Want Poythress to play like Draymond Green

[UKani]

I'm watching the NBA finals and watching Draymond Green and look up his size. He's a 6'7" 230lbs PF in the NBA who hustles like heck and is self motivated, he has a nice jumper and can beat other PF off the dribble.

Alex Poythress is also an undersized PF as well, more athletic than Draymond Green. I sure hope we see Poythress playing like him though.... Meaning a high motor and being able to take players off the dribble and have a nice mid range jumper that defenders have to expect.

 

[O C-A-T-S 06]

That's a really good point. Would help us out a ton this season. Definitely has the size. Maybe doesn't have the ball skill i.e. handling and shooting, but definitely more athletic.

 

[themaysvillemaniac]

I'm watching the NBA finals and watching Draymond Green and look up his size. He's a 6'7" 230lbs PF in the NBA who hustles like heck and is self motivated, he has a nice jumper and can beat other PF off the dribble.

Alex Poythress is also an undersized PF as well, more athletic than Draymond Green. I sure hope we see Poythress playing like him though.... Meaning a high motor and being able to take players off the dribble and have a nice mid range jumper that defenders have to expect.

Name me one time at UK Alex has beat his man off the dribble and made a play? They have a same build but Green is >>>>>>>>>>>>> skilled than Alex. Alex will make his money playing like Tristian Thompson, attacking the rim on put backs and lobs and owning the glass

 

[UKani]

Yeah the ball skills, handling and shooting, Poythress needs to work on regardless the position he plays. You won't get by on athleticism alone in the NBA. But next season if he showed that improvement along with an improved motor it would give UK a major boost and he'd be a lottery pick in the draft.

 

[Owen68]

Want Poythress to play like Julius Randle.

 

[loublue22]

Want Poythress to play like Julius Randle.

this is correct

Alex is a post player, save for the occasional spot up jumper. Forcing him into a perimeter role is a square peg.

 

[UKani]

Loublue22
Draymon Green plays on the low post, not the perimeter....

Only reason why I wouldn't want Poythress playing like Randle is because even though Randle was really good, the flow of the offense would be disrupted a bit when he gets the ball. Randle was often slow at finding the open man or slow at recognizing how defenses was playing him.

 

[GOING FOR #9]

this is correct

Alex is a post player, save for the occasional spot up jumper. Forcing him into a perimeter role is a square peg.

Well to develop the guy he has to be forced out of his comfort zone. Poythress is not gonna be a 1st rd pick unless he develops a jumper. I actually think in this case though poythress likes shooting and he knows he either develops an outside jumper or be very limited in his NBA opportunities.

 

[UK90]

Poythress is not gonna be a 1st rd pick unless he develops a jumper.

Not just his jumper, but also his piss poor dribbling and passing skills, all of which are woefully inadequate to play anywhere near the perimeter at the NBA level. And, frankly, if he still hasn't developed those skills after more than three years here, I doubt they're gonna miraculously appear during his senior year.

I really like Poy, but truth is his stock has fallen mightily in the years since he was once projected as a future Top 10 lottery pick when he came out of high school. At this point I'd be happy just to see the kid get drafted at all.

 

[KidnamedKI]

If POY is healthy he will be a 1st round pick IMO. Weak draft and you can't dismiss how good defensively he is.

 

[Rhavicc]

At least at the college level, Poythress isn't just good defensively, he's great, and that's where his comparison to Draymond Green lies, aside from their size (Poy is bigger, and more athletic). We don't need him to be graceful, we need him to crush spirits on defense, rebound the ball, draw fouls, make his free throws, and score through contact, and he's exceptional at those things. Not much more you could as of your power forward. He'll occasionally get his 20+ points, but he'll probably average 12 and 8, which is terrific considering his defensive prowess, and the number of fouls he draws.

 

[Adolph B. Calipari]

Long time first time lol. I love Green's energy and zest for the game. Was cool that he wanted to be a cat when Tubby was at UK. I believe Green was ranked between 60-75 and was committed verbally to UK for quite sometime. Poythress at the 4 period suits his skill set best in my opinion. Whether he plays like Green or Randle? Neither of them have Poy's hops or natural athleticism.

