quote:

ORIGINAL: David Levine

His handle, vision and spatial awareness are elite.

He has the physical tools to be a defender, but will need coaching to get there.

I'm not too worried about his shooting. College 3PT Rate and FT% have historically been a better indicator of NBA 3pt prowess than actual 3PT%.

I know a lot of people put RJ Barrett ahead of him, but Ja is my clear #2 prospect in this draft.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JT2

quote:

ORIGINAL: David Levine

His handle, vision and spatial awareness are elite.

He has the physical tools to be a defender, but will need coaching to get there.

I'm not too worried about his shooting. College 3PT Rate and FT% have historically been a better indicator of NBA 3pt prowess than actual 3PT%.

I know a lot of people put RJ Barrett ahead of him, but Ja is my clear #2 prospect in this draft.

He's really quite amazing.

I'm not worried much about the shot either. He has a good stroke.

He needs to harness his explosiveness and speed better to cut down on the turnovers, and he needs to grow and work into a little more muscle. and he needs to grow and work into a little more muscle.

Not often you see such a great passer with the athleticism he possesses.

quote:

ORIGINAL: David Levine

The Ringer loving Zion, hating Barrett and Reddish:

Barrett, for all his gaudy stats, creates as many problems as he solves. His impressive season averages (22.9 points on 45.7 percent shooting, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game) are deceiving. He is not a good decision-maker for a player who dominates the ball, and he is not efficient enough (a true shooting percentage of 53.3) to justify his astronomical usage rate (32.5). Barrett is a capable passer who spends too much time playing with blinders on. He will hijack the offense, driving into the lane without a plan beyond trying to shoot over two or three defenders. His size (6-foot-7 and 202 pounds) and athleticism can’t always bail him out, especially against elite competition. That will be an even bigger issue for him in the NBA.

There are a couple of red flags when projecting him to the next level. He’s a poor outside shooter whose free throw shooting numbers (66.2 percent on 5.9 attempts per game) indicate he will have a hard time extending his range to the deeper NBA 3-point line. Barrett will have to be a primary option on offense to be effective, because defenses will leave him open on the perimeter when he doesn’t have the ball. He is a shoot-first player who NBA teams will hope to mold into a point forward, but it’d be a lengthy developmental process that could get his coach and GM fired. He averages nearly as many turnovers (3.2 per game) as assists (4.1), and his willingness to take any and every shot available to him limits his efficiency. According to the tracking numbers at Synergy Sports, he is in only the 47th percentile of players nationwide when scoring around the rim.

Reddish has been even worse, averaging 13.7 points on 35.4 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He alternates between disappearing for huge stretches of games and cramming a whole game’s worth of bad decisions into a few possessions. The concern coming into the season was that he would be forced into a smaller role than his talent would merit, maybe as a spot-up shooter. But Reddish has gotten plenty of opportunities: He is averaging almost as many field goal attempts per game (12.3) as Zion (12.5), with a huge usage rate (26.5) for a third option. The problem is how little he has done with them.

The idea of Reddish is more attractive than the reality. He fits the profile of what NBA teams want in a wing: He has the size (6-foot-8 and 218 pounds) to slide between multiple positions on defense and an effortless shooting stroke. The shooting is still fairly theoretical at this point, though: He is shooting 39.7 percent from 2-point range on 4.7 attempts per game, and 75.9 percent from the free throw line on 3.3 attempts per game. Reddish has the statistical profile of an average shooter, and he doesn’t do anything else particularly well. He is averaging almost 1.5 times more turnovers per game (2.8) than assists (1.9). A Reddish drive is as likely to end with an offensive foul as a successful finish around the rim. It will not be easy for him to earn the trust of an NBA coach.

https://www.theringer.com/march-madness/2019/3/22/18276270/rj-barrett-cam-reddish-duke-ncaa-tournament

quote:

ORIGINAL: David Levine

From Canis:

Lottery update:

Right now we are 34-43 and 10th overall with a 13.9% chance to get a top four pick and a 3.0% chance for Zion (LOL at this even occurring). The next two teams worse (NO/WAS) are 2.5 games worse and the two teams after that (MEM/ATL) are 3.0 games worse. Every team thereafter has a loss total we can’t obtain.

