Allen Crabbe
--Inclined spot-up jumpshooting SG who limits turnovers. Just a decent use of the offensive floor. Just an OK passer for position.
--Doesn't penetrate. Vastly improving mid-range game, but just appears to be decent based on body of work. On the other hand, three point shooting is heading in the opposite direction; has shown real ability to hit threes off the dribble in his first two years (39%, 41%) but has struggled with more spot-up attempts this season, but should still be a good shooter, especially corroborated with very good free throw percentages. Good shooter who likely needs to find consistency with all forms of his jumper.
--Pretty good defender, but very subpar in defensive playmaking. Good rebounder for size. OK frame. Might lack athleticism between the lack of penetration and defensive playmaking, but could find a 3's/D niche if he could simplify his college scoring role into one that mostly involves three point shooting.
Ben McLemore
--Spot-up scorer with a great use of the offensive floor. Excellent finisher at the rim off spoon feeds, but given frequency of at rims not that impressive in drawing fouls. Excellent spot-up three point shooter, and corroborated by excellent free throw shooting, even though just decent mid-range game. OK passer who limits turnovers.
--Very good defender. Good rebounder. Just a decent build. Just an OK defensive playmaker who can block shots but is really awful in racking up steals.
--Overall, can finish and shoot from deep, but lacks the self-creation, passing and ability to draw fouls to take it up another level. More of a strong than athletic type, as rebounding and attacking are more strength and drawing fouls and making defensive plays are more athletic. Somewhat reminds of Jason Richardson in overall style of game.
James Ennis
--Decent scoring small forward with an excellent use of the offensive floor and a desire for isolations far more than the typical SF (only 45.59% of his shots are assisted). Decent passer for position, but turnover prone.
--The isolation role does not agree with him, as he's a far better shooter off spot-ups (43% 2's, 37% 3's) then when he is taking them off the dribble (31% 2's, 33% 3's this season). Probably a decent shooter overall, but he does have a good foundation given good free throw shooting. Excellent finisher around the rim who is better off set ups but can also improvise a little, and draws fouls.
--Decent defender. Very good defensive playmaker who pads steals and blocks, and good rebounder for size. Overall, has swiss-knife ability with few weaknesses, as he's a decent spot-up shooter, passer, and defender, and has good athleticism with the finishing, rebounding and defensive playmaking. He currently packs more athletic traits than skill-based traits, but for an athlete he has a wide array of skills with potential for growth. Can be a really good role player type if harnessed correctly.
Jeff Withey
--Elite defender who might have been the second best defensive player in college last season. Excellent rebounder. Elite defensive playmaker with an elite rate of shotbocking. Very good frame for a NBA center. Has drastically cut down his fouls. Really underweight though.
--Middling scorer who relies majorly on set-up shots. Decent to good finisher with a major knack for drawing fouls. Appears to have a good spot-up mid-ranger (shot 40% this past season, and 55% his second year) and has utilized that shot more with each passing season. Grain of salt given that while he is an improved free throw shooter, it is still subpar overall. Touches the ball to score, not a passer.
--Should be able to rely on his defense majorly in the NBA, and what might be a good mid-range shot and some finishing.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
--Three-point inclined jumpshooting scorer who uses a mix of spot-ups and isolations. Not a passer, but really limits turnovers, not surprising given jumpshooting game.
--Infrequently takes shots around the rim. Appears to be one of those shooters who shoots better off the dribble, as opposed to spotting up. Has shown ability to hit pull-ups (45% last year) and threes off the dribble (37% this year), but percentages suffer in spot up situations. In the aggregate, mid-range game appears to be good, whereas his long range game is average, and overall, just an OK free throw shooter, so his shooting is likely just average, at best. Has some ability to draw fouls for a jumpshooter.
--Excellent defender and excellent build for position. Excellent defensive playmaker with a knack for steals, and also an excellent rebounder for his size. Defensively is where he could make his money, because offensively there's a ton of questions: he doesn't have the penetration or passing ability to be an alpha scorer, but lacks the spot-up game or really the touch to take in a true shooting role, so there isn't too much of a role for him there.
Michael Carter-Williams
--Oversized point guard with top notch defensive ability. Excellent defensive playmaker who is top notch at accruing steals but also gets a few blocks for size. Very good rebounder for size. Elite build for position, but underweight.
--On offense, lacks usage for position due to scoring limitations, but has creator mentality with isolation game (only 27.4% of shots assisted). Handles the ball with the intention to pass it as the first, second and third option, but also very turnover prone and will force passes.
--Subpar scorer in the NBA, but has a good use of the offensive floor. Subpar finisher, but has a knack for drawing fouls. Very poor pull-up game. Appears to have some potential as a spot-up three point shooter, but shot so poorly from three with many off the dribble this past season. Might be a decent long range shooter, but very poor free throw shooter for position as well as mid-range numbers raise concerns about shooting overall.
--It's really questionable whether he can score inside the three point line in the NBA and how that will affect his passing ability, and if he can find a scoring niche overall. However, he has real potential to hang on with elite defensive attributes, and if he can unlock his passing or dedicate himself to spot-up threes that could help. Syracuse has had a horrible track record with first round picks this decade, so there's always a grain of salt from their products as well.
Myck Kabongo
--Combo guard with a creator mentality with isolation and a desire to attack the rim (only 26.17% of shots assisted), but who lacks usage for the NBA due to subpar scoring limitations. Can pass like a NBA PG but incredibly turnover prone doing so, making his role probably more like a combo guard. Subpar finisher off the dribble but has an insane knack for drawing fouls.
--Shrunk the amount of jumpers he took this year, and has little range outside the paint. Has no mid-range pull-up (29%, 12%) and a very little long range game to speak of (30%, 29%) but he still takes most of those off the dribble. Slight hope given he is an OK free throw shooter for position, but that's the cap.
--Poor defender. Subpar defensive playmaker who despite 6'3" is absolutely pathetic in registering blocks. Quite a poor rebounder. Every offensive and defensive skill he possesses is a weakness--heavily reliant on foul drawing on offense but has little range and can't finish, and is a very turnover prone-passer. Defense he's highly unrefined across the board. At this point he's more athlete and less basketball player.
Ryan Kelly
--Inclined spot-up jumpshooter with a good use of the offensive floor. Passes the ball extremely well for his size, and also limits turnovers.
--Subpar scorer in the NBA with somewhat of a low usage. Good mid-range jumpshooter who is better with his feet set but can create a few shots from there (44% this season, 40% in his second year) and equally adept at spot up threes (42%, 41%), corroborated by good free throw shooting. Incredibly declining rate of at-rim shots to the point where he virtually didn't take any this past season, which might be due to his lingering injuries. However, has developed a real knack for drawing fouls even with the jumpers.
--Decent defender with very good defensive playmaking ability, particularly in shotblocking. Very poor rebounder for size. Top notch build for an NBA PF. Has a lot of intriguing qualities--a really good shooter who can pass the ball and limit turnovers with some defense, but he might lack the athleticism between the at-rim and rebounding game to take it up another notch.
Victor Oladipo
--Decent scoring small forward with a desire for isolations far more than the typical SF (only 46.54% of shots assisted). Has developed OK passing ability at the small forward position, but very turnover prone with preferred isolation game.
--Subpar use of the offensive floor. Preferred perch is at-rim scoring, where he is a good finisher mostly off improvisation--top-notch offensive rebounder for size. However, note rate of foul drawing as decreased every year even though his percentage of at-rim attempts has stayed relatively the same. Also, might possibly be living off a one year fluke of excellent shooting (45% 2's, 44% 3's), given past history (24, 25% 2's, 21%, 18% 3's) and minimum attempts (less than two-fifths of his shots were jumpers). Has improved his jumper, but just an OK free throw shooter, and very likely at best he's just an OK shooter.
--Very good defender. Very good defensive playmaker with a knack for steals. Top-notch rebounder for size. Is really like Tony Allen--a defense-first athlete with an OK shot and a preferred at-rim game, but nothing really more than that.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
OFFENSIVE ATHLETICISM: AT-RIM ACTIVITY, FOUL DRAWING AND DUNKING, BY POSITION
Title is self explanatory. See below...
Friday, July 26, 2013
NBA POWER RANKINGS
Now most of the moves have been made, time to analyze who's first and who's worst.
Starting lineup is PG-SG-SF-PF-C
Bench (left to right) is in order of quality
Starting lineup is PG-SG-SF-PF-C
Bench (left to right) is in order of quality
Saturday, July 6, 2013
WHAT ARE THE LAKERS' OPTIONS IN FREE AGENCY POST DWIGHT HOWARD?
Well, we've officially lost Earl Clark, Chris Duhon and Dwight Howard, and Mike D'Antoni has already alienated Devin Ebanks and Antawn Jamison (another reason to hate D'Antoni, he forcefully takes away minutes without a capable explanation) and those have pretty much said adios to the Lakers. Andrew Goudelock is someone who's not expected to be back, not to mention he's incredibly one-dimensional and has limitations almost everywhere else besides scoring/shooting. Kevin Ding already reported that in the event that Dwight leaves, look for the Lakers to amnesty World Peace, and I don't think that's going to change--we're stuck in the worst scenario, no man's land, between the 7th and 10th spots in the West, and Peace has been regressing badly on both ends and won't help a mediocre to poor roster. So that's already seven (at least) players gone from our roster. By the way, I'm assuming the Lakers are preserving cap space and will not execute any sign and trades with the Rockets.
I'd prefer not to have Robert Sacre, because if you've read my scouting report, I don't see any NBA-level capabilities and we shouldn't waste a roster spot just to have a cheerleader to bring the mood up during losses. He's a RFA, though, and something tells me we could have him back on the cheap, but still, if I were manning this roster right now, I wouldn't take him. That's (hopefully) eight now.
I'm not a big fan of Darius Morris either, because he needs to rewire his game and recognize is limitations, but even then, his niche of threes-D isn't as strong as other players. I'm mixed on letting him return, particularly since we have Nash and Blake sopping minutes, but of course with Nash's injury history he'll be good insurance, and can come on the cheap (minimum). We have already shown signs of wanting him to return by letting him know he can play in our summer league. So I'd pencil him into next season's roster.
So we're looking at
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: None
PF: Hill, Kelly
C: Gasol
Eight familiar guys on our roster (I'm assuming Ryan Kelly will make it, he's certainly talented enough--read my scouting report). We need at least four more guys, and likely five more guys to round it out.
