Ja Morant should be the pick (1 Viewer)

[someone]

This article pretty much sums up how I feel about the number 1 pick:

Could Morant make a more consistent on-floor impact? It wouldn’t be shocking, as Williamson has glaring flaws that need to be fixed — particularly his near flat-footed jump shot — for him to evolve as more than a brute force. Morant, a 6-foot-3 guard, comes in perhaps more ready-made, as he’s brings vast experience in the pick-and-roll game and is as well-rounded as any prospect in this draft. (Morant averaged 24.5 points, 10 assists and 5.7 rebounds at Murray State.)

Could Ja Morant be a better rookie than Zion Williamson?

The former Murray State star is expected to go to Memphis at No. 2 overall, but unlike Williamson, he has no holes in his game and appears more ready for the modern NBA.

sports.yahoo.com

Additionally, Morant will be better just by playing with better talent than he ran with at Murray St. He has the same highlight dunks and blocks as Zion, but is also a much better shooter, ball handler and overall basketball player at this point. His court vision and passing are rare. There's no guarantee that Zion grows into his perceived potential. Ja can step in and help a team win right away.

If David Griffin truly wants to convince AD to stay, I think part of his "plan to talk" to him will be, "We want you, not Zion. We think adding Ja Morant to you and Jrue makes us an instant championship contender and we're willing to take him if you're willing to give it a chance and potentially stay."

Watch him against Marquette in the first round upset. Tell me he doesn't fit in perfectly with Jrue and AD RIGHT NOW as the third piece!

 

[someone]

If NBA execs are drooling over Zion like the media is, you could in theory trade the number 1 pick and Solomon Hill to Memphis for the number 2 pick and Jaren Jackson Jr. With Solo off the books, you can make a play for Tobias Harris. Ja, Jrue, Tobias, JJJ, AD. Bench guys like Elfrid Payton, Frank Jackson, Kenrich Williams, Okafor, Moore. Fill in the rest of the roster with good vets. That team would have championship aspirations.

 

[MLU]

Tough to not take Zion. I compare the decision to the Saints choosing Reggie Bush over AJ Hawk. Reggie drove ticket sales and added a level of excitement that the city and fans needed, despite never really living up to the hype. AJ was a cornerstone of the Packer's defense for years, but never really was a draw for the team. Wins will help, but the support that the Pelicans really need isn't going to show up without adding a charismatic kid with a winner's smile to the web banners.

Zion will probably do just that for the Pels, despite the thinking that Ja might be the more ready and consistent player.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

With the way things are right now, I think it would be a bad move to trade that pick. Our reputation isn’t great right now and I think doing something like that would play poorly with the national media and other players around the league.

Also, while I think Morant will be an excellent player, he isn’t exactly a 100% sure thing either. He’s pretty slightly built at 6’3” 175 and has questions about his 3 point shot. He’s also a pretty bad defender at this point.

Zion does need to fix his shot but I’m still not sure I’d call Morant a “better overall basketball player” right now.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

I don’t think it’s crazy to think that Morant will be a better player, but I don’t think he is without holes in his own game (mainly defensively).

I also don’t think that Morant is enough to talk Davis into staying, and instead will just add to the “laughingstock” label so many outsiders are eager to give us (right or wrong).

 

[Super44]

This article pretty much sums up how I feel about the number 1 pick:

Could Ja Morant be a better rookie than Zion Williamson?

The former Murray State star is expected to go to Memphis at No. 2 overall, but unlike Williamson, he has no holes in his game and appears more ready for the modern NBA.

sports.yahoo.com

Additionally, Morant will be better just by playing with better talent than he ran with at Murray St. He has the same highlight dunks and blocks as Zion, but is also a much better shooter, ball handler and overall basketball player at this point. His court vision and passing are rare. There's no guarantee that Zion grows into his perceived potential. Ja can step in and help a team win right away.

If David Griffin truly wants to convince AD to stay, I think part of his "plan to talk" to him will be, "We want you, not Zion. We think adding Ja Morant to you and Jrue makes us an instant championship contender and we're willing to take him if you're willing to give it a chance and potentially stay."

Watch him against Marquette in the first round upset. Tell me he doesn't fit in perfectly with Jrue and AD RIGHT NOW as the third piece!

You are comparing a player, Zion, with freakish size, conference player of the year and mad skills, who played in the toughest basketball conference in college, to an awesome player with terrific skills, that played in a conference, not even on the radar for a ranking. I'll take the ACC and the freak, Alex, for millions. And on a side, I'll take his teammate Barrett at #2, overall.

 

[Super44]

Tough to not take Zion. I compare the decision to the Saints choosing Reggie Bush over AJ Hawk. Reggie drove ticket sales and added a level of excitement that the city and fans needed, despite never really living up to the hype. AJ was a cornerstone of the Packer's defense for years, but never really was a draw for the team. Wins will help, but the support that the Pelicans really need isn't going to show up without adding a charismatic kid with a winner's smile to the web banners.

Zion will probably do just that for the Pels, despite the thinking that Ja might be the more ready and consistent player.

