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NBA Draft Thread: NO trades 4 to ATL (8/17/35)


NYRaider

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1 hour ago, NYRaider said:

I'm guessing you haven't watched any Zion Williamson. A 6'6" point forward with elite athleticism or a 6'9" forward/center. 

Which is why I said more athletic better shooting. Randle is quite the athlete himself, and is a good ball handler for a big. It’s not a bad comparison by any means.

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Its still funny to me when people refer to athleticism like its a singular trait.  Zion has otherworldly vertical explosion and strength, on top of being light on his feet, agile, and having the type body control that makes it hard to believe he is 275 lbs.  Julius has a unique blend of strength, power, and coordination making him really tough to stop when he can build some momentum but no where near the explosion or the ability to rise up.  Both good but fairly different overall packages of athleticism and Zion seems to be on another level.  Vertical explosion can make up for sub par length and that works in Zions favor.

And I don't think the league is moving away from undersized bigs that can't shoot and more so moving away from "bigs" that can't guard other bigs or shoot.  I wanna see how Zions body and energy level goes over the season because its hard for me to believe 275 is his best playing weight but his strength explosion and movement skills should allow him to guard power forwards.  I haven't watched much of Zion in a while but I remember thinking I didn't like his form.  Just got the impression he would have trouble getting a jumpshot off if hes guarded.

I think in terms of role he could be similar to a young Blake Griffen.  Get most of his buckets off transition, cuts to the basket, and beating bigs one on one to the basket with athleticism from inside ten feet.  Probably have to play him at pf because you wouldn't want to play him with two other bigs unless its a guy like Markkanen or another guy at power forward that is comfortable getting most of his touches out on the perimeter.

....

Still think Reddish is the best player in the draft.  Super fluid guy.  I think hes an underrated athlete because hes not super explosive off the first step or vertically but his handle, length, fluidity and finishing are the exact types of skills that can mitigate a lack of explosiveness.  He's got a superstar type of profile if he can play the two.  Tall/long for a shooting guard, with the type of ball skills and shot creation to be a primary ball handler in the half court, and the height/vision/pass skills to take advantage of the defensive attention that he can draw.  I don't like the fact that he would go hot and cold with his intensity, but I don't see that as a character flaw out of an 18 year old that played on a loaded team with Mo Bamba his junior year, and was pretty much a lock as one of the top prospects in the country going into his senior year.

Still can't put my finger on exactly why, but I don't love RJ Barrett.  Seems like one of those guys thats a good not great overall athlete at the NBA level with solid fundamentals that trys really hard and has a lot of confidence at the high school level.  I don't think they are the same caliber of player at all, but similar situation to how Shabazz Muhammed was considered the top prospect coming out of high school.  Just enough fundamental skill combined with their above average size, strength, and athleticism, at the highschool level to assert themselves with the kind of confidence that allows them to dominate.  When they start playing bigger better players things become harder and their confidence tends to drop showing that their level of athleticism is not elite enough to carry their career.  I think his best bet is to really get stronger in his core and work on his ball handling so that he can be a big bully of a shooting guard in the NBA.  Jimmy Butler really got his foot in the door to stardom by being taller and stronger than most of the guys he was guarding at the two.  Made it easier for him to play defense and muscle his shots up against guys that are smaller.  Then he can start adding more range and playmaking,  But I don't see the fluidity or ball skills of a primary handler/creator yet and I don't see special tools if hes regularly playing small forward and matching up against guys that are similar in size to him.

Those would probably be my expected top three in next years draft.

I like Romeo Langford as a potential all-star level Robin/Bat girl.  A guy that can create for himself and score from all three levels.  At the same time I don't see him as an elite shooter, playmaker, or finisher at the NBA level which is why I think he maxes out as a really good second or third option that is most dangerous off the catch and primarily there to get you buckets.

