TeamRicky wrote:I found it real impressive that Buddy was nailing threes way beyond the arc (Curry range) at an 80% clip in a recent workout. I also have watched Buddy enough to think he won't be a liability on defense and its encouraging to see some like Klay think he can become a "tenacious defender."
Remember back when Klay was drafted his athletic abilities were a question and people wondered if he could defend. Well now the guy is a true 2-way player and has been for years. I bet he sees some of that in Buddy whether it's there or not. I could see Buddy becoming a good defender. Klay did average almost a block per game his last year in college which is pretty impressive for a shooting wing. Continuing that theme Buddy averaged a half a block last year. Hmm...I'm starting to fall for Buddy but it's not cause Klay told me he was gonna be good. Lol
TeamRicky wrote:I found it real impressive that Buddy was nailing threes way beyond the arc (Curry range) at an 80% clip in a recent workout. I also have watched Buddy enough to think he won't be a liability on defense and its encouraging to see some like Klay think he can become a "tenacious defender."
Remember back when Klay was drafted his athletic abilities were a question and people wondered if he could defend. Well now the guy is a true 2-way player and has been for years. I bet he sees some of that in Buddy whether it's there or not. I could see Buddy becoming a good defender. Klay did average almost a block per game his last year in college which is pretty impressive for a shooting wing. Continuing that theme Buddy averaged a half a block last year. Hmm...I'm starting to fall for Buddy but it's not cause Klay told me he was gonna be good. Lol
I've had Buddy Love before the Klay quote but I was really trying to do a comparison of the two in college when I stumbled on the quote and decided to share it. I still like Ingram the best, but the gap between Simmons, Bender and Hield has narrowed for me. If we can get any of the four, I'd consider our draft a home run.
TeamRicky wrote:I found it real impressive that Buddy was nailing threes way beyond the arc (Curry range) at an 80% clip in a recent workout. I also have watched Buddy enough to think he won't be a liability on defense and its encouraging to see some like Klay think he can become a "tenacious defender."
Remember back when Klay was drafted his athletic abilities were a question and people wondered if he could defend. Well now the guy is a true 2-way player and has been for years. I bet he sees some of that in Buddy whether it's there or not. I could see Buddy becoming a good defender. Klay did average almost a block per game his last year in college which is pretty impressive for a shooting wing. Continuing that theme Buddy averaged a half a block last year. Hmm...I'm starting to fall for Buddy but it's not cause Klay told me he was gonna be good. Lol
I've had Buddy Love before the Klay quote but I was really trying to do a comparison of the two in college when I stumbled on the quote and decided to share it. I still like Ingram the best, but the gap between Simmons, Bender and Hield has narrowed for me. If we can get any of the four, I'd consider our draft a home run.
I really like Dunn, so have expanded your list to five. Which means I know there will be a guy I like at #5 on draft day! :)
Insider report on him
Dunn went counter to conventional wisdom last year and decided to return to Providence, despite the fact that most teams had projected him as a late lottery pick.
Dunn said his motivation was primarily academic. He wanted to leave Providence with a college degree. Not only did he graduate last week, fulfilling a lifelong dream, his draft stock improved as well.
Dunn's elite size, quickness and power for a point guard are his primary draws. So is a fierce competitiveness, especially on the defensive end, that should make NBA head coaches drool. Few prospects compete as aggressively as Dunn does.
In one-on-one and two-on-two drills I saw on Monday and Wednesday, Dunn lived and died by every possession. He appeared incredulous every time he missed a shot or his team lost. And when his team won or even when he'd just win an individual match-up? The swagger showed.
And Dunn had plenty of opportunities to compete. I saw him go up against two NBA players, Elfrid Payton and Nick Johnson, and two other draft prospects, Tyler Ulis and Ron Baker, in multiple one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three sessions.
To appreciate a guard like Dunn, you really need to see him in live action. He does well enough in the drills (and on Wednesday he was knocking a high percentage in shooting drills), but when the lights come on, he's a more focused and aggressive player.
Right now his defense is ahead of his offense. No one in the gym could score on him with any regularity. Blessed with size, strength, length, speed and aggressiveness, he has the potential to be an All-Defensive team member in the NBA someday. If he can avoid foul trouble, someday might not be that far away.
