Official 2020 NBA Draft Thread

[pepe1991]

Maxey isn't really point guard an he can't shoot to be viewed as shooting guard.
He is 6'3 bulky, but not really skilled guard.

And he played on Kentucky and still could not shoot , despite being on team that is superior to most others.

There is also sooo little creativity with him on ball.

I mean what's execlly his ceiling? Backup PG?
If Eric Bledsoe lost all hoops ? Eric Gordon without jumpshot? That's comparison?

I can't imagine scenario where mediocre college shooter, without some massive athletic gift, being undersized as guard, will come in nba and do anything.

Donovan MItchell comp is off to me. Mitchell is pshsical speciment, with 6'10 wingspan ,36 inch standing vert and incredible strenght.
Also Mitchell spent his whole career with high BBIQ lead guards, Rubio and now Conley, along with some great spacers like Bojan, Ingles and ofc DPOY Gobert.

Who would be Magic lead guy with Maxey ? Another rookie scale contract point guard who isn't really all that creative nor experienced in Fultz?

Marcus Smart ceiling is not what i'm aiming at pick.

[zaymon]

Oh god ...

This is such a hard question because that leaves 4 more names to go off the board before we get to pick.

Yes, yes I understand you said “#1 Target” but still ... I’m just soooo indecisive with this class.

I can’t give you one single name yet but in this scenario I would limit my search to:

Terry, Nesmith and Green.

... perhaps the 4 teams ahead take 2 and make my choice for me?

I like Green but for me its

Pokusevski->Bane->Maledon->Lewis

Sell me on Pokusevski.

How isn’t he the biggest red flag ever in a draft? What position is he playing in Orlando? What does he do that we don’t have on the roster?

For me Pokusevski is the only potential high impact two way player at the top.
1.He can handle the ball and make good decisions. That gives you potential to play inverted pick and roll with guards, especially stronger ones like Fultz or a 4-5 pick and roll like lakers which are hard to stop when both players are shooters. We dont have a player like that. Isaac and Gordon cant do that. Pokusevski/ Vucevic, Pokusevski/ Fultz or even Pokusevski/ Fournier pick and rolls/ pick and pops could be lethal.
2. He is a potential movement shooter. With his height it could be unstoppable. 78 % ft shooter, very young. I think he projects as much better shooter than both Edwards and Ball. Edwards is developed physically already and Ball has awful shooting form and poor results.
3. He already is dangerous post defender. He has quick hands and good anticipation. There is no other player in top 15 with his tools and defensive stats.
I heard some questions about his work ethic and motor but i doubt its more scary than with Ball and Edwards. He is a risk but a high reward one.

Bane is 22 but you dont have to project much with him, he already has tools to succed. Great shooter, good passer, more versatile defensively even than Vassell propably with his strong frame. Clifford said he talked with Weltman about bringing more smart players on the roster. Bane fits like a glove. I dont entirely understand the upside argument when he most likely could start on some teams being better Gary Trent jr.

I dont see Terry and Nesmith at #15 being a fall. Nesmith is late first, early second to me and Terry mid to late first. Nesmith doesnt have much game outside shooting ( which is propably inflated due to poor competition). Poor mans Ross to me.
Terry is more intriguing but i dont know what to think of his ball handling and passing. He doesnt show much in college and i didnt watch his hs tapes. Is his ceiling Seth Curry ? Floor lower than Bane, ceiling lower than Pokusevski. Dont see much reason to pick him that high.

[Knightro]

Maxey isn't really point guard an he can't shoot to be viewed as shooting guard.
He is 6'3 bulky, but not really skilled guard.

And he played on Kentucky and still could not shoot , despite being on team that is superior to most others.

There is also sooo little creativity with him on ball.

I mean what's execlly his ceiling? Backup PG?
If Eric Bledsoe lost all hoops ? Eric Gordon without jumpshot? That's comparison?

I can't imagine scenario where mediocre college shooter, without some massive athletic gift, being undersized as guard, will come in nba and do anything.

Donovan MItchell comp is off to me. Mitchell is pshsical speciment, with 6'10 wingspan ,36 inch standing vert and incredible strenght.
Also Mitchell spent his whole career with high BBIQ lead guards, Rubio and now Conley, along with some great spacers like Bojan, Ingles and ofc DPOY Gobert.

