2020 NBA Draft Thread

[cloverleaf]

Anthony is interesting as a scoring specialist if Ainge believes they need to move on from Carsen.

Edwards has played 300 minutes into a 3 year guaranteed contract. Hopefully they just draft whoever is the best player every time, trade back for future picks, etc. First rule should be don't draft for any perceived need, because no one from this draft is going to be good enough next year to crack the Celtics rotation.


Tyrese Haliburton is gonna be nasty btw. Dunno where he lands in mocks (all over the place) but he could be my dream point guard in an all 6'5"-6'9" wing-heavy lineup that can switch every play and basically just cover the entire floor defensively, splash threes or dunk all game.

This is definitely a PG heavy draft. My pick was Theo Maledon, but he's been moving up the mock drafts. Haliburton's weak frame might limit him on those defensive switches, but he certainly looks skilled. There are also some projects, who could maybe use a year in the G-League, in Killian, Hampton and Hagans.

[sully00]

trendon watford out of LSU is an interesting stretch 4 prospect. Solid offensively, if not an explosive athlete. He is comfortable facing the basket and getting buckets, but needs to be more consistent from behind the arc. good mechanics though. questionable defense at this point, but he is learning and getting better. 6'9 230, 20-30 range.

nbadraft.net is terrible, but not useless and that guy isn't listed in top 60 this year or next.

That isn't true he is projected at 18 in '21. Tankathon has him projected at #36 in '20 both sites list him as a SF. 3pt shooting is an issue and hurts him as a SF but if you view as a 19 year old PF with a long wingspan he seems like an interesting prospect.

[Darth Celtic]

trendon watford out of LSU is an interesting stretch 4 prospect. Solid offensively, if not an explosive athlete. He is comfortable facing the basket and getting buckets, but needs to be more consistent from behind the arc. good mechanics though. questionable defense at this point, but he is learning and getting better. 6'9 230, 20-30 range.

nbadraft.net is terrible, but not useless and that guy isn't listed in top 60 this year or next.

That isn't true he is projected at 18 in '21. Tankathon has him projected at #36 in '20 both sites list him as a SF. 3pt shooting is an issue and hurts him as a SF but if you view as a 19 year old PF with a long wingspan he seems like an interesting prospect.

Wierd, didn't see it when i looked yesterday.

[Duke4life831]

Vernon Carrey Jr should be the main target

[Duke4life831]

Vernon Carrey Jr should be the main target

He’s immobile and an atrocious defender. No chance he’s a good player at the next level. Massive pass.

He is currently sporting an NCAA best 85.1 defensive rating.

That can be a pretty flawed stat. For example Jahlil Okafor had the 2nd best defensive rating on Duke's 2015 championship team, he was easily the worst defender on that team. Another example from this year's Duke team, Alex O'Connell has a better defensive rating than Vernon in conference play, Alex is considered to be the worst defensive player on this year's Duke team.

Vernon excels on the defensive end when he gets to sit in the paint and just swat at small guards. About 9-10 games into the season once non conference play ended, teams picked up on this and just run PnR and spread him out and he becomes a major liability. He is horrible when he has to guard out in space.

Offensively he is a dinosaur. Ya he has some pick and pop potential, but that shot is so slow and that isn't his game. Ive seen the Wendell Carter comparison, theyre very different players. WCJ while very raw defensively at Duke, showed a much better grasp at defending in space and he had much faster feet. Offensively WCJ had about 3x the 3pt rate compared to Vernon, he was also the far superior passer. Wendell Moore had 2 assists for every 8.5 shots he took, Vernon has 1 assist for every 11 shots he takes. Wendell was able to find cutters and able to run the offense from above the arc. Vernon gets assists from being a high volume guy who gets a dump off of 1 kick out a game. Wendell impacted the game without having to dominate the ball in the low post, that is Vernon's game.

He is not a good prospect for the current NBA. In all honesty, I would rather take Javin Delaurier over Vernon Carey in today's NBA. Best case scenario he ends up being an offensive big off the bench like a Kanter.

[Bleeding Green]

Anthony is interesting as a scoring specialist if Ainge believes they need to move on from Carsen.

Edwards has played 300 minutes into a 3 year guaranteed contract. Hopefully they just draft whoever is the best player every time, trade back for future picks, etc. First rule should be don't draft for any perceived need, because no one from this draft is going to be good enough next year to crack the Celtics rotation.


