Waayyy too early 2015 draft scouting profiles.

MagicFan101 · Post #1 » by **MagicFan101** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:21 pm

Chad Ford released his early 2015 mock draft earlier today.

I know we just finished many threads about the 2014 draft but I am already sick of people freaking out over the Gordon pick, so here is to looking ahead.

1) Jahlil Okafor, C:
As we learned with Joel Embiid, size eventually outweighs just about everything else come draft time. At 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-3 standing reach, Okafor is absolutely massive. And he has enormous hands and quick feet for a player his size to boot. As a true low-post player with a fairly sophisticated low-post game for his age, Okafor will no doubt intrigue whatever team ends up picking first. But despite his size, Okafor lacks elite athleticism and typically plays below the rim. If he were a better athlete, and if he were in better shape, he'd be a lock for the No. 1 pick. As it stands, he'll likely be the focal point of Duke's offense this season, which should give him plenty of chances to outshine any concerns about his game. If the team drafting No. 1 is in need a center, Okafor is a lock for the job.

2) Emmanuel Mudiay, PG:
The news that Mudiay would skip his freshman season at SMU and instead play overseas this season sent shock waves through the college basketball crowd. But among NBA circles this won't move the needle much, if at all. Yes, Mudiay's departure hurts SMU. Yes, Mudiay will miss the chance to be coached by Larry Brown. But after watching Dante Exum pass on heading to college last year and still end up as top-5 pick in a loaded draft, does anyone seriously think Mudiay playing overseas is going to scare off GMs? Mudiay was the best player at the Nike Hoop Summit in April. Among the 30-plus GMs and scouts I surveyed, he was one of only two players (Okafor was the other) to be mentioned as a potential No. 1 pick. If he was smart, he'd shut it down completely, hire an agent and trainer like Exum did and spend the year training for the draft. He'd be impossible to pick apart then. If he goes overseas, he'll likely struggle like most young point guards do there. Scouts already expect him to struggle, so doing so won't hurt his stock. NBA folks are obviously bummed they don't get to see him play college ball for a year, but the effect on his draft stock should be minimal. He'll stay at No. 2 and I'd be shocked if he slides much from that spot.

3) Karl Towns Jr., C:
Scouts love Towns, who has terrific skills for a player of his size. Towns can shoot from anywhere on the floor and plays with a pretty high basketball IQ. Still, questions abound about his toughness. And his situation at Kentucky -- potentially buried behind Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson -- makes his position near the top of the board tenuous. It remains unclear whether Towns will get the playing time needed to justify such a high selection.

4) Kristaps Porzingis, PF:
Porzingis was the darling of the 2014 draft for a few weeks before stunning the NBA and pulling out just before deadline. That decision could be good or bad for Porzingis, whose projection as a late lottery pick to mid-first-rounder was based on limited scouting. If he gets more playing time and continues to improve, he has the potential -- and the size and athletic ability -- to be a very high pick. However, if he struggles in Europe or if scouts begin to pick him apart, he could fall -- and fall far. Of all the players in the top 10, Porzingis and Myles Turner have the most volatile draft stock.

5) Myles Turner, C
Based purely on his physical abilities and talent, Turner should probably be rated No. 2 on our Big Board. He has elite size, length and athleticism for the center position. He can run the floor like a guard and get up off the floor. He has the touch on his jump shot to play in the high post. He's just not as far along in his development as Okafor and Towns are. Scouts wonder just how much impact Turner will have at Texas as a freshman. But a big season for Turner isn't out of the question. Andre Drummond was surrounded by similar concerns during his freshman year with the UConn Huskies. A year later, he went ninth. We're going to be patient with Turner on the Big Board in the early going. It could be a while before he starts playing up to this spot. But he has considerable top-five potential, and deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Optimus_Steel · Post #2 » by **Optimus_Steel** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:23 pm

Short answer: yes

MagicFan101 · Post #3 » by **MagicFan101** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:25 pm

We have Vuc at center and we just drafted Gordon and Payton for the SF/PF and PG positions.

