Brandon Clarke - 2019 NBA Draft Prospect

[cd021]

He had ridiculous combine results. No way he's dropping out of the lottery

Man, I didn't think he was a lottery pick before but it's crazy to think he'd go even in the teens. He was very productive in college but there are a number of concerning issues that teams are going to have to overlook.

[R. DeMurre]

Clarke is really a fascinating case. He's got the agility, speed, and athleticism of a truly great wing player, but isn't a wing. He blocked shots & rebounded like a center this year, and put up better advanced stats than anyone outside of Zion while still having a relatively modest usage rate on a very successful team... he has the height of a small forward, the wingspan of a shooting guard, and the mindset of a center. But his energy and motor are in the mode of Rodman, Draymond Green, Manu... This guy's career going forward is like the basketball equivalent of a great mystery novel.

[exstatic]

He had ridiculous combine results. No way he's dropping out of the lottery

His measurements weren’t ridiculous, at least not in a good way. Six eight by six eight. And no real perimeter skills.

[exstatic]

Clarke is really a fascinating case. He's got the agility, speed, and athleticism of a truly great wing player, but isn't a wing. He blocked shots & rebounded like a center this year, and put up better advanced stats than anyone outside of Zion while still having a relatively modest usage rate on a very successful team... he has the height of a small forward, the wingspan of a shooting guard, and the mindset of a center. But his energy and motor are in the mode of Rodman, Draymond Green, Manu... This guy's career going forward is like the basketball equivalent of a great mystery novel.

I think teams won’t know what to do with him, anymore than Thybulle. There are some weird ing players in this draft.

[pad300]

I think teams won’t know what to do with him, anymore than Thybulle. There are some weird ing players in this draft.

Yeah, some will do really well and some will bust. Not just in game style, but some real physical outliers.
Oversized: Tacko Fall
Skinny and Too Tall : Bol Bol
Wide Loads : Zion, Grant Williams
Orangutan : Talen Horton Tucker
Freak Athlete : Clarke

The trick is figuring out which ones are going to float... before you throw them in the deep end.

[Seventyniner]

I think teams won’t know what to do with him, anymore than Thybulle. There are some weird ing players in this draft.

I think that benefits the smarter FOs. It will be telling to see which teams take these players that don't fit traditional molds.

[ZeusWillJudge]

They say Clarke played well in the scrimmage. Then I watched an interview video where he said that he is going to be able to guard any player on the floor. Later he said, "Obviously I can dunk on anybody." First taste of freedom, I guess. I wonder if he'll be saying the same things in November?

He's made himself some pretty big shoes to fill.

[R. DeMurre]

The discussion between Clarke & his people before the combine must have been interesting. They had to know his wingspan measurement would raise some eyebrows, but I guess they were banking on the wow factor of his vertical leap and agility... I wonder how often teams ask for a measurement in interviews with players who have skipped the combine?

[R. DeMurre]

Clarke must be causing major anxiety to GMs all over the league right now. If he's bust, people will say "How the did you draft a power foward with a 6'8" wingspan??" If he succeeds, people will say, "how the do you pass on a guy who led the entire NCAA in FG%, blocks, offensive rating, defensive rating, and win shares??"

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...9-leaders.html

[Chinook]

Because of Donovan Mitc 's (and to a smaller extent the success of White, Hart and Brogdon), teams are probably more likely to forgive Clarke's age than ever. But that's just one of the three major red flags he has. He really needs/needed to come in and show some shooting or advanced handles if he's going to overcome is lack of size. I think the right team could still get a lot of value out of him, but most of those teams don't have lotto picks. I think Clarke could go anywhere after the top six or so, but I do expect him to fall far enough to where the Spurs could make a legit play at him. Even if they don't want him, maybe they could get a team to trade up for him. I have to think that there are some GMs out there that like Brandon as much as I do.

[RVSTX]

I really like this kid...but how long can he rely on his athleticism? i hope he shows he can shoot the 3 ball, and play small forward...

[exstatic]

I really like this kid...but how long can he rely on his athleticism? i hope he shows he can shoot the 3 ball, and play small forward...

That’s how GMs lose their jobs: hoping that a player can both make the jump to the NBA and acquire magical new positional skills.

[pad300]

That’s how GMs lose their jobs: hoping that a player can both make the jump to the NBA and acquire magical new positional skills.

Yep, but it's also a decent way to hit home runs, some examples: Kawhi going from PF skills in college to a SF, Westbrook becoming a (real) PG's (Darren Collison was "the" PG on UCLA).

[exstatic]

Yep, but it's also a decent way to hit home runs, some examples: Kawhi going from PF skills in college to a SF, Westbrook becoming a (real) PG's (Darren Collison was "the" PG on UCLA).

Well, Westbrook was drafted EXTREMELY high, so he really only had to make the positional jump, and Kawhi dropped into the best development program in the NBA. I’d call those outliers. NBA draft history is littered with failed combo forwards and combo guards.

