2016 Draft

[ATTL]

I think at worst Simmons is a prime Diaw with better rebounding.

[saintEscaton]

Its really telling that Simmons is unable to exploit a favorable matchup against Isaiah Briscoe. Won't even post up a point guard. But ESPN will continue the circlejerking and Magic comparisons

[AtheJ415]

I'm starting to warm up on Ingram after watching him more. His skinniness scares me though. His legs make Durant's look like Marshawn Lynch's. It's hard for me to want a Duke player though. Their defensive transition is often tougher to the NBA than most.

[AtheJ415]

Its really telling that Simmons is unable to exploit a favorable matchup against Isaiah Briscoe. Won't even post up a point guard. But ESPN will continue the circlejerking and Magic comparisons

I think he very clearly deserves the top spot in this draft, and I hope we end up lucky enough to pick him, but I agree ESPN is massively overhyping him. He's not on the level of Durant and Lebron and the other generational guys. He's almost a better Aaron Gordon at this point. Athletic, good passer, great handles for his size, but with a lot of needed work offensively particularly with his jumper.

[MrMiyagi]

Its really telling that Simmons is unable to exploit a favorable matchup against Isaiah Briscoe. Won't even post up a point guard. But ESPN will continue the circlejerking and Magic comparisons

I think he very clearly deserves the top spot in this draft, and I hope we end up lucky enough to pick him, but I agree ESPN is massively overhyping him. He's not on the level of Durant and Lebron and the other generational guys. He's almost a better Aaron Gordon at this point. Athletic, good passer, great handles for his size, but with a lot of needed work offensively particularly with his jumper.

As someone who followed the Aaron Gordon Cats live, in person, I can tell you that Simmons is massively better than Gordon. It's not even close.

[DirtyDez]

I think at worst Simmons is a prime Diaw with better rebounding.

I mean they both have great skills but Simmons plays above the rim and is a nightmare in the open court.

[gaspar]

Hield is basically Foye/Meeks.
Bender will fit so well with your needs going forward, hope he ends up in Arizona.

Bender's the riskiest of the top picks imo. His playing style would be a fit, but his shot needs a lot of work. His game overall needs a lot of polish. I'd still put him at 4 behind Simmons, Ingram, and Dunn personally, even though as a PF he's a better fit for us than Dunn.

Dunn?! Ew! I wouldn't draft Dunn in the top-7 even if we didn't have Bledsoe and Knight. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something in Dunn's game that makes me think that he will struggle in the NBA. And I'm not a big fan of drafting "old" players in the lottery. I mean, Archie is 5 months younger than Dunn and it will be his 4th(!!!) season in the league.

The guy I really like in this draft is Sabonis. Motor, rebounding, size and basketball IQ translate really well to the NBA.

[Mulhollanddrive]

LeBron shot 33% outside 3 feet in his first season.

[bwgood77]

From C.L. Brown, ESPN

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, well before the season began, said freshman forward Brandon Ingram could be used in lineups where he'd have to defend power forwards and the reaction was ...

That guy?

The guy who needed to add about 25 pounds when he got to campus just to reach 190 pounds. Who many assumed developed guard-like skills to avoid the heavy contact in the paint. Whose long and rangy 6-foot-9 physique suggested he'd get blown away from the post with all the resistance of dandelion seeds.

"He has good strength," Krzyzewski said. "When you look at him you'd say, 'He shouldn't be strong,' but he's very well proportioned."

It put the exclamation point on a five-game stretch during which he has averaged 21.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while filling in at power forward in place of senior Amile Jefferson, who has been sidelined with a foot injury.

Overall, Ingram is second on the Blue Devils in scoring with a 16.4 points per game average. He's also putting up six rebounds per game. No one questions whether his body can hold up now.

"He's a tough kid," Krzyzewski said. "He's just not a kid who will talk at you tough."