We'll have about $70mil of salaries next year with Metta's amnesty, so I'm assuming we're right at around tax level ($70.307mil). So we'll only have our mini mid-level exception and veteran's minimum for other free agents. Unfortunately, many of the top free agents have already chosen teams, although almost all of them were out of our price range.
I doubt we'd make any trades, although if we're completely tanking, trading Nash won't be a horrendous option, since there's no way we'll win this year and the clock is ticking on his end. However, it's only going to be one year before we might have our books completely wiped clean--only Nash is under contract for the 2014 season and beyond. So I don't think we'll trade him. Just have our top vets sustain a mediocre season--don't think we have the limited talent, or the veterans who would allow it, to tank for Wiggins. Assuming we do fall in the late lottery though, in a deep draft, who knows if a Aaron Gordon or a Dante Exum or a Marcus Smart could fall to us. So really, I'd recommend an all-out tank, especially if Kobe takes a while to recover. A great draft pick would be very nice.
We badly need to replenish our forward positions--any small forward, backup PF and a starting or backup center are priorities. Obviously to one year deals, to preserve our cap space. We've lost a huge chunk of our defense with Dwight and can sorely use some of that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]FULL MINI MID-LEVEL OPTIONS:[/b]
First of all, I'd like to use the full mid-level on Oden, and we can sell him with minutes when we move Pau to PF, but I think he's going to take more than that amount of money to get. So, I'd really, really attempt to put our priorities on Samuel Dalembert as Pau's backup, likely with the full mid-level. That's the going rate for centers nowadays, especially since Dalembert still has vestiges of the rebounding and shotblocking he was known for, and while his dunking and defense have slipped a bit, he's still able at both fronts, and has a serviceable mid-range J. He gives us size and length.
If we can't get Dalembert, fall back for mini mid-level would be to go for Dallas's Brandan Wright--while his shotblocking's ahead of his defense and way ahead of his rebounding, his offensive game is exquisite--sweet mid-range shot, dunking, provides youth--and we'll need that to replace Jamison's offense. Yeah, he doesn't help with rebounding, but he'll plug other holes. He has the youth advantage over Dalembert for sure, but Dalembert will shore up the rebounding and provide enough offense to go with it, which is why he's first on the list.
If we want small forward first, given that we have zilch at the moment, Al-Farouq Aminu is available. He's starter quality, having started for New Orleans last year, and we need a starting small forward badly. He'll likely take the full mid-level, but he's an underrated on all things defender--he's excellent at rebounding, has great reflexes, and can really defend shots well. The problem is on the other end of the floor where he lacks skill and range, and at times allows his teams to play 4-on-5. But we need to emphasize defense and youth, and Aminu provides a lot of that. I put Dalembert in front because I like to have bigs more, but Aminu isn't a bad option. (FYI: I'd avoid Alan Anderson of Toronto if anyone was wondering--he can't defend his shadow, shot 38% from the field and for a supposed shooter he only made a third of his threes)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]IF WE GET DALEMBERT, MINIMUM OPTIONS:[/b]
With Gasol, Kelly, and Hill all being more on the finesse end of athletes, assuming we get Dalembert, we might need a bruiser PF, and a SF to fill the remainder. Bruiser PFs I'd like for the minimum include Ivan Johnson from Atlanta and Jason Maxiell from Detroit. Kenyon Martin is of the same mold, but he's old enough to the point where I think it's more advantageous for him to join a contender. DeJuan Blair is likely out of our minimum price range, and we wouldn't want to use the full mini mid level on him to begin with. Lamar Odom, while on the old side, I think he'd like to come back for sentimental reasons--he might be had for the minimum, I think, and his defensive versatility could be of major use to us, but I think he might want to stay with a contender as well. I like how Maxiell has been homegrown, having stayed with Detroit throughout his NBA career, and he's an underrated rebounder and shotblocker who relishes the dirty work. He's way too undersized at 6'7" for a PF, but he's still as athletic as ever (55 dunks, finishes 68% at the rim) but has no range. Still, he's kind of what we'd like for our team. Ivan Johnson's also a bruiser, will dunk some, has reflexes for steals and has a workable offensive game, and might be underrated as well here, but he's not a shotblocker.
A SF I think we can get for the minimum, and to badly fill the starting spot--I'd really like James Johnson. He's a bit of a tweener--he doesn't really have the range to be a SF, but he moves like a SF and can pass the ball as well. He's a wild horse who doesn't know his limitations offensively and forces up jumpers, and with his lackluster Sacramento season we can capitalize with the minimum here. A 1 year minimum deal as a possible starter with Kobe guiding him could be a useful experience for him, especially since he's young and athletic. Defensively, he wasn't good this past season, but with his quickness and his ability to rack up steals AND blocks I think there's a lot of untapped potential here, for sure. He's one of the more interesting candidates.
My second option would be Carlos Delfino, hopefully we can get both James Johnson AND Delfino for the minimum because they'd complement each other. With him getting waived, even though he put up 10 a game last season, it might be possible to get him for the minimum. He's an underrated ballhandler, passer, and an excellent defender, both in contesting shots, deflecting passes and rebounding. And he's a preferred long range shooter who can really stroke it. He fills in the blanks extremely well for our team, with few weaknesses. It's hard to believe the Rockets waived him, but if they took Dwight from us, I think Delfino would be a great get for us.
Third option is Ronnie Brewer. Can we resuscitate his career? He's only 28, but he's badly faltering ever since his Utah days. He's been a pretty overrated defender in Utah--more good than great, more off-ball than on-ball--but he has good quickness, has been a great dunker and doesn't need the ball in his hands to succeed. Very mistake free player--doesn't turn the ball over, doesn't foul. Has completely lost confidence in scoring and range, both from the foul line and from the perimeter over the past few seasons, which has really hampered his career. But still, he's kind of a cheaper Al-Farouq Aminu clone, without the rebounding and with worse defense, but still. We could also try our hand in Terrence Williams--perhaps too flaky and immature, but in his rookie year he was a triple double threat with some really good passing ability. Very athletic too and has defensive potential. Poor shooter, but there's potential to work with here. Mickael Pietrus is another option here, an overzealous defender and a highly preferred but overrated three point shooter who's acquitted himself in the GS's run and gun well, so he'd be familiar with D'Antoni's schemes. He's older than Brewer though and more of a journeyman which is why he's further down this list though. I was a big fan of Derrick Brown in his Charlotte stint two years ago when he got minutes, sick dunk machine and very capable defender, but not much else. Still, athletic markers and youth are what we absolutely need. If anyone's wondering, not a fan of Hakim Warrick's lack of defense and rebounding, and he's nearing 30 and has an athletic-based game, so I'd avoid.
[b]IF WE GET AMINU, MINIMUM OPTIONS:[/b]
If we get Al-Farouq Aminu, to fill our center spot I'd like Zaza Pachulia. Something tells me he's worth more than the minimum though, but he's rugged, gets a ton of offensive boards and tries very hard on defense, albeit it's foul prone. But he has size, and I like how he's spent the past 8 years on one team (shows that Atlanta was willing to invest in him). But again, given he's worth more than the minimum (likely), that's why I don't want to put the eggs on the Aminu basket. Marreesse Speights might also want more than the minimum, and his game is hate-able because he loves stuffing his offensive numbers and doesn't do much else on defense and passing, but we'll need offense to replace Jamison, and he could be an able backup PF. Other options include Cole Aldrich, raw but could block shots in college, and was a lottery pick, and Hamed Haddadi is another underrated big man--he's raw and uncoordinated, but super tall, a rebounding machine and a space eater with some surprising touch around the rim. If we need big men shooters, for whatever reason, Josh Harrellson (threes/rebounds) and Donte Greene (attempted "threes/defense-mobility) are always available for the minimum. Birdman seems unlikely, of course.
[b]IF WE GET WRIGHT, MINIMUM OPTIONS:[/b]
Combinations of the other two: for small forward, again ideally it's the Carlos Delfino-James Johnson tandem we get, but there's also Ronnie Brewer, Terrence Williams, Mickael Pietrus, and Derrick Brown as fall backs. At center, Zaza Pachulia, but if not, Cole Aldrich or Hamed Haddadi could prove useful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So we need five more guys.
Just to recap:
Mini mid level: Ideally 1) Samuel Dalembert, 2) Brandan Wright, 3) Al-Farouq Aminu (in that order)
[b]Options[/b]:
SFs (get 2 if Dalembert or Wright, 1 if Aminu): Carlos Delfino, James Johnson, Ronnie Brewer, Terrence Williams, Mickael Pietrus, Derrick Brown
PFs (get 1 if Dalembert or Aminu): Jason Maxiell, Ivan Johnson, Marreese Speights, Donte Greene, Josh Harrellson (the last three options, only if we get Aminu)
Cs (get 1 if Wright or Aminu): Zaza Pachulia, Cole Aldrich, Hamed Haddadi
This gets us four for our 12-man roster, and we could have someone perhaps off summer league to fill in the remainder, or maybe someone off the options list above.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]THE DALEMBERT DEAL: [/b]
Just to recap, the Dalembert deal is the most ideal to me. So with Dalembert, the ideal combination would be to sign Carlos Delfino, James Johnson and Jason Maxiell as well all to veteran minimum contracts, with another summer league player.
[u]Lineup configuration[/u]:
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: Delfino, James Johnson
PF: Hill, Maxiell, Kelly
C: Gasol, Dalembert
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]THE WRIGHT DEAL: [/b]
So with Wright, the ideal combination would be to sign Carlos Delfino, James Johnson and Zaza Pachulia all to veteran minimum contracts, with another summer league player.
[u]Lineup configuration[/u]:
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: Delfino, James Johnson
PF: Hill, Brandan Wright, Kelly
C: Gasol, Pachulia
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]THE AMINU DEAL: [/b]
So with Aminu, the ideal combination would be to sign Carlos Delfino, Jason Maxiell and Zaza Pachulia all to veteran minimum contracts, with another summer league player.
[u]Lineup configuration[/u]:
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: Delfino, Al Farouq-Aminu
PF: Hill, Maxiell, Kelly
C: Gasol, Pachulia
So that's where we stand. There's still a lot of bargain bin free agents out there.
I'd prefer not to have Robert Sacre, because if you've read my scouting report, I don't see any NBA-level capabilities and we shouldn't waste a roster spot just to have a cheerleader to bring the mood up during losses. He's a RFA, though, and something tells me we could have him back on the cheap, but still, if I were manning this roster right now, I wouldn't take him. That's (hopefully) eight now.
