2015 Draft Thread - Part 1

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Trey Lyles is Canadian. So is Olivier Hanlan. Other than Anthony Bennett, just about all the big time Canadian prep players have been very successful lately.

I just worry about Lyles development under a coach like Randy Wittman. Lyles isn't a banger like teammate Dakari Johnson.

Nate, your earlier post has me inclined to believe Johnson will be a Kyle O'Quinn or better player. Johnson has the girth to body up at the next level. Perhaps Lyles will fill out and his athletic frame will serve him well, but he might be lost in the shuffle.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I have no idea what people see in Lyles, especially compared to Portis and Looney.

See my last post. I think it's his shoulders and athleticism, but I agree he's not the same type prospect IMO as Looney or Portis.

I also rate Johnson higher than Lyles.

[Ruzious]

I've never heard of a white guy having that kind of wingspan-to-height ratio. Maybe Kirilenko? Frankly, I don't believe it.

He is that big - and when he used to go for any block his block % would get into the 7s... but defensively he is still pretty raw, not very strong and not a good rebounder - and he should be... he has only one position - stretch 4. Nene would KILL him inside. Not saying I wouldn't take him with the 19th pick though

Porzingis reminds me a lot more of Tskitishvili and Jonathan Bender than he does of Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki.

He's not operating in the post in the NBA at that weight. He is also not defending other than blocking shots from the weak side.

I don't think he is as strong as Jan Vesely.

One thing that I see is he appears to have a lot of attitude. He obviously is a great shooter, but so is Steve Novak.

I think you're underrating him. Remember, he's just a teenager, so he's going to get heavier - and I think he weighed in at 230. That's more than Pau in his rookie year at Memphis. His stats - except for rebounding in a man's league - were really good. He sounds top 5 worthy.

[Ruzious]

I'll just say that I'll be very happy if guys like Lyles and Looney go ahead of the Wiz - allowing them to take Portis - as long as they PICK Portis.

[dckingsfan]

I've never heard of a white guy having that kind of wingspan-to-height ratio. Maybe Kirilenko? Frankly, I don't believe it.

He is that big - and when he used to go for any block his block % would get into the 7s... but defensively he is still pretty raw, not very strong and not a good rebounder - and he should be... he has only one position - stretch 4. Nene would KILL him inside. Not saying I wouldn't take him with the 19th pick though

Porzingis reminds me a lot more of Tskitishvili and Jonathan Bender than he does of Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki.

He's not operating in the post in the NBA at that weight. He is also not defending other than blocking shots from the weak side.

I don't think he is as strong as Jan Vesely.

One thing that I see is he appears to have a lot of attitude. He obviously is a great shooter, but so is Steve Novak.

Hmmm, not much of a Tskitishvili or Bender or Gasol or Nowitzki. More like Steve Novak that plays weak side defense really well. He does pick 'n pop but no pick 'n roll. And he runs the break well. Pair him next to DeAndre Jordan and he would thrive. Pair him with a poor defensive rebounding frontcourt mate - meh.

[Dat2U]

Kristaps Porzingis 7'1.25" w/out shoes, 7'6 wingspan, 230 lbs.

Now I understand why they've been talking about him at second overall. Those are Rudy Gobert-like measurements. Plus he can shoot.

I've never heard of a white guy having that kind of wingspan-to-height ratio. Maybe Kirilenko? Frankly, I don't believe it.

Scouts have mentioned that his body type is very much like Kirilenko... just looking at the raw tools the kid has got... It's hard not to take him 2 behind Towns. For me it's Russell & this kid at #2. I've been leaning Russell but I could easily be talked into Porzingis at this stage.

Porzingis doesn't remind me of anyone I've seen before. He's what? 7-2? Shoots 3s with ease. Shoots off the dribble with ease? You just don't see that. Plus he's an athletic freak and only 18??? Wow.

[stevemcqueen1]

I have no idea what people see in Lyles, especially compared to Portis and Looney.

He has a lot more offensive skill than they do. I'd be surprised if they get picked before him. I'd also be surprised if Kelly Oubre drops to our pick for similar reasons.

[stevemcqueen1]

Now I understand why they've been talking about him at second overall. Those are Rudy Gobert-like measurements. Plus he can shoot.

I've never heard of a white guy having that kind of wingspan-to-height ratio. Maybe Kirilenko? Frankly, I don't believe it.

Scouts have mentioned that his body type is very much like Kirilenko... just looking at the raw tools the kid has got... It's hard not to take him 2 behind Towns. For me it's Russell & this kid at #2. I've been leaning Russell but I could easily be talked into Porzingis at this stage.

