2018 draft 3.0. #7, #22 - Merged

[Habs72]

Mikal Bridges over Carter any day of the week

Would you have taken freshman Bridges over Carter any day of the week too? Honest answer.

[R3AL1TY]

I wonder if Wendell Carter hadn't played with Bagley, if we might be thinking Demarcus Cousins with better D and wayyyyyyyy better intangibles (as his upside) as opposed to comparisons like Horford.

Carter is a little smaller, but quite a bit more mobile and explosive in my opinion. Here is a comparison of Carter and Cousin's freshman years on a per 40 minute basis. Cousin's numbers will be in quotes.

Pts- 20.2 (25.8)
Rbs- 13.5 (16.8)
Asts- 3.0 (1.7)
Blk- 3.1 (3.0)
Stls- 1.7 (1.2)
2pt%- .586 (.565)
3pt%- .413 (.167)
FT%- .738 (.604)
TOV- 3.0 (3.5)
PF- 4.2 (5.5)

I think if you take Bagley off the team, Carter's points and rebounds likely get close to Cousin's. Now, Cousin's size advantage shouldn't be glossed over. He is definitely a bigger person, but the height (6'8.75" vs 6'9.5") and wingspan's (7'4.5" vs 7'5.75") aren't that far off. Also, Carter's shooting seems to be further along at the same age.

Honestly, the difference in size and mobility probably makes it a bad comp, but It just got me thinking that maybe Carter's offensive upside is higher than I've been thinking.

Carter's offensive potential is higher when you consider his HS games and the Duke games he played without Bagley. It also shows he has the humbleness to sacrifice his game a little to make someone else shine. Like he said in a recent interview, he'll do what it takes to win.

[TheHrvReport]

Mikal Bridges over Carter any day of the week

Would you have taken freshman Bridges over Carter any day of the week too? Honest answer.

I would not have. 20 minutes per game as a freshman is still too small of a sample size to justify taking him at #7

[Habs72]

Yeah it’s a little different. Sick move for a guy his size, though. I’ll give you that.

Yup that stood out to me, too. When do you see a center doing that?

Jahlil Okafor could that in high school

He was also great in defense .

[Habs72]

Mikal Bridges over Carter any day of the week

Would you have taken freshman Bridges over Carter any day of the week too? Honest answer.

I would not have. 20 minutes per game as a freshman is still too small of a sample size to justify taking him at #7

Exactly...so would you have taken a sophomore Mikal over Carter then? He did play more than Carter as freshman 29,8mins/26,8.

[Hangtime84]

Watching Tatum play really makes me want Porter

[Habs72]

Watching Tatum play really makes me want Porter

I would be into him like a bear into honey only if not that back surgery ...i rly do hope it checks out ok.

[Ugly Duckling]

All scout reports says he is ABOVE average athletic wise, A-B-O-V-E average. Dunno where this "he is not athletic" keeps coming from(not meant towards you). Also mind you all, he has the NBA ready body already that might only need some fine tuning.
He turned 19 last month so he is ONE year younger what even Lauri was when he was drafted so you think he is 100% familiar with his body?

Im not saying he is the one we should draft but he should be DEFINITELY the one that we draft if we wont move up and there is Mikal and him to choose from... stop downplaying him and that he wouldnt fit next Lauri(again this rant wasnt towards you Ugly )!

Haha I know you said this isn't directed against me, but you should still chill a bit bro. No need to type in all caps and spell out above. Most of us know how to spell lol. Check this out if you haven't done so already: https://youtu.be/EFhaNN3puxQ

Also the eye test

Well some people still keeps arguing his case for being non athletic hence the caps . Also that video game me nothing new. First strength mentioned, solid athlete. Also his weakness, lateral quickness, is solid but not overly quick. Again would like to say that he is just turned 19 getting to know his body, fills up +250lbs and still is atm solid regarding athletic wise.
I have no problems with him being drafted by us if all other bigs are gone and still the difference aint that much. Kid has also one of the best IQ´s in the whole draft, which usually will translate to everything you do in life whether its in or out from the court.

People will see what they wanna see. Like if you like a girl and I tell you she's not good for you, you might not be that receptive to what I have to say. Solid athlete with ok explosiveness isn't what we need. We want an explosive athlete. Solid means above average, which you should know as you spelled it out haha. You want to be above average bro? What's the point of that? I understand our options are somewhat limited at 7 (especially if Doncic stays in Europe) and I agree with what you're saying about his ability to improve, but I just think it's limited. His ceiling is capped. Athleticism is God-given for the most part. I hope I'm wrong about him and I might be, but keep an open mind

[TheHrvReport]

Would you have taken freshman Bridges over Carter any day of the week too? Honest answer.

I would not have. 20 minutes per game as a freshman is still too small of a sample size to justify taking him at #7

Exactly...so would you have taken a sophomore Mikal over Carter then? He did play more than Carter as freshman 29,8mins/26,8.

