The 2021 NBA Draft Thread (NO SPOILERS!!!)

[NYRaider]

12 minutes ago, Sllim Pickens said:

Or were highly rated HS kids that struggled in their one year between college and pro and took time to develop.  Deandre Jordan, Lou Williams, Gary Trent Jr, Hamidou Diallo, Jerami Grant.  Its why I would have taken a shot on Todd, Nix, Boston, etc just to try and tap into some of the potential that was there the year before.  Even Shariffe Cooper has potential to grow into a solid player with some coaching and maturity.  

Agreed. In the second round I think it's best to target guys that have a translatable skill that will allow them to be a good role player, ie great shooter, defensive versatility, etc. Or to swing for the fences on guys that have traits but didn't live up to the billing in college and/or had bad workouts. 

Obviously landing Cade #1 overall ensured the Pistons had a good night regardless. But I was a little surprised by your second round picks. Livers is gritty and can space the floor but he's not a great athlete and I question how well he'll be able to defend in the league, he's pretty much a lesser version of Saddiq Bey. Luka Garza was a great college player but I don't even view him as an NBA caliber player, he'll probably spend a year or two on a 2-way deal and then head overseas. He's skilled but his lack of athleticism and ability to defend in space really limit any potential to be an NBA player. Koprivica is a big body that I guess could be a Plumlee replacement, but he's another below the rim player and extremely raw on both ends. He doesn't stretch the floor at all, doesn't really rebound, and while he's a pretty solid rim protecting because of his size, he also fouls at a crazy high rate and his athletic limitations prevent him from being able to guard in space. 

At the end of the day though expecting any second round picks to be anything more than end of bench guys or role players is unrealistic. But with your current roster construction you're one of the least athletic teams in the league. And considering that you're probably still at least 2 years away from being competitive, I think it would've made more sense to swing for the fences on guys with good physical tools that could develop and give you guys some more athleticism/versatility. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by NYRaider

[Sllim Pickens]

3 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Agreed. In the second round I think it's best to target guys that have a translatable skill that will allow them to be a good role player, ie great shooter, defensive versatility, etc. Or to swing for the fences on guys that have traits but didn't live up to the billing in college and/or had bad workouts. 

Obviously landing Cade #1 overall ensured the Pistons had a good night regardless. But I was a little surprised by your second round picks. Livers is gritty and can space the floor but he's not a great athlete and I question how well he'll be able to defend in the league, he's pretty much a lesser version of Saddiq Bey. Luka Garza was a great college player but I don't even view him as an NBA caliber player, he'll probably spend a year or two on a 2-way deal and then head overseas. He's skilled but his lack of athleticism and ability to defend in space really limit any potential to be an NBA player. Koprivica is a big body that I guess could be a Plumlee replacement, but he's another below the rim player and extremely raw on both ends. He doesn't stretch the floor at all, doesn't really rebound, and while he's a pretty solid rim protecting because of his size, he also fouls at a crazy high rate and his athletic limitations prevent him from being able to guard in space. 

At the end of the day though expecting any second round picks to be anything more than end of bench guys or role players is unrealistic. But with your current roster construction you're one of the least athletic teams in the league. And considering that you're probably still at least 2 years away from being competitive, I think it would've made more sense to swing for the fences on guys with good physical tools that could develop and give you guys some more athleticism/versatility. 

Agreed.  I am not going to trash Weaver for the 2nd round picks but agree they didn't make sense.  Myabe Garza proves people wrong and drops more weight and is able to be good enough against the PnR to bang down low.  But he had the worst vertical by far and slowest sprint by .16 at the combine, so he is like a OL trying to keep up with TEs out there.  Just doesnt seem sustainable. 

Livers I agree is a poor mans Bey, but also seems pretty maxed potential wise.  I know I am a homer, but seems Aaron Henry's defense with improving shot and athleticism would have been a better SG/SF pick than Livers.  I would have rather had just drafted some foreign guys we forget about unless they come over in a couple years and dominate. 

I am all about swinging for the fences unless you have a good team, at every pick.  Its sort of why I wanted Green more than Cade.  Drafting guys like Kispert, Mitchell, Wagner, Durate, and whatnot just sort of are uninteresting to me.  Stars are needed to win in the NBA and drafting guys who will be good role players is stupid. Like Davion Mitchell will not help Sacramento win even if he is a good draft pick.  He might help them get to the 8th seed someday but they wont be serious contenders until they have a star next to Fox.  Its why I don't totally hate the Zaire Williams pick because he has loads of potential, just a low chance of reaching it.  As a Pistons fan I was never mad at the picks of Drummond, Stanley Johnson, Sekou Doumbouya, Killian Hayes etc because they were high upside guys.  The picks I hate are the Luke Kennards because he has shown what he is and he has been exactly what everyone expected him to be.  If we swung for the fences and took Mitchell, we would be in a very different spot right now.  I don't mind low floors with high ceilings when we dont have anything to build around.  

