Draft Thread Part 2

[bwgood77]

I don't know too much about this draft, but in a "weak" field, I feel like the best thing to do would be to just swing for the fences with every pick. Pick the dude with the highest ceiling, even if the bust potential is gigantic. We have enough "solid" players. We need a star.

Who are those guys in this year's draft?

It's so hard because the guys that LOOK like they could have the highest ceilings have huge red flags as well...Chrisss...6'9, super athletic, blocks shots, hits 3s, which is what you are looking for in a PF, but he is a terrible rebounder...the only thing you can say regarding which could indicate improvement is that he's only played basketball for a couple years.

Then you have Skal...he REALLY looks the part...he can REALLY block shots and hit 3s at a good rate on a workout video tape, but why couldn't he play at Kentucky if he was the #1 or #2 ranked recruit coming in? If there is one guy who promises to play freshmen, it's him. So he is REALLY raw. People talk about Bender being raw. Skal makes Bender look like a seasoned vet.

Bender is boom or bust, but he's been playing in a top tier league....not THE top tier league in europe anymore because they got relegated, but they are like that fringe playoff team scratching and clawing to get in not wanting to develop the young guy, so it's hard to judge. I'm not sure what you could say his weaknesses are other than being skinny, but a bunch of guys are in that boat (Rabb being one).

I don't know if I'd call Brown boom or bust. I think he is basically pretty much just like MKG coming out of college, and that's probably the player he is going to be. He will likely play with a ton of heart and athleticism, but he won't be able to spread the floor offensively because he can't shoot. I was comparing him to MKG coming out, and I think he grades slightly worse, but I can't remember for sure.

But heck, I think a ton of guys are boom or bust.....there isn't one guy I'd call a can't miss prospect in this draft. I'd say the only two that I would say probably wouldn't be total busts for sure, are the top 2, but depending on how people define bust, they might not be the type of guy you hope for with a #1 pick. I don't know if people consider picks like Joe Smith #1 a bust.

Hield is the other one guy I would say will, probably, at worst, be average. For our team, I'd probably take Dunn 4th though after Ingram, Simmons, Bender.

[saintEscaton]

i'll definitely focus on euros this year.
Zizic looks like the better one for me.
It's really sad to watch this 18-19yo kids already with a go-to move in the post
and we have a former top5 pick who cant do anything from there.

I'm hoping Jeanne declares too. He has a really underrated passing ability.
Every time I watch him Gobert pops up as a comp. (need to improve his hands tho)

I made a post on them earlier. Both are teens with NBA ready bodies with better feel for the game than Len has even now. Zubac could be a Nurkic like bruising interior enforcer who can alter shots with his physicality, he has pretty advanced footwork in the low block, with arsenal of dropsteps/up and unders and can turn over both shoulders and finish with either hand. Has a knack for putbacks. Zizic is a much better defensive rebounder, plays more above the rim and asa cutter/dive man in the PnR. He has flashed a faceup game with some range

[bwgood77]

This draft could very well look something like this draft... http://www.nbadraft.net/nba_draft_history/2006.html

[Krush32]

Furkan Korkmaz might be the best offensive player in the draft. Kid is very skilled.

[MathiasPW]

I like rsavajs approach. But I disagree with the options put as highest ceilings so far. Chriss I agree, Bender too, but Brown has the highest floor, not ceiling.
Thon Maker has huge upside. Murray is young and has good skill and size/weight. Some others late in the draft

[saintEscaton]

I like rsavajs approach. But I disagree with the options put as highest ceilings so far. Chriss I agree, Bender too, but Brown has the highest floor, not ceiling.
Thon Maker has huge upside. Murray is young and has good skill and size/weight. Some others late in the draft

How? Maybe Brown turns into a lockdown wing defender who can dominate in transition. But he could just as easily bust if his bullyball offensive game deosn't translate, hence why he is dropping. Some team that rolls the dice on him outside the Top 5 could walk away with a steal. He is an inferior prospect overall to Winslow/Stanimal but has a better handle and is a more fluid athlete

[MathiasPW]

Brown is safe because his transition game is already solid and he has so much defensive potential.

It's his shooting and decision making running an offense that may never get him there.

[kennydorglas]

i'll definitely focus on euros this year.
Zizic looks like the better one for me.
It's really sad to watch this 18-19yo kids already with a go-to move in the post
and we have a former top5 pick who cant do anything from there.