Ja is overrated, as far as being plug and play NBA ready. Two things you cannot teach. Size and skills. Zion is a no brainer. But we'll all see soon enough.

 

[MLU]

Ja is overrated, as far as being plug and play NBA ready. Two things you cannot teach. Size and skills. Zion is a no brainer. But we'll all see soon enough.

lol. Size is not even close to being a pre-requisite for success in the NBA. Rosters are littered with players who have size who can't do ****. Skills are by definition taught, not inherited.

Two things you cannot teach: speed and instincts.

I have only watched a handful of games of both. Zion overpowered people, sure. That's not going to happen in the NBA though. Every roster has guys that are solid who can post him up. He's not going to be able to just bully his way through the schedule. He's going to need to polish his game, but before that he's going to need to develop his body. Big, pudgy guys don't last 82 games in the NBA. I feel pretty good in saying that he will do just that, but it's not going to be Day 1. The guy is non-stop on the glass and a ridiculous leaper and those will serve him well. Offensively, he still needs to develop a decent jumpshot (preferably with SOME kind of arc) and a FT% less than 70% is just embarrassing. Deefensively, he needs to learn to play it all the time and not just when the ball shows up in his area. He has elite athleticism, but doesn't possess nearly the level of skill you seem to think he does.

Ja however enters the NBA right when guards are running the league. Just look at the teams who are making deep runs in the playoffs and how the run their offenses. No one is going through the post and even the big men who are successful have developed "guard" skills. Ja is still going to need to add strength to hold up and be an offensive threat over 82 games, but his ball handling and passing will immediately put him among the league's best. His aggressive nature is perfect for what Gentry likes to run offensively, IMO. I doubt he turns into another Westbrook offensively, but he's going to be a guy who sees everything on the floor and gets the ball where is needs to go. Defensively, he also needs work, but like Zion this is a skill that is taught and improves when players care to apply themselves.

I cannot say that you are not right about Zion or Ja, but only that you are not good at making a good argument for it. In a perfect world, the Pels draft Ja and AD stays on to create a trio of Ja, Jrue and AD. That immediately makes the Pels a playoff contender, IMO. However, we all know that the Pels will draft Zion and AD is not going to return, so that's moot.

 

[someone]

Ja is overrated, as far as being plug and play NBA ready. Two things you cannot teach. Size and skills. Zion is a no brainer. But we'll all see soon enough.

MLU pretty much took care of this one, but let me add: he doesn't have good size, he just has size.

And please give me some examples of his unteachable skills that will translate to the NBA?

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

I think there are legitimate questions about Zion and how he fits in the league. My friend and I were actually talking about Zion a few days before the lottery results and neither of us thought that he would live up to the "next Lebron" hype he's getting. BUT we also both agreed that his floor is going to be very, very high.

Pelicans fans just got a season-long look at Julius Randle, who has similar size/body type, but isn't as quick nor is he the leaper that Zion is. Randle also isn't incredibly skilled and plays a lot of "bully ball" in the paint.

Randle scored 21 points per game with an efg% of 56. I don't see any reason why Zion can't have a similar offensive game and score about the same as Randle.

If Zion can have an offensive game that mirrors Julius Randle's, with better passing, and pair it with outstanding defense (which he looks like he will be able to play)...isn't that an All-NBA level player?

I don't think he will ever be Lebron, or perhaps even the best offensive player on a really good team, but I do think he will be an excellent player. At the very least, I think he will be a very useful player (like I said, a high floor kind of guy).

 

[LAhotsauce]

lol. Size is not even close to being a pre-requisite for success in the NBA. Rosters are littered with players who have size who can't do ****. Skills are by definition taught, not inherited.

Two things you cannot teach: speed and instincts.

I have only watched a handful of games of both. Zion overpowered people, sure. That's not going to happen in the NBA though. Every roster has guys that are solid who can post him up. He's not going to be able to just bully his way through the schedule. He's going to need to polish his game, but before that he's going to need to develop his body. Big, pudgy guys don't last 82 games in the NBA. I feel pretty good in saying that he will do just that, but it's not going to be Day 1. The guy is non-stop on the glass and a ridiculous leaper and those will serve him well. Offensively, he still needs to develop a decent jumpshot (preferably with SOME kind of arc) and a FT% less than 70% is just embarrassing. Deefensively, he needs to learn to play it all the time and not just when the ball shows up in his area. He has elite athleticism, but doesn't possess nearly the level of skill you seem to think he does.

Ja however enters the NBA right when guards are running the league. Just look at the teams who are making deep runs in the playoffs and how the run their offenses. No one is going through the post and even the big men who are successful have developed "guard" skills. Ja is still going to need to add strength to hold up and be an offensive threat over 82 games, but his ball handling and passing will immediately put him among the league's best. His aggressive nature is perfect for what Gentry likes to run offensively, IMO. I doubt he turns into another Westbrook offensively, but he's going to be a guy who sees everything on the floor and gets the ball where is needs to go. Defensively, he also needs work, but like Zion this is a skill that is taught and improves when players care to apply themselves.

