NBA Bound Stephan

[UConnSwag11]

I’m not sure what the point of this thread was? If Castle shoots 3-10 from the field in most games, he won’t be drafted. But I don’t think anyone expects him to continue shooting that poorly? We may as well wait for a larger sample before concluding he’ll have to bypass the draft this off season

He doesn’t need a jumpshot to be a lottery pick. If he limits his turnovers and gets to the rim to score, he’s a lock

 

[JesusAllen11]

If castle just gets full healthy , confident , and agressive he will be a lottery pick. Even if he flops this season (unlikely imo)and still goes a team will take a flyer on him the late 1st round at worst. Only injury is stopping him being drafted imo.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Nelson is one of the most obvious trolls I’ve come across in all my days reading message boards

I might be, but I am also 100% right that the current NBA draft strategy by lottery teams is completely broken.

If a corporation or investment firm whiffed on investments as often as NBA teams do on lottery picks, everyone involved would be fired.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I think someone like Derek Lively is instructive here. Drafted 12th after being really bad at Duke. Currently doing very well for himself on Dallas.

Scouts have learned that the high school rankings (especially in the last decade plus in which there are more eyes on high school) are worth using in addition to their college performance. A top 10 high schooler who disappoints in a year of college can and still will be drafted in the lottery if they have the size, athleticism, etc.

I generally agree, but Lively did play well for Duke towards the end of last season, was regarded as one of the best defensive players in the sport.

 

[gtcam]

I might be, but I am also 100% right that the current NBA draft strategy by lottery teams is completely broken.

If a corporation or investment firm whiffed on investments as often as NBA teams do on lottery picks, everyone involved would be fired.

Drama Queen stuff!!!!!
The draft, after a handful of top players, is speculation at best. Players suffer injuries, turn out to be bad apples or what appeared to be a good fit with a current roster could disappear due to trades etc. Players are trained to bluff their way through team interviews - no different than corporate hires.
All the drafts have the same level of success - NBA/NFL/NHL/MLB - not exclusive to the NBA
BTW - GMs have been fired for "failed" draft history

 

[HooperScooper]

I might be, but I am also 100% right that the current NBA draft strategy by lottery teams is completely broken.

If a corporation or investment firm whiffed on investments as often as NBA teams do on lottery picks, everyone involved would be fired.

Weather forecasters seem to be wrong all the time but they don't get fired.

 

[jleves]

Anyone who starts an opinion with "I am also 100% right" is not going to be reasoned with.

 

[ctchamps]

This thread is a disaster.

You'd be better off commenting on which threads are not a disaster. Would save you the time having to type five words.

 

[jibsey]

We are in between games in a dry run so nothing wrong with speculation. I guess we could all talk to our spouses.....

 

[Rico444]

You'd be better off commenting on which threads are not a disaster. Would save you the time having to type five words.

True, but this one was particularly bad.

 

[jibsey]

Last night Stephan missed the gym on a 3. I've seen the mixtapes so he has made shots longer than 2 feet but was wondering what his HS 3 % was.

 

[Kenny11]

Last night Stephan missed the gym on a 3. I've seen the mixtapes so he has made shots longer than 2 feet but was wondering what his HS 3 % was.

I don’t think it was great but he took a lot of them. Sidestep, stepbacks, deep 3’s etc. he can definitely make them but he did look very uncomfortable with that three he took last night.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Last night Stephan missed the gym on a 3. I've seen the mixtapes so he has made shots longer than 2 feet but was wondering what his HS 3 % was.

You’re acing like he came to UCONN with the reputation that he’s Ray Allen version 2.0

 

[husky429]

Last night Stephan missed the gym on a 3. I've seen the mixtapes so he has made shots longer than 2 feet but was wondering what his HS 3 % was.

Certainly not the 11% he's shooting now. Probably 30% ish

 

[jibsey]

You’re acing like he came to UCONN with the reputation that he’s Ray Allen version 2.0

First I’m a fan of his, glad he’s here and want him to succeed as we all do. Shooting was not a strong suit granted on his resume but as a 5 star, a McD, a top NBA draft pick, according to many here, but it’s surprising to see no shooting touch to this point. And BTW when Ray came to UCONN none of us knew he was the future NBA 3 point leader.

