Potential sleepers

[Dame Lizard]

At what draft range do you guys see AJ Hammons getting drafted?

He's a no-brainer 1st round pick for me and looks to have good 2-way potential.

He's a senior player, and I'm not at all comparing him to Duncan......(obviously!!!!!), however like a player such as Duncan (or Jakob Poetl in this draft), he is productive on both ends of the floor, can rebound, can shoot FTs etc, i.e. just has a good all-round fundamental skillset that can be further improved on (with NBA conditioning, basic offensive training etc). I'm definitely not saying he'll be as good as Kanter, Monroe, Vucevic etc (we don't know), but he doesn't come with the defensive questions that these players brought/bring. I don't like Centres who can't play defense.

I feel senior aged College bigs can be great value picks- I loved Festus and Kyle O'Quinn in the draft. They don't get get the exciting hype that athletic freshman wings get, but by the same notion can get underrated a lot more often as well.

[doordoor123]

At what draft range do you guys see AJ Hammons getting drafted?

He's a no-brainer 1st round pick for me and looks to have good 2-way potential.

He's a senior player, and I'm not at all comparing him to Duncan......(obviously!!!!!), however like a player such as Duncan (or Jakob Poetl in this draft), he is productive on both ends of the floor, can rebound, can shoot FTs etc, i.e. just has a good all-round fundamental skillset that can be further improved on (with NBA conditioning, basic offensive training etc). I'm definitely not saying he'll be as good as Kanter, Monroe, Vucevic etc (we don't know), but he doesn't come with the defensive questions that these players brought/bring. I don't like Centres who can't play defense.

I feel senior aged College bigs can be great value picks- I loved Festus and Kyle O'Quinn in the draft. They don't get get the exciting hype that athletic freshman wings get, but by the same notion can get underrated a lot more often as well.

I like Hammons and think he's a lock for the end of the first round.

[Gomes3PC]

If Hammons had been born 15 years ago, he'd have been a lotto pick. His slow feet are a problem in the hyper-quick modern NBA game, but there's always a need for really tall, really strong guys to get in the way in the paint, collect rebounds and dunk the ball a lot.

[doordoor123]

If Hammons had been born 15 years ago, he'd have been a lotto pick. His slow feet are a problem in the hyper-quick modern NBA game, but there's always a need for really tall, really strong guys to get in the way in the paint, collect rebounds and dunk the ball a lot.

The Clippers could use him

[moonpie]

Kahlil Felder from Oakland reminds of me Isaiah Thomas

[Pootie Tang]

Here's a few names yet to be mentioned in this thread.

Freshman
Haniif Cheatham, Marquette
Edmond Sumner, Xavier (redshirt freshman)
Brandon Sampson, LSU
Jalen Adams, UConn
Steven Enoch, UConn
P.J. Dozier, South Carolina
Michael Finke, Illinois (redshirt freshman)
Zylan Cheatham, SDSU (redshirt freshman)
Tacko Fall, UC Irvine
Ray Spaulding, Louisville
Eric Davis, Texas
Kerwin Roach, Texas
Daniel Giddens, OSU
Doral Moore, Wake Forest
John Collins, Wake Forest
Bryant Crawford, Wake Forest
Corey Sanders, Rutgers
D.J. Hogg, Texas A&M
Yankuba Sima, St. Johns
LaGerald Vick, Kansas
Moritz Wagner, Michigan
Jean Marc Christ Koumadje, FSU


Sophomore

Keita Bates-Diop, OSU
Thomas Welsh, UCLA
Jonah Bolder, UCLA
Pascal Siakam, New Mexico State (already mentioned, but he's a sleeper for sure..)
Elijah Brown, New Mexico (Son of former Cavs coach Mike Brown)
Devonte Graham, Kansas
Brekkot Chapman, Utah
Kyle Kuzma, Utah
Sandy Cohen III, Marquette
Anas Mahmoud, Louisville
Kingsley Okoroh, Cal
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Wake Forest
Kendrick Nunn, Illinois
Al Freeman, Baylor


