Reasons why nba draft board dont mean jack chit to me

[Cusefan0307]

I didn't realize we had so many NBA scouts on the board.

EDIT: Seriously though, we had nobody on our team who could score as easy as Early. He may not be an NBA player, but I would take him on my team. Also Trevor Cooney should watch Ron Baker play the 2. Guy doesn't just sit out by the three point line, he makes cuts to the basket. No reason why Cooney can't be like him.

 

[Melancer46]

I don't know man, today Early looked every bit the athlete that Jerami is.

Based on what exactly? He had one dunk. Grant is faster and far more explosive. Most of Early's plays are below the rim. Literally almost every play that Grant attempts to make is more athletic than anything that Early does.


Don't get me wrong. Early is a fantastic college player, and he has a chance to be a solid NBA player if he can get his jumpshot to be consistent, but none of the plays that he made yesterday scream "elite athlete" like pretty much every play that Grant made this year.

 

[Alsacs]

Again Cleanthony Early is the same age as Kyrie Irving. He is 22 years old now going on 23 in a month competing against 18-21 year old kids he should be better as he is more developed and closer to a finished product. Put Early in the NBA he doesn't have much more upside and he went to Junior College and has matured.

Jerami Grant is 3 years younger and has ground to improve. If I was drafting in the NBA I would take Grant before Early every day unless it was at the end of the first round and I was a contender who wanted a mature kid and not worry 3-4 years down the road for Grant. Grant's NBA clock will be longer than Early's and I don't think Early is going to come into the league and score double digit points for a season.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Early was doing his thing against NBA players. Looked like a Paul George clone. He has that quick elevation on his jumper and a better handle than I thought. Very quick off his feet and fast. He was really impressive.

 

[Alsacs]

Early was doing his thing against NBA players. Looked like a Paul George clone. He has that quick elevation on his jumper and a better handle than I thought. Very quick off his feet and fast. He was really impressive.

Kentucky's NBA talent is not as developed as much Early has. Early is 4 years older than those kids and has a mature body. Cauley-Stein, Randle, Harrison twins, Young aren't sure fire NBA all-stars IMO.
Randle is a Zack Randolph type player in 4 years as his ceiling, Cauley-Stein at best is Roy Hibbert, Young and the Harrison twins are impossible for me to project.

I wouldn't draft a 23 year old in the lottery of the NBA draft hell he would be a late first round pick for me to be honest. Early has a chance to play in the league for sure, but his upside is very minimal he is a close to finished product and at 23 years old I don't think he would be anything more than role player in the NBA and at 23 years old he better contribute as a rookie unlike the 20 year old kids who can develop and be in the league for 2 years before they are expected to be ready.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Kentucky's NBA talent is not as developed as much Early has. Early is 4 years older than those kids and has a mature body. Cauley-Stein, Randle, Harrison twins, Young aren't sure fire NBA all-stars IMO.
Randle is a Zack Randolph type player in 4 years as his ceiling, Cauley-Stein at best is Roy Hibbert, Young and the Harrison twins are impossible for me to project.

I wouldn't draft a 23 year old in the lottery of the NBA draft hell he would be a late first round pick for me to be honest. Early has a chance to play in the league for sure, but his upside is very minimal he is a close to finished product and at 23 years old I don't think he would be anything more than role player in the NBA and at 23 years old he better contribute as a rookie unlike the 20 year old kids who can develop and be in the league for 2 years before they are expected to be ready.

I agree with this but just feel like his talents and athleticism are being grossly underrated on here. You're right about UK but they are still an NBA roster and that was a high pressure cooker/high level game with everybody watching. He and certainly Randle impressed me quite a bit. WCS' movement as well.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Kentucky's NBA talent is not as developed as much Early has. Early is 4 years older than those kids and has a mature body. Cauley-Stein, Randle, Harrison twins, Young aren't sure fire NBA all-stars IMO.
Randle is a Zack Randolph type player in 4 years as his ceiling, Cauley-Stein at best is Roy Hibbert, Young and the Harrison twins are impossible for me to project.

