Zags and Bruins

[Chin Diesel]

Chet just did one of those Playa.

Blocks shot at the rim, grabs ball, dribbles to top of the key, hesitates and goes behind the back, one dribble down the lane and a flying two handed flush.

Still looks awkward but man he covers a ton of ground in short time.

 

[LIuconn]

He's so thin

 

[mauconnfan]

Chet just did one of those Playa.

Blocks shot at the rim, grabs ball, dribbles to top of the key, hesitates and goes behind the back, one dribble down the lane and a flying two handed flush.

Still looks awkward but man he covers a ton of ground in short time.

Yeah Zags are tough and very deep. Plenty of shooters as well. But UCLA plays awful defense for a Cronin coached team. Jaquez their only good defender.

 

[navery12]

Yeah Zags are tough and very deep. Plenty of shooters as well. But UCLA plays awful defense for a Cronin coached team. Jaquez their only good defender.

That's just how good Gonzaga is, UCLA came in as one of the better defensive teams in the country this year

 

[Chin Diesel]

Chet had a real close call with a fall towards the end of the game. A couple of guys going up for rebound and he gets off balance falling backwards. I swear his narrow shoulders and pencil neck saved him from smashing back of his head on the court. Looked like his head had to travel further backwards than normal. Head just grazes the court. A minute later he nails a 3.

On a side note, you have the game starting off with Dicky V balling his eyes out over calling his first live game in person since March 2019. Put me in the category of he's a caricature of himself but his love for the game is real.

 

[businesslawyer]

UCLA beat Nova two weeks ago. They don’t suck.

 

[jibsey]

Is this the year Gonzaga takes it? They were supposed to last year.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Is this the year Gonzaga takes it? They were supposed to last year.

Gotta put them in the doubt it til they prove you wrong.

Zags looked awesome last year right up until final game against BU. Baylor looked like men against boys last year in the finals. Just bigger and stronger across the board.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

UCLA beat Nova two weeks ago. They don’t suck.

Nova is overrated, and that was a gift of a win at home.

 

[nomar]

He's so thin

Watching Holmgren feels illicit and terrifying. We’ve never seen anything like it, and it seems bound to end in disaster. The question is whether Holmgren is doomed or everybody else is.

The Legend of Chet Holmgren, 7-Foot String Bean, Has Just Begun

What would it look like if a player was as tall as Joel Embiid while weighing a few pounds more than Steph Curry? In the case of the Gonzaga freshman, he’d look like the most sought-after prospect in the NBA.

www.theringer.com

 

[auror]

Nova is overrated, and that was a gift of a win at home.

So UCLA and Nova are overrated. Who is good, then. We only think Purdue is good because they beat Nova also (Nova was up double digits in 2nd half of that game).

 

[Chin Diesel]

Highlights from last night.

ALERT: If Dickie V's voice annoys you, mute this video.

 

[alexd]

Watching Holmgren feels illicit and terrifying. We’ve never seen anything like it, and it seems bound to end in disaster. The question is whether Holmgren is doomed or everybody else is.

The Legend of Chet Holmgren, 7-Foot String Bean, Has Just Begun

What would it look like if a player was as tall as Joel Embiid while weighing a few pounds more than Steph Curry? In the case of the Gonzaga freshman, he’d look like the most sought-after prospect in the NBA.

www.theringer.com

Looks like Shawn Bradley's son.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Looks like Shawn Bradley's son.

Looks similar to Bradley, but also looks a bit like Durant. Also moves much more like Durant than Bradley.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

chet may get beat up a bit when he starts his pro career, but that too shall pass. my fav frosh since kd. whenever he decides to leave cbb, the amount of nba teams dumping for draft position will be epic. the rest of the zags are outstanding. nembhard is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

go ahead, shoot it. i dare you. next up? break down attack, finishing with the left hand. big fun, literally.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Looks similar to Bradley, but also looks a bit like Durant. Also moves much more like Durant than Bradley.

Whoa - step away from the KD comparisons please. Kid doesn't have the frame nor fluidity, KD was a one man show in college and lock for NBA superstar.

