2020 NBA Draft Thread

[sully00]

If Ainge picks Vernon Carey in the 1st round that'd be a huge mistake, and I'm confident he won't since they don't draft 1990s style bigs who aren't a rim protector, can't play pick and roll defense, and can't switch onto anyone else.

You are trying to fit Carey into todays game but Carey has the size and skill to force todays game to go through him. He can score from all over the paint and post and midrange ! he has limited experience out beyond 3, but excels everywhere else ...

foot speed, so ya defending pick n roll will take some development .... but I see VC adding another dimension to our offense while allowing for even more spacing as we will have more 4wide than 5wide ...

What VC may lack early on defensively, he will more than make up on Offense. The guy can score from Day 1 and has the size and passing ability for us to destroy defenses !!

Yeah I see what you're saying but he's a worse version of Enes Kanter. Not a great offensive rebounder and doesn't even have the array of post moves that Kanter does. He made his living at the foul line at Duke and struggled when playing bigs who were his size. Eerily reminiscent of Jahlil Okafor coming out but worse offensively. I'd be shocked if he gets picked in the first 25 picks and would be mildly surprised if he even gets picked in the 1st round.

I just don't see much upside with him. Yes he can score in the post and his shooting mechanics look promising, although he still struggles at the line as a 67% FT shooter. You're hoping he can be Enes Kanter at the next level which is an offensive minded big coming off the bench for 25 MPG at most.

And no, Carey will not force today's game to go through him lol. Not even Embiid can do that.

If they want a guy to take Kanter's role in the future then Carey is your guy. I could talk myself into him at 30 but anything before that and it'd be a reach imo.

This isn't accurate at all. Leaving the Kanter stuff aside looking at Okafor specifically. Carey is a much better rebounder. Gets to the line more and shoots it better and made 3's at 38% clip though not that many attempts. Season was cut short but by the numbers better offensively and a lot better defensively.

Nobody more than me knows Okafor shouldn't have gone #3. But it seems like draftknicks are hating on Carey because of it. Dude was the best player in the ACC as a freshman. I am talking about advanced stats not counting numbers (Okafor was not). I get that he might not be a top 3 pick that isn't my point I am saying that anything outside of that he is probably worth an investment.

[playa-hater]

+1 here bud. I have been pushing for the very same players at pick 14 (except Williams) but my order would be Nesmith, Bey then Vassell. But put anyone of these three guys with Smart, Langford, Timelord and/or Kanter off the bench, and that's a really tough deep bench, that gives Brad a lot of options. And you still have 26 and 30 to use on another back up point and big to replace Green, Poirier an one of Semi or Grant. ( I think we only need one of Semi and Grant)

Add in a third who's all for this, wings are hottest commodity in the NBA, so hard to get. With the C's capped out for the foreseeable future its gonna be really yard to add NBA quality wings with only the midlevel to work with, and with hayward's future uncertain and Semi being kind of "meh" at best we could use another 6'6-6'8 guy. Sadiq Bey i think would be ideal, i'd love vassell but I think he requires a move up. Williams has good size, Nesmith shooting, but really any of the 4. Add one of those guys in with Langford, Brown, Tatum, and I think you have a good long term wing core.

4thed. Green (if he lasts) Woodard, Bey, Balmaro interest me later as well.
A big like Okongwu (trade up obviously) or Reed would be nice. Reggie Perry with 47 or UDFA.
I wouldn't hate RJ or Hayes or whoever drops at 14, though.

damn happy to see other great minds thinking a like..

woodard happens to be my sleeper pick.. In fact he seems as good as Okoro with a better jumpshot..but since he is older and comes from a smaller level school, Okoro is getting all the press.

[playa-hater]

my dream draft would be the best of P Williams/NeSmith/Vassell/S Bey at 14 .. one of J McDaniels/Puko slipping to 26 For a high ceiling long term prospect. and the BPA at 30 at any position.. same for 2nd rder..

