Welcome 8th Pick from Brooklyn

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Is there any way Jontay doesn't become at least a decent 3-point shooter and an above-average passer for an NBA big? If you look at NBA bigs who were/are both of those things...it's basically a who's who of offensive superstar bigs. I think he's seriously underrated.

No, his quick release and form is almost perfect. I love his shooting form. Projects to be the best shooting big in the draft our of the top 30 prospects.

So again, that reminds me...how bad is JJJ's release, and should he think about reworking his form? Does it have chance to not translate at all?

I'll tell you what though, I just don't see potential as a mid range shooter with this form. So there is not going to be much of an inbetween game.

 

[Mavaliersfan]

I gotta tell you...I want to groom Zizic to become our center of the future, so i'm kinda torn on selecting a center that plays only one position most likely.

Do you think Carter will be able to play the 4? cause that changes some stuff. I mean, it's hard to know because he just camped inside the lane on that Duke scheme/zone...just never stepped out to the perimeter.

My exact thinking here. Bamba and Wendell are intriguing defensively, but they worry me in terms of stunting Zizic's growth and becoming a liability offensively.

Zizic projects to be a legit 2-way center. I don't worry about him defensively. He uses the rule of verticality very well. Sure, he struggles to switch out on some super fast wings, but what center doesn't? I think he can become a mix of Nurkic and Steven Adams in time and if given the opportunity.

With that said, I'm not sold on Wendell at the 4. I see him more in the mold of an Al Horford, who can play the 4, but is best at the 5. Would I rather have him than Bridges? Idk. Do you roll with Bron at the 4, Bridges at the 3, PG at the 2, and Zizic at the 5? I think I like that better than the idea of a front-line of Wendell and Zizic.

pssst

Bagley is a big

True, but he's someone who can create his own offense and who you can run the offense through. You can also play him next to Zizic. I worry about Wendell and Bamba's ability to play next to Zizic.

 

[Nathan S]

No, his quick release and form is almost perfect. I love his shooting form. Projects to be the best shooting big in the draft our of the top 30 prospects.

So again, that reminds me...how bad is JJJ's release, and should he think about reworking his form? Does it have chance to not translate at all?

I'll tell you what though, I just don't see potential as a mid range shooter with this form. So there is not going to be much of an inbetween game.

I'm not an expert on shooting mechanics so I don't really feel qualified, in a way. Statistically though, it's probably very hard to find players who shot 40% from 3 and 80% from the line as college freshmen (on a significant number of attempts) and failed to become at least decent shooters at the NBA level. That is the one reason why I say Carter may be even more of a sure thing than Jackson, though. Carter's just so good at everything offensively that it's hard to imagine him failing to pan out. Jackson *could* end up being a just-ok offensive player if his 3-point shot somehow never becomes reliable.

 

[cavsfever]

No, his quick release and form is almost perfect. I love his shooting form. Projects to be the best shooting big in the draft our of the top 30 prospects.

So again, that reminds me...how bad is JJJ's release, and should he think about reworking his form? Does it have chance to not translate at all?

I'll tell you what though, I just don't see potential as a mid range shooter with this form. So there is not going to be much of an inbetween game.

Wait, you don't see potential for Jaren Jackson as a mid range shooter? Even though he is shooting 40% from 3 / 80% from the line?

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

I'm not an expert on shooting mechanics so I don't really feel qualified, in a way. Statistically though, it's probably very hard to find players who shot 40% from 3 and 80% from the line as college freshmen (on a significant number of attempts) and failed to become at least decent shooters at the NBA level. That is the one reason why I say Carter may be even more of a sure thing than Jackson, though. Carter's just so good at everything offensively that it's hard to imagine him failing to pan out. Jackson *could* end up being a just-ok offensive player if his 3-point shot somehow never becomes reliable.

No, don't get me wrong, I think he will be fine from 3, just don't think he is going be a good shooter from all over the court...close and mid range is a question mark for me. He wasn't a good mid range shooter in college and that form is awkward from that distance.

 

[Nathan S]

No, don't get me wrong, I think he will be fine from 3, just don't think he is going be a good shooter from all over the court...close and mid range is a question mark for me. He wasn't a good mid range shooter in college and that form is awkward from that distance.

Would just be icing on the cake for me if he can shoot from midrange (though, if he's an 80% free throw shooter, how bad could he really be if left open from midrange?). If he can make 3's at a high percenage and attack closeouts with 1-dribble straight line drives to the rim, he's gonna be almost impossible to defend off the ball.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Wait, you don't see potential for Jaren Jackson as a mid range shooter? Even though he is shooting 40% from 3 / 80% from the line?

