The 2020 NBA Draft

[Revived]

It’s already been mentioned but Memphis has drafted their players the exact way that NBA Twitter and most big boards have had their players ranked. Both for this year and last year.

If they can turn their roster into a contender then it would mean that an average fan that just listens to Twitter and forum for draft selections can do a better job than most current GMs in the NBA lol.

[Stark]

Anyone see Gambo's feedback on Haliburton on why we didn't take him?
Saw this on Reddit:

"Gambo says the Suns didn't think Halliburton was unique or dynamic enough to play the 1 and that he wasn't unique or dynamic enough to play the 2. They see him as a combo guard who isn't talented enough to take a solid role."

Halliburton was one of my prospects before the draft but i can definitely see why a lot of teams didn't pick him. Teams pick specialist not all arounders. You can live with a prospect who has weaknesses but does something better than everyone. Like Culver for example last year he showed flashes of many things in the NCAA. Good passer and a ball handler for his position, great athlete with average shot and ability to create his shot. He pretty much does everything but definitely not elite on anything. On the other hand Cam was one of the best shooter (if not the best) in the draft other than shooting his other skills are pretty unnoticeable but his game translated to NBA immediately. All the other stuff he can do (defence,sharing the ball) is just extra value. Not the best comparison as they play different positions but that's why Halliburton reminds me of a guy like Evan Turner. Jack of all trades master of none sort of a player.

[Jesus_H_Macy]

I am content with Smith. Hope he is that stretch player we need at the 4/5.

Also - people saying he's bigger stronger than Saric, ya'll are crazy to want to get rid of Saric. Keep both! Why one or the other? I saw Halliburton, Vassell, Kira available and was upset we didn't go with one of them, but I have a feeling we bring in another PG that can learn under CP3.

I am thinking we somehow get Lonzo Ball, call me crazy but New Orleans is stacked with PG's.

Who else do you think we can get for back up PG?

CP3, ???, Payne
Booker, Carter
Bridges, Nader
Johnson, Saric
Ayton, Smith

That roster has a lot of different lineup opportunities.

Hope we stay healthy, and no drug pops!

I'm hoping we use all or most of the MLE money on that backup 1/2 spot, assuming there are no more trades coming. These are the dudes I see showing as available on Spotrac that I thought were worth bothering to mention here:

Jeff Teague
Goran Dragic
Jordan Clarkson
Matthew Dellavedova
D.J. Agustin
Kris Dunn
J.J. Barea
Michael Carter-Williams
Shabazz Napier
Emmanuel Mudiay
Raul Neto
Pat Connaughton
Reggie Jackson
Trey Burke
Jerian Grant

Dragic is the clear standout and best-case scenario for me, but I'd be surprised if he was willing to come back here at all, let alone for MLE money. Other than that...I guess Agustin? Although I'd like us to get a guy who can play both 1 and 2 the 1 part of that is far more important so I don't know how much Clarkson would help. Can JJ Barea still play ? Napier, Mudiay, Neto, Connaughton, Burke, and Grant all have some level of name value for me but tbh I have no real idea what any of their games are like and if they would give us what we need.

Goran Dragic
Jordan Clarkson

Those are the only two.

Hate to say it but I say we get Lonzo Ball if we can to be mentored by CP3.

I would be all for that if we could pull it off somehow without getting bent over on the trade. Don't see why New Orleans would want to trade him or how we'd make the trade work though...

[darmani]

Apparently Jalen Smith was in the top-5 on James Jones' draft board.

Espo @ 2:11:15 in this video:

Watch on YouTube

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

?s=09

Thank you! This is a smart move at least!!
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/platform/amp/2020/8/28/21404879/phoenix-suns-nba-draft-preview-series-ty-shon-alexander-scouting-report-and-interview?__twitter_impression=true

Watch on YouTube

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

Congrats by the way on getting Grant Riller for almost nothing man! If he ever truly gets playing time behind all of your backcourt players, He's going to really impress!

[King4Day]

Read on Twitter

Congrats by the way on getting Grant Riller for almost nothing man! If he ever truly gets playing time behind all of your backcourt players, He's going to really impress!

