is. In the NCAA tournament, Dekker jumped to the forefront with numerous late game heroics to put away opponents, including both Wildcat teams, Arizona and Kentucky. He is a dynamic athlete with the ability to finish at the rim as well as create outside shots. His "big boy" play in the tournament certainly made a lot of believers out of NBA scouts, and his stock couldn't be higher after an impressive tournament run.

Why Utah takes Dekker: The reality for Utah is that they have to take into consideration which players will take to living and playing here, as Salt Lake City's low key community just isn't for every player. Dekker is a small town guy and fits in well away from the bright lights and big city. He also fits the type of player Utah generally targets for his play on the floor as well: A feisty competitor and clutch performer. His ability to possibly develop into a stretch four also elevates his value.

NBA Comparison: Chandler Parsons
 
I think the best GMs act a bit like venture capitalists. A team like Utah that has to build primarily through the draft has to look for the home run. I have no problem at all if a GM drafts a bust. What a GM wants is steady deal flow, a bunch of upside prospects to take a swing on. If you can draft a star out of every 3 or 4 picks, you're doing great, even if a couple of those deals bust.

If we want to be critical, we can say that Kanter is probably the biggest bust of the past several years. He's gone before the end of his first contract, and we didn't get much for him in a trade. So for whatever reason--he didn't want to be here, whatever--we got no better a return on that #3 pick than Sacramento got for TRob or Minnesota got for Derrick Williams.
 
Locke did a comparison of 4 wing prospects. He like Hunter's numbers from 2013/14 better than this past year, and if those are valid he would pick him over Dekker, Booker and Oubre. Otherwise, he has some nice things to say about Oubre's potential. He breaks down Dekker's shooting and concludes that he can't shoot. Locke uses Booker's stats to conclude he's just a spot-up shooter right now (like Anthony Morrow).
 
Catchall said:
I think the best GMs act a bit like venture capitalists. A team like Utah that has to build primarily through the draft has to look for the home run. I have no problem at all if a GM drafts a bust. What a GM wants is steady deal flow, a bunch of upside prospects to take a swing on. If you can draft a star out of every 3 or 4 picks, you're doing great, even if a couple of those deals bust.

If we want to be critical, we can say that Kanter is probably the biggest bust of the past several years. He's gone before the end of his first contract, and we didn't get much for him in a trade. So for whatever reason--he didn't want to be here, whatever--we got no better a return on that #3 pick than Sacramento got for TRob or Minnesota got for Derrick Williams.
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It all worked out for the best. If we drafted JV instead of Kanter, we would have been complacent with him as a center and never taken Gobert.
 
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