 

[KidnamedKI]

Poy really needs to develop at least average footwork, then his game will take off IMO

 

[Ripcord65]

I agree completely with LouBlue22. Trying to make Alex into a "3" is like trying to drive a square peg into a round hole. Alex is, and always will be, and "undersized 4" -- but that doesn't mean he can't be successful at the "4" position. Anybody who is as athletic as Alex and who is as smart as Alex can figure out how to play to his strengths and overcome the disadvantages presented by his being "undersized." And even at 6' 8", Alex will be a rebounding machine at the "4". Quickness and athleticism not only work "out in the floor." Quickness and athleticism (and strength like Alex has) enable great rebounders to get the position that they need to overcome any size disadvantage. Look at Charles Barkley -- advertised as 6' 6", but actually about 6' 4" -- played the "4" fairly successfully, I would say. Same for Chuck Hayes, who (I think) also played some "5". If Cal will just put Alex into the "4" and leave him alone, and make the other players on the team adapt to the fact that Alex is, and always will be, THE "4" on the 2015-16 team, then Alex will be an All-American in the coming season.

Just MHO, of course.

 

[Smashcat]

If POY is healthy he will be a 1st round pick IMO. Weak draft and you can't dismiss how good defensively he is.

I agree. Needs to show that Bahamas form.

 

[RondoBaller21]

Alex is way more athletic than Green and Thompson.

 

[ThroughBlue]

What did Poythress measure without shoes?

 

[KidnamedKI]

Why does it matter what he measured without shoes? Wouldn't say Alex is way more athletic than Thompson.

 

[RondoBaller21]

Why does it matter what he measured without shoes? Wouldn't say Alex is way more athletic than Thompson.

Yes he is

 

[gossie21]

Why does it matter what he measured without shoes? Wouldn't say Alex is way more athletic than Thompson.

Thompson at Texas was virtually the exact same player as Poythress. He's packed on a lot of weight and lost some of his athleticism in the NBA. Maybe that is where Poythress is headed after his ACL rehab. As Thompson has shown, playing like that can still be extremely valuable to a team.

 

[KidnamedKI]

Haha so Thompson's 39 inch very compared to Poy's 37.5? I will give you that on a lateral quickness Alex is better, but on every other level they are very similar. IMO, Poy will find his niche in the NBA in a similar way Thompson found his: rebounding and defense

 

[KidnamedKI]

Haha so Thompson's 39 inch vert compared to Poy's 37.5? I will give you that on a lateral quickness Alex is better, but on every other level they are very similar. IMO, Poy will find his niche in the NBA in a similar way Thompson found his: rebounding and defense

 

[RondoBaller21]

Pothress is one of the better athletes ive seen in some time. You can tell the difference when Thompson attacks the rim compared to Poythress. But yeah...Thompson is the better player.

 

[gjcollins79]

Poythress just needs to play like a man possessed and take over from the get go.
He's got the athletic gifts to take over and I think this is the year he does it.

 

[BigKari]

Draymond Green is one of my favorite NBA players. He goes against all the assumptions of what makes a great player. He played in college 4 years, he was a 2nd round pick, he didn't play right away, and he had the "tweener" label.

He is proving you don't have to be a one and done or even worry about draft stock, you can either play or you can't, and what is wrong with entering the league as a grown man or at least as a more finished product? He and many others are proving that you are by no means doomed for failure as a 2nd round pick. As for the "tweener" label, he is breaking the mold for a player like Poythress. A player with the athleticism to guard a 2 or 3 and the strength/length to guard a 4. We are seeing the league move towards the "stretch 4" on offense, so the "tweener" position between the 3-4 could be considered a coveted asset.

 

[Federal Cat]

First I hope he is 100% healthy then play like he did in the Bahamas and we will be a really good team, barring no injuries

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Draymond is a nice player but severely overrated. If he didn't play with the splash brothers, he'd be only ok. He's highly skilled but a mediocre athlete.

Poythress is an elite athlete, but with mediocre skills.

Same height. Same weight. Completely different player.

 

[Hoskins91]

Thompson is also a legit 6'10, and he's been able to play effectively at center for Cleveland. He has more value than Poythress. Green is much farther along as a perimeter player than Poythress is, and may ever be.

 

[KidnamedKI]

But but Poy is a better athlete! Lol

 

[mj2k10]

Ideally, yeah, but it's just not a good comparison. Poythress and Green might be approximately the same size now, but they got there in very different ways. Green was well over 230 lbs in HS (probably 260-270 lbs in college), and played there and in college as basically an undersized center with really good perimeter ability. He slimmed down when he got to the NBA, much the same way that a naturally thick guy like Charles Barkley did years ago. Poythress, OTOH, is a long, tall, relatively skinny freak athlete who filled out as he matured.

The guys that Poythress should emulate aren't really like Green. Someone like Kawhi Leonard is more realistic. Use the athletic ability (especially on defense), and develop the rest as you go.