Don’t forget Sestina he will be in the mix. His impact is unknown but he looks like he can be a solid contributor which is all we would get from mcdaniels in one year.
Mcdaniels isn’t a make or break player imo
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Don’t forget Sestina he will be in the mix. His impact is unknown but he looks like he can be a solid contributor which is all we would get from mcdaniels in one year.
Some of our fans don't get that. They think Cal can still point to an irrelevant MKG when it comes to recruiting elite wing forwards. You only get so much mileage out of Kevin Knox. We need to land some elite wings. Whitney is a good start, but having Whitney and Jaden on the roster changes the momentum in exponential ways.
Fans are going to lose it when Cal heads to Michigan just to have a chance at Jaden McDaniels again.
But Sestina's ceiling has already been measured. It won't go higher. He is what he is.
Meanwhile Jaden is a potential top 3 pick. He's a kid who could give you 16-18/game by April 2020.
How you're even daring to compare the potential impact of these two looks like nothing less than deflection.
The exact same points that you pointed out for all the other players can be said for Jaden. Why is he different? You think he doesnt have weaknesses? Dont look at solely the rankings and assume that this kid is going to be the savior. He has weaknesses just like everyone else. How many freshman do you see dominate the Final Four?? Once in a generation talents, thats it. Is Jaden one of those talents? Who know but Id say not. Blackshear averaged 15 PPG and 20 PPG over the last month in conference play. How many freshman bumps their average by 5 PPG in conference play? Not many. Don't get caught up in the rankings and look at the product. Not knocking JM because I would absolutely love to have the kid but Blackshear is a great proven college player. Does not have the upside of JM but who gives us more in the 1 year? Who helps us hang a banner?? Our sesson is not hanging on this decision.
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Yep, and suddenly "top 5 picks are only good based on potential."
"We're going to be fine."
"We already have more than enough talent."
"Scottie Lewis dominated McDaniels in one game so he was overrated anyway."
Remember the fans who tried to make a case for Baker being elite because he had a good game against the Ball brothers? It's the same kind of thought process now regarding Jaden's one bad game, but now they're conveniently reversing it to make the potential Washington commit look inferior against a pair top 10 recruits.
![[laughing]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/classic/laugh.r191677.gif "Laughing [laughing]")
I don't think last year was a missing piece as much as we had injuries to those in important positions that caused us to lose the continuity of team play. There have been years for sure but even the year before, losing Vanderbilt and Baker for almost all season didn't help our cause in the tournament.
I think at this point, if we were to land just one of them we should all feel happy.
You grossly underestimate how good Maxey is.
In a field of 64, the favorite won't win more often than not.
But so many times we've come up just short. If you've got a roster of overwhelming talent, you're going to get to the final 4 more often than not. We haven't had that loaded roster since 2015. I think Mcdaniels is the difference in another 2018/2019 team--where you're really good and will be in a position to maybe make the Final 4--and 2015 where you're getting to the Final 4--and you're maybe winning it all.
Yeah we grossly understimate how everyone is. And then we're livid when they aren't superstars 6 weeks into the season.
I think he'll be really good, but how many of these kids have taken time to find themselves in the college game? It's always funny when people make the "You don't understand how good player x is" post in the off-season.
I thought I was clear about what I said. Jaden does have weaknesses, but in my opinion, those weaknesses are easier to overcome for Cal than the weaknesses of some of the others.
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anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y
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I see your point. I just dont think Jaden is make or break. We have TONS of talent and we have other options outside of JM. Thats all but I definitely see your point.
IF you are referring to me, you really should go back and read my posts. Ive consistently said the exact say thing about Jaden.
Yep, and suddenly "top 5 picks are only good based on potential."
"We're going to be fine."
"We already have more than enough talent."
"Scottie Lewis dominated McDaniels in one game so he was overrated anyway."
Remember the fans who tried to make a case for Baker being elite because he had a good game against the Ball brothers? It's the same kind of thought process now regarding Jaden's one bad game, but now they're conveniently reversing it to make the potential Washington commit look inferior against a pair top 10 recruits.
We will be fine Saul. We will have other options if we goes to UW. Our season does not hang in the balance of this decision. Yes, we do have enough talent to win the championship, barring an exit from EJ and Nick. Do I want JM? Will he definitely help us? Hell yeah and Im gonna jump for joy if we get him. But we will be ok. Cal will put together a team that is capable of winning a championship regardless of what JM does. We will be ok
I think its a case of some being over confident in him and some being in denial of how good he can be. Its a mix of both in my opinion. But we will always be ok. I trust Cal.