Porzingis doesn't remind me of anyone I've seen before. He's what? 7-2? Shoots 3s with ease. Shoots off the dribble with ease? You just don't see that. Plus he's an athletic freak and only 18??? Wow.

Yeah, I think you take him two or three at the latest. But I'd take Okafor in the other spot, not Russell. Okafor has game changing size and he's already super skilled. Hell, I still think there is a chance he could go one. Then the choices at two and three become really easy.

Philly won't want another big man, but it's what I'd do if I were them. I'd have cut bait on Embiid the moment it seemed like he might miss a second straight season. If that FO has any instinct of self preservation, there is no way they can still view him as their franchise building block.

[80sballboy]

A different perspective on each top player. Don't agree with every one but I like the fact that Gottlieb doesn't hold back. Not every player is going to be great.
http://www.cbssports.com/general/writer/doug-gottlieb/25219531/nba-draft-dangelo-russell-is-no-2-on-gottliebs-big-board

[Rafael122]

I'm sorry, I just don't buy the Porzingas hype. He may turn out to be a good player, but I hear European Durant being thrown around, Dirk comparisons. I'm not knocking him b/c he's a European player, I'm knocking him because most people who do mock drafts (not here, but on CBS Sports, etc) have probably never seen the kid play in person and are only going buy structured You tube clips. I actually like Hezonja a bit more than I do Porzingas just because Hezonja's role is a bit more defined.

[Severn Hoos]

Chad Ford's Grade A Draft (best possible player and best fit for each team)

Needs: PF, backup C

Round 1 (19) Trey Lyles, PF, Fr., Kentucky
Round 2 (49) Mouhammadou Jaiteh, F/C, France

Analysis: Néné will be coming into the last year of his contract. The Wizards are set with young players at point guard (John Wall), shooting guard (Bradley Beal), small forward (Otto Porter Jr.) and have a veteran center, Marcin Gortat, in his prime. But power forward is still a major need. I'm torn between Bobby Portis and Lyles here. Portis is more of a sure thing: tough, versatile and a great motor. But I think Lyles presents more upside and the Wizards could still use some upside at that position. I know teams have him ranked much higher, but I think his lack of elite athleticism makes him a better play here in the teens. The Wizards' backcourt is the engine that makes this team run. They just need bigs who will play their role, and I think Lyles is perfect for that. Jaiteh is another big man who is probably under-ranked. Scouts fell in love with him as an 18-year-old, were turned off by a poor performance at the Nike Hoop Summit and have ignored the fact that he's gotten much better the last two seasons. He has the size to be a really good backup big man down the road.

I didn't get to post this yesterday because I'm on the road, but maybe it belongs in doc's "True Story..." thread.

I was in the Atlanta airport, waiting for a flight to Cleveland so I could attend the Cavaliers' victory parade. Oh, wait - check that, I'm going for work and there is no victory parade. Again. But I digress.

Anyway, I was waiting in line to board the plane and am conscious of the really tall guy 2 people in front of me. Not sure why I hadn't noticed him before, but there it is. Then I notice he has a Final Four logo on his backpack. No team logo is visible, but now I'm convinced he's got to be a player. I tried to get a look at him from the side/front, but never got a good look at his face.

So, as we go through the area where they scan your boarding pass, I look down right after he goes through and sure enough - "LYLES, TREY" (I was prepared to offer my exit row seat to give him more legroom, but he was seated in First Class, naturally.)

So that got me thinking - where was he going, and where was he coming from? I haven't been able to find any reporting that he worked out for either the Hawks or the Cavaliers, although he could have been changing planes in either city. And the paranoid fan (read: LeBron Hater) in me started to concoct scenarios where the Cavs move up to get a blue chip prospect (while we sit still, of course), or he somehow falls to the Cavs a la Dez Bryant.

Or, it could be that ATL was doing their due diligence. Will he even be available at 15? He already worked out for the Hawks, so maybe this was just an interview?

I guess there's not much point here other than there's now a small part of me rooting for Lyles to be our pick, just for the novelty factor of having been on a plane with him 3 days before the draft.

Clearly, I am slipping in my evaluation skills.


And a s a PS, I really like Jaiteh for our 2nd rounder. He & Connaughton are my favorites, with the 1st round pick determining which of the two I'd rather have (PS if the 1st is a big and MJ if the 1st is a G/F.)

