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Last month, we started a Q&A segment on Ridiculous Upside where we’d take questions from the @ridicupside Twitter account and answer them. After the success of that first Q&A and some delay, we’ve gone back to Twitter to have our awesome Twitter followers to ask any question related to 2017 NBA Draft prospects or the NBA D-League.
@RidicUpside Harry Giles! What's his relative ceiling and floor? Why is considered the #1 prospect despite having those ACL injures
— why not? (@serdric) August 21, 2016
To answer the second question, I think a lot of the optimism regarding Giles has to do with how fantastic he was when he was healthy. He was a 6’11 big with a 7’3 wingspan but he had the quickness of a wing. That quickness was evident on both ends of the floor, especially on defense where he could go out and hedge on pick-and-rolls. Alongside that, he was a fantastic player inside the paint, as he was a dominating offensive rebounder and had could post-up from either the left or right block.
Those are the main reasons why NBA Draft insiders are really optimistic on Giles despite his ACL injury. In regards to his ceiling and floor, I’m really hesitant on going too crazy with comparing an 18-year-old player to a superstar from either the past or present.
However, I think Giles’ ceiling is as a prime Amar’e Stoudemire or Chris Webber. His floor is probably a solid starter or someone that won’t be in the league long if his ACL injuries continue to linger. I’m definitely hopeful that he can reach that ceiling, because he’s a really fun player to watch.
@RidicUpside Seriously, what is Omer Yurtseven? Does he have any NBA-level skills?
— Yung Kurt Rambis (@IllegalScreens) August 21, 2016
Hey Ridiculous Upside contributor Trevor Magnotti! Personally, I think Omer Yurtseven is the Ivica Zubac of this year’s draft. Like Zubac, Yurtseven is a big that does solid work as a pick-and-roll big and can also work inside the low-post. Definitely not the most exciting big, but someone that’s very dependable on either end of the court.
As for NBA-level skills, you’d have to look at his work as an offensive rebounder, or rolling towards the paint in pick-and-rolls. That second skill will be especially apparent as Yurtseven heads to NC State, as he’ll work alongside elite point guard Dennis Smith.
Does Semaj get his break this year? 3rd string OKC PG? https://t.co/gk1Q3oIUu9
— KidKash202 (@KidKash202) August 21, 2016
I give a pretty in-depth answer to that question in yesterday’s piece on Christon’s signing. But to be brief, I think that Christon will start the season in the NBA D-League with the OKC Blue. If Christon does have success with the Blue, then there’s a chance that Billy Donovan is forced to push Christon over Ronnie Price in the team’s PG rotation.
@RidicUpside when will Jonathan Jeanne make an impact in the NBA?
— Kevin Lappin (@kevinlappin) August 21, 2016
This is a super tough question to answer because Jeanne’s an incredibly raw prospect and it’s tough to predict how someone develops. I think Jeanne’s a pretty talented prospect due to his mobility, athleticism around the rim and solid facilitating ability. However, he still needs to add some muscle to his frame while just getting more playing experience. So if Jeanne declares for the 2017 NBA Draft and decides to stay in the States rather than going overseas, then he might start making an impact during his second to third season in the NBA.
@RidicUpside why do you think Jarnell Stokes has been unable to stick on an NBA roster despite great d-league performance?
— Gabriel (@gabrielhg96) August 21, 2016
I think a lot of the issues regarding Stokes not being able to stay in the NBA deals with the teams he’s played on. When he was on Memphis or Miami, both teams had a pretty solid front-court already on place, which makes it difficult for Stokes to really get a chance to play. As any D-League or Skyforce fans know, Stokes is a very talented forward that definitely belongs on an NBA roster.
@RidicUpside what do you see in lonzo ball? could he be a dominant pg in nba?
— Hendy (@HendyLA) August 21, 2016
I see Lonzo Ball as an extremely intriguing player that I’m definitely going to stay up late at night to watch. He’s arguably one of the best passers since Jason Kidd entered the NBA, as he can make these super precise passes through outlet dishes or working through pick-and-rolls. However, he’s going to need to work on that perimeter jumper. He has a super release point right now that could be easy for bigger guards to block once he goes against better guards. If he can fix that perimeter jumper then he could be a solid PG. Still not sure about dominant though.