Kenton to the league | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Kenton to the league

I would be shocked to see Kentan land in the NBA but there are guys littered around the league who looked like they had no shot when they were still in college. Do you think any Duke fans thought Lance Thomas would one day become an NBA veteran? Would any LSU fan guess that Garrett Temple would be serving as a starting point guard in the NBA? I think Kentan's only chance would be if he became an absolute sniper from 3. Obviously, this would be a very unexpected development, yet its not impossible. I'll give him a .3% chance.
 
I know Kentan is a Husky and most of us tend to have national flag blue tinted glasses when we evaluate our own players, but I think some of us forget how hard it is, and how good you have to be, to make the NBA.

I could find a bunch of players who had much better seasons than Kentan is having right now in the last few drafts who never played in the NBA. As one example, Ben Bentil of Providence averaged 21.1 ppg and 7.7 rpg in his last season at PC. He was drafted with the 51st overall pick by the Celtics but is now playing with the Xinjiang Tigers in China. There are tons of guys like that. It's very difficult to make it to the NBA.
 
The NBA is about athletes and upside potential. He's both. Now, whether he reaches the upside or not is another story. That's about hard work, dedication to developing your game. It's a reach to see him in the league, but not unreasonable. With his length he'll get a summer league invite.
 
I'd never say never. He looks better every game. That pump fake and jumper -- can you imagine him doing that at the beginning of the year, let alone last season?

If he can get to the point where he has a consistent 20-footer, he could carve out a role. Maybe he could develop a 3-point shot. Crazier things have happened. At the very least, he'll learn some Italian or Turkish.
 
HooperScooper said:
I know Kentan is a Husky and most of us tend to have national flag blue tinted glasses when we evaluate our own players, but I think some of us forget how hard it is, and how good you have to be, to make the NBA.

I could find a bunch of players who had much better seasons than Kentan is having right now in the last few drafts who never played in the NBA. As one example, Ben Bentil of Providence averaged 21.1 ppg and 7.7 rpg in his last season at PC. He was drafted with the 51st overall pick by the Celtics but is now playing with the Xinjiang Tigers in China. There are tons of guys like that. It's very difficult to make it to the NBA.
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Your point is well taken, but Bentil couldn't stick with the Celts because his defense was a mess.
 
intlzncster said:
I think this part is a myth, and I don't understand its continued propagation. For a kid who played basketball his entire life, it might hold. Though it doesn't take into account kids who start to get serious about ball later in life.

But where it is weak, is kids, like Kenton, who came to the game late, are raw, and still developing. Kenton could have a lot more upside, regardless of his age, you just don't know.

Not an NBA player though.
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"In conclusion, age does seem to have a large impact on a players upside, as seen in the first section that younger players tended to become better NBA players than their older counterparts drafted around the same pick."
NBA Draft and finding “Best Player Available”

If you can find something that shows that guys who come to basketball later develop to a higher upside, I'd love to see it, as it would seem to be intuitive.
 
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Matrim55 said:
I love Kentan but he's a 6-foot-10 PF who misses more bunnies than he makes, and absolutely can not finish against length/through contact.

He will have a nice, long career in a second-tier European league. If you can't finish at the rim in college you can not make it as a big man in the modern NBA.
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I know people take the "will take a look at him" seriously but by no means will he make it now and probably not ever. But I have seen him finish at the rim with both hands although as you say, not consistently. They key is it's a lot more than he has ever shown in his first 3 years and it's not even close. He's a different player, got a little stronger and is long and bouncy. Probably not I agree, but because of the strides in one year even at 23 they will monitor him if he rips it up on the other side of the Atlantic is all I am saying.
 
He's shooting 75% from three in his UConn career. Sample size is kinda small and he hasn't shot one in a game in 2 years.
 
I really, really like Kentan Facey. That said, in all likelyhood he will have a nice career overseas.

I would be thrilled to be wrong about that, but the league is an awful tough place to make it to. Nevertheless, I will follow his career and certainly enjoy his successes.
 
Doctor Hoop said:
The NBA is about athletes and upside potential. He's both. Now, whether he reaches the upside or not is another story. That's about hard work, dedication to developing your game. It's a reach to see him in the league, but not unreasonable. With his length he'll get a summer league invite.
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He will get a camp invite. But comparisons to Rodman are absurd. Not only was Rodman the best rebounder ever, he was all NBA on the defensive end. Honestly, Facey is better offensively than Rodman in many ways, but he's average at best on defense even at the college level. He always had this offensive game and was a plus rebounder. His defense was awful, and that kept him off the floor. His defense is not NBA level. He could get a cup of coffee, but realistically, Europe is a better fit for his game.
 
