[valentine]

 

How do you guys think these players will end up? Do you think they will be franchise material?

 

Shabazz Muhammad

6’6 210 SG/SF

Best Kobe / Worst Deshawn Stevenson

 

Jabari Parker

6’8 220 SF

Best Carmelo / Worst Marvin Williams

 

Julius Randle

6’10 255 PF HSJr.

Best C-Webb / Worst Drew Gooden

 

Andrew Wiggins

6’7 200 SF HSSo.

Best T-Mac / Worst Gerald Green

 

Dakari Johnson

6’11 265 C HSSo.

Best Shaq / Worst Brendan Haywood

 

Emanuel Mudiay

6’4 180 PG HSSo.

Best Penny Hardaway / Worst Keyon Dooling

 

Stephen Zimmerman

6’10 230 PF/C HSFr.

Best Dirk Nowitzki / Worst Byron Mullens

[ghrghrParticipant]

What you are basically saying is that these players could become somewhere between some of the best players of all time or role players(and busts) who play the same position but with different skills.
That range includes almost everyone in the league. Narrow it a little. My opinion is that none of these players can reach the ceiling you wrote for them.

[ghrghrParticipant]

What you are basically saying is that these players could become somewhere between some of the best players of all time or role players(and busts) who play the same position but with different skills.
That range includes almost everyone in the league. Narrow it a little. My opinion is that none of these players can reach the ceiling you wrote for them.

[ghrghrParticipant]

What you are basically saying is that these players could become somewhere between some of the best players of all time or role players(and busts) who play the same position but with different skills.
That range includes almost everyone in the league. Narrow it a little. My opinion is that none of these players can reach the ceiling you wrote for them.

[TyroberParticipant]

 So you think Dakari Johnson could end up being one of the best Centers of all time (Shaq) or just an overpaid big men (Haywood)

Same thing with Zimmerman. His ceiling is Dirk and his floor is Byron Mullens? Dirk is a top 5 player in the league and Mullens has hardly even played in the league. Be realistic lol

[TyroberParticipant]

 So you think Dakari Johnson could end up being one of the best Centers of all time (Shaq) or just an overpaid big men (Haywood)

Same thing with Zimmerman. His ceiling is Dirk and his floor is Byron Mullens? Dirk is a top 5 player in the league and Mullens has hardly even played in the league. Be realistic lol

[TyroberParticipant]

 So you think Dakari Johnson could end up being one of the best Centers of all time (Shaq) or just an overpaid big men (Haywood)

Same thing with Zimmerman. His ceiling is Dirk and his floor is Byron Mullens? Dirk is a top 5 player in the league and Mullens has hardly even played in the league. Be realistic lol

[JoeWolf1]

 lol, Best case Michael Jordan/ worst case that 40 year old at the playground with a pretty good jumpshot.

[JoeWolf1]

 lol, Best case Michael Jordan/ worst case that 40 year old at the playground with a pretty good jumpshot.

[JoeWolf1]

 lol, Best case Michael Jordan/ worst case that 40 year old at the playground with a pretty good jumpshot.

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

i dont like to compare high school guys to hall of famers…

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

i dont like to compare high school guys to hall of famers…

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

i dont like to compare high school guys to hall of famers…

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 I think that Jabari Parker could be as good as Carmelo but with the rest I agree with you.

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 I think that Jabari Parker could be as good as Carmelo but with the rest I agree with you.

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 I think that Jabari Parker could be as good as Carmelo but with the rest I agree with you.

[DurantsWingspan]

I wasn’t saying that’s who they’d be. I was just  showing how much range they can have because they are so young. I was showing they could be great, or just a role player, and asking what side of that spectrum do you think they will end up.

[DurantsWingspan]

I wasn’t saying that’s who they’d be. I was just  showing how much range they can have because they are so young. I was showing they could be great, or just a role player, and asking what side of that spectrum do you think they will end up.

[DurantsWingspan]

I wasn’t saying that’s who they’d be. I was just  showing how much range they can have because they are so young. I was showing they could be great, or just a role player, and asking what side of that spectrum do you think they will end up.

[DurantsWingspan]

I’m asking if you think any of these players have SERIOUS potential to take the league  by storm like LeBron, Carmelo, Dwight, CP3, Durant, or Rose did?

