Zimmerman/ Player comparisons

[dmpatp]

I don't get too into the recruiting stuff until after the season is over. I've been catching up on all the mixtapes and watching some of these kids in these All Star games. After watching some of the Zimmerman mixtapes, I'm blown away at how athletic this kid is. Definitely needs to get stronger, but his vertical crazy. Also, hes won 3 straight state championships. Love kids who love to win. I feel like Newman/Brown have been getting all the attention around here, because those are the positiions we need to fill the most, but a BigZ Skal combo would be insane.

Also, I'm interested to see what some of your alls player comparisons are for our recruits and prospects.

Big Z - Mason Plumlee
Skal - AD
Brown - Stanley Johnson
Briscoe - Deron williams
Malik - Marcus Smart
Diallo - ??
Matthews - ??

 

[wcc31]

Zimmerman reminds me a bit of Cody Zeller. Not sure if he'll be that good but I like his combination of skill and athleticism.

 

[Teachable Moe]

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Baskeball Diaries.

Zimmerman is very wobbly in the post and will need a lot of weight room training -- and ordinary growth -- to be a productive center. He's apparently very coordinated and has good vision so there's a lot of potential, but what I saw the other night was a very young player. The other front court players were much more polished and strong.

 

[Mike_Edwards]

Is this another McD's scouting report of a big man? I love those because they are always spot on--lol---indy

 

[Nuke99m]

I've only seen him play twice but I thought Michael Bradley when I saw him.

 

[dmpatp]

Originally posted by Mike_Edwards:

Is this another McD's scouting report of a big man? I love those because they are always spot on--lol---indy
Easy Killer Mike. Not a scouting report just a couple observations.

 

[Smashcat]

Big Z - Mason Plumlee

Plumlee's 6-10.
Zimmerman is actually 7-0 tall. When you take that into account you can appreciate his mobility more.

 

[KMKAT]

I'd say he's closer to a Raef LaFrentz, who played at Kansas and for Denver. Guy had a nice jumper who and wasn't a force down low.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Originally posted by JasonSpear:
Zimmerman can knock down the 15+ footer. Mason Plumlee isn't doing that. I'd say Mitch McGary or the Zellers would be a good comparison there, maybe Meyers Leonard if we're sticking to the tall white guy with a jumper routine.

Malik Newman plays more like Monta Ellis than anyone since Monta Ellis. Some have said OJ Mayo, which I can see also. Funny thing is, Monta Ellis is also a 6'3" SG from Jackson, MS.

Jaylen Brown is Stanley Johnson in a different body.

I've seen the DeAndre Liggins comparison thrown around a lot for Matthews and Matthews doesn't look like the same type of passer, but he's got the same body type, same tenacity, and is probably a better scorer at the same stage of their careers.

Cheick Diallo's game is so unique with his mannerisms and style of play that I can't draw a quick comparison. Maybe someone like Reggie Evans that gets hustle points and scores around the rim. You can't take rebounds from him and he's 100mph the entire time he's on the floor. Diallo is probably better in transition that someone like Evans, but their games a predicated on similar things.

Skal Labissiere gets compared to Chris Bosh a lot. 6'11"-7'0", thin, smooth, silky jumper to the three point line, fundamental, long and rangy and can block shots. I like it.


This post was edited on 4/10 9:57 AM by JasonSpear

I've gotta say, Jason, I've been agreeing with a lot of your posts lately. Good analysis and comparisons....+1

 

[GonzoCat90]

Originally posted by JasonSpear:
Zimmerman can knock down the 15+ footer. Mason Plumlee isn't doing that. I'd say Mitch McGary or the Zellers would be a good comparison there, maybe Meyers Leonard if we're sticking to the tall white guy with a jumper routine.

Malik Newman plays more like Monta Ellis than anyone since Monta Ellis. Some have said OJ Mayo, which I can see also. Funny thing is, Monta Ellis is also a 6'3" SG from Jackson, MS.

Jaylen Brown is Stanley Johnson in a different body.

I've seen the DeAndre Liggins comparison thrown around a lot for Matthews and Matthews doesn't look like the same type of passer, but he's got the same body type, same tenacity, and is probably a better scorer at the same stage of their careers.