I'm happy they got him too. Figure if not us, at least another team that I like.

I think Ball will create legit buzz (No pun) around the team. There's no doubt the Hornets will get a few nationally televised games, just to see him play.
Like Pels/Hornets in the battle of the brothers.

[bwgood77]

Another thing to add about long term upside. It seems like it wasn't long ago people talked like we had this treasure chest of assets.

Tonight we didn't even have something we could trade for a 2nd rounder. Our backup guards are Payne and Carter.

We had that Bucks first from Bledsoe, but we traded it for Ty Jerome. It was used on Desmond Bane tonight...we could have used that.

And we don't have any seconds going forward.

If Chris Paul goes down, or any of our wings (including Booker as a wing)..we are in big trouble.

Yep, the only way to add long-term talent to this roster is now our 2021 pick, which will probably be in the teens or early 20s if we make the playoffs.

The thing Denver does really well for instance in the draft is continuously add high-ceiling talent while operating at a very high floor. Apart from Jokic and Murray, they have MPJ and RJ Hampton.

Dallas has gone the same route this year, by adding Josh Green and Tyrell Terry. Richardson via trade is also a really good get.

The Pels and Thunder are well off at the moment, but they have a treasure chest of assets and some very intriguing talents. Wolves have talent too, and Rubio will be good for them. Oh, and I'm forgetting Memphis.

Ultimately, these are the teams we'll end up competing with in the West over the next 5 years. I found it worrying that James Jones referenced the Lakers and their size as justification for drafting Smith. We're not in a position to compete with the Lakers or the Clippers for the title unless CP3 has an MVP type season. Our window of contention will open up only post 2022 once Booker, Ayton, Bridges are battle-hardened and have developed further. But we absolutely NEED to keep surrounding them with high-ceiling talent.

Role players are always easy to add in free agency. The draft is not for adding role players.

This. Also, the Lakers size is really about AD and Lebron, and Lebron is going to slow in the next few years with age because it's life and he won't be an all-star nearing 40. I get they have Javale and other bigs, but those guys aren't winning titles if Lebron falls off. Why are we drafting now to compete with a team with a 2-3 year window when the rest of our real competition going forward is going to be teeming with wings and shooters (Dallas, LAC, Denver)?

I don't mind the pick, as I think Jalen has a nice skillset and I think you need a nice rotation of at least 3 bigs, especially with Ayton sometimes getting into foul trouble. If we face injuries in the frontcourt we are thin...and before Jalen were really thin,

Many people here liked him as the best PF/C likely available at 10, and I like him better than a number of guys talked about like Lewis, Terry, Nesmith, etc. I would have definitely taken Haliburton though, and if he wasn't there, Vassell (or if Halilburton going 9 caused Deni to slip, him). I would have been fine with Bey.

Anyway, enough about the draft.

I think our 21 pick HAS to be a PG, and luckily it's a great class. We absolutely HAVE to hit on that pick, because we likely don't have one the following year.

Kind of the reason I wasn't sure about the Paul trade, was because our flexibility for FA in the great class next year is gone, and I knew getting Paul would really impact our depth (not being able to keep or trade Oubre for something, and killing $8+ million in cap space).

I have not worked it out, but we should have some cap space when Paul comes off, but will also have pretty sizable cap holds for Ayton and Bridges, and Booker will be up close to the mid 30s in salary.

So that FA class is important.

It's too bad this FA class is so weak, but we really need that backup G. I do like the guard options better than the options at the big spots though...especially since I thought it was unlikely we get Serge or Gallo, and I don't like Bertans, as well as Millsap being too old.

I'd sign a backup PG and a backup 2/3...it would be nice to get Augustin and Holiday if possible.

[bwgood77]

90% of people on here are the same as the ridiculous media, criticising draft picks and saying teams had great drafts based on prospects who have never played a minute in the league.

Just relax and see how it plays out.

I get the asset management argument most years, and I think that is important, but Jalen Smith was not really a reach when (as BW's post said) he was projected only a few picks after us in plenty of mocks.

PS. Imagine if we drafted Desmond Bane (who plenty wanted), even though we could've traded back to 29 and got him. Hindsight makes this so easy.

