Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

[atlantabbq99]

Wendell, Porter, and Bagley all look good to me, but Ayton just blows me away.

The gap of talent from #1 to #2 could be something similar to the gap of talent between Dwight and Emeka Okafor

[Jamaaliver]

Doncic, Porter, Bagley In Top-3 Of ESPN's First 2018 NBA Draft Big Board

Jonathan Givony released his initial Top 100 for the 2018 NBA Draft, headlined by Luka Doncic, Michael Porter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III.

Top-25
1. Luka Doncic
2. Michael Porter Jr.
3. Marvin Bagley III
4. Deandre Ayton
5. Mohamed Bamba
6. Miles Bridges
7. Robert Williams
8. Collin Sexton

Real GM Wiretap

[Jamaaliver]

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1. Luka Doncic SG, Real Madrid

The 19-year-old Slovenian has been dominant in 2017. By the time the draft comes around, Doncic will be the most accomplished teenager in NBA Draft history.

2. Marvin Bagley PF, Duke

Bagley might be the best two-way power forward we’ve seen in a few years. His ability to handle, finish and protect the rim should make him a very coveted big man in today’s NBA.

3. Michael Porter, Jr. SF, Missouri

Porter Jr.’s title as the undisputed best prospect in the class has been put to the test in the offseason. However, the smooth 6-foot-10 wing has one of the most developed offensive games in this class.

4. DeAndre Ayton C, Arizona

Ayton’s unbelievable length and quickness should make him a prototypical NBA center. If his shooting and motor continue to pick up, he might have Joel Embiid-type impact at the college level.

Other's to keep an eye on:

10. Wendell Carter C, Duke

If Bagley is Duke’s flash, Carter will be the one making the team go behind him. A developing jumper and solid screen-setting means he could potentially be a bigger Al Horford-type.

14. Bruce Brown SG, Miami


15. Dzanan Musa SF, Cedevita

Musa isn’t as well-known of a name as Luka Doncic, but he is nipping at his heels as a prospect. He’s a wing that has displayed a knack for offense and the intricacies it requires to score efficiently. The 6-foot-9 Bosnian was named the Most Improved Player at 2017 Adidas Eurocamp in June.

This one's for you, Adnan.

[Jamaaliver]

Our primary competition at next year's draft:

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Luckily, I suspect our GM is smarter than theirs.

[Jamaaliver]

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1. Michael Porter (Missouri freshman SF/PF), 6-foot-10, 215

Athletic forward with great size, overall versatility and deep range

2. Marvin Bagley (Duke freshman PF), 6-11, 225

Extremely agile big man with unbelievable lateral quickness and leaping ability

3. DeAndre Ayton (Arizona freshman C), 7-0, 260

Versatile big man with unique combo of length, shooting touch and shot blocking

4. Mohamed Bamba (Texas freshman PF/C), 7-0, 215

Long, agile big man with great size and two-way upside

5. Luka Doncic (Slovenia, SG/SF), 6-7, 230

Skilled point forward with great ball skills and improved scoring

[ATL Boy]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/247995/Scout-Top-4-Prospects-In-2018-Would-Have-All-Gone-No-1-In-2017

While the 2017 NBA draft class has tremendous depth, the 2018 class has more franchise player potential prospects in Luka Doncic, Michael Porter Jr., Marvin Bagley and DeAndre Ayton.

“Any one of them in the top four next year would have gone first in this year’s draft,” one longtime NBA scout told The Undefeated. “That’s not a knock on this year’s draft, nor is it saying it wasn’t good. It had a lot of depth in it, more than next year will. There is no one in this year’s draft that could be a franchise player, but there is a couple in next year’s draft.”

Luckily it looks like we've gotten ahead of the curve in being being one of the four worst teams along with Chicago, Sacramento and Dallas (all four team have just two wins, everyone else has at least four). This is the year to tank and secure a top pick, and we're lucky that the top of the 2018 draft is this strong (much better than say the 2016 draft which was basically Ben Simmons and friends).

I'm sure Travis Schlenk sees this and I'm sure that he'll begin wheelin' and dealin' guys like Bellineli, Babbit, Dedmon and Ilyasova when he gets the chance. As hard as it's gonna be having to watch the playoffs without the Hawks in it for the first time in 10 years this season is the sacrifice we have to make for the long term.

[jayu70]

Draft work in progress....