I would. The Bulls need a wing right now more than a big man and I think Mikals ceiling>Carters

[Habs72]

Haha I know you said this isn't directed against me, but you should still chill a bit bro. No need to type in all caps and spell out above. Most of us know how to spell lol. Check this out if you haven't done so already: https://youtu.be/EFhaNN3puxQ

Also the eye test

Well some people still keeps arguing his case for being non athletic hence the caps . Also that video game me nothing new. First strength mentioned, solid athlete. Also his weakness, lateral quickness, is solid but not overly quick. Again would like to say that he is just turned 19 getting to know his body, fills up +250lbs and still is atm solid regarding athletic wise.
I have no problems with him being drafted by us if all other bigs are gone and still the difference aint that much. Kid has also one of the best IQ´s in the whole draft, which usually will translate to everything you do in life whether its in or out from the court.

People will see what they wanna see. Like if you like a girl and I tell you she's not good for you, you might not be that receptive to what I have to say. Solid athlete with ok explosiveness isn't what we need. We want an explosive athlete. Solid means above average, which you should know as you spelled it out haha. You want to be above average bro? What's the point of that? I understand our options are somewhat limited at 7 (especially if Doncic stays in Europe) and I agree with what you're saying about his ability to improve, but I just think it's limited. His ceiling is capped. Athleticism is God-given for the most part. I hope I'm wrong about him and I might be, but keep an open mind

Yea, im not worried if his supposed weakest weakness is above average .
Im not saying he should go as number one pick or anything like that and isnt my go to guy in this draft (actually i wouldnt mind almost all in the top half of lottery except Mikal which is gonna be 22 even before his rookie season starts), im just amazed how people keep writing him off with something that is still above average and still might improve when he gets used to his just over 19 year old body.

[BigUps]

Watching Tatum play really makes me want Porter

What really makes Tatum stand out isn't his ability to score, its his BBIQ in combination with that. I'm not sure MPJ has that BBIQ. Honestly, I have no clue.

[Habs72]

I would not have. 20 minutes per game as a freshman is still too small of a sample size to justify taking him at #7

Exactly...so would you have taken a sophomore Mikal over Carter then? He did play more than Carter as freshman 29,8mins/26,8.

I would. The Bulls need a wing right now more than a big man and I think Mikals ceiling>Carters

So you would have taken a wing that was averaging 9,8points/4,6rbs/2,0assists/1,7steals/0,9blocks as #7 pick?
Ok, i definitely would have not.
What makes you think Mikal has higher ceiling than Carter has?
Guy is 2,5 years older than Wendell and put almost worse numbers all across board in his 3rd year vs Wendell´s 1st year.

[TheHrvReport]

Exactly...so would you have taken a sophomore Mikal over Carter then? He did play more than Carter as freshman 29,8mins/26,8.

I would. The Bulls need a wing right now more than a big man and I think Mikals ceiling>Carters

So you would have taken a wing that was averaging 9,8points/4,6rbs/2,0assists/1,7steals/0,9blocks as #7 pick? Ok, i definitely would have not.
What makes you think Mikal has higher ceiling than Carter has?
Guy is 2,5 years older than Wendell and put almost worse numbers all aboard in his 3rd year vs Wendell´s 1st year.

Versatility, shooting, athleticism, plays a more important position in todays NBA, plays a position of need for the Bulls, and just as intelligent as Carter is proposed to be. Also, age doesn't necessarily correlate with long-term potential in the NBA. Bridges is still young and has years to improve, he has already proven he elevates his game year after year so I don't understand why you are asking hypothetical questions about who i'd take if Bridges was 18, 19, 20 etc..

[Habs72]

I would. The Bulls need a wing right now more than a big man and I think Mikals ceiling>Carters

So you would have taken a wing that was averaging 9,8points/4,6rbs/2,0assists/1,7steals/0,9blocks as #7 pick? Ok, i definitely would have not.
What makes you think Mikal has higher ceiling than Carter has?
Guy is 2,5 years older than Wendell and put almost worse numbers all aboard in his 3rd year vs Wendell´s 1st year.

Versatility, shooting, athleticism, plays a more important position in todays NBA, plays a position of need for the Bulls, and just as intelligent as Carter is proposed to be. Also, age doesn't necessarily correlate with long-term potential in the NBA. Bridges is still young and has years to improve, he has already proven he elevates his game year after year so I don't understand why you are asking hypothetical questions about who i'd take if Bridges was 18, 19, 20 etc..

Point is that Carter was a lot better as freshman than Bridges and comes out to the pros 2,5 years younger and you somehow think that Carter cannot improve like Bridges has. Also i would argue about that better shooting thing vs age and years in college, Bridges wasnt that good 3p shooter in his first year. And Carter just started to play more face up in the college, he was more of a back to basket player in the high school. This year is also the year if you would want to draft a top forward, next year will be a top heavy wing one.

[Chi town]

As I watch this Celts game...

Lauri is going to fill out and will be a C full time IMO. A filled out Lauri next to Carter is no bueno in this NBA.