If we end up in the top 5 again, we do we go with? That will be easier to answer in a year but again, I have grown tired of defending out draft picks so how about we talk about this for a bit instead?

JBSouthpaw · Post #4 » by **JBSouthpaw** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:28 pm

Lots of bigs next year.
In the top 15, 1 guard. The rest are forwards and centers.

MellowRose · Post #5 » by **MellowRose** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:28 pm

Do we not remember how fickle these mocks are this early in the game? Hell, people had the Harrison twins going top 5-7 in 2014 draft. I'm not going to give too much thought regarding the 2015 draft until a little later on.

BadMofoPimp · Post #6 » by **BadMofoPimp** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:36 pm

Where is the next Exum?

JBSouthpaw · Post #7 » by **JBSouthpaw** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:37 pm

MellowRose wrote:Do we not remember how fickle these mocks are this early in the game? Hell, people had the Harrison twins going top 5-7 in 2014 draft. I'm not going to give too much thought regarding the 2015 draft until a little later on.

Meh, fun to look at.

MagicFan101 · Post #8 » by **MagicFan101** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:38 pm

MellowRose wrote:Do we not remember how fickle these mocks are this early in the game? Hell, people had the Harrison twins going top 5-7 in 2014 draft. I'm not going to give too much thought regarding the 2015 draft until a little later on.

Absolutely but I have grown tired of most of the other conversations here, especially the ones where we keep having to defend our draft selections who have yet to receive any real NBA coaching.

We all knew 2015 was expected to be a strong big man class but the more I look at it the more I see that if we end up towards the top, there will be a lot of redundency on our roster with respect to our young talent.

We still need a great shot blocker. Perhaps keeping on eye on one of those centers to play alongside Vuc with Gordon at the SF would be a good way to go?

Orlwillbeback · Post #9 » by **Orlwillbeback** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:40 pm

Hopefully we'll never have to pay this thread any mind.

OrlDave · Post #10 » by **OrlDave** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:55 pm

MagicFan101 wrote:We have Vuc at center and we just drafted Gordon and Payton for the SF/PF and PG positions.

If we end up in the top 5 again, we do we go with? That will be easier to answer in a year but again, I have grown tired of defending out draft picks so how about we talk about this for a bit instead?

I think we have the bones to be a contender, just need to get some meat on those bones. Both figuratively and literally.

MagicFan101 · Post #11 » by **MagicFan101** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:55 pm

Orlwillbeback wrote:Hopefully we'll never have to pay this thread any mind.

By keeping Bosh, signing Deng and (supposedly) now targetting Bledsoe or Boozer, Miami has done a better job of surviving Lebron's departure than expected. So along with the other teams mentioned in a post I offered a few days ago, it is very very very unlikely that we make the playoffs this year.

Yet another top 5 pick might not be in our immediate future, but I don't see any way a person can be honest with themselves and bet, today, on Orlando making the playoffs. We will have a top 10 pick in 2015.

jonskilly · Post #12 » by **jonskilly** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:00 pm

In before Okafor will be the next Emeka...bust

drsd · Post #13 » by **drsd** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:37 pm

I would guess Orlando will draft around 11. #11 in the mocks is Chris Walker of Florida. The kid is frail. Cannot see him having a starting role in the NBA. So it sounds like the Magic is drafting for bench depth.

..

OrlChamps2030 · Post #14 » by **OrlChamps2030** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:49 pm

I like Okafor but not sure I see him becoming a superstar guy worth the #1 pick. More like a Marc Gasol.

OP what do you think of Stanley Johnson? he looks pretty good. I think he will end up rising pretty high. He is a stud on defense as well, should be a great fit at Zona.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lEBEkeLDE[/youtube]

Melvinlocker · Post #15 » by **Melvinlocker** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 7:21 pm

Zmill wrote:I like Okafor but not sure I see him becoming a superstar guy worth the #1 pick. More like a Marc Gasol.

