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NBA Draft '18 Thread.

WeAreDePaul said:
For Bridges, he's a one dribble player. And undersized for 4 in the NBA. At best I see him as a rotational spot up 3 point shooter and defensive player. I also don't like that he didn't improve from last year to this year.

For Williams, million dollar talent and ten cent brain. Expected domination from him this year, was he even one of the 3 best players on his own team??? Even less improvement this year than Bridges.
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He did improve. If you watched the games, it was quite obvious.

His percentages were down because he had a ankle injury earlier in the season and started slow. Picked it up and shot much better later.

His ball handling is no where near elite, but it did improve no question about it.

His free throw shooting went up 13%

He was a better leader.

His defense greatly improved this year, and he went from someone who wouldn’t pass to someone who would make the right pass (again not elite, but he improved).

I agree, he’s a bit undersized and his handle isn’t where you want it to be right now, but saying he didn’t improve is silly.
 
Bridges is absolutely an NBA 4 in 2018. And I think he has a pretty high floor, but low ceiling. Williams was out of position all year at PF, but I tend to agree on him. He's just not that good, and he's not a DeAndre Jordan level nuclear athlete.
 
MGC_07 said:
He did improve. If you watched the games, it was quite obvious.

His percentages were down because he had a ankle injury earlier in the season and started slow. Picked it up and shot much better later.

His ball handling is no where near elite, but it did improve no question about it.

His free throw shooting went up 13%

He was a better leader.

His defense greatly improved this year, and he went from someone who wouldn’t pass to someone who would make the right pass (again not elite, but he improved).

I agree, he’s a bit undersized and his handle isn’t where you want it to be right now, but saying he didn’t improve is silly.
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yes, his shooting definitely showed improvement. Especially, set shots from outside. Late in the season he knocked down a lot of those.

But, I didn't notice much improvement in any other area of the game. And, for a guy who was coming back to school after turning down a slot in the top 10 of the draft, I expected MASSIVE improvement and complete domination. He definitely did not make a large stride forward from freshman to sophomore year. For me, that's a huge red flag for a guy who was pre-season national player of the year in some circles.
 
WeAreDePaul said:
yes, his shooting definitely showed improvement. Especially, set shots from outside. Late in the season he knocked down a lot of those.

But, I didn't notice much improvement in any other area of the game. And, for a guy who was coming back to school after turning down a slot in the top 10 of the draft, I expected MASSIVE improvement and complete domination. He definitely did not make a large stride forward from freshman to sophomore year. For me, that's a huge red flag for a guy who was pre-season national player of the year in some circles.
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Alright, that’s fair. He did make improvements in most areas of his game, but I agree they weren’t HUGE.
 
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If I'm guessing what my team does, I'm now leaning to a semi surprise pick. Maybe Knox or Bridges (as opposed to Young, Porter or Carter).
 
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Here is my guess of what happens tonight based off of what teams are saying and players not giving some teams there medical records.
1. Suns- Ayton
2. Kings- Bagley (think he should be the 4th pick but Jaren and Doncic won’t give them medical info
3. Hawks- JJJ
4. Grizzlies- Doncic
5. Mavs- Bamba
6. Magic- Trae Young
7. Bulls- MPJ
8. Cavs- Carter
9. Knicks- Sexton (think Mikal is a better prospect but they are tanking next year for sure, as Kristaps is hurt, so I think they could take a SF next year like RJ Barret or Cameron Reddish)
10. 76ers- Mikal Bridges
11. Charlotte- Kevin Knox
12. Clippers- Miles Bridges
13. Clippers- SGA
14. Nuggets- Lonnie Walker
15. Wizards- Robert Williams
16. Suns- Elie Okobo (overseas PG)
17. Bucks- Zhaire Smith
18. Spurs- Jerome Robinson
19. Hawks- Kevin Huerter
20. Minnesota- Troy Brown
21. Jazz- Donte DiVincenzo
22. Bulls- Chandler Hutchison
23. Pacers- Aaron Holiday
24. Trail Blazers- Keita Bates-Diop
25. Lakers- Grayson Allen
26. 76ers- Gary Trent Jr.
27. Boston- Mitchell Robinson
28. Warriors- Landry Shamet
29. Nets- Khyri Thomas
30. Hawks- Jacob Evans
 