Most I've seen here who wanted Bane wanted to trade down to take Bane. It's not really hindsight. It's very obvious that Jones has different opinions of guys than consensus. Given that, he should lean into it and get more from the draft via extra picks or players like he did last year to get Saric. Problem is that's the only time he's done it despite 2 obvious times he could have.

Cam was the bigger reach though, and it turns out he was a nice pick...and later it was confirmed a couple teams in the teens liked him. You never know if you have the option to move down either.

Jalen Smith, on the major big boards, ranked between 13 and 17, so it wasn't that far off...particularly if you felt you needed depth at the 4/5..positional need wasn't a big deal in this draft given the little difference between about 20 prospects. I would like to know why they didn't take Haliburton though.

I don't care that they didn't trade down at all because I have no idea if that was even an option, but I know taking Haliburton was an option. Or Vassell for that matter.

It will be interesting to see who pans out...and who busts of the top 20-30 players.

Last year only about 2-3 players drafted after Cam were better. Tyler Herro, Brandon Clarke, and possibly PJ Washington, but all those ended up being pretty close looking at the numbers and Cam was stuck behind Oubre, Bridges and Saric for the whole season until the bubble where he thrived. If he starts or gets major minutes, who knows where he ends up.

[King4Day]

Givony putting the Suns in the loser category:

PHOENIX SUNS

Givony: The Suns shocked many in NBA circles by passing on a seemingly perfect fit in Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton to take Maryland big Jalen Smith.

Haliburton looked like an ideal guard to play behind Chris Paul and Devin Booker before eventually graduating to a bigger role down the road. Instead, the Suns looked to plug a more immediate hole in the frontcourt with Smith, who fills a need as a stretchy, shot-blocking big man. Smith should be able to play behind both Dario Saric (if re-signed) and Deandre Ayton, but passing on Haliburton there was tough.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/30342892/nba-draft-2020-biggest-first-round-winners-losers

[bwgood77]

Wow, the Locked On podcast guys were really really downcast with this pick. Some very valid points they made:

- Smith isn't great defending in space. Foot speed is average, and will struggle playing the 4.
- Best role for him is as a 3&D center, but there's not much value in drafting a backup center with the #10 when your starting center is Ayton
- He's too weak presently to effectively defend in the post. Better value in simply retaining Baynes if you simply wanted a 3 point shooting center.
- Ayton and Smith might be able to play together, but only for very limited durations. On defense, you've spent 2 years moulding Ayton into someone who can anchor the defense in the middle with 4 scrappy switchable defenders around him. Monty's entire premise on defense has been ball-pressure, switching and creating turnovers. Inserting Smith into that line-up as a second big just creates a whole new set of things for Ayton to learn and cover.
- On offense, Smith's main value is in the pick and pop situations. Shooting can and should translate, but he might be too weak at the moment (225 pounds and poor lower body strength) to really set picks effectively.
- Very limited ball-handler and averaged more turnovers than assists. Seems thus to be completely contrary to Jones' emphasis on adding playmaking .
- Dismissed the Cam Johnson comparison. While Cam was a reach, he at least fit what the Suns needed in a sharpshooting wing. Was easily the best shooter in the class.
- Smith doesn't feel a crying need on the roster. Backup center is the easiest position to fill in the NBA today with the likes of Noel and McGree reduced to playing for the vet minimum for a while. You could get a guy like Mike Muscala for the vet min and he'd add more value in 15 mins of playing time than a rookie big.

I’m not a James Jones fan in general (being slightly better than McD doesn’t make him good) because he gets destroyed in most of the trades he makes. But I originally didn’t mind the pick (as mentioned in this thread) even though there were other players I preferred instead. Now I admit it’s definitely a bit concerning that pretty much all basketball knowledgeable guys are all very disappointed with this pick.

This is gonna come down to whether or not he can play alongside Ayton successfully in the long run. Otherwise yeah this will look very bad years from now if he’s just a backup big. If Vessel, Bane, Haliburton etc are playing well while Smith is struggling to find mins due to fit then this will go down as another typical Suns blunder.

