it should be noted that i'm not comparing the two players' talent and skill level side-by-side; i'm comparing the ways in which they will have an impact on the game at the nba level, provided each reaches his full potential...
both mclemore and stauskas are going to make their living beyond the 3-point line. of course there will be other areas of the game that they impact, but those guys are out there to shoot the ball, plain and simple. mclemore's elite athleticism will help him get to the rim on occasion in spite of his lack of ball handling ability, and stauskas' ball handling ability will help him get to the rim on occasion in spite of his lack of elite athleticism. i don't expect either to become an elite defender, though there's certainly room for both to become adequate defenders. but again, more than anything, mclemore and stauskas will be on the court in order to get buckets, to spread the floor so that guys like cousins and gay can work more effectively in the post...
stauskas certainly appears to have a higher basketball IQ than mclemore, and i grant you that he's likely to be a better playmaker than mclemore, but i do not believe the differences in their game are enough to justify picking SG's in back-to-back drafts. let me put it this way: if ben mclemore has even an average rookie season in which he's not costing the team wins with his utter lack of production, do you think nik stauskas is even on the kings' radar? and if he is in that instance, i genuinely question what this new regime is attempting to accomplish...
both mclemore and stauskas are going to make their living beyond the 3-point line. of course there will be other areas of the game that they impact, but those guys are out there to shoot the ball, plain and simple. mclemore's elite athleticism will help him get to the rim on occasion in spite of his lack of ball handling ability, and stauskas' ball handling ability will help him get to the rim on occasion in spite of his lack of elite athleticism. i don't expect either to become an elite defender, though there's certainly room for both to become adequate defenders. but again, more than anything, mclemore and stauskas will be on the court in order to get buckets, to spread the floor so that guys like cousins and gay can work more effectively in the post...
stauskas certainly appears to have a higher basketball IQ than mclemore, and i grant you that he's likely to be a better playmaker than mclemore, but i do not believe the differences in their game are enough to justify picking SG's in back-to-back drafts. let me put it this way: if ben mclemore has even an average rookie season in which he's not costing the team wins with his utter lack of production, do you think nik stauskas is even on the kings' radar? and if he is in that instance, i genuinely question what this new regime is attempting to accomplish...