DraftExpress Top 5 NBA Prospects from AAC.....

[djct1999]

3 from UConn:

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Top-NBA-Draft-Prospects-in-the-AAC-Part-One-Prospects-1-5-5277

 

[alexd]

I am trying not to laugh:

"Without the benefit of extensive high school footage, we prefer to wait and see how Adams performs as a freshman before adding to his DraftExpress profile."

And yet, they have him at #2.

 

[James]

I am trying not to laugh:

"Without the benefit of extensive high school footage, we prefer to wait and see how Adams performs as a freshman before adding to his DraftExpress profile."

And yet, they have him at #2.

givony saw him with his own eyes @barclays jordan classic regional. liked him a lot

 

[James]

Pretty lazy they couldn't put together a video for Hamilton, who givony notes is liked in many circles... or brimah's sophomore yyear. Who would have thought jeff goodman the one guy all in on daniel hamilton as a lotto pick still.

 

[aceboon]

Meh @ Capauin ahead of DHam, hopefully DHam gets his shot together this year

 

[James]

Meh @ Capauin ahead of DHam, hopefully DHam gets his shot together this year

yeah thats crazy talk. Givony's evaluation was pretty on point as he seems to be optimistic of ham as a prospect. A lot of folks on the yard think 'he just got unlucky' with his poor fg %, but fact is he will never be great finisher around the paint... but he has a lot of other strengths. I believe both AB and Ham can move themselves into late (20-30) first round consideration if they bring consistency this season on both ends.

 

[David 76]

You can take this that we are loaded with talent or the AAC sucks. Only the 2 ex-BE teams are represented.
I think it is both.

 

[champs99and04]

Obviously you can debate some of the rankings but there is some great stuff here. The write-ups on Brimah and Hamilton are spot-on, IMO.

 

[James]

"His ability to facilitate and fuel his team's ball-movement is one of his most intriguing aspects as a draft prospect and something that leaves room for optimism regarding his future development." - givony

Imagine him landing late first round on the spurs or another great organization. givony claims his best attributes are his ball handling and vision, but i think thats secondary to how tough, coachable and dedicated he is to the game of basketball. We all know he is going to improve his shot mechanics, But i want to see him improve his tempo in the open floor + variety of floaters/shots in the midrange-paint. I also have no doubt he will be a plus defender at the pro level which is intriguing all by itself.

 

[kobe]

Kind of amazing that Troy Caupain (Junior) is only like 2 weeks older than Jalen Adams (freshman).

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Obviously you can debate some of the rankings but there is some great stuff here. The write-ups on Brimah and Hamilton are spot-on, IMO.

Im telling you all, DHam will be a top 10 pick in my opinion. Don't see many SF's/SG's with his playmaking and rebounding ability. His shot will improve once he drives more, with defense likely going to lay off him a bit knowing he can.

 

[TasteofUConn]

A lot of folks on the yard think '[Hamilton] just got unlucky' with his poor fg %, but fact is he will never be great finisher around the paint . . .

I have noted this. You have sorely underestimated his talent and drive, and you have abjectly failed to account for the very poor team he played on last year. I am very much looking forward to watching you eat this, and I intend to serve it to you when the time is right.

 

[James]

I have noted this. You have sorely underestimated his talent and drive, and you have failed to account for the poor team he played on last year. I am very much looking forward to watching you eat this, and I am going to serve it to you when the time is right.

He isn't a good finisher in the paint, nor was he in hs. He doesn't explode when corralling the rock off a drive and he doesn't play the glass well. His bread will be buttered with refined floaters and a zeal to get to the FT line ( and shoot 80%+ which im confident he is capable of doing).

If dham becomes one of the best finishers in the paint in the country, bet that i will be front row ready to eat the crow. Please don't denigrate my outlook him, as I see him being a very very interesting prospect and terrific component in KO's program.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

He isn't a good finisher in the paint, nor was he in hs. He doesn't explode when corralling the rock off a drive and he doesn't play the glass well. His bread will be buttered with refined floaters and a zeal to get to the FT line ( and shoot 80%+ which im confident he is capable of doing).

If dham becomes one of the best finishers in the paint in the country, bet that i will be front row ready to eat the crow. Please don't denigrate my outlook him, as I see him being a very very interesting prospect and terrific component in KO's program.

N one said or requires him to be one of the best in the country at finishing in the paint, its just kind of a given he will improve. He is transitioning to his Sophomore year, the training and experience will obviously help, and he has put on some muscle that will help as well. He doesn't need to be a body to body finisher a la Lebron, but he will improve

 

[TasteofUConn]

If dham becomes one of the best finishers in the paint in the country, . . .

Nope. You don't get to move the target from "never be great finisher" to "one of the best finishers in the paint in the country." You cited his FG% as evidence, so I'm going to use that against you, when the time is right. If he leaves and he hasn't improved substantially, then I'll man up and give you your props. Given that you appear to be aggressively hedging not 18 minutes after your original heavy, absolutist criticism, I don't expect you to eat it when I serve it, but served it shall be.

 

[James]

N one said or requires him to be one of the best in the country at finishing in the paint, its just kind of a given he will improve. He is transitioning to his Sophomore year, the training and experience will obviously help, and he has put on some muscle that will help as well. He doesn't need to be a body to body finisher a la Lebron, but he will improve

its a given he will improve, despite the fact he had one of the *worst true shooting %s in country in DX top 100? nothing is a given, its simply a weakness. he has OTHER strengths, this isn't an assault on dham fyi

 

[Stainmaster]

Nope. You don't get to move the target from "never be great finisher" to "one of the best finishers in the paint in the country." You cited his FG% as evidence, so I'm going to use that against you, when the time is right. If he leaves and he hasn't improved substantially, then I'll man up and give you your props. Given that you appear to be aggressively hedging not 18 minutes after your original heavy, absolutist criticism, I don't expect you to eat it when I serve it, but served it shall be.

