2019 NBA Draft Prep

[Jamaaliver]

Spencer Pearlman’s Midseason Big Board



Tier 2

2a. Jarrett Culver. Starter, spot all-star. Two-way, high level complimentary piece with all star potential. Plug and play on both ends, but a high level one. Does everything you want on offense, and a good team defender. Shooting form is better than last year, and more functional, but will likely not be someone who runs off staggered screens for catch and shoot opportunities. Probably not a primary creator, unless against bench units, but he is someone who can create as a secondary or tertiary playmaker from different areas on the court. * Something I think, but am not sure if I fully believe it, is his slightly unorthodox hitch makes it harder for defenders to contest his shots – he releases when defenders are on the way down. *

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

2b. RJ Barrett. Starter, spot all-star. Volume scorer with playmaking potential that needs to be unlocked. Ceiling of a true #1 option is there, but that’s dependent on him improving his shot, shot selection, and finishing ability. Defensive effort needs a lot of work (getting back into a play after he’s been screened is an issue) and he is a stiff athlete that plays upright on both ends. He lacks wiggle, or burst, which is why his half court athleticism has not been great and why he has relied on his strength so much in getting into the paint. Needs to improve feel.

The Stepien

[King Ken]

Spencer Pearlman’s Midseason Big Board



Tier 2

2a. Jarrett Culver. Starter, spot all-star. Two-way, high level complimentary piece with all star potential. Plug and play on both ends, but a high level one. Does everything you want on offense, and a good team defender. Shooting form is better than last year, and more functional, but will likely not be someone who runs off staggered screens for catch and shoot opportunities. Probably not a primary creator, unless against bench units, but he is someone who can create as a secondary or tertiary playmaker from different areas on the court. * Something I think, but am not sure if I fully believe it, is his slightly unorthodox hitch makes it harder for defenders to contest his shots – he releases when defenders are on the way down. *

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

2b. RJ Barrett. Starter, spot all-star. Volume scorer with playmaking potential that needs to be unlocked. Ceiling of a true #1 option is there, but that’s dependent on him improving his shot, shot selection, and finishing ability. Defensive effort needs a lot of work (getting back into a play after he’s been screened is an issue) and he is a stiff athlete that plays upright on both ends. He lacks wiggle, or burst, which is why his half court athleticism has not been great and why he has relied on his strength so much in getting into the paint. Needs to improve feel.

The Stepien

That's our guy from the draft board who wrote this.

[Spud2nique]

I've seen limited game footage of this kid, but I'd strongly advocate a closer eye on him by our scouts. His size, athleticism and skill set seems exactly what we need to counter the star wings in the East.

NOTE: Trav has shown little interest in foreign prospects over the past 2 drafts.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

I can’t see it in this dumbo kid. I don’t see anything but volume from RJ either. We have a plan, let’s stick to it.

[Jamaaliver]

A nice read about overvaluing future picks over tangible, known assets.

A Future First-Rounder Isn’t As Full of Hope As You May Think

Far-off draft picks are often part of the return for star NBA players like Kristaps Porzingis. But history shows that the player ultimately chosen rarely lives up to the hype



The NBA’s greatest source of renewable energy is hope, and thus the most prized asset is a future first-round pick...But even though future first-round picks are clearly desirable in the abstract, what are they worth in terms of results?

This isn’t to say that teams should never seek longer-term assets; all it takes is one clear success story to set up a franchise, even if that one clear success story doesn’t emanate from any of the history thus far. But at least from that history, it seems like a team that acquires a far-off future first is probably selling hope instead of real, tangible results. Welcome to the NBA in 2019.