I cannot say that you are not right about Zion or Ja, but only that you are not good at making a good argument for it. In a perfect world, the Pels draft Ja and AD stays on to create a trio of Ja, Jrue and AD. That immediately makes the Pels a playoff contender, IMO. However, we all know that the Pels will draft Zion and AD is not going to return, so that's moot.

I think you underestimate Zion's skill level. He's coming into the league a more polished player than when Anthony Davis came in. His only glaring hole is his shooting. Otherwise he can pass, has good handles, can bring the ball up the court, gets after it defensively, gets after the glass, and has an NBA ready body. I do not see where he is "pudgy".

Ja on the other hand, will take a few years developing body strength (like AD had to do) and mostly likely injury problems (like Stpeh Curry), polishing his own shot, and learning a tougher position at point guard.

They are both two of the best NBA prospects in a long time so you cant go wrong with either. But just cant see how you pass up Zion. A great 6'7" prospect (that plays more like 6'11") will always be better than a great 6'3" prospect all things equal. The NBA is still a vertical sport.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

I think you underestimate Zion's skill level. His only glaring hole is his shooting. Otherwise he can pass, has good handles, can bring the ball up the court, gets after it defensively, gets after the glass, and has an NBA ready body. I do not see where he is "pudgy".

I agree with this for sure. Zion is big but definitely isn't "pudgy" at all. You can argue that he might want to trim down a bit to help his knees and ligaments, that's one thing. But he is built and in shape right now, not pudgy.

 

[MLU]

I think you underestimate Zion's skill level. He's coming into the league a more polished player than when Anthony Davis came in. His only glaring hole is his shooting. Otherwise he can pass, has good handles, can bring the ball up the court, gets after it defensively, gets after the glass, and has an NBA ready body. I do not see where he is "pudgy".

AD had practically zero polish when he came into the NBA, so there will be several players drafted this year who will have more polish than AD did when he was drafted. That's not a huge compliment you gave Zion. AD was drafted on his potential, which was practically limitless.

Zion is okay at all of those things, which makes him a very good player because so few are okay at everything. He's good at being physical and leaps out of the gym. He's not very good defensively, so I'm not sure where you come off saying that's something he's good at. It's a very glaring weakness. It would be like me saying that Drew Brees was tall. The things you say he's good at (passing, handles, bring the ball up-court, etc) are all true at the college level. We have all seen the tape that proves it, but will that just translate at the professional level? Again, so much of his game is his being physical which is rare air in the NCAA, but not so much in the NBA.

There is certainly potential there and he seems to be the kind of player who will put in the hard work to continue to develop. I think his high-end potential is he turns out to be another Charles Barkley which the current generation of fans will probably see as an insult. Gen X and older will understand what a huge compliment that is for Zion.

Ja on the other hand, will take a few years developing body strength (like AD had to do) and mostly likely injury problems (like Stpeh Curry), polishing his own shot, and learning a tougher position at point guard.

Steph is a shooter. Ja is a passer. Both players can do both, but Steph is more comfortable shooting. Ja is more comfortable dishing the ball. Ja's strength will need to be developed if he is to continue to evolve as a scorer and defender. I do not feel that his (lack of) strength is going to play a huge role as he enters the NBA with some of the best handles and as one of the best passers the day he is drafted. It all depends on how he is used, really.

 

[Loco Hornet Fan]

Zion is not a bad defender. He is a good defender and there is a lot of reason to believe that he will be an excellent defender in the NBA. He should also be able to guard different types of players and positions.

It’s true that he will have to refine his team defense (Coach K has really phoned in coaching team defense over the last few years) and not try for the highlight-reel blocks and steals as much, but that’s true of pretty much every rookie on defense.

He’s already good on defense and seems to enjoy/take pride in that part of the game. He’s also smart, a very hard worker, and has freakish athletic skills. I don’t think there is a lot there to make me worry that he won’t become a very (very) good defender in the NBA.

I’m not saying this is gospel, because people’s mileage (understandably) varies on this stuff, but advanced stats speak VERY highly of his defense.

 

[LAhotsauce]

AD had practically zero polish when he came into the NBA, so there will be several players drafted this year who will have more polish than AD did when he was drafted. That's not a huge compliment you gave Zion. AD was drafted on his potential, which was practically limitless.

No, that is a humungous compliment in today's one-and-done era. All players entering the league have things to get better at, but Zion seems to have MUCH less road to travel. This is the closest thing we've seen to when Lebron entered the league. His basketball IQ is already high. I say it again, he has no glaring weakness outside of shooting.

Also, I absolutely do not see a player that just relies on brute strength. Again unlike when AD came into the league, Zion is already using finesse to get to the bucket. He's already using pump fakes, spin moves, drop steps along with a nice cross over dribble to create space. He's not just out there banging people out of his way.

So to say he's "pudgy" and only relies on strength is a bit out there. Neither describes him. I also dont think he needs to lose any weight. He is built to handle the size he is. The only worry is if he starts adding more.