The 2020 NBA Draft

[Ghost of Kleine]

Would be nice but what do we have to trade anymore? Wish we got some 2nd rd picks or late 1sts when trading Warren and Oubre.

Maybe Aaron Baynes in a signn' trade, If there's a capped out team late in the lottery, Or perhaps taking back some salary into our MLE. Perhaps Philly? If we were to trade Baynes for Richardson? Equal salary? We also could package any combination of Kaminsky/ Diallo/ Okobo and some 2nds to a team for a 2nd round pick that falls?

Can’t S&T on draft night. Have to wait for FA.

Risky perhaps, But maybe it's something like what happened with Baynes and Jerome. Agreed in principle, They could make the Pick for us ( Banes) and then we finalize the deal at the start of free agency? Which is like what? Only a few days away or something?

[Blonde]

Look, replacing all of Frank’s minutes with Smith will probably be a win for us next year, but to expend a top 10 pick for that slight upgrade is insane. I don’t have a problem with the player, but the league isn’t built for guys like him to succeed anymore. We didn’t take BPA and we didn’t draft for fit so what are we doing? We should have swapped 10 for 25 this year and kept our 2022 pick.

[AtheJ415]

There are a lot of stretch bigs in this draft. I like the added defensive upside but Smith is not putting the ball on the floor anytime soon.

Yup. He can't dribble. He can shoot, so he'll end up a spacer at the 4 if he ends up being able to guard 4s, but yeah it's just way too cute of a pick. We need another playmaker on this team desperately. We can rely on Paul and Booker but why would we want to put everything on their shoulders when there were multiple playmaking guards available who can also space the floor and defend?

Vassell can simply do way more on the court than Smith. He's a better defender and better offensive player. James Jones is a terrible drafter. I'll say it. Jerome was trash. We've dumped 2nd rounders like they are valueless. We've failed repeatedly to add additional picks despite knowing our guy is not consensusly liked and thus is likely to fall.

Fans should be pissed. I like Cam, but Brandon Clarke is just better. We have done this twice now and even if it works so we don't get hammered about the pick, we likely passed on somebody better who was obvious and there.

[bwgood77]

We need a veteran behind Paul and Booker badly. I just don't think it would be smart to expect a rookie to come in and carry the team if we lost either of those two to injury. That's why a rookie bigman made more sense. Use our MLE and BAE on backup guards to compete with Payne and Carter.

This makes some sense. I definitely felt like the MLE money should go towards that 1/2 backup slot.

I just looked up Jalen Smith highlights and he looks good. Passes the eye test on O and looks like a good weakside shot blocker. Regular and advanced stats also look good for him. I couldn't find any clips of his defense though, aside from the blocks. I agree with what some others said that he looks like a 5, not a 4. I think we could still use him, and if Jones thought he was BPA then he probably did the right thing, but the parallel between picking Cam is very strong... I'm willing to give Jones the benefit of the doubt that it's a smarter pick than it looked, but we're picking a guy 10 spots earlier than he was projected again. If it turns out he can defend well out in space then I think he'll be really great for us. If not then it looks like he could still give us some nice bench minutes, but how many of those will we really need at 5 if Saric comes back and Ayton doesn't hit the juice again?

This guy is full of energy....he dunks hard and maybe that helps Ayton finish hard too...it also could help replace Oubre in some ways as the guy that gets people pumped up..he dunks hard. He blocks hard. He hits the 3. People liked Okongwu a lot but this guy is way more versatile.

[oddity]

Tyrese Maxey's sister is killing my inner ear drum

[BobbieL]

My three takeaways from this draft:

1) we can finally put Gambo to bed. He has no sources. His name should never be mentioned again here.

2) James Jones is trying to outsmart everyone when he is the one getting out smarted. Plenty of trades going on right now where the suns could have traded back. Jalen Smith was not a top 25 player. James Jones trying to get a nail into a board without using a hammer. I don’t care how much upside this kid has. Good GMs don’t reach for players. Ty Jerome was a reach and he is gone. I understand Cam has some fans but I am not one of them. He was also a reach of a pick.

3) 90% of suns fans are talking themselves into believing Jalen was a great pick. It’s definitely amusing!

We talked about Jalen Smith a lot, and thought he might be the pick. He was in the teens on big boards. We took him a little higher than where people had him, but there really isn't much separation between anyone in this entire draft...and guys are going nowhere near their projections...outside of a few.

This is the way I feel. It’s obvious the teams view of these players is different than people like Bilas, etc.

