What is your draft big board? Any updates?

[Blonde]

I was thinking of some upside comps for the top 9 in this draft, and it got me thinking. If all of these players were somehow in the same draft, in what order would you draft them?

Al Horford
Kevin Garnett
Damian Lillard
Klay Thompson
Karl-Anthony Towns
James Harden
Tracy McGrady
Amare Stoudemire
Rudy Gobert

KG
Harden
TMac
KAT
Amare
Lillard
Gobert
Klay
Horford

I don't see anyone in this draft being comparable to McGrady or Garnett. I'm guessing you were saying Jaren Jackson for KG but have no idea who is similar to TMac.

[Blonde]

Wait a minute, who the heck are Klay and TMac?

I assume Klay is Mikal and TMac is Porter. Who is Horford though?

Carter. Even mainstream media has been throwing that comp around for months.

[NTB]

Wait a minute, who the heck are Klay and TMac?

I assume Klay is Mikal and TMac is Porter. Who is Horford though?

Carter. Even mainstream media has been throwing that comp around for months.

Yea probably. I didn't read much about Carter.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I was thinking of some upside comps for the top 9 in this draft, and it got me thinking. If all of these players were somehow in the same draft, in what order would you draft them?

Al Horford
Kevin Garnett
Damian Lillard
Klay Thompson
Karl-Anthony Towns
James Harden
Tracy McGrady
Amare Stoudemire
Rudy Gobert

1. James Harden
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Karl-Anthony Towns
4. Damian Lillard
5. Tracy McGrady
6. Amare Stoudemire
7. Klay Thompson
8. Rudy Gobert
9. Al Horford

I am really not sure about this.

So if i am not wrong, according to this, my big board should be like:

1. Doncic
2. JJJr(?)
3. Ayton
4. Young
5. Porter
6. Bagley
7. Mikal(?)
8. Bamba
9. Carter

You nailed it! Obviously some of the comps are a bit superficial - Porter/McGrady, in particular.

[lilfishi22]

1. Doncic
2. Porter Jr
3. Ayton
4. Bagley
5.Young
6. JJJr
7. Bamba

1. Doncic - Same. Could change but unlikely to with a few more Euroleague regular season games left and playoffs beginning in the 2nd half of next month.
2. Ayton - Tourney upset is not a good result but I saw it like a quick KO in boxing or MMA, it could happen any time and because it happened so quickly, the fighter didn't have an opportunity to show what they really have up their sleeves. Based on his overall body of work, I think even with the weaknesses, he's done enough to warrant a top 1 or 2 spot in this draft imo.
3. Bagley - opposite of Ayton, he wasn't as highly touted as Ayton coming in but now that he's still in the tourney, he's able to show the world a bit more of what he's about. I still think his ceiling is #3 though.
4. JJJr - moved him back into the rest of the pack. Even though he's still in the tourney, he hasn't really been that impressive. Still very high potential player but also screams project.
5. Porter Jr - Bombed out with 3 college games to show, he's looked riskier than ever. He still has a decent body of work from HS and scouts have pretty much determined the kind of player he's likely to be but it may have been better for him if he had just sat out.
6. Young - I still really like Young. I just like him a lot more just outside of the top 5 (although interchangeable with Porter JR imo)
7. Bamba - Another guy who bombed (Bamba'd???) out after only 1 game. Freak measurements but he hasn't impressed me all that much this season and he's also as much of a project as JJJr imo.

[bwgood77]

I think it depends on who is there and at what pick. Realistically if we're talking those 4, unless Porter has a huge medical red flag, that means into the top 9. I think 9 for 15 and another pick (maybe not 16 but a future one) could work. Depending on the player there (particularly if it was Young or Porter), I would throw in Warren if need be, who is damn solid, and remove a pick (so Warren and 15 plus maybe our 2nd) for 9.

Yeah, maybe like next year top 3 protected or something plus 15 could get you 9. Not sure. But I wouldn't do it. I'd just hang onto future picks and our two mid firsts. I think 15/16 could maybe get you to 11 or 12 this year.

The tank race is crazy this year for a reason...being this draft is a good 10 deep....and all the teams in there need help now, even Cleveland. I don't think Warren has much trade value as long as he struggles from 3 and defensively.

I wouldn't deal Warren in a trade for another pick. We have so few quality rotation players as it stands. We want to compete. TJ has been with this team for four years, and once Alex leaves, TJ becomes the player with the longest tenure on this roster.