[Rafael122]

Chad Ford's Grade A Draft (best possible player and best fit for each team)

Needs: PF, backup C

Round 1 (19) Trey Lyles, PF, Fr., Kentucky
Round 2 (49) Mouhammadou Jaiteh, F/C, France

Analysis: Néné will be coming into the last year of his contract. The Wizards are set with young players at point guard (John Wall), shooting guard (Bradley Beal), small forward (Otto Porter Jr.) and have a veteran center, Marcin Gortat, in his prime. But power forward is still a major need. I'm torn between Bobby Portis and Lyles here. Portis is more of a sure thing: tough, versatile and a great motor. But I think Lyles presents more upside and the Wizards could still use some upside at that position. I know teams have him ranked much higher, but I think his lack of elite athleticism makes him a better play here in the teens. The Wizards' backcourt is the engine that makes this team run. They just need bigs who will play their role, and I think Lyles is perfect for that. Jaiteh is another big man who is probably under-ranked. Scouts fell in love with him as an 18-year-old, were turned off by a poor performance at the Nike Hoop Summit and have ignored the fact that he's gotten much better the last two seasons. He has the size to be a really good backup big man down the road.

I didn't get to post this yesterday because I'm on the road, but maybe it belongs in doc's "True Story..." thread.

I was in the Atlanta airport, waiting for a flight to Cleveland so I could attend the Cavaliers' victory parade. Oh, wait - check that, I'm going for work and there is no victory parade. Again. But I digress.

Anyway, I was waiting in line to board the plane and am conscious of the really tall guy 2 people in front of me. Not sure why I hadn't noticed him before, but there it is. Then I notice he has a Final Four logo on his backpack. No team logo is visible, but now I'm convinced he's got to be a player. I tried to get a look at him from the side/front, but never got a good look at his face.

So, as we go through the area where they scan your boarding pass, I look down right after he goes through and sure enough - "LYLES, TREY" (I was prepared to offer my exit row seat to give him more legroom, but he was seated in First Class, naturally.)

So that got me thinking - where was he going, and where was he coming from? I haven't been able to find any reporting that he worked out for either the Hawks or the Cavaliers, although he could have been changing planes in either city. And the paranoid fan (read: LeBron Hater) in me started to concoct scenarios where the Cavs move up to get a blue chip prospect (while we sit still, of course), or he somehow falls to the Cavs a la Dez Bryant.

Or, it could be that ATL was doing their due diligence. Will he even be available at 15? He already worked out for the Hawks, so maybe this was just an interview?

I guess there's not much point here other than there's now a small part of me rooting for Lyles to be our pick, just for the novelty factor of having been on a plane with him 3 days before the draft.

Clearly, I am slipping in my evaluation skills.


And a s a PS, I really like Jaiteh for our 2nd rounder. He & Connaughton are my favorites, with the 1st round pick determining which of the two I'd rather have (PS if the 1st is a big and MJ if the 1st is a G/F.)

Ford has Trey going to the Bucks, DX has him going in the lottery. Seems to me that Lyles can go anywhere from 13-16, that seems to be his range, if you believe the rumors of Houston going after Tyus Jones. Wouldn't be surprised if Atlanta worked him out and are doing their due diligence. Phoenix, Atlanta, and Milwaukee are probably all looking for a 4.

Think the only way Portis falls to 19 is if Lyles and Hunter go earlier than expected (could see a scenario where Detroit picks Booker, Charlotte needing a shooter goes with Hunter and Atlanta takes Lyles), and Dekker falls out of the lottery but lands with hometown Milwaukee.

[Dark Faze]

what do people like about looney? serious question, especially with the pieces we have currently

[gesa2]

Looney - He has to get stronger but despite that he was a very good rebounder as a freshman in the Pac ten. But he can shoot, handles the ball well for his size, and has good ball IQ. If he develops he could be a very good stretch 4/playmaking 4.

[jivelikenice]

Looney scares me. 3s who are big enough to play some 4 are ok with me. Undersized 4s who are tweeners aren't. Looney can end up the route of Derrick Williams.

[thinker07]

EG is probably going to draft Jerian Grant.

I understand why everyone braces for the worst when it comes to EG and the draft, but I honestly don't see any way EG takes Grant. We've got a top 5 starting PG and a rock solid backup PG. PG is the strongest position on the roster. Why on Earth would we use our pick to draft another PG - particularly one who can't shoot despite being 23 by the start of the season?

I really think the fact that the Wizards so obviously worked out the PG's early on is a tip that it's a smokescreen. EG never telegraphs his picks. He usually tries to throw people off the scent.

We have needs at backup SG, PF and long term backup C. I expect EG to draft one of those - most likely a PF.

Again, I think EG is going to want a guy that can play THIS year AND be a good shooter. I think that Looney is almost certainly a higher end prospect than most of the other guys. But how much can he play with Nene, Humphries, Gooden (hopefully), and Blair ahead of him? And how much can he develop? And how would anyone know he'd developed? So I'm not sure he helps much this year or makes the team look more appetizing to a free agent next summer.

