i think so. gets low on his handle, and can go left or right. gets wherever he wants to on the floor. especially in secondary breaks and in transition. i love how he quickly comes to the front court after defensive rebounds and scores before defenses get set. the potential downside i see is his lack of separation from defenders using his first step in the half court, but he's crafty enough and smooth enough to get a clean look when you wouldn't expect him to. i want to see how this translates at the NBA level, but i think this is probably the thing that makes Paolo a much better prospect than him (otherwise, their skillsets and scoring are fairly similar).
decent comp, but ET had a much better body of work before he came to the league. and he was a good playmaker in the halfcourt in college. he was unworthy of the #2 pick but there were people who compared him to BRoy. i think Ntilikina and Exum are more apt comps.
All givens. I won't beat my head against the wall if they draft him, but I will cross my fingers he develops as I recognize where he's at as well as where he could end up IF/when he adds a reliable outside threat. Mostly, I like other probable options at #7 better. I'm still waiting to hear about what I'm apparently missing on Jalen Duren that has him likely available when we select. Whats exactly wrong with the bigger, faster, jump out of the gym, coordinated 18.5 year old kid who seems physically like a buff Jaren Jackson Jr. but oriented to inside play? Good grief think of Dame or Ant taking dudes off the dribble and having that monster to throw it up to when the shot blocker comes over. Of defending up on jump shooters because of the shot blocker looming. Sorry I'm digressing from the thread, but I've gone down a Jalen Duren rabbit hole today lying low post Covid booster shot. Bear with me... STOMP
If Joe Cronin really does like to take a big swing on high-upside, the two prospects that might fall to the 7th spot would be Shaedon Sharpe and Jalen Duren. Duren will almost certainly be there at the 7th pick. Many "experts" think Duren could end up being the best or one of the best players from this draft class. I said before that Duren is the player that would be the best fit for Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons among the prospects that should be available. Lillard has never had a pick and roll partner that can snatch the ball out of the sky and jam it even if the pass isn't perfect. Some people think this isn't a skill or a valuable skill. We know by our years with Nurkic it definitely isn't a given. Or look at Gobert fumbling a ball right at the hoop. It is a valuable skill and together with Lillard or Simons it's a scary threat for the defense. By the way, are you worried about his actual height? He didn't measure at the combine.
Don't draft raw centers who can't dribble or shoot early in the lottery. Learn from history. They don't ever work out. If we have the 15th pick... fine take a shot at Duren, but not at 7.
I think the things you’re missing aren’t necessarily Duren’s fault. Duren isn’t a guy that can handle or bring the ball up the court, which is becoming increasingly more important. Wasn’t ever a good FT shooter in college, so you’re gonna have a hard time convincing me he’ll ever even be an average 3pt shooter in the NBA. He was a freak in college but got 8 shots off a game, usually off oreb or dump offs/lobs. I’d definitely consider him if we traded down to outside the top 10. His age and physicals are intriguing, but when have we ever had a rookie C that didn’t get called for too many fouls. Right now, while he’s built like a buff Jaren Jackson Jr, but he plays like a Robert Williams + 3 inches. Robert Williams was 6’9 240lb at the combine, if Robert Williams grew 3 inches, I’m still not sure if he’d be a top 10 pick that year. Guys like Bamba and Capela can do that. You don’t necessarily need a 250lber to do that. You need need an athletic guy in the dunker spot.
You're not serious, are you? I'm guessing that's a sarcastic comment. Robert Williams III. I don't see any shooting or dribbling. But the same kind of impact Duren could have immediately - rebounding, defense, and scoring at the hoop. Rebounding and defense are pretty important. No, he wasn't drafted in the lottery, which seems to be an odd criteria of whether a player will succeed or not.
You missed my point. Rob Williams was the 27th pick. Gobert was the 27th pick. Jokic was the 41st pick. Bam was the 14th pick. Allen was the 22nd pick. Vucevic was the 16th pick. Nurkic was the 16th pick. Starting caliber centers are usually found later on in the draft. The opportunity cost of drafting a center with higher bust potential at #7 is too great with potentially star caliber wings on the board. Duren is not a center prospect in the caliber of Mobley/Towns/Ayton/Embiid/etc. Hell, he doesn't even profile as well as the last bigman to come out of Memphis that is looking very much like a bust (Wiseman). I just spent the last 30 minutes watching Thabeet videos at UConn, and was baffled at how he was drafted 5 spots ahead of Steph. Let's not be the one to make a similar mistake with Jalen. The risk of missing out on a better prospect (obviously not one of Steph's caliber but still good) is too great. The risk is far less if you're picking 15.
