So with the assumption this will be a small class, are there any whispers as to who may be a part of this class? I have heard the name Efton Reid thrown around, but how realistic would that be? Could Jalen Hood-Schifino recommit and reclassify now that Capel has results and not just a vision. He could certainly split minutes with Horton. Will Capel just turn to grad transfers to plug gaps or try to get more JC type reclassifications?
Any recruiting whispers?
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I suppose the possibility exists that we could have three scholarship open (Brown, Nike and Hughley) or more if someone like Gerald decided to transfer.
I see them having 5 scholarships to give unless Gerald stays. Pretty clearly gonna have to replace Champ at this point.
He may vary well go because that’s what kids do, go and get their $ ASAP.
But as far as NBA, he’s nowhere near ready, and you of anyone who likes to pick through and find all the flaws of all the Pitt players should know that
He doesn’t have many flaws. 6’6-6’7 with amazing second jump ability and toughness who has a knack for scoring is a perfect swing forward for today’s NBA. He’d honestly be a fool to come back he’s proven everything he can, won’t get much better than this in college (cuz how could he) and has had 2 knee injuries in 2 seasons.
If he were wearing a Duke jersey last night he’d be a top 10 pick. Pretty naive to think he should come back.
I watch a decent amount of NBA and I just don’t see it. He’s not a lockdown defender at all, lateral quickness is a struggle at times. And he is nowhere near a consistent shooter from deep. All his points come from layups/dunks in the paint and offensive rebounds. Doesn’t even attempt to dribble/create for others.
I just don’t see him guarding NBA 3s. And 4s will be too tall/strong for him.
I don’t see that as a formula success in the NBA. Will someone take a shot on him? Sure.
But honestly, I see more of a role for Toney in the NBA as a guy who embraces guarding a star like Dort... Champ I see more as a guy who’s a star somewhere overseas.
I never said I see him being successful in the NBA. He’s not gonna be able to improve on almost any of what you said while at Pitt and if he’s a first team all ACC this year would have his best opportunity to have a team take a chance on him. If he puts up the exact same numbers for 2 more years his stock will drop if he stays the same player.
plus his education is guaranteed. If even one team says they’ll pick him he should leave
And you’re thinking like a rational human being who is a fan. He is gonna have a lot of people telling him different stuff in the next few months.
Mostly agree with this take. Champ was the best player on the court last night, but Jalen Johnson was clearly the better NBA prospect. Bigger, faster, beating double teams. Had huge blocks in recovery (one he took off the glass LeBron style). There was a huge distance between Champ and Johnson as NBA caliber players.
Disagree. The NBA finds talent wherever it is. Dayton had a top 10 pick last year. Random ballclubs in Turkey and Tel Aviv have produced more top 10 picks than Pitt. You think scouts are going to elevate a player into the top 10 solely because he went to Duke? If that were the case, you'd have the entire top 10 every year from Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Kentucky.
Yeah, I agree with you there. Just have to try to sell him on the fact of where he can show improvement (defending, shooting, off the bounce) and also try to have a big year team-wise next year then he can leave.
Although, if he keeps up his production at this rate and is the ACC Player of the Year, then maybe this year is our year and maybe we’re a S16 team.
And the knee injuries definitely change things and can be a good reason to leave.
May not necessarily be that small by basketball class size standards There are 2 openings right now. With a 3rd potentially possible depending on the outcome of the pending ongoing legal proceedings
So I think we’re just going to have to wait a while and see what develops. In the meantime, hope the team can keep playing well and winning. Because that ought to make Pitt a much more appealing destination to ANY very talented available recruits.
NBA drafts on potential not production. But man, Champ has a few more games where he drops in 3-4 threes it is getting more and more likely that he may move on.
You may have some valid observations there.
But you seem to be discounting what Champ’s vision and timeframe may be, particularly how that will change if he continues with this success.
On his current trajectory, I’d think he’ll likely view himself as ready for the next step and select that option.
Yeah I agree with that, he may want to take his chance and get paid. And he’s not wrong for doing that.
I’m more arguing against the posters who suddenly think he’s a lottery pick or something haha. Guys like Cassius Winston or Luka Garza dominate the college game for 3-4 years but Just don’t have lottery-pick potential, and guys like Steven Adams don’t really produce but go Top 10.
I agree. Especially if he's 6'6". If he's 6'9", that is a different story.
To be a lottery pick you need at least one of, and usually multiple of the following: elite size, speed, shooting, distribution. Champ, as good as he is, checks none of these boxes.
- Average wing height in the NBA is 6'8". Justin is listed at 6'6". So that's a nope.
- Speed, you're talking someone like Jayson Tatum. I just don't see that from Justin.
- Elite shooting is 40% or better. Justin is shooting 27% for his career from 3 (32% this year). While he's been hot recently, he absolutely needs to hit close to 40% to be close to a lottery pick.
