2017 Draft Discussion Part 2

[gaspar]

Read on Twitter

The Suns draft a freshman from Kentucky

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1470024 -bwgood77

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

You know the hype is out of control when merely having doubts about a player becoming a superstar is considered being "low" on a guy. I think JJ has a chance to be Kawhi Leonard. But we're talking about chance, here. All draft selections are risks. And I happen to think that other players' ceilings are high enough to warrant factoring position into the equation.

As I've said, we will only have to deal with this conundrum if we're selecting third. Because without regard to fit, I have Tatum and Ntilikina battling for #4 on my board, with JJ in the third spot. I just don't want to be in that spot. That's all. I'd prefer to have The Next Harden or The Next Magic or The Next Payton than The Next Kawhi or The Next Sprewell. I'm not low on JJ. I'm just not so certain about his future - or the futures of TJ or DJJ, for that matter. I feel like this is reasonable. Sorry for not mindlessly chanting "BPA" as if that is the end of the analysis, under all circumstances. We have circumstances. We should think about them.

... or, the FO should think about them. I should work.

OK, so you have him ranked 3rd. It didn't sound like that before. I was thinking you would want to trade out of 3 or 4 spot if both PGs are gone.

These are not conflicting positions. You thought correctly...

Ball scares a lot of people though.

Including me.

I guess the biggest head scratcher to me was seemingly banking on DJJ being definite rotation player of the future.

I'm pretty convinced. He's one of the league's top athletes, 19 YO, already a positive on defense and on the glass. It's just a reasonable assumption to make. And the best part about that conclusion is that if I'm wrong, it doesn't cost me a top 3 pick!

[Walt_Uoob]

Got a dream scenario on Tankathon today: Suns-Sixers-Kings 1-2-3, with Kings also having their #10 pick from the Pelicans. I would love to trade #1 for #3 and #10 and come out of this draft with Jackson and Ntilikina, or maybe Jackson and Fox, without having to trade away anything but our 2017 pick.

Bled/Ulis/Ntilikina
Book/
JJ/TJ/Dudley/DJJ
Chriss/Bender
Len/Chandler
(only listing each player once but many of them can play multiple positions)

So assuming we keep Len and let Bledsoe walk after his contract (which both might be inadvisable, but just sayin), in our first hypothetical contention year in 2019/2020 our core would be (with ages in parentheses):

Ntilikina(21)/Ulis(24)
Book(23)
JJ(23)/TJ(26)/DJJ(23)
Chriss(22)/Bender(22)
Len(26)

And whoever we add through our own 2017 2nd, Raptors' 2017 2nd, our own 2018 1st & 2nd, and Miami's 2018 or 2019 1st.

That's still an incredibly young team three years from now! But if we can keep bringing in the right kind of veterans and/or maybe trade some of those draft assets for more ready players, we could be scary good.

[jcsunsfan]

Got a dream scenario on Tankathon today: Suns-Sixers-Kings 1-2-3, with Kings also having their #10 pick from the Pelicans. I would love to trade #1 for #3 and #10 and come out of this draft with Jackson and Ntilikina, or maybe Jackson and Fox, without having to trade away anything but our 2017 pick.

Bled/Ulis/Ntilikina
Book/
JJ/TJ/Dudley/DJJ
Chriss/Bender
Len/Chandler
(only listing each player once but many of them can play multiple positions)

So assuming we keep Len and let Bledsoe walk after his contract (which both might be inadvisable, but just sayin), in our first hypothetical contention year in 2019/2020 our core would be (with ages in parentheses):

Ntilikina(21)/Ulis(24)
Book(23)
JJ(23)/TJ(26)/DJJ(23)
Chriss(22)/Bender(22)
Len(26)

And whoever we add through our own 2017 2nd, Raptors' 2017 2nd, our own 2018 1st & 2nd, and Miami's 2018 or 2019 1st.

That's still an incredibly young team three years from now! But if we can keep bringing in the right kind of veterans and/or maybe trade some of those draft assets for more ready players, we could be scary good.

How about

1. Boston
2. Suns
3. Philly
4. Philly

Suns trade 2 and Bledsoe for 3 and 4. They then draft Ball and Tatum or Jackson and ???

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Got a dream scenario on Tankathon today: Suns-Sixers-Kings 1-2-3, with Kings also having their #10 pick from the Pelicans. I would love to trade #1 for #3 and #10 and come out of this draft with Jackson and Ntilikina, or maybe Jackson and Fox, without having to trade away anything but our 2017 pick.

Bled/Ulis/Ntilikina
Book/
JJ/TJ/Dudley/DJJ
Chriss/Bender
Len/Chandler
(only listing each player once but many of them can play multiple positions)

So assuming we keep Len and let Bledsoe walk after his contract (which both might be inadvisable, but just sayin), in our first hypothetical contention year in 2019/2020 our core would be (with ages in parentheses):

Ntilikina(21)/Ulis(24)
Book(23)
JJ(23)/TJ(26)/DJJ(23)
Chriss(22)/Bender(22)
Len(26)

And whoever we add through our own 2017 2nd, Raptors' 2017 2nd, our own 2018 1st & 2nd, and Miami's 2018 or 2019 1st.

That's still an incredibly young team three years from now! But if we can keep bringing in the right kind of veterans and/or maybe trade some of those draft assets for more ready players, we could be scary good.

In this situation, the only team I'm talking to is Philly, and then just to learn the price of Markelle Fultz's ransom.

[RaisingArizona]

Read on Twitter

The Suns draft a freshman from Kentucky

Hard decision there between Ball and Jackson. I don't know what the answer is.

