The What Should We Do With the 5th Pick II: IBJ Edition

[nate33]

Based on the little work-out footage I've seen of our prospective options at #5, I was most impressed with Evans. My only concern being his odd sling-back release on his jump shot. I mean, he cocks that thing back way behind his ear, but overall his motion looks pretty smooth to me. Plus, he appears to have legit NBA range and decent handles, which makes him an instant upgrade over NY and DS, respectively. As a matter of pure observation, he also seems physically well put-together, whatever that means. He just has a frame that to me says "NBA ready." So, that said, I'm squarely in the Evans camp as of today.

That's the part where I differ. I think Young has good handles and a better shot. Unfortunately, Young hasn't figured out how to play without the ball in his hands. By all accounts, Evans has the same problem, only he doesn't shoot as well.

Basically, I see Evans as being largely redundant with Young. I'll cede that Evans is a more willing passer, but I'm not sure if that's an advantage given his turnover rate in college. At least we get an offensive rebounding opportunity when Young forces a bad shot. An Evans turnover only leads to an opponent's fast break.

[forthepeople]

I like a lot of things about Evans, including great length and frame.
As strange as this sounds I question his athleticism. As big and long as he is
I don't see two guard explosion in his game. He rarley dunked in drills by himself.
He glides around the court taking advantage of his superior wingspan. At pg I think
he would be more than fine if he has the defensive skills set to guard people. Next to Arenas
do you think he is ready to guard shooting guards next year or in the next 3?

[Ruzious]

Hollinger posted his annual draft rater article, which is an interesting read. Random tidbit from it:

+ Lawson is the highest rated player in the draft. Seriously, he edges out Griffin. Hollinger does make sure to note that that doesn't necessary mean the Lawson should be the top pick, but he does sound pretty sure that he should at least be the top PG.

That's my boy. Hollinger is a genius... this time.

[yungal07]

Nick Young is a better prospect than Evans all the way around. He's longer, taller, a better leaper, more athletic, a much better shooter, and an even ballhandler. Evans has a butt ugly form on his shot and plays like Jamal Crawford. He is a guy I would stay away from.

[Ruzious]

Evans has some real impressive characteristics - he's really strong, and he could be - as far as I know - the longest point guard at least since Penny Hardaway - maybe ever. I also like his aggressiveness. He's a unique prospect. And Jrue Holiday - even though he didn't produce as a frosh - is a very unusual PG talent. If Jrue could take some of Evans' cockiness, they'd both be better off.

[WizarDynasty]

Nick's Handles look fine when there isn't any pressure, but as soon as someone pushes him, he usually loses his handle. Evan's handle is stronger meaning, when someone is applying pressure, he normally doesn't fumble the ball or nudging him he usually doesn't fumble the ball. Part of the problem with Nick is that he isn't comfortable when someone is nudging him with their forearm when he dribble's and doesn't have the body strength to absorb the pressure. Evan is around 220 and can burst a foot and completely stop his momentum while still maintaining his dribble. That skill is pretty amazing and makes him extremely compatible with arenas if we don't get a big man that loves to bang and fight for defensive rebounds but also has a jumper and blocks shots. If a defender can't burst with him for that short period of a foot, he will do a second short burst and blow right past them. Nick doesn't have this ability either. Nick normally burst, but can immediately stop and then burst again while maintaining a strong low dribble. Evan has this ability. Evans does have a funny looking shot that has a slow release time his entire game is based on absorbing contact in the paint and using his wingspan to get a high percentage scoop shot. Evan's game is based on his ability to burst and stop his momentum better than anyone that is guarding him and he is supreme body control and is able to release his shot just before he hits the ground due to his long wingspan. Almost like arenas when finishing at the rim. He is more of a point guard than a shooting guard I think on offense and will fit well next to arenas better than any other guard.
I definitely don't think Nick is a better prospect than Evans. nick is better than Harden and Curry though.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Who was in Hollinger's top 10 last year?

1. Love
2. Beasley
3. Alexander
4. Chalmers
5. Hill
6. Douglas-Roberts
7. Rose
8. Hibbert
9. Darrell Arthur
10. Ryan Anderson

I'll add though that in the historical review he posted with the main article, he pegged last year as the worst so far for his system, mostly due to underestimating the freshman.

From looking at his previous reviews, it seems like the thing it's the best at is pointing out players that are likely to either bust or be a steal. That's not to say it captures ALL busts and steals. But if it does tab a specific guy as being significantly better or worse than his general mock position, there's a solid chance it'll end up being right down the line.

Just looking at Hollinger's picks last year, I'd say he did fairly well.

Love had a tremendous PER and was the best offensive rebounder in the league. Chalmers had a great Win Score for a rookie. Beasley was very good.

