Most overrated young player on this blog

[Future Celtics Owner]

I am part of the crowd that really wants to take a flier on Okafor. He is a player that is perceived badly and a very small fraction think he has the ability to play better especially on our team....that's not overrating.

This is how I would sum it. If you followed the trade deadline closely the 76ers badly just wanted a decent first round. The best offer they were on the verge of getting was a top 20 protected pelicans pick. Which the pelicans seemingly rescinded when they cousins. He also has a serious knee injury that has not healed properly more than a year after a minor surgery. Yet I do some trade proposals on this board that treat him as a potential future start worth giving up a lottery pick. That by the definition is overrating him compared to ever thing we can gather to learn about his value.
Now if you say you want to buy low on him (and I don't know what you have proposed), but you propose something that is in line with what an injured Okafor that performed badly this season and is currently the third string center in Philly, that is totally cool. If someone proposes him for Smart that is overrating.

By the same token I recognize that Smart sometimes gets overrated on this board and probably why he is leading the poll right now.

His knee has nothing to do with his current performance nor will it interfere with his future performance. You are drawing your own conclusions on that so it fits your narrative that he sucks and has zero future. Teams all over the league shut guys down for whatever reason when they are tanking.

All you have to do is stick with the facts: Okafor had a pretty bad season and has made a reputation around the league as a bad defender and etc..
You did not have to make things up like he's permanently damaged.

[celticsclay]

I am part of the crowd that really wants to take a flier on Okafor. He is a player that is perceived badly and a very small fraction think he has the ability to play better especially on our team....that's not overrating.

This is how I would sum it. If you followed the trade deadline closely the 76ers badly just wanted a decent first round. The best offer they were on the verge of getting was a top 20 protected pelicans pick. Which the pelicans seemingly rescinded when they cousins. He also has a serious knee injury that has not healed properly more than a year after a minor surgery. Yet I do some trade proposals on this board that treat him as a potential future start worth giving up a lottery pick. That by the definition is overrating him compared to ever thing we can gather to learn about his value.
Now if you say you want to buy low on him (and I don't know what you have proposed), but you propose something that is in line with what an injured Okafor that performed badly this season and is currently the third string center in Philly, that is totally cool. If someone proposes him for Smart that is overrating.

By the same token I recognize that Smart sometimes gets overrated on this board and probably why he is leading the poll right now.

His knee has nothing to do with his current performance nor will it interfere with his future performance. You are drawing your own conclusions on that so it fits your narrative that he sucks and has zero future. Teams all over the league shut guys down for whatever reason when they are tanking.

All you have to do is stick with the facts: Okafor had a pretty bad season and has made a reputation around the league as a bad defender and etc..
You did not have to make things up like he's permanently damaged.

I think it is kind of the opposite of this. You like Okafor so you are trying to downplay the concerns about his knee. Keep in mind this stuff is from Philly sources (the first 2) that are acknowledging a problem, not rival teams or Celtics fans

http://www.libertyballers.com/2016/10/15/13279644/jahlil-okafor-knee-surgery-meniscus-repair-bryan-colangelo-accountability

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/sixers/Questions-mount-as-Jahlil-Okafor-remains-sided-with-knee-soreness.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/sixers/Locked-on-Sixers-Is-Jahlil-Okafors-knee-slowing-up-a-trade.html

http://www.thebirdwrites.com/2017/2/12/14590940/nba-trade-news-jahlil-okafor-injury-76ers-torn-knee-meniscus-embiid-colangelo-jrue-holiday-repeat

The most common "joke" on the 76ers blog is to keep the surgeons that did Okafors minor meniscus surgery 15 months ago away from Embiid. Also your premise that teams all over the league shut down players for tanking is pretty funny in this context. Okafor is one of the best players to play if you want to tank. He is a net negative by just about any metric in the league and Holmes regularly outperformed him. Furthermore, before he was shut down, he played, banged his knee, and then came out for the second half. Is that how teams shut down players to tank? Invent a first half setback and pull at halftime?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2659658-jahlil-okafor-suffers-knee-injury-vs-celtics

Also if they were simply shutting him down, why leave him in limbo and trying to play the last 10 games (here is a hint, the league isn't stupid and teams want to see he is healthy enough to trade, and their owner has even acknowledged he wants to trade Okafor.)

So umm.. is that like checkmate?

This is a real thing and certainly not something I invented because I don't like him.

[KG Living Legend]

 Rozier for sure. Still tons of upside, great gifts. Just not sure he ever makes it there.

[Beat LA]

It's gotta be between Smart and WCS, imo.

