NBA Combine and why Josh goes #1
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Supposedly Ball won’t be attending the combine. And Fultz will but won’t do on court activities.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19273805/nba-invites-more-60-players-draft-combine
With an MVP caliber PG on the roster in Isiah Thomas, I think it’s more likely Boston selects Josh #1 than Fultz or Ball. I see stories about Boston favoring Fultz but it doesn’t add up to me. Feels highly redundant. Their backcourt is already crowded with Bradley and Smart.
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Plus with Josh’s passing ability he can operate as a point forward and give them a matchup problem if that’s what they seek to get from 2 pgs
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Not unusual for projected top picks to skip the combine or limit participation. If I recall correctly, neither Wiggins nor Embiid attended the combine.
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Josh will go number 1 because he is the best player on both sides of the ball. The only aspect of his game that needs to improve is free throw shooting.
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Fultz will be number one, can play both PG or SG.
Plenty of media will run with josh’s off court problems and that will keep him from the top
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Just as long as Josh doesn’t go to Sacramento …
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Best case scenario is that Josh gets drafted by Boston and gets to play for that coach and that organization.
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Ball’s father is a much larger issue than Jackson’s legal issues that have been largely resolved and are now behind him. LaVar Ball will hang around for a while and be a constant PIA. If I were a GM, I would condition selecting Ball on him getting a different agent; no way I want to deal with daddy Ball on a daily basis.
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@JayHawkFanToo Thats true, but in the case of Ball, Fultz and Jackson I think the latter two skipping the combine feels like they’re hiding a lack of athleticism and a lack of height (for the 2) and motor, respectively. While there were never those doubts with Embiid and Wiggins.
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JayHawkFanToo said:
Ball’s father is a much larger issue than Jackson’s legal issues that have been largely resolved and are now behind him. LaVar Ball will hang around for a while and be a constant PIA. If I were a GM, I would condition selecting Ball on him getting a different agent; no way I want to deal with daddy Ball on a daily basis.
I agree that daddy ball is the last thing I want to deal with from a GM perspective. But what GM is going to pass on his talent if he’s going to be a possible future all star. I think teams in that 2-6 range are stuck with drafting him with the pressure that if they pass on him he will do good things for someone else. Tough situation
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approxinfinity said:
@JayHawkFanToo Thats true, but in the case of Ball, Fultz and Jackson I think the latter two skipping the combine feels like they’re hiding a lack of athleticism and a lack of height (for the 2) and motor, respectively. While there were never those doubts with Embiid and Wiggins.
Not sure I agree as I believe Fultz has excellent size and length which is why people have said he could play either position. There were 3-4 players that skipped the combine and still went in the first round last yr. Some do skip the combine so opinions can’t be formed on their players, usually the agents advice
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@BeddieKU23 I guess you’re right. Fultz is what he is and Boston either takes that or Jackson.
Ball feels like he’s hiding to me from an athleticism standpoint. Am I reading this correctly that he only shot 7.6% of his shots from 2 pt range?
http://hoop-math.com/UCLA2017.php
If so, remains to be seen if he can play a pick and roll game. Here’s a write up about it.
Hope Boston still has an open mind and gives Josh a long look over Fultz.
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Question: Does what a parent of an NBA player says even matter? As a coach or GM…do you really care what they say?
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@HighEliteMajor Seriously keen observation. That is a wasteland for NBA talent and has been for Jayhawks as of late. Anywhere but there.
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If nbadraft.net is to be believed, 13 of their top 14 projected picks are college kids, only one international. Score one for the NCAA! But, 12 of those 13 are freshman, and the last, a sophomore…
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@approxinfinity no Ferguson kid? Not a great idea to skip college!
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In this case it does because daddy Ball is also his agent.
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approxinfinity said:
@BeddieKU23 I guess you’re right. Fultz is what he is and Boston either takes that or Jackson.
Ball feels like he’s hiding to me from an athleticism standpoint. Am I reading this correctly that he only shot 7.6% of his shots from 2 pt range?
http://hoop-math.com/UCLA2017.php
If so, remains to be seen if he can play a pick and roll game. Here’s a write up about it.
Hope Boston still has an open mind and gives Josh a long look over Fultz.