One of my favorite moments of the past few weeks came when Dunn got caught on a switch against Guerschon Yabusele, a 6-foot-8, 270 pound power forward. As Yabusele banged away at Dunn, Dunn banged right back, refusing to cede an inch.
Offensively, his speed, court vision and strength allow him to get to wherever he wants on the floor. While at times I felt like he could be even more aggressive hunting for his own shot at both Providence and in the live scrimmages I saw, the fact that he's a "pure" point guard who plays unselfishly is a big part of his appeal to teams.
"I love to compete every day," Dunn said. "It's good to have those NBA players come in and test our capabilities against those type of guys and see if, you know, we can play at a high level like those guys. It's good for us. I was taught to not back down from nobody. That's the type of player I am."
Insider report on him
Dunn went counter to conventional wisdom last year and decided to return to Providence, despite the fact that most teams had projected him as a late lottery pick.
Dunn said his motivation was primarily academic. He wanted to leave Providence with a college degree. Not only did he graduate last week, fulfilling a lifelong dream, his draft stock improved as well.
Dunn's elite size, quickness and power for a point guard are his primary draws. So is a fierce competitiveness, especially on the defensive end, that should make NBA head coaches drool. Few prospects compete as aggressively as Dunn does.
In one-on-one and two-on-two drills I saw on Monday and Wednesday, Dunn lived and died by every possession. He appeared incredulous every time he missed a shot or his team lost. And when his team won or even when he'd just win an individual match-up? The swagger showed.
And Dunn had plenty of opportunities to compete. I saw him go up against two NBA players, Elfrid Payton and Nick Johnson, and two other draft prospects, Tyler Ulis and Ron Baker, in multiple one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three sessions.
To appreciate a guard like Dunn, you really need to see him in live action. He does well enough in the drills (and on Wednesday he was knocking a high percentage in shooting drills), but when the lights come on, he's a more focused and aggressive player.
Right now his defense is ahead of his offense. No one in the gym could score on him with any regularity. Blessed with size, strength, length, speed and aggressiveness, he has the potential to be an All-Defensive team member in the NBA someday. If he can avoid foul trouble, someday might not be that far away.
One of my favorite moments of the past few weeks came when Dunn got caught on a switch against Guerschon Yabusele, a 6-foot-8, 270 pound power forward. As Yabusele banged away at Dunn, Dunn banged right back, refusing to cede an inch.
Offensively, his speed, court vision and strength allow him to get to wherever he wants on the floor. While at times I felt like he could be even more aggressive hunting for his own shot at both Providence and in the live scrimmages I saw, the fact that he's a "pure" point guard who plays unselfishly is a big part of his appeal to teams.
"I love to compete every day," Dunn said. "It's good to have those NBA players come in and test our capabilities against those type of guys and see if, you know, we can play at a high level like those guys. It's good for us. I was taught to not back down from nobody. That's the type of player I am."
After reading this I like him a lot more. Having another athletic attack of player that has questions about his shot doesn't exactly fit for this team but I was more reading up on him to see if it was legit he could get into the top 4.
After reading this I like him a lot more. Having another athletic attack of player that has questions about his shot doesn't exactly fit for this team but I was more reading up on him to see if it was legit he could get into the top 4.
I read that too. Seems like the kind of guy that personality would fit with this group and could be coached up.
This happens every draft. These guys are all geniuses (to use an old Sid term) until they actually have to play their first NBA game. Then suddenly the shine starts to wear off. I can count on one hand how many Minnesota rookies actually exceeded my expectations in their first season.
I'd personally go with Dunn because I love guys that can impact games without necessarily having to shoot and score a bunch. We need "do shit" players and if that means he's Rubio-lite at first, so be it. But it is far from inevitable that him or any of the other guys that might be available at 5 will turn out to be solid rotation players, much less future all-stars.
TRKO wrote:Dunn, Heild, and Murray are all nice prospects and we should end up with one of them. It's pretty exciting.
I agree. Hield would be my top choice of those three. But Q makes a good point about the value of a guy who can impact the game without taking a shot and that perspective favors Dunn because of his defense. Yet, the more I read and the more I watch video highlights the more I see Hield as the best overall prospect of the three.
