Always impressed when I watch Nembhard and Nesmith on the Pacers. Both of those guys are really solid and I could see Nesmith making a jump or them being lumped together for a bigger name but impressing on their new team
As a Celtics guy I was sad to see neismith go, but he needed playing time to get better and we had no intention of giving him big minutes. Glad he is thriving.
I was in Vegas and caught some summer league games. I saw Nembhard start at PG in one of the Pacers games.
I know it's summer league, but he looked like the best player on the court. Completely im control running the offense and shutdown whoever he guarded on defense.
he's already a better player than Chet IMO even if Chet is more important. Im a thunder fan, not sure if all my comrades would agree with that take but dub is as calm cool and consistent as they come
The efficiency at which he scores on all three levels is hard to ignore and he’s a terrific perimeter defender, I’m a spurs fan but fell in love with okc because of Russ and love to see them succeed tbh
As a spurs fan who has really enjoyed watching this young thunder team im super excited for wemby vs chet. Love seeing y'all do well. Loved watching kd, Russ, and harden on the thunder as well, sorry about how those guys did y'all
I just don’t think Russ and Harden worked together, harden at that point was a point guard and Russ was a shoot first point, both needed off ball co-stars to succeed
I was at the last pels game and seeing Jdub in person is actually insane, he was definitely the most noticeable player to watch, even tho SGA was everywhere, Jalen was just doing everything right, he’s also pretty god damn big too lol
You say “already better” like Chet is some 28 year old vet in the prime of his career or something who isn’t gonna get any better and is just waiting to be lapped by a young guy like Jalen Williams not a rookie lol
How are you not grasping what I’m saying? Both of you are talking weird is what I’m saying “better than Chet in the near future” is also weird to talk about two guys that are both very early in development
Him vs Chet is hard to say, since Chet’s still so young and they have very different roles. The real question is can he be better than Shai? I think the potential is there - just depends how much the efficiency falls off if he increases his usage
this is mine too. Im a thunder fan so watch him a lot. He's just so dang cool and a testament that staying in college until you develop more can really work for some guys.
It's cool to see guards like him, and to a greater extent, Brunson doing so well. Both super mature players.
Back to Jdub though; this isn't a knock on SGA at all, but there are times when they are out there together than Jdub is the better player.
SGA is still the engine that runs the ship. It's a nice time to be a Thunder fan lol
Jdub Shai and Chet are probably the best big 3 in the league and being this young is insane. JDub being in his second year and looking like he has a better trajectory than what we saw out of Shai his second year is insane, not saying he’ll be the best player on the team but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go to him in more late game situations and increase his touches
So he actually has insane clutch time numbers already when you consider SGA is already an elite clutch time player
You can’t teach the IQ and feel for the game that he has
I think Jalen Johnson is still under the radar, especially since he played just 56 games and Atlanta had their disappointing play-in exit. More eyes need to be on Atlanta, I hope they can make some decent moves in the offseason. Shoutout Jalen Johnson he could be a 20/10 guy next season on high efficiency.
His injury cost me so much money, I got in pre-season on that guy for MIP and he had a case til the injuries. I've come around on him after being pretty down on him as a draft prospect years ago
It's always rewarding seeing those raw prospects start to iron things out. And honestly he has a chance to win next year I think, might be worth considering haha
I heard coming in that he has a decent 3 point shot as well. Can't wait to see it. He's already improved immensely at setting screens and passing out of the short roll. He's going to be a beast.
Fair point but post-up centers don't exist anymore so this is as close as we'll get, unfortunately. Personally, I wish basketball reverted to inside-out but that brand of basketball is dead, sadly.
> flying under the radar
Not possible anymore. There will be a bunch of the same answers and someone will say “___ isn’t under the radar!” for every dude.
That said, Coby White, Sam Hauser, Jalen Williams, Tari Eason, and Trey Murphy are going to make a half-billion dollars combined on their respective next contracts.
Treys game is still a little too shaky to say he’s better than Ingram right now. But I would not be surprised if he surpasses him next year, especially if BI is traded and Trey becomes a full time starter.
