The March to June 23: The Draft Prospect Thread

[Klomp]

We are officially in March, so we probably should at least have eyes on a few prospects. I know the joke is that we traded away all of our picks, but we do have a 2nd round pick from New York (via Charlotte), currently slated for 53rd.

[Klomp]

OK, I'm going to attempt open up the discussion on this with the NCAA Tournament technically starting today..

If the regular season ended today, we would have the 52nd pick (via NYK). It's not necessarily a spot to have immediate impact next season, and will likely spend the year in Iowa (decent two-way player probability). So we are likely best to look at future impact, someone we can potentially develop.

If we are truly all-in on the big lineup, I think it might be wise to continue to seek out cheap developmental big men to put behind Gobert and Towns. Reid is likely on his way out, and while Garza might be earning that third spot for next year, the two-way spot might be a good way to continue to unearth depth bigs.

I'm putting an emphasis on BIG with my first draft candidate in 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey from Purdue. Even though he is likely the runaway winner for National Player of the Year, like Luka Garza he enters the draft cycle likely needing to prove himself in workouts as he's mostly projected in the 50s from what I've seen. That's an indictment more on the NBA landscape today than it is about his ability, as not many teams are seeking out big lumbering giants. But we are one of the few teams that might be interested in that skill set.....

Honestly, in terms of NBA comps, I actually see glimpses of a bigger (yes, even bigger) Nikola Pekovic. If anyone should understand and appreciate that comparison, it's us.

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[Mamba4Goat]

I’d imagine Emoni Bates is someone who Minnesota takes a good look at. Fits their brand a lot in terms of fantastic high school player that struggled in college but still has a fair bit of upside. There’s a good chances he’s around where the Knicks pick ends up. Julian Strawther is another guy I’d like for them to take a good look at.

[Mattya]

Edey is very underrated. I’d trade up in the second to secure him. I’m pretty low on Bates but I’m the second round it’s a no brained gamble.

[Worm Guts]

I like Edey but can’t see targeting a center, even if Naz leaves.

[shrink]

I like Edey but can’t see targeting a center, even if Naz leaves.

Even Tim Connelly?

[Mattya]

I like Edey but can’t see targeting a center, even if Naz leaves.

Considering the injuries and games missed for our centers I think it would be smart to have a cheap center to develop. Especially if we lose Naz. Bring back Luka as our backup and Edey as a just in case low risk gamble.

[Worm Guts]

I like Edey but can’t see targeting a center, even if Naz leaves.

Considering the injuries and games missed for our centers I think it would be smart to have a cheap center to develop. Especially if we lose Naz. Bring back Luka as our backup and Edey as a just in case low risk gamble.

We still have 3 with Towns. In most cases I would think having a 4th Center is something you usually bring in after injury. Otherwise maybe someone with some positional versatility would be better.

[shangrila]

I wouldn’t rule Bates out but I don’t think he ticks all of the usual boxes. Namely that he’s not very toolsy. Wouldn’t be surprised if he wound up with a negative wingspan.

I like the PG from TCU, Miles…something.

[Mattya]

I like Edey but can’t see targeting a center, even if Naz leaves.

Considering the injuries and games missed for our centers I think it would be smart to have a cheap center to develop. Especially if we lose Naz. Bring back Luka as our backup and Edey as a just in case low risk gamble.

We still have 3 with Towns. In most cases I would think having a 4th Center is something you usually bring in after injury. Otherwise maybe someone with some positional versatility would be better.

I don’t think we need positional flexibility. We have KAT/Rudy, KAT/Slowmo, Rudy/Slowmo. We are fine with any of those starting combos. We have Jaden and Prince for small ball forwards. Not to mention Minott. I’m not super comfortable paying Naz for the role he would be in. We have needed minutes from Garza and Knight already this season. We are going to need a cheap big

[Mattya]

I wouldn’t rule Bates out but I don’t think he ticks all of the usual boxes. Namely that he’s not very toolsy. Wouldn’t be surprised if he wound up with a negative wingspan.

I like the PG from TCU, Miles…something.

The only thing I can say from watching Bates is that he sure doesn’t use his dribble to get anywhere. He just does a bunch of moves to shoot step back threes. Maybe he would be a better shooter in a role that makes him a spot up shooter.

[Worm Guts]

Considering the injuries and games missed for our centers I think it would be smart to have a cheap center to develop. Especially if we lose Naz. Bring back Luka as our backup and Edey as a just in case low risk gamble.