I'm not a big fan of Darius Morris either, because he needs to rewire his game and recognize is limitations, but even then, his niche of threes-D isn't as strong as other players. I'm mixed on letting him return, particularly since we have Nash and Blake sopping minutes, but of course with Nash's injury history he'll be good insurance, and can come on the cheap (minimum). We have already shown signs of wanting him to return by letting him know he can play in our summer league. So I'd pencil him into next season's roster.
So we're looking at
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: None
PF: Hill, Kelly
C: Gasol
Eight familiar guys on our roster (I'm assuming Ryan Kelly will make it, he's certainly talented enough--read my scouting report). We need at least four more guys, and likely five more guys to round it out.
We'll have about $70mil of salaries next year with Metta's amnesty, so I'm assuming we're right at around tax level ($70.307mil). So we'll only have our mini mid-level exception and veteran's minimum for other free agents. Unfortunately, many of the top free agents have already chosen teams, although almost all of them were out of our price range.
I doubt we'd make any trades, although if we're completely tanking, trading Nash won't be a horrendous option, since there's no way we'll win this year and the clock is ticking on his end. However, it's only going to be one year before we might have our books completely wiped clean--only Nash is under contract for the 2014 season and beyond. So I don't think we'll trade him. Just have our top vets sustain a mediocre season--don't think we have the limited talent, or the veterans who would allow it, to tank for Wiggins. Assuming we do fall in the late lottery though, in a deep draft, who knows if a Aaron Gordon or a Dante Exum or a Marcus Smart could fall to us. So really, I'd recommend an all-out tank, especially if Kobe takes a while to recover. A great draft pick would be very nice.
We badly need to replenish our forward positions--any small forward, backup PF and a starting or backup center are priorities. Obviously to one year deals, to preserve our cap space. We've lost a huge chunk of our defense with Dwight and can sorely use some of that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]FULL MINI MID-LEVEL OPTIONS:[/b]
First of all, I'd like to use the full mid-level on Oden, and we can sell him with minutes when we move Pau to PF, but I think he's going to take more than that amount of money to get. So, I'd really, really attempt to put our priorities on Samuel Dalembert as Pau's backup, likely with the full mid-level. That's the going rate for centers nowadays, especially since Dalembert still has vestiges of the rebounding and shotblocking he was known for, and while his dunking and defense have slipped a bit, he's still able at both fronts, and has a serviceable mid-range J. He gives us size and length.
If we can't get Dalembert, fall back for mini mid-level would be to go for Dallas's Brandan Wright--while his shotblocking's ahead of his defense and way ahead of his rebounding, his offensive game is exquisite--sweet mid-range shot, dunking, provides youth--and we'll need that to replace Jamison's offense. Yeah, he doesn't help with rebounding, but he'll plug other holes. He has the youth advantage over Dalembert for sure, but Dalembert will shore up the rebounding and provide enough offense to go with it, which is why he's first on the list.
If we want small forward first, given that we have zilch at the moment, Al-Farouq Aminu is available. He's starter quality, having started for New Orleans last year, and we need a starting small forward badly. He'll likely take the full mid-level, but he's an underrated on all things defender--he's excellent at rebounding, has great reflexes, and can really defend shots well. The problem is on the other end of the floor where he lacks skill and range, and at times allows his teams to play 4-on-5. But we need to emphasize defense and youth, and Aminu provides a lot of that. I put Dalembert in front because I like to have bigs more, but Aminu isn't a bad option. (FYI: I'd avoid Alan Anderson of Toronto if anyone was wondering--he can't defend his shadow, shot 38% from the field and for a supposed shooter he only made a third of his threes)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]IF WE GET DALEMBERT, MINIMUM OPTIONS:[/b]
With Gasol, Kelly, and Hill all being more on the finesse end of athletes, assuming we get Dalembert, we might need a bruiser PF, and a SF to fill the remainder. Bruiser PFs I'd like for the minimum include Ivan Johnson from Atlanta and Jason Maxiell from Detroit. Kenyon Martin is of the same mold, but he's old enough to the point where I think it's more advantageous for him to join a contender. DeJuan Blair is likely out of our minimum price range, and we wouldn't want to use the full mini mid level on him to begin with. Lamar Odom, while on the old side, I think he'd like to come back for sentimental reasons--he might be had for the minimum, I think, and his defensive versatility could be of major use to us, but I think he might want to stay with a contender as well. I like how Maxiell has been homegrown, having stayed with Detroit throughout his NBA career, and he's an underrated rebounder and shotblocker who relishes the dirty work. He's way too undersized at 6'7" for a PF, but he's still as athletic as ever (55 dunks, finishes 68% at the rim) but has no range. Still, he's kind of what we'd like for our team. Ivan Johnson's also a bruiser, will dunk some, has reflexes for steals and has a workable offensive game, and might be underrated as well here, but he's not a shotblocker.
A SF I think we can get for the minimum, and to badly fill the starting spot--I'd really like James Johnson. He's a bit of a tweener--he doesn't really have the range to be a SF, but he moves like a SF and can pass the ball as well. He's a wild horse who doesn't know his limitations offensively and forces up jumpers, and with his lackluster Sacramento season we can capitalize with the minimum here. A 1 year minimum deal as a possible starter with Kobe guiding him could be a useful experience for him, especially since he's young and athletic. Defensively, he wasn't good this past season, but with his quickness and his ability to rack up steals AND blocks I think there's a lot of untapped potential here, for sure. He's one of the more interesting candidates.
My second option would be Carlos Delfino, hopefully we can get both James Johnson AND Delfino for the minimum because they'd complement each other. With him getting waived, even though he put up 10 a game last season, it might be possible to get him for the minimum. He's an underrated ballhandler, passer, and an excellent defender, both in contesting shots, deflecting passes and rebounding. And he's a preferred long range shooter who can really stroke it. He fills in the blanks extremely well for our team, with few weaknesses. It's hard to believe the Rockets waived him, but if they took Dwight from us, I think Delfino would be a great get for us.
Third option is Ronnie Brewer. Can we resuscitate his career? He's only 28, but he's badly faltering ever since his Utah days. He's been a pretty overrated defender in Utah--more good than great, more off-ball than on-ball--but he has good quickness, has been a great dunker and doesn't need the ball in his hands to succeed. Very mistake free player--doesn't turn the ball over, doesn't foul. Has completely lost confidence in scoring and range, both from the foul line and from the perimeter over the past few seasons, which has really hampered his career. But still, he's kind of a cheaper Al-Farouq Aminu clone, without the rebounding and with worse defense, but still. We could also try our hand in Terrence Williams--perhaps too flaky and immature, but in his rookie year he was a triple double threat with some really good passing ability. Very athletic too and has defensive potential. Poor shooter, but there's potential to work with here. Mickael Pietrus is another option here, an overzealous defender and a highly preferred but overrated three point shooter who's acquitted himself in the GS's run and gun well, so he'd be familiar with D'Antoni's schemes. He's older than Brewer though and more of a journeyman which is why he's further down this list though. I was a big fan of Derrick Brown in his Charlotte stint two years ago when he got minutes, sick dunk machine and very capable defender, but not much else. Still, athletic markers and youth are what we absolutely need. If anyone's wondering, not a fan of Hakim Warrick's lack of defense and rebounding, and he's nearing 30 and has an athletic-based game, so I'd avoid.
[b]IF WE GET AMINU, MINIMUM OPTIONS:[/b]
If we get Al-Farouq Aminu, to fill our center spot I'd like Zaza Pachulia. Something tells me he's worth more than the minimum though, but he's rugged, gets a ton of offensive boards and tries very hard on defense, albeit it's foul prone. But he has size, and I like how he's spent the past 8 years on one team (shows that Atlanta was willing to invest in him). But again, given he's worth more than the minimum (likely), that's why I don't want to put the eggs on the Aminu basket. Marreesse Speights might also want more than the minimum, and his game is hate-able because he loves stuffing his offensive numbers and doesn't do much else on defense and passing, but we'll need offense to replace Jamison, and he could be an able backup PF. Other options include Cole Aldrich, raw but could block shots in college, and was a lottery pick, and Hamed Haddadi is another underrated big man--he's raw and uncoordinated, but super tall, a rebounding machine and a space eater with some surprising touch around the rim. If we need big men shooters, for whatever reason, Josh Harrellson (threes/rebounds) and Donte Greene (attempted "threes/defense-mobility) are always available for the minimum. Birdman seems unlikely, of course.
[b]IF WE GET WRIGHT, MINIMUM OPTIONS:[/b]
Combinations of the other two: for small forward, again ideally it's the Carlos Delfino-James Johnson tandem we get, but there's also Ronnie Brewer, Terrence Williams, Mickael Pietrus, and Derrick Brown as fall backs. At center, Zaza Pachulia, but if not, Cole Aldrich or Hamed Haddadi could prove useful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So we need five more guys.
Just to recap:
Mini mid level: Ideally 1) Samuel Dalembert, 2) Brandan Wright, 3) Al-Farouq Aminu (in that order)
[b]Options[/b]:
SFs (get 2 if Dalembert or Wright, 1 if Aminu): Carlos Delfino, James Johnson, Ronnie Brewer, Terrence Williams, Mickael Pietrus, Derrick Brown
PFs (get 1 if Dalembert or Aminu): Jason Maxiell, Ivan Johnson, Marreese Speights, Donte Greene, Josh Harrellson (the last three options, only if we get Aminu)
Cs (get 1 if Wright or Aminu): Zaza Pachulia, Cole Aldrich, Hamed Haddadi
This gets us four for our 12-man roster, and we could have someone perhaps off summer league to fill in the remainder, or maybe someone off the options list above.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]THE DALEMBERT DEAL: [/b]
Just to recap, the Dalembert deal is the most ideal to me. So with Dalembert, the ideal combination would be to sign Carlos Delfino, James Johnson and Jason Maxiell as well all to veteran minimum contracts, with another summer league player.
[u]Lineup configuration[/u]:
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: Delfino, James Johnson
PF: Hill, Maxiell, Kelly
C: Gasol, Dalembert
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]THE WRIGHT DEAL: [/b]
So with Wright, the ideal combination would be to sign Carlos Delfino, James Johnson and Zaza Pachulia all to veteran minimum contracts, with another summer league player.
