[Snatalini247Participant]

I’m wondering if you guys think there are any players at any position that were maybe a top 5 or so pick that could be the next Chauncey Billups? Basically a young guy that just needs the right opportunity to realize his potential? Heres a list of guys I feel like have kind of have been labeled busts or are very close that we could consider. I’m only going back as far as the 2014 draft because everyone since that draft should be at least under 25/26 which is around when Billups transformed.

• Jabari Parker
• Andrew Wiggins
• Dante Exum
• Jahlil Okafor
• Emmanuel Mudiay
• Mario Hezonja
• Jaylen Brown (not a bust yet but I think he could use a change of scenery)
• Dragan Bender
• Kris Dunn
• Josh Jackson

Parker and Wiggins still seem to have potential but it seems like both really need to get their heads on straight or it won’t happen. Neither seem to be willing to give the effort yet though might just need the right coach/mentors.

I’m not sure what to think of Okafor after last year but the game still seems to have left his play style behind in the past.

Hezonja seemed to get his last chance with the Knicks and might end up having to head back to Europe if a team can’t find a good slot for him. Wouldn’t mind seeing the Spurs try to resurrect his career.

Bender is an unathletic stretch big that can’t stretch. I’m really thinking his career is done when his only supposedly useful skill set seems non-existant. 

Kris Dunn might need a change of scenery but I’m also not sure where he fits in todays NBA other than a backup especially with there being a surplus of quality guards on most teams.

I’m sensing a theme here with a few specific teams being junk at developing players or drafting terribly (Timberwolves, Suns, Bulls) but that at the end brings me to Josh Jackson. He may not look like the super talent we thought he was but the Suns need to move him. I don’t understand how they have so many wings and a huge hole at the power forward and point guard spot. Warren, Oubre, Bridges, Booker, Jackson, Ariza at one point, and Jordan Crawford seems like over kill to me. Definitely doesn’t help that he recently got in trouble.

Honestly I’m leading towards Mudiay or Exum. Mainly because we haven’t seen what Exum can fully do if healthy and Mudiay because while he still needs to mature he showed a decent improvement last year when given some play. Exum just really hasn’t gotten the time so I might just be curious but he seems like a good defender and that should earn him so playing time to show case his skills if healthy. Mudiay on the other hand strikes me as the typical raw dazzling athlete rookie that’s going to make a lot of bone head mistakes and probably shouldn’t have been given 30 mpg a night on a bad team his first year. It almost seems to me with a raw potential play that it’s going to create a lot of bad habits a la michael carter williams style. He’d be better having a tony parker/kyle lowry type to either learn behind and maybe take 25 minutes a game from slowly instead of being thrown in to the fire right away.

 

[festar35Participant]

Love the post & analysis, I enjoy takes like this so I will give my 2 cents worth.

Jabari Parker – I think he is best suited as a 6th man, he can score the ball but doesn’t show a tendency to actually impact the result of a game.

Andrew Wiggins – If this boy can commit to the defensive side of the ball then he can be a very good role player much like a Harrison Barnes. He is not a franchise center piece, like Parker he is more about buckets than impacting the result.

Dante Exum – No idea about this kid, he has good defensive upside & offensively he has shown a little bit but he has been injured so much. I can see him having that Billups impact.

Jahlil Okafor – His game doesn’t translate anymore, he worked hard to improve his game last Summer but he is kind of an empty stats guy. See him as 15-18mpg back-up in a very effective role there.

Emmanuel Mudiay – Loved what he did in NY this season, but as you said he still needs guidance. Actually plays a bit like Chauncey as a big, strong guard who is still learning, I agree here that he could be that guy.

Mario Hezonja – Not a fan of him, but he seems to have a reasonable talent. Dont see him doing anything special & by the time he is 28-29 I can see him going back to Europe.

Jaylen Brown – I love his game & I think he will be an All-Star. It depends on 2 things, either him going to a new team or Kyrie leaving allowing Tatum & Brown to be vocals offensively. I see Brown as a Jimmy Butler level upside.

Dragan Bender – BUST!!!

Kris Dunn – Nice back-up guard, more of a 4th or 5th guard though. Does some nice stuff, but nothing spectacular.

Josh Jackson – This guy to me is an enigma. In his first 2 seasons he struggled until the last month or so & then exploded offensively. I dont think being in Phoenix with Booker, Oubre, Bridges & Warren is at all helpful either. I really like the kid & can see him being anything from a Brandon Rush type basement o a Khris Middleton type ceiling.

So I guess for me I think Jaylen Brown is very likely to reach that ceiling & even go beyond. Mudiay, Jackson & Exum are the question Mark’s for me though. Mudiay is the most likely in my opinion if he is given a bit more time to mature & understand the game.

[juves4783Participant]

BUST – hezonja, dunn and bender – all have been given opportunities for teams that did not bring in competition until recently.  hezonja was brought on slowly in ORL and then given all opportunities in NY (even playing PF at one point).  seems like he’s just not going to live up to expectations.  dunn also was given keys to the car at CHI and basically looks to be on same trajectory as cam payne.  bender….not much to even say here.  his game is probably better suited for euroleague.  at the end of the day, all these guys are not NBA level starter material.  all are too inconsistent on both ends of the floor.  