[DurantsWingspan]

I’m asking if you think any of these players have SERIOUS potential to take the league  by storm like LeBron, Carmelo, Dwight, CP3, Durant, or Rose did?

[DurantsWingspan]

I’m asking if you think any of these players have SERIOUS potential to take the league  by storm like LeBron, Carmelo, Dwight, CP3, Durant, or Rose did?

[simonkildayParticipant]

 LOL you basically just ranged everybody from being a Hall of Famer to a bottom of the barrel player in the league.  Based on what I’ve seen from each of these guys, I will compare them to somebody in the League based on both style and impact and state why.

Shabazz Muhammad:

I am not quite as high on this guy as most pundits seem to be.  I love his competitiveness and his athleticism, and he seems to have that swagger that he feels he is the best player on the court each time he steps onto it.  However, he is closer to 6’4" than 6’6", and possesses more of a 3 man’s game at this point than a 2.  He scores a lot on post ups right now, and as he gets to the league he will not be able to physically overwhelm defenders as he does in high school.  Think about how Michael Beasley dominated at K-State, but in the NBA he was neutralized because he couldn’t score just by getting the ball dumped to him down low.  My biggest concern with him in terms of becoming a star in the league is that his game seems to lack sophistication and fluidity.  Most everything he does is on straight drives to the basket or one dribble drop steps down low, and then simply rising up over his defender to score.  He doesn’t have all the Euro steps and ball fakes that say, a Dwyane Wade has, to be a dominant scorer in the league as an undersized 2.  He also lacks great range on his jump shot.  His game seems to most resemble James Harden at this point, except more athletic but not as good a shooter.  I think he will have a long and productive career, but in terms of being an NBA star, right now I’m not seeing it.

Jabari Parker:

Based on what I’ve seen from Parker, he seems to be on his way to being a perennial all-star in the league, which is saying a lot for a high school junior.  But if there’s anyone in high school right now that I’m banking on to be a star, it’s him.  He’s got great size (6’8") and length for the 3 position.  He has a "walk the dog" jumper going to his left as an effective go to move.  He has a Kevin Durant like crossover where he seems to cover about 8 feet of ground in the blink of an eye due to his tremendous length.  He seems to have very little wasted motion in his game, everything he does is just smooth, which reminds me of Durant at the same age.  His offensive game looks to be very advanced; he understands angles, how to use the glass, he uses good footwork, and I’ve even seen him shoot one-legged fallaways a la Dirk.  By all accounts, he appears to be a very humble and driven kid, with a great family support system around him.  The only thing he lacks at this point is elite athleticism, but there is room for improvement in this area.  Durant was a good athlete when he came into the league, but you can tell he’s worked on his balance, quickness, and core strength to become the world class athlete he is today.  Parker has a very Durant like game in more of a Carmelo-like body, and down the road, I am looking for him to have a similar impact on the league as these two guys.

Julius Randle:

Randle appears to be a cross breed of a handful of players.  He looks like Dominique Wilkins, has a body similar to Terrence Jones, and plays like a quicker Zach Randolph.  I really like Randle’s game; he just abuses people down low, which is a rarity for young players today.  He is tough and physical, but also extremely light on his feet.  He is very skilled at gaining position with quick, fundamental footwork, and then using his strength to shed defenders off.  He is not a high flyer, but appears to be a quick jumper and has no issues with putting someone on a poster.  I haven’t seen that much of him, but I’ve heard reports that he tends to drift on the perimeter and become too reliant on his jumper.  If this is true, then this is what he needs to work on going forward; developing a ruthlessness to punish defenders in the post all game and never let up.  It would be a stretch to say he is a franchise talent, but I would look for him to be around an all-star level in his peak years.

Andrew Wiggins:

Holy shit.  This guy is a stunning athlete for such a young kid.  He is long and powerful and absolutely jumps out of the gym.  It will definitely be interesting to see how he develops over the years, develop being the operative word.  It’s almost surreal to see a kid be such a physical specimen at 15 years old; could this mean he is close to reaching his ceiling physically?  Also, it’s really hard to gauge his ability considering all of his videos are of him dunking on small Canadian kids.  He’s only 15; the jury is still out.

Dakari Johnson:

People seem to be high on this young big man.  Then again, they were high on Eddy Curry too.  Just saying.  I think we should let kids finish their sophomore year before we start gauging their future prospects, unless they just jump off the page, a la LeBron James.

