THT was just so streaky - you could praise or criticize pretty much any part of his game and be....correct.
THT Going into the Draft
- Thread starter JM4CY
- Start date
Loads of potential and talent. Everyone can see it. Yeah, he's got some things to work on for sure. But if he can work on those holes in his game and get paid well to do so then he should do it.
Well if the players aren't terrible then it has to be the coaching that is terrible! It's got to be one or the other to justify my insane amount of anger when a program that historically has made FIVE Sweet 16s doesn't win the national title every year, or at least every other year.
I could see that. Portland's got some really good guards that are are going to be 30 in a year.
Unless he has a terrible NBA Combine I think THT is definitely staying in the Draft. The mid-to-late 20's has some good landing spots for him. Boston 22, Philly 24, Portland 25, Golden State 28, San Antonio 29, Milwaukee 30. I really hope he doesn't end up 26th to Cleveland. Utah sits at 23 so he could end up with Georges and Naz.
Saw that this morning and I couldn't find this thread to post. It's about where I would expect to find him in a predraft ranking. It's dangerous territory if he's banking on going in the first round; wouldn't take much for him to slide into the second. But as long as he shows out well in predraft workouts and at the combine he should be in pretty good shape.
Would not want to see him land with the Celtics. He'd just end up getting flipped to some crappy team as part of a megadeal for a disgruntled superstar.
Unusual athlete who has the body to defend large players and the raw skills to play guard on offense.
SHADES OF: Eric Gordon, Deonte Burton
PLUSES
- Shot-creation skills are uncommon for a player with his body: He unleashes NBA Street–style moves to generate space to get buckets.
- Solid spot-up shooter from a stationary position, though his low, robotic release may not be as effective against NBA length.
- Makes difficult cross-court passes off the dribble, and has keen passing vision that could be cultivated in the NBA.
- Good rebounder who high-points the ball and sparks transition offense by taking the ball up the floor.
- Long arms and strong frame theoretically give him the ability to switch screens, using his length to swallow guards and bulk to battle bigs.
- Youth. He turned 18 in November, so there are untapped skills for a team to mature.
- Poor free throw shooter who doesn’t display touch on floaters or layups, which doesn’t inspire much confidence in the upside of his jumper.
- Shot selection is problematic. He takes far too many contested pull-ups with lots of time left on the shot clock.
- Erratic decision-maker driving the ball. He forces wild shots underneath the rim instead of locating shooters.
- Loose handle that sometimes comes up above his shoulders. He needs tighten it up or won’t be nearly as effective in an NBA setting.
- Slow moving laterally on defense. He’s often out of position and plays float-footed, but with his thick frame and wide hips, he just might not be quick enough on the perimeter.
- Low-effort defender who doesn’t play with passion, toughness, or focus. Defensive consistency is a teamwide issue though, so he could be a product of the environment.
Is Cook like Wigginton where even though may be unlikely to get drafted he's just leaving for sure for GLeague or Europe or somewhere even if not?
I thought Shayok might sneak in the second round before Portsmouth even.
I think Cook, Wigginton and Shayok are all in that category where I won't be shocked if they are a final 10-15 pick in the second round. Nobody expected Nader to get drafted and he ended up being a rotation guy for long stretches this year. Shayok to me is more likely than the two underclassman.
The Eric Gordon comp makes me wonder if this person has ever actually watched THT play, as well as the "doesn't display touch on layups" comment.
One can quibble, but I thought the overall assessment was pretty spot on.
The "defensive consistency is a team-wide issue" comment hurt.
I actually find the comparison to Deonte Burton the less apt of the two. Yes, THT and Burton have similar length and size, but Burton is a next level athlete compared to Horton-Tucker. They are both "round power guards from Iowa State," but having watched them each play a full season in Ames, the athlete/skill mixture is very different between them.
Deonte is a better shooter, too, but they do have a high level of streakiness in common.
I think teams would be stupid to pass on Shayok in the second round. Yea he's a senior but I'd much rather have a proven commodity at that point in the draft than wasting the pick on some Euro guy that may never come over. Shayok would be a useful bench player pretty much right away similar to Monte.
I could see Wigginton going late 2nd but I just can't see Cook. He's super athletic but doesn't rebound well or play defense. He can't shoot. I enjoyed watching him, but his game just has too many deficiencies for the NBA.
I guess I find both comparisons odd. I'd totally agree that Burton is the superior athlete, but both constitute intriguing "tweeners".
As for Gordon, I always see Gordon as a knock-down 3 point shooter. The guy has taken nearly as many 3 point attempts in his career (3,898) as 2 point attempts (4,447). He's really more of a true shooting guard. Whereas with THT, I think he probably projects as more of an undersized wing in the NBA. I'd put him more in the Jabari Parker (realizing Parker is 4 inches taller) role than that of a true shooting guard. If teams are looking at him as a 3 point shooter I think they will be disappointed.
Eric Gordon is also 215 pounds according to Basketball Reference.
THT was approximately 240 last year. Interesting discussion to be had if he needs to lose some weight to become fleeter or bulk up to be able to play on the block.
Horton-Tucker is a pretty unique cat. I cannot really think of many NBA guys that you would describe as 6'4" (so on the shorter side for a swingman), thicc, and super long for his height, more of a skill and finesse guy (at 18 years old now) rather than a raw, unrefined athlete who has a lot to learn about the game. Those are pretty... weird characteristics.
My two cents is that he'll get a promise from Golden State that if he falls to them, they will take him in the first round, such that he'll stay in the draft.
While shorter, after a few years of honing his shooting skills, improving on his decision-making and getting stronger, he would be great at Dray Green's role. To me, that's the best comparison athletically / potential future skills-wise.
While shorter, after a few years of honing his shooting skills, improving on his decision-making and getting stronger, he would be great at Dray Green's role. To me, that's the best comparison athletically / potential future skills-wise.