[u]Lineup configuration[/u]:
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: Delfino, James Johnson
PF: Hill, Brandan Wright, Kelly
C: Gasol, Pachulia
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]THE AMINU DEAL: [/b]
So with Aminu, the ideal combination would be to sign Carlos Delfino, Jason Maxiell and Zaza Pachulia all to veteran minimum contracts, with another summer league player.
[u]Lineup configuration[/u]:
PG: Nash, Blake, Morris
SG: Bryant, Meeks
SF: Delfino, Al Farouq-Aminu
PF: Hill, Maxiell, Kelly
C: Gasol, Pachulia
So that's where we stand. There's still a lot of bargain bin free agents out there.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
DRAFT DAY GRADES
*Based on my mock draft ranker.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Round 1: Lucas Nogueira (16), Dennis Schroeder (17)
Round 2: Mike Muscala (44), Raul Neto (47)
Noguiera ranked 21st in my algorithm so he's a solid buy with that pick. Schroeder, however, was considered undrafted in my algorithm (78th). It's harder to tell with players who don't play high level German competition, but his statistics this past season with the Phantoms didn't show many NBA-translatable skills at all. At 44th Mike Muscala was a massive steal, he ranked 23rd in my algorithm. Raul Neto doesn't make NBA viable at all (89th). So overall, a good pick (Noguiera), a bad pick (Schroeder) and a steal (Muscala).
BOSTON CELTICS
Round 1: Kelly Olynyk (13)
Round 2: Colton Iverson (53)
Olynyk screams mediocrity and ranked 28th in my algorithm, and was a massive reach at 13. Colton Iverson ranked 82nd in my algorithm. This was a horrid draft for Boston.
BROOKLYN NETS
Round 1: Mason Plumlee (22)
Round 2: None
Plumlee gave the illusion that he dropped to 22nd, but face it, there's a good reason he dropped: he's not that good at all. He ranked 45th in my algorithm, one of the worst ranks of supposed lottery picks, so even at #22 he might be a reach. He's not even the best Duke prospect for the NBA. Bad draft for Brooklyn.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Round 1: Cody Zeller (4)
Round 2: None
Zeller was a good pick, also ranking 4th in my algorithm, but when a team drafts in the lottery, especially this high, you have to look at what prospects were missed. Nerlens Noel was the biggest miss, obviously, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was also underrated as well. So this was merely an OK pick as a result.
CHICAGO BULLS
Round 1: Tony Snell (20)
Round 2: Erik Murphy (49)
This was an awful draft for Chicago. Snell ranked 46th and was clearly a major reach at #20, and Erik Murphy ranked 75th and was drafted at 49th.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Round 1: Anthony Bennett (1), Sergey Karasev (19)
Round 2: Carrick Felix (33)
Ah, the draft everyone is talking about. My beef with Bennett is that I'm not even sure if he has the skills of a power forward--his passing/ballhandling was on par with centers with UNLV--and that really made him take a nosedive into the 25th best prospect. While I like Karasev in general, I also thought he was a reach and was the 35th best player, due to what I think are some severe athletic limitations. Felix was a complete overdraft at 33rd when he was the 88th best prospect--even to most draftniks, he wasn't projected to be drafted. This was a bad draft for the Cavs.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Round 1: Shane Larkin (18)
Round 2: Ricky Ledo (43)
Larkin was an overdraft at #18--he ranked 36th in my algorithm, and I can't see him as a starter in this league. Ledo is this year's mystery meat--no real stats to work off of, but good frame, and supposedly good scoring/ballhandling combination in the vein of JR Smith. I think he could be a steal, but Larkin was a bad pick.
DENVER NUGGETS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Erick Green (46), Joffrey Lauvergne (55)
Green was the 49th best pick in my algorithm, so the Nuggets got level value with him. Lauvergne won't see the light of the day in the league as the 99th best player in my algorithm, but for a late 2nd rounder, that won't matter. OK draft day by the Nuggets.
DETROIT PISTONS
Round 1: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8)
Round 2: Tony Mitchell (37), Peyton Siva (56)
The Pistons got a massive steal with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who ranked 2nd in my algorithm. Mitchell was framed as a steal by draftniks as he was considered a late 1st round pick for the longest time, and my algorithm, which typically loves athletic jumping jacks who pump the sort of athletic stats that Mitchell does, just couldn't overlook the combination of his massive regression combined with his lack of ballhandling/shooting giving him massive tweener status, and had him ranked 69th. Peyton Siva was ranked 74th but it doesn't matter that late in the draft.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Round 1: Nemanja Nedovic (30)
Round 2: None
I know to a lot of scouts, Nedovic looks like the second coming of Goran Dragic, with slippery shifty good athleticism and good size. But Nedovic has been around the block and has accrued a lot of unimpressive high level European stats, and is a shooting guard by nature. Nedovic was ranked 86th in my algorithm and was drafted 30th in a massive reach. Bad draft by Golden State.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Isaiah Canaan (34)
Canaan was a bit of a reach who ranked 51st in my algorithm, and could be overrated. Poor draft.
INDIANA PACERS
Round 1: Solomon Hill (23)
Round 2: None
Indiana had an incredibly poor draft, and was one of the few teams to draft a undrafted player in my algorithm in the first round. That was Solomon Hill, ranked 65th in my algorithm and widely perceived to be overdrafted by every draftnik, so this was an awful draft. This follows another obvious overdraft of Miles Plumlee, so if not for the second round steal of Orlando Johnson last year Larry Bird would really have been perceived as a bad drafter, even despite having had drafts/draft day trades of Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert. But awful draft this go around.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Round 1: Reggie Bullock (25)
Round 2: None
Bullock was probably within the range of my algorithm for being drafted (33rd), but typically within that algorithm range you're probably expecting a role player. That's what the Clippers are getting here. OK drafting here.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Ryan Kelly (48)
Finally! The Lakers were one of the very few teams to get a massive draft day steal, and Kelly was one at 9th in my algorithm. This was an incredible value pick. Excellent drafting.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Round 1: None
Round 2: Jamaal Franklin (41), Janis Timma (60)
Franklin was perceived as the steal of the draft, having been perceived as a 20s pick, but I was never high on him in the first place, mostly because, between his lack of a jumper and lack of handles/passing, I saw him as a 6'5" PF. Still, everything else seems very good with him, but in the aggregate he ranked 47th--within range of this being a solid pick based on value. Janis Timma was not in my algorithm and at 60th, no one cares. Ok draft for Memphis.
MIAMI HEAT
Round 1: None
Round 2: James Ennis (50)
Ennis is one of the other major steals of the draft, ranking has a late lottery pick (14th) in my algorithm. The Heat got a massive steal by trading for him, and the rich get richer. He can be another early Dorell Wright clone for them, before he wasted his athleticism by threes-binging.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Round 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo (15)
Round 2: Nate Wolters (38)
Adetokoubo was drafted right where he should be (had him 16th in my algorithm) and Wolters was another major steal, as he ranked 12th in my algorithm and might even have some starter potential in the league, I bet. Excellent draft by Milwaukee.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Round 1: Shabazz Muhammad (14), Gorgui Dieng (21),
Round 2: Lorenzo Brown (52), Bojan Dubljevic (59)
That was an awful draft in general by Minnesota. Shabazz is the worst lottery-perceived talent in my algorithm, even ranking as undrafted (77th) there largely because his passing/ballhandling are in line with PFs. He's so eerily reminiscent to a Nick Young/DeMar DeRozan clone, in a bad way, and they picked him in 14th. He fell because his game just doesn't jibe well for the league. Gorgui Dieng has so many issues--Louisville is awful at producing first round talent, he's super old and can't score at all--and ranked 38th in my algorithm. This was another clear overdraft. Lorenzo Brown (50th) got drafted right where he should have been, as was Bojan Dubljevic (54th), but no one will expect much out of those at all. Awful draft.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Pierre Jackson (42)
The move everyone is clamoring about is how they traded Nerlens Noel and another high lottery pick for the rights to Jrue Holiday. Personally I think Holiday is incredibly underrated, particularly on defense, and that's a valuable trait to have from a player so young and a top option. On offense, while he still insists on too many mid-range shots and appears turnover prone, there's still very good value here. The problem is when you get to the financial implications of this, as top five draft picks under the rookie scale contract for five years can easily produce more bang for the buck than someone like Holiday could under a larger, fatter contract. So while I like Holiday, this could be a bit of a wash. Pierre Jackson ranked 37th in my algorithm, and with the slew of Isaiah Thomas, Nate Robinsons in the league, might have slight value. OK draft for the Pelicans.
NEW YORK KNICKS
Round 1: Tim Hardaway Jr. (24)
Round 2: None
Hardaway Jr. is overrated as a first round draft pick, and scouts have already criticized his inability to put together a consistent offensive repertoire, as he'd oscillate between shooting well and poorly in spot-ups and off-the-dribble shots. He ranked 42nd in my algorithm so this was a reach. Poor draft.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Round 1: Steven Adams (12), Andre Roberson (26)
Round 2: Alex Abrines (32), Grant Jerrett (40)
Mixed draft here. Adams was a reach (25th), as was Andre Roberson (41st)--Roberson in particular has drawn a ton of comparisons to a Matt Barnes type, but he lacks the passing ability, and many had projected him to be undrafted, even. Alex Abrines rated as a late second rounder (56th), so that's three reaches right there. The real steal of these picks might be Grant Jerrett at #40--he ranked 7th in my algorithm, and I think there's massive potential out of him, as perhaps a better Channing Frye type. So this was a reasonable draft overall for the Thunder.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Round 1: Victor Oladipo (2)
Round 2: Romero Osby (51)
Oladipo was a reach at 2nd, as he ranked 18th in my algorithm, largely because he spent three years in college already. Osby wasn't even in my 100 prospects, so I don't expect much from him. Bad draft by Orlando.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Round 1: Nerlens Noel (6), Michael Carter-Williams (11)
Round 2: Arsalan Kazemi (54)
Philadelphia had the best draft of any team. Every single one of their picks was a value pick. Nerlens was the best value pick--#1 in my algorithm. While he doesn't compare to Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving, he's still very good, and Kentucky has a good track record of producing NBA prospects. Michael Carter-Williams ranked 8th in my algorithm and was drafted 11th, but of course there's that Syracuse fudge factor, which is one of the worst among schools churning many 1st round draft prospects. But still, this could be a value pick here. Kazemi
ATLANTA HAWKS
Round 1: Lucas Nogueira (16), Dennis Schroeder (17)
Round 2: Mike Muscala (44), Raul Neto (47)
Noguiera ranked 21st in my algorithm so he's a solid buy with that pick. Schroeder, however, was considered undrafted in my algorithm (78th). It's harder to tell with players who don't play high level German competition, but his statistics this past season with the Phantoms didn't show many NBA-translatable skills at all. At 44th Mike Muscala was a massive steal, he ranked 23rd in my algorithm. Raul Neto doesn't make NBA viable at all (89th). So overall, a good pick (Noguiera), a bad pick (Schroeder) and a steal (Muscala).
