Early 2021 Draft Chatter

[Kedsy]

Coincidentally, Anderson played 2 years of college at Cal-Berkely, which seems the likely path for Matthew as well.

Matthew's going to play two years at Cal-Berkeley?

[arnie]

I think the best comp for Matthew Hurt if he works hard on his game is Ryan Anderson, the prototype below average athlete stretch forward who played 12 seasons in the league, and was rostered as recently as last season. Coincidentally, Anderson played 2 years of college at Cal-Berkely, which seems the likely path for Matthew as well.

Hadn’t heard that Matt would transfer to Cal-Berkeley and play 2 years before going pro��. Sorry didn’t see Kedsy post above.

[lotusland]

Matthew's going to play two years at Cal-Berkeley?

That’s disappointing. Will he opt out the remainder of the season at Duke? We’ve already lost half of our big two. Might need to pull his Brotherhood card.

[DukieTiger]

That’s disappointing. Will he opt out the remainder of the season at Duke? We’ve already lost half of our big two. Might need to pull his Brotherhood card.

I can see the headlines now: “Duke comes up short without Hurt, Johnson”

Definitely a card-revoking offense for Matt but on the bright side Wendell can play the 4 again.

[kAzE]

Matthew's going to play two years at Cal-Berkeley?

I thought it was pretty obvious I meant that he played 2 years in college, but unless you're being sarcastic, I guess we’re all going for the low hanging fruit rather than an actual response.

He’s Ryan Anderson though.

[Kedsy]

I thought it was pretty obvious I meant that he played 2 years in college, but unless you're being sarcastic, I guess we’re all going for the low hanging fruit rather than an actual response.

He’s Ryan Anderson though.

Of course I was joking. Anderson's not a bad comp.

[JasonEvans]

Anderson's not a bad comp.

I'd say Anderson is a best case scenario, but not at all an unrealistic one, for Hurt. Matt would need to get a little stronger -- hardly tough to imagine given his current age and the fact that he was successful at putting on weight and adding strength last summer -- but the shooting touch is similar.

Anderson has earned over $100 mil in his career. For several seasons, he was shooting about 7 3-pointers per game and making around 40% of them. If NBA teams project Hurt to be similar to Ryan Anderson, he's going in the first round of the draft.

[UrinalCake]

Earlier upthread we were using Kyle Anderson as a comp for Jalen Johnson. Now he’s a comp for Matt Hurt? My head is spinning.

Unfortunately I am among those who are skeptical that Hurt can succeed at the next level given his limited athleticism. I still think Kyle Singler is the closest Duke comp for him (though when I said this a couple months ago I was treated with dirty looks) and we saw how little he was able to do. I don’t think Hurt is a good enough offensive player for teams to be willing to hide him on defense in order to get him on the floor. He can’t create open looks for himself, in college he “creates” by shooting over people which is awesome for us but I don’t see that translating to the next level. Hope I’m wrong.

[SouthernDukie]

Earlier upthread we were using Kyle Anderson as a comp for Jalen Johnson. Now he’s a comp for Matt Hurt? My head is spinning.

Unfortunately I am among those who are skeptical that Hurt can succeed at the next level given his limited athleticism. I still think Kyle Singler is the closest Duke comp for him (though when I said this a couple months ago I was treated with dirty looks) and we saw how little he was able to do. I don’t think Hurt is a good enough offensive player for teams to be willing to hide him on defense in order to get him on the floor. He can’t create open looks for himself, in college he “creates” by shooting over people which is awesome for us but I don’t see that translating to the next level. Hope I’m wrong.

Darn it! I hate to agree, because I love and root for Matthew, but I must. It's hard for me to see Hurt with any kind of legit NBA future. I just think he lacks the athleticism it will take at the next level, and that's why I don't even believe Singler is a good comp. Kyle had some fluidity to his game in spite of not having great hops. But I don't see that with Matthew at all. Not sure what the comp for Hurt is, to be honest.

My guess is if he has any ambition at all for the NBA he'll leave after this season simply because he can't really do any more to improve his stock. But I'd sure love for him to come back because I think we can be very good again next season.

[kAzE]

Earlier upthread we were using Kyle Anderson as a comp for Jalen Johnson. Now he’s a comp for Matt Hurt? My head is spinning.

Kyle Anderson? We were talking about Ryan Anderson. This guy. Matt Hurt's game is nothing like Kyle Anderson's.

It's hard for me to see Hurt with any kind of legit NBA future.

Actually, I totally disagree. He is a really good shooter and he's really tall. Guys like that end up playing a long time in the NBA regardless of their level of athleticism. NBA teams want spacing, and Matt Hurt provides that with a jump shot that is very difficult to block. He's not a 10 year starter or anything, but he's going to be on a roster.

[JasonEvans]

Kyle Anderson? We were talking about Ryan Anderson. This guy. Matt Hurt's game is nothing like Kyle Anderson's.


Actually, I totally disagree. He is a really good shooter and he's really tall. Guys like that end up playing a long time in the NBA regardless of their level of athleticism. NBA teams want spacing, and Matt Hurt provides that with a jump shot that is very difficult to block. He's not a 10 year starter or anything, but he's going to be on a roster.

Folks need to watch this video... don't just watch the 3s. At about 1:30 in, it starts showing Ryan Anderson taking fadeaway 2s... tell me you don't see a lot of what Matthew Hurt does in this video.

[jimsumner]

Kyle Anderson? We were talking about Ryan Anderson. This guy. Matt Hurt's game is nothing like Kyle Anderson's.



