2015 Nba Draft Discussion: Russell, Nance Jr., Brown

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by LaVarBallsDad, Oct 14, 2014.

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  1. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    I would say he has as good of an offensive game as Drew just before Drew developed the little jumper.
     
    therealdeal, Mar 13, 2015
    #1101
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  2. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    OH. LOL. Thanks for that. I think I get it now. [​IMG] [​IMG] Wow! You know he jumps doing everything else when it is necessary ..... getting his shot off .....on some rebounds and he looks very coordinated for a big man already. I bet Coach K definitely has him not being aggressive or jumping on D to keep him in the game. Looks fairly athletic to me and seems to run the floor well. Definitely the number one pick. Come on Silver you guys freaking owe us. Think how damn good for the league. Yeah, Randle and Okafor and Durant and Clarkson (maybe Kobe for reasonable dollars) How much fun would that be? Who wants this pipe? [​IMG]
     
    LTLakerFan, Mar 13, 2015
    #1102
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  3. LaVarBallsDad

    LaVarBallsDad - Lakers Legend -

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    LaVarBallsDad, Mar 13, 2015
    #1103
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  4. shoe

    shoe - Rookie -

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    Okafors free throw shooting is woefully bad
     
    shoe, Mar 13, 2015
    #1104
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  5. Helljumper

    Helljumper - Lakers All Star -

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    I watched a good amount of Stanley Johnson today in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament. As a UCLA fan, I wasn't really paying too much attention to Arizona's player individually, but the announcers were raving about how Johnson took over defensively and shut down some of our best players in the second half. Aside from that, he had some clutch plays. He hit a clutch 3 to extend the lead. He had a couple of really nice offensive boards over some of UCLA's bigger players. Just seemed to have good ball awareness and tenacity.

    I guess I can see some of the loftier comparisons to players like Kawhi Leonard or Jimmy Butler. He has a similar physical skill set, but he just needs a lot of work. But at the same time, he could easily become just another solid roleplayer who doesn't provide anything other than decent defense. Again, this is based on one game that I didn't pay the most attention to, so I could be completely off base.
     
    Helljumper, Mar 13, 2015
    #1105
  6. tada

    tada - Lakers All Star -

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    His 66.7FG% more than makes up for it. Free throw percentages can be overblown sometimes. Even at 52.4% he is scoring more than a point per possession which is highly efficient.

    This is a good read
    http://www.boxscoregeeks.com/articles/math-and-shooting-efficiency

    ".....any player who make more than 46.41% of his free throws should to go to the line as much as possible.
    The reasoning for this is fairly simple: most NBA teams hover at slightly over one point per possession. So, at first blush, you'd think that a player would need to hit more than 50% of his free throws to make a possession 'break-even'. This however, ignores offensive rebounds. Free Throws don't always end a possession, just as shooting doesn't always end a possession. This is why shooting at about 45% from 2-point range is "break-even" and shooting at a 50% clip from 2-point range will net you much more than one point per possession."

    In other words, a player would have to be bad as DeAndre Jordan before you start worrying about FT%.

    Now, back to his 66.7FG%. That is a higher clip than Shaq as a junior or Duncan as a senior in college. That is crazy efficient considering the attention he gets as the 1st option of Duke.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2015
    tada, Mar 14, 2015
    #1106
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  7. Savory Griddles

    Savory Griddles Moderator Staff Member

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    Yeah. If FT% was a major problem, Shaq wouldn't have won 4 rings. Even Duncan had some rough years there. I think the thing with FT% is it's frustrating to watch as a fan. I never played basketball at a high level (soccer and hockey player), but I could still hit FTs at a 70-80% clip. It's something that most people can do off the street, yet these pros can't.
     
    Savory Griddles, Mar 14, 2015
    #1107
  8. LaVarBallsDad

    LaVarBallsDad - Lakers Legend -

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    I'm getting more fascinated with a Okafor/Randle pairing; in this modern version of the NBA, Memphis is sitting 2nd in the West presently with two post options and play with a more deliberate/slower pace than the rest of the NBA. Things seems to be going all right for them...
     
    LaVarBallsDad, Mar 14, 2015
    #1108
  9. LaVarBallsDad

    LaVarBallsDad - Lakers Legend -

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    Stanley Johnson highlights - Edit new 2015 highlights. :)
     
    LaVarBallsDad, Mar 14, 2015
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  10. LaVarBallsDad

    LaVarBallsDad - Lakers Legend -

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    Kentucky mixed with WCS from today's game against Auburn.
     
    LaVarBallsDad, Mar 14, 2015
    #1110
  11. unpossibl1

    unpossibl1 - Rookie -

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    Don't forget Marc was DPOY and they have Conley and Tony Allen to help shut down drives from the perimeter. The concern with a Okafor/Randle combo is there is no rim protection.

