The Official “Regular Posters of the Basketball Forum” Thread

#6,551
#6,551
orangemadam said:
A good problem to have would be for everyone except Pons to come back next year, which is a real possibility.

I think if that happens, we would see Vescovi possibly transfer unless he accepts a greatly reduced role.

anyone care to comment?
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Hard for me to imagine Springer or Johnson returning. That’s a big stretch
 
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#6,553
#6,553
omghulkhands said:
Hard for me to imagine Springer or Johnson returning. That’s a big stretch
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The season is still relatively young, but KJ has yet to put on the court the kind of talent I'd expect to see from a top 5-7 draft pick. If that is his goal, then I'd suspect he is the most likely of the two to return. And that is mostly based on perception. The perception is that he has yet to fulfill the lofty expectations that top 5 talk would elicit.

Springer, on the other hand, has likely outperformed, to an extent, his expectations, slightly. The questions on him surrounded his outside shot and perhaps his quickness. I'd still guess his best NBA position is likely at PG and that he'd be first-served getting a chance to run some at Tennessee. I think he's a much better fit there than Keon Johnson, but Rick Barnes, to this point, disagrees, so what do I know?

Based on what we have seen in 9 games, my bet is that Springer is the most likely of the two to leave, but a lot can change over the next three months. Both guys are just scratching the surface, and it would seem that both are knocking on the door of bigger roles based on what the coaches are saying publicly.
 
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#6,554
#6,554
orangemadam said:
A good problem to have would be for everyone except Pons to come back next year, which is a real possibility.

I think if that happens, we would see Vescovi possibly transfer unless he accepts a greatly reduced role.

anyone care to comment?
Click to expand...
My post from two days ago...
cncchris33 said:
I’d think Gaines may take a look. Anosike could, potentially, if we landed a guy like Tshiebwe and Fulk returns, but I think he is probably where he wants to be. Same with Pember. Uros, perhaps, takes a look.

This would qualify as a bit of a surprise, but depending on what happens with the guard rotation the rest of this season, Vescovi could explore his options. Let’s say Keon and Springer both return, next year, and you have Chandler coming in. Things suddenly get crowded and Vescovi would be an attractive piece on the open market for a team with a more wide-open rotation at guard, be it PG or SG.
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I'd probably also add that even if one of Johnson or Springer left, and we added Caleb Mills, than iti s still a crowded guard room.

Bailey
JJJ
Vescovi
Mills
Springer/Johnson
Chandler
Mashack
 
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#6,555
#6,555
cncchris33 said:
The season is still relatively young, but KJ has yet to put on the court the kind of talent I'd expect to see from a top 5-7 draft pick. If that is his goal, then I'd suspect he is the most likely of the two to return. And that is mostly based on perception. The perception is that he has yet to fulfill the lofty expectations that top 5 talk would elicit.

Springer, on the other hand, has likely outperformed, to an extent, his expectations, slightly. The questions on him surrounded his outside shot and perhaps his quickness. I'd still guess his best NBA position is likely at PG and that he'd be first-served getting a chance to run some at Tennessee. I think he's a much better fit there than Keon Johnson, but Rick Barnes, to this point, disagrees, so what do I know?

Based on what we have seen in 9 games, my bet is that Springer is the most likely of the two to leave, but a lot can change over the next three months. Both guys are just scratching the surface, and it would seem that both are knocking on the door of bigger roles based on what the coaches are saying publicly.
Click to expand...

I don’t take issue with anything you’ve said here, but I’ll happily take bets they both declare and are drafted 1st round (barring injury)
 
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#6,556
#6,556
omghulkhands said:
I don’t take issue with anything you’ve said here, but I’ll happily take bets they both declare and are drafted 1st round (baring injury)
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Agreed, I think Keon's potential will make him a first round pick even if he just sustains his current play, and he'll likely improve
 
#6,559
#6,559
omghulkhands said:
I don’t take issue with anything you’ve said here, but I’ll happily take bets they both declare and are drafted 1st round (barring injury)
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I don't necessarily disagree. Like I said, the season is young and both will likely continue to improve.
 
#6,565
#6,565
ESPN Top 100 updated today.

#8 Keon Johnson
#22 Jaden Springer
#51 JJJ
#55 Yves Pons

Write Up On KJ:
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- One of the best athletes in college basketball. Powerful first step in the open court. Explosive accelerating from a standstill and getting off his feet for dunks and blocks. Frame is at an early stage of development but should fill out in time.
- Aggressive, competitive prospect who maximizes his tools on both ends of the floor. Versatile defender who can stay in front of guards and wings. At his best sliding his feet and containing the point of attack. Generates plenty of turnovers with his instincts, quickness and activity level.
- Shows flashes of playmaking, shot-making and feel for the game that indicate he has significant room for growth.
Improvement areas
- At an early stage of development offensively. Lacks experience and polish in the half court. Ballhandling, decision-making are a work in progress.
- Frame is on the leaner side; he weighs 186 pounds. Will need to add bulk to be able to play through contact on both ends of the floor.
- Pull-up jumper is slow and lacks accuracy under duress. Struggled from the free throw line earlier in his career.
Projected role: Two-way wing

No write ups on the others yet.
 