Cheick Diallo's game is so unique with his mannerisms and style of play that I can't draw a quick comparison. Maybe someone like Reggie Evans that gets hustle points and scores around the rim. You can't take rebounds from him and he's 100mph the entire time he's on the floor. Diallo is probably better in transition that someone like Evans, but their games a predicated on similar things.

Skal Labissiere gets compared to Chris Bosh a lot. 6'11"-7'0", thin, smooth, silky jumper to the three point line, fundamental, long and rangy and can block shots. I like it.

This post was edited on 4/10 9:57 AM by JasonSpear

I like these for the most part because they're many of the same ones I've been using.

And not to one-up your white-guy-to-white-guy comparisons, but for Diallo I'll give you Ekpe Udoh and Bismack Biyombo, although he was better offensive as a 4th grader than Biyombo is now. At least he can catch the ball and do something besides dunk. Slightly undersized, but incredibly long, springy and mobile. Huge motor, defense first, scores on garbage buckets a lot.

On Matthews, what about a poor man's Will Barton? Can fill up the stat sheet, very long and rangy for a guard/wing, handles it well and is a great rebounder for a guard. Streaky shooter, hard-nosed, and plans to play for Coach Cal unless he goes to China unexpectedly.

 

[Chairman Meow]

Originally posted by JasonSpear:

Originally posted by St.PatterSoN-54-:

I've gotta say, Jason, I've been agreeing with a lot of your posts lately. Good analysis and comparisons....+1

I take pride in my player comps. Been pretty spot on for years except for comparing Towns as a high school junior to Matt Bonner

. I wanna claim I was drunk but I'm not sure I was.

Yeah, that's terrible. Bonner was never a lazy walker...lol

 

[dmpatp]

Originally posted by St.PatterSoN-54-:

Originally posted by JasonSpear:
Zimmerman can knock down the 15+ footer. Mason Plumlee isn't doing that. I'd say Mitch McGary or the Zellers would be a good comparison there, maybe Meyers Leonard if we're sticking to the tall white guy with a jumper routine.

Malik Newman plays more like Monta Ellis than anyone since Monta Ellis. Some have said OJ Mayo, which I can see also. Funny thing is, Monta Ellis is also a 6'3" SG from Jackson, MS.

Jaylen Brown is Stanley Johnson in a different body.

I've seen the DeAndre Liggins comparison thrown around a lot for Matthews and Matthews doesn't look like the same type of passer, but he's got the same body type, same tenacity, and is probably a better scorer at the same stage of their careers.

Cheick Diallo's game is so unique with his mannerisms and style of play that I can't draw a quick comparison. Maybe someone like Reggie Evans that gets hustle points and scores around the rim. You can't take rebounds from him and he's 100mph the entire time he's on the floor. Diallo is probably better in transition that someone like Evans, but their games a predicated on similar things.

Skal Labissiere gets compared to Chris Bosh a lot. 6'11"-7'0", thin, smooth, silky jumper to the three point line, fundamental, long and rangy and can block shots. I like it.


This post was edited on 4/10 9:57 AM by JasonSpear

Yea good comparisons. The only one I cant really see is the Malik Newman / Monta Ellis comparison though. Ellis is much quicker and relies a lot on speed. Newman doesn't look overly quick, but looks a lot stronger then Ellis did coming out of high school. He seems to embrace the contact a little more. If you watch a old Marcus Smart mixtape you will see Newman. They even kind of look a like and have the same demeanor.

 

[panick]

Earlier in the season people were saying that Zimmerman only stayed behind the three-point line, and were very disappointed with him.

Have opinions about him changed to the point that posters really want him at UK?

 

[yoshukai]

Originally posted by panick:
Earlier in the season people were saying that Zimmerman only stayed behind the three-point line, and were very disappointed with him.

Have opinions about him changed to the point that posters really want him at UK?

I'm thinking I read similar statements about Towns. And to the dude that said he didn't see Newman as very quick ? He looks jet quick to me .

