Draft Watch 2018

[kalenclayton]

the one argument against 'tanking' is that a lot of these teams picking high lottery end up picking in the lottery ever year.
Look at the Suns. Josh Jackson/Bender/Chriss/TJ Warren/Alex Len....all these lottery picks and they are still awful every single year and that won't change regardless of who they draft this year.

Now Memphis could be in a unique situation where they might be able to contend for a playoff spot next year with possibly Gasol/Ayton or Doncic/Conley.

As far as Kings, best thing that can happen (aside from ping pong ball bouncing the right way) is if a couple of the teams above us become enamored with point guards (Trae Young/Sexton/SGA). Orlando and Cleveland being the most likely teams.

Now it would be so Vlade if JJJ or Bamba slips to us at 7/8 and he picks Dzanan Musa.

Well said. Tanking hasn’t helped the majority of it’s adopters. It has looked great for some (looking at you Philly), but it seems you have to hit perfectly to get there.

I really think Vlade won’t overthink it too much this season. Musa looks like an awesome prospect, but it seems obvious that Bamba, the Bridges, JJJ, the Porters, Knox, and Carter are better prospects now and in the future. Vlade knows basketball. We know that (CBA is a different discussion). He’s actually made good picks so far and I don’t think he will screw this one up. I could see him trading back for Musa and getting a ‘19 first. That seems to be his preferred option if he doesn’t like the range he’s in.

[SacKingZZZ]

I think it depends on who is available at 7. I don't like Carter or Jackson that much for the Kings if they are the BPA's available at 7. I would take Carter over Jackson if it came down to it though.

As before, let’s say the first 6 off the board are Ayton, Doncic, Bamba, Bagley, Porter, and Jackson.

This time the Sixers offer Luwawu, 10, 2020 PHI 1st unprotected, and 2022 PHI 1st lotto protected in exchange for 7. Deal?

I was mostly responding to RPA's comments.

I like Knox or Miles Bridges so if they are there I'd do it if it were me.

[SacKingZZZ]

I've been studying Mikal Bridges a bit more, and I have a concern with him that he's a bit of a system guy. I think he's OK with the ball, but he does look the part of a catch and shoot player that lives off of screens and might struggle to create for himself and others. Also, his length is tremendous but he's no off the charts athlete nor is he a presence at the rim as a finisher other than when he can get over the defense with his length. If he can't survive physically at SF is he too big to play SG? However, you can never have enough shooters.

[benchmobbin02]

I've been studying Mikal Bridges a bit more, and I have a concern with him that he's a bit of a system guy. I think he's OK with the ball, but he does look the part of a catch and shoot player that lives off of screens and might struggle to create for himself and others. Also, his length is tremendous but he's no off the charts athlete nor is he a presence at the rim as a finisher other than when he can get over the defense with his length. If he can't survive physically at SF is he too big to play SG? However, you can never have enough shooters.

Yeah, those are some of the same knocks that have been there since he has been on the scene and the same knocks that are on his profile and that everyone has noted.

The one you mentioned that I don't agree with is that he might not be able to create for himself or others. I disagree. You see him playing within a system, yes, but within that system you see him moving the ball and creating. Plus it's college ball. To effectively use his best offensive skills it would stand to reason that he would embrace Villanova's system.

I think he will improve as an athlete as he gets older and stronger and that if put in the position to create more he would fair just fine especially as he develops more. but those knocks are small compared to the things he has going for him and what he can become. Elite defense, length and shooting and decision making will make him a very effective player at the next level.

This article says it much better than I could.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/3/6/17082610/mikal-bridges-nba-draft-3-and-d

The question becomes what does this team need. I would argue that Mikal's scoring and defense fit very nicely with the group we have if we can't get an elite rebounding and defending bigman.

[LightTheBeam]

I can't understand the love behind JJJ, just doesn't impress me at all.

Mikal Bridges looks legit, his 3pt shooting and defense look good and he seems to be a smart player.

Assuming we pick 7

If it goes

Ayton
Doncic
Bagley
Porter JR
Bamba
JJJ

I would hope we grab Mikal. I wonder what we do from there since we would have Hield/Bogdan/Mikal/Jackson but I think that pretty much shores up our wing spot. With Mason/Fox holding down the pg spot that would make us pretty set 1-3.

[kalenclayton]

I can't understand the love behind JJJ, just doesn't impress me at all.

Mikal Bridges looks legit, his 3pt shooting and defense look good and he seems to be a smart player.

Assuming we pick 7

If it goes

Ayton
Doncic
Bagley
Porter JR
Bamba
JJJ

I would hope we grab Mikal. I wonder what we do from there since we would have Hield/Bogdan/Mikal/Jackson but I think that pretty much shores up our wing spot. With Mason/Fox holding down the pg spot that would make us pretty set 1-3.

