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Following potential 2015 draftees

I think expecting Looney to become dramatically more explosive probably isn't going to happen. I love seeing that he can shoot, handle, and PASS though. If he can do that plus play defense I would think he has a good shot at being something in the ballpark of a poorish man's Diaw, which would still be a great player.

Yeah, explosion may be a stretch, but increased strength would be a big help. Unlike AK, I think there's more hope that he can develop the strength, but his body type still makes it somewhat of a question mark. But he'd have an advantage over almost all of the other comparisons we've been making (except AK perhaps) with his top-notch length.

So I'd say there's three major questions regarding Looney: things many think he should be able to develop, but until he does, there's still some risk:
1) strength (without losing agility)
2) shooting (is he closer to what he showed in 3-pointers, or in FT-shooting?)
3) a role (right now, he seems to have little sense of what he wants to do offensively and how to best accomplish it)
 

Thanks for this. I'm posting the Frank stuff for those who were too lazy to click.

5. Finding an NBA comparison for Frank Kaminsky isn't easy. Wisconsin 7-footer Frank Kaminsky doesn't need to convince anyone he can shoot. There's ample evidence of the winner of the Naismith and Wooden awards hitting threes, so much so that the NBA player he's been most frequently compared with in the lead-up to the draft is Magic stretch-four Channing Frye. Being compared to Frye isn’t insulting, as he's one of the best long-range bigs in the league, but it short-changes Kaminsky's offense. When evaluating "Frank The Tank" as a prospect it's important to remember that he was super-effective from beyond the arc and in the paint, and in the latter portion of his senior season, he was dominating with off-the-dribble basket attacks and interior moves far more than he was with long-range shots.
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The Kaminsky-Frye comparison doesn't hold up when you place their '14-15 shot charts (via ShotAnalytics.com) side-by-side, because one is that of a multi-dimensional scorer, the other is one-note. Kaminsky's formula of paint points + top-of-arc/wing threes + midrange avoidance gives him a shot chart that looks more like a rich man's Kelly Olynyk or Draymond Green than it does a facsimile of Frye.
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6. Feel free to call Kaminsky the most efficient shooting and posting big man in the draft. His 1.051 PPP on post-ups this season was the best of any potential draftee with at least 100 post-up possessions in Synergy Sports Technology's database—and well ahead of Okafor and Towns:


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I still regard Okafor as this draft's best long-range prospect in the post. What he accomplished at his age and at that volume—posting up 8.4 times per game compared to Kaminsky's 4.7, with reasonable efficiency—leads me to believe that Jah will be a low-block monster in the NBA. But that's not the point of this chart. The point is to offer further proof that Kaminsky's value goes well beyond shooting. And the point of the next chart is to show that his value also extends into …
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7. ... the most under-appreciated part of Kaminsky's game: Playmaking. As Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote this week, defensive evolutions in the NBA are making "playmaking fours"—guys who can spot-up shoot but also make things happen off the bounce—more in-demand. Which bodes well for Frank, because it's exactly what he did this season at Wisconsin.
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Among the power forwards and centers likely to be drafted in 2015, Kaminsky had the most assists per 40 minutes, pace-adjusted, and he was the only big man with a positive Pure Point Rating—a John Hollinger-developed stat that assesses playmaking with this formula: 100 x (National Pace/Team Pace) x ([(Assists x 2/3)-Turnovers] / Minutes).
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How rare is it for an elite big man to come out of college with a positive Pure Point Rating? Well, in the past 10 drafts, there's only been one first-round pick 6'10" or taller with a PPR better than negative-1: Kentucky's Anthony Davis (-0.59 in '11-12), who's on a trajectory to win an MVP in the next 2-3 years. And there's been just one draftee 6'10" or taller with a better college PPR than Kaminsky's +0.47: Florida's Chandler Parsons (+0.82 in '10-11), who was a second-round steal by the Rockets and functions as a small forward.
 
Why doesn't anyone compare Frank to Money Memo?

He had a very underrated post game, very nice drive game, and of course an outstanding shot. In fact, he was as good as anyone offensively. It's having both him and Boozer that killed us defensively.

Seriously, Google Frank highlights and then Memo Okur highlights. Their games are EXACTLY the same. Having a Money Memo come off our bench would be fantastic.
 
Looney's mobility for a guy who can play the 4 is really good. He's not AK, but his mobility, IQ and versatility should make him successful in a system that spreads the floor, moves the ball and gives everyone the chance to make reads. I just don't see him scoring much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6es44VOuQQ


Something I like (and I think the Jazz like) is that he can grab a rebound and push the ball up the floor. He's a decent ball handler and can get the offense set up or make a play.
 
Something I like (and I think the Jazz like) is that he can grab a rebound and push the ball up the floor. He's a decent ball handler and can get the offense set up or make a play.

How about just signing Al Farouq Aminu...

Posted it before and I'll post it again; He can do most everything the Aaron Gordon supporters were hoping for - last year it would've cost a pittance, still will be a great value tho.


He proved his worth in that series vs Houston; making 3's (7 for 11) and defending Harden(even forced him to a 8 second halfcourt violation) without missing a step crashing the boards or filling the lanes.
 
I do like franks game. The post moves and patience are really good and his face up game is nice. Not many guys at his size attempt and make step back threes. The thing that concerns me with Kaminsky is his body. Hes only 230 lbs and not very explosive and fully grown. In the nba hes going to get pushed off the block and not have many straight lines to the hoop because hell get pushed off balance. Hell be a nice player but i dont think hell be versatile playmaking big. I think hell be a stretch big like olynyk or channing frye. Even then i have some reservations because in the game olynyk tore off kloves arm, he made an athletic play where he stole the ball and ran down court for a all-in-stride, off-one-leg jam in traffic. I remember hinking olynyk is more athletic than people give him credit for. Im not sure frank has olynyks level of athleticism. That said, he could be a good situational player in my opinion. I just dont love him at 12.
 
I think kaminsky can have a Channing frye effect on the jazz. I think that comparison is spot on.
That's a horrible comp!! All Frye does is spot up for threes. Kaminsky actually has a post up and face up game and has elite Hanes as a big man
How about just signing Al Farouq Aminu...

Posted it before and I'll post it again; He can do most everything the Aaron Gordon supporters were hoping for - last year it would've cost a pittance, still will be a great value tho.


He proved his worth in that series vs Houston; making 3's (7 for 11) and defending Harden(even forced him to a 8 second halfcourt violation) without missing a step crashing the boards or filling the lanes.
If he's sooooooo good why does he go from team to team. And even bad shooters get hot from time to time. Ur really stuck on him. Lmao
I do like franks game. The post moves and patience are really good and his face up game is nice. Not many guys at his size attempt and make step back threes. The thing that concerns me with Kaminsky is his body. Hes only 230 lbs and not very explosive and fully grown. In the nba hes going to get pushed off the block and not have many straight lines to the hoop because hell get pushed off balance. Hell be a nice player but i dont think hell be versatile playmaking big. I think hell be a stretch big like olynyk or channing frye. Even then i have some reservations because in the game olynyk tore off kloves arm, he made an athletic play where he stole the ball and ran down court for a all-in-stride, off-one-leg jam in traffic. I remember hinking olynyk is more athletic than people give him credit for. Im not sure frank has olynyks level of athleticism. That said, he could be a good situational player in my opinion. I just dont love him at 12.

If Olynyk is underrated then Kaminsky is very underrated athletically. Also Kaminsky is the same size as both Gasol and Dirk when they came out. I think he'll be fine.
 
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