Hollinger underestimated a lot of wing players: Rose, Mayo, Westbrook, Gordon. He got two NJ rookies that showed promise, Douglas Roberts and Anderson, but he totally missed on their best rookie Lopez. The only guy he totally overestimated was Alexander.

As for this draft I said a couple months ago that I bet Calathes is probably better right now than Rubio. I agree that he should be high on the list and offers what the Wizards could use at PG and SG. DX would seem to confirm that Lawson's a great PG prospect, and is their top PG just like Hollinger's.

Hollinger rating Blair #7 and my belief the Wizards need exactly what he offers (minus weight and injury concerns) indicates he's quite possibly worth the risk even at 5. I have a feeling Blair is better than Love.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Based on the little work-out footage I've seen of our prospective options at #5, I was most impressed with Evans. My only concern being his odd sling-back release on his jump shot. I mean, he cocks that thing back way behind his ear, but overall his motion looks pretty smooth to me. Plus, he appears to have legit NBA range and decent handles, which makes him an instant upgrade over NY and DS, respectively. As a matter of pure observation, he also seems physically well put-together, whatever that means. He just has a frame that to me says "NBA ready." So, that said, I'm squarely in the Evans camp as of today.

Welcome aboard, Swami. Like you, I've been impressed by Evan's physical presence. I also like his length and ability to get to the rim. But it's his perimeter D that, imo, the Zards need the most. He's also a true combo guard and Gil had some of his best years playing with another combo guard--Hughes.

Assuming they keep the pick, I could live with the Zards selecting Curry or Harden, both of whom appear to be more polished than Tyreke and more likely to contribute right away. I also wouldn't mind them moving down and drafting a Lawson. But, imo, Evans has "future star" written all over him and therefore would be a great pick.

I'm to the point where I'll be happy with Curry, Harden, or Evans; and will be ecstatic if they pick the guy IMO who's going to be great right away, Blair.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Based on the little work-out footage I've seen of our prospective options at #5, I was most impressed with Evans. My only concern being his odd sling-back release on his jump shot. I mean, he cocks that thing back way behind his ear, but overall his motion looks pretty smooth to me. Plus, he appears to have legit NBA range and decent handles, which makes him an instant upgrade over NY and DS, respectively. As a matter of pure observation, he also seems physically well put-together, whatever that means. He just has a frame that to me says "NBA ready." So, that said, I'm squarely in the Evans camp as of today.

That's the part where I differ. I think Young has good handles and a better shot. Unfortunately, Young hasn't figured out how to play without the ball in his hands. By all accounts, Evans has the same problem, only he doesn't shoot as well.

Basically, I see Evans as being largely redundant with Young. I'll cede that Evans is a more willing passer, but I'm not sure if that's an advantage given his turnover rate in college. At least we get an offensive rebounding opportunity when Young forces a bad shot. An Evans turnover only leads to an opponent's fast break.

The thing about Evans I don't like as much as other top prospects is I think he doesn't offer much more within the next couple seasons than Young or Crittenton. They're all SGs, not distributors. DCZards, I'll concede that I expect Evans will be better defensively than Young or Crittenton, but I'll be surprised if he's better offensively than Young or if he's as focused and hardworking as Crittenton.

I think Curry offers a deep ball threat and a distributor in one, and that his offense will be like that of Mark Price, Mike Bibby, or even a young Steve Nash.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Said it a bunch and will repeat that Harden strikes me as ready to compete right now.

I would pick Harden over Evans, but would pick Curry ahead of either.

My top choice would be a trade down for Blair.

[Kanyewest]

On CSN, Chris Miller did a recap on the top 5 players he could see the Wizards drafting that they have worked out. That's the order he gave although I don't know if he thinks anyone is more likely than the other.

James Harden
Tyreke Evans
Brandon Jennings
Stephen Curry
DeMar DeRoazan

The one that jumped out at me was Brandon Jennings, who I haven't heard much about. He's probably not as exciting to talk about because his stats in Europe were unimpressive and his exposure is limited. He was playing out of position in Europe, as a 2 or a 3 against much tougher competition than college for what it's worth. Zone defenses probably nullify Jennings advantage in speed and magnifies his weakness in outside shooting.

Jennings does have a few things going for him. He's supposed to be a pure point guard best suited for an uptempo style which works here. He dislikes Rubio who refuses to play in DC. And EG could have interest being that he did visit Europe a few times to scout him.

I have to think Jennings could cause the "Epic fail" response by posters much like Nick Young did in and McGee did in their respective draft. I haven't been able to find draft measurements on him. Not saying that I would pick him because I haven't seen him play but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the Wizards drafting him.

[Dat2U]

Nick Young is a better prospect than Evans all the way around. He's longer, taller, a better leaper, more athletic, a much better shooter, and an even ballhandler. Evans has a butt ugly form on his shot and plays like Jamal Crawford. He is a guy I would stay away from.