Who would be Magic lead guy with Maxey ? Another rookie scale contract point guard who isn't really all that creative nor experienced in Fultz?

Marcus Smart ceiling is not what i'm aiming at pick.

I agree.

Marcus Smart with solid defense and hustle instead of insanely good defense and hustle is not the same player.

Donovan Mitchell with meh athleticism instead of top of the food chain-level athleticism is not the same player.

The only way IMO you can be comfortable with Maxey is if you’re completely and utterly convinced his poor college shooting was the fluke and he’s actually going end up being a plus shooter.

It’s *possible* that’s the case because he was known as a shooter in high school and his FT stroke was good in HS and at Kentucky, but it’s not really a gamble I’d be comfortable taking at 15.

But if his shooting doesn’t become great, I don’t know how he really helps much because he’s a pure SG who is not a plus athlete, not a plus ball handler and not likely to be more than a good defender.

[basketballRob]

Maxey isn't really point guard an he can't shoot to be viewed as shooting guard.
He is 6'3 bulky, but not really skilled guard.

And he played on Kentucky and still could not shoot , despite being on team that is superior to most others.

There is also sooo little creativity with him on ball.

I mean what's execlly his ceiling? Backup PG?
If Eric Bledsoe lost all hoops ? Eric Gordon without jumpshot? That's comparison?

I can't imagine scenario where mediocre college shooter, without some massive athletic gift, being undersized as guard, will come in nba and do anything.

Donovan MItchell comp is off to me. Mitchell is pshsical speciment, with 6'10 wingspan ,36 inch standing vert and incredible strenght.
Also Mitchell spent his whole career with high BBIQ lead guards, Rubio and now Conley, along with some great spacers like Bojan, Ingles and ofc DPOY Gobert.

Who would be Magic lead guy with Maxey ? Another rookie scale contract point guard who isn't really all that creative nor experienced in Fultz?

Marcus Smart ceiling is not what i'm aiming at pick.

I agree.

Marcus Smart with solid defense and hustle instead of insanely good defense and hustle is not the same player.

Donovan Mitchell with meh athleticism instead of top of the food chain-level athleticism is not the same player.

The only way IMO you can be comfortable with Maxey is if you’re completely and utterly convinced his poor college shooting was the fluke and he’s actually going end up being a plus shooter.

It’s *possible* that’s the case because he was known as a shooter in high school and his FT stroke was good in HS and at Kentucky, but it’s not really a gamble I’d be comfortable taking at 15.

But if his shooting doesn’t become great, I don’t know how he really helps much because he’s a pure SG who is not a plus athlete, not a plus ball handler and not likely to be more than a good defender.

Mike Schmitz says he followed him ever since high school and Maxey is a bucket. He averaged over 22 ppg in eybl and won dpoy. He also had to learn a different position last season at Kentucky.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[Xatticus]

Yeah. Smart was far more accomplished. The physicality is the point I was trying to highlight. Monk lacks that. Many of the other guards projected to go in the middle of the first round lack that. You aren’t going through Maxey and it enhances his ability to finish in the paint. A lot of guards avoid contact in the paint and are hampered when they get hit. Maxey puts his body into defenders to create the space to get his shots up. He isn’t bothered by the contact at all.

I really wouldn’t have an issue with Maxey. It’s possible there is more to his game than what he showed at Kentucky. He wasn’t the PG. The FT% gives hope for his shot. Even if there isn’t anything more to him offensively, you are looking at Patrick Beverley. I don’t think he is a high-ceiling guy, but I do think his floor has him solidly in an NBA rotation. I greatly prefer Flynn’s game to Maxey’s, but I could see Flynn failing to stick due to his limitations.

This is why I’d like to pick up another pick. I’d love to get one of Mannion and Flynn, but are we going to use 15 on them? They won’t last to our 2nd-round pick.

Here's a hot take for you.

I'd take Flynn over Maxey at 15.

Yeah. In a vacuum, I can see it, but it does feel like you are leaving a lot of value out there by taking Flynn at 15. I just don't know where he gets picked though. He has a lot of the earmarks of a second rounder, but VanVleet has probably changed the formula.

Flynn has to look appealing to anyone that is in "win now" mode and he is probably going to provide solid value on his rookie deal. He was THE GUY for one of the best teams in the country. They had the third ranked offense by efficiency. We wrap up a lot of value in things like TS% and AST%, but the metric that should matter is how much better you actually make the team's offense while you are on the floor. I think Flynn and Vucevic in the pick and roll works straight out of the gates. He can actually make the skip pass when they bring help on the roll man. Toronto wrecked our pick-and-roll game in the playoffs two years ago because we didn't have anyone that could make that pass.

