2020 NBA Draft

[clyde21]

Not until you apologise for having Lewis as the clear number 1 There comes a time where you just have to take it on the chin and admit you’re wrong!

I still have him #1 tho

I know. You’ve gotta let go dude.

i will when a player shows me enough to put him above Lewis.

[crows2]

I still have him #1 tho

I know. You’ve gotta let go dude.

i will when a player shows me enough to put him above Lewis.

How exactly has Lewis shown that he’s above everyone else? Because he didn’t in high school and he certainly hasn’t thus far in college.

[clyde21]

I know. You’ve gotta let go dude.

i will when a player shows me enough to put him above Lewis.

How exactly has Lewis shown that he’s above everyone else? Because he didn’t in high school and he certainly hasn’t thus far in college.

because he's the best PROSPECT, not the best college player. he projects as a legit 3 position lock down defender, has elite length/athleticism, runs the court like a horse, hits his FTs and keeps his TOs low. shots are not falling right now for him but I am convinced they will at some point.

so yea, he's the best prospect in a class that doesn't have a clear#1 until proven otherwise to me.

really, Lewis, RJ, Edwards and Cole are all in their own tier for me, and then everyone else after that.

[crows2]

i will when a player shows me enough to put him above Lewis.

How exactly has Lewis shown that he’s above everyone else? Because he didn’t in high school and he certainly hasn’t thus far in college.

because he's the best PROSPECT, not the best college player. he projects as a legit 3 position lock down defender, has elite length/athleticism, runs the court like a horse, hits his FTs and keeps his TOs low. shots are not falling right now for him but I am convinced they will at some point.

so yea, he's the best prospect in a class that doesn't have a clear#1 until proven otherwise to me.

really, Lewis, RJ, Edwards and Cole are all in their own tier for me, and then everyone else after that.

He hasn’t shown any semblance of an offensive game though. You simply can’t draft someone like that at number one.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind him and I generally enjoy your insight, but he hasn’t shown that he’s the best player or the best PROSPECT at any time throughout his career. I find it hard to believe that there’s something you’re seeing with him that every single other professional or casual scout throughout the world is missing.

[Nazrmohamed]

yup, on-ball PGs are not really that valuable relatively speaking, all things equal i'd take combo guards, wings, and combo forwards/bigs above on-ball PGs and traditional centers every day

but I think Nico has some value off-ball, it's LaMelo that I think falls in this category for me...

I think traditional CS still hold a ton of value so long as it's not them being featured. The position of least importance or skillset is go to traditional PF. In fact it feels like they are outlawed. At least with a traditional C who rebounds and can defend you can run a 4out/1in system that seems so prevalent these days

traditional PFs are no longer a thing, they are just 5s now, or small ball centers.

honestly, I don't know if I see any modern PFs in this class worthy of a 1st unless you include McDaniels in that category. maybe Tillie but he's old and always hurt. Obi is decent, Achiuwa haven't been impressed with at all.

I think McDaniels is in the same category as Knox is. Future modern PF but in the meantime is about 5 yr away d/t his frail size. However in that time we wont be able to envision it cause our reality is that today hes an under skilled SF. Hard to keep fanbase engaged in NY with projects

[clyde21]

How exactly has Lewis shown that he’s above everyone else? Because he didn’t in high school and he certainly hasn’t thus far in college.

because he's the best PROSPECT, not the best college player. he projects as a legit 3 position lock down defender, has elite length/athleticism, runs the court like a horse, hits his FTs and keeps his TOs low. shots are not falling right now for him but I am convinced they will at some point.

so yea, he's the best prospect in a class that doesn't have a clear#1 until proven otherwise to me.

really, Lewis, RJ, Edwards and Cole are all in their own tier for me, and then everyone else after that.

He hasn’t shown any semblance of an offensive game though. You simply can’t draft someone like that at number one.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind him and I generally enjoy your insight, but he hasn’t shown that he’s the best player or the best PROSPECT at any time throughout his career. I find it hard to believe that there’s something you’re seeing with him that every single other professional or casual scout throughout the world is missing.

just because he's my #1 prospect doesn't mean I'm taking him #1, obviously where everyone else has him matters, if he's projected to go late lotto I'd rather trade down and take him and pick up extra assets. i'm not gonna take Lewis #1 if he's most likely gonna be there at 14.

and the 'this goes against general consensus' is a bad argument, sorry. i told you my thought process why I have him #1, you're more than welcome to disagree with it but I don't really care what the general consensus is.

[adzrne]

Lewis has 2 glaring weaknesses that will hold him back from being an elite offensive player. Size, he is too skinny and I don't think he has the frame to be a beast down low like a harden, kawhi and get to the line consistently. Also without a good/great distance jump shot how is he going to consistently score?

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[clyde21]

https://www.thestepien.com/2020-draft-rankings/

am i just trippin or are these just terrible?

[EvanZ]

I think they must be old because I doubt those guys have Hurt so high now.

[clyde21]

I think they must be old because I doubt those guys have Hurt so high now.

can't be that old, they have Onyeka and Okoro on there

[EvanZ]

I mean those guys were highly rated recruits so why is that surprising? In fact I can guarantee you those folks would have both way ahead of Hurt today.

