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Kemba Walker vs Brandon Knight

Which player do you like better for the Jazz?

  • Kemba Walker

    Votes: 11 19.6%

  • Brandon Knight

    Votes: 45 80.4%
  • Total voters
    56
Guitaro

Guitaro

Well-Known Member
I know there's a lot of posts about both, but I wanted to talk specifically about these two guys:

Kemba Walker
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What impresses me about Kemba, is how calm and confident he is. He knows how to pace himself and turn it on when the team needs it. I loved how he made all the big plays needed to help his team win the NCAA Championship. To me, his demeanor on the court, as well as his intensity, would make him a great leader on a young team. He encourages through clapping but mostly through his actions and toughness. I compare him to a mix between Billups and Wade with a little Iverson and Tim Hardaway toughness and moves on the drive.

Brandon Knight
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Is a great shooter and scorer. He has great one-on-one moves and is clutch against tough defenders. He seems like a very likable guy. I do think he'd fit in really well with our community and locker room. He also seems intelligent and well-spoken.

However, to me, he's really a shooting guard that doesn't lead as much, especially when faced against a greater opponent. He seemed to disappear, even though he still got good stats. He does know how to make great passes, he just doesn't do it enough. He makes mental mistakes more than he should and along with that is turnover prone. I compare him to Devin Harris and a bit of John Wall but a bit bigger.

Which would I choose?
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Kemba Walker. I think he's going to do great things on the next level. He doesn't get rattled and stays focused. Yes, he does take some ill-advised shots sometimes, but I think when you're the team's #1 option, the pressure tends to make you take forced shots when you feel noone else can do it.

Is Walker worth the #3 pick?
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Projections have him all across the board from #3-8. Personally, I think he's worth it. However, when you consider the value of the players ahead of him, then you have to decide where his value is and what trade you can make to get down where you need to get him.

Otherwise, it might be more wise to trade up to get him. Then, use the #3 pick on the BPA or in a trade for another piece. However, that's another discussion. Although, I'll give you a hint. His initials are D.W. ;)

There you are. I really like Kemba Walker for our PG. Thanks for reading. :cool:
 
Done. I thought it'd be best to ask which would be better for the Jazz. Every team has different needs. Some teams might like a scoring point guard better if they have a passing forward or shooting guard. The great thing is, both players are going to be great scorers. In reality, I don't think the Jazz would really lose with either player.
 
Either one would be fine. But not at #3. Jazz must take whoever is left of Irving, Williams, Kanter at #3.
If Irving does drop to three that solves the PG dilemma.
If not then Jazz have to figure another way to get Knight or Walker in this draft.
Slight chance Walker is available at #12 or move up high enough to get either one.
Jazz would then have an A+ type draft.
 
I really like Kemba and think he'll be similar to CP3 - also not much difference on size. BUT I don't think he's a guy that will stick with the Jazz long term. Don't know if that matters. They can always trade him before his contracts up ala Deron.

I've been too hard on Knight. I think he'd fit in with the Jazz really well and the community would love him. While I'm not as down on him as it seems, I justt don't want the Jazz to be married to him.

So I dunno. I'd probably pass on both of them. I'm fine with Harris next year, and I would love to Earl back. I thought he ran the offense well.
 
slc, I agree. I would prefer the Jazz get Derrick Williams at #3 or maybe Kanter. However, Kanter seems a bit tempermental for my tastes. Maybe he's been getting bad advice on what to say? Of course, there are those rumors about the Jazz getting picks all over the place. Although, even if the Jazz had the #1 pick. I'm not 100% sold on Irving. He's a better passer than either Walker or Knight, but I see him as a bit frail and not as tough. Plus, his body fat is around 10%. That's not what I call an elite athlete. Yes, he can improve that, but that also tells me that his work ethic isn't as professional. Derrick Williams also has a high body fat but bulk isn't as bad at the bigger positions. That said, if we had the #1 and #4, I'd go Williams and Kemba or perhaps trade the #4 down and pick up future pick(s) plus Kemba.
 
One thing Kemba Walker impressed during the NCAA title run was the recognition of whether he had the hot hands. He would start off testing it to see if his shots will fall. If his shots were falling early, he would go into attack mode until the defense adjusted. If the shots weren't falling, he would calm down, set up his teammates and be a decoy. Also, he would for sure be a Lakers killer if the Lakers starters return.

Having said that, I would still give Knight the edge, as he is 2 years younger and got the size advantage.
 
BENTLEY said:
I really like Kemba and think he'll be similar to CP3 - also not much difference on size. BUT I don't think he's a guy that will stick with the Jazz long term. Don't know if that matters. They can always trade him before his contracts up ala Deron.

I've been too hard on Knight. I think he'd fit in with the Jazz really well and the community would love him. While I'm not as down on him as it seems, I justt don't want the Jazz to be married to him.

So I dunno. I'd probably pass on both of them. I'm fine with Harris next year, and I would love to Earl back. I thought he ran the offense well.
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That's a good point. Kemba's interview did seem a bit like one of the guys that doesn't care where he goes cuz he'll just be a free agent in a few years and then go where he wants. One thing Kemba needs to realize is that it's never that easy. Regardless, I still think Kemba would be worth the risk.

However, if that's too much of a risk then the Jazz could just stick with Harris and Earl and focus more on getting scoring help at other positions. Speaking of, many sites believe that the Jazz would be dangerous if they were to get Derrick Williams.
 
Zerol said:
One thing Kemba Walker impressed during the NCAA title run was the recognition of whether he had the hot hands. He would start off testing it to see if his shots will fall. If his shots were falling early, he would go into attack mode until the defense adjusted. If the shots weren't falling, he would calm down, set up his teammates and be a decoy. Also, he would for sure be a Lakers killer if the Lakers starters return.