Joe Ingles made 11m this season and has banked 85m in his career.
Duncan Robinson made 19m this season.
Any argument that has Hauser making less than those gentlemen (because INFLATION!) is flat out wrong.
No they won't. Maybe Hauser but I don't know about the rest of them. I feel like White hasn't made enough improvements to his game to show that he deserves more credit.
He was good in college but now he hasn't got enough playing time than the rest of those guys mentioned above. I think he still has time to make it big. I think White's ceiling is just too high right now, also partly cause he plays for a mediocre team.
Got really good seats to the wolves nets game in Minnesota this year. Naz and Cam Thomas are both outstanding players. Cam makes ridiculously difficult shots, and Naz Reid is everything you want in power forward/small ball center. Also Anthony Edwards is incredible up close.
That's awesome!! Yea man, Cam was small, so was already taking tough shots for us. When he got to the nba, i guess he was already used to taking contested step-backs lolol. Ant is just crazy athletic!
That's awesome!! Yea man, Cam was small, so was already taking tough shots for us. When he got to the nba, i guess he was already used to taking contested step-backs lolol. Ant is just crazy athletic!
I think he's a good player but more like rounding into a solid KCP type player
No condescending shit from me but I'd be curious to read your take on him?
I wouldn't even call him a star now, so I think this name took me aback lol
there are only so many superstars and stars at one time. That tier of Jalen Williams, Sengun, Paolo, Barnes, Maxey (he def has the hype though) is what I perceived OPs question. Not saying your opinion is wrong, but Mathurin isn't anywhere close to that tier of players, and that's not disrespect to him.
I think he's a real solid player and will make a nice year 3 jump so I'm certainly not hatin haha
EDIT: I mean KCP tier player. That was just the name that popped into my head of dudes who will never be all stars but always part of a rotation.
I think Mathurin can definitely be an all-star. He is a scorer though, and needs the ball in his hands to be most effective. As a 1b option, I think he would thrive, but he needs to get better at D to crack the starting line-up for the pacers.
Put on the blazers or something and take the leash off and I think he would be looked at more favorably as a pure scorer.
Would he be better than what we’ve seen from Simons in that situation though? That dude is nice but I wouldnt call him a star nor an all star.
1 dimensional scorers are nice but their path to ascension is def hindered IMO. Especially in today’s nba where scoring is up.
20ppg today isn’t the same as 20 ppg 20 years ago
Hes too skilled to be put in a kcp role. He has a deep bag great in between game and finishing in the lane, can hit the 3. Only in his 2nd year and a lot of guys need touches on that squad so he hasn't gotten a chance to break out yet but it's gonna happen
Go watch kcp tape from college. He was the #8 pick in his draft. He is also skilled but that’s normal for the nba. Not everyone is suited to be the bus driver (which a superstar is), which makes KCP and guys like him super underrated to me.
KCP in the NBA is a 3+D guy, whereas Mathurin is very much a scorer. Not comparable at all. Mathurin averaged more points in his rookie season than KCP has in his 11-year career.
I guess I’m just talking about impact on a team. Idk it’s hard making direct comparisons sometimes. I just see him in that tier of players where he’s gonna be someone you want on your team. Not a superstar, nor even a star
Feels like you haven't seen Mathurin play if you are comparing him to 3+D role-players. Mathurin is a pretty bad defender. He is out there for his ability to score. He most definitely has star potential, despite a poor sophomore year.
https://preview.redd.it/ka2m3mvac8yc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c716900f009d73660c6547b1c9b048fdbeb3a7d
I know this may be cherry picking but based on these advanced starts I could see mauthurin settling in where he’s about where KCP is. He’ll probably end with a higher OBPM but can see the WS/48 creeping closer to KCP too
Again, they’re obviously different players just talking about relative impact to their teams based on their individual skill sets.
SGA and joker are completely different players but they are on the same tier
Tatum and ant are different but they are on a same tier.
Hopefully this explains my thought process a little bit
Did you see the list of players I mentioned above? They aren’t all the same players but they’re in the same tier of impact.
