Game Thread Oct 18, 2024 08:00PM MT: Utah Jazz @ Portland Trail Blazers (Preseason)
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I wish Hendricks played half as hard as the Camara dude. He was 2/9, but he felt like the MVP of the game with his defense.
Hendricks really is a 6'9 Ochai
Also, I think Potter can actually hoop and may actually be capable of being a NBA player.
I dont think Preston is anywhere close to being a NBA player despite his impressive G-League numbers.
I dont think Preston is anywhere close to being a NBA player despite his impressive G-League numbers.
And that what gives me the pause thinking about Kessler's future on the Jazz. There are many experienced centers who are currently better than Kessler but the hope was that Kessler gets better with age and moves up in the rankings. However, every new season we get two more young centers who are CLEARLY better than Walter: Wemby and Lively, Clingan and Edey... And then you have other young centers who you can argue are on the Kessler's level (and may exceed it in the future): Durren, Sarr, Mark Williams....
That means that Kessler will likely never move up from his current 25th-35th range, the range of a fringe NBA starter. And that also means that in almost every future playoff series the Jazz will lose the battle at the center and the players in other positions will have to make it up. Heck, one can argue that the elite teams now have on their rosters TWO centers who are better than Kessler and will outplay him even in the backup role: Porzingis and Horford, Lively and Gafford, Gobert and Reid, Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
And that also means that on a playoff team Kessler is destined to be a great career backup, or a temporary, stop-gap starter (unless you have a super-team with several stars at other positions). And that the Jazz will need to upgrade at 5, while hopefully keeping Walter as a bench center on a cheap contract.
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Its a tough decission. I dont know whether they are trying to be competitive or tank this year, and that will also factor in.
Ayton and Scoot off the bench gives them a higher ceiling imo.
Ayton isnt bad enough to bench and he's on a max deal. He can still be an effective good player. They are ultimately trying to tank, and both Ayton/Clingan show believable 3pt range, so why not just play them together and see if it works?
I think Hendricks can be a real rotation level player on a good team if he just improves his skill and feel. If he ever wants to be more than that I think he needs to be a high energy guy, at least in defense. I'm not sure that's in him though
Yeah, he just seems so far away at this point. He seems like he struggles to even get off a solid two dribbles to drive in a straight line.
Hendricks just isn’t a natural energy guy. There are some times where he’s focused and making lots of plays…but true energy guys always have the switch turned on. I don’t think 6’9 Ochai is an inaccurate assessment.
Offensively, very limited. But anyone who watched him play a full game at UCF should know that. He barely dribbled the ball at all.
Offensively, very limited. But anyone who watched him play a full game at UCF should know that. He barely dribbled the ball at all.
Im sure they will try it, but one problem I see there is that both are used to occupying the same areas on the court. If they are both out there, then one would have to go against his "basketball DNA" and learn how to move and rotate as a 4.