Go back to previous topic
Forum nameOkay Sports
Topic subjectI saw a Steve Novak comparison I liked. I'm not a believer, tbh.
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2768286&mesg_id=2768414
2768414, I saw a Steve Novak comparison I liked. I'm not a believer, tbh.
Posted by Frank Longo, Tue Jun-21-22 06:35 PM
This year was a disaster for PBJ to the point where I can throw a lot of his shooting tape out. Like, in HS, you can see the shot should work. But at Milwaukee, he was taking contested off-the-bounce stuff because his teammates suck and his dad ran zero real offensive sets. So I think he can be a really good NBA shooter, especially once he's the fifth best guy on the floor there just to create space with open 3s.

But MAN. He sucks on defense. And it wasn't just effort. Guys in his mid-major conference were blowing by him. He had unbelievably bad athletic testing at the combine. Can't move in space, can't jump. He also isn't a passer, isn't a ball-handler, and isn't a guy who can make good shots for himself off the bounce. He's a catch-and-shoot guy right now. That's it.

So... yeah. Steve Novak might be the *ceiling.* If PBJ, like Baldwin, can be a 42+% 3-point shooter, he might be able to get some run for stretches despite the defense. But ultimately, unless you think his athleticism can improve notably, or unless you think he's the best shooter in the NBA, it's hard to see him getting even meaningful bench minutes. I'm not a fan.