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In fact it's the opposite. The team has said promo W is on his own development timeline. He wouldn't be playing unless they thought he was ready to play.
In his mind. He got pulled from games, and sent down to Austin for weeks.
In fact it's the opposite. The team has said promo W is on his own development timeline. He wouldn't be playing unless they thought he was ready to play.
Yeah it made no sense. Hated it the minute I read that.
Well, at least one publication agrees with me...................
ESPN’s NBA mock draft: Round one
Houston Rockets: Gonzaga PF Chet Holmgren
Orlando Magic: Auburn PF Jabari Smith
Detroit Pistons: Duke PF Paolo Banchero
Oklahoma City Thunder: Purdue PG Jaden Ivey
Indiana Pacers: Iowa PF Keegan Murray
Portland Trail Blazers: Kentucky SG Shaedon Sharpe
Sacramento Kings: Wisconsin SG Johnny Davis
New Orleans Pelicans (via Los Angeles Lakers): Duke F AJ Griffin
9. San Antonio Spurs: Memphis C Jalen Duren
Washington Wizards: G League Ignite PG Dyson Daniels
New York Knicks: Arizona SF Bennedict Mathurin
Oklahoma City Thunder (via Los Angeles Clippers): NZ Breakers SF Ousmane Dieng
Charlotte Hornets: Duke C Mark Williams
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kansas SF Ochai Agbaji
Charlotte Hornets (via New Orleans Pelicans): Baylor PF Jeremy Sochan
Atlanta Hawks: Ohio State SG Malaki Branham
Houston Rockets: Kentucky PG TyTy Washington Jr.
Chicago Bulls: LSU PF Tari Eason
Minnesota Timberwolves: Mega Mozzart SF Nikola Jovic
San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors): Tennessee PG Kennedy Chandler
Denver Nuggets: G League Ignite SG MarJon Beauchamp
Memphis Grizzlies (via Utah Jazz): Notre Dame SG Blake Wesley
Brooklyn Nets (via Philadelphia 76ers, Nets can defer pick to 2023): Auburn C Walker
https://www.si.com/nba/spurs/news/sa...gregg-popovich
Legendary basketball coach Larry Brown was a member of the coaching staff with the Memphis Tigers during the 2021-22 season. He was around Duren on a daily basis and was impressed with his agility for a big and his maturity.
“Jalen probably moves his feet better than any big kid I’ve been around,’’ Brown told The New York Post. “With so much switching in the NBA, he’s really capable of doing that. If he doesn’t play, he cheers for the team, doesn’t sulk.’’
Brown has seen a lot of comparisons between Duren to Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, who is highly regarded for his overall defensive versatility and switching ability. Brown made it clear that Duren is '3 inches taller.'
“A lot of people compare him to Bam,’’ Brown said. “I spent time with Cal [Kentucky coach John Calipari] when Bam was there. Bam doesn’t shoot 3s either. Jalen is 3 inches taller than Bam.
Jalen is like when I was a head coach when he had a center and power forward in the NBA. I always teased him: I wanted him to be like [rugged former Pistons center] Ben Wallace, because he can run with anybody. He really can run. And can move his feet defensively.”
“If someone’s taking him to be starter on a playoff team, I don’t think it’s completely fair,’’ Brown said. “He’s 18. If you’re looking at a kid to develop and really be a factor, he’s the one you got to consider. Any 18, 19 year old kid they’re going to get may not help the team right away, but certainly he’ll have a chance to have a uva career.”
“If you draft him, he’ll be like a lottery pick in two years,” Brown said. He’s young, long, athletic quick. He’s just got to grow and get better. He grew 2 inches when I was there. He’s that high-twitch athlete. So many NBA people have called me about him. A couple of years, you might have a diamond.’’
“If you draft him, he’ll be like a lottery pick in two years.” Unfortunately, we’re drafting in the lottery this year. Not to mention the Jackie Butler fiasco. I’m not convinced but still open.
That's a great find on Larry Brown on Duren.
I'm basically resigned to the Spurs picking a center with the 9. Either Mark Williams or Jalen Duren. The reasoning seems sound. The team has scads of guards and everyone in that range has question marks. There are PFs, a position of need, but they also have question marks and maybe the team has plans otherwise. A young backup to spell Poeltl as they figure out Jakob's future is good. Man, the team got killed on the boards by beefy teams like Minnesota.
