Video: Was Marcus Hatten "Misguided"?
- Thread starter RedStormNC
- Start date
[quote="RedStormNC" post=402717]https://youtu.be/ueRCShye7v4[/quote]
The 2002 NBA draft was much weaker then the 2003 one (which was one of the great draft clasees of all time), so he definitely would have had a better shot if he left after his junior year.
The problem was that he was 6' tall, didn't really posses PG skills, was good defensively (but not Allen Iverson-level good), and his 3-point shot, while not a complete give up, left quite a bit to be desired (and that's from the old college line). Penetration and scoring were his strengths, but his weaknesses were not the kind that you could just get rid of with hard work. They were always going to be there, to some extent.
That being said, he was a much better fit for those early 2000s teams, then Omar Cook ever was. Cook was a true PG (maybe the best passing point guard we had in my time as a fan), which is why scouts were higher on him, but we really needed someone who could put the ball in the basket with more regularity.
It's easy to say that Cook should have stayed (which he should have), and that he and Hatten would have made a killer backcourt in 01-02, but I don't think that would have been the case. Both were undersized, and both needed to have the ball in their hands to be effective. In fact, in 02-03, I thought that Hatten and Elijah Ingram had trouble getting on the same page for a good portion of that season, until finally getting it right in March.
The 2002 NBA draft was much weaker then the 2003 one (which was one of the great draft clasees of all time), so he definitely would have had a better shot if he left after his junior year.
The problem was that he was 6' tall, didn't really posses PG skills, was good defensively (but not Allen Iverson-level good), and his 3-point shot, while not a complete give up, left quite a bit to be desired (and that's from the old college line). Penetration and scoring were his strengths, but his weaknesses were not the kind that you could just get rid of with hard work. They were always going to be there, to some extent.
That being said, he was a much better fit for those early 2000s teams, then Omar Cook ever was. Cook was a true PG (maybe the best passing point guard we had in my time as a fan), which is why scouts were higher on him, but we really needed someone who could put the ball in the basket with more regularity.
It's easy to say that Cook should have stayed (which he should have), and that he and Hatten would have made a killer backcourt in 01-02, but I don't think that would have been the case. Both were undersized, and both needed to have the ball in their hands to be effective. In fact, in 02-03, I thought that Hatten and Elijah Ingram had trouble getting on the same page for a good portion of that season, until finally getting it right in March.
Well he had Jarvis for a coach soooo.....
What a strange reflective piece this was. Out of all topics they chose to analyze why Marcus Hatten didn't make the NBA 15+ years ago, even going so far as to come up with 3 mistakes he made.
Listen he might be my favorite Johnny since I've been a fan of the team. The absolute joy he played the game with was so fun to watch. But even I knew back then that he was a tweener and the type of player that the NBA avoided. He was undersized as a shooting guard and didn't have PG skills so that really is what did him in.
Listen he might be my favorite Johnny since I've been a fan of the team. The absolute joy he played the game with was so fun to watch. But even I knew back then that he was a tweener and the type of player that the NBA avoided. He was undersized as a shooting guard and didn't have PG skills so that really is what did him in.
[quote="Room112" post=402742]What a strange reflective piece this was. Out of all topics they chose to analyze why Marcus Hatten didn't make the NBA 15+ years ago, even going so far as to come up with 3 mistakes he made.
Listen he might be my favorite Johnny since I've been a fan of the team. The absolute joy he played the game with was so fun to watch. But even I knew back then that he was a tweener and the type of player that the NBA avoided. He was undersized as a shooting guard and didn't have PG skills so that really is what did him in.[/quote]
I don't think I ever enjoyed watching a player more than Marcus. Probably the best current comparison for those who didn't get to see him was Myles Powell. Different players, but both guys who were the focal point of every game they played (for both their team and the opponent), excelled in the spotlight, and had infectious joy for the game. Powell had a lot more help around him - Marcus was basically a one man show.
Listen he might be my favorite Johnny since I've been a fan of the team. The absolute joy he played the game with was so fun to watch. But even I knew back then that he was a tweener and the type of player that the NBA avoided. He was undersized as a shooting guard and didn't have PG skills so that really is what did him in.[/quote]
I don't think I ever enjoyed watching a player more than Marcus. Probably the best current comparison for those who didn't get to see him was Myles Powell. Different players, but both guys who were the focal point of every game they played (for both their team and the opponent), excelled in the spotlight, and had infectious joy for the game. Powell had a lot more help around him - Marcus was basically a one man show.
Problem for Omar was a lot of his passes got fumbled so it had to be frustrating for him coming from a place where he was being called the best passer ever out of NYC. On top of that, I don't think he ever wanted to go to St Johns and UNC strung him along and just dumped him at the end of his recruitment. So he was never a happy camper. Hatten was a warrior and miracle worker, but I hated the Jarvis strategy/team building (lack thereof)