"He might be the one kid everyone is missing on. He was as hard a worker as Buddy Hield was. Nothing is ever gonna bother him. That kid's a stud. I don't know if he's talented enough, but he's tough as s---. He'll take big shots. He's getting a lot of late buzz, and he should. He could go early second round, which for a kid who was at Portsmouth, that's a pretty big jump"
Anonymous scout on Cousins...
- Thread starter oudna
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And Hield...
"I'm a huge Buddy Hield fan because of the importance of the three in today's NBA. The question is whether he can create a shot for himself. He's not a terrific ballhandler in more than two dribbles. The other question is, does he make everyone else around him better? Special person, worker, will represent your team well. I think he's J.J. Redick. Limited athlete and size, limited as a ballhandler and passer. Tad small for his position. I don't know that he has that much upside. He'll be somewhere in the top 10."
"I'm a huge Buddy Hield fan because of the importance of the three in today's NBA. The question is whether he can create a shot for himself. He's not a terrific ballhandler in more than two dribbles. The other question is, does he make everyone else around him better? Special person, worker, will represent your team well. I think he's J.J. Redick. Limited athlete and size, limited as a ballhandler and passer. Tad small for his position. I don't know that he has that much upside. He'll be somewhere in the top 10."
MsProudSooner
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Don't know what their problem is with his ball handling. As soon as he masters traveling and palming the ball as well as the rest of the NBA, he'll be good to go!
Big Old Booger
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All my Thunder friends tell me these exact same things when I mention the Thunder trading up to get him. :facepalm
Every team in the league would love to have a JJ Redick on their team but how high will they draft one is the question. I think he goes in the top 10 for sure.
LK has always thought that Cousins would some day play in the pros even as a freshman when he was really struggling.
LK has always thought that Cousins would some day play in the pros even as a freshman when he was really struggling.
Sooner04
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Last year, following our loss to Washington in Vegas, I found myself right next to Danny Ainge while exiting the Grand Garden Arena. I asked him who he was scouting while in town, and he said Cousins.
It always surprises me when people knock Buddy's athleticism. Those scouts know more than me, though. By a long shot.
It always surprises me when people knock Buddy's athleticism. Those scouts know more than me, though. By a long shot.
Soonerlover12
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in the lakers workout buddy had a 40 inch vertical
BruinSooner
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I don't know nearly as much as the scouts, but I DO know that Buddy is significantly more athletic than JJ Redick.
greenbug
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LOL. I love Buddy, but he's definitely not a strong ball handler for the NBA right now. I do disagree with the limited athleticism comment though.
furge
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Isaiah seems like a guy who, if he sticks in the League for two years, will stick for ten. He has a little Randy Foye to him: tweener frame, good-not-great point guard tools, knockdown shooter, scrappy defender.
Buddy, I keep coming back to C.J. McCollum. Crafty scorer with underrated athletic tools, huge intangibles, fearless shot - taker. He's going to either start in an incendiary scoring backcourt or be a Microwave Johnson sort of must-see 6th Man. Idk why scouts are backing off him on reports. Probably trying to protect their jobs if he winds up on someone else's roster: "We had reservations, you read all about it. Marquese Chriss was our guy."
Buddy, I keep coming back to C.J. McCollum. Crafty scorer with underrated athletic tools, huge intangibles, fearless shot - taker. He's going to either start in an incendiary scoring backcourt or be a Microwave Johnson sort of must-see 6th Man. Idk why scouts are backing off him on reports. Probably trying to protect their jobs if he winds up on someone else's roster: "We had reservations, you read all about it. Marquese Chriss was our guy."
MsProudSooner
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Me either. I do know that if hard work can fix the problem, Buddy will fix it.
Considering the Thunder don't possess a single draft pick for Thursday night, it would take trading Steven Adams or something to get a top 10 pick.
hoopsaustin
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I don't think cousins will last a season.
Buddy's dribbling ability is definitely below average. His athleticism is very underrated however
Buddy's dribbling ability is definitely below average. His athleticism is very underrated however
DenverSooner
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I used to know some former professional athletes. One played 14 seasons the other was the number 2 pick. The guy that played a long time told me the primary difference between guys that have long careers and guys that have short careers is "want to".
He told me that without a doubt the guy selected number 2 in the draft was better than him but he only played two seasons and a few in the minors.
So I am thinking that you might not want to give Cousins a shot because he might want it just a tad more than many others in the league.
He told me that without a doubt the guy selected number 2 in the draft was better than him but he only played two seasons and a few in the minors.
So I am thinking that you might not want to give Cousins a shot because he might want it just a tad more than many others in the league.
thebigabd
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Look at a guy like Gary Harris for the Denver Nuggets.
