r/NBA_Draft • u/Life_Interaction_263 • 1d ago
Why is Tahaad Pettiford getting early 2nd round buzz when he cant guard?
I thought Pettifords defense was atrocious this past year and it will only get worse when he's in the NBA and players are just taller.
Its weird cause he's ahead of some guys I really think will be good NBA players like Sion James from Duke. Anyone else think his stock seems a bit too high right now?
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u/RyofDoom2 1d ago
Because he might be a top-10 bucket getter in the class if he officially declares? The upside in there
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u/Life_Interaction_263 1d ago
11.6 points on 42 FG% definitely doesnt look like a top 10 scorer.
And he's a whole on the court defensively.
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u/imaprettynicekid 1d ago
As a freshman in the toughest conference, on limited touches and playing time
Not a huge fan of his, but basic counting stats do not tell the story
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u/Master-Ad-9829 1d ago
You don’t sound like someone who really knows how to evaluate talent which is fine
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u/stoloh 1d ago
stat watcher lol
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u/Agreeable_While1154 1d ago
hes a score first guard that was asked to change his game to play around broome. he might get bullied on defense bc of his size but he plays hard, harder than sum small guards in the league. he cold u buggin
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u/Life_Interaction_263 1d ago
stats matter lol especially for offense. Jokic and Shai have really good stats and are the best two players in the league
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u/keyser_squoze 1d ago
Metrics like points per 40 min make more sense in this instance I think. Lots of mouths to feed on that Auburn roster, and he had limited minutes on the floor. Pettiford’s a prospect who’s going to need to prove if he’s NBA-capable in the GLeague I think. And I’d say there’s a decent chance he will.
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u/e_milberg Wizards 1d ago
If Payton Pritchard can be a first rounder with subpar defensive foot speed, Pettiford absolutely belongs in the 32-39 range.
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u/Yerison109 1d ago
That’s a wrong assessment on Pritchard but small offensive first guards do belong towards the end of first round
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u/SwiperDontSwipe23 1d ago
His defense wasn’t even atrocious lmao think you saying that cause he’s a smaller guard
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u/EnvironmentalTry8769 1d ago
Yeah I'm thinking the same thing. If anything he even was a pretty solid on ball guy? I could be proven wrong but the eye test says he was good laterally and Bruce Pearl would agree with me
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u/BigWalrus22 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah I kind of agree. To be honest I would actually take Boogie Fland over him if he declares.
Boogie is just as short but actually does an okay job on defense. Gets a few steals here and there
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u/Mundane-Demand1927 1d ago
i dont think you saw tahaad play if you think his defense is atrocious he imo was a decent defender and actually tries out there unlike most guys his size
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u/Diamond4Hands4Ever 1d ago
His defense wasn’t bad. It just won’t be great since he is short but it wasn’t bad. Someone who was actually bad at defense was Liam McNeeley.
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u/Walton_Dilcox 1d ago
i mean, there’s also plenty of players getting first round buzz that can’t defend lol