Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

[Jamaaliver]

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[Spud2nique]

2018 was an awesome class. Wish we had 2 top 10 picks.

[Jamaaliver]

I've been wrong about a lot of things over the years.

This is one of the bigger ones. I slept on this kid and we are seeing frequent glimpses of greatness from him.

He and J Collins could have indeed made a formidable front court duo for years to come.

(I still prefer Wendell, tho. )

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[Spud2nique]

I've been wrong about a lot of things over the years.

This is one of the bigger ones. I slept on this kid and we are seeing frequent glimpses of greatness from him.

He and J Collins could have indeed made a formidable front court duo for years to come.

(I still prefer Wendell, tho. )

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Ya but he might have a case of Dwight Howard.

[Jamaaliver]

^IDK what that means...

I don't think i want to know.

Rookie Wendell Carter Jr. has a lot to say, but are the Bulls ready to listen?

Bulls rookie Wendell Carter Jr. has a lot to say. He is just trying to figure out when to say it.

‘‘It’s definitely difficult,’’ Carter said of figuring out his place in terms of being a vocal leader. ‘‘I don’t want to make it an excuse of me being a rookie, but there is a place for rookies. I can’t just come here and tell my teammates how I feel or what I think should be done, anything like that.

‘‘It should honestly be the other way around, where I should be listening to them, letting them tell me what to do. But . . . I feel like I take ownership of what I do on the court. What I do wrong, I take complete ownership of it. It’s not about making mistakes. I can figure out things on the fly.’’

Leadership is one of those ‘‘things.’’

Carter isn’t a typical rookie. He has an honesty about him that most rookies keep to themselves.

Those are all good messages, but are the Bulls ready to hear it from a rookie? Carter might find out soon.

Chicago Sun Times

[Spud2nique]

^IDK what that means...

I don't think i want to know.

Rookie Wendell Carter Jr. has a lot to say, but are the Bulls ready to listen?

Bulls rookie Wendell Carter Jr. has a lot to say. He is just trying to figure out when to say it.

‘‘It’s definitely difficult,’’ Carter said of figuring out his place in terms of being a vocal leader. ‘‘I don’t want to make it an excuse of me being a rookie, but there is a place for rookies. I can’t just come here and tell my teammates how I feel or what I think should be done, anything like that.

‘‘It should honestly be the other way around, where I should be listening to them, letting them tell me what to do. But . . . I feel like I take ownership of what I do on the court. What I do wrong, I take complete ownership of it. It’s not about making mistakes. I can figure out things on the fly.’’

Leadership is one of those ‘‘things.’’

Carter isn’t a typical rookie. He has an honesty about him that most rookies keep to themselves.

Those are all good messages, but are the Bulls ready to hear it from a rookie? Carter might find out soon.

Chicago Sun Times

You don’t think you want to know? Glad ur back to ur assumptions, way to be a great person. What you are thinking is beyond unbelievable and a travesty to this board. Shame on you Jaamal.

[Jamaaliver]

[Spud2nique]

:hoop:

come at me jaamal-kg01

[Jamaaliver]

How can a dude with his tools be so laughably terrible at defense?!?

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[kg01]

Haha, all I could think when watching that was ... Tiiimmmberrrrrr!!!

[Spud2nique]

Haha, all I could think when watching that was ... Tiiimmmberrrrrr!!!

Featured on holiday Shaqtin!

[Jamaaliver]

Deandre Ayton Can Score, but Can You Build a Winner Around Him?

The no. 1 overall pick has put up big box score numbers through his first quarter-season. But defense and shooting have become essential parts of playing center in the NBA, and two other rookie big men are already lapping him in those categories

Deandre Ayton is 21 games into what is sure to become a long and productive NBA career, and the no. 1 pick in this summer’s draft has been every bit as advertised. He shows soft hands and preternaturally polished touch in the paint; he hoovers up rebounds at the best rate for any rookie in his class; he already looks like a potent partner for Devin Booker as Phoenix tries to build a superteam.

He’s not a perfect offensive player, but he’s excelled thus far—and done it all with a carousel at point guard.

But basketball is a two-way game, and Ayton has also been as advertised on the defensive end. His defensive numbers in college raised red flags about his potential on that side of the ball in the NBA, and rather than allay those concerns, he has only exacerbated them through his first quarter-season.

The same weaknesses have appeared in his nascent NBA career—again, easily visible both on the court and on the stat sheet. That’s not to say he can’t recover, but we can check off some potential reasons for the issues. It is apparent, for instance, that Ayton’s defensive lag was not the result of a poor system or a lack of effort that would be soon solved at the next level. Instead, he might just have real, persistent problems that make him easy to exploit.

But Ayton doesn’t just lapse in the odd play that makes the rounds on Twitter; he struggles game after game, possession after possession, to anticipate and navigate the most basic NBA sets.

...some of Ayton’s fellow rookies aren’t having as much trouble.

To compare Ayton with Wendell Carter Jr. in their November 21 meeting in Chicago is to illuminate the distinction between reactive and proactive defense. The box score shows Ayton with the advantage over Carter. But their defensive discrepancy produced a greater impact on the game.

In the first six minutes of the first quarter alone, Carter forced three turnovers with shrewd pick-and-roll defense. A stout defender is both balanced and direct when guarding the ball; Ayton is neither.

Ayton’s various failings coalesce into one broader illustrative statistic: When he defends an attempt within 6 feet of the hoop, opponents are shooting 65.5 percent, the highest for any player who’s faced at least 100 such shots. One of the reasons opposing players finish so easily over and around Ayton is that he doesn’t block many shots.

Jaren Jackson, Jr. projects as a more complete player than Ayton, anyway, and standout bigs like Wendell Carter and Mitchell Robinson might, too, even if their cases are fuzzier due to Ayton’s offensive advantage. The Suns center went no. 1 overall in a loaded draft and is prepared to average a double-double for his whole career, but defense is half the game, and shooting is growing into something like half the game, too. Ayton would have dominated the ’90s, but his peers might be better choices to lead a title contender in this decade and the next.

The Ringer

[Jamaaliver]

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Spoiler:

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[Jamaaliver]

That's my dude!!!

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[BAMAFREAK]

Feel bad for you guys. Luka a beast and JJJ not far behind and has even more potential.

[kg01]

Feel bad for you guys. Luka a beast and JJJ not far behind and has even more potential.

We good, thanks.

[Spud2nique]

Feel bad for you guys. Luka a beast and JJJ not far behind and has even more potential.

We good, thanks.

They sent over a guy so young who thinks 25 games in the nba mean a career...ahhhh I bet he doesn’t even know who the duck Marvin is... smh

[Jamaaliver]

I love this kid.

Fearless:

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[Spud2nique]

I love this kid.

Fearless:

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Ya...ignore the fact that I posted this for you already..real classy!

[Jamaaliver]

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