3rd pick: Jamal Murray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB0vHLKuh6k
And after what GSW did to beat Cavs (raining 3 pt shooting) but also vice versa (Cavs only win) 3 pt shooting/shooters is more and more becoming a premium
Murray is one of the 3 best shooters of this draft. No question. He is strong for his age, underrated explosiveness, underrated scorer (other than shooter) and overall a good player with all star potential.
Think Devin Booker/Klay Thompson
Murray at 3 should mean James Young and/or RJ Hunter are likely gone.
Guard depth will look like
AB/IT
Smart/Murray/Rozier
12th Pick: Domantas Sabonis (Trade 16, 35)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJYj65flIfw
Another problem the Celtics had last season was they didn't have that one reliable "rebounder". Yes Amir, Sully did a good job at times and the team did an amazing job rebounding as a team but we saw some games, some moments, against the likes of Tristant Thompson etc. that we sorely lacked that one reliable rebounder. This is where Sabonis will step in (and replace Sullinger). I compare Sabonis to Draymond Green. Minus as good handles, shooting but is taller and has better interior scoring skills . Both are fiery competitors , able to guard multiple positions (versatility edge goes to Green), high IQ, high motor, very good rebounders and tough as nails. Sabonis will fit right in with this group and contribute right away imo.
Rest of the picks
23rd Pick: Luwawu - Draft and Stash
31st pick: Yabusele - Project with upside
45th pick: Ibeh - Send overseas
51st pick: Danuel House - Send overseas
58th pick: Chinanu Onuaku - Send overseas
I see a slight problem with your assessment on Murray.
Devin Booker is 6'6" with shoes and has a 6'8" wingspan and 8'6" standing reach. Overall, he has pretty optimal size for the SG spot.
Klay Thompson is 6'7" with shoes with a 6'9" wingspan and 8'7" standing reach - elite size for the SG spot, and solid size for even the SF spot.
For both of those guys, their size helps to make up for their lack of elite athleticism.
Jamal Murray is 6'4" in shoes with a 6'6" wingspan and an 8'1" standing reach. He's got good size for a PG but doesn't have the skills (passing, ball handling) to play that position. He's got poor size for a SG which would be OK if he made up for it with above average athleticism - but he doesn't.
With Murray's lack of athleticism, lack of lateral quickness, lack of passing/dribbling skills and lack of outright size...I see absolutely nothing to indicate that he has the potential to be anything more then JJ Reddick 2.0 - Reddick is a nice player if you're picking in the 8-12 range, but not at #3.
If Murray had the size of Booker or Thompson, then I'd be perfectly cool with that pick. But when has a player with Murray's size, length, athleticism, passing ability and ball handling skills (or lack thereof) ever become a star in the NBA? Has it ever happened in the past 20 years?
I can't think of a single guy.
Far as I can see Murray has "BUST" written all over him. I'm sure he'll be a productive player, but I think the probability of him ever becoming a star is pretty darn slim. A "safe" pick if I ever saw one.
Oh and before anybody says it yes, I do know he's 19. I don't care. I won't even begin to count through the list of 18/19 year old players who came out of college touted as bright prospects who never got anywhere.
Hell Murray might actually be THE highest risk of busting of all the guys projected to go top 7. I don't like Bender because of his high risk level but at least he has shown the promise of being able to contribute on both ends of the floor, and at least his physical limitation (muscle/bulk) is something the he could potentially improve. Murray isn't going to grow, his arms aren't going to get longer, and he's not going to become an explosive athlete - his physical limitations are things that will not change.
I think Bender, Hield, Dunn, Brown all have significantly lower risk of busting then Murray AND a significantly higher ceiling too. Wouldn't be surprised of Murray slides in the draft, much like Winslow did last year (I saw that coming).
I stated think of Booker/Thompson. Not that he is exactly like either. All have sneaky athleticism. If you think Murray is not an "athlete" you couldn't be more wrong sir. He can outjump both Booker and Thompson. Click on the link above and tell me , he can't play above the rim
You know who else people said were going to have problems in the NBA due to lack of good wingspan - Steph Curry, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, IT and the list is long
Murray if anything can do one thing at an elite level and that is shoot. He has a quick release, can shoot off balance, and has long range. If you get too close he is able to drive by you and score in a variety of ways. But Murray is more than just a 3 pt specialist
Been contemplating these days which way the Celts will go at 3, but with 3 pt shooting considered a premium, Celtics lacking shooters , CBS needing shooters to let his system "breathe" , I feel Murray is at the top of the list (if Ingram doesn't drop).
You can add Kyrie Irving to that list as well.
The difference between all those guys and Murray?
* All of the guys you just listed are pure point guards who have excellent pure PG skills
* All of the guys you listed are elite ball handlers
* All of the guys you listed are well above average passers
* At least two of those guys (Thomas and Paul) were elite athletes as rookies
Murray's lack of length/size is a far bigger problem because he doesn't have ball handling or passing skills worthy of a full time NBA PG. The guy averaged 2.5 assists and 2.7 turnovers Per 40 minutes for a 0.93 assist-to-turnover ratio.
By comparison:
* Terry Rozier averaged 2 assists-per-turnover his fresman year and
* Marcus Smart averaged 1.25 assists-per-turnover his freshman year
* Kelly Olynyk averaged 1.25 assists-per-turnover his freshman year
The first two players criticised for having questionable PG skills at draft time, and the third is a seven foot center.
He also is also limited as a ball handler - he's maybe on par with Marcus Smart at best, and definitely not on par with Terry Rozier.
Jamal Murray does not have anything resembling legit PG skills, and there is no way in hell he'd be able to be effective as a full time PG in the NBA - especially with his lack of quickness / foot speed. He'd be completely incapable of staying in front any quality NBA point guards.
Because of the above Murray is going to have to play the SG spot, and at the SG spot he's going to be facing bigger and/or longer guys almost every night who are going to dominate him. At the college level most guys have immature bodies, a guy like Murray can use his size and strength to get to the basket and score (much like Smart did). At the NBA level the guards are bigger, stronger and faster - you can't just "brute force" your way to the basket, as Marcus Smart has learnt.
As I've said before, Murray's only real hope of ever becoming a star in the NBA is if he somehow managed to develop his ball handling skills to an elite level (think: Steph Curry), in which case he might be able to use his ball handling ability to create space on offence. If he cannot do that then he likely projects as a spot up shooter and not a whole lot else. There isn't a lot of opportunity in the NBA for a slow, undersized tweener who cannot dribble and cannot pass. As good as his shooting skills may be (and they are very nice), you need more then that to excel at the NBA level.
He can shoot at an elite level, true. But shooting is somethign that often fails to translate to the NBA game, since guys who can shoot great from college distance cannot always shoot great from NBA distance, against NBA defence. You say "if you get too close he can drive by you" but lets be realistic - he's not going to be able to do that against NBA players.
Topic: Got a feeling Celtics pick Murray and Sabonis (Read 12093 times)