 

[Huskyforlife]

First I’m a fan of his, glad he’s here and want him to succeed as we all do. Shooting was not a strong suit granted on his resume but as a 5 star, a McD, a top NBA draft pick, according to many here, but it’s surprising to see no shooting touch to this point. And BTW when Ray came to UCONN none of us knew he was the future NBA 3 point leader.

why is this what you’re focusing on when he played his best game since his injury? You won’t be able to victory lap your OP until he’s officially not a lottery pick, so this seems unnecessary.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

First I’m a fan of his, glad he’s here and want him to succeed as we all do. Shooting was not a strong suit granted on his resume but as a 5 star, a McD, a top NBA draft pick, according to many here, but it’s surprising to see no shooting touch to this point. And BTW when Ray came to UCONN none of us knew he was the future NBA 3 point leader.

It's not surprising. He was not a good shooter in high school. The NBA knew this.
He is/was projected in the lottery despite this. Look through the last few lotteries, there are plenty of non shooters, from all positions.
The NBA teams think they can teach a shot. They can't teach defensive effort, size for position, or court vision, which Steph has.

He never said he was a lottery pick. The NBA scouts and draft prognosticators did. You're knocking the kid like he needed to be brought down a peg, but he's been nothing but a great teammate by all accounts. He loves to pass the ball, celebrates when his teammates score, and dives on the floor for loose balls.

Barring some injury, he will be taken early in the draft (with or without a shot). I'm sorry that that bothers you so much. I hope someday he apologizes to you personally.

 

[Kitaman]

Weather forecasters seem to be wrong all the time but they don't get fired.

It the weather forecaster predicted only gloomy weather, he would always make the listeners/viewers satisfied.

 

[businesslawyer]

. I guess we could all talk to our spouses.....

Take that back!

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Take that back!

lol…I talk to my wife but she has very little interest in me complaining about how I can’t find a UConn basketball pole pad for my outdoor hoop. Yet I CAN find them for basketball powerhouse like Tulane, Montana State and North Dakota State…

 

[willie99]

First I’m a fan of his, glad he’s here and want him to succeed as we all do. Shooting was not a strong suit granted on his resume but as a 5 star, a McD, a top NBA draft pick, according to many here, but it’s surprising to see no shooting touch to this point. And BTW when Ray came to UCONN none of us knew he was the future NBA 3 point leader.

Hey, he still shoots better than AJ

 

[UCLJ0211]

Hey, he still shoots better than AJ

The funny thing about Ajax is - as bad as his shooting form looked, he still shot around 30% from 3 for his career, which is low but not terrible.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Drama Queen stuff!!!!!
The draft, after a handful of top players, is speculation at best. Players suffer injuries, turn out to be bad apples or what appeared to be a good fit with a current roster could disappear due to trades etc. Players are trained to bluff their way through team interviews - no different than corporate hires.
All the drafts have the same level of success - NBA/NFL/NHL/MLB - not exclusive to the NBA
BTW - GMs have been fired for "failed" draft history

The reason the NBA has such a high failure rate for draft picks that, unlike hockey or baseball, are expected to be "ready to play", is that the players are so young when the NBA drafts them. If you go back to the 90's or 80's, the drafts were pretty accurate representations of how the players would ultimately turn out. And when a team "whiffed" on a lottery pick, the pick was still usually a serviceable NBA player, not someone that was unplayable.

The 2013 draft may be the worst draft in NBA history. Despite a complete lack of talent in the draft, the best player, Giannis, went 15, Rudy Gobert was 27, CJ McCollum was 10, and Dennis Schroder was 17. Oladipo was the only player in the top 9 who became an above average NBA starter. If the NBA GMs were so smart, those 5 would have been 1 through 5 in a draft where everyone else basically sucked.

