3 of our most underestimated players

[sillent]

Their are 3 players in particular that most pundits have been sleeping on since the off-season started.

DeAndre Bembry our longest tenured Hawk has been overlooked & slept on by most when we speak of our young core. I think many forget that last yr,(although his 3rd) was technically Bembry's rookie yr. He not only was one of our best defenders last yr but also one of the only ones other than Trae that could consistently drive to the basket & once coach Pierce got him to focus on making his layups or going harder at the rim he had more highlights than mishaps. He was known to not be able to shoot 3's at all before the season but started the season shooting them at a pretty decent pace before his shot kind've telled off. Overall I'm sure Bembry has put even more time on his shot and with a yr under his belt will be a major role player for us next year despite having competition at positions he plays.

Damian Jones I believe is slept on most because he is more of a mystery. Ironically there were 2 young centers that have impressed me last year for what they are already capable of & what they can become & those 2 were Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones. Sure it took Spellman to knock take his off-season conditioning seriously but if we were going to trade Omari, Damian was a great choice especially since we just picked up Fernando who I view as more of our backup pf than center. Omari literally dwarfed Fernando in summer league. Jones is a legit 7ft C who played well with the superstars of Golden State. Their system didn't really require a big man but when they did use him he's shown to have a knack for put backs and allies. He also has good shooting form so I would not be surprised if he picks up where Dedmon left off except of course younger & more athletic. He's only 24 & was the 30th draft pick in 2016. Big men usually take the longest to develop in the league so we are also getting him at a perfect time where he's won championship's & spent his early years developing with a championship team. I expect him to be a force on defense & offensive putbacks & for the rebounds he doesn't get I'm sure John Collins & company won't mind adding that to their stats.

Jabari Parker is getting alot of mixed reviews with his main knock being his defense. I believe coach Pierce will atleast mold him into a decent defender this year but also that he will gel with the squad alot better than people expect even in a reserve role. Possibly so much that he stays for the duration of his contract while also helping us recruit Giannis when he becomes a free agent.

All 3 of these players are around the same age (24-25) & although not as shiny as our new toys like Collins, Young, Huerter, Hunter, Reddish, Fernando they are still part of our young core along with Len & leaves us about 10 core players deep. Sure if someone doesn't end up being a good fit the core could continue to evolve but a core this good, this young might end up being a scary team for yrs to come in this league.

 

[Thomas]

Think Bembry will get his minutes as the stopper he is and he does have handles as well but believe game situation when Huerter goes out is what his role each game depends on. If we need a stopper at times, then it will be Bembry. If we need that three point gun with Huerter sitting then it won't be. Don't think he will have the three positions opportunity this time around unless Turner bombs or Cam isn't ready for longer than expected. Like him a lot so hope his offensive efficiency shows improvement so we can still see him on the court. 

[benhillboy]

Biggest Bembry fan right here, never slept on him.

[NBASupes]

Outside of the rookies

Trae Young 

Bembry

Jabari Parker 

[sillent]

6 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Outside of the rookies

Trae Young 

Bembry

Jabari Parker 

I'm slightly confused. You think Trae will be slept on this yr or are you putting him in the slept on as a draft pick category?

[NBASupes]

4 hours ago, sillent said:

I'm slightly confused. You think Trae will be slept on this yr or are you putting him in the slept on as a draft pick category?

He is slept on by the national media and analytics. 

[AHF]

In what sense was Bembry “technically” a rookie last year?  I get the statement that he got his first big break last year but this isn’t a situation where he played his first game last season so I can’t gey behind that being “technically” his rookie year like Joel Embiid or Blake Griffin has seasons that were technically rookie years in seasons other than the ones immediately following their draft.

[JayBirdHawk]

9 hours ago, AHF said:

In what sense was Bembry “technically” a rookie last year?  I get the statement that he got his first big break last year but this isn’t a situation where he played his first game last season so I can’t gey behind that being “technically” his rookie year like Joel Embiid or Blake Griffin has seasons that were technically rookie years in seasons other than the ones immediately following their draft.

That is true:

1st year he saw limited rookie minutes since we were a playoff team 

2nd year was an injury riddled season but he still played in NBA games.

He was finally able to be healthy for a full season last year.