King Ken's Big Board 2022 (Pre-Draft and SL)

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King Ken
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King Ken's Big Board 2022 (Pre-Draft and SL) 

Post#1 » by King Ken » Fri Jun 10, 2022 5:52 pm

KK's Big Board:

Update: 6/10/2022

Big Board v1.0

Positions: https://www.sportstalk2319.com/positiondictionary

My 1st round grades:

Tier 2: All-Star potential

1t. Jaden Ivey – Combo Guard – Mid floor, elite ceiling. Explosive, skilled, fast, powerful for his size, aggressive and motor always-on, elite slasher, and tremendous at creating space from nothing. Comp: Russell Westbrook with a jump shot but is a Julius Randle-like playmaker with limited vision.

1t. Chet Holmgren – Stretch Big – High floor, very high ceiling. Elite rim and paint protector, Excellent defending in space, uses length exceptionally well, good feel for the game, tremendously skilled, polished ball-handler for his height. Comp: Larry Sanders with elite offensive skill. Is a boom or role player prospect. He could be the best in this class if he booms.

1t. Jabari Smith – Stretch Big – Very High floor, very high ceiling. Elite high-end variance skills. Excellent shooter. Elite movement player. Tremendous feel for the game. Good defender. Excellent defensive rebounder. Comp: John Collins with elite PF measurables. Not as skilled in the post as JC was as a prospect but he can shoot with high-end variance like Tyler Herro. The highest floor in this class like Mobley last year.

1t. Pablo Banchero – Dual Forward– High floor, very high ceiling. Pablo's play in the 2nd half of the season sold me that he has a lot more jumbo wing abilities than I thought which moved him up my board. Elite skill. Solid shooter with high-end variance skills. Uses strength very well like Randle. Heady defender. Chris Webber like playmaking skills. Comp: Less athletic Chris Webber with a lot more skill as a prospect. He’s nowhere close to the explosiveness C. Webb had at Michigan but he makes up for it with exceptional skill. He has more offensive jumbo wing skill than I expected.

Tier 3.5: Decent Role player potential with All-Star possibilities down the road. I do see these guys as Day 1 contributors to a degree.

4t. Shaedon Sharpe – Shooting Guard - Very Low floor, very high ceiling. A 3.5 prospect should never have a very low floor but Sharpe does. This ultimately is why Wiseman was a high-end tier 4 prospect in 2020 for me. The reason why Sharpe is here is that I think his ceiling could be higher than Anthony Edwards just because his defensive potential is simply higher while his offensive potential is similar.

It’s hard to say his ceiling should be higher than very high because there are a lot of unknown qualities that must go right for Sharpe like his structure. That said, both Edwards and Sharpe will suck in the NBA on day 1 and their growth will depend on them. Ant already proved his work ethic is better than projected and looks like a future all-star.

That said, Explosiveness, good ball handler for size/age, can jump off one and two feet, strong hands, elite fluidity, the optimal length for the position, and Solid first step. Elite at slashing in a straight line even in traffic. Can finish in traffic effortlessly. Excellent skills, three-level scorer, can operate out of the post and loves coming off screens, lethal mid-range potential, powerful athlete for size, great defensive instincts but horrible defender, think rookie Josh Smith.

Comp: Vince Carter skill-wise offensively, defensively, smaller Andrew Wiggins with even more explosiveness which is insane. Wigs might be one of the most explosive players in league history. Ultimate boom or bust prospect. High School prospects feel again like Simons.

4t. Keegan Murray – Small Forward - Very high floor, high ceiling. I really haven’t watched too much of Murray. Elite in transition. Three-level scorer. Very capable defender. Versatile. Comp: Based on what I’ve seen and read, he feels like a blend between Danny Granger and Otto Porter Jr. He has the shot creation like Granger and the skill and offensive versatility but defensively is like a prospect OPJ. In a position where big wings are the new 90’s centers in terms of worth and difficult to get them via trade or the draft. They tend to get pushed up the board vastly and Murray should be a top 5 lock.

