And Then There Was One: Thank Nation 2. Raps pick 23rd

[TradeLowry]

My early draft prospect front runner. Next Porzingis lite?

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/lauri-markkanen
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4066336/lauri-markkanen

Watch on YouTube

Will probably end up going top 10 though....move up with Poeltl?

Early indications are it could be a deep draft that lacks a transcendent star, but has a lot of role player types. Markkanen could still be on the board.

Someone I like from a production standpoint early on is is Hassan Martin of Rhode Island. 6'7, 7'2 wingspan, can guard virtually any position, blocks shots and rebounds like a beast. He needs to develop a shot, but he's hitting .846 from the free throw line early on, so his touch can't be too bad. He has athleticism(38 inch vertical) and hands even bigger than Kawhi!!!
In short he's a physical freak, who only started playing organized ball a few years ago. Seems exactly like a Masai guy actually.
He's also incredibly young for a senior as he turns 20 years old next week! Must be a bright kid to start college so young.

idk Fultz looks like a star to me

[CoachJReturns]

My early draft prospect front runner. Next Porzingis lite?

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/lauri-markkanen
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4066336/lauri-markkanen

Watch on YouTube

Will probably end up going top 10 though....move up with Poeltl?

Early indications are it could be a deep draft that lacks a transcendent star, but has a lot of role player types. Markkanen could still be on the board.

Someone I like from a production standpoint early on is is Hassan Martin of Rhode Island. 6'7, 7'2 wingspan, can guard virtually any position, blocks shots and rebounds like a beast. He needs to develop a shot, but he's hitting .846 from the free throw line early on, so his touch can't be too bad. He has athleticism(38 inch vertical) and hands even bigger than Kawhi!!!
In short he's a physical freak, who only started playing organized ball a few years ago. Seems exactly like a Masai guy actually.
He's also incredibly young for a senior as he turns 20 years old next week! Must be a bright kid to start college so young.

idk Fultz looks like a star to me

I'm definitely not expecting an all star in this draft for us. Just hoping to come away with a serviceable forward who can shoot and defend. Raps have a great backcourt and plenty of depth at center, but small forward and power forward continue to be very thin. Siakam looks like a good bench big though, so small forward depth is more important at the moment.

[BoyzNTheHood]

A couple of guys we should be looking at around where we pick are Isaiah Hartenstein and Thomas Bryant.

Here's what DX had to say about Isaiah after Basketball Without Borders this past February:

Strengths:
-Has terrific size for a power forward at 6'11, to go along with an outstanding frame
-Fluid athlete who can play above the rim with ease.
-Highly skilled for his size. Can put the ball on the floor, shoot with range and find the open man off the bounce
-Can carve out space inside the post with his strong frame. Has excellent footwork and a variety of moves
-Creates his own shot regularly from the perimeter, sometimes to finish with an emphatic two-handed dunk
-Excellent passer when he decides to create for others. Came up with some beautiful passes threading the needle through traffic
-Outstanding rebounder thanks to physical tools and timing

Weaknesses:
-Did not appear to be in ideal condition physically. Has a great body but looked somewhat out of shape
-Struggled to put things together in the actual games. Forced the issue badly at times.
-Jump-shot is not consistent
-Decision making can be very poor. Has excellent vision, but tends to freeze out his teammates and heave up very difficult looks early in the offense.
-Very single-minded in his approach
-Didn't look to establish himself with his back to the basket
-Indifferent defender
-Body language can be very poor. Looked borderline selfish at times.

And Thomas Bryant is just long, he's a Masai type of pick:

6'10" with a 7'5" wingspan and a 9'4" standing reach. The guy measures out like Bruno, but can actually play. The great thing about him is he's a hustle guy which fits perfectly with our team of 1 on 1 scorers, and he stretches it out to 3. He does a little bit of everything on the court. He's the unheralded guy for Indiana with OG getting all the hype thus far.

I wasn't sold on Bryant last year because he wasn't shooting the 3 which basically restricted him to the 2nd round as a hustle big, but now that he's starting to stretch it out a bit he truly projects as that 3+D guy next to JV that we keep hoping Patterson can be more consistently.

[TradeLowry]

Early indications are it could be a deep draft that lacks a transcendent star, but has a lot of role player types. Markkanen could still be on the board.

Someone I like from a production standpoint early on is is Hassan Martin of Rhode Island. 6'7, 7'2 wingspan, can guard virtually any position, blocks shots and rebounds like a beast. He needs to develop a shot, but he's hitting .846 from the free throw line early on, so his touch can't be too bad. He has athleticism(38 inch vertical) and hands even bigger than Kawhi!!!
In short he's a physical freak, who only started playing organized ball a few years ago. Seems exactly like a Masai guy actually.
He's also incredibly young for a senior as he turns 20 years old next week! Must be a bright kid to start college so young.

idk Fultz looks like a star to me

I'm definitely not expecting an all star in this draft for us. Just hoping to come away with a serviceable forward who can shoot and defend. Raps have a great backcourt and plenty of depth at center, but small forward and power forward continue to be very thin. Siakam looks like a good bench big though, so small forward depth is more important at the moment.

