grod-mock [05/15]

[getrichordie]

Went on Tankathon and spun the wheel one time to attain a random order in the lottery. These are the results. Each selection was made as to what I believe each team should do. Will leave out trades for the purpose of this mock.

01. cle — anthony edwards
02. atl — james wiseman
03. gsw — deni avdija
04. min — tyrese haliburton
05. det — killian hayes
06. nyk — lamelo ball
07. chi — r.j. hampton
08. cha — onyeka okongwu
09. was — isaac okoro
10. phx — cole anthony
11. sas — aleksej pokusevski
12. sac — devin vassell
13. nop — kira lewis jr.
14. por — patrick williams
15. orl — aaron nesmith
16. min — precious achiuwa
17. bos — jahmi'us ramsey
18. dal — paul reed
19. mke — obi toppin
20. bkn — josh green
21. den — tyrese maxey
22. phi — malachi flynn
23. mia — leandro bolmaro
24. uta — nate hinton
25. okc — jalen smith
26. bos — grant riller
27. nyk — trevelin queen
28. tor — theo maledon
29. lal — devon dotson
30. bos — xavier tillman

[PerkinsFor3]

Detroit is such an easy slot. Just pick bpa. They need so much.

Also, I know you didnt include trades, etc. But I wonder what GSW will do with their pick if it enda up top 3. Theyre in salary cap hell, as theyll be around 150M in salary and from what Ive heard, the cap mught be slashed by 30M. That has the cap at almost precisely Klay + Steph.

Wiggins at 30M and Dray at 22M are next. Could we see them obtain a player with a shorter contract (ie Griffin) in exchange for Wiggins + that pick?

[getrichordie]

Detroit is such an easy slot. Just pick bpa. They need so much.

True. That's why I took Hayes. Think he has the most realistic chance of being an impact pro for a long time. Could easily see them taking Okongwu here, though. I just don't like Ball that much.

[PerkinsFor3]

Same here. I believe Hayes is the smarter pick. Not a Ball/Anthiny fan, some names Ive seen their fans mention.

[getrichordie]

Same here. I believe Hayes is the smarter pick. Not a Ball/Anthiny fan, some names Ive seen their fans mention.

Really struggled to make a choice between Jalen Smith and Jaden McDaniels for OKC. I like both but McDaniels’ frame scares me.

[getrichordie]

Also, I might change it. I think UTA probably takes Riller instead of Hinton.

[G R E Y]

I think given we reached for Luka Samanic last year, we would not reach even farther at Poku, who even though he has a great touch and passing, is in other ways an even bigger development project at the same position for us. We have a strong need at pure 3 or combo forward position, and with Vassell and Williams still hypothetically available, I'd slot either as BPA for us. *Fingers crossed*

[getrichordie]

I think given we reached for Luka Samanic last year, we would not reach even farther at Poku, who even though he has a great touch and passing, is in other ways an even bigger development project at the same position for us. We have a strong need at pure 3 or combo forward position, and with Vassell and Williams still hypothetically available, I'd slot either as BPA for us. *Fingers crossed*

Eh, I’d argue Pokusevski isn’t a reach here. He can be that combo forward. He has the tools. Just needs to add a little weight. He moves pretty well laterally so he will be able to defend 3/4 and have an unguardable shot.

I think he has clearly the higher ceiling than Vassell and Williams.

[G R E Y]

I think given we reached for Luka Samanic last year, we would not reach even farther at Poku, who even though he has a great touch and passing, is in other ways an even bigger development project at the same position for us. We have a strong need at pure 3 or combo forward position, and with Vassell and Williams still hypothetically available, I'd slot either as BPA for us. *Fingers crossed*

Eh, I’d argue Pokusevski isn’t a reach here. He can be that combo forward. He has the tools. Just needs to add a little weight. He moves pretty well laterally so he will be able to defend 3/4 and have an unguardable shot.

I think he has clearly the higher ceiling than Vassell and Williams.

Well, but for the top 3-5 picks (and even those are moveable without a consensus top tier level star), a lot of players in this draft are slotted wildly from lottery to second round range in various mocks. None of them, however, have Poku in the lottery, and in fact he's one of the more consistently slotted players at latter third of the first round.

But teams like who they like. Had our Luka put more of his skills together sooner, he'd likely have been selected earlier, so a team has to believe in its development and the player's improvement range. You can't teach height, and Poku is impressively coordinated for his size. I guess he can potentially become sinewy strong, but you can't change his bone frame which is really narrow. It's a similar concern I have about Vassell. I'm not 100% certain I would pick him over Patrick Williams long term (who may have a higher ceiling), but that's another matter.

