2018 Draft Picks

[boogiesdad]

I'm really curious to get everyone's thoughts and grades on the draft.

#4 Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Michigan St

From ESPN.com:
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Impressive physical profile. Extremely agile.
- Lockdown defender who can switch 1-5. Plays in a deep stance on the perimeter. Elite rim protector (5.5 blocks per 40).
- Soft touch from the perimeter with time and space -- 38-of-96 from college 3 (39.6 percent) and 79.7 percent from the foul line. Unorthodox push shot but gets it off quickly. Can straight-line drive when run off his spots.

Improvement areas
- Foul-prone defender who lacks a degree of discipline (5.9 fouls per 40 ranks as the third-most in our Top 100).
- Instincts on the defensive glass leave much to be desired at times. Had a reputation of being a bit soft early on in his high school career. Reverts back to that for stretches.
- Offensive upside is a bit limited. Doesn't think the game at a high level. Not going to create offense from the mid-post.

Projected role: 3-and-D center


#32 Jevon Carter, PG West Virginia

From ESPN.com:
Pre-Draft Analysis
Upside: Carter was one of the best defenders in college basketball, being the centerpiece of West Virginia's full-court press. No one did a better job of slowing down Trae Young in the Big 12. He picks up 94 feet, is a menace in the passing lanes and generally makes life difficult for opponents. He brings tremendous toughness and physicality to the table in everything he does, making him an ideal practice player and culture guy. Coaches that have worked with him swear by him.

Carter developed into a capable scorer over the course of his career as well, knocking down 39 percent of his 3-pointers as a junior and senior, and is capable of making shots off the dribble. He's an unselfish player who plays at different speeds, and he will likely benefit from having more talent around him after being asked to do far too much for a West Virginia team that looked disorganized and skill-deprived at times in their half-court offense.

Drawbacks: Carter isn't gifted with elite physical traits, measuring just 6-foot-0.25 without shoes with a 6-4 wingspan and average athleticism by NBA standards. Ideally you would like to see a player in Carter's mold be able to defend either guard position, but his lack of size and length might make that challenging at times. His mediocre 44 2-point percentage is partially due to his inability to create high-percentage looks for himself and teammates, as he's likely better suited playing alongside another initiator who can help handle some of the shot-creation responsibilities.

Potential role: Agitator

--Jonathan Givony

[SD2042]

Thx Boogie for setting up the thread. My thoughts are that this guy looks to be a better version of Marvin Williams. better defender, aggressive to the point of being foul prone. may need to calm down due to his tendency to over achieve on defense. can spread out on the perimeter and can attack the hole.

He will have to grow on me. Otherwise, I can live with the pick.

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Welcome aboard Jaren Jackson Jr.

[boogiesdad]

SD- Nice to still have some MOD abilities when needed. Even better to be back on more often to help.

I think the talent level is there for Jackson, but not sure how you play him at the 4 with JaMychal and Jarrell. I wonder if he might be better as a stretch 4, our even in a tall lineup at the 3 and move Brooks to the 2. Could create some matchup problems, but he is too thin to be a consistent PF or C at this time.

[VCfor3]

SD- Nice to still have some MOD abilities when needed. Even better to be back on more often to help.

I think the talent level is there for Jackson, but not sure how you play him at the 4 with JaMychal and Jarrell. I wonder if he might be better as a stretch 4, our even in a tall lineup at the 3 and move Brooks to the 2. Could create some matchup problems, but he is too thin to be a consistent PF or C at this time.

Rumor is that Brooks is trying to slim up some so that he can move to the 2.

All in all I like the pick. Doncic was who I wanted but he wasn't available. JJJ could be a great 2-way player and we didn't use the pick to save Pera money. I think Green could potentially get traded or we roll with JJJ getting some time at the 4 next to Gasol and then some time at the 5 next to Green. Martin isn't someone I worry about too much. He can't shoot very well and is an energy big off the bench at best. Rabb is in the mix too. I wouldn't be surprised if Memphis tried to trade Martin for a very late 2nd round pick. Don't know if he is positive value on his contract or not (expiring 2.5mil) but I could see a team willing to take him on for a 1 year tryout so to speak.

[SD2042]

SD- Nice to still have some MOD abilities when needed. Even better to be back on more often to help.

I think the talent level is there for Jackson, but not sure how you play him at the 4 with JaMychal and Jarrell. I wonder if he might be better as a stretch 4, our even in a tall lineup at the 3 and move Brooks to the 2. Could create some matchup problems, but he is too thin to be a consistent PF or C at this time.

Welcome back indeed boogie!

To the logjam at the PF spot. It's very possible that either Jam or maybe Martin's stay on the team could soon be on the brink of being traded from the squad. JJJ like you stated will have to bulk up a bit as he's too wirey to play at the 4 and 5 for right now unless the right match ups are present themselves to be a good advantage for JJJ to take.

[boogiesdad]

SD- Nice to still have some MOD abilities when needed. Even better to be back on more often to help.

I think the talent level is there for Jackson, but not sure how you play him at the 4 with JaMychal and Jarrell. I wonder if he might be better as a stretch 4, our even in a tall lineup at the 3 and move Brooks to the 2. Could create some matchup problems, but he is too thin to be a consistent PF or C at this time.

It would appear that we are now bulked up at all positions minus the SG slot, unless there is a belief that Brooks is going to be the man. Hard to envision on such a short sample size. We need perimeter shooting and I doubt Redick is coming. Lol

Welcome back indeed boogie!

To the logjam at the PF spot. It's very possible that either Jam or maybe Martin's stay on the team could soon be on the brink of being traded from the squad. JJJ like you stated will have to bulk up a bit as he's too wirey to play at the 4 and 5 for right now unless the right match ups are present themselves to be a good advantage for JJJ to take.

[SD2042]

SD- Nice to still have some MOD abilities when needed. Even better to be back on more often to help.

I think the talent level is there for Jackson, but not sure how you play him at the 4 with JaMychal and Jarrell. I wonder if he might be better as a stretch 4, our even in a tall lineup at the 3 and move Brooks to the 2. Could create some matchup problems, but he is too thin to be a consistent PF or C at this time.

It would appear that we are now bulked up at all positions minus the SG slot, unless there is a belief that Brooks is going to be the man. Hard to envision on such a short sample size. We need perimeter shooting and I doubt Redick is coming. Lol

Welcome back indeed boogie!

To the logjam at the PF spot. It's very possible that either Jam or maybe Martin's stay on the team could soon be on the brink of being traded from the squad. JJJ like you stated will have to bulk up a bit as he's too wirey to play at the 4 and 5 for right now unless the right match ups are present themselves to be a good advantage for JJJ to take.

More power to Dillon. He knows he has to raise up the level of his game if he wants to be the man with the plan. He was a good selection by the Grizzlies on last year. His future can only get brighter from here.


Welcome aboard PG Jevon Carter

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