2020 NBA Draft Thread

[Parliament10]

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[winsomme2]

I'm starting to feel very strongly about these players at #17.

Aaron Nesmith
Kira Lewis
Precious Achiuwa
Saddiq Bey

If we end up with any of these guys I think we'll have a player that is going to be a high quality NBA player.

[Parliament10]

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[hugepatsfan]

Early but here's my top 30 big board for the Celtics right now. The *** players are guys I really, really like as scheme fits here.

1) Memphis C James Wiseman
2) Georgia Tech SG Anthony Edwards
3) France PG Killian Hayes
4) USC PF/C Onyeka Okongwu
5) Dayton PF Obi Toppin
6) Australia PG LaMelo Ball
7) Israel SF Deni Avdija
8) Florida State G/SF Devin Vassell
9) UNC PG Cole Anthony
10) Alabama PG Kira Lewis Jr. ***
11) Vanderbilt SG/SF Aaron Nesmith
12) Auburn SG/SF Isaac Okoro
13) Iowa State PG Tyrese Haliburton
14) Kentucky SG Tyrese Maxey
15) Memphis PF/C Precious Achiuwa ***
16) Villanova SF Saddiq Bey ***
17) Florida State SF/PF Patrick Williams
18) Arizona PG Nico Mannion ***
19) Arizona SG Josh Green
20) DePaul PF/C Paul Reed ***
21) Stanford PG Tyrell Terry
22 Texas Tech SG Jahmi'us Ramsey
23) Mississippi State SF Robert Woodard ***
24) France PG Theo Maledon
25) Mississippi State PF/C Reggie Perry ***
26) Michigan State PF/C Xavier Tillman
27) Maryland PF/C Jalen Smith
28) Colorado SF/PF Tyler Bey
29) New Zealand PG/SG RJ Hampton
30) Serbia PF/C Aleksej Pokusevski

[winsomme2]

I'd totally be okay with Patrick Williams. He's gonna take a while to develop but he's got star potential.

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[themoneyteam2]

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Jahmi'us Ramsey screams Danny Ainge pick. He's a 19 yr old 6'4" 195 lbs combo guard from Texas Tech. Consensus top 30 recruit. Big 12 Freshman of the year.

15.0/4.0/2.2 on 44.2/42.6/64.1 shooting splits. 42.6% 3PT on 5.2 3PA is elite but 64% FT is definitely concerning. His form has no hitches so am not too worried about that. He's built like Marcus Smart which is what Ainge loves. Potential to guard 1-3 at the next level while being a secondary playmaker and catch and shoot player. Intriguing potential as a two-way guard.

He compares similarly to Smart but a bit more twitchy as an athlete with speed. Smart was listed at 6'4" 220 lbs. His freshman year averaged 15.4/5.8/4.2 on 40.4/29.0/77.7 shooting splits.

19 yrs old and athletically fits the profile that the Celtics have recently loved as a versatile player. Projected anywhere from 10 to 25 in mocks I've seen so is definitely in the range of the Memphis pick.

Here is a video of arguably his best game of the year. He's a tough shot maker.

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[big-shot-ROB]

Ramsey is more Avery than Marcus but yeah, he's my pick at 17 if Nesmith or Vassell are not there.

[threrf23]

Ramsey is more Avery than Marcus but yeah, he's my pick at 17 if Nesmith or Vassell are not there.

From Tony Allen's alma mater (and Marcus' of course). Young for his class, and 42% from 3. "Streaky shooter" per nbascoutinglive, questionable shot selection per thestepien, "great energy and hustle" per nbadraftroom.

Per minute, his freshman year was statistically very similar to Jordan Crawford's - Ramsey the better outside shooter, Crawford the better free throw shooter, Crawford with slightly more assists (and TOs), Ramsey with slightly better defensive stats. AB is also a decent statistical comparison, although Ramsey shot better and rebounded more.

He's not one of my favorite prospects, but he is a very stereotypical Ainge pick (if not a Brad pick as well) with the exception that he can already shoot the trey well and he seems to be a better prospect than Danny is used to, relative to expected draft position. I'll be surprised if we don't find a way to end up with him.

(pending interviews and scouting video, I'm all about Vassell atm)

[winsomme2]

Ramsey is more Avery than Marcus but yeah, he's my pick at 17 if Nesmith or Vassell are not there.

