This is how highlight reels trick people into thinking someone is a decent defender. This entire video amounts to 1 or 2 strong defensive possessions per game over an ENTIRE season.
@grinding_tape did an equal length video of his bad possessions while only covering TWO games😭
We’ve all seen the clips highlighting Darius Acuff’s defensive issues and it would be disingenuous to hand wave them. Still, I don’t think Acuff is a lost cause.
I won’t argue that Acuff has been good nor would I project him to be good at the next level as being “good” at something requires consistency in both effort and ability and he hasn’t shown consistent effort on that side of the ball. I think part of it may be an effort to not pick up fouls, but that also shouldn’t excuse the inconsistency. The ability on the other hand is something I believe he does possess and the core issue is how often he is willing to lock in, sit down, and guard. Getting him to buy into that part will be up to his next team.
All that to say…here is four minutes of Darius Acuff locking in and guarding.
All of this is facts, except Wagler is currently better than Peterson. Peterson just has the higher theoretical upside because of his length & athleticism.
DP isn’t 1/4 of the playmaker Wagler is. Both give similar effort on D but DP’s tools make him the better defender by a bit
Small sample but Mikel Brown Jr. is more risky and erratic than people want to admit. Big time upside but a lot of the efficiency and production concerns people have with Nate Ament should apply to MBJ as well.
Keaton Wagler is still clearly the best guard after Darryn Peterson for me.
Hate this scenario. Need Wags to end up on LAC or GSW so he can train with Kawhi or Steph.
Either of those 2 are the perfect vets for him to train with and iron out his weaknesses + maximize his strengths.
B/R listed a Kawhi Leonard trade to Golden State as one of the moves they’d like to see on or before draft night.
In the deal, the Warriors land a top-10 player, while the Clippers get Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, and draft Mikel Brown Jr./Keaton Wagler and Aday Mara.
@TargetGuyJY@onballcreator PG is a great defender when he turns it on but he can sometimes be pretty lazy on that end, though his size and length help him make up for it. I don’t consider him a high effort defender though he’s undoubtedly good and can be great.
@Blo_via_ting@mathomp_501 The fact one of them clearly has the higher iq and a plethora of intangibles that make him more likely to reach or even surpass his ceiling should make it an easy choice.
ESPN’s Player Comparisons for the Top 12 Prospects in the Draft:
AJ Dybantsa — Supercharged Jaylen Brown
Darryn Peterson — Damian Lillard with better tools
Cameron Boozer — Kevin Love with more ball skills
Caleb Wilson — Bouncier Pascal Siakam
Keaton Wagler — Slower-paced Tyrese Haliburton
Darius Acuff Jr. — Jalen Brunson
Kingston Flemings — De'Aaron Fox
Aday Mara — Brook Lopez with more passing
Mikel Brown Jr. — Smaller LaMelo Ball
Nate Ament — Bigger Harrison Barnes
Brayden Burries — Less athletic Derrick White
Yaxel Lendeborg — Jalen Johnson