Who's your Nr. 1 overall pick in the draft?

[Tricky_Kid]

Is Fultz locked as Boston pick?

Ainge and Co. have been strongly rumored to love Fultz for quite a while. It would be a sizable surprise for them to go with anyone else.

I just wanted to know thank You for reply.

[pasfru]

The answer to the thread question is Fultz. He'll be the pick.


Fun fact about wingspans*:

Fultz: 6'9 ¾"
Jackson: 6'9 ¾"
Ball: 6'7"



*via draftexpress

Those Ball measurements were taken three years ago.

He's grown about two inches in height since then, so he probably has more of a 6'9"/6'10" wingspan.

[laploutocratie]

Assuming the Lonzo Ball picks are from rival fans. Otherwise, speak up.

[24istheLAW]

I was 100% sold on Fultz until I started seeing interviews. Based on his body language I am starting to see why his team had 9 wins and why he has reputation for taking plays off. He just doesn't come across as a locked in intense guy or a leader. I think the brain doctor is going to have issues with him. If the talent gap is not so great, Josh Jackson or Ball are definitely in the mix.

His ORB% and steal/block rates are pretty good, which usually suggest a high motor.

He may not show it much on the outside, but neither did/does Kawhi.

High motor or freelances, no?

I've seen the idea bandied about that college steal rates are a good proxy for "BBIQ". Not sure if it's true but it's something to think about.

[pasfru]

I was 100% sold on Fultz until I started seeing interviews. Based on his body language I am starting to see why his team had 9 wins and why he has reputation for taking plays off. He just doesn't come across as a locked in intense guy or a leader. I think the brain doctor is going to have issues with him. If the talent gap is not so great, Josh Jackson or Ball are definitely in the mix.

His ORB% and steal/block rates are pretty good, which usually suggest a high motor.

He may not show it much on the outside, but neither did/does Kawhi.

High motor or freelances, no?

I've seen the idea bandied about that college steal rates are a good proxy for "BBIQ". Not sure if it's true but it's something to think about.

I think it's just the way he plays, that smoothness and body control that makes it look like he's not trying. None of his stats really suggest he has a low motor.

I do think he needs to put in better effort on defence, but his rebounding and steals/blocks suggest he has good instincts on that end. Consider that and his outlier measurements, there's no reason he can't become a solid defensive player under a coach like Brad.

[2Mas]

BPA is clearly Fultz, IMO. Could understand the argument for Ball, but he's only gunna work out for LA. The pick is Fultz. There is no debate

This is my theory. I like Jackson Tatum Ball Fox. I think alot of these guys are gonna be good.

But not only is Fultz the #1 bpa no questions hesitations or anything from me, but we also need him.

We need a secondary playmaker. Need another 1-1 player who can break down his man.

Imagine in the playoffs next year when they trap IT 25 ft from the hoop, he swings it to Fultz & we got a 4 on 3 with Fultz breaking down the defense instead of Bradley or Crowder? Thats not a knock on them, just saying Fultz will be way better at that.

Start him at the 2. The D will be weaker but that offense tho?!

I wouldn't even give up the #1 for Butler or George. Unless they wanna throw Turner in there too

[Grahf]

I admit really liking Ball's game, but I've been on the Fultz bandwagon all year and I'm not getting off now. I think he will contribute in a big way immediately. He's so young but he's much more advanced than Jaylen was last year.

[shackles10]

I'm guessing the other top prospects also have a feel of who we like from their agents. Maybe Ball sr. and Ball jr. only want to play in LA and that's why no other workouts. Maybe big Ball and little Ball have a good idea who we're taking and don't need to workout for anyone besides LA. Sure it'd just be agent talk, but isn't there where many rumors come from and more reliable than our own speculation?

[Cyclical]

Though I kinda half way agree with Sam about Fultz's demeanor in interviews, this had me laughing out loud.

[sam_I_am]

Ball

what was his body language like when he signed that shoe deal

Not sad and looking at the floor like he had no confidence. Not looking like a 9-22 type of player when about to get a 7 million a year contract as #1 pick.

[sam_I_am]

josh Jackson

what was his body language like when he threatened to beat up that woman

I don't want anything to do with abusive athletes so my criticism of Fultz doesn't mean that I want the Celtics to build their team around a jerk. Guys like Kobe, Parish, Jason Kidd won rings despite their off the court issues but that doesn't mean I want that. That said, Vin Baker was a really nice guy - sad and lacking confidence - but a nice guy.

[Romeiro Celtic]

I think Fultz is the PG of the future for us, IMO. I think he's got everything we need, he is agressive, great athleticism, plays good defense, can shoot and has a great vision. I believe he is the best prospect on this draft, the only one I'd take over him if he was healthy is Harry Giles.