Who is Poku supposed to guard? Quicker smaller guards and forwards will get by him, stronger 3s and 4s will muscle him out. It's a slower and less physical competition he's been up against so far. So getting used to both - something many Euros have said was a big adjustment - while getting stronger will bring him to the end of his first contract. So it depends on his being in the right situation, a team that can develop him and with patience from both sides. We've got that, but I guess it's a matter of believing in his long-term ceiling.

I actually like him and am intrigued by his combination of skill and height/wingspan for such a young player. It's a shame that deep dives into players have been curtailed by the pandemic. Such an important decision rests in a time of less info and he's one of those players you need more questions answered that are so far unavailable.

[Killboard]

Went on Tankathon and spun the wheel one time to attain a random order in the lottery. These are the results. Each selection was made as to what I believe each team should do. Will leave out trades for the purpose of this mock.

01. cle — anthony edwards
02. atl — james wiseman
03. gsw — deni avdija
04. min — tyrese haliburton
05. det — killian hayes
06. nyk — lamelo ball
07. chi — r.j. hampton
08. cha — onyeka okongwu
09. was — isaac okoro
10. phx — cole anthony
11. sas — aleksej pokusevski
12. sac — devin vassell
13. nop — kira lewis jr.
14. por — patrick williams
15. orl — aaron nesmith
16. min — precious achiuwa
17. bos — jahmi'us ramsey
18. dal — paul reed
19. mke — obi toppin
20. bkn — josh green
21. den — tyrese maxey
22. phi — malachi flynn
23. mia — leandro bolmaro
24. uta — nate hinton
25. okc — jalen smith
26. bos — grant riller
27. nyk — trevelin queen
28. tor — theo maledon
29. lal — devon dotson
30. bos — xavier tillman

Wolves should have taken Hayes/Okongwu and Paul Reed/Maxey with the 16th though which I belive are better prospects than Hali or Achiuwa.

[getrichordie]

Went on Tankathon and spun the wheel one time to attain a random order in the lottery. These are the results. Each selection was made as to what I believe each team should do. Will leave out trades for the purpose of this mock.

01. cle — anthony edwards
02. atl — james wiseman
03. gsw — deni avdija
04. min — tyrese haliburton
05. det — killian hayes
06. nyk — lamelo ball
07. chi — r.j. hampton
08. cha — onyeka okongwu
09. was — isaac okoro
10. phx — cole anthony
11. sas — aleksej pokusevski
12. sac — devin vassell
13. nop — kira lewis jr.
14. por — patrick williams
15. orl — aaron nesmith
16. min — precious achiuwa
17. bos — jahmi'us ramsey
18. dal — paul reed
19. mke — obi toppin
20. bkn — josh green
21. den — tyrese maxey
22. phi — malachi flynn
23. mia — leandro bolmaro
24. uta — nate hinton
25. okc — jalen smith
26. bos — grant riller
27. nyk — trevelin queen
28. tor — theo maledon
29. lal — devon dotson
30. bos — xavier tillman

Wolves should have taken Hayes/Okongwu and Paul Reed/Maxey with the 16th though which I belive are better prospects than Hali or Achiuwa.

I decided to pick Haliburton because of defense. Wolves desperately need some of it. Don’t know what Okongwu’s role is on Wolves with KAT there but I don’t see a Okongwu/KAT front court working all that well on the defensive side.

Wolves have enough scoring with the additions of Beasley and Russell on top of KAT. Achiuwa provides defense in spades. I think it’s bad value to draft Reed that high.

[Killboard]

Went on Tankathon and spun the wheel one time to attain a random order in the lottery. These are the results. Each selection was made as to what I believe each team should do. Will leave out trades for the purpose of this mock.

01. cle — anthony edwards
02. atl — james wiseman
03. gsw — deni avdija
04. min — tyrese haliburton
05. det — killian hayes
06. nyk — lamelo ball
07. chi — r.j. hampton
08. cha — onyeka okongwu
09. was — isaac okoro
10. phx — cole anthony
11. sas — aleksej pokusevski
12. sac — devin vassell
13. nop — kira lewis jr.
14. por — patrick williams
15. orl — aaron nesmith
16. min — precious achiuwa
17. bos — jahmi'us ramsey
18. dal — paul reed
19. mke — obi toppin
20. bkn — josh green
21. den — tyrese maxey
22. phi — malachi flynn
23. mia — leandro bolmaro
24. uta — nate hinton
25. okc — jalen smith
26. bos — grant riller
27. nyk — trevelin queen
28. tor — theo maledon
29. lal — devon dotson
30. bos — xavier tillman

Wolves should have taken Hayes/Okongwu and Paul Reed/Maxey with the 16th though which I belive are better prospects than Hali or Achiuwa.