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#6,566
#6,566
JelloPuddinPup said:
ESPN Top 100 updated today.

#8 Keon Johnson
#22 Jaden Springer
#51 JJJ
#55 Yves Pons

Write Up On KJ:
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- One of the best athletes in college basketball. Powerful first step in the open court. Explosive accelerating from a standstill and getting off his feet for dunks and blocks. Frame is at an early stage of development but should fill out in time.
- Aggressive, competitive prospect who maximizes his tools on both ends of the floor. Versatile defender who can stay in front of guards and wings. At his best sliding his feet and containing the point of attack. Generates plenty of turnovers with his instincts, quickness and activity level.
- Shows flashes of playmaking, shot-making and feel for the game that indicate he has significant room for growth.
Improvement areas
- At an early stage of development offensively. Lacks experience and polish in the half court. Ballhandling, decision-making are a work in progress.
- Frame is on the leaner side; he weighs 186 pounds. Will need to add bulk to be able to play through contact on both ends of the floor.
- Pull-up jumper is slow and lacks accuracy under duress. Struggled from the free throw line earlier in his career.
Projected role: Two-way wing

No write ups on the others yet.
Click to expand...
This is a guy that it seems will make lots of dollars in the NBA. Something that hasn’t been mentioned is that he is a solid human being from a terrific family.
 
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#6,567
#6,567
SIAP, but The Athletic put out a new mock draft the other day.

They have Keon going #11
I had Johnson as a top-five prospect in the preseason, but so far he doesn’t look quite polished enough offensively to make a consistent impact. His shooting is a bit mechanical off the bounce, but if he gets an open look, he can knock down shots off the catch. His handle is just a bit too loose right now for him to get real consistent penetration. Having said that, he has legitimately elite athleticism. If the handle comes along over the course of the season as he gets more comfortable with the speed of the game, he could really start to make an elite impact because the one thing Johnson has done at an exceedingly high level thus far is defend. Johnson has been one of the more aggressive on-ball defenders in college basketball this season and looks like a real potential difference-maker on that end. If his shot creation comes along as it looked like it was late in his high school career, he could still jump up this board. But he looks a bit too raw right now, and more like a project worthy of a top-20 pick as opposed to a top-10 guy.
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Jaden going #22
Springer has been the better of the two five-star Tennessee freshmen thus far. He has some real polish off the bounce that has allowed him to be impactful early, and his jumper has gone down so far. His athleticism is pretty real in terms of balance with some vertical pop. Plus, he’s an aggressive on-ball defender who sparks energy when he enters the game. Unlike a lot of freshmen across college hoops this year, Springer has been an efficient decision-maker who generally does the right thing out on the floor, moves well without the ball and doesn’t play like a goofball. A couple of worries here in terms of translation that he’ll need to work through, though. First, his jumper is very mechanical and robotic. He really needs to set before shooting it. There isn’t much here yet in terms of movement shooting. Second, he has to do everything off two feet now. If he’s dribble driving, it’s a jump stop into a two-foot floater or a two-foot load leap into a finish at the rim. Springer would really benefit from a second year in college, but he might end up as one of the 30 best prospects
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No write up on Pons, but they have him at #48.
 
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#6,568
#6,568
johnfnkelly said:
SIAP, but The Athletic put out a new mock draft the other day.

They have Keon going #11


Jaden going #22


No write up on Pons, but they have him at #48.
Click to expand...
As far as Springer is concerned, if his shot seems mechanical and robotic, I’ll take it. Secondly, Barnes said he plays with two feet and that was very impressive to him. Barnes says too many guys play out of control with one foot. So, which is it? I trust Barnes and his knowledge.

Also, regarding Keon, we have to remember he only played in FOUR games as a senior, plus the fact he had a significant injury. In light of the rust inherent in his recovery, I think the best of Keon is going to be special from the 15-game mark onward.
 
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#6,569
#6,569
cardvolfan said:
As far as Springer is concerned, if his shot seems mechanical and robotic, I’ll take it. Secondly, Barnes said he plays with two feet and that was very impressive to him. Barnes says too many guys play out of control with one foot. So, which is it? I trust Barnes and his knowledge.

Also, regarding Keon, we have to remember he only played in FOUR games as a senior, plus the fact he had a significant injury. In light of the rust inherent in his recovery, I think the best of Keon is going to be special from the 15-game mark onward.
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The NBA is a different animal. Taller and longer defenders makes it paramount to be able to do both.
 
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#6,575
#6,575
The Dog said:
Good, probably instantly the best athlete/dunker on the team and that's saying a lot with Keon and Pons on that same team. Doubt he gets any playing time except mop-up time in blowouts, but u never know
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He’s a higher rated prospect than quite a few guys on the team were outta HS (including Santi, Gaines, EJ, Fulky, & Drew).

 
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