Projected NBA Fits for College Players Including Murray and Skal

[Smashcat]

Jerry Meyer ‏@jerrymeyer247 15m15 minutes ago
Took a look at projected NBA fits for Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray, Skal Labissiere, Denzel Valentine, Grayson Allen http://bit.ly/1QIjIgJ

7. NEW ORLEANDS PELICANS SELECT Jamal Murray, Kentucky

Freshman PG/SG; 6-foot-5, 201-pounds; No. 10 in 2015 247Sports Composite

With Eric Gordon being a free agent after this season, New Orleans would have a need for a high level shooter/scorer like Jamal Murray at the two position if Gordon were to move on. Some attractive pieces would be around Murray in Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans. They are quality set-up men and then fellow Wildcat Anthony Davis will attract the bulk of the defense’s attention.

14. DETROIT PISTONS select Skal Labissiere, Kentucky

Freshman C; 7-foot, 216-pounds; No. 2 in 2015 247Sports Composite

The Detroit Pistons are expected to bring back Andre Drummond, who's a restricted free agent, and there are other big men signed to the roster including Marcus Morris. The fact of the matter, however, is that Skal Labissiere will not be ready for regular NBA action as a rookie. So joining a roster where he will have no expectations to produce early and have time to develop could be a perfect situation.

 

[CatPhight]

No way is Skal a 1st round pick.

 

[caneintally]

I promise you Skal will be a lotto pick . I know it sounds crazy but it will happen.

 

[Smashcat]

No way is Skal a 1st round pick.

I think he will be. Lots of holes in his game, yes, but he can shoot jumpers and runs up and down the floor like a guard. Lots to build on.

 

[assistbyhawkins]

I dont think a team in the lottery will take Skal because IF he actually does develop into an NBA player, and thats a huge if, he will need 2 or 3 years to be a contributor, possibly longer. Teams in the lottery are not in a position to waste a pick on a guy that is going to take that long when they need immediate help. The ideal situation for him would be to go to a really good, loaded team and develop slowly.

Whether or not he is lottery, Skal is going to spend the majority of the next 3 years in the D-League. He is is no way, shape or form remotely close to contributing in the NBA. Hell, he can barely sniff the floor in the SEC and basically contributes nothing. He is YEARS away, so if he goes first round I think it will be to an established team that can afford to burn a pick on long-term guy.

 

[CatPhight]

someone doesn't understand, still somehow after all these years, how the NBA Draft works.

Please enlighten - a GM dumb enough?

 

[CatPhight]

a 7 footer that runs the floor and has a silky smooth shooting stroke out to 20 feet. Apparently you don't know how rare that is.

We all see a weak post player that can't rebound and doesn't seem to understand basic concepts of basketball and we're probably more in the right. An NBA GM sees a potential All-Star NBA PF that can stretch defenses with his shooting, be taught how to get position and rebound, and put on muscle/gain strength in a professional weight training program when he's not limited to just 20 hours of practice a week like he is in college during class sessions. Labissiere will learn more how to play basketball as a professional when he isn't limited to instruction than he ever will at UK. That's a fact. It is for everyone. Someone will draft him in the 1st round no matter how limited we think he is just because of the few gifts he DOES have at his size. He's unmolded clay to the people that do the drafting.

That good enough enlightening?

I see a rail thin PF who can't even grab a rebound over guards a foot shorter and as the season winds down, hasn't even remotely
adjusted to the speed of a collegiate game. Constantly out of position and completely lost on the court, he's clay alright, clay in the
headlights. What little offense he's contributed was against inferior opponents and at garbage time. He can't even consistently time
a common block. His mind is as weak as his frame right now.

Guaranteed millions as a lottery, no way...he would slide to Round 2 if he even declares. Lord knows he's not ready...if he wants that
guaranteed payday from day one like he was pre-anointed with, and I'm pretty sure he does, he comes back and works his ass off and
earns it.

Dakari listened to a similar fable of potential with far abler stats and experience...he went #48 and is riding a bus to Fort Wayne tonight.

 

[CatPhight]

Dakari never could and likely never will be able to run the floor like Labissiere and knock down a 20 foot jumper. Plus, Dakari is never going to be a PF at 7'0" and Labissiere is. Surely, you understand this and can agree this is the reason that as shitty as Labissiere has played he's still projected in the lottery at the beginning of March and isn't gonna drop out of the 1st round, correct?

