Draft Thread Part 2

[JMac1]

Yeah, too bad he's not a good free throw shooter. At all.

Omg! I missed that. I totally forgot FT shooting is the most difficult obstacle for a NBA player to improve on, especially a 19 year old.

[bwgood77]

Yeah, too bad he's not a good free throw shooter. At all.

Omg! I missed that. I totally forgot FT shooting is the most difficult obstacle for a NBA player to improve on, especially a 19 year old.

Exactly.

[Mulhollanddrive]

College 3 point %

Curry 41
Thompson 39

Booker 41
Hield 39

We could be the only team in the NBA able to match them.

[JMac1]

Yeah, too bad he's not a good free throw shooter. At all.

Omg! I missed that. I totally forgot FT shooting is the most difficult obstacle for a NBA player to improve on, especially a 19 year old.

Exactly.

Sarcasm my friend. He is not a big. You Amare shot 66% in his first season?

Edit: and Average 76 for his career.

[JoRain]

DraftExpress says "Defensive POTENTIAL" not "GREAT DEFENDER". Plus a lot of those videos of him "checking wings" are him staying like 5 feet in front of them - which is wide open in the NBA...

EDIT: Notice how all of those clips in his "Strengths" video re: defense are of drives. I'd be willing to wager he was defending players with no jump shot whatsoever, hell-bent on getting into the paint.

Exactly, because all 18 year olds defend that way. Or maybe he's just being smart and realizing his wingspan is like 7'5" and that he can bother their shot while still playing off of them to prevent the drive or an easy foul call. At this point, I think there's nothing that could possibly be shown that would have you say a positive thing about Bender. Oh, and when somebody discusses your defensive potential by showing you defending well now, that has meaning. You're being unnecessarily literal because it goes against your opinion of him.

I definitely see the intrigue of Bender and wouldn't riot if he gets past Boston and we take him. His wingpspan is 7'2 4 inches less than KP, adequate (25th percentile)but not freakish by any means KP. His standing reach ( 9'3") is elite tho (top 5% percentile) and makes up for his lack of hops, a 24 inch no step vert is underwhelmong to say the least

actually, KP has great hops for someone his size, though he occasionally has bad days. at 7'3" you can't expect to have (or need) 40 inch vertical but he still can dunk over anybody. Bender is 2 inches shorter and also a different kind of player too. Not really fair to compare them, except that they are both tall white guys from Europe and can shoot threes.
Reading all this debate about Bender really reminds discussion last year before the draft about KP (another thing they have in common). Most people here compared him to Tskitishvilli and Milicic, just like they do now with Bender. Only few, myself included, were convinced he was the second best player in the draft. The same thing happens again.

IMO Bender is the only guy who's worth rolling the dice with the fourth pick in this draft, if he's there. He has his weaknesses, liek any 18yo, but with his skill set and BBIQ, he can become special player, and his style is great fit for Suns. He won't dunk over ppl like KP, but he still has the ability to score on anyone, just differently. Also defensively, he has willingness, if not ability atm to be very good. It all comes down to his work ethic and character really.

Suns have the irritating tradition on getting the high pick in ridiculously bad drafts. at nr.4, there's only one option imo - Bender (at least has a chance to be at least really good). I wouldn't touch anyone else there (Brown, Dunn, Hield, Murray - all dime a dozen nobody's at best in the NBA; and i have watched a lot of NCAA) and rather trade the pick then, even for scraps. No other player is worth the salary on the cap we're getting. That should be the option in the poll btw as well.

Anyhow, it really gets annoying when people claim the same BS every year. Last year with Porzingis, nobody saw nothing in him and he was gonna be next European disaster in the NBA, ala Milicic per this board. This year it's the same excuse - the same sorry texts, just towards Bender. and no one takes into account on what he can do, how that translates to an NBA level (you still guys don't realize how different game in europe is) and how he fits into our Suns team. If our GM feels good about his character and work ethic, which is the most important thing in the whole evaluation process IMO, then take him, otherwise, just trade the pick for whatever - except for Okafor. can't imagine worse fit on this team.