[NYRaider]

6 minutes ago, redsoxsuck05 said:

They made an 8th seed playoff team out of nothing but late draft picks and had a well-regarded coaching staff and front office. Also, KD and Kyrie were deadset on NY so it was either them or the Knicks lol.

How sustainably built is this current Knicks team for the future? Their best player had a really flukey shooting season without fans in the seats and totally flopped in the playoffs. Plus he's in his mid-twenties and only signed for one more year. RJ Barrett is the only guy who can MAYBE develop into an above average starter on a playoff team right now.

They had 3 winning seasons in the previous 13 seasons and had won 1 playoff series during that span before Kyrie/KD signed with them. And that 8th seeded playoff team had D'Angelo Russell who was an All-Star that year and a few other decent young players, none of whom are even with the team anymore outside of Joe Harris. And was their front office really that highly regraded? Bobby Marks really hadn't made a ton of great moves and was a young GM and the team was sold to a new ownership group. That well regarded coaching staff was also immediately fired and replaced with guys that Kyrie/Durant wanted. 

The Knicks situation heading into free agency next year, as long as they don't blow their load this year, is comparable to what the Nets had in 2019. I'd say that Thibs is a lot more highly regarded around the league than Kenny Atkinson and he just got a young group to the playoffs. The lack of future commitment to your current roster is what gives the Knicks a chance to make splash moves next year. If your front office does the smart thing and saves their cap space you guys will be in a great spot. 

I don't think Julius Randle is in your long-term plans and I think he can be used just like Russell was as a S&T chip when the Nets acquired Durant. If a star free agent says they want to play for the Knicks instead of losing him for nothing his current team could S&T him to NY so he maximizes his potential earnings while receiving Randle back just like the Warriors did with KD/DLo. So that's how you could potentially acquire one max contract level player. You'd also still have space to sign one more outright like the Nets did with Kyrie Irving. And have the young pieces/draft picks in guys like Barrett, Quickley, Toppin, Grimes, Rokas and future 1sts to trade for another like the Nets did with Harden. I think the main reason you guys decided to trade your picks for future picks was to have those assets for a potential blockbuster deal. 

[NYRaider]

5 minutes ago, Sllim Pickens said:

Agreed.  I am not going to trash Weaver for the 2nd round picks but agree they didn't make sense.  

Yeah, looking at Weavers first two drafts with the Pistons I think it's pretty clear that he values skill over athleticism. Which is fine but at some point you're going to have to add some dynamic athletes to your roster. Guys like Hayes, Cade, Bey, and Stewart are all pretty average athletically in the NBA. Although I was a Hayes Stan boy last year and still believe that he's going to be a good player that compliments Cade very well. 

I think in a perfect world for the Pistons, Hayes/Cade both show signs of what they can be, but you're still bad enough to finish near the bottom of the league. While Emoni Bates reclassifies and you're able to keep the Michigan boy home. A Bates/Cade duo would be absolutely FILTHY. And if he does reclassify if I'm Troy Weaver I'm immediately running to my phone and trying to trade Jerami Grant for 2022 draft capital. 

[the lone star]

If Josh Richardson opts in, then I hope the Mavs make a sign and trade involving him, Dwight Powell, Burke, WCS, and the team's rookies/prospects. 

DeRozan or Lowry would be cool. 

[Texansfan713]

Segun's translator is the real MVP. 

[NYRaider]

11 minutes ago, the lone star said:

If Josh Richardson opts in, then I hope the Mavs make a sign and trade involving him, Dwight Powell, Burke, WCS, and the team's rookies/prospects. 

DeRozan or Lowry would be cool. 

Don't you already have enough cap space to sign either guy outright? Pascal Siakam is reportedly on the block, John Collins is a RFA, and you guys are also reportedly interested in Jarrett Allen and Kyle Lowry. 

[Texansfan713]

[the lone star]

5 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Don't you already have enough cap space to sign either guy outright? Pascal Siakam is reportedly on the block, John Collins is a RFA, and you guys are also reportedly interested in Jarrett Allen and Kyle Lowry. 

I think so, but it depends on what happens with JRich and THJ. The Mavs want to keep THJ, so if they do, then they gotta keep his cap hold, which limits their space.

And yeah, Jarrett Allen would be cool, but I doubt that happens. Same with Collins. Lowry and Siakam are more realistic if you ask me. Maybe Mavs can make that happen, but we'll see.