We still have 3 with Towns. In most cases I would think having a 4th Center is something you usually bring in after injury. Otherwise maybe someone with some positional versatility would be better.

I don’t think we need positional flexibility. We have KAT/Rudy, KAT/Slowmo, Rudy/Slowmo. We are fine with any of those starting combos. We have Jaden and Prince for small ball forwards. Not to mention Minott. I’m not super comfortable paying Naz for the role he would be in. We have needed minutes from Garza and Knight already this season. We are going to need a cheap big

Positional flexibility is always helpful when you have injuries. We have 3 players whose best position is center, even without Reid. We’ve needed more minutes because of injuries , but injuries are unpredictable. This year it was Towns, next year it could be someone else.
My point here is that 3 centers on a roster is typically the normal amount.

[Klomp]

My point here is that 3 centers on a roster is typically the normal amount.

How many centers starting is the typical amount though? Should a +1 in the starting lineup merit a +1 in the 17-man roster?

[SO_MONEY]

We still have 3 with Towns. In most cases I would think having a 4th Center is something you usually bring in after injury. Otherwise maybe someone with some positional versatility would be better.

I don’t think we need positional flexibility. We have KAT/Rudy, KAT/Slowmo, Rudy/Slowmo. We are fine with any of those starting combos. We have Jaden and Prince for small ball forwards. Not to mention Minott. I’m not super comfortable paying Naz for the role he would be in. We have needed minutes from Garza and Knight already this season. We are going to need a cheap big

Positional flexibility is always helpful when you have injuries. We have 3 players whose best position is center, even without Reid. We’ve needed more minutes because of injuries , but injuries are unpredictable. This year it was Towns, next year it could be someone else.
My point here is that 3 centers on a roster is typically the normal amount.

Typically, yes, but you have greater risk of injury on top of load management if you are starting two of them, in that case you would need 4 centers to CYA.

[shrink]

My point here is that 3 centers on a roster is typically the normal amount.

How many centers starting is the typical amount though? Should a +1 in the starting lineup merit a +1 in the 17-man roster?

Part of me is always trying to find optimal systems, so I have thought about the right number of position players on a roster for sometime. Worm Guy is right, that in the past, many teams ran with three centers - in fact, they often had three at each position. 3PGs, 3SGs, 3SFs, 3PF’s, 3Cs = 15 players. But there are a lot of issues that go into the composition of a modern team.

1. Teams carry two 2-way players, and those players sometimes get minutes.

2. Positional flexibility is becoming more prevalent. Do you need multiple SG’s and SF’s in case of injury? Particularly since big guards are more common?

3. Conversely, the positions at the end, PG and C, often have specific skills. Not all PFs can play center, and vice versa. Ditto for PGs - a problem we faced when we needed to play Nowell at that position.

4. Are more teams going small these days?

5. Are there available replacement players you’d roster good enough to play? For example, we keep Nate Night on the roster, but because of his low skill level, Finch often uses SloMo at the 5, and plays a different way,

6. Are bigs more likely to get hurt? Should teams prioritize extra bigs then?

7. What is the injury history of your current players?

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that each team needs to look at for themselves when they decide the right positional mix for their roster. it won’t be the same answer for everybody. I finally gave up on trying to find a universal position mix .. I think there are 30 right answers for 30 teams.

[Worm Guts]

I don’t know if he’s a great NBA prospect because of his height and shooting percentages, but Markquis Nowell is little ball of spectacular.

[younggunsmn]

In the 2nd round it should be Best Player available all the way so if that's Zack Edey I'm 100% on board even if we are 5 deep.
Especially in the range our pick is where its mostly Euro stash players and guys might even sign 2-way contracts.

We really need to re-sign Luka Garza too.

We are really thin in the backcourt, a high quality ballhandler is what I'd target in trade or free agency, in the draft we just need to find and develop talent. If we take Edey he might not play for 2 years, but at that point Gobert might be gone, and boom you've developed his replacement.

I actually think 2-ways are a better way to plug and play your injury replacements, they are the new improved 10 day contract.
I can see Prince traded for backcourt help, especially if we re-sign Naz. Prince + Moore for a quality MLE contract guard.

[Neeva]

If Bates is there with our second round pick I definitely take a flyer on hin.

[BlacJacMac]

I don’t know if he’s a great NBA prospect because of his height and shooting percentages, but Markquis Nowell is little ball of spectacular.

He's a true floor general in every sense of the word. Great vision and instincts.

But he's so tiny...

[urinesane]

I don't give a sh*t about the draft! We talkin' playoffs!