To read more, and there is quite a bit more...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14508661/duke-blue-devils-brandon-ingram-excelling-kinston-roots

[AtheJ415]

Its really telling that Simmons is unable to exploit a favorable matchup against Isaiah Briscoe. Won't even post up a point guard. But ESPN will continue the circlejerking and Magic comparisons

I think he very clearly deserves the top spot in this draft, and I hope we end up lucky enough to pick him, but I agree ESPN is massively overhyping him. He's not on the level of Durant and Lebron and the other generational guys. He's almost a better Aaron Gordon at this point. Athletic, good passer, great handles for his size, but with a lot of needed work offensively particularly with his jumper.

As someone who followed the Aaron Gordon Cats live, in person, I can tell you that Simmons is massively better than Gordon. It's not even close.

Playing style comparison. I've read everything from Diaw to Lebron but they're not alike at all. Gordon and him are crazy athletes who rebound at a high rate, can handle the ball, and are good teammates passers, both of whom struggle shooting.

[saintEscaton]

From C.L. Brown, ESPN

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, well before the season began, said freshman forward Brandon Ingram could be used in lineups where he'd have to defend power forwards and the reaction was ...

That guy?

The guy who needed to add about 25 pounds when he got to campus just to reach 190 pounds. Who many assumed developed guard-like skills to avoid the heavy contact in the paint. Whose long and rangy 6-foot-9 physique suggested he'd get blown away from the post with all the resistance of dandelion seeds.

"He has good strength," Krzyzewski said. "When you look at him you'd say, 'He shouldn't be strong,' but he's very well proportioned."

It put the exclamation point on a five-game stretch during which he has averaged 21.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while filling in at power forward in place of senior Amile Jefferson, who has been sidelined with a foot injury.

Overall, Ingram is second on the Blue Devils in scoring with a 16.4 points per game average. He's also putting up six rebounds per game. No one questions whether his body can hold up now.

"He's a tough kid," Krzyzewski said. "He's just not a kid who will talk at you tough."

To read more, and there is quite a bit more...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14508661/duke-blue-devils-brandon-ingram-excelling-kinston-roots

So hypothetically speaking say we land the second pick and we're on the clock. Do we go BPA regardless of fit/need and take Ingram, a rangy wing who's natural position is SF and sort it out later? He is 6'10 himself with a 7'3"+ wingspan and has a standing reach that can touch the top of the backboard. But I don't see him taking on another 50 pounds to be a full time 4. So would we platoon him with TJ and play them alongside each other in small ball lineups? Or do we take calls and trade down rather than reaching for a lesser prospect? I'm not sold on Bender enough to take him ahead and would be really disappointed if we end up with Ellerson or Skal. Rabb would be an okay consolation prize. Maybe Dunn is a consideration if the FO is convinced that Bled will never be the same with two meniscus tears in both knees. I think posters are putting too much weightage on the fact that he's not a one and doner and already 21. He's a senior sure but its not like he's tapped out his potential as an upperclassman Leads the nation in assist percentage, can thread the nedle exhibiting exemplary court vision. He's the only reason that Providence is ranked and not a NIT team. Potential lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions, improved from beyond the arc to keep you honest, blazing end to end speed and can go strong with the left hand. Posters were high on Archie and thought he was a poor man's DWade but I think Dunn fills that profile more.

[bwgood77]

From C.L. Brown, ESPN

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, well before the season began, said freshman forward Brandon Ingram could be used in lineups where he'd have to defend power forwards and the reaction was ...

That guy?

The guy who needed to add about 25 pounds when he got to campus just to reach 190 pounds. Who many assumed developed guard-like skills to avoid the heavy contact in the paint. Whose long and rangy 6-foot-9 physique suggested he'd get blown away from the post with all the resistance of dandelion seeds.

"He has good strength," Krzyzewski said. "When you look at him you'd say, 'He shouldn't be strong,' but he's very well proportioned."

It put the exclamation point on a five-game stretch during which he has averaged 21.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while filling in at power forward in place of senior Amile Jefferson, who has been sidelined with a foot injury.

Overall, Ingram is second on the Blue Devils in scoring with a 16.4 points per game average. He's also putting up six rebounds per game. No one questions whether his body can hold up now.