I'm hoping Jeanne declares too. He has a really underrated passing ability.
Every time I watch him Gobert pops up as a comp. (need to improve his hands tho)

I made a post on them earlier. Both are teens with NBA ready bodies with better feel for the game than Len has even now. Zubac could be a Nurkic like bruising interior enforcer who can alter shots with his physicality, he has pretty advanced footwork in the low block, with arsenal of dropsteps/up and unders and can turn over both shoulders and finish with either hand. Has a knack for putbacks. Zizic is a much better defensive rebounder, plays more above the rim and asa cutter/dive man in the PnR. He has flashed a faceup game with some range

Yeah, Zubac has a very smooth dropstep... but overall I wasnt too impressed with him.

[Saberestar]

Furkan Korkmaz might be the best offensive player in the draft. Kid is very skilled.

He can be THAT good? Better than Ingram?

[Saberestar]

i'll definitely focus on euros this year.
Zizic looks like the better one for me.
It's really sad to watch this 18-19yo kids already with a go-to move in the post
and we have a former top5 pick who cant do anything from there.

I'm hoping Jeanne declares too. He has a really underrated passing ability.
Every time I watch him Gobert pops up as a comp. (need to improve his hands tho)

In my opinion it is all about the level of competition. Len probably would destroy teams in Europe with his post game.

Against who is Zizic playing in his league? Len is playing against NBA starters...difference is huge.

[kennydorglas]

Juancho is good too... I dont like all those super contested shots (like Mirotic used to do all the time) but this guy can play.
He's violent in the court... oh boy... sometimes he just looks like an euro version of Westbrook. DAMN

[saintEscaton]

i'll definitely focus on euros this year.
Zizic looks like the better one for me.
It's really sad to watch this 18-19yo kids already with a go-to move in the post
and we have a former top5 pick who cant do anything from there.

I'm hoping Jeanne declares too. He has a really underrated passing ability.
Every time I watch him Gobert pops up as a comp. (need to improve his hands tho)

In my opinion it is all about the level of competition. Len probably would destroy teams in Europe with his post game.

Against who is Zizic playing in his league? Len is playing against NBA starters...difference is huge.

He was underachieving as a sophomore at Maryland at the same age, never garned any All-American consideration. Meanwhile Zizic is posting a TS% of 68% and the second highest PER in Adriatic League history, it may not be the best Europe has to offer but NCAA competition is joke in comparison

[bwgood77]

I like rsavajs approach. But I disagree with the options put as highest ceilings so far. Chriss I agree, Bender too, but Brown has the highest floor, not ceiling.
Thon Maker has huge upside. Murray is young and has good skill and size/weight. Some others late in the draft

How? Maybe Brown turns into a lockdown wing defender who can dominate in transition. But he could just as easily bust if his bullyball offensive game deosn't translate, hence why he is dropping. Some team that rolls the dice on him outside the Top 5 could walk away with a steal. He is an inferior prospect overall to Winslow/Stanimal but has a better handle and is a more fluid athlete

After watching him down the stretch have a bunch of bad games, he finally got on the big stage in the tourney, to show scouts what he can do....in the first round his 4 seeded Bears played 13 the seeded Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, and if you look at his box score, 7 turnovers while fouling out in a monumental upset in the first round doesn't leave me feeling he has THAT good of a handle, or much of one at all. And fouling out isn't a good trait for lockdown defenders. He was also 1-6 shooting, with zero assists, steals and blocks, but on the bright side, he did pull down 2 rebounds. I'm not sure how you've locked anyone down when you get upset by double digits against a mid major team who barely even makes the tourney, and you end up fouling out with no steals or blocks.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400871271

[Mulhollanddrive]

I think historically 6-10 in the draft has about a 20% chance of being an All-Star, so if we drop to that range, basically we're trying to get a competitive advantage on those odds by selecting a guy with a higher chance.

I think Chriss has too many weaknesses in the wrong areas (rebounding, defence, consistancy, smarts), but I think his upside is All-Star level so I think there's a better than 20% chance I'm wrong, and so it'll be a good pick for 7.

The one thing that seperates him from just being a dumb athletic freak, is that he can shoot with skill as well, that would be the clincher for optimism for any team that selects him.

[bwgood77]

Chriss weaknesses are basically Markieff Morris but worse at this stage - Rebounding, Defence, Turnovers, Fouls, Length, IQ.