[Waylay13]

College 3 point %

Curry 41
Thompson 39

Booker 41
Hield 39

We could be the only team in the NBA able to match them.

I am confused as to what part of nether Booker or Hield being point guards you are missing? Hield isnt know as being a strong passer and while that is a part of Bookers game he isnt a starter level point guard.

[bwgood77]

Omg! I missed that. I totally forgot FT shooting is the most difficult obstacle for a NBA player to improve on, especially a 19 year old.

Exactly.

Sarcasm my friend. He is not a big. You Amare shot 66% in his first season?

Edit: and Average 76 for his career.

With centers or PFs that finish great around the rim, I can accept that to some extent. As much as Brown is touted as a great guy at the rim, he's really not, as you can see in the multiple things posted here.

[DRK]

Damian Jones is a very intruiging prospect. With his wingspan and blocking ability, it seems like he is the prototypical center for today's NBA. Will not be surprised if the Bucks take him at 10

[JMac1]

Exactly.

Sarcasm my friend. He is not a big. You Amare shot 66% in his first season?

Edit: and Average 76 for his career.

With centers or PFs that finish great around the rim, I can accept that to some extent. As much as Brown is touted as a great guy at the rim, he's really not, as you can see in the multiple things posted here.

He gets to the line at will. Will that translate, don't know, but you have to have it in college first. He doesn't finish well or shoot FT's well, I get that and he can get better, but getting to the line is a skill VERY FEW players posses, so that's a good start. I thought I was pointing out a positive.

[gaspar]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/737688081281757184[/tweet]

[darealjuice]

Are we still talking about Archie Goodwin 2.0 at the 4th pick? I won't be surprised at all if he drops out of/to the end of the Top 10

[Midnight_Suns]

College 3 point %

Curry 41
Thompson 39

Booker 41
Hield 39

We could be the only team in the NBA able to match them.

I am confused as to what part of nether Booker or Hield being point guards you are missing? Hield isnt know as being a strong passer and while that is a part of Bookers game he isnt a starter level point guard.

Precisely why I'd take Murray. He played point for Canada and did fine. If he's BPA, you take him and find a trade for Bledsoe this year.

[bwgood77]

Sarcasm my friend. He is not a big. You Amare shot 66% in his first season?

Edit: and Average 76 for his career.

With centers or PFs that finish great around the rim, I can accept that to some extent. As much as Brown is touted as a great guy at the rim, he's really not, as you can see in the multiple things posted here.

He gets to the line at will. Will that translate, don't know, but you have to have it in college first. He doesn't finish well or shoot FT's well, I get that and he can get better, but getting to the line is a skill VERY FEW players posses, so that's a good start. I thought I was pointing out a positive.

If he gets better at FT shooting it is. If not, there is basically no reason not to foul him when he is going up for something easy, because there is the best chance he only hits 1 for 2.

Getting to the line is great when you can hit your free throws like Durant, Westbrook and Harden.

He likely got to the line a lot because he can't hit free throws.

Another thing that stands out to me is his low steal rate, which is typically a good indicator of how good someone projects to be at the NBA level, particularly on defense.

[JMac1]

With centers or PFs that finish great around the rim, I can accept that to some extent. As much as Brown is touted as a great guy at the rim, he's really not, as you can see in the multiple things posted here.

He gets to the line at will. Will that translate, don't know, but you have to have it in college first. He doesn't finish well or shoot FT's well, I get that and he can get better, but getting to the line is a skill VERY FEW players posses, so that's a good start. I thought I was pointing out a positive.

If he gets better at FT shooting it is. If not, there is basically no reason not to foul him when he is going up for something easy, because there is the best chance he only hits 1 for 2.

Getting to the line is great when you can hit your free throws like Durant, Westbrook and Harden.

He likely got to the line a lot because he can't hit free throws.

Another thing that stands out to me is his low steal rate, which is typically a good indicator of how good someone projects to be at the NBA level, particularly on defense.

What's you preference for this draft at #4?

[JMac1]

Any eventual deal will likely depend on the potential return, but the demand should be high for either.

