165bows wrote:BfB wrote:ddb wrote:I'm hearing from a few bball ops execs that I know that the top 3 prospects in this draft in terms of star potential are Simmons, Dunn and Ingram. I'd have to agree. I love all 3 and would be happy with any of those guys in Celtics green.
Simmons- LeBron type
Ingram- Durant type
Dunn- Wade type, but with more PG skills
Gonna go out on a limb right now and say none of these guys are franchise players - Ingrim is a bust waiting to happen, Simmons is "point-forward Rondo", Dunn is a legit scorer.
These 3 combined will make less All Star games than any one of those comparisons, i'd bet.
I tend to agree, the top section of this draft is looking a bit a
weak. Won't be surprised to see half the top 6 or so of the mocks to get swapped out by seasons' end.
There's a lot of good players, but I haven't talked to anyone who sees any of these guys and says "franchise guy". I think there are a bunch of bridesmaids in this draft, which is fine.
BOS needs scoring, shooting, rebounding, and defense from whomever they take. For my money I still look at Bender as the most interesting player because he's a multi-faceted 17 hear old 7 footer in a "4 out/5/out" league.
The future of bball looks to be 5 playmakers who can all shoot, dribble, play make, and switch multiple positions. Ideally, you get a 5 who has the length to rim protect but the versatility to take the game outside on the other end.
Bender is trending toward that modern NBA game. Simmons has a boatload of talent, but you continue to see him fail to do the little things on both sides of the ball, especially defensively. In his "monster game" against North Florida he took not a single shot from the perimeter - that may work against North Florida but it was fsr less successful vs North Carolina State - in both instances the opponent destroyed LSU's defense. Blocks, steals, rebounds, are not all of defense - you have to fight guys for position, beat guys to spots, deny the ball, communicate with teammates, etc.
I see these things with Bender at 17, not so much Simmons, for all his talent and production. So, I won't cry if BOS ended up with Simmons, he can play and improve, but I dont see his upside being better than Bender's, nor do I think his skillset makes him the clear choice for BOS either.
This is still the draft to TRADE this pick from what i've seen of these guys so far. Nets aren't getting better anytime soon and a trade for an impact guy would certainly create substantial momentum for a key free agent signing here this summer.