Emanuel Mudiay.

Barely seen any of this kid.  Looks nice, seems to have good floor vision and good size and athleticism for a point, we’ll see how he develops going forward.

Stephen Zimmerman:

Appears to be a carbon copy of Donatas Montie-whatever the fuck his name is who just got drafted.  The jury is still out on him, so Zimmerman hasn’t even gone to trial.

[simonkildayParticipant]

 LOL you basically just ranged everybody from being a Hall of Famer to a bottom of the barrel player in the league.  Based on what I’ve seen from each of these guys, I will compare them to somebody in the League based on both style and impact and state why.

Shabazz Muhammad:

I am not quite as high on this guy as most pundits seem to be.  I love his competitiveness and his athleticism, and he seems to have that swagger that he feels he is the best player on the court each time he steps onto it.  However, he is closer to 6’4" than 6’6", and possesses more of a 3 man’s game at this point than a 2.  He scores a lot on post ups right now, and as he gets to the league he will not be able to physically overwhelm defenders as he does in high school.  Think about how Michael Beasley dominated at K-State, but in the NBA he was neutralized because he couldn’t score just by getting the ball dumped to him down low.  My biggest concern with him in terms of becoming a star in the league is that his game seems to lack sophistication and fluidity.  Most everything he does is on straight drives to the basket or one dribble drop steps down low, and then simply rising up over his defender to score.  He doesn’t have all the Euro steps and ball fakes that say, a Dwyane Wade has, to be a dominant scorer in the league as an undersized 2.  He also lacks great range on his jump shot.  His game seems to most resemble James Harden at this point, except more athletic but not as good a shooter.  I think he will have a long and productive career, but in terms of being an NBA star, right now I’m not seeing it.

Jabari Parker:

Based on what I’ve seen from Parker, he seems to be on his way to being a perennial all-star in the league, which is saying a lot for a high school junior.  But if there’s anyone in high school right now that I’m banking on to be a star, it’s him.  He’s got great size (6’8") and length for the 3 position.  He has a "walk the dog" jumper going to his left as an effective go to move.  He has a Kevin Durant like crossover where he seems to cover about 8 feet of ground in the blink of an eye due to his tremendous length.  He seems to have very little wasted motion in his game, everything he does is just smooth, which reminds me of Durant at the same age.  His offensive game looks to be very advanced; he understands angles, how to use the glass, he uses good footwork, and I’ve even seen him shoot one-legged fallaways a la Dirk.  By all accounts, he appears to be a very humble and driven kid, with a great family support system around him.  The only thing he lacks at this point is elite athleticism, but there is room for improvement in this area.  Durant was a good athlete when he came into the league, but you can tell he’s worked on his balance, quickness, and core strength to become the world class athlete he is today.  Parker has a very Durant like game in more of a Carmelo-like body, and down the road, I am looking for him to have a similar impact on the league as these two guys.

Julius Randle:

Randle appears to be a cross breed of a handful of players.  He looks like Dominique Wilkins, has a body similar to Terrence Jones, and plays like a quicker Zach Randolph.  I really like Randle’s game; he just abuses people down low, which is a rarity for young players today.  He is tough and physical, but also extremely light on his feet.  He is very skilled at gaining position with quick, fundamental footwork, and then using his strength to shed defenders off.  He is not a high flyer, but appears to be a quick jumper and has no issues with putting someone on a poster.  I haven’t seen that much of him, but I’ve heard reports that he tends to drift on the perimeter and become too reliant on his jumper.  If this is true, then this is what he needs to work on going forward; developing a ruthlessness to punish defenders in the post all game and never let up.  It would be a stretch to say he is a franchise talent, but I would look for him to be around an all-star level in his peak years.

Andrew Wiggins:

Holy shit.  This guy is a stunning athlete for such a young kid.  He is long and powerful and absolutely jumps out of the gym.  It will definitely be interesting to see how he develops over the years, develop being the operative word.  It’s almost surreal to see a kid be such a physical specimen at 15 years old; could this mean he is close to reaching his ceiling physically?  Also, it’s really hard to gauge his ability considering all of his videos are of him dunking on small Canadian kids.  He’s only 15; the jury is still out.