Holmgren is Shawn Bradley if Shawn Bradley liked basketball. He can be or become a dominant college player. Should be a fun season and if he can stay healthy might be the ticket for Gonzaga to finally win a title.

Holmgren oughta stay in college 2 years, cuz whenever he goes to the NBA the combo of size and strength of opponents is going to be a huge problem. Like Bradley, everyone will want to dunk on Holmgren. I dunno how old he is, my stay 2 years opinion is entirely based on when can he add that next 15-20lbs as he grows from teenage body to man body. He needs to do that and stay healthy. Ultimately I think his comp will be either Sam Bowie (couldn't stay healthy) or a poor man's Ralph Sampson.

 

[Mr. Hand]

On Holmgren, I'm more worried about his knees and ankles long term than his game. He doesn't have the frame to add a lot of weight, so I hope nobody advises him to "bulk up." Do something program-wise to maximize flexibility and balance and minimize injury. And cash in soon.

 

[superjohn]

Whoa - step away from the KD comparisons please. Kid doesn't have the frame nor fluidity, KD was a one man show in college and lock for NBA superstar.

Holmgren is Shawn Bradley if Shawn Bradley liked basketball. He can be or become a dominant college player. Should be a fun season and if he can stay healthy might be the ticket for Gonzaga to finally win a title.

Holmgren oughta stay in college 2 years, cuz whenever he goes to the NBA the combo of size and strength of opponents is going to be a huge problem. Like Bradley, everyone will want to dunk on Holmgren. I dunno how old he is, my stay 2 years opinion is entirely based on when can he add that next 15-20lbs as he grows from teenage body to man body. He needs to do that and stay healthy. Ultimately I think his comp will be either Sam Bowie (couldn't stay healthy) or a poor man's Ralph Sampson.

He never would've lasted 25-35 years ago but I don't see why he can't be a really good pro if injuries don't wreck him. Today's game is a finesse game, skin and bones dudes are protected.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Whoa - step away from the KD comparisons please. Kid doesn't have the frame nor fluidity, KD was a one man show in college and lock for NBA superstar.

Holmgren is Shawn Bradley if Shawn Bradley liked basketball. He can be or become a dominant college player. Should be a fun season and if he can stay healthy might be the ticket for Gonzaga to finally win a title.

Holmgren oughta stay in college 2 years, cuz whenever he goes to the NBA the combo of size and strength of opponents is going to be a huge problem. Like Bradley, everyone will want to dunk on Holmgren. I dunno how old he is, my stay 2 years opinion is entirely based on when can he add that next 15-20lbs as he grows from teenage body to man body. He needs to do that and stay healthy. Ultimately I think his comp will be either Sam Bowie (couldn't stay healthy) or a poor man's Ralph Sampson.

I've only seen the highlight reel in this thread so I acknowledge I'm hardly an authority, but I see a tall skinny kid who handles, shoots with huge long steps and moves well. Yes, similar to KD.

As far as his game is concerned I see very little Bradley. As a pro, Bradley was a lousy version of a 90s big. Can't say I remember much of Bradley in college. I think he spent some or much of his college career on a mission.

 

[navery12]

 

[navery12]

I've only seen the highlight reel in this thread so I acknowledge I'm hardly an authority, but I see a tall skinny kid who handles, shoots with huge long steps and moves well. Yes, similar to KD.

As far as his game is concerned I see very little Bradley. As a pro, Bradley was a lousy version of a 90s big. Can't say I remember much of Bradley in college. I think he spent some or much of his college career on a mission.

You see correctly. I hate player comps because they set unfair expectations on guys, he'll be lucky to be half the player KD is. But talking strictly style, I think it's a pretty good comp. Maybe more Porzingis than Durant in that he's a big man with guard skills rather than a guard who's really lengthy.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Do you think it's great to see the young phenom making a significant contribution to the Zags, last year's runner-up versus the #2 team in the rankings? Mark Few has a sophisticated "system". They play hard, fast, natural. It's not Calculus class.
Any comparisons to the UConn WCBB. UConn WCBB freshman phenom took one shot and played 10 minutes against SC. Another touted recruit didn't even get off the bench.

