The NBA rookies Thread

[tlance]

I am guessing that with strength training and one or two more years of maturity we will only see a more polished scorer in Tatum. His handles aint bad but not superstar yet. he will get Kyrie training in that department. The thing I like about him is that he is so calm, not a show off even when dunking and he loves those 4th qtr shots

Meh.

Handles don't matter so much for a player like Tatum. He is never going to be more than a secondary ball handler. His game is catch and shoot or catch and 2 dribbles to the rim. He is not breaking anybody down off the dribble. It isn't his game and probably shouldn't ever be.

Kawhi Leonard should be his model for who he patterns himself after.

 

[flyerhawk]

Definitely a gap this year. I don't think any sane person would argue that. It is also clear that Simmons has more future upside. But, Tatum's upside is still pretty damn high. If Tatum maximizes his and Simmons does not, Tatum could easily end up being the better player in time.

This year, however, the only thing stopping Simmons from ROY is injury.

I agree with all of this. Tatum looks really good and in most years he would comfortably be leading the ROY race. And if Simmons never develops an outside shot of any kind, he will never reach his true potential and Tatum could wind up having the better career.

 

[bksballer89]

76ers' Fultz no longer feeling shoulder soreness

 

[Sparhawk]

76ers' Fultz no longer feeling shoulder soreness

Like I said, he's two weeks away from being two weeks away....

 

[tlance]

76ers' Fultz no longer feeling shoulder soreness

Hopefully he gets fully healthy before he tries to play so we can evaluate if he is any good.

 

[bksballer89]

 

[flyerhawk]

Hopefully he gets fully healthy before he tries to play so we can evaluate if he is any good.

I would rather they red shirted him than bring back too early.

 

[LogicMan]

Meh.

Handles don't matter so much for a player like Tatum. He is never going to be more than a secondary ball handler. His game is catch and shoot or catch and 2 dribbles to the rim. He is not breaking anybody down off the dribble. It isn't his game and probably shouldn't ever be.

Watch this video and then tell me if your opinion of this teenager (usually in the 4th qtrs) cant break people down. He scores in every facet of the game. Uncle Drew is his big brother and Ii assure you with 20 lbs and lots of coaching from Brad and Kyrie (MVP candidate) he will be THE 4th qtr go to guy . I mean the kid is having a 50-50-90 season AS A ROOKIE in crunch time

 

[LogicMan]

and what i like about him is he is humble after each of these great plays . no show offing, no chest pumping, he just quietly getsbacks on d. he is going to be an assasin

 

[trojanfan12]

I would rather they red shirted him than bring back too early.

Why not? Seems to have worked with Embiid and Simmons. Although Embiid is more like a 6th year senior medical redshirt. lol

 

[wildturkey]

I'm stunned at how bad Malik Monk is currently. Dude lit it up in college with shooting percentages that track close to elite level NBA prospects and he can't hit the ocean if he was floating on a boat right now

 

[tlance]

Watch this video and then tell me if your opinion of this teenager (usually in the 4th qtrs) cant break people down. He scores in every facet of the game. Uncle Drew is his big brother and Ii assure you with 20 lbs and lots of coaching from Brad and Kyrie (MVP candidate) he will be THE 4th qtr go to guy . I mean the kid is having a 50-50-90 season AS A ROOKIE in crunch time

The highlights are impressive, but that still isn't his game.

Most of the drives were out of closeout situations with a couple strong dribbles where he already had the advantage because of the closeout. When he actually did break somebody down, at least 80% were ISO matchups against a big who switched out.

He is a very good looking player. The reason he is so successful is because he is a knock down shooter with plus athleticism. I cringe when people say a young wing player needs to work on their "handles" because that mostly just leads to ISO ball. Tatum needs to keep getting better defensively and at the things he is already good at. Better "handles" will only make him a less efficient offensive player if he tries to use them to break people down.

 

[LogicMan]

Better "handles" will only make him a less efficient offensive player if he tries to use them to break people down.

If the Celts are to win a ring they will need more than Kyrie to close out playoff games. Besides, tatum has the highest FG% and 3pt FG% of any rookie in the 4th qtr . OH, he also has the highest FG% and 3pt FG% OF ANY PLAYER IN THE NBA this year. He is 19

 

[tlance]

If the Celts are to win a ring they will need more than Kyrie to close out playoff games. Besides, tatum has the highest FG% and 3pt FG% of any rookie in the 4th qtr . OH, he also has the highest FG% and 3pt FG% OF ANY PLAYER IN THE NBA this year. He is 19

Right.

And the reason he is so efficient is because he doesn't force action and he lets the game come to him. Your points here have literally nothing to do with my post. The Celtics don't need Tatum to be an ISO scorer, they need him to do what he has been doing. Too much ISO could derail them.

 

[bksballer89]

 

[bksballer89]

Bam is going to become a solid player for years to come once he develops his offensive game. His defense is there already.

 

[Mecca]

I was happy to see them give both Celtics' rookies some shine.

 

[Mecca]

I'm stunned at how bad Malik Monk is currently. Dude lit it up in college with shooting percentages that track close to elite level NBA prospects and he can't hit the ocean if he was floating on a boat right now

Agree.

He has been terrible.

Hopefully, he goes the way of CJ McCollum.

Took him a few years. But, now he's a stud.

 

[shopson67]

Kobe has rewritten his own history, lol. He was the guy shooting airballs from 3 and coming off the bench his rookie year. His rookie year was on a team coming off a playoff appearance and adding Shaq that same offseason. His experience has nothing in common with these Lakers.

 

[CitySushi]

Jordan Bell continues to impress me.

Last night had 11 Pts, 6 boards, 2 assist, 1 steal, 1 block and an overall impressive floor game in 25 minutes. Finished a team high +14 while starting in place of Zaza Pachulia.

I think a few areas he can improve on a bit would definitely being able to develop either a small mid range shot or at least 1 or 2 effective post moves. Right now he's just mainly a finisher, which is great for this current Warriors team. But for the future he'll need more polish on that end. Defensively, he's already a monster. Had a huge chase down block (albeit after his own turnover) on a fast break to block Lillard's dunk. He's also improved a ton on his perimeter defense in just a few short weeks. Hasn't been jumping as much at shooters and head fakes and is moving his feet much better, which is great because he was already pretty good at that.

Think his ceiling is a starter, which is a steal for a 2nd round bought pick. The baby Draymond label still applicable right now. With Zaza, Javale, West and Looney all free agents next year, I think he'll be in for a huge role on next years team.