Alex Sarr or Stephon Castle to the Wizards? Nathan Grubel on Why He Loves the Fit | Grant & Danny

Alex Sarr or Stephon Castle to the Wizards? Nathan Grubel on Why He Loves the Fit | Grant & Danny

chat with Nathan grel who covers the NBA and the NBA draft does a great job breaking down prospects wanted to talk to him about the top of the draft board Nathan you’re on in DC whiz have the number two pick we’re getting fired up for this week how are you I’m doing well happy draft week it’s certainly an exciting time to be a fan of the Washington Wizards we’ll get into a few reasons why but absolutely happy to be here so let’s start at the top of the board before they’re on the clock at number one how sure are we we know what’s going to happen at this point there there is no there’s no being sure about what’s going to happen this week guys honestly uh there’s a lot of things up in the air even at the top of the draft nobody knows quite yet what the Atlanta Hawks are going to do I know they’re trying to get Alex SAR in for some workouts as we speak that hasn’t necessarily been reported that that that’s happened yet they’ve had a number of guys in as well as the Washington Wizards so there isn’t a lot of certainty up towards the top of the draft but I say that we don’t know exact no one can know no one gets to know because we don’t know and then the phone cut off like there’s information that no one’s allowed to know they’re listening Grant he might have wanted to provide some added and extra Intrigue there right where he just kind of leaves us hanging tries to determine whether or not like the bottom line is this I’ve heard something that no one else has ever heard I’m going to reveal it right now right I think back with us uh Nathan grubble cover in the NBA draft all right so pick up where you left off we we you dropped there but essentially nobody knows no nobody knows exactly where certain guys are going correct but I think we do have some ranges in terms of where certain guys are projected to go there are certain guys in play we have Alex star at the top we’ve got Donovan kingan near the top so there’s a few guys I think are more likely to go one and two as we’re we’re trying to figure this whole thing out all right so let’s say it is Al that’s the name I see most mocked I want to get back to that in a second here Nathan but if they do end up with alexar what kind of player is he now who give me some comps who does he project to be so Alex Star right now 7 foot one incredibly versatile defensive players who you’re projecting them out to be right somebody who can cover multiple positions on the perimeter someone who’s going to be able to play in a variety of different defensive coverages and someone whose offensive game quite frankly is still expanding right we we know that he’s a very face up oriented forward/center uh certainly trying to improve the jumper tried to Showcase some of that both in the G League ignit exhibition games before last season started and then overseas in the NBL but someone who I think a lot of his ball handling is is still something to be tapped into more along with some of the jump shooting he doesn’t quite have some of those skills that you’re looking for in terms of a postu game from a traditional big man but how he moves the type of athlete that that he is I mean you’re looking at someone who can compare defensively at least on that side of the ball more so to an Evan Mobley in Cleveland for example right you see how you see how awesome someone like that can be in your defensive scheme as you can send him out on the perimeter you can play him next to a traditional big you can play him as the fiveman and I think having that versatility in your lineup is something that every NBA team’s looking to add to their front court right now I like the idea of a 75 wingspan but also a guy who can move there’s twitch he can flip his hips I was watching Highlights today of him defending as you said multiple positions and he’s kind of moving with guards you know swing forwards and competent doing so I mean could he be an elite Defender right away is that what we’re talking about or or am I a little too bullish there I I caution using the word elite however I do think if you want to put him in the the very good category out of the gate I certainly think that the a for him right I do think he’s going to be a positive defender on that side of the ball as you were just talking about just because of the grounds that he can cover the number of positions that he can guard you just don’t see a lot of big men come into the NBA at his size with his fluidity with his coordination with his ability to cover so much ground he has Good Feet I think he’s improved his hands a lot since he was playing at overtime Elite that was the last time that I got to see him in person down in Atlanta the biggest thing that stood out to me there was he didn’t have the best of hands in terms of catching the ball in terms of blocking shots with either hand going either way but I think he’s improved on those things and as you come into the NBA you want guys who can do those things who can cover those multiple positions you don’t want to be beat at any one given position because if you’re giving up that type of ground to the opposing team those are the mismatches that other NBA squads are are looking to execute against especially when you get deeper in the playoffs so I understand the Washington Wizards may be quite a ways away from going deep in the playoffs but if you’re trying to build this thing from scratch and really think about what are the types of pieces I can put in place to possibly contend one day having a big man like alexar certainly helps get you on that road Nathan groble with us here on Grant and Danny breaking down the NBA draft in two days time so the I’m trying to do then this front office has been whisper quiet they are not a leaky group right they’re doing their