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2021 Draft Profile: Josh Giddey

Josh Giddey is one of the few players outside of the assumed top-6 to have a truly elite skill.
By | 46 Comments | Jul 3, 2021

Via YouTube

Josh Giddey stands at 6’8€ and is one of the youngest players in the 2021 NBA Draft, as he turns 19 a mere 10 days before the start of the 2021-22 season and was born three days after Jonathan Kuminga. Raised in Australia, Giddey elected to remain home and play for the Adelaide 36ers rather than pursue the college route within the United States where he produced reported interest from Colorado and Arizona, along with others.

Giddey possesses an equivalent 6’8€ wingspan and averaged 10.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field, 28 percent from three, and 69 percent from the free-throw line dur. The Australian guard also managed 1.1 steals and 3.3 turnovers per game during his time in the NBL.

Any Josh Giddey conversation has to begin and primarily revolve around his passing. It’s rare to find a name in this draft class outside the assumed top six that possesses a truly elite skill, and Giddey has just that with his vision, which is further amplified by his patience, manipulation skills, and size. Due to some occasional functional flashiness on top of this, LaMelo Ball parallels were inevitable and while calling that comp flawed is an understatement, let’s entertain it for a moment from the sole aspect of setting up their teammates.

Both LaMelo and Giddey revealed they can make every pass in the book during their times in the NBL as extremely high usage, jumbo point guards. Giddey led the NBL in assists this season, averaging 7.6 per game, compared to the 7.0 per game LaMelo Ball recorded during his time playing for the Illawarra Hawks last season.

Tell me that these live dribble dimes with either hand don’t make you think of LaMelo for at least a millisecond.

You would never guess Josh Giddey was a teenager playing among grown men with the way he was able to pick apart opposing defenses on a nightly basis. Below, you can see how Giddey utilizes a fake entry pass to the roll man to bait the weakside defender into committing as the Australian guard fires a bullet right on target to his now wide-open teammate in the corner.

If you subscribe to the idea that patience is a virtue, then Josh Giddey is virtuous as anyone in the league. It was rare, although not unseen, for the 6’8€ point guard to force unnecessary passes despite being facing physical hedges and double teams on a consistent basis.

Giddey was faced with various coverages with the 36ers and understood where his advantage lied with each one. Sustaining pressure and defenders in his airspace while still delivering skip passes on a dime is an undeniable talent.

Traditional pick-and-roll pocket passes are essential for any player that hopes to be allowed offensive responsibilities at the NBA level, and I get the impression that a play finishing big like Richaun Holmes would greatly appreciate a player of Giddey’s prototype.

The only other parallel to LaMelo Ball is both he and Giddey were aggressive defensive rebounders. Giddey tallied 6.2 per showing, which was good for 4th in the entire NBL this past season. We have seen players like LaMelo, Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons, and James Harden capitalize on the defensive boards to allow for increased transition opportunities. Outlet passes, therefore, became commonplace for the teenager and a leaking De’Aaron Fox paired with a trailing Tyrese Haliburton would become a nearly free bucket. 

The average of 3.3 turnovers is reflective of Josh Giddey’s moments of vulnerability orbiting around his handle. While he is clearly confident with both his right and left hand, it is extremely rare for Giddey to piece together a set of dribble moves to break down defenders. Also, while standing at 6’8€ is undoubtedly beneficial, it harms Giddey at times when dribbling because he stands very upright with the ball.

Lacking an elite handle (which is where the LaMelo comp quickly falls off a cliff) while unmistakably being less gifted in the athleticism department leaves Giddey with shortcomings when attempting to break an opponent down in isolation.

We have seen players like Ricky Rubio and Kyle Anderson work through these issues by constantly adding new moves to their arsenal and making great use of a change of pace. Sure, these players’ top speeds are not mindblowing but if Josh Giddey can keep comparably opponents guessing his long strides should suffice.

At his current stage, a quick left to right cross, Smitty, or hang dribbles are the three primary moves seen. His bag will certainly need to be expanded before the scouting report picks up on this limited arsenal but it was enough for a handful of promising flashes in the NBL.

