jazzrule
Well-Known Member
Mods with so little to talk about you might want to sticky this. In next years draft I see us going for a small forward and a point guard. Here are the small forwards first, which should go close to the GS pick range in 2012:
Michael Gilchrist – Kentucky, 6’ 7”, 221 lbs.
August 14, 2009
It would have been nice to see a lot more of Michael Gilchrist, considered by many to be arguably the best long-term prospect in high school basketball. Unfortunately we’ll have to stick with an initial first impression after seeing some small glimpses. Thankfully for us, though, Gilchrist is only 15 years old, meaning we’ll have plenty of opportunities to evaluate him down the road.
Gilchrist passes the eye test on first glance, showing great size for the wing position at 6-6 to go along with an excellent frame and a reported 7-foot wingspan. He doesn’t wow you with his athleticism initially (clearly he is still growing into his full athletic potential at this point), but seems to be a very smooth player overall and displays excellent body control, which helped him make a couple of very impressive plays, though.
Gilchrist has an extremely versatile game for such a young player, as he can do a little bit of everything at this point. He appears to have some point forward skills, showing nice court vision and an excellent feel for the game. He can post up his man but also break down the defense off the dribble, being capable of making shots from the perimeter, despite sporting a slow, fairly ugly release on his jumper. His ball-handling skills are improvable as you might imagine considering the stage of development he’s currently at.
Defensively, Gilchrist is extremely active and competitive, which is not something you find in most young star players this age, and leaves a lot of room for optimism regarding his future development. He seems to have a great demeanor on the court, not being afraid to step up in important situations, but also not trying to impose himself excessively on the game. He seemed to take pride in crashing the offensive glass in the games we saw.
Talent evaluators seem to unanimously agree that Gilchrist is an extremely special prospect with tremendous natural gifts. The challenge for him now will be to continue to play with the same type of fire that has allowed him to rise to the top of his high school class, and continue to work on his all-around game. That’s not going to be easy considering how early the spotlight came for Gilchrist, as history hasn’t always been all that kind to prospects who were “discovered” so early. We’ll have to see how he continues to develop, and we’re sure we’ll be talking plenty more about him in the coming year.
Terrance Jones of Kentucky. He is who I wanted at 12 this year before he decided not to come out. I am keeping a close eye on Derrick Williams at small forward if we have basketball this year, as Jones is about the same size as Williams at 6' 8" 244 lbs. Jones is a lefty and reminds me of Odom a lot. I figure everyone is familiar with him, so I will not cover him further here. Think we can do better in next years draft.
Quincy Miller - Baylor, 6' 10", 210 lbs.
Because of his outstanding overall skill level Miller is one of the most versatile players in the 2011 class. As a 6'10 wing player his potential and upside are phenomenal as he combines size, athleticism and a good basketball I.Q. into a difficult match-up at any level. He has the ability to score inside-out showing that he is adept at playing with his back to the basket or facing up. He can knock it down behind the arc and is a good play maker off the dribble. He is also a very good rebounder and shot blocker when he puts his mind to it.
Adonis Thomas - Memphis, 6 ' 7", 217 lbs.
(#9 Scout, #15 Rivals, #8 ESPN) is one of the most improved players in this class relative to the last time we saw him in Germany. He's made noticeable improvements in his skill-level and his feel for the game, in turn establishing himself as one of the most promising prospects in the 2011 high school class.
Thomas is still the same incredibly impressive prospect physically, measuring nearly 6-7 in shoes at the Nike Hoop Summit with a near 7-foot wingspan. At 217 pounds, he comes into college ready to play from Day One. He's extremely physical in the post, can lock down positions 2-4 effectively and is an excellent rebounder—making him a very versatile player.
Where Thomas has progressed the most is in his spot-up shooting. He looks quite a bit more consistent with his feet set than we remembered him being. He has a compact, fundamentally sound stroke that will continue to get more consistent with repetition. Off the dribble, Thomas is not quite there yet, though. His accuracy drops considerably when pulling up.
