Countdown to NBA Draft: Prospect Talk

[EMG518]

1. Jahill Okafor PF
2. Deangelo Russell PG
3. Emmanuel Mudiay PG
4. Karl Towns PF
5. Christian Wood PF
6. Justice Winslow SF
7. Delon Wright PG
8 Devin Booker SG
9 Tyler Harvey PG
10 Willie Stein C
11 Stanley Johnson SF
12 Bobby Portis PF
13 Frank Kaminsky C
14 Zeek Woodley CG
15 Amida Brimah C
16. Rakim Christmas PF
17 Montrezl Harrell PF
18 Troy Williams SF
19 Terry Rozier PG
20 Robert Upshaw C
21 Kelly Oubre SG
22 Dakari Johnson C
23 Myles Turner PF
24 Sam Decker SF
25 Jerian Wright PG
26 Justin Andersen SF
27 Zach Auguste PF
28 Tyrone Wallace CG
29 Juwan Staten PG
30 Alan Williams PF
Vanilla Ice is the best rap artist of all time

That list is god awful. You seriously have no idea how to evaluate players.

[KnicksGadfly]

Give me Dragic. Dude can play offball and even though he's not doing as well this year, he's still shooting efficiently. Wait til he plays with Melo.

I'd still want Millsap before him though. That Atlanta team is no joke...if we can hurt them and help our team at the same time, our path to the finals becomes easier.

[JBreezeNY]

1. Jahill Okafor PF
2. Deangelo Russell PG
3. Emmanuel Mudiay PG
4. Karl Towns PF
5. Christian Wood PF
6. Justice Winslow SF
7. Delon Wright PG
8 Devin Booker SG
9 Tyler Harvey PG
10 Willie Stein C
11 Stanley Johnson SF
12 Bobby Portis PF
13 Frank Kaminsky C
14 Zeek Woodley CG
15 Amida Brimah C
16. Rakim Christmas PF
17 Montrezl Harrell PF
18 Troy Williams SF
19 Terry Rozier PG
20 Robert Upshaw C
21 Kelly Oubre SG
22 Dakari Johnson C
23 Myles Turner PF
24 Sam Decker SF
25 Jerian Wright PG
26 Justin Andersen SF
27 Zach Auguste PF
28 Tyrone Wallace CG
29 Juwan Staten PG
30 Alan Williams PF
Vanilla Ice is the best rap artist of all time

4 PG's in the top 10.

Wow.

[No-Man]

4 PG's in the top 10.

Wow.

Thats not the main issue, I think I'll have at least 3 in my top10 as of now too.

[beasonu]

From my witnessing, D Russell out of tOSU is going to be an absolute stud. He might even go #2, interesting position there from poster above.

Reminds me of stud version of Beno Udrih lol

[Jeff Van Gully]

Chad Ford's latest big board analysis.

Is anyone really surprised by what Okafor has done thus far? Up until this point Duke has had one legitimate contender in Wisconsin and maybe another with a struggling UCONN. He's pretty much dominated cupcakes up until this point.

In the following games:
Beejay Anya
Montrezl Harrell
Rakeem Christmas
Devin Thomas

At least these guys shouldn't be walk overs. Okafor has been beating up on some real inferior opposing players thus far and I look forward to seeing him against some legitimate competition. The numbers are real impressive from Okafor and I know you play your schedule, but I look forward to see Okafor putting in work as the year goes on as the competition gets better.

Okafor's post game is NBA ready right now IMO...so I don't think it'll matter who defends him in college. His post game has never been the question and I agree with Ford's assessment. In fact I've said in other threads that I think Okafor would be one of the best post players in the NBA right now if he were in the NBA. The question is the other aspects of his game, can they translate to make him something more than Al Jefferson (one of the best post bigs in the NBA). He can be Al Jefferson offensively right now. He actually has better footwork in the post than Big Al.

okafor's offensive skills are unquestioned. they translate to all levels of the game. his buckets won't come nearly as easily, but he will be able to get them.

it's just, if he doesn't do anything else, he'll be mo taylor sooner than later. he absolutely terrifies me at #1.

i love towns' effort and apparent desire to improve. that bodes well for a big man's NBA career. the offensive skills are on an upward trend. the defense is already solid. the energy and hustle are in place. not saying he's someone you necessarily take over okafor, but i would sleep better at night having drafted towns.

[moocow007]

Is anyone really surprised by what Okafor has done thus far? Up until this point Duke has had one legitimate contender in Wisconsin and maybe another with a struggling UCONN. He's pretty much dominated cupcakes up until this point.

In the following games:
Beejay Anya
Montrezl Harrell
Rakeem Christmas
Devin Thomas

At least these guys shouldn't be walk overs. Okafor has been beating up on some real inferior opposing players thus far and I look forward to seeing him against some legitimate competition. The numbers are real impressive from Okafor and I know you play your schedule, but I look forward to see Okafor putting in work as the year goes on as the competition gets better.

