I think Kuzma is a second-round player. He had a nice scrimmage during the Combine and that will help him, but it's still early in the workout process and I think the 20-spot jump in mocks is an overreaction.
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It's not a reaction by me. I just think he is that good. I had him high before the combine, it was just a conformation of the talent that I saw at Utah. His game is just perfect for the modern NBA. One of the few PF's who can playmake off the dribble and moves like a SF w/ the ball in his hands and he measured out with ideal PF size (though he could put some muscle on for sure).
And IDK, I kind of just hate the mid to late first round for Utah. Not enough wings/guards to get super excited about. If the Jazz really needed some defensive bigs, it'd be great, but they dont really. We kind of have this dude named Gobert.
I'd get why someone would like Wilson over Kuzma though. Wilson is kind of like the defensive version of Kuzma's potential. He moves like a SF off-ball and has the length and bounce to be a great modern 4 defender. I like the form on Kuzma's jumper better though. Think it projects better to the 3pt line. I prefer one motion shooters with less movement in shot.
Honestly I wouldnt even be mad if they took Kuz and Wilson at 24/30. Get even wilder and play Wilson as a small ball 5. That would be an insane amount of speed and shooting on the court if you are running Lyles/Wilson or Kuzma/Wilson as the backup front-court. Think that could be the future for Jazz lineups. I could definitely get excited by that first round.
I would enter the season with Lyles/Bolomboy as the primary 4/5 backups and start Kuzma/Wilson in the D-League to get experience. If Lyles or Bolomboy arent performing at the level they should, call up one of them to take their rotation spot.
I would enter the season with Lyles/Bolomboy as the primary 4/5 backups and start Kuzma/Wilson in the D-League to get experience. If Lyles or Bolomboy arent performing at the level they should, call up one of them to take their rotation spot.
Wilson is the right combination of length, athleticism and shooting for the NBA PF.
There aren't many guys close to 6'11" who can shoot 37% from 3, can really run the floor, can finish with either hand and can also create some offense from mid-range. That's what makes him 'look' like a first-round player. He has a nice base of skills to build upon. That said, Wilson is a good athlete, not an awesome athlete. He's more fluid than fast-twitch. That limits his upside somewhat. I'd like to see him handle the ball more.
There aren't many guys close to 6'11" who can shoot 37% from 3, can really run the floor, can finish with either hand and can also create some offense from mid-range. That's what makes him 'look' like a first-round player. He has a nice base of skills to build upon. That said, Wilson is a good athlete, not an awesome athlete. He's more fluid than fast-twitch. That limits his upside somewhat. I'd like to see him handle the ball more.
I'd call him an awesome athlete. He cant create offense tho.
Jazz4ever
Well-Known Member
It's really hard to find a legit sized PF or center with a 3 point shot. Most don't have the extra distance in their shot. It often evolves many years later in their career if they do have it. Look at Frank Kaminsky, he was pretty deadly from 3 his last 2 years of college and was thought to be highly NBA ready. He is a 33% 3 point shooter in the NBA. That's why we were so excited about Lyles, but he turned out to be a tease.
Lydon, Wilson, Bolden, maybe Cy's guy Kuzma can shoot as 4s.
He can a bit, but he'll do a lot more if he can get stronger. Same situation for Lyles, for that matter.
I worry about Wilson's lack of rebounding. His 7 rebs/40 mins is too soft.
I think you are going to start seeing a lot more of it in the coming years.
If you can draft a PF who can a) shoot 3s and b) still rebound at a high rate, that is a very, very valuable player.