[R. DeMurre]

Were it not for Zion, people would be talking about Clarke's statistical impact/advanced stats as historic. They're better than any other college player's #s of the last decade. He shows especially well in Box plus/minus & win shares per 40 min, two categories that are littered with future NBA players-- including surprises like Draymond Green & Derrick White-- as opposed to many other categories, like ppg, which are more likely to be filled with players now in Europe or China. Granted, Clarke was older than Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Ben Simmons, but his numbers demolish theirs, and make me believe that at worst he could be a superior bench player who adds value as a tweener athletic freak who gets results despite some classic red flags...

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...9-leaders.html

[timvp]

Were it not for Zion, people would be talking about Clarke's statistical impact/advanced stats as historic. They're better than any other college player's #s of the last decade. He shows especially well in Box plus/minus & win shares per 40 min, two categories that are littered with future NBA players-- including surprises like Draymond Green & Derrick White-- as opposed to many other categories, like ppg, which are more likely to be filled with players now in Europe or China. Granted, Clarke was older than Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Ben Simmons, but his numbers demolish theirs, and make me believe that at worst he could be a superior bench player who adds value as a tweener athletic freak who gets results despite some classic red flags...

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...9-leaders.html

Brandon Clarke is like a 5-foot-8 college quarterback who shattered all records. The GM who picks him will ultimately either end up looking like a genius or an idiot. IMO, a GM with shaky job security can't pick him because if he ends up as a guard-sized center, it will look like a laughable pick quickly.

[R. DeMurre]

Brandon Clarke is like a 5-foot-8 college quarterback who shattered all records. The GM who picks him will ultimately either end up looking like a genius or an idiot. IMO, a GM with shaky job security can't pick him because if he ends up as a guard-sized center, it will look like a laughable pick quickly.

Yeah, it's a huge risk for someone picking in the lottery, but more of a potential high reward pick as it gets closer to the end of the first round. The thought of him on Golden State, Houston, or OKC is a little scary though.

[Chinook]

Brandon Clarke is like a 5-foot-8 college quarterback who shattered all records. The GM who picks him will ultimately either end up looking like a genius or an idiot. IMO, a GM with shaky job security can't pick him because if he ends up as a guard-sized center, it will look like a laughable pick quickly.

Clarke is 6-8, not 6-3. , he'd be a comfortable small-forward pick 20 years ago even with his current lack of shooting. I think people expecting him to come in and be his college self against better players are in for a surprise. He needs to develop modern-PF skills for sure to really make an impact. But his size at PF doesn't bother me at all, since most fours don't post up anymore. At 6-8 with his athleticism, he should be able to check the 6-8 and 6-9 guys he sees on the perimeter as is.

[picnroll]

Clarke would also make a lot of GMs look bad if he went late and coul develop a three point shot. He showed steady improvement on his FT% shooting nearly 70% his last year. Not inconceivable he could become a Bruce Bowen or better level offensive threat. I wouldn’t be disappointed if he were the Spurs pick.

[timvp]

Clarke is 6-8, not 6-3. , he'd be a comfortable small-forward pick 20 years ago even with his current lack of shooting. I think people expecting him to come in and be his college self against better players are in for a surprise. He needs to develop modern-PF skills for sure to really make an impact. But his size at PF doesn't bother me at all, since most fours don't post up anymore. At 6-8 with his athleticism, he should be able to check the 6-8 and 6-9 guys he sees on the perimeter as is.

His height is fine. The issue is his 8-foot-6 standing reach and that he weighs 207 pounds. That's shorter and lighter than Danny Green

I mean, I still think he's a good prospect and I'd be really tempted at 19 but he's definitely unique. The league is getting smaller and it's changing but he'd instantly become the smallest full-time "big" in the league.

[DPG21920]

Is Draymond offensively not a fair or realistic comparison? I’m less worried about him figuring things out defensively

[cd021]

Clarke would also make a lot of GMs look bad if he went late and coul develop a three point shot. He showed steady improvement on his FT% shooting nearly 70% his last year. Not inconceivable he could become a Bruce Bowen or better level offensive threat. I wouldn’t be disappointed if he were the Spurs pick.

Yeah, but him hitting 70% from the line doesn't project out to him hitting 3's at a decent clip. His game seems to be screen and roll or finishing lobs at the basket, I don't see him expanding much more than hitting mid range jumpers.

[pad300]

Is Draymond offensively not a fair or realistic comparison? I’m less worried about him figuring things out defensively

Offensively, Dray has many more NBA level skills: better passing, better (illegal) screen setting, a more demonstrated jump shot ( his best season to date was 38.8% from 3 on 3.2/game. The three has definitevely degenerated on him though).

[pad300]

Yeah, but him hitting 70% from the line doesn't project out to him hitting 3's at a decent clip. His game seems to be screen and roll or finishing lobs at the basket, I don't see him expanding much more than hitting mid range jumpers.

Tankathon projects his NBA 3% as .319. IMO, what that really means is there is a 50-50 shot. He'll either end up shooting very few of them at like 28%, or a lot of them at 37%...

[cd021]

I really like this kid...but how long can he rely on his athleticism? i hope he shows he can shoot the 3 ball, and play small forward...

We've seen players who rely heavily on athleticism decline drastically by the time they reach 30. Say he doesn't develop a 3pt shot and he can't play the 3 (because there is nothing to suggest that he can) how does he look in 6 seasons when he's 29 an still has the same offense skills he has now but is starting to decline physically?