I’m hoping that won’t be the case and that Smith’s shot blocking ability and 3pt shooting ability will compliment Ayton well. Gotta hope for the best.

Yup. They have to KNOW he can defend 4s. Not some 4s. Not occasionally. He needs to be capable of being a starting PF to justify a top 10 selection. Centers just aren't valuable, and we already have the best backup C in basketball in Baynes who we are about to let walk because he just doesn't have much value to us because we have Ayton already. Outside of Booker's backup, backup 5 is the least valuable position on the team. They must envision that he can play with Ayton or the FO is hopeless. And it is a certainty that a guy like Muscala will be better year 1. Whatever those quickness exercises are, they need to be confident they will work and that he will improve immensely on that end.

Offensively, he's fine at the 4. He can stand at the 3 point corner and space for others, or pick and pop. But if he can't defend well enough next to Ayton this is a disaster.

They will be able to play together. Ayton can guard 4s and even 3s on occasion. He can switch out and guard the perimeter. On offense he can operate at the top of the key and is a solid passer. So even if Smith plays in the middle sometimes, Ayton can play on the outside.

But then Jalen is a better 3 pt shooter it looks like, so on offense he could play on the perimeter. With Ayton's ability to guard 4s, and Jalen as a much better shot blocker, I don't see any reason they can't play together.

They have a much better chance of being able to play together than Okongwu and Ayton, and some would have taken Okongwu when he would have had to strictly back up Ayton and had no range to play PF at all....he would have HAD to play C on both sides of the ball, so the paint would have been too crowded if you ever wanted Ayton to play offense near the rim. Okongwu would never have been able to pull a defender out.

[bwgood77]

Gambo said the Suns fielded trade calls. He didn't say which teams inquired but I believe that happened because it took Woj/Shams/Gambo until the last second to report the pick. I would have been fine trading down for Smith, or better yet Achiuwa. We could have then added someone like Bane to help with our depth. We could definitely regret passing on Vassell and Haliburton, too. I just hope Smith is as versatile as Jones seems to believe. A backup 3&D center is really not that valuable. We are probably letting the best one we had go in Baynes.

A lot of people including me wanted to keep Baynes, and some wanted to trade for Zubac. Baynes won't be around too much longer and Zubac is a bad fit with Ayton.

Ultimately, Haliburton would have been great, but he is likely a career backup too. I don't really see him as our PG of the future or a guy that could replace Booker at the 2. Same with Vassell. I don't think he ever would have supplanted Booker or Bridges.

This was more of a depth type of draft, outside of a few guys...teams that needed a C taking Wiseman or Okongwu, someone wanting Ball, who isn't a great prospect in a good draft, and maybe a couple other guys...but I don't really see any of the PGs as definite future long term starters. Same with the SGs or wings. Vassell maybe on a different team but probably not for us with Booker and Bridges. I don't think anyone taken after us is a clear cut starter.

Of course 1 or 2 guys taken later will break out and become starters, but it may not be the guys people are thinking. Vassell will probably start in SA, given their roster.

What guy taken after us is a definite starter on another team other than Vassell? Haliburton is probably a 3rd guard behind Fox and Hield. Do you think either of those guys starts for us?

Who else?

[oddity]

Passing on Haliburton really is tough, I have to say. I like Jalen, but man I was hoping he would fall to us.

[bwgood77]

The success of this pick will depend on if Smith can play the 4 spot. I have no doubt he'll be a solid back-up 5, but that by itself is not enough with a #10 pick IMO, especially since I see guys like Vassell and Haliburton being solid rotation pieces for the Spurs and Kings.

Basically, I'd see our depth chart like this。

PG CP3 / Payne
SG Booker / Carter
SF Bridges / Johnson / Nader
PF Johnson / Saric / Smith
C. Ayton / Smith / Saric

We'll probably play a three guard line-up at times as well with CP3/Carter (or Payne when he's on fire)/ Booker/

This pick shows that our front office has a lot of faith in Payne and Carter building on their strong bubble performance. There's definitely something to be said for rewarding strong performances. I think Carter will be great as a backup SG (he's looked much better there than as a PG), but I'm a bit concerned about having only Payne on the roster if CP misses time. Of course we could still address this in free agency.

