Exactly. Capela and Achiuwa's games aren't much alike from what I've seen of both - and even then, the Rockets play a very particular, and IMO not good, form of basketball and I personally think it was a mistake letting go of Capela. The Covid outbreak really benefited them because their micro-ball playing style was being outright exposed - everyone was tired, they were dropping games left and right and being blown out by the hospital Nets before the pandemic forced a shutdown. There's definitely a place for players like Achiuwa in the league still, especially since he projects to be much more of a ball-handler and offensive force than Capela, who could literally do nothing but get the ball spoon-lobbed to him by Harden.
Another thing that separates Achiuwa from other similar prospects is his high drive and motor. He pushes the pace, can bring the ball up the court, play strong in transition, make quick reads and passes. And that same intensity will drive him to get better, unlike other prospects who are content with their current abilities and never develop further... I think that's what also separates someone like Keldon, from someone like Dejounte. The hunger. Never once did I see that from Capela when watching the Rockets, so I don't really understand the comparison other than "tall, lanky, mobile".
Clint barely dribbles the ball and scores mainly on alley oops and one-dribble-to-a-hook shot. He's never gone coast to coast or started from the perimeter to score. The comparison couldn't be farther apart. Makes me sad people just throw garbage comparisons on the wall and see if it sticks, all because they can't put any effort in to actually watch the player.
offense wouldnt be so bad too. LMA works and improves his 3pt shooting, keldon shows that he can be a pure scorer on a high efficiency and white can score 20points in a single game too. Murray, well, he better work hard on shooting, passing and dribbling but for now i can see him as a guard focused mainly on defense. Precious would give us more defense and finally an offensive rebounding. Whats more, this lineup can be very fast on both ends of the court. It may work.
A homeless mans Bam.
Poku gives you rebounds and blocks (and steals), plus offense, tbh.
https://nbadraftcomp.herokuapp.com/s...ecious+Achiuwa
Nice tool for comparing this years class with previous draft prospects.
Whilst not being anywhere near close to Achiuwa as a man-to-man defender, nor zone defender, nor rebounder, nor durable, nor ready to play in the NBA whatsoever. I'm also highly, highly skeptical that Poku's block and steals % translate to the NBA, it's been talked about before in this very thread I think, how deceptive they are. Don't compare both prospects as if they can translate the same things that their highlight reels show; just like it's perfectly fine to be skeptical of Achiuwa's shooting, it's just logical to think as Poku as an absolute gamble that might start to pay off in 2 to 3 years, if it ever does at all. And considering Poku is even more likely to play the 5 in the NBA than Precious is, I don't really see him succeeding as a prospect. But of course, different strokes for different people.
Interesting thanks.
When was the last time a FIBA player didn't increase their numbers on the NBA? I still remember RC saying he was skeptical of Scola being able to rebound at the NBA level.
Pokusevski is a rebounding, blocking and stealing machine. I don't know what it is but the dude just has a knack for ending with the ball in his hands. I'm seriously not kidding when I say those things impressed me more than any aspect of his offense. If you want to question things about him, question how his one on one defense would translate to the NBA, or if he would ever put enough weight to hang around with NBA bigmen, but those things I mentioned (rbds, stls, blks), I have no doubt will translate, even if he sucks at everything else. He's just too good at them.
I have watched about two games worth of film on Poku, so I won't claim to be an expert or close to it. But on him, I tend to agree with Dejounte's analysis - I think players like him benefit much more than your average prospect from the lower level of compe ion around them. Most players that Poku faces are much shorter than him on average, much less strong than the players he'd face in the NBA, less quick. I saw him get a few blocks by chasing down his opponent from behind, something which might be easier in a lower league but is much less feasible in the NBA as a source for steals, IMO - only player I've seen that's really good at this these days is Thybulle, and he was always projected as a defensive savant. Again, I don't like to just list stats without context - where are those steals coming from, where's the blocks coming from? It's way different to be blocking someone from behind after he's blown you by, like I've seen Poku do, than to for example be fast or leaping enough to block a shooter's 3pt attempt, which so far I haven't seen Poku do at all. You might have film that sheds more light on this.When was the last time a FIBA player didn't increase their numbers on the NBA? I still remember RC saying he was skeptical of Scola being able to rebound at the NBA level.
