Who are your next 7

[8305]

Seems universal that the first 6 guys out in this draft will be Cunningham, Mobley, Green, Suggs, Kuminga, Barnes. Things are a little less settled after that. So who are your next 7? How high are you on each.

1st tier
Moody, Giddey, Johnson
Really like Moodys high floor. Comes in with a solid three point shot and as a good defender.
Like that Giddey and Johnson are really young and might have a big developmental leap in them. If they can develop as shooters the result could be a unique player.
2nd tier
Wagner, Garuba
Less upside to these two but, their size and defensive prowess makes them playable right out of the box. If they can grow offensively you have a starter.

3rd tier
Mann, Springer
Looking at mocks, these two could be had in the twenties. And I don’t feel near as strong about them over the likes of Mitchell, Kispert, Duarte. Seems like a trade down could make sense?

Thoughts?

[Moooose]

Good mention. I agree it is a mix after the 5th spot or so. Some mocks even have Kuminga and/or Barnes falling far into the 10th spot.
It is exciting as there are guys sitting just outside the lottery who are deserving to be lottery picks, IMO - Jackson, Sengun, Duarte, Giddey, maybe even Bones Hyland.

Anyways. My next 7 would be James Bouknight, Keon Johnson, Davion Mitchell, Alperen Sengun, Kai Jones, Corey Kispert, Josh Giddey.

I am not as high on Moody but I think he's a lottery pick, gotta prove that he can create his own shot. Jalen Johnson is very interesting, I don't know much about him but his skillset and motor is impressive from the videos I've seen. Wagner is a safe pick albeit not too sexy. Ziaire Williams looks a lot like Cam Johnson so I think he's getting some looks too.

Duarte is rising up the draft boards and really, his age shouldn't be too much of a concern for non-rebuilding teams.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

1. Keon Johnson - I think he's a little more raw and risky than some of the other players available, but he's a freak athlete with a very high motor...at the very least, he should develop into a great wing defensive player who can slash. If he can figure out his shot and learn to make plays, I think he could be an All-Star. Having Carlisle developing him and his work ethic/motor would give me hope that he'd become a great player for us.

2. Jalen Johnson - I am worried about his red flags, but he has all the tools.

3. Moses Moody - I think he should be a pretty solid player. I don't know if a see an All-Star or anything, but I think he'll be a player every team would want.

4. James Bouknight - I don't think I'm as high on him as some others, but the potential is there. I worry he cares more about stats than he does team basketball....but thats just what I've gathered, I could be mistaken.

After those 4, I don't like have anyone I like a lot. I think the Pacers have role players on top of role players, we're already a team that can easily go 10 deep when healthy, or 12 deep with McConnell and McDermott(probably gone though.) I want the Pacers to shoot for the stars. Get the player with the most potential and trust Carlisle and crew to get the most out of him.

[Nuntius]

7, huh? Let's see.

The 4 players that I'd love at #13 are James Bouknight, Moses Moody, Keon Johnson and Jalen Johnson. I believe that we should be looking to draft a potential star at #13 and these four fit that bill. I do see avenues to stardom for all of them. Some of them are more long-shot than others but I do believe that the potential is there.

Then there's Josh Giddey. I go back and forth on Giddey. His passing is truly elite and there's a lot of value in that. On the other hand, his shooting, shot-creation and ball-handling can definitely hamper him at the NBA level. He definitely has a good handle for a 6'8 dude but if he's to be a full-time PG in the NBA he needs to tighten up his handle more. He is not an explosive athlete so he really needs a great handle if he is able to get where he wants with the ball in his hands. As for his shooting, he needs it to unlock his passing. Without a good shot and a good handle, teams will just go under screens and play for the pass, limiting his offensive upside. IF he improves these two aspects of his offense, his offensive potential is really, really high. He'll never be a two-way player but if he becomes a dynamic offensive maestro then he could even become a star. So, yeah, I'm conflicted. I'd put him below the 4 I mentioned earlier but above the rest.

Then I'd go with Franz Wagner. I don't think that he has star potential but I have seen people comparing his upside to Otto Porter Jr. and Mikal Bridges and those guys definitely have value.

For the final spot, I'd probably go with Alperen Sengun. I wouldn't draft him for our team since we already have a log-jam at the big man spot but he is definitely a very talented player who deserves to go in the lottery. I do think that Sengun could become an All-Star in this league. Could he become a real star? Probably not since his style of play doesn't fit the current league (much like our very own Domantas Sabonis) but, sure, I could see him becoming an All-Star.

Players I do not like:

Davion Mitchell. Reminds me too much of Patrick Beverley (with a shorter wingspan, too) and I would never draft Patrick Beverley in the lotto.

Corey Kispert. Reminds me too much of Doug McDermott and I would never Doug McDermott in the lottery.

I am also not a fan of Kai Jones and he's a big as well so there are positional concerns too.

Those are all the players that are generally projected from 7 to 14, I think. I do think that there is a chance that we trade down if no one we like is left at #13. I do like a number of players that are projected later in the 1st (and even some in the 2nd round) so I wouldn't be opposed in getting more picks here. I do believe that this is a very talented draft.