Post#3 » by _s_t_u_r_t_ » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:36 am
Uh oh. You know how you subscribe to something, and then forget you did, and then discover you must've been paying for awhile w/o meaning to?
Guess I'll hang on for a week before I do what I cancel. Scary part is, I don't remember subscribing.
So, here goes...
Which player outside of the top three do you find most interesting heading into draft night?
G: Doumbouya
"....He's been firmly on the NBA radar for a good 2½ years now, longer than almost any other player in this draft. Nonsensically, it seems like his pro day last week -- consisting of running up and down a court by himself, dunking, making (and missing) a bunch of 3-pointers and doing ballhandling drills -- is what has eventually put NBA teams at ease heading into draft week...."
S: Reddish
"....The disparity between his extreme highs and underwhelming lows is fascinating to me, and ultimately where he lands should play a huge role in his NBA trajectory, maybe more than any other prospect in the draft. Should Reddish end up with the Atlanta Hawks, where he can play off of Trae Young, John Collins and Kevin Huerter while shooting open 3s in a low-pressure environment, he'll likely be worth the gamble. But if he's drafted as a franchise centerpiece who will be asked to shoulder heavy shot-creation duties as a rookie, things could get ugly...."
Which player outside the top three has the highest ceiling?
G: Bol
"Relative to draft position, I'll go with Bol Bol here. I went through the film recently from the nine games Bol played in college, and wow, did he do some impressive things. It's hard to find players who are as uniquely talented as he is at 7-foot-2 with his freakish wingspan, fluid mobility and combination of footwork, ballhandling, shooting ability and timing defensively.... The gulf between Bol's ceiling and floor is perhaps as large as I've ever seen in the draft, even before we begin to take into account his health. It's a truly fascinating case, and I can't wait to see how it plays out...."
S: Garland
"....Dating back to Garland's USA Basketball days and an eye-opening showing at 2017 Adidas EuroCamp, I've long been high on his shifty nature, versatile shooting stroke and passing instincts, even if we didn't always see them on display consistently. Some highly respected scouts I've spoken with actually still rank Garland over Morant, with others who don't go that far considering him a superior prospect to Barrett...."
Which player outside the top three has the highest floor?
G: Culver
"I'm on board with Jarrett Culver being a really good NBA player for a long time. He's most likely not an incredible enough athlete or a dynamic enough shooter to be a team's best player, but I could see him having a Khris Middleton-type trajectory and being a really good second or third option playing off a star...."
S: Hunter
"At the very least, Hunter figures to thrive as an OG Anunoby type: an eventual role starter, defender and fifth option who affects winning. Although older, Hunter has a little more off-the-dribble game than Anunoby, proving capable of knocking down one- or two-dribble pull-ups and straight-line driving in space. While his suspect handle and mediocre feel limit his upside, Hunter is a rock-solid, plug-and-play two-way forward who can step in and help an NBA team from day one...."
Fact or fiction: This is a historically weak top 10
G: Fiction
"....I think when people complain about this draft, they lament the lack of star power outside the top three. It would be pretty surprising if half of the top 10 flamed out like in some of those past years -- and that's without going back even further, when there were some incredibly random selections at the top.... I don't think there will be as many flat-out busts this year. It is fair to question how many teams drafting Nos. 4-10 will be getting a star, though. History tells us that three of the players picked from Nos. 1-10 will end up being All-Stars, four will be NBA starters and one will be a bust. I think that's a fair expectation for this year's group as well...."
S: Fact
"....outside of the top four, I see mostly starters and rotation players here. There are a few high-variance prospects like Reddish, Bol and Kevin Porter Jr., but the level of stardom does seem a bit down after Williamson, Morant, Barrett and Garland."
What is your favorite potential player/team pairing in the top 10?
G: Barrett to NYK
"...I like the idea of Barrett in New York, maybe partially because I live here and am on record saying how good I think he'll be. He's built to play in Madison Square Garden and loves the big moment. With Kevin Durant going down and the Brooklyn Nets becoming the leaders for Kyrie Irving, it feels as though the Knicks could use a guy like Barrett more than ever. He brings aggressiveness, star power and a will to affect the game...."
S: Hayes to ATL
"... I love Jaxson Hayes' fit alongside Young in Atlanta, especially if the Hawks add more shooting on the wing. Although extremely raw, Hayes is the best pick-and-roll finisher and vertical spacer in the draft, and Young is emerging as one of the league's premier ball-screen facilitators.... The Hawks play at a breakneck pace perfectly suited for Hayes' strengths. With Collins expanding his game and showing he can play some more 4, Young and Hayes could eventually become one of the better pick-and-roll duos in the league in time, producing highlight after highlight out of transition drag screens."
(Yuck. So, in other words, we have that, and this guy thinks we should have more.)
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