Ya - was just talking athleticism. Not at all same players. Just highlighting my concern that Branham isn’t a great athlete and that he will need his offensive game to really be sharp to be a legit rotation player since he does not have the ball handling or length/defense that Kyle did to overcome that lack of burst.
his ball handling is iffy but his passing is reasonably solid.
he's also still 19... ive had to learn patience from guys like Vassell that these players growth/development isnt necessarily linear. i lost patience pretty quickly with vassell in his first 2 years, but he really looked like a different player in year 3. think branham has room to become a 6th man type as a combo guard
Absolutely- that’s why I was saying I need to see 2 more years from Branham. I see the good, but I also see some big obstacles so just have to see how it works out. I’m not down on him or anything; he’s been solid enough for me to be happy with the pick for sure.
yeah im still fine with the pick. its always easy to look back in hindsight and say "man, walker kessler looks really good in that spot" especially with poodle on the block... but its not like branham hasnt shown us anything yet
wesley is kinda what we thought. a guy with great first step/burst who still basically needs to learn how to basketball
Branham is deliberate with the ball, but he's not the same slow-ass deliberate as Kyle Anderson is, where his length and just unfurling his decisions seems to take time. Branham is quicker and tighter in a smaller space of operation. While he's not the fastest player - not as fast as Sochan or Wesley - he's not what I would call slow. What hasn't been seen, but you'll spot it from time to time, Branham has a serious verticality on the move, something Wesley doesn't have. There are times Branham tries to uncork a pretty thunderous dunk. He tried it last night but was fouled. I think we'll see it here or there.
Just have to see. He’s got a solid 3 level game which is huge. Just have to see if it’s something that can be done consistently and what other areas of his game emerge if any. I’m not super high or low on him. Just wait and see while being pretty happy about what I’ve seen so far I’d say
For sure - want to see Blake get some more minutes soon hopefully - if Tre is out I’m guessing he willyeah im still fine with the pick. its always easy to look back in hindsight and say "man, walker kessler looks really good in that spot" especially with poodle on the block... but its not like branham hasnt shown us anything yet
wesley is kinda what we thought. a guy with great first step/burst who still basically needs to learn how to basketball
As an example, just at :31. He moves swiftly with the ball, changing directions smoothly and decisively to advantage, which is athletic, but then he can rise up pretty well.
There's a previous one at :18.
ya - Kyle Anderson Athleticism was maybe a bit harsh lol.
like it or not we're comparing him to lonnie
I get Lonnie vibes from Malaki, but without the highlight reel dunks. Flashes on offense, needs a lot of work on defense. Malaki still has lots of time to grow beyond what Lonnie did.
Interesting is I looked up Branham on NbaDraftnet and his comp was: smaller Khris Middleton
What ended up with Anderson was he had the foot injury and never was the same.
Sign me up, though, Middleton height helps him hide some of his deficiencies
That's mostly the comparison being mentioned from comments section in Facebook or YouTube prior or after the draft.
Feel like we are getting way ahead of ourselves with Branham.
I like Branham so far, I think. He’s hard to read because he has some advanced skills, but doesn’t always use them. He has some of the bad defense and hesitancy of Lonnie but more skills and isn’t afraid of contact, so I’m hopeful. Just not sure how good he’ll get. It all depends his mental approach.
#22 = Caris Levert / Khris Middleton.
I don't have Lonnie Walker concerns about Branham. He seems to understand the game much better, not even same ball park. The question with Branham is if he can become a decent defender, or if a combination of laziness and slowness will do him in. I'm pleased to say he's putting effort in.
To be clear: I was not comparing him to Middleton. Was just looking to see what the comps were heading into draft. I am in “wait and see but overall happy with what he’s shown in spurts” camp
To clarify, I don't see the mental lapses with Bran like we did with Lonnie... but Bran's offensive flashes are giving me the same kinds of flashes we saw from time to time with Lonnie (Houston game comes to mind), except without the highlight dunks that Lonnie could throw down. Talking about this just makes me more bummed that Lonnie couldn't put it all together. He's a really fun player and an easy guy to root for. Too bad.
Branham with 26 pts, 11-16 shooting. The kid can score
The kids got something. He definitely hasnt been a disappointment
He’s like this in College, started slow then started playing. He thrives as one of the main goto guy
He’s a old school scorer man, reminds me a lil of Michael redd
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