In my view, if we're trading TJ, it can only be in a deal for another current rotation player on a medium- to long-term deal.

I don't think we are trading him. I don't think he has that much value to other teams either. Or at least not as much as some people seem to think. But the way McD talks about having the draft prospects talk to Booker, TJ and Josh makes it sound to me like McD feels he is part of the future.

Now I'm sure if there was some great trade for us and the other team wanted him, that's another story but that's pretty unlikely.

[AtheJ415]

Yeah, maybe like next year top 3 protected or something plus 15 could get you 9. Not sure. But I wouldn't do it. I'd just hang onto future picks and our two mid firsts. I think 15/16 could maybe get you to 11 or 12 this year.

The tank race is crazy this year for a reason...being this draft is a good 10 deep....and all the teams in there need help now, even Cleveland. I don't think Warren has much trade value as long as he struggles from 3 and defensively.

I wouldn't deal Warren in a trade for another pick. We have so few quality rotation players as it stands. We want to compete. TJ has been with this team for four years, and once Alex leaves, TJ becomes the player with the longest tenure on this roster.

In my view, if we're trading TJ, it can only be in a deal for another current rotation player on a medium- to long-term deal.

I don't think we are trading him. I don't think he has that much value to other teams either. Or at least not as much as some people seem to think. But the way McD talks about having the draft prospects talk to Booker, TJ and Josh makes it sound to me like McD feels he is part of the future.

Now I'm sure if there was some great trade for us and the other team wanted him, that's another story but that's pretty unlikely.

To be clear though, I am not really talking about trading Warren for JUST any "other pick". This would be for somebody like Porter, Young, or maybe Bamba. Guys who fit more squarely with Booker and Jackson and were considered franchise changers all year. I mean, I like TJ a ton but I would trade him in a heartbeat for Porter or Young, and I'd consider trading him for Bamba with the current roster just because we need that freakish length at the 5.

[bwgood77]

Basing my tiers on the subjective feeling I get when I imagine drafting each guy.

Unreservedly Stoked:
1. Doncic: Versatile, proven winner, polished beyond his years, fits our team. Seems like his ceiling is Larry Bird and his floor is...maybe Tyreke Evans? Should have an immediate impact and a long career.

Totally down:
2. JJJ: Love this guy. Maybe less star potential than Ayton/Young/Porter but should be a true two-way player, which I really value. Prime Ibaka does seem like the best comparison but JJJ is a little bigger and should be able to play more C. His defense helps offset Booker's average D, his shooting spaces the floor for everyone while making it easier to accommodate weaker shooters like Warren and Payton, and his FT shooting is a great bonus too. I also like that he's showing all this at such a young age. No worries about him fitting into a front-court rotation with Bender/Chriss even though they do have similarities.
3. Ayton: Just some minor reservations about his defense and whether he can be as good as AD/KAT/Embiid. There seems to be less margin for error than there used to be for that type of center, by which I mean if you're not on that superstar level then you're basically on a level with guys like Vucevic, a solid player who no one really misses when he's gone.

Cautiously excited:
4. Porter: This certainly depends on his health but for this purpose I'm assuming our medical staff says he's fine. I know the least about him which also means I don't know as much about his weaknesses as I do for other guys. He's also not the greatest fit and taking him might require moving guys I really like, but that star potential is there and I think since JJ can play 2/3 and Bender can play 4/5, Porter can fit in as a 3/4. I love Warren but don't want him playing much at 4 so I see him eventually in that 6th man role others have described, so I think it can work with Porter.
5. Young I worry about his defense, turnovers, and adjustment to the NBA but his production is undeniable and the splash brothers potential is just delicious.
6. Bamba He's super intriguing but also seems to have the highest potential to totally bust out of all these top prospects (I guess now that our future is coming into more focus I'm more risk-averse would have been in other recent drafts).

Excitedly cautious:
7. Bagley
8. Mikal Bridges
9. Wendell Carter
10. Sexton

Biggest changes for me are that Doncic is even farther ahead of the rest now and I'm having even more trouble talking myself into Ayton. But there's a lot of other shuffling here too:

Unreservedly Stoked:
1. Doncic: All of the same reasons I initially cited plus his passion and fire. He's way out in front for me now.