own thing and humming along and I got no complaints but it’s just kind of hard to figure out their thinking here as as we’ve kind of gone through this Nathan I look back to Oklahoma City as kind of my guid post here I wonder what you think about this they specialized in finding the guy that doesn’t look like everybody else right the Chad homens the Jaylen Williams is the Josh giddies the the Lucas dorts the dudes that don’t look like they’d get pick first uh so to speak but positional size and and kind of having a a different angle of attacking things seems to have been the track record there I wonder who might fit that bill if it’s not SAR at number two because maybe Atlanta takes him at one so if Alex SAR isn’t the pick at number two I mean I I’ve mocked this I’ve discussed this on on other shows Stefan Castle would be my guy at a Yukon and my my top three of my draft board since I started creating a board that I was sharing with Scouts executiv agents behind the scenes and the January beginning of February my top three hasn’t changed in terms of the guys that compose it Alex SAR Stefan castle and Modis balis but when you look at Stefan Castle specifically what he proved at Yukon in terms of his demean his determination in winning both sides of the ball right he was able to fit in and mesh in a number of ways offensively but particularly on defense he was someone who took his matchup very seriously and stonewalled the number of guys on the perimeter right guys were not able to go through him or around him very easily Castle said I’m not going to let you score easily over me you’re either going to have to hit a tough shot or you’re going to have to pass the ball up and when you’re able to build a perim defense oriented around two guys who specialize in keeping guys in front of them and limiting penetration into the paint with a guy like Stefan castle and if you could pair him with bala kully I mean that that’s to me is incredibly enticing to really start building your team around that framework of having a defensive identity first being able to get out and transition with plus athletes and then you start to figure out more of the skill oriented pieces of the game from there in terms of shooting the ball which Stefan castle for all that he’s getting knocked that he can’t quote unquote shoot the ball I do understand the concerns he got a lot more comfortable with his pull-up jumper as we got later into the season he excelled from the free throw line as we got later into the season and then he was knocking some shooting drills at the NBA draft combine out of the park and he even talked about it which was one of the things I really like about him he’s a very self-aware player as it seems especially in interviews he specifically talked about how he knows that he needs to improve his shooting and that’s going to be something that he’s going to capitalize on in the offseason and offseasons to come so if I’m the Washington Wizards I look at all the different ways that he can physically impact the game on both sides of the ball and I’m confident after speaking with him and meeting with him and watching him work out that he’s going to be someone who lives in the gym and is going to improve his game I mean he brings so many other things to the table to where if he’s at least comfortable to get the shots up and to keep working on it that’s something to me that can improve more so than some of the other areas like how physically strong he is for someone coming into the NBA how willing he is to guard multiple positions and set screens as a guard and playmake out of pick and roll situations and cut to the basket and play in transition he just brings so much to the table from a floor perspective he would be my guy if alexar isn’t there Nathan grubble draft deeper on social media uh youth movement NBA and draft deeper as he gives Insight Intel into some of the great young players getting drafted this draft cycle you’ve been doing this though I remember going back to some of your work on Bal kabali last year makes me want to ask you you you just kind of got into this but the the core that they’re putting together let’s say they do draft SAR which is most likely uh what’s happening and you add him to kissper and kabali and Denny Abdi who kind of broke out last year they’re going to have kozma and very likely P still I mean what do you view as an identity short and long term for them if they go the S route like what are they trying to build do you think I think the identity has to be defensive first right and it’s having a number of guys who can cover ground guard multiple positions switch in different schemes and I think again if you’re able to build a defensive lineup where I think more opposing NBA teams are going to try to beat you from a five out perspective and you have someone like an Alex who could step out and guard an opposing fiveman or a fourman on the perimeter or switch on a different guards and you have a guy like bow who can certainly cover twos and threes and switch on the fours and keep those guys in front of them and you’re you’re not losing anything from a strength and a physical matchup perspective and you have a guy like Denny who’s already proven that he’s one of the best perimeter Defenders and switchable Defenders across the entire NBA you’re building that Foundation to where you’re going to play def defense first you’re going to create easy opportunities in transition and you’re going to make sure that you’re taking care of those easier fundamentals that you have more control over versus we’re going to become a team that’s more offensive oriented right now and we’re going to start bombing shots and and we’re going to do some careless things offensively that aren’t always going to lead back to that Foundation of how can we generate the easiest shots that we possibly can defending getting out in transition figuring out how to get easy shots in the paint and