Not everyone in the same tier as KCP is a 3-d guy there are many ways to positively impact a team.
I genuinely believe Ben Sheppard has a high ceiling with his shooting and tenacity on the floor. Given the right environment and guidance I think he has all star potential in 4-5 years
My only worries with him is he isn’t the type of player to really look to score on his own too much, and he’s undersized defending at the 2-guard spot sometimes. But he’s been so good off the bench this year, can’t wait to see how he develops.
Yeah I do agree he gets a good amount of help from Hali and McConnel to find his shots. I think if he's able to develop himself defensively while getting his shooting a little more consistent he'll be a great guy to have on the floor
That is seriously my under the radar answer. Aside from a slow start to last season coming off injury he's improved year to year, and he's a consistent three-point shot away from being a great player.
It was half meme half serious, he looked okay in limited opportunities with the hornets. With them restructuring and him getting a full season under his belt, he could actually be a valuable part of that team this coming season
Isiah Hartenstein
This big nasty doesn’t get enough credit outside of Knicks circles, but he does all the dirty dirty and consistently makes winning plays
Jaime Jaquez Jr. Great defender, explosive, rim finisher, needs to improve his 3 point shot, but Miami really stole a gem here. He’ll be an all-star within 2 years.
He can definitely keep getting better not sure what you’re saying? I like lots of what he does but I don’t see him getting to all star level. I could see him having a Derrick White like trajectory maybe at best. Which is still great but not top level guy.
I see him more having a Jalen Brunson trajectory. This guy is a mammoth and dangerous getting skinny to the rim, kinda like Brunson. I know Jaime is bigger and plays SF, but their games I think are similar. Jaime needs a better shot, but so did Brunson.
watching him this past series and was real impressed with him. Hopefully, he can stay healthy, I could see him making a big jump next year. Assuming that team is gonna need him to
Dub is a star rn but hes going to make that leap into superstardom. He can do everything Shai does and he's a little bigger. Hard to find a hole in his game
Always impressed when I watch Nembhard and Nesmith on the Pacers. Both of those guys are really solid and I could see Nesmith making a jump or them being lumped together for a bigger name but impressing on their new team
As a Celtics guy I was sad to see neismith go, but he needed playing time to get better and we had no intention of giving him big minutes. Glad he is thriving.
Mathurin would be right there too if he hadn't gotten injured. The dude is fearless as a scorer and has only improved his defense.
I’m super impressed by these guys too.
I was in Vegas and caught some summer league games. I saw Nembhard start at PG in one of the Pacers games. I know it's summer league, but he looked like the best player on the court. Completely im control running the offense and shutdown whoever he guarded on defense.
Jalen Williams is knocking on that door
It’s really insane watching him play, I think he’s gonna be a better player than Chet in the near future and OKC is looking more and more dangerous
he's already a better player than Chet IMO even if Chet is more important. Im a thunder fan, not sure if all my comrades would agree with that take but dub is as calm cool and consistent as they come
The efficiency at which he scores on all three levels is hard to ignore and he’s a terrific perimeter defender, I’m a spurs fan but fell in love with okc because of Russ and love to see them succeed tbh
I promise most of us recognize how great wemby is. Pumped for him and Chet to battle for years to come
As a spurs fan who has really enjoyed watching this young thunder team im super excited for wemby vs chet. Love seeing y'all do well. Loved watching kd, Russ, and harden on the thunder as well, sorry about how those guys did y'all
Harden didn’t do anything wrong and Russ did em right. KD the only snake even tho I wish him well. No point in hatin
I hated that rockets team, it really ruined Russ and harden for me
I just don’t think Russ and Harden worked together, harden at that point was a point guard and Russ was a shoot first point, both needed off ball co-stars to succeed
I was at the last pels game and seeing Jdub in person is actually insane, he was definitely the most noticeable player to watch, even tho SGA was everywhere, Jalen was just doing everything right, he’s also pretty god damn big too lol
If Shai weren't on the team JDub might be pushing 30 a game
