Returning players for 2021-22

lv20gt

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MtnWasp said:
Really? The concept of a face-up 4 is hazy to you? Hammonds, Bosh and Forrest are good GT examples. Thaddeus Young would have been a great example had he not played out of position. Robert Carter Jr would have also been a good example. They are players with enough size to defend in the post and compete on the boards but skilled enough to be able to score facing the basket (as opposed to players who are limited to post-up with their backs to the basket), whether that be off the drive or employing a jumper. Range to three is always nice, but not a necessity.
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So you list 3 guys the most recent of which played in 03? That is what was hazy. In today's game the 4 position has a bigger need to guard on the perimeter both because the more dangerous 4s you are going to face are going to be guys who spread the ball to the 3 point line, but also because you want to be able to switch more.

Like I said, Usher at the 4 is a good option as long as we get solid play from the 5 spot. After him we have a 7-1 player who has "size to defend in the post and compete on the boards but skilled enough to be able to score facing the basket". So the combination of him with either Howard or Meka serves the exact purpose you are referring to.

edit - also the 3 you mentioned were were parade all americans coming out of high school. So yeah, we're missing one of those lol.
 
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Techster

Techster

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The Biggest NBA Draft Sleepers

Five underappreciated prospects to watch for as the draft approaches.
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Jose Alvarado, PG, Georgia Tech | Senior

Height: 6' 0" | Weight: 180 | Age: 23

While undersized point guards can be an acquired taste for NBA teams, there are always players who outkick convention and carve out meaningful roles. Accomplishing that feat and finding an NBA niche typically requires unusual levels of toughness, reliability and work ethic. For recent examples, consider that Payton Pritchard and Malachi Flynn snuck into the first round in last year’s draft, or the season T.J. McConnell just put together off the Pacers’ bench. While Alvarado projects as a second-rounder at best, he has a real chance to make a roster and help a team in short order, and he looks like a potential bargain for a team willing to roll the dice.

Although he didn’t receive full credit—teammate Moses Wright won Conference Player of the Year honors—there’s a real case to be made that Alvarado was the best player in the ACC last season. It was the culmination of his run as a four-year starter, in which Georgia Tech improved each year. It was also his best individual season, underscored by career-best shooting splits (58.6% on twos, 39% on threes and 83.8% from the line), 4.1 assists per game and a ridiculous 4.5% steal rate. The Yellow Jackets overachieved and won the conference tournament, and Alvarado won Defensive Player of the Year.

As is the case with many guards in his mold, the question isn’t whether Alvarado is good, but what elements of his skill set will translate against NBA competition. It’s hard to play in the league at his size. Alvarado is a good finisher (68.2% at the rim, per Barttorvik) and a smart playmaker who takes terrific care of the ball, but his individual offense will be put to the test immediately. His ability to make jumpers will become more central to his role, and he’s a good but not elite shooter. He’ll primarily be tasked with running bench units, using screens, and complementing whoever is on the floor around him. Facundo Campazzo was one of the best guards in Europe for years before joining the Nuggets, but the idea here is somewhat similar. Alvarado needs to figure out how to be adequate, with more of his value coming in an intangible sense, and his uptick in efficiency as a senior bodes well to that end.

Defensively, Alvarado was a special college player, and I’d argue that there’s a better chance his skills will carry over in a meaningful way than the vast majority of guards in his mold. It would be a stretch to think he’ll contain the NBA’s best ballhandlers, but there’s zero doubt that his effort level and competitive fight will be there on a nightly basis. Alvarado is gifted with exceptionally strong and quick hands, and high-level anticipation skills. His ability to win 50-50 balls and blow up plays in his general vicinity is highly unusual, particularly for a smaller guard. There’s no level of fear or hesitation. His steal rate is likely to trend down in the pros, but the intrinsic value of having a tone-setting player like Alvarado on the floor will mean something. It’s easy to see a team falling in love with that idea. The upside proposition here, of course, is limited: At best, Alvarado will become a backup who can hold his own and lead bench units. But thanks to his makeup and intangibles, he has a chance to be a unique, valuable version of that player, and come at a relative discount for an interested team.

Campazzo was the player I compared Alvarado to in another thread. IMO, they're both identical in playing style and what they can bring to the team...except I think Alvarado may be a better defender given his ability to effectively guard bigger players. IMO, Alvarado will bring value to any team that signs him...it's just a matter of beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 

RyanS12

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I didn’t realize he (Jose) is 23!
One more year in college really hurt is draft chances.
NBA teams want that 19-20 age group to try and mold them young. You start getting into mid 20’s they think you’re not going to change the way you play our what you’ve been coached to do.
Honestly, he might be better off going undrafted and get picked up as a FA to a team that can use him. The money is the same or close to it, as a 2nd rd pick, possibly better and it could better be a situation for his skill set.
 
orientalnc

orientalnc

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RyanS12 said:
I didn’t realize he (Jose) is 23!
One more year in college really hurt is draft chances.
NBA teams want that 19-20 age group to try and mold them young. You start getting into mid 20’s they think you’re not going to change the way you play our what you’ve been coached to do.
Honestly, he might be better off going undrafted and get picked up as a FA to a team that can use him. The money is the same or close to it, as a 2nd rd pick, possibly better and it could better be a situation for his skill set.
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I do not think Jose can improve his draft position by coming back to GT for another year. I think he gets his masters degree paid for and gets his life away from basketball underway.

