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Originally Posted by mac222b
I totally can see that line of thinking and not even saying its wrong. Small ball rules the day. But Gobert is still an incredibly valuable piece that any team would kill to have. And from what I've seen and read Bamba has the potential to be better offensively and defensively. Doesn't mean he will be. It would take time and patience and who knows if he has the mentality or intangibles. But Bamba looks pretty freakish to me and if he ever puts it together it could be scary good. In 5 years he and Junior would both be around 25 and ready to enter their prime together. Can you imagine that pick and roll?
I also really like Mikal Bridges a lot and wouldn't be bummed to have him at all. He has some of the non-flashy game and athleticism of Kawhi. Starting to really warm to him and feel like this is might be an 8! man draft after all  |
I've watched some more videos & read some more mocks/fan forums/etc. There does seem to be a strong sentiment for Bamba. Some people actually have him rated ahead of Ayton and Bagley. Some people really like Bamba's upside, including on the offensive end, and some people think Ayton is underdeveloped and more in a project mold.
I gotta admit after looking at some more clips of Bamba he has more upside on the offensive end than I was giving him credit for. He has some touch on his jumper and his overall form isn't awful. He shoots 61.9% from the line on 3.3 FTA per game, so that tells you his floor is decent for a shot blocker. He gets very little arch on his jump shot, and his release point is far too low. So, he really needs to totally break his shot down & rework the mechanics from the beginning. For example, if he were a 6-2 guard shooting that flat and with a release point that low, he'd get 1/3 of his shots blocked. He's only able to get away with it because of his height & wingspan. In the pros that's going to have to change for him to increase his percentages. I do agree that he has the tools to develop into a decent, if not above average, shooter tho. Although, I'll also say his shot selection at times is atrocious. I think Carlisle would cure him of that pretty quickly tho lol.
I don't see it with Ayton being a project. I'll leave the door open that there's more weaknesses to his game than I originally indicated because it seems to be a prevailing thought & I haven't watched much more than 30-45 min worth of Youtube highlights on the guy. Still, we're 20 games into a college season here & Ayton is averaging 19.7 ppg compared to a guy like Bamba at 12.4 ppg. Ayton also shoots 71.6 % from the line on 5.1 FTA per game, so I think there's a clear edge in his shooting ability. Ayton's form is much more polished too. He could stand to not bring the ball down so low before his release as often & finish a bit higher in his release point, but he has a much better follow through motion than Bamba & better touch, rotation on his ball. His jump shot is much more NBA ready.
Ayton may also be the better rebounder, although they're both superior. Clearly Bamba is a special shot blocker. One of the shots I watched him block vs either Duke or Kansas was incredible going back across is body with his left hand to block the shot at its apex. Very special shot blocker.
I really can't knock Bagley for much. Any deficiencies he has, and you're just forced to remember he could be a high school senior right now. Bagley does seem like the weaker of the 3 on defense, but also a much better scorer around the basket than Ayton is and definitely Bamba. Just looked up Bagley's FT% this yr, 61.7% on 7.0 FTA, yuck! Bagley's form looks solid imo, from what I've seen anyways. Those results leave a lot to be desired tho.
Boy, what I saw from Trae Young tonight was impressive vs Kansas. Basically, said so everyone thinks I'm just a scorer & 3 point shooter? Well then, watch me get my teammates involved, handle/take care of the ball, and still get 26 on improved shot selection. Young is probably very deserving of top 3 overall consideration at this point.
I hear a lot of people say Doncic is the best overall player in this draft. I need to watch more tape on him. I think a kid his age doing what he's doing in the 2nd best league in the world & I'm pretty much sold that he's a top 3 pick. Honestly I think he's the guy I'm rooting for the Mavs to land the most, outside of Ayton.
Also heard very good things about Mikal Bridges (again), Jaren Jackson Jr, and even some guys down the pecking order. Some people still really seem to like Colin Sexton (looking forward to seeing him & Trae Young go at it on Saturday). A lot of people are still very high on Miles Bridges, even the A&M product Robert Williams gets talked about in that top 10-12 range. A lot of folks are high on Wendall Carter Jr & Kevin Knox too. Hear some talk about Bruce Brown & Troy Brown in that top 10-13 area too. I see this 2nd tier expanding.
I agree. I can definitely see this being a 8 or 9 deep player draft come June.