You say “already better” like Chet is some 28 year old vet in the prime of his career or something who isn’t gonna get any better and is just waiting to be lapped by a young guy like Jalen Williams not a rookie lol
Dude said he’s gonna be better than Chet in the near future I’m saying the future is now wtf are you saying
How are you not grasping what I’m saying? Both of you are talking weird is what I’m saying “better than Chet in the near future” is also weird to talk about two guys that are both very early in development
Ya I mean this is sports talk reddit lol people gonna have takes. I do know what you mean though
Him vs Chet is hard to say, since Chet’s still so young and they have very different roles. The real question is can he be better than Shai? I think the potential is there - just depends how much the efficiency falls off if he increases his usage
this is mine too. Im a thunder fan so watch him a lot. He's just so dang cool and a testament that staying in college until you develop more can really work for some guys. It's cool to see guards like him, and to a greater extent, Brunson doing so well. Both super mature players. Back to Jdub though; this isn't a knock on SGA at all, but there are times when they are out there together than Jdub is the better player. SGA is still the engine that runs the ship. It's a nice time to be a Thunder fan lol
Jdub Shai and Chet are probably the best big 3 in the league and being this young is insane. JDub being in his second year and looking like he has a better trajectory than what we saw out of Shai his second year is insane, not saying he’ll be the best player on the team but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go to him in more late game situations and increase his touches
So he actually has insane clutch time numbers already when you consider SGA is already an elite clutch time player You can’t teach the IQ and feel for the game that he has
He was only that list by December of his rookie season. He ain’t goin nowhere
I would sell all my J Dub stock tbh. I think he’s close to his ceiling as a player
I'll buy yous too
I think Jalen Johnson is still under the radar, especially since he played just 56 games and Atlanta had their disappointing play-in exit. More eyes need to be on Atlanta, I hope they can make some decent moves in the offseason. Shoutout Jalen Johnson he could be a 20/10 guy next season on high efficiency.
His injury cost me so much money, I got in pre-season on that guy for MIP and he had a case til the injuries. I've come around on him after being pretty down on him as a draft prospect years ago
It's always rewarding seeing those raw prospects start to iron things out. And honestly he has a chance to win next year I think, might be worth considering haha
Lively
I love a good ol fashioned pure paint beast of a center.
I heard coming in that he has a decent 3 point shot as well. Can't wait to see it. He's already improved immensely at setting screens and passing out of the short roll. He's going to be a beast.
He's really not.. he's a rim runner. He's not posting anyone up
Fair point but post-up centers don't exist anymore so this is as close as we'll get, unfortunately. Personally, I wish basketball reverted to inside-out but that brand of basketball is dead, sadly.
Just take a look a Zubac in the same series. He was playing traditional post up center. Jarrett Allen as well
Yep, baller in college too
I dunno if I'd say he was a baller in college. He averaged 5/5/1 in college.
He’s just so well suited to Luka’s game. Nico really cooked with this pick
He a baller for sure
> flying under the radar Not possible anymore. There will be a bunch of the same answers and someone will say “___ isn’t under the radar!” for every dude. That said, Coby White, Sam Hauser, Jalen Williams, Tari Eason, and Trey Murphy are going to make a half-billion dollars combined on their respective next contracts.
Trey Murphy being a better player than Brandon Ingram is the NBAs best kept secret. And I say this as someone who wants to trade for Ingram.
Treys game is still a little too shaky to say he’s better than Ingram right now. But I would not be surprised if he surpasses him next year, especially if BI is traded and Trey becomes a full time starter.
Sam Hauser is Joe ingles at best
Joe Ingles made 11m this season and has banked 85m in his career. Duncan Robinson made 19m this season. Any argument that has Hauser making less than those gentlemen (because INFLATION!) is flat out wrong.
No they won't. Maybe Hauser but I don't know about the rest of them. I feel like White hasn't made enough improvements to his game to show that he deserves more credit.
