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At the volume Malaki shoots, I’ll take Barbosa’s 38.7% all day.
He needs to fix that ugly Leandro Barbosa 3pt shot mechanics
At the volume Malaki shoots, I’ll take Barbosa’s 38.7% all day.
for all this scoring to happen, spurs really need a pass first pg who can also spread the floor....
I am not to sure about that as I see Wemby touching the ball a lot he is going to be hit with a ton of double teams so easy pass to wide open man. Well at least that what I am thinking to be honest I am having a hard time figuring out what I want more out if my PG - Passing Vs Shooting Vs Great Defender Vs Penetrating. Wemby is such a Unicorn it makes it kinda hard to figure out who works best with his style and not 100% on how Spurs will use him
Some arc in his shot and a boost in his confidence, and next year could be a great season for him. He has the work ethic and temperament. Rarely gets rattled, except on D, when he gets beat. That’s his weakness. Doubtful he’s ever a two-way player, but he should still be a great steal at 20. And again, if his confidence finally catches up with his talent, his other areas could improve, like leading the pnr and running the offense in stretches. So like Sochan, I’m not sure what his ceiling is yet. But it could easily surpass Devin.
Anyway. Just rambling.
We need to model his game to become our future PG, to be Steve Smith type big PG...
If branham can shoot the 3s consistent...Dude can be real good.
MB was a steal!
He's more decisive. DDR would size up the defense, be a ball-stopper, like you say. Branham gets his actions going very quickly. DeRozan's midrange seemed more on the wings and sides, whereas Branham really wants to get into the lane, where he's potentially more dangerous for dump-offs or getting all the way to the rim.
I want more engagement and focus on defense. He gets out of plays too easily. I want him to fight over screens, try to learn to anticipate movement and not be in lateral defense. He's maybe the worst defender on the team and we really need improvement there.
I want more production outside of scoring. More rebounds, especially. He's not a bad passer, mostly out of his own actions, so I think his assists will be okay. Would love to see him draw more fouls.
His three-pointer will get better. I feel it's largely a strength issue. In college, his threes were always toeing the line. I don't expect him to be a movement shooter from deep or have incredible range, but do think he'll be a good spot-up shooter.
His handles are way better than I expected and his touch in the midrange and around the basket are really good.
And his defense is already better than Derozan's
I expect him to show a lot of progress defensively in his second year.
He reminds me a little of Rudy gay. a better passer though. Obviously will take a few years to get to gays level but that effortless scoring is unique.
Malaki really rounded into shape as the year went by. He and Sochan had great rookie years. The Spurs could end up with five rookies that become rotation guys. That's unheard of.
One thing that has not been discussed is how much better players are going to be because of Wemby. I think MB is one of those guys who gonna get a ton of open looks and great help defense from Wemby so much so his confidence is gonna go sky high and he will become an assassin shooter.
One would think a text went out to each player saying, "Come to camp with a three," or "You're a rebounder now" in anticipation of hitting the ground running with Wemby.
I expect a jump from all the young players, and that still includes Devin and Keldon.
Last edited by Obstructed_View; 05-28-2023 at 09:24 AM. Reason: Spaceburrr
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that Branham might be on the trade block and come draft night, he might be the one included in a trade package. This is purely based on instinct, nothing else. To me, it makes sense— it was always going to be between him and Vassell and I think they’re going to pull that trigger sooner than later. This is the advantage of picking best talent available regardless of if that talent’s skillset is similar to one already on the roster. The team has options to move in different directions without skipping a beat. I think there will be an initial outrage if this happens, but in the end will probably be the best move to make if it’s for a guy they really like. Branham is really redundant with Vassell here, strictly future-speaking. So them playing Branham as much as they have and Branham really making the best of that opportunity really worked out well for the Spurs.
Spurs are not trading Branham this draft.
Teams have to give up something they don’t want to give up in order to get something they want.
Folks dream of letting go of players their team has maximized, but where is the draw for other teams to want those players if they’ve already reached their ceiling?
In order to reap the rewards of being patient, you have to take measured risks. Like I said, drafting best available has allowed the Spurs to be in this position of opportunity and they might as well take it if there’s a player they like even more.
What exactly do you think they want? The only way giving up Branham for a draft pick makes any sense is if you think his rookie year was a fluke. I wouldn't trade him for a single player in this draft.
Agreed. I would view a Branham trade as similar to the Spurs trading George Hill in 2011. It's not that they don't like him, it's that they think who they are getting is worth the price. That doesn't mean whoever the Spurs pick (assuming Branham is traded for a pick in this draft) will necessarily be as good as Number Two, of course.
I have no idea what the Spurs want nor will I pretend I do. I don’t agree that the only reason to give up Branham is if his rookie year was a fluke. The Spurs could believe it was legit but think another player in the draft could have an even better rookie year or future. The Spurs could both like Branham and want to trade him (reluctantly) at the same time if they like a player enough. They understand you can’t hope to rip other teams off all the time.
Spurs are still not trading Branham, they see the same potential as everyone here. He could be a part of SA future and there's no one on this draft worth taking the risk of losing Malaki for a potential bust. And if we're talking about getting a vet, I'm not sure the NBA value him the same way we (rightfully) do since he's ours and we've seen him play all year long. Same for trading up actually or just getting another lottery pick, so not sure what he could bring back anyway.
Totally different context with that 2011 spurs teams who was a contender and could afford the risk of losing what was would always be high end role player in Hill for what they saw as a potential better player (Kawhi). That 2023 spurs team is still in rebuild mode and you should first appreciate and try to develop what you see as a potential nice player (Malaki) instead of already gambling after his rookie year for another rookie with no guarantee of success. If the newbie busts, you lost Malaki and maybe another pick... Consolidate your core and then eventually take risks, spurs are not in that position right now.
Last edited by JPB; 05-28-2023 at 06:19 PM.
Thats a big limb. Spurs tend to develop potential rather than roll the dice that they can parlay it into better potential. Especially players who have shown that they’ve got a real chance of developing into a legitimate player.
Even if the team wanted to move Branham, this is maybe the worst time to do it. First, I see no overlap between him and Vassell. Branham is clearly the bench guy and his role seems very defined, as does Vassell with the starting unit. In fact, figuring out Branham and Wembanyama together at the same time, for any minutes they might share, is a key issue, since they use some of the same areas of the court. Vassell, the starter, and Wembanyama don't.
But Branham's stock isn't clear right now. I know other teams' commentators took note of him throughout the season, but it's not clear how good he can be. So you're selling short on his potential. Meanwhile, he fulfills a role the team really can use while, from the other side, his potential is unclear. Like, he could become really, really good. Maybe he caps out at scorching bench units, maybe he's just a very good rotation piece, maybe he winds up agitating for a starting role and winds up getting moved to make him happy, but each of those end results are higher than where he is now. You're selling the acorn instead of the oak.
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