BOSTON CELTICS
Round 1: Kelly Olynyk (13)
Round 2: Colton Iverson (53)
Olynyk screams mediocrity and ranked 28th in my algorithm, and was a massive reach at 13. Colton Iverson ranked 82nd in my algorithm. This was a horrid draft for Boston.
BROOKLYN NETS
Round 1: Mason Plumlee (22)
Round 2: None
Plumlee gave the illusion that he dropped to 22nd, but face it, there's a good reason he dropped: he's not that good at all. He ranked 45th in my algorithm, one of the worst ranks of supposed lottery picks, so even at #22 he might be a reach. He's not even the best Duke prospect for the NBA. Bad draft for Brooklyn.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Round 1: Cody Zeller (4)
Round 2: None
Zeller was a good pick, also ranking 4th in my algorithm, but when a team drafts in the lottery, especially this high, you have to look at what prospects were missed. Nerlens Noel was the biggest miss, obviously, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was also underrated as well. So this was merely an OK pick as a result.
CHICAGO BULLS
Round 1: Tony Snell (20)
Round 2: Erik Murphy (49)
This was an awful draft for Chicago. Snell ranked 46th and was clearly a major reach at #20, and Erik Murphy ranked 75th and was drafted at 49th.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Round 1: Anthony Bennett (1), Sergey Karasev (19)
Round 2: Carrick Felix (33)
Ah, the draft everyone is talking about. My beef with Bennett is that I'm not even sure if he has the skills of a power forward--his passing/ballhandling was on par with centers with UNLV--and that really made him take a nosedive into the 25th best prospect. While I like Karasev in general, I also thought he was a reach and was the 35th best player, due to what I think are some severe athletic limitations. Felix was a complete overdraft at 33rd when he was the 88th best prospect--even to most draftniks, he wasn't projected to be drafted. This was a bad draft for the Cavs.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Round 1: Shane Larkin (18)
Round 2: Ricky Ledo (43)
Larkin was an overdraft at #18--he ranked 36th in my algorithm, and I can't see him as a starter in this league. Ledo is this year's mystery meat--no real stats to work off of, but good frame, and supposedly good scoring/ballhandling combination in the vein of JR Smith. I think he could be a steal, but Larkin was a bad pick.
DENVER NUGGETS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Erick Green (46), Joffrey Lauvergne (55)
Green was the 49th best pick in my algorithm, so the Nuggets got level value with him. Lauvergne won't see the light of the day in the league as the 99th best player in my algorithm, but for a late 2nd rounder, that won't matter. OK draft day by the Nuggets.
DETROIT PISTONS
Round 1: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8)
Round 2: Tony Mitchell (37), Peyton Siva (56)
The Pistons got a massive steal with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who ranked 2nd in my algorithm. Mitchell was framed as a steal by draftniks as he was considered a late 1st round pick for the longest time, and my algorithm, which typically loves athletic jumping jacks who pump the sort of athletic stats that Mitchell does, just couldn't overlook the combination of his massive regression combined with his lack of ballhandling/shooting giving him massive tweener status, and had him ranked 69th. Peyton Siva was ranked 74th but it doesn't matter that late in the draft.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Round 1: Nemanja Nedovic (30)
Round 2: None
I know to a lot of scouts, Nedovic looks like the second coming of Goran Dragic, with slippery shifty good athleticism and good size. But Nedovic has been around the block and has accrued a lot of unimpressive high level European stats, and is a shooting guard by nature. Nedovic was ranked 86th in my algorithm and was drafted 30th in a massive reach. Bad draft by Golden State.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Isaiah Canaan (34)
Canaan was a bit of a reach who ranked 51st in my algorithm, and could be overrated. Poor draft.
INDIANA PACERS
Round 1: Solomon Hill (23)
Round 2: None
Indiana had an incredibly poor draft, and was one of the few teams to draft a undrafted player in my algorithm in the first round. That was Solomon Hill, ranked 65th in my algorithm and widely perceived to be overdrafted by every draftnik, so this was an awful draft. This follows another obvious overdraft of Miles Plumlee, so if not for the second round steal of Orlando Johnson last year Larry Bird would really have been perceived as a bad drafter, even despite having had drafts/draft day trades of Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert. But awful draft this go around.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Round 1: Reggie Bullock (25)
Round 2: None
Bullock was probably within the range of my algorithm for being drafted (33rd), but typically within that algorithm range you're probably expecting a role player. That's what the Clippers are getting here. OK drafting here.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Ryan Kelly (48)
Finally! The Lakers were one of the very few teams to get a massive draft day steal, and Kelly was one at 9th in my algorithm. This was an incredible value pick. Excellent drafting.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Round 1: None
Round 2: Jamaal Franklin (41), Janis Timma (60)
Franklin was perceived as the steal of the draft, having been perceived as a 20s pick, but I was never high on him in the first place, mostly because, between his lack of a jumper and lack of handles/passing, I saw him as a 6'5" PF. Still, everything else seems very good with him, but in the aggregate he ranked 47th--within range of this being a solid pick based on value. Janis Timma was not in my algorithm and at 60th, no one cares. Ok draft for Memphis.
MIAMI HEAT
Round 1: None
Round 2: James Ennis (50)
Ennis is one of the other major steals of the draft, ranking has a late lottery pick (14th) in my algorithm. The Heat got a massive steal by trading for him, and the rich get richer. He can be another early Dorell Wright clone for them, before he wasted his athleticism by threes-binging.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Round 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo (15)
Round 2: Nate Wolters (38)
Adetokoubo was drafted right where he should be (had him 16th in my algorithm) and Wolters was another major steal, as he ranked 12th in my algorithm and might even have some starter potential in the league, I bet. Excellent draft by Milwaukee.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Round 1: Shabazz Muhammad (14), Gorgui Dieng (21),
Round 2: Lorenzo Brown (52), Bojan Dubljevic (59)
That was an awful draft in general by Minnesota. Shabazz is the worst lottery-perceived talent in my algorithm, even ranking as undrafted (77th) there largely because his passing/ballhandling are in line with PFs. He's so eerily reminiscent to a Nick Young/DeMar DeRozan clone, in a bad way, and they picked him in 14th. He fell because his game just doesn't jibe well for the league. Gorgui Dieng has so many issues--Louisville is awful at producing first round talent, he's super old and can't score at all--and ranked 38th in my algorithm. This was another clear overdraft. Lorenzo Brown (50th) got drafted right where he should have been, as was Bojan Dubljevic (54th), but no one will expect much out of those at all. Awful draft.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Pierre Jackson (42)
The move everyone is clamoring about is how they traded Nerlens Noel and another high lottery pick for the rights to Jrue Holiday. Personally I think Holiday is incredibly underrated, particularly on defense, and that's a valuable trait to have from a player so young and a top option. On offense, while he still insists on too many mid-range shots and appears turnover prone, there's still very good value here. The problem is when you get to the financial implications of this, as top five draft picks under the rookie scale contract for five years can easily produce more bang for the buck than someone like Holiday could under a larger, fatter contract. So while I like Holiday, this could be a bit of a wash. Pierre Jackson ranked 37th in my algorithm, and with the slew of Isaiah Thomas, Nate Robinsons in the league, might have slight value. OK draft for the Pelicans.
NEW YORK KNICKS
Round 1: Tim Hardaway Jr. (24)
Round 2: None
Hardaway Jr. is overrated as a first round draft pick, and scouts have already criticized his inability to put together a consistent offensive repertoire, as he'd oscillate between shooting well and poorly in spot-ups and off-the-dribble shots. He ranked 42nd in my algorithm so this was a reach. Poor draft.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Round 1: Steven Adams (12), Andre Roberson (26)
Round 2: Alex Abrines (32), Grant Jerrett (40)
Mixed draft here. Adams was a reach (25th), as was Andre Roberson (41st)--Roberson in particular has drawn a ton of comparisons to a Matt Barnes type, but he lacks the passing ability, and many had projected him to be undrafted, even. Alex Abrines rated as a late second rounder (56th), so that's three reaches right there. The real steal of these picks might be Grant Jerrett at #40--he ranked 7th in my algorithm, and I think there's massive potential out of him, as perhaps a better Channing Frye type. So this was a reasonable draft overall for the Thunder.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Round 1: Victor Oladipo (2)
Round 2: Romero Osby (51)
Oladipo was a reach at 2nd, as he ranked 18th in my algorithm, largely because he spent three years in college already. Osby wasn't even in my 100 prospects, so I don't expect much from him. Bad draft by Orlando.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Round 1: Nerlens Noel (6), Michael Carter-Williams (11)
Round 2: Arsalan Kazemi (54)
Philadelphia had the best draft of any team. Every single one of their picks was a value pick. Nerlens was the best value pick--#1 in my algorithm. While he doesn't compare to Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving, he's still very good, and Kentucky has a good track record of producing NBA prospects. Michael Carter-Williams ranked 8th in my algorithm and was drafted 11th, but of course there's that Syracuse fudge factor, which is one of the worst among schools churning many 1st round draft prospects. But still, this could be a value pick here. Kazemi
Sunday, June 16, 2013
TEAM DRAFT DAY RATERS
Below the jump, we'll analyze the teams that operate best at draft day--teams that know how to draft players, AND teams that know how to execute draft day trades that work to their advantage. This is based on a win-shares argument, the amount of win shares a player accumulates weighted by the number of games they play. So there's a longevity factor, a winning factor (accounted for by win shares), and the extrapolation is that the defense would come from this winning factor. And of course, win shares is built upon the PER, or primarily, offense argument. So this is a reasonable encapsulation of a player's built-in value over the course of their career. Many thanks to basketballreference for such data.
Friday, May 31, 2013
COLLEGE RATERS, AND AGE/POSITION RATERS FOR THE NBA
So this post is what I like to call "reverse engineering" the draft process. In my mock drafts, I have used what I call "forward engineering"--advanced stats with fudge factors given to athletic traits--rebounding, defensive playmaking, and other NBA translatable factors like age (smaller the better), player improvement from past season and mutual exclusion factors (threes+free throws). We'll bring that up at the end of the post to get a consolidate assessment based on this forward and reverse engineering combination.