"He's a tough kid," Krzyzewski said. "He's just not a kid who will talk at you tough."

To read more, and there is quite a bit more...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14508661/duke-blue-devils-brandon-ingram-excelling-kinston-roots

So hypothetically speaking say we land the second pick and we're on the clock. Do we go BPA regardless of fit/need and take Ingram, a rangy wing who's natural position is SF and sort it out later? He is 6'10 himself with a 7'3"+ wingspan and has a standing reach that can touch the top of the backboard. But I don't see him taking on another 50 pounds to be a full time 4. So would we platoon him with TJ and play them alongside each other in small ball lineups? Or do we take calls and trade down rather than reaching for a lesser prospect? I'm not sold on Bender enough to take him ahead and would be really disappointed if we end up with Ellerson or Skal. Rabb would be an okay consolation prize. Maybe Dunn is a consideration if the FO is convinced that Bled will never be the same with two meniscus tears in both knees. I think posters are putting too much weightage on the fact that he's not a one and doner and he's only 21. He's a rising sophomore who stayed another year to hone his craft and its not like he's some upperclassmen who couldn't cut it. Leads the nation in assist percentage, can thread the nedle exhibiting exemplary court vision. He's the only reason that Providence is ranked and not a NIT team. Potential lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions, improved from beyond the arc to keep you honest, blazing end to end speed and can go strong with the left hand. Posters were high on Archie and thought he was a poor man's DWade but I think Dunn fills that profile more.

Take Ingram hands down. I think you can play him with Warren fine with that length, plus he can shoot. Most teams playing small anyway. At this point, some say Ingram is creeping into the #1 pick conversation.

ZERO chance you pass on Ingram. He sounds like Durant.

[Duke4life831]

I'm starting to warm up on Ingram after watching him more. His skinniness scares me though. His legs make Durant's look like Marshawn Lynch's. It's hard for me to want a Duke player though. Their defensive transition is often tougher to the NBA than most.

I still don't buy the defensive transition for Duke thing. When you look at all the top guys coming out of Duke, Okafor, Parker, Kyrie, Tyus Jones. Those guys came into Duke has highly skilled offensive guys but all very very poor defenders. Justise Winslow came in as the opposite and he already looks like a top 10 perimeter defender in the league at just 19. Ingram is playing really good D, I expect that to transfer. His skinniness is a definite worry though. I think he is going to have a rough rookie year, he's going to need to adjust to the game and get stronger. But looking at his frame and his father, I think he will have no problem getting to at least Paul George size

[Saberestar]

Simmons and Ingram are the top two players in this draft.
I think their potential is HUGE, if you have the second pick you select the one of them that is waiting and that is all.

[Duke4life831]

Its really telling that Simmons is unable to exploit a favorable matchup against Isaiah Briscoe. Won't even post up a point guard. But ESPN will continue the circlejerking and Magic comparisons

I do worry about his half court scoring. I also worry about him being a primary ball handler, they were attacking his handle early in the game yesterday. But his size, athleticism and passing are all elite. He's a very safe #1 pick. Now I agree ESPN is doing their best to make thus guy sound like the next greatest of all time which I think sucks for the kid. I think he's going to be a really good player and make a few all star games. But some fan bases are going to be thinking, "hell we have the best prospect since Lebron and some have said he can be better." So with that mindset, if he just ends up being a really good player but not an all time great, some fans will be disappointed. Simmons is not a better prospect than Durant, not even close

[saintEscaton]

Its really telling that Simmons is unable to exploit a favorable matchup against Isaiah Briscoe. Won't even post up a point guard. But ESPN will continue the circlejerking and Magic comparisons

I do worry about his half court scoring. I also worry about him being a primary ball handler, they were attacking his handle early in the game yesterday. But his size, athleticism and passing are all elite. He's a very safe #1 pick. Now I agree ESPN is doing their best to make thus guy sound like the next greatest of all time which I think sucks for the kid. I think he's going to be a really good player and make a few all star games. But some fan bases are going to be thinking, "hell we have the best prospect since Lebron and some have said he can be better." So with that mindset, if he just ends up being a really good player but not an all time great, some fans will be disappointed. Simmons is not a better prospect than Durant, not even close

I think his rebounding numbers are inflated due to him playing with essentially 4 guards who leak out. He crashes the boards so he can push the break rather than having a big who executes the outlet pass. I don't see him manhandling guys his size., he rarely boxes out but maybe that's because he doesn't even need to get the inside position and just reaches over.