The Ringer

[Jamaaliver]

Goga Bitadze | C | Buducnost

A massive Georgian center, Bitadze has shown flashes as a shooter and is one of Europe’s better young defensive bigs. His production since joining Buducnost in Euroleague furthers the idea that he can be an NBA center eventually. Bitadze may just settle in as a strong Euroleague center given the contracts he could get from elite teams there.

https://fansided.com/2019/02/05/step-back-2019-nba-draft-big-board-february-update/

2019 NBA Draft prospect Goga Bitadze has been tearing it up in Euroleague since joining Buducnost

Georgian center Goga Bitadze has spent the past few years in Serbia with Mega Bemax, where he was the starting center for Europe’s preeminent junior team. He started the year there, posting impressive numbers in the Adriatic League — 20.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game and shooting 60.3 percent from the field.

Recently, Bitadze moved to Euroleague and has been just as good.

In four Euroleague games, Bitadze has played 24.5 minutes per game, and his production has been exciting — 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 3.3 blocks per game. A 17-point, seven-rebound performance in a debut against Bayern Munich wasn’t just an aberration, and he has continued to impress with his fluidity, shooting proficiency, and rim protection. This run has helped him become a riser on draft boards as we enter the new year.

Starting on the defensive side of the ball, the obvious point of emphasis for Bitadze is in rim protection. From watching Bitadze’s movement to the rim, you can see that he’s not an athletic rim protector, and he doesn’t often get far off the ground when he jumps to contest. Instead, he relies on his 7-foot-2 wingspan. Bitadze has some moments of great coordination, and good recognition of opponent moves as well.

Offensively, Bitadze’s vision and touch as a passer are advanced for his age and position, and these kinds of passes for backdoor cuts are integral to his projection to the next level. Just like on defense, Bitadze has good reaction time as a passer. He’s able to make the quick diagnostics necessary to be an effective passer in transition, and that should translate into one of the more vital offensive skills for an NBA big — short roll passing.

that passing touch and recognition is going to help him operate in that way in the NBA. He doesn’t offer much in terms of vertical spacing but fits as a Jakob Poeltl or Tristan Thompson-style roll man, utilized for his touch, passing, and screen setting. Bitadze’s technique as a screener has a good foundation, and he’s adept at establishing a wide base and engaging the defender.

But Bitadze did show off his hands, which will be valuable at the next level if he doesn’t provide vertical spacing. His ability to catch passes at awkward angles on rolls is impressive and could counteract the strength issue early on. In another positive sign, Bitadze did hit his only 3-point attempt in the game, and continues to shoot at an impressive 45.2 percent clip from beyond the arc this year. Of course, the line is a little shorter in Europe, and Bitadze does hug the line when he pops — but he has good fundamental shot mechanics, and looks projectible to shoot at the NBA level.

Bitadze has passed the test of production at the Euroleague level, and should continue to do so as he gets ample opportunities for playing time in Buducnost’s already doomed Euroleague adventure. He has his issues, certainly, but so does every big in this class, and while members of his cohort like Daniel Gafford and Simi Shittu have disappointed in their lack of high-level execution, Bitadze is producing at a high level in a professional league, and showing the skill set we want to see from guys like those two at the college level. So while Arturas Gudaitis put Bitadze in his place two weeks ago, Bitadze’s performance against AX Milano showed he can keep soldiering towards a probable spot in the 2019 NBA Draft’s top 40 picks.

The Stepback

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

2019 NBA Draft: top 9 mid-major prospects

8) Dylan Windler, SG, Belmont

Watch on YouTube

Windler is probably the player on this list who has gotten the least amount of publicity, but he has emerged as a potential second-round pick over the past year.

He fits as a potential role player in the Luke Babbitt mold. A quality shooter and overall scorer (19.3 ppg this year) Windler has fantastic NBA size for a shooting guard (6-8) and has used that to dominate the glass at the college level (10.3 rpg).

Offensively, Windler shoots well enough and is a good enough playmaker to fit into today’s NBA. Defensively, teams are hoping his size and length will work to his advantage, but this is the area teams have concerns about. Like Daum, Windler lacks elite athleticism and, considering the fact he’ll be going up against the likes of James Harden, Klay Thompson, and the other quality two-guards in the NBA, that could be a big problem.

Busting Brackets

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

I'm still arguing with myself, but thinking there's a half chance that Cam Reddish might have the natural talent to develop into this cornerstone player that Schlenk would be looking to acquire.