Overall, I hope this pick works out and I think we'll really like Smith as a back-up center. But I see both Vassell and Haliburton outproducing him.

I have a feeling they have a target and maybe an agreement in FA for a backup PG and backup 2/3. I doubt they are planning on relying on Payne and Carter as primary backups and probably didn't want to depend on a rookie as the primary backup either. Rookie PGs rarely do very well...you have Trae and Ja...but that one draft with Fultz, Ball, DSJr and Ntilikina only produced Fox, who didn't play great as a rookie.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Spoiler:

Yep, the only way to add long-term talent to this roster is now our 2021 pick, which will probably be in the teens or early 20s if we make the playoffs.

The thing Denver does really well for instance in the draft is continuously add high-ceiling talent while operating at a very high floor. Apart from Jokic and Murray, they have MPJ and RJ Hampton.

Dallas has gone the same route this year, by adding Josh Green and Tyrell Terry. Richardson via trade is also a really good get.

The Pels and Thunder are well off at the moment, but they have a treasure chest of assets and some very intriguing talents. Wolves have talent too, and Rubio will be good for them. Oh, and I'm forgetting Memphis.

Ultimately, these are the teams we'll end up competing with in the West over the next 5 years. I found it worrying that James Jones referenced the Lakers and their size as justification for drafting Smith. We're not in a position to compete with the Lakers or the Clippers for the title unless CP3 has an MVP type season. Our window of contention will open up only post 2022 once Booker, Ayton, Bridges are battle-hardened and have developed further. But we absolutely NEED to keep surrounding them with high-ceiling talent.

Role players are always easy to add in free agency. The draft is not for adding role players.

This. Also, the Lakers size is really about AD and Lebron, and Lebron is going to slow in the next few years with age because it's life and he won't be an all-star nearing 40. I get they have Javale and other bigs, but those guys aren't winning titles if Lebron falls off. Why are we drafting now to compete with a team with a 2-3 year window when the rest of our real competition going forward is going to be teeming with wings and shooters (Dallas, LAC, Denver)?

I don't mind the pick, as I think Jalen has a nice skillset and I think you need a nice rotation of at least 3 bigs, especially with Ayton sometimes getting into foul trouble. If we face injuries in the frontcourt we are thin...and before Jalen were really thin,

Many people here liked him as the best PF/C likely available at 11, and I like him better than a number of guys talked about like Lewis, Terry, Nesmith, etc. I would have definitely taken Haliburton though, and if he wasn't there, Vassell (or if Halilburton going 9 caused Deni to slip, him). I would have been fine with Bey.

Anyway, enough about the draft.

I think our 21 pick HAS to be a PG, and luckily it's a great class. We absolutely HAVE to hit on that pick, because we likely don't have one the following year.

Kind of the reason I wasn't sure about Paul, was because our flexibility for FA in the great class next year is gone, and I knew getting Paul would really impact our depth (not being able to keep or trade Oubre for something, and killing $8+ million in cap space).

I have not worked it out, but we should have some cap space when Paul comes off, but will also have pretty sizable cap holds for Ayton and Bridges, and Booker will be up close to the mid 30s in salary.

So that FA class is important.

It's too bad this FA class is so weak, but we really need that backup G. I do like the guard options better than the options at the big spots though...especially since I thought it was unlikely we get Serge or Gallo, and I don't like Bertans, as well as Millsap being too old.

I'd sign a backup PG and a backup 2/3...it would be nice to get Augustin and Holiday if possible.

The real question is which 2020 free agent guard/ wing will we attract or get at a discount as advertised for now having Paul on the roster?

Do we get a Justin Holiday or a Jae Crowder at a discount for our wing option?
Rondae Hollis Jefferson is still an elite defender, And could be real cheap, So is James Ennis or Jeff Green?

Do we get a Dragic or Clarkson or Augustine? I still really like Shaq Harrison at a discount! Or Maybe even PJ Dozier?

