Kai Jones would be my choice at between 10 and 15.
His upside looks high -- you don't often get such a combination of shooting ability, skills, athleticism, size and motor. If he fills out (which he should) he could become a monster.
Plus, the Spurs have had great success with bigs from the Islands.
RE: Kai Jones
All-star potential bigs usually produce big numbers in college. The ones that don't become nothing more than role players in the NBA.
Just because Kai flashed a little bit of a handle doesn't mean he'll become Giannis. Giannis is a freak athlete.
http://www.tankathon.com/players/com...-anthony-towns
With that being said, I wouldn't mind having a Nicolas Claxton-type player on this team.
Me neither. Just don’t want to spend a lottery pick on one.
To my mind, the big issue with drafting a Kai Jones on "tools and potential", is that you can get a Kai Jones type in the 2nd round:
https://jtmbasketball.blogspot.com/2...-2-ej-onu.html
Bam Adebayo had only slightly better per40 numbers than Kai. If he‘s there the Spurs should take him. I like the potential. If he doesn‘t pan out, so be it. Better than taking a sure thing role player.
Bam is the exception, not the rule. Kind of like hoping that you can turn any 6’7” wing with a 7’3” span into Kawhi.
if you have no top pick, you have to go for these exceptions.
I’m kind of with Timvp on this one: if you’re hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, you’re more likely to do that with a guard or wing.
If that was the case, we would have ended up with Nassir Little and not Keldon Johnson
Thank god THAT didn’t happen.
I saw him play several times this season and I believe in his potential. Sure, there are some interesting wings in the 8-20 range, but no one who I would take over him. If one of the projected 1-7 guys slips, I would think about it.
We? No, not at all.
You, not we. ;-)
You would have also drafted Jalen Smith instead of Vassell. I like Kai Jones more than every wing in his range, but feel free to have another opinion.
I've admitted I was wrong about Vassell. The book isn't closed for Jalen but after recognizing the trend where the NBA is heading, my draft philosophy has shifted to 1) acknowledging wings are more valuable than bigs today and 2) mobility from your bigs is extremely important. Seeing how Wiseman has performed this season has soured me on these unicorn type bigs. The NBA has simply passed bigs by.
You're free to have your opinion. I responded with a "yes" to your "no" because you didn't say much in response to my post.
Last edited by Dejounte; 04-20-2021 at 02:01 PM.
you won‘t find a more mobile big than Kai Jones with Mobley being the exception.
One factor with Kai is UT. It seems a lot of bigs get picked from there and they generally don’t develop their players, as in their numbers are typically weak unless your a HOF talent that can’t be ignored (Durant). Didn’t Myles Turner play there? He fulfilled at least some of his potential, but may be the exception.
If you subscribe (I don't) Chad Ford has his scouting report/ analysis up now on Wagner....
FRANZ WAGNER SCOUTING REPORT
"Wagner’s versatility, on both the offensive and defensive ends, is what makes him a standout prospect. He’s been an analytics darling ... ticking many of the statistical boxes that point to being an effective NBA player.”
Here's the teaser he tweeted..
Isaiah Jackson says o.
https://youtu.be/yoDROPsaRSo
NBA Draft Junkies on Sengun. It’s not a long segment and it’s mostly curated clips with different areas to focus on. Jump to 3:33 to see more of his passing highlights. I go back-and-forth with him. The only reason to take him would be if he has serious upside as a passing big man, in my opinion.
IF he does have superior passing, AND you could play inside out with him (a lot of maybes), then our glut of guards becomes advantageous as you could play Sengun down low have him either use his old school post moves down low or pass to cutters or shooters. The path to that seems low, but it’s a path to consider and it means Yak may need to go, otherwise we would be drafting a backup big that doesn’t seem to shoot from outside.
To be clear, I don’t see this happening, but I finally see a path for how he could fit.
Last edited by The Truth #6; 04-20-2021 at 03:39 PM.
https://youtu.be/HBIENrGNxmI
NBA Draft Junkies focus on international prospects.
Well done “ The Truth” I follow this cat his Vids are very good lots of information in it. I kinda agree with him if you want the beautiful game you need guys who can handle the ball and be able to hit the open man.
IF the Spurs are trying to make it work with Markkanen as a PF next to Poeltl, I don't see why Sengun wouldn't work either. He may not be as good of a shooter, but he's potentially (likely) better as a passer, post-up big man. So because there are different ways you can utilize him on offense, he could be playable there. If the Spurs think otherwise, it may be because they want a flat out elite shooter that they could see Markkanen become-- and Sengun can't.
Kai Jones is more than 3 years younger than EJ Onu and hasn't been playing organized basketball as long, so he is much more likely to have a hidden ceiling and room for further development than a four-year college player like Onu.
The basic player archetype and toolkit is similar, but EJ Onu is not a "Kai Jones type" beyond that. And that's why Kai Jones is a consensus lotto pick.
I've been watching more of Tennessee to get a better handle on Keon Johnson. I continue to like him. He's raw, needs a year in the G League and he may never pan out but he is a great athlete with star potential.
But, surprisingly, the player who caught my eye even more is Johnson's teammate Jaden Springer. I know Dejounte doesn't want to hear about a 6-foot-4 combo guard but Springer is legitimately really intriguing. IIRC, he's the youngest American in the draft. He's 6-foot-4, built like Keldon Johnson and already understands how to use that strength to his advantage. Very good footwork. Shooting stroke isn't the best but he shot 81% at the line and 43.5% on threes, so tough to complain. Defense is where he really shines. Add elite quickness to his strength and he's a terror one-on-one. Also really good team-wise.
Obviously, the Spurs don't exactly need yet another 6-foot-4 combo guard but Springer is legit. I think he has star upside at some point down the road. If his shooting turns out to be a fluke (which is possible), he could level off as a backup. But there's enough young Chauncey Billups in him that I'd be happy with the Spurs picking him at any spot after 10 or so.
As my guy TD 21 states, the Spurs don't have anyone good enough to worry about building around at this point. That's why I'd be happy with Springer even though there's no glaring need for him. Besides, he's so much younger than White that they wouldn't even really be in the same generation. Springer would be ready to roll once White is declining.
On the other side of the coin, the more I watch Scottie Barnes, the less I like. There's a sliver of hope that he figures it all out and becomes a star but there's also a really good chance that he's the next Ekpe Udoh. Udoh was billed as being able to defend every position and being such a good passer that you could ignore his offensively shortcomings. But it turned out he was such a non-factor on offense that you couldn't even put him on the court. Barnes could be in that same boat. He has really good defensive potential but I just don't see what he does on offense. Yeah, his passing looks good on the college level but, in the NBA, you have to be some sort of threat to be a good passer. Barnes' jumper looks broken, he has bad touch in the paint and he's not that amazing of an athlete. I could understand the Spurs gambling on Barnes at 14 or 15 but my expectations wouldn't be that high.
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