    However, if the Lakers get the first pick and determine that Okafor is more likely to become a star than Towns then they should draft Okafor and deal with fit later.
     
    unpossibl1, Mar 14, 2015
    #1111
  12. LaVarBallsDad

    LaVarBallsDad - Lakers Legend -

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    Yes, I'm aware of all that. Nevertheless, I still think it could work but it's all dependent on scheme, personnel, etc. Heck, give it a shot, and if it's not working, trade the lesser player for pieces that could fit...
     
    LaVarBallsDad, Mar 14, 2015
    #1112
  13. lakerjones

    lakerjones Moderator Staff Member

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    Personally I'm getting excited about Stanley Johnson. I just think Okafor and Towns are both long shots. I don't see us cracking the top 3 but of course, conjecture is fruitless right now. However, Johnson seems the most likely pick and if we do get him I'd be very stoked. Love what I'm seeing in him and I could also see him at wing alongside Randle. Could be outstanding.
     
    lakerjones, Mar 14, 2015
    #1113
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  14. tada

    tada - Lakers All Star -

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    Marc was considered a defensive liability in college so you never know with these kids.

    Besides, I think Randle has tremendous upside as a defender. He still lacks the fundamentals and has his share of lapses (ball-watching, P&R reaction), but he has the tools (strength, quickness, motor, effort) to be a terrific defender. Watching film with Kobe will help accelerate his understanding of defensive schemes.
     
    tada, Mar 15, 2015
    #1114
  15. tada

    tada - Lakers All Star -

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    Well we're likely finishing 4th this season, so our chances of landing a top 3 pick (37.8%) are greater than landing the 5th pick. (35.1%)

    1. 11.9%
    2. 12.6%
    3. 13.3%
    4. 9.9%
    5. 35.1%
    6. 16%
    7. 1.2%

    Having said that, here are my thoughts heading to the lottery.

    1st or 2nd pick
    Chances of landing in Top 2: 24.5%
    Draft grade: A+++, JACKPOT!!!
    Pick: Okafor or Towns

    3rd pick
    Chances of landing in Top 3: 37.8%
    Draft grade: A, still a huge WIN!!
    Pick: Towns or Russell, whichever is left

    4th pick
    Chances of landing in Top 4: 47.7%
    Draft grade: B, satisfactory
    Pick: Russell or Stanley, whichever is left

    5th pick
    Chances of landing in Top 5: 82.8%
    Draft grade: C, a little disappointing but have to grateful that we kept our pick
    Pick: Stanley

    6th or 7th pick to Philly
    Draft grade: F, Epic FAIL

    I currently rate Stanley higher than Russell as a talent, but Russell likely has higher demand around the league (including our front office) And I feel the shooting ability of Russell and the slashing ability of Clarkson would make a great backcourt.

    As for Mudiay, I have to see more against real competition... not in a league where Stephon Marbury has Jordanesque stats.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2015
    tada, Mar 15, 2015
    #1115
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  16. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    We can't miss in the Top 5, but I really like Stan Johnson. There's a reason his teams always seem to be winning and he could jump in and defend against NBA players today. He'll struggle to create at the next level at first, but he's going to be a solid NBA player no question. He and Randle at the 3-4 would be excellent.

    If you then went out and paid someone like Monroe your offense is great. Or if you go out and get DeAndre Jordan your defense just shot up too hehe charts...

    The point is we have a ton of options and all of them should make us fairly competitive fairly quickly.
     
    therealdeal, Mar 15, 2015
    #1116
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  17. Savory Griddles

    Savory Griddles Moderator Staff Member

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    I like Okafor better right now. It changes day to day, but I think they fit together great on the offensive end. Defensively, we'd be a little weak at the rim, but let's be honest, we won a ring with Gasol and Odom as our frontline and Fisher as our pg.
     
    Savory Griddles, Mar 15, 2015
    #1117
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  18. LTLakerFan

    LTLakerFan - Lakers Legend -

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    Unless the front office has an EPIC failure in making it crystal clear, no ifs ands or buts to Scott to not blow the 4th seed in the lottery. Would be outstanding if they had pics of Silver with the midget Stern......
     
    LTLakerFan, Mar 15, 2015
    #1118
  19. Earvin

    Earvin - Rookie -

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    If we land Town, DH will become the 3rd best center wearing N°12 in Lakers history after Town and Divac !!
     
    Earvin, Mar 16, 2015
    #1119
  20. tada

    tada - Lakers All Star -

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    Looking at 1:08 of this video makes me nervous about Towns.....


    Look how much thinner his legs are compared to Okafor.
    Not just that they are thin (admittedly Kobe has chicken legs too), the lack of coordination is quite apparent..... injury waiting to happen IMHO
     
    tada, Mar 16, 2015
    #1120
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