I wouldn't draft a 23 year old in the lottery of the NBA draft hell he would be a late first round pick for me to be honest. Early has a chance to play in the league for sure, but his upside is very minimal he is a close to finished product and at 23 years old I don't think he would be anything more than role player in the NBA and at 23 years old he better contribute as a rookie unlike the 20 year old kids who can develop and be in the league for 2 years before they are expected to be ready.

I really like Randle. I've been impressed with him more all season than I was of Wiggins. 20 and 10 guys aren't easy to find in the NBA. He's a classic NBA power forward. Cauley-Stein ismore athletic than Hibbert, but Hibbert probably has more skill. I agree with you on the Harrison twins. Not sure what they are in the NBA. I was thinking that maybe the ceiling for Young was Tayshaun Prince, but then again I wouldn't be surprised if he was a bust either.

As far as Early goes, I could see someone like San Antonio taking him. Wouldn't be a bad players as a shotmaker off the bench.

 

[Doc5120]

I don't understand the "he's 22 or 23 years old" argument. A 22 yr old college player has the same, or perhaps even less miles on him than a 22 yr old NBA player who has been in the league for 2 yrs. An NBA season is essentially twice that of a college season. 82 games at 48 minutes apiece, travelling all over the country. Was Tim Duncan too old to draft when he came into the league? Was Patrick Ewing too old to draft when he came into the league? I'm not saying Cleanthony Early is even in the same stratosphere as those 2 guys. My point is, you can play in the NBA even if you come into the league at 22 or 23 yrs old. And you can probably add more value your 1st two seasons than most of these college frosh or sophs who jump early & need a year or two to develop their bodies and game. I've hated on Wichita St almost all season, but Cleanthony Early is a very good player who will contribute to an NBA team. Grant's potential is higher, but if I'm picking between the 2, I'm taking Early.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Early's ability to get to the rim and get off quick, smooth jumpers is something I can't see Grant ever doing as well. Grant uses length to accomplish what he does. He doesn't get off clean looks very often because his handle is atrocious and his moves are quick enough to beat defenders. His jump is basically slow motion compared to others.

Grant has longer arms and probably a few inches on Early. Their age difference shouldn't mean as much as it does and will mean come June (or whenever Grant leaves). If you want upside, you take Grant. If you want a better basketball player that has a better all-around game, you take Early.

Early will certainly end up on some team like San Antonio, Indiana, Houston, etc. One of those "smart" teams will pick him and he'll be a fantastic player/value for them.

 

[Jasoncuse]

I don't understand the "he's 22 or 23 years old" argument. A 22 yr old college player has the same, or perhaps even less miles on him than a 22 yr old NBA player who has been in the league for 2 yrs. An NBA season is essentially twice that of a college season. 82 games at 48 minutes apiece, travelling all over the country. Was Tim Duncan too old to draft when he came into the league? Was Patrick Ewing too old to draft when he came into the league? I'm not saying Cleanthony Early is even in the same stratosphere as those 2 guys. My point is, you can play in the NBA even if you come into the league at 22 or 23 yrs old. And you can probably add more value your 1st two seasons than most of these college frosh or sophs who jump early & need a year or two to develop their bodies and game. I've hated on Wichita St almost all season, but Cleanthony Early is a very good player who will contribute to an NBA team. Grant's potential is higher, but if I'm picking between the 2, I'm taking Early.

It's not mileage. It's all about the thought that a 22 or 23 year old kid is more accomplished and less likely to get that much better. A 19 year old is supposedly only scratching the surface. That's the theory, which I don't always agree with. Some kids develop later, some kids will always continue to get better and some you can see will always have issues no matter how young they are.

 

[Alsacs]

I don't understand the "he's 22 or 23 years old" argument. A 22 yr old college player has the same, or perhaps even less miles on him than a 22 yr old NBA player who has been in the league for 2 yrs. An NBA season is essentially twice that of a college season. 82 games at 48 minutes apiece, travelling all over the country. Was Tim Duncan too old to draft when he came into the league? Was Patrick Ewing too old to draft when he came into the league? I'm not saying Cleanthony Early is even in the same stratosphere as those 2 guys. My point is, you can play in the NBA even if you come into the league at 22 or 23 yrs old. And you can probably add more value your 1st two seasons than most of these college frosh or sophs who jump early & need a year or two to develop their bodies and game. I've hated on Wichita St almost all season, but Cleanthony Early is a very good player who will contribute to an NBA team. Grant's potential is higher, but if I'm picking between the 2, I'm taking Early.

