CB article: Rakeem Christmas may have what the Celtics are looking for

[Tr1boy]

I dont think Christmas will be available at 33.  Maybe not even 28. Would you trade up a little to grab him?  If Christmas did what he did last season as a 2nd year college player, how high would he project to be drafted?

http://www.celticsblog.com/2015/6/9/8747231/rakeem-christmas-nba-draft-2015-syracuse-celtics

"He's probably the best center in the country. That's all I can say. Based on the numbers, what he's been doing, they're tremendous. They're doubling him every time. They're fouling him on every play and he just keeps playing unbelievably. It's the biggest improvement that I've seen in a player in either our program or any other program since I've been here." -Jim Boeheim

"Christmas is just outstanding. He's one of the top 10 players in America. He's having a fabulous, fabulous year offensively and defensively."- Mike Krzyzewski

[Tr1boy]

Jump shot looks good. He will need it for the nba as he projects to be more of a pf vs center

http://youtu.be/HiYHXz8Cx8U

College 2014-2015 highlights vs WF and Louisville

http://youtu.be/xDqlTK9UZ94
http://youtu.be/Ox7Xq8hSgH8

[Eddie20]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

[Tr1boy]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

So what if he is a near finished product.  Look at his stats last season. Are those stats not enough for you? Does he have to be able to do backflips next?

He was double teammed alot last season and is very good one on one on the offensive end. His defense needs to be tweaked (from zone d to ind/nba d)

[Eddie20]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

So what if he is a near finished product.  Look at his stats last season. Are those stats not enough for you? Does he have to be able to do backflips next?

He was double teammed alot last season and is very good one on one on the offensive end. His defense needs to be tweaked (from zone d to ind/nba d)

You're overly obsessed with college performances by older players and thinking it automatically translates to success on the next level.

There is very little to get excited about here. By the time he finishes his rookie deal, assuming he sticks around the league, he'll be nearing 30. If you're looking for a quick fix then I'd rather do so through free agency, on a better player.

[bballdog384]

His upside is the next Ibaka - with better post moves and not quite as much range. Definitely worth the risk late in the first round.

He was the second rated Center on ESPN coming out of high school, just took a few years to develop.

[Eddie20]

His upside is the next Ibaka - with better post moves and not quite as much range. Definitely worth the risk late in the first round.

He was the second rated Center on ESPN coming out of high school, just took a few years to develop.

Nonsense.

Ibaka is only 2 years older and has how many years of experience?

[Tr1boy]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

So what if he is a near finished product.  Look at his stats last season. Are those stats not enough for you? Does he have to be able to do backflips next?

He was double teammed alot last season and is very good one on one on the offensive end. His defense needs to be tweaked (from zone d to ind/nba d)

You're overly obsessed with college performances by older players and thinking it automatically translates to success on the next level.

There is very little to get excited about here. By the time he finishes his rookie deal, assuming he sticks around the league, he'll be nearing 30. If you're looking for a quick fix then I'd rather do so through free agency, on a better player.

Do you think Alexander will develop faster bc he is stepping into the nba as an unfinished product? You get too excited about the unknown masked as potential

Putting aside age as negativity , christmas has refined post skills, now an added mid range jump shot plus size, length, explosiveness to do some nice things for a team. He will definitely not be available at 45

[Tr1boy]

His upside is the next Ibaka - with better post moves and not quite as much range. Definitely worth the risk late in the first round.

He was the second rated Center on ESPN coming out of high school, just took a few years to develop.

Likely wont be as good as Ibaka. But comparable to a more skilled version of Hickson imo

[Eddie20]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

So what if he is a near finished product.  Look at his stats last season. Are those stats not enough for you? Does he have to be able to do backflips next?

He was double teammed alot last season and is very good one on one on the offensive end. His defense needs to be tweaked (from zone d to ind/nba d)

You're overly obsessed with college performances by older players and thinking it automatically translates to success on the next level.

