Buddy Hield lights up Iowa State for 39 points...

[ThaPreacher]

Age- Bah.
Who cares whether he is 19 or 22. Free Agency makes age less relevant.
The average NBA career is roughly 10 years for 30 plus minute player per game.


Buddy Hield is why we shouldn't worry about pick.  If we draft in the top 2-GREAT.
However, if our pick from Brooklyn drops to 5-6 Then Buddy Hield will be a great draft day yield from the field!

The difference in age is in terms of upside. Studies have been done that indicate the average NBA player improves until the age of 28 and then begins to decline.

Right-but how many players remain with the same team for more than 6 years?
I think the age thing is overrated.  How many 18-19 year olds are NBA ready vs 3-4 year college players?  NBA ready is what we want.  Boston already has 4 cradle kid D-leaguers!

[chilidawg]

My question with guys like Hield is, why didn't he get drafted sooner?  What has changed in the last year or so about scouting report that makes his NBA prognosis a lot different than it was before the start of the last college season?

He didn't declare for the draft, that's why.  If I remember right he was considered a late first pick in most mocks prior to deciding not to declare.

[Evantime34]

Age- Bah.
Who cares whether he is 19 or 22. Free Agency makes age less relevant.
The average NBA career is roughly 10 years for 30 plus minute player per game.


Buddy Hield is why we shouldn't worry about pick.  If we draft in the top 2-GREAT.
However, if our pick from Brooklyn drops to 5-6 Then Buddy Hield will be a great draft day yield from the field!

The difference in age is in terms of upside. Studies have been done that indicate the average NBA player improves until the age of 28 and then begins to decline.

Right-but how many players remain with the same team for more than 6 years?
I think the age thing is overrated.  How many 18-19 year olds are NBA ready vs 3-4 year college players?  NBA ready is what we want.  Boston already has 4 cradle kid D-leaguers!

Could not disagree more that NBA ready is what we want. I think what we want is players who have a chance to be elite (even if it's a small chance).

We already have good depth, and will continue to have good depth so finding a player who is NBA ready is less of a need. Since we already have a solid rotation (and should be able to keep it if we like), is it worth it to slightly upgrade that rotation now over a guy who has a chance to be much better long term.

In general a high variance player with a higher upside is a better investment for this team than a low variance player with average upside. What this team needs is a star, and in order to get a star they have to draft in a "swing for the fences" style.

[Vermont Green]

Unbelievable skill with the left hand.  Nice quick release.  He had one step back that I thought was his best shot; definitely something he can get in the NBA.

You just never know though.  I am not worried about his age/upside.  He appears to be a good player.  Just how good is hard to tell.

[fairweatherfan]

My question with guys like Hield is, why didn't he get drafted sooner?  What has changed in the last year or so about scouting report that makes his NBA prognosis a lot different than it was before the start of the last college season?

The short version is his shooting has been dramatically better.  Here are his 2pt/FT/3pt %s from last year and this year:

.462/.823/.359

to

.532/.895/.464

That's an incredible leap, and that's while taking more shots and being more of a focal point of opponents' D.  Doesn't appear to be a fluke or a small sample size issue, he's gone from a guy who looked like he could be a competent NBA shooter to a potentially elite one.

[rondohondo]

He is basically TJ Warren with a 3pt shot(Warren 36% career on 1 atempt per game, Heild this year shooting 46% this year on 8.5 attempts),  and can make ft's in the 80-90% range . (Warren is only 71% for his career in the NBA)

He is definitely worthy of a top 10 pick .

[PhoSita]

My question with guys like Hield is, why didn't he get drafted sooner?  What has changed in the last year or so about scouting report that makes his NBA prognosis a lot different than it was before the start of the last college season?

The short version is his shooting has been dramatically better.  Here are his 2pt/FT/3pt %s from last year and this year:

.462/.823/.359

to

.532/.895/.464

That's an incredible leap, and that's while taking more shots and being more of a focal point of opponents' D.  Doesn't appear to be a fluke or a small sample size issue, he's gone from a guy who looked like he could be a competent NBA shooter to a potentially elite one.

Makes sense.

At the same time, I'd assume that any pre-draft assessment of him in the past would have more or less incorporated a significant improvement in his shooting over time, since most players improve their shooting after entering the NBA.

I guess my point is, what does he do at an elite level aside from shooting that he didn't do at an elite level back when he was a late 1st round prospect?


It's not like he's a dominant  four year player at a nowhere college like Lillard and McCollum were.

[gift]

I think more important than age is signs of improvement. If a player significantly improves, that is a good sign. If a player improves each year, that is a good sign.

