2018 NBA Draft

[Catchall]

Is Kevin Knox getting any buzz at all? I'm feeling like he's under the radar. Rui Hachimura too.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Mo Bamba looks anything but a one dimensional center.

Played 2 practice games in Australia and was very impressive with his all-round skills - dribble, outside shooting, post moves, mobility etc...

[Kolkmania]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

[Marcus]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

why low on those two?

[Duke4life831]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

[Marcus]

I think if we're talking talent in this class it probably doesn't get better than Ayton, Bags, and Porter with the latter two being interchangeable. I'd say Porter because of his consistent jumper but Bags shows move defensive versatility even though both can get lax on that end.

Ayton talent wise is unmatched IMO. That kid with a consistent motor is one of the better bigs in the league day one. Size, agility, touch, post game, rebounds, rim-protects, pass, shoots all over the floor. There isn't a better talent in the class. Also the best example of how important effort, passion, and energy are on the court. Cause all the talent while missing the elements I just mentioned can get him leap frogged in this draft.

[The-Power]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

I'm also considering Brown for my top 5 ahead of Ayton (even though Ayton is more talented). As of now I'd probably put Bamba, Bagley, Porter and Jackson in my top 4 (in some order) with Brown and Ayton rounding out the top 6.

[Duke4life831]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

I'm also considering Brown for my top 5 ahead of Ayton (even though Ayton is more talented). As of now I'd probably put Bamba, Bagley, Porter and Jackson in my top 4 (in some order) with Brown and Ayton rounding out the top 6.

I just want to clarify on the Brown we are talking about. Are we talking about Bruce or Troy? And you got Jaren Jackson in your top 4?

[The-Power]

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

I'm also considering Brown for my top 5 ahead of Ayton (even though Ayton is more talented). As of now I'd probably put Bamba, Bagley, Porter and Jackson in my top 4 (in some order) with Brown and Ayton rounding out the top 6.

I just want to clarify on the Brown we are talking about. Are we talking about Bruce or Troy? And you got Jaren Jackson in your top 4?

Troy Brown Jr. Note that this list of mine only reflects my thoughts on the players entering college this year. It does not include players who already played in college or who play international basketball (otherwise at least Doncic would be ahead of Brown on my list).

And yes, I've been very high on Jaren Jackson for quite some time now and have him in my top 4 among 2018 college freshmen. I've written quite a bit about him in recent months iirc – in case you're interested in my more substantiated opinion I could try to dig it up.

[ItsThatEasy]

Ayton should be the #1 prospect talent wise, he looks like a general player at times.

[Kolkmania]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

why low on those two?

It's a matter of personal preferences and things I'm looking for in terms of "scouting" prospects. I value BB IQ over potential based on athleticism for instance. Let me state that I get the intrigue of Ayton and Bagley and absolutely agree with their ceiling outcome as franchise players in the NBA if everything falls into place. I just find it very unlikely that they hit those ceilings, for different reasons. In high school players who are physically overwhelming have a incredible advantage, you can't fault them for having so, but I do look for development throughout the years in the skills and mental part of the game. And I feel that both players have been roughly the same players for some time now.

Ayton has been a monster in high school for several years at this point, but when I watch a full game of him he still runs into spots where he doesn't belong, he doesn't play any defense, his motor is abysmal and his body language is even worse. Could he average 20 PPG in the NBA? Sure. But what is the value of a high usage big who doesn't have the mindset nor the IQ to play defense in the modern NBA?

Bagley is intriguing because of his mobility while being 6'10'', but besides that he's a jack of all trades, master of none. His jumper looks smooth, but his percentages are just horrible and I think he just doesn't posses the touch to convert. You don't want him to be a primary creator as well, he can't dribble in half court situations and his decision making is just very poor. For every nice dish he'll turn the ball over two times. So offensively he's a energy big with some limited dribbling abilities for me.
Defensively he's far better, but also a bit overrated for me. I've seen some games where he was absolutely dominant, he has the mentality to contest every shot around the basket, but he doesn't have the frame nor reach to consistently force misses against NBA athletes. Aside from that he's a great rebounder.
I'm higher on Bagley than Ayton and I'll place him in the same tier as Wendell Carter and Troy Brown, but he has to show me he's more than an energy big with defensive versatility to put him in the conversation for the #1 pick.