I always go bpa, especially in this draft with so many point guards. Best case for me is we flip both picks(probably in the 20's) for a pick in the teens.

Grab a point guard that slips. Fultz, Ball, Smith, Fox, Ntilikina, frank jackson. One of those guys are falling just due to the teams above not needing a pg. Then trade Cojo(1 year left) and/ or Dwright to fill SF and PF problems.

[DreamTeam09]

Don't we have the knicks 2nd as well?

[TradeLowry]

If the sixers get Fultz we're screwed for years and years to come. I don't think Lonzo ball would be a good fit with Simmons. Josh Jackson or Tatum would be nice on their team tho.

But, Fultz would make that team scary af

[Kevin Willis]

If the sixers get Fultz we're screwed for years and years to come. I don't think Lonzo ball would be a good fit with Simmons. Josh Jackson or Tatum would be nice on their team tho.

But, Fultz would make that team scary af

Completly agree. But this is such an amazing PG class they would be good with either:

Fultz
Ball
Smith
Fox
Ntilikina

Even Monk would be a good pick. But since Philly has point forwards and Embid maybe a scoring PG like Fultz, Fox or Monk would work.

[TradeLowry]

If the sixers get Fultz we're screwed for years and years to come. I don't think Lonzo ball would be a good fit with Simmons. Josh Jackson or Tatum would be nice on their team tho.

But, Fultz would make that team scary af

Completly agree. But this is such an amazing PG class they would be good with either:

Fultz
Ball
Smith
Fox
Ntilikina

Even Monk would be a good pick. But since Philly has point forwards and Embid maybe a scoring PG like Fultz, Fox or Monk would work.

If they get the #1 pick they pick Fultz for sure. But if they aren't at #1(fultz off the board) I pick either Tatum or Josh Jackson with their pick. Then grab a point guard with the lakers pick(prolly will be 8-14 range)

Because like you said, it's deep at point guard so you know one of Fultz, Ball, Fox, Smith, Ntlikina is going to drop just due to teams not needing a point. Even Frank Jackson looks nice for Duke.

[mademan]

And the Sixers will probably end up getting the 10th or so pick from LAL. Sucks that Hinkie wont get credit for it

[CoachJReturns]

Hassan Martin had another big game in a loss to Duke on Sunday with 5 blocks. I really hope he shows an improved jumpshot in pre-draft workouts like Jaylen Brown did this year. Martin looks like a potential beast on the defensive end, but is limited to scoring inside offensively. Though, he's shooting just under 90 percent at the line to start the year, so his touch must be at least okay from 10-15 feet out.

[CoachJReturns]

On a completely non-Raptor pick note, sophomore Tacko Fall(yes that 7'6 300lb kid) went 10-10 from the field and had 13 rebounds on Sunday against number 3 Villanova.
Fall is averaging 17.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks through 4 games this year. He's really struggling at the free throw line though (.214 % !!!) though shooting .810% on 8.5 field goal attempts. Has anyone watched him play? How slow is he? If he wasn't a complete turtle, he'd seem like the defensive anchor Casey wants in the middle.

[CoachJReturns]

One more forward to watch: Freshman T.J Leaf

19 years old, 6'8, 220lbs, 6'11 wingspan.

He's off to a hot start averaging 20.3 pts, 10.0 rebs, 1.5 blks, 2.5 asts, while shooting .727 from the field, .333 from 3 point range, .700 free throws.

Looks interesting.

[TradeLowry]

One more forward to watch: Freshman T.J Leaf

19 years old, 6'8, 220lbs, 6'11 wingspan.

He's off to a hot start averaging 20.3 pts, 10.0 rebs, 1.5 blks, 2.5 asts, while shooting .727 from the field, .333 from 3 point range, .700 free throws.

Looks interesting.

I like leaf too idk how high his ceiling is but I have a feeling he'll play in the league for many years. Ball is the stud on that team tho. He makes guys look better than they really are. His HS team averaged 100 points a game so I'm sure it will be the same for UCLA. Lots of guys on UCLA will have bloated stats due to Ball.

I've been really impressed with Tony Bradley. In very limited minutes at North Carolina he's looked extremely impressive. Almost averaging a double double in 15 minutes. Just a silly per

[CoachJReturns]

One more forward to watch: Freshman T.J Leaf

19 years old, 6'8, 220lbs, 6'11 wingspan.

He's off to a hot start averaging 20.3 pts, 10.0 rebs, 1.5 blks, 2.5 asts, while shooting .727 from the field, .333 from 3 point range, .700 free throws.

Looks interesting.

I like leaf too idk how high his ceiling is but I have a feeling he'll play in the league for many years. Ball is the stud on that team tho. He makes guys look better than they really are. His HS team averaged 100 points a game so I'm sure it will be the same for UCLA. Lots of guys on UCLA will have bloated stats due to Ball.

