Malachi - Trust the Process Young Man

[AlpharettaCuse]

My point is that Malachi had one huge game in the NCAAs and he had measurables that the NBA likes. But anybody paying close attention during that freshman year (or had seen him play in HS like I did) knew that he was a flawed player that wasn't going to do much in the NBA.

We all saw him play his freshman year at Syracuse. Not sure what seeing him in high school has to do with anything. Malachi showed a lot of potential and had a good freshman year. He played better as the season went on, and shot very well from 3 in ACC play. It wasn't one game. He had an outstanding combine, which probably meant much more than that Virginia game. He had the measurables, a great shooting stroke and good size. Great fit for the NBA. Most 18-19 old kids have flawed games. Coaching can often times fix that. which is why he was drafted in the first round.

 

[manleyzoo]

So going by this theory, if Grant didn’t get picked by Philly, would be in the NBA now?

Maybe not. With few exceptions, past the 7th guy everybody pretty much has to have something they do better than anyone else on the club or fits a specific need. Grant is crazy athletic but if he didn't get drafted by a team that needed that or had room for that he'd have gotten shipped around just like Malachi is now.

 

[manleyzoo]

Awful take. Jerami Grant was EXTREMELY lucky--as a second round pick--to land on a team that had a vested interest in losing for an extended period of time, in the midst of one of the grandest intentional tanks in professional sports history. They went out of their way to play who were marginal -- because the goal was to lose instead of winning, and they wanted a "cheap" roster while they were going through the process.

Grant--who as a physically underdeveloped second round rookie got a chance to play that most second rounders wouldn't--was able to parlay that opportunity into a second contract and refine his skill set / showcase his wares in ways that he might not have gotten anywhere else. Would he have had the same opportunity if he'd gotten drafted by a veteran team like, say, the Spurs? He might not have even made their roster out of camp.

Kudos to Grant for maximizing his opportunity by optimizing his potential, but let's not pretend that his cause wasn't aided by where he landed as a second round pick.

Pointing that out doesn't cast aspersions on his physical tools / potential.

Bingo.

 

[djcon57]

Maybe not. With few exceptions, past the 7th guy everybody pretty much has to have something they do better than anyone else on the club or fits a specific need. Grant is crazy athletic but if he didn't get drafted by a team that needed that or had room for that he'd have gotten shipped around just like Malachi is now.

Agree to disagree. We disagree at such a basic level I’ll just leave it at that.

Edit: One quick one before moving on...do you believe if Draymond Green wasn’t drafted by the Warriors he wouldn’t be in the NBA or would have been shipped out like a Malachi?

 

[tbonezone]

you jump off the dock you best know how to swim.

 

[bpo57]

Well, nobody can predict the future, right? You were guessing, and happened to guess correctly. You certainly didn't know any more than the teams that scouted him and considered drafting him.

Never said I did. Yeesh.

 

[manleyzoo]

Agree to disagree. We disagree at such a basic level I’ll just leave it at that.

Edit: One quick one before moving on...do you believe if Draymond Green wasn’t drafted by the Warriors he wouldn’t be in the NBA or would have been shipped out like a Malachi?

Green makes my point. He got drafted by a team whose scheme fits his skills. Yes, he's a skilled player but if he had been drafted by a team with different needs or a different scheme my bet is he would have been shipped someplace else. The point is the league is filled with players who can play. So is the G league. That's no guarantee that you stick.