MKG V/S Taylor

[DashGlobal]

I dont really get the whole idea of EXPECTING players to get better or add skills that they dont possess past high school & college.

Sure some players do improve but there is also many players that dont. You take a huge risk drafting a player solely on potential or someone needing serious work on some aspect of their game.

JT is an all around great fundamental role player. MKG has some work to do to surpass him ie getting a respectable jumper (which he wont do until he scraps that massive hitch in his shot)

[Wi11iWii]

Well potential of a player is based upon a lot of factors. One of them being comparing a player to another player with similar skills and abilities and looking at what they were able to do with their careers along with looking at how far along that player has come thus far. Also you have to look at intangibles. Size, athleticism, intelligence, leadership, instincts, work ethic. Things you can't teach. Most players are much better than they were coming out of college. It's as simple as the fact that the more you do something the better you get. The higher the competition the better that makes you. Most players improve in the NBA but few boom and likewise few bust.

[Bosnian-Bobcats-Fan]

Yeah JT is the more developed player but like everyone said he's 23 compared to MKG who's 19 who just came out after his freshman year and taylor was a senior....Taylor's jumper developed over his years in college

both are great defenders but MKG clearly has the more potential

[DashGlobal]

Point is most the star players were star players in hs. Rarely do average guys go to college and develop into a star by their senior year compared to the one - two year players.

Countless guys have been drafted on potential that never improved or panned out.

Personally unless a guy was just a freak athlete with a perfect frame I wouldnt draft them expecting them to improve. And thats only big men. I wouldnt draft a guard or wing like that.

Would rather draft a guy that I knew what I was getting.

[Wi11iWii]

Point is most the star players were star players in hs. Rarely do average guys go to college and develop into a star by their senior year compared to the one - two year players.

Countless guys have been drafted on potential that never improved or panned out.

Personally unless a guy was just a freak athlete with a perfect frame I wouldnt draft them expecting them to improve. And thats only big men. I wouldnt draft a guard or wing like that.

Would rather draft a guy that I knew what I was getting.

Well almost every player in the NBA was a star in high school. So that's not saying much at all. Lots of players surprise in college. It's really hard to judge how good someone will be in hs because hs competition is pretty weak and hs players aren't even fully developed physically so theres no telling how good they can be.

I get what you're saying but it just isn't the wisest of ideas. You have to draft based on what a player can become and not just by what they are now. As players mature as individuals and as they learn the ins and outs of the game they become so much better.

Many people don't realize how much this game is about knowledge and know how. Learning yourself and finding your niche as a player and learning the techniques and tricks of the game is just as important as having the ability to play. Tyrus Thomas is a perfect example of that. All the ability in the world but he possesses an amateurs basketball IQ same with Javale Mcgee.

But if you draft players based solely on what they can do now you end up with players like Sean May and Kwame Brown. Domination at the college level doesn't translate to the NBA because competition is much stiffer. So you have to look down the road and look ahead so you make sure the players you are drafting are not only good now but will grow and become better because some players will only improve marginally while others will get unbelievably better. Ala Jeremy Lin and Paul Millsap.

[DashGlobal]

I am not talking about the average hs (3-4 and even some 5 star players) star. I am talking about the elite of the elite in hs. The number 1-2 ppl at their respected position.

I dont judge ppl by their numbers they put up in hs, atleast not primarily. I judge ppl off their skill set and athletic ability. Which has zero bearing on who they are playing.

In regards to Sean May you knew you were getting a undersized out of shape unathletic PF. Not really someone I would be excited about.

Lin averaged almost 18 ppg his junior year and possessed those crafty handles and moves in college. Didnt really develop those in the league. He was merely given a chance / some pt to showcase them.



Here he is dropping 30 on Uconn



Millsap averaged 20 ppg his junior year and was an absolute BEAST of a rebounder in college.

Not good comparisons imo

[Wi11iWii]

It's impossible to talk about it now because you aren't going to look at it from the right angle. You have to look at it as if you were a scout then and not look at it in hindsight. Lin went undrafted and Millsap went in the second round. You say that solely because of what he has become and not because of what millsap and lin were which wasn't anything special compared to other players in their respective drafts. They weren't viewed as big time players coming out of college and that is the point im making. It doesn't matter what they did. And Sean May was an absolute force in college. He averaged 17.5 points, 11 boards, 1 block and 1 steal off of 56% shooting from the field and 76% from the ft line. He was not viewed as an unathletic, out of shape, unathletic power forward as you described him. Based off of those numbers he was more than deserving of a high pick but you have to look at his upside because Sean May had power and skill to make up for his size but not really a lot of room for improvement.

And Lin had a great game against Uconn but he wasn't viewed as a great player out of college. Nothing more than a name at the bottom of some nba roster. And no Lin actually got better believe it or not. He got minutes at his previous stints but didn't make the best of his chances. He really worked to get to where he is now. Saying otherwise is kind of delusional. Millsap was viewed as too heavy for his height with inconsistent explosiveness and motor and just undersized. But look at him now. Fact is you have to look at a players upside and not just what they do now. Look at what they will be able to do.

[DashGlobal]

I am looking at it as if I was a scout.

Lin had a very nice skill set in college (the same one he has now). What turned GM's off him was 1) was not really athletic and 2) played marginal competition. Look at the vids, he is doing the same stuff that wowed the NBA.

Neither 1 nor 2 determines your success in the NBA.

Millsap was a complete force in college and a rebounding machine. What turned GMs off him was 1) average size and 2) played marginal competition. No way your motor can be questioned bringing down almost 13 boards a game.

Again neither 1 nor 2 determines your success in the NBA

I am not sure if you watched May in college. I am a die hard UNC fan I watched every game May played. He was out of shape (always carried around to much weight), he was not an above the rim athletic big. Average athletically and thats stretching it. He also didnt possess great size. He did however have a great low post game.

People need to stop looking at what the main stream media says.

Ovourse you need to factor in potential as well.

You have to go off a combination of SKILL, POTENTIAL (Athleticism), and OTHER factors (character, work ethic / weight issues ect)

[Wi11iWii]

Yeah I see what you're saying now. You're completely right. I dislike the whole notion that you can draft someone on the premise that they will one day just become good. I mean I believe in a player having potential but I think you don't draft in the top 5 solely based upon potential. Current skill, intangibles, along with a player's past as far as how hard they work and how in shape they have been able to keep themselves are hugely important too.

[dav7z]

Considering where both players are right now are in ability . Its hard to see MKG passing Taylor in defending [Dunlap has said tons of times JT is our best defender by far] As bad as the hitch is in MKGs shot its going to be all most inpossable for his shot to cath up to and by pass Taylors shot... But most of you guys seem to think Potential is better than current abilitys . In reality full potential is seldom reached. Most stars make a impact right away even with just one year of college.