would a team with a starting line up of
smart 20 years old
bradley 23 years old
arron gordon 19 years old
ibaka 25 years old
olynyk 23 years old
win a championship
Absolutely not...I actually have doubts as to whether this team would even make the playoffs...because I'm pretty convinced that our current lineup is better given that (at this stage of their careers):
* Rondo is much better then Smart
* Jeff Green is much better than Aaron Gordon
* Neither Ibaka nor Bradley (the two top scoring options on this team) are good enough offensively to be the #1 option on a championship team
As far as potential goes here is how I see it...
Marcus SmartI think Smart has a good amount of potential, and that he could be an All-Star or borderline All-Star some day.
I believe that he will develop a capable (if not elite) jump shot sooner rather than later, and I can see him putting up 17 point, 5 rebound, 6 assist, 2 steal type numbers while also making multiple All-Defensive teams. I can see him becoming a bit of a mini Andre Iguodala type.
Avery BradleyI think Bradley has some potential to improve, but more as a scorer than anything else.
This is now the third season of AB's career that he's averaged around 45% from the field, 39% from three and close to 80% from the line, so it can no longer be considered an anomaly. The guy can shoot.
He's also already showed that he has skill as a cutter, in transition and on the pull up.
Lately I've started to see him add a few more things to his offensive game as well (like finishing off drives and around the basket, floaters, etc) so it seems like he's still developing his offensive game.
As far as passing and ball handling, he does seem to have improved - not to the point where he is good or even above average, but simply to the where he no longer bounces the ball off his foot or throws passes in to the stands on a consistent basis (i.e. he at least is not a liability).
Defensively I think what you see is pretty much what you get...don't anticipate he'll develop much more in that regard.
Aaron GordonI don't think much of Gordon at all, to be honest.
His career FT% indicates he is beyond terrible as a shooter, and I don't think he has the ball handling skills, passing skills or rim-attacking ability to compensate for his lack of shooting (i.e. to allow him to be anything more than a liability on offense).
Defensively I really believe he's only ever going to be 'solid'. If he ever becomes as good defensively as Jeff Green, then I believe that will just about be his ceiling. He's not quick enough to have a decisive advantage over NBA small forwards, and he's not big (or strong) enough to hold his own against NBA PF's. I think he'll forever be a tweener defensively.
Gerald Wallace seems to be a pretty good comparison in terms of his overall game. Not a bad player, but not exactly superstar material.
Serge IbakaIbaka is a nice player, I really like him. He's a good defensive player and an excellent rim protector, he's an excellent athlete, and he has enough offensive talent to be consistently productive on that end of the floor too.
Can he be the #1 option on a good playoff team though? I doubt it.
The way I see it Ibaka is basically Emeka Okafor 2.0, only with three point range. Emeka was a very nice player in his prime, but he could never have shouldered the offensive load as the #1 option on a serious playoff team.
Like Okafor, I see Ibaka as a complimentary player, not a star.
Kelly OlynykJury is still out on KO. I think he's going to be an excellent offensive player when all is said an done, but good enough to be the #1 option on a good playoff team? We'll have to wait and see. He's incredibly versatile on offense and can shoot the hell out of the ball, but hard to say whether he'll ever be a dominant scorer...and he probably won't ever be more than average on defence.
f you're asking whether this team has good potential, then I would say yes. If you ask if this team might be able to win a championship 3 years from now, then maybe (but probably not). If you're asking if this team could win a championship right now - hell no.