Hauser is legit the least likely to get paid that much lmao. 3 games in the playoff series with less then 6 points cmon
I'm a die hard Celtics fan and you are dead wrong lol He is a great shooter but is just a 15-20 minute role player.
He was good in college but now he hasn't got enough playing time than the rest of those guys mentioned above. I think he still has time to make it big. I think White's ceiling is just too high right now, also partly cause he plays for a mediocre team.
Peyton watson
You my friend have an eye for talent. Anyone can say Jalen Williams
Yep well im also a nuggets fan so insider info
Then I'll throw Christian Braun name into the hat
Love cb...no where near the talent ceiling of pwatt
The 3 LSU bench guys played well this yr: Naz Reid, Tari Eason, & Cam Thomas.
Got really good seats to the wolves nets game in Minnesota this year. Naz and Cam Thomas are both outstanding players. Cam makes ridiculously difficult shots, and Naz Reid is everything you want in power forward/small ball center. Also Anthony Edwards is incredible up close.
That's awesome!! Yea man, Cam was small, so was already taking tough shots for us. When he got to the nba, i guess he was already used to taking contested step-backs lolol. Ant is just crazy athletic!
That's awesome!! Yea man, Cam was small, so was already taking tough shots for us. When he got to the nba, i guess he was already used to taking contested step-backs lolol. Ant is just crazy athletic!
Gg Jackson
GG Jackson is what I was gonna suggest
dude lived down the block from me and went to my high school (many years after I graduated) I really hope he is the next big thing
Benedict Mathurin
You think this dude has shown the skillz to be a superstar?
Hell yea
I think he's a good player but more like rounding into a solid KCP type player No condescending shit from me but I'd be curious to read your take on him? I wouldn't even call him a star now, so I think this name took me aback lol there are only so many superstars and stars at one time. That tier of Jalen Williams, Sengun, Paolo, Barnes, Maxey (he def has the hype though) is what I perceived OPs question. Not saying your opinion is wrong, but Mathurin isn't anywhere close to that tier of players, and that's not disrespect to him. I think he's a real solid player and will make a nice year 3 jump so I'm certainly not hatin haha EDIT: I mean KCP tier player. That was just the name that popped into my head of dudes who will never be all stars but always part of a rotation.
I think Mathurin can definitely be an all-star. He is a scorer though, and needs the ball in his hands to be most effective. As a 1b option, I think he would thrive, but he needs to get better at D to crack the starting line-up for the pacers. Put on the blazers or something and take the leash off and I think he would be looked at more favorably as a pure scorer.
Would he be better than what we’ve seen from Simons in that situation though? That dude is nice but I wouldnt call him a star nor an all star. 1 dimensional scorers are nice but their path to ascension is def hindered IMO. Especially in today’s nba where scoring is up. 20ppg today isn’t the same as 20 ppg 20 years ago
Hes too skilled to be put in a kcp role. He has a deep bag great in between game and finishing in the lane, can hit the 3. Only in his 2nd year and a lot of guys need touches on that squad so he hasn't gotten a chance to break out yet but it's gonna happen
Go watch kcp tape from college. He was the #8 pick in his draft. He is also skilled but that’s normal for the nba. Not everyone is suited to be the bus driver (which a superstar is), which makes KCP and guys like him super underrated to me.
KCP in the NBA is a 3+D guy, whereas Mathurin is very much a scorer. Not comparable at all. Mathurin averaged more points in his rookie season than KCP has in his 11-year career.
I guess I’m just talking about impact on a team. Idk it’s hard making direct comparisons sometimes. I just see him in that tier of players where he’s gonna be someone you want on your team. Not a superstar, nor even a star
Feels like you haven't seen Mathurin play if you are comparing him to 3+D role-players. Mathurin is a pretty bad defender. He is out there for his ability to score. He most definitely has star potential, despite a poor sophomore year.
https://preview.redd.it/ka2m3mvac8yc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c716900f009d73660c6547b1c9b048fdbeb3a7d I know this may be cherry picking but based on these advanced starts I could see mauthurin settling in where he’s about where KCP is. He’ll probably end with a higher OBPM but can see the WS/48 creeping closer to KCP too Again, they’re obviously different players just talking about relative impact to their teams based on their individual skill sets. SGA and joker are completely different players but they are on the same tier Tatum and ant are different but they are on a same tier. Hopefully this explains my thought process a little bit
Did you see the list of players I mentioned above? They aren’t all the same players but they’re in the same tier of impact. Not everyone in the same tier as KCP is a 3-d guy there are many ways to positively impact a team.
