Love comparing notes on draft prospects... hope you don't mind.atlantabbq99 wrote:I was looking more into the 2015 draft, and it looks good, almost as good as the 2014 draft.
Their could possibly be nine 1st tier prospects that could maybe on the same talent level as Parker or Wiggins, but as the college season goes on, it will probably be whittle down to 2 or 3. But anyway, if the Nets can get some where in the top eight, it could pay off big for the Hawks.
Jahlil Okafor - 7 footer whose offensive game is as good as Duncan, but defensively will just be average.
Emmanuel Mudiay - 6'5 and has handles just as good as Kobe, Harden, Wade, and Penny coming out of high school.
Cliff Alexander - 6'9, little skill but who can push around anybody in the paint, reminds me of Derrick Favors in high school. If he grows another inch or two, he could be scary.
Karl Towns - 7 footer who passes the eye test, but not as skilled as Okafor.
Stanley Johnson - High motor, high defense, do everything SF. Could be a better version of Kawhi Leonard
Mario Hezonja - Like Rubio and Exum, Hezonja is a super hyped international player who stands out because of his athleticism and ball handling.
Kristaps Porzingis - Typical 7 foot highly skilled euro player. He could be an all star or bust. He could be the next Dirk or Gasol, or another Yi, Jan Veselý, Tskitishvili, or Bargnani
Myles Turner - 7 foot KG type of player, he has a good jump shot and good defense but doesn't have KG's handles. Will be a prospect outside looking in being 1st tier and will have to prove alot in his freshman year.
Justise Winslow - Another prospect outside looking in. 6'6, 220lbs. He is good at everything and like James Young in Kentucky, he will need to prove alot in his freshman year.
Disagree that I'd comp the '14 and '15 classes. The '14 class had 4 elite talents that would compete for #1 overall in this draft class. I personally didn't like the 2nd tier guys as much, but there was 1st round talent going well into the 2nd round. With the '15 class, I'd have Okafor behind a healthy Embiid and Mudiay would be comparable to Exum and those are the only 1st tier guys in this draft. As far as depth, you never really know until after the withdrawal deadline, but I can't see this class having the sort of depth that '14 had. Let me put it this way: immediately after Porzingis withdrew, he went from being projected at 15 (to us) in the '14 draft to a top 5 pick in the '15 draft.
Okafor is the clear cut #1 in next year's draft and the closest comp to him would be a more skilled Shaq. At one point a year or two ago, there was some question as to whether he'd grow enough that his game would legitimately transfer, but he did. I think the D concerns are a bit overblown as he doesn't really have anyone to practice against that could compare to his physical traits. Once he gets into good habits on that side of the court, I think he'll blossom into a well above average m2m defender and rim protector.
Mudiay was the only one who could compete with Okafor for #1 but now that he's going overseas instead of playing for Larry Brown, I don't see that happening anymore. Still, he's got PG skills and athleticism in an SG body and that will transfer. Needs to develop a jumper.
Alexander - Don't understand his hype right now. The bully PF is an anachronism in today's NBA. Randle was more skilled and he slid to 7 this year. In two years he's added 1" to his Height w/ Shoes measurement, so I can't think he'll add the 2" to be a "true C". IMO, his best NBA projection would be an undersized C which really doesn't carry a ton of value.
Towns - Would absolutely *love* to get my hands on this kid. He's not as skill around the basket as Okafor, but his range goes out to the 3PT line and has DPotY type upside defensively. Going to Kentucky where Cauley-Stein, Dakhari Johnson, and Marcus Lee (all potential 1st rounders IMO) will present obstacles to PT. If he slips through the cracks and get to us wherever we're drafting, then this kid is a slam dunk in terms of what I think we're hunting for in a C.
Really don't know what to make of Porzingis. He looks a little awkward on the court but he does have real skills. If he gains about 30 lbs without losing his skills/athleticism, then he could be the mythical stretch 5 who is an elite rim protector and I think that's where a lot of his value is coming from. If he falls short of that, then I think he still has value, but I wouldn't know what he'd be. A stretch 4 who can't play C in stretches and doesn't rebound isn't a real hot commodity but his game could translate better than the oversimplified description. Also, he gets a lot of credit for his jumper, but he doesn't hit it at a rate that demands attention - very streaky... think Antic in this regard.
Turner is another guy who I really don't know how his game will turn out. See conflicting reports on him - some say he's an great athlete, some say he's got 2 left feet; some say he's an elite rebounder, some say his rebounding is below par. All agree that his B-Ball IQ is very high, has elite instincts for blocking shots, and has some range on his jumper (another disagreement is how much range though - everything I've seen has it into the midrange although some have it out to the 3PT line). I'll definitely find a UT game or 2 and check him out.
As with this past season, I will be watching the SF crop the most closely again. Just think that this will be the sweet spot for the late lotto/mid 1st area where we'll be picking (this year, my plan went awry when Poythress never developed, Hezonja developed some dings and never entered, and Hollis-Jefferson got buried early then returned - yet we still passed on J Young who was the best overall prospect at 15 IMO). Winslow and Johnson have the early track for 1st SF off the board, but I think Hollis-Jefferson, Oubre, and Chris Walker are already breathing down their necks. Hezonja is a 1-D scorer but has been given the tag of being selfish and a malcontent so I think he'll drop some no matter what but he's still a name for us. All of them bring a little something different to the table so it could come down to what the individual team is looking for. Assuming they all enter, then I'd imagine that 1 of these 6 - if not 2 or 3 - should be available when we're picking, and at this juncture at least, I'd put the odds on us selecting one of them. I think I'll catch a game from all of them this BB season (outside of Hezonja of course).