DraftExpress - Top NBA Prospects in Big East (Semaj #2) [Archive]

mistabeecee41

10-08-2013, 12:22 PM

DraftExpress breaks down the top NBA prospects in all of the major conferences and they've made their way to the Big East. McDermott was #1, Semaj comes in at #2.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Top-NBA-Prospects-in-the-Big-East-Part-2-Semaj-Christon-Video-4349

Video is 17 minutes long (i haven't even watched it yet)

GoMuskies

10-08-2013, 12:25 PM

muskiefan82

10-08-2013, 12:52 PM

I am willing to wager that Semaj goes higher in next year's draft than McDermott. McDermott may be the best player in the conference this year and win league player of the year (and may clearly deserve it), but I find it VERY hard to believe that NBA GMs are going to prefer McDermott to Christon.

Correct.(IMHO) Semaj has much more upside that McDermott. McDermott is a great college player. I am not sure what that will translate to in the NBA. Semaj is a big guard. They are valuable and the draft will show that.

Titanxman04

10-08-2013, 12:56 PM

Correct.(IMHO) Semaj has much more upside that McDermott. McDermott is a great college player. I am not sure what that will translate to in the NBA. Semaj is a big guard. They are valuable and the draft will show that.

Well look at Luke Harengody (sp?) from Notre Dame. The kid was unreal at ND and in the Big East, but he disappeared in the NBA. College players don't really always equate into awesome NBAers. Then again, I've never seen this McDermott kid play, so my opinion is about as useful as BBC on ladies night at Dana's.

casualfan

10-08-2013, 01:03 PM

Well look at Luke Harengody (sp?) from Notre Dame. The kid was unreal at ND and in the Big East, but he disappeared in the NBA. College players don't really always equate into awesome NBAers. Then again, I've never seen this McDermott kid play, so my opinion is about as useful as BBC on ladies night at Dana's.

Harangody and McDermott are totally different players.

They are white and play basketball. That is about all they have in common.

mistabeecee41

10-08-2013, 01:03 PM

Well look at Luke Harengody (sp?) from Notre Dame. The kid was unreal at ND and in the Big East, but he disappeared in the NBA. College players don't really always equate into awesome NBAers. Then again, I've never seen this McDermott kid play, so my opinion is about as useful as BBC on ladies night at Dana's.

Don't think the Harangody comparison is a good one. While by no stretch do I think McDermott will be a dominant NBA player, he's a knock down 3 point shooter at 6'9. He'll find a niche as a backup big that can stretch the floor.

Titanxman04

10-08-2013, 01:11 PM

Harangody and McDermott are totally different players.

They are white and play basketball. That is about all they have in common.

Don't think the Harangody comparison is a good one. While by no stretch do I think McDermott will be a dominant NBA player, he's a knock down 3 point shooter at 6'9. He'll find a niche as a backup big that can stretch the floor.

Once again, I have never seen the kid play.

My comparrison is that Harangody was an excellent college player but it never translated to the NBA. I'm not saying McDermott won't make it to the NBA either, and certainly a team will pick him up. I'm simply agreeing with what was already stated that Semaj is probably the better prospect in terms of potential.

casualfan

10-08-2013, 01:51 PM

Once again, I have never seen the kid play.

My comparrison is that Harangody was an excellent college player but it never translated to the NBA. I'm not saying McDermott won't make it to the NBA either, and certainly a team will pick him up. I'm simply agreeing with what was already stated that Semaj is probably the better prospect in terms of potential.

I understood your point.

Mine was that I find it hard to value your opinion on player A over player B when you admittedly have never seen player B play.

Titanxman04

10-08-2013, 01:58 PM

I understood your point.

Mine was that I find it hard to value your opinion on player A over player B when you admittedly have never seen player B play.

Valid. I was simply adding to what was previously said by GoMuskies in that while McDermott may be the better player or finish higher in the POY voting, Semaj would probably be a better pro prospect.

casualfan

10-08-2013, 02:19 PM

Valid. I was simply adding to what was previously said by GoMuskies in that while McDermott may be the better player or finish higher in the POY voting, Semaj would probably be a better pro prospect.

It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out. All the mocks I have seen have them pretty close together so it could come down to what the drafting team needs.

The biggest thing for Semaj will be to show an improved jumper. As good as he was last year he was pretty brutal shooting it from deep.

Milhouse

10-08-2013, 02:21 PM

The NBA draft is about potential and filling needs too...especially after the top 5 picks or so.

Titanxman04

10-08-2013, 02:26 PM

It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out. All the mocks I have seen have them pretty close together so it could come down to what the drafting team needs.