[Spin Move]

This draft is our last chance to get an all star level player for a while. We need to be agressive in getting a player who goes with Tatum and Brown and can at the least be a good starter. We really need frontcourt help. We do not have enough roster spots to take all of our picks which leaves trading up, draft and stash or trading out with some of the picks. To me our biggest need is is the frontcourt, we need a shotblocker who can shoot. Whether that is Wiseman, Obi or Okongwu

This draft is the worst draft in at least 10 years.

Obi Toppin is Derrick Williams 2.0. At best he will be mediocre in the NBA. I will laugh if he gets chosen in the top 5 or 10 since it's a waste of a high pick.

Wiseman is vastly overrated and at best imo will be an Andre Drummond with a slightly better shot (still not a good thing in today's game).

Okongwu I would not be opposed to but only if he can develop a jump shot. If he's Hassan Whiteside (no jumpshot) his game won't age well in the modern NBA.

Jalen Smith is worth a look if a big is needed. His skinny legs are actually very concerning to me though bc I think he's tried to put muscle on them and can't, which could indicate some type of underlying, undiagnosed biological/genetic issue. If he had normal legs though I'd take him in the top 10.

I also think Isaiah Stewart is worth a look if a big is needed. He can develop a shot. Pretty good from the FT line.

This is the wrong draft to hoping for future all stars in. Not saying it won't happen, but in time I think this draft will be seen as a really, REALLY weak draft class.

Almost every draft produces multiple all stars, this is the last draft we could potentially be drating in the top 10 in for a long time, there will be all stars in this draft, there are not other years where we will have the chance to pick so early.

[Bill Lumbergh]

CBS has a new mock out. I like the guys we end up with on it. 16 - Saddiq Bey, 26 - Bolmaro, 30 - Josh Green. Bolmaro can probably be stashed for a year, which is good. I'm hoping we can trade 30 and Edwards to someone to get off of Edwards' contract. I just don't think he's an NBA player. We may have to include a little cash to get this done.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-mock-draft-knicks-trade-up-to-land-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-select-anthony-edwards-with-top-pick/

[djFan71]

CBS has a new mock out. I like the guys we end up with on it. 16 - Saddiq Bey, 26 - Bolmaro, 30 - Josh Green. Bolmaro can probably be stashed for a year, which is good. I'm hoping we can trade 30 and Edwards to someone to get off of Edwards' contract. I just don't think he's an NBA player. We may have to include a little cash to get this done.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-mock-draft-knicks-trade-up-to-land-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-select-anthony-edwards-with-top-pick/

Yes please to that draft.

[SLCceltic]

You are trying to fit Carey into todays game but Carey has the size and skill to force todays game to go through him. He can score from all over the paint and post and midrange ! he has limited experience out beyond 3, but excels everywhere else ...

foot speed, so ya defending pick n roll will take some development .... but I see VC adding another dimension to our offense while allowing for even more spacing as we will have more 4wide than 5wide ...

What VC may lack early on defensively, he will more than make up on Offense. The guy can score from Day 1 and has the size and passing ability for us to destroy defenses !!

Yeah I see what you're saying but he's a worse version of Enes Kanter. Not a great offensive rebounder and doesn't even have the array of post moves that Kanter does. He made his living at the foul line at Duke and struggled when playing bigs who were his size. Eerily reminiscent of Jahlil Okafor coming out but worse offensively. I'd be shocked if he gets picked in the first 25 picks and would be mildly surprised if he even gets picked in the 1st round.

I just don't see much upside with him. Yes he can score in the post and his shooting mechanics look promising, although he still struggles at the line as a 67% FT shooter. You're hoping he can be Enes Kanter at the next level which is an offensive minded big coming off the bench for 25 MPG at most.

And no, Carey will not force today's game to go through him lol. Not even Embiid can do that.

If they want a guy to take Kanter's role in the future then Carey is your guy. I could talk myself into him at 30 but anything before that and it'd be a reach imo.

This isn't accurate at all. Leaving the Kanter stuff aside looking at Okafor specifically. Carey is a much better rebounder. Gets to the line more and shoots it better and made 3's at 38% clip though not that many attempts. Season was cut short but by the numbers better offensively and a lot better defensively.