As a shot creator, Thomas can beat his man off the dribble with a powerful first step. He can also finish through contact with his mature frame, particularly in transition, where he truly excels. He still has work to do on his ball-handling skills, though. He struggles to change direction and does not possess much in the way of advanced moves in half-court settings.
Thomas is an unselfish player with excellent intangibles. He's lauded not just for his on-court exploits, but also for academic prowess. He still has plenty of room to grow as a basketball player, particularly on the offensive end, but there's no reason to believe he can't reach his full potential.
One of the 4 above should be there for us in the eleven/twelve pick range.
If we finish about the same next year record wise we would be picking around pick 12, so after getting a small forward we need a young point guard. As far a point guards to go with one of the small forwards above, I would be looking at these:
Marquis Teague - Kentucky 6' 2", 178 lbs.
Teague is the top rated lead guard in the 2011 class. With Teague, it starts with his speed and athleticism. He loves to push the tempo and he knows how to slice through the defense to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. His ball handling is impressive, as is his vision and passing ability. His brother -- Jeff Teague -- was a late bloomer and he's tracking ahead of his Wake Forest sibling at the same stage.
Myck Kabongo - Texas, 6" 2", 160 lbs.
Both a verbal leader and leader by example, Kabongo is the quintessential quarterback at the point guard position. He is quick with the ball and has a great feel for creating shots for teammates. He is also a terrific on the ball defender who seems to always be in the right position when away from the ball. Still in the process of proving himself as a scorer, Kabongo, nonetheless, commands respect from his defender.
Austin Rivers - Duke 6' 4", 175 lbs. Combo guard
A big time scoring threat, Rivers specializes at scoring off pull up jumpers from behind the arc and off a quick first step to his right. He also has an array of finishes going to the basket. His high basketball IQ also makes him a dangerous passer. On the defensive end, he does have room for improvement.
At least one of these three point guards above should be there around the 11th or 12th pick range. Who do you like, and why? Do you think they will be in the pick 11/12 range, or would they require using a player/players to trade up?
Going on vacation to Hong Kong, and just wanted to leave the board something while I am gone.
Michael Gilchrist – Kentucky, 6’ 7”, 221 lbs.
August 14, 2009
It would have been nice to see a lot more of Michael Gilchrist, considered by many to be arguably the best long-term prospect in high school basketball. Unfortunately we’ll have to stick with an initial first impression after seeing some small glimpses. Thankfully for us, though, Gilchrist is only 15 years old, meaning we’ll have plenty of opportunities to evaluate him down the road.
Gilchrist passes the eye test on first glance, showing great size for the wing position at 6-6 to go along with an excellent frame and a reported 7-foot wingspan. He doesn’t wow you with his athleticism initially (clearly he is still growing into his full athletic potential at this point), but seems to be a very smooth player overall and displays excellent body control, which helped him make a couple of very impressive plays, though.
Gilchrist has an extremely versatile game for such a young player, as he can do a little bit of everything at this point. He appears to have some point forward skills, showing nice court vision and an excellent feel for the game. He can post up his man but also break down the defense off the dribble, being capable of making shots from the perimeter, despite sporting a slow, fairly ugly release on his jumper. His ball-handling skills are improvable as you might imagine considering the stage of development he’s currently at.
Defensively, Gilchrist is extremely active and competitive, which is not something you find in most young star players this age, and leaves a lot of room for optimism regarding his future development. He seems to have a great demeanor on the court, not being afraid to step up in important situations, but also not trying to impose himself excessively on the game. He seemed to take pride in crashing the offensive glass in the games we saw.
Talent evaluators seem to unanimously agree that Gilchrist is an extremely special prospect with tremendous natural gifts. The challenge for him now will be to continue to play with the same type of fire that has allowed him to rise to the top of his high school class, and continue to work on his all-around game. That’s not going to be easy considering how early the spotlight came for Gilchrist, as history hasn’t always been all that kind to prospects who were “discovered” so early. We’ll have to see how he continues to develop, and we’re sure we’ll be talking plenty more about him in the coming year.