My big board remains... Luka JJJ Bridges.

[Hangtime84]

Michael Porter Jr GQ article:
https://www.gq.com/story/michael-porter-jr-real-life-diet

GQ: How's the recovery going? How are you feeling?

Michael Porter Jr.: I’ve never felt better. I was in a lot of pain for a while—I had a back injury during my sophomore year, and even before I had my surgery, I was in pain all throughout high school. I always felt like I was playing at between 75 and 80 percent, and never really got back to the point where I should have been.

I came out to Chicago to do all my pre-draft workouts, and that was another one of the reasons I decided to go pro: Now I have the best trainers and chiropractors available, and the one goal is to make me feel 100 percent. I ended up being the top-ranked player in my high school class, but I always was thinking in the back of my head, like, If I didn’t have this pain, I could really be doing some crazy stuff.

What prompted the transition to (mostly) veganism and, soon, to raw veganism?

I was having some back and nerve pain, and was always thinking about what I could do to fix it. I met him through my parents, and he suggested that I try this and see how it makes me feel. If I never had had that back pain, I would have never given this a chance.

Within a couple of days, I noticed a difference with my energy and recovery, and had less soreness after workouts. When you eat the raw diet, it’s a completely anti-inflammatory diet. That’s why many people start to feel old and can’t move as well—their joints begin to get inflamed, and a lot of that is because of how they eat. Dr. Graham is 65, and he's deadlifting and bench-pressing more than I can.

I feel like veganism is a big secret that a lot of professional athletes have caught on to and are using.

How did your body feel after you played those final two games?

I obviously wasn’t ready to play yet, because I was eating differently, I knew I wouldn’t be as good as I felt a few days before, when we were practicing at home. It was disappointing, but it’s helpful for me to learn about how the way I eat affects how I perform. Now that my back pain has gone away, this entire ordeal is going to further my career and my potential.

[holv03]

Michael Porter Jr GQ article:
https://www.gq.com/story/michael-porter-jr-real-life-diet

GQ: How's the recovery going? How are you feeling?

Michael Porter Jr.: I’ve never felt better. I was in a lot of pain for a while—I had a back injury during my sophomore year, and even before I had my surgery, I was in pain all throughout high school. I always felt like I was playing at between 75 and 80 percent, and never really got back to the point where I should have been.

I came out to Chicago to do all my pre-draft workouts, and that was another one of the reasons I decided to go pro: Now I have the best trainers and chiropractors available, and the one goal is to make me feel 100 percent. I ended up being the top-ranked player in my high school class, but I always was thinking in the back of my head, like, If I didn’t have this pain, I could really be doing some crazy stuff.

What prompted the transition to (mostly) veganism and, soon, to raw veganism?

I was having some back and nerve pain, and was always thinking about what I could do to fix it. I met him through my parents, and he suggested that I try this and see how it makes me feel. If I never had had that back pain, I would have never given this a chance.

Within a couple of days, I noticed a difference with my energy and recovery, and had less soreness after workouts. When you eat the raw diet, it’s a completely anti-inflammatory diet. That’s why many people start to feel old and can’t move as well—their joints begin to get inflamed, and a lot of that is because of how they eat. Dr. Graham is 65, and he's deadlifting and bench-pressing more than I can.

I feel like veganism is a big secret that a lot of professional athletes have caught on to and are using.

How did your body feel after you played those final two games?

I obviously wasn’t ready to play yet, because I was eating differently, I knew I wouldn’t be as good as I felt a few days before, when we were practicing at home. It was disappointing, but it’s helpful for me to learn about how the way I eat affects how I perform. Now that my back pain has gone away, this entire ordeal is going to further my career and my potential.

He will be a star in the NBA if he stays healthy.

[NecessaryEvil]

Exactly the guy had backsurgery and it should be a concern.
He has not faced competiton in a year.
He has no real experience outside High School.

He was a better hs player than Bagley and Ayton

What, u think it takes less than a year to regress to Marquis Daniels status?

He also had back surgery and looked awful. He is a gamble.

how would u look after back surgery?



he put up 14 & 9 in limited minutes. now, imagine if he wasn't coming off surgery.

[RastaBull]

Boston would be foolish to let Smart walk this summer.

There's not a whole lot of money out there on teams. I wonder how the most another team will offer him? If I'm Boston I'd match up to 15 (Iggy like deal). I'd obviously prefer (and think fair) 10-12 mil.

Next year, he and Rozier will by far be the best bench backcourt. Smart is more important long term than Rozier (assuming Irving). Smart/Irving backcourt in end of half/game scenarios is legit (as an alternative if the closing of Irving and Brown/Hayward isn't working in a match-up)

[NecessaryEvil]

He was a better.. player than Bagley and Ayton

.

Not in NCAA. Does Missouri and Wash State high school ball really matter today? Seems like another lifetime ago for Bagley and Ayton.

no, it was just a year ago J