NBA 2017 Draft Prospects Thread

Post #1 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:09 pm

The NBA season is almost upon us, and so it is time for yet another prospect thread. In this point in time, the coming draft should be a very strong one with many interesting prospects. Duke should be particularly interesting to watch (at least for me) with two promising prospects in Giles and Tatum.

The Jazz currently hold two 1st round picks and four 2nd round picks in the 2017 draft.

stitches · Post #2 » by **stitches** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:35 pm

I'm extremely excited about the PG class. It might be the strongest PG class since ... I don't know when really. There are 5-6 PGs that can legitimately go in the lottery.

(I think I had a post last year about this PG class... looking for it now)

Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith, Frank Ntilikina, Lonzo Ball, De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Frank Jackson... I can see any and all of them going in the lottery and some of them are extremely exciting prospects. This is a very stocked class at the top.

The thing with Giles is he's just had yet another procedure on his knee(after 2 acl tears in previous years). This time it's not as serious but this can't be a good sign. I wonder if he can fall a little because of the good quality of the prospects at the top.

I actually think that even if Exum shows good improvements we might be wise to pick a PG next year. I personally would trade our 2 picks for us to go up in the draft and get some of those I mentioned. I'd be so stoked if we managed to land De'Aaron Fox for example... He will fit this team's philosophy so well...

edit: here's my post from last year about the PGs:

stitches wrote:Do you guys know Lonzo Ball? He's probably a lottery pick next year. I think he's a better PG than any PG this year... He has the weirdest jumpshot ever. A mix between Kevin Martin and Shawn Marion. It's like he spins it sideways, rather than giving it a back spin. But he's a baller. If Dante busts, I feel like we will have a great chance to draft a superb PG prospect next year. Here are some highlights from the PGs in next year's draft:

Markelle Fultz, 6'5'' PG, currently no. 2 on DX 2017 mock:

Watch on YouTube

Frank Ntilikina, 6'5'' PG, currently no. 5 on DX 2017 mock:

Watch on YouTube

Dennis Smith, 6'2'' PG, currently no. 6 on DX 2017 mock:

Watch on YouTube

De'Aaron Fox, 6'4'' PG, currently no. 11 on DX 2017 mock:

Watch on YouTube

Lonzo Ball, 6'4'' PG, currently no. 15 on DX 2017 mock:

Watch on YouTube

Malik Monk, 6'4'' PG, currently no. 20 on DX 2017 mock:

Watch on YouTube

Now some of those will probably disappoint next year in college, but you get the general strength of the draft at the PG position. Dennis Smith is probably my most favorite to watch(he had an ACL last year, so we will have to wait and see how he returns from it), while Ntilikina looks like the most point-guardy one of them all. As it stands right now, I wouldn't mind any of them, even if Exum looks good next year. That's 6 PGs I like better than Kris Dunn this year.

edit: adding Frank Jackson:

Frank Jackson, 6'4'' PG:

Watch on YouTube

Post #3 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:46 pm

What will you give up for a high lottery pick in this draft? (you know where I'm going with this :wink:

)

stitches · Post #4 » by **stitches** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:54 pm

Inigo Montoya wrote:What will you give up for a high lottery pick in this draft? (you know where I'm going with this )

How high? Brooklyn high?

or Sacramento high?

Post #5 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 3:57 pm

Colorado high

stitches · Post #6 » by **stitches** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:02 pm

In a vacuum, I think I'd give up ... pretty much any single player on our roster for a top 3 pick. I might give up Gobert for a top 5 pick. Hood for about top 6-7 pick. Exum - I have no **** idea... Lyles - about top 10 pick.

When you take into consideration our situation and the fact that we've been building to this point to be able to win games and playoff series for years, I don't think it will be easy for Jazz management to give up any of them really. It's hard to show in front of a fanbase that hasn't seen playoffs for 5 years and tell them - sorry, you are going to have to wait a couple more years.

Post #7 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:46 pm

Damn, you are high on this draft.

I agree. Though if you want to achieve greatness and not be a a few notches below, some sacrifices should be made. I also agree about Giles, I just find him intriguing from a potential and skill standpoint, though obviously his injuries are concerning.

KqWIN · Post #8 » by **KqWIN** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 5:11 pm

I think it's fair to look at all points of this draft. I love all of our guys, but a salary crunch is looming and exchanging a max contract for a rookie scale deal would alleviate a lot of pressure. I haven't looked at this draft much myself, but drafting a PG should be on table regardless of what Exum does. I haven't seen him on many draft boards yet, but it would be awesome to have a local kid be on the Jazz. I love Frank Jackson's game and think he can do some damage in the NBA if he develops. He and Exum would be so fun to watch in the backcourt.

stitches · Post #9 » by **stitches** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:00 pm

Here's an interesting Euro prospect. He will be playing for Arizona this year. Who does he look like? 7 footer, aggressive dunks, turnaround jumper, sweet 3p stroke, off-screen jumpers?