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schoonerwest said:
Hopefully he can atleast sign on with a team if he's not drafted and have a shot at making a roster next year.
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Yeah, that’s what will most likely happen. There is no doubt he’ll end up with a team, it’s just the question of will he be stuck in the D-League, when he could go over seas and make millions.
 
schoonerwest said:
Hopefully he can atleast sign on with a team if he's not drafted and have a shot at making a roster next year.
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I think he can go the Quinn Cook route. 2nd round or not getting drafted is no longer a death sentence it once was.
 
I think Young could slide. He's often attached to the Magic, but John Hammond (the GM for the Magic, not the Jurassic Park guy) likes long athletes: Joe Alexander (workout warrior), Luc Mbah a Moute, Brandon Jennings (terrific athlete, maybe undersized), Larry Sanders, Tobias Harris, Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, Jabari Parker, Rashad Vaughn (good size, not the best athlete), and Thon Maker are his first round picks (and a few 2nds). Young does not fit that profile. Barring a trade, I could see Young slipping to 12/13. Maybe Philly likes him at 10.

If Doncic goes lower than 3rd, I think it's a travesty. Bigs are a dime a dozen unless they're truly special. Is Carter that guy? JJJ? Bagley? Bamba? I don't know. Maybe the NBA will be in a different place in 5 years, but it's hard to see it without rule changes.

I think Knox and SGA go top 10.

If Grayson goes to Boston or GSW I might just walk outside and wander into the night with my dogs for several hours. I hate to say it because he's Ted Cruz's secret love child, but he's a perfect fit for teams like that. Imagine Grayson and Draymond together? Do you think they could create an "accident" move where Grayson trips Draymond, causing Draymond's leg to hit someone in the nuts?
 
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MileHighSpartan said:
That is kind of a crazy stat. Kentucky has only had one single lotto pick, that wasn't from Calipari?
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No, that doesn't mean the same. I think Cal has had like 14-15 lottery picks at U.K. and like 5-6 maybe from Memphis/UMASS. Not sure if the stat person from this tweet counted Enes. All UK fans count him; non UK fans don't count him since he technically *didnt* play a game for Kentucky. Like Helms banners; the fans count them and the non fans don't.

Edit: I saw an article that said after last year's draft, Cal has had 17 lottery picks while at UK (again, not sure if this includes Enes or not).
 
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Big_Blue79 said:
I think Young could slide. He's often attached to the Magic, but John Hammond (the GM for the Magic, not the Jurassic Park guy) likes long athletes: Joe Alexander (workout warrior), Luc Mbah a Moute, Brandon Jennings (terrific athlete, maybe undersized), Larry Sanders, Tobias Harris, Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, Jabari Parker, Rashad Vaughn (good size, not the best athlete), and Thon Maker are his first round picks (and a few 2nds). Young does not fit that profile. Barring a trade, I could see Young slipping to 12/13. Maybe Philly likes him at 10.

If Doncic goes lower than 3rd, I think it's a travesty. Bigs are a dime a dozen unless they're truly special. Is Carter that guy? JJJ? Bagley? Bamba? I don't know. Maybe the NBA will be in a different place in 5 years, but it's hard to see it without rule changes.

I think Knox and SGA go top 10.

If Grayson goes to Boston or GSW I might just walk outside and wander into the night with my dogs for several hours. I hate to say it because he's Ted Cruz's secret love child, but he's a perfect fit for teams like that. Imagine Grayson and Draymond together? Do you think they could create an "accident" move where Grayson trips Draymond, causing Draymond's leg to hit someone in the nuts?
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Grayson would be the fifth K player to win a title in college AND NBA :D
 
I'm excited about watching the draft, seeing where the 5 Duke guys will end... but man, projecting NBA Talent is incredibly hard. Does anyone remember the 2011 NBA Draft? This was before the OAD took a stranglehold over the 1st Round. There was only 6 OAD players in the 1st Round. Nowadays, you're seeing 14-16 OAD players in the 1st Round. So you'd figure you could project a little easier, right? The guys were a little older and a little more developed.

