2019 Draft Discussion - Suns with 6th pick!

[lilfishi22]

ATL wouldn't trade Trae for Ja but if it was on offer, I probably wouldn't do it. I think I would keep Ja because he probably has more potential to be a better fit next to Booker from a size and defense perspective. Ja averages 2spg and almost a block a game. While his defense leaves a lot to be desired, there's nothing other than himself that can hold him back from improving. Likewise, playing alongside an elite scorer with solid playmaking skills in Booker can only get him better looks from range.

[bwgood77]

No doubt in my mind this draft goes 1 Zion 2 Morant.

Here's a fun one. Say we're at #1 and ATL's at #2 and #6. What would it take from ATL to get us to move back from #1 to #2? It's not like ATL could actually draft Ja, could they? But Zion and Trae? Good-ness. What kind of conspiracies could that conversation inspire? Might ATL have interest in Jackson or TJ Warren? I'm guessing we'd have interest in Collins, so #2 + Collins for Zion? Or simply #1 for #2 and #6? Who among us would prefer Ja and Brandon Clarke to Zion?

hmmmmmmmmmm...

There is nothing they could offer that would be worth trading out of #1.

#2, #6 AND Collins? ... w/Warren presumably heading to ATL for salary purposes?

.......... yeah, I guess, probably not:

Morant/Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Clarke/Collins
Ayton/[Holmes]

Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Zion/[Warren]/[Bender]
Ayton/Holmes

.....

OK, maybe this one is closer: Ja or Trae?

Take Zion no matter what. And not sure about penciling in Clarke in front of Collins unless he earned it.

Trae over Ja. If Trae ever gets his shooting really going he will be a nightmare offensively. He's already having some games where he's like 8/12 or 6/11 from 3.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

There is nothing they could offer that would be worth trading out of #1.

#2, #6 AND Collins? ... w/Warren presumably heading to ATL for salary purposes?

.......... yeah, I guess, probably not:

Morant/Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Clarke/Collins
Ayton/[Holmes]

Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Zion/[Warren]/[Bender]
Ayton/Holmes

.....

OK, maybe this one is closer: Ja or Trae?

Probably still no. I think Collins is a stud and probably one of the best young big men in the league but Zion *could* be something really special.

I'm surprised how close Ja and Trae is in my mind. I'm a big fan of Young and think he could become one of the best PG's in the league. Ja's 3PT shooting is a bit lacking but he could get better and athletically, he has way more avenues to get better defensively.

I was just slayed by what I saw from Ja today. Our guys will get open shot after open shot if Ja's running the point. I think with added weight, he'll amount to a competent and maybe even a quality defender in time. He has all the gifts.

..... If you were to combine this year's class with last year's, how would you rank all the prospects? I don't think I could put Ja lower than 4th.... and I haven't watched enough to say more than that. Clarke and Trae probably go 5 and 6 in some order for me, ahead of guys like Bagley, JJJ, Culver and White, who round out the top 10. Zion's obviously #1....

For this year, anyway, my tentative board is 1 Zion 2 Morant 3 Clarke 4 Culver 5 White

[Ghost of Kleine]

No doubt in my mind this draft goes 1 Zion 2 Morant.

Here's a fun one. Say we're at #1 and ATL's at #2 and #6. What would it take from ATL to get us to move back from #1 to #2? It's not like ATL could actually draft Ja, could they? But Zion and Trae? Good-ness. What kind of conspiracies could that conversation inspire? Might ATL have interest in Jackson or TJ Warren? I'm guessing we'd have interest in Collins, so #2 + Collins for Zion? Or simply #1 for #2 and #6? Who among us would prefer Ja and Brandon Clarke to Zion?

hmmmmmmmmmm...

Man........That is definitely a tough one for sure!!!!

I'd love Collins to go with Morant personally. But overall, I'd think at #1, I'd have to still go with Zion for everything he brings along with his generational potential, And marketing draw for our franchise. I'd be hoping that a core of : Booker/ Ayton/ Zion, Would be a huge sell to big time all star players in free agency at that point.

But again, I'd still have to think long and hard on that one! But IF we somehow missed out on both Zion AND Morant somehow, I'd take Barrett and then look to trade back with Atlanta for the 5th and 7th pick. Or wherever they land. Then look to take Brandon Clarke and Colby White at that point I think.

Or look to keep Barrett, And then move Warren / Jackson / and the Milwaukee pick to Memphis for Conley. Then look to use whatever cap space that we have left, on a free agent power forward like Taj Gibson, Or Thaddeus young on a 1 yr deal if possible.