I think Justin could play in the NBA one day but for him to be a lottery pick he'd need to play at an extremely high level for not just this year but probably next year as well. He just doesn't have the underlying physical gifts that would put him in that class without significant strides in his shooting game.
He won’t be a lottery pick
But he’ll get drafted
Well 1) I put the qualifier of it that if he was wearing a Duke uni
2) 3 point shooting percentage is meaningless for NBA projections of NBA 3 pt percent
3. His physical limitation aren’t changing and his stock will never be higher than this season.
You're smoking crack about shooting percentages. It's absolutely predictive, especially with undersized/slow players where you need something beyond their burst and size for them to play in the league. You think scrawny Ty Jerome is getting drafted if he's not a career 40% guy? Or Cam Johnson? How do you think NBA scouts evaluate shooting then?
Most players don't get significantly taller in college. He wasn't born with it so he just has to improve his basketball skills even further. Believe it or not but there are a ton of 6'6" guys that can hit on a backdoor cut or shoot 32% from 3. That's not special at the next level, and if he declares this year, I doubt he's a 1st round pick.
It would be great for Pitt
But I recommend enjoying him this season
He’s a natural ball player with great instincts
He’s going after this season
For perspective, in ESPN's top 100 for the draft, Jalen Johnson is number 6, Hurt from last night is 44, and Marcus Carr (a Wooden Candidate) is 64. The nay sayers will say he won ACC player of the year in a down ACC year and he has also had 2 knee injuries. The latter could make him want to declare rather than risk injury. However, NBA teams may have reservations for taking him for that same reason. Every ACC player of the year has been drafted over the last 15 years, however, some have been mid-to late 2nd round picks and majority have been non lottery picks.
I only talk to 3-4 NBA scouts a week about dudes so I probably am not the best person to ask what they use as a predictor to NBA 3 point percentages...
FT shooting and form are much more predictive of how someone will be able to translate to the next level shooting wise than a small sample size of 3’s.
He's a great college basketball player without the physical gifts to make him a 1st round NBA pick.
I personally think we rating him far higher than NBA scouts will because he's our guy. To me, there are guys like this every year. People like Jordan Nwora and Admiral Schofield come to mind. Great players, but the NBA is a different animal. I think he's a second round type and will be back next year.
Wishful thinking. He gone. Most likely a 2nd rounder or I drafted but this is gonna be his last season with Pitt.
As awed as I was watching Justin last night, I think we all saw what an elite NBA prospect looks like in Jalen Johnson. His skill set is night and day to Justin’s. JC might be a better player currently or even in the future, but Johnson is exactly what the NBA wants in terms of skill, athleticism and projectability.
There's shooting averages and there's shooting averages at volume. You mean to tell me that scouts don't care about Saddiq Bey's 45% on six 3-pt attempts per game? Scouts don't care about that and that's why when you read Bey's scouting profiles it specifically says he's shooting at a high average and a high volume?
Johnson is a star in the NBA. Then you have 30-40’prospects who think they’re a star. They need guys like Champ who 1) don’t have to dribble to score and 2) know their role
no one is suggesting he’s getting drafted to audition for the role of Kevin Durant. He’s auditioning for exactly what he’selite at. Being a junk yard dog.
Lol scouting profiles. That’s pretty cute.
champ should leave this year and anyone telling him not to is doing him a disservice. His shot will improve when he isn’t limited to 20 hours of basketball a week.
He should begin to watch what he does on campus because after last night heno doubt has a PI following his every move.
Dude, you said that the NBA doesn't care about college shooting percentages. That was an SMF-level of buffoonery. And then you acted like you have all of these connections. I'm not a pro basketball player but I'm not clueless either.
Don't be so condescending. Your resume is unverifiable but your claims about the NBA not caring about shooting percentages is just wrong. Own up to it or don't, but don't be a jerk.
If he's not projected as a first round pick, there's a chance he could come back for another year. I wouldn't evaluate him as a first round pick and I'm both projecting/hoping that he decides to return for 1 more to help him make the best impression possible to NBA evaluators.
Exactly... he just has to have the opportunity to get drafted and then he's gone.
Late 2nd round or whenever.
The NBA will develop whatever they think he needs to be a good role player on a team.
I know a bunch of guys test the waters and then come back.... not sure how that works.
Do you see that as a possibility at all?
Are you asking yourself?
A prominent head coach told me 3 years ago all the NBA ppl say you put your name in you should go because that’s your shot.Once they’re aware of you they’ll pick your game apart to death.
I think they use a combination of free throws, form, volume, and 3 point %. But i believe it's a stew of analytics
Getting paid anything is far superior to being paid nothing
If a guy shoots 27 percent from 3 in a college season but 85 percent from the line and has good form, they’ll project him as a good 3 point shooter and blame a variety of facts involved which explains away their percentage. This is what I was trying to convey. Oftentimes the 3 pt percent is based on an extremely low volume in college which can be good or bad for the shooter.