As it turns out, many, many experts predicted the 2011 Draft to be one of the weakest in draft history. Many fans and sports writers were criticizing Jared Sullinger and Harrison Barnes for coming back to school because they were more likely to drop a few spots in the 2012 Draft. Check out some of headlines/excerpts from Pre-2011 NBA Draft Articles:

slcdunk: "2011 NBA Draft: Weak or Weakest?"
https://www.slcdunk.com/2011/3/7/2034660/2011-nba-draft-weak-or-weakest

Bleacher Report: "The 2011 NBA Draft class is shaping up to be one of the poorest in recent memory. In fact, it has the potential to go down as one of the worst of all time."
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-10-worst-draft-classes-in-nba-history#slide0

The Big Lead: "This is Shaping Up as Terrible NBA Draft, so Smart Teams are Trading Away Draft Picks."

Here are some notable names from the 2011 Draft:

Elite-
Kyrie Irving
Kemba Walker
Klay Thompson
Kawhi Leonard
Jimmy Butler
Isaiah Thomas (at least in 2017)

Solid Starters:
Enes Kanter
Jonas Valanciunas
Brandon Knight
Marcus Morris
Markieff Morris
Nikola Vucevic
Tobias Harris
Kenneth Faried
Nikola Mirotic
Reggie Jackson
Bojan Bogdanovic

Others:
E'Twaun Moore
Chandler Parsons
Cory Joseph
Iman Shumpert
Tristan Thompson
 
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dukedevilz said:
I'm excited about watching the draft, seeing where the 5 Duke guys will end... but man, projecting NBA Talent is incredibly hard. Does anyone remember the 2011 NBA Draft? This was before the OAD took a stranglehold over the 1st Round. There was only 6 OAD players in the 1st Round. Nowadays, you're seeing 14-16 OAD players in the 1st Round. So you'd figure you could project a little easier, right? The guys were a little older and a little more developed.

As it turns out, many, many experts predicted the 2011 Draft to be one of the weakest in draft history. Many fans and sports writers were criticizing Jared Sullinger and Harrison Barnes for coming back to school because they were more likely to drop a few spots in the 2012 Draft. Check out some of headlines/excerpts from Pre-2011 NBA Draft Articles:

slcdunk: "2011 NBA Draft: Weak or Weakest?"
https://www.slcdunk.com/2011/3/7/2034660/2011-nba-draft-weak-or-weakest

Bleacher Report: "The 2011 NBA Draft class is shaping up to be one of the poorest in recent memory. In fact, it has the potential to go down as one of the worst of all time."
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-10-worst-draft-classes-in-nba-history#slide0

The Big Lead: "This is Shaping Up as Terrible NBA Draft, so Smart Teams are Trading Away Draft Picks."

Here are some notable names from the 2011 Draft:

Elite-
Kyrie Irving
Kemba Walker
Klay Thompson
Kawhi Leonard
Jimmy Butler
Isaiah Thomas (at least in 2017)

Solid Starters:
Enes Kanter
Jonas Valanciunas
Brandon Knight
Marcus Morris
Markieff Morris
Nikola Vucevic
Tobias Harris
Kenneth Faried
Nikola Mirotic
Reggie Jackson
Bojan Bogdanovic

Others:
E'Twaun Moore
Chandler Parsons
Cory Joseph
Iman Shumpert
Tristan Thompson





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That's definitely a solid draft. Interesting articles I read the last couple of weeks (I think USA Today), and going from memory......One was yesterday or Monday and said we can expect one truth from each draft. You will more or less get a couple all stars, handful of starting players and then a handful of solid role guys. Going by this, the 2011 draft is a little better than should be expected.

Another article mentioned something I found very interesting. NBA is nothing like NFL draft in this respect....I always think it's foolish to look at mock drafts or listen to so-called experts when it comes to NFL, but that's not the case in the NBA.

Almost like there is a universal scouting service(s) they use and very few will stray far from those rankings. Maybe they "reach" a few spots because of need but will not go far for fear of being second guessed.
 
