Kasparas Jakucionis looked really good in the few reels I saw of him. Guy has a motor. Two way player, strong, eye for the basket.
I'd usually be with you and most likely this won't be the case but if the BPA is a traditional/old school big who needs development... I just wouldn't like that pick at all, two drafts in a row. Other than that very specific player type... I'd like BPA. At the same time BPA after the top three or four seems to be really hard to figure this year. It's also hard to figure what you mean by BPA. I'm assuming highest upside because that's where my head is at but BPA quite often means highest floor not ceiling. I agree with the most likely sentiment but I think it's more complicated than just saying BPA... especially if you have a bunch of guys available that you assess as being really close in overall value... then I think fit should be factored in. I think Olshey went for who he thought was the BPA in the first draft that was really his when he picked CJ. First of all hindsight showed that CJ wasn't the BPA. Second of all Olshey was definitely thinking BPA as in highest floor. Third... fucking a that screwed our team up for a long and important time. BPA sure but if there are other guys close, don't do redundant especially when the redundancies are overlapping positionally and in regards to weaknesses.
I was hoping for more evidence of passing in the videos I watched, but maybe RM just wanted him to be a 3 and D guy. More Fernandez than Rodriguez...
I’m really intrigued with Egor but I’m still firmly here ^ He’d add such a different dynamic to the 2/3 and maybe even PG with his elite shooting and feel.
Eh, I can see the Reaves comparison a bit, but Knueppel is so much better a shooter. He does way too many things better than Ingles for him to be that comp. Knueppel's a great shooter and that's led some people to typecast him as only a shooter. His game is a lot more layered than that. I've heard multiple scouts and draft experts now say his game in some respects mirrors Devin Booker. Knueppel's not THAT good, but as a guy that is a jumpshot-making machine, who can attack closeouts and pullup from midrange effectively and uses his strength to create space for his shot, the comparison makes sense.
So could we expect a K-nipple/Shaedon pairing work as spectacularly well as the Booker/Beal pairing has for Phoenix?
From the Athletic mock draft: "11. Portland Trail Blazers Kasparas Jakučionis | 6-5 guard | 19 years old | Illinois Jakučionis is big and can play both on and off the ball, coming off a terrific freshman season in which he averaged 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. His vision is sublime, and he fits the current ecosystem of the NBA well with his dribble, pass and shoot traits. Still, he is a bit polarizing for folks around the league as he doesn’t have a ton of athletic explosiveness, and his defensive game was not always on point this year. His range is seen as somewhere from the middle to the end of the lottery. The Blazers, in my opinion, have a tremendous frontcourt of the future with Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan. However, there are questions in the backcourt surrounding young players Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, and they could use another offensive option to start pushing those guys. Jakučionis can play both on and off the ball, giving him the flexibility to play with either of those players."
right now I am torn between 3 players .... 1) Carter Bryant 2) R. Fleming 3) Queen Rising : Cedric Coward Demin -- more I think about him the more intrigued I am with him but this is very fluid on how I feel about prospects.
I think I have Kasparas and Demin as 1a. and 1b. I have Queen at 2. Those three are in a tier together and all have ball creation abilities. The other names I'm seeing have lower ceilings due to their lack of ball creation.
At some point the Blazers have to realize that everyone knows that Givony's mock is usually dead on for them. They need to do a smoke screen.
But remember how out in the open it was that the Blazers would draft Clingan if he's there? That was for like a week straight. It seems they don't like keeping secrets.