Edit: Don't we always

[kennydorglas]

Read on Twitter

The Suns draft a freshman from Kentucky

This is cool because we can compare all our bigs with Adebayo (as a 19yo)

Spoiler:

[wheezy]

Read on Twitter

The Suns draft a freshman from Kentucky

I almost don't want the 2nd pick just so we don't take Ball....

I'll be surprised if Dennis Smith really does fall that far down. I don't really see the Knicks taking Monk over him, even though they need people at both guard spots. The guy was slated as a lot of people's #5 pick before the tournament started.

Would anyone else be opposed to bringing Giles in for a workout just to check his knees out? If he really does fall to the end of the 1st round (at #26 in that mock), it doesn't seem inconceivable that we could package 32 and Knight or something to move up to the end of the 1st if we think he just needs time to heal up some more.

[darealjuice]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Zach Collins from Gonzaga and Jarrett Allen from Texas officially entering the draft with an agent. They'll both probably end up getting taken in the back half of the lottery. This center class is pretty weak as far as production at the top, but there are still some interesting project prospects with Zach Collins, Jarrett Allen, Justin Patton, and Ike Anigbogu.

[kennydorglas]

Zach Collins vs Alex Len vs Alan Williams (as 19yo)

Spoiler:

[BrianFitz11]

Read on Twitter

The Suns draft a freshman from Kentucky

I almost don't want the 2nd pick just so we don't take Ball....

I'll be surprised if Dennis Smith really does fall that far down. I don't really see the Knicks taking Monk over him, even though they need people at both guard spots. The guy was slated as a lot of people's #5 pick before the tournament started.

Would anyone else be opposed to bringing Giles in for a workout just to check his knees out? If he really does fall to the end of the 1st round (at #26 in that mock), it doesn't seem inconceivable that we could package 32 and Knight or something to move up to the end of the 1st if we think he just needs time to heal up some more.

I really like that idea of trading up for Giles. Once we get rid of Len, he would be an interesting young backup behind Chandler. My only concern is Knight and his contract scaring teams away. Maybe we can throw in a second rounder to sweeten the deal if Giles shows enough in pre-draft workouts.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[DirtyDez]

#32 pick confirmed??

[Saberestar]

#32 pick confirmed??

[Mulhollanddrive]

We have 3 first round picks and 4 second round picks in the next 2 years.

Hopefully we can get 2 elite prospects and not 7 rotation players.

[No-Man]

A little test, if you survey around you will get a sort of consensus top13, heck even 14 probably, which guys don't belong there?

Markelle Fultz
Lonzo Ball
Josh Jackson
Jayson Tatum
De'Aaron Fox
Malik Monk
Jonathan Isaac
Lauri Markkanen
Dennis Smith Jr.
Miles Bridges
Frank Ntilikina
Zach Collins
Jarrett Allen
Justin Jackson

This is not how I'd order them, but how more or less I think they are ranked consensus wise.

I have 4 guys that I'd not have in my top14, the other 10 are in my top10, 2 of those 4 are guys I'd have in the early-mid 20s, the other 2 would be late teens guys in the 18-20th range.

Who are those? who are yours?

[edurham88]

I am so torn on Ball. I see highlight videos and hear people talk about his contagious passing and I get excited. The fit with Ball, Booker, Chriss, and Bender seems like it could be amazing. I've thought all year that Booker needs to have a lot more catch-and-shoot opportunities, similar to how Klay Thompson gets a lot of his shots. If the Suns take Ball and adopt a motion offense with a lot of passing, I just feel like that works with these players. Booker and Bender spotting up and both being able to attack if the shot isn't there, Chriss rim running (and spotting up himself), Warren cutting. I get excited thinking about those possibilities. You look at someone like Bryce Alford on UCLA and the difference in his game between last year and this year, and it seems like Booker could get so much better. And obviously, he is already way better than someone like Alford.

On the other hand, I worry about Ball's shot. I don't worry about him making open and semi-open shots. But I worry about him being able to comfortably get off a contested shot from three and most shots from the midrange. His game against Kentucky worries me. I know it is just one game, but against an NBA level athlete he struggled to do what he wanted to do. When they were down late it seemed like he didn't have much urgency or try to make his mark on the game.

I don't worry about his Dad. He is an idiot, but there are a lot of NBA players with crazy parents, and for the most part, you don't hear much about them once they are in the NBA. He may be above and beyond the other idiot parents, but I think that will sort itself out in time.

I almost prefer that the Suns end up with a pick behind another team that ends up taking Ball, just so there's less drama around the pick and less second guessing later on. But the allure of possibilities with Ball on this team is really enticing. I guess we will have to wait until the lottery to find out if it will even matter.

[kennydorglas]

Miles Bridges returning for his soph year? lol

[MathiasPW]

Could we fix the issue with Ball getting his own shot at half court by letting him run the offense for 15 secs and if it doesn't happen, let Booker or Warren run isolation plays since they can get their own shot off quite easily?

[jcsunsfan]

Could we fix the issue with Ball getting his own shot at half court by letting him run the offense for 15 secs and if it doesn't happen, let Booker or Warren run isolation plays since they can get their own shot off quite easily?

I don't know why Ball has to get his own shot. He just has to be able to make open shots. Booker is the guy who get's his own shot.

[NTB]

Could we fix the issue with Ball getting his own shot at half court by letting him run the offense for 15 secs and if it doesn't happen, let Booker or Warren run isolation plays since they can get their own shot off quite easily?

I don't know why Ball has to get his own shot. He just has to be able to make open shots. Booker is the guy who get's his own shot.

So why Ulis needed to get his own shot? I don't see many differences between their game.