[jcsunsfan]

I think at worst Simmons is a prime Diaw with better rebounding.

and better athleticism. Simmons is also very competitive.

[jcsunsfan]

From C.L. Brown, ESPN

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, well before the season began, said freshman forward Brandon Ingram could be used in lineups where he'd have to defend power forwards and the reaction was ...

That guy?

The guy who needed to add about 25 pounds when he got to campus just to reach 190 pounds. Who many assumed developed guard-like skills to avoid the heavy contact in the paint. Whose long and rangy 6-foot-9 physique suggested he'd get blown away from the post with all the resistance of dandelion seeds.

"He has good strength," Krzyzewski said. "When you look at him you'd say, 'He shouldn't be strong,' but he's very well proportioned."

It put the exclamation point on a five-game stretch during which he has averaged 21.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while filling in at power forward in place of senior Amile Jefferson, who has been sidelined with a foot injury.

Overall, Ingram is second on the Blue Devils in scoring with a 16.4 points per game average. He's also putting up six rebounds per game. No one questions whether his body can hold up now.

"He's a tough kid," Krzyzewski said. "He's just not a kid who will talk at you tough."

To read more, and there is quite a bit more...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14508661/duke-blue-devils-brandon-ingram-excelling-kinston-roots

So hypothetically speaking say we land the second pick and we're on the clock. Do we go BPA regardless of fit/need and take Ingram, a rangy wing who's natural position is SF and sort it out later? He is 6'10 himself with a 7'3"+ wingspan and has a standing reach that can touch the top of the backboard. But I don't see him taking on another 50 pounds to be a full time 4. So would we platoon him with TJ and play them alongside each other in small ball lineups? Or do we take calls and trade down rather than reaching for a lesser prospect? I'm not sold on Bender enough to take him ahead and would be really disappointed if we end up with Ellerson or Skal. Rabb would be an okay consolation prize. Maybe Dunn is a consideration if the FO is convinced that Bled will never be the same with two meniscus tears in both knees. I think posters are putting too much weightage on the fact that he's not a one and doner and he's only 21. He's a rising sophomore who stayed another year to hone his craft and its not like he's some upperclassmen who couldn't cut it. Leads the nation in assist percentage, can thread the nedle exhibiting exemplary court vision. He's the only reason that Providence is ranked and not a NIT team. Potential lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions, improved from beyond the arc to keep you honest, blazing end to end speed and can go strong with the left hand. Posters were high on Archie and thought he was a poor man's DWade but I think Dunn fills that profile more.

If you have the #2 overall, you take the best player available, ESPECIALLY if there is clearly a BPA. Ingram in a second.

[AtheJ415]

From C.L. Brown, ESPN



To read more, and there is quite a bit more...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14508661/duke-blue-devils-brandon-ingram-excelling-kinston-roots