I don't know what people see in Bol Bol, honestly.  Great for him and he should just stay and become a legend in the Oregon Basketball program, because I don't see his utility in the NBA Level.  He obviously has length but I don't think hes light enough on his feet or strong enough to really put the length to use at the NBA level.  His jumper looks like hes only gonna be able to get it off when hes wide open and bigs will be able to muscle him away from the basket down low and prevent him from getting good positioning on the catch without having to worry about him making you pay with quickness.  He's got obvious skills and confidence going against guys much smaller than himm but I just don't think those skills give him much utility when there will be guys much closer in height to him and just about everyone is quicker.

Haven't seen a ton of Nassir Little, but he seems like one of those guys that you really want to like.  Great overall athleticism with quick feet and length that you hope for out of a wing.  Plays hard and likes to compete.  Don't see the ball skills for him to be a superstar but similarly to Barrett, if he can find a team that has good spacing and he can slot in as an oversized two guard who will defend and score off energy plays and cuts and have an easier time executing on offense because of the size advantage.  Basically the MKG, RHJ, Josh Jackson mold, who most likely won't ever develop the ball skills to be a primary option offensively but can be very useful as a switchy guy who can guard 4 positions and make positive things happen on both sides with his energy.

That's about all I got right now.  My pick for a guy that can really shoot up the boards is EJ Montgomery.  Seems like he kinda got worked over by the system and I think he ended up getting kind of overlooked in terms of rankings.  I remember seeing his mixtapes when he was being hyped as the best player in his class as an eighth grader because he was "6'10" and had some face-up skills. Problem was (and still is to an extent) that he was scrawny and had not grown into his frame at all so he was being billed as a 6'10 wing and he clearly does not have the perimeter skill/ball handling/quickness to play on the perimeter full time.  All the hype of him being a 6'10 wing started to work against him when he struggled to perform at an elite level in that role, and he started to fall down the rankings.  Then he committed relatively early to Auburn, and he started sliding down the rankings again because the rankings sites want to keep pulling people in so they naturally start to raise the guys that are performing that aren't committed yet and they'll use any justification to lower the guys who have already committed and have little intrigue.  I don't love his fit with Kentuckys roster just because him and PJ Washington have very similar skillsets and both are best off playing the four with a defensive center and shooters.  I do think hes the type of kid that can benefit from the Kentucky system though.  I think hes the most physically talented guy on their team and I expect Calipari to be tough on him and hold him accountable for that reason.  Kentucky practices will be huge for him and should give him the confidence to assert himself.

EJ's got the true size and length of a power forward and a good looking frame in terms of he can probably get up to 230ish maybe 240 without sacrificing mobility or flexibility.  Reportedly measured 6'9 in shoes with a 7 foot wingspan in 2014 at a Team USA Camp.  He's light on his feet and a decent athlete vertically. In terms of skill, he has the building blocks to score from all three levels.  I think he needs to raise his release point, but he looks comfortable and not afraid to shoot which is good.  Once he adds his man muscles, he will be hard for another big to stop one-on one from the triple threat position anywhere inside of 15 feet.

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1 hour ago, grubs10 said:

Its still funny to me when people refer to athleticism like its a singular trait.  Zion has otherworldly vertical explosion and strength, on top of being light on his feet, agile, and having the type body control that makes it hard to believe he is 275 lbs.  Julius has a unique blend of strength, power, and coordination making him really tough to stop when he can build some momentum but no where near the explosion or the ability to rise up.  Both good but fairly different overall packages of athleticism and Zion seems to be on another level.  Vertical explosion can make up for sub par length and that works in Zions favor.

And I don't think the league is moving away from undersized bigs that can't shoot and more so moving away from "bigs" that can't guard other bigs or shoot.  I wanna see how Zions body and energy level goes over the season because its hard for me to believe 275 is his best playing weight but his strength explosion and movement skills should allow him to guard power forwards.  I haven't watched much of Zion in a while but I remember thinking I didn't like his form.  Just got the impression he would have trouble getting a jumpshot off if hes guarded.