 

The defensive scouting report could end up being to place smaller, more pesky defenders on Giddey to affect his airspace and cause him to pick up his dribble. There were instants of him effectively managing said pressure and other occasions that would lead to turnovers.

With the aid of a screener or handoff, Giddey can approach already advantageous situations and make a proper read from there. Tyrese Haliburton made his money off this last season with similar concerns revolving around his handle and burst, but for now expect blunders from Giddey (again, he is likely to be the youngest player drafted in the lottery).

While Haliburton was confidently projected to be an elite shooter (at least off the catch) when coming out of Iowa State, this is an aspect of concern for Josh Giddey. He averaged a mere 28 percent from beyond the arc for the Adelaide 36ers. An optimist could mention that he displayed confidence by averaging 3.5 attempts from deep per game, tallied seven games with five or more shots from beyond the arc, and was respected by the opposition.

Throughout his first seven games, Giddey shot 2/20 from beyond the arc before finishing the final 21 games while managing 34 percent. Maybe there were some nerves and confidence issues that needed to be ironed out, or it could be accredited to basic streakiness that plagues many players in the NBA. His jump shot is far from pretty, the footwork seems inconsistent and his elbow flares out a bit, as seen in the clip below. Giddey is an easy candidate for a re-worked jump shot when he inevitably makes his way to the NBA.

Limited self-creation for jump shots on the dribble does cap the ceiling of Josh Giddey barring outlier progression. He had his moments, but again he clearly is looking to pass first and it was rare for him to strive to create shots for himself off the dribble.

When attacking downhill, Giddey would naturally take what was given to him. Again, with his lack of burst or high-level handle to break down the opposition, screens were and are going to be crucial in a halfcourt setting. If opponents are running a drop and primarily ignoring the Australian playmaker then he will gladly finish around the rim where he was good, not great, in the NBL.

When the ball was not in his hands, Giddey showed the desire to be an active cutter further displaying his impressive basketball IQ. To circle back to the Kyle Anderson comparison, his success on the Grizzlies proves that a pass-first wing can function well as a complimentary piece to high usage point guards such as Ja Morant or De’Aaron Fox.

Three borderline elite passers on one roster in Fox, Haliburton, and Giddey would produce constant ball movement faster than you or the defense could keep up with. Richaun Holmes would be the beneficiary of that many more open finishes at the rim and setups for his patented push shots. Not to mention that Fox made notable improvements to his catch-and-shoot three so more open looks from range (and chances to attack closeouts) for himself, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, and the rest of the roster would be nothing but beneficial.

Transitioning to the other side of the floor, Giddey’s athletic limitations bear concerns once again. While he does stand at a useful 6’8€ with decent weight and strength, his wingspan is equivalent to his height and his lateral quickness is underwhelming more often than not.

Ideally, teams would have another more capable wing defender (Harrison Barnes) to pair with Giddey allowing the ability to hid him on the worse of the opposing forwards. There were also moments where it seemed that the occasional two-guard could be a good matchup for Giddey, where he could take advantage of his length to swallow up the smaller guard. Although, guards with high-level NBA burst and speed will surely blow past Josh Giddey.

Off-ball rotations were a varying story for Giddey, solid rotations were unsurprising given how often he predicts and manipulates those same rotations with the ball in his hands. When in the proper spot, Giddey would fail to exert full effort into properly tagging, protecting the rim, or digging. There is a chance that this was a result of his large offensive responsibilities in the NBL, or simply an aspect where Giddey will need to be there a half second sooner and be more disciplined.

I believe if a team holds him responsible and to high expectations off-ball (and only off-ball) on the defensive end of the floor, Giddey will be able to make plays.

Steals on their own are not a great indicator of defensive capabilities, but Giddey did average the 9th most steals in the NBL with 1.14 per game that frequently led to promising situations on the other end in a hurry.

There is a journey to an average defender for Josh Giddey, but he projects more likely to be a slight negative on that end of the floor, particularly in his first few seasons.

