Trying not to get too excited about this guy, but there’s a lot to like. These guys make an interesting point about Sion: he may never play many minutes, but he could be that guy in the playoffs that comes in for a few minutes to make a spark-- get some stops, hit a big three-- to get the momentum back in your favor, get your stars going, and then immediately yank him. Love that idea if we can keep him around on the cheap.
Thanks for making this! I’m working on a small write up on sion james. Will post later here.
1 Like
I loved the comp I heard today (cannot recall if it was Keith Smith, or Bryce Simon, or Sam Vecinie) that Sion James is a slightly downgraded version of Alex Caruso.
We may lose Sion to a broadcasting deal.
Sion James: (aka The Siontologist, aka The Siontist, aka Sionide) I’m still workshopping that nickname. Sionide is supposed to sound like cyanide. Eh. Okay, here we go. I will be 100% transparent. I did not like this pick when I heard it. And I will own my part of that-it’s because I wanted Rasheer Fleming and I’m annoyed that having taken Salaun last year is why the Hornets didn’t draft a PF of Fleming’s quality. He’s a 6’9 defender with good measurables and a 39% three point shooter. I also don’t believe Salaun will pan out, but we’re talking about Sion and not Salaun or Fleming.
Are you ready? Sion James can be the Charlotte version of OKC’s Lu Dort. I might be wrong, but I doubt it. Let’s look at the numbers. I might be drunk on the OKC team and their Finals run, but stick with me.
NBAdraftnet Grades:
Dort: 89
Sion: 89
Dort: 6’4
Sion: 6’5
Dort: 220 pounds
Sion: 220 pounds
Dort: 6’8 wingspan
Sion: 6’7 wingspan
Dort: 8’5 standing reach
Sion: 8’4 standing reach
Dort: 38" vertical leap
Sion: 39.5" vertical leap
I cannot make that shit up. It gets better:
Are you following me yet? Check out both of their draft profile analyses on NBAdraftnet. It’s pretty wild. I will be honest, one of my biggest draft boners is for prospects who display steady, consistent improvement every year in college. Sion drastically improved his outside shooting. I will be honest, I had written off Sion’s shooting until I took a look at the numbers. It gets weirder. Let’s look at Dort and Sion’s improvement as three point shooters:
Dort: 29%, 34%, 33%, 33%, 39%, 41%
Sion: 28%, 33%, 31%, 38%, 41%
Are you fucking kidding me? Cmon. That’s absolutely wild.
He’s a strong guy who is physically NBA ready, a rugged defender, can handle the basketball, make passes, and has drastically improved his outside shooting. He does everything that Dort does, he’s built like Dort, has the same profile as Dort.
Everyone, the Charlotte Hornets very well may have their own Lu Dort. I might be wrong, but I doubt it.
2 Likes
I have the extremely unrealistic thought that Sion might be the best fit, in the starting unit, to play between LaMelo and Brandon. Sion can guard 1-3, be the primary point of attack defender, move the ball well and is actually willing to take any and all good 3s that come his way.
He’s certainly the archetype. Now, is he good enough …