Re-Assessing the 2019 Draft

[CptCrunch]

It seems like most are firm on Ja as the second pick. I could easily see him slipping out of top 5 in a couple years as his 3 shooting looks like an issue.

I could easily see Garland and Barrett passing him but who else? He’s too athletic and dynamic to not end up top 5 IMO. Even someone real nice all around like Hunter doesn’t have the upside to surpass him I don’t think

Before passing Ja, Garland and Barrett would first have to pass Hunter.

Hunter is at worst #3 in this draft behind Zion and Ja and could be ahead of Ja in the near future.

Hunter doesn’t offer the offensive upside of Barrett or Garland. He’s played half the season and is 2 years older. Who cares if he’s marginally better right now. Garland has more dynamic scoring/ball handling/playmaking. Barrett is an all around stud on the wing. Hunters great but he’s a lower usage high efficiency guy rather than someone you can run a team through. I think the Hawks would definitely take him over Garland because it’s a better fit for their team but the Knicks and Cavs would prefer their guys.

Hunter is a 3rd option on his team.

RJ is the 1b option on his team, and 1a in crunch time. Plus he is 2.5 years younger than Hunter.

They aren't comparable as young prospects right now. RJ is projecting a low tier franchise player based on his trajectory.

Hunter is trending towards a high quality starter/role player.

[zimpy27]

It seems like most are firm on Ja as the second pick. I could easily see him slipping out of top 5 in a couple years as his 3 shooting looks like an issue.

I could easily see Garland and Barrett passing him but who else? He’s too athletic and dynamic to not end up top 5 IMO. Even someone real nice all around like Hunter doesn’t have the upside to surpass him I don’t think

I could see Zion, Barrett, Garland, Hunter, Herro, THT being able to be ahead at some point. Hunter has plenty of upside.

[clyde21]

quick shout out to Naz Reid btw who I completely forgot, not sure where he'd go but second season he's averaging 21/9/2/2 per 36, good efficiency, hitting 35% of his 3s...as a big that's huge, he might get a big(ish) contract relatively soon with that skill set

really the depth in this class is turning out to be bonkers.

[Roger Murdock]

Right now if I had to guess how the class pans out:

Super Stars
1. Zion
-----------

All Stars
2. Barrett
3. Morant
4. Garland

-----------

Good starters with all star upside if things break right
5. Hunter
6. Herro
7. Keldon
8. Washington
9. Rui

-----------
Guys who are either big risks w/ real upside or solid rotation guys w/ low risk

10. Clarke
11. Tybull
12. Dort
13. Tucker
14. Claxton
15. Johnson
16. NAW
17. Bol
18. Hayes
19. Porter Jr
20. Bazley


I literally cannot believe some of you still list Reddish as a top-20 guy. He didnt have a pulse in college, he didnt have a pulse as a rookie, and hes only getting worse. How much more proof do we need that hes awful at basketball.

[CptCrunch]

Right now if I had to guess how the class pans out:

Super Stars
1. Zion
-----------

All Stars
2. Barrett
3. Morant
4. Garland

-----------

Good starters with all star upside if things break right
5. Hunter
6. Herro
7. Keldon
8. Washington
9. Rui

-----------
Guys who are either big risks w/ real upside or solid rotation guys w/ low risk

10. Clarke
11. Tybull
12. Dort
13. Tucker
14. Claxton
15. Johnson
16. NAW
17. Bol
18. Hayes
19. Porter Jr
20. Bazley


I literally cannot believe some of you still list Reddish as a top-20 guy. He didnt have a pulse in college, he didnt have a pulse as a rookie, and hes only getting worse. How much more proof do we need that hes awful at basketball.

He is still 21. The worst case scenario is that he fully figures it out after 5 years and becomes a role/bench player for someone. That level of pure shooting in the gym, silky shot, smooth athleticism is simply too good to amount to nothing.

[Roger Murdock]

Right now if I had to guess how the class pans out:

Super Stars
1. Zion
-----------

All Stars
2. Barrett
3. Morant
4. Garland

-----------

Good starters with all star upside if things break right
5. Hunter
6. Herro
7. Keldon
8. Washington
9. Rui

-----------
Guys who are either big risks w/ real upside or solid rotation guys w/ low risk

10. Clarke
11. Tybull
12. Dort
13. Tucker
14. Claxton
15. Johnson
16. NAW
17. Bol
18. Hayes
19. Porter Jr
20. Bazley


I literally cannot believe some of you still list Reddish as a top-20 guy. He didnt have a pulse in college, he didnt have a pulse as a rookie, and hes only getting worse. How much more proof do we need that hes awful at basketball.

He is still 21. The worst case scenario is that he fully figures it out after 5 years and becomes a role/bench player for someone. That level of pure shooting in the gym, silky shot, smooth athleticism is simply too good to amount to nothing.

He has that freak level athleticism now and he cant do anything with it. His handles garbage and he can't finish in traffic so its not like hes going to be taking people off the dribble or making the best use of his athleticism. Hes not a playmaker so even in the event he beats his man off the dribble and forces a rotation he's more likely to turn it over than convert it to an assist. He doesn't have a feel for the game and has shown minimal improvement (actually regression) over the last 1000 days.

And I've never seen someone who's such a bad shooter get labeled a good shooter quiet like Reddish. He's been a very low 30s 3-pt shooter and a low 40s 2-pt shooter since college. Why can't we call a spade a spade? He's a bad shooter with poor touch.


Reminds me of that scene in Moneyball 'if hes such a good hitter why doesn't he hit good'

Cam Reddish is just in a 1000 day slump I guess.

There a reason why guys like Nash and Jokic win MVPs and guys like Cam Reddish wont be playing in the league in 4 years. Being good at basketball is the most important NBA skill.

[Stillwater]

Right now if I had to guess how the class pans out:

Super Stars
1. Zion
-----------

All Stars
2. Barrett
3. Morant
4. Garland

-----------

Good starters with all star upside if things break right
5. Hunter
6. Herro
7. Keldon
8. Washington
9. Rui

-----------
Guys who are either big risks w/ real upside or solid rotation guys w/ low risk

10. Clarke
11. Tybull
12. Dort
13. Tucker
14. Claxton
15. Johnson
16. NAW
17. Bol
18. Hayes
19. Porter Jr
20. Bazley


I literally cannot believe some of you still list Reddish as a top-20 guy. He didnt have a pulse in college, he didnt have a pulse as a rookie, and hes only getting worse. How much more proof do we need that hes awful at basketball.

He is still 21. The worst case scenario is that he fully figures it out after 5 years and becomes a role/bench player for someone. That level of pure shooting in the gym, silky shot, smooth athleticism is simply too good to amount to nothing.

He has that freak level athleticism now and he cant do anything with it. His handles garbage and he can't finish in traffic so its not like hes going to be taking people off the dribble or making the best use of his athleticism. Hes not a playmaker so even in the event he beats his man off the dribble and forces a rotation he's more likely to turn it over than convert it to an assist. He doesn't have a feel for the game and has shown minimal improvement (actually regression) over the last 1000 days.

And I've never seen someone who's such a bad shooter get labeled a good shooter quiet like Reddish. He's been a very low 30s 3-pt shooter and a low 40s 2-pt shooter since college. Why can't we call a spade a spade? He's a bad shooter with poor touch.


Reminds me of that scene in Moneyball 'if hes such a good hitter why doesn't he hit good'

Cam Reddish is just in a 1000 day slump I guess.

There a reason why guys like Nash and Jokic win MVPs and guys like Cam Reddish wont be playing in the league in 4 years. Being good at basketball is the most important NBA skill.

I have been one of the biggest Reddish haters on earth and I dont agree with much of this. His biggest problem has always been between the ears and in the chest. he lacks the mental fortitude and the passion required to make himself into what his body is capable of achieving and that is why I never liked him...still waiting for him to prove me wrong right before his exit from the league is dangled as motivation

[Roger Murdock]

He is still 21. The worst case scenario is that he fully figures it out after 5 years and becomes a role/bench player for someone. That level of pure shooting in the gym, silky shot, smooth athleticism is simply too good to amount to nothing.

He has that freak level athleticism now and he cant do anything with it. His handles garbage and he can't finish in traffic so its not like hes going to be taking people off the dribble or making the best use of his athleticism. Hes not a playmaker so even in the event he beats his man off the dribble and forces a rotation he's more likely to turn it over than convert it to an assist. He doesn't have a feel for the game and has shown minimal improvement (actually regression) over the last 1000 days.

And I've never seen someone who's such a bad shooter get labeled a good shooter quiet like Reddish. He's been a very low 30s 3-pt shooter and a low 40s 2-pt shooter since college. Why can't we call a spade a spade? He's a bad shooter with poor touch.


Reminds me of that scene in Moneyball 'if hes such a good hitter why doesn't he hit good'

Cam Reddish is just in a 1000 day slump I guess.

There a reason why guys like Nash and Jokic win MVPs and guys like Cam Reddish wont be playing in the league in 4 years. Being good at basketball is the most important NBA skill.

I have been one of the biggest Reddish haters on earth and I dont agree with much of this. His biggest problem has always been between the ears and in the chest. he lacks the mental fortitude and the passion required to make himself into what his body is capable of achieving and that is why I never liked him...still waiting for him to prove me wrong right before his exit from the league is dangled as motivation

When he’s clanking wide open 3s it’s not because his heart or his Bbiq it’s because he’s not a good shooter. You don’t have to be a smart or passionate player to make a shot when open

[Stillwater]

He has that freak level athleticism now and he cant do anything with it. His handles garbage and he can't finish in traffic so its not like hes going to be taking people off the dribble or making the best use of his athleticism. Hes not a playmaker so even in the event he beats his man off the dribble and forces a rotation he's more likely to turn it over than convert it to an assist. He doesn't have a feel for the game and has shown minimal improvement (actually regression) over the last 1000 days.

And I've never seen someone who's such a bad shooter get labeled a good shooter quiet like Reddish. He's been a very low 30s 3-pt shooter and a low 40s 2-pt shooter since college. Why can't we call a spade a spade? He's a bad shooter with poor touch.


Reminds me of that scene in Moneyball 'if hes such a good hitter why doesn't he hit good'

Cam Reddish is just in a 1000 day slump I guess.

There a reason why guys like Nash and Jokic win MVPs and guys like Cam Reddish wont be playing in the league in 4 years. Being good at basketball is the most important NBA skill.

I have been one of the biggest Reddish haters on earth and I dont agree with much of this. His biggest problem has always been between the ears and in the chest. he lacks the mental fortitude and the passion required to make himself into what his body is capable of achieving and that is why I never liked him...still waiting for him to prove me wrong right before his exit from the league is dangled as motivation

When he’s clanking wide open 3s it’s not because his heart or his Bbiq it’s because he’s not a good shooter. You don’t have to be a smart or passionate player to make a shot when open

no you have to have the will and the mind to make yourself work to get better which is exactly his problem.

[CP War Hawks]

Reddish is not good rn for sure but I can't comprehend these takes seriously. He's the best overall defender in this class, yes right with Thybulle. He's capable of giving a guy like KD fits w/o help.

He has alot of work to do with his body. He's had a bad achilles injury that's kept him out a good two months and maybe he's been playing through that injury. Once he gets it together physically we've all seen what he can do on both ends which very few in that class can even approach.

[cgf]

I didnt expect him to vault up the draft boards but I surprised draftniks have not noticed how drastically improved Nassir Little has been this year. Still inconsistent, but looking like a NBA player if not a low usage 4/5th starter sometime in the future.

That's awesome to hear. I was really high on Nas & Hunter that year, and after everything he's gone through, I'd love to see Little come into his own.

[peachbucket]

What a tremendous strike out by Ainge in this draft by missing out on Tyler Hero and taking Romeo Langford at 14 and Grant Williams at 22 and Carsen Edwards at 33 with so many good players on the board. Williams is not an NBA player and Langford has been plagued by injuries and has shown nothing.

[DCasey91]

MVP tier:
Zion

All star tier:
Morant
Garland
Barrett

Could snag an All star or two:
KPJ (has all star tier in him should probably stick him there tbh)
Hunter

All Def potential:
Thybulle (Should be lock in the first team this year no joke)
Hunter
Claxton

Lots and lots of solid depth of prospects who look like having long NBA careers. Johnson 2x, PJ, Bazley, Clarke, Gafford, Rui, White, Herro, THT, NAW, Goga etc. so very solid.

Always a good draft with a budding superstar in the very near future.

[God Squad]

I didnt expect him to vault up the draft boards but I surprised draftniks have not noticed how drastically improved Nassir Little has been this year. Still inconsistent, but looking like a NBA player if not a low usage 4/5th starter sometime in the future.

That's awesome to hear. I was really high on Nas & Hunter that year, and after everything he's gone through, I'd love to see Little come into his own.

Nassir has been such a let down so far and even in college. I still rememeber the highschool game where is was whoopin' on RJ and Montverde

[nolang1]

Covid and the bubble has really thrown things off with this draft where my assessment before the draft was probably more accurate than going into this season (remember when people were actually saying stuff like 'would you trade Tyler Herro for #1 in 2020?").

The one player where I'm probably most different than consensus would be Jaxson Hayes. He's still 20 and in a one-number metric like LEBRON the only 20-and-under players with a better rating from this draft are and Zion and Horton-Tucker (last year for 19-and-under players it was just Zion). Obviously that's not the end-all be-all for evaluating players, but I'd say that's pretty good for someone who's regarded as super raw with no clue what he's doing.

New Orleans isn't even a good fit for him since Zion is essentially a 5 on offense and is good enough that it's put the organization in more of a win-now mode where they've done stuff like trade a 1st for Steven Adams plus move Hernangomez ahead of Hayes in the rotation for a while because of one good game he had against the Kings, all to chase a play-in spot. Since his last DNP in early March Hayes is averaging 17.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per 36 while shooting 72.8% on twos and 81.3% on free throws in addition to being 3-7 on threes in that time. He's not some huge negative like you'd expect a super raw player to be and his shooting and foul avoidance are clearly trending in the right direction.

I'll re-up this to say that Hayes has had his two highest-scoring games of the season (19 in 24 minutes and 18 in 26 minutes) in the last two games that Zion has been out. 9 blocks and 2 steals in those 50 minutes as well. I think one lesson from this draft that will only be more true going forward is that rookies (especially young ones) are going to be bad in several areas of the game, and the easiest way to grade out as a solid player (aka extremely good for a rookie) if you're good at one thing but bad at many others is by being a good three-point shooter. There are a lot of people who fetishize NBA readiness, and while it's true that someone who knows how to play is probably going to turn out better than a more athletic player who doesn't know how to play, it should also be true that someone who immediately plugs in as a 40% catch-and-shoot three-point shooter isn't going to have as much room for improvement as a more athletic or versatile player who isn't as effective in the early going.

[shakes0]

I could easily see Garland and Barrett passing him but who else? He’s too athletic and dynamic to not end up top 5 IMO. Even someone real nice all around like Hunter doesn’t have the upside to surpass him I don’t think

Before passing Ja, Garland and Barrett would first have to pass Hunter.

Hunter is at worst #3 in this draft behind Zion and Ja and could be ahead of Ja in the near future.