The Boston Celtics are one option as a team that needs a center and wants to add players who can make an impact early. With the No. 3 overall pick and plenty of young assets, they could be a reasonable fit.

John Gonzalez of CSN Philly also examined the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets as teams that would be able to offer the types of packages required. Then again, all of them either have young centers in place or will likely be looking for more experienced help through trades.

The Celtics still make the most sense, but you never know what could happen with so many teams likely to get involved.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2643285-nba-rumors-rounding-up-buzz-on-jahlil-okafor-bradley-beal-and-more


Boston and us are by far the best trade partners. If we want him we can get him. What ever happens in this draft is what McD wants to happen, without a doubt. If he wants Bender, he can get him or Okafor or Murray or Dunn or Brown.

[Waylay13]

Precisely why I'd take Murray. He played point for Canada and did fine. If he's BPA, you take him and find a trade for Bledsoe this year.

You mean the game against the US under 19 group where he didnt break a single person down off the dribble? In every case that he drove it was from a pick n' roll or full court drive. I know some people have forgotten what a point guard should look like but you can always go watch Nash again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcO9wQf083Y

[darealjuice]

Jaylen Brown is nothing but potential, he's undoubtably the least skilled player in terms of actual Basketball ability that's a consensus Top 10 pick in this draft. All this talk about his defense having elite potential is based solely off of his lateral quickness, athleticism, and wingspan, because this year he was nowhere near an elite defender against college talent. He was good at getting to the Free Throw line, but he shot pretty bad at 65% on the season, which also doesn't bode well for his 3-point shot, which was already mediocre, considering FT% is one of the best indicators for NBA 3-point shooting ability. His ball handling isn't terrible but it's still too loose, he turns the ball over way too much, and his shot isn't completely broken but it needs tightening and isn't where it needs to be.

Wow replace Jaylen Brown with Archie Goodwin and everything I said still fits

[saintEscaton]

Precisely why I'd take Murray. He played point for Canada and did fine. If he's BPA, you take him and find a trade for Bledsoe this year.

You mean the game against the US under 19 group where he didnt break a single person down off the dribble? In every case that he drove it was from a pick n' roll or full court drive. I know some people have forgotten what a point guard should look like but you can always go watch Nash again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcO9wQf083Y

The Pan Am games are basically friendly scrimmages, wouldn't read into them much

[darealjuice]

Precisely why I'd take Murray. He played point for Canada and did fine. If he's BPA, you take him and find a trade for Bledsoe this year.

You mean the game against the US under 19 group where he didnt break a single person down off the dribble? In every case that he drove it was from a pick n' roll or full court drive. I know some people have forgotten what a point guard should look like but you can always go watch Nash again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcO9wQf083Y

You mean the Hoop Summit ? He played pretty damn well that game and definitely got to the bucket a good amount, pick and rolls are a big part of the game, especially now so it's good to see he knows how to use them. Nash definitely used a lot of pick and rolls back in the day too (especially in the video you posted lol). Unless you mean the Pan American Games where he played PG for Canada, which are not U19 lol, and Jamal Murray was the youngest player in that entire tournament. Also, show me one player in this draft or in the league right now that can do even close to what Nash did that isn't named Chris Paul or Steph Curry. Interestingly enough, Steve Nash is the GM of the Canadian National Team and brought on Jamal Murray, and has actually had some good words on him.

[JMac1]

Jaylen Brown is nothing but potential, he's undoubtably the least skilled player in terms of actual Basketball ability that's a consensus Top 10 pick in this draft. All this talk about his defense having elite potential is based solely off of his lateral quickness, athleticism, and wingspan, because this year he was nowhere near an elite defender against college talent. He was good at getting to the Free Throw line, but he shot pretty bad at 65% on the season, which also doesn't bode well for his 3-point shot, which was already mediocre, considering FT% is one of the best indicators for NBA 3-point shooting ability. His ball handling isn't terrible but it's still too loose, he turns the ball over way too much, and his shot isn't completely broken but it needs tightening and isn't where it needs to be.

Wow replace Jaylen Brown with Archie Goodwin and everything I said still fits

If that's the case, why isn't he projected late 20's like Archie