Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Durant’s representatives at Roc Nation are working to solidify invitations with the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Thunder, league sources said.
The meetings are expected to take place in New York, but teams are still awaiting word on a location.
The article goes on to cite “League Sources” as saying that the Warriors have Durant’s attention. Someone will, hopefully, explain to Durant’s people how the Warriors plan on getting him without cutting loose a lot of important pieces, given that they are not going to have very much cap space this summer.
Page 2: Where Jaylen Brown is ready to rip somebody’s head off
“The first time I ever saw him play… it’s hard for me to say ‘wow’ when I watch basketball players because I’ve been around so many great ones in my life,” Ainge said from his podium post Friday afternoon, “but he made me say ‘wow’ a few times.”
“I think I had a lot more to show and a lot more potential, so I wasn’t hiding, I wasn’t scared of anybody and I wasn’t trying to cover up anything so I decided to come in with some guys and it paid off,” Brown said.
His two workouts went a long way toward helping him overcome the fears that some analysts pointed out, first and foremost his 29.4 percent accuracy from 3-point range.
“It was great that he came and participated in the 3-on-3 workout,” said Stevens. “It’s pretty rare for a guy that’s going to be drafted that high, but it showed his desire to compete and it showed his desire to get out there with other guys.”
The Boston Celtics did not end up with Jimmy Butler on Thursday night, but did draft a prospect he endorses. Butler played Jaylen Brown 1-on-1 recently and came away from the competition with a healthy respect for the former California wing.
“I like Jaylen Brown,” Butler said recently on the Bill Simmons podcast, when asked who impresses him from this draft class. “He’s tough, like, he’s strong. I played against him 1-on-1 over the summer. I was in jeans. To tell you the truth, he literally, he really does remind me of myself. That’s what’s crazy. When I was going up against him, I was like that’s crazy, like, he can move his feet, he’s athletic, he can play.”
“If you look at the way this league is progressing,” he said, “and you look at the best teams in the world — the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors — a lot of those guys can play multiple positions and a lot of those guys are around the same size as me.
“You have LeBron James, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala. They play multiple positions and can defend multiple spots on the floor. It helps their teams be really successful. Following that mode has been helpful for me.
“I think that’s what Brad Stevens sees and I’m willing to follow it.”
Jaylen Brown is going to win over fans fast. Three of his more noteworthy quotes from Friday’s introduction: pic.twitter.com/WZ58VMwIPm
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) June 24, 2016
Let’s talk about the centerpiece of the Celtics’ draft this year: They picked up a guy who sounds like he’s ready to slip right in with Crowder and Smart and Bradley and make opposing players fight just to get off a pass or a shot.
Yes, you will see some people talking about his “advanced numbers”, but if those people are relying on advanced stats from his freshman year, then they may not fully understand advanced stats.Advanced statistical analysis is only as good as the sample that is being studied. If the sample is tainted, then the results are suspect.
And there are significant reasons to believe that Jaylen’s freshman sample is tainted. Cal is not Kentucky. Cuonzo Martin is not Calipari, Krzyzewski, Bill Self, Roy Williams, etc. Martin is an able recruiter who doesn’t seem capable of maximizing the talent he brings on board. Individual stats do not accumulate in a vacuum, and it seems doubtful at this point in time that Cuonzo Martin did anything useful to develop Brown’s abilities, and in fact (as noted here), he may have outright hindered his development and stats with the offensive sets he ran.
I, for one, believe that a player as intelligent and committed as Brown appears to be, will not suffer playing for a well-structured organization like the Celtics, and for a coach as intelligent and committed as Brad Stevens.
Page 3: Let’s meet some more draft picks
That’s not Yabusele’s game yet. He’s athletic and strong, and he can shoot 3-pointers, but he’s not a switchable monster like the other two. He’s also not nearly the passer Green is — don’t expect Yabusele to be leading fast breaks off a defensive board.
Still, he’s only 20, and most 20-year-olds are not great (or even good) defenders, especially professionally. There’s plenty of room for growth in his game, and if he can continue to develop, he could be a very useful player for Boston.