Players who are borderline prospects who more or less stay borderline at ages 21-23 probably are what they are. Players who improve from age 19-22 are just showing the improvement in college that everyone would hope they would be making in the nba. They are also demonstrating a discipline and desire to improve, which is crucial for the rest of their careers.

I've also heard a couple nba players say it's easier to get better once you are in the nba (i think scal may have said this. someone else too).

Buddy Hield is going to be good and we all are going to wonder why he wasn't drafted higher even though we already know before it even happens.

[chambers]

Very good Hield analysis by bballbreakdown on youtube. well worth a watch...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5WbCMPWPFmw

[Celtics18]

My question with guys like Hield is, why didn't he get drafted sooner?  What has changed in the last year or so about scouting report that makes his NBA prognosis a lot different than it was before the start of the last college season?

The short version is his shooting has been dramatically better.  Here are his 2pt/FT/3pt %s from last year and this year:

.462/.823/.359

to

.532/.895/.464

That's an incredible leap, and that's while taking more shots and being more of a focal point of opponents' D.  Doesn't appear to be a fluke or a small sample size issue, he's gone from a guy who looked like he could be a competent NBA shooter to a potentially elite one.

Makes sense.

At the same time, I'd assume that any pre-draft assessment of him in the past would have more or less incorporated a significant improvement in his shooting over time, since most players improve their shooting after entering the NBA.

I guess my point is, what does he do at an elite level aside from shooting that he didn't do at an elite level back when he was a late 1st round prospect?


It's not like he's a dominant  four year player at a nowhere college like Lillard and McCollum were.

He's also improved significantly as a ball handler and driver.

[celts55]

Even if he's so old he can legally drink, I'd love to see the Celtics draft him. They desperately need someone besides It who can score the ball. Watching last night, without Crowder & KO, it's painfully obvious they had no one who could score. Just painful to watch.
My hope is They draft Buddy and sign Horford. I think that would make them a pretty competitive team.   

[tarheelsxxiii]

My question with guys like Hield is, why didn't he get drafted sooner?  What has changed in the last year or so about scouting report that makes his NBA prognosis a lot different than it was before the start of the last college season?

The short version is his shooting has been dramatically better.  Here are his 2pt/FT/3pt %s from last year and this year:

.462/.823/.359

to

.532/.895/.464

That's an incredible leap, and that's while taking more shots and being more of a focal point of opponents' D.  Doesn't appear to be a fluke or a small sample size issue, he's gone from a guy who looked like he could be a competent NBA shooter to a potentially elite one.

Makes sense.

At the same time, I'd assume that any pre-draft assessment of him in the past would have more or less incorporated a significant improvement in his shooting over time, since most players improve their shooting after entering the NBA.

I guess my point is, what does he do at an elite level aside from shooting that he didn't do at an elite level back when he was a late 1st round prospect?


It's not like he's a dominant  four year player at a nowhere college like Lillard and McCollum were.

Here is a recent video that nicely breaks down his growth in several areas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w_DVvCmYAQ

Seems like he has grown a lot in his ability to create shots for himself. Yes, he's an elite shooter at this level, but as you'll see in that video, he's also creating a lot of these shots for himself. Appears very crafty, will be interesting to see if that ability carries over... as that seems to be (IMO) what has separated him from so many other scorers in NCAA this season.

[chambers]

My question with guys like Hield is, why didn't he get drafted sooner?  What has changed in the last year or so about scouting report that makes his NBA prognosis a lot different than it was before the start of the last college season?

The short version is his shooting has been dramatically better.  Here are his 2pt/FT/3pt %s from last year and this year:

.462/.823/.359

to

.532/.895/.464

That's an incredible leap, and that's while taking more shots and being more of a focal point of opponents' D.  Doesn't appear to be a fluke or a small sample size issue, he's gone from a guy who looked like he could be a competent NBA shooter to a potentially elite one.

Makes sense.

At the same time, I'd assume that any pre-draft assessment of him in the past would have more or less incorporated a significant improvement in his shooting over time, since most players improve their shooting after entering the NBA.

I guess my point is, what does he do at an elite level aside from shooting that he didn't do at an elite level back when he was a late 1st round prospect?


It's not like he's a dominant  four year player at a nowhere college like Lillard and McCollum were.

Here is a recent video that nicely breaks down his growth in several areas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w_DVvCmYAQ

Seems like he has grown a lot in his ability to create shots for himself. Yes, he's an elite shooter at this level, but as you'll see in that video, he's also creating a lot of these shots for himself. Appears very crafty, will be interesting to see if that ability carries over... as that seems to be (IMO) what has separated him from so many other scorers in NCAA this season.

TP. It's like he's had an NBA level improvement from staying in college.
A real testament for the guys who wanna stay in college and work on their games, rather than risk ending up in the D League treadmill. ahem...James Young anyone?