'16 CO PF De'Ron Davis (Signed to Indiana)

[BuffG]

De'ron can't handle the ball against wings, as he's never illustrated the ability to do that against anyone but a bulky PF or center. He doesn't have a real pull up jumper and he can't come off of screens to catch and shoot with quickness. He can catch and shoot on a swing or kick out, with great effectiveness, but he's not a slasher. He can't get by 3's at any level right now, and he's not quick enough defensively to guard the perimeter.

He's a high level PF/C recruit but let's be careful about how much hype is generated that's based on myth and not fact.

Myths and facts only exist within an individual's mind and each has their own. I responded to someone who said he's a subpar athlete for his size which is preposterous. It's not hype to assert that placing highly talented 16 year olds in boxes is a mistake. Thanks for detailing your opinion beyond just cherry picking one sentence of my post to disagree with. He will most likely end up as a PF/C but he has already demonstrated an offensive skill set beyond the low block. This does not, however, pertain to my main contention which is that pigeon holing, focusing on height, and questioning athleticism for a top 25 player at age 16 is foolish.

 

[Medford M.]

Myths and facts only exist within an individual's mind and each has their own. I responded to someone who said he's a subpar athlete for his size which is preposterous. It's not hype to assert that placing highly talented 16 year olds in boxes is a mistake. Thanks for detailing your opinion beyond just cherry picking one sentence of my post to disagree with. He will most likely end up as a PF/C but he has already demonstrated an offensive skill set beyond the low block. This does not, however, pertain to my main contention which is that pigeon holing, focusing on height, and questioning athleticism for a top 25 player at age 16 is foolish.

The extent to which he's shown an offensive game beyond the block is hitting 3 pointers. He doesn't take anyone off the dribble except other bigs, and its not like he's going to run off screens and bury jumpers.

If you want to see a 6'9" guy who can play the 3, look at a Bennie Boatwright in the '15 class. He's not that explosive either, but it's not hard to see a difference in athleticism.

 

[Highlander]

DeRon doesn't have to be LeBron James to be a massive asset for the school that lands him - which is what some people are criticizing him for not being.

I really hope CU lands him as a difference maker at PF/C.

 

[Medford M.]

DeRon doesn't have to be LeBron James to be a massive asset for the school that lands him - which is what some people are criticizing him for not being.

I really hope CU lands him as a difference maker at PF/C.

I agree. I want him at CU in a big way.

 

[YngC]

Myths and facts only exist within an individual's mind and each has their own. I responded to someone who said he's a subpar athlete for his size which is preposterous. It's not hype to assert that placing highly talented 16 year olds in boxes is a mistake. Thanks for detailing your opinion beyond just cherry picking one sentence of my post to disagree with. He will most likely end up as a PF/C but he has already demonstrated an offensive skill set beyond the low block. This does not, however, pertain to my main contention which is that pigeon holing, focusing on height, and questioning athleticism for a top 25 player at age 16 is foolish.

It's myth to suggest it because he's never done it before or shown it against quality competition. That creates an expectation of a player that is unfair and ultimately, could lead to people tearing him down because he wasn't "what they heard he was." It's why so many people are surprised to learn that he's not in any way, shape or form explosive. He's not, and never really has been. It's important to look at that and question it when scouting because you have to ask yourself, why isn't he athletic? Does he have bad knees (affects his upside), or bad fundamentals? Has he just never been worked out well enough, or does he not have a frame that supports explosive growth? That's why it's the opposite of foolish, necessary even, to look at his athleticism right now.

On another point, it's even more important to do all of this with De'Ron because he isn't 16, in fact, he's a 17 year old sophomore. So when looking at his overall development, we have to compare it to people in the 2015 class and ask where is at physically in relation to people his age. He's not on the same level as Ivan Rabb, Stephen Zimmerman, Chase Jeter, Chance Comanche, or Ben Simmons athletically. So, that tells us that he's one of three things: 1.) Behind in his athletic development, 2.) Maxed out already or 3.) Never truly been trained. It could be any of them, though my understanding of the situation would make me lean more towards 1 or 2.

None of this is to tear down De'Ron, as he's a tremendous prospect with his skill set and IQ. But there's a reason why scouts are starting to drop him in some of their rankings--though it's not like he's suddenly only a mid-major recruit. For me, I care less about his vertical explosiveness as some scouts do, and more about how he functions laterally, at least for college projections. De'Ron isn't elite in either category, which is starting to cause scouts to critique his game a bit more.