I believe that as long as he is not being attacked on a regular basis, which is where his size should be beneficial, then his offensive capabilities should easily outweigh those concerns. Plus, there were some decent moments for Giddey on-ball – it wasn’t poor 24/7 – and that feels like something that could be said for 50 percent of NBA players.

6’8€ Ricky Rubio is the prototype that I can’t get out of my head for Josh Giddey, and that player is a great connecting offensive piece who optimizes play finishers on their rosters.

My view of his realistic ceiling as the third-best player on a championship team is highly contingent on his handle package being expanded, respected from three, and not a major negative on the defensive end of the floor. I have more confidence in the latter two than the former and can’t stress enough how much of a unicorn Josh Giddey truly feels like.

It is hard to encapsulate the experience of watching him play, but he regularly shocked me with his elite passing and vision at 6’8€. Many mock drafts view Giddey as a lottery selection, and I am in the same line of thinking due to his otherworldly playmaking and impressive basketball IQ. Highly intelligent players often find a way to make an impact on the floor and the Atlanta Hawks postseason success is a prime example that there is no such thing as too many playmakers on a roster.

Josh Giddey, likely to be the youngest player selected in the lottery, is one of the only prospects outside the likely top six in this draft that possesses an elite skill. While he is undeniably raw in his current stage, his upside and skillset is sure to intrigue many front offices.

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Kosta
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July 3, 2021 3:01 pm

6’8€ Ricky Rubio is the prototype that I can’t get out of my head for Josh Giddey,

I thought the same thing when watching his clips. 🙂

ZillersCat
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July 3, 2021 3:12 pm
Reply to  Kosta

Can he play Small Forward?

murraytant
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July 3, 2021 4:01 pm
Reply to  ZillersCat

yes, but can he guard a SF? No.

richie88
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July 3, 2021 6:27 pm
Reply to  Kosta

It sounds like he won’t be nearly as good at defending as Rubio, so the comparison only works on offense.

andy_sims
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July 3, 2021 7:10 pm
Reply to  richie88

Agreed, Rubio made up for his lack of shooting by playing smart defense. NBA players can’t simply be great at just one thing anymore.

kings4ever
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July 4, 2021 7:32 am
Reply to  andy_sims

The Jazz and Suns got better when they got rid of Rubio. Not a coincidence.

Giddy actually reminds me of Bogi, two deliberate methodical players who play below the rim. Giddy is better than Bogi at the same age.

Even though Giddey is 6’8 vs 6’4 they have about the same wingspan, in fact Bogi may have the greater wingspan at 7’0.

I am not really blown away by his passing ability, it is okay, though I also think his shot will be fine.

Josh Giddey may be 6’8″ but he does not play 6’8″. He doesn’t finish at the rim. He plays more like he’s 6’5″ and he has no burst. And even when he does get stronger his best position is still going to be PG or combo guard.

If he had more burst or length than I would be more interested in him to be able to swing down to SF but thats not happening anytime soon.

Giddey looks to be about 180 pounds, 20 pounds less than Davion Mitchell.

richie88
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July 4, 2021 12:57 pm
Reply to  kings4ever

Rubio’s a useful player, but he isn’t as good as Conley or CP3. Also, it took Utah awhile to play better after Rubio left. They didn’t improve in the 1st season after he left. As for Giddey, his lack of length (his wingspan is only 6’8€) is a problem.

BestHyperboleEver
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July 5, 2021 10:38 am
Reply to  richie88

The Jazz and Suns also performed above expectations when he joined. The Jazz were supposed to plummet into rebuilding after losing Hayward (and Hill who was very good for them) in FA, and ended up only dropping 3 games in the win column. The Suns went from a .232 W% to .466.

Rubio is not a great player and certainly isn’t going to play a large role on a championship contender, but he’s a solid contributor that does a lot of things that make teams better.

That said, I don’t think he’s a great comp for Giddey because there isn’t much reason to think Giddey will play Rubio level defense.

