[akhan786Participant]

 Can we just take a moment to appreciate how nasty this rookie class is…I know it’s early, but the amount of studs is ridiculous.

Jahlil Okafor and KAT have been phenomenal. I think both are going to be among the NBA’s best big men.

Porzingis wow I was completely wrong about him. Who would have thought the Knicks possibly found their next franchise player (I know this might be overhyping, but the talent is obvious). Also absolutely love his personality.

Mudiay looks like the PG in Denver for the future. Winslow is already one of the leagues best defenders. Once he assumes a larger offensive role, I feel like he will be one of the faces of the league. Just has "it".

Stanley Johnson and WCS imo look great as well. And I still hope people chill with the amount of hate on Russell. Yes maybe he shouldn’t have been picked #2 overall, but I still think he can turn out to be a good player. Plus he’s only second to Okafor in terms of being in a horrible team situation.

And there have been other rookies some who have already shown, and some who I think in the next three years given a chance at PT will prove to be good players in the League.

The fact that I don’t feel totally off base by saying there are at least 4 All-Stars in this group says something.

 

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

 "Who would have thought Knicks possibly found their next franchise player"

 

Don’t wanna be that guy, but like, a lot of people? He was touted as an extremely high upside pick? There were a lot of haters over at ESPN and I’m sure T-rex will say otherwise and act like he was the only one high on him, but a lot of draft forums were clammering for this guy

 

[akhan786Participant]

 Then let me rephrase it by saying that I did not see it coming at all mostly because I never took the effort to actually see much footage of him. 

I thought he could be a great piece, but looking possibly like a franchise talent? This quickly? No.

 

[akhan786Participant]

 Then let me rephrase it by saying that I did not see it coming at all mostly because I never took the effort to actually see much footage of him. 

I thought he could be a great piece, but looking possibly like a franchise talent? This quickly? No.

 

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

 "Who would have thought Knicks possibly found their next franchise player"

 

Don’t wanna be that guy, but like, a lot of people? He was touted as an extremely high upside pick? There were a lot of haters over at ESPN and I’m sure T-rex will say otherwise and act like he was the only one high on him, but a lot of draft forums were clammering for this guy

 

[akhan786Participant]

 

***Just as a note/rant

 I’ve noticed that people who may have become Team KAT, Team Okafor, or Team Porz seem to bash the other two stud big men, because somehow the other two’s success takes away from the player they are a fan of. This is not the case. I hope KAT, Okafor, and Porz ALL reach their potential.

 

 I was specifically disturbed by the vitriol shown Okafor’s way that I don’t think was in any way warranted for a 19 year old rookie on possibly the worst constructed team for his strengths, and despite all of that is still balling out. People say that his stats are inflated because he’s on the 76ers, but if you watch the games you know he could be putting up such higher numbers if he actually had a PG that could get him the ball, and at least one shooter to provide spacing. He has to work really hard for his scoring, and more often than not his teammates can only get him the ball far outside the paint. A big man who only gets assisted on 42% of his baskets, while basically always being double teamed, and still putting up close to 20ppg is special. His horrible advanced statistics should be taken with a grain of salt if put in the proper context of how actually despicable pieces he has around him.

He still has A LOT he can improve. But he’s 19 as are so many of the other rookies and has already been lauded by his coaching staff at his willingness to tackle his weaknesses and how quickly he is already improving on the defensive end.

Okafor by every indication is going to be a star. So are KAT and Porzingis. The age of big men has returned.

 

[circumlocution75Participant]

 watching…. I agree that anyone who has thinks Okafor’s #’s are inflated has clearly not watched a single Sixers game…. On any other team, he’d score Easy 25+ every night…. His skills in the post are mind blowing – he commands a Double & sometimes triple teams & he’s a great passer out of the Double Team…. 

I realize the novice fan may have been down on the Knicks Porzingus pick b/c they never heard of him…….. But Everyone on this site & really anyone who follows the Draft knew about him for Well over a year….. Porzingus was seriously considering the 2014 Draft… Both his parents are retired professional basketball players….. & U.S. scouts overseas have been raving about him for a year….. He’s still young & he needs to get stronger but people knew about him & knew he was Legit…. we were all watching video of him over a year ago….

Russell is really in a tough situation…. & he’s still averaging 10.5 pts, 4.5 reb & 3 assists a game…. his #’s are good for a Rookie that’s really not been allowed to do his job – which is run the team…. I think Kobe’s body is going to betray him…. & in the 2nd half of the season…. Randle, Clarkson & Russell will assert themselves & show that the Lakers have a nice young nucleus…. & Russell will be showing everyone why he was picked #2 as he leads the team from the point….

