Isn't Joel Anthony a bench rim protector?

You are aware these are highlight films and not very useful as they don't show any negatives?

Kristaps Porzingis

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Weaknesses: He?s still skinny and lanky, needing to bulk up, with no sign of consistent improvements on his frame over the last three years ... This physical shortcoming affects his game, with losses of balance after contact and the consequent preference to settle for the mid-range jumper instead of attacking the rim and drawing fouls. Furthermore he totally lacks an inside game, struggling in establishing position in the post and lacking effective moves ... Most of his points in the painted area come from offensive rebounds and put backs, and his game is based solely facing the basket .. His lack of strength affects his ability to guard traditional centers, with a tendency to be rag dolled during the battles below the rim ... Essentially he?s a shooting guard in the body of a center, an intriguing prospect that painfully needs to develop physically, and still a tweener at the moment ...

Clint Capella

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Weaknesses: The biggest knock on Capela is his lack of basketball IQ ... He frequently appears lost and often wants to make plays without understanding what is going on around him ... He also should be an absolute monster due to his physical attributes but can lack aggressiveness on both ends of the court ... Instead he shows laziness, playing behind opposing big men in the post when he should fight to deny entry pass or simply not getting into a low defensive stance on the perimeter ... In addition his defensive technique on the block lacks fundamentals, many times two dribbles are enough to push him under the basket and finish over him ... For a raw, very unskilled player like him, at this moment of his career, effort should always be stellar to compensate for his weaknesses ... Too many times he is lazy on P&R situations, on calling the screens and even on running back on defense ... Another very evident problem is his lack of strength around the basket where, even with his apparently very strong body, he is far too easily pushed around by much smaller opponents ... He does not get enough boards, considering his great size and athleticism, his lack of technique hurts his productivity considerably ... You can get away with that in the French League, but not in a League where players like Kenneth Faried would literally go around him every single time on the offensive glass ... On the skill side there is obviously a lot of work to do ... His shooting mechanics need to be rebuilt from scratch. The same is true for his post moves, where he has shown quickness and the ability to go over both shoulders but lacks a true go to move. Has the physical tools, but needs to be smarter, more focused and play hungrier for the entire 40 minutes ... Offensively he must use his strength to make deep catches in order to finish until he will build a reliable offensive arsenal ...

 
Walter Taveres

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Weaknesses: He lacks explosiveness and elite athleticism, furthermore as per all the big man of comparable size, the physical and muscular improvement must be developed carefully, in order to avoid back and structural problems ... Offensively he?s still rather raw, he lacks post moves and struggles to effectively take position in the painted area ... Furthermore his lack of solid ball handling skills makes it difficult for him to create his own shot, often relying on offensive rebounds and assists from teammates ... Despite his size he?s not yet an elite rebounder, since he lacks effective positioning and a natural understanding of the game ... These shortcomings also affect his defensive effectiveness: he jumps on shot fakes too often, committing unnecessary fouls ...

http://www.nbadraft.net/2014mock_draft

We get these guys we are shooting blanks because they are duds.   I rather have Mitch McGary than any of these guys  and he got busted for pot in college.

Porzingis not filling out between the ages of 15-18 while growing several inches shouldn't be some big concern to any decent scout. He weighs more than KG did at the same age, another guy who didn't fill out between the ages of 15 and 18 while growing several inches.

Tavares at 7'3" not being an elite level athlete is debatable, considering there have only been a few 7'3" dudes in the NBA and none stick out to me as being more athletic than him. This guy isn't Roy Hibbert slow by any means. And not being a good ball handler at 7'3" is pretty much a given, not a weakness.

This guy has huge hands, moves well for his size, already weighs 265 and will get stronger. If Embiid turns into the next Shaq or Hakeem, dominating the league, you're going to want a guy who can defend him.

If the Celtics traded pick 17 for OKC's two late first rounders, the Celtics could do something like draft both McGary and Tavares. But if Nurkic or Porzingis were there at 17 I would probably pounce.

Sometimes the difference between a guy like Tavares and a guy like Embiid is a year or two of experience. I may be exaggerating, but if Embiid picked up basketball a couple years later he might be stuck in some minor league overseas, looked at as a 2nd round project.

Ibaka was lucky just to get to the NBA. If that German tourist hadn't discovered Tavares working in his mom's store, he'd probably still be behind the counter or stocking shelves.

My only point is that the distance between a 2nd round project and moving up into the lottery can be pretty short for mobile giants who are new to the game. If Tavares showed up for his NBA workouts showing intelligence, work ethic, and emotional stability, it wouldn't take much for a team to take a chance on him in the top 20.

Fab Melo with a brain and a work ethic would have been a Perk like player or better, and Darko's bad attitude was mostly what held him back.

Pekovic, Vucivic, Gortat, Asik, there are plenty of good centers from overseas who got drafted too low.

Now Nurkic might go top 15, and last year he would have been viewed as a 2nd round project.

Ben Hansbrough, Tyler's little brother, plays on Tavares' team. Watching the first half of that Real Madrid game, it's pretty clear he's not playing with some great passing guards, and they're definitely not looking for him inside. But Tavares showed a nice little unblockable hook shot, and he appears to have a standing reach at that all time NBA elite level, like higher than Shaq's, and around where Lucas Nogueira and Rudy Gobert measured out at last year, 9'6-9'7 or something crazy.

He gets up and down the court well enough and can move around pretty well defensively, though you would still describe it as lumbering compared to most NBA players. His ft form looks great, and if he had good passers around him he could live at the ft line. He can dunk from like 4 feet away from the hoop, not jumping toward the hoop but just straight up, and his hands are huge so he always has a good grip on it.

Nogueira and Gobert are more mobile than Tavares, but he has a big strength advantage on those guys. He's going to make even Embiid look "small".

Still a project, but he is already experienced in the best league in the world outside the NBA. He seems to compete very hard, is physical, and is obviously a menace as a rim protector.

Still hard to place him in the draft, but I bet he sneaks into the first round.

The bandwagon makes a stop at this thread.

Did you say rim protection that can come off the bench?

How about just signing...



#JaSIGNSmith.

I am ok with them at 17 or later however, some of these guys are second round fodder presently and that does not bode well for them happening.   Europe isn't really known for it's lockdown defenders.   Noah and Asik come to mind, and Noah developed in the NCAA.   AK-47 at one time was a defensive terror most of the bigs are defensive busts ala Darko.

Porzingis should go top 20, hoping we steal him at 17.  A project, but well worth the gamble.  Plays like a small forward, very athletic, 7' tall.  Skinny, but will fill out.

Capela strikes me as a shot blocker and finisher on dunks, but I see little else. Not nearly as skilled as Porzingis.

Tavares I worry about the most. Obviously his physical size is unreal, and can block shots on his length, but watching him run up the court worries me.  Looks like a guy who is going to have bad knee problems, if he doesn't already. I have no idea, just how he physically looks.  His feet barely leave the ground.

Porzingis seems like a much better prospect than the other two.