And Then There Was One: Thank Nation 2. Raps pick 23rd

[JohnWillow]

It is still very early in my research but my current rankings for players possibly in our range mentioned here:

Must take if available
De'Anthony Melton (may not declare)
OG Anunoby (if declares)

Will think long and hard
Terrence Ferguson

Might be useful but not all that exciting
Tyler Lydon
TJ Leaf

Would not be terrible
Jaron Blossomgame
Semi Ojeleye

Do not want
Justin Jackson
Thomas Bryant
Bam Adebayo
Harry Giles - I think he is broken

Still a lot of players I have not seen

A couple of us are very high on Melton, but all mocks have him in their 2018 drafts. He's my top pick if he declares though.
If OG falls to us, he's worth grabbing, though I still haven't heard what the nature of his knee injury is.
I think you're right about Giles. He's had ACL tears in both knees and hasn't shown anything in college. It's unfortunate, but it happens.

Leaf and Lydon aren't exciting, but they look like they'll stick around in the league due to their skillset. I think Leaf is one of the guys outside the top 10 who has a chance to be something special. He has a very well rounded game, at least offensively.
Not sure I agree about Jackson. I don't think he's some star in the making, but he's made enough progress during his college career and is tall enough to stick around the league as a small forward.
Only other guy I really have on my list is Pasecniks.

Was watching Pasecniks game tonight, he looked awesome 16 points (7/9 fg, 1/1 3pointer) in 20 minutes in a win, against one of the best teams in Europe Real Madrid.

[Kinger95]

Tyler Lydon is a pylon defensively. If I was a betting man there's no way he goes in the 1st.

Literally bargs out there. Floats around and no effort and horrible positioning .

Shoots lots of 3's . He's Primo pasta in my books lol

[Psubs]

Tyler Lydon is a pylon defensively. If I was a betting man there's no way he goes in the 1st.

Literally bargs out there. Floats around and no effort and horrible positioning .

Shoots lots of 3's . He's Primo pasta in my books lol

Lydon banked a 3 and wasn't pressured. Enough for me to pass.

[Steelo Green]

I recall a draft a few years ago with our own Canadian Wiggins going number one which was one of the deepest classes of all time.

Now it is still jury out, but so far there are some really good players, but nobody in their third year is in that star category yet. Embiid is the closest but health is a concern.

Every year the drafts are simply hype. Not that I think you can't get a good player, but I won't believe it till they play in the NBA. Again no draft is related to the next, but the hype train always seems to be at its peak year in and year out.

[LonZoBallin]

I recall a draft a few years ago with our own Canadian Wiggins going number one which was one of the deepest classes of all time.

Now it is still jury out, but so far there are some really good players, but nobody in their third year is in that star category yet. Embiid is the closest but health is a concern.

Every year the drafts are simply hype. Not that I think you can't get a good player, but I won't believe it till they play in the NBA. Again no draft is related to the next, but the hype train always seems to be at its peak year in and year out.

Wiggins draft was projected as top 10 heavy, not deep. And if you look back, it delivered!

1. Wiggins- Best young wing in the league by a mile. Potential superstar
2. Parker- Before he got injured he was showing all-star potential. He was playing really good. He lived up to the hype when he played.
3. Embiid- was the talk of league. Again, he got injured, but you can't predict injuries. When he played you could make a case he was the best Big in the League.

Other guys in the lottery like Marcus Smart, Saric, Lavine, Randle have shown promise as well. They all have a chance to be something.

Even other guys in the lottery like Aaron Gordon, Stauskas, Payton, TJ Warren and McDermott have a place in this league and have been far from busts.

The only bust in the lottery really was only Exum and he's still young and playing on a Really good team getting minutes.


This draft even had Jokic, it delivered for sure

[Kevin Willis]

The team is so deep we can pick BPA IF we keep Tucker and Ibaka. If only Ibaka the we should draft a defensive wing who can shoot the three.

[MavCarter]

I recall a draft a few years ago with our own Canadian Wiggins going number one which was one of the deepest classes of all time.

Now it is still jury out, but so far there are some really good players, but nobody in their third year is in that star category yet. Embiid is the closest but health is a concern.

Every year the drafts are simply hype. Not that I think you can't get a good player, but I won't believe it till they play in the NBA. Again no draft is related to the next, but the hype train always seems to be at its peak year in and year out.

Wiggins draft was projected as top 10 heavy, not deep. And if you look back, it delivered!

1. Wiggins- Best young wing in the league by a mile. Potential superstar
2. Parker- Before he got injured he was showing all-star potential. He was playing really good. He lived up to the hype when he played.
3. Embiid- was the talk of league. Again, he got injured, but you can't predict injuries. When he played you could make a case he was the best Big in the League.

