2023 NBA Draft Megathread

[Handlogten's Heros]

I dont think playing from perimeter means he has to sit in the corner. You can cut from the perimeter.

One of the best places to crash from is the corner as well.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Yeah….you don’t draft rookies for their first year but you do expect some players to be able to contribute quicker than others. You’re not drafting them only to contribute early, but there is an expectation that they are better out the gate and are safer picks.

IMO, Hendricks was a “safe” prospect because while it was very easy to imagine him having some kind of role in the NBA, it was very hard for me to imagine him being much more than that. But hey, this is the 9th pick in the draft so it’s not terrible to have a guy you feel good about being a strong role player. In theory, every team needs what TH could be.

But like you, I am sort of confused as to what the Jazz saw in Hendricks….because it definitely was not what I saw in him.

I mean I think it’s easy to see what they were going for… get a super role player like an OG Anunoby and it’s quite valuable. I think they likely wanted to take a bigger swing but you take what’s left in the board. There are sometimes those super role players break out and give you more or get so good at the things they do they have like an AS impact.

You are also looking to preserve the asset (the 9th pick) so take a pg or center or guy that doesn’t project as a shooter and it’s a worse asset. Taking a rangy wing that had a decent draft stock will retain its value even if it’s slightly disappointing to start off. He projects as the type of player anyone could use if he develops.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I mean I think it’s easy to see what they were going for… get a super role player like an OG Anunoby and it’s quite valuable. I think they likely wanted to take a bigger swing but you take what’s left in the board. There are sometimes those super role players break out and give you more or get so good at the things they do they have like an AS impact.

You are also looking to preserve the asset (the 9th pick) so take a pg or center or guy that doesn’t project as a shooter and it’s a worse asset. Taking a rangy wing that had a decent draft stock will retain its value even if it’s slightly disappointing to start off. He projects as the type of player anyone could use if he develops.

An example of the trade value thing is Patrick Williams. Disappointed for multiple years with Meh play… still had value. Now his value maybe not a lot but teams can get excited about the potential of a 6-9 guy with some shooting ability.

If we trade for a star it’s likely a mix of picks and a young prospect. My guess is Taylor has quite a bit more value than Ochai and is less critical to our future than Keyonte.

 

[stitches]

Yeah….you don’t draft rookies for their first year but you do expect some players to be able to contribute quicker than others. You’re not drafting them only to contribute early, but there is an expectation that they are better out the gate and are safer picks.

IMO, Hendricks was a “safe” prospect because while it was very easy to imagine him having some kind of role in the NBA, it was very hard for me to imagine him being much more than that. But hey, this is the 9th pick in the draft so it’s not terrible to have a guy you feel good about being a strong role player. In theory, every team needs what TH could be.

But like you, I am sort of confused as to what the Jazz saw in Hendricks….because it definitely was not what I saw in him.

To me the confusion is doubled - first because of how I saw him vs how they supposedly see him and then... the constant hints that suggest they didn't even like him that much to begin with... and they still drafted him this high. I just don't know what to think.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

To me the confusion is doubled - first because of how I saw him vs how they supposedly see him and then... the constant hints that suggest they didn't even like him that much to begin with... and they still drafted him this high. I just don't know what to think.

I mean, they liked him more than Keyonte.

There's just so much you can know before you see a guy play 5 on 5 against actual NBA players.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

I would give Scoot some time to develop. It takes time for lead guards to really hit their stride, and Scoot isn't even playing right now. Keyonte isn't really like Scoot, but he's showing he can play comfortably at the 1.

Scoot is too small and can't shoot AT ALL.

Portland made a massive mistake.

The end.

 

[stitches]

I mean, they liked him more than Keyonte.

There's just so much you can know before you see a guy play 5 on 5 against actual NBA players.

THey did... barely.

I've never seen any GM go out after draft night and say - you know what... that guy we got... he was our last resort/worst case scenario. Very exciting, eh?

 

[sip]

Yeah, that ain’t happening. We can come back to this in a few years for a good laugh.

It is definitely happening.

 

[Elizah Huge]

It is definitely happening.

Yeah, I don’t think you understand how hard it is to be a 20 PPG scorer for the whole season.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

THey did... barely.

I've never seen any GM go out after draft night and say - you know what... that guy we got... he was our last resort/worst case scenario. Very exciting, eh?

I mean, I do think we are blowing that out of proportion a bit. If we said that about a guy we got at 20 it'd be a bit crazier

 

[fishonjazz]

THey did... barely.

I've never seen any GM go out after draft night and say - you know what... that guy we got... he was our last resort/worst case scenario. Very exciting, eh?

Keyonte wasn't even 9th! He was even a worse case scenario then Hendricks!