Pokusevski is a rebounding, blocking and stealing machine. I don't know what it is but the dude just has a knack for ending with the ball in his hands. I'm seriously not kidding when I say those things impressed me more than any aspect of his offense. If you want to question things about him, question how his one on one defense would translate to the NBA, or if he would ever put enough weight to hang around with NBA bigmen, but those things I mentioned (rbds, stls, blks), I have no doubt will translate, even if he sucks at everything else. He's just too good at them.
And rebounds is more of the same. He can use his combination of length and tall-ness to tower over the smaller players in the league, but once he gets to the NBA where the average player is close to as tall as he is, I'd bet money Poku's rebounding #s will go down. How is Poku going to fight a box-out with his lanky size and frame? How is he going to fight for offensive rebounds or crash the glass? Not to mention the very high injury risk that players with his frame have - even someone like Porzingis, by all means a player in the projection and trajectory Poku could be following, and someone who's evidently worked a ton on his body and bulked up, is still injury-prone and even now, isn't playing in his team's playoff series. Best ability is availability and all that jazz.
To be honest, if I'm drafting Poku, it's not for his defensive prowess at all. The things he's really special at, and the ones which I think could translate the most of his game into the NBA, are his vision, ball-handling, shooting. Now that is something where I'd be more inclined to your line of thinking "he's just too good at them for it to not translate" at some level. But defense... Nah. There are many clips (Dejounte posted some in the Poku thread I think) showing Poku getting manhandled and simply pushed aside on D by not even NBA players - and the worst part, which you haven't mentioned, is that he's likely to, and projected to, play the 5. With his frame. The five. Yeah... I'm good with Precious, tbh.
E: I forgot to mention something which I'd like to clear up. I don't outright believe Poku will be a bust, no matter how I've spoken of him. I think there's a real chance he can succeed if things go right for him and he develops... I just don't think the Spurs are the team for him, or rather, Poku isn't the player for the Spurs right now. I wish him the best, but hopefully we don't draft him and he can ball elsewhere.
That's my two concerns about poku. His D against nba players and the weight. Can he add some strength, maybe. One thing i'm not sure about is his athletism ? Of course he runs very well for his size, i will take some rebounds, blocks shots because he is 7-0 but I have some doubts about the man on man D, switch on the perimeter...When was the last time a FIBA player didn't increase their numbers on the NBA? I still remember RC saying he was skeptical of Scola being able to rebound at the NBA level.
Pokusevski is a rebounding, blocking and stealing machine. I don't know what it is but the dude just has a knack for ending with the ball in his hands. I'm seriously not kidding when I say those things impressed me more than any aspect of his offense. If you want to question things about him, question how his one on one defense would translate to the NBA, or if he would ever put enough weight to hang around with NBA bigmen, but those things I mentioned (rbds, stls, blks), I have no doubt will translate, even if he sucks at everything else. He's just too good at them.
I agree with pretty all your toughts
I also think if you draft poku that's for the offensive upside of the guy.
Poku gets blocks in all their varieties. Chasing from behind, closing out on 3 pointers, waiting on the paint as a rim protector, and even as a one on one post defender on the guy that is trying to post him up. Take my word, if he ever makes it on the NBA, he will be one of the top blockers.
Another thing, I don't know where this perception that NBA players are taller on average than Europen players comes from. Maybe years ago, not anymore, tbh.
It's crucial for Poku to show he can put on the weight and not lose his speed/agility at the combine, but he commented on a youtube video that he's still growing and closer to 7'2 now than his listed 7 ft height.
"Give me some time and I'm taking the NBA by storm. I'm only 18, I also grew almost two inches. Appreciate all the love!" - Poku
So he's practically bol bol now without the high center of gravity and injury/character concerns.