Tyrese Haliburton is gonna be nasty btw. Dunno where he lands in mocks (all over the place) but he could be my dream point guard in an all 6'5"-6'9" wing-heavy lineup that can switch every play and basically just cover the entire floor defensively, splash threes or dunk all game.

This is definitely a PG heavy draft. My pick was Theo Maledon, but he's been moving up the mock drafts. Haliburton's weak frame might limit him on those defensive switches, but he certainly looks skilled. There are also some projects, who could maybe use a year in the G-League, in Killian, Hampton and Hagans.

Yeah he looks really thin, I don't think that's a big negative, how many players are backing down point guards in the post? A handful? Seems way more valuable to have a 6'5" PG with 7 foot wingspan than he be super strong.

[sully00]

He’s immobile and an atrocious defender. No chance he’s a good player at the next level. Massive pass.

He is currently sporting an NCAA best 85.1 defensive rating.

That can be a pretty flawed stat. For example Jahlil Okafor had the 2nd best defensive rating on Duke's 2015 championship team, he was easily the worst defender on that team. Another example from this year's Duke team, Alex O'Connell has a better defensive rating than Vernon in conference play, Alex is considered to be the worst defensive player on this year's Duke team.

Vernon excels on the defensive end when he gets to sit in the paint and just swat at small guards. About 9-10 games into the season once non conference play ended, teams picked up on this and just run PnR and spread him out and he becomes a major liability. He is horrible when he has to guard out in space.

Offensively he is a dinosaur. Ya he has some pick and pop potential, but that shot is so slow and that isn't his game. Ive seen the Wendell Carter comparison, theyre very different players. WCJ while very raw defensively at Duke, showed a much better grasp at defending in space and he had much faster feet. Offensively WCJ had about 3x the 3pt rate compared to Vernon, he was also the far superior passer. Wendell Moore had 2 assists for every 8.5 shots he took, Vernon has 1 assist for every 11 shots he takes. Wendell was able to find cutters and able to run the offense from above the arc. Vernon gets assists from being a high volume guy who gets a dump off of 1 kick out a game. Wendell impacted the game without having to dominate the ball in the low post, that is Vernon's game.

He is not a good prospect for the current NBA. In all honesty, I would rather take Javin Delaurier over Vernon Carey in today's NBA. Best case scenario he ends up being an offensive big off the bench like a Kanter.

I guess you can poke holes in anything but almost none of what you are saying makes sense. In comparison to a player like Okafor he is much better rebounder, he ORTG and DRTG splits are through the roof. He shoots 43% from 3 60% from the field and is sporting a a PER 34. Obviously the 3 pt attempts are limited but he isn't even 19 yet. In contrast to a player like Kanter he is a shot blocker and rim protector. He compares very well productivity wise with the 3 other bigs out of Duke the last 3 years. He is also 22-3 and doesn't have anywhere near the star power around him that those other guys had for better or worse. Even if he is the worst of the 4 that could be a damn good big man to get in the middle of the first round.

I would get your concern if we were talking about a top 3 or top 5 pick but right now we are looking at 17.

[5InOfLouisville]

He’s immobile and an atrocious defender. No chance he’s a good player at the next level. Massive pass.

He is currently sporting an NCAA best 85.1 defensive rating.

That can be a pretty flawed stat. For example Jahlil Okafor had the 2nd best defensive rating on Duke's 2015 championship team, he was easily the worst defender on that team. Another example from this year's Duke team, Alex O'Connell has a better defensive rating than Vernon in conference play, Alex is considered to be the worst defensive player on this year's Duke team.

Vernon excels on the defensive end when he gets to sit in the paint and just swat at small guards. About 9-10 games into the season once non conference play ended, teams picked up on this and just run PnR and spread him out and he becomes a major liability. He is horrible when he has to guard out in space.

Offensively he is a dinosaur. Ya he has some pick and pop potential, but that shot is so slow and that isn't his game. Ive seen the Wendell Carter comparison, theyre very different players. WCJ while very raw defensively at Duke, showed a much better grasp at defending in space and he had much faster feet. Offensively WCJ had about 3x the 3pt rate compared to Vernon, he was also the far superior passer. Wendell Moore had 2 assists for every 8.5 shots he took, Vernon has 1 assist for every 11 shots he takes. Wendell was able to find cutters and able to run the offense from above the arc. Vernon gets assists from being a high volume guy who gets a dump off of 1 kick out a game. Wendell impacted the game without having to dominate the ball in the low post, that is Vernon's game.

