A-Train (old)
Well-Known Member
Not sure if srs..
Following potential 2014 draftees
- Thread starter Dr. Jones
- Start date
Not sure if srs..
i think gordon has a solid argument that he belongs in the 2nd tier. nobody in here will take gordon in top 3. but after that i think he has a strong argument if he can nail the predraft.
this is the next group by most of us and analysts, and i think they can be a very good player in the next level.
smart
randle
exum
gordon
vonleh
but i don't see anybody turning into a franchise changing talent. i really don't see it. they will be a huge piece of the puzzle, but will any of them be a face of the Jazz? that's huge if. let's say Randle really is next randolph. guess what? randolph ain't franchise changing player. smart would have to be d wade clone to become a franchise player. exum better play like young penny hardaway. vonleh needs to be lamarcus aldridge. gordon better win DPOY few times to be considered a franchise player with his lack of offense.
so far, nobody really stands out from the pack IMO. not on paper, not on measurables, and not on potential. maybe exum because he is an exotic. we like the idea of 6ft 5 play making combo guard. all of them gets B+ draft grade from me. only 3 As and they are big 3. but like i said previously, i don't want embiid because of his back.
now i'm more concerned about the fit to our team. i'll also patiently wait for the predraft. i've seen the tape. i've seen the highlights. now, give me the vertical, handsize, 3/4 sprints, reach, wingspan, bench press, so i can dissect them even more. that's where i'm at.
Here is my 'best fit to Jazz' ranking after the big 3.
1. Gordon - we gotta play some D. Gordon will change our defensive mentality
2. Exum - he will eventually replace Hayward. playmaking athlete who can do it all
3. Smart - he will also uplift our defense, and bring some nastiness. he can be our poorman's d wade.
4. Randle - he will improve our scoring, and make us bigger. our front court will be grizzlies like
5. vonleh - he could be our stronger chris bosh. versatile big who can stretch the field. but will be a major project especially when we already have favors/kanter. he will be 3rd in our depth chart. but if we can be patient, i think he will emerge by his 4th year. i'm not that patient though.
well, that's my current ranking after big 3. Exum may leapfrog everybody with impressive workout. i can honestly see teams taking exum in top 2 if he wows people in the private workouts and predraft. if Randle turns out to be a freak(6ft 9 barefoot, freaky strong, 38 inch vert, etc, etc), then i'll take him and worry about saying goodbye to Kanter later.
well, hopefully we can just land jabari parker and call it a day. i've had parker #1 since forever. no workout will change my love for parker.
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Game6Conley
Well-Known Member
he cant be serious. his skill is shooting obviously, 34% on over 6 attempts per game isnt really all that bad (Gary harris is 35% on over 6 attempts per game)
hes also a year and a half younger than Joel Embiid, and has a prototype Caron Butler/ Latrell Spreewell sized frame which NBA scouts love
fabtrey - true. No one outside of the top 3 looks to be that franchise changer. We could always use more pieces to the puzzle, and those 2nd tier guys would/could be that. I like the idea of taking someone like Gordon because he has potential to be a star. Although not a high probability hes still got a chance. So in the least hes a good piece to our core, and we still have a chance (aunque pequeña) for a star.
Game6Conley
Well-Known Member
Noah Vonleh has the potential to be a go-to player in the post, a stretch option on the perimeter and your teams leading rebounder
there isnt any Vonleh hype left around here. its just me banging the drum and yelling from the mountaintops
there isnt any Vonleh hype left around here. its just me banging the drum and yelling from the mountaintops
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
Serious. PGAB, said it very well - 34% from the college three isn't bad. He's right, it's not bad, it's certainly not good. It's average at best.
If James Young weren't so hyped coming out of HS or part of this ballyhooed Kentucky freshman class, nobody would be talking about him seriously as a NBA prospect - er, nobody would be talking about him at all as a NBA prospect. In terms of the NBA, he'd be entirely irrelevant.
For a little context - James Young is 407th in the country in 3pt%. That is not a typo. 40% FGs. He also only shoots 69% FTs, which puts him somewhere below #500 in the country.
I think it's safe to say, shooting is not a strength of James Young.
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A-Train (old)
Well-Known Member
You can't punish a guy for wanting to be a part of one of the best recruiting classes ever. If he went somewhere else he would be the man and would be getting more attention as an NBA prospect.
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
I'm not punishing him for being part of the recruiting class. I'm punishing him because he's not a good basketball player. People keep talking about his shooting. He simply isn't a good shooter - not from long distance, not from the FT line and not from the field in general. At some point, his play on the basketball court has to speak for itself. To argue that he is a good shooter is like arguing that Tony Tarasco was a good hitter - Tarasco hit .240 over his career. At some point the actual production has to trump the hype.
