I believe E.J. testing the waters was exactly what he was waiting on. I know there is a lot of Washington talk but I feel if that was the case he’d committed there months ago especially since hes so familiar with the coaches and players. Also Washington lost 3 or 4 starters and regardless he’d have zero competition for playing time, another reason why he’d committed already if Washington was is such good position. I feel like if E.J. stays in the draft, he’s ours. This is all opinion of course. Personally I’d rather have sophomore E.J. vs freshman McDaniel’s but it wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize.
Jaden mcdaniels.
- Thread starter Allcats08
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Jaden McDaniels is by far the most overrated player in this class, not going to be a game changer in college basketball.
Thank you! He may be a great pro with the immense potential he has, but college will not be great for him.
He doesn’t have To be a “game changer” in order to be successful in college.
You’re way off on this one
Mcdaniels is Washington bound, just said it yourself they lose 4 of 5 starters. The playing time and everything else is there, only a matter of time before they get his commitment. Like another poster already said, he is not the impact Kentucky will need inside next season..
One of the weirder recruitments I can remember. He only has six crystal ball predictions. It’s almost May.
If you’re a Top 5 recruit, you need to be a game changer. This kid has no motor and doesn’t show up when the lights are on. He’s not coming to Kentucky because he can’t handle the spotlight or pressure that comes with it, which is why he’s staying home and going to Washington.
He’ll have a Skal like impact his freshman year, get drafted mid to late 1st round based on the potential, and fade into oblivion just like....Skal.
I don’t need to argue with you, it’s easy to fall in love with the Durant like skill set. I’m telling you this kid doesn’t have the mental make up to be anything special.
No way EJ stays in the draft. He stated he wants to be a 1st rounder. That’s not happening. He’ll be back.....
He might not be the most overrated but he’s too skeeny to play PF effectively now and we are deep at SF.
Nobody is “arguing” you just have no idea whether or not your (slightly misguided) predictions will come true.
Be well
McDaniels isn't a "dog", and you'll never hear his peers refer to him as one.
Part of one's "talent" is aggressiveness and drive.
If we lose Montgomery and add McDaniels because of it we are in bad shape next year. Our only hope is for Montgomery to take the PJ leap next year and add Blackshear to this group.
Honestly curious (not “arguing” so don’t worry lol) do you think Cal and the staff should not be recruiting McDaniels then? Are all the other schools and coaches who are recruiting him making a mistake? Do you think they are aware that he’s not any good and not worth the time?
Do all the scouts maybe Not understand he’s not a “game changer?”
I take your opinions and ideas very very seriously because it is genuinely apparent you have a good grasp on recruiting and evaluating , so I’m honestly curious as to your thoughts
I think it's fair to ask what these recruits can give us in just one season. After years of 1AD recruiting, that's what we have to determine.
And sitting around waiting for McDaniels this late, who seems to be more of a project than anything... not sure he's worth it.
Go get Blackshear, tell EJ and Richards they have minutes.. and McDaniels can go spend 2 years at Washington and ultimately waste 20 million somewhere down the road.
And sitting around waiting for McDaniels this late, who seems to be more of a project than anything... not sure he's worth it.
Go get Blackshear, tell EJ and Richards they have minutes.. and McDaniels can go spend 2 years at Washington and ultimately waste 20 million somewhere down the road.
I tend to agree he won’t be a “game changer” like Zion, RJ, KAT etc but how does that make him a “project?”
KJ wasn’t a game changer. Herro wasn’t a game changer yet they were both fantastic players and did great things for us this past year.
I’m just trying to understand how he is not worth the time to recruit/ not any good as the other knowledgeable scouting expert in this thread believes?
Would like to know if anyone on this board has actually seen him play in person?
If not then how can you say what he will be
If not then how can you say what he will be
I'm looking at it from a November to April, 6 month time frame. McDaniels is still raw, and he won't have the ball in his hands. Is he going to struggle for the first two months, and then start to pull it together? Does his work ethic possibly cost us games throughout the year? Is a 2nd year EJ going to give us just as much.
