Sam Vecenie (The Athletic) on Castle & Clingan

[nomar]

Vecenie's current draft board:

3. Castle
5. Clingan
33. Karaban
43. Spencer
50. Newton

He drills down on 6 guys and Castle and Clingan are 2 of them:

Stephon Castle, 6-6 wing, Connecticut, No. 3​

I completely understand the shooting concerns with Castle; they’re real. But where I’m at in this class is simple: It’s hard to find guys who have proven they can be a part of winning basketball. And throughout the course of Big East play as well as the NCAA Tournament, Castle showcased that better than any other guy in this class.

Donovan Clingan, 7-2 center, Connecticut, No. 5​

Clingan helped himself as much as any player in the NCAA Tournament, leading Connecticut to a national title. His elite interior defense was arguably the most important part of the equation for the Huskies, which can be seen by Connecticut’s defensive improvement throughout the season.

NBA Draft Big Board: Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan rise into Top 5

Depending on how the draft lottery shakes out, any of the top-10 players have a non-zero chance of being picked No. 1 overall.

theathletic.com

 

[bendm]

yikes karaban is a lot higher than i thought he'd be

also surprised cam is ahead of newton

 

[Fatroony5]

Sam is one of the best guys out there doing draft coverage right now and he’s pretty tapped into what’s going on. I take his word much higher than most of the others putting out “mocks” and big boards.

 

[caw]

yikes karaban is a lot higher than i thought he'd be

also surprised cam is ahead of newton

Shooting and for some reason teams underestimate Newton's other abilities.

 

[awfuldan]

also surprised cam is ahead of newton

Vecenie is also a huge Cam Spencer fan and has been raving about him on Twitter since before he committed to UConn.

 

[aceboon]

Shooting and for some reason teams underestimate Newton's other abilities.

I was reading the DraftExpress/ESPN recap of the Final Four from an NBA Draft perspective and one of their writers(the same one Hurley called out in a press conference regarding his comments about Castle) and he commented that Newton wasn't "a point guard in the true sense" and I was confused. There isn't a pass he can't make and dude can operate using ball screens, out of the high pick and roll, and can run a fast break to perfection. I get the concerns about his athleticism/foot speed but being a point guard isn't one of them.

 

[Matrim55]

I was reading the DraftExpress/ESPN recap of the Final Four from an NBA Draft perspective and one of their writers(the same one Hurley called out in a press conference regarding his comments about Castle) and he commented that Newton wasn't "a point guard in the true sense" and I was confused. There isn't a pass he can't make and dude can operate using ball screens, out of the high pick and roll, and can run a fast break to perfection. I get the concerns about his athleticism/foot speed but being a point guard isn't one of them.

Amen. That’s a “can’t watch or understand the game” type of analysis.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I was reading the DraftExpress/ESPN recap of the Final Four from an NBA Draft perspective and one of their writers(the same one Hurley called out in a press conference regarding his comments about Castle) and he commented that Newton wasn't "a point guard in the true sense" and I was confused. There isn't a pass he can't make and dude can operate using ball screens, out of the high pick and roll, and can run a fast break to perfection. I get the concerns about his athleticism/foot speed but being a point guard isn't one of them.

I mean, he's not a "point guard" in the sense that he's not a guy who's going to stand at the top of the key for 20 seconds and then try to take his man off the dribble. But the NBA has evolved well beyond the Allen Iverson days, thank God.

 

[Sibeerian]

3. Castle
5. Clingan
33. Karaban
43. Spencer
50. Newton

hmmm, I'm slow on the uptake but now starting to understand why we blew away the field in the NCAA tournament.

 

[BoukofJames]

I was reading the DraftExpress/ESPN recap of the Final Four from an NBA Draft perspective and one of their writers(the same one Hurley called out in a press conference regarding his comments about Castle) and he commented that Newton wasn't "a point guard in the true sense" and I was confused. There isn't a pass he can't make and dude can operate using ball screens, out of the high pick and roll, and can run a fast break to perfection. I get the concerns about his athleticism/foot speed but being a point guard isn't one of them.

Yeah, Jeremy Woo is clueless. No idea why Givony allows him to tag along in his mocks

 

[MexicoHusky]

If im drafting im taking Clingan all day. Castle is great but there are lots of 6'6" guys in the nba. Im taking my chances on the athletic 7'2" guy

 

[James]

Newton is going to somehow end up on the Heat roster and fall into the category of great Riley South Beach hidden gems group that includes : Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Josh Richardson, Hassan Whiteside, and Caleb Martin. He just seems like a Spo guy

Spencer was probably my favorite player on the team but I just dont know how he projects. Clearly could have a long career in europe like kevin pangos type

 

[auror]

Vecenie is also a huge Cam Spencer fan and has been raving about him on Twitter since before he committed to UConn.

Adam Spinella was his former podcast host before getting a job with the league. He was coaching at Cam's old high school at the time (but came in after he left), so had an inside track on him and talked him up to Vecenie. But the tape speaks for itself obviously once you look into him.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I was reading the DraftExpress/ESPN recap of the Final Four from an NBA Draft perspective and one of their writers(the same one Hurley called out in a press conference regarding his comments about Castle) and he commented that Newton wasn't "a point guard in the true sense" and I was confused. There isn't a pass he can't make and dude can operate using ball screens, out of the high pick and roll, and can run a fast break to perfection. I get the concerns about his athleticism/foot speed but being a point guard isn't one of them.

Amen. That’s a “can’t watch or understand the game” type of analysis.

It strikes me as "I formed my opinion of what a point guard is in the 90's and early 2000's" type of comment. Which some posters here also expressed early last season. It's a different game now. Derek White sure as hell isn't a classic PG either. Newton is a scorer and facilitator.