Towns looks great – great rebounder & shot blocker… like Porzingus, he also needs to strengthen his lower body & develop his post game… but he’s got a sweet stroke from 20 ft & in…. & he & Wiggins look like a great foundation for Minnesota….

Basically all 4 top picks have shown their strengths & we’ve seen the weaknesses they have to work on… but all look to have a Very bright future in the NBA….

 

 

 

 

[circumlocution75Participant]

 watching…. I agree that anyone who has thinks Okafor’s #’s are inflated has clearly not watched a single Sixers game…. On any other team, he’d score Easy 25+ every night…. His skills in the post are mind blowing – he commands a Double & sometimes triple teams & he’s a great passer out of the Double Team…. 

I realize the novice fan may have been down on the Knicks Porzingus pick b/c they never heard of him…….. But Everyone on this site & really anyone who follows the Draft knew about him for Well over a year….. Porzingus was seriously considering the 2014 Draft… Both his parents are retired professional basketball players….. & U.S. scouts overseas have been raving about him for a year….. He’s still young & he needs to get stronger but people knew about him & knew he was Legit…. we were all watching video of him over a year ago….

Russell is really in a tough situation…. & he’s still averaging 10.5 pts, 4.5 reb & 3 assists a game…. his #’s are good for a Rookie that’s really not been allowed to do his job – which is run the team…. I think Kobe’s body is going to betray him…. & in the 2nd half of the season…. Randle, Clarkson & Russell will assert themselves & show that the Lakers have a nice young nucleus…. & Russell will be showing everyone why he was picked #2 as he leads the team from the point….

Towns looks great – great rebounder & shot blocker… like Porzingus, he also needs to strengthen his lower body & develop his post game… but he’s got a sweet stroke from 20 ft & in…. & he & Wiggins look like a great foundation for Minnesota….

Basically all 4 top picks have shown their strengths & we’ve seen the weaknesses they have to work on… but all look to have a Very bright future in the NBA….

 

 

 

 

[akhan786Participant]

 

***Just as a note/rant

 I’ve noticed that people who may have become Team KAT, Team Okafor, or Team Porz seem to bash the other two stud big men, because somehow the other two’s success takes away from the player they are a fan of. This is not the case. I hope KAT, Okafor, and Porz ALL reach their potential.

 

 I was specifically disturbed by the vitriol shown Okafor’s way that I don’t think was in any way warranted for a 19 year old rookie on possibly the worst constructed team for his strengths, and despite all of that is still balling out. People say that his stats are inflated because he’s on the 76ers, but if you watch the games you know he could be putting up such higher numbers if he actually had a PG that could get him the ball, and at least one shooter to provide spacing. He has to work really hard for his scoring, and more often than not his teammates can only get him the ball far outside the paint. A big man who only gets assisted on 42% of his baskets, while basically always being double teamed, and still putting up close to 20ppg is special. His horrible advanced statistics should be taken with a grain of salt if put in the proper context of how actually despicable pieces he has around him.

He still has A LOT he can improve. But he’s 19 as are so many of the other rookies and has already been lauded by his coaching staff at his willingness to tackle his weaknesses and how quickly he is already improving on the defensive end.

Okafor by every indication is going to be a star. So are KAT and Porzingis. The age of big men has returned.

 

[festar35Participant]

Love this draft class and agree with all that’s been said.

I just want to throw some love at Myles Turner, this kid has one heck of a jump shot and fixes to be a very good shot blocker as well. The way Indiana are rolling he doesn’t need to do too much either, just step into the minutes Lavoy Allen has been playing and do his thing he will be a key piece to Indiana now and going forward.

On a side note I love Porzingis, I have always been a Dirk fan and they don’t really have similar games there is just something about him that makes me feel he can fill the void once Dirk decides to hang ’em up.
I hope Phiily decide to build a team around Okafor as well, that young man is a beast!

[festar35Participant]

Love this draft class and agree with all that’s been said.

I just want to throw some love at Myles Turner, this kid has one heck of a jump shot and fixes to be a very good shot blocker as well. The way Indiana are rolling he doesn’t need to do too much either, just step into the minutes Lavoy Allen has been playing and do his thing he will be a key piece to Indiana now and going forward.

On a side note I love Porzingis, I have always been a Dirk fan and they don’t really have similar games there is just something about him that makes me feel he can fill the void once Dirk decides to hang ’em up.
I hope Phiily decide to build a team around Okafor as well, that young man is a beast!