His physical tools are underwhelming, but there is a path to success for players of his stature. He is roughly the same size as VanVleet. He is certainly bigger than Augustin. He moves his feet well and he is always switched on. He has obviously worked very hard at his game.

I'd love to get him. I just haven't really considered using our pick at 15 on him. There are certainly some picks to be had later in the draft. Boston has three first-round picks and it seems a dead certainty that they don't use all of them. We can take back some money from them to get one of those picks. I doubt he gets to the second round, but I don't know where he goes off the board. I'd be perfectly fine with Mannion too, so there is some flexibility as to where you have to get to. Both of those guys give us what we really need. I know people are down on Mannion and I can see the red flags, but he is so advanced as a ball mover for his age. He is better than Flynn as a pure point guard outside of the pick and roll stuff, but he will take more time to get where Flynn is now. He has more upside though. He struggled against better competition and his efficiency wasn't great. You can trust him to make the simple pass. This has been lacking for us throughout our rebuild. We've had entirely too many people on the ball that feel it's their mandate to make a play. We've consistently rewarded them for **** up over and over again. Vucevic and Iwundu are the only guys that come to mind that just make the obvious pass whenever it presents itself.

There are so many PGs in this draft that I'll be exceedingly disappointed if we don't get some kind of playmaker. We need a floor general. I'm expecting that we end up with Hampton. His ceiling is really high due to his physical tools and athleticism, but you are basically building a PG from the ground up. I don't trust Clifford for this at all. He just gives guys a lane and tells them to stay in it. He praises them when they do what they are told to. I don't see a coach that develops raw talent though, so why keep drafting them?

[Xatticus]

I like Green but for me its

Pokusevski->Bane->Maledon->Lewis

Sell me on Pokusevski.

How isn’t he the biggest red flag ever in a draft? What position is he playing in Orlando? What does he do that we don’t have on the roster?

For me Pokusevski is the only potential high impact two way player at the top.
1.He can handle the ball and make good decisions. That gives you potential to play inverted pick and roll with guards, especially stronger ones like Fultz or a 4-5 pick and roll like lakers which are hard to stop when both players are shooters. We dont have a player like that. Isaac and Gordon cant do that. Pokusevski/ Vucevic, Pokusevski/ Fultz or even Pokusevski/ Fournier pick and rolls/ pick and pops could be lethal.
2. He is a potential movement shooter. With his height it could be unstoppable. 78 % ft shooter, very young. I think he projects as much better shooter than both Edwards and Ball. Edwards is developed physically already and Ball has awful shooting form and poor results.
3. He already is dangerous post defender. He has quick hands and good anticipation. There is no other player in top 15 with his tools and defensive stats.
I heard some questions about his work ethic and motor but i doubt its more scary than with Ball and Edwards. He is a risk but a high reward one.

Bane is 22 but you dont have to project much with him, he already has tools to succed. Great shooter, good passer, more versatile defensively even than Vassell propably with his strong frame. Clifford said he talked with Weltman about bringing more smart players on the roster. Bane fits like a glove. I dont entirely understand the upside argument when he most likely could start on some teams being better Gary Trent jr.

I dont see Terry and Nesmith at #15 being a fall. Nesmith is late first, early second to me and Terry mid to late first. Nesmith doesnt have much game outside shooting ( which is propably inflated due to poor competition). Poor mans Ross to me.
Terry is more intriguing but i dont know what to think of his ball handling and passing. He doesnt show much in college and i didnt watch his hs tapes. Is his ceiling Seth Curry ? Floor lower than Bane, ceiling lower than Pokusevski. Dont see much reason to pick him that high.

I think Pokusevski is up there with Edwards and Wiseman as the players with the highest ceilings. With Edwards and Wiseman though, it is because they will be bigger, faster, stronger, and more athletic than just about anyone they match up with. For Pokusevski, it is because his fluidity and understanding of the game are exceptional for someone of his age and height. He is like the kid in kindergarten that is walking around with a copy of The Lord of the Rings and telling you how it's better than the movie while the other kids are learning their 'ABC's.