Totally down:
2. JJJ: His lackluster stats at times are a definite turn-off but like with Doncic, I see a fire in his game that I don't see in Ayton or in our current bigs.
3. Wendell Carter: I'll bite the bullet and move him all the way up here. Weekapaug said it perfectly in the draft thread: "Sure he's not a freak athlete with insane Bamba length but he's plenty big enough to play C and actually thick enough to not get pushed around. People might say he doesn't have the upside but of the guys projected to go in the top 10 only JJJ is younger than him so I think there's a lot of growth left in his game. He seems to do everything pretty well so I'm honestly confused why he is always ranked behind guys like Bamba, Porter, and even Bagley who have way more red flags."

Cautiously excited: (the specific ordering in this tier is really hard for me; they're all really close and all pretty scary)
4. Young Still have lots of concerns about his defense etc but am coming around on his playmaking rather than his shooting as his top selling point.
5. Bamba I don't worry so much about his floor or bust potential anymore. I think he has a place in the league as a starting-caliber C and possibly much higher.
6. Porter: I don't love the fit and still haven't seen that much of him but he does seem to have superstar potential and some elite tools.
7. Ayton: I have a bad feeling about him. I think he's benefiting from the AD/KAT/Embiid generation of centers and people wanting him to be on their level when he's just not (similarly to how Bender benefited from Porzingis's impact and maybe how Trae is benefiting from the Curry comparison). He feels more and more like that guy who's going to go #2 because that's the consensus but he's going to have just an okay career and ultimately be outplayed by several people drafted after him. I probably won't be able to keep him this low through June but right now I feel like he has as much bust potential as any of these other guys.

Excitedly cautious:
8. Gilgeous-Alexander: This is probably too high for him and too much based on fit, but I like him a lot. I would trade 15 and 16 to get up to this range to nab him.
9. Bagley: wouldn't want him in the top 5 but seems like great value in this range. I'd probably trade 15 and 16 for him too.
10. Mikal Bridges: fit is suspect but should have a good career
11. Miles Bridges: could be a total steal if other teams don't adequately account for the fact that he was playing out of position this year.
12. Sexton: love his game actually and he could really make teams regret passing on him but I still wouldn't touch him until around here.

Wow, you really moved Ayton down. I hear you though. I still have him 2 but after watching that D'Antoni clip (1:20-3:30) on Cleaning the Glass go over each type of shot's efficiency and the NBA and post game, etc, it started to give me a little more worry about that type of offense not being real efficient, but then again in college his TS% was insanely good, and he is good at passing out of the post.

But that just added to the defensive concerns. I still don't think I could put him below 4. I have him in that tier with JJJ and Young, but had him ahead of them. Still hard to move him down despite the concerns but I do have that fear. Maybe it's in part because AZ hadn't had that high profile recruit ever and despite the very nice raw stats, the team didn't seem all that good. I mean they seemed better last year with Markannen and most of the same players other than Kadeem Allen (who was good too). They went from 40th in points allowed to 153rd. Doesn't seem right.

[juanc]

1. Dončič
As you already know I am a huge fanboy.
I just don't remember who was the last player in the draft that has had Luka's feel for the game/bbal IQ(except Simmons). With the combination of size, vision, shooting,... It's just to much to pass on.
I also think that his red flags aren't as red(?) than those of other prospects. He isn't that bad of an athlethe as some are trying to present him. And here something from P3, if some of you haven't seen this yet:
Luka has spent a few weeks at P3 the past two summers. Luka combines outstanding anthropometric measurements, including an 8'9.5" standing reach (88th percentile for NBA guards) and 228.8 lbs of mass with very competitive and improving movement qualities. In the lateral plane, Luka's ability to abduct the hip (1 dev above the mean) allows him to generate Force more efficiently than most NBA players that we've assessed (71st percentile in lateral acceleration). He's become particularly adept in a change-of-direction environment, where his Slide Agility times outpace most NBA Guards tested at P3 and they've improved by roughly 0.25s in the past year. Vertically, Luka ranks better than 73% of NBA guards in height touched during the approach and his improved his countermovement jump by 2 inches in the past year. He's good now, he's still getting better, and he's well within his physical development window!
Some are saying that he isn't a good shooter,and that he will struggle in the NBA. I'm aware that the NBA is a different beast, but Luka has an elite touch and potential to be a great/elite shooter.
So you have a decent athlete(with a good size) with elite bbalIQ/feel for the game, great vision/passing and potential to be an elite shooter/scorer, That's a wet dream for any GM IMO

