Re: 2017 NBA Draft Prospect Discussion
Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2017 2:41 pm
Josh Jackson had a big game in Kansas win over #2 Baylor, 23 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist. Dennis Smith Jr with 13 points 11 boards 15 assists and just 2 turnovers in a loss last night. I'm warming up to Dennis Smith a bit, but would still take Fultz and Ball ahead of him at PG.
I imagine Fultz and Smith will put up similar numbers in the NBA as far as the big stats go(points, rebounds, assists) but I think they'll get them in different ways. Smith is the better athlete, Fultz is the better shooter. I imagine Fultz will be more efficient and more effective playing without the ball. I see Smith being a ball dominant player who gets a lot of points and assists, but probably not a super efficient scorer and will probably turn the ball over a lot.
Ball is hard to project, there is no one in the nba with his style of play. He's a big fast playmaker who can shoot with range, but will probably struggle to score in the half court. Kidd with a jumpshot is the most often used comparison. Kidd averaged 16 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals per 40 minutes as a freshman in college. Ball is at 17 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. So offensively they look pretty similar, but I don't think Ball will be the defender that Kidd was.
Ntilikina is hard to project as well since there is not much info on him. But I think he'll defend at a high level and has a great feel for the game. He's not a super athlete, or a super shooter, or a super finisher, but he does everything well and I think he'll be a solid pg who can defend 3 positions.
Fox is very fast, very good passer, very good athlete. Needs to get stronger and needs to get a jumpshot. He's not as far along as Wall was at Kentucky, but they do play similar.
At PG my rankings go, Fultz-Ball-(Ntilikina or Smith)-Fox. Smith used to be 5th, but he's pushing Ntilikina for 3rd right now.
I imagine Fultz and Smith will put up similar numbers in the NBA as far as the big stats go(points, rebounds, assists) but I think they'll get them in different ways. Smith is the better athlete, Fultz is the better shooter. I imagine Fultz will be more efficient and more effective playing without the ball. I see Smith being a ball dominant player who gets a lot of points and assists, but probably not a super efficient scorer and will probably turn the ball over a lot.
Ball is hard to project, there is no one in the nba with his style of play. He's a big fast playmaker who can shoot with range, but will probably struggle to score in the half court. Kidd with a jumpshot is the most often used comparison. Kidd averaged 16 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals per 40 minutes as a freshman in college. Ball is at 17 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. So offensively they look pretty similar, but I don't think Ball will be the defender that Kidd was.
Ntilikina is hard to project as well since there is not much info on him. But I think he'll defend at a high level and has a great feel for the game. He's not a super athlete, or a super shooter, or a super finisher, but he does everything well and I think he'll be a solid pg who can defend 3 positions.
Fox is very fast, very good passer, very good athlete. Needs to get stronger and needs to get a jumpshot. He's not as far along as Wall was at Kentucky, but they do play similar.
At PG my rankings go, Fultz-Ball-(Ntilikina or Smith)-Fox. Smith used to be 5th, but he's pushing Ntilikina for 3rd right now.