And I think EG will sacrifice upside to get that because we have to have a good year this year and have added what looks like a solid rotation player or two. I think that's what they want to show KD - continuing progress and solid roster. I don't think you can really show that with only one real shooter at pg, sg, and sf (and I'm not expecting a miraculous recovery by Webster). You just can't go into another year where Beal's backup for when he gets injured is Temple. If Pierce leaves like it seems like he will who's backing up Porter? As I think about it more, I think that makes Justin Anderson the logical pick.

Not the best prospect, not the highest upside, but perhaps the best guy for what the team really needs this year.

Physically and mentally mature. Good character. Good teammate. DC kid. Strong defender. Good shooter. I understand limited offensively. So I think that's what I'm going with.

[thricethefun]

EG is probably going to draft Jerian Grant.

I understand why everyone braces for the worst when it comes to EG and the draft, but I honestly don't see any way EG takes Grant. We've got a top 5 starting PG and a rock solid backup PG. PG is the strongest position on the roster. Why on Earth would we use our pick to draft another PG - particularly one who can't shoot despite being 23 by the start of the season?

I really think the fact that the Wizards so obviously worked out the PG's early on is a tip that it's a smokescreen. EG never telegraphs his picks. He usually tries to throw people off the scent.

We have needs at backup SG, PF and long term backup C. I expect EG to draft one of those - most likely a PF.

Again, I think EG is going to want a guy that can play THIS year AND be a good shooter. I think that Looney is almost certainly a higher end prospect than most of the other guys. But how much can he play with Nene, Humphries, Gooden (hopefully), and Blair ahead of him? And how much can he develop? And how would anyone know he'd developed? So I'm not sure he helps much this year or makes the team look more appetizing to a free agent next summer.

And I think EG will sacrifice upside to get that because we have to have a good year this year and have added what looks like a solid rotation player or two. I think that's what they want to show KD - continuing progress and solid roster. I don't think you can really show that with only one real shooter at pg, sg, and sf (and I'm not expecting a miraculous recovery by Webster). You just can't go into another year where Beal's backup for when he gets injured is Temple. If Pierce leaves like it seems like he will who's backing up Porter? As I think about it more, I think that makes Justin Anderson the logical pick.

Not the best prospect, not the highest upside, but perhaps the best guy for what the team really needs this year.

Physically and mentally mature. Good character. Good teammate. DC kid. Strong defender. Good shooter. I understand limited offensively. So I think that's what I'm going with.

I think the 4 players that could help us the most next year are Kaminsky, Grant, Anderson, and Hunter. Really I would be fine with any one of those guys.

[nate33]

Again, I think EG is going to want a guy that can play THIS year AND be a good shooter.

I don't understand why people think this.

I don't see any compelling need for the draftee to be productive THIS year. If Pierce and Gooden return, we have lots of depth at SF and PF, but only for one more year. That seems like a perfect opportunity to draft an unrefined prospect and "redshirt" him for most of the year. He can just play in garbage time for the first 50 games plus steal some meaningful minutes whenever someone gets hurt.

It's not like the team plans on leaning heavily on a rookie to get through the playoffs. Teams never rely on rookies.

[thinker07]

Again, I think EG is going to want a guy that can play THIS year AND be a good shooter.

I don't understand why people think this.

I don't see any compelling need for the draftee to be productive THIS year. If Pierce and Gooden return, we have lots of depth at SF and PF, but only for one more year. That seems like a perfect opportunity to draft an unrefined prospect and "redshirt" him for most of the year. He can just play in garbage time for the first 50 games plus steal some meaningful minutes whenever someone gets hurt.

It's not like the team plans on leaning heavily on a rookie to get through the playoffs. Teams never rely on rookies.

It's possible that Pierce comes back. I'm guessing he doesn't. Are you guessing that he does?

If he doesn't, and the Wiz pick someone like Looney (I like him a lot as a prospect) then you have a roster with a starting and backup PG who aren't great shooters, no backup SG and a starting SF who is only a decent shooter and no backup SF. Another year where our bench scorers are selected from the bargain bin of injured guys, DLeague guys, and never fit in guys. I'm not saying that guy has to play a ton this year or that we have to rely on him just that everyone can see that he is/will be a solid rotation guy. I also don't know how we're ever going to get better backup wings without drafting them.

If you want more upside then pick Rashad Vaughn. I'm also fine paying a price to move up and get Portis. I just think we need to get something solid if possibly unspectacular this year and Wittman's track record on developing guys would seem to point that way too.

[80sballboy]

Why did Pierce opt out if he's coming back to the Wizards?