All that said, getting a Bogi or Rubio level pro at #9 would generally be considered an average-to-above average outcome. Not inspiring. But not bad by any stretch.

murraytant
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July 3, 2021 4:00 pm

He is very skilled at his unique skill. The thought of him and Haliburton together is mouth watering. He is ambidextrous.
He will get pushed around on D and isolated until he gets stronger. IMO serious consideration at 9. At this point though, I like Moody, Sengun and J. Johnson better. There is top 6 and Kings get third pick of the non-top 6. Unless J. Johnson fails the vetting process ( is he another MB3?), Giddey is very unlikely.
He has some Rubio and some Ingles and some LaMelo in him.
Nice player but is he just a sparkling curio?

Bill2455
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July 3, 2021 4:02 pm

I look at tall guards like Giddey and Simmons who pass well and believe they should learn Draymond’s game.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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Nostradumbass 14
July 3, 2021 7:50 pm
Reply to  Bill2455

I agree. They may be best off ball as swing passers and decision makers who can run an offense from the hightpost with a team full of shooters and cutter. Let Fox or Hali bring the ball up to set the offense the give the inlet to the likes of a Simmons or Green at the elbow. That is something I’d like to see.

BestHyperboleEver
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July 3, 2021 9:46 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I was thinking of what a brutal weapon a Hali-Simmons PnR could be with Hield and Barnes on the wings.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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Nostradumbass 14
July 3, 2021 10:56 pm

Yup.

TheGrantNapear
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July 3, 2021 4:21 pm

Reminds me of Toni €œThe Waiter€ Kukoc.

Bill2455
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July 3, 2021 4:31 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

He made his shot. Pippen missed his.

eddie41
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July 3, 2021 4:34 pm

Not at 9. Love his passing highlights, but the initial thing that popped off the screen for me was the lack of athleticism and upright posture. The first name that I pulled out of the bin was not Lamelo but rather William McDowell White. Neither is a fair comp. there was a day when I really tried to rationalize it because of those passes. But the bad D plus the lack of a shot puts me back at my first take.

eddie41
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July 3, 2021 6:59 pm
Reply to  eddie41

that said, with improvements to his athleticism, like being able to get in a low stance, etc., plus some strength, and a better shot, I would not be surprised if he becomes a Kyle Anderson type of player. Still, that would be a long way away, and I wouldn’t pick him at 9.

Dougscott
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July 3, 2021 5:15 pm

Could the 9th and pick and Marvin Bagely get us up to 5?

Its a low cost move for the Magic I think because they are out of the range of the top 4 tier.

for the kings, it would clear a tiny bit of cap space, and get us in the Scottie Barnes range.

richie88
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July 3, 2021 6:30 pm
Reply to  Dougscott

The only way I could see the Kings getting into the top 5 is if they trade Fox or Hali.

andy_sims
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July 3, 2021 6:10 pm

Giddey possesses an equivalent 6’8€ wingspan and averaged 10.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field, 28 percent from three, and 69 percent from the free-throw line dur.

Jesus, I’m sorry that I didn’t know that he shot 69% from the free throw line, no need to be snotty.

andy_sims
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July 3, 2021 6:32 pm

His passing is pretty impressive, but his shooting, handle, and athleticism are not. Part of what made Lamelo so impressive, and which I didn’t expect, was his ability to hit threes at a good percentage. Great passers become just-okay passers when the defense knows it can play away from him enough to block passing lanes. I’d expect that his rebounding numbers will be significantly dented when he begins playing against far-superior athletes.

Not at nine, him or Wagner.

LesJepsen3pointer
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July 3, 2021 7:01 pm

On its own, elite passing isn’t sufficient to warrant a lottery pick. No handle, shot, or defense. That’s a LOT of improvement to make. Hard pass.

If selecting an elite skill for a 6’8″ forward, I’d prefer defense. That’s Garuba. He only needs a shot and he’d be irreplaceable.

eddie41
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July 4, 2021 12:46 pm

Garuba’s scouting report certainly highlights some things the Kings need and I’ve wanted to look into him. However, a new video (two and a half hours) just showed up on YouTube and honestly it’s reeaaly painful to watch. I can only bear about 10 minutes at a time.

