Here are this year's rookies in order of MPG: Of course, some of these only got so many minutes because they were on shitty teams or teams that were decimated with injuries (coughcoughScootcoughcough), but in general, the most ready-to-contribute rookies are here. So my question is: what players about to be drafted will be on this list next year? Clearly the biggest surprise there is GG Jackson (undrafted) but Jaquez, Podziemski, Camara and Lively are also punching above their weight.
GG Jackson was mocked as high as the lotto heading into the combine but there were several reports that he interviewed terribly and also that he wasn't working hard in his workouts. His drop was crazy but it wasn't out of the draft. The Grizz took him at 45.
OK, so I'll go. Clingan Zach Edey Dalton Knecht Devin Carter Jaylon Tyson Mark Sears Tyler Kolek KJ Simpson Ryan Dunn Hunter Sallis Jamal Shead Pelle Larsson
Yeah, I think that those two bigs you have at the top of your list will impact games right away and probably do so at the level you can expect them to for their entire careers. One other guy that I think can come in and impact games immediately on a team built to win now is Tristan da Silva.
As has been pointed out, it's weird that Colorado has three players who will get drafted, at least two in the first round, all of whom are supposedly pretty ready-to-go... so why weren't they a better team?
Its not like they were a bad team. 16-1 at home, made the Pac 12 championship game, made the tournament, but lost a tough one to Marquette.
Some players we had in are looking good in SL - besides Larsson, there's Keshad Johnson (also for the Heat, currently injured) and Daeqwon Plowden, who has already got himself a two-way.
is this a prediction of minutes/game like last year's list? if so, I'd be surprised if Clingan is anywhere near the top-10, not with Ayton and Timelord on the roster I'm also thinking that Reed Sheppard will carve out a lot of minutes for himself
yeah, that's certainly possible but if Sheppard is as good as he has looked so far (Stockton clone?), I'd think that FVV's minutes (37/game last season) would be reduced; and that at times those two would play at the same time. That could get Sheppard up close to 20 minutes/game. And FVV hasn't been an iron man either; on average he has missed 20 games/year over his 8 year career
FVV played the most minutes per game (36.8 MPG) and total minutes for the Rockets last season. FVV was the best percentage 3-point shooter in the starting lineup at 38.7% and made more 3-point shots than any Rocket. FVV was the only Rocket in the starting lineup that shot above the league-average 3-point percentage (.366). FVV is on the last year of his contract and will make $42.8 million. Houston's 2025 first-round pick is top 10 protected, but if it's 11 or higher (like it was this year, 12th) it can be swapped by OKC. I've circled Jalen Green because of his poor volume shooting. His minutes could be reduced to get playing time for Sheppard.
Sheppard didn't even play PG at Kentucky, so Stockton seems inapt. The comp I've heard most is Mark Price, but I'm not sure the young'ins remember him. I mean Sheppard is going to get steals (like Stockton) but Stockton was notoriously tough as nails and dirty, whereas Sheppard looks about 12 and squeaky clean. I wouldn't be surprised if the Rockets envisage an Amen/Sheppard backcourt of the future. After all, they've been shopping Green hard.
Yeah, that is an intriguing future backcourt......despite Amen's horrendous 3-point shooting numbers. But I am sure it will improve. It can't get much worse.