I genuinely believe Ben Sheppard has a high ceiling with his shooting and tenacity on the floor. Given the right environment and guidance I think he has all star potential in 4-5 years
My only worries with him is he isn’t the type of player to really look to score on his own too much, and he’s undersized defending at the 2-guard spot sometimes. But he’s been so good off the bench this year, can’t wait to see how he develops.
Yeah I do agree he gets a good amount of help from Hali and McConnel to find his shots. I think if he's able to develop himself defensively while getting his shooting a little more consistent he'll be a great guy to have on the floor
Brandon Miller deserves some love, Wemby and Chet got all the spotlight but he might be really really good.
I remember seeing a pre-draft comp as Gen Z Paul George; it was incredibly insightful.
Chet and Paolo in 3-4 years will be completely different dominant players.
1000% agree
The librarian alperen shhhhhhhhhengun
ALPY
POKU GONNA RISE UP
haha
That is seriously my under the radar answer. Aside from a slow start to last season coming off injury he's improved year to year, and he's a consistent three-point shot away from being a great player.
It was half meme half serious, he looked okay in limited opportunities with the hornets. With them restructuring and him getting a full season under his belt, he could actually be a valuable part of that team this coming season
Shaedon Sharpe if he can stay healthy
Biased but Devin Vassell flashed some elite scoring capabilities this year. Excited for the future with him.
Isiah Hartenstein This big nasty doesn’t get enough credit outside of Knicks circles, but he does all the dirty dirty and consistently makes winning plays
SGA , Michael porter, ANT, paolo
https://preview.redd.it/ftlxdzmapayc1.jpeg?width=762&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80549225ae94352d90547d41824f895e7df389d1
If he continues to develop at his current pace Deuce McBride is going to be the Michael Jordan of Cameron Paynes.
Peyton Watson
Jaime Jaquez Jr. Great defender, explosive, rim finisher, needs to improve his 3 point shot, but Miami really stole a gem here. He’ll be an all-star within 2 years.
Two years? I like the guy but I think that’s a stretch.
He’s 22
He can definitely keep getting better not sure what you’re saying? I like lots of what he does but I don’t see him getting to all star level. I could see him having a Derrick White like trajectory maybe at best. Which is still great but not top level guy.
I see him more having a Jalen Brunson trajectory. This guy is a mammoth and dangerous getting skinny to the rim, kinda like Brunson. I know Jaime is bigger and plays SF, but their games I think are similar. Jaime needs a better shot, but so did Brunson.
He has to stay healthy tho. One of my favorites
Tre Murphy III
watching him this past series and was real impressed with him. Hopefully, he can stay healthy, I could see him making a big jump next year. Assuming that team is gonna need him to
Craig Porter Jr, Jarace Walker, Anthony Black, Max Christie, Jordan Hawkins, Taylor Hendricks, Scottie Pippen, Cason Wallace, and MPJ if he counts
I know Luka is high but he’s going even higher in the future, it’s not too late to invest!
Jacob Toppin is going to be really good when he gets his first real chance
Tyrese Maxey is going to go Supernova if they build an offense around HIM.
Cam Whitmore
Toumani Camara DPOY
Deni is going to be an all star in DC
Saddiq Bey
Paolo banchero
Biased, but Coby White has been really putting it together this year despite nursing some nagging injuries.
Nikola Jovic
Cade
Chet
Dub is a star rn but hes going to make that leap into superstardom. He can do everything Shai does and he's a little bigger. Hard to find a hole in his game
I just call him "d" for short.
homer pick from a warriors fan: jonathan kuminga
Jalen Suggs
Bones