17 replies to this topic

[rockets best fan]

now that we have finally seen all of our power forwards play lets discuss what each brings to the table and who has the best skillset to become starter/star.

 

GREG SMITH= good strong finisher around the bucket, no outside shot, great hands, decent defensive player, decent rebounder, doesn't block shots, doesn't turn the ball over

 

D-MO=slumping right now, but I think will be a good shooter with range all the way out to the 3pt line, doesn't rebound well, lacks conditioning, good framework for a dominant low post game, 7ft.....can't teach height, defense is a work in progress, doesn't block shots, seems to be ok passer, good floor spacer,

 

T-ROB=good defensive player, decent rebounder, runs the floor well, his shot is a work in progress, doesn't block shots, needs a lot of work on low post game, good hands, still turning to ball over to much, can play above the rim,

 

T-JONES=good shooter who I think will have range out to the 3pt line, rebounds well, decent defender, doesn't block shots, runs the floor well, good hands, good floor spacer

 

I started with a few things I see in each. feel free to add more intangibles to each player. while I think we all agree it's to early to declare a winner, it would not be out of line to rank them according to what each has displayed..........right now I think d-mo has the highest ceiling. t-jones has the best all around game, greg smith is the best defender/rebounder with t-rob running a close 2nd. so in my opinion this is how the race stacks up right now.

 

d-mo is out front, but barely t-jones is a very close second. g-smith third and t-rob bringing up the rear. these rankings can change of course, but based what I have seen so far this is how I would rank them

 

 

[2016Champions]

1. TJones

2. Greg Smith

3. DMo

4. Delfino lol

 

 

 

 

 

5. T-Rob

[DrewinAbilene]

Holy caps lock, Batman.

 

Thinking about whose skillset gives them the best chance to be a star, I think D-Mo fits the bill. Motie has the best long-range shot, which helps spread the floor for our slash and kick offense. His limitations now seem to be strength and  conditioning. Which I'm sure our staff have a plan to rectify. He's also shown a hard working attitude that has impressed the coaches, and I think that quality could be huge in determining who gets extra playing time. Those extra minutes become experience, and then he levels up... Oh man, a Batman reference then that... I'm a big nerd.

[phaketrash]

I feel unsure about doing this with only seeing one nba game from TJones (26 min) for months...but, at the moment:

 

1. TJones --> that wingspan man!

2. DMo

3. GSmith

4. TRob

 

TRob has a load of potential, but he is clearly the worst of the bunch (imo) at this moment in time. Has prob some of the most raw talent though. GSmith is playing better than DMo right now, but GSmith is really only used to his full potential in certain matchups. He's quite the bruiser, but he feels like someone we'd use in a more specialized way rather than as the constant starting 4 over an 82 game season. DMo fits our team makeup better, and his flaws are much easier to fix, maybe during this offseason.

[rockets best fan]

1. TJones

2. Greg Smith

3. DMo

4. Delfino lol

 

 

 

 

 

5. T-Rob

c'mom give t-rob some love..... you got him below delfino?

[feelingsupersonic]

Most of your assessments are okay to very good but the one thing I thought you were off on was Motiejunas' passing ability. He is much better than an okay passer at his position especially when considering how much NBA experience he has. For a 4 he is definitely a good passer at the very least.

[Rahat Huq]

1. Dmo

2. tjones/greg smith

3. delfino

4. royce white

5. tim olbrecht 

6. thomas robinson

[phaketrash]

Most of your assessments are okay to very good but the one thing I thought you were off on was Motiejunas' passing ability. He is much better than an okay passer at his position especially when considering how much NBA experience he has. For a 4 he is definitely a good passer at the very least.

 

Yes, I agree. DMo is quite the adept passer. I've been impressed with what I've seen.

[rockets best fan]

1. Dmo

2. tjones/greg smith

3. delfino

4. royce white

5. tim olbrecht 

6. thomas robinson

when you turn on a guy you turn all the way huh  t-rob behind Royce? it took me a minute to write this because I fell out of my chair laughing

[phaketrash]

1. Dmo

2. tjones/greg smith

3. delfino

4. royce white

5. tim olbrecht 

6. thomas robinson

 

Haha wow! That is a lot of no love for TRob lol.

[miketheodio]

i dont like dmo's lack of rebounding. asik can't be the only one on the team doing the rebounding. I value that above others.

greg smith (due to more play time)
dmo/tjones (if jones averages 6-8+ rebounds i give it to jones, but he hasn't played much).
trob ( lots of potential, maybe next year)

[ale11]

I disagree about T-Rob not blocking shots....

 

In my mind, on the ideal and personal preference, I'd go: Motiejunas, Robinson, Jones, Smith. Don't get me wrong, I really like Smith, but like phaketrash said, he seems like someone who can humilliate someone if the matchup is favourable. And I put Robinson second because a fifth pick in the draft must have lots of talent (unless you are picking Flynn or Thabeet. Sacramento usually picks great players, they just can't develop them).

[2016Champions]

Oh snap I misread and made my list based on the current rather than the future. He's my re-do:

 

1. D-Mo -- he is the most skilled of the bunch by far possessing so many tools in his game it's hardly fair if he perfects how to use them. For starters he could be the best post player in the league one day and that's just the tip of the iceberg, he has a very nice shooting stroke so it's only a matter of praticing his mechanics and we will see those 3's fall much more consistently. Obviously he can put the ball on the floor and pass too, there's nothing this kid can't do offensively. Defensively he has potential, he just needs to put on more muscle and learn how to take the contact without fouling, but he has very quick feet and the length to bother shots.  