 

[Da Lama]

I went to the Overland vs. Creek game on Friday. Davis took a little to get going, but he looked pretty good once he did. Has some nice moves offensively, and his D was great especially at the end of the game. Some of that is probably due to the fact that Creek has no one that can match up with him.
That being said, there was no wow factor, but he is young and somewhat passive. I think he will continue to blossom for sure.

Also, Overland runs absolutely no offense. It was rediculous to watch. If Austin Conway is on the floor he is faster then everyone else, so he sprints the ball up the court and they shoot the first thing they see. If Davis is in, he might get an inside touch, if not their offense is terrible. They beat a really bad creek team by like five, where if you have Davis and Conway you should be killing a team like that. Not impressed with the coaching.

Overland runs no offense? SHOCKER. Been that way for 30 years. To any of you "experts" out there, how much will the fact that Overland has crap coaching (always has, always will) effect his skill growth?

 

[Buffnik]

Overland runs no offense? SHOCKER. Been that way for 30 years. To any of you "experts" out there, how much will the fact that Overland has crap coaching (always has, always will) effect his skill growth?

It's going to slow Davis's development if they're playing playground basketball. Without good half court sets, it's hard for a big to get what he needs. And don't count on AAU to help this because most of those games are dominated by guards jacking it up playing run-and-gun.

Wes will be a senior in 2016-17, with Dustin also a senior and Miller a junior (plus whomever is signed in 2015 a soph), so it doesn't look like Davis will have to come in and immediately be a star.

 

[DBT]

Doesn't he play AAU or something?

 

[BuffG]

The extent to which he's shown an offensive game beyond the block is hitting 3 pointers. He doesn't take anyone off the dribble except other bigs, and its not like he's going to run off screens and bury jumpers.

If you want to see a 6'9" guy who can play the 3, look at a Bennie Boatwright in the '15 class. He's not that explosive either, but it's not hard to see a difference in athleticism.

You can continue focusing on the fact that I said he could potentially play the 3, but again that wasn't ever the core value of my post. You said at 6'9 he's undersized to play the 4 and that he's a subpar athlete for his size--both of which are preposterous statements. 6'9 is not undersized at the D1 level to play the 4. And to say an almost unanimous top 25 player is a subpar athlete is contradictory to being ranked that high in any athletic pursuit. Clearly, your expectation levels of 16 year old athletes is criminally out of whack.

 

[Medford M.]

You can continue focusing on the fact that I said he could potentially play the 3, but again that wasn't ever the core value of my post. You said at 6'9 he's undersized to play the 4 and that he's a subpar athlete for his size--both of which are preposterous statements. 6'9 is not undersized at the D1 level to play the 4. And to say an almost unanimous top 25 player is a subpar athlete is contradictory to being ranked that high in any athletic pursuit. Clearly, your expectation levels of 16 year old athletes is criminally out of whack.

You could just read the other posts in this thread from someone who has watched him a lot against top AAU teams that more or less echo my sentiments. He's not undersized as a 4, but he doesn't compare at all to the other kids his size in the top 50 for '16 in terms of athleticism. He's not particularly quick or explosive. These are facts. Also, he a full year older than the other kids in his class.

 

[BuffG]

It's myth to suggest it because he's never done it before or shown it against quality competition. That creates an expectation of a player that is unfair and ultimately, could lead to people tearing him down because he wasn't "what they heard he was." It's why so many people are surprised to learn that he's not in any way, shape or form explosive. He's not, and never really has been. It's important to look at that and question it when scouting because you have to ask yourself, why isn't he athletic? Does he have bad knees (affects his upside), or bad fundamentals? Has he just never been worked out well enough, or does he not have a frame that supports explosive growth? That's why it's the opposite of foolish, necessary even, to look at his athleticism right now.

On another point, it's even more important to do all of this with De'Ron because he isn't 16, in fact, he's a 17 year old sophomore. So when looking at his overall development, we have to compare it to people in the 2015 class and ask where is at physically in relation to people his age. He's not on the same level as Ivan Rabb, Stephen Zimmerman, Chase Jeter, Chance Comanche, or Ben Simmons athletically. So, that tells us that he's one of three things: 1.) Behind in his athletic development, 2.) Maxed out already or 3.) Never truly been trained. It could be any of them, though my understanding of the situation would make me lean more towards 1 or 2.