I think in terms of role he could be similar to a young Blake Griffen.  Get most of his buckets off transition, cuts to the basket, and beating bigs one on one to the basket with athleticism from inside ten feet.  Probably have to play him at pf because you wouldn't want to play him with two other bigs unless its a guy like Markkanen or another guy at power forward that is comfortable getting most of his touches out on the perimeter.

....

Still think Reddish is the best player in the draft.  Super fluid guy.  I think hes an underrated athlete because hes not super explosive off the first step or vertically but his handle, length, fluidity and finishing are the exact types of skills that can mitigate a lack of explosiveness.  He's got a superstar type of profile if he can play the two.  Tall/long for a shooting guard, with the type of ball skills and shot creation to be a primary ball handler in the half court, and the height/vision/pass skills to take advantage of the defensive attention that he can draw.  I don't like the fact that he would go hot and cold with his intensity, but I don't see that as a character flaw out of an 18 year old that played on a loaded team with Mo Bamba his junior year, and was pretty much a lock as one of the top prospects in the country going into his senior year.

Still can't put my finger on exactly why, but I don't love RJ Barrett.  Seems like one of those guys thats a good not great overall athlete at the NBA level with solid fundamentals that trys really hard and has a lot of confidence at the high school level.  I don't think they are the same caliber of player at all, but similar situation to how Shabazz Muhammed was considered the top prospect coming out of high school.  Just enough fundamental skill combined with their above average size, strength, and athleticism, at the highschool level to assert themselves with the kind of confidence that allows them to dominate.  When they start playing bigger better players things become harder and their confidence tends to drop showing that their level of athleticism is not elite enough to carry their career.  I think his best bet is to really get stronger in his core and work on his ball handling so that he can be a big bully of a shooting guard in the NBA.  Jimmy Butler really got his foot in the door to stardom by being taller and stronger than most of the guys he was guarding at the two.  Made it easier for him to play defense and muscle his shots up against guys that are smaller.  Then he can start adding more range and playmaking,  But I don't see the fluidity or ball skills of a primary handler/creator yet and I don't see special tools if hes regularly playing small forward and matching up against guys that are similar in size to him.

Those would probably be my expected top three in next years draft.

I like Romeo Langford as a potential all-star level Robin/Bat girl.  A guy that can create for himself and score from all three levels.  At the same time I don't see him as an elite shooter, playmaker, or finisher at the NBA level which is why I think he maxes out as a really good second or third option that is most dangerous off the catch and primarily there to get you buckets.

I don't know what people see in Bol Bol, honestly.  Great for him and he should just stay and become a legend in the Oregon Basketball program, because I don't see his utility in the NBA Level.  He obviously has length but I don't think hes light enough on his feet or strong enough to really put the length to use at the NBA level.  His jumper looks like hes only gonna be able to get it off when hes wide open and bigs will be able to muscle him away from the basket down low and prevent him from getting good positioning on the catch without having to worry about him making you pay with quickness.  He's got obvious skills and confidence going against guys much smaller than himm but I just don't think those skills give him much utility when there will be guys much closer in height to him and just about everyone is quicker.

Haven't seen a ton of Nassir Little, but he seems like one of those guys that you really want to like.  Great overall athleticism with quick feet and length that you hope for out of a wing.  Plays hard and likes to compete.  Don't see the ball skills for him to be a superstar but similarly to Barrett, if he can find a team that has good spacing and he can slot in as an oversized two guard who will defend and score off energy plays and cuts and have an easier time executing on offense because of the size advantage.  Basically the MKG, RHJ, Josh Jackson mold, who most likely won't ever develop the ball skills to be a primary option offensively but can be very useful as a switchy guy who can guard 4 positions and make positive things happen on both sides with his energy.