Keep in mind, we only have McDaniels for those 6 months.. not two years.
The other part is, we don't "need" him. (unless EJ stays in the draft..).. We have Richards, Sestina, Books, Whitney, and maybe Blackshear/EJ..
What are we getting for 6 months add Mcdaniels to that roster, taking minutes away from everyone else.
.. because I'm tired of these guys giving us JUSSSTT enough to get drafted. Kentucky isn't here to help McDaniels without something in return.. or any recruit for that matter.
Yeah I mean he may struggle a bit/ not be to the level of a year 1 RJ, Morant, Zion etc but I’m willing to bet he’d be just as serviceable, if not slightly moreso, than KJ or Herro were for
Us this year.
Also, remember Wisemen got taken to the woodshed and Sphincter pounded by Kofi Cockburn this past year I believe ? So that doesn’t always mean much
Us this year.
Also, remember Wisemen got taken to the woodshed and Sphincter pounded by Kofi Cockburn this past year I believe ? So that doesn’t always mean much
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We were all smart enough not to be iu fans, so yeah, I think we have plenty of sense.
Not a great motor, wants to stay home.. I just get the sense this guy is going to leave us scratching our heads next April.
If UK lost Montgomery, I take you guys will stick to your view and continue to not want McDaniels here?
I'd take the kid in a heartbeat and be elated for it, with or without EJ.
I'd take the kid in a heartbeat and be elated for it, with or without EJ.
Not going to turn him down either way.. certainly not if we lose EJ.
Just don't think we absolutely need him. I'd rather see Mcdaniels 30 minutes be spread around the rest of the front court. Right now, we just need a guy who can hit the 3. That's our biggest need with Herro KJ and Baker gone..
I agree that shooting will be a weakness. So will scoring. So will interior play (if the roster stays as it is).
Lots of our fans are mentally priming next year's team to make a run. As the current roster stands (counting an EJ return), I don't see it. Too many question marks usually means a bow out before the Final Four.
Losing Herro and baker REALLY hurt us. But I think we still have enough returning talent to float us through the early going. Sophomores in Hagans IQ and EJ... Junior Richards.. and Sestina.
That's much more returning talent under Cal than normal. You add in Blackshear.. and might it be the MOST returning talent? Definitely top3..
Playing Sestina and McDaniels at the same time would be spectacular. McDaniels can take any big man off the dribble, and if Sestina drags the center out 20 feet from the basket, there’s no one who can stop him at the rim.
every year all but 4 teams have that problem with or without preseason question marks
The key is going to be setting the tone and beating Sparty... We don't know the full OOC schedule, but it will be very manageable.. aside from MSU.. Louisville at home.. Ohio St.. winnable games. Head into the SEC with 1 loss, maybe no losses.
I think Kentucky has a very clear path to the 1-seed for these reasons: easier schedule, Gonzaga getting an automatic 1-seed is gone, and Duke's uber team is gone.
The question is.. how we handle our 1-seed. We really need a Final4 next year.
I agree with this. If he is truly wanting a first round guarantee, that won't happen. He will be told he needs to get stronger and he needs to improve his offensive skills, both facing the basket and back to the basket.
Montgomery will be back. He is nowhere near the 1st round. I can't believe some of you are even worrying about him staying in the draft.
exactly. My point was, if he was going to Washington why wouldn’t he of already committed? What’s he waiting on? He knows what they have their, he’s waiting to see what happens with E.J..
Yes, probably more talent returning than normal, but definitely less talent than normal coming in as well. Call me negative or whatever, but I'm just not nearly as big as many are on our recruiting class. We have the type of class the would be GREAT if they had a chance to play behind sophomores Johnson, Herro and Montgomery.
But to ask those guys to lead the way is a bit much, IMO. Cal will find a way to grind out wins, as he always does, but unless a couple of people really surprise, there just doesn't appear to be enough fire power.
I agree, but I think a larger point is that whether it's McDaniels or Maxey or Whitney or Brooks we will need at least one or two to be a game-changer. Or at least enough of a stud to really be a difference maker. Herro and KJ were fine, but they weren't as good as we needed them to be.