None of this is to tear down De'Ron, as he's a tremendous prospect with his skill set and IQ. But there's a reason why scouts are starting to drop him in some of their rankings--though it's not like he's suddenly only a mid-major recruit. For me, I care less about his vertical explosiveness as some scouts do, and more about how he functions laterally, at least for college projections. De'Ron isn't elite in either category, which is starting to cause scouts to critique his game a bit more.

I appreciate your information, but you're lecturing me on myths regarding his position when it was only a contention and not the core value of my post. In fact, that contention was never that he *will* play the 3 just that he's shown the offensive skill set of a 3. I never even said that he's *consistently* shown the offensive skill-set of a 3, let alone everything else that comes with the position.

Again, this is irrelevant to what generated the conversation, which is that Medford asserted that De'Ron is undersized and a subpar athlete w/o any qualifiers. I would consider that a tear down, which appears to be of immense concern to you. 6'9 is certainly not undersized to play the 4 at the D1 level and to say he's a subpar athlete for his size is contradictory to being a "tremendous prospect" as you asserted. If there was a qualifier like "he's not as explosive as Rabb" or any of the elite players you mentioned then it would have been reasonable. As it stands, I think we can all agree he isn't an explosive athlete yet but to say subpar is pretty disparaging of a sophomore in HS. The fact that you have to bring up several theories as to why he isn't more explosive yet is indicative of my assertion that it's foolish to make conclusive statements on a very talented teenager who is far from mature. Maybe he will develop more explosiveness, maybe he won't but he's not a subpar athlete. We appear to have different connotations of the word "athleticism" anyhow. I consider Tim Duncan to be a great athlete. Is he or was he ever an explosive athlete? No. But again, irrelevant to the main topic.

Frankly, we have the same concerns---young kids being tore down due to high expectations. If someone comes on here saying he's not tall enough or not a good enough athlete then I'm assuming that person is projecting him to the NBA, which is foolish when we're talking sophomores in HS. Clearly, we all agree that he's more than good enough for CU. However, unlike you, I couldn't care less about a spectator whose expectations of a player were failed by an internet poster. I'm far more concerned with a key recruiting target or someone close to them reading on here that a Buff fan thinks they're too small or not athletic enough w/o any qualifiers. That could easily lead a teenager to having negative feelings of Buff fans. I'll throw caution to that wind 10 times out of 10 regardless of your perception of myths and facts.

 

[YngC]

I appreciate your information, but you're lecturing me on myths regarding his position when it was only a contention and not the core value of my post. In fact, that contention was never that he *will* play the 3 just that he's shown the offensive skill set of a 3. I never even said that he's *consistently* shown the offensive skill-set of a 3, let alone everything else that comes with the position.

Again, this is irrelevant to what generated the conversation, which is that Medford asserted that De'Ron is undersized and a subpar athlete w/o any qualifiers. I would consider that a tear down, which appears to be of immense concern to you. 6'9 is certainly not undersized to play the 4 at the D1 level and to say he's a subpar athlete for his size is contradictory to being a "tremendous prospect" as you asserted. If there was a qualifier like "he's not as explosive as Rabb" or any of the elite players you mentioned then it would have been reasonable. As it stands, I think we can all agree he isn't an explosive athlete yet but to say subpar is pretty disparaging of a sophomore in HS. The fact that you have to bring up several theories as to why he isn't more explosive yet is indicative of my assertion that it's foolish to make conclusive statements on a very talented teenager who is far from mature. Maybe he will develop more explosiveness, maybe he won't but he's not a subpar athlete. We appear to have different connotations of the word "athleticism" anyhow. I consider Tim Duncan to be a great athlete. Is he or was he ever an explosive athlete? No. But again, irrelevant to the main topic.

Frankly, we have the same concerns---young kids being tore down due to high expectations. If someone comes on here saying he's not tall enough or not a good enough athlete then I'm assuming that person is projecting him to the NBA, which is foolish when we're talking sophomores in HS. Clearly, we all agree that he's more than good enough for CU. However, unlike you, I couldn't care less about a spectator whose expectations of a player were failed by an internet poster. I'm far more concerned with a key recruiting target or someone close to them reading on here that a Buff fan thinks they're too small or not athletic enough w/o any qualifiers. That could easily lead a teenager to having negative feelings of Buff fans. I'll throw caution to that wind 10 times out of 10 regardless of your perception of myths and facts.

