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I'd have to think that if and 18-year old Edwards went to UNC, Duke or Kentucky, that people would have different opinions.

KCP is the only player of recent that I can remember that went to UGA. Damien Wilkins after he transferred from State and 'Nique back in the day.

All of these players that could be there at 3 are 19 yo (except for Toppin) and all have their warts.... it's just a matter of which warts hurt more than others, and which ones can be fixed at the NBA level and with some maturity.

For the record, there were 3 other top 100 recruits from the same class playing with Georgia. Two just needed more time before they're ready for big minutes.

MasterIchiro wrote:It's very difficult to forecast 18 year old one-and-dones. I remember Beal being projected as an elite shooter even after he shot .339 from three in college as a kid. They must have known something to pick him 3. The scouts are talking about him as top tier in this draft for a reason. He has the tools and body to become a monster on the court. He looks impressive finishing with his athleticism or sticking a moon bomb from way out. His passing ability is a bit underrated. He looks to see the court really well by the eye test. If he falls to 3 it's a happy day for the Hornets. He reminds me of Donovan Mitchell with worse handles but maybe more range potential and power.

Because Beal was drafted for a hell of a lot more than just his shooting. He was top 5 in his class getting to Florida and while he was there he did way more than he showed in high school while also helping Florida finish 2nd in their conference.

The "elite shooter, or maybe not?" was just another smoke screen put up by agents and their associates at ESPN to push/pull teams, clients, coaches, and FOs back and forth.

His passing ability isn't underrated at all imo... He's a 1:1 guy and played like it. The problem I have with the Beal/Mitchell/~Edwards~ comps are the usage rate and the recent trend of how mid tier colleges will take a prospect and give them a completely unwarranted usage rate in order to get players drafted higher than normal - giving their program the appearance of a legitimate pipeline.

Beal's usage? 23% - winning program
Mitchell's usage? 24% - winning program
Edwards? 30% - .500 and that's with a crazy weak schedule too

I don't dislike Edwards for the record. Its just that I feel this is a draft where talking guys up is gonna be more dangerous than ever

Ben Simmons went to LSU and they went 19-14. That was with Antonio Blakley (15th overall recruit same year as Ben and played for bulls) and Tim Quarterman- played some in nba.

Edwards came in as 4th best player - other top 100 recruits on his team (63,75,85) and none of them averaged double digits.

Georgia went 16-16

I think it’s getting overblown



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JMAC3 wrote:Ben Simmons went to LSU and they went 19-14. That was with Antonio Blakley (15th overall recruit same year as Ben and played for bulls) and Tim Quarterman- played some in nba.

Edwards came in as 4th best player - other top 100 recruits on his team (63,75,85) and none of them averaged double digits.

Georgia went 16-16

I think it’s getting overblown



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Ben Simmons was the clear #1 before he even showed up at LSU - and he checked out midway through the season. Also, the program got turned upside down by the entire circus of his recruitment and still hasn't recovered

Simmons' run at LSU was a perfect example of why some kids just shouldn't even bother with the NCAA and go straight to the league. That belongs in the same bag as USC's recruiting shenanigans.

Edwards went to UGA because Crean coached Wade and Oladipo, the two players he models himself after. He also reclassified a year early because he said in his own words that he would not get better playing against HS competion. He isn't a dumb or entitled kid, he clearly takes basketball seriously and puts thought into his future.

Soul Rebel wrote:I'd have to think that if and 18-year old Edwards went to UNC, Duke or Kentucky, that people would have different opinions.

An opposing position could be that if Edwards was in a stronger draft class people would have a different opinion of him being a potential top 5 pick?


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BigSlam wrote:

Soul Rebel wrote:I'd have to think that if and 18-year old Edwards went to UNC, Duke or Kentucky, that people would have different opinions.

An opposing position could be that if Edwards was in a stronger draft class people would have a different opinion of him being a potential top 5 pick?


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Very valid point.

I also wanted to clarify when I said “people would have a different opinion” that I meant nationally, and not this board specifically.

BigSlam wrote:

Soul Rebel wrote:I'd have to think that if and 18-year old Edwards went to UNC, Duke or Kentucky, that people would have different opinions.

An opposing position could be that if Edwards was in a stronger draft class people would have a different opinion of him being a potential top 5 pick?


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You could easily argue that Gary Harris was better as a freshmen fwiw

Not trying to hate on the kid, just saying that its really, really hard to label any of these guys as franchise players or even core players. When you frame them as starters instead of game changing talents, its a bit easier to describe and label the strengths we're dealing with.

I see this guy as the biggest risk/reward. His rating is so high because of his measurables. If you were creating a SG in NBA 2k, this guy is it from a body standpoint. With NBA calling so many touch fouls, big muscular athletic guards have an easy time putting up points.

Free throw percentage is solid and he got there at a decent rate in college.