 

[framer]

I'm not one of the people who expects a ton out of the rookies. I usually expect them to not be great. But what I expect from a top 10 pick is to at least be getting some playing time and be part of the rotation. Is the SF thing something our coaches or FO has said? Did I miss this? I don't think Hendricks is a 3... and if they drafted him to be a 3 they are in for a rude awakening, IMO.

I mean, that's how they have been playing him for the most part. It is why he has looked kind of awkward. This was a pretty good article:

The Jazz are heavily invested in Taylor Hendricks, but first he’ll have to cut his teeth in the G League

With his length, athleticism and energy, Jazz coach Will Hardy likes what the Jazz rookie brings to the franchise

www.deseret.com

But, there aren’t going to be any grand and sweeping declarations made about speedy development. Instead, Wojciechowski is taking everything in small steps. For example, he’s trying to get Hendricks to understand the magnitude of seeing the game from different angles.

“He saw the game with his back to the basket a lot in college, and now he’s facing the basket,” Wojciechowski said. “And that may not seem like a huge thing to the average fan, but it’s like he’s learning another language and he’s learning it at a really fast rate.”

This is also a reason you are seeing such uneven play from the guys on the Stars:

The Stars have taken a reps-heavy approach. The team’s practices usually go for nearly three hours and include long stretches of full-bore scrimmaging. They teach the players the same offensive sets and defensive schemes that are used by the Jazz coaching staff and they don’t have many, if any, days off.

They are going hard every day with no breaks. That is going to be a killer on those back to back G-League games.

 

[The Thriller]

I mean, that's how they have been playing him for the most part. It is why he has looked kind of awkward. This was a pretty good article:

The Jazz are heavily invested in Taylor Hendricks, but first he’ll have to cut his teeth in the G League

With his length, athleticism and energy, Jazz coach Will Hardy likes what the Jazz rookie brings to the franchise

www.deseret.com

This is also a reason you are seeing such uneven play from the guys on the Stars:


They are going hard every day with no breaks. That is going to be a killer on those back to back G-League games.

Is this… different than other teams? If so, why are we doing it?

 

[framer]

Is this… different than other teams? If so, why are we doing it?

Most teams aren't running practice and scrimmages hard 3 plus hours a day without pause, because it hurts their record. You have to get the players to buy off on that, especially the ones who are never going to get a call up. It is certainly ideal for Taylor and Brice though, because they progress faster.

Once the season starts, the actual Jazz team can only run practices sporadically. Which would hurt rookies with little playing time.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Was listening to the JJ Redick pod today and him and his cohost were ranting about how teams should draft players with feel higher.

It was a discussion brought up while talking about Jaquez, a guy I had ranked higher than Taylor Hendricks.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

The 2023 draft pick who I'm still the most curious about is Cam Whitmore. I kind of get it. He's an amazing 1 on 1 player, but he's not a great team player yet. It just feels like there are a lot of guys like that in the NBA, and the league still values them.

Cam put up great stats in the summer league, then put up great stats in the preseason, and is currently putting up great stats in the G-League (24pts, 6reb, 4ast, 2stl on 49/48/83 shooting splits). He visually looks better and more athletic than everyone.

It's a little weird to me that Houston went from 100% development to a 100% win now rotation and playing time. I would think they would try and get him 10-15 minutes of development time each night on the Rockets.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

The 2023 draft pick who I'm still the most curious about is Cam Whitmore. I kind of get it. He's an amazing 1 on 1 player, but he's not a great team player yet. It just feels like there are a lot of guys like that in the NBA, and the league still values them.

Cam put up great stats in the summer league, then put up great stats in the preseason, and is currently putting up great stats in the G-League (24pts, 6reb, 4ast, 2stl on 49/48/83 shooting splits). He visually looks better and more athletic than everyone.

It's a little weird to me that Houston went from 100% development to a 100% win now rotation and playing time. I would think they would try and get him 10-15 minutes of development time each night on the Rockets.

Ime runs a tight ship.

 

[seattlejazzfan]

gotta give Cy credit where it's due - mfer hit on Craig Porter - dude can flat out play.

 

[Elizah Huge]

gotta give Cy credit where it's due - mfer hit on Craig Porter - dude can flat out play.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

It's a little weird to me that Houston went from 100% development to a 100% win now rotation and playing time.

Yeah, imagine that?

I can think of a team that had an obvious chance to do a similar pivot last season, but instead decided to, umm, you know... be very bad for an unspecified amount of time while sitting on a massive pile of assets.

Wonder why the Rockets don't realize that what they're doing is futile. They're not gonna win an NBA championship within the next two years. It's all for nothing. Mediocrity. MEDIOCRITY!!!!