There is very little to get excited about here. By the time he finishes his rookie deal, assuming he sticks around the league, he'll be nearing 30. If you're looking for a quick fix then I'd rather do so through free agency, on a better player.

Do you think Alexander will develop faster bc he is stepping into the nba as an unfinished product? You get too excited about the unknown masked as potential

Putting aside age as negativity , christmas has refined post skills, now an added mid range jump shot plus size, length, explosiveness to do some nice things for a team. He will definitely not be available at 45

In theory, yes. Alexander has a much higher ceiling because he's 19. That's the nature of the NBA, where players are drafted based on potential more than anything else.

If you want to continue to overhype players then that's on you. The guys you've liked the previous 3 drafts have all done poorly. Even you admitted as much.

[Tr1boy]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

So what if he is a near finished product.  Look at his stats last season. Are those stats not enough for you? Does he have to be able to do backflips next?

He was double teammed alot last season and is very good one on one on the offensive end. His defense needs to be tweaked (from zone d to ind/nba d)

You're overly obsessed with college performances by older players and thinking it automatically translates to success on the next level.

There is very little to get excited about here. By the time he finishes his rookie deal, assuming he sticks around the league, he'll be nearing 30. If you're looking for a quick fix then I'd rather do so through free agency, on a better player.

Do you think Alexander will develop faster bc he is stepping into the nba as an unfinished product? You get too excited about the unknown masked as potential

Putting aside age as negativity , christmas has refined post skills, now an added mid range jump shot plus size, length, explosiveness to do some nice things for a team. He will definitely not be available at 45

In theory, yes. Alexander has a much higher ceiling because he's 19. That's the nature of the NBA, where players are drafted based on potential more than anything else.

If you want to continue to overhype players then that's on you. The guys you've liked the previous 3 drafts have all done poorly. Even you admitted as much.

Right . Aaron gordon is a bust already bc you said so.

You prob thought Gerald Green should of been a top 3 pick bc of his super unknown potential right?

What about Lebron jr? If he was available in the 2015 draft, should go number 1 no?

[Eddie20]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

So what if he is a near finished product.  Look at his stats last season. Are those stats not enough for you? Does he have to be able to do backflips next?

He was double teammed alot last season and is very good one on one on the offensive end. His defense needs to be tweaked (from zone d to ind/nba d)

You're overly obsessed with college performances by older players and thinking it automatically translates to success on the next level.

There is very little to get excited about here. By the time he finishes his rookie deal, assuming he sticks around the league, he'll be nearing 30. If you're looking for a quick fix then I'd rather do so through free agency, on a better player.

Do you think Alexander will develop faster bc he is stepping into the nba as an unfinished product? You get too excited about the unknown masked as potential

Putting aside age as negativity , christmas has refined post skills, now an added mid range jump shot plus size, length, explosiveness to do some nice things for a team. He will definitely not be available at 45

In theory, yes. Alexander has a much higher ceiling because he's 19. That's the nature of the NBA, where players are drafted based on potential more than anything else.

If you want to continue to overhype players then that's on you. The guys you've liked the previous 3 drafts have all done poorly. Even you admitted as much.

Right . Aaron gordon is a bust already bc you said so.

You prob thought Gerald Green should of been a top 3 pick bc of his super unknown potential right?

What about Lebron jr? If he was available in the 2015 draft, should go number 1 no?

I never said Gordon is a bust yet. However, he looks closer to being a bust than he does "Blake Griffin with a higher IQ" how you described him. Just like you thought Trey Burke would be like Chris Paul and were going nuts over Harkless, you overrate players yearly and this year the lucky ones are Christmas and Mickey.

The LeBron Jr is silly so I won't even bother. However, if Ben Simmons were in this draft I'd probably take him #1 overall.

I give credit to your fandom and merely try to cap your expectations to realistic ones.

[Tr1boy]

Yawn.

He'll be 24 in a couple of months. What you see is basically what you'll get. Little upside. He'll be available in the second round, maybe even with our last pick. Whoever takes him in the 1st rd is reaching on a finished product.