Nobody more than me knows Okafor shouldn't have gone #3. But it seems like draftknicks are hating on Carey because of it. Dude was the best player in the ACC as a freshman. I am talking about advanced stats not counting numbers (Okafor was not). I get that he might not be a top 3 pick that isn't my point I am saying that anything outside of that he is probably worth an investment.

Ya man , VC certainly passes the eye-test for me ! He is not slow AT ALL nor is he some one or two dimensional dinosaur. 6'9 wo shoes I don't understand at all why he is so poorly thought of draftwise. maybe it is some kind Okafor effect like you say wow

and his defense is prettty good ! he looks like a shorter Joel Embiid. is listed @270 (he looks 250 to me)
hopefully he is even available @14. Kid dominated the ACC ! top 5 defensive rating there.

[BostonCouchGM]

Yeah I see what you're saying but he's a worse version of Enes Kanter. Not a great offensive rebounder and doesn't even have the array of post moves that Kanter does. He made his living at the foul line at Duke and struggled when playing bigs who were his size. Eerily reminiscent of Jahlil Okafor coming out but worse offensively. I'd be shocked if he gets picked in the first 25 picks and would be mildly surprised if he even gets picked in the 1st round.

I just don't see much upside with him. Yes he can score in the post and his shooting mechanics look promising, although he still struggles at the line as a 67% FT shooter. You're hoping he can be Enes Kanter at the next level which is an offensive minded big coming off the bench for 25 MPG at most.

And no, Carey will not force today's game to go through him lol. Not even Embiid can do that.

If they want a guy to take Kanter's role in the future then Carey is your guy. I could talk myself into him at 30 but anything before that and it'd be a reach imo.

This isn't accurate at all. Leaving the Kanter stuff aside looking at Okafor specifically. Carey is a much better rebounder. Gets to the line more and shoots it better and made 3's at 38% clip though not that many attempts. Season was cut short but by the numbers better offensively and a lot better defensively.

Nobody more than me knows Okafor shouldn't have gone #3. But it seems like draftknicks are hating on Carey because of it. Dude was the best player in the ACC as a freshman. I am talking about advanced stats not counting numbers (Okafor was not). I get that he might not be a top 3 pick that isn't my point I am saying that anything outside of that he is probably worth an investment.

Ya man , VC certainly passes the eye-test for me ! He is not slow AT ALL nor is he some one or two dimensional dinosaur. 6'9 wo shoes .... I don't understand at all why he is so poorly thought of draftwise. maybe it is some kind Okafor effect like you say wow

and his defense is prettty good ! he is listed @270 .....so this beast weighs the same as Embiid but he is not slow at all, just hope he is even available @14. Kid dominated the ACC ! top 5 defensive rating there.

that's exactly it. At Duke he wasn't asked to play away from the basket and barely shot threes but he hit at a 38% clip. Is he slower of foot? Yeah, he's 6'10" about 260 lbs. But pretty much every center in the game is bad on defense and slow of foot. He's certainly skilled enough on offense to help. There's no reason to think he can't be at minimum an Aaron Baynes type. The talent is there. I hope he loses 20 lbs and shows he's really dedicated. If he does he'll be a starting center. If not, he'll just be a backup that might bounce around the league tantalizing teams. Either way, getting him late in the first would be a nice value pick.

[SLCceltic]

This isn't accurate at all. Leaving the Kanter stuff aside looking at Okafor specifically. Carey is a much better rebounder. Gets to the line more and shoots it better and made 3's at 38% clip though not that many attempts. Season was cut short but by the numbers better offensively and a lot better defensively.

Nobody more than me knows Okafor shouldn't have gone #3. But it seems like draftknicks are hating on Carey because of it. Dude was the best player in the ACC as a freshman. I am talking about advanced stats not counting numbers (Okafor was not). I get that he might not be a top 3 pick that isn't my point I am saying that anything outside of that he is probably worth an investment.