From Tony Allen's alma mater (and Marcus' of course). Young for his class, and 42% from 3. "Streaky shooter" per nbascoutinglive, questionable shot selection per thestepien, "great energy and hustle" per nbadraftroom.

Per minute, his freshman year was statistically very similar to Jordan Crawford's - Ramsey the better outside shooter, Crawford the better free throw shooter, Crawford with slightly more assists (and TOs), Ramsey with slightly better defensive stats. AB is also a decent statistical comparison, although Ramsey shot better and rebounded more.

He's not one of my favorite prospects, but he is a very stereotypical Ainge pick (if not a Brad pick as well) with the exception that he can already shoot the trey well and he seems to be a better prospect than Danny is used to, relative to expected draft position. I'll be surprised if we don't find a way to end up with him.

(pending interviews and scouting video, I'm all about Vassell atm)

There are definitely players I would take over him at #17. Plus, I think it's certainly possible that he's there at 26.

Another undersized wing scorer is not at the top of my list positionally either.

At 17 I got:

Aaron Nesmith
Saddiq Bey
Kira Lewis
Patrick Williams
Precious Achiuwa

They all have the potential to be all-stars IMO. Achiuwa mostly because there just aren't great bigs these day. And they are sized right for their positions and they are positions of need (Lewis because we don't have a clear health picture on Kemba at the moment)

I think Bey and Nesmith are most likely not there. They actually might ALL not be there, but if that's the case, some pretty solid prospects would need to have dropped. Like a Vassell or Cole Anthony. in which I would just take the player that fell to us. There's no player projected solidly above our pick that I would be really unhappy with.

Patrick Williams is really looking the part. He just oozes potential.

Tyrell Terry is coming up fast for me. He is gonna light the league on fire from three IMO.

[Squigglepuffin]

At 17:

Isaiah Stewart:

Very underated imo. At the very least he'll end up as good as Montrezl Harrell. Wouldn't be surprised if Danny picked him at 17.

Very, very strong. Wide base (important for bigs). 7'4" wingspan. Very good free throw shooter for a big - 77% - so definite potential to develop an outside shot.

Only 19 years old. It's surprising he isn't being taken more seriously by all the mock drafts I've seen. His per 100 possessions stats, and his advanced metrics are very similar to Okongwu . Okongwu is older than him and better than him, but I definitely have more confidence atm in Stewart developing an outside shot to become more offensively versatile.

After all, go check out Okongwu and see how often he takes a jumper...

Amar Sylla:

18 years old from Senegal. Raw but flashes of what he could become would make me seriously think of taking him at 17. I don't care what the mocks say (last I saw projected somewhere in the 40-50 range). I don't care what the fans would say.

He's 6'9" with a 7'2" wingspan. Athletic, moves fluidly. Good lateral quickness. Getting better dribbling/creating his own shot. Has good form when shooting. Yes, there are legitimate concerns about his shooting percentage atm, and he has a poor turnover to assist ratio which is concerning (it can be an indicator of a BBIO). He is skinny, but he's young, he'll fill out.

People are going to think Giannis, and apparently his measurements at 18 are similar, but to expect that is unfair. I honestly would do everything I could to make sure he actually is 18 before drafting him because he looks older - Thon Maker has scarred me But if he is 18 - I would seriously, seriously think about it.

I would need to watch full games to see how quickly he processes things, but I've seen enough to be willing to take a gamble on him - and I wouldn't want a team like the Mavs, Raptors, or OKC (who I think are comfortable/smart enough to take a risk) getting to him before we do.

If he is 18, if he has work ethic, and if he can mentally process things relatively quickly (which is where having the opportunity to scout players live/interview players/get medicals would come in for an NBA team) then I honestly would take him in the lottery.

Saddiq Bey:

He won't be a bust. Strong, good defender, very good outside shot. Smart with the ball.

Josh Green:

Not sure whether to take him over Saddiq Bey. Don't think he was used to his full potential in college - neither was Devin Booker.

He's only 19 I believe. I don't think he's very agile/fluid in his movements, not sure if he can create his own shot or has decent handles - but if he could show he did I'd definitely consider him more.

He's a smart player (as is Saddiq Bey, who's more than a year older) as can be seen with a good assist to turnover ratio. I don't think he'll bust either. The question is whether, if put in a different role, will he breakout or if he'll just be as good as Justin Anderson (drafted by Mav's a few years ago).

Also more aggressive than Saddiq Bey in driving to the rim.

