So he will be good because he gained 20 lbs, takes shooting lessons from Anthony Morrow, and...... lets not go crazy here.
Randolph is a mismatch machine. How many seven-footers in the NBA can handle the ball and run the break like him? None. Will he get pushed around a bit by Shaq, Yao, Amare, KG, Howard? Yes. But he can run (and dribble) circles around them and outleap most of them too. And he's stronger than he looks. You compare him to Wright, they have similar body types but Randolph is stronger and more aggressive at gaining and protecting position. He also has a good (and improving) jump shot out to about 18', again a mismatch nightmare. He's like Nowitzky, but where Randolph gives up a bit of range on his jumper, he's better banging down low, dribbling (remember how Al Harrington took Dirk apart in the playoffs when he tried to dribble?) and is younger, faster, and more athletic. I'm not ready yet to declare Randolph a future superstar yet, but there is huge potential there, more than from even Monta or Andris IMO. He finished last year making a lot of nightly highlight reels, people from outside the Bay Area are noticing him in games. I think he's going to be getting a lot of national attention soon. He has a star presence in that he plays with passion and bravado and you see him do things almost every night that not really any other player in the NBA is doing. That's the stuff stars are made of.
Nice article, although I would've liked some statistical analysis (though I guess someone already did a comparison thing), but maybe that's just me!
Let's not get carried away now. Best case scenario, he's Josh Smith- good, but certainly not a superstar. The only guy we have who has the potential to be a star, much less superstar, is Monta. And I'd even trade him in a second for a legit All-Star PG or wing.
^^serious?? BEST CASE SCENARIO is josh smith??? i don't think so dude. i think he could easily be as good/effective/valuable as josh smith THIS YEAR. he definitely has serious all-star potential...i don't know wher you draw the line between a superstar and just an all-star, but he's definitely gonna be making 8 figures in a few years.
Maybe I should have been more clear. I think at any given time there are only 5 or 6 superstars in the league, max. Guys who are known by everyone, not just sports fans. Guys like Kobe, Lebron, Wade. Randolph will never be on that level. When I say he'll only be as good as Smith, I mean he is on the same path as Smith. They both will improve but they'll be borderline allstars at best. I see his ceiling as 17 points, 3 blocks, 9-10 rebounds, and 3 or 4 assists. Ideally, I'd like to see him average about 14 points or so becuase I think he can do that efficiently on putback and in transition. He sometimes gets out of control and I think if he does that his scoring will go up but he'll be a low % guy. If he achieves those numbers, 17/10/3/3, he'll be very good but not a superstar and, unless the Ws are a very good team, he won't be an all star.
I think Randolph will be an all-star at some point in his career but I'm not sure about superstar. He seems like a really nice, hard working kid who loves basketball. That's as much as you can ask at this point. I'm not sure about the Josh Smith comparison. I think Randolph has a way better attitude and more offensive skills than him. I won't sit here and predict what numbers he'll be putting up, but I think he'll be a major contributor in the Warriors POTENTIAL success.
Well, I do think Randolph can be a superster, since he has God-given talent like length and athleticism. He also has very good work ethic and passion, which are essential to be a star in NBA. Randolph lacks strength and offense game, and it would be nice for him to be bit more mature, but those can improve as time goes on. However, in order for him to be a superstar, everthing must click perfectly, and I can say the same to number of NBA players. For now, I will reserve my opinion till I see what he can do in this season...
I think Randolph has the chance to be a 7 foot Shawn Marion type player, if he can develop some type of an outside shot. If he becomes an outstanding outside shooter then he'd probably be a mix between Dirk or Rashard Lewis and Marion which I guess could put him in superstar range. But right now I'd say he's a worse shooting 4-5 inches taller version of Shawn Marion with a lot of potential.
I think Randolph has the potential to be a superstar. He has the potential to be one of the top 6 or 7 players in the game in a few years. Why? He has every physical thing you could hope for. Yet, he also has that "fire," that primacy, that drive to be great that guys like Brandan Wright just do not display. That "fire" that guys like Jordan, Kobe, and KG display. Randolph has that "fire," and he will be great. Even now, as a kid, he has more "primacy," or drive to be great, than anyone else on the Warriors. Who has the second most "fire?" It's not SJax or Monta. It's Anthony Morrow.
People like to peg guys as Modern day version of "Insert Player Here." I'd say Randolph's ceiling is what Shawn Kemp could've been. Take a little spring off (and hopefully a lot less illegitimate children) and add a little touch and strength. If he gets there, we'll all be happy