Dakari Johnson:

People seem to be high on this young big man.  Then again, they were high on Eddy Curry too.  Just saying.  I think we should let kids finish their sophomore year before we start gauging their future prospects, unless they just jump off the page, a la LeBron James.

Emanuel Mudiay.

Barely seen any of this kid.  Looks nice, seems to have good floor vision and good size and athleticism for a point, we’ll see how he develops going forward.

Stephen Zimmerman:

Appears to be a carbon copy of Donatas Montie-whatever the fuck his name is who just got drafted.  The jury is still out on him, so Zimmerman hasn’t even gone to trial.

[simonkildayParticipant]

 LOL you basically just ranged everybody from being a Hall of Famer to a bottom of the barrel player in the league.  Based on what I’ve seen from each of these guys, I will compare them to somebody in the League based on both style and impact and state why.

Shabazz Muhammad:

I am not quite as high on this guy as most pundits seem to be.  I love his competitiveness and his athleticism, and he seems to have that swagger that he feels he is the best player on the court each time he steps onto it.  However, he is closer to 6’4" than 6’6", and possesses more of a 3 man’s game at this point than a 2.  He scores a lot on post ups right now, and as he gets to the league he will not be able to physically overwhelm defenders as he does in high school.  Think about how Michael Beasley dominated at K-State, but in the NBA he was neutralized because he couldn’t score just by getting the ball dumped to him down low.  My biggest concern with him in terms of becoming a star in the league is that his game seems to lack sophistication and fluidity.  Most everything he does is on straight drives to the basket or one dribble drop steps down low, and then simply rising up over his defender to score.  He doesn’t have all the Euro steps and ball fakes that say, a Dwyane Wade has, to be a dominant scorer in the league as an undersized 2.  He also lacks great range on his jump shot.  His game seems to most resemble James Harden at this point, except more athletic but not as good a shooter.  I think he will have a long and productive career, but in terms of being an NBA star, right now I’m not seeing it.

Jabari Parker:

Based on what I’ve seen from Parker, he seems to be on his way to being a perennial all-star in the league, which is saying a lot for a high school junior.  But if there’s anyone in high school right now that I’m banking on to be a star, it’s him.  He’s got great size (6’8") and length for the 3 position.  He has a "walk the dog" jumper going to his left as an effective go to move.  He has a Kevin Durant like crossover where he seems to cover about 8 feet of ground in the blink of an eye due to his tremendous length.  He seems to have very little wasted motion in his game, everything he does is just smooth, which reminds me of Durant at the same age.  His offensive game looks to be very advanced; he understands angles, how to use the glass, he uses good footwork, and I’ve even seen him shoot one-legged fallaways a la Dirk.  By all accounts, he appears to be a very humble and driven kid, with a great family support system around him.  The only thing he lacks at this point is elite athleticism, but there is room for improvement in this area.  Durant was a good athlete when he came into the league, but you can tell he’s worked on his balance, quickness, and core strength to become the world class athlete he is today.  Parker has a very Durant like game in more of a Carmelo-like body, and down the road, I am looking for him to have a similar impact on the league as these two guys.

Julius Randle:

Randle appears to be a cross breed of a handful of players.  He looks like Dominique Wilkins, has a body similar to Terrence Jones, and plays like a quicker Zach Randolph.  I really like Randle’s game; he just abuses people down low, which is a rarity for young players today.  He is tough and physical, but also extremely light on his feet.  He is very skilled at gaining position with quick, fundamental footwork, and then using his strength to shed defenders off.  He is not a high flyer, but appears to be a quick jumper and has no issues with putting someone on a poster.  I haven’t seen that much of him, but I’ve heard reports that he tends to drift on the perimeter and become too reliant on his jumper.  If this is true, then this is what he needs to work on going forward; developing a ruthlessness to punish defenders in the post all game and never let up.  It would be a stretch to say he is a franchise talent, but I would look for him to be around an all-star level in his peak years.

Andrew Wiggins:

Holy shit.  This guy is a stunning athlete for such a young kid.  He is long and powerful and absolutely jumps out of the gym.  It will definitely be interesting to see how he develops over the years, develop being the operative word.  It’s almost surreal to see a kid be such a physical specimen at 15 years old; could this mean he is close to reaching his ceiling physically?  Also, it’s really hard to gauge his ability considering all of his videos are of him dunking on small Canadian kids.  He’s only 15; the jury is still out.