6'4'' 210
21 years old
Averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds per game in his second year out of Michigan State. Started all 76 games for the Nuggets. Led them in minutes and games played. Shoots 35% from the 3pt line.
What are the odds Buddy doesn't turn out better than Gary Harris? Who many people consider to be a pretty solid young player, even at 6'4'', in the NBA.
I just don't see how it's possible at this point that Buddy doesn't give you significantly more than Gary Harris, who is a starter putting in 12 per game. If he can do that now, Buddy should be able to come in and average 15+ per game for the right time.
And, if that is true, he should be a top 5 pick.
6'4'' 210
21 years old
Averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds per game in his second year out of Michigan State. Started all 76 games for the Nuggets. Led them in minutes and games played. Shoots 35% from the 3pt line.
What are the odds Buddy doesn't turn out better than Gary Harris? Who many people consider to be a pretty solid young player, even at 6'4'', in the NBA.
I just don't see how it's possible at this point that Buddy doesn't give you significantly more than Gary Harris, who is a starter putting in 12 per game. If he can do that now, Buddy should be able to come in and average 15+ per game for the right time.
And, if that is true, he should be a top 5 pick.
BoulderSooner
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cousins now a projected first round pick per ESPN.com chad ford's latest mock draft
Smash Williams
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No rookie age 23 or older (on Feb 1 of his rookie season) has averaged 15+ PPG in more than 20 years. Technically, one did: Reggie Williams averaged 15.2 PPG in only 24 games in 2009-10 after signing a couple of 10-day contracts. Was he top 5 pick worthy?
Lowering the bar, only two rookies age 23+ have averaged more than 12 PPG in the last decade: MarShon Brooks and Al Thornton. Two years later, Brooks was bouncing around the D-League and Europe; he's now in China. Three years later, Thornton went to Puerto Rico, then China; he's now in the Philippines.
It's rare for older rookies to step in and average 12+ PPG, let alone 15+ PPG. When it happens, it's with maxed-out talents given the green light on really bad teams. Rookies who average 15+ PPG are typically younger guys who were so talented that it made no sense for them to stay in school longer.
That's not to say that a 23-year-old rookie can't eventually succeed, but even older rookies need time to adjust. Only three second-years players age 24 or older have averaged 15+ PPG: Thornton, Wes Matthews, and Chandler Parsons.
That's the history working against Buddy.
I'm sort of just playing devil's advocate here, but I do think you're underestimating the age factor as well as how big of a jump it is from college to the NBA. One problem with the "If Harris can do that, then Buddy can do this..." assumption is that Gary Harris is nine months younger than Buddy. I'm not saying Harris is better than Buddy, but to put things in perspective, how dominant would Harris be in the NCAA next season as a 22-year-old? Buddy gets compared to Redick, but it took Redick years to become a really valuable role player after destroying college competition in a senior season comparable to Buddy's. Also, no one would trade anything close to a top 5 pick for Gary Harris right now, so "better than Gary Harris" isn't a reasonable threshold for top 5 worthiness.
I believe Buddy's risk of being a complete bust is really low, and that's he's capable of improving significantly, but I completely understand why there are reservations about him in the top 5 range.
The other thing when comparing these older rookies is to Buddy is that the comparison is ridiculous. Buddy just had one of the best seasons in college basketball history. If one were to make a top 100 college careers of all time, Buddy is probably on that list.
He's also a GREAT shooter and a solid defender, which in itself guarantees him a long successful career in the NBA. Your floor is a good quality NBA starter, which the only other prospect in the draft you can say that about are Kris Dunn and Ben Simmons.
No, Buddy is not a franchise savior type player, which is why teams like the Sixers, Suns and Lakers shouldn't draft him. But I think he's the perfect 3rd option on a really good team, which is why Minnesota would be insane not to draft him.
He's also a GREAT shooter and a solid defender, which in itself guarantees him a long successful career in the NBA. Your floor is a good quality NBA starter, which the only other prospect in the draft you can say that about are Kris Dunn and Ben Simmons.
No, Buddy is not a franchise savior type player, which is why teams like the Sixers, Suns and Lakers shouldn't draft him. But I think he's the perfect 3rd option on a really good team, which is why Minnesota would be insane not to draft him.
furge
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It really helps Buddy that depth at shooting guard is incredibly low at a time when pace-and-space increasingly dominates roster planning and game strategy. In the Iso Ball era, I don't think his ball handling and height would make him appealing to GMs. Of course, any time before that, Jakob Poetl would've be a Top-5 lock and a guy like him might've even wound up out of the lottery.
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