Or Maybe someone through a Baynes sign n' trade by a tax paying or close to hard capped team?
Maybe sign Noel or O'Quinn on a veteran's minimum? Part of the Paul deal was in that bringing him here would mean we'd be able to sign ( attract) a higher tier of free agents here along with him. I'm curious to see how Friday plays out. Especially with Baynes leaving, And with a high probability that we don't bring back Kaminsky or Okobo. And maybe not even Diallo either???

But for value to be absorbed into our exceptions, I like some of those names listed.

[bwgood77]

Well, I just think that I could do JJ's work as good as he does, maybe even better in some *coughdraftcough* situations. This goes for the most of you as well. I would have taken Haliburton or Vassel, and picked up a vet min 4/5. Or work my ass off on the phone and trade back a couple spots, and take him or Precious/ Reed if he is gone by 14-18 (or wherever we could have traded back). Ever since his first moves I just don't think JJ works his azz off for the team. He just takes the simplest ways, picks the high floor players - good strategy to keep your job on the long run, not so good for hitting home runs... this is also why he gets fleeced in trades usually.

As for the pick itself: I liked him in the late teens as a backup 5. In todays game he is a bit of a stiff to play the 4. Comp: a less agile, bit more agressive Brook Lopez. Maaayyybeee spot PF minutes, in certain situations, especially if he is a sub with Saric on the court, then they are our 2 bigs, whoever plays whatever of 4 or 5 each posession. I think it's really 50/50 how he'll turn out - and that is not the best thing to say about a top 10 pick.

I'll root for him, seems like a good kid and he is a Sun now.


One question for Gok: who is a late second rounder next year that we'll pick in the low 20s next year?

Yeah, more and more I am concerned about James Jones and the FO. I mean McD was so bad that we're just relieved that we're at least getting some decent basketball players on the floor, but that can't be the standard to judge him by.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but I'm kinda feeling dismal now after the initial euphoria of the CP3 trade. It seems that we're betting hugely on CP3's health to make the playoffs this year. Well, it's worth remembering that one of the reasons CP3 played so well in OKC is that they surprisingly put a very interesting line-up around him, with 2 excellent guards in Shai and Schroder to share the load with him.

With the present moves, we have 2 effective on-ball guards on the roster. Carter is strictly a 15 min hustle guy. Payne is a 3rd stringer. Pertinently, none of our wings are particularly good ball handlers or playmakers at the moment.

The draft gave us the opportunity to pick the most well-rounded guard (Haliburton) or the most well-rounded wing (Vassell), and we passed on both? To pick a player in the most redundant position in the NBA?

I mean at this point, you just have to question the long-term vision of this FO. I mean even in the short-term, you're REALLY betting heavily on CP3 being healthy for this team to make the playoffs.

I'm wondering if we had this roster:

Ayton / Baynes
Oubre / Saric
Bridges / Cam
Booker / Carter
Rubio / Haliburton

Is that not deeper and better than this?

Ayton / Smith
Cam / Saric
Bridges / Nader
Booker / Carter
Paul / Payne

Big pressure to add something really good in FA.

That is an interesting comparison. And I think you're right, the first team is at least in the same conversation depth/talent wise.

A few things to note though, Baynes probably isn't staying CP3 trade or not, Oubre is gone at the end of the year either way so the ceiling of the team is not impacted really (or signed to a deal that is too high and hampers our future anyway), and Haliburton - well, if he's better than Smith we made a bad pick and if he's worse we made a good pick - but its hard to factor that in for now...

Except the first roster doesn't give us any long term backup big.

A lot of people wanted Toppin. Smith is very similar as a player...3 pt shooter, strong finisher, but he's younger...and he is a better shot blocker/rim protector. Both have some of the same weaknesses on defense.

I understand a lot of people didn't like Toppin but those that did, got a very similar prospect, and obviously we couldn't have taken Toppin.

[bwgood77]

Funny thing is so many people have been all up on Christian Woods nuts, you know the 6'10 215lb thin framed PF that plays defense and hits the 3 ball yet are hating on Jalen Smith, you know the 6'10 215lb thin framed PF that plays defense and hits the 3 ball.

And yes, Wood is just as thin framed as Smith even after being in the NBA for more than a few years.