Other guys in the lottery like Marcus Smart, Saric, Lavine, Randle have shown promise as well. They all have a chance to be something.

Even other guys in the lottery like Aaron Gordon, Stauskas, Payton, TJ Warren and McDermott have a place in this league and have been far from busts.

The only bust in the lottery really was only Exum and he's still young and playing on a Really good team getting minutes.


This draft even had Jokic, it delivered for sure

Outside of maybe embiid (if he stays healthy) none of those guys are franchise saviour superstars like they were hyped to be. I remember one gm saying dante exum was the next penny hardaway smh

[LonZoBallin]

I recall a draft a few years ago with our own Canadian Wiggins going number one which was one of the deepest classes of all time.

Now it is still jury out, but so far there are some really good players, but nobody in their third year is in that star category yet. Embiid is the closest but health is a concern.

Every year the drafts are simply hype. Not that I think you can't get a good player, but I won't believe it till they play in the NBA. Again no draft is related to the next, but the hype train always seems to be at its peak year in and year out.

Wiggins draft was projected as top 10 heavy, not deep. And if you look back, it delivered!

1. Wiggins- Best young wing in the league by a mile. Potential superstar
2. Parker- Before he got injured he was showing all-star potential. He was playing really good. He lived up to the hype when he played.
3. Embiid- was the talk of league. Again, he got injured, but you can't predict injuries. When he played you could make a case he was the best Big in the League.

Other guys in the lottery like Marcus Smart, Saric, Lavine, Randle have shown promise as well. They all have a chance to be something.

Even other guys in the lottery like Aaron Gordon, Stauskas, Payton, TJ Warren and McDermott have a place in this league and have been far from busts.

The only bust in the lottery really was only Exum and he's still young and playing on a Really good team getting minutes.


This draft even had Jokic, it delivered for sure

Outside of maybe embiid (if he stays healthy) none of those guys are franchise saviour superstars like they were hyped to be. I remember one gm saying dante exum was the next penny hardaway smh

Dude wiggins is better than DD rn, you must not think highly of this team. You picked the one bust out of 14. And again, he's getting minutes on a team way better than are team...js

[MavCarter]

Wiggins draft was projected as top 10 heavy, not deep. And if you look back, it delivered!

1. Wiggins- Best young wing in the league by a mile. Potential superstar
2. Parker- Before he got injured he was showing all-star potential. He was playing really good. He lived up to the hype when he played.
3. Embiid- was the talk of league. Again, he got injured, but you can't predict injuries. When he played you could make a case he was the best Big in the League.

Other guys in the lottery like Marcus Smart, Saric, Lavine, Randle have shown promise as well. They all have a chance to be something.

Even other guys in the lottery like Aaron Gordon, Stauskas, Payton, TJ Warren and McDermott have a place in this league and have been far from busts.

The only bust in the lottery really was only Exum and he's still young and playing on a Really good team getting minutes.


This draft even had Jokic, it delivered for sure

Outside of maybe embiid (if he stays healthy) none of those guys are franchise saviour superstars like they were hyped to be. I remember one gm saying dante exum was the next penny hardaway smh

Dude wiggins is better than DD rn, you must not think highly of this team. You picked the one bust out of 14. And again, he's getting minutes on a team way better than are team...js

Wiggins isn't the franchise saviour he was hyped to be, he's a star though. A lot of the hyped guys from that draft that were supposed to be superstars look like avg to above avg role players in all honesty. Maybe a couple of them will be all stars one day but there's no bonafide superstar

[DarrylFlicking]

Am I crazy to want Donovan Mitchell with our pick? Real Nice basketball player.

[LoveMyRaps]

Outside of maybe embiid (if he stays healthy) none of those guys are franchise saviour superstars like they were hyped to be. I remember one gm saying dante exum was the next penny hardaway smh

Dude wiggins is better than DD rn, you must not think highly of this team. You picked the one bust out of 14. And again, he's getting minutes on a team way better than are team...js

Wiggins isn't the franchise saviour he was hyped to be, he's a star though. A lot of the hyped guys from that draft that were supposed to be superstars look like avg to above avg role players in all honesty. Maybe a couple of them will be all stars one day but there's no bonafide superstar

Most of these guys like Wiggins are still 21 years old. What were guys like Kawhi and PG13 doing when they were 21/22yo? Busy averaging around like 12ppg. Wiggins in his first 3 seasons has averaged 20ppg. He's currently 21 years old averaging 23.4ppg and if you're been watching him lately he's been playing like a superstar. 33ppg in his last 5 games, almost 30ppg in the month of February (11 games - 51% FG), and 17 consecutive games with 21+ points. His defense has improved quite a lot as well as of late and he's finally showing signs of becoming a superstar.