Regarding the two prospects I'm higher on than the consensus. I feel that Wendell Carter is criminally underrated. He's not extremely long, but he has the reach of a center and unlike Bagley he has the frame to absorb contact at the rim. Apart from that he's just so much smarter from a positional perspective than Ayton for example, despite being shorter and less athletic I remember him outplaying him under the boards and from a scoring perspective as well. His handle is really good for a big as well making him capable passing from the short roll.
Troy Brown's archetype is just really valuable in the NBA. He's a wing who's comfortable operating as a secondary or tertiary playmaker. He's such a willing passer in transition (loves to make quick passes like Lonzo Ball) and he rarely makes the wrong decision. Combine that with a nearly 7 foot wingspan, willingess to defend, good looking shooting motion and he's exactly what you want from a modern NBA player.

[The-Power]

[...]

Since the two of us seem to be the Troy Brown bandwagoners on this board: what's your take on Jaren Jackson (the other player I'm clearly higher on than most)?

[Kolkmania]

[...]

Since the two of us seem to be the Troy Brown bandwagoners on this board: what's your take on Jaren Jackson (the other player I'm clearly higher on than most)?

I like his defense and his length. He's really young and seems like a smart kid, so let's see how he'll progress throughout the year. His release point is a bit low, not really skilled and he's athletic abilities seems a bit underwhelming to me so I don't think he'll be able create his own shot, seems more of a role player to me. But honestly I haven't seen enough of him to form a real opinion about him, curious how he'll perform next to Bridges this year.

What makes you so optimistic about him?

[The-Power]

[...]

Since the two of us seem to be the Troy Brown bandwagoners on this board: what's your take on Jaren Jackson (the other player I'm clearly higher on than most)?

I like his defense and his length. He's really young and seems like a smart kid, so let's see how he'll progress throughout the year. His release point is a bit low, not really skilled and he's athletic abilities seems a bit underwhelming to me so I don't think he'll be able create his own shot, seems more of a role player to me. But honestly I haven't seen enough of him to form a real opinion about him, curious how he'll perform next to Bridges this year.

What makes you so optimistic about him?

It's true that Jackson is unlikely to be more than a role player on the offensive end. But given that big men rarely are top-tier offensive anchors anyway, I tend to put much more emphasis on defense. That being said, I believe Jackson can be a solid offensive contributer. First and foremost, he can shoot 3's despite his unusual mechanics which gives him more offensive versatility and portability. He's not an impressive athlete nor is he impressively skilled even for a big man; but with his decent touch and length he should be able to exploit mismatches after switches in the post down the road. Furthermore, he is unselfish, understands the game and is going to keep the ball moving. In other words: I see an opportunistic scorer who's willing to defer and focus on how he can contribute on offense (taking open shots, setting screens, the occasional lob and post-up after switches, offensive rebounding).

What makes him a great talent is his defensive upside. In my opinion, he's the second best defensive prospect in the draft behind Bamba. Jackson is very long and fluid (which allows him to defend outside the paint), he knows how to position himself on defense and is willing to fight for rebounds (more than Bamba at this point). He should be a good shot blocker who can play both positions at the next level. The combination of potentially great modern (!) big men defense and a great offensive skill set for a role player (ability to shoot, rebound, post up against guards and defer) make him a really intriguing prospect in my eyes. If he's ever going to become a second-tier DPOY candidate – e.g. someone like Millsap on that end – then I'm positive that there aren't more than four guys better than him in the draft, especially considering that he should fit in anywhere and make an impact. Obviously it's not easy to become this good defensively but aside from the generational defensive prospect in Bamba his odds to become a top 5-10 defensive player in the league are as good as anybody else's in next year's draft.

[Marcus]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

why low on those two?

It's a matter of personal preferences and things I'm looking for in terms of "scouting" prospects. I value BB IQ over potential based on athleticism for instance. Let me state that I get the intrigue of Ayton and Bagley and absolutely agree with their ceiling outcome as franchise players in the NBA if everything falls into place. I just find it very unlikely that they hit those ceilings, for different reasons. In high school players who are physically overwhelming have a incredible advantage, you can't fault them for having so, but I do look for development throughout the years in the skills and mental part of the game. And I feel that both players have been roughly the same players for some time now.

Ayton has been a monster in high school for several years at this point, but when I watch a full game of him he still runs into spots where he doesn't belong, he doesn't play any defense, his motor is abysmal and his body language is even worse. Could he average 20 PPG in the NBA? Sure. But what is the value of a high usage big who doesn't have the mindset nor the IQ to play defense in the modern NBA?

Bagley is intriguing because of his mobility while being 6'10'', but besides that he's a jack of all trades, master of none. His jumper looks smooth, but his percentages are just horrible and I think he just doesn't posses the touch to convert. You don't want him to be a primary creator as well, he can't dribble in half court situations and his decision making is just very poor. For every nice dish he'll turn the ball over two times. So offensively he's a energy big with some limited dribbling abilities for me.
Defensively he's far better, but also a bit overrated for me. I've seen some games where he was absolutely dominant, he has the mentality to contest every shot around the basket, but he doesn't have the frame nor reach to consistently force misses against NBA athletes. Aside from that he's a great rebounder.
I'm higher on Bagley than Ayton and I'll place him in the same tier as Wendell Carter and Troy Brown, but he has to show me he's more than an energy big with defensive versatility to put him in the conversation for the #1 pick.

Regarding the two prospects I'm higher on than the consensus. I feel that Wendell Carter is criminally underrated. He's not extremely long, but he has the reach of a center and unlike Bagley he has the frame to absorb contact at the rim. Apart from that he's just so much smarter from a positional perspective than Ayton for example, despite being shorter and less athletic I remember him outplaying him under the boards and from a scoring perspective as well. His handle is really good for a big as well making him capable passing from the short roll.
Troy Brown's archetype is just really valuable in the NBA. He's a wing who's comfortable operating as a secondary or tertiary playmaker. He's such a willing passer in transition (loves to make quick passes like Lonzo Ball) and he rarely makes the wrong decision. Combine that with a nearly 7 foot wingspan, willingess to defend, good looking shooting motion and he's exactly what you want from a modern NBA player.

Can I first just say that I love when posters reply with more than "I'm just tired of the hype around player x's name", so thank you for that.

I agree with everything said here in this post and I'm happy to see I'm not the only one enamored with Wendell Carter. Been my favorite big in this class since I saw him playing AAU next to Udoka Azubuike. He appeared then to be by far the better prospect and IMO Wendell is the only sure fire of the 3 main bigs (Ayton, Carter, Bamba) that can give you day one on both ends in the league right now. Obviously not the ceiling of the other two but a much MUCH higher floor all things considered.

I know where I stand on this but do you see Wendell as a number one option in the league?

[Duke4life831]

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

I think that Doncic, Bamba, Porter, Carter and Brown might be my top 5 going into the college season. Not high on Bagley and Ayton at all.

why low on those two?

It's a matter of personal preferences and things I'm looking for in terms of "scouting" prospects. I value BB IQ over potential based on athleticism for instance. Let me state that I get the intrigue of Ayton and Bagley and absolutely agree with their ceiling outcome as franchise players in the NBA if everything falls into place. I just find it very unlikely that they hit those ceilings, for different reasons. In high school players who are physically overwhelming have a incredible advantage, you can't fault them for having so, but I do look for development throughout the years in the skills and mental part of the game. And I feel that both players have been roughly the same players for some time now.

Ayton has been a monster in high school for several years at this point, but when I watch a full game of him he still runs into spots where he doesn't belong, he doesn't play any defense, his motor is abysmal and his body language is even worse. Could he average 20 PPG in the NBA? Sure. But what is the value of a high usage big who doesn't have the mindset nor the IQ to play defense in the modern NBA?

Bagley is intriguing because of his mobility while being 6'10'', but besides that he's a jack of all trades, master of none. His jumper looks smooth, but his percentages are just horrible and I think he just doesn't posses the touch to convert. You don't want him to be a primary creator as well, he can't dribble in half court situations and his decision making is just very poor. For every nice dish he'll turn the ball over two times. So offensively he's a energy big with some limited dribbling abilities for me.
Defensively he's far better, but also a bit overrated for me. I've seen some games where he was absolutely dominant, he has the mentality to contest every shot around the basket, but he doesn't have the frame nor reach to consistently force misses against NBA athletes. Aside from that he's a great rebounder.
I'm higher on Bagley than Ayton and I'll place him in the same tier as Wendell Carter and Troy Brown, but he has to show me he's more than an energy big with defensive versatility to put him in the conversation for the #1 pick.

Regarding the two prospects I'm higher on than the consensus. I feel that Wendell Carter is criminally underrated. He's not extremely long, but he has the reach of a center and unlike Bagley he has the frame to absorb contact at the rim. Apart from that he's just so much smarter from a positional perspective than Ayton for example, despite being shorter and less athletic I remember him outplaying him under the boards and from a scoring perspective as well. His handle is really good for a big as well making him capable passing from the short roll.
Troy Brown's archetype is just really valuable in the NBA. He's a wing who's comfortable operating as a secondary or tertiary playmaker. He's such a willing passer in transition (loves to make quick passes like Lonzo Ball) and he rarely makes the wrong decision. Combine that with a nearly 7 foot wingspan, willingess to defend, good looking shooting motion and he's exactly what you want from a modern NBA player.

I cant really disagree with any of this. I do think Troy Brown is getting close to being criminally underrated. The dude is not even on a bunch of mock drafts. He does lack the explosion so he does lack some flash to his game, but ya the dude is really skilled and is a swiss army knife. A lot of his game depends on if his jumper gets more consistent, right now its pretty inconsistent but he does have good form. Ive got him around 8-10 on my board but I can see why you got him that high.

Im not as high on Ayton as others, I know some people have him as their top guy. I cant deny his potential, the dude is huge and has crazy potential on both sides of the ball. But he does have big time question marks when it comes to his work ethic and consistency. I dont like how often he seems to just disappear during games. Hes almost like the big man version of Wiggins for me. Has all the physical tools you could ask for from his position, there is just no reason for him to disappear as often as he has.

I also agree with you on Bagley that he is a jack of all trades and master of none right now. I will say the mixture of his athleticism, motor and rebounding is pretty close to elite in my opinion. But I think a lot of his potential is based on his jumper becoming legit. Right now its inconsistent but he has good form on it so I can see the potential there. To me his ceiling is just so high its hard to pass up.

Youre also preaching to the choir when it comes to Wendell Carter. His size is his big question mark but his measurements arent all that far off from Demarcus Cousins (height and wingspan), Demarcus does have a nice advantage when it comes to standing reach. His game is very well rounded and I can see him being a stronger and more athletic Al Horford but a much better rebounder. Hes a good defender and pretty damn skilled offensively for his age, his jumper is pretty solid to about 18ft and clearly has a ton of potential to reach the 3pt line and his passing skills are really good.

So I can definitely see what you see with those guys. I think Brown and especially Carter are really safe bets to be damn good players. But I think the ceilings for Bagley, Porter, Bamba and Ayton are just much higher. So I can definitely see a team going for them over Carter/Brown to take the chance on their high potential. But I definitely get where youre coming from and its hard to argue your points.

[Marcus]

I think you would be in the vast minority on Carter and Brown over Ayton and Bagley. Not saying youre wrong just curious why so high on those two and low on the other two.

why low on those two?

It's a matter of personal preferences and things I'm looking for in terms of "scouting" prospects. I value BB IQ over potential based on athleticism for instance. Let me state that I get the intrigue of Ayton and Bagley and absolutely agree with their ceiling outcome as franchise players in the NBA if everything falls into place. I just find it very unlikely that they hit those ceilings, for different reasons. In high school players who are physically overwhelming have a incredible advantage, you can't fault them for having so, but I do look for development throughout the years in the skills and mental part of the game. And I feel that both players have been roughly the same players for some time now.

Ayton has been a monster in high school for several years at this point, but when I watch a full game of him he still runs into spots where he doesn't belong, he doesn't play any defense, his motor is abysmal and his body language is even worse. Could he average 20 PPG in the NBA? Sure. But what is the value of a high usage big who doesn't have the mindset nor the IQ to play defense in the modern NBA?