That said...
It's sure bizarre to hear Brown speak out on Duren like this. On the one hand, nothing abnormal about it. Great that he seems to like the kid a lot. Sure is selling me, that's for sure. The question is who is he actually selling? I assume Brown is still close to the team. If the Spurs are targeting Duren, then why is he blabbing about how great he is? This suggests, if we're allowed to read the tea leaves, that the Spurs are NOT going in that direction... OR, to add intrigue, the Spurs are baiting someone? As mentioned, are they really indicating to later teams (Charlotte) that their centers may be off the board before they get a chance?
I don't think Brown is that close to the Spurs. He spent all year with Penny, not Pop. And the Spurs have absolutely had room on the bench each year that past few, I think if they wanted Brown they would have had him.
I don't know why people keep saying this. Walker IV, Richardson and Langford could be gone either this off season or at the very least the latter two are not in the long term plans, which leaves Murray, Vassell, Jones and Primo and none of the non PG's can create. Suffice it to say, I can't imagine that stopping them front drafting another guard/wing.
They already have that, his name is Collins. He can be the placeholder starter if they go center, but that player needs to be in the rotation immediately. I've said it ad nauseam, but Poeltl can be utilized to get a forward and/or another pick high enough to still get a decent perimeter prospect.
And Brown's comments are probably ridiculous.
Bam measured 6-8.75 barefoot, 6-9.75 shoes. There's no way Duren is a 7 footer, barefoot or with shoes. If he was he would have measured and blown everyone at the combine away and been the story.
Theres an argument to be made with any direction the spurs take tbh lol it’s fun to think about and speculate. We have 4 picks in the this draft so there’s lots of flexibility to address different needs.
Yeah, the team still has a ton of guards even jettisoning some of them.
And no, Zach Collins ain't the answer, bro. He's more of a PF tweener and can't handle the big boys down low.
Your logic doesn't make ing sense.
Quan y, not quality. There's a clear need for another shot creator.
I said as a stopgap (big deal if they're on pace for closer to 30 than 35 wins if he starts for possibly as little as roughly half a season and plays 20 to 25 mpg) and he's clearly strictly a C.
Yeah no kidding they need a shot creator.
And you should tell the nba Collins is only a center since he played some PF in both Portland and last year.
No, Zach did not play any meaningful minutes at PF last season - from a guy who watched pretty much every Spurs game last season. Whenever he was with Landale, Zach was the inside player both on offense (occasional 3 but not parked as often in the corners like Landale was) and defense. And he played almost no minutes with Poeltl except the few seconds he was about to be subbed out (or maybe there was ONE game where we were short forwards).
Yeah and the easiest positions to find them at are guard. So you (unwittingly) agree with me then.
No, he didn't. Landale played some nominal PF late last season in an effort to get more shooting and size on the floor sans McDermott. The game has changed too much (and he's lost some mobility) even from when he was last healthy as a Trail Blazer for him to masquerade as a PF.
Still not sold on that Poetl Collins pair at C...
Collins is closer to a PF than a C.
Should be I suppose, but players on the Spurs seem to play one position up all the time.
Speaking generally now, and not to Mr. B. Even if Larry Brown is being sincere, I'm not sure I trust him. He was horribly wrong about Jackie Butler being the next Moses Malone or whatever lofty hopes we had for him. And Brown's quote, "If you draft him, he'll be like a lottery pick in two years." That's worse logic than drafting Primo. The assumption was that Primo was going to be a lottery pick the next year, not two years. Though perhaps I'm misreading Brown here.
Also, I hate to be the skeptic here, but coaches/coaching staff don't give fully honest assessments of players to the public... if they did, future prospects probably wouldn't join them further on down the road. Just go back and look at the things Coach K said about players like Jahlil Okafor and Marvin Bagley. Coaches are always the biggest cheerleaders for their guys and aren't going to point out shortcomings to an audience of folks looking for red flags or deficiencies that could potentially make guys go later in the draft, costing them millions of dollars.
The last time we listened to Larry Brown on a center, we ended up having to use Scola to salary dump him.
Jalen Duren a bust confirmed!
Even the Spurs' official site lists Collins as a forward and a center, you gaping anus.
https://www.nba.com/spurs/roster/grid
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