[NYRaider]

Just now, the lone star said:

I think so, but it depends on what happens with JRich and THJ. The Mavs want to keep THJ, so if they do, then they gotta keep his cap hold, which limits their space.

And yeah, Jarrett Allen would be cool, but I doubt that happens. Same with Collins. Lowry and Siakam are more realistic if you ask me. Maybe Mavs can make that happen, but we'll see.

Yeah the Mavericks are in an interesting spot, you obviously want to make moves that make you more competitive this year but you also don't want to blow your load thus limiting your ability to pursue top FA next summer. Which is pretty much the only reason you hired Nico Collins. 

I think a Porzingis/Siakam swap would make sense for both teams, then I'd target a veteran center on a short term deal like Dwight Howard or Nerlens Noel. Lowry would be a nice pickup but at 35 coming off of an injury plagued season, I'd be a little hesitant to make a long-term commitment to him. I think you guys would be better off pursuing someone like Derrick Rose on a short term deal. 

[the lone star]

Just now, NYRaider said:

Yeah the Mavericks are in an interesting spot, you obviously want to make moves that make you more competitive this year but you also don't want to blow your load thus limiting your ability to pursue top FA next summer. Which is pretty much the only reason you hired Nico Collins. 

I think a Porzingis/Siakam swap would make sense for both teams, then I'd target a veteran center on a short term deal like Dwight Howard or Nerlens Noel. Lowry would be a nice pickup but at 35 coming off of an injury plagued season, I'd be a little hesitant to make a long-term commitment to him. I think you guys would be better off pursuing someone like Derrick Rose on a short term deal. 

Honestly, I'd even be fine with trading away the scraps on the roster for someone like Kemba Walker. JRich, Dwight Powell, WCS, Burke, Josh Green, Tyrell Terry, and Tyler Bey for Kemba. That's a good get for OKC, and the Mavs get rid of some contracts, open up some roster spaces, and keep their cap space.

But we'll see what happens.

[beekay414]

2 hours ago, NYRaider said:

Guys that fit that list this year would be Jared Butler, Ayo Dosunmu, Herbert Jones, Miles McBride, Rokas Jokubaitas, JT Thor, and Joe Wieskamp. 

How dare you leave off Mamu from this list.

[Sllim Pickens]

39 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Yeah, looking at Weavers first two drafts with the Pistons I think it's pretty clear that he values skill over athleticism. Which is fine but at some point you're going to have to add some dynamic athletes to your roster. Guys like Hayes, Cade, Bey, and Stewart are all pretty average athletically in the NBA. Although I was a Hayes Stan boy last year and still believe that he's going to be a good player that compliments Cade very well. 

I think in a perfect world for the Pistons, Hayes/Cade both show signs of what they can be, but you're still bad enough to finish near the bottom of the league. While Emoni Bates reclassifies and you're able to keep the Michigan boy home. A Bates/Cade duo would be absolutely FILTHY. And if he does reclassify if I'm Troy Weaver I'm immediately running to my phone and trying to trade Jerami Grant for 2022 draft capital. 

I sign off on this.  I would trade Bey/Stewart/Hayes/anything other than Cade for draft capital for 2022 if thats the case.  I am afraid that Bey, Grant, Stewart, and Cade alone will be enough to pull us out of the cellar.  We won't be good but would need some lottery luck IMO to get into the top 3-5 next year.  Our team was scrappy this year and adding talents like Cade and Hayes for a whole year will likely get us into that crappy 7-14 pick range unfortunately.  Thats why I would trade Grant now, as I think he has more value as a good player on a reasonable contract for a couple years than he will as an expiring.  But I sort of want to do this anyways  if Bates doesn't reclassify for Paolo or Chet, assuming they pan out.  Even Hardy would be nice to add a better scoring SG in the mold of Jalen Green.  I think next years draft is going to be strong too so being anywhere in the top 5-7 picks will probably be good for us.  

[NYRaider]

9 minutes ago, beekay414 said:

How dare you leave off Mamu from this list.

After watching a little bit of him I can't lie, he is pretty intriguing. He can definitely handle the ball and shoot extremely well for a 7 footer. Dude legit looks like a PG handling the rock at times, lol. 

[beekay414]

1 minute ago, NYRaider said:

After watching a little bit of him I can't lie, he is pretty intriguing. He can definitely handle the ball and shoot extremely well for a 7 footer. Dude legit looks like a PG handling the rock at times, lol. 

And then you watch him attempt to play man defense and...well...you see why he fell to 54. We managed to hide Bobby Portis pretty well so we'll see if we can hide this young man or not. Don't expect much but at least he has a unique skillset to work with.