Okafor's post game is NBA ready right now IMO...so I don't think it'll matter who defends him in college. His post game has never been the question and I agree with Ford's assessment. In fact I've said in other threads that I think Okafor would be one of the best post players in the NBA right now if he were in the NBA. The question is the other aspects of his game, can they translate to make him something more than Al Jefferson (one of the best post bigs in the NBA). He can be Al Jefferson offensively right now. He actually has better footwork in the post than Big Al.

okafor's offensive skills are unquestioned. they translate to all levels of the game. his buckets won't come nearly as easily, but he will be able to get them.

it's just, if he doesn't do anything else, he'll be mo taylor sooner than later. he absolutely terrifies me at #1.

i love towns' effort and apparent desire to improve. that bodes well for a big man's NBA career. the offensive skills are on an upward trend. the defense is already solid. the energy and hustle are in place. not saying he's someone you necessarily take over okafor, but i would sleep better at night having drafted towns.

Oh I have the same concerns. It's why the first person that popped to mind was Eddy Curry. Now while I think Okafor has quite a bit more motivation than Curry (and is clearly a much much better passer...not hard since Curry did not pass at all), an Eddy Curry is what Okafor's nightmare scenario would be for anyone that drafts him. Curry without a doubt was one of the best post offensive players in the game during his short peak. You simply could not stop him in the paint with his quick feet and soft hands and array of moves. Like Curry, you have to worry about defense, rebounding and conditioning. Now again, by no means am I saying that Okafor is the next Curry, just that his floor IMO is Eddy Curry. And you just never know do you with picks. But that's the thing, you never know with any of these guys. And I'm a big fan of Towns. Still am.

[Johnny Hoops]

I'm still more comfortable with Towns over Okafor.

I'm not comfortable with Okafor's body type, the way he moves, defends or rebounds and I think his range is about 5 feet.

Best case scenario for me is Knicks land #1 pick. Knicks trade down to #2 pick with assurance Towns won't be picked.

Knicks pick up 2016 unprotected pick from say T-Wolves and Knicks get Towns.

[NBA Fan 1234]

I'm still more comfortable with Towns over Okafor.

I'm not comfortable with Okafor's body type, the way he moves, defends or rebounds and I think his range is about 5 feet.

Best case scenario for me is Knicks land #1 pick. Knicks trade down to #2 pick with assurance Towns won't be picked.

Knicks pick up 2016 unprotected pick from say T-Wolves and Knicks get Towns.

If teams know the Knicks don't want Okafor, why would they do that trade...?

His defense actually isn't that bad - I don't think he has as much potential defensively as Towns (I don't think it's even close, to be honest), but Okafor looks like he's trying to learn the NBA defensive 3 rule - he doesn't just camp out in the paint for extended periods. He's touching guys as they run through and stepping out of the lane every couple seconds.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Okafor's post game is NBA ready right now IMO...so I don't think it'll matter who defends him in college. His post game has never been the question and I agree with Ford's assessment. In fact I've said in other threads that I think Okafor would be one of the best post players in the NBA right now if he were in the NBA. The question is the other aspects of his game, can they translate to make him something more than Al Jefferson (one of the best post bigs in the NBA). He can be Al Jefferson offensively right now. He actually has better footwork in the post than Big Al.

okafor's offensive skills are unquestioned. they translate to all levels of the game. his buckets won't come nearly as easily, but he will be able to get them.

it's just, if he doesn't do anything else, he'll be mo taylor sooner than later. he absolutely terrifies me at #1.

i love towns' effort and apparent desire to improve. that bodes well for a big man's NBA career. the offensive skills are on an upward trend. the defense is already solid. the energy and hustle are in place. not saying he's someone you necessarily take over okafor, but i would sleep better at night having drafted towns.

Oh I have the same concerns. It's why the first person that popped to mind was Eddy Curry. Now while I think Okafor has quite a bit more motivation than Curry (and is clearly a much much better passer...not hard since Curry did not pass at all), an Eddy Curry is what Okafor's nightmare scenario would be for anyone that drafts him. Curry without a doubt was one of the best post offensive players in the game during his short peak. You simply could not stop him in the paint with his quick feet and soft hands and array of moves. Like Curry, you have to worry about defense, rebounding and conditioning. Now again, by no means am I saying that Okafor is the next Curry, just that his floor IMO is Eddy Curry. And you just never know do you with picks. But that's the thing, you never know with any of these guys. And I'm a big fan of Towns. Still am.

we're definitely on the same page. i didn't think of eddy curry, but that's an excellent parallel. i was thinking maurice taylor like an eddy curry lite. similar skill set and weight/motivation problem. you nailed it.

[Jeff Van Gully]

I'm still more comfortable with Towns over Okafor.

I'm not comfortable with Okafor's body type, the way he moves, defends or rebounds and I think his range is about 5 feet.

Best case scenario for me is Knicks land #1 pick. Knicks trade down to #2 pick with assurance Towns won't be picked.

Knicks pick up 2016 unprotected pick from say T-Wolves and Knicks get Towns.

If teams know the Knicks don't want Okafor, why would they do that trade...?

good point. knicks can't tip their hand.