I decided to pick Haliburton because of defense. Wolves desperately need some of it. Don’t know what Okongwu’s role is on Wolves with KAT there but I don’t see a Okongwu/KAT front court working all that well on the defensive side.

Wolves have enough scoring with the additions of Beasley and Russell on top of KAT. Achiuwa provides defense in spades. I think it’s bad value to draft Reed that high.

Fair. Nobody knows how those prospect will work, but Hayes seems to care on defense, even if smaller (but if he is long for a PG), and projects to be an initiator which Halliburton does not. I don't think is smart use of draft capital.

Regarding Okongwu, I think he will be good switching on perimeter players and as a weak side defender, while running the rim on offense, both things Wolves currently lack. Given KAT versatility on offense I would not worry on fit too much if Okongwu can defend small ball 4's on defense, which I think he can given his ahtletic traits.

As for Achiuwa over Reed, both have virtually the same age (3 months apart), similar lenght and weight. Reed had 1.5 points and 0.6 rebounds fewer per36, but much better assists+steals+blocks, was more efficient in TS% and FT%, almost the double in 2pt% jumpers and much more of them unnasisted, which becomes him in a better defensive and offensive prospect IMO.

[getrichordie]

Wolves should have taken Hayes/Okongwu and Paul Reed/Maxey with the 16th though which I belive are better prospects than Hali or Achiuwa.

I decided to pick Haliburton because of defense. Wolves desperately need some of it. Don’t know what Okongwu’s role is on Wolves with KAT there but I don’t see a Okongwu/KAT front court working all that well on the defensive side.

Wolves have enough scoring with the additions of Beasley and Russell on top of KAT. Achiuwa provides defense in spades. I think it’s bad value to draft Reed that high.

Fair. Nobody knows how those prospect will work, but Hayes seems to care on defense, even if smaller (but if he is long for a PG), and projects to be an initiator which Halliburton does not. I don't think is smart use of draft capital.

Regarding Okongwu, I think he will be good switching on perimeter players and as a weak side defender, while running the rim on offense, both things Wolves currently lack. Given KAT versatility on offense I would not worry on fit too much if Okongwu can defend small ball 4's on defense, which I think he can given his ahtletic traits.

As for Achiuwa over Reed, both have virtually the same age (3 months apart), similar lenght and weight. Reed had 1.5 points and 0.6 rebounds fewer per36, but much better assists+steals+blocks, was more efficient in TS% and FT%, almost the double in 2pt% jumpers and much more of them unnasisted, which becomes him in a better defensive and offensive prospect IMO.

What do you do if Okongwu is tasked with guarding some of the more mobile 4s in the league? Bertans, Gallinari, Robinson, etc.? Teams are going smaller and smaller each year. How does MIN respond to that?

I know Achiuwa and Reed aren't that far apart in age or statistics, but Achiuwa's size is the differentiator. Don't know that Reed can bang down low (KAT's weakness) where as I know Achiuwa can and can also defend out in space. Hard to find a fit for KAT either way. But if PA can develop a corner 3, I think he has the best chance of fitting in with KAT.

[Killboard]

What do you do if Okongwu is tasked with guarding some of the more mobile 4s in the league? Bertans, Gallinari, Robinson, etc.? Teams are going smaller and smaller each year. How does MIN respond to that?

You really think Achiuwa is in another quickness tier than Okonwgu? I don't. I think he will hold his own against those because he will outrebound them and could make them suffer in defense above the rim P&R handler.

I know Achiuwa and Reed aren't that far apart in age or statistics, but Achiuwa's size is the differentiator. Don't know that Reed can bang down low (KAT's weakness) where as I know Achiuwa can and can also defend out in space. Hard to find a fit for KAT either way. But if PA can develop a corner 3, I think he has the best chance of fitting in with KAT.

If Achiuwa has size advantage it has not been relevant in rebounding, blocking numbers or steals numbers in comparison:

Achiuwa: 2.0 STL%, 6.4 BLK%, 24.6 Dreb%
Reed: 3.3 STL%, 9.7 BLK%, 25.9 DReb%

KAT does not have any problems down low IMO. He has been among the best rebounders in the league and has not had problems defending the post one on one. Wolves perimeter defense has been so porous though that they allow a lot of points in the paint and in second chance points, but that's another issue. Play Teague, Rose, Wiggins and a bunch of rookies does that. Not counting Dlo or Beasley because they only played a couple of games with KAT, but that's why they need defensive help at 3/4.

