THT talks bubble experience

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Stewo

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Oct 29, 2008
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Good for him. He really seems to have the right attitude about everything. I can't even imagine being 19 years old and be doing what he's doing, surrounded by some of the most well known names in the world.
 
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Busch__Latte

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I have been pretty happy with his play in the bubble. It seems like the Lakers really like him.
 

Clonefan32

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I think THT is in a perfect situation. Eventually, Lebron will move on. AD may stay a while, but behind those two there is nothing on that roster. He's going to have to be a big part of that rebuild.
 

helechopper

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The dude has an excellent chance to win an NBA Championship at the age of 19. That's just outstanding.

And it all started at a land grant college in the midwest...
 

CyberJJJ

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I have been pretty happy with his play in the bubble. It seems like the Lakers really like him.

The times I have seen him play, he is aggressive on offense, which we saw at ISU. What really impressed me was his commitment to actually trying to play defense! He actually did pretty well the small amount of time I saw him guarding James Harden.
 

Busch__Latte

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The times I have seen him play, he is aggressive on offense, which we saw at ISU. What really impressed me was his commitment to actually trying to play defense! He actually did pretty well the small amount of time I saw him guarding James Harden.
Yep, I remember one of those games where he was getting extended minutes and he was delivering on both sides of the ball. It also seems like LeBron really likes him which is never a bad thing.
 

cykadelic2

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Yep, I remember one of those games where he was getting extended minutes and he was delivering on both sides of the ball. It also seems like LeBron really likes him which is never a bad thing.
THT made a very smart move affiliating himself with LeBron's agent. Otherwise, he would have not been drafted where he was and not received his minimum guaranteed deal. Still think he would have been better off for the long term by staying another season at ISU and significantly increasing the odds of receiving a 1st round guaranteed contract for significantly more money.
 
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Big_Sill

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THT made a very smart move affiliating himself with LeBron's agent. Otherwise, he would have not been drafted where he was and not received his minimum guaranteed deal. Still think he would have been better off for the long term by staying another season at ISU and significantly increasing the odds of receiving a 1st round guaranteed contract for significantly more money.
I'll have to respectfully disagree on staying another year. His stock and intrigue wasn't going to get much higher, and his intrigue was aided by his youth which would erode slightly if he came back.
 

BryceC

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THT made a very smart move affiliating himself with LeBron's agent. Otherwise, he would have not been drafted where he was and not received his minimum guaranteed deal. Still think he would have been better off for the long term by staying another season at ISU and significantly increasing the odds of receiving a 1st round guaranteed contract for significantly more money.

There are no guarantees. He wasn't a sure thing first rounder even in this draft. He got 2.5 million guaranteed for two years and has a good chance at a ring in year 1 while getting a crash course on what it means to be a pro in the bubble. That's probably invaluable honestly.
 
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CycloneErik

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There are no guarantees. He wasn't a sure thing first rounder even in this draft. He got 2.5 million guaranteed for two years and has a good chance at a ring in year 1 while getting a crash course on what it means to be a pro in the bubble. That's probably invaluable honestly.

And learning that around guys like LeBron and Anthony Davis ain't bad.
I agree. He definitely made the right call.
 

cykadelic2

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I'll have to respectfully disagree on staying another year. His stock and intrigue wasn't going to get much higher, and his intrigue was aided by his youth which would erode slightly if he came back.
Given the weakness of this year's Draft (when you have guys like Nico Mannion being projected in the first round, it's real weak) and the opportunity to have made at least $1M more in the first 2 years (and not counting $6M in additional team option money for the following 2 years), he made a long-term mistake. He would have been a 2020 first round pick barring a major injury and like I posted before, his choice of agents was really the only reason he got a 2019 guaranteed deal.
 

Cyientist

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I'm glad he hasn't fallen through the cracks and he deserves a lot of credit for putting himself in this situation. He has seemed to realize the work needed to be a professional.

2nd rounders need to make most of opportunities, and I'd imagine those are even more limited with the Lakers/Lebron narrow championship window. He has seemed to have done that. He was set back by a stress fracture in his foot that kept him out of the 2019 summer league and I believe the preseason. I was really worried he was just going to be destined for the G-League, and would be lucky to get to an active roster.

Long story short, I think he made the right choice betting on himself and getting paid to improve his game. It appears he'll be on track for a 2nd contract and that is because he has worked for it.
 

CycloneWanderer

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Yeah, at his age with his skillset going pro was the best move. Get paid to develop and be around the best players in the world while doing it. Any money he would "gain" by waiting for that big signing bonus is cancelled out by the extra year's paycheck and the development that'll make his next contract deal much more lucrative.
 

GBlade

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I've got to imagine his nickname is "Juice" if his teammates are giving him orange juice.