Post by San Miguel on May 24, 2015 6:25:40 GMT -6
Recently there was conversation in the chatroom of players that have had huge potential coming into the league and how many of them were successful in reaching or even exceeding it. So, taking lead from an article my good friend New York did a couple seasons ago on Otis Birdsong and his rise to stardom from relatively low starting ratings, I thought I would do something similar for Kemp who was as raw as they come, even comparable to recent draftees such as Jermaine O'Neal and Tracy McGrady.
On draft day of 2023 pick #5 (which became Reggie Miller) plus Dennis Rodman were traded for pick #4 which would obviously become Shawn Kemp. At the time, the move was looked at with confusion because as the ratings represent, Shawn Kemp would not be ready anytime soon and even getting there was not a guarantee. Although the athleticism that Kemp came into the league with was absolutely spectacular (probably the best ever for a big) and the reason he was so intriguing to GMs who liked the rookie. Even if he came close to hitting his potential ratings, he would be an unbelievable player.
The ratings above were Shawn coming into the league, as we can see his beginner ratings were very low a la TMac. Right off the bat he had a good training camp and was thrust into the starting lineup. Kemp's statistics in his first season show us how important athleticism is in this game. Even with C's across the board in most offensive categories and rebounding, in his first season he averaged 19.6 PPG on 59% shooting to go along with 7.7 RPG and 1.5 BPG. There is no doubt that playing off of Ewing and having Stockton as a playmaker has helped his statistics over the years but there is no denying his ability. The best part is Kemp has continued to grow every season, gradually improving his numbers to the elite numbers we got from his last season which are displayed below.
So, what is next for Shawn Kemp? I think at this point barring any Training camp setbacks, he should continue to improve over the next couple seasons and become a perennial 25 and 10 big, especially with the recent departure of Patrick Ewing. With the athleticism that he possesses, I think the sky is the limit especially if his jumpshot and free throw ratings continue to improve.
I think the rise of Kemp has shown us that there are certain very raw players like TMac and O'Neal who run into consecutive good TCs and become amazing players. This is especially important nowadays that we have a lot of elite athletic players coming into the league with relatively low starter ratings. Maybe this can give some GMs a little hope.
On draft day of 2023 pick #5 (which became Reggie Miller) plus Dennis Rodman were traded for pick #4 which would obviously become Shawn Kemp. At the time, the move was looked at with confusion because as the ratings represent, Shawn Kemp would not be ready anytime soon and even getting there was not a guarantee. Although the athleticism that Kemp came into the league with was absolutely spectacular (probably the best ever for a big) and the reason he was so intriguing to GMs who liked the rookie. Even if he came close to hitting his potential ratings, he would be an unbelievable player.
The ratings above were Shawn coming into the league, as we can see his beginner ratings were very low a la TMac. Right off the bat he had a good training camp and was thrust into the starting lineup. Kemp's statistics in his first season show us how important athleticism is in this game. Even with C's across the board in most offensive categories and rebounding, in his first season he averaged 19.6 PPG on 59% shooting to go along with 7.7 RPG and 1.5 BPG. There is no doubt that playing off of Ewing and having Stockton as a playmaker has helped his statistics over the years but there is no denying his ability. The best part is Kemp has continued to grow every season, gradually improving his numbers to the elite numbers we got from his last season which are displayed below.
So, what is next for Shawn Kemp? I think at this point barring any Training camp setbacks, he should continue to improve over the next couple seasons and become a perennial 25 and 10 big, especially with the recent departure of Patrick Ewing. With the athleticism that he possesses, I think the sky is the limit especially if his jumpshot and free throw ratings continue to improve.
I think the rise of Kemp has shown us that there are certain very raw players like TMac and O'Neal who run into consecutive good TCs and become amazing players. This is especially important nowadays that we have a lot of elite athletic players coming into the league with relatively low starter ratings. Maybe this can give some GMs a little hope.