[Celts17Pride]

Don't make this difficult. It's Fultz

[Celtic Esquire]

If you were making a modern NBA point guard in a lab, he would look a lot like Markelle Fultz. Every tool is here: size, speed, length, shooting, and the ability to finish above the rim. What really separates Fultz is his creativity off the bounce. Sometimes that means hitting open cutters with a pass. Sometimes it means finding new ways to score out of the pick-and-roll.

There are a lot of great talents in this draft, but Fultz has emerged as the easy pick at No. 1. The Celtics should have themselves a franchise player.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2017/5/16/15646832/nba-mock-draft-2017-markelle-fultz-boston-celtics-lonzo-ball-los-angeles-lakers

Fultz is on a tier to himself at the top — a player both talented enough to come in and change an entire team’s game plan from day one of practice and malleable enough to fit into preexisting systems. The Celtics’ entire backcourt rotation is full of undersized combo guards (Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier) who are all rabid on-ball defenders, but none possesses the kind of gravity or control Fultz possesses on offense. His excellent perimeter-shooting ability (41.3 percent from 3 on five attempts per game at Washington) and in the midrange will allow him to play off the ball should the Celtics decide to utilize him in that capacity.

https://theringer.com/2017-nba-draft-lottery-boston-celtics-number-one-pick-markelle-fultz-125748354f88

[KamikazeK]

I was 100% sold on Fultz until I started seeing interviews. Based on his body language I am starting to see why his team had 9 wins and why he has reputation for taking plays off. He just doesn't come across as a locked in intense guy or a leader. I think the brain doctor is going to have issues with him. If the talent gap is not so great, Josh Jackson or Ball are definitely in the mix.

You could say the same thing about jaylen brown. Are you one of the folks who think he's "too smart to play in the NBA"?

Some guys are more emotional and some guys aren't. Doesn't mean he won't play well for us.

[AgentGreen]

If you want a playmaker you go for Ball.

If you want a scorer you go for Fultz.

If you want defense, length, rebounding and decent scoring you go for Jackson.

[Turgon]

This thing couldn't be more perfect if it was scripted. It's almost like the league planned it all along.

There are two clear top 2 picks in this draft, both extremely talented. One is loud, goes to a known program, creates a new shoe brand and refuses to train with all but one team. The other one is quiet, goes to a small program, wants to finish his degree and values loyalty.

One guy is pure Celtics DNA. The other screams Lakers. Guess who is who.

[Marti-mar]

I think Ball's the best player. He's a killer passer and creator. He makes everyone around him better. He has a tremendous frame and athletic abilities. He lifted that UCLA team up, and they're going to take a big step backward without him. If Ball can get that funky jump shot off consistently, he's going to be ridiculous good. I view him as a perennial all star type player with legit league MVP potential... as a player. The problem is all the potential drama and his father is, well, who his father is. He's not going anywhere and he'll be loud and around whichever team takes Lonzo. I also think they'd bolt to the Lakers at the first opportunity. So... I think Ball is #1 on ability and talent, but not really a viable option unless the Lakers pass on him which alienates the family. I also see higher bust potential here, because there are so many things that could go wrong outside of basketball as well as with basketball.

I view Jackson as having a really high ceiling... maybe the highest in the draft. But he's raw. He's a consideration, but I think Fultz makes more sense at #1. A trade down for Jackson would not upset me.

I like Fultz, but I don't think he should be miscast as a PG. He's a SG and not a natural creator of offense for the whole team. Not that he doesn't make some nice passes, but Fultz is a volume shooting offensive player first and foremost. He put up good offensive stats, but did not lift his team up and make them better. If you put college era Durant on that Washington team, they probably double their win total. That's obviously a projection on my part, but 9 wins in a mediocre conference is very concerning. They got blown out with fair frequency.

I don't view Fultz as any kind of sure thing, like a Lebron or Duncan. I probably take him at #1 because of the issues around Ball. I also think people are overselling his athletic abilities. He's going to be well above average, but he's not going to be an athletic mismatch. He's a very good athlete, but not a freaky one. I think a trade down is a legit option with the much better than normal quality in the next tier of lottery picks.

[shawn unkempt]

Take the obvious pick in Fultz, trying to be cute with #1 pick is just stupid.

[31to6]

I view Jackson as having a really high ceiling... maybe the highest in the draft. But he's raw. He's a consideration, but I think Fultz makes more sense at #1. A trade down for Jackson would not upset me.

I'm going to try not to be too obnoxiously Mr. Hot Take, but after touting Jackson for the last few months I'm going to take Danny at his word (risky business, I know) when he says there's no clear #1 right now.

Jackson's a two-way player; Fultz may be.
Jackson's a tiger of a competitor; Fultz has some question marks in this area.
Jackson and Brown on the wings would be nice size.

I'm certainly willing to accept the current consensus that Fultz is the greater prospect, and have visions of him in green and it looks good -- but it'll be an open question in my mind until we draft (and sign) someone.