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You can teach defense if the athleticism and quickness is there. Defense is more about effort than anything else.
The better offensive players with the high offensive skillsets are the higher draft picks.
Better yet, get a scorer and teach them to shoot.
You can teach defense if the athleticism and quickness is there. Defense is more about effort than anything else.
The better offensive players with the high offensive skillsets are the higher draft picks.
that. If he’s available at 25, Spurs got their future big. Trade Poeltl plus pick to get Eason. As mentioned:
Murray/Davis/Vassell/Eason/Koloko
Was Lurking on the Trailblazers fan site, I think their pick is going to really see impact who falls to the spurs. Supposedly Dame Lilard Follows 3 prospects on Instagram lol Keegan Murray, Dyson Daniels, and AJ Griffin.
Some spurs fans are infatuated with players who can’t shoot. We already have plenty of players on this team that cant shoot.
Wasting 3 picks on questionable shooters makes this mock draft a mockery to me. Maybe one of these guys, but all three???? NOT GOOD IMHO.
Who is the best player available at 9? Take him. You have to assume that the FO evaluation is made with some attention to his skillset and our needs. Since we conceivably have a need at almost every position, take the best player and get rid of our surpluses with "potential".
Next: Who is available and is the wildest swing for a upside surprise at 20? Take him. This is the pick where you gamble on your scouting and gut feeling if you weren't sure of a player with huge upside at number 9. Maybe that guy who teased you as a surprise at 9 is still there??? If not, take a gamble with this pick.
AT 25, Who is the next best alternate to the number 9 pick we took, but with opposite skills. Take him. For example if we took a player at 9 with primary skillset on defense, take the next best player with shooting skillset at 25.
This is not a safe set of rules for the draft, but Spurs need this draft to be less conservative than usual. Go for it.
Was listening to a podcast and honestly thought they brought up a good point. What’s the difference between Keegan Murray and Ej Liddell? Both play pretty similar playing styles, EJ scored well in the combine drills as well
After thinking about some comments above on developing shooters into players who WILL or CAN play defense, I can't think of anyone who made that flip after coming into the league. Shooters have been groomed to shoot and be high usage shooters all their lives. That got them the applause, the trophies, and the girls. And In most cases, the coaches never really insisted they develop any defensive skills because playing good defense is too exhausting, and they didn't want their shooter off the floor or wearing out in the later stages of the game. That kind of long time grooming at a position sticks with most players. They may agree intellectually that becoming a better or good two way player is good for their team and career, but....really??? Are they going to change much?
Can anyone recall a really good shooter who became a really good defender after entering the NBA??? I'm sorta excluding the old style centers here because it was much easier back in the day to rack up points in the paint as an offensive threat while dominating on defense with height. So let's concentrate on remembered SGs, PFs, and SFs who were stud shooters and seriously worked on their defense skillset.
Sochan & Eason have their individual shortcomings, but I don't agree at all with the idea that a team can't draft both because their skills are too overlapping... I don't think there's such a thing as too much defensive talent and versatility at 6'8", 6'9" in the modern NBA. Hard to say how they'll turn out, but if they both hit, the possibilities are intriguing: Sochan playing minutes as a small ball center with Eason as a PF, Sochan & Eason at PF & SF, or one guy eventually starting with the other coming off the bench, etc., etc... I think having two great switchable defenders at that height in today's game is analogous to having two great defensive bigs 20/25 years ago. It's a position of need in the league generally and of the current Spurs specifically, so the idea of taking two shots at it in a year when you have extra picks doesn't seem impetuous at all. Eason would be a no-brainer if he didn't have that horrendous assist-to-TO ratio, but he still offers so much, especially if he drops to 20 and Jalen Williams is already gone. That being said, Eason still gives me a weird vibe, so I think the interview process and background checks will be very important.
Last edited by R. DeMurre; 06-04-2022 at 02:09 PM.
Klay thompson is probably the one that comes to mind first, he was never a defensive liability coming into the league but there were defensive concerns given his lack of athleticism; ended up developing into a well above average defender and occasionally the Warriors' perimeter stopper from 2015 until his injury. I think Jayson Tatum's defense was fairly suspect when he first came out and he did not really break out as a defender until just the last 1-2 years. Maybe Khris Middleton although I am unfamiliar with how he was in college.
