I'm having a hard time forgiving Danny for not taking Giannis Antetokounmpo

[wiley]

Someone is going to have to tell me what's so great about Giannis and so bad about Kelly... Giannis plays 4 more mins a game and they have pretty much identical stats! Giannis has the better FG% @45-40 but KO is the better 3pt and FT shooter.

I think the idea is that KO is almost 23 and is less likely to improve than Giannis, who is basically the same age as guys like Wiggins and Parker.

The less legitimate reason IMO for the appeal is the "wow" factor. Giannis is more of a highlight reel type of player. I don't go for that personally, but I'd wager that's part of the story too.

I think it's too early to tell, personally. Like others have said, there have been plenty of somewhat similar players (Anthony Randolph, Ty Thomas, Hakim Warrick etc.) with great tools who never took the next step.

I think Giannis' passing ability and overall basketball IQ separates him from Randolph.  I liked Randolph but he was a 4 who saw himself as a 3 but just wasn't skilled enough for it.  He was also extremely error prone and didn't do himself any favors with a face that always looked on the verge of crying.  Giannis' basketball IQ shows up in his movements off the ball and his playmaking off screens.  Randolph really didn't offer much beyond trying to score and he often shoot errantly.

I'm not sure why Hakim is among the comparisons.  I don't think he was ever considered a high ceiling player.  He was undersized, could only play PF and was a huge black hole, none of which describes Giannis.

Thomas may have made more of himself if he actually looked like he enjoyed basketball.  Injuries also played a part.

Giannis is no where close to a sure thing.  I've been impressed with glimpses but he's going to have to improve his outside shot and who knows if his overall shotmaking will ever be high quality.  That said, Olynk looks to be a 7th/8th rotation player.  It made no sense to pass on someone like Giannis, even if he busts, to take Olynyk given where the Celtics are in the rebuilding process.

Yeah he's an highly active 18 year old who seems to know what to do and where to be.  I'm trying to keep myself from imagining him paired with Rondo.  Seems like a duo that could do a lot of damage. 

We just have to hope for Kelly to thrive.  I think he has a chance to be very impactful off the bench, with rebounds, scoring and passing.  Rondo might make Kelly look real good. Let's hope!

[wiley]

olynyk is still getting used to this league. once he realizes how to use that big frame a bit more forcefully and decisively he'll look a lot better, his intelligence and skill should keep him afloat in the meantime.
let's not judge him too harshly over half a season with limited minutes. almost every one looks terrible their rookie year. and some guys that look good tail off and never live up to their promise.
there's no doubt though that KO is a highly skilled player. with time, the shots will fall. he needs to use his skills as a ball handler and passer more effectively, that will come with confidence.
and of course he needs to be tougher on the boards and on defense, he needs some more strength conditioning and also a little bit of nastiness, which will take some time.
overall, for the 13th pick in a very poor draft, i'd say he's coming along nicely. there was a stretch in the warriors game the other night which i thought was his best as a pro, he looked very focused, and  a little bit angry, and he was finally playing some solid defense, not to mention making quick decisions with the ball on offense.

Agree his IQ is already there.  Just needs the other things you mention....

[Boris Badenov]

Someone is going to have to tell me what's so great about Giannis and so bad about Kelly... Giannis plays 4 more mins a game and they have pretty much identical stats! Giannis has the better FG% @45-40 but KO is the better 3pt and FT shooter.

I think the idea is that KO is almost 23 and is less likely to improve than Giannis, who is basically the same age as guys like Wiggins and Parker.

The less legitimate reason IMO for the appeal is the "wow" factor. Giannis is more of a highlight reel type of player. I don't go for that personally, but I'd wager that's part of the story too.

I think it's too early to tell, personally. Like others have said, there have been plenty of somewhat similar players (Anthony Randolph, Ty Thomas, Hakim Warrick etc.) with great tools who never took the next step.

I think Giannis' passing ability and overall basketball IQ separates him from Randolph.  I liked Randolph but he was a 4 who saw himself as a 3 but just wasn't skilled enough for it.  He was also extremely error prone and didn't do himself any favors with a face that always looked on the verge of crying.  Giannis' basketball IQ shows up in his movements off the ball and his playmaking off screens.  Randolph really didn't offer much beyond trying to score and he often shoot errantly.

I'm not sure why Hakim is among the comparisons.  I don't think he was ever considered a high ceiling player.  He was undersized, could only play PF and was a huge black hole, none of which describes Giannis.

Thomas may have made more of himself if he actually looked like he enjoyed basketball.  Injuries also played a part.

Giannis is no where close to a sure thing.  I've been impressed with glimpses but he's going to have to improve his outside shot and who knows if his overall shotmaking will ever be high quality.  That said, Olynk looks to be a 7th/8th rotation player.  It made no sense to pass on someone like Giannis, even if he busts, to take Olynyk given where the Celtics are in the rebuilding process.

I mentioned those guys just because they all had good physical tools and showed promise early on in their careers, but plateaued early for various reasons. I wasn't comparing them to Giannis in any other way.

Personally I'd rather have Giannis right now too, and I completely agree with your draft philosophy. I was even on record as a fan of Giannis well before the draft:

I'd prefer to gamble on a high risk/high reward guy. If it were two years ago I would've been all over Plumlee, because he's 23 and stands a chance of helping a team out quickly.

But given that our window is firmly shut (in my view), I say swing for the fences. That Adetokunbo kid seems intriguing.