Junior
Brannen Greene, Kansas
Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt (already mentioned, but he's a sleeper for sure..)
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas
Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina
Khalil Felder, Oakland (already mentioned, but he's a sleeper for sure..)
Luke Fischer, Marquette
Wayne Selden, Kansas


Senior

Isaiah Cousins, Oklahoma
Tonye Jekiri, Miami
Devin Thomas, Wake Forest
Chris Boucher, Oregon
Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville

[immortalone23]

Malcolm Hill

[Gomes3PC]

Kahlil Felder from Oakland reminds of me Isaiah Thomas

The margin for error for guys of his size is soooo small though. Felder is also doing it at a lower level than Thomas did, playing in the Pac-12. Don't disagree that he's worth a look in the 2nd but guys of his size rarely pan out the way IT did.

[Gomes3PC]

Devonte Graham is definitely a guy to watch. A bit undersized but man can he shoot. Also makes great decisions - 5:1 A/TO ratio this year. Tends to come up with big shots when asked. Probably a backup at the next level but I think he's definitely got a role in the NBA due to his shooting, ability to run an offense and tendency to come up with big plays.

Jalen Adams is also definitely a guy to watch in the next 2-3 years. Guards tend to break out at UConn by their junior year and I think Adams will be the next Husky PG to lead a deep tourney run. Was pissed when my Friars lost out on him to UConn and he's proving to be a future star.

[Gomes3PC]

He's about to turn 23 and probably not good enough of an athlete to stick, but Jared Uthoff should at least be watched. 6-9 with good length, shooting 45% from 3 on 4.4 attempts/game, 3.3 blocks per game as well.

[EddieJonesFan]

Kahlil Felder from Oakland reminds of me Isaiah Thomas

The margin for error for guys of his size is soooo small though. Felder is also doing it at a lower level than Thomas did, playing in the Pac-12. Don't disagree that he's worth a look in the 2nd but guys of his size rarely pan out the way IT did.

What does Thomas have that Felder doesn't though?

[Gomes3PC]

He's a better athlete and a better ballhandler from what I've seen, and he made a huge improvement as a shooter once he got into the NBA. I like that Felder is also a lefty - it's a small thing but lefties tend to cause defenses problems, and it allows a guy to get his shot off more easily because defenders aren't used to it.

He's in the same category of Joe Young and many other guys - I have no doubt he can score in the NBA, but he needs to be a truly elite scorer like IT in order to stick because he will unquestionably be a liability on defense.

[doordoor123]

He's a better athlete and a better ballhandler from what I've seen, and he made a huge improvement as a shooter once he got into the NBA. I like that Felder is also a lefty - it's a small thing but lefties tend to cause defenses problems, and it allows a guy to get his shot off more easily because defenders aren't used to it.

He's in the same category of Joe Young and many other guys - I have no doubt he can score in the NBA, but he needs to be a truly elite scorer like IT in order to stick because he will unquestionably be a liability on defense.

I disagree. Isaiah was an elite handler and yes he was an elite scorer already, but Felder has some very similar qualities. It's almost like he studied IT. The way Felder finishes around the basket is very reminiscent of Thomas. He won't be an elite scorer in terms of knowing enough skills, but he can be effective enough where he can fill up the box score in a similar way. It's like 3 and D guys that can't handle the ball -- they can still put up a lot of points and become all-stars. Just because they aren't skilled doesn't mean they won't be effective. By the way, when someone is that short they HAVE to be very skilled so I think you're underrating his skill. He should be a first round pick particularly in this draft.

[Gomes3PC]

He's a better athlete and a better ballhandler from what I've seen, and he made a huge improvement as a shooter once he got into the NBA. I like that Felder is also a lefty - it's a small thing but lefties tend to cause defenses problems, and it allows a guy to get his shot off more easily because defenders aren't used to it.

He's in the same category of Joe Young and many other guys - I have no doubt he can score in the NBA, but he needs to be a truly elite scorer like IT in order to stick because he will unquestionably be a liability on defense.