4t. Dyson Daniels – Combo Guard – I love this kid more than some others. Some will say his ceiling isn’t that high but I disagree to a degree. High Floor, High Ceiling. He doesn’t have traditional all-star potential, but he has championship potential with his style of play. I compare him to a bigger Derrick White. Good playmaker. High BBIQ but feel for the game is still improving. Can play on and off the ball. Excellent decision-maker. Elite rebounder. Always locked in. Impacts the game. All around the stat sheet and all good on the tape. This kid does so much more than a traditional role may ask for. He might not be an all-star but he’s someone like Mikal Bridges that I think is a STUD! He doesn’t have Bridges floor but I would say he has White’s floor, just needs to shoot better but the potential is there for him to be a good shooter. Comp: Bigger Derrick White.

4t. Jalen Williams – Combo Guard - High floor and high ceiling. I’ve been questioning should I move this guy to tier 3.5 or at least tier 4 high-end as his game has shot up my list. I didn’t see any of his games during the season but I watched his NBA Combine and he was special. His measurements were great but so was his game. I think honestly, he’s way better than Johnny Davis but I still haven’t watched a full game of his at college, just the combine stuff.

He’s impressive and he had a growth spurt from 5’10 to 6’5 which I like to see from sleepers who usually boom in the NBA. Yeah, now I think about it. Jalen probably should be tier 3.5 because based on all I’ve seen, he looks like he could be an all-star. The skills are there, the measurement, the talent level. Yeah, he should probably be a top 10 pick in this draft. Comp: C.J. McCollum with elite measurements for an SG. Yeah, Jalen is a top prospect. He’s moving up right now. This is a risky call because I’ve done limited homework on it but f it, I trust my eyes.

4t. A.J. Griffin – Small Forward – High Floor, very high ceiling. A.J. has NBA pedigree and his skills look it. The kid is stupid skilled. Good athlete for his size but I worry about his lateral movement and his defensive potential in the NBA. He’s going to be a bucket in the NBA. Three-level scorer, smart with the ball, powerful frame, reminds me of Jamal Mashburn out of Kentucky. He’s going to be an all-star in the modern NBA as that style is better in today’s spaced league. I just worry about him on D. Comp: Jamal Mashburn

Tier 4: Decent Role player potential or raw with AS possibilities.


10t. Bennedict Mathurin – Shooting Guard. High floor with a mid-high ceiling, fits any system, 3&D guy, explosive, elite in transition which will matter again as the NBA will likely remove the take foul rule. Good 3 shooter with the potential to be excellent with experience and more reps. If given space, explosive finisher at the rim. Good defender, but he’s not going to win any awards for it. He has the potential to be an excellent #2 in a bad team and a tremendous #3 for a playoff-level team. Comp: Jason Richardson, not as good as a dunker but a better shooter as a prospect.

10t. Johnny Davis – Shooting Guard – I do wonder about his ceiling. Very high floor with a decent ceiling. I think he’s a lot like Michael Redd but Redd outweighs him by 24 pounds. Davis is better than Redd on both ends as a college player but when Redd got to the NBA, his size was something he used a lot. Johnny doesn’t have that plus his athleticism questions are the same.

I just started evaluating him, so I don’t have my normal feel for this, but I felt Culver was going to be a bust and he was. Davis gives me those vibes. When your best comparison outweighs you by 24 pounds, that’s an issue. That was one of my big issues with Culver, all of my comps outweigh him vastly. Comp: Michael Redd. That said, his tape is impressive, he has three-level potential and he’s a far more active defender than Redd was at Ohio State. Based on the tape, he and Mathurin are the only two high-end tier 4s in this class.

10t. Jalen Duren- Center - Low floor with a high ceiling. This might be the least deep draft in a while. These are tier 4 guys so at 5 in a normal draft class, this is usually as good as it gets but usually, tier 4 is deep, not this year. Jalen is a kid with the right tools, body, athletic ability, and positional frame to be a high-end role player in this league. He just needs to master the art of screening, and the nuisances of the game, go into a good situation that’s patient and he's developed. While he’s not as skilled as a Bam, he has a similar frame and body type. I think he could have the potential to be an elite defender. I think his PnR potential is real and given time and work, could be special at it. Comp: A blend between Bam Adebayo and Clint Capela, not a best of.