So hypothetically speaking say we land the second pick and we're on the clock. Do we go BPA regardless of fit/need and take Ingram, a rangy wing who's natural position is SF and sort it out later? He is 6'10 himself with a 7'3"+ wingspan and has a standing reach that can touch the top of the backboard. But I don't see him taking on another 50 pounds to be a full time 4. So would we platoon him with TJ and play them alongside each other in small ball lineups? Or do we take calls and trade down rather than reaching for a lesser prospect? I'm not sold on Bender enough to take him ahead and would be really disappointed if we end up with Ellerson or Skal. Rabb would be an okay consolation prize. Maybe Dunn is a consideration if the FO is convinced that Bled will never be the same with two meniscus tears in both knees. I think posters are putting too much weightage on the fact that he's not a one and doner and he's only 21. He's a rising sophomore who stayed another year to hone his craft and its not like he's some upperclassmen who couldn't cut it. Leads the nation in assist percentage, can thread the nedle exhibiting exemplary court vision. He's the only reason that Providence is ranked and not a NIT team. Potential lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions, improved from beyond the arc to keep you honest, blazing end to end speed and can go strong with the left hand. Posters were high on Archie and thought he was a poor man's DWade but I think Dunn fills that profile more.

If you have the #2 overall, you take the best player available, ESPECIALLY if there is clearly a BPA. Ingram in a second.

You go BPA. We don't have the luxury of not doing that imo, because while we have promising guys, none are sure things. Earlier I said Dunn, but after watching more of Ingram I'd take Ingram. He's probably a 3 realistically, but if he does add a massive amount of weight he could be a stretch 4 for us. If he's a 3 and it means Warren becomes our 6th man, that's not necessarily a problem. Part of the advantage of versatility is you can play 3 guys starters minutes across 2 positions. I'm not sure Warren can be anything other than a 3, but if Ingram can play 4 against smaller teams, Warren could still see 30 a night.

Bender is the biggest toss up to me for us. He's insanely fast for a big, and his athleticism is a good fit for us, while he's big enough to play the 4 and 5 (which is our biggest position of need imo, a swing big man imo), but he doesn't seem all that skilled. Awful shooting percentages and just seems incredibly raw.

[saintEscaton]

So hypothetically speaking say we land the second pick and we're on the clock. Do we go BPA regardless of fit/need and take Ingram, a rangy wing who's natural position is SF and sort it out later? He is 6'10 himself with a 7'3"+ wingspan and has a standing reach that can touch the top of the backboard. But I don't see him taking on another 50 pounds to be a full time 4. So would we platoon him with TJ and play them alongside each other in small ball lineups? Or do we take calls and trade down rather than reaching for a lesser prospect? I'm not sold on Bender enough to take him ahead and would be really disappointed if we end up with Ellerson or Skal. Rabb would be an okay consolation prize. Maybe Dunn is a consideration if the FO is convinced that Bled will never be the same with two meniscus tears in both knees. I think posters are putting too much weightage on the fact that he's not a one and doner and he's only 21. He's a rising sophomore who stayed another year to hone his craft and its not like he's some upperclassmen who couldn't cut it. Leads the nation in assist percentage, can thread the nedle exhibiting exemplary court vision. He's the only reason that Providence is ranked and not a NIT team. Potential lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions, improved from beyond the arc to keep you honest, blazing end to end speed and can go strong with the left hand. Posters were high on Archie and thought he was a poor man's DWade but I think Dunn fills that profile more.

If you have the #2 overall, you take the best player available, ESPECIALLY if there is clearly a BPA. Ingram in a second.

You go BPA. We don't have the luxury of not doing that imo, because while we have promising guys, none are sure things. Earlier I said Dunn, but after watching more of Ingram I'd take Ingram. He's probably a 3 realistically, but if he does add a massive amount of weight he could be a stretch 4 for us. If he's a 3 and it means Warren becomes our 6th man, that's not necessarily a problem. Part of the advantage of versatility is you can play 3 guys starters minutes across 2 positions. I'm not sure Warren can be anything other than a 3, but if Ingram can play 4 against smaller teams, Warren could still see 30 a night.

Bender is the biggest toss up to me for us. He's insanely fast for a big, and his athleticism is a good fit for us, while he's big enough to play the 4 and 5 (which is our biggest position of need imo, a swing big man imo), but he doesn't seem all that skilled. Awful shooting percentages and just seems incredibly raw.

Edit: I mistakenly said Dunn was a sophomore. He's a senior. Corrected. I get why Dunn could be seen as upperclassmen who has tapped out his potential but he has been steadily improving in all facets of the game