Biggest risk with Edwards is the efficiency aspect. If he can't turn the corner, then you just have JR Smith type chucker. Not bad by any means, but a disappointment for a #3 pick. I think this team has tried to hit these high level scorers too often and it's time we focus on higher IQ players, which is why I don't have Edwards in my top 3. I do think he will go #1.

Rob Dauster with one of the better takes I've seen:

At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, he is an explosive athlete with the ability to completely take over games offensively....

No, the concerns with Edwards have nothing to do with potential or ability.

Where NBA teams are going to be worried is about is approach to the game....

The truth is this: Edwards does not have the same potential as a typical No. 1 pick. He likely won’t develop into the kind of franchise-altering talent that a player like Zion Williamson is. But he does have the potential to be an All-Star guard, a player that can average 20 points while playing elite, multi-positional defense.

But whoever drafts him is going to have to decide whether or not Edwards’ red flags are a result of a player in a bad situation at Georgia, or if they are an indicator that he’ll never be anything other than a gunner more interested in the highlights that come with the tough shots that he makes than being an efficient scorer and consistent defender.

https://sports.yahoo.com/anthony-edwards-importance-context-121717177.html

I don't mind chuckers...as long as they're coachable. I don't mind inefficiency as long as there is constant, and I mean constant movement to improve. Edwards seems to have that alpha mentality. Question is, is he alpha for self-glory alone, or is he alpha to win. Biggest question to answer for this young man.

I don’t understand why we are punishing this kid for playing at a non-blue blood school.

This is why whenever I see fans screaming about top guys need to go HBCs I just shake my head.

Put this kid on Kentucky or Duke and we aren’t having this conversation about is he a winner? Instead we are mad he didn’t get Georgia to 20 wins....




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18 year old guards with his body are non existent. He also doesn't turn 19 till next August. He is a raw physical specimen that could turn this franchise completely around. If hes there at 3 you have to take him.

With his body, first step and handle you have to take him if he's there at 3. I don't think he will be though unless Ball has incredible workouts and Wiseman hits 3's in practice.

He reminds me a lot of Victor Oladipo

Liver_Pooty wrote:18 year old guards with his body are non existent. He also doesn't turn 19 till next August. He is a raw physical specimen that could turn this franchise completely around. If hes there at 3 you have to take him.

He's built like Bonzi Wells lol. Plays just like the freshmen version of him too - just without any of the defense

throw in the new era three point chucking and its hard for me to NOT see it tbh. don't know where the oladipo and harden stuff is coming from. harden was far more skilled and oladipo was measured and balanced. edwards out there just like whatever

DY_nasty wrote:

Liver_Pooty wrote:18 year old guards with his body are non existent. He also doesn't turn 19 till next August. He is a raw physical specimen that could turn this franchise completely around. If hes there at 3 you have to take him.

He's built like Bonzi Wells lol. Plays just like the freshmen version of him too - just without any of the defense

throw in the new era three point chucking and its hard for me to NOT see it tbh. don't know where the oladipo and harden stuff is coming from. harden was far more skilled and oladipo was measured and balanced. edwards out there just like whatever

I dont dont think he'll be Harden. Probably not even close. I can definitely see him being an Oladipo though. A player that takes a few years to figure it out in the league.

I wouldn’t put him in the Harden role at all, honestly nobody should play that style. If we get him, my vision would be to use him like Buddy Hield/Early Bradley Beal. Then eventually put the ball in his hands more like current day Beal and Mitchell play.

Goal would be to try and turn him into consistent efficient scorer first, then transition him into a playmaker/game finisher.

Think him and Graham would compliment each other nicely. He is number 1 on my board.


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LofJ wrote:Edwards went to UGA because Crean coached Wade and Oladipo, the two players he models himself after. He also reclassified a year early because he said in his own words that he would not get better playing against HS competion. He isn't a dumb or entitled kid, he clearly takes basketball seriously and puts thought into his future.

Which is funny because from what I've watched of Georgia this year (and Indiana past years), Crean is a terrible coach.

I can't tell you how many times I've watched Georgia swing the ball around and around, not accomplishing anything other than getting Edwards a bad shot at the end of the shot clock or having their small PG drive in the middle of nowhere.

cornchip wrote:

LofJ wrote:Edwards went to UGA because Crean coached Wade and Oladipo, the two players he models himself after. He also reclassified a year early because he said in his own words that he would not get better playing against HS competion. He isn't a dumb or entitled kid, he clearly takes basketball seriously and puts thought into his future.

Which is funny because from what I've watched of Georgia this year (and Indiana past years), Crean is a terrible coach.

I can't tell you how many times I've watched Georgia swing the ball around and around, not accomplishing anything other than getting Edwards a bad shot at the end of the shot clock or having their small PG drive in the middle of nowhere.

That's why I take Edwards' numbers this season with a grain of salt. He was in a pretty bad situation and I think you have to draft based on skills and measurables rather than college numbers. Especially since we've been burned by Kaminsky and Zeller that way.