Good post, but to the point of the bolded above: Have you (and I mean this sincerely) seen the threads on every single CU board there is, as well as social media, where people are questioning the ability of CU's current freshmen? Some people are tearing down Hopkins, King, Thomas (less Fletch since he's injured) because they're not lighting the world on fire, "like Rivals150 kids should," or something to that extent. Not only does this create a negative vibe about the program, but it permeates that concern you expressed in your very next sentence. It creates MORE of it, if people with knowledge of these kids' games beyond a few minutes of highlight tapes don't at least try to warn people.

All summer, I tried to lower people's expectations for Hopkins. I told people he wasn't a real point guard and I had people who watched him 50+ times in HS keep telling me that the kid might have been better suited for a MM if the program was expecting him to be a difference maker as a frosh. Now this is not looking for some praise for my foresight, but rather, to show that even with that, more than enough people didn't see that info, causing them to have wildly unrealistic expectations for some of these freshmen. It's caused there to be tons of vitriol towards these kids and it's unfair to them, because people didn't understand what they were capable of.

I don't agree with everything Medford has said in this thread, but some of what he brings up--yes, including the questions about athleticism--are fair. About a month ago on BuffStampede, someone scoffed at me when I said that right now, De'Ron isn't all that great of a physical athlete. Sure, he's coordinated (very, very high level) but he's not altogether quick or explosive, two of the most important components in basketball towards projecting impact at various levels. That person said that he can't be a 5* prospect and not be explosive, which is FALSE. You can be ultra athletic but have no skills and be a 5* (Hello Rondae Hollis-Jefferson) or be incredibly skilled but not very athletic and be a 5*.

Again, just to make sure it's clear, I'm as high on De'Ron as anyone in the country. But that doesn't mean we can't be honest about where he is as a prospect. There are many big men in his class (and the one he should be in age wise) that are far more developed explosively. So that is why I listed the criteria that I did above, because at this point, it's a fair knock on his game.

 

[tante]

YngC I know you may hate to do this but are there any former or current college players you would compare Davis to? Just so we can form unrealistic expectations, of course.

 

[Buffnik]

YngC I know you may hate to do this but are there any former or current college players you would compare Davis to? Just so we can form unrealistic expectations, of course.

Maybe a more skilled and less athletic Tarik Black?

 

[Medford M.]

Maybe a more skilled and less athletic Tarik Black?

Black is just a bull in a China shop tank.

I'd actually say a slightly more athletic, better perimeter shooting, but not quite as skilled in the paint Josh Scott. De'Ron is obviously filled out more at the same stage than Josh was.

 

[rolandftw]

It's caused there to be tons of vitriol towards these kids and it's unfair to them, because people didn't understand what they were capable of.

I agree that people should temper expectations. I think some people thought since Spencer Dinwiddie was a top 150 recruit, CU would get similar instant impact with other Top 150 freshmen. Big jump to college as far as the talent.

 

[YngC]

YngC I know you may hate to do this but are there any former or current college players you would compare Davis to? Just so we can form unrealistic expectations, of course.

I picture him a lot like a more low post oriented Grant Jerrett. Both have great shots from deep, aren't overwhelming athletically but are skilled inside and out. Jerrett more of a ball handler by his final year, we'll see if DD gets there.

 

[RumblinBuff]

Maybe a more skilled and less athletic Tarik Black?

You mean that lazy foul machine that KU brought with them back in December? I don't agree with that comp at all.

 

[Buffnik]

You mean that lazy foul machine that KU brought with them back in December? I don't agree with that comp at all.

Similar body type coming out of high school was what I was thinking.

(I was thinking Oliver Miller a bit, too. Maybe a closer skill set. Unfortunately, all the guys coming to mind ended up getting fat and I don't see that ever happening with a guy under Tad's watch.)

 

[BuffG]

Good post, but to the point of the bolded above: Have you (and I mean this sincerely) seen the threads on every single CU board there is, as well as social media, where people are questioning the ability of CU's current freshmen? Some people are tearing down Hopkins, King, Thomas (less Fletch since he's injured) because they're not lighting the world on fire, "like Rivals150 kids should," or something to that extent. Not only does this create a negative vibe about the program, but it permeates that concern you expressed in your very next sentence. It creates MORE of it, if people with knowledge of these kids' games beyond a few minutes of highlight tapes don't at least try to warn people.