10t. Mark Williams – Center - Low-mid floor with a semi-high ceiling, rim runner, and paint protector. Athletic. 7’7 wingspan with a 9’8 standing reach. Plays kinda soft but has a lot of potential. Screening will be critical for him as a player. Comp: Wealthy man’s Samuel Dalembert with shades of Mitchell Robinson

10t. Ochai Agbaji – Shooting Guard – Excellent ceiling with a low floor. Best player in this draft. An exceptionally low floor really hurts him. Ochai is a good basketball player who knows how to play, shoot and move with and without the ball. He’s by far the best player in this draft. Desmond Bane is his comp. He’s taller and longer than Bane and maybe even a better defender. He has a terrible ceiling. He’s peaked and he’s just gonna improve slightly from here. That said, he’s already a solid NBA SG and that’s hard to find.

10t. Jeremy Sochan – SF - very low floor and very high ceiling. Jeremy has been seen as a big wing prospect which is why he’s zooming up the board even if he sucks as a big wing. In college, he was a 4/5 and played well in that role, especially defensively but he’s so limited on offense and he’s not anywhere ready to defend big wings in the NBA. That said, the potential to defend 4 positions is real. His movement is similar to Ben Simmons. He showed playmaking skills.

He showed flashes of C&S skills. He flashes elite help-side defensive potential. He is an excellent man defender but will take some time adjusting to the perimeter full time. Great frame. Because of this, his comps are guys like Pascal Siakam, Draymond Green, Ben Simmons, and others. Comp: The player he reminds me of if he hits is Ron Artest

10t. Tari Eason – SF - Mid Floor and high ceiling. I love Tari but the player he reminds me of so much is James Posey. He’s not very skilled at all. He is physical, can shoot spot-ups, big hands which helps with steals. Puts up good stats but is nowhere skilled enough to be in someone’s starting lineup unless you barely pass to your wings. Comp: James Posey

10t. Ousmane Dieng – Shooting Guard - Very low floor and very high ceiling. Another scrub with an insanely high ceiling if he can reach it. 6’9 with long arms. He’s fluid but not all that athletic. Not that big and will likely live at the 3pt line. He does have defensive potential so he has two-way potential as a 3&D SG but he’s so far physically, mentally and athletically, there is a good chance he can underwhelm you like Killian Hayes. Comp: Brandon Ingram lite with just decent skill and a better jump shot if he hits.

****10t. Jalen Williams - – High floor and high ceiling. I’ve been questioning should I move this guy to tier 3.5 or at least tier 4 high end as his game has shot up my list. I didn’t see any of his games during the season but I watched his NBA Combine and he was special. His measurements were great but so was his game. I actually think honestly, he’s way better than Johnny Davis but I still haven’t watched a full game of his at college, just the combine stuff.

He’s impressive and he had a growth spurt from 5’10 to 6’5 which I like to see from sleepers who usually boom in the NBA. Yeah, now I think about it. Jalen probably should be tier 3.5 because based on all I’ve seen, he’s looks like he could be an all-star. The skills is there, the measurement, the talent level. Yeah, he’s should probably be a top 10 pick in this draft. Comp: C.J. McCollum with elite measurements for a SG. Yeah, Jalen is a top prospect. He’s moving up right now. – Jalen has moved up the board again. He went from 5th tier to watching him yesterday in combine games to top 20 and now to top 10. ***

10t. TyTy Washington – Traditional Guard - Low floor, high ceiling. He reminds me of the PGs who came out in the Jeff Teague draft. Low floor but could start and be good in time. That’s TyTy. Comp: Goran Dragic

10t. Walker Kessler – Center - low floor, good ceiling. I actually think Walker can be good in this league. Rim protectors can drop and switch. Best in the drop. Decent screener with elite potential and a tremendous PnR rim runner. He’s limited but he does flash a shot. Comp: Bigger Daniel Theis

10t. Kendall Brown – SF - A big wing who will get over-drafted because he’s a big wing. Very low floor and high ceiling. If he hits, he could be good. Extremely athletic, switchable, great in transition, very young. Comp: Bigger even rawer, Corey Brewer. His work ethic will be critical. Look at guys like Kent Bazemore. You can get much better if you are willing to outwork everyone.