[No-Man]

https://www.thestepien.com/2020-draft-rankings/

am i just trippin or are these just terrible?

*ORDER WITHIN TIERS IS FLUID & TIER 2 IS SORTED BY POSITION.

The only ranked part is Tier I, which other than Maxey being there (I disagreed with that when we put the rankings up) is totally fine

Rankings are from pre-season also, haven't been updated, we will have one by the start of conference play

[EvanZ]

From the horse's mouth!

[The-Power]

Nolley isn't a Guard man, he can't dribble

Besides the obvious hyperbole (he can attack close-outs and is still 19 years old, handles will develop) – if so, so what? Klay Thompson can't dribble (to use the hyperbole) and he's a Guard that everybody would love to have on their team. Hell, even if Klay couldn't put the ball on the floor at all he would be highly touted just because he is an elite shooter with solid size. I never said Nolley was supposed to handle the ball to create off the dribble, not every Guard/Wing needs to be able to do that reliably.

but no way he is athletic enough to play on the wing and has shown 0 aptitude to put the ball on the floor and do anything, needless to say, doesn't look great on D

I'm in the camp that if you have sufficient size and you're not a complete stiff, you can make it work in the NBA on defense as long as you're putting in the effort and play smart. Not saying you're going to be a good defender, of course, but you don't have to be a liability. Nolley has a lot of improvement left on his body, so we'll see where he ends up. But even with just a little added strength and consistent effort he shouldn't be a liability in the NBA if used correctly.

Also, I agree that he hasn't looked great on defense. But as you said yourself, he's playing in the role of a big man – I don't expect him to be totally comfortable in that role, he's just not a big. I also mentioned his usage rate; of course he's going to coast a bit on defense when he has to carry the offense. I have seen good defensive possessions played by him which gives me some confidence that he would look much better if he just had more energy to spend on that end. His defensive instincts aren't terrible, it's his effort that comes and goes.

Lastly, I would completely agree that casual fans often project prospects in college to play at the wing positions in the NBA when they are clearly not wing players (for instance, I have heard people say that McDaniels or Achiuwa are 3's when they clearly aren't; or people who still say that Giannis is a 3 which is just insane). But some of you seem drift in the opposite direction now and declare players 4's or 5's who could easily end up playing smaller positions in the NBA. I don't know, seems a bit like contrarianism just for the sake of it at times.

[No-Man]

I don't get the comp with Klay who was a legit 1st option and wing creator at NCAA level really, Klay isn't like quick but he moves really well, has awesome anticipation on both ends, and works like a madman

I don't think Nolley is a big, he is just not athletic enough to me to be a NBA wing, looks like a typical bench stretch-4, could be useful if his floor game, IQ and attitude is towards that and team bball, like I said the Tolliver mold, best player from that type has been Jared Dudley

I jsut don't see him at all as a guy who will be able to create much off the bounce, and surely not as a 2-Guard

He got plenty of strength, he is 6'5/6'6 barefoot and weighs 230

He def can't attack close-outs at NBA level, he is very limited in terms of horizontal athleticism and generate very little space for his shots (he still hit them cuase he has an elite jumper tb sure)

[crows2]

https://www.thestepien.com/2020-draft-rankings/

am i just trippin or are these just terrible?

I find The Stepien to be far more useful for its in depth articles than their rankings. Their rankings are usually tainted by groupthink and a herd mentality.

The below rankings (which specify an order even in the lower tiers) are just ridiculous. Wiseman 6 spots below Hurt? That’s just being different for the sake of it. Even in the preseason, no unbiased scout could possibly have come to that conclusion. They should stick to the video analysis and articles.

https://www.thestepien.com/2019/11/05/mike-gribanovs-2020-preseason-big-board/

[crows2]

Not sure if he’s already been mentioned here but what are people’s thoughts on Aaron Nesmith from Vanderbilt? He’s one of the leading scorers in the country right now but I’m not sure his shooting numbers are sustainable.

Bump. ESPN just mocked Nesmith in their first round. Has anyone seen enough of his play to give an opinion on him?

[King Ken]

Lewis has 2 glaring weaknesses that will hold him back from being an elite offensive player. Size, he is too skinny and I don't think he has the frame to be a beast down low like a harden, kawhi and get to the line consistently. Also without a good/great distance jump shot how is he going to consistently score?

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Put me in the same boat on Lewis. I think he will be a good NBA player but he has so much development to become a very good or great one. It's not straightforward with him. If you are Team Lewis, I get it but if you aren't, I understand.

[zimpy27]

A number of different places are putting LaMelo at number 1.

Some suggest both the Warriors and Knicks will take him with their pick. Understand it for the Knicks but if the Warriors take him I'll be shocked.

[clyde21]

A number of different places are putting LaMelo at number 1.

Some suggest both the Warriors and Knicks will take him with their pick. Understand it for the Knicks but if the Warriors take him I'll be shocked.

/puke

Myers is a moron tho, he'd do it