Grades: Spurs vs. Pelicans - Preseason Game #3

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-spurs-pelicans-preseason-3/

That was not the greatest basketball I've seen, tbh.

[GAustex]

Malaki Branham needs to not get T’d up cause he did not tuck his shirt in

[spurraider21]

looks like a team that his its priorities straight tbqh

[XDT76]

Not sure what some of the vets did in off season, they look so much worse than end of last season not only in this game in the whole preseason as a whole. I actually struggle to see which returning player has shown improvement.

[Russ]

Malaki Branham is not the ideal player to build around -- not big, not athletic.

But he can shoot and given this roster he may be it (if there's anyone).

In today's NBA he can be a borderline star (maybe) although he's going to need to show he can get his own shot. Like Booker with the Suns.

You're gonna need way more (also better) pieces but he might at least be an initial building block.

[Texas eye]

This team is built to sale.

[Vince Carter's ankle]

Malaki Branham is not the ideal player to build around -- not big, not athletic.

But he can shoot and given this roster he may be it (if there's anyone).

In today's NBA he can be a borderline star (maybe) although he's going to need to show he can get his own shot. Like Booker with the Suns.

You're gonna need way more (also better) pieces but he might at least be an initial building block.
Booker is a borderline star too? How then did he end up in the first all-nba?

[slick'81]

Just lose baby

[RC_Drunkford]

Malaki Branham is not the ideal player to build around -- not big, not athletic.

But he can shoot and given this roster he may be it (if there's anyone).

In today's NBA he can be a borderline star (maybe) although he's going to need to show he can get his own shot. Like Booker with the Suns.

You're gonna need way more (also better) pieces but he might at least be an initial building block.

agree. I'm very high on Branham. Barlow looked good. The other guys were hot garbage.

[Dejounte]

With Collins out tonight, we might see more Barlow?

will be nice to see skinny Keldon and buff Primo finally in action

[poopbox]

I commend giving out grades to a team that clearly does not care about winning

[Rocalcio]

With Collins out tonight, we might see more Barlow?

will be nice to see skinny Keldon and buff Primo finally in action

Where did you see that Collins was out ?

[KingKev]

I commend giving out grades to a team that clearly does not care about winning

I commend anyone for even starting a game thread...

I'm very interested to see if Sochan, Roby, KBD or Alize Johnson get the start!!!!

[wildbill2u]

Lots of excuses are going to be made for Sochan this season simply because so many folks dearly want our #9 pick to succeed. His defense is really nothing to write home about, but people are going to keep finding little flashes of things he does to keep from giving him a true evaluation. So far his shooting is so bad that he cannot succeed at this level. I don't know of any player in NBA who can survive on this level of skill set and lack of true athleticism. FO fucked up on this pick. Tari Eason was my pick somewhere in our three picks and if we had to use #9 that would have been a better pick than Sochan. I think we could have got him (if we really really really thought he was great) on a later pick. No one else had him that high is my thinking.

Barlow is a kid with tremendous upside. His stats cited by TVP didn't include a block, nice handle or his ability to shoot with both hands when closely guarded using a footwork pivot and his left hand off the board. Give him enough minutes and he will produce. Force feed him in Austin and bring him down for 10 day stints as often as possible. What if he is better at PF than anyone we currently have in development?

Wesley uses his speed to get into trouble against good defenses, especially those who recognize his tendencies and help out in the paint So far he has been able to pick up some fouls to cover his ass on drives, but will this continue.??? The rumor that he is working on a floater is probably because the coaches have seen this flaw and want him to have a way to shoot over the defenses against him, but the floater isn't an easy shot when you have to take some of the momentum off the ball to let it "float". Hard to pull off when you are speeding out of control.

Dieng just quit being interested at the end and gave up two TOs on careless lazy passes bringing the ball inbounds/ up court. Not a great attitude for a vet who is supposed to show the rookies the ins and outs of the NBA but in a hopeless preseason game perhaps that IS his Vet attitude, eh? Still...I didn't like it

Lankford needs to be cut. No one else will want him unless he is thrown in on a trade. He has NEVER shown any NBA skill while on the court--except for the coolest do-rag in the NBA. He obviously doesn't want to play here or he would try harder? Assuming he has ANY skillset that is> And the same goes for Weiskamp. Are we really locked into contracts with these mullets? Even the rookies are showing more, if limited, skills and should be ahead of them in the rotation. What a waste. The FO should cowboy up and get ride of them if possible.

[Vince Carter's ankle]

Lots of excuses are going to be made for Sochan this season simply because so many folks dearly want our #9 pick to succeed. His defense is really nothing to write home about, but people are going to keep finding little flashes of things he does to keep from giving him a true evaluation. So far his shooting is so bad that he cannot succeed at this level. I don't know of any player in NBA who can survive on this level of skill set and lack of true athleticism. FO fucked up on this pick. Tari Eason was my pick somewhere in our three picks and if we had to use #9 that would have been a better pick than Sochan. I think we could have got him (if we really really really thought he was great) on a later pick. No one else had him that high is my thinking.
I can't imagine how you can be so short-sighted.
Eason is 2 years older and entered the NBA after the sophomore season. All draft experts noted that Jeremy is raw on offense and needs to be given time.

[objective]

I was fine with the pick, but one difference is that Sochan does not have standout athleticism or measurables, so his skill needs to be legit if he's to be a solid player.

Eason did display standout traits. But there was also some other things to worry about. I loved KJ McDaniels over Kyle Anderson, and KJ was a legit super athlete and college defensive monster with good size for his position, but his attitude ruined his career. KJ like Eason started his career hot, believed in his skill and refused the cheap unguaranteed 4-year but signed the 1 year tender, then got himself a nice little payday as a free agent. He was way ahead of Kyle Anderson, but Kyle has had the better career by far.

But it is unfortunate that Sochan has unremarkable size, unremarkable length, unremarkable athleticism, unremarkable pop ... He just fits an average. If he can't be more than a glue guy then yeah, it's a bad bad look.

Gotta give Houston credit, I'd rather have Sengun and Eason on the Spurs than Primo and Sochan.

[The Truth #6]

This is getting to a greater point, which is it’s not just about tanking and expecting to get the number one pick, we still have to draft smartly.