I agree his upside is top 7, I think he'd need to be a top level character and top level work ethic to overcome significant weaknesses, Anthony Bennett had similar ability but didn't have it and it cost Cleveland a no.1 pick. I know McDonough won't select anyone who doesn't compete and like to work hard at workouts, so I think his stock is still open from a 6-15 type range.

At this stage you'd probably hope we get a top 2 pick and only pick him up if he slides to Washington, he's not a must have in my book.

Well at this stage, Chriss has been much better though. Someone brought this up the other day trying to compare Kieff as a jr to Chriss as a freshman

As freshman:

Chriss - 13.8 pts, 5.4 rebs, 53% FG, 35% 3 pt fg, 1.6 blocks, and 4.1 fouls per game.

Markieff - 4.6 pts, 4.4 rebs, 44.8% fg, 18.8% 3pt fg, .7 blocks, not sure about fouls...are not listed...

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/marquese-chriss-1.html

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/markieff-morris-1.html

Now Chriss did have more turnovers, but I'm guessing he played a few more minutes (doesn't say how many minutes Kieff played) 2 vs 1.2, but Chriss likely had to carry on more of a load since Kansas was likely more stacked. Now this probably helped him in ppg and rpg as well, but offensively, you can see he is a MUCH better shooter, which is kind of what works for us from a PF, particularly if he can also get blocks like he does.

I am not totally sure about defense, and I agree rebounding and fouls are a problem, as is IQ, but then again, he has only played basketball for a couple years, so he likely will get quite a bit better with fundamentals like boxing out and not fouling. From a pure athletic standpoint though, I think they are quite far apart.

[Saberestar]

Cal's small forward Jaylen Brown will make an announcement Thursday morning about whether he intends to enter the NBA draft, and all signs point to the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year turning pro.

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29792770/cals-jaylen-brown-announce-plans-likely-turn-pro

[MrTwister]

i'll definitely focus on euros this year.
Zizic looks like the better one for me.
It's really sad to watch this 18-19yo kids already with a go-to move in the post
and we have a former top5 pick who cant do anything from there.

I'm hoping Jeanne declares too. He has a really underrated passing ability.
Every time I watch him Gobert pops up as a comp. (need to improve his hands tho)

I made a post on them earlier. Both are teens with NBA ready bodies with better feel for the game than Len has even now. Zubac could be a Nurkic like bruising interior enforcer who can alter shots with his physicality, he has pretty advanced footwork in the low block, with arsenal of dropsteps/up and unders and can turn over both shoulders and finish with either hand. Has a knack for putbacks. Zizic is a much better defensive rebounder, plays more above the rim and asa cutter/dive man in the PnR. He has flashed a faceup game with some range

FWIW, Zizic agreed NBA buyout with his team today.Zubac already had one.Most intriguing skill Zubac possess is his passing, and i am wondering will it translate.He is not Jokic but already has nice court vision for a big and excellent hands.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Some really interesting international prospects, just from pure quantity I think there's gonna be a hit like a Gobert or Giannis.

C - Zizic, Qi, Zubac, Maker
PF - Bender, Hernangomez, Cornelie
SF - Luwawu
SG - Korkmaz, Cordinier

In the top 40 on DraftExpress.

Internationals and size are a proven outperforming prototype, especially outside of the top picks, and in this weak domestic draft it's a pool I'd like to select from with Washington and Cleveland picks.

[bwgood77]

Some really interesting international prospects, just from pure quantity I think there's gonna be a hit like a Gobert or Giannis.

C - Zizic, Qi, Zubac, Maker
PF - Bender, Hernangomez, Cornelie
SF - Luwawu
SG - Korkmaz, Cordinier

In the top 40 on DraftExpress.

Internationals and size are a proven outperforming prototype, especially outside of the top picks, and in this weak domestic draft it's a pool I'd like to select from with Washington and Cleveland picks.

It would be nice to get a center and two PFs...possibly a 3.

[carey]

Cal's small forward Jaylen Brown will make an announcement Thursday morning about whether he intends to enter the NBA draft, and all signs point to the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year turning pro.

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29792770/cals-jaylen-brown-announce-plans-likely-turn-pro

He needs another year, but most of these guys do. Just don't expect much next year from him & be careful if you take him in the top 5.