Even a good draft, like the 2018 draft, still has huge mistakes, such as Jalen Brunson slipping to the second round, when the second half of the first round was mostly role players, deep bench players, or players already out of the NBA. Brunson's sin was being too old on draft day. IT is worth noting that two of the best players in the back half of the first round in 2018 were older players, Huerter and Allen.

And when a younger draft pick, like Anfernee Simons or Lonnie Walker, does develop, it is years later, after the team drafting them has spent millions on a player they couldn't put on the court, and often the team that drafted the young player that eventually developed has nothing to show for it.

I am not the only one that feels this way. Many teams dump draft picks like they are Bed Bath and Beyond coupons. If you are an NBA GM, you are better off trying to build a supporting cast by drafting older players and through free agency, and then hope you can land the big star through free agency or a trade. Trade your picks for players that can actually play. Or you can keep wasting high picks on the talent equivalent of powerball tickets (with a similar % chance of success) and keep the Detroit Pistons company at the bottom of the NBA.

 

[Hunt for 7]

The reason the NBA has such a high failure rate for draft picks that, unlike hockey or baseball, are expected to be "ready to play", is that the players are so young when the NBA drafts them. If you go back to the 90's or 80's, the drafts were pretty accurate representations of how the players would ultimately turn out. And when a team "whiffed" on a lottery pick, the pick was still usually a serviceable NBA player, not someone that was unplayable.

The 2013 draft may be the worst draft in NBA history. Despite a complete lack of talent in the draft, the best player, Giannis, went 15, Rudy Gobert was 27, CJ McCollum was 10, and Dennis Schroder was 17. Oladipo was the only player in the top 9 who became an above average NBA starter. If the NBA GMs were so smart, those 5 would have been 1 through 5 in a draft where everyone else basically sucked.

Even a good draft, like the 2018 draft, still has huge mistakes, such as Jalen Brunson slipping to the second round, when the second half of the first round was mostly role players, deep bench players, or players already out of the NBA. Brunson's sin was being too old on draft day. IT is worth noting that two of the best players in the back half of the first round in 2018 were older players, Huerter and Allen.

And when a younger draft pick, like Anfernee Simons or Lonnie Walker, does develop, it is years later, after the team drafting them has spent millions on a player they couldn't put on the court, and often the team that drafted the young player that eventually developed has nothing to show for it.

I am not the only one that feels this way. Many teams dump draft picks like they are Bed Bath and Beyond coupons. If you are an NBA GM, you are better off trying to build a supporting cast by drafting older players and through free agency, and then hope you can land the big star through free agency or a trade. Trade your picks for players that can actually play. Or you can keep wasting high picks on the talent equivalent of powerball tickets (with a similar % chance of success) and keep the Detroit Pistons company at the bottom of the NBA.

They play a game almost as hard on the body as football. By the time most of these guys reach their early thirties they have a hard time finding an nba paycheck. So they have to start younger than baseball players because their optimum playing window in years is much shorter.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

They play a game almost as hard on the body as football. By the time most of these guys reach their early thirties they have a hard time finding an nba paycheck. So they have to start younger than baseball players because their optimum playing window in years is much shorter.

I get why the players want to get paid younger. It doesn't take Warren Buffet to figure out that getting paid $8MM/year at 18 is better than not getting paid $8MM/year until they are 21. But thanks for that.

I don't get why the NBA GMs do it. Anfernee Simons is a perfect example of what is wrong with the current draft. He actually ended up being really good, but not during the window when Portland could have used him. Simons' rookie year, Portland was 53-29 and made the conference finals, but Simons was deep bench and not part of the rotation. By the time Simons got good, Portland had aged out of their competitive window. Now Portland sucks, is in a multi-year rebuild, and by the time they are ready to compete, Simons is going to be gone or in a veteran max contract, and potentially aged out of his prime. Portland is paying him $22 million a year right now for a team that will win 20 to 25 games. Simons is a "successful" draft pick, but the pick did Portland no good at all.

Edit: And another problem is the "Jermaine O'Neal" problem, where a small market player is a multi-time all-star, but no one knows who he is because he didn't play college basketball. A couple of years of college delivers marketable players to the NBA.