[r377Participant]

Out of the top 13 only really Trey Lyles looks like he might be a bust but the other 12 should all have nba careers. WCS will never live up to no6 expectations.

Pretty much what most of us expected on draft day……….

RHJ has been getting minutes lately. Bobby Portis did well in pre-season but not enough mins atm

I really wanna see what Justin Anderson and Rashad Vaughn can do…….

[r377Participant]

Out of the top 13 only really Trey Lyles looks like he might be a bust but the other 12 should all have nba careers. WCS will never live up to no6 expectations.

Pretty much what most of us expected on draft day……….

RHJ has been getting minutes lately. Bobby Portis did well in pre-season but not enough mins atm

I really wanna see what Justin Anderson and Rashad Vaughn can do…….

[bdiddy5115Participant]

Russell is getting way too much hate. He’s a patient player who’s slowly starting to get his groove on a terrible team full of iso-players. He literally never gets the ball back when he gives it up, and his APG numbers are far lower than they should be due to teammates going iso when they have an open shot, or just not converting. Not to mention that Byron Scott has been horribly detrimental to his development. Even then, he’s putting up better numbers than Mudiay. He’s 19 and his style-of-play will require a longer learning curve than the athletic monster PGs who can excel in drive/kick ball right away.

Mudiay clearly has the physical talent, but I think he’s getting too much love right now. He’s getting as much free-reign as a rookie point as anyone I’ve seen, at least considering the terrible efficiency he’s putting up. I do think he can be a star eventually, but his efficiency/advanced numbers have to be amongst the worst of all-time at this point.

KAT and Porzingis have sold me completely. They’re both well on their way to becoming 2-way studs, if they aren’t already. They also play winning basketball, and Porzingis’s efficiency seems like it will come around. 

Okafor on the other hand is great at what he does, but I’m not sure if what he does will equate to winning ball. His advanced metrics on D are the worst in the L for a C, and his efficiency is not good (then again, most rookies’ aren’t). He projects as a worse-rebounding Al Jefferson at this point, which is still a very good player, but not one you build a winning team around. 

Stanley Johnson hasn’t gotten in the groove he had in the summer, but he will. I’m very confident that he’ll become a great 2-way player. Winslow has been fantastic on D already, and should/could end up something like a J.Butler/MKG hybrid. 

Turner looks good, and I like his niche as a shooting rim-protector. Booker seems to have the tools to be one of the better shooters in the L someday. WCS is WCS, and his unique physical tools will continue to make him very valuable on D.

 

[bdiddy5115Participant]

Russell is getting way too much hate. He’s a patient player who’s slowly starting to get his groove on a terrible team full of iso-players. He literally never gets the ball back when he gives it up, and his APG numbers are far lower than they should be due to teammates going iso when they have an open shot, or just not converting. Not to mention that Byron Scott has been horribly detrimental to his development. Even then, he’s putting up better numbers than Mudiay. He’s 19 and his style-of-play will require a longer learning curve than the athletic monster PGs who can excel in drive/kick ball right away.

Mudiay clearly has the physical talent, but I think he’s getting too much love right now. He’s getting as much free-reign as a rookie point as anyone I’ve seen, at least considering the terrible efficiency he’s putting up. I do think he can be a star eventually, but his efficiency/advanced numbers have to be amongst the worst of all-time at this point.

KAT and Porzingis have sold me completely. They’re both well on their way to becoming 2-way studs, if they aren’t already. They also play winning basketball, and Porzingis’s efficiency seems like it will come around. 

Okafor on the other hand is great at what he does, but I’m not sure if what he does will equate to winning ball. His advanced metrics on D are the worst in the L for a C, and his efficiency is not good (then again, most rookies’ aren’t). He projects as a worse-rebounding Al Jefferson at this point, which is still a very good player, but not one you build a winning team around. 

Stanley Johnson hasn’t gotten in the groove he had in the summer, but he will. I’m very confident that he’ll become a great 2-way player. Winslow has been fantastic on D already, and should/could end up something like a J.Butler/MKG hybrid. 

Turner looks good, and I like his niche as a shooting rim-protector. Booker seems to have the tools to be one of the better shooters in the L someday. WCS is WCS, and his unique physical tools will continue to make him very valuable on D.

 

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

there’s going to be some great debates about who should be rookie of the year.

 i wonder will playing under the ny spotlight sway voters toward porzingis?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

there’s going to be some great debates about who should be rookie of the year.

 i wonder will playing under the ny spotlight sway voters toward porzingis?

