I think the better poll is Smith or Frank N? Though it amounts to semi-educated guess. We will know more when latter player comes to States pre draft for individual or group workouts. Then we will have video and feedback from decision makers to "read the tea leaves" . Then it could be question of do you prefer first and foremost
defense or offense from your PG (in lieu of both)? One guy is 6'3" wingspan and one guy is 7"0 wingspan, which is length to play SF! A guy with that length can cause chaos havoc in passing lanes and pester dribblers, while the other guy is just looking to be respectable.
I will say on Dennis Smith is if he is willing passer and position aggressive defender, I will welcome him to Kings with open arms! These are big "ifs". On the positive I don't think anybody is going to be able to stay in front of him. You can't say that about Frank (yet). Smith is shifty, crafty, goes left, goes right, has the moves, scorers mentality and confidence and plays through contact. But this could be problematic. We saw this to degree with Boogie. When you can get shot any time, when you have talent to launch with 20 or 2 seconds on shot clock, it can occur to detriment of the team and the exclusion of teammates. If efficiency is there it might work, otherwise teammates stand and watch and get burned in transition.
I can see Smith going into "hero ball mode" shooting step back jumpers and tunnel vision drives more than he should. That's the Tyreke-playground-watch-me-do-my-thing approach. Been there done that! It is not conducive to winning unless efficiency is favorable. Needless to say we do NOT need another hot and cold Tyreke type player, and that was
before his knee issues hampered effectiveness. This is also where mental component comes into play.
One of reasons Kings loved Buddy and Skal is they are good kids with good heads on shoulders. There's an
intellect and character there that counts because it portends degree of improvement. If Smith is not on par, then no! Then PASS without thinking twice. If you ignore warning signs, you invite problems. You incur undue risk. That's risk you don't need with more appealing options. Thats why you tank! That's why you lose to the Lakers! Would rather choose between Frank, Smith and Fox or take the guy other decision makers deemed unworthy?
There is more than one pass at the top of this draft. Ball is a PASS; he's scrawny dude with cool name, obnoxious father, ugly shot, and talented teammates who carried him as much as vice versa. It is a PASS on Monk too because he's an undersized SG when we traded away our most talented player in franchise history for a SG. We are fully invested at that spot and resources need to be spent elsewhere. Easy call!
For those pining over Monk I say get over it, it's not happening! I may soon place Markkanen in this PASS group as a pretty player lacking grit. I don't want any front line players who cannot decide whether they want to rebound or defend on the perimeter and so end up doing neither! This is another relatively easy call. If a player is not going to board, he better guard the line and if he doesn't seem inclined to do either .... PASS! Part of getting draft right is awareness half of these guys are likely not worth the hype:
- Smith (Ball hog; tunnel vision?)
- Monk (Undersized SG?)
- Markkanen (Soft? Who does he guard?)
- Ball (Overrated, scrawny, ugly shot, can't guard?)
All these guys in the projected Top 10 one team or more are going to fall in love with until they turn into 2017-18 version of Kris Dunn, Dragon Bender, Denzel Valentine, and the love affair turns sours. This is what Vlade will be seeking to avoid. Other guys may prove worthy of the hype. So far I think hype worthy players may be:
There is something about Bridges too if he has length and quickness to play SF. I still have not made my mind up on him though. I need more research and reflection to get more clarity. Part of getting draft right is seeing flaws and strengths and asking who are they going to guard? If you can't answer this question that is a red flag. I started getting serious about scouting year Boogie was drafted/ I have been doing this for 7 years. I have seen the "next and better and best" more than once. I am not impressed by hype or "guru" projection or consensus. Actually "consensus" is often a red flag! For example Lonzo Ball projects as guy ready to flop like no other. Other guys will join him or prove doubters (including myself) wrong. That's the fun of this time of year. When your favorite team has not made playoffs in a decade its a fun worth savoring. And also why next and final three games of the season I will be rooting for the opponent. We need options not leftovers.