Tell me you've been paying attention to the NBA Draft for the past 20 years and understand how it works.

What's he's projected and where he's taken are two different animals. Pretty sure Terrence Jones and Patrick Patterson both came back and both improved immensely.
Potential not only unrealized but completely undelivered is Skal personified. No way is he lottery, that much is clear.

Yeah he could be drafted at the bottom of the 1st by a team with an embarrassment of riches, but would he want to? I don't think he'd be satisfied. If just getting to the D-League
is his goal, and I'm pretty sure it's not, he could just as easily wither and waste away in the D-League. It's pretty clear Skal's motor isn't what anyone expected, and throw in his lack
of toughness, physical and mental and shear lack of drive, he's found himself confined to mop up and spot minutes. He'd see the same in Fort Wayne or wherever he'd land.

He's clearly not going to hear what he wants to hear from the NBA. If he wants to ca$h in the Lottery, it ain't happening in 2016. IMO Cal is not going to advise him to go 26-30
and then go straight to the minors, if he believes he can, with hard work go lottery. There's no shame in coming back, we've seen several, albeit not as highly ranked come back.
Not everyone develops at the same speed, there's nothing wrong with that.

I know every year a good half dozen or more unknown Europeans (grown men) are taken which crowds the field - I know if you want a big-time guaranteed contract you're a
lottery pick - I know Skal isn't going to be one of those picks. I think his situation really screwed him, I think he comes back and transforms himself - he'll have one hell of a
squad to prove himself with in the Craft Center next year. I think he will realize he risks more by declaring and going lower than what he believes he's worth.

I just hope he's not pushed to make a rash or rushed decision by his handler/posse - we shall see. IMO, if Cal says he can work his way to where he was projected, he listens, or at least he should.

 

[BassCat75]

Teams spend lotto picks on guys who aren't ready every year. They spend them on European players who they then leave in Europe for 2 or 3 years. Most likely someone will use one on Skal and stash him in the D league for 3 years.

One more year in college isn't going to do it for Skal. He's going to need multiple years of development. And someone will pay him to do it.

 

[pikespeak1]

I promise you Skal will be a lotto pick . I know it sounds crazy but it will happen.

If you like to make a wager on that, i'll be your huckleberry.

 

[AGEE11]

To those who don't think Skal will go in the lottery see Bargnani, Andrea. He is still hanging around the NBA, because GMs can't get over big men who can shoot.

 

[AGEE11]

Also, I think the Spurs will take Ulis with their first pick. He would be fantastic in that system.

 

[JohnnyGentle]

i don't think skal will ever be a good pro because he doesn't rebound or appear to have any instinct for playing the game whatsoever

but he's an athletic near-7 footer who blocks shots and can shoot the ball a little bit

there just aren't 20 players in this draft with comparable ceilings IMO

 

[Dirk2Bowie]

Also, I think the Spurs will take Ulis with their first pick. He would be fantastic in that system.

That would be AWESOME! Talk about future coach, if he could get into group of basketball savants he would fit right in.

 

[W_Heisenberg]

No way is Skal a 1st round pick.

You are wrong

 

[gossie21]

What's he's projected and where he's taken are two different animals. Pretty sure Terrence Jones and Patrick Patterson both came back and both improved immensely.
Potential not only unrealized but completely undelivered is Skal personified. No way is he lottery, that much is clear.

Love both those guys but that is absolutely not true. Both players actually dropped in the draft by coming back.

If you want to argue that they improved their game by coming back I could buy that. But they lost draft position and money by coming back.

 

[YouKay]

a 7 footer that runs the floor and has a silky smooth shooting stroke out to 20 feet. Apparently you don't know how rare that is.

We all see a weak post player that can't rebound and doesn't seem to understand basic concepts of basketball and we're probably more in the right. An NBA GM sees a potential All-Star NBA PF that can stretch defenses with his shooting, be taught how to get position and rebound, and put on muscle/gain strength in a professional weight training program when he's not limited to just 20 hours of practice a week like he is in college during class sessions. Labissiere will learn more how to play basketball as a professional when he isn't limited to instruction than he ever will at UK. That's a fact. It is for everyone. Someone will draft him in the 1st round no matter how limited we think he is just because of the few gifts he DOES have at his size. He's unmolded clay to the people that do the drafting.

