06-11-2022, 09:42 PM
(06-11-2022, 08:50 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: If you’re going to draft with the intent of PLAYING the kid right away, then yes, older players from established programs who consistently train at a high level are the way to go.
They hit on Brunson from Villanova, so they were in a position to believe in Saddiq Bey from the same school. If they had picked him, DFS’s playoff run would’ve been quite a bit easier this past go around, for sure.
Even the big hit on Brunson, as well as it eventually turned out, didn't land them a player who was plug-and-play at all.
Brunson played minutes, but he was a so-so backup for at least 2 years. Lots of doubts whether he would be worth keeping, since his perceived ceiling was undersized, no defense, lousy on 3s, PG. In fact, even after 3 years, no one was confident he could really be playoff playable.
Point being, it's so unlikely to find a player who is NBA ready at 26. Even if you hit the best that's on the board, it is most likely to take a few years for him to get there where you can trust his game.