2. Bagley
Everyone thinks his defese will be an issue, but I think otherwise. When I look at him I see a guy who will be able to defend everyone from 1-5. He is one of the few guys who will be able to play D on Giannis..(Maybe he could end up as Giannis). He is just so fluid in his movement, it's fascinating.. He is also a great rebounder. Some are worried that he doesn't have a position in the NBA, but I think he is more capable to play PF/C than Ayton, but I think he is best suited for the C position(especially in the modern NBA). If he is able to put up the shooting%(which I have no doubt he will) he is going to be a true force. And he has a great motor/passion for bbal

3. Ayton
Yes he is a true freak of nature, but I just don't think that he will ever be on AD/Embiid level.

4. Jackson
5. Young
6. Bridges
7. Bamba
8. Miles B.
9. Carter

[jeff2020]

We have the #1 pick so all that matters is #1 and I don't see how anyone passes on Donic. Plain and simple Donic is all you need on the list

[WeekapaugGroove]

We have the #1 pick so all that matters is #1 and I don't see how anyone passes on Donic. Plain and simple Donic is all you need on the list

Um are you aware of the NBA lottery system? The Suns 'have' the 4 pick with about a 65% of moving up into the top 3.

[jeff2020]

We have the #1 pick so all that matters is #1 and I don't see how anyone passes on Donic. Plain and simple Donic is all you need on the list

Um are you aware of the NBA lottery system? The Suns 'have' the 4 pick with about a 65% of moving up into the top 3.

Yeah that is true. I was at work on the phone typing that lol. But still Donic is my #1

[WeekapaugGroove]

We have the #1 pick so all that matters is #1 and I don't see how anyone passes on Donic. Plain and simple Donic is all you need on the list

Um are you aware of the NBA lottery system? The Suns 'have' the 4 pick with about a 65% of moving up into the top 3.

Yeah that is true. I was at work on the phone typing that lol. But still Donic is my #1

Ha no worries and I like the optimism and I'm all aboard the Doncic train myself if they pick 1.

[sunsbum]

1.) Wonder boy
2.) Ayton
3.) Young
4.) Bamba
5.) Carter
6.) Porter
7.) JJJ
8.) Bagely

That is my big board for the suns.

[Saberestar]

Those are my favourite prospects at the moment, my Top 7...

Tier 1
Trae Young and Marvin Bagley

Tier 2
Ayton and Michael Porter Jr

Tier 3
Luka Doncic, Kevin Knox and Miles Bridges

One month later...

1. Trae Young
2. Marvin Bagley
3. Luka Doncic
4. Deandre Ayton
5. Miles Bridges
6. Kevin Knox
7. Michael Porter Jr

[eitanr]

I think Ayton is a consensus no. 1, but Luka is also pretty ridic. He's a clear 2. Would love a Luka/Booker back court.

[Djedefre]

Why should Ayton be consensus #1 in todays NBA when he’s a center with few quite obvious deficiencies? Show me a big man that is capable of leading a team to the playoffs. Even a player as offensively advanced as KAT is not capable of doing so. Embiid is very good too, but the real difference maker for Philly is actually Simmons. The same was with Cousins in Sactown and even Davis in majority of his NO career. Ayton is a good prospect, but NO WAY he is on Anthony’s/Karl’s level.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Why should Ayton be consensus #1 in todays NBA when he’s a center with few quite obvious deficiencies? Show me a big man that is capable of leading a team to the playoffs. Even a player as offensively advanced as KAT is not capable of doing so. Embiid is very good too, but the real difference maker for Philly is actually Simmons. The same was with Cousins in Sactown and even Davis in majority of his NO career. Ayton is a good prospect, but NO WAY he is on Anthony’s/Karl’s level.

I gave you the And-1, but I would be more cautious about projecting Ayton. He could take big steps. He's got the physical profile to be great, he's young, and he's got some skills. I'm not so certain he won't be a Ewing/Howard-level player.

Luka's more of a sure thing, and is the smarter pick. But no Ayton's theoretical fit with us is perfect, and if he reached his potential, a Jackson/Booker/Ayton core would be close to perfect.

[thamadkant]

We have the #1 pick so all that matters is #1 and I don't see how anyone passes on Donic. Plain and simple Donic is all you need on the list

Lol

You are likely setting yourself up for a couple of months of crying

[collidingNeurons]

i know this wont be a popular opinion here and thats fine but the only 2 of the top 7 or 8 i don't want to see the Suns draft are Young and Bagley, i have preferences among the others but wont be too disappointed in any of them with maybe Bamba being the lowest of the rest