Paul Reed:

If I thought he could put on 25 pounds of muscle/strength without it negatively affecting his game then he would have a chance at 17.

He has very good BBIQ. 7'2" wingspan. He could be defensively elite, would remind me of Draymond (without the passing ability) but only if I was convinced he would be able to put on the weight, otherwise he's just going to get pushed around at his current weight of 220 lbs.

Also, he moves quite rigidly and too upright, if there is a thing. He's not very fluid in his movements.

He doesn't have a low centre of gravity so he needs more strength. It just seems like he can get bumped off course more than I'd like as it stands right now. If he can't gain the weight to offset the relatively high centre of gravity I think his floor is Ed Davis. Ceiling idk.

Tyrese Maxey:

Someone to take a closer look at. I think he might have been used incorrectly a little in college so maybe he becomes a better pro player if he gets used differently.

Could turn out to be a role player along the lines of a lesser/poor man's Donovan Mitchell. Not fully sold on him atm.

Jahmi'us Ramsey

One of the youngest players in the draft. Just turned 19. Worth a closer look, but it doesn't help he apparently has only a 6'6" wingspan.

[big-shot-ROB]

Shaddiq Bey ain't that good tbh. The only skill he projects to do at an above-average level is shooting, and even in that case he didn't display a wide margin of types of shots.

Stewart is a 2nd round pick. His playstyle is outdated, and while he is a smart player, there's no path for him to start in a winning team. He is destined to be a bench big a la Kanter. And you don't waste a 1st round pick on that.

I don't think we need Precious. We already have a raw-rolling big that is better than Achiuwa at everything. Williams has more vertical leap, more mobility, better passing instics, way better shot-blocking ability, better touch around the rim.
The only thing Precious might be better is at handling the ball on a fastbreak, but again, you don't really want your 5 doing that.

[Squigglepuffin]

Shaddiq Bey ain't that good tbh. The only skill he projects to do at an above-average level is shooting, and even in that case he didn't display a wide margin of types of shots.

Stewart is a 2nd round pick. His playstyle is outdated, and while he is a smart player, there's no path for him to start in a winning team. He is destined to be a bench big a la Kanter. And you don't waste a 1st round pick on that.

I'm not saying Bey is going to be a superstar. I'm just saying he's not going to bust. He's a fairly safe pick. Jae Crowder wasn't a bust, Avery Bradley, Larry Nance Jr... All not superstars, or stars, but not busts.

Isaiah Stewart reminds me a lot of Montrezl Harrell but I have more confidence in Stewart improving past Harrell due to Stewart's shooting form, high free throw percentage (at least 20% higher than Harrell at the same age), and his age. Harrell was a second rounder who went at 32 in the 2015 NBA draft. If there was a redraft he would arguably be a lottery pick.

In the future, when people do a 2020 redraft, if he has work ethic, I think it's likely Stewart will at least be a top 20 pick.

[winsomme2]

Shaddiq Bey ain't that good tbh. The only skill he projects to do at an above-average level is shooting, and even in that case he didn't display a wide margin of types of shots.

Stewart is a 2nd round pick. His playstyle is outdated, and while he is a smart player, there's no path for him to start in a winning team. He is destined to be a bench big a la Kanter. And you don't waste a 1st round pick on that.

I don't think we need Precious. We already have a raw-rolling big that is better than Achiuwa at everything. Williams has more vertical leap, more mobility, better passing instics, way better shot-blocking ability, better touch around the rim.
The only thing Precious might be better is at handling the ball on a fastbreak, but again, you don't really want your 5 doing that.

I don't agree with the Achiuwa/RW breakdown. Achiuwa has a much stronger base, he can attack the basket in the halfcourt with better ball handling, body control, and ability to finish with either hand. He's also a solid one on one defender. I just think he's a better prospect. Plus RW can't stay healthy. Achiuwa is not my first choice but he'd fill a huge need IMO.

[Squigglepuffin]

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Jahmi'us Ramsey screams Danny Ainge pick. He's a 19 yr old 6'4" 195 lbs combo guard from Texas Tech. Consensus top 30 recruit. Big 12 Freshman of the year.

15.0/4.0/2.2 on 44.2/42.6/64.1 shooting splits. 42.6% 3PT on 5.2 3PA is elite but 64% FT is definitely concerning. His form has no hitches so am not too worried about that. He's built like Marcus Smart which is what Ainge loves. Potential to guard 1-3 at the next level while being a secondary playmaker and catch and shoot player. Intriguing potential as a two-way guard.