Nikola Jokic is a franchise player as well. His stats are absolutely absurd and he's turning that Nuggets team around. He's also a future superstar.

So I don't think its fair for you to say that none of the guys from that draft will turn out to be superstars, because it's clear that guys like Wiggins and Jokic are well on their way to becoming one.

[CoachJReturns]

I recall a draft a few years ago with our own Canadian Wiggins going number one which was one of the deepest classes of all time.

Now it is still jury out, but so far there are some really good players, but nobody in their third year is in that star category yet. Embiid is the closest but health is a concern.

Every year the drafts are simply hype. Not that I think you can't get a good player, but I won't believe it till they play in the NBA. Again no draft is related to the next, but the hype train always seems to be at its peak year in and year out.

This has to be the most useless post I've ever read. Saying that draft classes are hyped, or have absurd expectations is just pointing out what anyone could figure out if they took a glance at drafts over several years.
Embiid is a superstar, though yes his health is a major concern. Parker's latest injury is awful as he was finally on his way and looked like a guy who would be an all-star in the next few years. Wiggins is an all-star offensively, but has not been the defender most expected him to be. He's still young enough that we should give him time to improve.
You have to remember that in the 1 and done era of prospects, guys in their 3rd year would be college seniors. Expecting dominance from guys who are around 22-23 years old is absurd. Not everyone is a hall of fame caliber guy.
And chances are that many guys we talk about will not live up to expectations. That's just the way it goes. But if the point of your useless post was to **** on draft picks, you should probably remind yourself that this team is capped out. It likely won't have any other way to add a major talent upgrade without drafting it for quite some time.
Next time at least try to put a little thought into your post because a hockey fan could have wrote what you did.

[CoachJReturns]

It is still very early in my research but my current rankings for players possibly in our range mentioned here:

Must take if available
De'Anthony Melton (may not declare)
OG Anunoby (if declares)

Will think long and hard
Terrence Ferguson

Might be useful but not all that exciting
Tyler Lydon
TJ Leaf

Would not be terrible
Jaron Blossomgame
Semi Ojeleye

Do not want
Justin Jackson
Thomas Bryant
Bam Adebayo
Harry Giles - I think he is broken

Still a lot of players I have not seen

A couple of us are very high on Melton, but all mocks have him in their 2018 drafts. He's my top pick if he declares though.
If OG falls to us, he's worth grabbing, though I still haven't heard what the nature of his knee injury is.
I think you're right about Giles. He's had ACL tears in both knees and hasn't shown anything in college. It's unfortunate, but it happens.

Leaf and Lydon aren't exciting, but they look like they'll stick around in the league due to their skillset. I think Leaf is one of the guys outside the top 10 who has a chance to be something special. He has a very well rounded game, at least offensively.
Not sure I agree about Jackson. I don't think he's some star in the making, but he's made enough progress during his college career and is tall enough to stick around the league as a small forward.
Only other guy I really have on my list is Pasecniks.

Was watching Pasecniks game tonight, he looked awesome 16 points (7/9 fg, 1/1 3pointer) in 20 minutes in a win, against one of the best teams in Europe Real Madrid.

By the time the draft comes around he might be my number one target for this team, barring trading up. His physical profile and skillset gives him a better chance than most at being more than just another role player. I think we're sort of maxed out on role player types and if Masai can find a guy who has a bit more star potential, while still having at least one NBA level skill, I hope he grabs them.

[RaptorsLife]

We really really need to draft a guard who can shoot the basketball. Love delon and Powell but they can do everything but shoot the basketball

[CoachJReturns]

We really really need to draft a guard who can shoot the basketball. Love delon and Powell but they can do everything but shoot the basketball

Maybe I'm not being objective enough, but I don't want another guard unless they're clearly BPA. Delon and Norm have been on the bench long enough and I want to see them get get regular minutes from now on. If there's any particular position I'd like to see drafted it's small forward who can shoot(as a long term solution of course), but I don't really like the small forwards that will seemingly be available in our range.
You're right that shooting needs to improve though. Delon has gotten better since college, but Norm's numbers dropped off heavily, but he's already played more games than last year, so sample size is a factor. We really need them both to continue to improve as shooters.

[Son Goku 25]

I think we gotta trade pick plus othre peices to get another star

[super_balls]

A couple of us are very high on Melton, but all mocks have him in their 2018 drafts. He's my top pick if he declares though.
If OG falls to us, he's worth grabbing, though I still haven't heard what the nature of his knee injury is.
I think you're right about Giles. He's had ACL tears in both knees and hasn't shown anything in college. It's unfortunate, but it happens.

