Jamal Murray

[alldaboston]

This kid is a stud. He's gonna be really good. Already has 19 in the first half vs Georgia on ESPN. Is he a top 5 pick in your eyes?

[Bucketgetter]

No. 6-10 though. Could be in play if we use BOS/DAL 1st + 2nds to move up and grab him.

[Tr1boy]

This kid is a stud. He's gonna be really good. Already has 19 in the first half vs Georgia on ESPN. Is he a top 5 pick in your eyes?

could very well be.    For those who think Bender or Brown should go higher, the question is why?

Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact.   A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?

At best Montajunas or at worse vesely imo.

Brown is quite the athlete. But is nowhere near the shooter Murray is. Murray is a better passer also.    Not saying Murray is automatically better or anything but it might comedown to teams pref vs one of these prospects clearly better than the other

[celticmania]

Jamal Murray is fantastic.  He gets buckets. Cj McCollum plus Devin Harris in his game.  Underrated I think because skill is not as valuable as size and athleticism in draft talks but he is a pure scorer and I think it will translate.

[Smartacus]

Mentioned in the other thread how high on him i am but yea I think he's got a great shot at top 4. He's a scorer who can facilitate that plays on the team with arguably the highest expectations in the country and has risen to the occasion. Folks knock his athleticism but then you read stuff like this...

“Now I have a resting heartbeat of 34 beats per minute, so it just kind of slowed my body down and made me think clearer.”

The National Institutes of Health (via the American Heart Association) says the average resting heart rate for a well-trained athlete is 40 to 60 beats per minute. For an average person, it’s 60 to 100 beats per minute.[/quote]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/2016/03/12/kentuckys-jamal-murray-finds-the-calm-before-the-storm.html

Some argue that during his years on the Suns Steve Nash was one of the top athletes in the league. There's more that goes into being an athlete than who's got the highest vertical, Murray has elite body control and mental focus. At this point I'm higher on him than Dunn and think a strong tournament could put him over Jaylen Brown. Nothing fazes the kid, he'll have an immediate impact for whatever team drafts him.

[alldaboston]

Looks like Murray will finish with 26. Ulis finished with an equally impressive 25 (for what that's worth).

[Smartacus]

This kid is a stud. He's gonna be really good. Already has 19 in the first half vs Georgia on ESPN. Is he a top 5 pick in your eyes?

could very well be.    For those who think Bender or Brown should go higher, the question is why?

Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact.   A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?

At best Montajunas or at worse vesely imo.

Brown is quite the athlete. But is nowhere near the shooter Murray is. Murray is a better passer also.    Not saying Murray is automatically better or anything but it might comedown to teams pref vs one of these prospects clearly better than the other

Triboy, Motiejunas cant move like Bender on the perimeter. It's not really a fair comparison. D Mo is a stand still jump shooter, with a back to the basket game, that can provide stout post D due to his size. Bender projects more like a lane filling, rim runner that can switch onto perimeter players defensively something like a Tom Chambers for a best case.

That being said I've thought Vesely is a perfect floor for him. Vesley was the ultimate case of focusing too much on what he could someday do and not what he can do right now. If Bender flops it'll be for the same reasons Vesely did.

[boscel33]

ESPN Mock Draft has the C's taking him at 4.  Don't see it happening, not another guard....

[chilidawg]

Would be nice to draft a guard who can shoot though.  But I agree, not our position of need.

[Tr1boy]

This kid is a stud. He's gonna be really good. Already has 19 in the first half vs Georgia on ESPN. Is he a top 5 pick in your eyes?

could very well be.    For those who think Bender or Brown should go higher, the question is why?

Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact.   A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?

At best Montajunas or at worse vesely imo.

Brown is quite the athlete. But is nowhere near the shooter Murray is. Murray is a better passer also.    Not saying Murray is automatically better or anything but it might comedown to teams pref vs one of these prospects clearly better than the other

Triboy, Motiejunas cant move like Bender on the perimeter. It's not really a fair comparison. D Mo is a stand still jump shooter, with a back to the basket game, that can provide stout post D due to his size. Bender projects more like a lane filling, rim runner that can switch onto perimeter players defensively something like a Tom Chambers for a best case.

That being said I've thought Vesely is a perfect floor for him. Vesley was the ultimate case of focusing too much on what he could someday do and not what he can do right now. If Bender flops it'll be for the same reasons Vesely did.

Motiejunas is still a pretty mobile big man that can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket.  He was quicker in his rookie year and built some mass that has slowed him down a bit. Still not a reliable shooter

ok if not, lets use the vesely comparison.   Vesely was not able to become a better shooter, add much muscle mass. Shyed away from contact/or could not handle the contact. Basically transition scoring and getting to the basket from the perimeter.   

Now he is out of a NBA job.     

I have seen very little from Bender from the post, and his shooting while is acceptable, takes an awful long time before the ball is released.    Has no dribble stop and pop. 

I'm not a fan and don't think he will survive in the nba

[Smartacus]

This kid is a stud. He's gonna be really good. Already has 19 in the first half vs Georgia on ESPN. Is he a top 5 pick in your eyes?

could very well be.    For those who think Bender or Brown should go higher, the question is why?

Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact.   A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?

At best Montajunas or at worse vesely imo.

Brown is quite the athlete. But is nowhere near the shooter Murray is. Murray is a better passer also.    Not saying Murray is automatically better or anything but it might comedown to teams pref vs one of these prospects clearly better than the other

Triboy, Motiejunas cant move like Bender on the perimeter. It's not really a fair comparison. D Mo is a stand still jump shooter, with a back to the basket game, that can provide stout post D due to his size. Bender projects more like a lane filling, rim runner that can switch onto perimeter players defensively something like a Tom Chambers for a best case.

