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2019 NBA Draft

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Fair enough, but you are suggesting he is a top 10 pick which seems unreasonable with the likes of Ja Morant & Darius Garland both light years ahead of him offensively. Sure he could be a gem that becomes a high level starter, but nobody picks starter ceiling prospects in the top 10 with higher ceiling players at the same position still available. No, he is a key part of Duke's success, but his teammates are a key part of his success as well. I mean look at Ja Morant's assist numbers with teammates that have no chance of making a g-league team let alone the NBA.

All fair points, but Morant and Garland are ahead of him in pretty much every category except on ball defense against other small guards, so that alone pushes him down in draft positioning.
The debate was about where he could go in the draft not what his skill level is in college or how it may or may not translate against better players. I like him as a prospect in the post lottery and no higher even with a small number of lead guards in this draft.
I have Jerome and the combo guard White ahead of him as guard prospects that can translate their skill transparently and with little drop in production.
I think his comp ceiling is Jevon Carter provided Jones improves his shooting efficiency and gets stronger

Jones has shown a lot more than those guys as a floor general as well...he was significantly better than Garland (let alone Morant) in that area coming out of high school, and he's only helped his reputation in that area at Duke. You can say that life's easy when you're surrounded by so much talent, but all of Duke's other freshmen have struggled with bouts of turnovers while Jones has proven pretty unflappable. That kind of poise is fairly common in seniors like Carter, much less common in freshmen like Jones.

So, when I see Grant Williams highlights he looks like an old school back to the basket guy. Is he a premier defender or something? He isn't big doesn't seem to have a slick handle or anything, but seems very strong. Is he a backup 4 or can he be more than that? I am just wondering what others are seeing here? Looks to me like he is just man strength out there and has a good touch around the basket? Why would we want a post up 4?

His strongest single skill may be his post-up ability, but his all-around game and leadership really make him a top prospect. He may be the most versatile defender in the draft after Zion, and his improving passing/shooting/ballhandling skills give him room to grow on offense. The strength and quick first step he uses in the post will continue to be valuable if he develops more of a perimeter oriented dribble drive game.
 
His strongest single skill may be his post-up ability, but his all-around game and leadership really make him a top prospect. He may be the most versatile defender in the draft after Zion, and his improving passing/shooting/ballhandling skills give him room to grow on offense. The strength and quick first step he uses in the post will continue to be valuable if he develops more of a perimeter oriented dribble drive game.

Does he shoot any 3's? Is he strictly a 4?
 
Does he shoot any 3's? Is he strictly a 4?

I think he's strictly a 4 in the modern NBA...he only rarely shoots threes, but he's shooting 83% from the line on high volume and he's excellent from midrange, so he probably has the ability to be a competent catch-and-shoot guy, at least. He's far more valuable to Tennessee posting up, crashing the offensive glass, or facilitating from the top of the key, so he rarely gets used as a floor spacer.
 
So, when I see Grant Williams highlights he looks like an old school back to the basket guy. Is he a premier defender or something? He isn't big doesn't seem to have a slick handle or anything, but seems very strong. Is he a backup 4 or can he be more than that? I am just wondering what others are seeing here? Looks to me like he is just man strength out there and has a good touch around the basket? Why would we want a post up 4?

I think he can certainly be a starting 4.

He's incredibly versatile defensively and he translates that in to box score numbers. 3.4 BLK + STL per 40 and his foul rate has really pulled down (which was my big concern earlier in the year).

His FT% increase intimates he has a ton of untapped shooting potential too and it makes sense, watching his mechanics. He has a high, quick release, with nice lift and it's obviously repeatable if he's seen a near 20% increase in his FT percentage.

Similar to the Jones discussion, Williams moves really well laterally. He has nice, active hands and can obviously stonewall just about anyone with his size. There's one play I specifically remember in his scouting video that was just laughable.....I think it was against Arkansas......where he is guarding on ball outside the 3PT line, cuts him off with his strength, strips the opposing forward, dribbles coast to coast and then dunks on his head. :chuckle: I'm not saying he's going to just dominate in the NBA but he possesses an amount of size, speed, touch and coordination that is just not common.

Most of his highlight videos will show you his inside scoring but it is his FT improvement and midrange shooting that are most exciting, when projecting his offense. Last I looked, he was hovering above 50% on more than 100 attempts from mid and mid-long range. He surely can extend that type of shooting out 3-4 more feet.
 
I think he can certainly be a starting 4.

He's incredibly versatile defensively and he translates that in to box score numbers. 3.4 BLK + STL per 40 and his foul rate has really pulled down (which was my big concern earlier in the year).

His FT% increase intimates he has a ton of untapped shooting potential too and it makes sense, watching his mechanics. He has a high, quick release, with nice lift and it's obviously repeatable if he's seen a near 20% increase in his FT percentage.