Ya man , VC certainly passes the eye-test for me ! He is not slow AT ALL nor is he some one or two dimensional dinosaur. 6'9 wo shoes .... I don't understand at all why he is so poorly thought of draftwise. maybe it is some kind Okafor effect like you say wow

and his defense is prettty good ! he is listed @270 .....so this beast weighs the same as Embiid but he is not slow at all, just hope he is even available @14. Kid dominated the ACC ! top 5 defensive rating there.

that's exactly it. At Duke he wasn't asked to play away from the basket and barely shot threes but he hit at a 38% clip. Is he slower of foot? Yeah, he's 6'10" about 260 lbs. But pretty much every center in the game is bad on defense and slow of foot. He's certainly skilled enough on offense to help. There's no reason to think he can't be at minimum an Aaron Baynes type. The talent is there. I hope he loses 20 lbs and shows he's really dedicated. If he does he'll be a starting center. If not, he'll just be a backup that might bounce around the league tantalizing teams. Either way, getting him late in the first would be a nice value pick.

why do you say he is slow footed ?? He does not look slow or lumbersome on film !

and ya Aaron Baynes is nice comp for VCs floor ! His passing out of double teams excites me alot. I think he would do very well alongside Jays and Kemba create more space and draw defenders

[playa-hater]

CBS has a new mock out. I like the guys we end up with on it. 16 - Saddiq Bey, 26 - Bolmaro, 30 - Josh Green. Bolmaro can probably be stashed for a year, which is good. I'm hoping we can trade 30 and Edwards to someone to get off of Edwards' contract. I just don't think he's an NBA player. We may have to include a little cash to get this done.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-mock-draft-knicks-trade-up-to-land-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-select-anthony-edwards-with-top-pick/

that would be really nice if the draft fell that way.. I'll take that draft, but switch 26 for J McDaniels and I would take that in a heart beat..

[playa-hater]

i haver seen Vern Carey since 9th grade.. Played HS ball near me... I always hated his freakin body language. That combined with the switch-ability Stevens wants, I think we both say NO!!

[BostonCouchGM]

Ya man , VC certainly passes the eye-test for me ! He is not slow AT ALL nor is he some one or two dimensional dinosaur. 6'9 wo shoes .... I don't understand at all why he is so poorly thought of draftwise. maybe it is some kind Okafor effect like you say wow

and his defense is prettty good ! he is listed @270 .....so this beast weighs the same as Embiid but he is not slow at all, just hope he is even available @14. Kid dominated the ACC ! top 5 defensive rating there.

that's exactly it. At Duke he wasn't asked to play away from the basket and barely shot threes but he hit at a 38% clip. Is he slower of foot? Yeah, he's 6'10" about 260 lbs. But pretty much every center in the game is bad on defense and slow of foot. He's certainly skilled enough on offense to help. There's no reason to think he can't be at minimum an Aaron Baynes type. The talent is there. I hope he loses 20 lbs and shows he's really dedicated. If he does he'll be a starting center. If not, he'll just be a backup that might bounce around the league tantalizing teams. Either way, getting him late in the first would be a nice value pick.

why do you say he is slow footed ?? He does not look slow or lumbersome on film !

and ya Aaron Baynes is nice comp for VCs floor ! His passing out of double teams excites me alot. I think he would do very well alongside Jays and Kemba create more space and draw defenders

I watch most Duke games and he's def slower of foot than I'd like. He knows what he wants to do especially on offense so his footwork isn't bad there, it's just ponderous, especially closing out on shooters and switching, on defense. He can really run the floor in transition and take it to the hoop strong on PnR but defensively he's just slow, it's what is preventing him from being a lottery selection. I don't think it's effort either. He sees it and makes a move but is just too slow of foot to get in position to block shots on help defense. Like I said, if he is motivated to lose 20 lbs this could be alleviated and that'd make him a lottery talent. I'd like to think he should have been motivated already though. NBA coaching, nutritionist and trainers might do him wonders.

[GoGreen]

Is it just me or is there a number of prospects with wonky shooting mechanics in this draft? I feel like you can't get away with ugly form in today's league.