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I don't think we're loaded offensively yet. The 2015 team four guys who could create offense for themselves: twins, Towns, and Lyles. Booker was so hit or miss by season's end that I can't place him in that group. Having four guys to fill that role is huge.
You need guys who can create offense consistently on their own when the halfcourt sets break down. Right now, we have Maxey/Whitney to fill that category. You could probably reasonably count on at least one more to break out from the Hagans/IQ/Juzang/Brooks/Sestina group.
McDaniels would give you that fourth high level piece. We could use another guy to make it work in the half court when the offense is struggling.
You're mistaken. I'm not saying Maxey will be a combo of James Harden, Russel Westbrook, and Jesus. But he's one of the best guards coming into college this year. We're a loaded squad so he wont have to put up Jamal Murray or Malik Monk type numbers, so dont be fooled by his inevitably pedestrian numbers. Maxey is probably the best player on our team, easily top 2 or 3 and that's saying something on a squad of almost 10 players previously ranked 5 stars.
The problem everyone has is making every player the best player ever and then getting pissed they average 9ppg as opposed to 23ppg. Maxey, to me, is the 2nd coming of Knight. Hes incredibly strong for his height, he's got an incredible IQ and has an infectious personality that makes his teammates want to kick into that next gear. He's the epitome of a true floor general. His shooting is very good and with Hagans as a sophomore, he wont have the pressure to be THE man. As sure as I was that Davis, Wall, Knight, Murray, Monk, Fox, would kill it in college, so will Maxey. Recruting analysts cant get enough of him. He doesnt have the flash of a Cole Anthony, but he's got the skills necessary to be considered elite. He will be no less than 10ppg, 3-4 assists and probably ~38% from 3 and on our team, that'll be very good numbers. Anyone trying to do the opposite and go "he'll be alright, but not elite" is underestimating him which is just as silly as over estimating.
I’m genuinely curious to see a mock draft with McDaniels as top 3? Much less top 5 ?
Or is it more he has the potential to go top 3?
NBAdraft.net has him @14 https://www.nbadraft.net/2020mock_draft
ESPN newest mock has him at 7
Agreed.
The only thing I question is whether McDaniels is able to get to that level by the end of his Freshmen year.
He may end up barely scratching the surface and then getting drafted on "potential" in the lottery in June '20.
But if Cal can get him, we know what Cal can do with a kid in one year.
Brooks and Whitney are different players with different skill sets. McDaniels is also a different player with a different frame and skill set. None of them have ever played in a college game. Montgomery, if he returns, is more valuable to Calipari for next year than these others. Some fans will be made crazy by that statement, but it is very true. For 1 thing, Montgomery is the only true baseline player of the bunch. For another, Montgomery is the only player of the bunch with college playing experience. And let’s not forget that Montgomery in his own right was a legitimate national top 10-12 recruit on everyone’s lists, with his own elite skill set. I do not know what McDaniels will decide. I think Calipari is exactly the coach McDaniels needs to develop his game, and I hope McDaniels finds the courage to sign here. But UK will be a top 5 team with or without McDaniels, as long as Montgomery returns.
What if we compare floors? What is the expected level of production for players of his recruiting ranking? The production of our guys last season can be a good example. Montgomery, Hagans, and Keldon were all ranked in about the same range, 7-15, as McDaniels. Keldon turned out to be a solid contributor, but not a star. Montgomery was one of the worst players on the team and Hagans had his warts.
Let's go back another year the class of 2017. Knox was rather meh, not a star caliber player. I wouldn't rate him better than KJ. Hami was a bust. PJ was a late bloomer and took until his sophomore year to reach star level. Vanderbilt couldn't play.
And if you keep going back, you'll see it's a mixed bag of results in that 7-15 range. Some years, they are all great, like in the Bam-Fox-Monk class while others are like the 2017 and 2018 class. The only real sure things are in the top 5 or 6 with the only bust being Skal and the rest being stars. Maybe we'll get Monk or Bam, or maybe we'll get James Young. It's hard to say.
Jaden is closer to EJ Montgomery than MKG. I want the kid but if your expectation is a kid that’s more than a role player, I think you’re mistaken. Rather he comes here or not.
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