But what is this "reverse engineering"? This time, we're going to use the past--namely, the past drafts, an use history to set the precedent for what players--using age, positional profile, and college they came from--to see if they have a non-statistical template that looks good or bad for the NBA. Because, as we all know, the statistical template isn't everything--it tends to be illuminating in identifying some sleepers, but there's also a fair share of misfires. So we need to account for this factor, and combine it with the statistics.
Another note: I won't post all the players in the "reverse engineering" process because there's a ton of them. For college players alone, I have about 330 data points to work with. Just like with the "forward engineering", I won't share the statistical formulas. So, without further ado:
Sunday, May 26, 2013
DRAFT PICK VALUE
Below, built off from the previous article (and improved from the previous article):
SUBJECTIVE NBA DRAFT BUST-O-METER
Using my special formula accounting for cumulative player win shares divided by the number of games they played (thanks basketballreference!), I've created a formula that normalizes the value of players drafted between 2000-2012.
Below the jump.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
ADVANCED STATS: ROOKIE RETROSPECTIVE, 2012-2013 SEASON
This is going to be an analysis of all rookies who played meaningful minutes this year, using the advanced metrics in the past several posts:
Sunday, May 12, 2013
THE OFFENSIVE SKILL LEVEL RATER
So we focused on defense last time, so now let's focus on offense. Let's look at pure jumpshooting ability, explained in further detail here in this graph: http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/jumpshootingmetric/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
Friday, May 10, 2013
THE ALL NON OFFENSE PLAYER RATER, 2012-13
So I've created algorithms that attempt to capture a player's on and off ball defense--"soft' defensive stats--this is tabulated through a combination of using nba.com/stats' shots guarded and +/- relative to the team's overall defensive efficiency. Then there's also the "hard" defensive stats--basically a combination of the player's defensive rebound rate and defensive playmaking (steals+blocks+charges) minus their fouling rate, so we can see their "hard" impact on defense. For the "hard" defense, we want to put all players across an even playing field--so I took their numbers and subtracted the average for that position from it (via Hoopdata's player stats) so we could standardize.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Percentage Of Shots Taken
Play with the graphs here too:
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrimshots/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrimshots2/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrim3/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrimshots4/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrim5/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/dunkshot/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/dunkagain/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/dunkshotsatrim/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrimshots2/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrim3/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrimshots4/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/atrim5/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/dunkshot/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/dunkagain/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/dunkshotsatrim/Sheet1?:embed=y&:display_count=no
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
2013 BIG BOARD, ANALYSIS
| 1 | Marcus Smart | 13.68608 | H: 6' 4" | W: 200 lbs | SG | Oklahoma St | Fr | |||||
Smart's a baller and a legit choice for the #1 pick: defensively, he's an excellent rebounder and wreaks havoc with steals and blocks despite only standing 6'4". He also sports a very nonelusive offensive game--he operates more as a slasher but is also quite willing to spread the floor. His long range shot is questionable, but based on his pretty good free throw percentage it should improve for sure. Smart's not quite a PG (he's more of a SG), but he passes quite better than most NBA SGs and should be able to play the point in a pinch. The whole profile makes it look like he's Dwyane Wade 2.0 here.
| 2 | Nerlens Noel | 12.40578 | H: 6' 11" | W: 216 lbs | C | Kentucky | Fr | |||||
Noel is an absolute sick defensive playmaker, able to lay low for tons of steals for a big man while also being an excellent shotblocker--it's to the point where anything short of excellent defense in the NBA is a disappointment. That's how good he has been in college. He doesn't just go for every lofted shot, he also is a very good rebounder. On the other end is where people grow skeptical--his best attribute is that he passes the ball like NBA power forwards, but his offense is nonelusive and his jumper is pretty much broke at this stage. He might be a very poor offensive player and a sick defensive player in the league.
| 3 | Jordan Adams | 12.275 | H: 6' 5" | W: 220 lbs | SG | UCLA | Fr | |||||
Adams has an very nonelusive offensive game, slashing to the hole and spreading the floor from deep relatively equally. His long ball is questionable at this point in time, but he has very good touch from the stripe so that should improve with time. Adams also holds his own as a shooting guard passer--he isn't a master creator, but he fits snugly into the 2-guard spot for the league. He's not much of a rebounder, but he's surprisingly adept at making defensive plays for his position. As a versatile scorer with handles and side defensive playmaking there's a lot of chatter of James Harden without the passing, and that could be true.
| 4 | Michael Carter-Williams | 11.9713 | H: 6' 5" | W: 167 lbs | PG | Syracuse | So | |||||
With Carter-Williams, versatility's the name of the game. Carter-Williams stands 6'5" but is an excellent passer, even for PG standards; he should be able to get at least 7 assists a game effortlessly at the NBA level. He also has a somewhat nonelusive offensive game that features slashing with a willingness to spread the floor, but he doesn't appear to be much of a shooter: he's a pretty poor long range shooter, and the free throw percentage doesn't give much hope. At the other end, Carter-Williams is an excellent defensive playmaker, really showing a real knack for steals, and also is a very good rebounder for his size. He might showcase the ability to get triple doubles at the next level. Carter-Williams is the ultimate stuffer--a tall PG who racks up assists effortlessly, is a good rebounder and stealer, and has a reasonable offensive framework, but needs to improve the jumper.
| 5 | Ben McLemore | 11.7965 | H: 6' 4" | W: 181 lbs | SG | Kansas | Fr | |||||
Despite people touting his offensive prowess, I don't think McLemore is all that interesting offensively: yes, he's a great shooter--both from deep and from the stripe--and while his offensive game is somewhat nonelusive featuring some slashing and three bombing, it's not very nonelusive. This matters because McLemore, while he passes the ball like NBA SGs, isn't an excellent passer by any sense of imagination, so at 6'4" he doesn't see too many advantages at his position. So it might just as a robust shooter and occasional slasher in the league, and that's about it--those shorter Jason Richardson comparisons might be money. Like JRich, McLemore is a very good rebounder for his size but just a decent defensive playmaker. The expectation is that he's a 6'4" robust shooter-scorer with rebounding, but there's no real star upside here.
| 6 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 11.68611 | H: 6' 5" | W: 205 lbs | SG | Georgia | So | |||||
Caldwell-Pope is a somewhat of a mixed bag as a player, but intriguing nonetheless. For example, offensively, he's very nonelusive, although extremely long range heavy, but for an inclined jumpshooter he draws fouls somewhat decently. He has multiple problems though: it's questionable whether he can buy into his shooting. He's not that good from the stripe, and the overall three point shooting appears to be just average, so there's a chance he can be a low percentage jumper chucker in the league. Adding to that "chucking" idea is the fact that he passes more like small forwards than than he does a shooting guard, so he's not exactly a great player to play alongside for teammates. Defensively, there's potential: Caldwell-Pope rebounds really well for his size, and wreaks defensive havoc with his quick hands for steals. Defensively is where he could make his mark: offensively he's just a streaky gunner with tunnel vision, but we can see where some of the Kerry Kittles comparisons come from. On the offense alone, he's not All-Star material.
| 7 | Cody Zeller | 11.67729 | H: 6' 11" | W: 240 lbs | C | Indiana | So | |||||
Offensively, Zeller draws fouls well and has pretty good touch on his jumper, but his passing is nondescript. He makes quite a few defensive plays and will alternate between the occasional block and laying low for steals, but he isn't a conventionally great shotblocker that we've come to expect from near 7-footers. He's also just a decent rebounder at best, considering his size. We've seen his type before--good inside-outside offensive big man who plays hard to make defensive plays, but is lacking in the hard big man core abilities of shotblocking and rebounding. Some of those types have combined that with passing (Brad Miller), but Zeller doesn't have that. In that sense, the upper end of his upside is poor, but his ability to make a few defensive plays and draw fouls means he's not a conventional stiff. Maybe a rich man's Jason Smith?
| 8 | Anthony Bennett | 11.48568 | H: 6' 7" | W: 240 lbs | PF | UNLV | So | |||||
With Bennett, there's a feeling that there's less that meets the eye: he's a face up power forward with a nonelusive offensive game--he mostly draws fouls, but occasionally he'll spot up from distance. He's an average shooter from deep and an OK shooter from the stripe, so it's questionable whether this is a great proposition for him. He's not much of a passer at all, so for a 6'7" power forward he's definitely physically at a disadvantage for the NBA. Bennett's major calling card might be his rebounding ability, which at 6'7" is excellent, although he's not much of a defensive playmaker. Largely, he's a 6'7" power forward with only real great trick--rebounding--as his inside-outside game is very rough around the edges and he brings little in other team nuances like passing and defensive playmaking. Might be a project, and a possible bust.
| 9 | Otto Porter | 11.47101 | H: 6' 8" | W: 205 lbs | SF | Georgetown | So | |||||
Porter's best asset, kind of like Carter-Williams, is his versatility; Porter's ballhandling and passing skills are almost to the level of NBA PGs, so at 6'8" he's perceived as a matchup nightmare from the small forward position. Elsewhere, his offense is a wreck--very nonelusive and mid-range heavy, and his jumper appears to be just OK at best so his long range success this year might be a fluke; anyway. Defensively, Porter might be a stopper material; he makes a ton of defensive plays, racking up a ton of steals and even blocks, and he's an excellent rebounder for his size. He doesn't have the best offense, but at 6'8" his ability to make plays without touching the ball--passing and defense--is incredibly useful in today's league, and he plays the part of a matchup nightmare. Not a star, but an incredibly useful cog player.
| 10 | Kyle Anderson | 11.38612 | H: 6' 8" | W: 233 lbs | SF | UCLA | Fr | |||||
Defensively, Anderson can be stopper material. He has an amazingly elite rebound rate that would even make even the best college centers swoon, and he's also a very good defensive playmaker who can lay low for tons of steals and get a few blocks. That versatility also extends over to offense--Anderson passes and handles the ball almost like NBA PGs, and so at small forward, standing 6'8", he's considered a matchup nightmare. The rest of his offense is poor--he's somewhat mid-range heavy, has an OK jumper at best, and really seems to lack a long range shot. But his versatility is similar to Otto Porter's on both the passing, rebounding, and defensive playmaking, and that has its uses as a really good NBA cog player.
