Following Potential 2025 Draftees

[Handlogten's Heros]

Brice is uniquely slow at processing.

Maybe not a slow processor just a bad processor but Taylor struggled there obviously too. It's weird tho because last year Will had Brice almost playing PG at times and I remember messages of "Brice is more than just a shooter".

Whatever it is just get the kid enough PT to make an educated decision (if you have to) on if they continue on with him and where he fits in the priorities etc.

 

[Thee Jazz Fan]

Let me ask a question of the board:

At the #4 spot, there seems to be a clear preference for VJ Edgecombe vs. Tre Johnson. Curious to know why that is?

VJ's athletic tools are clear but Tre is no slouch as an athlete and has ideal length / measurables for a 2-guard, and his offensive repertoire / production jumps off the page. 21 ppg on 45/40/88 shooting splits is also hard to ignore.

This is a genuinely curious question - just curious to hear from some who have an obvious preference for VJ.

I think he dominates using his elite jump out of the gym athleticism he plays hard plays defense and can shoot. He has all the tools

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Let me ask a question of the board:

At the #4 spot, there seems to be a clear preference for VJ Edgecombe vs. Tre Johnson. Curious to know why that is?

VJ's athletic tools are clear but Tre is no slouch as an athlete and has ideal length / measurables for a 2-guard, and his offensive repertoire / production jumps off the page. 21 ppg on 45/40/88 shooting splits is also hard to ignore.

This is a genuinely curious question - just curious to hear from some who have an obvious preference for VJ.

The argument is that VJ's athleticism and potential to develop more as an off-the-dribble scorer give him more potential to get down hill, put pressure on the rim and create in isolation. The dream is to get a 1st-option guy who is almost unguardable, like Donovan Mitchell or Anthony Edwards. I'll admit that VJ probably does have that high of a ceiling, but there's no guarantee he gets there. He's not as explosive or powerful as guys who have more length and more body mass. He'd also need to have the mentality to take over and beat guys. You'd need to be prepared for him to turn out to be more like Monta Ellis, who was still a very good player.

Then there's the defensive side, where VJ has defensive playmaking.

I think Tre Johnson is a safe pick. You can practically pencil him in as a 25 ppg scorer, as long as his team has adequate coaching. It's just that he's probably going to be your #2 option who plays off the ball and creates from the second side. In other words, his role is that of a Klay Thompson, Ray Allen or Khris Middleton rather than your #1A offensive option. So in that sense, the Jazz would still be looking for that alpha scorer and advantage creator for Tre to play off of. But that said, championship teams normally have a player like Tre Johnson.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Let me just say... I like Tre.... but is he a lot different than Sensabaugh? He moves better... he's likely better on defense... but if Hardy hates Brice someone tell me why he would love and want Tre?

Like the big thing with Tre is shooting and scoring. Their college shooting numbers and scoring volume is pretty close. Brice is a trash defender but Tre is supposedly not good. There are levels to this but like Will hasn't been really enthused with this type of prospect but maybe its more about work ethic/approach/personality.

I think Tre is in an altogether different tier from Sensabaugh and even Keyonte. He's a true scorer and three-level guy.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

The main question with VJ is how well he's going to shoot off the dribble. Guys like Mitchell and Edwards have become great at it. How far does VJ need to go?

If VJ is going to measure out around 6'3" and 185 lbs, he needs to be shifty, explosive, powerful and show touch off the dribble to consistently beat guys. He needs a full bag. That's a high bar to reach.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Brice is uniquely slow at processing.

Brice is slow at a bunch of things. His feet are a bit slow. His hands are a bit slow. His decision-making is a bit slow. His shot setup and release are a bit slow. He does actually struggle with the pace that Will Hardy wants to play with. You've got guys like Sexton, Collier and Keyonte pushing pace and moving the ball, then everything has to slow down for Brice to get involved. There's a noticeable difference between Brice making plays and Juzang making plays.

 

[jom2003]

You may also not know this, but 18/19 year olds usually put on weight as they age...

Which is what I've been saying. Tre needs to get stronger

 

[kcgar]

Its about the thiccness

Is that why they call me "the Tuna Can?"

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I think Tre is in an altogether different tier from Sensabaugh and even Keyonte. He's a true scorer and three-level guy.

This is the exact narrative I don't get. Brice sored more per minute on better shooting splits than Tre. So how is he in a different tier as a scorer.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Is that why they call me "the Tuna Can?"

Nah that's cuz your junk smells fishy.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

There's one other way to think about Edgecombe and that's whether he can be your on-ball guard at the 1. He hasn't been super sophisticated off the dribble or as a passer thusfar, but it's possible that he doesn't need to be. If you look at what Ja Morant does, for example, Ja basically starts at the top of the circle and either drives straight at the rim, takes an open jumper, or makes a fairly straightforward pass. Maybe Edgecombe can take some on-ball reps where he does something similar. He drives to put pressure on the rim and he either makes a big finish or a basic pass to another secondary creator. In other words, all he really needs to do is make the defense collapse on him.

 

[jom2003]

No comparison is perfect, Devin Booker also gets to the line a ton. He basically shoots at the rim and free throw line at the same rate as Thomas. In fact, Booker and Thomas have near identical shot distributions, but the point isn't to make mountains out of molehills. The comparison to Cam Thomas is one to say that Tre could be one of the better scorers in the league but he will likely struggle on defense and will have to improve as a playmaker. The more he improves his defense and playmaking the more you can consider him to be like a Herro or Booker. But there would be very few players who I'd say that would be the baseline expectation.

Exactly my point though. Booker's added about 20lbs of muscle and even grown an inch or two since entering the league. That's how he figured things out and became an all-star. No way he gets to where he is now had him kept his shape from college. The man dropped all the way to 13th in the draft for a reason. We won't even be having this conversation if we are considering Tre in that range. But no he's being considered for a top 5 pick so of course we will have to raise the bar and expect him to work on his body.

As for Cam, I believe his body was ready for the NBA from day one. The shot making wasn't quite there but his strength and physicality was always there. That's why I liked the Booker comparison a bit more as both needed to add more weight to their body.