The problem is that he is a kid and he is underdeveloped physically. He should be playing against others like him. I'd draft and stash him and let him mature physically before exposing him to the grown men and elite athletes in the NBA. He could just break down and flame out if you rush him. He may never be capable of withstanding the rigors of the NBA regardless of how patient you are.

The question then is: Does our front office feel confident enough in their own positions to punt the pick down the road by picking Pokusevski? Are they that confident that they will be around if or when he is ever ready to contribute? If you sign him right away, you are paying him to lift weights. You would then have to make a decision on whether or not to pay him before he has ever contributed for you. He is an upside pick though. If you are trying to land the highest-upside prospect, he is the guy. He is who Hinkie would take at our spot if he was still on the board.

As to Clifford's request for "smart" players... I couldn't care less what the coach wants. If you let the coach pick the players, you end up with the Detroit Pistons under SVG. He is a coach. He isn't a GM. The "smartest" dog breeds aren't actually the most intelligent. They are just the most obedient. Coaches want obedient. "Smart", in coachspeak, means the player does what they are told to do when they are told to do it.

Spoiler:

When a team loses, the coach always figures it is because the players just didn't do what they were told to do or that they didn't try hard enough. That's a generalization, of course, but I think it applies to Clifford.

[yoyojw17]

I would love another pick in the middle of the first to the beginning of the second to pick up tre jones! He would be a player that I could see being at the least a plus bench player and starter potential.

Watch on YouTube

[fendilim]

I’m starting to like thisBolmaro kid

[Skybox]

A name that never shows up here (due to position, I guess) is Toppin. To take our trade-ups in another direction, if we could move AG/Evan (or Vuc) to be in position for Obi...wouldn’t he be instant offense? The anti-Isaac? Could he play SF next to Isaac and ( or Bamba)?
Isaac has shown he can play anywhere...labeled PF because his shooting, like AG’s, isn’t great. Their skill sets are redundant, not their positional label. I’d be thrilled to trade up for #2 but Ball, Wiseman, and evening Edwards scare me. I think, depending on where he lands, Toppin is the likely ROY. Not DPOY, that will go to Isaac soon enough.

[VFX]

A name that never shows up here (due to position, I guess) is Toppin. To take our trade-ups in another direction, if we could move AG/Evan (or Vuc) to be in position for Obi...wouldn’t he be instant offense? The anti-Isaac? Could he play SF next to Isaac and ( or Bamba)?
Isaac has shown he can play anywhere...labeled PF because his shooting, like AG’s, isn’t great. Their skill sets are redundant, not their positional label. I’d be thrilled to trade up for #2 but Ball, Wiseman, and evening Edwards scare me. I think, depending on where he lands, Toppin is the likely ROY. Not DPOY, that will go to Isaac soon enough.

Why trade AG for Toppin? That seems redundant.

AG isn’t effective in our half court slow system, so why would a similar player like Toppin be any different?
I would get it only as a way to save money, but at some point people have to realize Isaac is going to be guarding bigger forwards. The AG/Isaac dream scenario wasn’t effective.

[pepe1991]

Where probably will somebody turned into great player, legit question is - is this worst draft since 2006?

[yoyojw17]

Where probably will somebody turned into great player, legit question is - is this worst draft since 2006?

I feel that there are no surefire stars in this draft.... but the subsequent tiers look pretty darn good with the possibility of producing special players. hence the reason being in the middle of the first isn't that bad.

[VFX]

Where probably will somebody turned into great player, legit question is - is this worst draft since 2006?

I feel that there are no surefire stars in this draft.... but the subsequent tiers look pretty darn good with the possibility of producing special players. hence the reason being in the middle of the first isn't that bad.

I agree. I think there is maybe 1-2 all star(s) in this draft tops. The middle of the draft looks like a lot of solid contributors and some decent back up guards that will be in the league for a long time.

[jezzerinho]

Where probably will somebody turned into great player, legit question is - is this worst draft since 2006?

It could be an awful draft. Just about everyone has question marks over them, based on when play stopped in Feb/Mar.

But that's just the thing. No draft class has ever had more free time to work on their weak points and prepare more NBA-suitable skills than this bunch. Many players could be WAY different now than they were at the start of the year, with no March Madness, no sacrifice for the team, no college-only tactics, no closer 3pt line... For months and months.