He is not a good prospect for the current NBA. In all honesty, I would rather take Javin Delaurier over Vernon Carey in today's NBA. Best case scenario he ends up being an offensive big off the bench like a Kanter.

Similar to my concerns. Shorter, post-alcoholism vin baker.

It made me physically ill to and-1 a duke fan, so i counteracted it by also reporting you.

[Curmudgeon]

Meh. This draft is James Wiseman and a bunch of over-hyped question marks.

[coach mang]

Why y’all making fun of kalife for hitchin his wagon to the dragon? A bunch of us thought he was the Demi demon spawn of Dino Radja and Tony kukoc. MangIna was also on record as wanting Robert swift over big al months before that draft. Who care?

Care bout this tho. Watch Patrick Williams FSU freshman (won’t turn 19 till after draft) steady getting better as season goes on. Honestly he prob won’t be there for us after combine. He got dat mangdingo pure stock look to him. 18, 6 8 w legs like Carson Edwards.

Wouldn’t mind him and Vassell both

[Duke4life831]

He is currently sporting an NCAA best 85.1 defensive rating.

That can be a pretty flawed stat. For example Jahlil Okafor had the 2nd best defensive rating on Duke's 2015 championship team, he was easily the worst defender on that team. Another example from this year's Duke team, Alex O'Connell has a better defensive rating than Vernon in conference play, Alex is considered to be the worst defensive player on this year's Duke team.

Vernon excels on the defensive end when he gets to sit in the paint and just swat at small guards. About 9-10 games into the season once non conference play ended, teams picked up on this and just run PnR and spread him out and he becomes a major liability. He is horrible when he has to guard out in space.

Offensively he is a dinosaur. Ya he has some pick and pop potential, but that shot is so slow and that isn't his game. Ive seen the Wendell Carter comparison, theyre very different players. WCJ while very raw defensively at Duke, showed a much better grasp at defending in space and he had much faster feet. Offensively WCJ had about 3x the 3pt rate compared to Vernon, he was also the far superior passer. Wendell Moore had 2 assists for every 8.5 shots he took, Vernon has 1 assist for every 11 shots he takes. Wendell was able to find cutters and able to run the offense from above the arc. Vernon gets assists from being a high volume guy who gets a dump off of 1 kick out a game. Wendell impacted the game without having to dominate the ball in the low post, that is Vernon's game.

He is not a good prospect for the current NBA. In all honesty, I would rather take Javin Delaurier over Vernon Carey in today's NBA. Best case scenario he ends up being an offensive big off the bench like a Kanter.

I guess you can poke holes in anything but almost none of what you are saying makes sense. In comparison to a player like Okafor he is much better rebounder, he ORTG and DRTG splits are through the roof. He shoots 43% from 3 60% from the field and is sporting a a PER 34. Obviously the 3 pt attempts are limited but he isn't even 19 yet. In contrast to a player like Kanter he is a shot blocker and rim protector. He compares very well productivity wise with the 3 other bigs out of Duke the last 3 years. He is also 22-3 and doesn't have anywhere near the star power around him that those other guys had for better or worse. Even if he is the worst of the 4 that could be a damn good big man to get in the middle of the first round.

I would get your concern if we were talking about a top 3 or top 5 pick but right now we are looking at 17.

His shot blocking is about on par with Okafor's in college (Okafor the better shot blocker in conference play). What Im saying is his defense isn't translatable to the NBA game. The vast majority of his blocks comes from just camping in the paint and swatting shots from tiny guards. I can't say this enough, he is a horrible defender when he isn't allowed to just camp in the paint. His feet are slow and he has horrible awareness guarding out in space.

When it comes to his offensive game, there is no versatility to it. He isn't a threat to pass the ball and 95% of his shots come at the rim or in a post up. Dont get me wrong, its not like a Vernon Carey hater or anything, I love watching the kid play for Duke. But his game is no longer well fitted for the NBA.

Bigs I would take before Vernon that will be available around that time.

