it’s always an issue.. if you backread, it’s been discussed by some people here.. and it has youtube as well..
I was part of that discussion. I rattled off weaknesses in a post similar to how Yeshkel displayed in his video. I know as well as anybody what they are. I'm just asking if there are more, because a lot of people are somehow convinced that Kai will never get his weaknesses fixed, or that half of his weaknesses are a product of his still developing body.
Jasper
So why do you think scouts still don't rate Kai high?
Conspiracy. Bias . What?
Or perhaps it's the extent of the weaknesses that makes it difficult to envision it can be improved over time ? Is that not a possibility that scouts view it as such.
Note also Kai in the 2022 draft is above the average age , in 2023 it gets worst. And were not talking about a late Boomer here . In fact I reckon Kai has the benefit of the most exposure to NBA personnel.
Perhaps the assessment is not only is Kai's current level not fully developed but the consensus opinion is his upside to address those weaknesses is not realistic
have you ever thought that is a possibility?
Is it not possible that Kai's natural defense abilities is not Gobert type but more sumilar to Boban type ? Think about it.
Natural defense tendencies is a talent, and perhaps Kai does not have that natural talent. (Height alone does not make you a natural talented defender )
I'll compartmentalize my response.
1. Unless we have connections to well placed scouts in the NBA, we have zero idea on who gets drafted until a few weeks or so before it. We are months away. And mocks don't always mirror the real thing; like someone said, Anthony Bennett. Nobody expected the Cavs to take him 1st overall. My opinion about Kai not ranking high has always been to the mocks, not the actual scouts. I've been consistent in this regard.
2. The consensus about Kai's weakness not addressed is also from the mocks, or at least concluded from them. That means we still have no idea about their real gradings. Not only that, but Kai's biggest weakness from the TSF-Ignite days has been addressed, which was speed. He's not the most active player out there but Kai can keep up with NBL pros downhill. Doesn't that show that he can improve on his weaknesses? Or are we going to act like it was never the case?
3. Kai knows how to protect the rim well. We've seen that effect in all of the FIBA games under Coach Tab. I agree that natural defense is a talent that Kai doesn't have, but to imply that he's useless at the NBA level on defense when he's held his own against NBA prospects, NBL players, and Delly, is a bit much.
I already know the stance of the mocks. Nobody has to tell me (or us, in general) how they feel and what the criteria for getting into them are. I think I'm free to point out hypocrisy when I see it, like chalking up X's one game as the draft ticket while Y should go through a whole season despite doing much better. Remember when I was last active, I think this was when Kai was still about to go to the NBL, that if he averaged anywhere near Josh Giddey's numbers, he'd have a real chance going into the draft or something along those lines? I truly think this way still, but at the same time I can also accept that there are factors beyond Kai's control that stop him from being recognized in the mocks. I also think that scouts doing their homework is proof that Kai has legit interest from NBA teams, and that like you and me, there are also foreign opinions that correspond with my line of thinking, like Coach Bruton and Coach Allen.
So in essence, I think the actual scouts in the NBA rate Kai high enough (high enough to be drafted regardless of round) to be asking about him. Not just from what we see, but from training too. It's scarier to have nobody asking about you, than to be ranked low publicly but still be asked about.