NBA players peak when they are 24 yrs old. Go back and look at NBA players when they are 24. Most of the special ones peak during that age. Early isn't as a rookie going to dominate he is an NBA player, but lets not go crazy about 1 game versus Kentucky. The guy has a great game, but his upside on the pro level is not elite. Grant can defend in the NBA has crazy athleticism the NBA is about athleticism, defense, scoring in that order.

Early is not the athlete that Grant is and he is 3 years older than Grant.

DeAndre Kane is 24 years old going to be 25 years old in June their is a reason he is dominant in college and won't get a sniff in the NBA. He is a fully developed man playing against younger not fully developed men. Same thing with Early. If you are 3 or 4 years older in college you should look good against 18-21 year men they aren't fully developed.

Early's best bet is to go Kenneth Faried in the NBA and be a beast role player.

 

[urban96]

I dont think watching him on TV does this sort of thing justice...

 

[Doc5120]

I agree with you that development and potential is a major part of it. My opinion is that the "potential" factor is grossly over applied when drafting players. Again, the following statements are my opinion, but I believe Jerami Grant may turn into a solid NBA player. I also believe Cleanthony Early will be a solid NBA player. I'd rather error on the side of caution and take a guy I know can help as opposed to a guy who may help me in a couple of seasons. Guys like Lebron, Kobe, KG etc...everyone and their brother knew they were going to be great players. There was no question they'd get better with time. There's also the cautionary tales of Jonathan Bender, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, etc. It seems like such a crapshoot drafting on potential.

 

[TheCusian]

There isn't a chance in hell that Early can play the 4. Short with a short wingspan =/= small ball PF. And I know that we lost yesterday and Grant disappointed, but seriously? Saying guys like Early are more athletic? Give me a break. Grant is one of the best athletes in the draft hands-down. I don't understand how people can say things like Early is a better athlete than Grant and that Ennis' athleticism is on par with guys like Rajon Rondo. Just insanity going on around here. Early will be a late 1st-early 2nd round pick, but he just isn't the prospect that Grant is.

Early can rebound and run. In the right system he's a 3, with time at the 4 when the team goes small.

I have no idea why you thought I said Early was more athletic than Grant. Grant might be the best pure athlete in the draft if he comes out.

 

[Doc5120]

NBA players peak when they are 24 yrs old. Go back and look at NBA players when they are 24. Most of the special ones peak during that age. Early isn't as a rookie going to dominate he is an NBA player, but lets not go crazy about 1 game versus Kentucky. The guy has a great game, but his upside on the pro level is not elite. Grant can defend in the NBA has crazy athleticism the NBA is about athleticism, defense, scoring in that order.

Early is not the athlete that Grant is and he is 3 years older than Grant.

DeAndre Kane is 24 years old going to be 25 years old in June their is a reason he is dominant in college and won't get a sniff in the NBA. He is a fully developed man playing against younger not fully developed men. Same thing with Early. If you are 3 or 4 years older in college you should look good against 18-21 year men they aren't fully developed.

Early's best bet is to go Kenneth Faried in the NBA and be a beast role player.

I'm not basing this on one game. I follow college hoops very closely and have seen Early play a fair amount of times over the course of the last 2 seasons. I believe he is a better college player than Grant and I think he'll be a better pro than Grant. Could I be wrong? Of course I could! But I like Early over Grant.

Grant is the better rebounder and athlete. No question. I believe Early is the better ball-handler, passer, scorer, shooter, and overall player. JG's upside dwarfs Early's, but do you really think JG is going to be some stud ta the next level? I just don't see him doing anything in the NBA unless he develops a jump-shot and an alternate move to his whirling dervish out of control spin.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Grant can defend in the NBA has crazy athleticism the NBA is about athleticism, defense, scoring in that order.