BestHyperboleEver
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July 5, 2021 10:45 am
Reply to  eddie41

Yeah, when I dig into Garuba’s film I don’t come away especially impressed. The extremely short story is he has great defensive upside, but is a LONG way from playable on the other end.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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July 3, 2021 7:07 pm

First of all, wonderful breakdown, Brenden. Excellent stuff and clips.

The Ball and Rubio comps aside, I get a bit of Evan Turner from him. At #9 that wouldn’t be a bad pick but I worry about his ability to stretch the floor with Fox. Defenses may just collapse on Fox, Hali, Giddey guard set. Defense is a whole other ball of wax.

All that being said, for me, he might be the most interesting prospect in draft. He’s a classic high risk/high reward type player. Can the Kings afford to make that gamble? They just may have to to land legit talent at #9

If the Kings don’t take him I feel he doesn’t slip pas the Spurs at #12. He’s seems like their heady type of pick.

andy_sims
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July 3, 2021 7:13 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I read it more as a low-risk/low reward proposition, because even if gets his handles and shot under control, his athleticism is going to create a hard ceiling as to what he’ll be able to become. Tough to imagine he can become an average defender.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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July 3, 2021 7:19 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

I guess I’m less critical on the athleticism category in the today’s NBA because they are so many great players to don’t have elite athleticism but instead rely on skill and fundamentals. Giddy could possibly excel in those later descriptions.

Defense is definitely a concern, but he seems like a guy that could make his team greater than their parts, especially a team like the Kings with shooters in Buddy and Hali and a slasher like Fox.

If the Kings were to take him, they’d definitely need to improve defensively with their roster, rotations, and schemes. That isn’t going to happen with Walton, but they shouldn’t be drafting with Walton in mind.

BestHyperboleEver
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July 3, 2021 10:07 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

Giddey isn’t really my guy, but in general I agree with this.

kings4ever
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July 4, 2021 8:45 am
Reply to  Adamsite

Unbelievable. So we are the worst defensive team in the NBA, historically bad, and you are trying to rationalize drafting a guy who probably become the worst defender on our roster?

And you cannot lay our defensive woes at the feet of the coach, as inept as he can be. I believe we became at Top 15 defense after trade deadline when we added Wright and Davis, even got a bump from Moe Scoreless.

The coach was to blame to the extent he would ride-and-die with Bagley and Buddy, our two biggest sieves. Ty and Fox also need to take a lead from Wright and TD in their defensive focus next season and I presume that will happen.

But to this group the idea of adding Giddey is a non-starter. We do not need a project guard presuming we resign TD, and even if we were to add a guard I would rather add Davion Mitchell.

Isn’t it curious Giddey size is considered an asset, which granted does create more over-the-top passing angles, compared to the size of Mitchell labeled as a deficit when Mitchell weighs more is much more physically capable to compete in the NBA?

I know there is an age discrepancy but you want to wait 2-3 years on Giddey to get NBA strength? I don’t, and when he gets the requisite strength he still projects as a guard with overlapping skills to Ty and Fox, two guys who also need the ball in their hands to be most effective.

The idea of drafting Giddey is crazy!

Mitchell shut down Cade on a few possessions despite the height discrepancy. I am pretty sure Cade would go through Giddey like a hot knife through butter in spite of little height discrepancy.

There is NO reason to overthink the draft when all we have to do is draft Sengun or Isaiah Jackson. I am still in evaluation mode but I think McGenius is ready for the draft today. He is going to pretend to like Moody, Barnes and Giddey, do some selective disinformation campaigns to the gullible media, then pick the Unicorn at #9.

Jacksons game is made for the NBA and if he checks in at 220 pounds to go with his other skills and physical profile, this is our guy.

rockbottom
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July 7, 2021 2:23 pm
Reply to  kings4ever

Jackson a much better pick at 9 than Giddey ! Mitchell would kill this guy !

