2022 NBA Draft Talk: Never too soon

[Klomp]

Gut feeling: A couple of guys high on our board tomorrow night will be Liddell and Kessler.

Feeling getting stronger

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[Biff Cooper]

Our need is rebounding for sure but can’t expect the 19th pick to help till 3-7 years down the line? I guess Connelly is trading for rebounding help then.

3-7 years is a long time to give a guy to start to be productive. Don't think there is a team in the league that would give a guy that long. Seems more like his way of trying to take media and fan pressure off the player(s) he picks.

[Klomp]

Our need is rebounding for sure but can’t expect the 19th pick to help till 3-7 years down the line? I guess Connelly is trading for rebounding help then.

3-7 years is a long time to give a guy to start to be productive. Don't think there is a team in the league that would give a guy that long. Seems more like his way of trying to take media and fan pressure off the player(s) he picks.

For the 19th pick? And on a playoff team? No it's really not that long.

[Baseline81]

Gut feeling: A couple of guys high on our board tomorrow night will be Liddell and Kessler.

Feeling getting stronger

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I'll walk away disappointed if the Wolves burn the 19th overall pick on Kessler.

[shangrila]

Our need is rebounding for sure but can’t expect the 19th pick to help till 3-7 years down the line? I guess Connelly is trading for rebounding help then.

3-7 years is a long time to give a guy to start to be productive. Don't think there is a team in the league that would give a guy that long. Seems more like his way of trying to take media and fan pressure off the player(s) he picks.

Well, yeah, that's exactly what he said. I'm paraphrasing but it was something like "none of the last 8 teams were playing rookies so expecting the #19 guy to come in and play big minutes isn't fair to him".

And it's a fair point to make. Even if you wanted to comp Liddell to Grant Williams, it still took Grant 3-4 years to get to this point.

To me I hope that whoever they pick is good enough to contribute in the regular season. If they then fall out of a tightened playoff rotation...so be it.

[karch34]

19 I feel like Liddell is likely. Kessler I see us trading down since 19 for a backup C is not good use of resources.

[shangrila]

As much as I'd like Liddell, neither the Wolves nor Nuggets have drafted many of these higher floor lower ceiling types of guys in recent years. And given the talk of us trying to move up with Cleveland...who even knows? Maybe we love Jalen Williams, or Ousmane Dieng, or Mark Williams or Jeremy Sochan or maybe we're hoping AJ Griffin or Johnny Davis fall? Damn it, I both love and hate this time of year.

I'm curious about #40 at the moment. I've seen rumours (from Reddit, but still) that there's someone they love there. Someone threw out Ryan Rollins, which would be cool, and earlier I heard Jean Montero, who'd also be super interesting. Tankathon has Keels there who we didn't work out but is intriguing too.

[Klomp]

19 I feel like Liddell is likely. Kessler I see us trading down since 19 for a backup C is not good use of resources.

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

[Rookie-Mistake]

This.
And I dint see Towns resolving his foul issues anytime soon so I think it's fair to say Kessler can be utilised quite a fair bit behind Towns and replacing Towns when he is in foul trouble and/or injured. For 3mil.. I do t srr any issue with it..

19 I feel like Liddell is likely. Kessler I see us trading down since 19 for a backup C is not good use of resources.

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

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[Baseline81]

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

Yes, it is.

Instead of going with a vet, I'd rather use or move up from 40 to get a center, which would likely be as good of an outcome as taking Kessler at 19. Are you telling me Kessler would vastly outplay someone like Koloko net season?

[Klomp]

As much as I'd like Liddell, neither the Wolves nor Nuggets have drafted many of these higher floor lower ceiling types of guys in recent years.

I have looked into this as well, and I see some merit in the argument. They aren't totally against it, however. I think his quote says a lot, "how much you swing for the fences depends on who is there." If you believe in their star potential, take the home run swing. Otherwise, as he also said, just get on base.

[Klomp]

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

Yes, it is.

Instead of going with a vet, I'd rather use or move up from 40 to get a center, which would likely be as good of an outcome as taking Kessler at 19. Are you telling me Kessler would vastly outplay someone like Koloko net season?

