Another Draft Miss: Rodney Hood

[Roy H.]

Hood is a solid player sure. Still don't see how you can definitively say he's a better pick when there's a 3 year age gap. Sounds a lot like the people who used to write off Bradley's potential in his first few years. Short sighted

Well, it's at least two years of production we're not getting.  It's two years of trade value, as well, since Hood is undoubtedly the better asset.

You can't necessarily say that Hood will have the better career, but I think that most teams would prefer to have the 23 year old who has started 44 games for a potential playoff team (averaging 14+ ppg) over the 20 year old who has scored 26 points in 20 games.

[mahcus smaht]

No. I wont admit it.

Hood looked like he would be a decent NBA player at the time and that is what he looks like now. Im not impressed with his ability to carve out a role next to an injured Alec burks, Raul Neto, and the great Trey Burke. I think that Turner, Smart, Bradley, and Thomas are all better than any of those 3.

Young was the risky pick with a high upside and Hood was the safe pick with low upside. I think it was right to take the risky pick in that situation. Plus I dont think you can drive a stake in James Youngs career just yet. He is way better than last year and is still pretty young.

The better argument I think would have been that if Ainge was going to take a risk he should have taken Clint Capela due to his athleticism.

Lastly, at the time of the draft James Young was the third youngest player in the draft, who projected as a really good shooter/scorer who had the length to eventually be a nice defender, who had just been the best player on a NCAA Championship run, who had played his best in the biggest games, who was seen as a lotto talent who had dropped due to a predraft car-crash.

[ssspence]

Hood is a solid player sure. Still don't see how you can definitively say he's a better pick when there's a 3 year age gap. Sounds a lot like the people who used to write off Bradley's potential in his first few years. Short sighted

You don't get a special contract, nor a special success pill, in the NBA for being young. You still have to show up, improve, and make an impact in 3/4 years to stay in the league. So while age can and should be a strong factor in draft consideration of upside, so should maturity, timing, and downside.

In other words, just continuing to make an excuse out of Young's age disregards the reality that he's not made much progress, or impact in his chances. 

[TheSundanceKid]

Hood is a solid player sure. Still don't see how you can definitively say he's a better pick when there's a 3 year age gap. Sounds a lot like the people who used to write off Bradley's potential in his first few years. Short sighted

You don't get a special contract, nor a special success pill, in the NBA for being young. You still have to show up, improve, and make an impact in 3/4 years to stay in the league. So while age can and should be a strong factor in draft consideration of upside, so should maturity, timing, and downside.

In other words, just continuing to make an excuse out of Young's age disregards the reality that he's not made much progress, or impact in his chances.

You're right in the sense that the rookie contract is 4 years and that's when you get most value from the players. We have had almost 2 years now where you wonder if he's wasted effort.

However to say that he hasn't improved is wrong. His defence is noticeably better this year and his body has come on leaps and bounds. What he needs is a consistent role in the rotation for 10-15 games to see where he really is at. Maybe he'd fall flat on his face or maybe he'd show he can be a reliable wing option. Unfortunately I don't see that role opening up on this team. The preferred position for him is SG where we play Smart and Bradley, two of our best and most important players. I don't see where the opportunity comes from

[Roy H.]

No. I wont admit it.

Hood looked like he would be a decent NBA player at the time and that is what he looks like now. Im not impressed with his ability to carve out a role next to an injured Alec burks, Raul Neto, and the great Trey Burke. I think that Turner, Smart, Bradley, and Thomas are all better than any of those 3.

Young was the risky pick with a high upside and Hood was the safe pick with low upside. I think it was right to take the risky pick in that situation. Plus I dont think you can drive a stake in James Youngs career just yet. He is way better than last year and is still pretty young.

The better argument I think would have been that if Ainge was going to take a risk he should have taken Clint Capela due to his athleticism.

Lastly, at the time of the draft James Young was the third youngest player in the draft, who projected as a really good shooter/scorer who had the length to eventually be a nice defender, who had just been the best player on a NCAA Championship run, who had played his best in the biggest games, who was seen as a lotto talent who had dropped due to a predraft car-crash.

What's low upside? 

Hood's upside seems to be somewhere between 15 to 18 ppg, good defense, and good outside shooting.

Is Young's upside higher than that?