You keep throwing out the Crawford comparison for Evans and I'm not sure why. Evans is nothing like Crawford, if anything, Young's game more closely resembles Crawford and I initally said that during Young's first summer league.

Crawford is a jumpshooter. He lives and dies by the jumpshot. Although he's a capable ballhandler he doesn't attack the basket with regularity. I think it has to do with his slight frame in that he's not built for the contact.

Evans is just the opposite. Evans 1st option on any play is too slash. Sometimes he attacks the basket too recklessly where he can get abit out of control. His frame is built to handle the contact and he excels at finishing with contact. He's also got an NBA ready mid-range game. If anything he's closer to Larry Hughes, but a deluxe version with the frame to withstand the daily pounding of the NBA.

While Young is the better athlete & jump shooter I disagree with everything else. Evans has freakish length. He's long enough to guard SFs. I think that favors comparably to Young. Evans also has a tighter handle and shows better awareness of his teammates. Young's handle is good enough to help create shots for himself but when pressured he can forced into TOs. Young also has tunnel vision making him inapable of playing PG.

[WizarDynasty]

The thing i like about Evan is that he basically sets up his man to get off balance and then burst into the lane and he is usually in control almost goes in slow motion and predicts where contact occurs and adjust his shot based on the contact. Evans is usually a second ahead of the defense which shows a high basketball IQ.
The right pick that is miles ahead of Blatche, McGee at age 19 is Mullens - The all nba 2nd team defense pick is Clark, Kwame Brown pick is any of the top five on the draft board. If you have to pick a guard with a gun to your head is Evans. The jamison replacement pick is Mullens or Hill.

[spaceman_E]

Griffin, Harden, Thabeet, and Rubio will all be gone by our pick in some order or another. When this happens, we either need to trade up for one of those guys or trade down 3-10 spots and take the best player left. The 5th pick really has the least value of any in this draft seeing as Evans, Curry, Hill, Jennings all could be there several spots later.

If we aren't moving up and the top 4 stays as it looks, we need to trade out or down from our pick.
I'm really hoping #5 turns into one of Tayshaun Prince, Amare, Hinrich(and another pick), Josh Smith or another player on that level. What I don't want is a lesser, older or more expensive player such as Rip, Redd, Miller. They can be had for much less than #5.

[Ji]

Jordan Hill is our pick again on Draft Express.com

[FreeBalling]

Jordan Hill is our pick again on Draft Express.com

Who was your pick Ji? Mine was Hill then Curry.

One week to go.

[Ji]

I want Curry or Harden. I have curry rated a big higher but I would be happy with either. Curry is tied with Rubio for #2 on my draft board

[NBAMAN2006]

I rank Curry as a better prospect than Evans, but still dont see how he is a good fit at all next to Agent Zero. I dont see Arenas or Evans as true SG or PG's, but rather a duo of combo guards that together compliment each other to the point that a real distributer is not necessary. Now, you can say the same thing about Arenas & Curry, but what you cant say is that an Arenas/Curry combo would be able to work on the other side of the ball. Defensivley, an Arenas/Curry combo would have Gilbert guarding the SG, and leaves the Wizards with a backcourt of..

G- Curry- Height: 6'3.25, Wingspan: 6'3.5, Weight: 181lbs
G- Arenas- Height: 6'4, Wingspan: 6'9.5, Weight: ~215lbs

Pretty small all around. Compare that to...

G- Arenas- Height: 6'4, Wingspan: 6'9.5, Weight: ~215lbs
G- Evans- Height: 6'5.25, Wingspan: 6'11.25, Weight: 221lbs

[omegatronic3]

. The good news is that virtually every jumper was good. But it just looked like he didn't want to be there

I've sure as heck never seen Blache shoot like that... the guy has a good touch... Granted it was probably a long workout but he didnt look too explosive. He didnt get up very high on a second leap. Hes not gonna be a post up player

[AgentOvechkin08]

I want Harden or Flynn, I dont want no part of Curry, I might be in the minority, but I dont want him on this team. Yeah he is a great shooter and has a good IQ, but I would take Flynn over him.

I still rank him high in terms of PGs in the draft (if thats the position he is).

1. Rubio
2. Flynn
3. Curry

Flynn is only ranked lower because of size but I really hate when guys are knocked because of height. Look at Chris Paul and Allan Iverson even Earl effin Boykins, he was 5'5, so you know little guys can make it.

Flynn has everything you want. He is probably the quickest player in the draft, is a good distributor, good jumper, with improving range and plays bigger than his listed 6'0.

I guess I have this new love for Flynn, I dont know where it came from but I always had Harden as my first choice unless say Rubio fell.

Theres also a trade down scenario where we could probably take Flynn. A backcourt with him and Arenas would be fun to watch IMO.