ESPN Ranks Smart and the Other Sophs

[Celtics18]

I see Chad Ford is still trying to push Exum as a player. He was the most vocal pundit in support of Exum's abilities amongst draftniks. He just can't let go that he was just that wrong.

So too early to determine that smart will be a terrible offensive player yet ford is wrong in exam already?

I would not out exam and #4 but what little I have seen is impressive.  He certainly has more potential than smart offensively.  We'll see how health treats both of them.

Not sure how you can claim Exum has more offensive potential than Marcus?  It certainly can't be based on their respective performances as NBA rookies.  I guess you are still watching Exum's Australian high school videos.

More explosive quickness. Quicker first step. Can beat his defender one-on-one off the dribble and drive into the paint better than Smart can.

My main concern with Exum is his mentality. He is too passive. Not assertive / aggressive enough. Doesn't make enough of his talent. But in terms of athleticism + skill level, I think Exum surpasses Smart. The question in my mind is whether he can grow to be more assertive on the court.

I never really saw that "explosiveness" that everyone was raving about with Exum.

Nor did I. He is definitely quicker and smoother on the move than Marcus but I never saw the too much explosiveness.

I think Exum's explosive quickness is well above average for a two-guard.

But I don't think much of him as a PG. In terms of explosiveness. Or ability to run a team.

I think Exum's future is as a SG.

I would agree with you that his future is as a shooting guard.  Maybe even as a 2/3 combo wing player. 

Athletically and physically, I see him as being much more similar to Evan Turner than Penny Hardaway or Kobe Bryant (the two players I saw him compared to a lot coming into the draft).  He doesn't have anywhere close to the ball handling skills of ET, though.

Defensively, I think he can be pretty good as a wing defender.  I've always thought a less athletic, but more offensively skilled, Stacey Augmon was a good comparison for Exum.

[celticsclay]

Kind of get a sense for the pro philly bias on this forum when you see this ranking and the rookie rankings from last week. These guys have no skin in the game and both of them rank Noel number 8, last week they I believe they also both had Okafor 5 or worse among rookies. Yet on these forums it is written like they are the second coming.

[Celtics18]

Kind of get a sense for the pro philly bias on this forum when you see this ranking and the rookie rankings from last week. These guys have no skin in the game and both of them rank Noel number 8, last week they I believe they also both had Okafor 5 or worse among rookies. Yet on these forums it is written like they are the second coming.

That's a big problem with the whole tanking thing.  When your team is as bad as the Sixers, it becomes really difficult to accurately or consistently gauge the value of their young players.

Scouts, GMs, analysts, fans are invariably have wildly different takes on the futures of these players.  Not everyone is going to agree on the futures of young, developing players even when they are in a stable situation.

Philly's situation makes it even harder.

For the record, by the way, I'm a Noel fan, but I'm not that high on Okafor.