[AtheJ415]

Look, replacing all of Frank’s minutes with Smith will probably be a win for us next year, but to expend a top 10 pick for that slight upgrade is insane. I don’t have a problem with the player, but the league isn’t built for guys like him to succeed anymore. We didn’t take BPA and we didn’t draft for fit so what are we doing? We should have swapped 10 for 25 this year and kept our 2022 pick.

Yeah, and this is the problem with most fans. They are okay with Jones doing what he did last year because the team was better. The bulk of the roster Jones walked into was trash so it's easy to improve. Frank is maybe the worst player still in the league and Paul is great so this team will be better, but we don't come close to maximizing our assets and it's going to limit the ceiling for this team down the line. And that is entirely on Jones.

[Fo-Real]

We need guys to guard AD, Joker. We’re contenders now.

Isn't that what we are grooming Ayton to do?

More than 1 on the roster aint bad. Instead of drafting an undersized Sf to play Pf, we drafted a oversized C to play Pf only he could be a 3 and D monster. He is a guy who can play now but can become a beast if he gets stronger. Can't teach that kind of size while possessing a shooting stroke like that while not being shy of contact. I like the fact that he is a good shooter already but when he catches it close to the basket, his thought is to go up to dunk every time instead of liking floaters like Ayton. Both he and Ayton are tweeners in that they are big enough to play C but agile enough to moonlight at Pf. He can easily play where Ayton is not with that shooting stroke but is also another big getting boards and challenging shots. I'm ok with this in a weak draft.

[lilfishi22]

Did a little research and I'm alright with the pick. Unlike last year, I wasn't as invested in this year's draft with everything going on so when people say Jalen was a reach, it doesn't bother me as much as the Cam pick from last year. Then again, I was wrong about the Cam pick last year so maybe Smith was the right pick

But right out the gate, he's clearly a player that you can play in different line ups (with or without Ayton) and that's important when bringing in front court depth which we need. I also understand the not taking a PG like Halliburton. In the NBA, if you have high aspirations, you can't really rely on a rookie PG as a CP3 replacement when he goes to the bench. I think you need steady hands and I'm guessing that's what we're looking for with our exceptions

What were you wrong about with Cam? Look at the 2 picks after him

I thought he was a complete stiff and I thought he was the wrong pick as I had Clarke on my radar. But he's been a pleasant surprise, he's been a reliable 3PT shot and he's done a few things which was surprising like his passing and some of that sneaky athleticism.

As for Herro, I doubt he was on our radar. His profile is too much like Booker's.

[Qwigglez]

We need a veteran behind Paul and Booker badly. I just don't think it would be smart to expect a rookie to come in and carry the team if we lost either of those two to injury. That's why a rookie bigman made more sense. Use our MLE and BAE on backup guards to compete with Payne and Carter.

Exactly this. Like I said earlier, Smith will be getting easy looks the next two years. Also, while Ayton can do some PnR's, Smith can do some PnP's and spread the floor opening the lane for Booker and CP3. Get Smith in his spots, all he has to do is catch and shoot or catch the lobs.

[RunSunRun]

Smith is strictly a 5 in the NBA. I know a lot of guys on here think he can play the 4, but he's fairly limited in putting the ball on the floor, nor is he quick enough laterally to guard wings.

I think he'll be fine at the 5. Think of him as a shorter Myles Turner or maybe a defensively better version of Thomas Bryant. My only concern with young bigs is that they take time. Smith is pretty thin, and will need to bulk up before he can handle regular NBA minutes. I'm really not expecting much more than 15 mins from him this year.

I don't like the fact that we passed up on Haliburton and Vassell. Both guys would have contributed more straight off the bat.

You nailed it. I'm not sure where some are getting that Smith is a 4, he's nowhere near quick or "twitchy" enough, he seems strictly a 5. He's not a bad 5 at all and I think he can become a solid center with some more bulk, I just hope he doesn't become a no defense stretch 5.

I didn't care for the Cam pick, but I understood why it was made. This pick I just don't get at all unless they are souring on Ayton already.

[Stark]

Stop acting like we %100 passed on an all-star. JJ didn't waste anything. Do you guys remember Len, Josh Jackson, Bender? All had high places in the mock drafts they were supposed to be allstars but it never happened. Draft is a crapshoot. Smith has Ibaka potential. Get over it and support the young fella!

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[Blackification]

I agree with the concern regarding asset management from Jones, maybe he learns that in time as a GM.

From a pick standpoint, at least he is drafting players with character and it looks like this guy has heart and work ethic. Mind end up being a fan favorite and an energy guy that every playoff/championship team needs. Is that who you go for in a top 10 pick? Usually not, but then again this isn't your usual draft. It's a raise the floor pick but that's ok, you have your core in Booker, Bridges, and Ayton.

[AtheJ415]

We need guys to guard AD, Joker. We’re contenders now.

