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A last minute reassessment of the draft

Dr. Jones

Dr. Jones

In pursuit of #9
Contributor
I've really been thinking about this a lot lately.. about how the NBA game is being played.. both offensively and defensively.
I admit I know the college game much better.. but here's some food for thought. (some of this may be obvious, or a rehash.. but it's a mini-epiphany for me, so bear with me please)

The obvious traits we are looking for;
- Shooting
- IQ
- Athleticism
- Work ethic
- passing

But why?

With NBA defenses continuing the trend of packing the paint and forcing teams into having 4 to 5 options on the floor.. and using them most every possession..

Defensively
Need guys that are smart enough to camp/pack the paint as long as possible but not so long they get a 3 second call (IQ).
Athletic enough to jump out quickly to aggressively help-defend. (athletic)
The passion to be a student of an evolving game (work ethic .. it's not just in the gym stuff)

Offensively
Need guys that have a quick first step.. they MUST be able to beat their primary defender to draw help... in order to unclog the lane and make room for post players. The slasher doesn't have to look to finish, necessarily, but must be able to be able to hit a shot, when needed, to keep the help coming. Post men MUST be able to understand that the paint is more likely to be clogged, still, once they catch the ball and be able to make a pass to the opposite side of the court for an open man rather than just pass it to the nearest player.. that is also clogged up. (IQ/passing/athleticism/shooting)

We need to be looking for bigs with IQ, court vision, and passing skills.
We need guards that have a nice first step/IQ/shooting/passing.

Does this eliminate 'Bazz (passing)? I have been THE biggest 'Bazz homer.. but a slashing player that can't pass will be met with a wall once they hit the paint.
I think this even more solidifies McCollum.. I think he has virtually all of the aforementioned traits.

Smart, athletic, and good passing bigs.. PREMIUM.

Bottom line is this.. We need 3 guys on the floor that can slash, shoot, and the IQ to make the good pass.
We need 3 guys on the floor that can defend the paint .. but with the IQ and athleticism to know how/when to help defend.

I know every bit of this is obvious, on its face.. but wanted to put it into my own words and context.
 
I think the above really makes this draft look even weaker.. I think. I'm looking down the list and I don't see a whole lot. McCollum jumps off the page for me. Len.. Trey Burke.. these look good as well.

Next year;

Willie Cauley-Stein will match these traits by the end of next year.. just in time for the draft.
Parker
Harrison
tons more..

Your thoughts on this draft???
 
I actually think MCW will be pretty good if he can ever figure out out to shoot it. He'd fit what is needed. If Kelley Olynick had more length and athleticism, he'd be awesome too.
 
On a serious note I think a well rounded draft pick would be Sergey Karasev. He seems to be the only one that posses's all the traits that PKM mentioned:

- Shooting
- IQ
- Athleticism
- Work ethic
- passing
Click to expand...
 
Batman said:
I actually think MCW will be pretty good if he can ever figure out out to shoot it. He'd fit what is needed. If Kelley Olynick had more length and athleticism, he'd be awesome too.
Click to expand...

You could 'if' your way through every player.

If Noel was 30lbs heavier and could stroke it from 16'.
If Burke were 6'4.
If Larkin were 6'3.
If Jimmer were fast.
 
PKM said:
I've really been thinking about this a lot lately.. about how the NBA game is being played.. both offensively and defensively.
I admit I know the college game much better.. but here's some food for thought. (some of this may be obvious, or a rehash.. but it's a mini-epiphany for me, so bear with me please)

The obvious traits we are looking for;
- Shooting
- IQ
- Athleticism
- Work ethic
- passing

But why?

With NBA defenses continuing the trend of packing the paint and forcing teams into having 4 to 5 options on the floor.. and using them most every possession..

Defensively
Need guys that are smart enough to camp/pack the paint as long as possible but not so long they get a 3 second call (IQ).
Athletic enough to jump out quickly to aggressively help-defend. (athletic)
The passion to be a student of an evolving game (work ethic .. it's not just in the gym stuff)

Offensively
Need guys that have a quick first step.. they MUST be able to beat their primary defender to draw help... in order to unclog the lane and make room for post players. The slasher doesn't have to look to finish, necessarily, but must be able to be able to hit a shot, when needed, to keep the help coming. Post men MUST be able to understand that the paint is more likely to be clogged, still, once they catch the ball and be able to make a pass to the opposite side of the court for an open man rather than just pass it to the nearest player.. that is also clogged up. (IQ/passing/athleticism/shooting)

We need to be looking for bigs with IQ, court vision, and passing skills.
We need guards that have a nice first step/IQ/shooting/passing.

Does this eliminate 'Bazz (passing)? I have been THE biggest 'Bazz homer.. but a slashing player that can't pass will be met with a wall once they hit the paint.
I think this even more solidifies McCollum.. I think he has virtually all of the aforementioned traits.

Smart, athletic, and good passing bigs.. PREMIUM.

Bottom line is this.. We need 3 guys on the floor that can slash, shoot, and the IQ to make the good pass.
We need 3 guys on the floor that can defend the paint .. but with the IQ and athleticism to know how/when to help defend.

I know every bit of this is obvious, on its face.. but wanted to put it into my own words and context.
Click to expand...

So MCW is your man?
 
mag_codyzellerbts_014.jpg
 
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