I won't speak for Europe as a whole of course, but I can nigh-guarantee you that players in the NBA are on average considerably taller than those in the league Poku played in. Maybe with top Euroleague teams, there isn't such a stark constrast (still I'd like to see some numbers on it), but on Poku's league, it's not really a question tbh.
And again, my bottomline remains the same... Poku's abilities might translate some, or a lot even. Then, he's going to have to add a lot of pounds of pure muscle, just to hang with the general level of NBA players' physicality. Then, since his mobility will probably be reduced, he'll likely play the 4/5 or probably a full-time 5, like Porzingis, a position where his weak frame and physical profile is at its worst disadvantage. Posters here complain about how Poeltl is too soft and lacks strength going against Jokic or Embiid? I shudder to think of Poku in that situation... Might legitimately break in half or get tossed out of the court on Embiid posting him up. Even decent-sized 4s will probably manhandle him, tbh, again there's highlights of players in that low level league just manhandling Poku.
And above all, the Spurs simply aren't the best team in terms of fit. They don't sorely need a project 5 that will be even less strong than Poeltl, that won't see major minutes his first 2+ years, and might cap out as a bench player due to not being strong enough to hang against starters. I fail to see why, if presented with the choice of either PatWill, Achiuwa, or Poku, the Spurs would take the latter instead of the former two. Again, I want to see Poku succeed, the Spurs just aren't the team for him right now, IMO.
This makes me like him even less as a prospect, tbh. But good for him, if he can bulk up to where his weight isn't an issue and his mobility isn't hindered (colossal IF), he's a walking mismatch even as a C.
Dude, Precious is 98, 78945 % more likely to be a "project 5" than Poku.
But he's 98.78945% more likely to be an NBA player, tbh. I'm exaggerating, but not so much. And of course, it's obvious to say that I don't necessarily see Precious having to strictly become a 5, but having the versatility to play some if required, which is another thing that makes him more valuable to me than Poku. I could see Precious developed into switching from 4 to 3 or 5 matchup-depending, which is hopeful, but still a miles more likely to be reached as a goal than having Poku develop into a starting-calibre NBA player. Again, my opinion on both prospects and as they pertain to the Spurs; I really hope some other team like the Raptors picks up Poku, and has the time and developmental coaching to bring out the best in him. I just don't want him on the Spurs over other prospects like Precious and PatWill, he isn't worth the #11 pick.Dude, Precious is 98, 78945 % more likely to be a "project 5" than Poku.
I'm speculating that if they draft a five , they would likely draft someone who can anchor the defense and pass at a high level. Basically searching for the next duncan/gasol. They tried to turn LA into one but then he didn't liked it and asked for a trade. Jakob jump in assist percentage also points to this.
Sure, Precious is a safer bet at sticking around. He's also a really safe bet to never be more than an energy bigman off the bench, tbh.
To be honest it’s a gamble on who ever they pick at 11 as we’re looking for a starting player not a role bench player. Who ever we pick Poku, Precious, or Williams we’re taking a risk they will develop into the player we think they can be. As some people have mentioned trust in the Spurs picking the right kid and being able to develop him to his fullest potential.
The outrage that happens in the game thread whenever Poetl refuses to dunk it and instead does an attempted layup and misses... Multiply that by ten if we get Poku
A). Spurs don’t care. They don’t base their picks on fan popularity.
B). Can’t wait.
Obviously, they don't....A). Spurs don’t care. They don’t base their picks on fan popularity.
B). Can’t wait.
I can't with you lol
People have their horses, I guess
Only one will be selected. My hope is y'all don't forget about your horse after a few years. There's no player I'm super attached to enough to care. But some of y'all just watch a few highlights of a player, get a hard-on and proclaim them the next Michael Jordan. You do you, I guess. I'm not that in love with any of these players, I share things to be excited about them and that's it.
This thread needs to be bookmarked for future use
Vassell, Williams, Bey, Nesmith, Pokusevski, Precious. Watch the Spurs get none of these.
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