Potential is maybe not the right word, but 40% from 3 and 80% from the line doesn't mean a player is going to be a good mid range shooter.

being a good 3pt shooter doesn't mean a player is a good 3pt shooter and vice versa. Jr isn't a good FT shooter and Ricky Rubio is a terrible 3pt shooter.

You have to take the eye test and form into account. arc, hand placement, release point, follow through, etc...someones ability to shoot out of a triple threat position from midrange isn't the same as someones ability to shoot off catch and shoot, and i'm not a believer in his ability to shoot from the post compared to a guy like Carter and even Ayton. There is a reason he only took like 1 or two mid range/close range jump shots in the half court this season.

So potential isn't the right word, but I do take form and how comfortable a player is in certain situations into account...like I took Lonzo's into account.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Would just be icing on the cake for me if he can shoot from midrange (though, if he's an 80% free throw shooter, how bad could he really be if left open from midrange?). If he can make 3's at a high percenage and attack closeouts with 1-dribble straight line drives to the rim, he's gonna be almost impossible to defend off the ball.

One red flag for Jackson though is that he looks like Tristan Thompson. How he runs with that ass sticking out, how he moves , his build and even his form is tristanesque! gives me the chills. Seriously, look closely and report back.

 

[Nathan S]

One red flag for Jackson though is that he looks like Tristan Thompson. How he runs with that ass sticking out and his build gives me the chills. Seriously, look closely and report back.

Tristan's ass is his best feature.

 

[CTownSportsFan]

I hope the Cavs don’t draft anyone that may take minutes away from Cedi / Zizic / Nance / Hood / LeBron and Clarkson

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Tristan's ass is his best feature.

Maybe...at one point I was sure he was gay you know? so that projection turned out wrong...weird.

Anyways, do you see a scenario where JJJ's rim protection doesn't translate fully? the thing I noticed is that he has just ridiculous anticipation and timing for blocking shots with both hands...just a natrual, but he doesn't really jump high at all to block the shots(even lower than Carter), so I wonder if it's going to matter when he faces better athletes and above the rim finishers.

I have zero doubt that his defense is going to translate...he is probably one of the best switch defenders I have seen, but this part i'm still not totally sure about. Another part of defense is rebounding and that's going to take a little bit of time, but he will be fine in that regard eventually.. same thing with post defense which is still a weakness of his, even in College. He had issues even with the likes of Ethan Happ.

 

[Nathan S]

Maybe...at one point I was sure he was gay you know? so that projection turned out wrong...weird.

Anyways, do you see a scenario where JJJ's rim protection doesn't translate fully? the thing I noticed is that he has just ridiculous anticipation and timing for blocking shots with both hands...just a natrual, but he doesn't really jump high at all to block the shots(even lower than Carter), so I wonder if it's going to matter when he faces better athletes and above the rim finishers.

I have zero doubt that his defense is going to translate...he is probably one of the best switch defenders I have seen, but this part i'm still not totally sure about. Another part of defense is rebounding and that's going to take a little bit of time, but he will be fine in that regard eventually.. same thing with post defense which is still a weakness of his, even in College. He had issues even with the likes of Ethan Happ.

Why do you think the Kardashian scouting department was so high on him? Top-percentile genetic material. They can't afford to breed with normal-ass randos.

I don't think his rim protection will fail to translate. Even the best NBA rim protectors get most of their blocks without coming more than a few inches off the ground. That's why so many of them seem to get better with age even in the face of declining athleticism. It's all about having long arms, good feet, good anticipation, and JJ checks those boxes.

I do agree that he may not be a top post defender/rebounder, at least not right away, but the other positives he brings on that end obviously more than make up for it.

 

[LeeBuckeye]

One red flag for Jackson though is that he looks like Tristan Thompson. How he runs with that ass sticking out, how he moves , his build and even his form is tristanesque! gives me the chills. Seriously, look closely and report back.

 

[Mdog1]

Tristan's ass is his best feature.

Did someone makr a Kardashian joke yet? I'll leave...

 

[Nathan S]

Did someone makr a Kardashian joke yet? I'll leave...

The whole point of that post was to set up a Kardashian joke in my following post:

Why do you think the Kardashian scouting department was so high on him? Top-percentile genetic material. They can't afford to breed with normal-ass randos.