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Elijah Hughes to the Jazz

Finally a draft where the Jazz take my guy.

2018 I wanted Donte Divincenzo. He was picked before we had a chance. He turned out to be good.

2019 I wanted Lu Dort. We passed 3 times. He turned out to be good.

2020 I wanted Elijah Hughes and we got Elijah Hughes. He'll be good.

He was top 20 on my board. One of the best steals of the night.
Did you see on Twitter that Tony Jones on his way-too-early predictions for the 2021 draft has targeted Chris Smith for the Jazz? (You were the one on the Smith train, weren't you?) Sounds good to me at this point, if he continues to make progress at UCLA.
 
There are other reasons from a basketball standpoint I don't like him but I would have to review some more video to remind me of why I didn't.

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I'm not high on Hughes. He's going to be one of those who looked good in college but not the NBA. Not athletic enough and I think he's a show off. His grades sucked in school too which might sound petty but I think it speaks to how professional he will be. Flame away.

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Time will tell and screaming after your shot is ok every once in a while but he does it too much. I am sure if it becomes an issue the guys will talk to him about it. I do not agree that he is not athletic enough. At least the film I saw showed more athleticism than I expected. He was getting by guys and showed good quickness and he was dunking on guys.
 
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Time will tell and screaming after your shot is ok every once in a while but he does it too much. I am sure if it because an issue the guys will talk to him about it. I do not agree that he is not athletic enough. At least the film I saw should more athleticism than I expected. He was getting by guys and showed good quickness and he was dunking on guys.

You're totally right. I got it pretty damn wrong. Those dunks, blocks and long threes were all nasty. He's got hops. I watched the wrong highlight video.
 
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lacks explosiveness to completely beat his defender with dribble. relies heavily on tough jump shots in his opponent's face. reminds me a bit of Jayson Tatum except not as long.
 
lacks explosiveness to completely beat his defender with dribble. relies heavily on tough jump shots in his opponent's face. reminds me a bit of Jayson Tatum except not as long.
Maybe, but uses his body and strength well when driving to the hoop. He’s could overwhelm quite a few of those smaller 2’s. Reminds me of Hood in that regard. I do think he’s more explosive than Hood, I hope. I’ve only seen highlights of course, but IMO he looks more athletic.
 
Maybe, but uses his body and strength well when driving to the hoop. He’s could overwhelm quite a few of those smaller 2’s. Reminds me of Hood in that regard. I do think he’s more explosive than Hood, I hope. I’ve only seen highlights of course, but IMO he looks more athletic.
Reminds me of Rodney Hood too. Tougher, healthier Hood. Im good with the Jazz taking a chance on him. Footage impressed me as much as the one of several lottery guys.
 
Maybe, but uses his body and strength well when driving to the hoop. He’s could overwhelm quite a few of those smaller 2’s. Reminds me of Hood in that regard. I do think he’s more explosive than Hood, I hope. I’ve only seen highlights of course, but IMO he looks more athletic.
Right, he's very similar to Hood in terms of settling for contested jumpers except Hood is longer which allows him to shoot over his defenders a bit more easily. But Elijah is much more explosive going downhill when he's given a clear path to the rim which reminds me of Tatum. But neither will ever become a true slasher who just blows by his defender at will like DM. The way Elijah plays is all depended upon how well he can shoot. If he can hit those tough jumpers in the NBA just as consistently as he did back in college despite the size disparity, I'd say he have the potential to become an instant offense off the bench just like JC and Hood. A big if though as Quin is not exactly known as a patient HC for boneheaded chuckers. Gotta save those airballs.
 
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Did you see on Twitter that Tony Jones on his way-too-early predictions for the 2021 draft has targeted Chris Smith for the Jazz? (You were the one on the Smith train, weren't you?) Sounds good to me at this point, if he continues to make progress at UCLA.
Yep I liked Smith before he withdrew. Really intriguing prospect.
 
lacks explosiveness to completely beat his defender with dribble. relies heavily on tough jump shots in his opponent's face. reminds me a bit of Jayson Tatum except not as long.
The value of Hughes is in his offensive versatility. I think his best skill is going to be his spot up shooting. He only shot 34% in college last season but that came on a high volume of tough looks. His form and touch are excellent. I really wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be one of the better shooters from this class. But he brings more than that to the table. Off the ball he's a pretty damn good cutter. He can also post smaller defenders. On the ball he has some self creation equity, he's capable of running a pick and roll if need be, and he's an extremely underrated passer. I think he has the ability to fit several different roles on a team. That's why I had him in the top 20 on my board.
 
Right, he's very similar to Hood in terms of settling for contested jumpers except Hood is longer which allows him to shoot over his defenders a bit more easily. But Elijah is much more explosive going downhill when he's given a clear path to the rim which reminds me of Tatum. But neither will ever become a true slasher who just blows by his defender at will like DM. The way Elijah plays is all depended upon how well he can shoot. If he can hit those tough jumpers in the NBA just as consistently as he did back in college despite the size disparity, I'd say he have the potential to become an instant offense off the bench just like JC and Hood. A big if though as Quin is not exactly known as a patient HC for boneheaded chuckers. Gotta save those airballs.

Good analysis. But comparing him to DM for blowing by a defender is comparing him to one of the best in history to do it. Donovan has almost no peers when he's on, so that's a tough comp.
 
Hughes was generally listed at 215 lbs. before the draft. The Combine measurements have him at 229 lbs (and 10+% body fat).

I'm sure that he needs to get in better shape, but curious what you all think as to whether his NBA fortune is to be back closer to 215 or whether he'll be able to play effectively at 225-230? Or in other words, are we getting a SG or a SF (though it likely doesn't really matter)?
 
Everything I read about Hughes reminded me a taller, longer of JWF. "Unreal range, 3 level scorer" who had to be the focal point of his teams offense. The Jazz hope that his lack of fg% is because he was being hounded as the focal point of his team's offense.
 
Everything I read about Hughes reminded me a taller, longer of JWF. "Unreal range, 3 level scorer" who had to be the focal point of his teams offense. The Jazz hope that his lack of fg% is because he was being hounded as the focal point of his team's offense.
I'd be more optimistic. A 6-6 JWF could have been pretty useful, for one thing. I also think Hughes has a better feel for the game apart from scoring than JWF does.

But it is true that Hughes success will likely be defined on whether he can become more than just a scorer.
 
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