I think this is just right. No one was dismissing Wemby based on one Summer Lg game, just saying the uber-prospect label at an LBJ level (that's been a common theme/comparison in commentary, not just by some rando enthusiasts) was pre-mature. Being a great prospect and a deserved #1 pick is not dismissing him.
Ben Taylor on his podcast made the point that it's become increasingly rare for prospects to be truly can't miss because the game has become so skilled / sophisticated etc. The last rookie to make an all star game was either Yao or Blake Griffin depending on how you feel about Blake being a rookie, so that's two in the last 25 years. And it used to happen quite a bit!
Well, I thought all the Romeo posts were sarcastic and it turned out people actually thought he was a really good player. Let's not forget the really earnest "When Larry Bird was Tatum's age..." comments that flooded the board until Tatum turned 24. I believe there were heated exchanges as to whether Ted Williams or Lou Gehrig were better comps for Lars Anderson.
I found it ironic that Walsh came out and hit his first three three pointers.
Rookies are a lot younger these days than they were 25 years ago.
It's boring to say it's just age, but it's just age. Blake was 21 as a rookie, Yao was 22 (and boosted by the Chinese vote, he made the team every year of his career, even his last season when he scored 51 total points all year). Only three guys in last year's lottery were 21 or older during this past season, and I don't think it's a giant coincidence that that group included two of the more impactful rookies (Murray, Jalen Williams and Agbaji). A year or two at that age is just huge for physical development, 25+ years ago top prospects routinely played 3-4 years in college before going pro, it makes perfect sense that with those same sorts of guys playing just 1-2 years in college now, they aren't quite as ready for the league as rookies.
In addition, the competition level of college isn't as high as it used to be only because something like the best 50-ish college players are playing (or sitting on a bench) in the NBA (or overseas).
Because colleges are cycling through the top guys, IMO neither the skill level nor the level of team play is as high as it was 25+ years ago.
Grant played in every Celtic playoff game his rookie year, when they went to the EC Finals. Even some end of game situations.
In the good ole days, Derrick Coleman & Patrick Ewing would stick around 4 seasons. Now they are out the door after one season or signing up for Overtime Elite instead
25 years ago these guys weren't even going to college. Is that the point? I guess having more talented guys playing one or two years is counterbalanced by the lack of continuity but I'm skeptical.
It's okay all those young guys, tatum the most conspicuous example are are ripe for memes about points scored at a particular age, especially if you throw in steals or some other stat that wasn't around when Wilt played.
25 years ago, most of these guys were going to 4 year schools for 4 years. Yes, some guys, usually bigs, skipped college altogether. But college was still stock full of elite guys back then. Now, if you're truly elite, you play 1 year and jump. So it's not really 20 guys per year. It's more like 60, since just about every guy who was drafted high this time would have been in school next year and the year after and the year after that.
Strength and conditioning program more important than a few scrimmages. Curious to see if he can add a few pounds.
He is killing it in summer league for the second year in a row but he is to small height wise and is a really poor defender. Fun but no real role in the nba.
Definitely has been the most consistent scorer in summer league for the C's. Hard to gauge the D.
He's like a KG-level psycho in terms of yelling and having excess energy after the whistle.
Scrubb seems like the type of player the Heat would turn into a useful rotation player.