All summer, I tried to lower people's expectations for Hopkins. I told people he wasn't a real point guard and I had people who watched him 50+ times in HS keep telling me that the kid might have been better suited for a MM if the program was expecting him to be a difference maker as a frosh. Now this is not looking for some praise for my foresight, but rather, to show that even with that, more than enough people didn't see that info, causing them to have wildly unrealistic expectations for some of these freshmen. It's caused there to be tons of vitriol towards these kids and it's unfair to them, because people didn't understand what they were capable of.

I don't agree with everything Medford has said in this thread, but some of what he brings up--yes, including the questions about athleticism--are fair. About a month ago on BuffStampede, someone scoffed at me when I said that right now, De'Ron isn't all that great of a physical athlete. Sure, he's coordinated (very, very high level) but he's not altogether quick or explosive, two of the most important components in basketball towards projecting impact at various levels. That person said that he can't be a 5* prospect and not be explosive, which is FALSE. You can be ultra athletic but have no skills and be a 5* (Hello Rondae Hollis-Jefferson) or be incredibly skilled but not very athletic and be a 5*.

Again, just to make sure it's clear, I'm as high on De'Ron as anyone in the country. But that doesn't mean we can't be honest about where he is as a prospect. There are many big men in his class (and the one he should be in age wise) that are far more developed explosively. So that is why I listed the criteria that I did above, because at this point, it's a fair knock on his game.

No, I don't follow any Buffs related board outside of AB. As far as free boards go, there's no equivalent. Vitriol amongst posters with unreasonable expectations of teenagers is inevitable and ubiquitous. The hype machine for high school athletes began a long time ago & my contribution is somewhere between sparse to nonexistent. I'm sorry you spent all summer trying to lower people's expectations because that's an uphill battle that would never have been won & not a fun way to spend a summer. Burks, Roberson, Dinwiddie in particular & Scott, Booker, XJ to a lesser extent raised the bar for the '13 class along with Rivals, Scout etc to a place where you can't win that fight on message boards.

I sincerely appreciate the detailed info & analysis you've provided. I have no problem questioning a player's athleticism or height or haircut if it's done with the right qualifiers. Fact of the matter is, you jumped on me for over hyping when my main concern was we shouldn't be talking about De'Ron's NBA potential or making definitive statements on his body when he's a soph in HS, far from mature, and on a CU Buffs board. I get that he's old for his grade & I like that you put a lot of focus on comparing him to similar players, which again, was something that didn't happen in the post that spurred me to comment. Still, it seems he turned 17 two months ago which means he has several more years to develop his body. We'll see.

Having attended Rangeview way back, I'm familiar with the area (wish he went there, maybe better off BB wise?). So I've taken in a couple of De'Ron's games albeit against local comp which is obviously not as representative of his game as it would be against AAU comp. I'm not just going off highlight tapes. Although, on the Hopkins tangent, I could tell he was never a true PG just from the highlight tapes available. Those clips show me what a player has yet to refine more than what they have mastered. To this day, I get really upset when announcers say J-Hop is the heir apparent to Dinwiddie because that's much more damaging to a player's perception than anyone on any of these sites.

Probably should have took Goose's advice and just ignored the post, but that's not me. And if someone starts talking NBA draft with regards to HS sophomore recruiting targets or critiquing high-level prospects w/o qualifying with regards to other high-level prospects then I'll probably be feeling froggish.

 

[BuffG]

Good post, but to the point of the bolded above: Have you (and I mean this sincerely) seen the threads on every single CU board there is, as well as social media, where people are questioning the ability of CU's current freshmen? Some people are tearing down Hopkins, King, Thomas (less Fletch since he's injured) because they're not lighting the world on fire, "like Rivals150 kids should," or something to that extent. Not only does this create a negative vibe about the program, but it permeates that concern you expressed in your very next sentence. It creates MORE of it, if people with knowledge of these kids' games beyond a few minutes of highlight tapes don't at least try to warn people.

All summer, I tried to lower people's expectations for Hopkins. I told people he wasn't a real point guard and I had people who watched him 50+ times in HS keep telling me that the kid might have been better suited for a MM if the program was expecting him to be a difference maker as a frosh. Now this is not looking for some praise for my foresight, but rather, to show that even with that, more than enough people didn't see that info, causing them to have wildly unrealistic expectations for some of these freshmen. It's caused there to be tons of vitriol towards these kids and it's unfair to them, because people didn't understand what they were capable of.