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dtgold88 said:
That's definitely a solid draft. Interesting articles I read the last couple of weeks (I think USA Today), and going from memory......One was yesterday or Monday and said we can expect one truth from each draft. You will more or less get a couple all stars, handful of starting players and then a handful of solid role guys. Going by this, the 2011 draft is a little better than should be expected.

Another article mentioned something I found very interesting. NBA is nothing like NFL draft in this respect....I always think it's foolish to look at mock drafts or listen to so-called experts when it comes to NFL, but that's not the case in the NBA.

Almost like there is a universal scouting service(s) they use and very few will stray far from those rankings. Maybe they "reach" a few spots because of need but will not go far for fear of being second guessed.
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I can definitely concede that projecting talent is a heckuva a lot easier in the NBA than the NFL. Tom Brady and Antonio Brown were 6th round picks - and elite Quarterbacks like Kurt Warner, Warren Moon, and Tony Romo weren't even drafted... thankfully the NBA is at least somewhat manageable to project in comparison to the NFL.
 
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Big_Blue79 said:
I think Young could slide. He's often attached to the Magic, but John Hammond (the GM for the Magic, not the Jurassic Park guy) likes long athletes: Joe Alexander (workout warrior), Luc Mbah a Moute, Brandon Jennings (terrific athlete, maybe undersized), Larry Sanders, Tobias Harris, Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, Jabari Parker, Rashad Vaughn (good size, not the best athlete), and Thon Maker are his first round picks (and a few 2nds). Young does not fit that profile. Barring a trade, I could see Young slipping to 12/13. Maybe Philly likes him at 10.

If Doncic goes lower than 3rd, I think it's a travesty. Bigs are a dime a dozen unless they're truly special. Is Carter that guy? JJJ? Bagley? Bamba? I don't know. Maybe the NBA will be in a different place in 5 years, but it's hard to see it without rule changes.

I think Knox and SGA go top 10.

If Grayson goes to Boston or GSW I might just walk outside and wander into the night with my dogs for several hours. I hate to say it because he's Ted Cruz's secret love child, but he's a perfect fit for teams like that. Imagine Grayson and Draymond together? Do you think they could create an "accident" move where Grayson trips Draymond, causing Draymond's leg to hit someone in the nuts?
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I agree, I think Young is a tad overrated, but the Magic need a someone with star potential, and Young will sell tickets. It’s also a position of need. I doubt he slips out of the top 9, where if he’s available at New York’s pick, he’s gone.

Doncic isn’t going number 1, he has expressed a lot that he doesn’t want to go the Kings at all and he told them not to draft him, and with the new system in place in Atlanta, Jackson is the better fit (best defender in the draft rn, which they said is going to be there niche, plus they could have that nice Big Man duo with Collins). I think he goes 4, but could very well go 3.

I doubt both SGA and Knox go top ten. I could see Knox going 9th or 10th but there is no way thy both are.
 
^ Young reportedly had a terrible workout in NY and the Knicks are low on him. Maybe it's a smokescreen.

Agreed that JJJ can fit with Collins, but I think the Hawks need talent all over. And what good is a big man duo with no wings or guards? Recent Pelton article suggesting that because the replacement level for centers is so much higher than any other position, center loses importance relative to other positions. Something that he didn't discuss but was readily apparent from one of his charts is that SG and SF were the most valuable position, which correlates with what most know at this point: wings are the currency of the realm. Boston and GSW (and to a lesser extent teams like Houston) already follow this. If the players are in the same tier (and I think Doncic is probably in a tier ahead anyway), take the wing.

I wouldn't wager on Knox and SGA going top 10, but I'd put it at about a 40% chance.
 
A lot of big guys will be in the green room tonight. It often makes for awkward looking suits. Hopefully we won't see anything quite as bad as Amare Stoudemire or Drew Gooden.

copilot-style-201506-1434665784054_worstdraftsuits_0020_GettyImages-1137646.jpg



ex1wsptdmnljklw2231p.jpg
 
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Big_Blue79 said:
^ Young reportedly had a terrible workout in NY and the Knicks are low on him. Maybe it's a smokescreen.