Friday, February 1, 2013
BEST COLLEGE TEAMS
OUT OF 157 tracked prospects:
| 16 | Grant Jerrett | 10.36887 | H: 6' 10" | W: 220 lbs | PF | Fr | Arizona | ||||
| 73 | Brandon Ashley | 8.286759 | H: 6' 7" | W: 191 lbs | C | Fr | Arizona | ||||
| 96 | Solomon Hill | 7.7245 | H: 6' 6" | W: 230 lbs | SF | Sr | Arizona | ||||
| 115 | Kaleb Tarczewski | 7.134915 | H: 7' 0" | W: 243 lbs | C | Fr | Arizona | ||||
| 149 | Kevin Parrom | 5.87861 | H: 6' 6" | W: 205 lbs | SF | Sr | Arizona | ||||
| 21 | Jordan Bachynski | 9.95963 | H: 7' 2" | W: 243 lbs | C | Jr | Arizona St | ||||
| 116 | Jahii Carson | 7.083501 | H: 5' 11" | W: 167 lbs | PG | Fr | Arizona St. | ||||
| 139 | Carrick Felix | 6.496859 | H: 6' 6" | W: 196 lbs | SF | Sr | Arizona St. | ||||
| 78 | BJ Young | 8.146732 | H: 6' 3" | W: 158 lbs | SG | So | Arkansas | ||||
| 58 | Pierre Jackson | 8.927237 | H: 5' 10" | W: 180 lbs | PG | Sr | Baylor | ||||
| 126 | Isaiah Austin | 6.896776 | H: 6' 11" | W: 201 lbs | C | Fr | Baylor | ||||
| 140 | Cory Jefferson | 6.413707 | H: 6' 9" | W: 210 lbs | C | Jr | Baylor | ||||
| 52 | Mike Muscala | 9.004706 | H: 6' 11" | W: 232 lbs | PF | Sr | Bucknell | ||||
| 97 | Javon McCrea | 7.691155 | H: 6' 6" | W: 225 lbs | PF | Jr | Buffalo | ||||
| 47 | Allen Crabbe | 9.075856 | H: 6' 6" | W: 205 lbs | SF | Jr | California | ||||
| 27 | Sean Kilpatrick | 9.732824 | H: 6' 4" | W: 215 lbs | SG | Jr | Cincinnati | ||||
| 26 | Andre Roberson | 9.787763 | H: 6' 7" | W: 210 lbs | PF | Jr | Colorado | ||||
| 30 | Spencer Dinwiddie | 9.662696 | H: 6' 6" | W: 200 lbs | SG | So | Colorado | ||||
| 81 | Doug McDermott | 8.100992 | H: 6' 8" | W: 223 lbs | PF | Jr | Creighton | ||||
| 46 | Ray McCallum | 9.077866 | H: 6' 2" | W: 187 lbs | PG | Jr | Detroit | ||||
| 28 | Ryan Kelly | 9.697121 | H: 6' 11" | W: 230 lbs | PF | Sr | Duke | ||||
| 44 | Rasheed Sulaimon | 9.101523 | H: 6' 4" | W: 186 lbs | SG | Fr | Duke | ||||
| 59 | Mason Plumlee | 8.8978 | H: 6' 11" | W: 245 lbs | PF | Sr | Duke | ||||
| 83 | Rodney Hood | 8.042388 | H: 6' 8" | W: 187 lbs | SF | Fr | Duke | ||||
| 91 | Seth Curry | 7.864295 | H: 6' 2" | W: 170 lbs | SG | Sr | Duke | ||||
| 106 | Erik Murphy | 7.374766 | H: 6' 10" | W: 220 lbs | PF | Sr | Florida | ||||
| 122 | Patric Young | 6.921452 | H: 6' 9" | W: 249 lbs | C | Jr | Florida | ||||
| 99 | Kenny Boynton | 7.638255 | H: 6' 2" | W: 185 lbs | SG | So | Florida | ||||
| 143 | Michael Snaer | 6.226331 | H: 6' 4" | W: 185 lbs | SF | Sr | Florida St | ||||
| 9 | Otto Porter | 11.47101 | H: 6' 8" | W: 205 lbs | SF | So | Georgetown | ||||
| 54 | Greg Whittington | 8.973429 | H: 6' 8" | W: 212 lbs | SF | So | Georgetown | ||||
| 6 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 11.68611 | H: 6' 5" | W: 205 lbs | SG | So | Georgia | ||||
| 146 | Eric Ferguson | 6.066654 | H: 6' 8" | W: 204 lbs | C | Jr | Georgia Southern | ||||
| 84 | Kelly Olynyk | 7.986591 | H: 7' 0" | W: 238 lbs | C | Jr | Gonzaga | ||||
| 118 | Przemek Karnowski | 7.045587 | H: 7' 1" | W: 305 lbs | C | Fr | Gonzaga | ||||
| 147 | Elias Harris | 5.944282 | H: 6' 7" | W: 220 lbs | PF | Sr | Gonzaga | ||||
| 51 | Brandon Paul | 9.018308 | H: 6' 4" | W: 200 lbs | SG | Sr | Illinois | ||||
| 113 | Jackie Carmichael | 7.287635 | H: 6' 9" | W: 241 lbs | C | Sr | Illinois St | ||||
| 7 | Cody Zeller | 11.67729 | H: 6' 11" | W: 240 lbs | C | So | Indiana | ||||
| 39 | Victor Oladipo | 9.257874 | H: 6' 5" | W: 215 lbs | SF | Jr | Indiana | ||||
| 80 | Christian Watford | 8.101189 | H: 6' 8" | W: 229 lbs | PF | Sr | Indiana | ||||
| 142 | Will Sheehey | 6.249712 | H: 6' 7" | W: 200 lbs | PF | Jr | Indiana | ||||
| 12 | Daniel Theis | 11.3194 | H: 6' 9" | W: 215 lbs | PF | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 14 | Lucas Noguiera | 10.82458 | H: 7' 0" | W: 220 lbs | C | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 18 | Klemen Prepelic | 10.1626 | H: 6' 3" | W: 180 lbs | SG | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 31 | Sergey Karasev | 9.590294 | H: 6' 7" | W: 205 lbs | SF | 1993 | Int'l | ||||
| 55 | Rudy Gobert | 8.971793 | H: 7' 1" | W: 235 lbs | C | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 79 | Bojan Dubljevic | 8.129569 | H: 6' 10" | W: 242 lbs | C | 1991 | Int'l | ||||
| 94 | Daniel Diez | 7.755723 | H: 6' 8" | W: 204 lbs | PF | 1993 | Int'l | ||||
| 98 | Marko Todorovic | 7.675985 | H: 6' 11" | W: 240 lbs | C | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 121 | Leo Wastermann | 6.945861 | H: 6' 7" | W: 199 lbs | SG | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 131 | Raul Neto | 6.804267 | H: 6' 1" | W: 168 lbs | SG | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 132 | Dario Saric | 6.753494 | H: 6' 10" | W: 223 lbs | SF | 1994 | Int'l | ||||
| 134 | Mateusz Ponitka | 6.731214 | H: 6' 6" | W: 211 lbs | PF | 1993 | Int'l | ||||
| 136 | Livio Jean-Charles | 6.628824 | H: 6' 8" | W: 210 lbs | PF | 1993 | Int'l | ||||
| 144 | Alex Abrines | 6.145953 | H: 6' 5" | W: 190 lbs | C | 1993 | Int'l | ||||
| 151 | Louis Labeyre | 5.386434 | H: 6' 10" | W: 191 lbs | PF | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 152 | Oleksandr Lypovyy | 5.316172 | H: 6' 8" | W: 192 lbs | SF | 1991 | Int'l | ||||
| 154 | Nemanja Nedovic | 4.935425 | H: 6' 4" | W: 195 lbs | SG | 1991 | Int'l | ||||
| 155 | Joffrey Lauvergne | 4.67706 | H: 6' 11" | W: 225 lbs | PF | 1991 | Int'l | ||||
| 156 | Augusto Cesar Lima | 4.130255 | H: 6' 10" | W: 225 lbs | C | 1991 | Int'l | ||||
| 157 | Philip Neumann | 4.077574 | H: 6' 11" | W: 240 lbs | C | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 141 | Linos Chrysikopoulos | 6.262551 | H: 6' 9" | W: 208 lbs | SF | 1992 | Int'l | ||||
| 5 | Ben McLemore | 11.7965 | H: 6' 4" | W: 181 lbs | SG | Fr | Kansas | ||||
| 11 | Jeff Withey | 11.36822 | H: 7' 0" | W: 235 lbs | C | Sr | Kansas | ||||
| 124 | Elijah Johnson | 6.907435 | H: 6' 2" | W: 195 lbs | PG | Sr | Kansas | ||||
| 2 | Nerlens Noel | 12.40578 | H: 6' 11" | W: 216 lbs | C | Fr | Kentucky | ||||
| 20 | Archie Goodwin | 10.12635 | H: 6' 4" | W: 198 lbs | SG | Fr | Kentucky | ||||
| 25 | Willie Cauley | 9.856832 | H: 7' 0" | W: 245 lbs | C | Fr | Kentucky | ||||
| 49 | Kyle Wiltjer | 9.060219 | H: 6' 9" | W: 226 lbs | PF | So | Kentucky | ||||
| 90 | Alex Poythress | 7.865292 | H: 6' 8" | W: 239 lbs | C | Fr | Kentucky | ||||
| 123 | Ryan Harrow | 6.91111 | H: 6' 2" | W: 170 lbs | PG | So | Kentucky | ||||
| 69 | CJ McCollum | 8.568813 | H: 6' 3" | W: 165 lbs | SG | Sr | Lehigh | ||||
| 24 | Gorgui Dieng | 9.8616 | H: 6' 11" | W: 245 lbs | C | Jr | Louisville | ||||
| 72 | Russ Smith | 8.333145 | H: 6' 0" | W: 160 lbs | SG | Jr | Louisville | ||||
| 82 | Chane Behanan | 8.043563 | H: 6' 7" | W: 253 lbs | PF | So | Louisville | ||||
| 87 | Peyton Siva | 7.908979 | H: 5' 11" | W: 180 lbs | PG | Sr | Louisville | ||||