[thetruth87Participant]

 Just a matter of time before Stallone/T-Rex sees this and convinces all of us how much better Porzingis is than every other rookie in the class, and has a brighter future than Anthony Davis….

[thetruth87Participant]

 Just a matter of time before Stallone/T-Rex sees this and convinces all of us how much better Porzingis is than every other rookie in the class, and has a brighter future than Anthony Davis….

[ZachAttackParticipant]

Maybe his account got deleted. I haven’t seen him on here in like a whole 12 hours.

[ZachAttackParticipant]

Maybe his account got deleted. I haven’t seen him on here in like a whole 12 hours.

[lalailaParticipant]

 usually rookies gets way better during the season and doesn’t start that well I think. Look even Wiggins was avg like 12 points at this point last year..

with that being said I can see Okafor finishing something like 19-8  for KAT 17-11-2.5 isn’t out of question

I can see Mudiay improving to 15-4-7, no limits fo Porzingis with such an uraganic improvements but I would say 16-8-2 is about what he can get this year

I mean if those optimistic but realistic predictions come close to the true,. just wow, we really should appreciate them

 

suddenly it looks like GREAT draft and might be better than 2014 actually

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lalailaParticipant]

 usually rookies gets way better during the season and doesn’t start that well I think. Look even Wiggins was avg like 12 points at this point last year..

with that being said I can see Okafor finishing something like 19-8  for KAT 17-11-2.5 isn’t out of question

I can see Mudiay improving to 15-4-7, no limits fo Porzingis with such an uraganic improvements but I would say 16-8-2 is about what he can get this year

I mean if those optimistic but realistic predictions come close to the true,. just wow, we really should appreciate them

 

suddenly it looks like GREAT draft and might be better than 2014 actually

 

 

 

 

 

 

[whiteflashParticipant]

 Has anyone actually watched Mudiay play? He looks AWFUL. Can’t shoot, can’t finish, struggles getting by his man. He’s got good natural passing instincts but also makes WAY too many boneheaded mistakes. He’s averaging less than 13ppg on almost 15fga while shooting 32%. He’s also a turnover machine. If the Nuggets didn’t let him pad his stats during garbage time he’d somehow look even worse. Let’s also not forget that rooks usually hit "The Wall" about 50 games in. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and I think he’ll improve over the next few seasons  (it’d be impossible to be worse), but right now he’s REALLY playing poorly. Been saying since the draft that to me he looks like a bigger Ray Felton. 

[whiteflashParticipant]

 Has anyone actually watched Mudiay play? He looks AWFUL. Can’t shoot, can’t finish, struggles getting by his man. He’s got good natural passing instincts but also makes WAY too many boneheaded mistakes. He’s averaging less than 13ppg on almost 15fga while shooting 32%. He’s also a turnover machine. If the Nuggets didn’t let him pad his stats during garbage time he’d somehow look even worse. Let’s also not forget that rooks usually hit "The Wall" about 50 games in. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and I think he’ll improve over the next few seasons  (it’d be impossible to be worse), but right now he’s REALLY playing poorly. Been saying since the draft that to me he looks like a bigger Ray Felton. 

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 … Physically & mentally the much longer pro season & the travel just beats them down…. The style of play is different… the athletes are off the charts compared to college….. & just in general like ALL of us we learn little things that make us more efficient at whatever we do…..

So I am Super excited to see where these top guys will be next season…. B/c they have gotten off to extremely exciting starts….

 

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 … Physically & mentally the much longer pro season & the travel just beats them down…. The style of play is different… the athletes are off the charts compared to college….. & just in general like ALL of us we learn little things that make us more efficient at whatever we do…..

So I am Super excited to see where these top guys will be next season…. B/c they have gotten off to extremely exciting starts….

 

[HeroescantdieParticipant]

I want to appreciate the fact that big man in this class is having a good if not great rookie season, Kristaps, KAT and Jah, it is very unusual for big man coming out of the draft to be like this productive, considering they are so young, they are all 19 y/o if I’m correct. Mudiay and Russell have their own struggles early on but I we see some flashes.

The saying there’s no real Big man anymore isnt’ true anymore, with these 3 rooks having a good season.

  

[HeroescantdieParticipant]

I want to appreciate the fact that big man in this class is having a good if not great rookie season, Kristaps, KAT and Jah, it is very unusual for big man coming out of the draft to be like this productive, considering they are so young, they are all 19 y/o if I’m correct. Mudiay and Russell have their own struggles early on but I we see some flashes.

The saying there’s no real Big man anymore isnt’ true anymore, with these 3 rooks having a good season.

  

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