[aporel18]

CBS has a new mock out. I like the guys we end up with on it. 16 - Saddiq Bey, 26 - Bolmaro, 30 - Josh Green. Bolmaro can probably be stashed for a year, which is good. I'm hoping we can trade 30 and Edwards to someone to get off of Edwards' contract. I just don't think he's an NBA player. We may have to include a little cash to get this done.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-mock-draft-knicks-trade-up-to-land-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-select-anthony-edwards-with-top-pick/

Bey and Green, good picks.

Bolmaro, please don't. He is kinda talented, but not enough to play regular minutes in the Euroleague. Granted Barcelona has great players, but given their PGs available last year (with Heurtel injured all season), he should've cracked their rotation. Hopefully I'm wrong, but don't think he becomes the next Ginobili.

And to stash him in Barcelona this season, when they not only have Heurtel back, but also recently signed Calathes, doesn't seem like a great idea. Best draft&stash options would be Poku or Maledon, although they might not be there.

IMO, best (ideal) scenario for Celtics:

#14 - Maledon (draft & stash) - probably the best PG prospect to develop
#26 - Saddiq Bey - NBA-ready wing who can score
#30 - Pokusevski (draft & stash) - if he's there at 30, it's worth the gamble
#47 - Nnaji/Azubuike/Vernon Carey - bench could use big depth
UFA - Markus Howard - bench 3-point scoring

[big-shot-ROB]

Biggest NO of the century to Carey.

I'm not sure he is even worth 2n round looks.

[Bill Lumbergh]

Not involving Celtics, but still interesting, since I think it'll be interesting to see what GS does with their #2 pick. Saw this on a mock (think it was Fan Sided). Maybe a pick too many for the Knicks to give up, but still a basically reasonable framework to start from.

Knicks trade:
Julius Randle
#8 Pick 2020 NBA Draft
#27 Pick NBA Draft
2022 First round pick

GS trades:
#2 Pick

[Bill Lumbergh]

CBS has a new mock out. I like the guys we end up with on it. 16 - Saddiq Bey, 26 - Bolmaro, 30 - Josh Green. Bolmaro can probably be stashed for a year, which is good. I'm hoping we can trade 30 and Edwards to someone to get off of Edwards' contract. I just don't think he's an NBA player. We may have to include a little cash to get this done.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-mock-draft-knicks-trade-up-to-land-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-select-anthony-edwards-with-top-pick/

Bey and Green, good picks.

Bolmaro, please don't. He is kinda talented, but not enough to play regular minutes in the Euroleague. Granted Barcelona has great players, but given their PGs available last year (with Heurtel injured all season), he should've cracked their rotation. Hopefully I'm wrong, but don't think he becomes the next Ginobili.

And to stash him in Barcelona this season, when they not only have Heurtel back, but also recently signed Calathes, doesn't seem like a great idea. Best draft&stash options would be Poku or Maledon, although they might not be there.

IMO, best (ideal) scenario for Celtics:

#14 - Maledon (draft & stash) - probably the best PG prospect to develop
#26 - Saddiq Bey - NBA-ready wing who can score
#30 - Pokusevski (draft & stash) - if he's there at 30, it's worth the gamble
#47 - Nnaji/Azubuike/Vernon Carey - bench could use big depth
UFA - Markus Howard - bench 3-point scoring

Bey will be long gone by 26. As to Bolmaro, I think he's the best draft and stash prospect in this draft, and that it is ideal that he will play in Europe this year. We just don't have the roster spots. I've got a number of guys I'd be okay with at 14, some of whom won't be there, but at least a couple will. I'm good with Bey, Lewis, Achiuwa, Maxey, and to a slightly lesser extent Nesmith at 14. I like the stash option of Bolmaro at 26, and at 30, hell, I don't know. I don't think our center spot is as dire as many make it out to be, especially if Rob can continue to get better every year. I think it's possible he can be a reliable 20 minute per game guy by next year, so maybe BPA at 30. Theis is actually pretty good against all but guys who are just too big for him, and there are only a few of those. At most, we roster two of our picks, in my view. Hoping we can somehow get out of Edwards' and Poirier's contracts next season. To me they are negative assets, so we'd have to attach a sweetener to do it.

[aporel18]

CBS has a new mock out. I like the guys we end up with on it. 16 - Saddiq Bey, 26 - Bolmaro, 30 - Josh Green. Bolmaro can probably be stashed for a year, which is good. I'm hoping we can trade 30 and Edwards to someone to get off of Edwards' contract. I just don't think he's an NBA player. We may have to include a little cash to get this done.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-mock-draft-knicks-trade-up-to-land-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-select-anthony-edwards-with-top-pick/

Bey and Green, good picks.

Bolmaro, please don't. He is kinda talented, but not enough to play regular minutes in the Euroleague. Granted Barcelona has great players, but given their PGs available last year (with Heurtel injured all season), he should've cracked their rotation. Hopefully I'm wrong, but don't think he becomes the next Ginobili.

And to stash him in Barcelona this season, when they not only have Heurtel back, but also recently signed Calathes, doesn't seem like a great idea. Best draft&stash options would be Poku or Maledon, although they might not be there.

IMO, best (ideal) scenario for Celtics:

#14 - Maledon (draft & stash) - probably the best PG prospect to develop
#26 - Saddiq Bey - NBA-ready wing who can score
#30 - Pokusevski (draft & stash) - if he's there at 30, it's worth the gamble
#47 - Nnaji/Azubuike/Vernon Carey - bench could use big depth
UFA - Markus Howard - bench 3-point scoring

Bey will be long gone by 26. As to Bolmaro, I think he's the best draft and stash prospect in this draft, and that it is ideal that he will play in Europe this year. We just don't have the roster spots. I've got a number of guys I'd be okay with at 14, some of whom won't be there, but at least a couple will. I'm good with Bey, Lewis, Achiuwa, Maxey, and to a slightly lesser extent Nesmith at 14. I like the stash option of Bolmaro at 26, and at 30, hell, I don't know. I don't think our center spot is as dire as many make it out to be, especially if Rob can continue to get better every year. I think it's possible he can be a reliable 20 minute per game guy by next year, so maybe BPA at 30. Theis is actually pretty good against all but guys who are just too big for him, and there are only a few of those. At most, we roster two of our picks, in my view. Hoping we can somehow get out of Edwards' and Poirier's contracts next season. To me they are negative assets, so we'd have to attach a sweetener to do it.

If Celtics draft Bolmaro, I'll be rooting for the guy to become the next Ginobili, but I can't see him being good at the NBA level. And he won't be getting minutes in Barcelona, given guard depth has improved a lot. at PG they have Heurtel and Calathes, then at SG they have Kuric and Abrines. They also have Cory Higgins listed as SF, but the guy got most of his minutes at SG last season. Stashing him at Barcelona isn't a good option. He's rumored to have a buyout clause above 2M, you can only pay Barcelona 750k, so the option to get him to a team where he can get more minutes isn't very realistic. I'd rather (if available) take Maledon who is already getting a starting role on his team, and looks like a real playmaker against Euroleague's best.

Bey may be long gone by #26, but if Nesmith is gone at #14, it might be a reach to go after Bey.

Of course, kids may rise and fall, but that was not the draft I hope or expect, but the ideal draft IMO.

[bucknersrevenge]

Biggest NO of the century to Carey.

I'm not sure he is even worth 2n round looks.

Thankfully this has virtually no chance to happen. You can bet on it not happening. Carey isn't even in the wheelhouse of guys that Brad and Danny like for their system.

[31to6]

Biggest NO of the century to Carey.

I'm not sure he is even worth 2n round looks.

Thankfully this has virtually no chance to happen. You can bet on it not happening. Carey isn't even in the wheelhouse of guys that Brad and Danny like for their system.

Not saying you’re wrong, just want to point out that it worked out really well the last time we took a very technically proficient “limited athleticism” guy from Duke.

I don’t know how Danny “knew” on Tatum. When will the story of that be written?