Finally, next season, look to use the expirings of both Tyler Johnson and Taj Gibson, And a couple future firsts or something in a trade for young power forward such as either Blake Griffin( first option) Or Serge Ibaka as the 2nd option if possible.


So, If it would play out as planned, Our finalized roster going into the 2nd half of next season could be:

Starters:

Point guard- Mike Conley.

Shooting Guard- Devin Booker.

Small Forward- RJ Barrett.

Power Forward- Blake Griffinor Serge Ibaka.

Center- De Andre Ayton.

And our 2nd unit:

Point Guard- De Anthony Melton.

Shooting Guard- Mikhail Bridges.

Small Forward- Kelly Oubre.

Power Forward- Cam Johnson or Luka Samanic ( using our 2nd round pick.)Or maybe Ray Spalding???

Center- Richaun Holmes.

I think that's definitely a possible 4 -6 seed in the playoffs possibly next season.

[Blonde]

I’m taking Trae over Ja not just because I think he’s a better overall prospect but because he has super high trade value and Ja might end up having none.

And John Collins is pretty overrated honestly. I know he’s just a 2nd year guy but .3 steals and .5 blocks is yeeeesh bad.

It’s all hypothetical though of course. Take Zion if you get the chance and don’t look back.

[bwgood77]

#2, #6 AND Collins? ... w/Warren presumably heading to ATL for salary purposes?

.......... yeah, I guess, probably not:

Morant/Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Clarke/Collins
Ayton/[Holmes]

Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Zion/[Warren]/[Bender]
Ayton/Holmes

.....

OK, maybe this one is closer: Ja or Trae?

Probably still no. I think Collins is a stud and probably one of the best young big men in the league but Zion *could* be something really special.

I'm surprised how close Ja and Trae is in my mind. I'm a big fan of Young and think he could become one of the best PG's in the league. Ja's 3PT shooting is a bit lacking but he could get better and athletically, he has way more avenues to get better defensively.

I was just slayed by what I saw from Ja today. Our guys will get open shot after open shot if Ja's running the point. I think with added weight, he'll amount to a competent and maybe even a quality defender in time. He has all the gifts.

..... If you were to combine this year's class with last year's, how would you rank all the prospects? I don't think I could put Ja lower than 4th.... and I haven't watched enough to say more than that. Clarke and Trae probably go 5 and 6 in some order for me, ahead of guys like Bagley, JJJ, Culver and White, who round out the top 10. Zion's obviously #1....

For this year, anyway, my tentative board is 1 Zion 2 Morant 3 Clarke 4 Culver 5 White

I am not sure I'd put Ja top 6 combined. Probably not higher than Bagley who I'd have 6th right now I think. I've never had Zion higher than Luka though either. I might put Ja 6th. It's very hard right now to compare non NBA guys to NBA guys we've seen play.

[lilfishi22]

#2, #6 AND Collins? ... w/Warren presumably heading to ATL for salary purposes?

.......... yeah, I guess, probably not:

Morant/Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Clarke/Collins
Ayton/[Holmes]

Johnson
Booker/Jackson
Bridges/Oubre
Zion/[Warren]/[Bender]
Ayton/Holmes

.....

OK, maybe this one is closer: Ja or Trae?

Probably still no. I think Collins is a stud and probably one of the best young big men in the league but Zion *could* be something really special.

I'm surprised how close Ja and Trae is in my mind. I'm a big fan of Young and think he could become one of the best PG's in the league. Ja's 3PT shooting is a bit lacking but he could get better and athletically, he has way more avenues to get better defensively.

I was just slayed by what I saw from Ja today. Our guys will get open shot after open shot if Ja's running the point. I think with added weight, he'll amount to a competent and maybe even a quality defender in time. He has all the gifts.

..... If you were to combine this year's class with last year's, how would you rank all the prospects? I don't think I could put Ja lower than 4th.... and I haven't watched enough to say more than that. Clarke and Trae probably go 5 and 6 in some order for me, ahead of guys like Bagley, JJJ, Culver and White, who round out the top 10. Zion's obviously #1....