He compares similarly to Smart but a bit more twitchy as an athlete with speed. Smart was listed at 6'4" 220 lbs. His freshman year averaged 15.4/5.8/4.2 on 40.4/29.0/77.7 shooting splits.

19 yrs old and athletically fits the profile that the Celtics have recently loved as a versatile player. Projected anywhere from 10 to 25 in mocks I've seen so is definitely in the range of the Memphis pick.

Here is a video of arguably his best game of the year. He's a tough shot maker.

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6'6" wingspan apparently. Danny generally loves players with long wingspans, and he also loves players that were top high school players. Two things I know he values after watching him draft for so long.

[hugepatsfan]

Revising my top 30 board for us from earlier...

1) Memphis C James Wiseman
2) Georgia Tech SG Anthony Edwards
3) France PG Killian Hayes
4) USC PF/C Onyeka Okongwu
5) Israel SF Deni Avdija
6) Australia PG LaMelo Ball
7) Auburn SG/SF Isaac Okoro
8) Florida State G/SF Devin Vassell
9) UNC PG Cole Anthony
10) Alabama PG Kira Lewis Jr.
11) Vanderbilt SG/SF Aaron Nesmith
12) Dayton PF Obi Toppin
13) Iowa State PG Tyrese Haliburton
14) Kentucky SG Tyrese Maxey
15) Memphis PF/C Precious Achiuwa
16) Florida State SF/PF Patrick Williams
17) Serbia PF/C Aleksej Pokusevski
18) France PG Theo Maledon
19) Arizona SG Josh Green
20) Texas Tech SG Jahmi'us Ramsey
21) DePaul PF/C Paul Reed
22) Villanova SF Saddiq Bey
23) Mississippi State SF Robert Woodard
24) Minnesota C Daniel Oturu
25) Charleston PG Grant Riller
26) Washington C Isaiah Stewart
27) Arizona PG Nico Mannion
28) France SG/SF Leandro Bolmaro
29) New Zealand PG/SG RJ Hampton
30) Washington SF/P FJaden McDaniels

[themoneyteam2]

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Jahmi'us Ramsey screams Danny Ainge pick. He's a 19 yr old 6'4" 195 lbs combo guard from Texas Tech. Consensus top 30 recruit. Big 12 Freshman of the year.

15.0/4.0/2.2 on 44.2/42.6/64.1 shooting splits. 42.6% 3PT on 5.2 3PA is elite but 64% FT is definitely concerning. His form has no hitches so am not too worried about that. He's built like Marcus Smart which is what Ainge loves. Potential to guard 1-3 at the next level while being a secondary playmaker and catch and shoot player. Intriguing potential as a two-way guard.

He compares similarly to Smart but a bit more twitchy as an athlete with speed. Smart was listed at 6'4" 220 lbs. His freshman year averaged 15.4/5.8/4.2 on 40.4/29.0/77.7 shooting splits.

19 yrs old and athletically fits the profile that the Celtics have recently loved as a versatile player. Projected anywhere from 10 to 25 in mocks I've seen so is definitely in the range of the Memphis pick.

Here is a video of arguably his best game of the year. He's a tough shot maker.

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6'6" wingspan apparently. Danny generally loves players with long wingspans, and he also loves players that were top high school players. Two things I know he values after watching him draft for so long.

Yeah that's also true his wingspan is underwhelming. I could see Ainge going after Cole Anthony too since he was projected consensus top 5 pick and even mentioned as the #1 pick for a long time. Top 3 recruit in high school too. Only concern is that he offers pretty little versatility but would be an elite backup PG and could take the reigns from Kemba if he reaches his projected ceiling.

[hugepatsfan]

Ramsey has tools but doesn't show up strong on defense in the games. It's a question of if it's effort or ability on that end. Generally speaking I think you look for instincts. Some college guys just have a lot of offense on their plate so they conserve energy. You can still show good awareness and play smart on that end but Ramsey doesn't. That's concerning.

Even if he does improve on that end, the length limits his versatility. He's going to have a tough time guarding 3s. That limits him to defending PGs and SGs. But he doesn't have the playmaking to project well as a PG so he's really a SG only IMO. Kind of limits the types of guys he can co exist with.

At #26 or #30 he'd be too good a value to pass up because I do think he has a role as a 2nd unit scorer. But at #17 I don't think he'd be the best player or best fit for us.