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Owners like to sell tickets, but often work against themselves by influencing front office decisions.
GMs like to keep their jobs. Owners like to sell tickets.
Owners like to sell tickets, but often work against themselves by influencing front office decisions.
If Spurs want to add a playmaker/ballhandler with some size Jakucionas, Traoré and Saraf are all 3 very intriguing prospects. They are very different players but they quite fill the same niche. They're about the same size and have comparable strengths and weaknesses (defense and outside shooting).
jakucionis is hitting 44% of his 3's on 5 attempts per game. is that really a weakness?
It's based on what he did in Europe before joining college basketball. We will see his shooting numbers for this season when the sample size will be bigger.
Yeah his numbers look good as his last two games he went off as he took 18 threes and made 10 of them which really helped his percentages. He probably won’t be able to keep doing that for the season but if he does he might work his way in top 6.
Nets tanking, with the Schröder trade, improves a little Spurs' odds of getting Bulls and/or Hornets pick. The most likely scenario is still Spurs not getting these picks, especially the Hornets' one, but it's a step in the right direction.
I'm doubting how good this supposedly good draft class is overall. There seem to be two alphas and I'm not sure Flagg is actually an alpha. Tremendous defender, potentially, which is certainly something, but right now he looks to me like an amped-up Jeremy Sochan. A very good player.
Harper looks a ton to me like James Harden. Maybe without the bells and whistles of flops and foul-baiting or the advantage creation, but the build and wiles and scoring. Right now he's my #1.
Then there are some intriguing players, but no one I'm totally thirsting over. We'll see more as we enter conference play. I'm also more narrow-casting toward Spurs needs. A multi-tool guy like Demin or Jakucionis are pretty dang intriguing. A bucket like Tre Johnson is intriguing. I think they'll be gone before our pick.
But overall and objectively it doesn't seem like a phenomenal class.
It’s a good class, but we probably won’t be able to take advantage of it unless ATL comes back to earth.
No, I don't think it's that good of a class. Maybe we'll see guys move up to take the spots overrated players are vacating, like Traore and possibly Edgecombe. It's what always happens.
Not getting mid-high lottery picks may not be terrible when there aren't great players there, if you can't get top 2.
what yall think of boogie fland....Looks like in our range that we can get.Can shoot and pass and play sum d.Dont see wesley and tre jones
part of our future hopefully.Lord knows we need to add talent with shooting and playmaking.
He will definitely be in our range he is a good player but will be going through same argument we went through last year regarding short players as he is only 6’2. I wouldn’t use our first pick on him but depends on who is available with our second pick.
They just need to stay a play-in team. Anything can happen in the ty East between 7-10, including Chicago upsetting Atlanta in one of those games. That would be the best of both worlds.
I'll continue to bang this drum if he continues his hot start, but right now in my opinion Jeremiah Fears is by far the best player that would potentially be available in the spurs' range. He's mocked anywhere from late lottery to late first, but to me he belongs top 5 behind Harper and right around where everyone has Jakucionis with true two-way star potential. I can probably talk myself into him at 3 behind Harper and Flagg honestly.
If the spurs are looking for another combo guard ball-handler or 3rd guard, there are some excellent options this draft. Boogie Fland is kind of Dillingham redux where he's a Calipari guard, great shotmaker and passes well but can't really finish at the rim. Jace Richardson is this year's Sheppard as a high efficiency low usage role playing combo guard who always seems to make the right decision. Labaron Philon is a little bit like a smaller Castle as a really well rounded combo guard who's solid in most aspects and a great perimeter defender. However, none of them has the star potential of Fears.
1. Frame - per Givony, he's grown 3 inches and 30 pounds in the last 2 years. He's listed at 6'4" by Oklahoma and looks like he has decent length. He's got a good frame that looks like it can continue to add muscle. He's supposed to be a HS senior (about Flagg's age) and he's still skinny, so he's still likely early in his physical development. Regardless, by the time he physically develops, he'll be big enough to likely hold up on a switch and not completely die like some of the smaller guards from last year.
2. Skills - kid's got some dirty handles. Not as shifty as Dillingham, not as fast as Fox, not as strong/explosive as Dennis Smith Jr. But he's smooth and above average in all 3 of those things. Lightning quick crossover and can get into the paint in the blink of an eye.
3. Defense - comes and goes, but he's definitely flashed the ability to lock in as a man defender; haven't seen enough to really make a judgement on his team defense and awareness. 5% STL rate is bound to come down, but he's shown excellent awareness and potential on that end.