I think it’s doable when talking about getting enough minutes to each player. Some players can play multiple positions (minutes in parentheses):

(32) Fox: 1, 2 in a pinch
(6) Mason: 1
(30) Hield: 2, 3 in a pinch
(32) Bogi: 1, 2, 3
(20) Mikal: 2, 3
(24) Jackson: 2, 3, small ball 4

I think you can fit in minutes for all the main guys. Mason would be on the outside looking in, but it’s definitely doable.

[OhioKingsFan]

If the Kings draft Mikal, I would hope the plan would be to make him the SF of the future.

[City of Trees]

If the Kings draft Bamba at 6 or 7 then id like to see us flip a package of WCS+ to LAC for 12 or 13.

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[kalenclayton]

If the Kings draft Bamba at 6 or 7 then id like to see us flip a package of WCS+ to LAC for 12 or 13.

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Oh god yes. That would be amazing.
If Bamba slips, you take him with the 6 or 7. Then you draft Bridges, Knox, Musa, Jontay, or anyone who drops. I love that.

[codydaze]

If the Kings draft Bamba at 6 or 7 then id like to see us flip a package of WCS+ to LAC for 12 or 13.

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With DJ staying you think they go for that?

[kalenclayton]

If the Kings draft Bamba at 6 or 7 then id like to see us flip a package of WCS+ to LAC for 12 or 13.

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With DJ staying you think they go for that?

Probably not, but what about Milwaukee? That’s #16 right now. I could see him being wildly successful there. We would still have a shot a multiple good prospects. (Jontay Porter please)

[LightTheBeam]

I can't understand the love behind JJJ, just doesn't impress me at all.

Mikal Bridges looks legit, his 3pt shooting and defense look good and he seems to be a smart player.

Assuming we pick 7

If it goes

Ayton
Doncic
Bagley
Porter JR
Bamba
JJJ

I would hope we grab Mikal. I wonder what we do from there since we would have Hield/Bogdan/Mikal/Jackson but I think that pretty much shores up our wing spot. With Mason/Fox holding down the pg spot that would make us pretty set 1-3.

I think it’s doable when talking about getting enough minutes to each player. Some players can play multiple positions (minutes in parentheses):

(32) Fox: 1, 2 in a pinch
(6) Mason: 1
(30) Hield: 2, 3 in a pinch
(32) Bogi: 1, 2, 3
(20) Mikal: 2, 3
(24) Jackson: 2, 3, small ball 4

I think you can fit in minutes for all the main guys. Mason would be on the outside looking in, but it’s definitely doable.

Ya especially with Jackson at small ball 4, that could open a few more minutes for Mason who I think deserves it.

That said I really hope if we do draft Mikal, we tell Shump and Temple thank you both for your services. We don't have any minutes available for you next year, we strongly recommend you opt out. I think Temple could secure himself 3/18 on the open market, hes been good, can handle a bit, plays strong defense, and shoots the 3. He would immediately fit in on a contender. If OKC can pony up for him that would be a huge get for them.

[LightTheBeam]

If the Kings draft Bamba at 6 or 7 then id like to see us flip a package of WCS+ to LAC for 12 or 13.

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With DJ staying you think they go for that?

Probably not, but what about Milwaukee? That’s #16 right now. I could see him being wildly successful there. We would still have a shot a multiple good prospects. (Jontay Porter please)

Id rather hold WCS for now. Lets see what we have with Giles first. He and Kostas have been our only positive defensive players all year according to the advanced stats. And with big men, Id really like to see if he can make a jump this next year his 4th year.

Hes been seriously hamstringed by the offense Joerger runs. In a P&R offense with Fox/Bogdan he would be excellent. Id much rather keep him that bring in another project at this time.

[jazanetti]

I can't understand the love behind JJJ, just doesn't impress me at all.

Mikal Bridges looks legit, his 3pt shooting and defense look good and he seems to be a smart player.

Assuming we pick 7

If it goes

Ayton
Doncic
Bagley
Porter JR
Bamba
JJJ

I would hope we grab Mikal. I wonder what we do from there since we would have Hield/Bogdan/Mikal/Jackson but I think that pretty much shores up our wing spot. With Mason/Fox holding down the pg spot that would make us pretty set 1-3.

I think it’s doable when talking about getting enough minutes to each player. Some players can play multiple positions (minutes in parentheses):

(32) Fox: 1, 2 in a pinch
(6) Mason: 1
(30) Hield: 2, 3 in a pinch
(32) Bogi: 1, 2, 3
(20) Mikal: 2, 3
(24) Jackson: 2, 3, small ball 4

I think you can fit in minutes for all the main guys. Mason would be on the outside looking in, but it’s definitely doable.

Ya especially with Jackson at small ball 4, that could open a few more minutes for Mason who I think deserves it.

