Everything 2024 Draft

[golden]

Yeah that's a good example. I think "safe" can be looked at as bad.. but you could also get a guy that doesn't seem to have a lot of upside that is just made an NBA career out of being consistently really good. Like Jalen Brunson for example. He was a Junior coming out of college. But showed all the intangibles of being a really solid PG. And now he's an All-NBA talent.

Jaime Jaquez is another example of a high-skill, high BBIQ guy dropping because of supposed mediocre athleticism & physical tools. Jaquez was in the Slam Dunk contest, I mean how much athleticism do you really need? He had a sturdy frame, at 225lbs, which was ready to take the NBA bump & grind. That's another area that's probably under-valued, as we saw with Gradey.

[planetmars]

Jaime Jaquez is another example of a high-skill, high BBIQ guy dropping because of supposed mediocre athleticism & physical tools. Jaquez was in the Slam Dunk contest, I mean how much athleticism do you really need? He had a sturdy frame, at 225lbs, which was ready to take the NBA bump & grind. That's another area that's probably under-valued, as we saw with Gradey.

Jaquez also dropped because of his age. He completed 3 years in school and is already 23.

I think seniors and juniors get a bad rap come draft time. They slip to contenders who end up finding a guy that they can put into their rotation for dirt cheap. Fred was a senior. And he played important minutes during our championship run. Fred still had upside as he eventually made the all-star team.. and also got a max contract from a team in free agency. I mentioned Brunson in my previous post.

I don't want to get into that Fred debate of whether we should have kept him or not (and no we shouldn't have at that price tag), but I'm just saying that guys that look to have no upside, could end up becoming one of the better players in the league. I wouldn't shy away from getting a guy like that.

Yet guys that are 19 or 20 and ooze potential could end up being stiffs and out of the league.

I personally don't take Salaun or Chomche for example unless we have an extra (third) pick and want to use it on a project that we stash on to the 905's for at least a full year, if not two.

[3inthekeon]

Raptors can't develop projects so need guys with NBA ready skills

Totally wrong. Developed Powell from a guy who couldn't shoot the 3 into one of the most consistent 3 point shooters in the league. Developed Siakim from a run of the mill energy big that posters here were calling a bust in 2017 into an all NBA.

And dime a dozen 3rd string point guard Freddie is now making $40 million a year.

[planetmars]

Totally wrong. Developed Powell from a guy who couldn't shoot the 3 into one of the most consistent 3 point shooters in the league. Developed Siakim from a run of the mill energy big that posters here were calling a bust in 2017 into an all NBA.

And dime a dozen 3rd string point guard Freddie is now making $40 million a year.

I think he likely means a project that is super raw. Pascal sort of falls into that area but he had skills even at a young age. He was pretty good in college but played in a lower division. Fred and Norm weren't raw prospects.

I don't want to speak for Mixx, but he's probably talking about guys like Bruno, Precious, Nogueira, Banton, Yuta, etc, . Guys that ooze potential based on their height/length/athleticism yet don't have much BBIQ. Yet turned into players.

But in fairness, it's really hard to do that. That's also why Giannis is a miracle story and a Disney movie was made out of his story. He's an enigma.

[3inthekeon]

I think he likely means a project that is super raw. Pascal sort of falls into that area but he had skills even at a young age. He was pretty good in college but played in a lower division. Fred and Norm weren't raw prospects.

I don't want to speak for Mixx, but he's probably talking about guys like Bruno, Precious, Nogueira, Banton, Yuta, etc, . Guys that ooze potential based on their height/length/athleticism yet don't have much BBIQ. Yet turned into players.

But in fairness, it's really hard to do that. That's also why Giannis is a miracle story and a Disney movie was made out of his story. He's an enigma.

Mixx said NBA ready skills. Norm's 3 point skills were not NBA ready. He shot them in college, just poorly. Pascal had some, but they were not NBA ready, other than running fast. But yeah, Raptors have a hard time turning super raw into anything other than end of bench. But so does every other team. Bruno for example kept getting chances. Kings, Rockets, Grizz, Rockets again, Celtics.