That good enough enlightening?

How quickly people forget that Kwame Brown was a #1 pick and never played a game of college ball. As was Michael Olowokandi. Just because they were busts doesn't mean the next one will be. The Celtics took Fab Melo at #17 and he isn't even in the D league now.

Hell, Andre Drummond wasn't "Andre Drummond" until last year. DeAndre Jordan didn't do very much in his one year at Texas A&M either. Bigs take a LONG TIME to develop. The Jahlil Okafors and Karl-Anthony Townses are VERY RARE.

I like the pick of Skal to Detroit.

 

[YouKay]

Also, I think the Spurs will take Ulis with their first pick. He would be fantastic in that system.

I love this, but I don't think Ulis will still be there when the Spurs pick. I am praying the Sixers have enough sense to take him unless they end up with the #1 pick, in which case they will take Ben Simmons and have no idea what to do with him.

 

[CatPhight]

I'm not reading all that.

The point is: he's still projected as a 1st round pick and will still likely go in that round if he declares even after this year. There's a reason for that. I'm assuming you understand that reason based on years of evidence. I'm asking if you do.

The only evidence I need is a minus sign between #1 and #24.

12.5 mill > 2.5 mill
25 mill > 5 mill

You don't think Skal thinks he belongs at the top with Simmons & Ingram?

Skal will continue to slide, and slide even further after eval. If Cal thinks he can work his way to the top, he'll advise him to come back, who would know better?

 

[truebluewildcat]

Love the Murray to New Orleans idea...They really need to overhaul their roster and start to build something formidable around AD...Murray would be a great start...Get rid of Cole, Gordon, Jones...

Murray could be an elite scorer and instantly take pressure off of AD...They could use an upgrade at PG as well...if they got somebody in free agency...Rajon, Mike Conley...pie in the sky prob...but wow...that would be something...

Skal needs a lot of work...don't think he needs the pressure of having to perform at a high level and carry the weight and hopes of a franchise right away...he really needs an established and stable franchise...which really narrows things down...San Antonio would be my hope from him...but if he is a lottery pick and doesn't go to an established franchise, I am intrigued by Minnesota...they need a PF and SF with Garnett and Prince getting very long in the tooth...Skal learning under those two and becoming a part of the that great young and talented squad...could be something to watch...

Ulis...Lakers...if he's still around when they pick in the second round...they're going to get somebody good at 2 (Simmons, Rabb, Brown, Ingram)...Move Russel to SG...Ulis at PG...got your back court for the next 8-12...overhaul everyone else...bring in a superstar free agent and couple other solid pieces...

 

[StubbornPenny]

Bottom line, the NBA would draft an athletic, healthy 7 footer (like Skal) even if he had never played a single day of basketball. They'd take him if he didn't even know what basketball was. The NBA draft stopped being about complete players long ago. It even stopped being about good players long ago.

The entire goal of player development is to end up with a max-level salary player, because their worth is far, far beyond the maximum he can be paid. Players with certain attributes like height, athleticism, wingspan, etc are most likely to become that player. Therefore they will take anyone close to those measurements and almost completely ignore basketball skill. You can (hopefully) teach skill. You cannot teach height, wingspan, etc. Teams are more than happy to throw away 5-6 million in a guy who has the attributes because if your lottery ticket pays off, he's worth hundreds of millions to a franchise.

Skal will be a first round pick even if he doesn't score a single point or grab a single rebound the rest of the year.

 

[yabbadabbadoo]

2 things I know for certain.

1--Skal won't go in the top 15
2--Murray won't last 'til 7th (probably more like 3rd or 4th)

 

[JohnKBA]

The only evidence I need is a minus sign between #1 and #24.

12.5 mill > 2.5 mill
25 mill > 5 mill

You don't think Skal thinks he belongs at the top with Simmons & Ingram?

Skal will continue to slide, and slide even further after eval. If Cal thinks he can work his way to the top, he'll advise him to come back, who would know better?

This dude just doesn't get it. I guess decades of draft data doesn't resonate with him.