Kendall Marshall vs Damian Lillard: who will be the better Pro?
I'm just repeating myself from the Wroten thread:
As much as I'm intrigued by Wroten, Marshall, Lillard etc., I think the Jazz should hit the FA market and go hard after Dragic. Per ESPN, "As a starter over 17 games, Dragic has averaged 18.2 points and 8.7 assists per game, while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from 3-point range. During that stretch, as the sixth-seeded Rockets have gone 11-6..." And he'd have substantially better targets to work with in Utah than he has in Houston. I've watched him play in Phoenix for years, and he's the real deal. The Jazz should offer him $30-40M over 5 years, with max money paid out in years 1 and 2. Because the Jazz have a $10M trade exception and so many youngsters, they can afford to pay big $ for two years. Then, as they need to resign their young players, Sap and Jefferson (starting in 2 years), they will have plenty of money available since Dragic will only be pulling $4-6M/year in years 3-5.
Dragic is the perfect fit for the Jazz. He's 25, hungry to be a starter, and extremely capable as a creator and shooter. And the Jazz can offer him more money than other potential suitors (Knicks, Heat, etc.).
I could see the Jazz going after Lillard. Weber State is in Utah, so Lillard could stay in state. There is a thin line separating which point guard is better. Marshall will likely be a pass first point guard at the next level, but won't offer much more than that. Lillard is better suited all around. I think Marshall may start off as the better player, but Lillard could develop into the better player down the road. Plus, we will have to see how Marshall plays after the wrist injury.
Lillard has more potential but Marshall is the safer pick. He'll either be a solid starter or at least a good backup. Lillard is a very good scorer and sometimes those types of players aren't very succesful in the NBA. he could end up avging 15-20 ppg or end up being one of those backup pgs that score alot when their hot once in a while. I think both players should be good though. They'll be the two PGs taken first in this weak pg class.
Lillard.
You know why? Cuz he is a better scorer. I dont know Lillard's wingspan but it sounds as if Marshall's is average at best. Why does everyone call Marshall a great college PG, anyways? Cuz he ran a Roy Williams system? Marshall isnt better then Jacque Vaughn or Mateen Cleaves and they stunk in the NBA. We all know Marshall isnt Jason Kidd either. Marshall is a bench player.
as a jazz fan. Unless they win the lotto or get a top 3 pick I hope they package picks together and trade them for a proven wing. Then go after dragic hard in free agency. Honestly. He is the most talented point guard avilable and i dont really care to see the jazz "develop" Marshall or Lillard, when in the end neither of them are starters at point guard. look at the talent that has come into the league at that postion. Lawson, Kyrie, Rubio, Wall, BJ3, Rose, Westbrook, Curry.... Does Lillard or Marshall even have half the apeal of any of them? Not really. The jazz need a new point guard. They shouldnt look for one this year. THey will just be disappointed. Trade for Calderon or sign Dragic and wait till a better value comes along.
As a Jazz fan I think that Kendall Marshall would be a perfect fit. Having a kid who averaged almost 10 assist game at 9.7 with the Heels, feeding the likes of Millsap, Favors, Hayward, Burks, and Jefferson. It would be an easy transition for him and would be like he never left North Carolina with all the talent that Utah has. Then with the other potential lotto pick address it with a shooter like either of the Lamb guys or Terrence Ross
I dont think either guy is going to step in and change the teams fortunes...the Jazz should just worry about drafting best player available, not just the best point guard...i really dont know much about Lillard besides his scouting report...im not a huge Marshall fan, as i dont see him penetratring much and i dont see the athletic ability, or potential to really be a great starting point guard...i see him as a role player at the next level where as Lillard COULD be very good...
i like what the person said about going after Dragic, hes very under-rated and really fits the Jazz system
I like the Dragic idea too, but I wonder if Houston would be open to a sign and trade, possibly Harris and Miles for Dragic?
But I disagree with big blacknbeautiful when he said that nothing about Marshall or Lillard is appealing. Actually Lillard's game kind of resembles Stephen Curry. Both from a small college, both are underrated passers yet very good scorers. I wouldn't be surprised if Lillard turns out very similar to Curry or even Curry lite. And Marshall is similar to Rubio, both are excellent passers, both have the ability to score when necessary but neither are great shooters. The only thing missing is Rubio is fantastic at stealing, yet Marshall's defense has always been a bit suspect. Still I can't ignore the similarities that I see in Lillard and Curry and Marshall and Rubio. Mind you these are not comparisons but simply statements that their games are somewhat similar to current NBA stars. If I were to compare Lillard it would be a mix between Brandon Knight and Darren Collison, as for Marshall it would be Andre Miller.
lillard could be mike james, like the other guy said he could be the better player down the road. but for the jazz i think marshall would fit better, tho the 9th spot is high for him imo. i dont see anything special on marshall, ok id take lillard now heh
Over the last month Gordon Hayward has been playing phenomenal basketball. The Deseret News had an article last week about how Hayward is currently "morphing into a star." He's averaging 17 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 31.1 minutes in April, shooting 50%/46.7%/87.2%. He's also an above average defender and he turned 22 less than a month ago.
I believe Hayward has as much potential as anyone on the team. The issue with him earlier in the year was confidence as he would settle for too many contested 2s. He's attacking the basket and asserting himself much more now and he's demonstrated the ability to be a go-to guy without being asked to be a go-to guy yet. Hayward's game, size and athleticism is surprisingly similar to Harrison Barnes and we all know how much better Barnes is with Marshall at QB. I think Marshall would be perfect for the Jazz, would help Hayward reach his full potential (he could average 20 ppg), just as he would perfectly put guys like Burks, Favors and Kanter, who are always in attack mode, in the best position to score every possession. They don't need a more basket-minding PG like Lillard. Marshall is the typical Jazz PG for any era.
The Jazz are poised to pick a PG with their first pick of the draft (probably GSW's). The question is which one Marshall, or Lillard?
Marshall has the size and the superb passing ability. Marshall has even proven that he can hit shots when called upon. Probably won't ever be a great shooter but he can hit shots when his team needs him to. He ,probably more than anybody, could remind Jazz fans of John Stockton. Question is: are the Jazz still stuck in the Jerry Sloan mold or are they moving to a more fast break team with Ty Corbin at the helm?
Lillard is more of a scoring guard, but don't underestimate his passing ability. He is an underrated passer. He couldn't showcase that skill at Weber State too often because his team needed him to score, but mind you he can pass. Certainly not like Marshall, but he isn't so bad of a passer either.
The Jazz could certainly use someone with Lillard's shooting ability, but they could also use the passing ability of Marshall to let the bigs grow and reach their full potential, but Lillard could do that with Favors and Kanter too while also helping the Jazz with their backcourt shooting.
So my question to you is: Who do the Jazz pick at 9? (or whatever pick goes to the Jazz from GSW) Which one will have the better career. Or should the Jazz pick niether and go with someone to trade along with Jefferson for a veteran PG (possibly Rondo)?