There's no way he'll ever be a top 10 guy. He's going to be the kind of guy who will impact the game very well but nobody wants to pay big money to or give up valuable assets for.Originally Posted by Pelicanidae
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There's no way he'll ever be a top 10 guy. He's going to be the kind of guy who will impact the game very well but nobody wants to pay big money to or give up valuable assets for.
When you have Zion Williamson and even Lonzo Ball on the team you've already got more than enough sky high ceiling players. We don't need to keep swinging for home runs. A couple of doubles or triples and we will be a stacked team.
The knocks about Hunter are basically the exact same knocks as people had against Pascal Siakim, including being older Sophomores. Now I'm not saying Hunter is going to turn into Siakim, but he is an extremely similar player that while maybe he won't be a superstar coukd possibly play a pivotal role on a contender.
Plus his fit next to Lonzo, Jrue, and Zion is just outstanding. A low usage wing that has the size and athletic ability to defend and has the shooting skills to stretch the floor and allow Zion and Lonzo to operate.
Would I be mad if we draft someone else? No. I'll trust what Griff does.
I agree. And he has no left had (finishing). But he has the most important skill for today's game... the rest he can learn. I doubt we'd get him though.
I agree to an extent. I wouldn't be mad if we drafted Hunter. I just think that the people talking about Hunter as if he's the make or break piece for this team (and there are a few who are moving in the ''we MUST draft Hunter'' direction) are kind of flying over the top of reality.
We draft him, cool. I'm actually more wary than most about his shot translating to the NBA, and he doesn't have a fantastic offensive game outside of his shooting (not particularly athletic, slow first step, mediocre handle, etc), but I think he has everything in place to be at least a solid shooter at the NBA level. His defense, again, I'm more wary on than most: he's a pretty damn good one on one defender, but he's kind of whatever on a team level. Low steal and block percentage in college, wayyyyyyy lower than most other defensive prospects tend to be. Some of that is probably due to the system he was playing in, it was very conservative, but that does leave question marks at the next level.
Not saying he's going to suck. He will probably be perfectly fine. But I think that there are players with higher ceilings with similar levels of fit who could play the same role, that I would prefer.
Basketball.
Im kind of in that ballpark on Hunter taking him at 4 seems like a reach. He would have incredibly limited upside for a 4 pick. He essentially is what he is. His defensive instincts aren’t great, he has a really limited handle, and doesn’t play make. Even his on ball defense while good, he can’t stay in front of quicker more explosive players which limits his switch ability. He is basically a 3/4 who will space and play solid on ball defense. Now if we traded 4 for say 8/10 then yeah he is in the conversation, and I would be happy if we took him with one of those picks. At 4 I just think Culver is on another tier, theres considerably more upside, his defensive iq his better, I think he projects as a shot maker, and he can make plays for others. I worry a little bit about his shooting, but he did overhaul his mechanics this past year, and its not like he is a non shooter. I think he becomes at least a league average shooter.
Or put another way, and its not an apples to apples comparison, but you could get Matisse Thybulle much later, and I think there projection is similar. Obviously the difference is Thybulle is more of a 2/3 and Hunter is a 3/4, but I actually think Thybulle could have the ability to be an elite on ball defender.
I think the difference is that while Thybulle is a very good on ball defender, and very lengthy for his height, he is even older than Hunter. If Hunter is what he is, and I think that's probably true, Thybulle is even further cemented into his game.
Thybulle also hasn't shot even nearly as well from three as Hunter, being barely a 30% college shooter, and at only 41% from the floor it's not like he's a serious inside threat either. Yes, he was a very good free throw shooter which looks to translate, and bodes well for his three pointer in the long run, but it's not like he has years and years to develop that. He's going to be 22 the minute he steps onto an NBA court: with guys like that, you hope they don't need TOO much development.
Thybulle is also not a rebounder, or passer. Hunter is a limited passer, sure, but he's a pretty capable rebounder, especially if at the 3 position.
You're right though about defense. Thybulle's defensive game is probably the most well developed in this draft. He doesn't have the same quick twitch speed as someone like Zion, and he doesn't have the strength to switch as well as someone like Zion does either, but he does project as the kind of guy who will be an absolute lockdown defender 1-3. 6'5 with a 7'0 wingspan, and the only player in college history to average a block, steal, AND rebound rate of at least 6%. Insane collegiate numbers there.