ONE-SIDED – parker and okafor – both guys are basically carmelo-lites.  great on offense, no interest in defense.  parker’s inability to guard on perimeter makes him a tweener for the most part and liability on defensive end, where he’s still not athletic enough to cover the newer type PFs like siakam/tobias harris/tatum.  okafor is just a dinosaur in the new, fast style of play in the NBA.  great scorer but liability everywhere else.  kind of reminds me of eddy curry.  okafor has also not made any effort to expand his game to perimeter to help his cause.

NEVER LIVE UP TO HYPE – wiggins, exum and mudiay – i think these are guys that were overhyped through draft process and now settling into reality that they are good rotational/role players but not all-stars.  exum and mudiay fell into that hype of young, giant points guards taking over league; however splash bros re-invented the backcourt philosophy where skills (ability to shoot especially) are more important that physical attributes.  think exum’s injuries have left him a shell of himself and mudiay’s confidence has to be at a new low after failed run on NYK.  wiggins is the one guy that i think was just severely overhyped.  he’s a good player that is more of the 3rd guy than superstar of team.

CHANGE OF SCENARY HOPE – brown and jackson – i think brown and jackson are 2 guys that still have a chance to live up to expectations.  both have managed to stay healthy and have athletic gifts, coupled with work ethic.  brown was never projected to be anything more than a freak athlete and has shown ability to shoot and score in various ways.  he needs more minutes and opportunities and was stuck in the myst of very deep celtics team.  jackson is similar in opportunites as acquiring oubre and bridges did not help find more minutes for jackson.  i think he has chance for a leap too.  these are the obvious 2 candidates where a chance of scenary could unlock new potentials.

 

[The GoatParticipant]

 Jaylen Browns play has been at a higher level than this kind of label. He’s on a winning team stacked on the wing but he’s still done good things in big or limited minutes. 

Mudiay, Dunn, Bender and Hezonja should definitely be in Europe. Parker has bounced back from injuries but he’s never been what I saw in college. Okafors game hasn’t transitioned either. This just shows the level of fitness and commitment required to succeed. They both may eek out a good year when they are up for a contract, but that’s about it. 

Wiggins still could be anything. He got paid too early. I can’t see him trying to improve. He’s just got no motivation as he is flush with a fat contract and plays in the north pole. I don’t think he’s a winner. It’s up to him if he wants to get better. He’s still good enough to be a long term starter or rotation guy, that’s the sad thing. 

Exum has really had flashes in very small batches. He just can’t stay on the floor long enough to earn long stretches of minutes over long stretches of games. I really hope he can, he’s still got time. 

Josh Jackson is the enigma. This guy is potentially a defensive weapon from 2-4 and a key cog on a winning team. He needs a change and to be dropped in the lap of someone like Pop, Stotts, Carlisle or Doc Rivers. 

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

Maybe even Landry Shamet(already on team 2) 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

Fultz is definitely a candidate to fall into this category. If he can ever get healthy and regain his confidence. 

Hard to see how anyone would consider shamet a bust after he greatly exceeded expectations as a rookie.

[Snatalini247Participant]

 Yeah Im not sure how I forgot Fultz, I think being a Sixers fan my mind repressed this fortunately hes gotten a change of scenery so I’d like to see what he does this season I’m rooting for him even if he was a mess for us

[HitsterParticipant]

 I never really thought of Chauncy as a bust early in his career, he was just a late developer more in my opinion. It is interesting to remember that he was a top 3 pick as he always seemed like a guy who worked hard at his game and did everything he could to become a better player rather than being a naturally gifted player from the outset.

Of the guys listed – I agree that Wiggins and Parker still hyave most potential followed by Jaylen Brown. Also there seems to be a bit of a shift away from Jaylen being a hot prospect. People were saying that Danny Ainge should be a lap of honour as he had drafted another great prospect but now there could be a bit of a feeling he may need a change of scenery or might even be a younger version of Evan Turner. Jaylen is still only 22 years old and although his stats regressed this season he was playing less mpg than last year.

[khaled_a_dParticipant]

D’Angelo Russell? He was considered a bust, a player whom teammates don’t like after exposing his teammate (If I got the story right) and was trades just to get rid of another bad contract.
Now he is an All-Star who is likely gonna be a max-contract.
Sure, he was All-Star replacement in the east, but it still completely remove bust label from him.

From all mentioned players, I think Wiggins has the biggest chance.
Don’t get me wrong, I think many of them will stick to the league and some might be good contributors starters or role players, may be odds are in favor of someone else to be better than Wiggins, but in terms of turning into All-Star? I don’t see anyone above him.

[DolanCareParticipant]

 I still have a modicum of hope for Wiggins. First step is a team that will pressure him to apply himself on defense. If I were the Trailblazers, I’d think about trading Evan Turner and Meyers Leanord (both expiring contracts) for the opportunity to coach up Wiggins for the remaining four years on his contract. 

