BasketVols in the NBA

#859
#859
Glad to see Grant had a big game in the playoffs! He has had some ups and downs in his career, but looks to be establishing himself a solid role in the league.
 
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#863
#863
VolPack22 said:
Well we kind of got screwed in that Purdue game. Would’ve been playing eventual champion Virginia the next round.
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Refs fouled out Grant, Kyle, and Bowden. Grant only played 29 minutes and KA played 25 in a 45 minute OT game. Plus there was the bogus foul on Lamonte. Carson Edwards was whistled for 1 foul in 45 minutes.
 
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#864
#864
VolPack22 said:
I see a DPOY in Grant’s future.
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I almost reacted like this was crazy, but he's already over the biggest hump, and that's getting national recognition as a great defender. DPOY is a reputational award as much as anything. It seems like you gotta be seen as a top defender for a little while before you get consideration.

Even still, it will be hard because he's not a rim defender. Almost all DPOY's defend the rim well. They just gave it to Marcus Smart, so maybe that means times are changing.
 
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#865
#865
n_huffhines said:
I almost reacted like this was crazy, but he's already over the biggest hump, and that's getting national recognition as a great defender. DPOY is a reputational award as much as anything. It seems like you gotta be seen as a top defender for a little while before you get consideration.

Even still, it will be hard because he's not a rim defender. Almost all DPOY's defend the rim well. They just gave it to Marcus Smart, so maybe that means times are changing.
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The wing players have the hardest defensive assignments imo because they have to guard the shooters, drives, and occasionally post ups. Look at Rudy Gobert guarding on the perimeter and see how he looks. To be DPOY you need to be good at all levels of the defense. You can’t be good at one thing and be called DPOY. Grant has the potential with him being 6’6”/6’7”.
 
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#866
#866
VolPack22 said:
The wing players have the hardest defensive assignments imo because they have to guard the shooters, drives, and occasionally post ups. Look at Rudy Gobert guarding on the perimeter and see how he looks. To be DPOY you need to be good at all levels of the defense. You can’t be good at one thing and be called DPOY. Grant has the potential with him being 6’6”/6’7”.
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Stopping somebody one on one is the hardest thing to do as a defender, but I kinda agree that a rim defender should normally be DPOY. It's not exactly difficult skill-wise for Gobert and Giannis to do what they do, but if you are a guy who can take the paint away, IDK how a perimeter defender is supposed to match your value.

As good as Smart and Bridges are, there is only so much value in on-ball defense. First of all, you're still definitely getting scored on a lot if you're taking the toughest assignments. Bridges gave Ingram hell and is giving Luka hell, but they both still score a lot in these games. Second, the opposition can usually screen you to get you off their #1 guy. And third, they can just pass it to their 2nd best player and let him work. Being elite at help defense allows you to make plays consistently on D, whereas if Bridges is disrupting what Harden is doing, just put Harden in the corner and let Embiid go to work, and now Bridges isn't making any plays.
 
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#867
#867
I always thought Grant could have a Draymond/PJ Tucker type role. Defensively, he's just so strong that he can prevent guys like Giannis from getting to the rim consistently. Helps having a low center of mass. Then he's quick enough laterally to stay in front of guys like Kyrie like he did in the first round. Now he's also become a marksman from the corner from 3. It's really nice to watch.
 
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#871
#871
Chandler # 42 on Jeremy Woo's big board for SI, JJJ at #84

https://www.si.com/nba/2022/05/05/n...smith-jaden-ivey-chet-holmgren-paolo-banchero

42. Kennedy Chandler, PG, Tennessee | Freshman
Height: 6' 0" | Weight: 170 | Age: 19 | Last rank: 48

To Chandler’s credit, he made a lot of progress as the season went on, looking much more confident and assertive by the end of the year. He still profiles better as a backup in the NBA considering his size limitations and reliance on his speed. But Chandler generally makes the most of what he has, utilizing his quickness and vision to facilitate offense and attack the paint, and putting in consistent effort defensively. He wound up with respectable shooting numbers (38% from three) but made just 60% of his free throws, which will continue to feed concerns about his jumper. The main issue here is that it’s arguably a tough proposition to invest first-round draft capital in undersized, offense-first guards. Chandler falls into that bucket for me, though he may very well stick in the league long-term.
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