 

[MexicoHusky]

You see correctly. I hate player comps because they set unfair expectations on guys, he'll be lucky to be half the player KD is. But talking strictly style, I think it's a pretty good comp. Maybe more Porzingis than Durant in that he's a big man with guard skills rather than a guard who's really lengthy.

Agreed. It's tough on the kid.

Edit: My advice for Holmgren is to create a bunch of burner twitter accounts. Use them to shape public opinion about himself.

 

[gtcam]

Whoa - step away from the KD comparisons please. Kid doesn't have the frame nor fluidity, KD was a one man show in college and lock for NBA superstar.

Holmgren is Shawn Bradley if Shawn Bradley liked basketball. He can be or become a dominant college player. Should be a fun season and if he can stay healthy might be the ticket for Gonzaga to finally win a title.

Holmgren oughta stay in college 2 years, cuz whenever he goes to the NBA the combo of size and strength of opponents is going to be a huge problem. Like Bradley, everyone will want to dunk on Holmgren. I dunno how old he is, my stay 2 years opinion is entirely based on when can he add that next 15-20lbs as he grows from teenage body to man body. He needs to do that and stay healthy. Ultimately I think his comp will be either Sam Bowie (couldn't stay healthy) or a poor man's Ralph Sampson.

Skinny, bony, anemic - yeah that can be said but he is so much different from Bowie or Sampson.
The kid can handle the ball like a PG, passes extremely well and has the range that Sampson, Bowie and all but a selected few can wish to have.
Will his frame find it difficult to deal with the bigger men he will see in the pros at his career start? yes but he will learn to work around it and any coach worth beans will find a way to fit him in on the court.
You are entitled to your opinion and I respect your views, however, I see a lot more upside on this truly unique talent than you. Yes I see similarity to KD in some areas but this kid will mix it up underneath - KD is adverse to rubbing elbows with anyone bigger than he regardless of his "frame"- the kid doesn't have KD's flash in an open or lightly contested drive to the hoop and the mid range jumper that KD has but KD didn't look like the KD now when he was 17/18 either.
Time will tell

 

[WestHartHusk]

Don’t care much about comps. That kid is.The.Real.Deal.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Skinny, bony, anemic - yeah that can be said but he is so much different from Bowie or Sampson.
The kid can handle the ball like a PG, passes extremely well and has the range that Sampson, Bowie and all but a selected few can wish to have.
Will his frame find it difficult to deal with the bigger men he will see in the pros at his career start? yes but he will learn to work around it and any coach worth beans will find a way to fit him in on the court.
You are entitled to your opinion and I respect your views, however, I see a lot more upside on this truly unique talent than you. Yes I see similarity to KD in some areas but this kid will mix it up underneath - KD is adverse to rubbing elbows with anyone bigger than he regardless of his "frame"- the kid doesn't have KD's flash in an open or lightly contested drive to the hoop and the mid range jumper that KD has but KD didn't look like the KD now when he was 17/18 either.
Time will tell

You could easily find a dozen articles about Sampson wanting to play point in college and the NBA if they are archived, but I agree with you neither of those guys had an outside shot. Is Manute Bol a better comp

Kidding but the other poster that mentions skinny guys thriving in the NBA is off. From the top of my head I'd say top 3 current skinny NBAers are Ingram (injured & plateau), Porzingis (injury derailed career) and Poku (honorable mention Tacko Fall who is actually 3bills). I'd like to see a 100M freestyle race between Holmgren & Tacko.

I haven't seen Holmgren play a full game so I don't have a firm opinion other than repeating pump the brakes before comparing him to KD (now its favorably on mixing it up inside?) who is the best scorer in the league right now and does drop into more of a rim protector come playoff time. KD averaged 26 and 11 in his one year of college, if Holmgren does that I'll eat my hat.

 

[nomar]

What about a pre-injury Porzingis as a comp?