 

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 That contract hes got prevents anything from changing.

[Snatalini247Participant]

 Not that I think this will happen but I’d love to see Minny try to flip him for Lowry or Gasol (if he opts in) in order to kick off both teams relaunches (if leonard doesnt come back). I’m not sure someone like Ujiri would take on a contract like that though like you said. A team really has to be sure they can motivate him but I could see Nurse being able to pull that off, then again its Wiggins so who knows anymore…

[Scrooge McDuckParticipant]

Kris Dunn was the first to come to mind. Then I would say Marcus Smart, Stanley Johnson, Justice Winslow. I don’t know if Billups was ever considered a bust. Look at Mike Conley’s career, he had a lot of developmental years (in Memphis. IAnd Kyle Lowry is similar.

[beerandhiphopParticipant]

Jaylen brown is like Evan Turner? Do you even watch the Celtics? No on in Boston looks at jaylen like that. There’s still some who like his ceiling more than tatums… I’d say Kris’s Dunn he’s a point who can post smaller 1’s and is a sum of the parts type…

[beerandhiphopParticipant]

Jaylen brown is like Evan Turner? Do you even watch the Celtics? No on in Boston looks at jaylen like that. There’s still some who like his ceiling more than tatums… I’d say Kris’s Dunn he’s a point who can post smaller 1’s and is a sum of the parts type…

[celtics1982Participant]

 Like you have guys that are a disappoinment like Wiggins and Parker, with guys that look like total busts like Bender. I just have to ask who calls Wiggins a bust? Who has called Brown a bust? Heck recent reports say Browns stock is on the rise after the way he played in the playoffs. Some scouts preferring him over Tatum.

Mudiay is only one of two guys that really fit the Billups model of true bust that teams move on from. I mean the Jazz paid Exum a lot of money, they don’t think he’s a bust, he’s just always injured. So Mudiay a dark horse guy I hope the Celtics target if Irving and Rozier leave. Yet even he’s not a great comp, as he was crazy raw coming in to the league. Billups was a truly unique case that just doesn’t happen often. He wasn’t raw, it just took multiple teams and years for everything to click. A lot of it being finally finding the right system for his skills. Getting drafted by the right team really matters for a bunch of these guys. That first team can set your base skills for a good career or let you develop bad habits that can really hurt you.

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 Austin rivers is a guy that I’ve always thought at least sort of fit this category. He was truly awful his first few seasons in New Orleans and appeared to be on his way out of the league. Than he found his niche playing for his dad as an instant offense guy off the bench and has actually developed into a pretty productive player. Even in Houston last season, he was a pretty valuable player off the bench. He’ll never be an all-star or anything but I think it’s pretty safe to say he has shed himself of the “bust” label he was flirting with early in his career.

[sweaterflexParticipant]

The avenue may not seem clear yet, but it will be Lonzo Ball. He will have done middling in bad situations, LeBron will push him out, and then he will play for a winner for years. His defense is already great, and his skill level will catch up to his bball IQ, but it won’t match LeBron’s timeline. 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Wiggins is averaging 19.5ppg across his career so he is hardly a bust but his scoring isn’t that efficient compared to other guys with similar outputs and his all round game isn’t as good as other guys.

How do people compare him say to Otto Porter who whilst being a high pick has hardly set the NBA alight but has looked a solid player at times but has a huge contract.

Some guys just never quite become the stars we had hoped they would be despite having solid NBA careers, Marvin Williams was a number 2 pick and has never got near an All Star game has a best season ever of only 14.8ppg but has played over 1,000 NBA games and is still a solid starter.

[high floorParticipant]

He’s still very young, has been on a dysfunctional team with high turnover, and just now has grown into his body. As long as nobody is expecting him to be a star, he could be a good player on a stable team that maximizes his versatility. Incredibly, he’s still only 21yo. 

Think of his success in terms of achieving a level of play like….. a bigger Mike Dunleavy Jr. A player who can do several different things, on both sides of the ball, who could plug into both small ball & traditional lineups.

[timinator1Participant]

and think that Okafor can still be a factor in the league. He’s never going to be Shaq or Embiid, but he could still be David West. He’s worked on his jumper, and he’s gotten in better shape. And he’s still just 23 years old. He should have stayed at Duke and added things to his game. Put Jah in the right situation (GSW, SAS, Portland, Toronto, maybe Indiana) and he’s going to contribute in a big way.

He had the misfortune of landing on three franchises in various states of dysfunction…the Process Sixers, the new look Nets, and the AD crazy Pels. Maybe those things have damaged him to the point of no return, but I hope not. 

[goddagParticipant]

I’ll give Wiggins a couple of more years. He played a lot better after Saunders took over coaching, as did others on the team. Thibs was an absolutly terrible pick to coach the Wolves. Or any team. He’s a dinosour.

Plus with the Wolves hiring a new President of operations, there’s going to be a lot of changes to the good. I’ve heard him speak a lot and like what he’s saying. He says it’s to early to give up on Wiggins, but needs to change his ways of playing. 

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