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Sochan is better, because he's a two way player. Malaki is a sieve on defense.
Showing greater development than any of our rookies at this point. He can be a legitimate 20+ point shooter it looks like despite getting some 3s blocked because he holds the ball to low on his release. But he is learning. Sochan really isn't developing a 3 pt shot yet so I'm giving Branham the nod over him at this point because of that. You may disagree.
Sochan is better, because he's a two way player. Malaki is a sieve on defense.
He still seems bashful out there, like he's still just happy to be there and he's just scoring because he doesn't want to disappoint coach. I'm curious to see if he has that killer instinct in him where he just murders people, like gets pissed being down by ten and starts dropping 30-bombs on teams. His offensive repertoire isn't actually as extensive as it can be - he massively favors going right, he spams his curls - but when it does expand and he does, presumably, realize he can just score endlessly, it could be a sight to see.
Give him a few yrsThe kid is nice and further along than I thought he would be. Has the right temperament
He's already more confident than Lonnie, tbh.
I think he just needs someone to whisper in his ear that he has the green light and he'll chuck a little more.
10 ppg, he's stayed healthy and seems to have a stellar at ude and disposition
at pick #20 in his first season at age 19?
That's a yes, all day, every day
Spurs definitely nailed picks #9&20
branham had a nice rookie year but hard to say we nailed the pick when walker kessler was there
Kessler is a top example of a player type no longer in demand. Who cares how good of a center you have? One of the tweaks in the newCBA is that all post season teams are position neutral, and I’m betting within 5 years, there won’t be a center on the All NBA teams.
milwaukee - brook lopez
boston - al horford
philly - joel embiid
cleveland - jarrett allen
denver - nikola jokic
memphis - steven adams
kings - sabonis
suns - ayton
the top 4 teams in each conference have at the very least solid centers, with the worst being solid role player types like Adams and Allen. its still a position that matters. even timvp was reporting that the spurs valued poeltl because he'd be a strong potential fit alongside wemby. im not even sure you believe what you are saying since you were among those who were advocating for Duren to be our pick last draft
kessler has been nothing short of outstanding since they let him have the starting job. he's basically come in as a rookie and played as well if not better than poeltl ever did for us (who we were just able to sell for a first round pick + change despite him needing a new big contract). i know you didnt like kessler going into the draft, but he's outdone expectations so far.
Last edited by spurraider21; 04-06-2023 at 07:33 PM.
Kessler is good and so is Malaki……. Fixed! Lol
This guy has an arsenal of offensive moves. You can tell he studies the game 100%
He has an extremely high level hesitation move. His middie is so good that when he throws the hesitation dribble at you, you have to bite on it, and he’s by you in a flash.
Approved!
Looking forward to his defensive training hype video.
One of the few players on this team who can get his own shot
What former player would you compare his game to?
Richard Hamilton
I've said Michael Redd, another former Buckeye, but Redd had range. I think someone like Rip Hamilton.
Marcus Thornton maybe?
Like Vassell, Malaki was a 40% 3G shooter in college, and will be much better than he’s shown in year one. Don’t write off that range just yet.
He'll be fine, I think, but more as a spot-up shooter. In college his threes were toeing the line. He didn't and doesn't (yet) have much movement beyond the stripe, or depth. Right now I think it's a strength issue. And he still seems to shoot those shots from his forehead.
Vassell was like that in college, too. What most people don’t realize is that while the distance between the arcs isn’t that great,you don’t want to be shooting from right atthe arc, so you probably need add 5 feet to your range. His FT shooting is a strong sign that all he needs is strength and reps, lots of reps. Vassell regularly rails 26-28 footers now.
The distance is less of an issue for me. Being able to shoot 3s off the dribble or move into spots and hit them, do the side-steps that Curry popularized (and Wemby can do), those are things Vassell is improving. Malaki right now is strictly a stationary, catch-and-shoot guy from three. I don't see him shooting threes with any accuracy off of picks or, if he has the ball in isolation, being able to free himself and hit with any chance.
Those can change. Right now, though, being a spot-up shooter from three can be very valuable. I have no doubts he can probably develop those other things in time.
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