Vecenie: Suggs is the #2 prospect in this draft

[Hair Canada]

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic is my favorite and certainly most thorough draft analyst. I'm with him on this one. The Raptors will be lucky to get him at #4.

"Few things are more valuable in the NBA than a lead creator. Suggs has potential to be just that given his athleticism, power, vision, and basketball IQ. It’s not easy to find players with this blend of tools who also have this much of a productive track record. He has an undeniable history of winning games, from high school championships to his run with Gonzaga. And that mentality showcases itself in his game too, with Suggs typically stepping up in a big way in the biggest moments. The flashes from Suggs this past season, particularly in the biggest moments, exceeded those of 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards. I’d comfortably take what we’ve seen from Suggs over what Edwards was as a prospect last season. His vision is a real differentiator for him as a prospect in addition to the scoring. Suggs profiles as an All-Star-caliber initiator if his development as a shooter continues to go right."

[Dr. Nick]

Where do you guys think Anthony Edwards would go In this years draft class?

[Wasp]

Where do you guys think Anthony Edwards would go In this years draft class?

Personally, I'd have him at #5 behind the big 4 and ahead of Barnes and Kuminga.

Back to Suggs - he's definitely at the level of Green/Mobley IMO which is why being at #4 is probably the best spot in the draft aside from landing the #1 pick. We don't even have to make the decision of who we like best out of the Green/Mobley/Suggs tier, we just take whoever falls. And, best of all, we get them at a #4 salary slot vs. a #2 or #3.

I think Cade has the highest probability of being the best player out of this draft class, but behind him, I think that Green/Mobley/Suggs all have an equal probability of being the best player out of this class.

[Tor_Raps]

Where do you guys think Anthony Edwards would go In this years draft class?

Personally, I'd have him at #5 behind the big 4 and ahead of Barnes and Kuminga.

Back to Suggs - he's definitely at the level of Green/Mobley IMO which is why being at #4 is probably the best spot in the draft aside from landing the #1 pick. We don't even have to make the decision of who we like best out of the Green/Mobley/Suggs tier, we just take whoever falls. And, best of all, we get them at a #4 salary slot vs. a #2 or #3.

I think Cade has the highest probability of being the best player out of this draft class, but behind him, I think that Green/Mobley/Suggs all have an equal probability of being the best player out of this class.

That's crazy because I'd trade the 4th pick for Edward's right now if presented the chance.

[ItsDanger]

Suggs has the intangibles edge which these fools making up mock drafts do not value at all. Winning plays.

[Badonkadonk]

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic is my favorite and certainly most thorough draft analyst. I'm with him on this one. The Raptors will be lucky to get him at #4.

"Few things are more valuable in the NBA than a lead creator. Suggs has potential to be just that given his athleticism, power, vision, and basketball IQ. It’s not easy to find players with this blend of tools who also have this much of a productive track record. He has an undeniable history of winning games, from high school championships to his run with Gonzaga. And that mentality showcases itself in his game too, with Suggs typically stepping up in a big way in the biggest moments. The flashes from Suggs this past season, particularly in the biggest moments, exceeded those of 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards. I’d comfortably take what we’ve seen from Suggs over what Edwards was as a prospect last season. His vision is a real differentiator for him as a prospect in addition to the scoring. Suggs profiles as an All-Star-caliber initiator if his development as a shooter continues to go right."

I've been tracking Vecenie along with the Raps guys at the Athletic for a couple of months with respect to their draft coverage.

His assessment of Suggs aligns most closely to my impression after all the vids and articles I've consumed since then. I have Suggs = Mobley, but both are really special prospects that could justify #1 in many draft years.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

He's as low as sixth on a bunch of mock's. Some people love him, some are less interested because of his measurements.

Second has more to do with their needs, Houston needs a guard. They'll be back, so they don't care as much who.

[Wasp]

Where do you guys think Anthony Edwards would go In this years draft class?

Personally, I'd have him at #5 behind the big 4 and ahead of Barnes and Kuminga.

Back to Suggs - he's definitely at the level of Green/Mobley IMO which is why being at #4 is probably the best spot in the draft aside from landing the #1 pick. We don't even have to make the decision of who we like best out of the Green/Mobley/Suggs tier, we just take whoever falls. And, best of all, we get them at a #4 salary slot vs. a #2 or #3.

I think Cade has the highest probability of being the best player out of this draft class, but behind him, I think that Green/Mobley/Suggs all have an equal probability of being the best player out of this class.

That's crazy because I'd trade the 4th pick for Edward's right now if presented the chance.

Really? I wouldn't. Edwards is the same size as Suggs but doesn't have the defense or passing skills. Green projects to be a better individual shot creator than Edwards, and Mobley has DPOY upside on the defensive end with a smooth offensive game that has room to grow and is 7' tall.

