A closer look at Enes Kanter

[KCOTT]

Kanter just said he and Irving could make the playoffs next year.

 

[Douglar]

What caused everyone to think that Kanter isn't an option at 4?

The two concrete negatives I could bring up about Kanter are slow feet and questionable defensive effort, but there isn't a lot of concrete evidence, which is the biggest problem. There was more film of direct from high school players than there is of Kanter. That makes him risky, because you don't really know what you are getting.

 

[Jon]

Everyone seems to have fallen in love with Jonas, but I'd be fine if they took and kept Kanter.

What caused everyone to think that Kanter isn't an option at 4?

Some posts came out about Jonas, it was said that he was top on the Cavs list, some fans argued he'd be a better pick/higher ceiling, Hollinger chimed in that his Euroleague numbers projected real well to the NBA, that he seems to measure out as a true C better than Enes, that he's a very good foul shooter, that he may have a decent jumper but just isn't allowed to use it, etc, and voila ... he's the new board favorite.

Basically, Jonas is the shiny new toy, and as fans immerse themselves in the draft they learn the players and find more reasons to attach themselves to one or another. The problem with Kanter is he's still basically a black hole. We have the draft combine numbers, he tested out better than expected in some areas, but pretty average in others. There's never been much on him, even when he was the board darling.

The common wisdom from the national pundits seems to be that both Enes and Jonas have a lot of risks attached, that Enes would likely be better early, and Jonas perhaps later ... but that the only surefire big in this draft is Derek Williams.