Having said that, I would still give Knight the edge, as he is 2 years younger and got the size advantage.
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That is true. He could shore up his weaknesses and end up being a solid true PG. I just think that he duplicates what we already have in Devin Harris. I think it's important to have two types of point guards on your team. When one doesn't work well against a particular defense then you plug in the other type and run with that.
 
I guess what it really comes down to is mental toughness. Both players are great at what they do. I just think Kemba is more solid mentally. It's the way he carries himself on the court, especially during big games. He's the type of guy that gets you the big scores when a playoff game is on the line. Knight has shown that he's more raw and turns it over. It really becomes the biggest difference between a win and a loss, when talent is comparable.
 
I have questions about both of them. The thing that concerns me about Knight, (in the limited time I've listened to him or watched him ) he reminds me of CJ Miles. A bit timid, hesitant. Sure he'd be a great community guy but will he be able to lead the team? Winning in the NBA can be just as much about personality as it is physical mesurments.

I have a small sample size and he is young so maybe there's nothing to it.

Kemba troubles me. I like shooters, I like winners. So I don't know why he is not ranked higher on everyone's board. Yes, he is shorter than Knight, yes this draft is a confussing mess at the top. But why is the National Champion, who played on the National FIBA team, who showed he can shoot lights out not projected higher than Jan Vesely? Since his resume looks good I assume there are problems in the interview. My gut tells me proceed with caution.
 
Kemba does so many things better out there on the court. Chad ford chat did mention that the jazz where high on him. I think people are way too big on Kanter,knight and dwill 2 when they might be good players but are they going to be any better then what we have? Dwill looks like he might be better then sap but kanter better the favors or aj? I wanted to watch knight more other then the few games i watched but he looked so much like a back up player to me/ I seen a few things on him but I did not see what the big deal was with him. Kemba i enjoyed watching what he does on the court very much and how he could help a team out. His cross over move is going to be a killer much like what we had before. He is going to be very smart using his body getting to the line. Both players seem to move pretty good without the ball and need to work on their shot a lot better. I was on the knight side before but after watching what each player brings kemba adds more to the team right now. knight is a question mark to me. Biggest thing I did see on kemba is he seems to want to win.
 
mellow said:
I have questions about both of them. The thing that concerns me about Knight, (in the limited time I've listened to him or watched him ) he reminds me of CJ Miles. A bit timid, hesitant. Sure he'd be a great community guy but will he be able to lead the team? Winning in the NBA can be just as much about personality as it is physical mesurments.

I have a small sample size and he is young so maybe there's nothing to it.

Kemba troubles me. I like shooters, I like winners. So I don't know why he is not ranked higher on everyone's board. Yes, he is shorter than Knight, yes this draft is a confussing mess at the top. But why is the National Champion, who played on the National FIBA team, who showed he can shoot lights out not projected higher than Jan Vesely? Since his resume looks good I assume there are problems in the interview. My gut tells me proceed with caution.
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?? I don't understand your logic in this comparison.
 
shadler said:
Kemba does so many things better out there on the court. Chad ford chat did mention that the jazz where high on him. I think people are way too big on Kanter,knight and dwill 2 when they might be good players but are they going to be any better then what we have? Dwill looks like he might be better then sap but kanter better the favors or aj? I wanted to watch knight more other then the few games i watched but he looked so much like a back up player to me/ I seen a few things on him but I did not see what the big deal was with him. Kemba i enjoyed watching what he does on the court very much and how he could help a team out. His cross over move is going to be a killer much like what we had before. He is going to be very smart using his body getting to the line. Both players seem to move pretty good without the ball and need to work on their shot a lot better. I was on the knight side before but after watching what each player brings kemba adds more to the team right now. knight is a question mark to me. Biggest thing I did see on kemba is he seems to want to win.
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Exactly my point. We need players who want to win but aren't total whiners either. lol

There are a couple reasons why Kemba isn't rated higher:
1) Size - He was listed at 5'11". However, now he's correctly listed at 6'1". Did he grow or incorrect college measurement?

2) Interview? - I suppose some teams are looking for more good guys these days. Knight interviews well and comes across as a great locker room guy. Kemba maybe isn't as eloquent and maybe seems more direct, but I think that his game shows that he's more of the type of guy that speaks on the court. I'm not saying he's dumb. I just think he's more of a physical guy that communicates more with his body than with his mouth. Even so, he's still very well spoken. Just saying it could be a possibility when teams compare the different point guards. Irving, for example, comes across as a franchise-type spokesperson along with someone we all know well, in Fredette.
 
Dwill_PwnasaurasRex said:
?? I don't understand your logic in this comparison.
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It's ironic how "mellow" is talking about how mellow Knight and CJ Miles appear to be on the court. ;)

In other words, he's saying that they both tend to be inconsistent in their tenacity. They can really turn it on and be great at times. Other times, they seem to be rather passive and just go through the motions. We really don't need another guy like that. We need guys who are self-motivated and can get other guys going.

EDIT: Knight sure proved that wrong with his workout with us. He seems like a true professional. That bodes well for his and his future team's success.
 
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Thanks guitaro thats what I was getting at. Knight wasn't the emotional leader of thier team, and like CJ he teases you into believing he could be great, the physical skills are there, but they lack something. The 'it' factor.

BTW, mellow is nick name from long ago, it was granted to me because I was so high strung.
 
Let's spice this up a bit and inject a little Jimmer talk. (Hope you don't mind, Guitaro).

Let's really look at Fredette. Does he have leadership qualities that you're looking for in a PG? Does anyone think he can be a starting PG, or is he just a backup? What are the things lacking in Fredette's game that he will need to develop, or are they things he can't develop?

The thing is - Fredette can be had at 12, whereas both Knight and Kemba will be gone.
 
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