That would be big if that happens, because if it doesn't, I totally envision Schlenk trading at least the ATL pick, and possibly both that and the DAL pick... and just wait for the next hand to be dealt for 2020.

Doumbouya is still on that radar, but barely so. Too bad he's been out so much of the season, and no chance to really develop his game any further. But the raw basic talent is there--catapults for legs, coordinated, fast, long arms, big hands, and capable (but still developing) shooter. He can come to the NBA and earn minutes early with defense and his rebounding ability, but it might be better to stash him.

[LunchBox21]

I want to like you so much, Cam.

[EazyRoc]

Cam Reddish has got to be the biggest “hope” prospect I’ve seen in recent years. A lot of people think he will be good in the pros, but I don’t see it. Then I look at his stats and I don’t see it. He’s only in the convo based on pre-season projections. Dude should realistically out of the lottery based on performance..

[kg01]

Cam Reddish has got to be the biggest “hope” prospect I’ve seen in recent years. A lot of people think he will be good in the pros, but I don’t see it. Then I look at his stats and I don’t see it. He’s only in the convo based on pre-season projections. Dude should realistically out of the lottery based on performance..

I'm just happy you and I finally agree on something.

Reddish always just looks happy to be out there. I've never seen him appearing to have any "dog" in him.

He has a nice hairstyle though so ... there's that.

Kid reminds me of Ben Mclemore in a very, very bad way.

[Jamaaliver]

On that very topic:

Read on Twitter

Duke's Cam Reddish is on track to become college basketball's most inefficient lottery pick in recent NBA draft history.

He's shooting a brutal 34.9 percent from the field, and yet there's still a high level of interest among scouts for the 6'8", 218-pound, 19-year-old wing.

He isn't earning any new fans with his 10.0 player efficiency rating during ACC play, but the bandwagon hasn't emptied out.

"Nothing's changed for me [since October]," one scout told Bleacher Report.

Said another: "I'm not totally out on Reddish."

"I like his upside a lot. Huge fan," one NBA executive said. "My only concern is that he tends to defer to those other two [Williamson and Barrett]."

This season has shed more light on the pre-NCAA concerns regarding Reddish's lack of assertiveness. He's helped validate prior criticism by drifting in and out, finishing eight games with three or fewer field goals.

[Spud2nique]

Cam Reddish has an nba body and game. Forget the ncaa stats for him this year. He needs to have better body language and less swag but he probably has the best naturally fit nba game of any top 10 prospect out there.

[Jamaaliver]

Alright, I'm buying into him. The kid is undeniably special.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[CP War Hawks]

Hopefully a player Schlenk likes falls to our top 2nd rounder. Need some of them to pan out if you want to build up good trade capital.

Ky Bowman -

Watch on YouTube

Sagaba Konate - Shellhead with a jumper.

Watch on YouTube

Ignas Brazdeikis -

Watch on YouTube

Jalen Mcdaniels -

Watch on YouTube

;t=39s



PJ Washington -

Watch on YouTube

Naz Reid -

Watch on YouTube

Caleb Martin -

Watch on YouTube

Kostja Mushidi -

Watch on YouTube

[EazyRoc]

Damn Naz Reid dropped lol

[shakes0]

Damn Naz Reid dropped lol

like a lot of freshman this year, he hasn't played up to his ranking. I'm a huge LSU fan and have watched all their games, he's more often than not the 2nd or 3rd best freshman on the team any given game. Throw in that he's a poor athlete and plays an old man style of game and I'm not surprised he is dropping.

I'm hoping he drops enough that he decides to stay in school. If everyone returns for LSU they're a top 10 team next year.

[Jamaaliver]

I mentioned Goga Bitadze earlier.

Read on Twitter

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

He seems a legit option as a 3 & D Center available outside the lottery. Good rebounder & shot blocker who could pair well with Collins. With three second round picks, it's not unheard of that we'd consolidate a coule to draft and stash him as a long term prospect.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter