Kurtz
Registered User
- Jul 17, 2005
- 10,100
- 6,970
Celtics:
- Irving: Gifted shooter, only player we have that posts similar rates is Lowry, who is 6 years older than him. He is primed, but also struggles with injuries and lacks any cohesion on defence. When people say that the Celtics got to the ECF with their two best players injured, they also fail to see that those were their two weakest links on defence. They'll play a much more different game with him and Hayward on the court, and that might not be a good thing. And if people want to complain about Lowry being the best player/first option on a championship contender, I think you should have those same reservations with Irving.
- Brown: Vastly improved his shooting this year to where he can be considered an option, but he's still not a great ball handler and lacks the vision to create offence. Several of the Raptors youth outperformed him during the season, and much to his chagrin, he didn't actually manage to elevate his performance in the postseason despite posting higher totals.
- Tatum: Talented shooter, some might feel the need to praise the "history" he created as a rookie in these playoffs, but it's also evident that he was put into a much better position than historically great players (with many of the GOATs not making the postseason at age 20). I always saw him as the safest choice in the 2017 draft, but I'm also hung up on his ceiling. He was ISO heavy in college, and even on the Celtics it seemed to remain a common theme for him. Maybe he'll be Klay with better defence? That's probably the ceiling, but I'm also not so sure his shooting efficiency will ever reach that point.
- Rozier: Okay three point shot, mediocre playmaking skills, solid defence. I think he handled his role well once Irving got on the shelf, but he himself was badly exposed once met with the Cavs. He did a better job handling the ball in the playoffs, but I still think guys like FVV and Delon have shown better court vision thus far.
- Smart: Grit and defence are his calling cards, but he's so bad at everything else that I don't see any value in his overall game.
Nuggets:
- Jokic: I'm a big fan of Jokic, and there's really not much wrong in his game. Elite vision, able to extend to the three point line, presence on the glass. He's a beast face up and has good post moves, just not so great under the rim. Very underrated player.
- Murray: Shot well enough this season, but he's not a point guard and never should be a primary ball handler. He's also still incredibly green defensively. Since he's a Canadian kid I'll always root for him, but I don't think there's much left there ceiling wise.
- Porter Jr: Wildcard? I need to see him healthy and really don't know how his game plays since I haven't seen anything yet.
- Lyles: He has a face up game that at least came out this past season but he's still not a good enough athlete to handle defensive responsibilities at the 4. The way the game has transitioned, it's hard to see him improve in that aspect with his lack of athleticism and explosiveness.
- Harris: I feel like he's taken a bit of a step back with Murray getting more touches there. Still a dominant shooter, never will be a good defender, but he's a true shooting guard. Problem is so is Murray, and they're pigeonholing Murray into the PG spot when he's really not that type of player.
Pelicans:
- Davis: Future MVP? He should probably be leaving the Pelicans but I don't want him to go to the Celtics, for obvious reasons.
Bucks:
- Giannis: Only thing I'd say is he needs to work on his perimeter shooting in the worst way. I think he's elite in everything else, but not having that 3 as a weapon come playoff time will always hurt.
- Brogdon: Became overrated after a hot start in his rookie year, got exposed come playoff time. Not good defensively, can shoot though. He's kinda like the opposite of Powell, but still somehow the same value as a player.
- Parker: We're still talking about him? Man him and Wiggins were suppose to be the future LeBron/Melo. It didn't work out in the slightest. He's not a good player and will likely be grossly overpaid like Wiggins.
Jazz:
- Is it weird that Mitchell was the most overrated player this past season? I thought we were smarter than this, but a predominantly volume shooter that magically made a few dumb shots from almost half court because of his iso tendencies and lack of vision suddenly turned him into rookie of the year. Gobert is a beast though, should've won DPOY.
With regards to the 76ers, I'll take them all as a whole, because I think they have the most upside of any team. The major problem with them is obviously health, but also perimeter shooting, especially with Redick likely gone. They're such a weird case because they have two guys with broken shots, and their enigmatic centre has played 94 regular season games since being drafted four years ago.
I'd keep going but I think the Wolves, Lakers (as of now), and Pacers lack a depth of talent. As DJQ and myself have alluded to in the past, Raps were 9 deep in players with 1+ VORP. Minnesota had four, with a couple guys that they lean on in the minus, Pacers had four, and Lakers had five (with none over 2). Celts, 76ers, Rockets, and Jazz were the closest with six, though in the 76ers case two of their guys are free agents in Amir Johnson and JJ Redick.
The Raps have talent, much more than the bunch you listed. Obviously Giannis, Davis, Jokic, KAT, Simmons, Gobert, and Irving are better individuals, and likely Embiid and Tatum themselves, but I just see so much more potential value when it comes to Siakam, OG, Wright, and FVV over the others listed because of their overall games. The comments that I've read from Nurse too also speaks to optimism regarding JV and even Poeltl, and I think he'll really try to unlock and unleash a more creative and engaged system. You can say "Nurse isn't a new voice" and "the team has reached its ceiling" but Casey never spoke about innovation, and the need to try new things.
Good summary. I would only disagree on two players, Tatum and Jokic.
While many Celtics players are simply made to look better by their great system (ie Brown, Rozier), I think Tatum is a can't miss star. You've mentioned his shooting, but he's also athletic, long, fluid, with a nice first step and the star mentality.
On Jokic - while he's amazing offensively, he's one of the biggest defensive liabilities in the league (toss a coin between he and Towns). On defense he's slow and doesn't challenge shots at all.