Hunter doesn’t offer the offensive upside of Barrett or Garland. He’s played half the season and is 2 years older. Who cares if he’s marginally better right now. Garland has more dynamic scoring/ball handling/playmaking. Barrett is an all around stud on the wing. Hunters great but he’s a lower usage high efficiency guy rather than someone you can run a team through. I think the Hawks would definitely take him over Garland because it’s a better fit for their team but the Knicks and Cavs would prefer their guys.

Hunter is a 3rd option on his team.

RJ is the 1b option on his team, and 1a in crunch time. Plus he is 2.5 years younger than Hunter.

They aren't comparable as young prospects right now. RJ is projecting a low tier franchise player based on his trajectory.

Hunter is trending towards a high quality starter/role player.

I think it's pretty clear after watching them play vs each other in the playoffs (with Hunter coming off long term injury and still on minutes restriction the first 2 games) that Hunter is the superior player and its not close. Better on offense and MUCH better on defense.

[Chanel Bomber]

Before passing Ja, Garland and Barrett would first have to pass Hunter.

Hunter is at worst #3 in this draft behind Zion and Ja and could be ahead of Ja in the near future.

Hunter doesn’t offer the offensive upside of Barrett or Garland. He’s played half the season and is 2 years older. Who cares if he’s marginally better right now. Garland has more dynamic scoring/ball handling/playmaking. Barrett is an all around stud on the wing. Hunters great but he’s a lower usage high efficiency guy rather than someone you can run a team through. I think the Hawks would definitely take him over Garland because it’s a better fit for their team but the Knicks and Cavs would prefer their guys.

Hunter is a 3rd option on his team.

RJ is the 1b option on his team, and 1a in crunch time. Plus he is 2.5 years younger than Hunter.

They aren't comparable as young prospects right now. RJ is projecting a low tier franchise player based on his trajectory.

Hunter is trending towards a high quality starter/role player.

I think it's pretty clear after watching them play vs each other in the playoffs (with Hunter coming off long term injury and still on minutes restriction the first 2 games) that Hunter is the superior player and its not close. Better on offense and MUCH better on defense.

Hunter had a better series than RJ but the notion that "it's not close" is a complete exaggeration.

RJ averaged 14.4 ppg on 48.9 TS%, 7.2 rpg, 3.0 apg, 0.4 tpg on 20.4 usg in 32.3 mpg

Hunter averaged 10.8 ppg on 51.9 TS%, 4.0 rpg, 0.4 apg, 1.4 tpg on 16.8 usg in 30.3 mpg

Hunter is the better defender, there's no denying that. RJ is a more well-rounded player outside of defense. Both have their limitations. Both have an upside.

[Richard4444]

1) Zion Williamson
2) Ja Morant
3) RJ Barrett
4) DeAndre Hunter
5) Darius Garland
6) Tyler Herro
7) Kevin Porter Jr
8) PJ Washington
9) Keldon Johson
10) Cameron Johnson
11) Dort
12) Coby White
13) Matias Thybulle
14) Chuma Okeke
15) Poole
16) Rui Hachimura
17) Talen Horton-Tucker
18) Nicholas Claxton
19) Cam Reddish
20) Brandon Clarke/Gafford

A lot of players really disappointed me in their sophomore season as Herro, Brandon Clarke, Coby White, Cam Reddish and Terence Davis. They had a good rookie year.

[Mr Peanut]

I think its still a bit early but some are obviously developing faster than others...
example I think the jury is still way out on Sekou who hasnt had a real pg and is in a giant dumpster fire

Slight dredge up of an old post but I'm curious as to why guys like Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart can develop and play well in this so-called "dumpster fire" but Sekou can't?

[Stillwater]

I think its still a bit early but some are obviously developing faster than others...
example I think the jury is still way out on Sekou who hasnt had a real pg and is in a giant dumpster fire

Slight dredge up of an old post but I'm curious as to why guys like Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart can develop and play well in this so-called "dumpster fire" but Sekou can't?

Stewart is not really developing he's just playing his same game we saw all season in college, and Bey was as much of a plug and play type prospect that needed very little development so yeah Sekou was always a long term play and tbh they should have stashed him.