Kendall Marshall - Our next PG Hope

[Dr. Jones]

I think it's funny that mocks usually have the Jazz picking one of three categories;

- a local guy
- a white guy/euro
- and sometimes over-reaching for a need (rather than BPA)

This one has two of the three in Lillard.

 

[The Midnight]

I don't know why I keep on repeating this but.....

Mock drafts this early mean absolutely nothing. Literally nothing. They're not even focused on what teams need yet.

My point was not the mock draft itself per se, it was more that in the overall draft ranking, they ranked Lillard above Rivers, Marshall and Wroten.

 

[Dr. Jones]

My point was not the mock draft itself per se, it was more that in the overall draft ranking, they ranked Lillard above Rivers, Marshall and Wroten.

Wroten is worthless as a PG.

If I were ranking who I would take of these four, I would go;

Rivers
Lillard
Marshall




Wroten

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

I'm just saying that Kendall Marshall reminds me too much of Marcus Williams from UConn.

That's not a great argument. I remember when Deron Williams was coming out one of the popular comparisons was to Mark Jackson. As we see now that's way off, plus one of his knocks were that he wasn't a good shooter. That is wrong as well. Gerald Green was in the same draft I think, he was compared to T-Mac.

Marshall looking like M. Williams doesn't mean he will have the same career as him.

 

[Hantlers]

That's not a great argument. I remember when Deron Williams was coming out one of the popular comparisons was to Mark Jackson. As we see now that's way off, plus one of his knocks were that he wasn't a good shooter. That is wrong as well. Gerald Green was in the same draft I think, he was compared to T-Mac.

Marshall looking like M. Williams doesn't mean he will have the same career as him.

I understand that comparisons generally are bullcrap and don't work well...I was more going towards the fact that Marcus Williams did the same things well that Marshall does (floor leader, great passer, ran the fast break well, good size) and had the same weaknesses (slow feet, bad defense, capitalizes off of having great teammates, bad shooter) and I feel like I can make a reasonable explanation towards the fact that those types of players don't work out well in the NBA anymore. Obviously there's always exceptions, but for the most part, you need to be a good athlete to be a good PG anymore.

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

Can we just draft both Rivers and Marshall. I've been wondering if the jazz have thought about holding on to all of it's main trading assets then using, say Al or Harris to buy an extra pick, like a mid first rounder to get Marshall, and still have there other picks. Do you guys think that's a possibility? There seems to be so many possibilities and senarios that could play out.

1. Just use the two picks they have.

2. Trade both picks for roll players and a higher pick.

3. Trade one pick plus a vet for a proven Allstar.

4. Trade both picks for a proven Allstar.

5. The senario I mentioned above.

This could be an exiting draft.

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

I understand that comparisons generally are bullcrap and don't work well...I was more going towards the fact that Marcus Williams did the same things well that Marshall does (floor leader, great passer, ran the fast break well, good size) and had the same weaknesses (slow feet, bad defense, capitalizes off of having great teammates, bad shooter) and I feel like I can make a reasonable explanation towards the fact that those types of players don't work out well in the NBA anymore. Obviously there's always exceptions, but for the most part, you need to be a good athlete to be a good PG anymore.

Williams was a good college player, but the traits he shares with Marshall aren't in the same ball park. Williams pg skills aren't even close to Marshall's.

 

[Hantlers]

Williams was a good college player, but the traits he shares with Marshall aren't in the same ball park. Williams pg skills aren't even close to Marshall's.

Even if they are better, Williams is out of the league because of his weaknesses. I think you have to take into serious consideration that Marshall will never be a top PG because of those weaknesses, he may never even be a starter.

 

[Weezur]

Watching the game yesterday and Marshall's defense didn't really seem like a weakness to me in that game. Obviously I need to watch a lot more, but if Marshall is so weak defensively, why not just keep going at him?

 

[Hantlers]

Watching the game yesterday and Marshall's defense didn't really seem like a weakness to me in that game. Obviously I need to watch a lot more, but if Marshall is so weak defensively, why not just keep going at him?

Outside of Rivers, Duke has nobody who can create. Of course, Marshall rarely guarded Rivers, so he didn't have much trouble. Another reason is that due to UNC's two bigs (Henson and Zeller), it makes it difficult to drive into the lane, which most college players do since they don't have a mid-range game. Thus, making it seem like Marshall is a good defender. He isn't, trust me.

 

[Favors Flave]

Outside of Rivers, Duke has nobody who can create. Of course, Marshall rarely guarded Rivers, so he didn't have much trouble. Another reason is that due to UNC's two bigs (Henson and Zeller), it makes it difficult to drive into the lane, which most college players do since they don't have a mid-range game. Thus, making it seem like Marshall is a good defender. He isn't, trust me.

Well, he would have Favors and Kanter along with two young decent defenders in Burks and Hayward. Another thing is everyone said Burks' defense was awful and look at it this year. I'd consider him one of the Jazz's best on ball defenders and probably does the best job of denying a pass and anticipating to get steals

 

[The Midnight]

Wroten is worthless as a PG.

