So, the frustration is pretty high right now, some folks upset with the picks and some people upset at the folks who are upset at the picks.
I wanted to take a step back and discuss the indicators Sam has given to what is happening with the team. And get more opinions on it.
We can all agree the championship window is open. What, then, is the vision?
Let's look at what Sam has said:
"For us, we can't be emotional or impulsive, because if we do that, all the progress that we've made and all the investment that we've made will get multiplied by zero," Presti said. "If you become impatient, irrational or give into those defaults, you can end up either stuck on the mountain or at the very bottom of the mountain again."
“As I always say, what we're after is sustained high performance for a long period of time.”
He's also said, but I cannot find a link now, the problem with the first era was not having the assets to put the right players around WB/KD.
Sam Presti on the No. 12 pick: "When it comes to the draft, we're looking for the best fit for us. That's always been our mindset… We generally gravitate to a certain type of person and player… "
Another statement I cannot find a link for now is about the team not having enough playmaking off the bench.
Presti: "Regular season you can win with the dribble. Postseason you win with the pass.
Now an inferences that I believe is fair:
If there had been a player in the draft who could help us immediately AND was a good fit he would likely have taken them There was no such player in this draft who could help now AND was a good fit based on how he drafted.
The vision is this: with this draft he's begun building the next iteration of support players so we have flexibility if we cannot afford some guys or we can trade for more assets. It's that simple.
The off-season is not over, he'll make a move for size. If he can:
1) trade away Giddey and get Caruso
2) sign or trade for size
3) begin working on the next set of assets to surround the core
Then this off-season is a success. We are set to make the run and we are set to have long-term success.
Oh, and on Topic's shooting, from a comment by u/Available_Remove242:
Using everything that RealGM has, he is 75/230 from 3. Good for 33%. also, idk why you would use the stuff from the tiny sample seasons on there (which are also > 2 years ago and probably not that relevant to who he is as a player today), which is why I am judging based on the last 2 seasons. 70/208 from 3, 34%. Add in 209/236 from the line, 89% and you've got somebody who clearly has upside as a shooter imo. If you want to argue against using RealGM, that's your prerogative, but it has more data than I see anywhere else.
Give him a year with Chip and he should make progress. Free throw % typically translates. He's much better shooter than Giddey already. His data is skewed by the limited seasons as noted above. Kid can shoot.
Tear me apart.
by LiveVirus2
7 Comments
Thunder fans have PTSD watching Giddey shoot the basketball.
Topic is not the same player as Giddey, it’s actually quite a lazy comparison. It could even be argued they are nothing alike at all. Outside of being white.
Giddey is 6’8 and built like a point forward. Giddey excels in passing situations, SLOB, back to the backet, etc. But struggles to drive to the basket, even out of a PNR, and hasn’t ever been an average shooter, just now barely hitting 80% on free throws in his third season.
Topic is 6’5-6’6 and has the size of a guard. He might have been the best PNR guard in this class, and drives to the rim with purpose and efficiency. He also shoots in the upper 80% in free throw percentage and although his 3pt% is slightly below average, his form is consistent and he has hit them off the dribble and catch and shoot. Also in EuroLeague he had to play a bit more off ball then at Mega, which is something Giddey hadn’t ever done prior to 2023-24.
We draft a white guard whose strength isn’t shooting and everyone loses their mind. I’m not guaranteeing Topic to be great, but he sure isn’t Giddey as a player.
>So, the frustration is pretty high right now, some folks upset with the picks and some people upset at the folks who are upset at the picks.
I’m still struggling to understand this with the current state of the sub. Like I know most aren’t frustrated but there is still a big chunk that are and I can’t really see why.
There are so many teams that are “all in” and in a position where it has to work but they just don’t have many options. Teams like the Suns, Lakers, Heat, Philly, etc. We were in that same position during the Russ/PG13 and it sucked. MVPG was fun but we all knew there just wasn’t anything we could do to get over the hump.
That isn’t us.
There are teams that want to come out of the tank but just don’t have enough raw talent to really make a playoff run like Orlando, Utah and Houston. Maybe they sign some free agents and someone pops into stardom but there is a chance they stagnate and the star level talent isn’t there and they have to restart the rebuild.
Also isn’t us.
There are teams just now entering their rebuild and are at the complete mercy of lottery odds.
Also isn’t us.
>We can all agree the championship window is open. What, then, is the vision?
It is, but the idea is to keep it open. Of the top teams in the NBA right now, we have the most flexibility. No reason to blow that opportunity on win now moves that will hurt the team in 3 years.
That is what Sam is saying and instead of it making fans angry, it should make them breath a sigh of relief.
>sign or trade for size
>Then this off-season is a success. We are set to make the run and we are set to have long-term success.
I’d also caution people if something splashy with signing or trading for size this off-season doesn’t happen.
We can make trades during the season and we will have a better idea on Caruso’s fit with the team. We have a lot of draft capital in the loaded 2025 draft. Some of those picks are protected and when we get to the deadline, we (and other teams) will have a better idea of what’s likely to convey and what won’t.
So if something doesn’t happen this summer, it doesn’t mean we’ll have to wait until next summer.
Tear me apart is crazy
Frustration is high? Among who? I can’t imagine informed fans would be frustrated with much of anything with this team and GM right now. It’s not like there was a wealth of capable bigs waiting to be drafted at 12 this year. We got a super talented great value pick. That’s what you have to do in the NBA sometimes, especially in a draft like this year’s.
This is really well written thanks for your time and insight on this
Y’all also don’t have to like this team? If something like an offseason draft selection can ruffle feathers like this you might need to go outside
I put this in another thread but I also don’t think Topic has to play a minute for the team to be the right pick. Like you said, no one in the draft at 12 was going to move the needle this season. But Topic flirted with being first pick before his injury, if he rehabs and shows that same promise, we can shop him as a much more significant asset than #12 in a weak draft. Presti is rolling the dice that Topic looks to be a great project for a rebuilding team, and they trade us useful vets to fill out the roster and compete now.