[golden]

After years of watching raw athletes with no skill and the BBIQ of a bag of rocks.... I really don't want to see any more low IQ projects. That type of basketball is soul sucking to watch.

[Primer]

I think he likely means a project that is super raw. Pascal sort of falls into that area but he had skills even at a young age. He was pretty good in college but played in a lower division. Fred and Norm weren't raw prospects.

I don't want to speak for Mixx, but he's probably talking about guys like Bruno, Precious, Nogueira, Banton, Yuta, etc, . Guys that ooze potential based on their height/length/athleticism yet don't have much BBIQ. Yet turned into players.

But in fairness, it's really hard to do that. That's also why Giannis is a miracle story and a Disney movie was made out of his story. He's an enigma.

Giannis broke a lot of GMs minds and got a lot of super raw players drafted that should have never played in the NBA. Everyone didn't want to miss out on the next Giannis and there never was a next Giannis.

[slaw]

After years of watching raw athletes with no skill and the BBIQ of a bag of rocks.... I really don't want to see any more low IQ projects. That type of basketball is soul sucking to watch.

I could see that with the second rounder but they need real players with the higher picks. If they lose their first rounder, they need somebody with the Pacers selection that has some skill.

[3inthekeon]

Giannis broke a lot of GMs minds and got a lot of super raw players drafted that should have never played in the NBA. Everyone didn't want to miss out on the next Giannis and there never was a next Giannis.

NBA teams, especially the Raptors, seem to have a tough time teaching kids they draft how to grow 2 1/2 inches.

"When we first drafted Giannis, we measured him at 6-foot-8½," Bucks GM John Hammond says. But at midseason, the Bucks' strength and conditioning coach walked into Hammond's office. "He told me, 'The kid is still growing and I don't think he's done. '" By season's end, he was 6-11.

[golden]

Giannis broke a lot of GMs minds and got a lot of super raw players drafted that should have never played in the NBA. Everyone didn't want to miss out on the next Giannis and there never was a next Giannis.

Other than Bruno and maaaybe Thon Maker (who infamously comped himself to KG), I can't think of any other super raw athletes who were drafted and comped to be next Giannis. Bucks drafting Thon could've just been a heat check, after drafting Giannis.

[MixxAOR]

Totally wrong. Developed Powell from a guy who couldn't shoot the 3 into one of the most consistent 3 point shooters in the league. Developed Siakim from a run of the mill energy big that posters here were calling a bust in 2017 into an all NBA.

And dime a dozen 3rd string point guard Freddie is now making $40 million a year.

I'm not asking for every skill out of the gate. Powell came in with NBA ready skills that's why he killed Summer League and Gleague. 4 year college player. Siakam is poorly scouted. He wasn't energy big in college. He established himself as capable big man who played in post and rebounded.
Same thing with Delon, Fred.

But grabbing theoretical player is recipe for disaster. Blank slate how Bruno was described

[MixxAOR]

Motor is also underrated trait. Siakam was bound to have 8 points a night in rookie year just from running hard and going for offensive rebounds. Powell could get you 6 points automatically just from pushing it in transition.

[MixxAOR]

Giannis is also not a success story by Bucks because what they envision in his rookie year is not what they go in the end. You listen to them in the past they thought they were developing next KD not Wing version of Shaq

[golden]

I'm not asking for every skill out of the gate. Powell came in with NBA ready skills that's why he killed Summer League and Gleague. 4 year college player. Siakam is poorly scouted. He wasn't energy big in college. He established himself as capable big man who played in post and rebounded.
Same thing with Delon, Fred.

But grabbing theoretical player is recipe for disaster. Blank slate how Bruno was described

Yep. There was definitely a period where Raps were drafting more for NBA ready college players... guys who could defend, rebound/steal and pass the ball back to Kyle & DeMar. Bruno was an exception and that was probably because of Masai's undeniable wingspan fetish.

[MixxAOR]

mental athleticism is interesting concept.