I might change the order of these guys as we get more info from workouts but I've watched enough of them to decide. (Except Saric actually, I haven't seen anything other than his scouting youtube stuff). The one thing you'll notice is that all these guys have a bit of 'grit n balls' to them as KG would say
1)Vonleh because of age (18, second youngest in this draft after Aaron Gordon), upside and size. His hands are huge, his arms are enormously long, he's probably still growing height wise. His jumping reaches were enormous. People are worried about his IQ but no one is mentioning his fire. He's a winner and he hates losing- that spells focus to me. At 18 yrs old you have just a world of potential there as a rim protector, post player, stretch 4/5 etc...
2) Smart: He's got the 'killer' winner's mentality that Rondo has and KG had. He's emotional and he's done some dumb stuff but he's still a kid and he wears his heart on his sleeve.
Lance Stephenson did so as well and he's arguably been the Pacers best player this playoffs.
His shot needs work, but his form is excellent and he attacks the rim relentlessly.
In a disciplined system with the right guidance and coaching this kid could become an All Star combo guard.
One of the best things about him is he plays hard on both ends, he also wants the ball in his hands when it counts and very few skilled athletes like Smart have that quality.
His numbers at Oklahoma State were eerily similar to Dwyane Wade's numbers after 2 seasons as Marquette- Smart's numbers this season were also hurt because of their system in my opinion. This is a guy that loves getting to the rim and getting free throws.- I would love to see him with Rondo and would cross my fingers that his shot improves another 5%
3)
Saric: Long, athletic, smart and skilled. Can shoot the lights out. Could be the best player out of this draft in 5 years time and the biggest steal. At his age, he's led his Euro club to a championship and he ALSO has that killer fire about him. Size, scoring, smarts. I do worry about his athleticism but he's smart enough and agile enough make up for what he lacks in speed and strength on the offensive end. Major concern for me would be how well he'd guard NBA small forwards and containing speed.
4)
Aaron Gordon: like Vonleh, he's YOUNG and strong. Built like an ox and could probably put on some more muscle without losing his athleticism. I don't know what position he'll play. He wants to play small forward but he needs serious work on the offensive end. He's got the speed and athleticism to defend the best, and if he can somehow use his great IQ to master his dribbling and ball skills in dribble breakdowns vs NBA small forwards and elite defenders he could be very similar to Andre Iquadala. He's a safe pick in the sense that at the very least he'll probably be an All NBA defender. He's so young that I'd be willing to gamble that he'll have enough time to develop his dribble game enough to attack the rim like Lebron and defend like Brandon Bass vs other hybrid forwards. Not sure if he'll ever fix that terrible jumpshot though.
Anyway, that's my summary. I actually hope we trade for Kevin Love and Asik, and then sign Lance Stephenson or Aaron Afflalo, but if we don't, I want one of those guys.
Topic: My preferred players at pick #6 (Read 12684 times)