So what if he is a near finished product.  Look at his stats last season. Are those stats not enough for you? Does he have to be able to do backflips next?

He was double teammed alot last season and is very good one on one on the offensive end. His defense needs to be tweaked (from zone d to ind/nba d)

You're overly obsessed with college performances by older players and thinking it automatically translates to success on the next level.

There is very little to get excited about here. By the time he finishes his rookie deal, assuming he sticks around the league, he'll be nearing 30. If you're looking for a quick fix then I'd rather do so through free agency, on a better player.

Do you think Alexander will develop faster bc he is stepping into the nba as an unfinished product? You get too excited about the unknown masked as potential

Putting aside age as negativity , christmas has refined post skills, now an added mid range jump shot plus size, length, explosiveness to do some nice things for a team. He will definitely not be available at 45

In theory, yes. Alexander has a much higher ceiling because he's 19. That's the nature of the NBA, where players are drafted based on potential more than anything else.

If you want to continue to overhype players then that's on you. The guys you've liked the previous 3 drafts have all done poorly. Even you admitted as much.

Right . Aaron gordon is a bust already bc you said so.

You prob thought Gerald Green should of been a top 3 pick bc of his super unknown potential right?

What about Lebron jr? If he was available in the 2015 draft, should go number 1 no?

I never said Gordon is a bust yet. However, he looks closer to being a bust than he does "Blake Griffin with a higher IQ" how you described him. Just like you thought Trey Burke would be like Chris Paul and were going nuts over Harkless, you overrate players yearly and this year the lucky ones are Christmas and Mickey.

The LeBron Jr is silly so I won't even bother. However, if Ben Simmons were in this draft I'd probably take him #1 overall.

I give credit to your fandom and merely try to cap your expectations to realistic ones.

And how does your scouting skills make much sense?

You think alexander is such a hype prospect based on what merits exactly? He didnt do that great in his 1st season. Actually disappointing season. Same as Turner. Yet you hype and give these guys a break.  Your the type of guy that loves Perry Jones while I like Draymond Green.  Usually guys that accomplish a thing or two plus are skilled have a better chance to be successful in the nba.

Burke and gordon are still young. I never stated they will be as good as player x,y,z if you read my posts carefully. But what their ceilings could be (chances).   Can i say Towns is the next great center even without him playing one game in the nba? Can anybody say this?  There is a decent chance but nothing definite

[TA9]

I must say that Eddie is right regarding Rakeem Christmas and his age.
It's not an uncommon thing that older players are dominating in the NCAA, where the competition mostly consists of young players between the age of 18-21 years. Rakeem had an easy time last year given that his body was more mature compared to the players he was facing hence that he easily scored a lot of points.

I'm not saying that he is bad, but he is basically a case of "what you see is what you get" like Eddie pointed out too. With that being said don't expect him to get much better than he is right now.

[Tr1boy]

I must say that Eddie is right regarding Rakeem Christmas and his age.
It's not an uncommon thing that older players are dominating in the NCAA, where the competition mostly consists of young players between the age of 18-21 years. Rakeem had an easy time last year given that his body was more mature compared to the players he was facing hence that he easily scored a lot of points.

I'm not saying that he is bad, but he is basically a case of "what you see is what you get" like Eddie pointed out too. With that being said don't expect him to get much better than he is right now.

Look I know being older is a minus. But we are not talking about a Luke Harongody like prospect here. A guy that had a good college career, but has very little transferable skills  and worse has almost non existant athleticism/quickness to hang even with the worse nba players.

Christmas in terms of size, length, explosiveness is at the top level in comparison to other nba pfs already.  Also good weight at 245 pounds. 

Skillwise, his post skills are impressive.   Will he be able to do what he did in college in the NBA? likely not at will but his running hook, faceup and dribble past slower guys should translate. Add a mid range J now.  His defense or what he has learned from playing zone D is a concern but can be reworked (especially considering his physical tools).  He graduated with good marks and is known as a hard worker

When I add all of these things minus age ,  this is still a solid prospect imo.