A last minute reassessment of the draft

[Batman]

How athletic is Karasev?

Seconded.

 

[Beantown]

How athletic is Karasev?

He's definitely an average athlete but he does have great length which I think makes up for it a bit. You should probably add length to your list as well.

 

[Batman]

You should probably add length to your list as well.

Seconded

 

[orangello]

On a serious note I think a well rounded draft pick would be Sergey Karasev. He seems to be the only one that posses's all the traits that PKM mentioned:

Yep.

 

[honz]

I've really been thinking about this a lot lately.. about how the NBA game is being played.. both offensively and defensively.
I admit I know the college game much better.. but here's some food for thought. (some of this may be obvious, or a rehash.. but it's a mini-epiphany for me, so bear with me please)

The obvious traits we are looking for;
- Shooting
- IQ
- Athleticism
- Work ethic
- passing

But why?

With NBA defenses continuing the trend of packing the paint and forcing teams into having 4 to 5 options on the floor.. and using them most every possession..

Defensively
Need guys that are smart enough to camp/pack the paint as long as possible but not so long they get a 3 second call (IQ).
Athletic enough to jump out quickly to aggressively help-defend. (athletic)
The passion to be a student of an evolving game (work ethic .. it's not just in the gym stuff)

Offensively
Need guys that have a quick first step.. they MUST be able to beat their primary defender to draw help... in order to unclog the lane and make room for post players. The slasher doesn't have to look to finish, necessarily, but must be able to be able to hit a shot, when needed, to keep the help coming. Post men MUST be able to understand that the paint is more likely to be clogged, still, once they catch the ball and be able to make a pass to the opposite side of the court for an open man rather than just pass it to the nearest player.. that is also clogged up. (IQ/passing/athleticism/shooting)

We need to be looking for bigs with IQ, court vision, and passing skills.
We need guards that have a nice first step/IQ/shooting/passing.

Does this eliminate 'Bazz (passing)? I have been THE biggest 'Bazz homer.. but a slashing player that can't pass will be met with a wall once they hit the paint.
I think this even more solidifies McCollum.. I think he has virtually all of the aforementioned traits.

Smart, athletic, and good passing bigs.. PREMIUM.

Bottom line is this.. We need 3 guys on the floor that can slash, shoot, and the IQ to make the good pass.
We need 3 guys on the floor that can defend the paint .. but with the IQ and athleticism to know how/when to help defend.

I know every bit of this is obvious, on its face.. but wanted to put it into my own words and context.

So MCW is your man?

 

[YB85]

 

[Dr. Jones]

So MCW is your man?

No.

Yes.

 

[Tony]

We need to be looking for bigs with IQ, court vision, and passing skills.
We need guards that have a nice first step/IQ/shooting/passing.

Gorgui Dieng?
Shane Larkin?

 

[jazzfan1971]

Better to just man up and admit you were wrong about Bazz than go through all this rationalization. It's just too much work.

Come to the dark side.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Better to just man up and admit you were wrong about Bazz than go through all this rationalization. It's just too much work.

Come to the dark side.

Haha.. I know Bazz is legit... but this pack it in the paint "2.9" defense is a thinker.

 

[Qman]

PKM,

Watching the finals I was stunned how quick, crisp and on target the passing was. Yes, they have a lot of skilled shooters, etc. But getting the ball on-time and on target really helps your secondary players out.

They way I look at is, you need enough athletic ability/length to compete. You need passing skills, BBIQ and work ethic to be a part of a great team. It is also very valuable to have the BBIQ and athletic ability to invert defender responsibilities. (See Dwayne Wade crashing down to block Splitter's shots. Or Noah on the Bulls switching out on Lebron. See AK the young years.)

Players like Nogueira and Gobert are intriguing for their defensive potential. McCollum is intriguing for his offensive potential. IMO Jamal Franklin would be useful player as a energy guy/defender/rebounder who can slash and get to the rim.

I am rambling a bit. If you can't shoot you need to be able to pass, cut and punish on the offensive board if you are ignored on the offensive end. You also need to compensate your below-average offense with D.

If you are a terrible defender you better be a knock down shooter/scorer.

As that applies to the draft- Muhammed is out IMO. I like Nogueira, Franklin, Oladipo and Porter. I think Len will bust. I have mixed feelings on Zeller and McCollum. I don't know what to think about Schroeder and Gobert.

I am curious about Ray McCallum in the 2nd round. Personally I would vote to take the two BPA in the 1st round (which IMO isn't one of the PG's) and take a chance on Kabango or McCallum in the 2nd.

 

[Dr. Jones]

PKM,

Watching the finals I was stunned how quick, crisp and on target the passing was. Yes, they have a lot of skilled shooters, etc. But getting the ball on-time and on target really helps your secondary players out.

They way I look at is, you need enough athletic ability/length to compete. You need passing skills, BBIQ and work ethic to be a part of a great team. It is also very valuable to have the BBIQ and athletic ability to invert defender responsibilities. (See Dwayne Wade crashing down to block Splitter's shots. Or Noah on the Bulls switching out on Lebron. See AK the young years.)

Players like Nogueira and Gobert are intriguing for their defensive potential. McCollum is intriguing for his offensive potential. IMO Jamal Franklin would be useful player as a energy guy/defender/rebounder who can slash and get to the rim.

I am rambling a bit. If you can't shoot you need to be able to pass, cut and punish on the offensive board if you are ignored on the offensive end. You also need to compensate your below-average offense with D.

If you are a terrible defender you better be a knock down shooter/scorer.

As that applies to the draft- Muhammed is out IMO. I like Nogueira, Franklin, Oladipo and Porter. I think Len will bust. I have mixed feelings on Zeller and McCollum. I don't know what to think about Schroeder and Gobert.

I am curious about Ray McCallum in the 2nd round. Personally I would vote to take the two BPA in the 1st round (which IMO isn't one of the PG's) and take a chance on Kabango or McCallum in the 2nd.

Yes.. all that.

The crisp passing is crucial as it is required to break down the "2.9" defense. You need multiple guys on the floor that can hit an outside shot.. and get past their defender. The offense is designed to be pretty similar to the dribble-drive.. but, yes... the passing.. the passing.