Leaf and Lydon aren't exciting, but they look like they'll stick around in the league due to their skillset. I think Leaf is one of the guys outside the top 10 who has a chance to be something special. He has a very well rounded game, at least offensively.
Not sure I agree about Jackson. I don't think he's some star in the making, but he's made enough progress during his college career and is tall enough to stick around the league as a small forward.
Only other guy I really have on my list is Pasecniks.

Was watching Pasecniks game tonight, he looked awesome 16 points (7/9 fg, 1/1 3pointer) in 20 minutes in a win, against one of the best teams in Europe Real Madrid.

By the time the draft comes around he might be my number one target for this team, barring trading up. His physical profile and skillset gives him a better chance than most at being more than just another role player. I think we're sort of maxed out on role player types and if Masai can find a guy who has a bit more star potential, while still having at least one NBA level skill, I hope he grabs them.

Pasecniks has moved to the top of my list.. my reasoning? - I think Jonas is gone this off season. Bebe will have one more year but I think by mid season next year Poeltl will over take him and Pasecnik is the perfect big to develop in this NBA inverted NBA.

[artsncrafts]

Outside of maybe embiid (if he stays healthy) none of those guys are franchise saviour superstars like they were hyped to be. I remember one gm saying dante exum was the next penny hardaway smh

Dude wiggins is better than DD rn, you must not think highly of this team. You picked the one bust out of 14. And again, he's getting minutes on a team way better than are team...js

Wiggins isn't the franchise saviour he was hyped to be, he's a star though. A lot of the hyped guys from that draft that were supposed to be superstars look like avg to above avg role players in all honesty. Maybe a couple of them will be all stars one day but there's no bonafide superstar

Breh you are seriously underrating Wiggins. 21 years old and he is already better then any of our players. Wright and Norm are 24 to put things in perspective. Actually, I just googled Paul George as that is probably the best comparable player to Wiggins and Wiggins at 21 has essentially the same stats as PG this year (and much much better than PG at 21)

2016:
Wiggins: 23.4PPG 4.2RPG 2.5APG 46.5FG% 17PER
PG: 21.8PPG 6.1RPG 3.3APG 44.3FG% 18.1PER

[CoachJReturns]

Was watching Pasecniks game tonight, he looked awesome 16 points (7/9 fg, 1/1 3pointer) in 20 minutes in a win, against one of the best teams in Europe Real Madrid.

By the time the draft comes around he might be my number one target for this team, barring trading up. His physical profile and skillset gives him a better chance than most at being more than just another role player. I think we're sort of maxed out on role player types and if Masai can find a guy who has a bit more star potential, while still having at least one NBA level skill, I hope he grabs them.

Pasecniks has moved to the top of my list.. my reasoning? - I think Jonas is gone this off season. Bebe will have one more year but I think by mid season next year Poeltl will over take him and Pasecnik is the perfect big to develop in this NBA inverted NBA.

I figured JV would be on the way out when Ibaka arrived, but now I'm thinking I'll give it until the end of the year to come to any conclusions. He looked great beside Ibaka last night. Just one game, but I think I was too hasty in my naming him the guy who'll be gone next year. It could just as easily be Patterson as both will be making roughly the same amount come next season.
Part of my reasoning with taking Paseckniks is he is a draft and stash guy. We're locked into this core now for the foreseeable future and there's no rush to give another young guy minutes. So it's the perfect time to draft someone and stash them overseas for a seson or two and then bring them over, more developed, to begin their rookie contract.

[super_balls]

By the time the draft comes around he might be my number one target for this team, barring trading up. His physical profile and skillset gives him a better chance than most at being more than just another role player. I think we're sort of maxed out on role player types and if Masai can find a guy who has a bit more star potential, while still having at least one NBA level skill, I hope he grabs them.

Pasecniks has moved to the top of my list.. my reasoning? - I think Jonas is gone this off season. Bebe will have one more year but I think by mid season next year Poeltl will over take him and Pasecnik is the perfect big to develop in this NBA inverted NBA.

I figured JV would be on the way out when Ibaka arrived, but now I'm thinking I'll give it until the end of the year to come to any conclusions. He looked great beside Ibaka last night. Just one game, but I think I was too hasty in my naming him the guy who'll be gone next year. It could just as easily be Patterson as both will be making roughly the same amount come next season.
Part of my reasoning with taking Paseckniks is he is a draft and stash guy. We're locked into this core now for the foreseeable future and there's no rush to give another young guy minutes. So it's the perfect time to draft someone and stash them overseas for a seson or two and then bring them over, more developed, to begin their rookie contract.

That's true. Yeah, I'm down for a draft and stash as well.