| 109 | Wayne Blackshear | 7.329273 | H: 6' 5" | W: 215 lbs | PF | So | Louisville | ||||
| 15 | Alex Len | 10.5039 | H: 7' 1" | W: 240 lbs | C | So | Maryland | ||||
| 107 | Dezmine Wells | 7.354972 | H: 6' 4" | W: 217 lbs | SF | So | Maryland | ||||
| 86 | Joe Jackson | 7.958051 | H: 6' 0" | W: 163 lbs | SG | Jr | Memphis | ||||
| 130 | Tarik Black | 6.807833 | H: 6' 8" | W: 220 lbs | C | Jr | Memphis | ||||
| 133 | Adonis Thomas | 6.73137 | H: 6' 7" | W: 241 lbs | SF | So | Memphis | ||||
| 135 | Kenny Kadji | 6.637324 | H: 6' 11" | W: 240 lbs | C | Sr | Miami FL | ||||
| 22 | Glenn Robinson III | 9.900152 | H: 6' 6" | W: 210 lbs | SF | Fr | Michigan | ||||
| 23 | Trey Burke | 9.886178 | H: 6' 0" | W: 190 lbs | PG | So | Michigan | ||||
| 70 | Tim Hardaway Jr | 8.534589 | H: 6' 6" | W: 190 lbs | SG | Jr | Michigan | ||||
| 76 | Keith Appling | 8.194454 | H: 6' 2" | W: 170 lbs | SG | Jr | Michigan St | ||||
| 77 | Gary Harris | 8.156983 | H: 6' 4" | W: 210 lbs | PF | Fr | Michigan St | ||||
| 92 | Adreian Payne | 7.832402 | H: 6' 9" | W: 215 lbs | C | Jr | Michigan St | ||||
| 95 | Branden Dawson | 7.748378 | H: 6' 6" | W: 206 lbs | PF | So | Michigan St | ||||
| 34 | Andre Hollins | 9.518148 | H: 6' 1" | W: 200 lbs | SG | So | Minnesota | ||||
| 53 | Trevor Mbakwe | 8.988047 | H: 6' 8" | W: 237 lbs | PF | Sr | Minnesota | ||||
| 105 | Rodney Williams | 7.412385 | H: 6' 6" | W: 204 lbs | SF | Sr | Minnesota | ||||
| 67 | Phil Pressey | 8.641681 | H: 6' 0" | W: 178 lbs | PG | Jr | Missouri | ||||
| 68 | Michael Dixon | 8.570911 | H: 6' 1" | W: 185 lbs | PG | Sr | Missouri | ||||
| 93 | Laurence Bowers | 7.809793 | H: 6' 8" | W: 205 lbs | PF | Sr | Missouri | ||||
| 137 | Alex Oriakhi | 6.626177 | H: 6' 9" | W: 255 lbs | C | Sr | Missouri | ||||
| 104 | Isaiah Canaan | 7.480822 | H: 6' 1" | W: 200 lbs | SG | Sr | Murray St | ||||
| 40 | Lorenzo Brown | 9.22186 | H: 6' 4" | W: 186 lbs | PG | Jr | NC State | ||||
| 64 | CJ Leslie | 8.688124 | H: 6' 9" | W: 207 lbs | PF | Jr | NC State | ||||
| 111 | Richard Howell | 7.319374 | H: 6' 8" | W: 220 lbs | PF | Sr | NC State | ||||
| 112 | TJ Warren | 7.303683 | H: 6' 8" | W: 230 lbs | PF | Fr | NC State | ||||
| 138 | Rodney Purvis | 6.538789 | H: 6' 4" | W: 190 lbs | SG | Fr | NC State | ||||
| 36 | Deonte Burton | 9.400109 | H: 6' 1" | W: 185 lbs | SG | Jr | Nevada | ||||
| 63 | Kendall Williams | 8.711416 | H: 6' 4" | W: 180 lbs | PG | Jr | New Mexico | ||||
| 75 | Tony Mitchell | 8.227539 | H: 6' 8" | W: 235 lbs | C | So | North Texas | ||||
| 35 | Jerian Grant | 9.409318 | H: 6' 5" | W: 195 lbs | PG | So | Notre Dame | ||||
| 89 | Jack Cooley | 7.868083 | H: 6' 9" | W: 248 lbs | PF | Sr | Notre Dame | ||||
| 37 | Aaron Craft | 9.311708 | H: 6' 2" | W: 195 lbs | PG | Jr | Ohio St | ||||
| 50 | Deshaun Thomas | 9.055267 | H: 6' 7" | W: 220 lbs | SF | Jr | Ohio St | ||||
| 125 | Shannon Scott | 6.900149 | H: 6' 2" | W: 175 lbs | PG | So | Ohio St | ||||
| 114 | Amath M'Baye | 7.138199 | H: 6' 9" | W: 215 lbs | C | Jr | Oklahoma | ||||
| 1 | Marcus Smart | 13.68608 | H: 6' 4" | W: 200 lbs | SG | Fr | Oklahoma St | ||||
| 102 | LeBryan Nash | 7.53923 | H: 6' 7" | W: 220 lbs | PF | So | Oklahoma St | ||||
| 33 | Arsalan Kazemi | 9.539903 | H: 6' 8" | W: 225 lbs | PF | Sr | Oregon | ||||
| 17 | Eric Moreland | 10.16525 | H: 6' 10" | W: 201 lbs | PF | So | Oregon St | ||||
| 32 | Devon Collier | 9.558593 | H: 6' 8" | W: 215 lbs | SF | Jr | Oregon St | ||||
| 66 | Steven Adams | 8.670784 | H: 6' 11" | W: 235 lbs | C | Fr | Pittsburgh | ||||
| 129 | Talib Zanna | 6.819449 | H: 6' 9" | W: 225 lbs | C | Jr | Pittsburgh | ||||
| 48 | Bryce Cotton | 9.060951 | H: 6' 1" | W: 165 lbs | SG | Jr | Providence | ||||
| 42 | AJ Hammons | 9.187792 | H: 7' 0" | W: 278 lbs | C | Fr | Purdue | ||||
| 60 | Jamaal Franklin | 8.881919 | H: 6' 5" | W: 205 lbs | PF | Jr | San Diego St | ||||
| 74 | Winston Shepard | 8.257762 | H: 6' 7" | W: 190 lbs | SF | Fr | San Diego St | ||||
| 71 | Fuquan Edwin | 8.403424 | H: 6' 6" | W: 205 lbs | SF | Jr | Seton Hall | ||||
| 45 | Nate Wolters | 9.092822 | H: 6' 4" | W: 190 lbs | PG | Sr | South Dakota St | ||||
| 100 | Jakarr Sampson | 7.610348 | H: 6' 8" | W: 204 lbs | PF | Fr | St. John's | ||||
| 62 | Matthew Dellavedova | 8.787437 | H: 6' 4" | W: 185 lbs | PG | Sr | St. Mary's | ||||
| 56 | Dwight Powell | 8.931964 | H: 6' 10" | W: 212 lbs | PF | Jr | Stanford | ||||
| 4 | Michael Carter-Williams | 11.9713 | H: 6' 5" | W: 167 lbs | PG | So | Syracuse | ||||
| 88 | CJ Fair | 7.873755 | H: 6' 8" | W: 203 lbs | PF | Jr | Syracuse | ||||
| 108 | Brandon Triche | 7.354235 | H: 6' 4" | W: 198 lbs | SG | Sr | Syracuse | ||||
| 117 | Rakeem Christmas | 7.076801 | H: 6' 9" | W: 226 lbs | C | So | Syracuse | ||||
| 57 | Jordan McRae | 8.929022 | H: 6' 5" | W: 175 lbs | SG | Jr | Tennessee | ||||
| 65 | Jarnell Stokes | 8.678377 | H: 6' 9" | W: 256 lbs | C | So | Tennessee | ||||
| 153 | Robert Covington | 5.235766 | H: 6' 9" | W: 230 lbs | PF | Sr | Tennessee St | ||||
| 29 | Myck Kabongo | 9.688028 | H: 6' 1" | W: 180 lbs | PG | So | Texas | ||||
| 3 | Jordan Adams | 12.275 | H: 6' 5" | W: 220 lbs | SG | Fr | UCLA | ||||
| 10 | Kyle Anderson | 11.38612 | H: 6' 8" | W: 233 lbs | SF | Fr | UCLA | ||||
| 101 | Shabazz Muhammad | 7.607101 | H: 6' 6" | W: 223 lbs | C | Fr | UCLA | ||||
| 119 | Norman Powell | 7.044943 | H: 6' 3" | W: 199 lbs | SG | So | UCLA | ||||
| 19 | Shabazz Napier | 10.1485 | H: 6' 1" | W: 182 lbs | PG | Jr | Uconn | ||||
| 13 | PJ Hairston | 10.9792 | H: 6' 5" | W: 227 lbs | SG | So | UNC | ||||
| 43 | Reggie Bullock | 9.141577 | H: 6' 5" | W: 190 lbs | SG | Jr | UNC | ||||
| 127 | James McAdoo | 6.861846 | H: 6' 9" | W: 226 lbs | C | So | UNC | ||||
| 150 | Joel James | 5.585096 | H: 6' 10" | W: 265 lbs | C | Fr | UNC | ||||
| 8 | Anthony Bennett | 11.48568 | H: 6' 7" | W: 240 lbs | PF | So | UNLV | ||||
| 128 | Anthony Marshall | 6.837399 | H: 6' 3" | W: 200 lbs | SG | Sr | UNLV | ||||
| 148 | Mike Moser | 5.923462 | H: 6' 8" | W: 230 lbs | PF | Jr | UNLV | ||||
| 120 | DeWayne Dedmon | 6.998621 | H: 7' 0" | W: 255 lbs | C | Jr | USC | ||||
| 145 | Juvonte Reddic | 6.071642 | H: 6' 9" | W: 225 lbs | C | Jr | VCU | ||||
| 85 | Erick Green | 7.970324 | H: 6' 3" | W: 185 lbs | SG | Sr | Virginia Tech | ||||
| 61 | Travis McKie | 8.818509 | H: 6' 7" | W: 205 lbs | PF | Jr | Wake Forest | ||||
| 38 | CJ Wilcox | 9.285519 | H: 6' 5" | W: 195 lbs | SG | Jr | Washington | ||||
| 41 | Aaric Murray | 9.203521 | H: 6' 11" | W: 249 lbs | C | Jr | West Virginia | ||||
| 103 | Alec Brown | 7.534612 | H: 7' 1" | W: 212 lbs | C | Jr | Wisc Green Bay | ||||
| 110 | Semaj Christon | 7.327734 | H: 6' 3" | W: 187 lbs | SG | Jr | Xavier | ||||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)