[cheetosjalapeno17Participant]

 What do you guys think of Brandon Ingram? Does he really compare to KD? Can he gain some freakin weight, cause from all the videos i see of him he looks skinny AF. Does it look like his frame can fill out? And to those that have watched him closely, what’s his style? Who does he actually compare to, cause KD might be a stretch with the videos I see. Thanks guys!

[hoffmanm6Participant]

 It is so hard to tell at this point because we do not know how these guys will translate to the college game but I can see Brandon Ingram being a Tayshaun Prince type player. He has the length and the athleticism to be a premium defender and I know he is a talented offensive player but does he have the range like KD has. I think Duke will play small and play him at the 4, kind of like how they did with Jabari. I can’t wait to watch this kid grow and become a star. 

[hoffmanm6Participant]

 It is so hard to tell at this point because we do not know how these guys will translate to the college game but I can see Brandon Ingram being a Tayshaun Prince type player. He has the length and the athleticism to be a premium defender and I know he is a talented offensive player but does he have the range like KD has. I think Duke will play small and play him at the 4, kind of like how they did with Jabari. I can’t wait to watch this kid grow and become a star. 

[bdiddy5115Participant]

Long smooth wings with range will always get a good amount of hype, but it’s difficult to find a comparison for Ingram, with the laughably large gap between Durant and guys like Austin Daye. Not to mention Ingram is earlier in his development, both physically and skills-wise than other top prospects in the class (i.e. Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown etc), so we don’t know what his Freshman year will entail.

Maybe he proves to be a role-player who just shows flashes of his immense upside, or perhaps he shows that he’s far more ready than we anticipated, and steps up into a featured offensive role (which would likely catapault him into top-3 discussion, as a 6’9" to 6’10" SF). I think something in-between is more likely (maybe as a 13-14 ppg guy for the year, with his MPG/role expanding as the season progresses). I do think it’s likely that he ends up as a top-5 pick, even if he looks raw.

It will be interesting to see who steps up on Duke to handle the offensive load. Grayson Allen showed quite a bit in the FF, but he did only average 4.4ppg for the season. Matt Jones returns as well. Jefferson and Plumlee also return but they’ll serve as dirty-work guys who’ll provide some leadership.

As for the Freshman, I like Thornton, but he is young for his class, and it may be unrealistic to expect the same type of production that Tyus Jones brought in his first year (Jones was advanced in terms of maturity for his age, even if Thornton is more explosive). Jeter has a solid hook and post game for his age, but he’s still developing physically and it’s difficult to project how much of an offensive load he can shoulder as Freshman big (as it is with most Frosh bigs, not counting the unusually advanced Okafor types). Kennard has the range to contribute on the wing as well. In other words, the opportunity is there for Ingram to step up and be the man. 

 

 

 

 

[bdiddy5115Participant]

Long smooth wings with range will always get a good amount of hype, but it’s difficult to find a comparison for Ingram, with the laughably large gap between Durant and guys like Austin Daye. Not to mention Ingram is earlier in his development, both physically and skills-wise than other top prospects in the class (i.e. Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown etc), so we don’t know what his Freshman year will entail.

Maybe he proves to be a role-player who just shows flashes of his immense upside, or perhaps he shows that he’s far more ready than we anticipated, and steps up into a featured offensive role (which would likely catapault him into top-3 discussion, as a 6’9" to 6’10" SF). I think something in-between is more likely (maybe as a 13-14 ppg guy for the year, with his MPG/role expanding as the season progresses). I do think it’s likely that he ends up as a top-5 pick, even if he looks raw.

It will be interesting to see who steps up on Duke to handle the offensive load. Grayson Allen showed quite a bit in the FF, but he did only average 4.4ppg for the season. Matt Jones returns as well. Jefferson and Plumlee also return but they’ll serve as dirty-work guys who’ll provide some leadership.

As for the Freshman, I like Thornton, but he is young for his class, and it may be unrealistic to expect the same type of production that Tyus Jones brought in his first year (Jones was advanced in terms of maturity for his age, even if Thornton is more explosive). Jeter has a solid hook and post game for his age, but he’s still developing physically and it’s difficult to project how much of an offensive load he can shoulder as Freshman big (as it is with most Frosh bigs, not counting the unusually advanced Okafor types). Kennard has the range to contribute on the wing as well. In other words, the opportunity is there for Ingram to step up and be the man. 

 

 

 

 

[ncballer]

 This is coming from someone who has watched Ingram play 11 times live.  