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?s=17

[Spud2nique]

Draft work in progress....

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I love Luka..

Bagley
Ayton
Porter
Bamba

[Jamaaliver]

Draft work in progress....

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This is a nice pull. It's noteworthy that we sent our asst GM, Indy sent scouts...but Bulls GM was there in person to observe Luka.

Even with all the video available, the fact that Forman travelled halfway across the world to see this kid play in a 'regular season game' is kinda huge.

[kg01]

Draft work in progress....

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This is a nice pull. It's noteworthy that we sent our asst GM, Indy sent scouts...but Bulls GM was there in person to observe Luka.

Even with all the video available, the fact that Forman travelled halfway across the world to see this kid play in a 'regular season game' is kinda huge.

Based on his prowess as a GM, I'd say Gar was probably there scouting Norris Cole.

"Luka, who?" #You'veBeenGar'd

[Jamaaliver]

NBA draft lottery watch:

The rebuilding Hawks largely will depend on the draft to add talent but they have plenty of competition in the race to the bottom of the NBA standings and thus the best odds in the draft lottery.

Here is a look at the five teams with the worst projected records in the latest FiveThirtyEight.com predictions, starting with the worst team first:

1. Hawks (2-9)

FiveThirtyEight projected record: 23-59

The Hawks earned a hard-fought victory at the Cavs on Sunday but their projected record didn’t change because Cleveland has underachieved. FiveThirtyEight.com predicts that the Cavs will finish with 44 victories, 13 less than the preseason projection. The Hawks are the only team in the league without a home victory (0-4) and have the worst average point differential (-7.5) in the East.



2. Kings (2-8)

Projected FiveThirtyEight record: 23-59

The unexpected victory at Cleveland didn’t cost the Hawks in the lottery standings because the Kings had their own upset W with a 17-point comeback against the Kings Tuesday night. That ended a seven-game losing streak for Sacramento. The Kings are tied with the Suns for the NBA’s worst average point differential (-10.0) but the Hawks still have the lower FiveThirtyEight rating.


3. Mavericks (2-10)

Projected FiveThirtyEight record: 26-56

The Mavs joined the Hawks and Kings in earning surprising victories with a dominant effort at the Wizards Tuesday night. In a recent chat at Dallasnews.com, Jean-Jacques Taylor was asked if it is too early for the Mavs to decide to “tank.” His answer: “There’s no decision to make. They can play as hard as they want, and they’re going to have one of the NBA’s worst records. They’re not a good team.”


4. Bulls (2-7)

Projected FiveThirtyEight record: 26-56

The Bulls have been more competitive since taking a 31-point loss to the Thunder but they keep losing. Bobby Portis before the first game. Bobby Portis returned from an eight-game suspension for fighting teammate Nikola Mirotic on Tuesday and put up 21 points and 13 rebounds at the Raptors. Portis said he still hasn’t talked to Mirotic, who reportedly wants out of Chicago.

myAJC

[Jamaaliver]

Atlanta Hawks linked to ‘Karl-Anthony Towns-esque big man’ in 2018 NBA mock draft

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report links Arizona freshman big man DeAndre Ayton with Atlanta at No. 3 overall and, while the specifics aren’t particularly important at this stage, his breakdown is quite interesting. In short, the ceiling feels immense for Ayton, including a comparison to Karl-Anthony Towns when it comes to being the complete package.

The Mock Draft from Bleacher Report:

Spoiler:

3. Atlanta Hawks: DeAndre Ayton (Arizona, C, Freshman)

The Atlanta Hawks could look at DeAndre Ayton as their next anchor to build around in the middle.

He has the potential to check all of the boxes scouts look for in today's centers. Ayton is a presence around the basket, but he's also a skilled shot-maker away from it, with a jumper that extends out to the three-point arc.

We could be talking about a full-package, Karl-Anthony Towns-esque big man who's capable of scoring in the post, from the short corners or from three as a spot-up or pick-and-pop weapon.

At Arizona, he'll have to show he can consistently serve as a defensive intimidator. Ayton's energy and awareness aren't always the strongest, but his tools were built for rim protection. He'll have the chance to be a two-way stretch 5 and a walking double-double.

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

Another GM makes an early season trek to see Luka in person.

I really hope Doncic doesn't end up in ORL or CLE. I feel like both franchises and coaching staffs would ruin that young man early.

