Minnesota Sports Forum

lipoli390 wrote:

kekgeek1 wrote:Don't know who we will pick but if we get that Miami 2nd rounder i'm willing to bet we redo the tyus trade and trade 2 2nds for tre jones

Lol. Well, we will get Miami's second rounder because it's unprotected. But we've traded our own 2019 second rounder. So we'll only have one 2nd round pick in June. That means no Jones reprise.

Dammit. Haha

I'm still sad that there are no good point guard prospects this year

BloopOracle wrote:I'm still sad that there are no good point guard prospects this year

Ja Morant, Darius Garland, Shamorie Ponds, and Tre Jones.

It's not a great or deep class, but there are some decent point guard prospects that shouldn't be overlooked.

Cam - I like all those point guards you listed. I think Ja Morant will be a star. Garland is an excellent shooter who can really handle the ball. I can see him becoming an allstar caliber PG in the NBA. I haven't seen much os Shamorie Ponds. I've always been high on Tyus Jones and think he should be our starting PG. Tre is better than Tyus in my view.

My two top picks among those who might be available when the Wolves pick are Keldon Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. They are both excellent shooters who can also handle the ball and distribute. They are the anti-Wiggins when it comes to competitive fire and ballhandling. I see both having relatively high floors but also all-star caliber ceilings.

Johnson looks a bit longer with a better vertical than Alexander-Walker, but NAW looks like a slightly better ballhandler and more complete player with the potential to play the point. I'm afraid, however, that neither one will be available when the Wolves are on the clock. I'm not interested in Little.

Ja Morant is my prayer hope. We have too many wins at the moment that our only hope is to get lucky in the lottery for once. We need luck badly. Add morant to towns and we have legit superstar talent. Otherwise, we are looking to hit a homerun with our likely 11-13 pick, and I just dont trust this organization anymore when it comes to that.

lipoli390 wrote:Here's Mike Schmitz' scouting report on Reddish:

Strengths
- Outstanding size, length and fluidity for a wing prospect. Glides to the rim. Excellent frame with considerable room to fill out.
- Versatile offensive attack. Smooth ball handler who can create offense out of pick-and-roll or isolation. Strong vision for a wing. Can play off hang dribbles. Capable standstill shooter with time and space. Has the most natural talent of any player in the draft.
- Effort needs to improve but has the tools of a versatile defender.

Improvement areas
- Goes through the motions at times. Extremely inconsistent overall. Too willing to settle for contested jumpers. Struggles to play through contact. Willing to blend in. Confidence fluctuates.
- Not a consistent defender. Effort fluctuates. Shies away from physicality on that end.
- Flat-footed perimeter jumper. Can stand to speed up his release. Career 30 percent 3-point shooter on 260 attempts, according to our database.

Mike Schmitz

Sound familiar??

It's concerning and honestly I basically haven't sat down and watch a Duke game yet. That is a legit talented squad he COULD be a guy that's not engaging like he should in part because of that.

Ben Simmons was not very engaged at LSU and he also has a somewhat ambivalent demeanor. But damn, the talent shines through. And that's without any sort of jump shot!

Wiggins has two issues: Motor and skill...not a good combination. I don't think we'd be too upset with Wiggins' motor if he was knocking down 40%+ of his 3s on high volume. Nor do I think we'd be as upset with his shooting inefficiency if he was all over the floor night in and night out getting rebounds, steals, locking guys down, and making chase-down blocks. The problem is neither has occurred.

As for the draft....I've got nothin'.

lipoli390 wrote:I've always been high on Tyus Jones and think he should be our starting PG. Tre is better than Tyus in my view.

I already regret not seeing more of the Jones brothers in college basketball. Both are so insanely composed as freshman.

Think back to guys like Mateen Cleaves or Bobby Hurley and how they became ingrained in how we view their programs forever. Imagine 3 or 4 years of Tyus Jones or Tre Jones as they became more and more the focal points of their teams. That was what was fun about college hoops when I was a kid and what's largely missing now.

That being said... can Tre Jones shoot well enough for the next level? He's incredible defensively and is a fantastic player, but he still hasn't proven he can shoot consistently.

Tyus Jones shot 38% on threes and 89% from the line in college. Tre Jones is at 27% and 67%. Defense and composure will only take him so far. And let's not forget that Tyus Jones was a late 1st round pick even with the great Championship game exposure.

What's crazy is how long does Tre Jones have at Duke before he's considered "damaged goods"... or... replaceable should the next prized #1 PG suddenly choose the school for his NBA resume?

I've watched a couple of Duke games and that team collectively hasn't shot the 3 very well. But man, they are long, big, and strong. They made UVA look like small children when they played them. And UVA is really good.

As for Tre Young, he plays a VERY similar style of game to Tyus. He looks a bit bigger and stronger, but yeah, it would have been fun seen these guys stick with the program for a few years. Just natural floor generals.

It's too early and we didn't know where we would pick but does anyone have any interest in the ever exciting trade down for 2 picks type move?