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2024 NBA Draft Thread - the hawks might be on the clock
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by addict4sneakers,
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Dude looks like a grown man amongst boys.
Top 5 skillset.
Top 5 skillset.
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No reason he couldn’t be
Nick smith has been also been impressive so far since returning from injury
Feel like smith, George, whitmore and black (he might be a stretch) are all staking their claims pretty hard. That’s without mentioning the Thompson twins
dacomeup
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Smith can’t shoot though right? What Whitmore is doing as a kid who doesn’t turn 19 until next summer just seems really impressive. Age of the Thompson kids throws me off with those broke jumpers
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Smith is 5-16 from 3 and whitmore is 6-17
Smith is 14-17 from ft and whitmore is 11-14
Both impressing considering they were injured. They havent skipped a beat
Smith’s legs look better and better every game. He’s been scoring in and out of the paint too
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I need to see more shot creation from smith to put him at 3
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Smith has just as much shot creation as whitmore
George might have them both beat in that department but I’d say it’s close so far
George might have them both beat in that department but I’d say it’s close so far
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HOU$TON
formerly convertibleburt
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dacomeup
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Lol this is kind of dumb because the best two prospects in the draft are not in college and then the Thompson kids are with OTE.
HOU$TON
formerly convertibleburt
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I think he’s only referring to the college class.
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It’s good to hear the Thompson twins are natural workers and gym rats. If they only care about hooping and getting better hopefully amen can start shooting lol
The thing about ote that seems scary is that it’s very like new gen social media-ish. Vecine said the talent is underrated there- I have no clue if that is true
So long as the twins aren’t just being coddled and actually being pushed/held accountable they should be good
Ausur seems like a lot would have to wrong to not be a rotation player
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Facts. And I’m a Whitmore guy.
This is the 2019 Draft with “sexier” names after the top 2 but the same exact talent gap.
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Rookie of the Week: AJ Griffin, SF, Atlanta
(Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best rookie of the week. Just the one I’ve been watching.)
One of the mysteries of the early part of the Hawks’ season was watching the Hawks starve for shooting every night, just after seeing the rookie Griffin warm up for 30 minutes before the game and make darn near everything from the perimeter. The rookie from Duke has a unique ability to make catch-and-shoot 3s from different platforms, seeming to square up his upper body perfectly regardless of what his legs might be doing. That ability can get him in trouble sometimes – his footwork actually could use some cleaning up – but the additional threat Griffin provides is clear now that injuries forced the Hawks to play him.
He’s not going back to the bench, especially after Sunday’s twisting game-winner at the buzzer to knock off the Bulls … which was actually his second buzzer-beating game-winner in just 23 pro games.
While we’re here, hat-tip to Hawks assistant coach Joe Prunty for pulling out The Jerryd Bayless Play on the Bulls seven years later, and to this dude for somehow remembering:
What’s interesting is that Griffin actually has been in a bit of a shooting slump, making just four of his last 22 3-pointers to drag his season percentage down to 33.3 percent, but has found other ways to contribute. Griffin isn’t a high-wire athlete but has a strong frame and has shown some off-the-dribble verve in addition to long-range shooting, including his fantastic finish to beat the Bulls on Sunday.
He’s at 57.9 percent from inside the arc thus far, despite a shot diet light on rim attempts. He’s often finishing on the move after a couple of dribbles and has shown solid touch from this area, making him dramatically more threatening than Atlanta’s other small forward options. While the 3-ball will always be his base (his 11.0 attempts per 100 possessions leads the team), his ability to get to the second level and score leverage that threat well.
Defensively, He’s also added an unexpected nose for the ball (2.5 percent steal rate) and brought energy when needed — get on the floor kid!
While Griffin is filled out physically and unlikely to make a seismic impact as an athletic marvel, he also still has room to grow here at just 19 years old – nearly the youngest player selected in the 2022 draft. Overall, he’s looking like a real nice find for Atlanta with the 16th pick, and one the depth-stared Hawks are likely to rely on the rest of the season.
(Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best rookie of the week. Just the one I’ve been watching.)
One of the mysteries of the early part of the Hawks’ season was watching the Hawks starve for shooting every night, just after seeing the rookie Griffin warm up for 30 minutes before the game and make darn near everything from the perimeter. The rookie from Duke has a unique ability to make catch-and-shoot 3s from different platforms, seeming to square up his upper body perfectly regardless of what his legs might be doing. That ability can get him in trouble sometimes – his footwork actually could use some cleaning up – but the additional threat Griffin provides is clear now that injuries forced the Hawks to play him.
He’s not going back to the bench, especially after Sunday’s twisting game-winner at the buzzer to knock off the Bulls … which was actually his second buzzer-beating game-winner in just 23 pro games.
While we’re here, hat-tip to Hawks assistant coach Joe Prunty for pulling out The Jerryd Bayless Play on the Bulls seven years later, and to this dude for somehow remembering:
What’s interesting is that Griffin actually has been in a bit of a shooting slump, making just four of his last 22 3-pointers to drag his season percentage down to 33.3 percent, but has found other ways to contribute. Griffin isn’t a high-wire athlete but has a strong frame and has shown some off-the-dribble verve in addition to long-range shooting, including his fantastic finish to beat the Bulls on Sunday.
