Elijah Hughes to the Jazz

[jom2003]

Maybe, but uses his body and strength well when driving to the hoop. He’s could overwhelm quite a few of those smaller 2’s. Reminds me of Hood in that regard. I do think he’s more explosive than Hood, I hope. I’ve only seen highlights of course, but IMO he looks more athletic.

Right, he's very similar to Hood in terms of settling for contested jumpers except Hood is longer which allows him to shoot over his defenders a bit more easily. But Elijah is much more explosive going downhill when he's given a clear path to the rim which reminds me of Tatum. But neither will ever become a true slasher who just blows by his defender at will like DM. The way Elijah plays is all depended upon how well he can shoot. If he can hit those tough jumpers in the NBA just as consistently as he did back in college despite the size disparity, I'd say he have the potential to become an instant offense off the bench just like JC and Hood. A big if though as Quin is not exactly known as a patient HC for boneheaded chuckers. Gotta save those airballs.

 

[SCS]

Did you see on Twitter that Tony Jones on his way-too-early predictions for the 2021 draft has targeted Chris Smith for the Jazz? (You were the one on the Smith train, weren't you?) Sounds good to me at this point, if he continues to make progress at UCLA.

Yep I liked Smith before he withdrew. Really intriguing prospect.

 

[SCS]

lacks explosiveness to completely beat his defender with dribble. relies heavily on tough jump shots in his opponent's face. reminds me a bit of Jayson Tatum except not as long.

The value of Hughes is in his offensive versatility. I think his best skill is going to be his spot up shooting. He only shot 34% in college last season but that came on a high volume of tough looks. His form and touch are excellent. I really wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be one of the better shooters from this class. But he brings more than that to the table. Off the ball he's a pretty damn good cutter. He can also post smaller defenders. On the ball he has some self creation equity, he's capable of running a pick and roll if need be, and he's an extremely underrated passer. I think he has the ability to fit several different roles on a team. That's why I had him in the top 20 on my board.

 

[str8line]

Right, he's very similar to Hood in terms of settling for contested jumpers except Hood is longer which allows him to shoot over his defenders a bit more easily. But Elijah is much more explosive going downhill when he's given a clear path to the rim which reminds me of Tatum. But neither will ever become a true slasher who just blows by his defender at will like DM. The way Elijah plays is all depended upon how well he can shoot. If he can hit those tough jumpers in the NBA just as consistently as he did back in college despite the size disparity, I'd say he have the potential to become an instant offense off the bench just like JC and Hood. A big if though as Quin is not exactly known as a patient HC for boneheaded chuckers. Gotta save those airballs.

Good analysis. But comparing him to DM for blowing by a defender is comparing him to one of the best in history to do it. Donovan has almost no peers when he's on, so that's a tough comp.

 

[idiot]

Hughes was generally listed at 215 lbs. before the draft. The Combine measurements have him at 229 lbs (and 10+% body fat).

I'm sure that he needs to get in better shape, but curious what you all think as to whether his NBA fortune is to be back closer to 215 or whether he'll be able to play effectively at 225-230? Or in other words, are we getting a SG or a SF (though it likely doesn't really matter)?

 

[homeytennis]

The 230 lbs is a bit porky. He needs to trim both weight and body fat.

 

[The Jazz Wonderbra]

Everything I read about Hughes reminded me a taller, longer of JWF. "Unreal range, 3 level scorer" who had to be the focal point of his teams offense. The Jazz hope that his lack of fg% is because he was being hounded as the focal point of his team's offense.

 

[idiot]

Everything I read about Hughes reminded me a taller, longer of JWF. "Unreal range, 3 level scorer" who had to be the focal point of his teams offense. The Jazz hope that his lack of fg% is because he was being hounded as the focal point of his team's offense.

I'd be more optimistic. A 6-6 JWF could have been pretty useful, for one thing. I also think Hughes has a better feel for the game apart from scoring than JWF does.

But it is true that Hughes success will likely be defined on whether he can become more than just a scorer.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Hughes was generally listed at 215 lbs. before the draft. The Combine measurements have him at 229 lbs (and 10+% body fat).

I'm sure that he needs to get in better shape, but curious what you all think as to whether his NBA fortune is to be back closer to 215 or whether he'll be able to play effectively at 225-230? Or in other words, are we getting a SG or a SF (though it likely doesn't really matter)?

Product of lockout.

 

[SCS]

Jazz should have signed him to a 4 yr deal instead of 2.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Jazz should have signed him to a 4 yr deal instead of 2.

We couldn’t... you have to use cap room or exceptions to go 4 years... used MLE on Favs... would have been nice to get a 900k discount from Favs to do a 4 year deal... that I will agree on.