Actually, I totally disagree. He is a really good shooter and he's really tall. Guys like that end up playing a long time in the NBA regardless of their level of athleticism. NBA teams want spacing, and Matt Hurt provides that with a jump shot that is very difficult to block. He's not a 10 year starter or anything, but he's going to be on a roster.

Kyle Anderson was the Jalen Johnson comp. Ryan Anderson is the Matt Hurt comp. Kenny Anderson is the comp for whomever spends way too much money on automobiles.

And Sherwood Anderson will write the definitive novel on all this.

[UrinalCake]

Thanks to all for setting me straight on the Andersons. I agree that Hurt’s best move is to leave now. He’s having a great season, it’s a very weak draft, and if he stays then his numbers will likely go down having more dynamic scorers around him. Now, if he enjoys college and wants to play in front of the Crazies again and make a run at a title then those would be reasons to stay. If he wants to graduate in three years then that would be another great reason. He could continue to expand his game and improve his defense and be better prepared to have early success in the league. But from the standpoint of purely maximizing his draft position, I think he’d be best serve to leave this season (even though I hope he doesn’t).

[Phredd3]

Folks need to watch this video... don't just watch the 3s. At about 1:30 in, it starts showing Ryan Anderson taking fadeaway 2s... tell me you don't see a lot of what Matthew Hurt does in this video.

To be that guy, Hurt will have to do two things better: 1. He needs a much quicker release. 2. He needs to add about eight feet to his range. Anderson bombs pretty quickly and from pretty far into the cheap seats.

But yes, he does seem to be a pretty comp on offense. My concerns about Hurt are much more on the other end of the floor. An NBA team can always use a guy who can shoot, but not unless they are at least solid on the defensive end.

My fantasy is that Hurt will talk individually to teams, find out that he's a mid-tier pick, and then pull a JWill and complete his degree in three years to give himself some insurance against a basketball career that may or may not yield life-changing money. But of course I have no idea how academically motivated or talented Hurt is, so I have no idea if that's a realistic option for him.

[JasonEvans]

Kyle Anderson was the Jalen Johnson comp. Ryan Anderson is the Matt Hurt comp. Kenny Anderson is the comp for whomever spends way too much money on automobiles.

And Sherwood Anderson will write the definitive novel on all this.

What about Anderson Varejão?

And how could you mention cars and not note Greg "Cadillac" Anderson?

[DukieInBrasil]

Earlier upthread we were using Kyle Anderson as a comp for Jalen Johnson. Now he’s a comp for Matt Hurt? My head is spinning.

Unfortunately I am among those who are skeptical that Hurt can succeed at the next level given his limited athleticism. I still think Kyle Singler is the closest Duke comp for him (though when I said this a couple months ago I was treated with dirty looks) and we saw how little he was able to do. I don’t think Hurt is a good enough offensive player for teams to be willing to hide him on defense in order to get him on the floor. He can’t create open looks for himself, in college he “creates” by shooting over people which is awesome for us but I don’t see that translating to the next level. Hope I’m wrong.

Kyle was a much tougher player than Hurt is. Kyle got in there and mixed it up, which i don't see much of Matt doing. Matt is a better shooter than Kyle was. Kyle had several good years in Detroit, and then just disappeared in OKC, for a total of 7 years on NBA rosters, scoring over 2,300 pts. So i don't think it's fair to say that he did "little". If Hurt can maximize his 3pt shooting, and beef up his rebounding, then he might be able to carve out more of a career than Kyle did.

[throatybeard]

Earlier upthread we were using Kyle Anderson as a comp for Jalen Johnson. Now he’s a comp for Matt Hurt? My head is spinning.

Exactly. Nine tenths of this might as well be people thumping a spinner on a wheel of names drawn from the same position. And usually, same race.

[Saratoga2]

To be that guy, Hurt will have to do two things better: 1. He needs a much quicker release. 2. He needs to add about eight feet to his range. Anderson bombs pretty quickly and from pretty far into the cheap seats.

But yes, he does seem to be a pretty comp on offense. My concerns about Hurt are much more on the other end of the floor. An NBA team can always use a guy who can shoot, but not unless they are at least solid on the defensive end.

My fantasy is that Hurt will talk individually to teams, find out that he's a mid-tier pick, and then pull a JWill and complete his degree in three years to give himself some insurance against a basketball career that may or may not yield life-changing money. But of course I have no idea how academically motivated or talented Hurt is, so I have no idea if that's a realistic option for him.

Seth Curry is a small guy and not particularly athletic. He could shoot and he has also improved that skill. He is playing in the NBA and got something like 25 points the other night. There may well be room for guys who don't fit well into the NBA if they have one superior skill.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Kyle Anderson was the Jalen Johnson comp. Ryan Anderson is the Matt Hurt comp. Kenny Anderson is the comp for whomever spends way too much money on automobiles.

And Sherwood Anderson will write the definitive novel on all this.

I wish we had someone on the team who could comp to Kenny Anderson during his time at GA Tech - a player like that is exactly what this team (and many teams) needs. It's a shame that his NBA career didn't turn out better - he was an incredible talent.

[tommy]

Kyle Anderson was the Jalen Johnson comp. Ryan Anderson is the Matt Hurt comp. Kenny Anderson is the comp for whomever spends way too much money on automobiles.

And Sherwood Anderson will write the definitive novel on all this.

There is no way that Kyle Anderson could ever be thought of as a Jalen Johnson comp. Jalen is basically all athleticism (and passing ability) and need of improvement in many basketball skills, while Kyle Anderson is extremely low on the run/jump athleticism scale but an extremely heady, crafty, intelligent player who sees the game several steps ahead of most everybody else, and that's how he's effective. Basically the anti-Jalen Johnson.