Similar to the Jones discussion, Williams moves really well laterally. He has nice, active hands and can obviously stonewall just about anyone with his size. There's one play I specifically remember in his scouting video that was just laughable.....I think it was against Arkansas......where he is guarding on ball outside the 3PT line, cuts him off with his strength, strips the opposing forward, dribbles coast to coast and then dunks on his head. :chuckle: I'm not saying he's going to just dominate in the NBA but he possesses an amount of size, speed, touch and coordination that is just not common.

Most of his highlight videos will show you his inside scoring but it is his FT improvement and midrange shooting that are most exciting, when projecting his offense. Last I looked, he was hovering above 50% on more than 100 attempts from mid and mid-long range. He surely can extend that type of shooting out 3-4 more feet.

I think it's unfair that people readily project Hachimura's jumpshot out to NBA 3-point range but won't do the same for Williams. :chuckle: They're in the same boat, IMO.
 
I think he can certainly be a starting 4.

He's incredibly versatile defensively and he translates that in to box score numbers. 3.4 BLK + STL per 40 and his foul rate has really pulled down (which was my big concern earlier in the year).

His FT% increase intimates he has a ton of untapped shooting potential too and it makes sense, watching his mechanics. He has a high, quick release, with nice lift and it's obviously repeatable if he's seen a near 20% increase in his FT percentage.

Similar to the Jones discussion, Williams moves really well laterally. He has nice, active hands and can obviously stonewall just about anyone with his size. There's one play I specifically remember in his scouting video that was just laughable.....I think it was against Arkansas......where he is guarding on ball outside the 3PT line, cuts him off with his strength, strips the opposing forward, dribbles coast to coast and then dunks on his head. :chuckle: I'm not saying he's going to just dominate in the NBA but he possesses an amount of size, speed, touch and coordination that is just not common.

Most of his highlight videos will show you his inside scoring but it is his FT improvement and midrange shooting that are most exciting, when projecting his offense. Last I looked, he was hovering above 50% on more than 100 attempts from mid and mid-long range. He surely can extend that type of shooting out 3-4 more feet.

He's down in the ranking because he is a junior mostly?
 
He's down in the ranking because he is a junior mostly?

Yeah, I think the mainstream may be down on him in part because he looks/plays like a 22-year-old seasoned veteran, when in reality he just recently turned 20 and is clearly still expanding his game. He's younger than a lot of top sophomore wings/bigs like Hunter, Gafford, Fernando, Okeke, and Washington.
 
Yeah, I think the mainstream may be down on him in part because he looks/plays like a 22-year-old seasoned veteran, when in reality he just recently turned 20 and is clearly still expanding his game. He's younger than a lot of top sophomore wings/bigs like Hunter, Gafford, Fernando, Okeke, and Washington.

He looks huge and muscular. Very solid. Is he in play for our later pick you think?
 
He looks huge and muscular. Very solid. Is he in play for our later pick you think?

I tend to think he'll go higher than that, in part because analytics-forward front offices are likely to see him as a lottery prospect, and in part because he's going to be in the spotlight a lot more than most other prospects through the end of the season. But yeah, he's one of a handful of guys who I'm hoping could still be on the board with the Rockets pick.
 
It'll be Zion or bust and I don't think anything will change that..

HOWEVER...

If the Cavs don't get the #1 pick but manage to come away with Ja Morant and Nickeil Alexander-Walker as their backcourt, I'd be pretty happy..

I need to continue to watch both (through about two games of each), amongst others, but those two really jump out to me and would really make for an exciting backourt..

NAW's length, defensive ability and sweet, sweet stroke really intrigue me... He's got the makings of a pretty good role player but the talent and athleticism is there to be a very good two-way guard..

I like Morant for a lot of the same reasons I liked Trae Young last year, with his ability to pass in being a pass first point guard... I think he could become a guy other players want to play with, considering his highlight level ability and high level ability to involve others...
 
It'll be Zion or bust and I don't think anything will change that..

HOWEVER...

If the Cavs don't get the #1 pick but manage to come away with Ja Morant and Nickeil Alexander-Walker as their backcourt, I'd be pretty happy..

I need to continue to watch both (through about two games of each), amongst others, but those two really jump out to me and would really make for an exciting backourt..

NAW's length, defensive ability and sweet, sweet stroke really intrigue me... He's got the makings of a pretty good role player but the talent and athleticism is there to be a very good two-way guard..

I like Morant for a lot of the same reasons I liked Trae Young last year, with his ability to pass in being a pass first point guard... I think he could become a guy other players want to play with, considering his highlight level ability and high level ability to involve others...
Walker is probably long gone by 21-23 (probable spot of the Rockets pick. Cavs would probably need to trade up unless he gets hurt or does something stupid off the court.
Are you willing to trade a future first to move up for Walker? Do you value him that much? Curious.
 
Amazed at how bad Grimes is. Single-handedly blowing this game for Kansas. They're lucky he finally fouled out, lol.
 