Isn't that what we are grooming Ayton to do?

More than 1 on the roster aint bad. Instead of drafting an undersized Sf to play Pf, we drafted a oversized C to play Pf only he could be a 3 and D monster. He is a guy who can play now but can become a beast if he gets stronger. Can't teach that kind of size while possessing a shooting stroke like that while not being shy of contact. I like the fact that he is a good shooter already but when he catches it close to the basket, his thought is to go up to dunk every time instead of liking floaters like Ayton. Both he and Ayton are tweeners in that they are big enough to play C but agile enough to moonlight at Pf. He can easily play where Ayton is not with that shooting stroke but is also another big getting boards and challenging shots. I'm ok with this in a weak draft.

The strength of the draft is the depth around the exact spot we were picking, and this guy was assuredly not going top 15. We could've gotten Shamet and a pick to take Smith very easily. Or another pick to get Bane or Riller. It's inexcusable. The advantage of going off book and non-consensus is because you can get extra picks and still get the guy you want at a lower pick and thus a lower salary. We are just saying f*** it and taking the guy anyways regardless of the assets involved (cap impact, picks, whatever). I'm very much not okay with that.

[Fo-Real]

Did a little research and I'm alright with the pick. Unlike last year, I wasn't as invested in this year's draft with everything going on so when people say Jalen was a reach, it doesn't bother me as much as the Cam pick from last year. Then again, I was wrong about the Cam pick last year so maybe Smith was the right pick

But right out the gate, he's clearly a player that you can play in different line ups (with or without Ayton) and that's important when bringing in front court depth which we need. I also understand the not taking a PG like Halliburton. In the NBA, if you have high aspirations, you can't really rely on a rookie PG as a CP3 replacement when he goes to the bench. I think you need steady hands and I'm guessing that's what we're looking for with our exceptions

Same. This kid also doesn’t have any obvious injury risk to worry about *not yet knock on wood*.

Them legs skinny as hell.... "STICKS"!!!

[Revived]

My three takeaways from this draft:

1) we can finally put Gambo to bed. He has no sources. His name should never be mentioned again here.

2) James Jones is trying to outsmart everyone when he is the one getting out smarted. Plenty of trades going on right now where the suns could have traded back. Jalen Smith was not a top 25 player. James Jones trying to get a nail into a board without using a hammer. I don’t care how much upside this kid has. Good GMs don’t reach for players. Ty Jerome was a reach and he is gone. I understand Cam has some fans but I am not one of them. He was also a reach of a pick.

3) 90% of suns fans are talking themselves into believing Jalen was a great pick. It’s definitely amusing!

Ty Jerome was a reach at 24?

Jerome would’ve been a reach at 60.

[lilfishi22]

We need a veteran behind Paul and Booker badly. I just don't think it would be smart to expect a rookie to come in and carry the team if we lost either of those two to injury. That's why a rookie bigman made more sense. Use our MLE and BAE on backup guards to compete with Payne and Carter.

Yeah you can't really put your faith in the rookie PG to back up CP3, no matter how good you think he is. JJ would get smoked for not taking Haliburton when he's there and he'll get smoked when all we've done is draft Haliburton to add depth to the PG position. It's a lose-lose.

[bigfoot]

Look, replacing all of Frank’s minutes with Smith will probably be a win for us next year, but to expend a top 10 pick for that slight upgrade is insane. I don’t have a problem with the player, but the league isn’t built for guys like him to succeed anymore. We didn’t take BPA and we didn’t draft for fit so what are we doing? We should have swapped 10 for 25 this year and kept our 2022 pick.

Yeah, and this is the problem with most fans. They are okay with Jones doing what he did last year because the team was better. The bulk of the roster Jones walked into was trash so it's easy to improve. Frank is maybe the worst player still in the league and Paul is great so this team will be better, but we don't come close to maximizing our assets and it's going to limit the ceiling for this team down the line. And that is entirely on Jones.

Jones got rid of worthless sh*theads like Jackson and brought in the first real PG in years with Rubio. I could care less about those 2nd round picks he gave up which would likely not have netted us anything. For some reason, many in our board think the only asset are players and draft picks when in fact winning and team culture/chemistry are very important assets.

[Kerrsed]

Who would have guessed at the beginning of the season both Green and Nnaji would be drafted ahead of Mannion?

[Puff]

I Love the pick and hoped we would get him. He fills out biggest need that we had and eveyone wanted us to use the MLE to get one which we probably could not get at that price.

I like Saric but I am interested in how much money we could free up by renoucing Him, Baynes, Okobo, Diallow and Frank.

Anyone Know that number?

Could we still have a shot at FVV or Grant?