The biggest thing for Semaj will be to show an improved jumper. As good as he was last year he was pretty brutal shooting it from deep.

Free throw shooting is the other thing. He'll need a full arsenal to be the stud he truly can be. I can't wait to see it on the floor at X though.

Milhouse

10-08-2013, 02:31 PM

Caveat

10-08-2013, 02:54 PM

Assuming Semaj is the same player next year that he was this year, I see him having a Lance Stephenson type road to the NBA.

PMI

10-08-2013, 02:57 PM

Assuming Semaj is the same player next year that he was this year, I see him having a Lance Stephenson type road to the NBA.

The road where you barely make a team until you get demoted for pushing your girlfriend down the stairs? I see Semaj taking a different path.

Milhouse

10-08-2013, 03:31 PM

The road where you barely make a team until you get demoted for pushing your girlfriend down the stairs? I see Semaj taking a different path.

Say what you will about him and he's obviously got some character issues but he's playing pretty well for the pacers right before he hits free agency...

casualfan

10-08-2013, 03:34 PM

Assuming Semaj is the same player next year that he was this year

Why would you assume that? I'll be very disappointed if he hasn't shown improvement over last year.

drudy23

10-08-2013, 04:12 PM

Not really...I think Semaj could be a Rajon Rondo type. Who btw is a sub .700 free throw shooter and sub .300 3 point shooter.

Semaj has great great court vision. We don't see it a ton because he played off ball a lot last year.

Oh geez...Rajon Rondo's strengths far outweighs his low free throw and three point shooting. He's the best player on the planet in terms of finding open shooters and creating for other players on the court. If Semaj played like Rajon Rondo, he'd be the number one pick in the draft.

He's one of the few players in the world that can completely dictate a game. Semaj isn't there.

Milhouse

10-08-2013, 04:40 PM

Oh geez...Rajon Rondo's strengths far outweighs his low free throw and three point shooting. He's the best player on the planet in terms of finding open shooters and creating for other players on the court. If Semaj played like Rajon Rondo, he'd be the number one pick in the draft.

He's one of the few players in the world that can completely dictate a game. Semaj isn't there.

And yet Rajon Rondo was the 21st pick of the draft....he developed in the league. Many players do. Maj could very very easily be one of them.

He is not Rajon Rondo and chances are he won't be anywhere to close to him. But I love his court vision and his ability to take over a game.

ballyhoohoo

10-08-2013, 05:14 PM

Would Kyle Korver be a better comparison for the coaches son

casualfan

10-08-2013, 05:50 PM

Would Kyle Korver be a better comparison for the coaches son

If you're asking me I would say no although I admittedly didn't see much if any of Korver in college (was he more of an inside threat back then?)

The more I think about it though the more i have trouble finding a comparison for McDermott.

I watched a decent amount of McDermott last year and the thing that stuck out to me was how deadly he is from both inside and out (this is why i wouldn't say Korver).

Typically when you have a guy who is described as an inside/outside threat he is much better at one of the two and the other is simply there to keep people honest. Not McDermott. He's as crafty a scorer in the paint as I can remember and he is as pure as it gets from deep.

He shot the three at 49% last year which is damn good for anybody (he was second in the country in 3p %), but for a guy 6 '8 225 that's crazy.

Milhouse

10-09-2013, 08:34 AM

I've heard "the poor mans larry bird" thrown around. I can see the comparison in college but don't think he'll have that effect in the NBA.

Charlesbt4

10-09-2013, 09:29 AM

In terms of basketball skill set, Doug McDermott is Adam Morrison 2.0. That isn't much of a compliment, at least as it relates to NBA potential.

casualfan

10-09-2013, 09:34 AM

In terms of basketball skill set, Doug McDermott is Adam Morrison 2.0.

You're kidding right? McDermott is a better inside and outside threat than Morrison ever was.

McDermott may end up being a bust in the NBA, but as far as the college game goes McDermott is a much much better player.

GoMuskies

10-09-2013, 09:38 AM

I wouldn't go so far as to say McDermott is a much better college player than Morrison. Morrison averaged 28 points, 5.5 boards and 2 assists per game while shooting 50% (43% from 3) his last year. That's pretty tough to top.

McDermott is certainly a different player than Morrision, though, and likely a better pro (not exactly going out on a limb given Morrison's pro career).

Charlesbt4

10-09-2013, 09:44 AM

You're kidding right? McDermott is a better inside and outside threat than Morrison ever was.

McDermott may end up being a bust in the NBA, but as far as the college game goes McDermott is a much much better player.