[safecracker]

Simmons. Hasn't played a minute in the NBA yet, but many people seem to assume he's already a star.

[tazzmaniac]

Simmons. Hasn't played a minute in the NBA yet, but many people seem to assume he's already a star.

If you're going to go that route than it is clearly Fultz.  People on here are already acting like he's a guaranteed transcendent NBA player.  I'm surprised there aren't statues built of him already.   All for a player who led his college team to 9 wins with only 2 in conference wins. 

[LilRip]

Rozier was an easy choice for me. The dude can't run a team and tries to score like IT without the efficiency. Granted, he's a better shooter than Smart but so is everybody else.

The other person I chose was Saric. He's good but I don't see why we should give up AB AND a pick for him (salary implications aside).

[Celtics4ever]

For me it is Smart (I love his defense, toughness and 50/50 plays) but his shooting is horrible.  Now if he ever got a shot he would be special.   But at times him bombing away shoots us in the foot.

[Somebody]

(insert random young prospect from another team)

[PAOBoston]

I voted Smart and Saric.

Smart for obvious reasons. There's a love/hate relationship there. Love his defense/toughness/leadership/grit. Hate his offense. If he were to ever become a reliable 3 pt shot I'd take back all the bad things I have said about him.

Saric, I just don't see all the fuss. Same age as Smart. Put up volume stats on a bad Philly team. Not a great shooter either. Doesn't really rebound or play good defense. To me, he seems like he could be a nice first big off the bench kind of guy who can score a little.

[Moranis]

I will add others that are mentioned by users. To me we consistently see some young players overrated on this blog whether it be our own (Smart, Rozier) or Young guys on other teams that haven't put it all together (Gordon, Okafor, Randle. I didn't want this to get bogged into trying to figure out how to properly rate a vet like Carmelo so tried to keep it in guys in their first 2-5 years (no rookies obviously either). My vote is probably for Saric (though could be compelled to switch). He projects, even among 76er fans but have seen numerous proposals treating him as a super star. Let people vote twice since there a lot of options here.

Saric is a rookie yet you include him after you said no rookies

[tazzmaniac]

Rozier was an easy choice for me. The dude can't run a team and tries to score like IT without the efficiency. Granted, he's a better shooter than Smart but so is everybody else.

The other person I chose was Saric. He's good but I don't see why we should give up AB AND a pick for him (salary implications aside).

AB is a 1 year rental soon to get a 20M+ per year deal while Saric has 3 years on his cheap rookie contract.  From a trade perspective Saric is probably worth a bit more.  Maybe the Celtics 2018 or protected Clippers 2019 and Bradley for Saric. 

[tazzmaniac]

I will add others that are mentioned by users. To me we consistently see some young players overrated on this blog whether it be our own (Smart, Rozier) or Young guys on other teams that haven't put it all together (Gordon, Okafor, Randle. I didn't want this to get bogged into trying to figure out how to properly rate a vet like Carmelo so tried to keep it in guys in their first 2-5 years (no rookies obviously either). My vote is probably for Saric (though could be compelled to switch). He projects, even among 76er fans but have seen numerous proposals treating him as a super star. Let people vote twice since there a lot of options here.

Saric is a rookie yet you include him after you said no rookies

Good catch.  Didn't just include him but voted for him too.  Expect to hear the "He's not really a rookie because he played in Euro for a few years" excuse. 

[Surferdad]

For me, it's Aaron Gordon and it's not really close.  When you discuss "overrated" it has to be relative to expectations which were sky-high at times for this kid.  It is a bit unfortunate that he won the dunk contest, that put him on the radar screen as some kind of amazing up-and-coming young player.  The reality is that he's just a great athlete but without the associated basketball skills you might expect.

WCS is a close 2nd.

Brandon Ingram anybody?  Again, think about expectations.

[safecracker]

Simmons. Hasn't played a minute in the NBA yet, but many people seem to assume he's already a star.

If you're going to go that route than it is clearly Fultz.  People on here are already acting like he's a guaranteed transcendent NBA player.  I'm surprised there aren't statues built of him already.   All for a player who led his college team to 9 wins with only 2 in conference wins.

Agreed. Both have to prove themselves as winners on the NBA court. For Simmons,  the big red flag for me is that he seems to consider himself entitled. Bad sign. Fultz' problem is his poor defense (lacks both effort and skill), but I'm still more optimistic about him. I'm pretty sure that Simmons will be a disappointment. Perhaps not a bust either, but definitely a disappointment.
Btw. Tassie by any chance? Sydney here.