OP what do you think of Stanley Johnson? he looks pretty good. I think he will end up rising pretty high. He is a stud on defense as well, should be a great fit at Zona.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lEBEkeLDE[/youtube]

I really like Hollis-Jefferson as well. Zona is gonna be really good again next year.

gratia333 · Post #16 » by **gratia333** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:17 pm

drsd wrote:I would guess Orlando will draft around 11. #11 in the mocks is Chris Walker of Florida. The kid is frail. Cannot see him having a starting role in the NBA. So it sounds like the Magic is drafting for bench depth.

..

Not sure why we would move up that much. We still lost Afflalo and Nelson. We will be playing the rooks a good bit. There are pros and cons there. They will make a lot of mistakes. Early in the season we will struggle a good bit.

also look at the east last year and now:

1. Indy - A little worse. Lost talent but might have a calmer locker room. Top 6 in east for sure
2. Heat- Worse a good bit, but with Deng and the new shooter not as bad as thought. Top 6
3. Raps - Much the same and a year more mature - Top 4
4. Bulls - Much improved. If Rose healthy - Top 4 still (If not 1)
5. Washington (The Truth) Better. Added good talent. Doubt they drop out of Top 6
6. Brooklyn - IF Lopez is healthily they should be a good bit better even without the truth. Should not fall out of Playoffs - Top 8
7. Charlotte - Just got a lot better today. Lance with be trying to prove something and he is a triple double kind of player. Hard seeing them not moving into Top 4
8. Atlanta - Al Horford missed half a season last year. They should be better next year if Healthy. Top 10
9. New York - Calderon over Felton has to be worth 10 games! Ha. Still get see them not being top 10.
10. Cleveland - The King - Top 3
11. Detroit - Stan - Who knows

The west.
The only teams out west I see us over taking from last year is the Kings and the Wolves (if they trade Love)

So I figure that we may improve record wise at most 2 spots in each the west and east. That would put us at 7th pick. I think we will end up in the 5-8 range. Not sure how it could be different.

Who do you think we will pass from last year?

Magic#1 · Post #17 » by **Magic#1** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:26 pm

Zmill wrote:I like Okafor but not sure I see him becoming a superstar guy worth the #1 pick. More like a Marc Gasol.

OP what do you think of Stanley Johnson? he looks pretty good. I think he will end up rising pretty high. He is a stud on defense as well, should be a great fit at Zona.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lEBEkeLDE[/youtube]

A lot of this is wait and see until the college hoops season starts, but in looking over the early reports, I have my eye on Johnson as well. It depends on what we do with Tobias.

Hyuna · Post #18 » by **Hyuna** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:27 pm

We'll be picking fairly early next year. It is still the rebuilding phase and we will have a lot of youth and inexperience on the court.

In terms of next year's crop of players, I think it's hard to look at fit right now. We're in asset accumulation mode with a focus on defense and athleticism. I like all the young talent we have on our roster, but I'd take talent at any position. BPA is the way to go, whether it's a true C or a shoot-first G.

AGNT190 · Post #19 » by **AGNT190** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:24 pm

Think we r looking for a 3 or 4 next year. Seems to be the need. Would love to see myles turner in a magic jersey. I feel his outside shooting makes him the perfect fit to learn and eventually take over for frye. Then we can move Gordon to the 3 full time which I think will allow him to be better on the offensive end due to the size and strength advantage he would have over most 3s in the league.
I like okafor as well but don't think he fits next to Vuc as well as Turner. If we ended up with the first pick I could see us trading down to pick turner and pick up another asset.

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Inqui · Post #20 » by **Inqui** » Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:01 am

JBSouthpaw wrote:
MellowRose wrote:Do we not remember how fickle these mocks are this early in the game? Hell, people had the Harrison twins going top 5-7 in 2014 draft. I'm not going to give too much thought regarding the 2015 draft until a little later on.

Meh, fun to look at.

And it's good to look at names to watch for the upcoming season (not all of us are gurus who can tell you the middle name of every expected prospect until 2018). Little bit early to start buying jerseys I agree, but mocks aren't a complete waste of time at this point imo - just that they should be read a little differently to post-lottery mocks.