Post by daglazer on Nov 16, 2020 23:49:19 GMT -5
With the draft finally here on Wednesday, I thought that I would give everyone a brief scouting report on the three Duke players who may be around at 27 and 38 and would be, IMHO, great picks for us in either of those slots. In order of likely draft status:
Tre Jones - PG
Tre is an old school point guard who is athletic, great on the break, and looks to get all of his teammates involved. He might be the best on the ball defender at the point in this draft class. Without a doubt in my mind, he will, at the very least, be a quality backup point guard. However, his ceiling is much higher than most give him credit for. There are two knocks on Jones. First, he is on the small side and he is not a great shooter. However, his 3 point percentage jumped from 22% to 36% between his freshman and sophomore years. He is a 77% FT shooter. Essentially, in HS, he could get to the rim whenever he wanted so that he did not have enough range on his shot. He actually has good form on his shot. It may take a couple of years, but I fully expect him to be a quality 3 point shooter in the NBA once he improves his range out to the NBA line. In fact, I would not be surprised if, in 4 years, he is the best PG to come out of this draft. He just needs a little development time to reach his potential. If he drops to 27 and we did not take a PG at 8, we should pick him. This past year, when Duke needed a big bucket, he would get into the lane and make a 12-foot jump shot because he can stop on a dime and elevate.
Vernon Carey PF-C
Carey is the son of the former Miami Dolphin offensive lineman of the same name. Carey has excellent skills, coordination and technique. In HS, he was a stretch 4, but at Duke, he was asked to play in the post and was the best big in the ACC. He has a variety of quality post moves and will be able to score consistently in the low post with his back to the basket. He has a hig quality jump shot from 3 and will have no problem becoming a stretch 4 in the NBA. He is a decent shot blocker as well. He lacks NBA level lateral quickness so that he is vulnerable to the pick and roll. He is not Toppin and Enes Kanter level bad, but he is not good. That inability to consistently and effectively guard the pick and roll is why he is not a lottery pick. That being said, he has lost over 30 pounds since the season ended to improve that part of his game. He will absolutely be able to provide quality minutes at either the 4 or 5 in the NBA. IMHO, he reminds me of a more athletic Brook Lopez.
Cassius Stanley - SG
Cassius will not be The Greatest. Instead, he will be a quality 3 and D 2 guard in the NBA. He might be the most athletic player in the draft with a 44" vertical. He has good size and knows how to be an effective role player. He does not have a great handle and is not a particularly good passer. He does play quality defense and Duke was a MUCH better team when he played. He reminds me of our Dotson or Danny Green except more athletic, but less refined on offense. He is a quality finisher on the break, but is not going to create his own offense until he becomes a better ball handler. He would be a good pick at 38.
If you cannot tell, I really want Tre Jones.
Tre Jones - PG
Tre is an old school point guard who is athletic, great on the break, and looks to get all of his teammates involved. He might be the best on the ball defender at the point in this draft class. Without a doubt in my mind, he will, at the very least, be a quality backup point guard. However, his ceiling is much higher than most give him credit for. There are two knocks on Jones. First, he is on the small side and he is not a great shooter. However, his 3 point percentage jumped from 22% to 36% between his freshman and sophomore years. He is a 77% FT shooter. Essentially, in HS, he could get to the rim whenever he wanted so that he did not have enough range on his shot. He actually has good form on his shot. It may take a couple of years, but I fully expect him to be a quality 3 point shooter in the NBA once he improves his range out to the NBA line. In fact, I would not be surprised if, in 4 years, he is the best PG to come out of this draft. He just needs a little development time to reach his potential. If he drops to 27 and we did not take a PG at 8, we should pick him. This past year, when Duke needed a big bucket, he would get into the lane and make a 12-foot jump shot because he can stop on a dime and elevate.
Vernon Carey PF-C
Carey is the son of the former Miami Dolphin offensive lineman of the same name. Carey has excellent skills, coordination and technique. In HS, he was a stretch 4, but at Duke, he was asked to play in the post and was the best big in the ACC. He has a variety of quality post moves and will be able to score consistently in the low post with his back to the basket. He has a hig quality jump shot from 3 and will have no problem becoming a stretch 4 in the NBA. He is a decent shot blocker as well. He lacks NBA level lateral quickness so that he is vulnerable to the pick and roll. He is not Toppin and Enes Kanter level bad, but he is not good. That inability to consistently and effectively guard the pick and roll is why he is not a lottery pick. That being said, he has lost over 30 pounds since the season ended to improve that part of his game. He will absolutely be able to provide quality minutes at either the 4 or 5 in the NBA. IMHO, he reminds me of a more athletic Brook Lopez.
Cassius Stanley - SG
Cassius will not be The Greatest. Instead, he will be a quality 3 and D 2 guard in the NBA. He might be the most athletic player in the draft with a 44" vertical. He has good size and knows how to be an effective role player. He does not have a great handle and is not a particularly good passer. He does play quality defense and Duke was a MUCH better team when he played. He reminds me of our Dotson or Danny Green except more athletic, but less refined on offense. He is a quality finisher on the break, but is not going to create his own offense until he becomes a better ball handler. He would be a good pick at 38.
If you cannot tell, I really want Tre Jones.
