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Sochan and Vassell were thought to be elite defensive prospects coming out of college. Something to consider when talking about these suppossed defensive prospects.
This mock has ATL taking Risacher at 1:
https://syndication.bleacherreport.c...spect.amp.html
Seems good for the Spurs if so, fewer wins for ATL next season? And higher bust potential the next two?
Sochan and Vassell were thought to be elite defensive prospects coming out of college. Something to consider when talking about these suppossed defensive prospects.
Do they really? I'm honestly asking because I don't know. What examples/proof are/is there of Spurs picking a guy because of workouts and scrimmages? If true, that sounds like a really bad strategy. I would really hope they don't make those important choices relying on such a short sample size.
i think its better for us if they take Sarr. he's probably a smart pick for them long term but i dont think hes going to be very good in year 1. he's pretty poor offensively right now, and he's very weak on the defensive glass.
JJ Red is not better than DJ
The problem is this year most of the draftees are so young and so obviously flawed that it's almost impossible to say who is going to hit with any degree of certainty. Some are just bound to be really good players as they learn how to train and play like NBA players but which ones are anyone's guess.
Yeah. When did 22-23 yr old kids become "old"
That used to be the average age coming out of college.
NBA players are now coming in very young and inexperienced. ...and it shows.
At best you may have 1 player from this draft actually starts and keeps there starting role the whole season. In last years draft You had several people in the top 10 that spent significant more time in the G League vs the big boy team. This draft I see maybe only 3 people who will get significant playing time after All Star break
ive been told by my contact in the austin spurs org......... spurs will be bringing in this player for a workout.........rodney terry told brian wright about him..........
Been watching some Salaun tape and, yes, he's big and active, but athletically doesn't look super bouncy or fluid. He's super long and has a strong build but doesn't use it to bully his opponents, you often see him going for these awkward, amateurish prayers of a layup, when he should just overpower defenders for a dunk. His length allows him to disrupt passing lanes and get steals, but doesn't look like he's got the lateral speed to keep up with faster wings on the perimeter. He misses basic reads and passes. He's projected as a shooter but he only made 32.9% (46/140), has some ugly misses and his shot looks funky. Has the handles of your average guy at the local gym. It's hard to definitively state outcomes, but he looks raw like a chunk of meat you just bit off a living cow. More than polishing a diamond in the rough, it's hoping for a diamond out of a chunk of coal. Maybe everything goes right, the shot really pans out and hustles his butt off on D, and becomes a serviceable stretch 4, but it's a loooong and bumpy ride, and we've had enough of these already. I'd rather let somebody else gamble on this lottery ticket.
I've read some link him to a young Giannis, at least in the sense that he could be a young guy super raw but full of potential that can explode in the NBA... this was pre draft Giannis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaw0_zw9LGs. Other than the size, there's no much else to compare the two. Not even physically, Giannis was much more bouncy, explosive, and fluid. Salaun looks clunky.
What I really don't like about Salaün is his poor feel for the game. Even if he is one of the youngest player in this draft, he has been for 4 years in arguably the two best places to learn basketball in France (INSEP and Cholet). I find it worrisome that he hasn't a better understanding of the game after that.
Well... then it isn't that he's raw, just not very good. I mean, I could understand it if he picked up a basketball a few years ago like some tall African teenagers do, but this guy has been around a basketball his whole life and his skill level and understanding of the game sure doesn't look like it.
Personally I'd rather go Castle at 4 and Dillingham/Sheppard at 8, but if the Spurs were inclined to go for Salaun at 8, I'd rather overpay to move up for Risacher instead, he might not be a high level creator but the guy actually looks like a smart basketball player with skills. Would 8 + future first get you to 2? Or maybe from 4 to 2, and hope Castle is there at 8.
so, what about Melvin Ajinca in that regard? some mocks have the Spurs taking him in the 2nd round. I understand that he is also pretty raw, but with the 2nd round picks the Spurs might plan to draft and stash anyway.
Compare TJ McConnell with Dejounte Murray - Murray has him crushed in raw production and has an advantage in frame, physical tools, made an all-defensive team, and plays like more of a hooper while McConnell is some unathletic white dude who comes off the bench. And yet compare their on court impact by DARKO and EPM both this year and years past and aside from Murray's last year at SA, they are not that far off, and that McConnell this year has been a more impactful player than Dejounte Murray this year.
Now consider that the main thing that has kept McConnell from being a starter his entire career is a lack of a consistent 3 point shot, so he has been achieving all this as a tiny unathletic guard who can't provide spacing, and yet he was one of Indiana's best players against the Knicks in their conference semi series. I would argue that if you give him JJ Red 's jumper for his entire career, he's a 30 million dollar a year player right now and potentially more impactful than Murray.
To me, Sheppard is basically that guy - only slightly bigger, more athletic, higher processing speed, and with a wet jumper who is better in virtually every way than McConnell as a freshman at Duquesne aside from taking care of the ball. I think there's a good chance he can develop an improved handle and functional strength over the next 5-7 years and play as a lead guard who's just as, if not more impactful than Murray. I get that if you think he'll be stuck as a small non-creating shooting specialist like Seth Curry for his entire career that he's probably not going approach Murray's value, but I guess I project him as more than that.
Pretty hot take I know, but I was drunk when I typed that last night and now it looks like I have to stand by it haha
I'm not a fan of Ajinça. To me, he is just a 3 point shooter that isn't even shooting that well the ball.
When I look at various mock draft, I find that there are still a lot of intriguing players left at #35. This draft seems stronger than last year draft in that range. Spurs can do way better at #35 than Ajinça. I'm way more intrigued in most of the players you have suggested as targets in some of your previous posts.
With the 48th pick, Ajinça could be a decent option in a draft and stash scenario. This pick will have little trade value and Spurs certainly won't have a roster spot for a 4th rookie so it's likely either a two way player or a draft and stash.
https://dizzledynasty.substack.com/p...n-clingan-alex
Comments by an observer who watched a lot of UConn this year.
Thanks for this
thank's, that's great insight!
yes, I see it like you, there are probably more intriguing prospects in the 30-40 range than in other years. but it will be tough to find a spot on the roster for the #35 pick, so I don't see a chance for that #48.
pick might get traded for a future 2nd. (looking at the Nets)
most of the players I mentioned are of that good soldier mold, I guess I'm a bit biased, I really like those guys who worked their way up and so I would rank some of them much higher than the mocks do.
like, say, Antonio Reeves, who the most mocks have in the lower half of 2nd round. yes, can I see his limits and he is already 23, but he definitely can shoot, he finds his spots and he brings a lot of intangibles.
he wouldn't be first on my list for pick #35, but he is on the list.
Worth a read on the ‘Mantis’.I see a lot of players from this talent rich area. That includes current prospects such as Reed Sheppard, Stephon Castle, and Cam Christie. In past years I have been able to watch players like Jarace Walker, Grady , and Kobe Bufkin. During the bizarre COVID impacted summer of 2020. I even got to see future #1 overall pick Paolo Banchero up close and personal (only parents and media got into most events that summer)
The sheer force and brute physicality of Banchero is hard to top. However hands down, the most skilled and dynamic player I have seen is this time frame is Buzelis.
Sounds like a Spurs pick and if they miss on Risacher I can see them wanting to draft another French prospect.
How did you get that from what Ariel said?
Looks unathletic, is raw in his game, has positional size, is French
They did draft Samanic 5 years ago who has some similarities. If the Spurs end up picking Salaun, I hope he takes basketball more seriously than Samanic.
HE’S EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD.
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