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Following potential 2013 draftees

Meanwhile, back on the Archie Goodwin bandwagon.....

Cliff: "Anyone else in this draft strike you as having All Star potential besides Archie and that Greek kid?"

Chester: "Mmmm...nope not really. Maybe if Shabazz or Zeller play in the Eastern Conference."

cue banjo music
 
For #14, I've got it down to Caldwell-Pope, Goodwin and Schroeder. If Schroeder is really on the same tier as the other two, I guess you'd pick him for positional need. Olynyk is probably gone at #14, and the role he'd play on the Jazz isn't that critical at this stage.

The Jazz are not going to draft Goodwin at 14, its completely out of the question, possibly 21.
 
I'm not saying the Jazz *will* take Goodwin. I'm just saying that based on talent alone and based on who is left in this draft, he is a top 5 - 8 prospect easily. He may not fit with the Jazz, but don't be surprised if he ends up being the next James Harden in a few years. You can quote this and rub it in my face if I'm wrong. If he's there at 21, then great. Latrell Sprewell was picked around that range.....then went on to be 1st team All NBA.
 
I'm not saying the Jazz *will* take Goodwin. I'm just saying that based on talent alone and based on who is left in this draft, he is a top 5 - 8 prospect easily. He may not fit with the Jazz, but don't be surprised if he ends up being the next James Harden in a few years. You can quote this and rub it in my face if I'm wrong.

The difference though between Goodwin vs James Harden, Eric Gordon, though is these guys can shoot the 3's with consistency, making their dribble drive game unstoppable.

#UnStoppable
 
The difference though between Goodwin vs James Harden, Eric Gordon, though is these guys can shoot the 3's with consistency, making their dribble drive game unstoppable.

#UnStoppable

Harden wasn't a great shooter when he first came into the league, and he didn't have much impact the first two years. I think Goodwin will get his shooting worked out. He's not far off. Goodwin is quicker and more explosive than both Eric Gordon and James Harden. I think Goodwin will also have a decent mid-range game. He's also potentially an elite defensive player.
 
Harden wasn't a great shooter when he first came into the league, and he didn't have much impact the first two years. I think Goodwin will get his shooting worked out. He's not far off. Goodwin is quicker and more explosive than both Eric Gordon and James Harden. I think Goodwin will also have a decent mid-range game. He's also potentially an elite defensive player.

Well Harden did shoot 36% from 3's his last year of college, hence the high pick I suppose.. Archie shot 27% by comparison.

Also Harden is one of the smartest player in the league in reading the defense & making plays... whether or not Archie can turn into that.. who knows?
 
Well Harden did shoot 36% from 3's his last year of college, hence the high pick I suppose.. Archie shot 27% by comparison.

Also Harden is one of the smartest player in the league in reading the defense & making plays... whether or not Archie can turn into that.. who knows?

These are good points. I think Goodwin's percentages were better at the beginning of the year though. Later on, he tried to force things, and part of this was because Noel got injured, Poythress was still passive, and Harrow was inconsistent as a PG. Goodwin was asked to do more offensively and as a creator than he was really ready to do as an 18 year-old freshman. It's worth seeing where he is mentally. The physical talent is unmistakable with size, wing-span, quickness, handle, aggression, endless motor, instinct, etc. If he has the right attitude and work ethic the ceiling is just really high.

You look at other prospects in this draft, and most of them have a significant flaw. Burke is undersized. Noel has little offensive game, is a bit of a tweener PF/C, and got injured. Shabazz is a one-way player. Bennett is too heavy to drag his butt all over the court like an SF all night, but he's too small to be a go-to PF. Carter-Williams can't shoot and doesn't have much change of pace. Porter is well-rounded, but doesn't stand out with any go-to skill. So maybe he ends up like a more skilled Jeff Green. The bigs are good, but not dominant. Oladipo doesn't create. The one guy you can't complain much about is McLemore, but he needs to be more assertive. Archie just stands out to me as someone who could be a game-changer. He's a prototypical 2-guard for today's game.

Don't assume that Kentucky was a stellar program this past year. The whole team was a reset and they underachieved. It's not all on Archie.
 
In a perfect world, I think Burks is a combo guard off the bench, but I could see a line-up with Burks, Goodwin and Hayward + our bigs. That could be vicious, actually.

I looked up Goodwin's stats for the first 15 games of the season. His 3-pt shooting was up and down, but he was 33% in that span. In other words, his shooting percentages were similar to Kobe Bryant this year, indicative of a guy who takes a lot of tough shots. He's still young and learning to shoot in rhythm though.

There's just a certain level of talent that separates great players from good players. It's mental toughness, instinct and explosiveness all put together. Archie seems to have at least the physical side. He needs good coaching and a good work ethic to be great.
 
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