[DaGawd]

Alot of dudes on the Towns bandwagon.. interesting. I just get the high bust potential vibe with him... especially considering our organization's history for failing to properly develop most of our past prospects. Towns is def a player thats gonna take some time to develop..not sure I trust the Knicks to get him to his full potential.

[NBA Fan 1234]

Alot of dudes on the Towns bandwagon.. interesting. I just get the high bust potential vibe with him... especially considering our organization's history for failing to properly develop most of our past prospects. Towns is def a player thats gonna take some time to develop..not sure I trust the Knicks to get him to his full potential.

The way I see it, we can't miss with either one. I don't see the "high bust potential" with Towns. I see a very talented big playing on a loaded Kentucky team. Put him on Duke and Okafor on Kentucky and maybe people will be saying different things.

Also, the bold -- what's to say this is going to be true going forward? Look at the last two coaches we had hoping to develop guys...

[mpharris36]

You can't question Callapri's ability to get young guys ready for the league. That is why he recruits so well. Look at his resume. Not only does he win but the guys he coaches for the most part succeed at the next level as well.

[moocow007]

You can't question Callapri's ability to get young guys ready for the league. That is why he recruits so well. Look at his resume. Not only does he win but the guys he coaches for the most part succeed at the next level as well.

Yep. And I think some folks are comparing stats and not realizing that not only is Towns a freshman (and most freshman centers take time to develop) but that he has 2 other upper class guys (not even just front court players but actual centers) ahead of him on the same roster in senior Willie Stein (a projected top 5 pick) and Dakari Johnson (a projected 1st round pick himself)...both of whom are top tier defensive players. If these 2 guys weren't there Towns would be getting a lot more minutes and most likely putting up a lot more impressive numbers.

[mpharris36]

You can't question Callapri's ability to get young guys ready for the league. That is why he recruits so well. Look at his resume. Not only does he win but the guys he coaches for the most part succeed at the next level as well.

Yep. And I think some folks are comparing stats and not realizing that not only is Towns a freshman (and most freshman centers take time to develop) but that he has 2 other upper class guys (not even just front court players but actual centers) ahead of him on the same roster in senior Willie Stein (a projected top 5 pick) and Dakari Johnson (a projected 1st round pick himself)...both of whom are top tier defensive players. If these 2 guys weren't there Towns would be getting a lot more minutes and most likely putting up a lot more impressive numbers.

Couldn't agree more.

I think people get nervous with the whole Marvin Williams college situation and peg Towns for that. I can't say that I blame them, but if you just look at the kid and his skillset he should translate into a really good NBA player.

You can even see it in his per 40 minute #'s.

[Tron Carter]

Alot of dudes on the Towns bandwagon.. interesting. I just get the high bust potential vibe with him... especially considering our organization's history for failing to properly develop most of our past prospects. Towns is def a player thats gonna take some time to develop..not sure I trust the Knicks to get him to his full potential.

check this article out..

https://medium.com/the-cauldron/the-bat ... f5d86e837c

[Deeeez Knicks]

A lot of games Towns just doesn’t stand out, but Kentucky is so deep you can understand why. Towns has a ton of skills and tools, just a matter if he can put it all together in the pros. I think he’ll be good all around, but probably not dominant in any 1 area. He has a lot of potential, but more risk.

I’d take him #2 overall, but he may take some time to develop.

Also, Okafor will be a good rebounder in the pro’s. At least a 10rpg guy or very close to it.

I’d happily take either guy

[moocow007]

A lot of games Towns just doesn’t stand out, but Kentucky is so deep you can understand why. Towns has a ton of skills and tools, just a matter if he can put it all together in the pros. I think he’ll be good all around, but probably not dominant in any 1 area. He has a lot of potential, but more risk.

I’d take him #2 overall, but he may take some time to develop.

Also, Okafor will be a good rebounder in the pro’s. At least a 10rpg guy or very close to it.

I’d happily take either guy

Yeah I think if you have the top pick you have to take Okafor. Especially for a team like the Knicks who are trying to build quickly around Anthony and win now. Okafor is the guy that's most guaranteed to produce, and produce big, the minute in put him on the floor. Towns may evolve into the better player but he's going to take more time most likely. And with an Anthony centric roster, you really can't wait.

[moocow007]

If you take a look at the 3 teams vying for the worst record (Philly, NY and Minny) maybe Minny would go for Towns. NY needs someone that can contribute big quickly and Okafor is the best bet for that. The Sixers already have 2 defensive centric big in Embiid and Flat top. Pairing Okafor with either could be an extremely potent mix.

I would predict that the Knicks draft board has Okafor and Mudiay up at the top as both guys potentially can give you that 2nd option type (in the worst case scenario where you can't sign another big name guy in free agency), have games that could fit in with what they are trying to do (Okafor with not only his ability to pass from the post but to be able to draw defenders into the post to make his passing even more potent, and Mudiay with his ability to create and defend) and come in right away and do it. Philly's board probably is the same. The Wolves are the only one of the top 3 worst teams so far that could have Towns higher and the only team that I can see that would take Towns 1st (even though i think they'd still go with Okafor first).