To bring this full circle, he isn't being punished for being part of that class, he's being helped tremendously. His team is in the elite 8, and if he can catch fire for even just one game, it will be huge for his draft prospects.
There are about 20 scouts, at least, that disagree with you. I agree with what you're saying mostly.. but we're talking the player one can be vs. the player one is.
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
I sort of alluded to it above, but he has some things definitely working in his favor. His reputation coming out of HS, his age/experience, and the success of his team. Scouts are giving him the benefit of the doubt that other similar players don't get because of those three things.
It's one of the reasons, that from a NBA talent evaluation perspective, I wish these guys would have to stay in school 2-3 years. Scouts are basically giving him a pass based on what he's done in actual games and I guess they can do that because he's "only" a freshman and it's just one season. Make these guys play for 2 or 3 years, their actual play becomes much bigger than any potential or reputation.
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
BTW, PKM, as a UK fan, you have to be thrilled with the Michigan matchup. Crazy to think that as rough as this season has been at times for this hyped Kentucky team, they have a great chance at being in the final four. For a team starting five freshmen, that would be a rousing success.
Game6Conley
Well-Known Member
James Youngs value is as a shooter who has the potential for more. his shooting isnt elite at this point but thats why hes fallen from the lotto.
hes got the tools to be a pest on defense, a good rebounder, a shooter, and dangerous in transition, thats really where the intrigue is at. these other players in the late 1st may have a better nba ready skill, but dont have a snowflakes chance in hell at being multi-dimensional like that
give me a guy like James Young who shows flashes all over the floor than lets say a Daequon Cook, who shot 41% from 3 as a freshman declared and shot 33% from deep as a rook and fizzled out
hes got the tools to be a pest on defense, a good rebounder, a shooter, and dangerous in transition, thats really where the intrigue is at. these other players in the late 1st may have a better nba ready skill, but dont have a snowflakes chance in hell at being multi-dimensional like that
give me a guy like James Young who shows flashes all over the floor than lets say a Daequon Cook, who shot 41% from 3 as a freshman declared and shot 33% from deep as a rook and fizzled out
Yes.. and the storyline of playing Michigan.. the home of the original fab5.
We're going to sorely miss WCS in this game though. All year long we've had tons of success putting Willie on the hot hand on the perimeter. We even had him shut down Russ Smith in the 2nd half of our first matchup with UL. This is the one game we could use him.. we neither have his perimeter d nor his help defense in the post.
IF we get by UM, Kawasaki will kill us without WCS.
spycam1
Well-Known Member
My top 3 are
1. Wiggins
2. Embiid
3. Parker
Wiggins and Embiid are the only two guys that have the potential to be defensive stoppers and 1st options on offense.
Parker is a safe bet to be a 1st or 2nd option, but has essentially no potential as a defender. But he's the only other guy that I think can be a go to scorer, so he rounds out the top 3 for me.
After that, the water is a little muddier. I put Exum at 4 purely based off on the praise of scouts. He seems to have a good amount of potential on both ends and should be able to contribute right away. Again, this is just based on what the experts are saying.
Then the water gets really muddy... 5-7 is some order of Randle/Gordon/Smart, and my opinion on the order varies day to day, tbh.
Vonleh rounds out the top 8. I can see potential, but he's never really done something that "wow'd" me, unlike the guys I have ranked above him.
It's a great draft. Hopefully we jump up in the lottery and get a franchise changer (this is undoubtedly our best chance at getting a guy like that), but if we don't, we're still getting a great piece in that 2nd tier of prospects.
1. Wiggins
2. Embiid
3. Parker
Wiggins and Embiid are the only two guys that have the potential to be defensive stoppers and 1st options on offense.
Parker is a safe bet to be a 1st or 2nd option, but has essentially no potential as a defender. But he's the only other guy that I think can be a go to scorer, so he rounds out the top 3 for me.
After that, the water is a little muddier. I put Exum at 4 purely based off on the praise of scouts. He seems to have a good amount of potential on both ends and should be able to contribute right away. Again, this is just based on what the experts are saying.
Then the water gets really muddy... 5-7 is some order of Randle/Gordon/Smart, and my opinion on the order varies day to day, tbh.
Vonleh rounds out the top 8. I can see potential, but he's never really done something that "wow'd" me, unlike the guys I have ranked above him.
It's a great draft. Hopefully we jump up in the lottery and get a franchise changer (this is undoubtedly our best chance at getting a guy like that), but if we don't, we're still getting a great piece in that 2nd tier of prospects.
Stress fracture in his ankle. He's wearing a boot and saying he can go tonight.. lol.
Team doctors are saying 8 - 10 weeks. We'll see. But I can't fathom he comes back during tourney.
He hasn't decided yet but my guess is yes. Scouts are telling Calipari they think he's within the lottery.