That's the thing I disagree about in terms of JG's pro potential. I don't think his athleticism is otherworldly like many seem to. He may look the part in college when his extremely long arms and ability to make up ground mask his true abilities. I don't think he's a smooth athlete (I think Early is one to compare) as the majority of his movements are a bit herky jerky and his overall game just isn't smooth. He struggles to get good shots up. While it is a skill being able to finish inside from awkward angles/positions, I just don't see how that can cut it in the NBA. There are dozens of athletes like him, or better, heading to the pros every year. He has long arms that many kids don't have, but the rest of his game doesn't blow anyone away. And I'm not sure about his defense. I don't know if I can ever see him covering KD, George, etc, nor do I think he can guard NBA PF's. He's a tweener, IMO. An NBA PF type game, but an NBA SF frame.

If this were a perfect world, I'd tell JG to bulk up, work on his interior moves and mid range game and become an NBA stretch 4. His arm length, coupled with added bulk and strength could make him a great rebounder at the next level.

 

[Alsacs]

I'm not basing this on one game. I follow college hoops very closely and have seen Early play a fair amount of times over the course of the last 2 seasons. I believe he is a better college player than Grant and I think he'll be a better pro than Grant. Could I be wrong? Of course I could! But I like Early over Grant.

Grant is the better rebounder and athlete. No question. I believe Early is the better ball-handler, passer, scorer, shooter, and overall player. JG's upside dwarfs Early's, but do you really think JG is going to be some stud ta the next level? I just don't see him doing anything in the NBA unless he develops a jump-shot and an alternate move to his whirling dervish out of control spin.

NBA game is more ISO and floor spacing so unless your a pure scorer it doesn't matter that Early is a better scorer. Early is not going to play guard so his ball handling will be minimal with a 24 second shot clock. Grant can be a defender in the NBA and get points off alley-oops, offensive rebounding, and if he works on his mid-range game there. Grant has a better shot to be in the league longer because of his age, athleticism, and skills.

I think Early at 23 years old will be out of the league by 26 unless he gets drafted by the right team.

 

[pearl31]

I gotta say... an elite prospect simply does not struggle against a Dayton the way JG did the other night. He was a complete non-factor in the biggest game of the year.

 

[Doc5120]

NBA game is more ISO and floor spacing so unless your a pure scorer it doesn't matter that Early is a better scorer. Early is not going to play guard so his ball handling will be minimal with a 24 second shot clock. Grant can be a defender in the NBA and get points off alley-oops, offensive rebounding, and if he works on his mid-range game there. Grant has a better shot to be in the league longer because of his age, athleticism, and skills.

I think Early at 23 years old will be out of the league by 26 unless he gets drafted by the right team.

NBA definitely is much more 1 on 1. Early showed yesterday that he can get his own shot. He had a nice stepback 3 late in the game, a few good strong moves to the hoop (dunk on Cauley-Stein was nice), and he was doing his damage against the college team with the most supposed NBA talent. I really like what I've seen out of him.

Offensively, Grant hasn't shown too much of anything other than he is a freak athlete who can abuse guys that are smaller and can't play above the rim like he can. I think we're both in agreement that Grant has more potential. You believe he'll capitalize on the potential and become a solid player while I have my doubts that he'll do very much at the next level. I honestly hope you're correct.

 

[two3zone]

I gotta say... an elite prospect simply does not struggle against a Dayton the way JG did the other night. He was a complete non-factor in the biggest game of the year.

Easy to struggle when two players have the ball the whole game and you don't get touches. Have to disagree with you on this one.

 

[anomander]

knee jerk reaction. we all just witnessed Early's best game of his life. He is a tweener that can't guard anyone. I'll take a 24 year old Grant.

 

[pearl31]

Easy to struggle when two players have the ball the whole game and you don't get touches. Have to disagree with you on this one.

He had plenty of chances and mostly played scared against a smaller, seemingly overmatched team. That was a game he should have absolutely thrived in and he just did not show up.

 

[Wallo]

Jerami will be a 3 in the NBA. He has the makings of a perimeter shot and is a good enough athlete to cover NBA 3s (in theory).

Say what ??

 

[Marsh01]

knee jerk reaction. we all just witnessed Early's best game of his life. He is a tweener that can't guard anyone. I'll take a 24 year old Grant.

He can shoot and is a better offensive player than grant. I am talking.pure college player.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Nothing personal against CJ fair, but I would of rather of had Cleanthony Early as our go to guy this year.