I disagree. Isaiah was an elite handler and yes he was an elite scorer already, but Felder has some very similar qualities. It's almost like he studied IT. The way Felder finishes around the basket is very reminiscent of Thomas. He won't be an elite scorer in terms of knowing enough skills, but he can be effective enough where he can fill up the box score in a similar way. It's like 3 and D guys that can't handle the ball -- they can still put up a lot of points and become all-stars. Just because they aren't skilled doesn't mean they won't be effective. By the way, when someone is that short they HAVE to be very skilled so I think you're underrating his skill. He should be a first round pick particularly in this draft.

How many star 3 and D guys are there really? I mean, you have DeMarre Carroll, you have Jae Crowder, but that's really it. All the other star wings are elite scorers or a guy like Korver who is so efficient offensively that it doesn't matter if he's a defensive liability. Plus, those 3 and D guys at least have the potential to become average ballhandlers, as Carroll and Crowder have become. Guys like Felder and Thomas have to be elite scorers because they will never grow 5 inches - no matter what they do, they will stink defensively.

I like Felder, I am not trying to put him down. Guys like him have found roles in the league (Will Bynum, Joe Young, Nate Rob, Aaron Brooks, etc.). But with the exception of Thomas, all the guys in Felder's category turn out to be backup scoring PGs playing 15-25 MPG depending on their own abilities and the depth of the team they play for.

If I am investing a 1st round or even early 2nd round pick, I want to find a guy who can be a role player but also has a better shot at become a legit starter than a guy like Felder. Someone will take him late or sign him as a UDFA and get a nice bench piece, but it's all he's ever going to be. Like it or not, the draft revolves more around what a guy can be than what a guy is today.

[Slartibartfast]

No love for Shawn Long, Elf Payton's old teammate?

Great rebounder with marginal center size (6'10) who can score in the post and has streaky 3-point range.

With a little work on his body, I think he could make a fine small-ball C, capable of cleaning the glass on both ends, pick and popping, posting up on switches and doing a passable job as the last line of defense in the paint.

The ability to shoot and rebound at a high level is so rare among big men. So many stretch 4/5s are liabilities or at best mediocrities on the glass

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

He's a better athlete and a better ballhandler from what I've seen, and he made a huge improvement as a shooter once he got into the NBA. I like that Felder is also a lefty - it's a small thing but lefties tend to cause defenses problems, and it allows a guy to get his shot off more easily because defenders aren't used to it.

He's in the same category of Joe Young and many other guys - I have no doubt he can score in the NBA, but he needs to be a truly elite scorer like IT in order to stick because he will unquestionably be a liability on defense.

I disagree. Isaiah was an elite handler and yes he was an elite scorer already, but Felder has some very similar qualities. It's almost like he studied IT. The way Felder finishes around the basket is very reminiscent of Thomas. He won't be an elite scorer in terms of knowing enough skills, but he can be effective enough where he can fill up the box score in a similar way. It's like 3 and D guys that can't handle the ball -- they can still put up a lot of points and become all-stars. Just because they aren't skilled doesn't mean they won't be effective. By the way, when someone is that short they HAVE to be very skilled so I think you're underrating his skill. He should be a first round pick particularly in this draft.

Is Felder in any way comparable to Damon Stoudamire? Mighty Mouse 2.0 would be nice, although I guess that's Isaiah Thomas currently.

[Gomes3PC]

Yeah Stoudamire is basically the same - again, a thickly-built, athletic, left-handed scoring PG. Stoudamire started most of his career but was always more of a role player around Sheed, Pippen, Bonzi Wells, Steve Smith, Sabonis, et al.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Felder has hops:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6AMCrO4AHo[/youtube]

[165bows]

No love for Shawn Long, Elf Payton's old teammate?

Great rebounder with marginal center size (6'10) who can score in the post and has streaky 3-point range.

With a little work on his body, I think he could make a fine small-ball C, capable of cleaning the glass on both ends, pick and popping, posting up on switches and doing a passable job as the last line of defense in the paint.

The ability to shoot and rebound at a high level is so rare among big men. So many stretch 4/5s are liabilities or at best mediocrities on the glass

He's like a sleeper that everyone forgot about and became a sleeper again lol. I think you are right, even if he hasn't shown what people hoped, his skill set/size combo is in high demand.

[sweetcity]

I'd say Denzel Valentine at this point, he's going to be a good role player... Danny Green 2.0. He will have a long and profitable $$$$ career