Minnesota Sports Forum

monsterpile wrote:Ok so Grayson Allen is trending now for tripping which is something to talk about. What I don't get is the guy seems to be ballin out and he is projected right now at the end of the first round. What's the knock on him to keep him that low?

He's got that "combo guard" tag that can make teams/scouts uneasy. He's seen as more of a scorer than a point guard and he's undersized for the shooting guard position. Think some are worried he's going to be just a good college player, which is why he's not projected higher than he is.

I think those projections are wrong, and personally, I can see him playing the point in the NBA. It just comes back to his feel for the game and how he operates off the dribble. For me, he's a lottery pick. I haven't constructed a big board yet, but he could end up being top-10 guy.

Camden0916 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:Ok so Grayson Allen is trending now for tripping which is something to talk about. What I don't get is the guy seems to be ballin out and he is projected right now at the end of the first round. What's the knock on him to keep him that low?

He's got that "combo guard" tag that can make teams/scouts uneasy. He's seen as more of a scorer than a point guard and he's undersized for the shooting guard position. Think some are worried he's going to be just a good college player, which is why he's not projected higher than he is.

I think those projections are wrong, and personally, I can see him playing the point in the NBA. It just comes back to his feel for the game and how he operates off the dribble. For me, he's a lottery pick. I haven't constructed a big board yet, but he could end up being top-10 guy.

I tend to agree with you also but even if he is just a SG DX has him listed as 6'4.5" in shoes with 6'6" wingspan. It seems like that's at worst slightly undersized and he is a good athlete right?

Ok I read a bit more about his weaknesses but the dude is putting up numbers that are comparable to what Harden put up his sophomore year. They are obviously very different physically but guys that age doing that much damage especially Grayson's 3 point shooting seem to be worth more than a late round pick.

I really like Denzel Valentine. He seems like he would be the perfect complement, but would anyone worry about the history of Michigan State players in the NBA. I am looking at your Payne. (less so Gary Harris with Nuggets)

bleedspeed177 wrote:I really like Denzel Valentine. He seems like he would be the perfect complement, but would anyone worry about the history of Michigan State players in the NBA. I am looking at your Payne. (less so Gary Harris with Nuggets)

In addition to being a senior, the other knock on Valentine seems to be that scouts worry about his ability to defend quick guards in the NBA as his lateral quickness is not great. His defensive rating actually seems good. I do like his shooting and passing, just not sure yet whether I like him enough to warrant using a top 5-7 pick on him.

I think he can be a good team defender. He would provide some bulk for this team at the wing position. He looks to be a better Evan Turner with 3pt shot.

That 5-7 spot is a tough spot to draft in. You cna go in so many directions.

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think he can be a good team defender. He would provide some bulk for this team at the wing position. He looks to be a better Evan Turner with 3pt shot.

That 5-7 spot is a tough spot to draft in. You cna go in so many directions.

That's the sweet spot that David Kahn thrived in for so many years :thumb:

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think he can be a good team defender. He would provide some bulk for this team at the wing position. He looks to be a better Evan Turner with 3pt shot.

That 5-7 spot is a tough spot to draft in. You cna go in so many directions.

The more I research Valentine, the better I like him. I think he's got to be right up there with Buddy and I think he's more versatile than Buddy. He's not a great athlete, but he's a high IQ guy, has good reach and he's a grinder. He's got a coach father just like KAT. He grades out well as a defender, relying on his smarts. I do like multi-tool guys like him. If we drafted Valentine--how does that impact LaVine. Do we go Ricky, Valentine, Wiggins, Dieng, KAT with Zach as 6th man or Ricky, Zach, Wiggins, Dieng, KAT and Valentine as 6th man.

TR - I think Valentine would replace Shabazz. I wonder if he could do what Batum does for a team.

I could see him playing along side Zach in the backcourt. Valentine could be the PG on offense and LaVine could gaurd the other teams PG. Interesting pick. Him and Sabonis are players I really like.

BTW - Remember reading Batum defense was very overrated in Portland

The two main draft services have mocked Valentine at 17 and 18. If we don't get a top 3 pick and have no chance at Ingram, Simmons or Dunn, it might be worthwhile to trade down to a spot in 9-13 range if want to target Valentine as long as we have a good plan B if someone grabs him ahead of us. Toronto and Phoenix could be viable partners as both will probably have picks in the 8-13 range and then late in the first round.

TeamRicky wrote:The two main draft services have mocked Valentine at 17 and 18. If we don't get a top 3 pick and have no chance at Ingram, Simmons or Dunn, it might be worthwhile to trade down to a spot in 9-13 if want to target Valentine as long as we have a good plan B if someone grabs him ahead of us. Toronto and Phoenix could be viable partners as both will probably have picks in the 8-13 range and then late in the first round.

The last time we traded down we didn't take CJ McCullom and instead ended up with Bazz and Dieng. I'd rather take the better pick than trade down again.