College basketball and 2017 draft - One more poll after last game

[DirtyDez]

I have Boston taking Jackson no.1 as he's the perfect Danny Ainge type and wouldn't get in the way of what Isaiah Thomas is doing on offense.

The worst record has landed the #1 pick five times in 27 years.

[MrMiyagi]

I have Boston taking Jackson no.1 as he's the perfect Danny Ainge type and wouldn't get in the way of what Isaiah Thomas is doing on offense.

The worst record has landed the #1 pick five times in 27 years.

I also think that assumes Boston is looking to keep IT. If there ever was a sell-high player, it's him.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Gotta say, our current 23 YO starting SF just went 8/8 for 21 and 7 with 2 steals and 0 turnovers. I think that's pretty good. I think drafting a SF creates a true positional dilemma this FO hasn't really had to face yet.

Shout BPA all you want, all day long, but man, we currently have one of the league's best young small forwards on this roster. If we think BPA is Josh Jackson, and we agree, then I'm looking for that godfather offer. And someone should make it.

... Same question - but for Boston. Say they're at 3/4/5. They used last year's pick on a SF. Won't they be looking to move up (or down, or out) as well?

EDIT: Now for one more. Ulis just put up 20 and 10 in 30 minutes, with a 3.3/1 TO ratio. Those are essentially ideal PG numbers. So we're going to draft another PG and just... bench Ulis?

I think my preference would be to draft either Fultz or [gross b/c LAL but if we have to] Ball, and play that guy as our sixth man, change of pace guy. With Bender.

Holy **** that would be some kind of young talent.

Well, we might be "set" at every position with Ulis/Booker/TJ/Bender/Chriss (You could say we don't have a true center, but true centers aren't the most abundant commodity in the NBA). The thing I am most concerned with that group is defense. I think Bender and Chriss could both be 1+ block and steal guys, but will they defend well without fouling and can they handle those true centers? Booker and TJ are currently weak defender. Ulis is pesky as hell, though his size leaves him open to exploitation. I really think Josh Jackson is the best fit and gives us great lineup versatility. I'm fine with making the rookie earn his starting job, as our current guys have demonstrated their skills and earned their time, but we still need defense. I trust Watson to navigate egos and find roles and minutes for everyone, and Ball really seems like the only player who would cause a stir if he didn't start thanks to pops.

I think that what separates me from most on Jackson is my lack of confidence in his ability to be an elite defender on the next level. A good defender? Yes, no real concerns there. But elite? Warren's not a bad defender - he gets a lot of steals, his fair share of blocks, and he stays in front of his man. DJJ has at least a very good chance of being a better defender than JJ. If I knew JJ was the next coming of Kawhi, I'd feel differently, but that cannot be known. The only quality that separates JJ, in my mind, from TJ/DJJ is ball handling. And I'm wary of the fact that he's a year older than a lot of the guys in his class - almost exactly as old as DJJ, who showed he's an NBA rotation player while JJ was playing at Kansas.

I don't know. I think he's the wrong pick. The only way I'm wrong is if JJ's a superstar, and no other future superstar is available where we pick.

Ntilikina is 1.5 years younger. Our biggest defensive weakness is clearly in the backcourt. Ntilikina can play either 1 or 2. He can defend, handle and shoot; he has great athleticism and quickness. Also, he's French, so extra basketball points there. He's ahead of Jackson on my board.

[King4Day]

People can say what they want about us tanking but nobody can tell me the strategy didn't accomplish more than just losses.
After sitting Bledsoe, this team of kids learned how to play. We went from bad losses to competitive losses to, finally, wins.
The experience they got was significant. I think there's no doubt we'll be fighting for a playoff spot next season (assuming we keep Bledsoe). We may still miss but I don't think we'll be in the bottom 5 again.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Marquese Chriss, TJ Warren, Devin Booker all had career best stretches as our 3 best All-Star hopes for the future.

Could have played Dudley, Tucker, Knight for an extra 1-2 wins this season, but the above will get us a lot more wins next season onward.

[bwgood77]

Gotta say, our current 23 YO starting SF just went 8/8 for 21 and 7 with 2 steals and 0 turnovers. I think that's pretty good. I think drafting a SF creates a true positional dilemma this FO hasn't really had to face yet.

Shout BPA all you want, all day long, but man, we currently have one of the league's best young small forwards on this roster. If we think BPA is Josh Jackson, and we agree, then I'm looking for that godfather offer. And someone should make it.

... Same question - but for Boston. Say they're at 3/4/5. They used last year's pick on a SF. Won't they be looking to move up (or down, or out) as well?

EDIT: Now for one more. Ulis just put up 20 and 10 in 30 minutes, with a 3.3/1 TO ratio. Those are essentially ideal PG numbers. So we're going to draft another PG and just... bench Ulis?

I think my preference would be to draft either Fultz or [gross b/c LAL but if we have to] Ball, and play that guy as our sixth man, change of pace guy. With Bender.

Holy **** that would be some kind of young talent.