That said I really hope if we do draft Mikal, we tell Shump and Temple thank you both for your services. We don't have any minutes available for you next year, we strongly recommend you opt out. I think Temple could secure himself 3/18 on the open market, hes been good, can handle a bit, plays strong defense, and shoots the 3. He would immediately fit in on a contender. If OKC can pony up for him that would be a huge get for them.

I'm almost sure that Shump will use his option and stay. No one will give him 11 millions nowhere near.


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[jazanetti]

With DJ staying you think they go for that?

Probably not, but what about Milwaukee? That’s #16 right now. I could see him being wildly successful there. We would still have a shot a multiple good prospects. (Jontay Porter please)

Id rather hold WCS for now. Lets see what we have with Giles first. He and Kostas have been our only positive defensive players all year according to the advanced stats. And with big men, Id really like to see if he can make a jump this next year his 4th year.

Hes been seriously hamstringed by the offense Joerger runs. In a P&R offense with Fox/Bogdan he would be excellent. Id much rather keep him that bring in another project at this time.

Is it a joke?? Willie's NETRTG -9 (KK -8,4, Skal -4,4).
Willie is mediocre defender, poor rebouder and awful scorer. I'd be happy if we get something more than 2nd round pick for him.

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[kalenclayton]

Probably not, but what about Milwaukee? That’s #16 right now. I could see him being wildly successful there. We would still have a shot a multiple good prospects. (Jontay Porter please)

Id rather hold WCS for now. Lets see what we have with Giles first. He and Kostas have been our only positive defensive players all year according to the advanced stats. And with big men, Id really like to see if he can make a jump this next year his 4th year.

Hes been seriously hamstringed by the offense Joerger runs. In a P&R offense with Fox/Bogdan he would be excellent. Id much rather keep him that bring in another project at this time.

Is it a joke?? Willie's NETRTG -9 (KK -8,4, Skal -4,4).
Willie is mediocre defender, poor rebouder and awful scorer. I'd be happy if we get something more than 2nd round pick for him.

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I think you are overstating how bad a scorer Willie is. His post moves are rigid and robotic, but they aren’t necessarily awful. They just look awful. His finishing ability (mostly length driven) makes up for a lot of what he does wrong with post work.

The issue that we have with Willie is that he isn’t being used correctly. He’s a fast break beauty. He’s the perfect center for a D’Antoni, George Karl, Steve Kerr type of offense. Uptempo is exactly what Willie needs. This season doesn’t matter when it comes to wins and losses. It just doesn’t, so we’ve seen a lot of our players doing things that they weren’t doing before. Willie was never a post technician, so why not try his hand at doing it. It makes you a more well-rounded player if you try new things. What you have to do afterwards is make sure he doesn’t believe that’s what he is going forward.

Willie is a lot better than you are stating. He’s not a great player though. He could be, but he currently isn’t. Be patient, man. It’s the first year of our rebuild and Willie’s first year of consistent playing time. Take a look at his previous years and he is leaps and bounds better than before. Just chill.

[codydaze]

Id rather hold WCS for now. Lets see what we have with Giles first. He and Kostas have been our only positive defensive players all year according to the advanced stats. And with big men, Id really like to see if he can make a jump this next year his 4th year.

Hes been seriously hamstringed by the offense Joerger runs. In a P&R offense with Fox/Bogdan he would be excellent. Id much rather keep him that bring in another project at this time.

Is it a joke?? Willie's NETRTG -9 (KK -8,4, Skal -4,4).
Willie is mediocre defender, poor rebouder and awful scorer. I'd be happy if we get something more than 2nd round pick for him.

Sent from my MI 3W using RealGM mobile app

I think you are overstating how bad a scorer Willie is. His post moves are rigid and robotic, but they aren’t necessarily awful. They just look awful. His finishing ability (mostly length driven) makes up for a lot of what he does wrong with post work.

The issue that we have with Willie is that he isn’t being used correctly. He’s a fast break beauty. He’s the perfect center for a D’Antoni, George Karl, Steve Kerr type of offense. Uptempo is exactly what Willie needs. This season doesn’t matter when it comes to wins and losses. It just doesn’t, so we’ve seen a lot of our players doing things that they weren’t doing before. Willie was never a post technician, so why not try his hand at doing it. It makes you a more well-rounded player if you try new things. What you have to do afterwards is make sure he doesn’t believe that’s what he is going forward.

Willie is a lot better than you are stating. He’s not a great player though. He could be, but he currently isn’t. Be patient, man. It’s the first year of our rebuild and Willie’s first year of consistent playing time. Take a look at his previous years and he is leaps and bounds better than before. Just chill.

This has been my outlook on the season. We've been putting our guys in positions that haven't necessarily been their strengths because you need to work on those aspects of your game if you truly want to be a good team. The best teams can adapt to different play styles and still be successful, you don't want to pidgeon hole your abilities to one style of play.