He is rapidly improving and his ceiling is scary. At this point (again, I am not sure how much he has improved since enrolling in Duke), he is a step below Parker and Okafor in terms of immediate impact.  He has higher upside than both, but at this point he is a step below them.  That is not to say I don’t expect him to be Duke’s leading scorer because I do, but I do think he will struggle with consistency and efficiency.  One game he will look like KD the next he will look like Austin Daye.  

I think he ends up playing PF a lot for Duke.  I am not sold on Chase Jeter at all.  I think he and Amile Jeffersen are really redundant, and I have heard that Sean Obi has been a dissapointment.

That said, I think out of necessity he will be Duke’s leading scorer and Grayson Allen will be second.  It will be an up and down year for Duke IMHO, but they will be scary in March when they finally put it together.  

 

 

 

 

[ncballer]

 This is coming from someone who has watched Ingram play 11 times live.  

He is rapidly improving and his ceiling is scary. At this point (again, I am not sure how much he has improved since enrolling in Duke), he is a step below Parker and Okafor in terms of immediate impact.  He has higher upside than both, but at this point he is a step below them.  That is not to say I don’t expect him to be Duke’s leading scorer because I do, but I do think he will struggle with consistency and efficiency.  One game he will look like KD the next he will look like Austin Daye.  

I think he ends up playing PF a lot for Duke.  I am not sold on Chase Jeter at all.  I think he and Amile Jeffersen are really redundant, and I have heard that Sean Obi has been a dissapointment.

That said, I think out of necessity he will be Duke’s leading scorer and Grayson Allen will be second.  It will be an up and down year for Duke IMHO, but they will be scary in March when they finally put it together.  

 

 

 

 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 Assuming he works really hard, I think he’s a future star. He has as much upside as anyone in the draft and it’s an excellent year to have a top 3 pick. The physicality is the key to everything for him. One thing people are leaving out is how incredibly crafty he was in high school at getting to the rack. He could get there no matter what. 

The concern I had was that in all the Nike Hoop Summit-type games, he settled for jumpers. Luckily, he can make those at a great clip. I was more concerned he wasn’t going through traffic or getting into the lane. I am less impressed with his jumper (though solid) than I am with his driving capabilities. With significant weight, he’d be unstoppable. That’s a big if though. He looks skinnier than his listed weight. Probably at 185. 

All of this doesn’t even take into account his possible defense prowess or the fact he can touch the very top of the backboard. So much to like. I’d take Ben Simmons first, but I’d still be thinking about Ingram in the back of my mind. 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 Assuming he works really hard, I think he’s a future star. He has as much upside as anyone in the draft and it’s an excellent year to have a top 3 pick. The physicality is the key to everything for him. One thing people are leaving out is how incredibly crafty he was in high school at getting to the rack. He could get there no matter what. 

The concern I had was that in all the Nike Hoop Summit-type games, he settled for jumpers. Luckily, he can make those at a great clip. I was more concerned he wasn’t going through traffic or getting into the lane. I am less impressed with his jumper (though solid) than I am with his driving capabilities. With significant weight, he’d be unstoppable. That’s a big if though. He looks skinnier than his listed weight. Probably at 185. 

All of this doesn’t even take into account his possible defense prowess or the fact he can touch the very top of the backboard. So much to like. I’d take Ben Simmons first, but I’d still be thinking about Ingram in the back of my mind. 

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

I think they again, are a very high IQ team.  I see them making a deep run if their bench steps up.

Grayson Allen + Kennard + Ingram + Jeter is a lot of scoring and savvy passing.  I really enjoyed watching them, and also, DukeBasketball on youtube makes some great videos, high quality editing.

 

Ingram himself, his frame is impressive.  Look at his shoulders, they are like completely flat, reminds me of Dwight Howard or Wes Matthews shoulders, KD’s are similar too….i think the more stable, square, your back and shoulders are, the better the shooter you are.

Ingram’s shot is poetry.  Smooth, like butter, the ball barely hits the bottom of the net.  His game is pretty poetic too.  I think for Duke he’ll be playing all over the place, as the defense dictates.  As coach K said, he’s just a fine baller.  

In comparison to Durant I definitely see a lot of smilarities.  Both are long, smart, great feel for the game.

To me, Simmons is the #1 pick even with a bad shot.  Simmons is a winner, and his size in combo with athleticism and power are too good.  If Simmons becomes a better shooter and stronger finisher, and is surrounded by good role players, he can help a team win multiple championships.  He reminds me of Magic Johnson with a little less flair.  

But Ingram is the second swingman, he can do everything already, just needs to grow into his body and be more aggressive and powerful.  To me, why anyone would take a project like Brown whose skills need to develop, simply because of his athleticism, is baffling.  Thats why draftexpress mock draft makes way more sense.  