That being said I've thought Vesely is a perfect floor for him. Vesley was the ultimate case of focusing too much on what he could someday do and not what he can do right now. If Bender flops it'll be for the same reasons Vesely did.

Motiejunas is still a pretty mobile big man that can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket.  He was quicker in his rookie year and built some mass that has slowed him down a bit. Still not a reliable shooter

ok if not, lets use the vesely comparison.   Vesely was not able to become a better shooter, add much muscle mass. Shyed away from contact/or could not handle the contact. Basically transition scoring and getting to the basket from the perimeter.   

Now he is out of a NBA job.     

I have seen very little from Bender from the post, and his shooting while is acceptable, takes an awful long time before the ball is released.    Has no dribble stop and pop. 

I'm not a fan and don't think he will survive in the nba

I don't know man hindsight's 20/20 but I remember watching Vesely and thinking this guy doesn't have a clue how to play. He was drafted as an SF but had no ball skills and couldn't shoot. His only redeeming quality was that he could pull off athletic dunks off the fast break. There's no where near that kind of uncertainty with Bender.

The mechanics in his jump shot are steady and repeatable and from what I've seen he's not as afraid to mix it up in the post as Vesely was. He's clearly a 4/5 that can play the 3 unlike Vesely who failed as a 3 and was pigeonholed into becoming a 5 by Washington. I think he's got a great chance to at least be as good as Tiago Splitter and Splitter was a starter on a championship team. But ya only time will tell, we'll just have to revisit this in 2-3 years.

[BornReady]

I think Murray over Dunn

[Celtics4ever]

Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact.   A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?

He is a mediocre shooter period not just jumpshots.  Forget about the NBA in some ways he is bust over seas presently.

[Eddie20]

Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact.   A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?

He is a mediocre shooter period not just jumpshots.  Forget about the NBA in some ways he is bust over seas presently.

Chad Ford on him-

Positives
•Versatile big man can play the 3, 4 & 5
•High basketball IQ
•Excellent ballhandler
•Good rebounder
•Good athlete for a seven footer
 
Negatives
•Needs to add strength
•Needs a more consistent jump shot
 
Mar 3 Update: The Suns dumped starting 4 Markieff Morris at the trade deadline, opening up a perfect fit for Bender here. Like Morris, Bender has the potential to play both inside and outside. He's shooting 48 percent from 3 this year. His playing time has been pretty limited since injuring his ankle in January, but the upside is clearly there. And unlike with Morris, there are no off-court concerns. His character is one of his best selling points to NBA teams.

Feb 13 Update: Bender suffered an ankle injury and missed several weeks of action before returning against Maccabi Haifa to score 12 points and grab five rebounds in 17 minutes on Feb. 6. I went to Maccabi practice while Bender was injured and only got to see him in shooting drills. What I saw impressed me. But what impressed me more was the way his coach and general manager spoke about him as a person -- he's the real deal off the court. It remains to be seen if he's the real deal on it. But given his size and skill set, he looks like the ideal stretch-4 in the NBA.


Jan 12 Update: After averaging just 3.6 PPG in 11 MPG for Maccabi Tel Aviv in his first nine games, Bender has seen his role expand in the Israeli league lately. In his subsequent three games he spiked to 13.7 PPG and shot 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. For the season Bender is shooting nearly 52 percent from 3, an important number for scouts who came into the season wondering how he'd fare on the perimeter.

[Tr1boy]

Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact.   A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?

He is a mediocre shooter period not just jumpshots.  Forget about the NBA in some ways he is bust over seas presently.

Chad Ford on him-

Positives
•Versatile big man can play the 3, 4 & 5
•High basketball IQ
•Excellent ballhandler
•Good rebounder
•Good athlete for a seven footer
 
Negatives
•Needs to add strength
•Needs a more consistent jump shot
 
Mar 3 Update: The Suns dumped starting 4 Markieff Morris at the trade deadline, opening up a perfect fit for Bender here. Like Morris, Bender has the potential to play both inside and outside. He's shooting 48 percent from 3 this year. His playing time has been pretty limited since injuring his ankle in January, but the upside is clearly there. And unlike with Morris, there are no off-court concerns. His character is one of his best selling points to NBA teams.

Feb 13 Update: Bender suffered an ankle injury and missed several weeks of action before returning against Maccabi Haifa to score 12 points and grab five rebounds in 17 minutes on Feb. 6. I went to Maccabi practice while Bender was injured and only got to see him in shooting drills. What I saw impressed me. But what impressed me more was the way his coach and general manager spoke about him as a person -- he's the real deal off the court. It remains to be seen if he's the real deal on it. But given his size and skill set, he looks like the ideal stretch-4 in the NBA.


Jan 12 Update: After averaging just 3.6 PPG in 11 MPG for Maccabi Tel Aviv in his first nine games, Bender has seen his role expand in the Israeli league lately. In his subsequent three games he spiked to 13.7 PPG and shot 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. For the season Bender is shooting nearly 52 percent from 3, an important number for scouts who came into the season wondering how he'd fare on the perimeter.

Thanks Chad Ford. I mean eddie20

Doing your own research may help instead of relying on a regular Joe/journalist masked as an draft expert

Like Bornready has stated he is struggling to make a real impact in the league he is playing in now.