Amazed at how bad Grimes is. Single-handedly blowing this game for Kansas. They're lucky he finally fouled out, lol.

I'm starting to think Self is just a garbage coach who mainly just wins with a lot of talent but isn't capable or interested in developing players and doing what is best for them. I think Izzo is the same way. He's the master of taking a 5-star recruit and keeping him around for 3-4 years.

Their job is to win college games but still......if my son is ever an elite basketball prospect and either of these coaches are still around, I'm not even letting him visit those schools. I still can't believe they get players with early NBA aspirations, with how the two programs have continually nose dived prospects career arcs.

I know he's not liked but Calipari truly should be given a ton of credit for how he has balanced his own aspirations, with his players' and found more of a happy medium where it's OK for guys to use UK as a spring board for their NBA career, while still enabling the school to win and be successful......and not at the expense of their student athletes.

Grimes can shoulder some of the burden here but they're miscasting him as solely a floor spacer.....Grimes is a decent to good shooter but with his size and physical skills, they should be going big, with him at the point and just pounding teams inside. He entered college with some of the better creation skills of his class and he's just been relegated to a stand still role on offense......and every-time he makes a mistake or two in succession, Self is yanking him.

Just seeing him play for 2/3rd's of a college season he's much like Reddish, in that he's just really pressing on offense as a 3rd sometimes 4th option. He probably would have been better served going elsewhere.....where he had a bit more freedom and more offensive touches.....or possibly a coach that was more willing to cater to his strengths a bit more. Self has taken a guy that had a pretty high NBA floor and effectively turned him in to a player that is nearly un-draftable, 6 months later.
 
I'm starting to think Self is just a garbage coach who mainly just wins with a lot of talent but isn't capable or interested in developing players and doing what is best for them. I think Izzo is the same way. He's the master of taking a 5-star recruit and keeping him around for 3-4 years.

Their job is to win college games but still......if my son is ever an elite basketball prospect and either of these coaches are still around, I'm not even letting him visit those schools. I still can't believe they get players with early NBA aspirations, with how the two programs have continually nose dived prospects career arcs.

I know he's not liked but Calipari truly should be given a ton of credit for how he has balanced his own aspirations, with his players' and found more of a happy medium where it's OK for guys to use UK as a spring board for their NBA career, while still enabling the school to win and be successful......and not at the expense of their student athletes.

Grimes can shoulder some of the burden here but they're miscasting him as solely a floor spacer.....Grimes is a decent to good shooter but with his size and physical skills, they should be going big, with him at the point and just pounding teams inside. He entered college with some of the better creation skills of his class and he's just been relegated to a stand still role on offense......and every-time he makes a mistake or two in succession, Self is yanking him.

Just seeing him play for 2/3rd's of a college season he's much like Reddish, in that he's just really pressing on offense as a 3rd sometimes 4th option. He probably would have been better served going elsewhere.....where he had a bit more freedom and more offensive touches.....or possibly a coach that was more willing to cater to his strengths a bit more. Self has taken a guy that had a pretty high NBA floor and effectively turned him in to a player that is nearly un-draftable, 6 months later.

His offense is highly questionable, and I get that some of that may be coming from his unusual role...but what about his defense? Last night, in 36 minutes, he had 2 defensive rebounds, 0 steals, 0 blocks, and 5 fouls. On the season, his per-40 averages stand at 3.6 boards, 0.8 steals+blocks, and 3.7 fouls, which is the worst defensive line I've seen in recent memory. And it's almost as bad watching it live as it is on paper.

Also has the same problem as Reddish on offense where he plays super soft inside the arc...he's just 4/20 on 2-pointers over the last month, and hasn't made a single free throw. Almost unbelievably bad for a top-10 recruit.
 
His offense is highly questionable, and I get that some of that may be coming from his unusual role...but what about his defense? Last night, in 36 minutes, he had 2 defensive rebounds, 0 steals, 0 blocks, and 5 fouls. On the season, his per-40 averages stand at 3.6 boards, 0.8 steals+blocks, and 3.7 fouls, which is the worst defensive line I've seen in recent memory. And it's almost as bad watching it live as it is on paper.

Also has the same problem as Reddish on offense where he plays super soft inside the arc...he's just 4/20 on 2-pointers over the last month, and hasn't made a single free throw. Almost unbelievably bad for a top-10 recruit.

It is head scratching......I believe he was a 39% 3PT shooter on high volume in HS....5-6 a game....and most of those shots were off the dribble and more highly contested. Which makes me think it is more Self cratering his confidence. It's tough for someone to shoot that well against a lot of defensive pressure and be unable to find his range, many times with wide open looks, in college. He is a more streaky shooter but still.

Even tougher to wrap my head around given his performance at elite events like MCDAAG, EYBL, Team USA, etc. And the fact that he was doing all that as a 17.5 year old HS senior. I guess some guys just don't make it but I'm struggling to remember someone with his profile heading to a blue blood program and bottoming out so quickly.
 

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