2 point Jumpers is how I’m seeing it on the site. Ball’s O revolved around shooting 3’s (56%) and getting to the rim (35%). With his unorthodox shooting stroke it’s no surprise he didn’t shoot a lot of 2’s and that is something teams scouting him need to take notice on. He tended to have a more natural shooting motion when attempting 2 point jumpers or runners which is interesting to note.
I think anyone who skips the combine is just playing the game. Not giving scouts, GM’s any chance to pick holes in their game or ask questions (maybe about Daddy in Ball’s case) that would make them uncomfortable. There’s always the risk of hurting yourself in the drills or scrimmages and that can ruin your draft position as well.
I think for Fultz, Ball & Jackson they will be picked in the Top 5 regardless of participation. It seems like Tatum is rising to that level as well even though personally I’m not nearly as high on him.
I do think its important Josh goes for interviews so he can change the narrative on his off the court issues. From everything we’ve ever read about Josh is that he’s a high character individual so he has a chance to ace interviews and solidify his position in the Top 5 of this draft.
The problem for Jackson being drafted by Boston is Jaylen Brown who they drafted last year at (#4? if I’m correct) and plays the same position. Both athletes with their jump shot being their ? mark. Not sure Boston is in the market for another similar player even though there is no question I believe Jackson is a better player overall. Boston has a tough decision to make. I think ultimately they get another guard to pair with Thomas who for as great as he is offensively is still a bit of a liability defensively for a coach that always preaches defense.
Jackson might be a better fit landing in Phoenix or LA where they could make him a featured part of the offense. In Boston he’s not going to get that situation although he’d land on a winning team. A dream situation would be seeing him land in Philly to play with Embiid and Simmons which could make them one of the most exciting teams to watch next year…
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A down year for the international prospects this year. The lone player projected in the lottery might not even come stateside for a few years as well. Such a loaded draft for freshman this year. With the combine inviting fewer upperclassmen this year its setting a bad trend for future years to follow. More and more underclassmen will continue to stay in the draft knowing their best opportunity to get drafted high is going as soon as they can.
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JayHawkFanToo said:
In this case it does because daddy Ball is also his agent.
Did not realize that.
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With the OAD rule the better and more ready players are drafted after one year in college. Players with natural talent but with technical flaws often need 2 years. The longer a player stays in college, the more likely it is that he is more of a trained than a natural talent and has probably maxed out development wise and the chances are smaller to make it to the NBA. Young natural talent can be developed in the League since it is still largely undeveloped. Of course there are exceptions but the overall trend is what it is. It is not surprising to see less and less seniors invited.
If you are a NBA GM, would you select a senior that is pretty ready but maxed out in his development or a freshman that is not nearly as ready but with more natural talent and a much higher ceiling?
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I would echo what @JayHawkFanToo said, and add a couple additional thoughts.
The NBA is very demanding from an athleticism and skill perspective. You have to have both. If you don’t have the athletic ability, there’s no reason to even try to see if the skill is there. That’s why you see guys that are good college players, but not very athletic, end up staying around in college seemingly forever. Think about a guy like Georges Niang. Very good player. Highly skilled. Not athletic enough to play either the 3 or 4 at the next level. Case closed.
On the other side, you can have guys that are incredibly athletic, but not skilled enough. Maybe NBA folks will take a chance on them once in a while, but the lesson of Kwame Brown says that athleticism is not enough.
I wouldn’t worry too much about Ball only shooting 7.6% of his shots as 2point jumpers. The 2 point jump shot is a very inefficient shot, and most NBA schemes are going away from that shot. They are more interested in three pointers and layups/dunks. The fact that Ball, as a guard, could get more than a third of his shots at the rim speaks to some athleticism. He’s also a phenomenal passer. He has never had to defend at any level, but he has the physical ability to be better than the turnstile that he has been to this point.
Additionally, Ball will have the opportunity to add to his game. He’s the best passer in this draft. With everyone looking at what great passing teams do in today’s NBA, Ball will be a top 3 pick. Fultz will be there. Jackson will be there. I think it goes, Fultz, Ball, Jackson, but it could go in any order, depending on how the ping pong balls fall.