Jerry1714 said:
No offense to Facey, he has shown tremendous improvement this year, but has no chance of playing in the NBA.

Just by way of comparison, Facey is averaging 7 rebounds a game. Rodman averaged 18 rebounds a game his last college season.
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Once Kentan starts cross dressing the rebounds will improve. A trip or three to North Korea would also help.
 
Kenton will average 73.1 rebounds a game in the NBA.
 
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walker11 said:
I would be shocked to see Kentan land in the NBA but there are guys littered around the league who looked like they had no shot when they were still in college. Do you think any Duke fans thought Lance Thomas would one day become an NBA veteran? Would any LSU fan guess that Garrett Temple would be serving as a starting point guard in the NBA? I think Kentan's only chance would be if he became an absolute sniper from 3. Obviously, this would be a very unexpected development, yet its not impossible. I'll give him a .3% chance.
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I'm a little more optimistic. .325% chance.
 
I love how this is a topic that all kinds of guys from the Boneyard needed to throw in their opinion.

Kentan Facey is likely to be a guy who plays far better at 29 than at 23. He's getting better; he's instinctively understanding the game and where rebounds bounce; and he keeps working. So ... That should debunk the - he's 23 and Anthony Davis age - crap. He will have a nice pro career.

Unfortunately it's likely to be abroad. But he's already carrying a passport other than US ... so retaliatory countries will let him play more readily. Even Iran. He might make great Euros.

And the NBA? I'm constantly surprised by who I see on rosters. No. Don't focus on the top 4 salaries. Look at who is at numbers 8-12. It's amazing their stories. And Kevin Ollie is a freaking icon to that. You can get to the NBA from a lot of different paths now. You don't have to be numbers 1-60 in a draft year. HOWEVER ... You do need to really work and find your spot.

Then the Dennis Rodman spot. I think we all have to admit that Rodman was one of the most unusual studs and unique talents in the last 30 years. His skill is not found too often.
 
Pudge said:
And the NBA? I'm constantly surprised by who I see on rosters. No. Don't focus on the top 4 salaries. Look at who is at numbers 8-12. It's amazing their stories. And Kevin Ollie is a freaking icon to that. You can get to the NBA from a lot of different paths now. You don't have to be numbers 1-60 in a draft year. HOWEVER .. You do need to really work and find your spot.
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Yes, that is correct. Playing in Europe is no longer a death sentence.
"According to my research, from 2010 to 2015 the percentage of undrafted free agents to start their professional basketball career overseas has risen from 38% to 46% respectively."
Broken Clipboard

But do you know what else is true? There are the same number of roster spots and more and more actual internationals are claiming those spots. The number of Americans in the NBA is decreasing each year and as such the number of college players that makes the NBA decreases every year.

"In 1995-96, only six percent of the league's minutes were played by players raised abroad. That rate has jumped to 20.4 percent this season, narrowly surpassing last season's 20.3 percent to set another NBA record."
Kevin Pelton

So fringe college players are now LESS likely to make the NBA, even if they have more avenues available for them if they fail to get drafted initially. And make no mistake, his age will keep him from getting drafted.
 
The real tragedy of what should have been the Kentan Facey Dynasty at UConn was that he never got consistent burn.

There is some sarcasm there, but realistically Facey's game is centered around some rugged rebounding and some finesse offense. Without getting into a rhythm of consistent time on the court, its nearly impossible for a guy like that to get a good feel, a good role on offense.

So its not like he has "developed" or anything. He's always been able to shoot. But due to injuries this year he finally was able to find his spot on the court, and just let loose.

Happy for him, but a shame it took this long.
 
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Strength will be the greatest limiting factor for Kentan, whether it's in summer league or the D-league or overseas. @Matrim55 nailed it. He can't finish through contact and he gets pushed around on the block. His rebounding rate this season is less than Brimah's.

He has assets - he's athletic, both laterally and vertically, he has a very nice stroke (I've never understood why he never experimented with the three point shot at UConn), and he has good feel/body control in the paint. If he was stronger, you could make the argument that he could maybe catch on as a niche guy in the NBA, if not as a 3 & D guy than as a small ball center, but then you go back and look at the tape against Kansas or Maryland last year and you see why it's probably not going to work.

The guy who said it's impossibly hard to make the NBA is 100% right. The fact that we can have this discussion at this point is a nice tribute to how much better he's gotten, particularly defensively. It won't be because of a lack of development that he doesn't make it (though I still think his upside as a college player was higher). Same thing with Brimah - good, improved player, just too limited physically too ever really get a crack, IMO.
 
The problem with kentan is he will be 24 by the time training camp starts, he is a bit raw for someone in their mid 20s. he is older than anthony davis. Theres no doubt he'll have a long professional career somewhere though.
 
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