This weekend is key for him. If he doesn't get bumped into the combine, his chances almost disappear.
 

tbglover

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For some reason Jose seems like the type of player that a coach like Doc Rivers or Thibs would absolutely love
 

Jacketman99

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Jose will be playing professional basketball somewhere next year. I think he is ready to chase his lifelong dream and take care of his family.
 

MtnWasp

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dtm1997 said:
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The group photo linked by dtm gives us an imperfect but decent look at the height of the newcomers.

the photo of Devoe and Khalid together give us a standard. Devoe has been listed at 6'5" and Khalid at 6'7" Khalid looks to have Devoe by a couple of inches at the shoulder and so we can take those two as accurate to measure the others.

Deebo in yellow is about even at the shoulders with Devoe, but he has no neck so I don't see any way he is 6'6" from head to toe. He actually may be a little shy of 6'4" if Sneak Smith is 6'1".

On the other hand, JerMontae Hill might actually be a scooch taller than Khalid, and Jalon Moore is taller than that. Jalon might be approaching 6'8"

Miles Kelly also looks significantly taller than his listed profile height of 6'5". He looks like he must be between 6'6" and 6'7," especially if that is Meka (6'8") on the far left and not Jehloni Jones (6'6").

Sneak Smith looks like he is at least at his listed 6'1".

I can't tell if that is Tristan or Kyle on the far right.
 
Techster

Techster

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MtnWasp said:
The group photo linked by dtm gives us an imperfect but decent look at the height of the newcomers.

the photo of Devoe and Khalid together give us a standard. Devoe has been listed at 6'5" and Khalid at 6'7" Khalid looks to have Devoe by a couple of inches at the shoulder and so we can take those two as accurate to measure the others.

Deebo in yellow is about even at the shoulders with Devoe, but he has no neck so I don't see any way he is 6'6" from head to toe. He actually may be a little shy of 6'4" if Sneak Smith is 6'1".

On the other hand, JerMontae Hill might actually be a scooch taller than Khalid, and Jalon Moore is taller than that. Jalon might be approaching 6'8"

Miles Kelly also looks significantly taller than his listed profile height of 6'5". He looks like he must be between 6'6" and 6'7," especially if that is Meka (6'8") on the far left and not Jehloni Jones (6'6").

Sneak Smith looks like he is at least at his listed 6'1".

I can't tell if that is Tristan or Kyle on the far right.
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These kinds of photos are a bit misleading because of how the players may be positioned and the angle of the camera. You can never really tell...but it does give us some idea.

Deebo definitely looks shorterm especially since Devoe has his hair closely braided, and Deebo has a froe going. Even then Devoe looks taller by a few inches. I've watched a lot of Deebo Coleman highlights, and he usually looks like one of the taller guys on the court...I think it's the angle of the camera and how he may be slouching a bit.

If that's Jalon Moore third from the left in the back, he definitely looks taller than the 6'6-6'7 he's usually listed at.

Howard looks every bit of 6'10 LOL. BTW, where's Saba? The team took him off of group texts?! :ROFLMAO:
 

MtnWasp

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Bubba, Saba and either Kyle or Tristan are not photographed. I wouldn't be surprised if Saba took the photo since he is almost always with the guys. Bubba is a papa now, so he may not be allowed out with the guys any more. Kyle is an engineering major, so he might be studying.

Yeah, trying to judge heights in photos is a messy biz, but the guys are decently lined up on seemingly flat black-top in this shot so, it isn't too bad.

Better than trying to judge based on head tops is the level of the shoulders, chins and eyes. For instance, JerMontae Hill has a white sweathshirt and his shoulders are clearly above Micheal Devoe's shoulders (red shirt) right in front of Hill. So we know that Hill is taller than Devoe (who we have a good idea of big he is). Deebo seems to be standing right next to Devoe and his chin and eyes look to be a couple of inches below that of Devoe, but their arms to be of the same length.
 

MiracleWhips

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I watched live on the twitch stream. Overall I thought Jose did well. He played with a couple of guys who in my opinion were playing a bit selfishly. He definitely displayed his superior on ball defense today. Offensively he got himself some good looks, they just didn’t drop today.
 

Jacketman99

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MiracleWhips said:
I watched live on the twitch stream. Overall I thought Jose did well. He played with a couple of guys who in my opinion were playing a bit selfishly. He definitely displayed his superior on ball defense today. Offensively he got himself some good looks, they just didn’t drop today.
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The thing about Jose is he does not let a bad shooting day affect the rest of his game. He is still going to play great defense and get his teammates involved.
 
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