That's about all I got right now.  My pick for a guy that can really shoot up the boards is EJ Montgomery.  Seems like he kinda got worked over by the system and I think he ended up getting kind of overlooked in terms of rankings.  I remember seeing his mixtapes when he was being hyped as the best player in his class as an eighth grader because he was "6'10" and had some face-up skills. Problem was (and still is to an extent) that he was scrawny and had not grown into his frame at all so he was being billed as a 6'10 wing and he clearly does not have the perimeter skill/ball handling/quickness to play on the perimeter full time.  All the hype of him being a 6'10 wing started to work against him when he struggled to perform at an elite level in that role, and he started to fall down the rankings.  Then he committed relatively early to Auburn, and he started sliding down the rankings again because the rankings sites want to keep pulling people in so they naturally start to raise the guys that are performing that aren't committed yet and they'll use any justification to lower the guys who have already committed and have little intrigue.  I don't love his fit with Kentuckys roster just because him and PJ Washington have very similar skillsets and both are best off playing the four with a defensive center and shooters.  I do think hes the type of kid that can benefit from the Kentucky system though.  I think hes the most physically talented guy on their team and I expect Calipari to be tough on him and hold him accountable for that reason.  Kentucky practices will be huge for him and should give him the confidence to assert himself.

EJ's got the true size and length of a power forward and a good looking frame in terms of he can probably get up to 230ish maybe 240 without sacrificing mobility or flexibility.  Reportedly measured 6'9 in shoes with a 7 foot wingspan in 2014 at a Team USA Camp.  He's light on his feet and a decent athlete vertically. In terms of skill, he has the building blocks to score from all three levels.  I think he needs to raise his release point, but he looks comfortable and not afraid to shoot which is good.  Once he adds his man muscles, he will be hard for another big to stop one-on one from the triple threat position anywhere inside of 15 feet.

wow, really enjoyed your write up.

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BK's Early Top 10 2019 NBA Draft Prospects
1. RJ Barrett | GF | Duke
2. Cam Reddish | GF | Duke
3. Zion Williamson | F | Duke
4. Sekou Doumbouya | F | Limoges CSP
5. Romeo Langford | SG | Indiana
6. Naz Little | SF | North Carolina
7. Ja Morant | PG | Murray State
8. Naz Reid | PF | Louisiana State
9. Dedric Lawson | SF | Kansas
10. Rui Hachimura | F | Gonzaga

Sekou could be the best player from this class or he could be the bust. His success will go as his shooting goes. Ja Morant is the guy that will RISE up boards this year. He WILL be drafted top 10. Quote me on it. Bookmark this ****. I don't care. Ja Morant is the real deal.

Edited by beekay414
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34 minutes ago, resilient part 2 said:

I don't think the top 10 is any where near as good as 2018, Just my opinion.

Last years top 10 was dominated by post players, 7 of the top 10 picks were guys that are going to be PF or C in the league. This years top 10 is dominated by versatile wings that are perfect for the modern NBA. Barrett, Reddish, Williamson, Little, and Doumbouya are the type of players that you win with in the postseason. 

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3 hours ago, beekay414 said:

BK's Early Top 10 2019 NBA Draft Prospects
1. RJ Barrett | GF | Duke
2. Cam Reddish | GF | Duke
3. Zion Williamson | F | Duke
4. Sekou Doumbouya | F | Limoges CSP
5. Romeo Langford | SG | Indiana
6. Naz Little | SF | North Carolina
7. Ja Morant | PG | Murray State
8. Naz Reid | PF | Louisiana State
9. Dedric Lawson | SF | Kansas
10. Rui Hachimura | F | Gonzaga

Sekou could be the best player from this class or he could be the bust. His success will go as his shooting goes. Ja Morant is the guy that will RISE up boards this year. He WILL be drafted top 10. Quote me on it. Bookmark this ****. I don't care. Ja Morant is the real deal.

What are your thoughts on Darius Garland? He looked impressive in his debut.

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