G9.
Pistons GM
- Messages
- 6,172
Last season preceding the official draft release, Atlanta Hawks GM and rumor mill machine NC released his own look into his suspected top prospects. He "wanted to point out some key names to keep an eye on" (NC, 2035). Today, on the brink of pre-season, I look into NC's preview and make note of its accuracies (and inaccuracies).
1. Artis Gilmore
NC's Take:
"Gilmore is a NBA Hall of Famer and a former #1 overall pick. Standing at 7'2 with the potential to become the tallest player in the league at 7'4 after boosts he looks like the early frontrunner for the top dog in this draft. There is a good chance that he enters as a teen as well" (NC, 2035).
Reality's Take:
NC must have been misinformed about Artis's birthday, as he entered the league at 20 years old. Gilmore, however, did enter the league with an official height of 7'2", and with the administration of league-approved PEDs it is indeed likely that Artis will stand 2 inches taller at 7'4'' by seasons end. The league and its fans were a bit confused about Gilmore entering the draft as a Hall of Famer, and nobody had heard of him being selected #1 overall before. This statement must have been a nod to Gilmore playing the game as if he had already played an entire era of NBA basketball. Now, after one TC, Gilmore sports an impressive skillset consisting of B inside, B+/B+ defense/rebounding. He put up impressive numbers in Pre-Preseason, and we expect him to become a perennial 20/10 big soon enough.
Proposed Prime:
A- C C- A A
27.5PPG 13.0RPG 2.4BPG
Expect Gilmore to outshine even Malone - sporting a defensive skillset more dominant than Malik Rose's and his own unique offensive skillset.
2. Ryan Boatright
NC's Take:
"The UCONN standout will probably have a solid base to work with based off his numbers in college. Scoring 17 ppg during his senior year and being a career 38% shooter from deep he might even enter as one of top shooters in the class." (NC, 2035).
Reality's Take:
I'm sure soon enough we can expect to see Boatright draining 3's again, but so far his performance against NBA players has been abysmal. Boatright only made 6 of 22 attempts from 3pt range during the 60 day Pre-Preseason. Hopefully it is simply a matter of small sample size, as the Clippers are expecting Boatright to become another efficient shooter behind Jalen Weaver, Nikos Arsenopoulos, and Cam Reddish. He's certainly no Artis Gilmore, but PG is a much trickier position to fill than C/PF -- so if this pick does hit for L.A. it will be huge.
Proposed Prime:
C+ A- B A- C
17.0PPG 7.2APG 2.2SPG
Boatright was among the top 20 pre-draft potentials, and he'll have to make the most of what he has left in the tank - but an All-Star caliber career is not out of question.
3. Chris Jones
NC's Take:
"If I remember correctly Chris Jones was a 2nd round gem selected by Cloud a few leagues ago. That version of Chris Jones had mad volume, so I can imagine he has a chance to be a volume scoring guard again. He is also another Louisville player, Donkey must have been a Louisville fan back in the day with how many of these guys he pumps into his draft classes." (NC, 2035).
Reality's Take:
Initial signs point towards this version of Chris Jones being less explosive than the previous versions we have seen. Luckily at least, Jones entered the draft with an already impressive defensive skillset, and I expect that to continue. I remain doubtful about his offensive ability this time around, as Pre-Preseason made him look a bit too shy on the court. At 5'10" 175, Louisville's former explosive speedster found himself in the shadows of BSL's PED enhanced superstars. Hopefully Scott takes care of Jones and supplements him heavily - then we may stand to see him as a volume scoring guard (with above average defense).
Proposed Prime:
C+ B B A- C-
13.0PPG 5.2APG 2.7SPG
Jones potential was unremarkable at best, but I do expect him to develop into a good sixth man and defensive focused combo-guard.
4. Alessandro Gentile
NC's Take:
"Gentile is a former top pick and scoring stud. He could enter the draft as the top wing and top international player if he is built similar to how he was when I last saw him in BSL. Gentile was a part of my most heartbreaking rebuild where I landed to top potential teen stud in Gentile and Bob Lanier only to have both of their potentials take a mega dump the same TC
" (NC, 2035).Reality's Take:
I'm not entirely sure what this sob story is about, as I wasn't in the league for it -- but it sounds similar to one of Jon's whiny rants. NC's remarks on Gentile entering the draft as a top wing with scoring stud potential were spot on though. The 2nd overall pick made by the Boston Celtics GM wasn't exactly touted on draft night, but after TC and Pre-Preseason, GMs around the league have begun to tout tout tout. A wing with B B scoring at 21 years old is a sight to be seen, as we think back to R.J. Barrett's B+ B scoring at 21. I don't think Gentile will become any R.J. Barrett, but the hope is always there.
Proposed Prime:
B+ A C B+ C
29.2PPG 7.2RPG 5.2APG
If Gentile really thrives for it and receives all the boosts he can get (coaching, strength, jumping) - we could see him as the next truly dominant 3. I think his inside scoring will remain solid while his outside game blossoms.
5. Kareem Jamar
NC's Take:
"Cloud bringing him up in chat directed me to look into Jamar. We'll see how he looks when the draft is released, but I just want to know how a kid from Los Angeles who was a top 300 recruit ended up playing 4 years of basketball at Montana. " (NC, 2035).
Reality's Take:
Upon further research, I was able to unfold how an LA kid who played on a loaded High School team ended up in Montana. Montana's head coach at the time, Wayne Tinkle, had actually developed a very solid recruiting strategy. Instead of chasing the top 5 star recruits, Wayne and his staff searched for the guys who ranked in at 3 or 4 stars but were clearly capable of more. They did this by looking for "glue guys" on the top High School and AAU teams around the Nation. Jamar was exactly that. At Montana, he finally stood a chance to be the true star of a team. No longer a glue guy -- but rather, a leader. Jamar did have solid career in Montana and we truthfully expected him to enter the draft with more spunk than he showed up with. He doesn't appear too prepared to play at the NBA level, nor does he appear to have the potential to push for stardom anymore. We thought that potential was there even on draft night, but Pre-Preseason further buried those hopes.
Proposed Prime:
C+ C+ C C+ C
6.5PPG 3.3RPG 1.1APG
Who knows? Jamar definitely still has potential, but I'll just be honest and say I want him to die on the Wizards. Time for a new team in blue (Mavericks) to rise up.