So if I was taking a swingman I’d take Simmons, Ingram, then Bender as a 3/4, and then Brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

I think they again, are a very high IQ team.  I see them making a deep run if their bench steps up.

Grayson Allen + Kennard + Ingram + Jeter is a lot of scoring and savvy passing.  I really enjoyed watching them, and also, DukeBasketball on youtube makes some great videos, high quality editing.

 

Ingram himself, his frame is impressive.  Look at his shoulders, they are like completely flat, reminds me of Dwight Howard or Wes Matthews shoulders, KD’s are similar too….i think the more stable, square, your back and shoulders are, the better the shooter you are.

Ingram’s shot is poetry.  Smooth, like butter, the ball barely hits the bottom of the net.  His game is pretty poetic too.  I think for Duke he’ll be playing all over the place, as the defense dictates.  As coach K said, he’s just a fine baller.  

In comparison to Durant I definitely see a lot of smilarities.  Both are long, smart, great feel for the game.

To me, Simmons is the #1 pick even with a bad shot.  Simmons is a winner, and his size in combo with athleticism and power are too good.  If Simmons becomes a better shooter and stronger finisher, and is surrounded by good role players, he can help a team win multiple championships.  He reminds me of Magic Johnson with a little less flair.  

But Ingram is the second swingman, he can do everything already, just needs to grow into his body and be more aggressive and powerful.  To me, why anyone would take a project like Brown whose skills need to develop, simply because of his athleticism, is baffling.  Thats why draftexpress mock draft makes way more sense.  

So if I was taking a swingman I’d take Simmons, Ingram, then Bender as a 3/4, and then Brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[DukeDaSquadParticipant]

 As a duke fan, I was skeptical of him being compared to durant. He is slightly smaller length wise but Durant was probably skinnier than ingram at the same age. I didnt think that he was a good shooter but I read somewhere that he won the elite 24 shootout one year (idk if its true but i saw a clip of him hitting a whole rack in the competition).

On another note Someone that I think really compares to Durant is Jonathan Isaac. From what I have seen and read he can really shoot it. Hes not athletic as Ingram I beleive or isnt as long either but he does weigh more and he can still get up. He has a good handle also. Durant also compared himself to Isaac at the same age. I think he is slightly taller than Ingram too because I looked at the team pic and ingram was about the same height as Amile Jefferson

[DukeDaSquadParticipant]

 As a duke fan, I was skeptical of him being compared to durant. He is slightly smaller length wise but Durant was probably skinnier than ingram at the same age. I didnt think that he was a good shooter but I read somewhere that he won the elite 24 shootout one year (idk if its true but i saw a clip of him hitting a whole rack in the competition).

On another note Someone that I think really compares to Durant is Jonathan Isaac. From what I have seen and read he can really shoot it. Hes not athletic as Ingram I beleive or isnt as long either but he does weigh more and he can still get up. He has a good handle also. Durant also compared himself to Isaac at the same age. I think he is slightly taller than Ingram too because I looked at the team pic and ingram was about the same height as Amile Jefferson

[DrivingDownTheStreetinmy64]

 He is more like Alfredric Hughes than KD!!!!!!

[DrivingDownTheStreetinmy64]

 He is more like Alfredric Hughes than KD!!!!!!

[I.C.Y.U.NV.MEParticipant]

 From a PLAYING STYLE and BODY TYPE stand point, I kind of get the Durant comparison. 6’9 (could still be growing) with a 7’3 wingspan, handles like a guard, and is an adequate shooter. KD may have been quicker than him at the same age, but Ingram probably has more meat on his bones at that same point. Now obviously there is a severe differential in skill, as I don’t see Ingram having anywhere near the freshman year KD had. I think Ingram may struggle a little out of the gate due to the physicality of the college game, but he is too skilled and has too much upside to not be Dukes leading scorer. I can see him averaging about 15 or 16ppg 6rpg 

[ncballer]

 I think you communicated a lot better what I was trying to say.  Completely agree with this post.

[ncballer]

 I think you communicated a lot better what I was trying to say.  Completely agree with this post.

[I.C.Y.U.NV.MEParticipant]

 From a PLAYING STYLE and BODY TYPE stand point, I kind of get the Durant comparison. 6’9 (could still be growing) with a 7’3 wingspan, handles like a guard, and is an adequate shooter. KD may have been quicker than him at the same age, but Ingram probably has more meat on his bones at that same point. Now obviously there is a severe differential in skill, as I don’t see Ingram having anywhere near the freshman year KD had. I think Ingram may struggle a little out of the gate due to the physicality of the college game, but he is too skilled and has too much upside to not be Dukes leading scorer. I can see him averaging about 15 or 16ppg 6rpg 

[T Rex]

 I think he could be the number one pick.