If you're considering only statistical shooting percentages, then you're really missing the point. Their skill sets, which include offensive capabilities (shooting, scoring, passing, and dribbling, etc.) and defensive capabilities (rebounding, ability or inability to guard 3s and 4s in the NBA, and filling passing lanes, etc.) are incredibly, incredibly similar.

nuts4xu

10-09-2013, 09:46 AM

I watched a decent amount of McDermott last year and the thing that stuck out to me was how deadly he is from both inside and out (this is why i wouldn't say Korver).

Korver was deadly from outside. Anyone who saw the Creighton game on New Years Eve many years ago at the Cintas Center, will tell you how deadly he is from outside. I don't know his scoring line from that game, but he drilled 3 3's in the last minute to nearly come back and beat that David West led
Xavier team. He also has had a nice career so far in the NBA, and white guys don't last that long in the league without being proficient in a few aspects of their game.

casualfan

10-09-2013, 09:52 AM

If you're considering only statistical shooting percentages, then you're really missing the point. Their skill sets, which include offensive capabilities (shooting, scoring, passing, and dribbling, etc.) and defensive capabilities (rebounding, ability or inability to guard 3s and 4s in the NBA, and filling passing lanes, etc.) are incredibly, incredibly similar.

I guess I'm missing the point then. If as you say they have similar abilities (i.e. shooting and rebounding) wouldn't the numbers bare that out?

casualfan

10-09-2013, 09:53 AM

Korver was deadly from outside. Anyone who saw the Creighton game on New Years Eve many years ago at the Cintas Center, will tell you how deadly he is from outside. I don't know his scoring line from that game, but he drilled 3 3's in the last minute to nearly come back and beat that David West led
Xavier team. He also has had a nice career so far in the NBA, and white guys don't last that long in the league without being proficient in a few aspects of their game.

Yeah, i know Korver was deadly from the outside, i just didn't remember him being nearly as much of a threat inside. As I said before I didn't see much of Korver in college to remember so i can't really comment on that.

Charlesbt4

10-09-2013, 09:59 AM

I guess I'm missing the point then. If as you say they have similar abilities (i.e. shooting and rebounding) wouldn't the numbers bare that out?

No. In fact, shooting percentages and rebounding totals would not necessarily demonstrate similar or dissimilar abilities. And again, you're focusing on a limited number of skills. First, it was just shooting (percentages). Now, it's shooting (percentages) and rebounding (figures).

casualfan

10-09-2013, 10:03 AM

No. In fact, shooting percentages and rebounding totals would not necessarily demonstrate similar or dissimilar abilities. And again, you're focusing on a limited number of skills. First, it was just shooting (percentages). Now, it's shooting (percentages) and rebounding (figures).

You kind of lost me here man. I was always of the belief that shots made versus shots missed was a pretty good indicator of a guys ability to shoot.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

PMI

10-09-2013, 11:20 AM

I think it's pretty far fetched to ay McDermott is a MUCH better player than Morrison was. Morrison was one of the best players in the country, hands down. I think a lot of his struggles in the NBA had to do with his head and poor conditioning/work ethic, as well as being drafted to purgatory. That said, he was an ENORMOUS bust in every sense of the word. I can't see McDermott being a total bust in the NBA, but I can't see him going 3rd overall either. I think McDermott will be a solid bench player who can stretch the floor offensively, and will probably be too much of a liability on defense to ever be a legit starter.

drudy23

10-09-2013, 11:28 AM

Decent comparison is probably the other Notre Dame big from a few years ago - Troy Murphy. Both had solid outside and post games - McDermott probably a better outside shooter. Murphy hasn't been stellar in the NBA, but I think he's still playing decent minutes somewhere.

PMI

10-09-2013, 11:32 AM

I love how white players always have to be compared to other white players. God forbid McDermott have a skill set that's closer to, say, a black player in the NBA.

XUFan09

10-09-2013, 11:47 AM

I love how white players always have to be compared to other white players. God forbid McDermott have a skill set that's closer to, say, a black player in the NBA.

Lol. It's like when Macura committed, people were calling him a taller Redford. Um, what?

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Caveat

10-09-2013, 12:35 PM

I love how white players always have to be compared to other white players. God forbid McDermott have a skill set that's closer to, say, a black player in the NBA.

Black QBs in the NFL get the same thing.

PMI

10-09-2013, 01:13 PM

Black QBs in the NFL get the same thing.

True, which is funny since I'd argue that there is a lot more diversity amongst the games/skill sets/types of players they are, of the current black QBs than there is the current white QBs.

drudy23

10-09-2013, 04:28 PM

Well...name me a Black player that plays like Murphy or McDermott.

Likely also couldn't name a White player that plays like Derrick Rose or Vince Carter.