What on earth are you getting so worked up about, bro?

 

[TasteofUConn]

What on earth are you getting so worked up about, bro?

What on earth are you so off base about, bro? Oh that's right. My state of mind. Not worked up at all, bro. Just taking notes on the predictions of others and such. This is a basketball message board. I'm very relaxed, and posting basketball messages on this board. Not "bro" level relaxed, but I'm not stoned, unemployed, and 25 either, so that's to be expected. Mind yourself, and no worries about me.

 

[champs99and04]

I have noted this. You have sorely underestimated his talent and drive, and you have abjectly failed to account for the very poor team he played on last year. I am very much looking forward to watching you eat this, and I intend to serve it to you when the time is right.

Any particular reason you are so adamant on this? It seems like a pretty safe bet that he'll never be a great finisher given his frame and athleticism. Shabazz wasn't a great finisher, either, so it isn't like it's some grand indictment on his game.

In regards to Hamilton, Evan Turner is the first comp that comes to mind. And he won the wooden award his junior year.

 

[ctchamps]

He isn't a good finisher in the paint, nor was he in hs. He doesn't explode when corralling the rock off a drive and he doesn't play the glass well. His bread will be buttered with refined floaters and a zeal to get to the FT line ( and shoot 80%+ which im confident he is capable of doing).

If dham becomes one of the best finishers in the paint in the country, bet that i will be front row ready to eat the crow. Please don't denigrate my outlook him, as I see him being a very very interesting prospect and terrific component in KO's program.

I'm getting it ready for you!

 

[TasteofUConn]

Any particular reason you are so adamant on this? It seems like a pretty safe bet that he'll never be a great finisher given his frame and athleticism.

Great question! I suppose that the first order of business is to nail down what "finishing" is. The poster who prompted this discussion used FG% as his statistical basis, so I'm basing this substantially on that measure. It's not singly the ability to finish after getting bodied. It's not simply the ability to draw fouls. It's the ability to make the shot after having worked the ball relatively close to the rim.
The shots DHam missed last year were often 3-8 footers that he took after freeing himself up with his dribble. The theory being espoused is that he is not "athletic" enough to explode over/past defenders and he is not "long" enough to give them the Jeff Adrien and shoot over them. Consequently, he will never be able to "get his shot off" over the competition at a "great" finishing rate.
I find fault with that syllogism on several grounds.
1st, I dispute that he is not "athletic" enough. DHam is deceptively athletic. He reminds me a lot of RIP in that regard. Not a big blow by guy. Not going to throw one down like Purvis' crazy dunk on the blow by last year. Not going to deek a guy onto his ass. Not going to sky over people and dunk in traffic. I think that he plays with a decidedly finesse style, and it appears to be less athletic because he avoids contact, doesn't go for monster dunks, and so on - just like RIP. The length number is useful but overrated. Nobody puts up the "only freshman in the nation with X points, Y boards, and Z assists" and is not athletic enough. Nobody.
Second - I place a huge emphasis on shot selection. If you're a good shooter, and you have good touch, then it's very important to be taking good, makeable shots. Steve Kerr was excellent about pointing it out during the FF. "I like the shot" even when it was missed. Or "poor shot choice." DHam, for the most part, took makeable shots that were good shots, which makes me less concerned about them not going in. Pretty much 75% or more of his shots in the lane I thought, "that's a good shot," and he'd miss it, but not by much. Point is, he's not taking 8, 9, and 10 level difficulty shots where he has to evolve into a circus performer to get them to drop. He's taking good shots. They will drop at higher percentage each year going forward.
Third - I don't think people give enough credit to the "we really sucked" impact on DHam's shot percentage. Because we were just plain awful, Defenses were able to key in on Boat and DHam, thereby taking away a lot of easy baskets that would have increased his shot percentage. That will happen this year. If he can kick out to Gibbs for a 40% 3 or lob to Brimah for a 90% dunk or kick to Purvis for a muscular blow by or bounce pass to Miller for an 8 footer, the floor opens up tremendously for him.
4th - From what I've read, the guy has an excellent work ethic (see Husky run improvement). Combined with his rare, deft feel for the game and nose for the ball, it's only a matter of time before he masters this facet of it.

 

[Kitaman]

Selfishly speaking I prefer none of our players to be on any NBA prospect draft list. Therefore I never get upset at who's not listed.

 

[JimHurley]

Kind of amazing that Troy Caupain (Junior) is only like 2 weeks older than Jalen Adams (freshman).

Yes Caupain is young for a junior and Adams is old for a freshman. Jalen is older than me and I'm a sophomore.

 

[aceboon]

Selfishly speaking I prefer none of our players to be on any NBA prospect draft list. Therefore I never get upset at who's not listed.

So you would prefer that UConn not have any NBA draft prospects? That wouldn't bode well for UConn.

 

[Kitaman]

So you would prefer that UConn not have any NBA draft prospects? That wouldn't bode well for UConn.

Sure I want them to be considered NBA worthy.

As I said I am being selfish, and since my opinion doesn't matter or affect things, I would prefer all our UConn ballers to stay 4 years. I do get attached to them.