Otherwise you are right, this does not happen nearly as often as the inverse (Danny Green, Mikal Bridges, Robert Covington, etc.)
Good question. Says less about Murray than suggests Liddell may be better than recognized.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/co...-keegan-murray
Same thing Daniels vs Dalen Terry vs Williams ?
The biggest difference seems to be explosiveness. Liddell has a good 25lbs on Murray while being an inch shorter at 6’7”. I think as a result he plays lower to the ground and is slower, which is less than ideal given his height.
I'm not sure on that, Lidell showed some nice leap during the combine. He can jump and one of the concern with Murray could be his quickness.
I agree with this. Also, it's not like adding 2 SF/PF will generate a logjam, when we only have Keldon Johnson (KBD and McDermott shouldn't prevent us from getting anyone, let's be honest). So there's definitely room for both Sochan AND Eason. The only reason NOT to do this (if it is possible), would be that doing so would likely come at the expense of missing out on a potentially better overall prospect, like Mathurin at 9 or Jalen Williams at 20. So I'm in principle going for one of them + best talent for the rest, but if they're close enough to same talent tier, then it definitely makes sense to get both. Big, athletic and versatile forwards with great defense and all around potential are much harder to come by than average shooting guards, so if the talent gap isn't significant then adding a few of those (to a team that's severely lacking in that regard) is far from a concern.
Having 3 1st rounders, if at the end of the day we come away without a viable long term prospect at forward in THIS class, I'd definitely feel underwhelmed.
It isn't easier or more difficult to teach a defesenser to shoot than to a shooter to defend. That's two different talents and mindsets. But scorers and offesnsive talent will always prevail over defensers in NBA drafts, particularly this year for the spurs who have to target scoring. There's 4 other teammates on the court to cover your ass. And tbh you can teach a defenser to shoot all you want, you won't make him a scorer... a 3 & D guy at best, à la Bowen. And spurs don't need a Bowen in this draft.
Spurs have to get it done this draft.
They have some trade chips so let's see how good the FO is in making a good trade to come out of this draft with a high potential player who doesn't need to work on his questionable offensive game.
I'd rather have Eason than Sochan. Neither shoot very well from 3 so the Spurs will have to have better shooters on the roster at the 2 and 3. Sochan's ft% indicates he doesn't have a good touch on his shot.
He bends his knees before he shoots then he comes up on his FT shot and it looks weird.
Eason also plays with a higher motor with more energy. Eason has his flaws foul prone that he'll have to work on but I like him more than Sochan and can draft him a little later. Targeting Eason with the 13th or 15th pick from Charlotte would be a good move and use 9 on another player if the Spurs can't move up to get the better players, Murray, Sharpe or Mathurin.
There's an argument to be made against Koloko, but size for sure isn't it...
Not so much size as weight. He’s 220, and not a stretch 5, no perimeter skills. People question Duren’s ability to defend in the post, and he’s 245. 220 is a ing twig of a paint center.
Murray is quick to the basket with long strides.
He's 6'11" barefoot and with a good frame, I don't think it's an issue. Skill wise, yes, the case can be made.
This is an iteration of the doomsday scenario (a cadre of non shooting, sub star ceiling role players) staring them in the face.
If this is what it comes to, shop some combination of all 3 of the 1sts, Poeltl, Richardson, Collins, Walker signed and traded, etc. for an Ayton (I realize it can't be finalized beforehand, but they should already be speaking to the Suns and tampering with his representation), Anunoby or whoever else of that ilk that might be attainable.
Going over some film again and watching a few interviews, are people down on Jaden Hardy for any particular reason?
He’s a train wreck defensively, has problems finishing around the rim and is not an ideal athlete for the 2-guard position but everything else is there or needing refinement. There is genuine star potential with him or at worst Buddy Hield type shot making…
What really blew me away is how well Offensively he can play on and off ball. I had the impression that he was just a gunner from deep and didn’t realise how good of a P’nR playmaker he is.
If Spurs believe in his character and feel he has the ability to significantly improve defensively, we should definitely have discussions about him with the 9th pick.
That may sound like a reach but I would have to believe he’s a lotto pick unless there is some glaring red flag issue I’m unaware of…
Edit: Speak of the devil…
Last edited by PhantomDashCam; 06-04-2022 at 05:51 PM.
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