Why do you believe that?

I don't think 5-10 spots is enough to make a big deal about. If they feel Kessler grades out better than Koloko, take him. Don't be too cute.

[SO_MONEY]

19 I feel like Liddell is likely. Kessler I see us trading down since 19 for a backup C is not good use of resources.

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

Kessler in the 2nd would be okay, I guess. I like other bigs more in his range though. Taking him at 19 is getting cute.

[Klomp]

19 I feel like Liddell is likely. Kessler I see us trading down since 19 for a backup C is not good use of resources.

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

Kessler in the 2nd would be okay, I guess. I like other bigs more in his range though. Taking him at 19 is getting cute.

Most people I've seen say his draft range starts in the late teens. A lot depends on what happens in the lottery of course. But if he's at the top of your board when picking at 19 and fills needs, I don't think that's cute or a poor use of resources at all.

[SO_MONEY]

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

Kessler in the 2nd would be okay, I guess. I like other bigs more in his range though. Taking him at 19 is getting cute.

Most people I've seen say his draft range starts in the late teens. A lot depends on what happens in the lottery of course. But if he's at the top of your board when picking at 19 and fills needs, I don't think that's cute or a poor use of resources at all.

Pick him in the 2nd. If he goes sooner not a big difference between who you can get.

[GopherIt!]

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I think its for Eason or possibly Sochan or Jalen Williams.

[Klomp]

Kessler in the 2nd would be okay, I guess. I like other bigs more in his range though. Taking him at 19 is getting cute.

Most people I've seen say his draft range starts in the late teens. A lot depends on what happens in the lottery of course. But if he's at the top of your board when picking at 19 and fills needs, I don't think that's cute or a poor use of resources at all.

Pick him in the 2nd. If he goes sooner not a big difference between who you can get.

To you. Someone else might feel differently.

[SO_MONEY]

Most people I've seen say his draft range starts in the late teens. A lot depends on what happens in the lottery of course. But if he's at the top of your board when picking at 19 and fills needs, I don't think that's cute or a poor use of resources at all.

Pick him in the 2nd. If he goes sooner not a big difference between who you can get.

To you. Someone else might feel differently.

Probably not us though.

1. If any team's FO understands you historically find good value at the 5 in the 2nd it is ours.

2. I think the team is looking more for "5 tool" bigs, based on what Finch recently said and that FA is probably the place they address it.

[Devilzsidewalk]

taking Kessler at 19 would really anticlimactic for me after spending weeks getting hyped about Eason's defense, athleticism, and Kawhi-sized hands, or Mark Williams' ridiculous standing reach, or Jalen Williams' 6'7" playmaker skills.

His shotblocking is absolutely absurd, which is very tantalizing, but it seems like that's one thing that almost never translates very well in the NBA. Like Jarvis Varnado was putting up 4 and a half blocks a game for like 3 years, and he didn't do anything in the NBA.

I was looking through dozens and dozens and dozens of the best single season shotblockers in the major conferences of the past 2 decades, and it's just an enormous list of "oh I kinda remember that guy". I dunno, maybe he'll be awesome, who knows. But I'd feel better if he was an incredible rebounder, or if his jumpshot was a little bit splashy or something else that really popped besides just the blocks.

[KGdaBom]

Kessler has a skill set we lack defensively (mentioned by Connelly). He wouldn't necessarily have pressure to come in and be a game-changer because he can sit behind Towns and wait for his role to be needed in a game. He provides a rolling target for Russell. He's a massive body that fans have been begging for. Is using 19 and paying him $3M this season worse use of resources than paying $5-10M it would likely take for a veteran to come be a backup behind Towns?

Connelly got burned once by being too cute with the draft board, so I'm not sure he'll be so eager to do it again.

Yes, it is.

Instead of going with a vet, I'd rather use or move up from 40 to get a center, which would likely be as good of an outcome as taking Kessler at 19. Are you telling me Kessler would vastly outplay someone like Koloko net season?

Yes.