 

[YankeeCpt]

Zimmerman- Kyle Wiltjer?
Newman- Brandon Knight?

 

[Mike_Edwards]

Wasnt referring to your post was the one right above mine basing Zimms wobbliness and lack of polish on the McD game-indy

 

[poppycat]

Zimmerman = Rick Robey

Newman = Jack Givens

 

[O C-A-T-S 06]

Matthews= Liggins
Skal= Less athletic Davis
Briscoe= IDK but I see Deron Williams

Zimmerman= Zeller
Newman= Monta Ellis? w/ more upside & athleticism

 

[IL Wildcat]

Good thread. Comparisons to well known players always fall short but they're still fun. I've racked my brain trying to think of the best possible comparisons but it's tough.

I like the comparison of Labissiere to Chris Bosh. I think it's a fair comparison. I actually think Skal may be a bit further along at this age than Bosh was. Both are good fundamentally. Both are long with excellent reach. Both are good, but not elite, athletes. Both have an excellent jump shot- great form, very smooth.

I like the Briscoe comparison to Deron Williams. Both elite ball handlers. Both see the floor well. I don't know if Briscoe is as good seeing the floor yet. Both can score the ball well. Neither was/is an elite 3 pt shooter at this stage of their careers but they are both a legit threat. Similar build- strong, good length, bulldogs out there. Both have a great attitude for leading and great confidence at this age.

Regarding Matthews, I'm gonna go back just a few years to a Florida player, Casey Prather. I wouldn't compare him to the senior version of Prather, but probabky more the sophomore version. I think Matthews is a bit more polished than Prather was as a frosh but not close to as good as Prather was as a senior. Both are very athletic, high flyers, above the rim finishers. They're not gonna beat you shooting the ball from 3 but they have the ability to handle well, to play well in the open floor, to slash to the rim and hit the short jumper or dunk in your face.

Regarding Zimmerman, I've not seen as much of him as the others. But what I've seen is impressive. At 7 feet he can handle the ball well. He can catch the ball in the open floor and finish. He can face up and drive by people. The Tyler Zeller comparison isn't bad but I think Zimmerman is better right now than Zeller was coming in. He can shoot with range, too, all the way out to the 3. He seems like a good leader out there, a very smart guy who knows how to utilize his abilities well. He can also pass the ball well for a big man and appears to like getting teammates involved. I think he could play either the 4 or the 5 at UK if he comes. He can face, he can play back to the basket too, but he seems better facing. Reminds me a bit of Frank Kaminsky with his footwork and some of his moves around the basket.

Great thread.

 

[Teachable Moe]

Originally posted by Mike_Edwards:

Is this another McD's scouting report of a big man? I love those because they are always spot on--lol---indy

Yes.

If Zimmerman is actually a strikingly muscular specimen instead of the gangly figure I saw, I'll fix the horizontal hold on my Philco television. (There's a phrase that +90% of you will have never heard before.)

 

[caneintally]

Zimmerman is going to get compared to white players but that does him a diservice . He reminds me of Chris Bosh when he was in college and High school as he didn't have that 3 pt range them like he does now but he was still money from 15 and could really run and jump.

Newman and Monte Eliis is a damn good comparison Jason .

Brown is sorta a cross between MKG and Wiggins .

Ingram is Kevin Durant like but i am not saying he is that good but similar game .

Maker is very unique IMO so i don';t know who to compare him too.

Matthews gets the Liggins compares all the time but they are wayy different as Matthews is twice the Offensive player IMO . I see him as Darius Miller but obviously 2 inches shorter . Or Shellden Mccelldan who plays at Miami is a spot on comparison IMO as well.

Briscoe is odd as he is a cross between Knight and Andrew Harrison .

Skal is easy - Anthony Davis with more offense.

 

[hangin#8]

I just think it's hilarious watching people go back 15 years to make sure they compare Zimmerman to a white guy. It's like there's an unspoken rule that you have to compare players to someone of similar ethnicity. Not calling anybody racist or anything, it's just funny to watch people bend over backwards to not compare players to somebody that looks different. Don't see many people say Zimmerman=Antoine Walker and Malik Newman= Rex Chapman haha