Jalen Smith
Daniel Oturu
Jaden McDaniels (not a true big, but with the shrinking of NBA bigs he can be a MPJ kind of 4)

[threrf23]

Well I'm just going off of stats and his nbadraft.net capsule, Vernon should be a sure thing in the NBA. The Bam Adebayo theory - any 18 y/o big that produces like him, will be a sure thing in the NBA, effort permitting, regardless of how polished they are.

It seems he rebounds better than Okafor did, which matters as rebounding is largely effort/instinct/focus/fundamentals. nbadraft.net compares him to Sabonis, he has better defensive potential than Sabonis (I'm just going by steals/blocks/fouls), but it also sounds like he lacks Sabonis' intangibles in general.

[CelticsPride18]

Devin Vassell

[sully00]

I am honestly really stuck on what a need is for this team. What is the draft strategy when you have 3 1sts and a 2nd and 14 players under contract. You almost have to look a year or two out to determine what need your drafting for right now. I now we worry about getting help up front but with what looks like long term commitments to Hayward and Tatum on the horizon and the organizational vibe on R. Williams you have to wonder if the FO view it that way. G. Williams has been solid as a rookie, Theis looks he has potential to be more of a long term piece and Kanter acts like he wants to be here for life.

I wonder if these younger Euro players are willing to stay overseas?

[100proof]

I am honestly really stuck on what a need is for this team. What is the draft strategy when you have 3 1sts and a 2nd and 14 players under contract. You almost have to look a year or two out to determine what need your drafting for right now. I now we worry about getting help up front but with what looks like long term commitments to Hayward and Tatum on the horizon and the organizational vibe on R. Williams you have to wonder if the FO view it that way. G. Williams has been solid as a rookie, Theis looks he has potential to be more of a long term piece and Kanter acts like he wants to be here for life.

I wonder if these younger Euro players are willing to stay overseas?

I think we pick and keep Memphis pick (carey Jr to cover for Kanter leaving) and either the Boston or the Bucks pick (Tyler Bey, NEsmith, Nwora)

Then we trade away either the boston or bucks pick (whichever) and the second rounder in a package for a player, or for a pick next year.

[threrf23]

I wonder if these younger Euro players are willing to stay overseas?

IMO, a willingness to agree to stay overseas or otherwise be stashed for a year possibly if not probably indicates a lack of confidence and/or a lack of passion or ambition on some level.

I just don't like this logic. I know it's not so simple, but it has been rumored to be the ultimate reason why we passed on drafting Giannis. It was a reason we drafted Yabu over whoever we would have drafted instead.

The latest example might be Terence Davis, who has been playing well for the Raptors. We brought the guy in for two workouts, and it has since been reported in the media that at least one or two teams had wanted to draft him, but they had asked him if he would agree to be stashed for the year (he was asked to agree to a two way deal I believe it was reported) and he chose to go undrafted.

The irony here is that many who won't agree to be stashed just want an opportunity to make a roster, and won't necessarily object to being stashed if they are simply unable to earn a spot. Worst case, you end up cutting them but establish a relationship and maybe get them back down the line.

Just take the BPA and maneuver as needed after the fact.

[Bleeding Green]

I wonder if these younger Euro players are willing to stay overseas?

IMO, a willingness to agree to stay overseas or otherwise be stashed for a year possibly if not probably indicates a lack of confidence and/or a lack of passion or ambition on some level.

I just don't like this logic. I know it's not so simple, but it has been rumored to be the ultimate reason why we passed on drafting Giannis. It was a reason we drafted Yabu over whoever we would have drafted instead.

The latest example might be Terence Davis, who has been playing well for the Raptors. We brought the guy in for two workouts, and it has since been reported in the media that at least one or two teams had wanted to draft him, but they had asked him if he would agree to be stashed for the year (he was asked to agree to a two way deal I believe it was reported) and he chose to go undrafted.

The irony here is that many who won't agree to be stashed just want an opportunity to make a roster, and won't necessarily object to being stashed if they are simply unable to earn a spot. Worst case, you end up cutting them but establish a relationship and maybe get them back down the line.

Just take the BPA and maneuver as needed after the fact.

