Jarnell Stokes is going to be a all-star in the NBA , Hope the C's draft him

[Atzar]

As a Tennessee fan, I've been following Stokes with a lot of interest over the last month or so.

He's a big, strong dude - 6'8" 250 with a size 20 shoe.  The thing that has stood out to me through his three games so far is his natural ability.  He can score from anywhere, has a smooth jumpshot, very solid post game and will drive if he sees an opening.  Great hands, excellent rebounder, surprisingly good passer, puts in the effort on defense (although he doesn't know the defensive system all that well yet). 

I expect the free throws to improve.  He's a good shooter, and I see a lot of unnecessary movement in his free throw routine - trim that down to a more repeatable motion, and he'll be fine there.  As I said, he'll drive when given an opportunity, but his handle is a bit loose at this point - he'll get his pocket picked from time to time if he tries to do too much dribbling.

He'll never be an athletic freak, but I also think he's considerably more athletic than he's showing now - this is a kid who didn't play ball in his senior year in high school, so these have been his first three 'real' games in a long time. 

I don't know what his ceiling is.  Physically he has his limitations, but his versatility scoring the ball makes me think that he can be more than your typical undersized backup PF.  If he grows a couple of inches in his college time, look out. 

[rondohondo]

If the C's get a top 5-10 pick and this kid enters the draft, I think the C's definitely need to grab him . He is only 18 years old and I stumbled upon a couple of Tennessee games on TV and you can tell the kid just has it .

He has only played 3 games ( let the mocking begin ), but 2 of those games were against other elite college teams and future lottery picks.

vs # 2 Kentucky(NBA Talent - Gilchrist,Davis)

Stokes = 9 pts, 4-5FG's, 4 rebs 1 ast , 17mins

This was his first game as a college player and I believe he hadn't even practiced with the team before Hand . Tennessee was 8-8 at that point and came within 3 of upsetting # 2 ranked Kentucky

vs# 11 UConn (NBA Talent - Drummand, Lamb)

Stokes = 16pts, 6-10FG's, 12 rebs, 2 blks , 29 mins


Drummond is likely the # 1 pick in the draft this year, so Stokes was going up against an athletic freak ( though still raw) and pulled down 12 rebs . He helped them upset #11 UConn after almost nearly doing the same thing against #2 Kentucky two games earlier.



The kid already has great footwork and a post games. He is a very good passer from what I have seen and already has a NBA body and though he seems a bit slow athletically, I think he makes up for it with his footwork . He can score at will against anyone in the low post and seems to have a high bball IQ. He really does remind me of a young Ron Artest

season averages = 3 games , 12PPG, 8RPG, 62%FG's ,1 blk , 42%ft  

The FT % is a concern, but it's such a small sample size and he is still so young so that can be developed hopefully)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLBJMwGXDM0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeXRBFgS5uU


Has anyone else seen this kid play ? Thoughts ?

Eurostep at 1:53 in the 2nd video.
Incredibly impressive for a big man. This kid is skilled.

Yea that's a pretty sweet move for a man/boy that size. He could grow a few more inches, he's only 18. This kid is a beast with great footwrok and great bball IQ !

[rondohondo]

sorry to hear he isn't coming out this year, but then again the c's will be in the lottery for the next few years so there still a chance!

[nickagneta]

I haven't seen the kid play but my buddy seems to think he's two years away from the NBA.

[jr_3421]

I haven't seen the kid play but at first glance his game kind of reminds me of Roy Hibbert expect athletically smoother. Who do people project him to play like?

[footey]

He is a tweener too, 6-8 is small for a big in the NBA game and he has no real backcourt skills.

He is a PF, Gilchrist is a SF/SG.  The comparsion was not a smart one and shows poor understanding of their positions.

That's harsh, sir. Please choose your words more thoughtfully.

[rondohondo]

I haven't seen the kid play but at first glance his game kind of reminds me of Roy Hibbert expect athletically smoother. Who do people project him to play like?

I think he looks a lot like Al Jefferson with the low post game, but I think he has the potential to have a pretty good face up game too. Seems like he could be a lot better passer than Big Al though which would make him deadly surrounded by shooters to kick it out to when the double team comes in the low post.

[GrandTheftRondo]

Wrong thread lol

[mqtcelticsfan]

He is a tweener too, 6-8 is small for a big in the NBA game and he has no real backcourt skills.

He is a PF, Gilchrist is a SF/SG.  The comparsion was not a smart one and shows poor understanding of their positions.

Hes not a tweener. Hes most definetly a power foward, just undersized.

That's probably worse.

[biggbird]

to be honest, having just watched those first two clips, he actually somewhat reminds of pierce. not super-quick or super athletic, but picks the lanes well, understands when to pass, has a decent post game, seems to shoot relatively well... obviously ft% seems an issue, but just at face value, that's the best comparison i can come up with i guess

[rondohondo]

This kid is such a beast. He's sick and had a 106 temperature last night and is still ballin

10 pts, 13 rebs,5 blocks so far

He won't be in this draft , but would love his toughness on the C's.

Game is on ESPN

[PosImpos]

He is a tweener too, 6-8 is small for a big in the NBA game and he has no real backcourt skills.

He is a PF, Gilchrist is a SF/SG.  The comparsion was not a smart one and shows poor understanding of their positions.

Hes not a tweener. Hes most definetly a power foward, just undersized.

That's probably worse.

Well, there are 6'8'' power forwards in the NBA who are very productive -- see Carl Landry, Paul Millsap, Brandon Bass.  But doubtful any guy who is a clear PF is going to be an All-Star if they're only 6'8''.

[erisred]

He's 6'8" right now, but he also just turned 18 on 1/9/2012. Many guys grow one to three inches after turning 18. Yes, Stokes may end up never being taller than 6'8", but he could also end up at 6'9", 6'10" or 6'11".

[nickagneta]

Saw this kid play against South Carolina a couple of weeks ago with the TV announcers really playing this kid up.

He looked awful. Terrible free throw shooter. No mid range game and he rebounded with bad form looking to use his athleticism more than basic rebounding form. He doesn't have much dribbling ability either.

Maybe it was just that game but the forwards on that really pathetic USC team did what they wanted with him.

He's YEARS away from the NBA if he ever makes it to the NBA based on what I saw.

[Celtics4ever]

He either plays good or bad but there is plenty of both.  I hope we don't draft him.  He is inconsistent as all get out.  I seen him disappear some games and dominate others.