Length + quickness + skill is the new formula for amazing.

Just look at Porzingis, who I don’t think should gain too much more weight, because his lateral quickness is amazing.

If Durant lost 20 lbs I bet his defense and overall game would be a lot better.

Wiggins is probably better off staying skinny and maximizing his quickness, and staying at SG for the longterm. He has a good post game and midrange, and he should just stay at SG and score over their heads.

LaVine should stay skinny and focus on being a sparkplug scorer at pg, where his length is above average.

Towns should not try to gain a bunch of weight, and part of the Wolves success is the ability of Towns to play great at PF.

For some reason nobody wanted to give Christian Wood a chance at SF, and declared him to be a too skinny PF with delusions of SF ability. I hope he gets a chance to play down a position, rather than being forced to bulk up and lose his quickness.

Length + quickness + skill is actually pretty rare. Giannis is struggling to put together the skill part, though he’ll probably be just fine. 

Brandon Ingram just might be the next superstar shooting guard, even though he’s 6’10 and growing. 

If Porzingis wasn’t forced to gain so much weight, I bet he could have been a superstar at SF, getting to the FT line 10+ times a game. He still has great quickness, but won’t have the quickness for SF for much longer if he keeps gaining weight.

Ingram’s defensive footspeed in the draftexpress video really blew me away. He can guard on the perimeter very well. We’re looking at near-Porzingis level defensive versatility, in addition to Ingram’s 3 point range and shooting off the dribble.

Ben Simmons 9’+ standing reach may or may not be legit, since his LSU measurement was so different from his previous measurements. But as far as defensive foot speed, I’m not sure Simmons has the agility to be a plus defender against SFs, much less SGs.

We’ll never know how KD’s career might have been different if he had stayed skinny, especially defensively. Even though the entire outside world told him he was too skinny and needed to gain weight like has been the trend in recent years, he may very well have been better staying relatively skinny, and more agile.

Right now Ingram is looking like a supremely versatile defender who could even play some minutes at SG, and I hope he gets the chance to keep his natural body type, even if he plays at SF his whole career.

Because when you have crazy length and skill, quickness becomes more important than strength.

And Ingram has the best combo of length, quickness and skill in this next draft class, is how it looks to me so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[T Rex]

 I think he could be the number one pick.

Length + quickness + skill is the new formula for amazing.

Just look at Porzingis, who I don’t think should gain too much more weight, because his lateral quickness is amazing.

If Durant lost 20 lbs I bet his defense and overall game would be a lot better.

Wiggins is probably better off staying skinny and maximizing his quickness, and staying at SG for the longterm. He has a good post game and midrange, and he should just stay at SG and score over their heads.

LaVine should stay skinny and focus on being a sparkplug scorer at pg, where his length is above average.

Towns should not try to gain a bunch of weight, and part of the Wolves success is the ability of Towns to play great at PF.

For some reason nobody wanted to give Christian Wood a chance at SF, and declared him to be a too skinny PF with delusions of SF ability. I hope he gets a chance to play down a position, rather than being forced to bulk up and lose his quickness.

Length + quickness + skill is actually pretty rare. Giannis is struggling to put together the skill part, though he’ll probably be just fine. 

Brandon Ingram just might be the next superstar shooting guard, even though he’s 6’10 and growing. 

If Porzingis wasn’t forced to gain so much weight, I bet he could have been a superstar at SF, getting to the FT line 10+ times a game. He still has great quickness, but won’t have the quickness for SF for much longer if he keeps gaining weight.

Ingram’s defensive footspeed in the draftexpress video really blew me away. He can guard on the perimeter very well. We’re looking at near-Porzingis level defensive versatility, in addition to Ingram’s 3 point range and shooting off the dribble.

Ben Simmons 9’+ standing reach may or may not be legit, since his LSU measurement was so different from his previous measurements. But as far as defensive foot speed, I’m not sure Simmons has the agility to be a plus defender against SFs, much less SGs.

We’ll never know how KD’s career might have been different if he had stayed skinny, especially defensively. Even though the entire outside world told him he was too skinny and needed to gain weight like has been the trend in recent years, he may very well have been better staying relatively skinny, and more agile.

Right now Ingram is looking like a supremely versatile defender who could even play some minutes at SG, and I hope he gets the chance to keep his natural body type, even if he plays at SF his whole career.

Because when you have crazy length and skill, quickness becomes more important than strength.

And Ingram has the best combo of length, quickness and skill in this next draft class, is how it looks to me so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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