Bagley is intriguing because of his mobility while being 6'10'', but besides that he's a jack of all trades, master of none. His jumper looks smooth, but his percentages are just horrible and I think he just doesn't posses the touch to convert. You don't want him to be a primary creator as well, he can't dribble in half court situations and his decision making is just very poor. For every nice dish he'll turn the ball over two times. So offensively he's a energy big with some limited dribbling abilities for me.
Defensively he's far better, but also a bit overrated for me. I've seen some games where he was absolutely dominant, he has the mentality to contest every shot around the basket, but he doesn't have the frame nor reach to consistently force misses against NBA athletes. Aside from that he's a great rebounder.
I'm higher on Bagley than Ayton and I'll place him in the same tier as Wendell Carter and Troy Brown, but he has to show me he's more than an energy big with defensive versatility to put him in the conversation for the #1 pick.

Regarding the two prospects I'm higher on than the consensus. I feel that Wendell Carter is criminally underrated. He's not extremely long, but he has the reach of a center and unlike Bagley he has the frame to absorb contact at the rim. Apart from that he's just so much smarter from a positional perspective than Ayton for example, despite being shorter and less athletic I remember him outplaying him under the boards and from a scoring perspective as well. His handle is really good for a big as well making him capable passing from the short roll.
Troy Brown's archetype is just really valuable in the NBA. He's a wing who's comfortable operating as a secondary or tertiary playmaker. He's such a willing passer in transition (loves to make quick passes like Lonzo Ball) and he rarely makes the wrong decision. Combine that with a nearly 7 foot wingspan, willingess to defend, good looking shooting motion and he's exactly what you want from a modern NBA player.

I cant really disagree with any of this. I do think Troy Brown is getting close to being criminally underrated. The dude is not even on a bunch of mock drafts. He does lack the explosion so he does lack some flash to his game, but ya the dude is really skilled and is a swiss army knife. A lot of his game depends on if his jumper gets more consistent, right now its pretty inconsistent but he does have good form. Ive got him around 8-10 on my board but I can see why you got him that high.

Im not as high on Ayton as others, I know some people have him as their top guy. I cant deny his potential, the dude is huge and has crazy potential on both sides of the ball. But he does have big time question marks when it comes to his work ethic and consistency. I dont like how often he seems to just disappear during games. Hes almost like the big man version of Wiggins for me. Has all the physical tools you could ask for from his position, there is just no reason for him to disappear as often as he has.

I also agree with you on Bagley that he is a jack of all trades and master of none right now. I will say the mixture of his athleticism, motor and rebounding is pretty close to elite in my opinion. But I think a lot of his potential is based on his jumper becoming legit. Right now its inconsistent but he has good form on it so I can see the potential there. To me his ceiling is just so high its hard to pass up.

Youre also preaching to the choir when it comes to Wendell Carter. His size is his big question mark but his measurements arent all that far off from Demarcus Cousins (height and wingspan), Demarcus does have a nice advantage when it comes to standing reach. His game is very well rounded and I can see him being a stronger and more athletic Al Horford but a much better rebounder. Hes a good defender and pretty damn skilled offensively for his age, his jumper is pretty solid to about 18ft and clearly has a ton of potential to reach the 3pt line and his passing skills are really good.

So I can definitely see what you see with those guys. I think Brown and especially Carter are really safe bets to be damn good players. But I think the ceilings for Bagley, Porter, Bamba and Ayton are just much higher. So I can definitely see a team going for them over Carter/Brown to take the chance on their high potential. But I definitely get where youre coming from and its hard to argue your points.

RIGHT!!!? He killed the post lol.

[reanimator]

Read on Twitter

[Lalouie]

There are two elite prospects in this draft Ayton and Bamba. Many of the recruiting gurus are already considering Bamba the better Prospect and 2 years from now I think Bamba will be the way choice. 6'11 with a 7'9 wingspan and a 9'6 standing reach. Elite defender and shot blocker, very good athlete for his size. He is now starting to put on muscle. Also has great hands and a good shooting touch.

I'm usually way down on centers because the true impact ones are once in a generation - the odds are just not there. Plus the game is getting away from the paint

[youngWizzy]

Read on Twitter

Interesting prospect. One of the best bigs I have seen in terms of running the floor. His jump shot and strength will probably be the biggest areas of improvement for him moving forward. Extremely fluid athlete. Still a big fan of developing his game at the college level to increase his draft stock but going straight to the pros is commonplace now. Without the jumper, it will be hard to find a spot in the NBA.