You can see his defensive stats in the paint here:
https://stats.nba.com/players/opponent-shooting/?Season=2019-20&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&DistanceRange=By%20Zone&sort=In%20The%20Paint%20(Non-RA)%20FGA&dir=1&PlayerPosition=C&CF=Restricted%20Area%20FGM*G*4

[getrichordie]

What do you do if Okongwu is tasked with guarding some of the more mobile 4s in the league? Bertans, Gallinari, Robinson, etc.? Teams are going smaller and smaller each year. How does MIN respond to that?

You really think Achiuwa is in another quickness tier than Okonwgu? I don't. I think he will hold his own against those because he will outrebound them and could make them suffer in defense above the rim P&R handler.

I know Achiuwa and Reed aren't that far apart in age or statistics, but Achiuwa's size is the differentiator. Don't know that Reed can bang down low (KAT's weakness) where as I know Achiuwa can and can also defend out in space. Hard to find a fit for KAT either way. But if PA can develop a corner 3, I think he has the best chance of fitting in with KAT.

If Achiuwa has size advantage it has not been relevant in rebounding, blocking numbers or steals numbers in comparison:

Achiuwa: 2.0 STL%, 6.4 BLK%, 24.6 Dreb%
Reed: 3.3 STL%, 9.7 BLK%, 25.9 DReb%

KAT does not have any problems down low IMO. He has been among the best rebounders in the league and has not had problems defending the post one on one. Wolves perimeter defense has been so porous though that they allow a lot of points in the paint and in second chance points, but that's another issue. Play Teague, Rose, Wiggins and a bunch of rookies does that. Not counting Dlo or Beasley because they only played a couple of games with KAT, but that's why they need defensive help at 3/4.

You can see his defensive stats in the paint here:
https://stats.nba.com/players/opponent-shooting/?Season=2019-20&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&DistanceRange=By%20Zone&sort=In%20The%20Paint%20(Non-RA)%20FGA&dir=1&PlayerPosition=C&CF=Restricted%20Area%20FGM*G*4

He's allowing 64% on attempts in the restricted area on 20 FGAs per game. Not great. Non-RA paint #s are better, but restricted area is a weakness. Not sure what I'm supposed to being seeing there.

I don't put a whole lot of stock into BLK% because BLK% doesn't necessarily equate to good defense. I think Reed is a hair more mobile than Achiuwa, but Achiuwa has an elite S/R. Not sure what Reed's is. But I mean, I don't mind MIN taking Reed here either. On second thought, I'd probably lean Reed for MIN.

[Killboard]

He's allowing 64% on attempts in the restricted area on 20 FGAs per game. Not great. Non-RA paint #s are better, but restricted area is a weakness. Not sure what I'm supposed to being seeing there.

Rudy Gobert allows 62.8% on 18.4 attemps, and he is the absolute excelence in the league. It could seem a bit high but remember those shots aren't always their own assigments. An ISO defense or post up defense stat would be more accurate to describe why I don't think his defense is bad down low, but I don't know where to get it for free.

I don't put a whole lot of stock into BLK% because BLK% doesn't necessarily equate to good defense. I think Reed is a hair more mobile than Achiuwa, but Achiuwa has an elite S/R. Not sure what Reed's is. But I mean, I don't mind MIN taking Reed here either. On second thought, I'd probably lean Reed for MIN.

Fair. Nobody knows how they are going to work so take all as opinions. Is just that I think Reed is undervalued by the draft sites in general which does not mean that's the case for front offices.

[Catchall]

I don't think the Jazz would reach for Hinton. In this scenario, they'd take Saddiq Bey or take Theo Maledon.

[getrichordie]

I don't think the Jazz would reach for Hinton. In this scenario, they'd take Saddiq Bey or take Theo Maledon.

Maybe. I'm pretty low on Saddiq Bey. I can see the Jazz taking Maledon for sure, if he's there. Check my above posts. I said Jazz should've taken Riller instead.

[Catchall]

I don't think the Jazz would reach for Hinton. In this scenario, they'd take Saddiq Bey or take Theo Maledon.

Maybe. I'm pretty low on Saddiq Bey. I can see the Jazz taking Maledon for sure, if he's there. Check my above posts. I said Jazz should've taken Riller instead.

The Jazz aren't low on Saddiq.

[getrichordie]

I don't think the Jazz would reach for Hinton. In this scenario, they'd take Saddiq Bey or take Theo Maledon.

Maybe. I'm pretty low on Saddiq Bey. I can see the Jazz taking Maledon for sure, if he's there. Check my above posts. I said Jazz should've taken Riller instead.

The Jazz aren't low on Saddiq.

Source?