6. MEM 31-46, 5 games left
7. DAL 31-46, 5 games left
8. NO 32-46, 4 games left
9. WAS 32-46, 4 games left
10. MIN 34-43, 5 games left
11. CHA 35-42, 5 games left
12. LAL 35-42, 5 games left

Last five games are DAL, @ MIA, @ OKC, @ TOR & DEN. We realistically could lose all five but I’m guessing we go 1-4 and beat either DAL or since DEN is last game of the year their playoff spot will be set and resting guys. Can’t see any scenario where we beat MIA, OKC or TOR on the road and all of them in a playoff fight. So looking at 35-47 finish which I’m guessing would be good for somewhere in spots 9-11.

The difference between spot 9 and 10 for a top four pick is significant because the percent chance jumps from 13.9% to 23.1%. Difference between 8-9 is minimal – 23.1% to 23.5%.

Posted by ACG2x on Apr 1, 2019 | 8:52 PM

quote:

ORIGINAL: David Levine

The Ringer loving Zion, hating Barrett and Reddish:

Barrett, for all his gaudy stats, creates as many problems as he solves. His impressive season averages (22.9 points on 45.7 percent shooting, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game) are deceiving. He is not a good decision-maker for a player who dominates the ball, and he is not efficient enough (a true shooting percentage of 53.3) to justify his astronomical usage rate (32.5). Barrett is a capable passer who spends too much time playing with blinders on. He will hijack the offense, driving into the lane without a plan beyond trying to shoot over two or three defenders. His size (6-foot-7 and 202 pounds) and athleticism can’t always bail him out, especially against elite competition. That will be an even bigger issue for him in the NBA.

There are a couple of red flags when projecting him to the next level. He’s a poor outside shooter whose free throw shooting numbers (66.2 percent on 5.9 attempts per game) indicate he will have a hard time extending his range to the deeper NBA 3-point line. Barrett will have to be a primary option on offense to be effective, because defenses will leave him open on the perimeter when he doesn’t have the ball. He is a shoot-first player who NBA teams will hope to mold into a point forward, but it’d be a lengthy developmental process that could get his coach and GM fired. He averages nearly as many turnovers (3.2 per game) as assists (4.1), and his willingness to take any and every shot available to him limits his efficiency. According to the tracking numbers at Synergy Sports, he is in only the 47th percentile of players nationwide when scoring around the rim.

Reddish has been even worse, averaging 13.7 points on 35.4 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He alternates between disappearing for huge stretches of games and cramming a whole game’s worth of bad decisions into a few possessions. The concern coming into the season was that he would be forced into a smaller role than his talent would merit, maybe as a spot-up shooter. But Reddish has gotten plenty of opportunities: He is averaging almost as many field goal attempts per game (12.3) as Zion (12.5), with a huge usage rate (26.5) for a third option. The problem is how little he has done with them.

The idea of Reddish is more attractive than the reality. He fits the profile of what NBA teams want in a wing: He has the size (6-foot-8 and 218 pounds) to slide between multiple positions on defense and an effortless shooting stroke. The shooting is still fairly theoretical at this point, though: He is shooting 39.7 percent from 2-point range on 4.7 attempts per game, and 75.9 percent from the free throw line on 3.3 attempts per game. Reddish has the statistical profile of an average shooter, and he doesn’t do anything else particularly well. He is averaging almost 1.5 times more turnovers per game (2.8) than assists (1.9). A Reddish drive is as likely to end with an offensive foul as a successful finish around the rim. It will not be easy for him to earn the trust of an NBA coach.

https://www.theringer.com/march-madness/2019/3/22/18276270/rj-barrett-cam-reddish-duke-ncaa-tournament

quote:

ORIGINAL: David Levine

Coby White was brought up at Canis today. Wasn't real familiar with him, but I'm intrigued.

6'5 PG, so he could play some next to Tyus or Teague (since he's going to be here next year). 38% 3pt shooter on 6/game and a good FT shooter. Appears to be a decent, if unspectacular passer. Good defender despite suboptimal length.

Maybe a Malcolm Brogdon type?

I still love Sekou Doumbouya if we don't move up, but White could be a good target if we trade down.

quote:

ORIGINAL: David Levine

Holy shit, Brandon Clarke...

Impressively logged as many blocks as missed shots during the regular season at Gonzaga.