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Justin Smith Declares for Draft


KDB

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Nojel Eastern 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I guess see what they have to say, right?  Here's what I'd tell Justin...

You need to tighten up your handle.

You've got to show us some shooting.

Show us better decisionmaking and fewer turnovers. 

Justin should be pretty important for IU next season, but unless all those areas show measurable improvement next season, I don't see him playing for money.

What I'd tell Nojel...

Your shot is broken.  Unless you show that you can fix it, you're not playing for money.  Study hard and get your degree, son.

Quit listening to mama.

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3 hours ago, KDB said:

 

Can't fault Justin for wanting the feedback. 

And I'll add this...Justin is a very smart kid. One of the highest GPAs on the team. I'm sure he's near or already has the credits to earn his degree. So he's got a lot of options in front of him.

But I sincerely hope he comes back for his senior year. I haven't always been complimentary of his game, but I saw huge strides last year, particularly in leadership and decision making. 

 

 

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These kids should do whatever they believe is in their best interest. No problem with that at all. It does seem odd they have to go through this jacked up process just to find out what everyone already knows. Is there really something about Justin's skill set we have not seen after 98 college games? Is there someting Archie and his assistant coaches have not identified as needing improvement?

I have not seen one mock draft showing Justin being selected. So it's all about the "feedback". Do you have to be an NBA scout or have NBA connections to summarize his game and where he needs to improve?

PROS: He's a great athlete and explosive leaper. He can be solid defensively and good on the glass. CONS: He has no jump shot from any distance and poor dribbling skills. He is prone to turnovers and will take plays off if things aren't going his way. OVERALL: At 6'7 230, and with poor shooting and dribbling skills, he has no position open to him in the NBA. Return to college and develop some offenseive skills beyond a dunk. Become more of a leader.

But the NBA and NCAA want these kids to go through this process for feedback. How much time do you beleive the NBA gurus spend evaluating these kids. As of yesterday, there were roughly 205 kids choosing early entry between U.S. and international players and that total is actually down from the past couple years. I doubt they spend 10 minutes evaluating kids who have no shot being drafted. Tack on the Covid-19 restrictions and I doubt some of these kids get much of a review at all.

My theory is these kids already know their strenghts and weaknesses. Most already know whether they have a real chance of being drafted or not. The only other consideration is ego. How many of these "testing the waters" kids simply want their name mentioned with the NBA daft?

There has to be a better way. Have NBA evaluations be a seperate process. Let the NBA gurus identify the list of kids they are interested in reviewing. I don't have the answer but I'm guessing somebody can come up with one.

 

  

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1 minute ago, btownqb said:

What? He's a very good rebounder. Once he touches it, its his. 

He would not be a blocking TE. 

He IS. a good rebounder, but he does have terrible hands. 

He has problems on the dribble, and he handles a pass cleanly about half of the time...

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1 minute ago, IUFLA said:

He IS. a good rebounder, but he does have terrible hands. 

He has problems on the dribble, and he handles a pass cleanly about half of the time...

Dribbling has nothing to do with football. Grabbing a rebound is by FAR the attribute that would matter the most on a football field.. catching a basketball and catching a football are two completely different things and aren't really comparable. 

I've never really noticed him not handling a pass cleanly. 

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24 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Smith needs to think about playing tight end 

 

10 minutes ago, jefftheref said:

He could only be a blocking tight end. He has hands of stone. 

Teach him to juggle and have somebody throw eggs to him to catch w/o breaking.  I could see a Mo Allie Cox-ish transition.

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Just now, btownqb said:

Dribbling has nothing to do with football. Grabbing a rebound is by FAR the attribute that would matter the most on a football field.. catching a basketball and catching a football are two completely different things and aren't really comparable. 

I've never really noticed him not handling a pass cleanly. 

I understand that...but hand/eye coordination certainly does come into play...

Justin on the move trying to receive a pass, at least in basketball, is the recipe for a turnover...

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1 hour ago, Hoosierdave said:

Not sure if anyone knows this guy but interesting. Said he has heard this rumor since February fwiw.

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So it sounds like Kyle (whoever that is) thinks that Smith will be leaving IU no matter what. People have been speculating on this all season so without knowing who this is I'm not going to give it any more credibility than other random Twitter user.

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Justin Smith is an interesting case to me. He's clearly not an NBA player at this point and has a lot to work on. But, he's also a guy that is a two-year starter (3 if he comes back) heading into his senior year and potentially will have his degree already. 

Other than any team goals he has, what is the benefit to coming back to school? I'm not sure if he'll ever develop a reliable jumper or adequate ball handling skills, but he has just as much, if not more of a chance of developing those skills in the G League as he does in college. In the G League he'd be playing and practicing in an NBA system with no restrictions on practice time or workout time with coaches and trainers. 

So while there's almost no chance of him getting drafted and/or making an NBA team this year or really even getting drafted next year, if he has his degree what is the benefit to coming back other than any team goals he might have? Completely understandable if he just prefers college and would rather play on national TV 30 times in front of big crowds, but otherwise if the goal and his focus is on professional preparation, then I'm not sure coming back makes sense. 