For this year, anyway, my tentative board is 1 Zion 2 Morant 3 Clarke 4 Culver 5 White

I think if I took only the likely top 3 picks from this year, Zion, Ja and RJ; my top 8 would probably look like

1. Zion
2. Luka
3. Ayton
4. JJJr
5. Trae
6. Morant
7. RJ
8. Bagley

[darealjuice]

Trae is probably the better prospect, but I think it's close. Ball handling, passing/court vision, and ability to draw fouls are pretty similar. Trae's clearly the better shooter, but you still have to respect Ja's shot. Neither are known for their defensive prowess, but I'd project Ja being closer to average with the potential to be good while Trae has been terrible. I like that Ja can push the tempo being a good rebounder as a guard, and obviously you have to like that he plays well above the rim. I'd say it depends on how much you value athleticism, whether you think Ja can be a good shooter, and what Ja's defense in the NBA is like.

[lilfishi22]

Trae is probably the better prospect, but I think it's close. Ball handling, passing/court vision, and ability to draw fouls are pretty similar. Trae's clearly the better shooter, but you still have to respect Ja's shot. Neither are known for their defensive prowess, but I'd project Ja being closer to average with the potential to be good while Trae has been terrible. I like that Ja can push the tempo being a good rebounder as a guard, and obviously you have to like that he plays well above the rim. I'd say it depends on how much you value athleticism, whether you think Ja can be a good shooter, and what Ja's defense in the NBA is like.

Agreed. It's only if you add the extra layer of consideration of playing next to Booker do I think that Ja is the better prospect. But in isolation of everything, I have Trae higher

[darealjuice]

Trae is probably the better prospect, but I think it's close. Ball handling, passing/court vision, and ability to draw fouls are pretty similar. Trae's clearly the better shooter, but you still have to respect Ja's shot. Neither are known for their defensive prowess, but I'd project Ja being closer to average with the potential to be good while Trae has been terrible. I like that Ja can push the tempo being a good rebounder as a guard, and obviously you have to like that he plays well above the rim. I'd say it depends on how much you value athleticism, whether you think Ja can be a good shooter, and what Ja's defense in the NBA is like.

Agreed. It's only if you add the extra layer of consideration of playing next to Booker do I think that Ja is the better prospect. But in isolation of everything, I have Trae higher

Yeah I can see Ja's fit with Booker being better. Realistically I see Ja being more of an average/slight below average defender that makes a few athletic plays a game than someone that develops into a very good defender, but he has the tools if he develops the defensive mentality. He'll need to join Mikal and Josh in putting some meat on his bones too.

Trae's been incredible though. He looks like he'll be one of the best point guards in the league in the not-so-distant future.

[Kerrsed]

ATL wouldn't trade Trae for Ja but if it was on offer, I probably wouldn't do it. I think I would keep Ja because he probably has more potential to be a better fit next to Booker from a size and defense perspective. Ja averages 2spg and almost a block a game. While his defense leaves a lot to be desired, there's nothing other than himself that can hold him back from improving. Likewise, playing alongside an elite scorer with solid playmaking skills in Booker can only get him better looks from range.

Ja averages 1.8 steals in his 2nd season of college. Trae averaged 1.7 steals in his only year of college.

If you are going to say Ja over Young, at least quote his higher average of assists or rebounds or FG%, as thats where he really excels over Young. Young also has 1 NBA season under his belt and has shown that he is not a bust (Far far far from it), while Morant will still be an unknown when it comes to League play (No matter how well people expect him to do).

[bwgood77]

Trae is probably the better prospect, but I think it's close. Ball handling, passing/court vision, and ability to draw fouls are pretty similar. Trae's clearly the better shooter, but you still have to respect Ja's shot. Neither are known for their defensive prowess, but I'd project Ja being closer to average with the potential to be good while Trae has been terrible. I like that Ja can push the tempo being a good rebounder as a guard, and obviously you have to like that he plays well above the rim. I'd say it depends on how much you value athleticism, whether you think Ja can be a good shooter, and what Ja's defense in the NBA is like.

Agreed. It's only if you add the extra layer of consideration of playing next to Booker do I think that Ja is the better prospect. But in isolation of everything, I have Trae higher

Yeah I can see Ja's fit with Booker being better. Realistically I see Ja being more of an average/slight below average defender that makes a few athletic plays a game than someone that develops into a very good defender, but he has the tools if he develops the defensive mentality. He'll need to join Mikal and Josh in putting some meat on his bones too.

Trae's been incredible though. He looks like he'll be one of the best point guards in the league in the not-so-distant future.

I'd take Trae for the shooting. Defense will not be that good regardless. It really kind of sucks to have to think about defense from your PG because your SG is so poor on D. It it much easier typically to find a SG with good D. But given our lack of shooters, and team, I think shooting trumps having some defensive PG. Most of the good PGs are not stopped anyway. You have a guy that can knock down a bunch of 3s you have a chance. We currrently don't have any of those. I'd like to see Booker get it back but he's been struggling in that regard despite his improved play elsewhere.