He’s at 57.9 percent from inside the arc thus far, despite a shot diet light on rim attempts. He’s often finishing on the move after a couple of dribbles and has shown solid touch from this area, making him dramatically more threatening than Atlanta’s other small forward options. While the 3-ball will always be his base (his 11.0 attempts per 100 possessions leads the team), his ability to get to the second level and score leverage that threat well.
Defensively, He’s also added an unexpected nose for the ball (2.5 percent steal rate) and brought energy when needed — get on the floor kid!
While Griffin is filled out physically and unlikely to make a seismic impact as an athletic marvel, he also still has room to grow here at just 19 years old – nearly the youngest player selected in the 2022 draft. Overall, he’s looking like a real nice find for Atlanta with the 16th pick, and one the depth-stared Hawks are likely to rely on the rest of the season.
Prospect of the Week: Leonard Miller, 6-10 PF, G League Ignite
(Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best prospect of the week. Just the one I’ve been watching.)
Nothing makes writing this column harder than going to three college games and seeing no actual prospects. But enough about my personal life. There were a few marquee matchups in college basketball but a relative lack of impactful things happening on the NCAA prospect front.
Fortunately, we do have one player outside the NCAA realm making some noise in Miller, a 6-10 Canadian who pulled out of last year’s draft after a rough performance at the NBA Draft Combine. He seems to have made the right decision, as his performances so far in the G League this year are likely to see him figure prominently on draft boards after the first 20 or so picks.
The G League Ignite team is taking its lumps this year — they’re 3-12 so far and have lost eight games in a row — but after Scoot Henderson (the presumptive second-overall pick), Miller has quite possibly been their second-best player. He took another step forward in the past week with Henderson out of the lineup, putting up 18 points on 12 shots in a loss to Stockton and 23 and nine in a close loss to South Bay.
Miller is big at 6-11 but is very comfortable handling the ball on the perimeter, and just turned 19 — even after waiting a year, he’ll still be one of the younger players in the 2022 draft. Scouts have been waiting on his shooting and decision-making to catch up, but the’s made some real progress for the Ignite this year. While his left-handed shot still looks flat and a bit unthreatening, his progress into a respectable free throw shooter this year (79.2 percent) at least offers some crumbs of optimism. To really leverage his threat on the ball, however, Miller has to become more adept at seeing the floor when he goes to the cup; he has just 15 dimes in 11 G League games this year. For a big player slashing downhill, he’s also been weirdly unable to draw fouls.
All of that makes Miller … less than a sure thing, But the fact he’s a decent-to-good G League player at the age of 19 makes a compelling case that he doesn’t need to make dramatic strides to become a rotation player in his early 20s. Scouts got a good look at Miller during the Ignite’s two games against Victor Wembanyama’s team in Las Vegas earlier this year and he made a positive impression. He’ll get another big chance to up his stock at next week’s G League Winter Showcase.
(Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best prospect of the week. Just the one I’ve been watching.)
Nothing makes writing this column harder than going to three college games and seeing no actual prospects. But enough about my personal life. There were a few marquee matchups in college basketball but a relative lack of impactful things happening on the NCAA prospect front.
Fortunately, we do have one player outside the NCAA realm making some noise in Miller, a 6-10 Canadian who pulled out of last year’s draft after a rough performance at the NBA Draft Combine. He seems to have made the right decision, as his performances so far in the G League this year are likely to see him figure prominently on draft boards after the first 20 or so picks.
The G League Ignite team is taking its lumps this year — they’re 3-12 so far and have lost eight games in a row — but after Scoot Henderson (the presumptive second-overall pick), Miller has quite possibly been their second-best player. He took another step forward in the past week with Henderson out of the lineup, putting up 18 points on 12 shots in a loss to Stockton and 23 and nine in a close loss to South Bay.
Miller is big at 6-11 but is very comfortable handling the ball on the perimeter, and just turned 19 — even after waiting a year, he’ll still be one of the younger players in the 2022 draft. Scouts have been waiting on his shooting and decision-making to catch up, but the’s made some real progress for the Ignite this year. While his left-handed shot still looks flat and a bit unthreatening, his progress into a respectable free throw shooter this year (79.2 percent) at least offers some crumbs of optimism. To really leverage his threat on the ball, however, Miller has to become more adept at seeing the floor when he goes to the cup; he has just 15 dimes in 11 G League games this year. For a big player slashing downhill, he’s also been weirdly unable to draw fouls.
All of that makes Miller … less than a sure thing, But the fact he’s a decent-to-good G League player at the age of 19 makes a compelling case that he doesn’t need to make dramatic strides to become a rotation player in his early 20s. Scouts got a good look at Miller during the Ignite’s two games against Victor Wembanyama’s team in Las Vegas earlier this year and he made a positive impression. He’ll get another big chance to up his stock at next week’s G League Winter Showcase.
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TBH none of these guys pop out for me aside from the top 2. Long season ahead though
dacomeup
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Yea but it just seems like a silly measure when 3 of the other best American prospects have bypassed college. Scoot would be the best college prospect but he didn’t go. I’m just not really seeing the value in that statement
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Also feel its a bit early to make that statement if he's talking about strictly NCAA players.