Again, my premise is under the assumption he's getting his degree this Spring or Summer. 

Edit: Don't take this as me hoping he doesn't come back. My hope for IU is that he comes back. 

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The G league makes sense if you are good enough to make a roster. Looks to me like it becomes a numbers game. There are 28 G league teams and the minimum roster size is 10, with a maximum of 13. That's a range of 280 - 364 players in the league. A quick look at the latest rosters and it's closer to 280 than 364. It begs the question, what % of the kids who go early entry today would make the G league if they are not drafted in the NBA?

The NBA draft is 60 players over two rounds pulled from all the seniors eligible, players in the G league that are eligible, and all the international players who are eligible. The G league teams already have pretty full rosters. It is unlikely they will drop a large number of their current rosters for new faces. And I pointed out previously there are roughly 205 who have added their name to the early entry list already. Meaning, if you make the G league it's good money (six figures) for five months work, but many of the kids this year will never see the NBA and only a fraction are likely to make the G league.

It's a gamble and the odds appear to be heavily against kids coming out early. I'd think the majority will then turn to playing overseas, which is also not a bad option if you can handle it. 

End of the day, I hope Justin makes the best decision for him and it just so happens to be playing for IU one more season. One where it is clear he is committed to working on his game and become the most complete player he can be. The same options will be available to him next year barring a major injury and that, in and of itself, may be all these guys are thinking about... along with a chance to earn a check.

 

 

 

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The G League is also a means to develop to play professionally outside of the NBA. If he is in line to graduate this summer (I haven't heard anything conclusive), that's a very good route to develop his game to get a spot on an international roster. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In the G League, you're playing and practicing against men, guys on NBA rosters and guys capable of making them, and under NBA - level coaches. 

I do hope he returns, he can be a big piece of our puzzle next season. That's clear. Either way, hope the best for him and his future.

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33 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

The G League is also a means to develop to play professionally outside of the NBA. If he is in line to graduate this summer (I haven't heard anything conclusive), that's a very good route to develop his game to get a spot on an international roster. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In the G League, you're playing and practicing against men, guys on NBA rosters and guys capable of making them, and under NBA - level coaches. 

I do hope he returns, he can be a big piece of our puzzle next season. That's clear. Either way, hope the best for him and his future.

Great point and I'm glad you brought it up. So many fans think, 'he'll never make the NBA, he'll be stuck in the G League so leaving would be a huge mistake!?'

While the NBA is certainly the pinnacle for every player, there are lots of really, really good leagues around the world where you can make a lot of money playing basketball. If he has his degree and playing professional basketball is his ultimate goal/dream, then there are really good reasons to leave. 

I hope he feels like he has unfinished business at IU so he stays, but I'd completely understand it if he left. Basketball has gone global over the last 30 years. There is a very good living to be made playing basketball even if you never step foot on an NBA court. 

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10 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Great point and I'm glad you brought it up. So many fans think, 'he'll never make the NBA, he'll be stuck in the G League so leaving would be a huge mistake!?'

While the NBA is certainly the pinnacle for every player, there are lots of really, really good leagues around the world where you can make a lot of money playing basketball. If he has his degree and playing professional basketball is his ultimate goal/dream, then there are really good reasons to leave. 

I hope he feels like he has unfinished business at IU so he stays, but I'd completely understand it if he left. Basketball has gone global over the last 30 years. There is a very good living to be made playing basketball even if you never step foot on an NBA court. 

From what I have read is that if you go over seas you better get into the best leagues.  If not there is a good chance that it will be a bad experience and might have trouble getting paid.

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3 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

From what I have read is that if you go over seas you better get into the best leagues.  If not there is a good chance that it will be a bad experience and might have trouble getting paid.

Does that happen? Sure. It does. But, that's mostly at the lower levels overseas. Guys playing in the top leagues are pretty safe from that. I haven't heard too many, if any, horror stories from the IU guys currently playing overseas. There was just a Q/A on ITH this week with Zeisloft where he said he left his G League Team in February for an overseas deal he couldn't turn down. 

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1 minute ago, BGleas said:

Does that happen? Sure. It does. But, that's mostly at the lower levels overseas. Guys playing in the top leagues are pretty safe from that. I haven't heard too many, if any, horror stories from the IU guys currently playing overseas. There was just a Q/A on ITH this week with Zeisloft where he said he left his G League Team in February for an overseas deal he couldn't turn down. 

I just don't see Justin getting a big deal from a top league over there.

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13 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

I just don't see Justin getting a big deal from a top league over there.

I don't either, but he has a chance to make a leap with another year experience.  Right now hard for me to see him getting paid.  I get paying to see your favorite college team, but who's paying to watch a collection of Justin Smith-level talent play professionally?  Zeisloft, I get.  He's a freaking sniper and has a specialist skill that can get him on better teams.  As much as I like Justin Smith, there are a bunch of players that can rebound and shoot effectively from five feet in.  Who is paying for that skill set?

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