Same opinion here. He is not my type of prospect, but he is still extremely impressive in the areas he’s good at. I actually can’t remember the last time we’ve had a prospect this good at pure shotmaking.
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Same opinion here. He is not my type of prospect, but he is still extremely impressive in the areas he’s good at. I actually can’t remember the last time we’ve had a prospect this good at pure shotmaking.
Some really strong NBA defenders are in the lower half of the wingspan percentiles. So I think I'd not use wingspan as a leading indicator for defensive potential, but just one of others.
My hope is for Flag or Harper with our pick obviously, but I want Johni Broome out of Auburn with the Wolves pick. I never hear much about him on here, but until his injury, he was arguably player of the year and now he is back and playing great again. Sure he is a senior, but he would be an amazing pickup in the late teens or early 20s.
I'm not sure there has ever been a good answer on how much wingspan actually matters. I think long wingspan is obviously better than a shorter one, but the extent to which it matters is unclear and it's also not clear when it's actually the primary thing driving success. I consider it and used to be one of those guys who would agonize over every measurement, but now I try to take a step back and evaluate the things that wingspan is supposed to help with. Same goes for other athletic/physical traits.
Tremendous Upside
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Jimmy Butler has a neutral or even slightly negative wingspan.
Hasn't bothered him at all on either side of the ball because prime Jimmy was crazy athletic.
I'm just watching his film and making a comment. It looks like VJ specifically could be a more effective defender if he had a longer wing span.
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VJ physically looks like a shrunk down Jimmy Butler... no analysis... I just find myself wanting to compare him to Jimmy because of it...
I think Vecenie threw out Gary Harris for VJ as a comp which makes some sense pre-injuries for Harris. Somewhere between +Gary Harris and Oladipo? The shooting turnaround has been a great thing.
I think Vecenie threw out Gary Harris for VJ as a comp which makes some sense pre-injuries for Harris. Somewhere between +Gary Harris and Oladipo? The shooting turnaround has been a great thing.
Park Bites
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I just saw a statistic for Nolan Traore he has an almost 45% assist rate. The only person in the NBA with significant time that he compares to is Trae Young. That is insane for an 18-year-old kid playing with grown-ups. I am hoping for Traore with the Minny pick but I do not think he will fall that far.
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With Ace its the BBIQ that worries me. It may not be bad but I think passing is an indicator there. If he is that kind of shot maker and his body fills out tho... I think you live with potentially bad BBIQ. He seems to play hard and have a motor. So does he have some Sexton vibes there... lovable but makes mistakes that drive control freak coaches crazy?
I'm in btw. I was skeptical when people were like "he's an elite shot maker" and then the percentages didn't line up. The percentages line up and the defense should be good simply with his activity and build.
Top 5 in this draft is super solid. I think Kas is the likely guy that falls to 5 because of his position.
I'm in btw. I was skeptical when people were like "he's an elite shot maker" and then the percentages didn't line up. The percentages line up and the defense should be good simply with his activity and build.
Top 5 in this draft is super solid. I think Kas is the likely guy that falls to 5 because of his position.
The top 3 are going to be Flagg, Harper and Bailey. Then 4-6 will probably be Kasparas, VJ and Tre Johnson in some order based on how they measure out and the team that's drafting in those spots.
Maybe Newell or Maluach can crash that group if they have an amazing pre-draft process, but they're more likely to go in the 7-10 range.
Park Bites
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I have also been doing research into Rocco Zacharsky and have liked him more and more. He comes from a swimming background with both of his parents either winning a medal or being in the Olympics. He was the top swimmer in his age group before playing basketball full-time. They also say that he has the potential to grow some more. He is a project at this point but flashes potential.
Even when he was struggling earlier in the year he was hitting 50% of his mid range which was a really high mark. I'm often skeptical when guys are labeled as tough shot makers when in reality all they do is just attempt them and make a couple for the highlight reel, but Ace was legitimately great all year at hitting shots....just terrible at getting to the more efficient was of scoring. Recently he's been much better at getting to and converting on the moreyball shots. Massive uptick in 3FG/FT attempts and percentage.
I think the concerns with Ace are very real, especially related to his overall basketball IQ. I will almost always prefer a player who creates premium shots for himself and teammates (like Harper), but Ace is legitimately awesome at hitting tough shots.