[lilfishi22]

ATL wouldn't trade Trae for Ja but if it was on offer, I probably wouldn't do it. I think I would keep Ja because he probably has more potential to be a better fit next to Booker from a size and defense perspective. Ja averages 2spg and almost a block a game. While his defense leaves a lot to be desired, there's nothing other than himself that can hold him back from improving. Likewise, playing alongside an elite scorer with solid playmaking skills in Booker can only get him better looks from range.

Ja averages 1.8 steals in his 2nd season of college. Trae averaged 1.7 steals in his only year of college.

If you are going to say Ja over Young, at least quote his higher average of assists or rebounds or FG%, as thats where he really excels over Young. Young also has 1 NBA season under his belt and has shown that he is not a bust (Far far far from it), while Morant will still be an unknown when it comes to League play (No matter how well people expect him to do).

It's really the bpg which shows he can be an x-factor defensively if not overall consistent effort. The reason why I didn't discuss offense too much is because when playing next to Booker, you only need to be competent so to me, it's a bit of a wash since both are very capable. It's on the defensive end where Morant could potentially be a lot better.

[Kerrsed]

ATL wouldn't trade Trae for Ja but if it was on offer, I probably wouldn't do it. I think I would keep Ja because he probably has more potential to be a better fit next to Booker from a size and defense perspective. Ja averages 2spg and almost a block a game. While his defense leaves a lot to be desired, there's nothing other than himself that can hold him back from improving. Likewise, playing alongside an elite scorer with solid playmaking skills in Booker can only get him better looks from range.

Ja averages 1.8 steals in his 2nd season of college. Trae averaged 1.7 steals in his only year of college.

If you are going to say Ja over Young, at least quote his higher average of assists or rebounds or FG%, as thats where he really excels over Young. Young also has 1 NBA season under his belt and has shown that he is not a bust (Far far far from it), while Morant will still be an unknown when it comes to League play (No matter how well people expect him to do).

It's really the bpg which shows he can be an x-factor defensively if not overall consistent effort. The reason why I didn't discuss offense too much is because when playing next to Booker, you only need to be competent so to me, it's a bit of a wash since both are very capable. It's on the defensive end where Morant could potentially be a lot better.

One of the things that would have me leaning Young over Morant is Trae's range. Seriously, once he passes the halfcourt line teams have to guard him because he can hit from damn near anywhere. Having someone like that next to Booker would be so incredibly deadly.

[lilfishi22]

Ja averages 1.8 steals in his 2nd season of college. Trae averaged 1.7 steals in his only year of college.

If you are going to say Ja over Young, at least quote his higher average of assists or rebounds or FG%, as thats where he really excels over Young. Young also has 1 NBA season under his belt and has shown that he is not a bust (Far far far from it), while Morant will still be an unknown when it comes to League play (No matter how well people expect him to do).

It's really the bpg which shows he can be an x-factor defensively if not overall consistent effort. The reason why I didn't discuss offense too much is because when playing next to Booker, you only need to be competent so to me, it's a bit of a wash since both are very capable. It's on the defensive end where Morant could potentially be a lot better.

One of the things that would have me leaning Young over Morant is Trae's range. Seriously, once he passes the halfcourt line teams have to guard him because he can hit from damn near anywhere. Having someone like that next to Booker would be so incredibly deadly.

Both guys would be good fits next to Booker for different reasons. I see Morant making the pairing more balanced, more athletic and potentially fewer weaknesses. With Young, I see the pairing being even more dangerous offensively but could be offset by their defense.

[TheLogician]

We should take a look at Fletcher Magee from Wofford. He broke the NCAA 3PT record tonight. Reminds me of Redick.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3918760/fletcher-magee

[Mischa]

No. 1 for Grizzlies reminds me of Rabbit in Eight Mile.

[SlovenianDragon]

If we don't get top 2 for Zion or Ja ima be so sad. Best case scenario at that point is that suns land #3 and Hawks land #2 ughhhhhhhhhh

[Crives]

If we don't get top 2 for Zion or Ja ima be so sad. Best case scenario at that point is that suns land #3 and Hawks land #2 ughhhhhhhhhh

We might get lucky and be able to trade up if we land 3.

Hawks have Trae
Sexton is looking good lately on Cavs
Knicks may be getting Kyrie

[Blonde]

Most teams will and should take RJ at 2.