Edwards is a good prospect, don't get me wrong, but he was an inefficient volume scorer on a terrible team last year. That's not enough for me to take him over Green/Mobley/Suggs, especially since he's already burned one of his rookie contract years.

[Clutch0z24]

Easy and when the Raptors take him he could very well become the best prospect in the class

[ruckus]

I have Suggs and Mobley as equal right now and both ahead of Green.

Mobley just intrigues me more than Suggs at this point though. It's rare to find a mobile C that appears to be capable of defending all 5 positions and has the potential to fit into a modern offense.

I definitely think Suggs could have a bigger, immediate impact but the reward from Mobley down the line could be much greater.

[will]

My body is ready for Jalen Suggs.

[powerhouse117]

I wonder what if anything the fact that Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs were HS teammates plays into the selection calculus. Obviously not something realistic next year (unless it goes off the rails for us) but maybe further down the road if Chet lives up to the hype, the connection could help us in recruiting Chet.

[Badonkadonk]

Easy and when the Raptors take him he could very well become the best prospect in the class

That's the great thing about the top 4 in this class. There is a path for each of them to emerge as the best a few years from now.

Cade has great vision, is a multi-faceted scorer, has legit wing-size for somebody with a PG brain... but lacks athleticism and explosiveness.

Mobley is a defensive genius all the way to the perimeter, is very smart in the offensive half-court and a great passer, is lethal from mid-range in... but needs to refine his 3 and get a bit bigger.

Suggs is a true floor general, has incredible athleticism, is lethal in transition and going downhill, extremely high BBIQ on both ends... but there are questions about his shot.

Green is explosive, has fantastic shot-creation potential, scored well on high-volume against men, has the athleticism needed to defend... but not the best defensive awareness or vision/IQ on offense.

It'll be very interesting to see how each of them mitigates their weaknesses and builds on their strengths.

[vulture]

I haven't moved from this same position when I did my deep dive. I really hope Suggs is a raptor!

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

You could look at any guy 1-7 really, there all good. It's still a crap shoot regardless of who you like.

[tecumseh18]

I just posted this in the draft thread, but in mocking Suggs to the Raptors at #4, Sam also says this:

I don’t think this pick is a done deal yet. Sources certainly believe the Raptors are indeed considering Scottie Barnes in addition to the consensus top-four names. Additionally, this pick is thought to be available for the right price in a trade-down scenario.

As I say in the draft thread, this strongly suggests that Masai is bigging up the Raps' interest in Barnes, to encourage the Magic to give us an asset to switch picks. I don't think that asset will be #8, but the Magic's #33 pick will make it easier to select Queta.

[Indeed]

My concern is his wingspan being average and playing at a position with many talent replacement. I compare him to Tony Parker type of impact.

[DreamTeam09]

Personally, I'd have him at #5 behind the big 4 and ahead of Barnes and Kuminga.

Back to Suggs - he's definitely at the level of Green/Mobley IMO which is why being at #4 is probably the best spot in the draft aside from landing the #1 pick. We don't even have to make the decision of who we like best out of the Green/Mobley/Suggs tier, we just take whoever falls. And, best of all, we get them at a #4 salary slot vs. a #2 or #3.

I think Cade has the highest probability of being the best player out of this draft class, but behind him, I think that Green/Mobley/Suggs all have an equal probability of being the best player out of this class.

That's crazy because I'd trade the 4th pick for Edward's right now if presented the chance.

Really? I wouldn't. Edwards is the same size as Suggs but doesn't have the defense or passing skills. Green projects to be a better individual shot creator than Edwards, and Mobley has DPOY upside on the defensive end with a smooth offensive game that has room to grow and is 7' tall.

Edwards is a good prospect, don't get me wrong, but he was an inefficient volume scorer on a terrible team last year. That's not enough for me to take him over Green/Mobley/Suggs, especially since he's already burned one of his rookie contract years.

Nah I'd take Edwards 2nd and noteven think about it, 20ppg scorer rookie year and he wasn't totally inefficient for the whole year. He started slow and picked it up after ASB. The combination of size & scoring ability easily makes him go 2nd.

[LastNameEver]

He's as low on sixth on a bunch of mock's. Some people love him, some are less interested because of his measurements.

Second has more to do with their needs, Houston needs a guard. They'll be back, so they don't care as much who.

These analysts are dumb, its the same reason Trae fell. Measurements are not the end all be all anymore

[vulture]

My concern is his wingspan being average and playing at a position with many talent replacement. I compare him to Tony Parker type of impact.

If he becomes as good as Parker we should be happy imo.