Colbinii wrote:I don't get why people are so infatuated with non-high impact big men. Poeltl in recent years and now WCJ, Okongwu, M Williams, ect. Like these centers are, at their best, Top 20-ish caliber Centers with limited upside. No smart team is going to look at these players and give high-value assets for them because the opportunity cost is so high.
Players like Tillman, Gafford, Claxton, RWIII, Robinson, Reid, Hartenstein, Zubac, Harrell, Looney, Nance Jr and Powell are the types of prospects available in just about every draft who you can spend a 2nd on [or extremely late 1st] and eventually hit on at a decent clip.
Another way of looking at it [and supporting my point], is looking at all the lottery big men [Projected Center types] drafted in the last 6-7 years.
Ayton, Bagley, JJJ, Bamba, WCJ, Hayes, Hayes, Wiseman, Okongwu, Smith, Mobley, Chet, Paolo, Duren
I would much prefer to use my [late] lottery pick on a guard/wing prospect and then use a later pick on a Center prospect if I am OKC. If I feel like I need to address the center position immediately, then I would just do so either in FA or trade for a Center who can fill minutes for a cost far below a lottery pick.
The opportunity cost of sinking a mid-1st or higher for a low-ceiling center like Okongwu is bad asset management.
Wow, I wonder if there's a big man you left out from that list.