I don't agree with everything Medford has said in this thread, but some of what he brings up--yes, including the questions about athleticism--are fair. About a month ago on BuffStampede, someone scoffed at me when I said that right now, De'Ron isn't all that great of a physical athlete. Sure, he's coordinated (very, very high level) but he's not altogether quick or explosive, two of the most important components in basketball towards projecting impact at various levels. That person said that he can't be a 5* prospect and not be explosive, which is FALSE. You can be ultra athletic but have no skills and be a 5* (Hello Rondae Hollis-Jefferson) or be incredibly skilled but not very athletic and be a 5*.

Again, just to make sure it's clear, I'm as high on De'Ron as anyone in the country. But that doesn't mean we can't be honest about where he is as a prospect. There are many big men in his class (and the one he should be in age wise) that are far more developed explosively. So that is why I listed the criteria that I did above, because at this point, it's a fair knock on his game.

Isn't coordination a key component to athleticism? For my money, coordination is the most important facet of athleticism. There's more to that word than just who runs the fastest and jumps the highest. Georges Niang is a good example of a blue chip prospect who is not explosive, but he's still a good athlete. 5 star? No. But also a good example of a player who was listed by all the services as a PF yet his offensive skill-set resembles more of a 3. Heck, he ranks 4th on his squad in rebounding. Again, not saying De'Ron willl be a 3 one day (probably not) or even that they're similar players but there's parallels to be drawn.

 

[jgisland]

To this day, I get really upset when announcers say J-Hop is the heir apparent to Dinwiddie because that's much more damaging to a player's perception than anyone on any of these sites.

I agree with your assessment of Hopkins - but I also read what Will had to say about him as CU was recruiting him and before the season so I honestly had no expectations for him. But if you look back at Tad's comments he's the reason there are the Dinwiddie comparisons.


"He's a guy that if he shows that he's a good decision maker, he'll play a lot of point guard for us," Buffs head coach Tad Boyle said.

"I liken him a lot to Spencer," Boyle said. "He's a big guard. He's more athletic than Spencer, he's stronger than Spencer was when he came in, but he's got a good feel for the game. He can pass, dribble, shoot ... and he can play three positions."

"I'm probably a point guard most comfortably, because that's where I played in high school and most of my career," Hopkins said. "As of a right now, I'm playing a lot of (point guard) in workouts, but I'm also running the wing."

 

[Medford M.]

No, I don't follow any Buffs related board outside of AB. As far as free boards go, there's no equivalent. Vitriol amongst posters with unreasonable expectations of teenagers is inevitable and ubiquitous. The hype machine for high school athletes began a long time ago & my contribution is somewhere between sparse to nonexistent. I'm sorry you spent all summer trying to lower people's expectations because that's an uphill battle that would never have been won & not a fun way to spend a summer. Burks, Roberson, Dinwiddie in particular & Scott, Booker, XJ to a lesser extent raised the bar for the '13 class along with Rivals, Scout etc to a place where you can't win that fight on message boards.

I sincerely appreciate the detailed info & analysis you've provided. I have no problem questioning a player's athleticism or height or haircut if it's done with the right qualifiers. Fact of the matter is, you jumped on me for over hyping when my main concern was we shouldn't be talking about De'Ron's NBA potential or making definitive statements on his body when he's a soph in HS, far from mature, and on a CU Buffs board. I get that he's old for his grade & I like that you put a lot of focus on comparing him to similar players, which again, was something that didn't happen in the post that spurred me to comment. Still, it seems he turned 17 two months ago which means he has several more years to develop his body. We'll see.

Having attended Rangeview way back, I'm familiar with the area (wish he went there, maybe better off BB wise?). So I've taken in a couple of De'Ron's games albeit against local comp which is obviously not as representative of his game as it would be against AAU comp. I'm not just going off highlight tapes. Although, on the Hopkins tangent, I could tell he was never a true PG just from the highlight tapes available. Those clips show me what a player has yet to refine more than what they have mastered. To this day, I get really upset when announcers say J-Hop is the heir apparent to Dinwiddie because that's much more damaging to a player's perception than anyone on any of these sites.

Probably should have took Goose's advice and just ignored the post, but that's not me. And if someone starts talking NBA draft with regards to HS sophomore recruiting targets or critiquing high-level prospects w/o qualifying with regards to other high-level prospects then I'll probably be feeling froggish.