If I were ranking who I would take of these four, I would go;

Rivers
Lillard
Marshall




Wroten

Fair assessment, but since Rivers isn't likely to declare.....

 

[Hantlers]

Well, he would have Favors and Kanter along with two young decent defenders in Burks and Hayward. Another thing is everyone said Burks' defense was awful and look at it this year. I'd consider him one of the Jazz's best on ball defenders and probably does the best job of denying a pass and anticipating to get steals

Yes but Burks always had the potential to be great at defense due to his good wingspan, lateral quickness and athleticism. Marshall might have a decent wingspan, but is not quick by any means....can you picture him guarding any good guards? If you think Harris/Watson are bad at defense...Marshall is much, much worse.

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

Yes but Burks always had the potential to be great at defense due to his good wingspan, lateral quickness and athleticism. Marshall might have a decent wingspan, but is not quick by any means....can you picture him guarding any good guards? If you think Harris/Watson are bad at defense...Marshall is much, much worse.

You do know that you don't need to be athletic to be a good defender as long as you use the right fundamentals. Yes, quickness helps, but not required. Defense is more mental toughness, anticipation, and desire more then anything else.

Marshall didn't guard Rivere that much, but the few times he did, he did a good job. There was one time when Marshall was guardian Rivers, Rvers tried to put on two or three moves, and Marshall cut him off each time, and didn't let Rivers get by him, eventually Rivers passed it off. Don't just assume Marshall can't guard anyone just because he isn't quick.

 

[The Thriller]

Well, he would have Favors and Kanter along with two young decent defenders in Burks and Hayward. Another thing is everyone said Burks' defense was awful and look at it this year. I'd consider him one of the Jazz's best on ball defenders and probably does the best job of denying a pass and anticipating to get steals

I think anytime you participate in a defensive assessment of someone and use his teammates in efforts to compensate for his deficiencies, then you've already lost the argument.

Lets call it what it is. Marshall sucks at defense. He doesn't have the athleticism to stay in front of most point guards.

Personally, I think we should pass. We shouldn't EVER draft someone thinking that their defensive deficiencies can be negated by Favors or Kanter. Here's a crazy idea, DRAFT SOMEONE WHO CAN PLAY BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL.

We don't need any more defensive liabilities.

 

[Dr. Jones]

amen.

 

[The Thriller]

It's not just that. He has excellent vision and throws the right pass almost every time. He makes great passes that just thread the needle perfectly or throws a great alley oop or a pass where only his guy can get it. He'll throw a pass perfectly from the other end of the court to a guy running the fast break for a basket. Not many guys can do it with the accuracy and timing that he does it with

Cool.

His passing and court vision are good.

But think of the negatives!

It's time for some jazz fans to break out of this conservative shell. And go with the BPA.

What else does Marshall do? Can he shoot? Can he score? Can he create? Can he rebound? Can he play the passing lanes? How well does he fight through screens? Can he play defense? How does he move his feet?

I'm sorry, but throwing lob passes to Harrison Barnes doesn't equate a GREAT PG.

Lets consider those "other" aspects of the game. And quite honestly, I don't think he's that impressive.

People keep bringing up Rondo... rondo has some unbelievable athleticism, toughness, length, and instinct for the game.

Comparing Marshall to Rondo is like comparing Kris Kardasian to Karl Malone. Just because they have.... maybe one single similarity (like the inability to shoot) doesn't mean they're similar at all.

 

[Hantlers]

You do know that you don't need to be athletic to be a good defender as long as you use the right fundamentals. Yes, quickness helps, but not required. Defense is more mental toughness, anticipation, and desire more then anything else.

Marshall didn't guard Rivere that much, but the few times he did, he did a good job. There was one time when Marshall was guardian Rivers, Rvers tried to put on two or three moves, and Marshall cut him off each time, and didn't let Rivers get by him, eventually Rivers passed it off. Don't just assume Marshall can't guard anyone just because he isn't quick.

You're not understanding me, I'm not assuming Marshall can't defend because he isn't quick, I know he can't defend because he isn't quick. I've seen UNC play more than once. In fact, I've watched almost all of their games. Marshall is a terrible defender, if you go out and actually watch him play more than one game I'm sure you'll see the same thing...if it was just me seeing this, I would understand you not believing me. However it's not just me, everybody else says the same thing. Open up your eyes.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Whenever I have watched Marshall play I've been impressed with his defense.

On the defensive end, Marshall will again face questions because of his lack of physical tools, but he can make up for some of his limitations with his smarts, effort, and good instincts. He'll likely never be a standout defensively, but he appears to be a guy who will maximize what he has and will be able to get by.

That is what DX said about his defense on their latest write up about him.

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

This^ I'm not saying he's a great defender, but I don't think he's Boozer defensively at the pg position.