around the basket those to me are the things that I would want to see from a young team with athletic long strong wings and forwards and I think that type of identity can really push the Wizards forward into finding some of the other skill pieces at the guard position and maybe getting another shot making Wing in the future so anthan this draft is is getting dumped on pretty good and and sometimes pundits and people that do this for for a living are right other times when we say oh this draft is terrible there’s nobody any good sometimes it takes a minute but you get an Anthony Edwards a Tyrese halberton and a Tyrese Maxi in 2020 for example that wasn’t a particularly well-reviewed draft I I wonder if there is a story like that where we look back in a few years and go this didn’t look like much on paper but there are a few really good players in this draft that kind of materialize whether it’s high ceiling guys or otherwise I know you mentioned Stefan Castle who I like too but but who are some of those guys that might end up work really working out for teams down the line well I think this this draft as a whole I I’m glad that you outlined that specific narrative because it’s definitely gotten a bad rap and I’m not going to come on here and say that that narrative is incorrect that this is going to be one of the strongest draft classes we’ve ever seen no I’m not going to say that what I’m going to say is I think there’s been too much pessimism around this draft because when you evaluate these prospects you can see a lot of strengths and and what they bring to the table and do well but when you look at their weaknesses and where those weaknesses are and in elements of their game and in relation to how success is actually being found in the NBA nowadays you can see some pretty scary floors for some of these guys to where if you take them with a number one number two number three pick and you’re not able to see anywhere close to a normal return on value of that asset in comparison to other draft classes and you see these scarier floors I think that to me is more the pessimism that’s coming around this draft class not the talent can’t be found because yeah you might have to put put a plan in place to devel an Alex SAR or Stefan Castle or Modis Bellis go down the line nicoa toic someone who’s falling down mock Ron Holland who’s falling down mocks even Zachary ruche I’m not totally convinced that he’s going to be a top three top four pick he might be on a little bit of a slide but if you as a front office have a plan in place to develop these guys and maximize their strengths while also being able to find a role for them on the floor that plays to those strengths and gives them the minut to start to figure out some of the pieces of their weaknesses and you have that plan in place to bring them along slowly and eventually you get to a point to where they are living up to expectations versus throwing them into a role early on that they’re not quite meant to play or a role where they’re not able to capitalize on what they do well those are the situations where it can get dicey and that’s why I think it’s a lot of confusion around the the media space and the public spaces to what these NBA teams are going to try to do because they’re trying to formulate plans for development as as much as they are trying to just draft the best player available but those situations aside guys I really do think we have a number of players in this draft of floors where they can come in and contribute right away like a reed Shepard like a Dalton connect Devin Carter I’m a bigger fan of Zack e than than some other people are but Donovan kingan you have players who have strength of size strength shooting the ability to move the basketball and make quick and good decisions there are players in this draft who will play up to an all rookie level and will bring that excitement and that buzz while some of these other guys with higher ceilings are still developing and trying to figure out where they fit in the NBA excellent information really appreciate the Insight Nathan look forward to the draft in a couple of days and seeing what goes down for Washington thank you absolutely take care guys thanks Budd be good as Nathan grubble covers the NBA and the NBA draft here on Granton Danny all signs pointing to Alex SAR 7 foot one with a 75 wingspan helps y on D sooner than he does on offense certainly intriguing but if he turns into a piece on offense that’s where you could potentially find a star in a draft where there wasn’t one this is that new wage center right the the days of you know back to the basket get down in the low post and bang around those days don’t exist anymore Zach Ed who he just mentioned prec and Ed’s developed a bit of a face up game as a nice touch but still that’s where he’s going to major right you don’t want him out there shooting jump shots SAR has the potential this is a long ways away from being actualized but to be a guy that could fit in one of those five outs systems AKA Five Guys around the perimeter screening rolling hitting step backs uh and having a versatile offensive game if he can help you right away defensively which they certainly need that’s a bonus and he could grow larger in in into that role as he kind of fills out the comp I heard somebody really smart give is a player I like a lot out of USC remember Evan Mobley with the the Cleveland Cavaliers easy for me to say who came out a couple years ago hasn’t really blossomed into a star like I thought he would but he’s sort of that model right where this is not a hulking massive back to the basket guy it’s a Run and Jump athletic tall guy that can get switched on a bunch of different players it’s certainly intriguing for the way the NBA is now

Nathan Grubel covers the NBA Draft and he joins Grant & Danny to discuss the possibilities for the Wizards at pick #2.

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