Minnesota Sports Forum

thedoper wrote:

slimcalhoun27 wrote:If Thibs really wants to address the 3pt shooting this offseason then drafting Markkanen is hands down the best college scorer and PF addition I feel we can get. I may be partial to my Arizona Wildcats...but no player in college has this level of size, skill, shooting, range and work ethic at now 20 yrs old and 7'1''

His game next to Kat, Wiggins, LaVine, and Rubio moving rock could be deadly

I like the work ethic angle. What did you notice about him that showed this? I didn't really watch any Markkenen so I am curious what you saw as you sound like you got a good inside view. You're making me want to go check out some footage.

X2 I want to here more from Slim

I don't think in this draft we can afford to waste a top 6 pick on a guy who can only shoot and move the ball. You just have to be able to do more than that to deserve being picked this high. We're talking about guys like Isaac who are 6'10 and can do a little bit of everything or Zach Collins who put up very similar numbers to Towns for advanced statistics while being a legit 7 footer who can jump out of the gym. Both those guys as prospects are light years ahead of Markkanen and they have the athletic tools to improve significantly more than Markkanen.

Q12543 wrote:

slimcalhoun27 wrote:If Thibs really wants to address the 3pt shooting this offseason then drafting Markkanen is hands down the best college scorer and PF addition I feel we can get. I may be partial to my Arizona Wildcats...but no player in college has this level of size, skill, shooting, range and work ethic at now 20 yrs old and 7'1''

His game next to Kat, Wiggins, LaVine, and Rubio moving rock could be deadly

I think he'd be an absolutely awful pick. He lacks toughness, quickness, and mobility. He was a mediocre rebounder and terrible shot blocker for someone at his size playing in college. I see him as being a taller version of Mirza Teletovic. I agree he can shoot, but that is about all he can do.

I thought he looked mobile as hell for his size he had plenty of belly like drives to the hoop, he's been my pick for awhile if we stay at 6 or drop a spot or two

The word is Collins stock is rising. That's not a surprise to most of us, Im now just hoping he will still be there at our pick.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:The word is Collins stock is rising. That's not a surprise to most of us, Im now just hoping he will still be there at our pick.

he will likely foul out long before he gets to us :(

BloopOracle wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:The word is Collins stock is rising. That's not a surprise to most of us, Im now just hoping he will still be there at our pick.

he will likely foul out long before he gets to us :(

lol Bloop good one.

Cool do you think Collins is mobile enough to be a PF the way the league is going? It's a genuine question.

monsterpile wrote:

BloopOracle wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:The word is Collins stock is rising. That's not a surprise to most of us, Im now just hoping he will still be there at our pick.

he will likely foul out long before he gets to us :(

lol Bloop good one.

Cool do you think Collins is mobile enough to be a PF the way the league is going? It's a genuine question.

It's hard to say. He's a very good athlete for a 7 footer, but I don't know if it's enough to hang with a good small ball 4 that can handle the ball. That's hard to project. He has the tools to hang with a lot of small ball 4's that are on the court to space the floor, but don't ask him to guard the KD, Kawhi, LeBron's of the world because he won't be able to do it IMO. I think at the end of the day he's like KAT in that he'll be able to play both frontcourt positions, but he'll probably be more effective as a 5. That doesn't mean he'd be a bad 4, just not as good.

monsterpile wrote:

BloopOracle wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:The word is Collins stock is rising. That's not a surprise to most of us, Im now just hoping he will still be there at our pick.

he will likely foul out long before he gets to us :(

lol Bloop good one.

Cool do you think Collins is mobile enough to be a PF the way the league is going? It's a genuine question.

It's a good question Monster. I see mobility as a strength for Collins. Just about anybody is going to struggle against some small ball 4's, but I don't see a lack of athleticsm being a problem at all.

I watched nearly every game for the Wildcats this year and went to Vegas for the PAC 12 tourney for the weekend where he was the major catalyst for them winning the Championship. Here is what I see, and I apologize guys if it's a bit homerish for my guy Markk.

His skill set for his size and quick shot release is really unmatched in College ball IMO. His efficiency, points per touch, and understanding of separation and shot selection was never questioned. I don't remember one shot unless the shot clock is running out, that he rushed his mechanics.

Coach Miller would rave every game about his adaptation and hustle, plus coolness under pressure as a freshman.

Miller said during the season that Markkanen never pushed back in regards to assignments, taking on more responsibility or handling the pressure of taking over in key possessions. Miller would revell in his compliments that Markk was always up for the challenges.

My college room mate is apart of the athletic department at McHale Center and would see late nights where Markkanen would be still working on footwork drills, shooting out of the post or working on his reps from all over the court. Visually would see him put in the hours.

I think a large amount of this is due to his foreign upbringing, and natural soft spoken demeanor. But on the court when he got aggressive, this was the only time you could get a shift in energy from him. Spending years at the U of A, this is one of the most dangerous campuses in the country due to the party atmosphere, drug cartel activity coming across the boarder just 30 miles south and the temperatures reaching 110* until September when the monsoons came in. This doesn't bode well for concentration....lol, plus the eye candy with the women on campus in tops in the nation!!

I remember spending time around Andre Iguodala, Walton, Jefferson, Arenas, Terry etc etc out at bars even during season. Word is Markkanen is a die hard basketball player and a good student. If he performs as well as he did at his age and size (true 7'er), with his shooting efficiency from deep especially...and get the raves of Coach Miller who is a players coach but tough on them to perform, then I'm all on board with him.

Hope that helps!

Good information, Slim. He's really impressive offensively on the draft express video highlighting his strengths. Looks a bit like Dirk the way he can shoot and handle the ball at this size. But like all the draft express videos, the weaknesses video tells and entirely different tale. My main takeaway from the draft express video and analysis is that Markkanen could be a very stood stretch 4 in the NBA, but will likely struggle defensively. His rebounding and shot-blocking numbers in college aren't impressive and so I don't think he'd give much in either area as an NBA player. I didn't see much of a playmaker in him either, but I confess I haven't seen enough of him to know. The analyses I've read all say that he has short arms, so his 7'0 stature can be a bit misleading.

Right now, I see him strictly as an offensive scorer in the NBA -- perhaps a very good one. In contrast, based on the numbers and the video I've seen, Zach Collins has big time upside as a shot-blocker and rebounder while also showing potential as a scorer, including potential as an outside shooter. The draft express video analysis highlighted Zach's mobility and ability to guard the PF position. The more I see and read of Zach Collins the more I see him as a big-time prospect who I'd be tempted to grab as early as #6 if he's still available. I need to see and read more about Markkanen. Your description is helpful.