That was the #27th pick in the draft, not #7. Using Robert Williams doesn’t help your point. Jaxson Hayes, Mo Bamba, those guys were actual lottery picks, and they work against your point lol. You also do realize it took Williams 4 years to get to that point right? I remember seeing Williams struggle to get minutes his first 3 years. Dame will be like 34-35 in 4 years, it’s only worth the pick if you think he’ll be a 20ppg guy. But these days, the 20ppg bigs shoot 3s.
If we want a center, trade into the latter part of the first round and find a guy with some basic fundamental skills (size/athleticism/will to improve) and incubate him in your lab with good big man coaches. Wait three years, and you'll have a good one provided your player development staff is decent. Or hell, sign a younger one with the MLE. Don't waste the highest pick we've had since Dame on him.
Wiseman was #2. Hayes was #8. Bamba was #6. Wendell Carter Jr. was #7. Collins was #10. Dragan Bender was #4. Poeltl was #9. Thon Maker was #10. This is the history of centers picked in the lottery over the past few drafts. Every single one was over-drafted at their position. Can even argue Ayton over Luka, but Ayton was almost universally deemed a can't miss prospect, unlike these other guys. Duren falls into the former bin.
Nope. While I'm disappointed that not participating in the combine seems to be a growing trend, my eyes say with certainty that Jalen Duren isn't a tweener. I'd guess 6'9 to 6'10 barefoot 250 lbs and that the reported 7'5 wingspan is close. No issues with this guy being big enough to match up on 5s. I also see he's often above the square on the backboard. That he runs with ease. That depending on the shot he uses the appropriate long arm to go after blocks. That he can shadow/move his feet really well. That he's very coordinated. Whats the issue? STOMP
Learn from history, we're all beautiful snowflakes. No worries taking the other side on Jalen from you STOMP
Fine by me, I want primarily defense, boards and solid picks and finishes from the dunker spot on offense from my biggest Big. How many 3s are Looney and Williams averaging? If he didn't have knee issues already, I'd have no issues spending the #7 on a young Robert Williams. Dude is a difference maker. Yes the dunker spot requires athleticism, luckily clearly Duren is more athletic then Bamba and Capela. Not only is Capela less athletic, but he's shorter, has less length and weight yet currently makes 18 Mil a year. STOMP
Lol, those are names of guys in the bottom half of the first round silly. I want primarily defense, boards, and solid picks and finishes from the dunker spot on offense from my biggest big too. I’m just saying I’m not willing to spend a #7 pick on him like you are, that’s all. Solid chance he’s there at #13 or #15. I’d love to have Duren, he just better not be the crowning jewel of draft night. Lmao. I mean, no doubt he’s a difference maker, but even with the ability to see what SGA/Mikal Bridges/Simons have become in hindsight, you’d have “no problem” spending #7 on Robert Williams that year? Well…alright. BUT YOU DON’T NEED THE MOST ATHLETIC GUY IN THE DUNKER SPOT. If more athletic dunks meant we get more than 2 points a dunk, I’d totally get you. Lol. Bamba is still a very athletic C who can easily finish lobs but can also be a threat to shoot the 3. So yeah, if Duren made just a few 3’s in college so I can be encouraged of something, I’d get the fascination. But he took 1 3, made 0 3’s. I really wouldn’t know what to say at this point, but we’ll agree to disagree I guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’d rather spend a 2nd rounder on Orlando Robinson than draft Duren with #7. Fortunately, with news of “interest” in Ayton, Duren for #7 doesn’t seem likely.
I guess it depends on how you value the wings in this class. There are interesting bets throughout but I don't see it as a great wing class overall. Definitely don't see any all star ceilings. Duren could certainly be a bust, but I think his combination of strength level and quickness off the floor are the level of tools we don't see very often with bigs and clearly didn't with all of the disappointing high pick examples he's being compared to.
you sure do laugh a lot. Fine with me if my views/values don't line up with yours. Who is right on this stuff isn't established today. btw, Bamba doesn't play the dunker spot, he hangs out on the 3pt line and bench. He's a lumbering Big & can't switch off so he gets targeted on D and often into foul trouble. I don't see the comparison to Duren at all & I sure wasn't touting him predraft. You provided the examples of lessor players, I'd prefer the specimen. STOMP
I like Duren but the way the league has shifted these days I’m hesitant to use a top 10 pick who’s top possible trait is interior defense. I’ve become enamored with loading up the team with wing players who are versatile defensively and can create off the dribble. Even a guy like Banchero has a versatility to his game where he can stretch out the offense enough. 15 years ago I would’ve said yes! Draft him without reservation. But todays game places so much more value on being able to defend the 3 ball and create. I think back sometimes to that Oden over Durant draft and shaking my head because I think in todays NBA if given that option today the Blazers would have gone Durant