Who knows? Many of them could be just as flawed as they were because their limitations were physical. Many could have tried to develop a handle or a 3pt shot and failed.

But one thing's for sure. No draft class ever had this much time to prep for the NBA.

[MagicFan101]

Where probably will somebody turned into great player, legit question is - is this worst draft since 2006?

I feel that there are no surefire stars in this draft.... but the subsequent tiers look pretty darn good with the possibility of producing special players. hence the reason being in the middle of the first isn't that bad.

I agree. I think there is maybe 1-2 all star(s) in this draft tops. The middle of the draft looks like a lot of solid contributors and some decent back up guards that will be in the league for a long time.

I disagree on “1-2 all stars tops” in this class.

I see this class as lacking a “franchise” talent like Lebron, Giannis, Luka or Kawhi.

But remember that guys like Vuc, Sobonis, Middleton and Lowry have been All Stars recently.

I think this draft could produce closer to 5 guys at that level.

[VFX]

I feel that there are no surefire stars in this draft.... but the subsequent tiers look pretty darn good with the possibility of producing special players. hence the reason being in the middle of the first isn't that bad.

I agree. I think there is maybe 1-2 all star(s) in this draft tops. The middle of the draft looks like a lot of solid contributors and some decent back up guards that will be in the league for a long time.

I disagree on “1-2 all stars tops” in this class.

I see this class as lacking a “franchise” talent like Lebron, Giannis, Luka or Kawhi.

But remember that guys like Vuc, Sobonis, Middleton and Lowry have been All Stars recently.

I think this draft could produce closer to 5 guys at that level.

I could totally be wrong. Maybe I’m just not seeing the high floor + high ceiling guys.

[MagicFan101]

I agree. I think there is maybe 1-2 all star(s) in this draft tops. The middle of the draft looks like a lot of solid contributors and some decent back up guards that will be in the league for a long time.

I disagree on “1-2 all stars tops” in this class.

I see this class as lacking a “franchise” talent like Lebron, Giannis, Luka or Kawhi.

But remember that guys like Vuc, Sobonis, Middleton and Lowry have been All Stars recently.

I think this draft could produce closer to 5 guys at that level.

I could totally be wrong. Maybe I’m just not seeing the high floor + high ceiling guys.

A few of those guys, like Vuc, had to blossom and earn their All Star birth after years of productive play. They may not all be given a spot during their rookie contract but that doesn’t mean it won’t come or more importantly, they aren’t playing very well on bad teams.

The point is, there is talent in this class ... all the way to #15. There are valuable players to be had and I hope our GM is scouting properly.

[Magicfanatic82]

So many needs for our team. At 15 we have good options. Even if we dont get a star. Getting help on a decent contract outside the lotto is huge.
We could not make open 3s
Terry, Nesmith, Bey would fill that void
Shot creation is weak
Lewis, Anthony
Or take a swing with risk/reward
Poku, Hampton, McDaniels

Decent options staying at 15

[Magicfanatic82]

Watch on YouTube

Terry is a big time shooter. We did want Trae heading into 2018 draft.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

We joke about wingspan but I think they regret not moving on who they wanted.

[pepe1991]

I feel that there are no surefire stars in this draft.... but the subsequent tiers look pretty darn good with the possibility of producing special players. hence the reason being in the middle of the first isn't that bad.

I agree. I think there is maybe 1-2 all star(s) in this draft tops. The middle of the draft looks like a lot of solid contributors and some decent back up guards that will be in the league for a long time.

I disagree on “1-2 all stars tops” in this class.

I see this class as lacking a “franchise” talent like Lebron, Giannis, Luka or Kawhi.

But remember that guys like Vuc, Sobonis, Middleton and Lowry have been All Stars recently.

I think this draft could produce closer to 5 guys at that level.

Situational allstars really don't move the needle all that much. Over years guys like Korver, Teague, Millsap, Hibbert, Noah, Loul Deng, Bynum made their way to allstar teams. However, non of them was transending star nor really all that elite.

Maybe i should have said " I don't see future top 10-15 player " in this draft.

But it's possible there will be some Colin Sexton type production/player early and look like steal, averaging 20 ppg on trash team because somebody has to take shots.
Or how Myles Turner looked like complete stud, as one of youngest rookies, putting up 10 ppg, blocking shots, protecting paint, improving jumpshot... Just to find out 5 years later, he is pretty much same player who's potential was reached at age of 19.