Inthestarz
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July 4, 2021 4:19 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

His handles/athleticism are at question at guard not SF

BestHyperboleEver
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July 5, 2021 10:49 am
Reply to  Inthestarz

Eh, they’re at question for an NBA ball-handler. If Giddey is going to succeed in the NBA, it’s going to be as a ball-handler facilitator. It’s doesn’t matter if you put a PG or a SF next to his name, if he’s playing that role he’s going to need NBA ball-handler level handles.

BuffaloDiaspora
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July 3, 2021 10:51 pm

I think that a starting/finishing lineup in the modern NBA can get away with having exactly one non-shooter on the court and it can’t be a guard. The Kings could probably contrive a situation that would work with Giddey but in the short term it would either mean that a lottery pick is coming off the bench well into his second (or even third) season or they need to find a floor-spacing starting center to replace Holmes.

I’d really prefer to either keep Holmes or trade the pick to pursue Simmons as a long term option as the non-shooter

RikSmits
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July 4, 2021 2:03 am

The ease with which the defensive issues are waved away are truly Kangzian.

In the meantime…

https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/1411545698911211521?s=20

eddie41
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July 4, 2021 8:10 am
Reply to  RikSmits

That’s why I think Davion Mitchell should be in the top 9.

shawndeon
July 4, 2021 6:20 am

Kings need to fix their defensive issues in the paint and on the ball. More offense is not going to help this team. Gimmie Garuba, Jones, or Sims.

MaybeNextYear
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July 4, 2021 9:00 am

He reminds me more of Grieves Vasquez or Denzel Valentine. No thanks.

BasketballHella
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July 4, 2021 10:06 am

Thanks for the breakdown love the deep dive on players I haven’t heard a lot about or seen much of.

That being said after watching more clips and also listening to god, I mean Sam Vecenie. His breakdown seems to make the most sense and he puts his ceiling as a high level role player.

I’m still with Vecenie, Keon is the way to go at 9 with a void of easily translatable talent after 6.

BestHyperboleEver
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July 4, 2021 10:57 am

I’m coming around on Keon a bit, but I’m still simply not especially impressed with the guys commonly mocked in the back half of the lottery. I feel like for every guy in that tier, I could name a few guys slotted in the late-1st/2nd that I like just as much.

eddie41
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July 4, 2021 11:59 am

I took another look just because of your comment, but my main concern with Keon (apart from his shot) is his motor. It’s sort of a gut feeling based on one game in the tournament. Like if everyone is well rested, maybe after a time out, yes, he can make a play and then throw down a ferocious dunk, but after a couple trips up and down the floor, I’d go right at him because I think he’s too winded.

BasketballHella
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July 4, 2021 4:24 pm
Reply to  eddie41

Saw a little of that but I also like how he’s known as a bit of a Holmes type. People keep sleeping on him and he has a way of making them pay. He also is a beast on d and his effort is off the charts. I’m more thinking the kings need the horse with more heart rather than the thoroughbred who’s €œsupposed€ to be better. Plus his raw athletic numbers at the combine are intriguing and do more to make
me feel like his ceiling would be higher than first thought.

eddie41
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July 5, 2021 9:24 am

my point, if true, would mean he’s the exact opposite of Holmes because Holmes has a motor. The fact that a player is sucking wind does not necessarily mean he has heart. It could simply mean he lacks a motor.

BasketballHella
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July 4, 2021 4:28 pm

If I could like this a thousand times I would I’m not saying he’s a sure thing but almost nothing after 5 in this draft looks even remotely intriguing.

I was listening to Vecenie the other day and it’s like this draft has a lot of 2016 vibes to it. Top 1-5 are pretty good locks to be something then it was just crap shoot from there.

Inthestarz
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July 4, 2021 12:07 pm

He is who I want

Ive made clear the dude at 6’9 has BBIQ and is a dog, that doesn’t get taught

He knows how to play

Stick him at SF as BPA

rc50cal
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July 5, 2021 10:19 am
Reply to  Inthestarz

Every minute Giddey plays in the NBA next year will help the Kings get a high lottery pick next year, making this a strategic choice.

I do like his passing, but every other part of his game needs dramatic improvement for him to become a difference maker in the league.

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