Billy Preston: Most likely the next LeBron James

[avs2000]

Watch some highlighta of his... His game style and body type is kinda similar to Rashard Lewis, hopefully he just need more game experience and not PEDs to develop to a NBA player

What a gift if he turns out to be a stud

 

[tocov]

I don't know... That defense though. It's easier than practice seems like.

Maybe we should call him up now and then against <.500 teams to see his progress.

 

[chuck0609]

I don't know... That defense though. It's easier than practice seems like.

Maybe we should call him up now and then against <.500 teams to see his progress.

I wouldn’t. Let him get into a rhythm down there. Maybe not call him up at all this year- absolutely no need to rush him.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I wouldn’t. Let him get into a rhythm down there. Maybe not call him up at all this year- absolutely no need to rush him.

I think if he continues to play well you bring him up to close the season. Canton's season ends March 23. Unless they make the playoffs (and even if they do, it's single elimination until the Finals), there are 9 more games to be played in the NBA season.

If I were planning, I'd hope he can progress to the point where those final games can be used to check his progress throughout the season. Give him some time to play with NBA players and then send him off to Summer League. At that point you make an assessment about where he starts next season - if he needs more time in Canton or he is ready to get some rotation minutes.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Nice highlights. Preston looks so much better - just doesn't look lost anymore. it is great to see him learning and applying what he's learned.

Another one that has been doing great is Colson. He's been very efficient scoring and showing a nice 3 ball. I'm wondering given his size if he could play the 3.

Really like Colson. Hope we can get him on a two-way soon. The way I see it we'll need to send Harrison down when Hill comes back. Hopefully we can feature Hill and trade him away from future assets. Then bring Harrison back up and sign him to a NBA deal. No reason not to let him be Sexton's back up for the rest of the season. He's shown some nice potential. I don't ever expect him to be a scoring juggernaut, but I think he can play D and facilitate.

I've seen several comparisons of Colson to PJ Tucker and I think that might be fair. Having a guy like Tucker on your squad is not a bad thing. I think Colson has some good developmental potential.

 

[inliner311]

I wouldn’t. Let him get into a rhythm down there. Maybe not call him up at all this year- absolutely no need to rush him.

I think the best thing for Preston is actually something in the middle. You want him to keep progressing and playing in the G-league as long as he is playing team ball. The moment it starts to look easy for him or he is becoming like the rest of the G-league stars, you want to give him a dose of what the NBA is and refocus him.

Alot of G-league stars put up big numbers and have bad habits because they want to get noticed by NBA teams. They find something that works for them and that's all they go to. That's exactly what we don't want from Preston. We want him to keep developing and expanding his game in the team concept.

 

[aldamon]

Saw some hustle there and what looked like a better feel for the game. His shot looks great

Decent 71% from FT as well. Would like to see him get to the line more.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

That's been his only good game so far. He had been very bad outside of this game. Hopefully he can continue this positive trend.

 

[inliner311]

Very impressive game for him, his shot looks very good here, and he had some nice drives and a couple nice passes too. It's just the g-league but at least we're seeing progress. In this game at least he looks like how a top player out of college should look against the g-league.

It looks like he is learning how to actually use his height and length. He is going up strong and seems to have a higher release point.

 

[Kouki]

I see a very big difference. Preston seems like the kind of kid who keeps getting more chances because he stretches the tape measure like an NBA player, not because he knows how to play. Very few young athletes develop into NBA players and Sexton is light years closer to that goal than Preston right now. And he's not just a little bit closer. Right now the gap is a lot larger than a "one guy got to play college hoops and the other didn't". The gap is "One wants to murder his opponents and the other looks lost". The gap is that one kid has a great feel for the game and the other has a great feel for 6' 10". This is why Sexton was the #8 pick and Billy ended up undrafted and only able to find a two way contract to pay the bills

Completely agree but it made me remember some stat I read a long time ago. Granted the numbers have probably changed by now, but that doesn't matter because I don't remember the numbers anyways.

Lots of people always says "If I was 7 foot, I could play in the NBA!" and everyone else says "No you couldn't, you are a dumbass". But the rate of people who are 7 foot tall who play in the NBA is pretty absurd, like 20%.

(I especially remember this because I remember watching Koufos play for Glenoak and being thoroughly unimpressed; our 6'4 center got him a few times)

Anyways, I'd guess the rate of people with Preston's measurables who played in the NBA would be pretty high.

 

[Nphan]

Is the Next Lebron James ceiling trajectory still realistic?

 

[Dr. Claw]

Is the Next Lebron James ceiling trajectory still realistic?

I don't think it ever was. What I would like him to be is a reliable 3 and D wing with a few flashes of something else. Kind of a better version of what we get out of Rodney Hood right now

 

[BankShot]

He followed-up his good game with a 5pt, 2-8 performance...still a long way to go, just hope to see some sort of consistency.

 

[rcj47]

Preston needs experience and to play in a structured environment for a good amount of time which he can get in the G League. He's always had the physical tools which was why he was a top 20 recruit coming out of high school. He's raw but I can already tell a difference in him between Summer League and now. During the former, it was like he didn't even know where to be for rebounding purposes.

 

[inliner311]

He followed-up his good game with a 5pt, 2-8 performance...still a long way to go, just hope to see some sort of consistency.

He needs to work on his game close to the rim. He is shooting 47% from 3 but 37% overall. He has the size and length advantage which he will need to learn how to use properly.

He is an odd prospect, most guys that size you wish they had a 3 point shot to pair with everything else they are good at. He seems to have the outside shot but not much of anything else at the moment. At 6'10 he should be able to get rebounds and easy buckets at the rim. I'm not sure where they are playing him but they should give him the bulk of his minutes at PF or Center so he can develop that inside game.