10t. Malaki Branham – Combo Guard - mid-floor, decent ceiling. I like Malaki's game. I think he has a smooth game. KD like. He reminds me of Randy Foye. He’s a couple of inches taller than Foye but about 15 pounds lighter. He’s in the range of the late teens and early 20s which is likely where Foye should have been looking back at it. Comp: Randy Foye

10t. E.J. Liddell – PF - mid-floor, decent ceiling. I like E.J.'s game. Reminds me of another 2000s prospect, Carl Landry. Metrics are fairly similar although their style of play isn’t. Carl was more of a post-up specialist who had an elite motor and E.J. is more of a shooter who was more careful with the ball. Carl was seen as a better defender but the game has changed a bit and they probably would be the same in this era of spacing. Comp: Carl Landry

10t. Jaden Hardy – Combo Guard - very low floor, high ceiling. Tremendous scoring talent. Skilled. The issue with Hardy is all he is, is a scorer and he cannot shoot well at this stage. He does have potential and he is a legit 1st rounder due to his solid size for position but he’s clearly a 6th man type, nothing more, nothing less and he’s not close to Cam Thomas who’s the same at this stage. If it all comes together, Hardy could be an elite 6th man.

10t. Wendell Moore – Shooting Guard - good floor, low ceiling – We just had Grimes who is similar to Moore go in the late 1st and I expect the same. Comp: Quinton Grimes

10t. Andrew Nembhard – Traditional Guard - Excellent floor, very low ceiling. He’s a better playmaker than T.J. McConnell. I don’t think he’s as good as T.J. on D but offensively, he’s better as a prospect. Comp: T.J. McConnell, better on offense, worse on defense.

10t. Kennedy Chandler – IDK. I haven’t seen him play in over a year. He’s only in this tier based on his reputation from other scouts, bloggers, internet scouts like Vecenie, and those willing to share insider details.

Tier 5:

28t. ---
Nikola Jović
MarJon Beauchamp
Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Christian Braun
Blake Wesley
Bryce McGowens
Dalen Terry
Christian Koloko
Jake LaRavia
Ismael Kamagate
David Roddy
Trevor Keels
Leonard Miller
Jean Montero
Gabriele Procida
Josh Minott
Max Christie
Khalifa Diop
JD Davison
Hugo Besson
Ryan Rollins
Alondes Williams
Keon Ellis
Yannick Nzosa
Peyton Watson
Jabari Walker
Dominick Barlow
Justin Lewis
Scotty Pippen
Matteo Spagnolo
Vince Williams Jr.
Trevion Williams
Orlando Robinson
Caleb Houstan
Ron Harper Jr.
Julian Champagnie
Michael Foster Jr.
Moussa Diabate
Jordan Hall


Tiers:

Tier 1: Elite Cornerstone Prospect: Greg Oden, Zion Williamson, LeBron James, Kevin Durant

Tier 2: Tier 2: All-Star potential – Ja Morant, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Luka Doncic (yeah, I got that one wrong), Carmelo Anthony, R.J. Barrett, DeAndre Ayton, AD, Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie, O.J. Mayo (I know, don’t ask), KAT, etc.

Tier 3: All-Star Possibilities – Mikal Bridges, Bradley Beal, Victor Oladipo, James Harden, Hasheem Thabeet(bustaroo), Al Horford, Dwight Howard, and Emeka Okafor. Tier 3 is difficult for me because very few guys have been on this list over the last 20+ years for me.

Tier 3.5 - Decent Role player potential with All-Star possibilities down the road. I do see these guys as Day 1 contributors to a degree. This list is massive, it includes guys like Fultz, Tatum, Brown, Garland, Rui, Cam Reddish, Bargnani, LMA, Lillard, Okafor, KP, man, so many guys. Usually, like 5-8 a year. Of course, the miss rate is high.

Tier 4 - Tier 4: Decent Role player potential or raw with AS possibilities. This is most players in the NBA. Some get a high-end tier 4 status which is like, a really good role player who usually dominated college or showcases their NBA role at a very high level with the potential to be more.

Tier 5 – Backups and G-Leaguers – A lot of players.

Tier 6 – International Pros who don’t have much of a shot at the NBA.

This class is strong but not deep. Last year's class was strong and deep. Not this year.
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drone3
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Re: King Ken's Big Board 2022 (Pre-Draft and SL) 

Post#2 » by drone3 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 10:33 am

This was really insightful, appreciate the post
King Ken
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Re: King Ken's Big Board 2022 (Pre-Draft and SL) 

Post#3 » by King Ken » Sat Oct 29, 2022 1:29 pm

Misses so far early in their careers

Smith Jr. - John Collins comp was bad. He's more like a big young Klay Thompson

Mathurin might be better than I thought, maybe an excellent #2

Eason is more Rodman than Posey

Agbaji hasn't been as good as I expected him to be early on.

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