Agreed that JJJ can fit with Collins, but I think the Hawks need talent all over. And what good is a big man duo with no wings or guards? Recent Pelton article suggesting that because the replacement level for centers is so much higher than any other position, center loses importance relative to other positions. Something that he didn't discuss but was readily apparent from one of his charts is that SG and SF were the most valuable position, which correlates with what most know at this point: wings are the currency of the realm. Boston and GSW (and to a lesser extent teams like Houston) already follow this. If the players are in the same tier (and I think Doncic is probably in a tier ahead anyway), take the wing.

I wouldn't wager on Knox and SGA going top 10, but I'd put it at about a 40% chance.
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Look, I’m no Trae Young fan, but color me shocked if he goes 12-13. I don’t see it. Watching him at the beginning of they year, he looked unstoppable. With more talent around him I think he could be special. Probably just gonna be an average PG in the league, but this is something people don’t consider enough. The NBA is a business. If you are debating between 2 prospects, at some point it comes down to how much money will this player make is. Trae Young might be one of the biggest names, plus he’s got good vision and a good shot. He’ll go top ten.

I do agree with you about the Big man dying out thing, but man, Jaren is EXACTLY what the NBA is looking for at his position. Can defend 1-5, has a nice outside shot, and he is pretty athletic and lengthy. Doncic is a great leader and has high basketball IQ, but there is always a stigma around European players busting, and it’s not like his measurables are crazy either. Jaren is also very positionless. His off the dribble game is really good for a basically 7 footer, and he could play anywhere from the 3 to the 5.

I think Doncic will have a better rookie year, but if you ask me in their primes who I think will be better, I’ll take Jaren. The basketball IQ and good vision can only take you so far. I get he does more, I just think because he played overseas there are a lot of unknowns about how he will translate, so I’d guess Jaren will be picked before him.
 
^ I think most teams are over the Euro stigma. And the Spanish league is miles better than the NCAA. The top level talent is not as high on potential as the very top end of the NCAA (just a handful of teams and players, really), but they're in their primes (which a lot of college fans really underrate). The only risk with the Euro thing is that the players tend to be less athletic than in the NBA. But that's true for the NCAA as well, so besides a few games against elite competition you learn less with a year in the NCAA than in the ACB. And there are pretty reliable projection systems from ACB to NBA. The only downside to Doncic is that he might not have the athleticism to have a top-5 in the NBA ceiling, but I don't think it's a stretch he's a top-15 guy in his prime.

Agree that JJJ is exactly what teams are looking for in a big. I'd have him over Bagley (and behind Ayton and Doncic), but the Kings seem to love Bagley. If Doncic is available at 4, Memphis lucked out. They seemingly want to dump Parsons with the #4, and they'll get better offers if Doncic is available.
 
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Big_Blue79 said:
^ I think most teams are over the Euro stigma. And the Spanish league is miles better than the NCAA. The top level talent is not as high on potential as the very top end of the NCAA (just a handful of teams and players, really), but they're in their primes (which a lot of college fans really underrate). The only risk with the Euro thing is that the players tend to be less athletic than in the NBA. But that's true for the NCAA as well, so besides a few games against elite competition you learn less with a year in the NCAA than in the ACB. And there are pretty reliable projection systems from ACB to NBA. The only downside to Doncic is that he might not have the athleticism to have a top-5 in the NBA ceiling, but I don't think it's a stretch he's a top-15 guy in his prime.

Agree that JJJ is exactly what teams are looking for in a big. I'd have him over Bagley (and behind Ayton and Doncic), but the Kings seem to love Bagley. If Doncic is available at 4, Memphis lucked out. They seemingly want to dump Parsons with the #4, and they'll get better offers if Doncic is available.
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I think there is more than that for his downside. He isn’t some great defender either.

I think Doncic has probably the highest floor of any of the top ten picks no question, but i just can’t ever see him as a top 10-15 player in his prime, where as I think Jaren could be that. Jaren will come into the league and have no problem on defense. I think he might stuggle early a bit offensively but will eventually become quite good.

But they are so close, that for me it really comes down to fit, and I just think Jaren is a better fit for Atlanta then Doncic. That’s just my 2 cents I guess.
 
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^ I don't strongly disagree with any of that, would just prefer to build from the wings out. Not sure about this new Hawks from office, though.
 
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