i’m not a huge fan of thestepien so i’m not too interested in their take on things…. i just see guys like huerter a lot and they very rarely get a second contract…. the upside is you get someone like pat connaughton.. who coincidentally… got late buzz due to combine performance also…. someone who’s unspectacular and very limited but you might think about giving a cheap second contract to…

but you’re supposed to get those guys in the second rd…. you don’t reach on these type of guys in the first and certainly never ever a lotto pick …..

that’s been vlade divac’s draft strategy…. and you might be proud of drafting guys like justin jackson, nik stauskas and malachi richardson… but personally… i think it’s the dumbest thing you could do…. or maybe if you don’t agree with those comps maybe tony snell is athletic enough for you? or maybe kyle singler with a little bit more pro upside?

I don’t think you could be more off about Huerter as a prospect. He’s a knockdown shooter with the ability to create for himself, attack close outs, and he can make plays for others with his passing. He’s also a good team defender and slides his feet well to stay in front of guys despite the poor steal and block stats. I think you need to look at Huerter again.

we’re talking steve novak type of bad…. and i’m afraid huerter is just a specialist…. if you’re offensive game isn’t diverse you’ll need some competence on the defensive end at the very least.. and he’s not stacking up on that side either….

he’s a typical tail end of the first rd type shooter type that gets overdrafted because some playoff team thinks bench shooting is their one answer that puts them over the top….. guys like him generally should be in the second rd….

Miles Bridges is stronger, but he’s two inches shorter and a worse shooter. I’d say they create at or around the same level, but we know Huerter has good size to play the 2-3 while we think Bridges is an undersized 4 in both height and wingspan. While I have questions about Miles Bridges’ size, I have none about Huerter. I really hope the Knicks give him a workout and fall in love with him because he’s what we need. A knock down shooter in motion and from a stand still that can defend and has good size for the position? If he shot a higher free throw percentage than the mid 70s (and he’ll definitely be a 90% free throw shooter in the NBA), he may have flirted with a .700 TS%. He and Frank Ntilikina would make a great pairing on the wings. If the Knicks are going to work out Lonnie Walker and Anfernee Simons, they may as well see about Kevin Huerter.

https://www.thestepien.com/kevin-huerter/

https://youtu.be/FMcTNK06SNo

I think I like Huerter more than both Bridges. He might be taller and he’s for sure younger than both of them, has an excellent shooting form, can create for himself, and can defend the 2, 3, and maybe the 1. His per 40 splits are good for a wing, he shot 60.5% from 2 and 41.7% from 3, he had a great combine, and to top it all off he was Mr. Basketball in the state of New York back in 2016.

I hope it’s not too late to start the #HuerterToNYK campaign. I’d be totally comfortable with picking him 9th overall, and I hope the Knicks get him to workout for them. Honestly if the top of the draft goes Ayton, Bagley, Bamba, Doncic, Jackson Jr, Young, Porter Jr, Carter Jr, I’m taking Kevin Huerter 9th overall and I’m not blinking. I just have less questions about him than I do with the Bridges, and he’s a local talent.

that being said…. there’s a pretty clarified top 9 of players being talked about and we just happen to be picking 9…. miles bridges would make it 10 if you count him…. and as long as bagley or ayton don’t drop there’s probably a >90% chance that we are choosing between some solid names… mikal bridges… carter… young … with porter and bamba as outside shots….

so in that lens… we are actually in a pretty good spot …. but the clips are in a more enviable spot with the 12 and 13 picks… they have a great chance at getting the 2nd and 3rd best players in those slots….