Dakari Johnson:

People seem to be high on this young big man.  Then again, they were high on Eddy Curry too.  Just saying.  I think we should let kids finish their sophomore year before we start gauging their future prospects, unless they just jump off the page, a la LeBron James.

Emanuel Mudiay.

Barely seen any of this kid.  Looks nice, seems to have good floor vision and good size and athleticism for a point, we’ll see how he develops going forward.

Stephen Zimmerman:

Appears to be a carbon copy of Donatas Montie-whatever the fuck his name is who just got drafted.  The jury is still out on him, so Zimmerman hasn’t even gone to trial.

[paradigmnParticipant]

 Good stuff…I agree with most of what you said…one correction however….Andrew Wiggins is 16 years old, and is actually almost 1 month older than Jabari Parker.

[paradigmnParticipant]

 Good stuff…I agree with most of what you said…one correction however….Andrew Wiggins is 16 years old, and is actually almost 1 month older than Jabari Parker.

[paradigmnParticipant]

 Good stuff…I agree with most of what you said…one correction however….Andrew Wiggins is 16 years old, and is actually almost 1 month older than Jabari Parker.

[cavairo7Participant]

I understand what you are/were trying to say.  Most of the guys you compared these current HS stars were also once great HS players themselves. But playing in the NBA is VERY DIFFERENT from high school. For different reasons (bad work ethic, fundamental flaws, maturity issues, lack of position, etc), top ranked high school players don’t always pan out. But scouts do their best to overhype almost every great HS player that comes knocking at the door. Heck scouts even considered BJ Mullens to have gone #1 overall in the 2009 draft before he even played a game in college. Gerald Green was said to have been Tracy McGrady 2.0. Now these current HS stars have great potential but before we start crowning them as the next big thing, lets see how they do in college and then in the pros (if they even make it).  And for all the scouts in the world, they still can’t predict late bloomers such as Russell Westbrook and Derrick Williams leap frog McDonald All Americans and other highly ranked HS players. Basically, keep an eye on these "can’t miss" prospects but remember that the next Michael Jordan might be the guy that just got cut from the junior varsity basketball team not the guy who just got the MVP of the McDonald’s All American Game.

[cavairo7Participant]

I understand what you are/were trying to say.  Most of the guys you compared these current HS stars were also once great HS players themselves. But playing in the NBA is VERY DIFFERENT from high school. For different reasons (bad work ethic, fundamental flaws, maturity issues, lack of position, etc), top ranked high school players don’t always pan out. But scouts do their best to overhype almost every great HS player that comes knocking at the door. Heck scouts even considered BJ Mullens to have gone #1 overall in the 2009 draft before he even played a game in college. Gerald Green was said to have been Tracy McGrady 2.0. Now these current HS stars have great potential but before we start crowning them as the next big thing, lets see how they do in college and then in the pros (if they even make it).  And for all the scouts in the world, they still can’t predict late bloomers such as Russell Westbrook and Derrick Williams leap frog McDonald All Americans and other highly ranked HS players. Basically, keep an eye on these "can’t miss" prospects but remember that the next Michael Jordan might be the guy that just got cut from the junior varsity basketball team not the guy who just got the MVP of the McDonald’s All American Game.

[cavairo7Participant]

I understand what you are/were trying to say.  Most of the guys you compared these current HS stars were also once great HS players themselves. But playing in the NBA is VERY DIFFERENT from high school. For different reasons (bad work ethic, fundamental flaws, maturity issues, lack of position, etc), top ranked high school players don’t always pan out. But scouts do their best to overhype almost every great HS player that comes knocking at the door. Heck scouts even considered BJ Mullens to have gone #1 overall in the 2009 draft before he even played a game in college. Gerald Green was said to have been Tracy McGrady 2.0. Now these current HS stars have great potential but before we start crowning them as the next big thing, lets see how they do in college and then in the pros (if they even make it).  And for all the scouts in the world, they still can’t predict late bloomers such as Russell Westbrook and Derrick Williams leap frog McDonald All Americans and other highly ranked HS players. Basically, keep an eye on these "can’t miss" prospects but remember that the next Michael Jordan might be the guy that just got cut from the junior varsity basketball team not the guy who just got the MVP of the McDonald’s All American Game.

[Author]

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