If not? Ainge’s reasoning at No. 16 was pretty sound. That’s as much as fans can probably ask for.
Yabusele’s an interesting pick–and one which makes me wish that the NBA had a development system that was a bit more sophisticated than the D-League. I wonder to what extent guys like this could end up solid rotation players, if they only had access to consistent high quality coaching, instead of being left to shift more or less for themselves overseas.
Zizic is a tremendous rebounder who can easily replace Jared Sullinger’s production. But he also plays hard with a non-stop motor (unlike Sully), so he could win over Celtics fans very quickly. Though Zizic isn’t a classic shot blocker, he has a solid 250-pound frame and the long arms to alter shots. The 19-year-old will need to improve defending the perimeter though, which could limit his responsibility early in his career.
On the offensive end, Zizic is a rim runner who finishes at a high level near the rim. He sets hard screens, has good hands, and draws a lot of fouls. Though he hasn’t proven he can hit jumpers, he’s a great free throw shooter and has solid mechanics so he may develop.
Old friend Kevin O’Connor taking a couple swipes at Sully (who was picked at almost this exact same spot a few years back). Frankly, as I’ve said earlier, I have absolutely no point of reference for this guy. None. I can guess a bit about Brown because I know enough about college basketball to know that Cuonzo Martin is not a great coach, inflated record notwithstanding.
Demetrius Jackson was a projected first-rounder but fell all the way to the Boston Celtics with the 45th pick. While we don’t know why Jackson fell so far in the draft, this is a great value pick for the Celtics.
With all due respect to Kevin O’Connor, who puts more time into the NBA draft than any other Celtic fan I know (and it’s not even close), if you don’t know why a guy fell 20 spots in the draft, then you probably don’t know whether this is a good ‘value’ pick.
Frankly, I have no idea who the Celtics let go of if they keep him.
Bentil played two seasons for Providence College, and Stevens noted how he had been a thorn in the side of Big East rival Butler University. He averaged a conference-best 21.1 points per game this past season, and one of his outbursts, as Stevens pointed out, came against the Bulldogs in the Big East Tournament, when the strong-bodied sharpshooter dropped in 38 points.
“I saw Providence play a lot because of paying attention locally in this area,” said Stevens. “So I saw Ben play quite a bit, and obviously that familiarity helped [in the draft process].”
Averaged 12.9 points on 47.8 percent shooting and 5.0 rebounds per game last season as a redshirt senior for Iowa State . . . Forward with 3-point range, made five 3-pointers in three consecutive games for the Cyclones . . . Born in Alexandria, Egypt and moved to the United States with his family at age 3 . . . Has agreed to play in the D-League next season. (emphasis added)
Boston Globe
Man, the Red Claws are going to be stacked next season.
The rest of the links
ESPN Boston: Danny Ainge embraces boos, wants to make deals fans will cheer
Boston Herald: Celtics notebook: Danny Ainge believes many of his 2016 draft picks are ready to play | Danny Ainge, Celtics ask fans for patience after draft | Bulpett: Celtics need more time before fans get too disappointed | Jaylen Brown ‘super ready’ to prove Celtics right | Danny Ainge: Celtics ‘had a great night last night’
MassLive: Brad Stevens: Boston Celtics thought Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil would go higher in NBA Draft | Are Boston Celtics picks Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic draft-and-stash guys? Danny Ainge ‘not sure on some things’ | 2016 NBA Draft rumors: Danny Ainge admits he thought Boston Celtics were close to a trade | What the heck just happened? Recapping the Celtics’ busted trades and surprise picks on draft night
Boston.com: Value is the key to the Celtics’ draft drama | Let’s watch the Celtics’ top draft pick play before we praise or pan him
NESN: Jaylen Brown Excited About Boston, Mulling Taking Classes At Harvard, MIT
CSNNE: Why you’ll love Jaylen Brown if you give him a chance | Celtics in the hunt for Durant | Ainge explains why it’s so difficult to make a big trade
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