I've been really impressed with Tony Bradley. In very limited minutes at North Carolina he's looked extremely impressive. Almost averaging a double double in 15 minutes. Just a silly per

Another player won't inflate rebounding and shot blocking numbers though. It could easily affect the offensive production of another player to play with a star though. Easier looks. Still, he's 6'8 and obviously has an offensive game.

[BoyzNTheHood]

On a completely non-Raptor pick note, sophomore Tacko Fall(yes that 7'6 300lb kid) went 10-10 from the field and had 13 rebounds on Sunday against number 3 Villanova.
Fall is averaging 17.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks through 4 games this year. He's really struggling at the free throw line though (.214 % !!!) though shooting .810% on 8.5 field goal attempts. Has anyone watched him play? How slow is he? If he wasn't a complete turtle, he'd seem like the defensive anchor Casey wants in the middle.

Very slow. He'd only be a target in the NBA. Let's just say if he wasn't 7'6" he wouldn't be on anyone's radar.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Any impressions on V.J. Beachem?

[Kevin Willis]

Any impressions on V.J. Beachem?

Beachem is a good fit where we most likely will draft. He is a 3+D guy with good range and athleticism. He's a senior and that fills the role of immediate contributor Masai is going for. He's a Siakam level pick of a defined role with the opportunity to expand on it.

We'll see how Bruno progresses because there might not be a need to take him. Imagine they're at the same age, I wonder if VJ could take Bruno easily?

[CoachJReturns]

Any impressions on V.J. Beachem?

This is the first I've heard of him! Looking at his production, he seems like exactly the type of small forward we need playing in our starting lineup. I'll have to check out some video of him when I get home tonight, but I'm definitely intrigued.

19.0 pts, .409 3pt on 5.5 attempts per game, .895ft%, 5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. Sounds like a Masai pick to me.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Any impressions on V.J. Beachem?

Beachem is a good fit where we most likely will draft. He is a 3+D guy with good range and athleticism. He's a senior and that fills the role of immediate contributor Masai is going for. He's a Siakam level pick of a defined role with the opportunity to expand on it.

We'll see how Bruno progresses because there might not be a need to take him. Imagine they're at the same age, I wonder if VJ could take Bruno easily?

Bruno needs to step up or step out. We can't wait forever for him to develop. I think his gift is also his curse. Those extendo arms don't allow him to be a consistent ball handler, and he just looks like he's lumbering when he runs. He can run fast in a straight line, but this isn't sprinting.

Also, I feel like if Bruno develops he'll be a PF, but we still have our issues at the 3.

Any impressions on V.J. Beachem?

This is the first I've heard of him! Looking at his production, he seems like exactly the type of small forward we need playing in our starting lineup. I'll have to check out some video of him when I get home tonight, but I'm definitely intrigued.

19.0 pts, .409 3pt on 5.5 attempts per game, .895ft%, 5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. Sounds like a Masai pick to me.

I was just browsing DX and he came up. He looks like a nice player. They say he can't dribble, but from what I've seen he looks like he can hold his own. I wouldn't be surprised if he's another Aaron Afflalo, but as a SF.

[CoachJReturns]

Any impressions on V.J. Beachem?

Beachem is a good fit where we most likely will draft. He is a 3+D guy with good range and athleticism. He's a senior and that fills the role of immediate contributor Masai is going for. He's a Siakam level pick of a defined role with the opportunity to expand on it.

We'll see how Bruno progresses because there might not be a need to take him. Imagine they're at the same age, I wonder if VJ could take Bruno easily?

Bruno needs to step up or step out. We can't wait forever for him to develop. I think his gift is also his curse. Those extendo arms don't allow him to be a consistent ball handler, and he just looks like he's lumbering when he runs. He can run fast in a straight line, but this isn't sprinting.

Also, I feel like if Bruno develops he'll be a PF, but we still have our issues at the 3.

Any impressions on V.J. Beachem?

This is the first I've heard of him! Looking at his production, he seems like exactly the type of small forward we need playing in our starting lineup. I'll have to check out some video of him when I get home tonight, but I'm definitely intrigued.

19.0 pts, .409 3pt on 5.5 attempts per game, .895ft%, 5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. Sounds like a Masai pick to me.

I was just browsing DX and he came up. He looks like a nice player. They say he can't dribble, but from what I've seen he looks like he can hold his own. I wouldn't be surprised if he's another Aaron Afflalo, but as a SF.

Bruno is a tweener. If he gains the necessary strength(a big if considering how light he is), he's a 4 defensively. He lacks any kind of post up game though, so he's a 3 on offense or a face up 4.
Before anyone mentions that most 4s aren't strong anymore, keep in mind Bruno weighs less than 220 which is basically the build of a guard. Regardless of how he develops, unless a stud drops to us in the 20s, I would hope we take a small forward since this appears to be a deep draft in terms of point guards and small forwards. We don't need a star, but we could sure as heck use a Middleton clone.