 

2. T-Rob -- defensive hound especially on pick and rolls, you have to wonder if you're better off not using the pick and roll if he's the one guarding it. Has incredible speed up the floor and can change direction without slowing down which is rare for a PF, and he has the potential to be a top 10 rebounder in the league (averages 11.4 boards per 36 minutes in a Rockets uniform. Led the country in rebounding at Kansas, and while not always, rebounding is one of the abilities that usually transfer over into the NBA). Currently a bad shooter but he does have a good looking stroke which makes you think there's potential there to at least develop a mid-range shot. Can put the ball on the floor and make agreesive moves to the basket, and possesses a deadly spin move which will become even more deadly once he develops more counters to compliment it. A baby hook shot would be nice.

 

3. Terrence Jones -- A better shooter than T-Rob but doesn't move as well defensively which is more of a compliment to T-Rob than it is a diss to Jones, his defense is quite good but not great. Bigger and stronger than he intitially looks (weights a solid 252lbs), he can definately bang with the big boys inside, and his ability to put the ball to the floor and explode to the basket makes adds a dangerous element to his game that will make him a mismatch problem on most nights. If he works harder than T-Rob and D-Mo he could actually end up being the better PF despite having less gifted talent.

 

4. Royce White -- A very gifted player with a questionable attitude at best, he's not the first player in the NBA with anxiety disorder but you would think he is with the way he's going about it. Morey knew the risk and drafted him anyway citing that he saw Royce as a top 5 talent at the draft, and with the 16th pick he was a potential steal. He's basically a strong PF with the skills of a PG although not much of a shooter. With that being said he has been playing horribly in the D-League and doesn't get along with any of his team mates, at this moment in time it looks very likely that he will be known as nothing more than a waste of talent who spent his short NBA career getting outplayed by D-League scrubs and trashing his organization on twitter. However, his raw talent alone makes him intriguing enough to hold on to the hope he gets his act together and silences all the haters.

 

5. Greg Smith -- First thing that comes to my head is that this kid is strong--country strong. Put it this way, the mighty Blake Griffin tried to play bully ball against Greg and ended up the one getting bullied. Very quick hops for a guy his size and has great hands making him the perfect recipient of pick and roll passes, but outside of that his game is very limited. He doesn't have a jump shot outside of a baby hook shot with a range of 3 feet at best, no handles or great passing ability, hard working but doesn't block shots and can be beat off the dribble by quicker forwards. What you see now is probably not too far from his ceiling, but considering how he's already pretty solid from a production standpoint (PER 16 TS% .638) that's nothing to be too concerned about.

[PKM]

1. Dmo

2. tjones/greg smith

3. delfino

4. royce white

5. tim olbrecht 

6. thomas robinson

Oh, come on Rahat.  Robinson isn't ahead of Royce, for crying out loud.

 

My rankings would be:

1. Motiejunas

2. Smith

3. Delfino

4. Jones ( I know he had a good game, but it was one game.  Motiejunas has had some great games too before teams adjusted to him)

5. Robinson

6. Olbrecht

7. A coworker of mine who happens to be 6'8''

8. Royce White.

[BenQueens]

I know y'all can find them on your own, but since sometimes we start talking about physical attributes- here's the D/X profiles (with measurements) for everyone but DM:

 

Jones: http://www.draftexpr...nce-Jones-5708/

Robinson: http://www.draftexpr...-Robinson-5496/

Smith: http://www.draftexpr...reg-Smith-5817/

 

I bring them up only because (and I say this as someone who stood up and cheered in a bar when we drafted Jones) it's easy to forget the wingspan on Smith, and his vert numbers aren't too shabby either.  Meanwhile, Robinson can get down court pretty quick.

[rocketrick]

1 Greg Smith - great motor, brings a lot of intensity to the paint, attacks the rim relentlessly, too foul prone which may be detrimental in this year's playoffs.

2 D-Mo - ability to stretch the floor while showing some skill already in the paint, much better on the offensive end than on defense, can rebound when focused, better than average passer. Lack of muscle means other teams more powerful PF's will take advantage and post up at will

3 Terrence Jones - his quickness is an attribute especially on the defensive end of the court and pressuring opposing players, ability to create own shot if necessary, must improve his outside shooting stroke this off season to become a more impactive player next season

4 Thomas Robinson - diamond in the rough, loves to attack the rim, should be better defensively than he's shown so far, needs to stop shooting those outside jumpers (reminds me of Josh Smith with all that brick throwing from outside)

Olbrecht is actually more or less the backup center although this season Coach McHale is wisely going with smaller lineups rather than throwing Olbrecht out there

Carlos Delfino IS NOT A PF!!!!! Yet sometimes he is the best choice to be on the floor and sometimes is forced to guard the opposing team's PF.

Chandler Parsons can play the PF position at times depending on matchups and game situation.

These rankings are for the remainder of this season including the upcoming playoffs.

[2016Champions]

Why isn't Olbreicht in the D-League? He looks horrible. I'd rather have T-Rob as my 3rd string center, hell even T-Jones or D-Mo would do a better job. 

[timetodienow1234567]

1) griner
2) jones
3) smith
4) trob
5) dmo