And since i know some of the haters wont bother spending the time to look it up for themselves, here is a direct comparison of Woods last season in College (UNLV) and Smiths. Tell me what you see.

Yeah, Smith was significantly better in college while playing in a significantly better conference (BIG 10 vs Mountain West)

[Slim Charless]

Gambo said the Suns fielded trade calls. He didn't say which teams inquired but I believe that happened because it took Woj/Shams/Gambo until the last second to report the pick. I would have been fine trading down for Smith, or better yet Achiuwa. We could have then added someone like Bane to help with our depth. We could definitely regret passing on Vassell and Haliburton, too. I just hope Smith is as versatile as Jones seems to believe. A backup 3&D center is really not that valuable. We are probably letting the best one we had go in Baynes.

A lot of people including me wanted to keep Baynes, and some wanted to trade for Zubac. Baynes won't be around too much longer and Zubac is a bad fit with Ayton.

Ultimately, Haliburton would have been great, but he is likely a career backup too. I don't really see him as our PG of the future or a guy that could replace Booker at the 2. Same with Vassell. I don't think he ever would have supplanted Booker or Bridges.

This was more of a depth type of draft, outside of a few guys...teams that needed a C taking Wiseman or Okongwu, someone wanting Ball, who isn't a great prospect in a good draft, and maybe a couple other guys...but I don't really see any of the PGs as definite future long term starters. Same with the SGs or wings. Vassell maybe on a different team but probably not for us with Booker and Bridges. I don't think anyone taken after us is a clear cut starter.

Of course 1 or 2 guys taken later will break out and become starters, but it may not be the guys people are thinking. Vassell will probably start in SA, given their roster.

What guy taken after us is a definite starter on another team other than Vassell? Haliburton is probably a 3rd guard behind Fox and Hield. Do you think either of those guys starts for us?

Who else?

Speaking of that. When is Fox due for his next deal? IF Haliburton is so good then he'll take Fox's spot as neither of them really shoot well enough to play SG. If that happens then what's to stop us from going after him? Who's to say that the Kings would be gung ho about resigning him to a big contract if they already have (in their mind) the PGOTF. If we could time signing him with when CP3 is off the books it'd be perfect.

[bwgood77]

Half asleep so I hope this make sense.

I do enjoy coming to the board most of the time because I love seeing peoples opinions and passion for the team. But man sometimes it's tough when people speak in such absolutes when there is really no reason to.

Ok so the media had stix graded lower. So what. They had Haliburton rated pretty high and apparently true NBA people didn't. Who saw Williams going so early? Does it mean Chicago was wrong? No. Maybe in a few years we will all be saying how dumb the top 3 were for not taking him. Why does everyone automatically say Haliburton was a steal because he fell but Smith is trash because he rose? No one knows yet.

What would people have said on this board if the Suns had taken Donovan instead of Jackson at four in 2017? Imagine the comments some of our board members would have written just because people judge based on mock draft information.

In the end was it surprising? Sure. But to all of those talking in absolutes like "we should have traded back" how do you know there was an interested team that wanted to trade? How do you know that maybe there was intel another team at 11,12,13 wanted Smith as well.

Every draft has busts taken high. Every draft has stars taken late. Enjoy the surprise and let it play out. Then we can judge.

Great post, and if you read our posters who seem to dive into the draft the most, they talked about Jalen being the pick, and a very nice pick if it was the pick, months ago...

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1872327&p=84242793#p84242793

[49erhokie]

Givony putting the Suns in the loser category:

PHOENIX SUNS

Givony: The Suns shocked many in NBA circles by passing on a seemingly perfect fit in Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton to take Maryland big Jalen Smith.

Haliburton looked like an ideal guard to play behind Chris Paul and Devin Booker before eventually graduating to a bigger role down the road. Instead, the Suns looked to plug a more immediate hole in the frontcourt with Smith, who fills a need as a stretchy, shot-blocking big man. Smith should be able to play behind both Dario Saric (if re-signed) and Deandre Ayton, but passing on Haliburton there was tough.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/30342892/nba-draft-2020-biggest-first-round-winners-losers

Don't worry, Givony is a loser himself.