You keep saying I'm projecting him to the NBA, but even YngC said he'd be more comfortable with his athleticism if he was a couple inches taller. I never implied NBA. Not once.

 

[BuffG]

You keep saying I'm projecting him to the NBA, but even YngC said he'd be more comfortable with his athleticism if he was a couple inches taller. I never implied NBA. Not once.

At first, it seemed implied but then you blatantly talked about the draft here

Yes we'll ignore the fact that abilities are viewed differently based on what position you play or how big a kid is.

The kid isn't a great athlete. This is known. If he's 7' that doesn't matter as much as if he's 6'9". It's why you see scrappy 7 footers drafted every year.

Not even sure why you're invoking scrappy 7 footers when we're talking about a gifted player like De'Ron.

 

[BuffG]

I agree with your assessment of Hopkins - but I also read what Will had to say about him as CU was recruiting him and before the season so I honestly had no expectations for him. But if you look back at Tad's comments he's the reason there are the Dinwiddie comparisons.


"He's a guy that if he shows that he's a good decision maker, he'll play a lot of point guard for us," Buffs head coach Tad Boyle said.

"I liken him a lot to Spencer," Boyle said. "He's a big guard. He's more athletic than Spencer, he's stronger than Spencer was when he came in, but he's got a good feel for the game. He can pass, dribble, shoot ... and he can play three positions."

"I'm probably a point guard most comfortably, because that's where I played in high school and most of my career," Hopkins said. "As of a right now, I'm playing a lot of (point guard) in workouts, but I'm also running the wing."

True, Tad didn't help his or my case. Gotta say that the comparison seems to be more in terms of body type than playing style. Also, there was never any doubt what Spencer was brought here to do; whereas, you can see in those comments that J-Hop's versatility in position was highlighted. He's a combo guard. Funny quirk I've noticed Tad say about almost all his recruits is that they can "pass, dribble, shoot." Kinda cracks me up

 

[YngC]

Funny quirk I've noticed Tad say about almost all his recruits is that they can "pass, dribble, shoot." Kinda cracks me up

This is actually a core philosophy that he and his staff try to abide by in their recruiting principles. The last thing they want is a team completely devoid of basketball players and only full of athletes, like some of those Memphis, Georgia like teams. The only time he doesn't hesitate to take a guy that's severely lacking in one of those areas is when they have the other two, and elite athleticism. Look across the roster, and the only guys that are completely devoid of one area would probably be King (can't dribble or pass--not too good of a shooter) and Hopkins, who's not much of a shooter but has elite athletic ability.

 

[Medford M.]

At first, it seemed implied but then you blatantly talked about the draft here



Not even sure why you're invoking scrappy 7 footers when we're talking about a gifted player like De'Ron.

That part about the draft as simply pointing out how skills are viewed differently based on how tall a kid is, and YngC kind of echoed those thoughts when he stated he'd feel more comfortable with his athleticism if he was a couple inches taller.

 

[BuffG]

That part about the draft as simply pointing out how skills are viewed differently based on how tall a kid is, and YngC kind of echoed those thoughts when he stated he'd feel more comfortable with his athleticism if he was a couple inches taller.

I'd be more comfortable with Josh Scott's explosiveness (or lack thereof) if he was 7'1, but that hasn't stopped him from being a consistent double-double guy with a high ceiling to score. Meanwhile, Isaiah Austin, who is 7'1 and is similarly not explosive, hasn't matched Scott's productivity this season.

It's just nitpicky nonsense that's better served for NBA Draft debate not HS sophomores who are legit blue chip prospects. I've admittedly wasted too many words on it and should've ignored it. Can't wait to see De'Ron in the BnG

 

[Bigbuffs]

I'd be more comfortable with Josh Scott's explosiveness (or lack thereof) if he was 7'1, but that hasn't stopped him from being a consistent double-double guy with a high ceiling to score. Meanwhile, Isaiah Austin, who is 7'1 and is similarly not explosive, hasn't matched Scott's productivity this season.

It's just nitpicky nonsense that's better served for NBA Draft debate not HS sophomores who are legit blue chip prospects. I've admittedly wasted too many words on it and should've ignored it. Can't wait to see De'Ron in the BnG

Isaiah Austin only has one eye though.

 

[BuffG]

Isaiah Austin only has one eye though.

which will be discussed by NBA teams when the time comes, but it didn't stop him from being considered a top 5-10 player in his class by all the recruiting services.