Terrance Jones of Kentucky. He is who I wanted at 12 this year before he decided not to come out. I am keeping a close eye on Derrick Williams at small forward if we have basketball this year, as Jones is about the same size as Williams at 6' 8" 244 lbs. Jones is a lefty and reminds me of Odom a lot. I figure everyone is familiar with him, so I will not cover him further here. Think we can do better in next years draft.
Quincy Miller - Baylor, 6' 10", 210 lbs.
Because of his outstanding overall skill level Miller is one of the most versatile players in the 2011 class. As a 6'10 wing player his potential and upside are phenomenal as he combines size, athleticism and a good basketball I.Q. into a difficult match-up at any level. He has the ability to score inside-out showing that he is adept at playing with his back to the basket or facing up. He can knock it down behind the arc and is a good play maker off the dribble. He is also a very good rebounder and shot blocker when he puts his mind to it.
Adonis Thomas - Memphis, 6 ' 7", 217 lbs.
(#9 Scout, #15 Rivals, #8 ESPN) is one of the most improved players in this class relative to the last time we saw him in Germany. He's made noticeable improvements in his skill-level and his feel for the game, in turn establishing himself as one of the most promising prospects in the 2011 high school class.
Thomas is still the same incredibly impressive prospect physically, measuring nearly 6-7 in shoes at the Nike Hoop Summit with a near 7-foot wingspan. At 217 pounds, he comes into college ready to play from Day One. He's extremely physical in the post, can lock down positions 2-4 effectively and is an excellent rebounder—making him a very versatile player.
Where Thomas has progressed the most is in his spot-up shooting. He looks quite a bit more consistent with his feet set than we remembered him being. He has a compact, fundamentally sound stroke that will continue to get more consistent with repetition. Off the dribble, Thomas is not quite there yet, though. His accuracy drops considerably when pulling up.
As a shot creator, Thomas can beat his man off the dribble with a powerful first step. He can also finish through contact with his mature frame, particularly in transition, where he truly excels. He still has work to do on his ball-handling skills, though. He struggles to change direction and does not possess much in the way of advanced moves in half-court settings.
Thomas is an unselfish player with excellent intangibles. He's lauded not just for his on-court exploits, but also for academic prowess. He still has plenty of room to grow as a basketball player, particularly on the offensive end, but there's no reason to believe he can't reach his full potential.
One of the 4 above should be there for us in the eleven/twelve pick range.
If we finish about the same next year record wise we would be picking around pick 12, so after getting a small forward we need a young point guard. As far a point guards to go with one of the small forwards above, I would be looking at these:
Marquis Teague - Kentucky 6' 2", 178 lbs.
Teague is the top rated lead guard in the 2011 class. With Teague, it starts with his speed and athleticism. He loves to push the tempo and he knows how to slice through the defense to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. His ball handling is impressive, as is his vision and passing ability. His brother -- Jeff Teague -- was a late bloomer and he's tracking ahead of his Wake Forest sibling at the same stage.
Myck Kabongo - Texas, 6" 2", 160 lbs.
Both a verbal leader and leader by example, Kabongo is the quintessential quarterback at the point guard position. He is quick with the ball and has a great feel for creating shots for teammates. He is also a terrific on the ball defender who seems to always be in the right position when away from the ball. Still in the process of proving himself as a scorer, Kabongo, nonetheless, commands respect from his defender.
Austin Rivers - Duke 6' 4", 175 lbs. Combo guard
A big time scoring threat, Rivers specializes at scoring off pull up jumpers from behind the arc and off a quick first step to his right. He also has an array of finishes going to the basket. His high basketball IQ also makes him a dangerous passer. On the defensive end, he does have room for improvement.
At least one of these three point guards above should be there around the 11th or 12th pick range. Who do you like, and why? Do you think they will be in the pick 11/12 range, or would they require using a player/players to trade up?
Going on vacation to Hong Kong, and just wanted to leave the board something while I am gone.