Watch on YouTube

UTJazzFan_Echo1 · Post #10 » by **UTJazzFan_Echo1** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:41 pm

I'm super high on this draft class as well. And I'm not totally opposed to the idea of swapping out a max contract for a top tier guy from this draft, but I'm just not sure who that would be.

In my opinion, Gobert is untouchable. The only way you would trade him for a draft pick is if you knew without a doubt you were going to get a LeBron level prospect that's a sure fire hit. I really believe that Gobert is going to be a top tier center in this league for many years to come. His value on defense and offense are just too much to lose to gamble on a rookie. If we did a re-draft, Gobert would be a sure fire top 3 pick, even in a loaded draft.

I also think Hayward is someone the Jazz need to keep. He fills in at the weakest position in the NBA and is one of the best overall players in the league. He's also a perfect fit for our culture and outside of his recent broken finger he's been incredibly consistent and reliably healthy.

I think the really interesting debate would be between trading one or more of Hood, Lyles or Favors. To me, I think Favors is probably the odd man out seeing as Lyles could step into his starting role immediately. Lyles has such a long ways to go on the defensive end of the floor, but matched up alongside Gobert in the starting lineup would help cover some of that, and it should improve with time. His offensive talents are undeniable and fit perfectly into the style the league is heading towards.

I'm not sure what kind of pick Favors would snag you outright, but if we're going to target a point guard in the draft, I wouldn't be opposed to shopping Hood and Favors as a package deal. That way, we can draft our point guard and slide Exum over to the 2 spot to cover the hole left by Hood. Only problem then is you're relying on Exum and a rookie PG to help with spreading the floor. Only Lyles and Hayward would be legit outside threats immediately post-trade. You also lose experience which is tough to overcome. But that's assuming you don't bring another piece back that could help.

I think it will be interesting to see what the Jazz do. If there was a draft to try and get up into the top 3 picks, this is the one and we have the trade power to do it. However, we're coming to a close of our rebuild so dumping some of our guys for a top pick just seems out of our strategy.

sipclip · Post #11 » by **sipclip** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:45 pm

There are 2 players in this draft that I would love to add to our core. First is OG Anunoby. The one thing this team is missing is that long physical wing defender and he could be that guy. Obviously the sample size is small but I loved what I saw from him at the end of last season. The other guy is Frank Jackson. With Exum being so big we aren't locked in the box when it comes to adding another guard and Jackson would be a great fit with him in my opinion. I would be more than happy to move future picks to add these 2 players to our core group of player.

Post #12 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:50 pm

Anunoby won't even require anyone to come up with a nickname. He'll just be OG, and that's badass.

KqWIN · Post #13 » by **KqWIN** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 9:49 pm

stitches wrote:Here's an interesting Euro prospect. He will be playing for Arizona this year. Who does he look like? 7 footer, aggressive dunks, turnaround jumper, sweet 3p stroke, off-screen jumpers?

Watch on YouTube

I was there when he was visiting Utah...too bad he decided to go to Arizona instead :nonono:

KqWIN · Post #14 » by **KqWIN** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 9:50 pm

sipclip wrote:There are 2 players in this draft that I would love to add to our core. First is OG Anunoby. The one thing this team is missing is that long physical wing defender and he could be that guy. Obviously the sample size is small but I loved what I saw from him at the end of last season. The other guy is Frank Jackson. With Exum being so big we aren't locked in the box when it comes to adding another guard and Jackson would be a great fit with him in my opinion. I would be more than happy to move future picks to add these 2 players to our core group of player.

I'm on board with both players. OG was the guy I wanted at #12 last year had he declared.

goober · Post #15 » by **goober** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 3:05 am

i'm on the frank jackson bandwagon but maybe it's because i know him personally

Winglish · Post #16 » by **Winglish** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:29 pm

Milos Teodosic is free to sign anywhere next year. Why not lure the most creative point guard in the world to the team?

stitches · Post #17 » by **stitches** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:32 pm

Winglish wrote:Milos Teodosic is free to sign anywhere next year. Why not lure the most creative point guard in the world to the team?

Because he's a worse defender than Trey Burke.

Post #18 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:34 pm

I'd make him a serious offer if we don't retain Hill.

stitches · Post #19 » by **stitches** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:40 pm

Inigo Montoya wrote:I'd make him a serious offer if we don't retain Hill.

How serious? What Hill is getting now? And how many years?

Post #20 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 4:46 pm

stitches wrote:
Inigo Montoya wrote:I'd make him a serious offer if we don't retain Hill.

How serious? What Hill is getting now? And how many years?

Hill is getting 8M per season, and will likely look for much more. If we can retain him at a fair price, then obviously we should do that. Teodosic is a year younger than Hill (29 and 30 respectively), so I wouldn't want to give a long-term deal to either. Maybe a 3 year, 30-36M to Hill at most, and around 3\27M to Teodosic? Need to give this more thought though, but just imagine our team with his passing.