That's two people now who have given me the quote about "second best/most..." I've read the scouting reports. I posted the scouting reports here on this site. It was not "second most ready." He has the "second best post game in the draft." You can have that and be raw. BTW, I totally disagree that raw IS someone who has to be taught a lot of basketball. Sometimes you're raw because you don't have the reps. You can know what you're supposed to do, but you don't do it naturally because you haven't practiced it to make it second nature. He's 19. He doesn't have the reps. Don't believe me, though; believe the scouts and writers: "he has very promising physical tools for the NBA level." "However, he needs some polish and experience, which is especially evident on the defensive end, where he has underperformed in protecting the basket and securing rebounds." "Away from the rim, the 19 year old center is relatively limited at this stage. He isn't the kind of big man who initiates much offense or is asked to make decisions with the ball as a passer." "Potential defines Zubac's outlook at this stage more than perhaps any of the other early entrant international big men jockeying for position at the end of the first round. He has a strong foundation of tools that leave room for optimism in a number of facets of the game offensively, but isn't overly polished in any one area at the moment and lacks a degree of high level experience given how little high level basketball he's played up until this point." "Zubac doesn’t really offer much in terms of shooting — a vast majority of his looks come within 5 feet of the basket. Zubac needs to work on his shooting mechanics, both on his release and on his set shot." "while he lacks in some areas regarding fundamentals, he’s young and a lot of that can be developed." "He is still familiarizing himself with his body, so he can’t really control it… Relies too much on size and length… Not a threat beyond 5-7 feet from the basket" And I've seen the 86% free throw number. That was 10 games' worth; in the other 5 he played, he shot 57% and was at 69% for the year. Gotta read all the data, y'all.
as real said, i haven't seen bynum's lift. but you're not getting that whole physical package at #32. in fact, you almost never get it at #10. just expect a sacre type--or maybe a younger cole aldrich--this year and hope for growth. his body still has that young pup look (that keeps rodg salivating), so maybe he can work himself into something more.
Andrew Bynum was the second best Center in basketball in 2011, in my view. Averaged 19 and 12, 1.9 blocks, 56% FGs, 70% FTs, and he had a season with 127 ORtg/101 DRtg and another with 121/100. In a three-year stretch, he piled up 22.4 win shares - in only 179 games. If Zubac could be Bynum at 19, you're right - he'd be good. Still shot 56%, 8/6 with 1.6 blocks. He was a boss. Don't expect that from Zubac.
I don't like dumping on our players. I stand by the 9/6 career projections for him, which isn't bad at all. He's going to be an interesting dude to watch, and I can't wait to see it. Hope he's even better than that.
I don't even consider it dumping really. At @abeer3 made a solid comparison: I hope he's Cole Aldrich. Cole took a while to get going, but now he looks like a decent backup Center in the league. I'd be stoked for that. The reality is Zubac probably needs a bunch of time in the D-League. There's nothing wrong with that! Clarkson spent half a year there! If Zubac can go to the D-League and grow his game there's nothing wrong with that. That's the norm. I'd absolutely LOVE if he came out in Summer League looking like a vet and beat up on everyone, but that would be very outside the norm. I'm going to keep my expectations nice and low and just hope for the best. For what it's worth the guys from DE love him and think he's either the or one-of-the best Center prospects in the draft. Obviously it takes time for that to flesh out. Project means it's not going to be immediate. Another recent example would be Alex Len who finally started showing signs of growth after 2 years in the league.
While speculation is fun, the end result is going to be up to two things on how far a player will go in this league, IMO: work ethic and the quality the player development staff that the team has in place. I don't think any of us knew that Clarkson would blossom as high as he has after we seen the first few times. A combination of Clarkson's work ethic and the player development staff have molded Clarkson into a starting SG. You could even argue he's a sixth man. I'll still take that considering where he was drafted. We have the scouting department. We have the player development staff. It's up to this kid to out in the work to maximize what he has to offer and improve those weaknesses. He could turn into a stud.
I love Zubac as part of our young core. I think traditional bigs are vastly undervalued in today's NBA. GS probably would have won Game 7 if they had Bogut. Similarly, Zubac will become a very valuable piece as we attempt to run different line-up's. As we witnessed in the final minutes of Game 7, small-ball can be limiting and ineffective when the game slows down. We'll have the luxury to fall back to a player like Zubac, who can create easy baskets for himself and others, while also protecting the paint. I love the versatility. I'm very excited.
so the consensus is that he is backup material right? Haven't read everything, but sounds like most don't think he's a potential starter.
Ivica Zubac Phone Interview with Media http://www.nba.com/lakers/video/teams/lakers/2016/06/24/1466740931025-Zubac_Lakers.mov-612968
A few sites had him pegged as the 15th best player in the draft and project he could be a potential starter once he gains much needed experience. However, I agree with everyone else that it's best to temper expectations and assume he will likely be a solid backup center. Anything beyond that will be considered a bonus, especially considering he was picked in the second round. He's a solid pick considering we just missed out on Deyonta Davis falling into our laps.
Finally we have croat in LA. I think he is great pick up at 32, we just have to be patiant and zubac might surprise many people...he is very young and has all tools to make it nba. He might flew undef the radar even in croatia,but right now we probably have the best young team in the world. Last year we lost in finals (U19) in OT to USA and we played with B team couse bender and zizic were suspended becouse some sponsors issues. So dont be surprised if You see soon names like Arapovic or Mazalin at the draft night... Beware Croats are coming.
Mitch said that the DLeague "isn't in the equation" for Zubac. I saw this on Rotoworld (from NBA.com). I don't even understand. Why wouldn't you send a 19 year old big to the DLeague?