In regards to his shooting I am not as concerned with it because the 3 previous years he was over 36% from 3. His form looks pretty good, and as you said he is a great ft shooter. I haven’t watched him enough to know the reason for the drop, but Im assuming it was something scheme wise, and/or lack of talent around him. He is defiantly close to a finished product thats why I think the comparison to Hunter is somewhat apt. Hunter is defiantly a better rebounder.
Yeah I'm very bullish on him. He's so polished with his game and physically. He's has the potential to be an elite defender in this league while being very good offensively.
Emeka Okafor - Joe Smith - Carmelo Anthony - Manu Ginobili - Jason Williams
Al Jefferson - James Posey - Aaron McKie - Shaun Livingston
Garland has a very good shot, but he's limited in so many ways. Poor shot selection, sloppy with the ball, not overly explosive, doesn't finish well, plays no defense, and doesn't have a great body. He's young and his time to develop, but he has lots of holes to fill.
I would be happy getting Culver as well with the 4th pick.
He looks like the almost perfect fit for the team. Versatile and can spot some time at both guard positions and the wing. Hopefully if we select him his 3 Ball magically improves. Could be a hell of a 6th man
Yeah his 3 ball definitely dipped for whatever reason. He also needs to get physically stronger. But I have a feeling he will be the pick.
It doesn't help that his flaws date back to high school and he didn't have a whole freshman year to work out the kinks. So, he will come into the league super undercooked.
It sucks that Bol Bol couldn't stay healthy. He fills a big needs and would be a great fit next to Zion.
Yes yes yes. Love hurts
How many souls we need to win next year's lottery and get Wiseman?
On the plus side, his injury wasn't the kind that generally changes prospects too seriously, and one advantage to being undercooked is that you're moldable. Fewer bad habits baked into his game.
He also has the kind of game that I think Gentry could work well with. He's better in free-flowing offense rather than running strict sets, which is a very Gentry thing to do. Unfortunately, he's really not a passer at this point, which is important for free-flowing offense at the NBA level.
Risky pick.
If we end up trading down, and we end up with something like the 17th pick (say from ATL) or the 14th pick (from Boston, as a couple of people on twitter have proposed, however unlikely that is) then I think selecting Bol is still a pretty decent shot. Wouldn't take him with the 4th.
He's a very odd prospect. Ceiling is very very high, but the risk is legitimately serious.
He will be a stretch 5 early on, and that is perfectly okay. The one thing he has to do though is find the best dietician possible. It’s really concerning that he lost so much weight over the college season when he was already very thin. If he needs to see very limited minutes in his early NBA career, so be it. There are plenty of viable options to plug the gap until he packs on weight.
The good news is if we do draft him, his development will be eased off the bench behind Jrue and Lonzo.
TOO be honest... that's a great situation to be in... For both Lonzo and Garland. They could be a great 1-2 punch if they reached their potential.
I agree that he needs to gain weight. Exactly how much, I can't be sure until we see how his frame holds weight, and with his height at some point extra weight becomes a liability. But I'd bet he needs to put on at least 25lbs before he starts looking reasonable.
His skillset is crazy. His shot isn't a fluke. It's true that he shot over 50% from three in college, and that won't happen in the NBA, sure. But his stroke is legitimate, the release is fairly quick for a guy of his height (and it's obviously way too high for many to contest properly), and his touch is extremely soft. For a 7 footer, his dribble moves and handles are pretty good, and in a straight line he can even bring the ball up the court. His feet aren't as slow as some people claim, but they ARE slow, so he has some trouble guarding on the perimeter but his 7'8 wingspan helps compensate a little there.
Something that doesn't get mentioned about him often enough is that he's actually a pretty skilled cutter, off-ball, and he's a fairly solid passer for a guy of his size as well. He's no Pau Gasol or Nikola Jokic, but he's not a black hole either, especially when he catches the ball above the arc.
The upside is insane. If he can stay healthy, put on some decent weight, and improve his perimeter D to even mediocre levels, we're talking about a player of ridiculous upside. It's just a shame that that health issue IS a real threat, and his perimeter defense instincts ARE poor, and with his height his ability to keep up with guards and set screens is limited.
At #4? Nah, I'd pass, the risk is too high. At #14? or even #10, depending on the team? That could be a top tier steal.
For sure, and while Garland doesn't have the physical tools to be a elite defender, he does look like he could at least become a competent defender. Are there two better defensive guards to learn from than Lonzo and Jrue?
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