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[Jamaaliver]

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Bridges is 6-7, 230 pounds. There are hints of Kawhi Leonard (toughness, length), Gordon Hayward (shooting), Terrence Ross (athleticism) and Trevor Booker (rebounding) in his game. Enough of all of that — and enough weaknesses, as well — that Bridges was told he would likely be picked anywhere from No. 8 to No. 14 in the 2017 NBA Draft.


Izzo drew a line: If Bridges desired another year at Michigan State, he'd better have a hell of a reason. And Bridges gave him one.

“He says, ‘You know what, Coach? I want to get better...I just want to make sure when I go, I’m ready,’ ”

This kid just became my new favorite college basketball player. It takes real guts and maturity to acknowledge that he simply isn't ready yet. Especially against the advice of family, friends and coaches all wanting him to go pro.

I'll be pulling for him all season.

NOTE: the Kawhi comparison is a very intriguing one.

Spoiler:

“I want to be mentally physically almost at the peak of my game when I go to the draft,” Bridges said. “I want to go to a team and be there to play. I want to become more of a man, because I know there’s going to be a lot more responsibility for me. I don’t want to make any childish decisions, get in trouble. I want to know myself better.”

-Miles Bridges

This kid...

[Spud2nique]

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Bridges is 6-7, 230 pounds. There are hints of Kawhi Leonard (toughness, length), Gordon Hayward (shooting), Terrence Ross (athleticism) and Trevor Booker (rebounding) in his game. Enough of all of that — and enough weaknesses, as well — that Bridges was told he would likely be picked anywhere from No. 8 to No. 14 in the 2017 NBA Draft.


Izzo drew a line: If Bridges desired another year at Michigan State, he'd better have a hell of a reason. And Bridges gave him one.

“He says, ‘You know what, Coach? I want to get better...I just want to make sure when I go, I’m ready,’ ”

This kid just became my new favorite college basketball player. It takes real guts and maturity to acknowledge that he simply isn't ready yet. Especially against the advice of family, friends and coaches all wanting him to go pro.

I'll be pulling for him all season.

NOTE: the Kawhi comparison is a very intriguing one.

Spoiler:

“I want to be mentally physically almost at the peak of my game when I go to the draft,” Bridges said. “I want to go to a team and be there to play. I want to become more of a man, because I know there’s going to be a lot more responsibility for me. I don’t want to make any childish decisions, get in trouble. I want to know myself better.”

-Miles Bridges

This kid...

Awesome! He's gonna be a good prospect for sure. Not completely sold on the Kawhi comparisons though...I'm trying to think of a comparison.

[Jamaaliver]

Time to put your scouting hat on:

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[Spud2nique]

Ok after some thought and analysis and research at spudlabs I've come up with what I think is a good comparison for Miles Bridges.

Detlef Schremp- Detlef was bigger than Bridges but he has the ability to have an all around type game like Schremp...they both have set shots, they both can pass, rebound and run point forward. Detlef was 6'10" and I think Bridges is 6'7"-6'8".

Shawn Marion- Bridges has the defensive capabilities of a matrix due to the long lanky arms on defense and again the set shot are similar although nobody in the history of the NBA has or will have an uglier shot than the matrix. Bridges could be a matrix type on defense, specially with Bud's coaching.

Caron Butler- Bridges reminded me of Butler due to the bullying part of his game. Caron was a 2/3 that just straight up used his strength and toughness against a ton of players. Bridges has a similar build. Lots of similar movements on the court between Caron and Miles as well..(to me).

Josh Howard- Last guy is J How...I'm really not sure how this guy faded so fast. When he was coming on a decade ago I thought he would last a while but injuries got him. He ran a point sf with the Mavs under Avery Johnson and was successful for the most part. Bridges game reminds me a bit of Josh's again for the forward versatility as well as the capability to defend and the fact that he's ambidextrous.


Combine those 4 guys and I think you have a look at what Bridges game could resemble in the future...again just my analysis.

[Jamaaliver]

Amateur basketball is back:

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[atlantabbq99]

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Great first game by Ayton, he was efficient and imposed his will on offense and defense, but what really got me drooling was watching this 7 foot athletic big shooting FREE THROWS!

[atlantabbq99]

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Bagley had an ok first game. He was 25/10, but his jump shot wasn't working well, and he didn't do much on the defensive end.

Wendell Carter was also good, he had 8/6 and 3 blocks in only 16 minutes of a blow out win.