Reply With Quote
I didn’t realize he’s a +6”. His barefoot height is 6’4” and his wingspan is 6’10”. That plus his nice agility/speed times speak to untapped defensive potential.
He was pegged at points in the draft process as a potential top 10. Tbh I think that potential still stands. I would have taken him over Agbaji or AJ Griffin, Terry, LaRavia, Eason.
I didn’t realize he’s a +6”. His barefoot height is 6’4” and his wingspan is 6’10”. That plus his nice agility/speed times speak to untapped defensive potential.
Agreed and don't forget to add J. Davis imho. 10 picks ahead and not showing much yet but it's still very early I suppose
He was advertised as being able to create through pnr and basic playmaking. I was pleasantly surprised how poised he is as a ballhandler. I think this will help carve him more minutes than just a c&s guy. And potentially a backup PG? The team has now as ballhandlers, Tre, Sochan, JRich, Malaki, Blake, and maybe Stanley if he‘s still with the team.
Again Branham was used as backup PG and looked like the part. He is poised and can facilitate for himself and others ny pnr, and able to knockdown shots. Missing the burst of Tre and Wesley, but for now it’s making Malaki aggressive with the ball in his hand. Thoughts?
Yeah, and I like the shift away from Sochan running the offense so much. He needs time working out what to do on the wings and without the ball.
As for Branham, his superior skill set was shooting. Nice that he comes with very good handles already, too.
Bad take. The more time Sochan spends running the point, the better. If he can ACTUALLY become a PG, he’s infinitely more valuable than a PF who can facilitate a bit, and can’t shoot. He might be one of the top 2-3 picks in his draft in that case.
I'm not saying Sochan shouldn't run point. I said I liked shifting him away from doing it so much. He needs to learn other spots on the floor, too, where he's sort of dead weight. I like switching things up and having Branham do it at times.
Neither Branham or Sochan will ever be full time PGs
Party pooper
I agree with Exstatic, Sochan is a different beast (likewise the whole team) as a PG or Point-Forward, and could really make him a top 3 pick of his batch.
Regarding Branham, he found a different swagger, confidence with the ball in his hand. He’s been playing well, callimg his number, etc. The team is just better with more ballhandlers in the team.
It looks like Pop takes turns with who is the backup point guard for each game. Sometimes it’s Jeremy, sometimes it’s Malaki, but no more Josh, we don’t need him learning to play point guard with so many other players who are learning. But if it was me, I would have Jeremy play 20 minutes at point guard every night. I think that is more crucial to his success than for Malaki to play point for him to be successful. Malaki just needs to ball hog it so to speak and if it gets too much then Pop can tell him to pull it back.
To clarify, when I say, be more of a ball hog, I don’t mean Malaki should be like DDR pounding the air out of the ball, more like be assertive when the ball swings around his way.
It’s funny, because Jeremy was showing some real PG skills, and then suddenly the ball is no longer in his hands.
Tanka tank tank.
Who said they would be? Lol
giving both of them run at PG is only good because it forces them to enhance a lot of aspects of the game they otherwise wouldnt. even if they dont later become full time PG's, those skills are invaluable. draymond isnt a full time PG but he shows how valuable his ability to put the ball on the floor and make the right passes can be
Agreed spurraider21, ex, etc
Even if you don't intend to slot them as full time PGs, using a throw away season to let them hone handling, distribution, and court vision is going to add aspects to their game. Then you either have, in Sochan's case, a PF who can distribute a bit or a PF you can run as a PG in matchup exploit situations. Aim for the moon and even if you fall short you are still among the stars.
Just adding skillsets to the toolkit.
If Malaki scores 20 points in his next game, I wonder if he develops a mysterious injury that keeps him out for a game or two…
Making him play PG with really helped him more aggressive out there with the ball in his hands, instead of just waiting for a catch and shoot. That’scwhy as much as Ibwant tobsee Blake back, I rather Branham continue pkaying the backup PG. I think Blake will always be aggressive no matter what when they eventually share the court. Plus right now Malaki has so much poise between the two.
Maybe he looks similar to Steve Smith? It wouldn’t be bad.
not too bad a comparison, even if branham is a few inches shorter.
We’ll need Blake if Vassell is out for a month or more.
His moves are polished like a veteran, which is crazy. He just needs reps and some vets and coaches to push him to be more aggressive with his shot. Oddly, he needs to not be as aggressive in forcing passes. But it will come. He’s definitely a team player. His defense is bad and he gets exasperated a little too easily but doesn’t seem to use that emotion for his game. In Top Gun terms, he needs a little more Maverick and less Iceman? (A rare non-Gervin Iceman reference Ha.)
He has the tools to play defense. Like many youngsters, it’s never been demanded of him. He’s +6 on the long scale, barefoot 6’4”, wingspan of 6’10”, and his skill and agility numbers from the combine were good.
He reminds me more of Ro Blackman.
Malaki with 22pts tonight! 9-13 shooting, 3-5 from 3, 5 assists in 32 mins outing. Keep it going kid. I seriously think Malaki will be Spurs starting PG by late next season.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