I like BPA approach for sure. NBA rosters are so fluid and players have so much agency now (finally) that who even knows with any certainty what the 2021 Celtics roster will look like. So how do you draft based on fit? Terrible idea. That 2016 draft still pisses me off how they squandered every pick save for Brown. It's a good point about players who are able to be stashed, I'm trying to think of the last guy who was stashed and ended up being worth the draft pick. Saric and Bogdanovic were stashed and have been effective, but probably not many more from recent drafts. But also, you usually aren't a stashable player unless you're drafted in the twenties or later (which overall usually results in a fringe player), so if they don't work out, are you really missing anything?

I say I'm pissed about 2016, but really, look at that draft, who did the Celtics miss out on by 'wasting' picks on euro players? Siakam and Brogdon are good to great, but also drafted much later? Out of the 40 picks after Yabusele there are only like 3-4 guys who would be cracking the Celtics rotation anyway.

[Wes-J]

I am honestly really stuck on what a need is for this team. What is the draft strategy when you have 3 1sts and a 2nd and 14 players under contract. You almost have to look a year or two out to determine what need your drafting for right now. I now we worry about getting help up front but with what looks like long term commitments to Hayward and Tatum on the horizon and the organizational vibe on R. Williams you have to wonder if the FO view it that way. G. Williams has been solid as a rookie, Theis looks he has potential to be more of a long term piece and Kanter acts like he wants to be here for life.

I wonder if these younger Euro players are willing to stay overseas?

What's the situation with Kanter and Theis beyond their contracts? Obviously there's Williams but he provides a very specific skillset, we should be looking at a stretch big that can defend.

Then there's the wildcard of Jaylen. If Ainge is seriously contemplating him as a centerpiece to a trade then it never hurts to draft another wing I.E. Okoro. We'll see just on Romeo.

[Bleeding Green]

I am honestly really stuck on what a need is for this team. What is the draft strategy when you have 3 1sts and a 2nd and 14 players under contract. You almost have to look a year or two out to determine what need your drafting for right now. I now we worry about getting help up front but with what looks like long term commitments to Hayward and Tatum on the horizon and the organizational vibe on R. Williams you have to wonder if the FO view it that way. G. Williams has been solid as a rookie, Theis looks he has potential to be more of a long term piece and Kanter acts like he wants to be here for life.

I wonder if these younger Euro players are willing to stay overseas?

What's the situation with Kanter and Theis beyond their contracts? Obviously there's Williams but he provides a very specific skillset, we should be looking at a stretch big that can defend.

Then there's the wildcard of Jaylen. If Ainge is seriously contemplating him as a centerpiece to a trade then it never hurts to draft another wing I.E. Okoro. We'll see just on Romeo.

Every year there are scrapheap free agent bigs that can be acquired for peanuts. Nerlens Noel or Christian Wood could have been had for basically free just six months ago. And maybe even again this offseason because teams don't care about bigs. Montrezl Harrell was signed for peanuts. Kanter was peanuts. Theis was peanuts. Bigs aren't valued highly in free agency or in general. Rob Williams fell to 28. You can get bigs whenever you want, you definitely don't need to force yourself to draft one.

[100proof]

I am honestly really stuck on what a need is for this team. What is the draft strategy when you have 3 1sts and a 2nd and 14 players under contract. You almost have to look a year or two out to determine what need your drafting for right now. I now we worry about getting help up front but with what looks like long term commitments to Hayward and Tatum on the horizon and the organizational vibe on R. Williams you have to wonder if the FO view it that way. G. Williams has been solid as a rookie, Theis looks he has potential to be more of a long term piece and Kanter acts like he wants to be here for life.

I wonder if these younger Euro players are willing to stay overseas?

What's the situation with Kanter and Theis beyond their contracts? Obviously there's Williams but he provides a very specific skillset, we should be looking at a stretch big that can defend.

Then there's the wildcard of Jaylen. If Ainge is seriously contemplating him as a centerpiece to a trade then it never hurts to draft another wing I.E. Okoro. We'll see just on Romeo.

Every year there are scrapheap free agent bigs that can be acquired for peanuts. Nerlens Noel or Christian Wood could have been had for basically free just six months ago. And maybe even again this offseason because teams don't care about bigs. Montrezl Harrell was signed for peanuts. Kanter was peanuts. Theis was peanuts. Bigs aren't valued highly in free agency or in general. Rob Williams fell to 28. You can get bigs whenever you want, you definitely don't need to force yourself to draft one.

Tax Payer MLE isnt going to attract many, especially when a majority of ones worth having will get more than that.

But either way you draft BPA anyways.