4. Numbers - 30+ AST%, 4+ STL%, 50% free throw rate on 30+ Usage for a freshman who just turned 18 is absolutely nutty and borderline unheard-of. More importantly, his numbers clearly paint a picture of what his tape shows - a guy who can relentlessly get into the paint and finish at a good rate while there (64% at the rim), and draw fouls at an extremely high rate. He's putting up similar and better numbers relative to guys like Fox, DSJ, and Jaden Ivey, except he's 1-2 years younger and probably physically less developed. Additionally, his rim pressure synergizes with his frame. He's bigger and probably longer than the aforementioned 3 with the likelihood of getting stronger in the coming years, giving his rim pressure a higher chance to translate.
5. Team success - Oklahoma was expected to be ranked around 50-60 preseason and now finds itself ranked top 15. Fears doesn't seem to be just putting up empty stats; his numbers are actually translating to team success above what was originally expected
6. Weaknesses - turnovers, and 3 point shooting. Decision making is probably my biggest worry with him, but again given his youth and inexperience, it's something that I can give him a pass for. Regarding 3 point shooting, he does have certain shooting indicators. The 3s that he's made have all looked smooth and in rhythm, including a couple step backs and pull ups. Most importantly, he shoots mid 80s from the FT line indicating decent touch. This is something that we don't typically see when we look at prior rim-pressure prospects (Fox, DSJ, Ivey were all mid to high 70s). Given the variance of 3 point shooting at a young age and his shooting indicators, I think that Fears has a better chance than most of developing his shooting. If he does, you are looking at an athletic 3 level scorer with decent size and a good frame. That's a star.
7. Personality - this guy seems confident as and doesn't shrink from the moment. Will need to know more about his work ethic, but his rapid improvement from a relative unknown in high school to now indicates some degree of work ethic and ability to improve his game.
Many on this board have put forth the idea that this team still lacks rim pressure, an assertion that I agree with. Wemby is leaning into shooting, Vassell is at his core a jump shooter, and Castle as impressed as I've been with him does not have that ability to collapse a defense. I was hoping Topic could be that guy last year, but unfortunately he had his own warts (abysmal defense, questionable compe ion, below the rim athleticism, questionable physical dimensions) that came to the forefront on further inspection. I think that while Fears does not demonstrate the court vision and awareness that Topic did, he also is strong where Topic is weak and I have fewer concerns about his strengths translating. As the spurs are unlikely to be in position to draft Harper and even Jakucionis, Fears is the best chance that they have of drafting a two way impact player with star upside as a scorer and ball-handler. Hopefully the rest of the nba doesn't catch on, but at least 10 games into the season, he seems to be a top 5 pick hiding in plain sight.
Last edited by SpursBills; 12-16-2024 at 12:56 AM.
I just a mock draft and I picked:
12. Collin Boyles
16. J. Fears
41. Noah Penda
44. Bogoljbub Markovic
This draft isn't that great for tanking teams. There is a great top2 with Flagg/Harper but after that it's more blurry. Even a prospect like Ace Bailey is showing significant flaws.
However, it's a very nice draft for a team like Spurs with at least two mid first round pick. There is just a lot of intriguing prospect. For example this week end, Mcneeley and Asa Newell were great. There is something like a dozen of prospects worth keeping an eye on.
when watching UConn there were some moments when Solo Ball caught my attention. (what a name. well, maybe not for a team sport).
didn't get much playing time last season und is kind of old for a sop re (turned 21 last week), but wow....what an athlete and he can shoot.
reminds me of UCLA Norm Powell, but even better athlete. (allegedly 44" vertical).
likely more of a 2nd round prospect, but fun to watch.
Looking at the draft I would still be very happy if we could get a pick at 11 and another around 13 and still have hope Chicago screws up and maybe gives us the 11th or 12th pick
Have not been paying attention. Has anyone mentioned Danny Wolf yet. Not bad for a 20 year old, 7-ft guard.
There are a couple of bigs I really like and he is one of them as he has showed up in his new Michigan team. He is not a bad athlete for his height and weight and can use it to punish players down low. But what stood out is his handles, his passing, and just knowing where to be on the court. He is a smart player and he plays with passion and a little edge to his game.
I think him and Wemby could even play together as his handles and passing are that good and he can be the backup when Wemby is out and bang with the other Centers. I would be happy if we are able to draft him but I think people are noticing him so his draft range will probably change.
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