[jazanetti]

Id rather hold WCS for now. Lets see what we have with Giles first. He and Kostas have been our only positive defensive players all year according to the advanced stats. And with big men, Id really like to see if he can make a jump this next year his 4th year.

Hes been seriously hamstringed by the offense Joerger runs. In a P&R offense with Fox/Bogdan he would be excellent. Id much rather keep him that bring in another project at this time.

Is it a joke?? Willie's NETRTG -9 (KK -8,4, Skal -4,4).
Willie is mediocre defender, poor rebouder and awful scorer. I'd be happy if we get something more than 2nd round pick for him.

Sent from my MI 3W using RealGM mobile app

I think you are overstating how bad a scorer Willie is. His post moves are rigid and robotic, but they aren’t necessarily awful. They just look awful. His finishing ability (mostly length driven) makes up for a lot of what he does wrong with post work.

The issue that we have with Willie is that he isn’t being used correctly. He’s a fast break beauty. He’s the perfect center for a D’Antoni, George Karl, Steve Kerr type of offense. Uptempo is exactly what Willie needs. This season doesn’t matter when it comes to wins and losses. It just doesn’t, so we’ve seen a lot of our players doing things that they weren’t doing before. Willie was never a post technician, so why not try his hand at doing it. It makes you a more well-rounded player if you try new things. What you have to do afterwards is make sure he doesn’t believe that’s what he is going forward.

Willie is a lot better than you are stating. He’s not a great player though. He could be, but he currently isn’t. Be patient, man. It’s the first year of our rebuild and Willie’s first year of consistent playing time. Take a look at his previous years and he is leaps and bounds better than before. Just chill.

But next year will be his contract year...
Just look, his FG%, TS%, FT% getting only worse year to year... No no no, I can't trust in Willie)
Speaking about our bigs, I'd prefer to start with Skal and KK. Use ZBo as backup center, playing limited minutes and Skal as small ball center with Fox, Bogi, Buddy and Jackson/2018 1st round pick/solid veteran FA playing big minutes/clutch time.

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[SacKingZZZ]

With DJ staying you think they go for that?

Probably not, but what about Milwaukee? That’s #16 right now. I could see him being wildly successful there. We would still have a shot a multiple good prospects. (Jontay Porter please)

Id rather hold WCS for now. Lets see what we have with Giles first. He and Kostas have been our only positive defensive players all year according to the advanced stats. And with big men, Id really like to see if he can make a jump this next year his 4th year.

Hes been seriously hamstringed by the offense Joerger runs. In a P&R offense with Fox/Bogdan he would be excellent. Id much rather keep him that bring in another project at this time.

Remember, decision time on Willie is ticking away. If the Kings have the faintest wish or desire to move him, draft night would be the best option.

[SacKingZZZ]

Id rather hold WCS for now. Lets see what we have with Giles first. He and Kostas have been our only positive defensive players all year according to the advanced stats. And with big men, Id really like to see if he can make a jump this next year his 4th year.

Hes been seriously hamstringed by the offense Joerger runs. In a P&R offense with Fox/Bogdan he would be excellent. Id much rather keep him that bring in another project at this time.

Is it a joke?? Willie's NETRTG -9 (KK -8,4, Skal -4,4).
Willie is mediocre defender, poor rebouder and awful scorer. I'd be happy if we get something more than 2nd round pick for him.

Sent from my MI 3W using RealGM mobile app

I think you are overstating how bad a scorer Willie is. His post moves are rigid and robotic, but they aren’t necessarily awful. They just look awful. His finishing ability (mostly length driven) makes up for a lot of what he does wrong with post work.

The issue that we have with Willie is that he isn’t being used correctly. He’s a fast break beauty. He’s the perfect center for a D’Antoni, George Karl, Steve Kerr type of offense. Uptempo is exactly what Willie needs. This season doesn’t matter when it comes to wins and losses. It just doesn’t, so we’ve seen a lot of our players doing things that they weren’t doing before. Willie was never a post technician, so why not try his hand at doing it. It makes you a more well-rounded player if you try new things. What you have to do afterwards is make sure he doesn’t believe that’s what he is going forward.

Willie is a lot better than you are stating. He’s not a great player though. He could be, but he currently isn’t. Be patient, man. It’s the first year of our rebuild and Willie’s first year of consistent playing time. Take a look at his previous years and he is leaps and bounds better than before. Just chill.

I'm hoping this year was just Willie evaluation. The evaluation is almost complete and if Vlade still thinks Willie is going to be the next great offensive game changing big man then he needs to wake up. He can be a solid pick and roll/pop big so hopefully that's where they head with him if they want to hang onto him. They've given Willie more chances than anyone this year and he's shown he can be spectacular at times but not consistently enough to warrant the same role moving forward.