Well, we might be "set" at every position with Ulis/Booker/TJ/Bender/Chriss (You could say we don't have a true center, but true centers aren't the most abundant commodity in the NBA). The thing I am most concerned with that group is defense. I think Bender and Chriss could both be 1+ block and steal guys, but will they defend well without fouling and can they handle those true centers? Booker and TJ are currently weak defender. Ulis is pesky as hell, though his size leaves him open to exploitation. I really think Josh Jackson is the best fit and gives us great lineup versatility. I'm fine with making the rookie earn his starting job, as our current guys have demonstrated their skills and earned their time, but we still need defense. I trust Watson to navigate egos and find roles and minutes for everyone, and Ball really seems like the only player who would cause a stir if he didn't start thanks to pops.

I think that what separates me from most on Jackson is my lack of confidence in his ability to be an elite defender on the next level. A good defender? Yes, no real concerns there. But elite? Warren's not a bad defender - he gets a lot of steals, his fair share of blocks, and he stays in front of his man. DJJ has at least a very good chance of being a better defender than JJ. If I knew JJ was the next coming of Kawhi, I'd feel differently, but that cannot be known. The only quality that separates JJ, in my mind, from TJ/DJJ is ball handling. And I'm wary of the fact that he's a year older than a lot of the guys in his class - almost exactly as old as DJJ, who showed he's an NBA rotation player while JJ was playing at Kansas.

I don't know. I think he's the wrong pick. The only way I'm wrong is if JJ's a superstar, and no other future superstar is available where we pick.

Ntilikina is 1.5 years younger. Our biggest defensive weakness is clearly in the backcourt. Ntilikina can play either 1 or 2. He can defend, handle and shoot; he has great athleticism and quickness. Also, he's French, so extra basketball points there. He's ahead of Jackson on my board.

I really don't understand how you can be so low on Jackson. He's been the #1 or at worst a top 3 player in his class for a couple years, and he has been the only one in that group to completely live up to the hype. I love Warren and I don't think he will be better than Warren immediately, but he will provide completely different things. What I really don't understand is how you can possibly think Derrick Jones Jr is anywhere in the vicinity of what Jackson can and will be. We are talking about a clear cut top prospect for years vs an undrafted guy who can't shoot at all. I mean it would be like passing on Fultz because we had Goodwin. He has shown some tenacity on defense but that's not it.

When you talk about having a set lineup are you just talking about a fun lineup for entertainment purposes or a lineup that you think is championship caliber down the road?

[kennydorglas]

TJ Warren vs Josh Jackson (both as 19yo FROSH)

Spoiler:

[NTB]

TJ Warren vs Josh Jackson (both as 19yo FROSH)

Spoiler:

Lol seems like polar opposite (offense vs defense)

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

Well, we might be "set" at every position with Ulis/Booker/TJ/Bender/Chriss (You could say we don't have a true center, but true centers aren't the most abundant commodity in the NBA). The thing I am most concerned with that group is defense. I think Bender and Chriss could both be 1+ block and steal guys, but will they defend well without fouling and can they handle those true centers? Booker and TJ are currently weak defender. Ulis is pesky as hell, though his size leaves him open to exploitation. I really think Josh Jackson is the best fit and gives us great lineup versatility. I'm fine with making the rookie earn his starting job, as our current guys have demonstrated their skills and earned their time, but we still need defense. I trust Watson to navigate egos and find roles and minutes for everyone, and Ball really seems like the only player who would cause a stir if he didn't start thanks to pops.

I think that what separates me from most on Jackson is my lack of confidence in his ability to be an elite defender on the next level. A good defender? Yes, no real concerns there. But elite? Warren's not a bad defender - he gets a lot of steals, his fair share of blocks, and he stays in front of his man. DJJ has at least a very good chance of being a better defender than JJ. If I knew JJ was the next coming of Kawhi, I'd feel differently, but that cannot be known. The only quality that separates JJ, in my mind, from TJ/DJJ is ball handling. And I'm wary of the fact that he's a year older than a lot of the guys in his class - almost exactly as old as DJJ, who showed he's an NBA rotation player while JJ was playing at Kansas.

I don't know. I think he's the wrong pick. The only way I'm wrong is if JJ's a superstar, and no other future superstar is available where we pick.

Ntilikina is 1.5 years younger. Our biggest defensive weakness is clearly in the backcourt. Ntilikina can play either 1 or 2. He can defend, handle and shoot; he has great athleticism and quickness. Also, he's French, so extra basketball points there. He's ahead of Jackson on my board.

I really don't understand how you can be so low on Jackson. He's been the #1 or at worst a top 3 player in his class for a couple years, and he has been the only one in that group to completely live up to the hype. I love Warren and I don't think he will be better than Warren immediately, but he will provide completely different things. What I really don't understand is how you can possibly think Derrick Jones Jr is anywhere in the vicinity of what Jackson can and will be. We are talking about a clear cut top prospect for years vs an undrafted guy who can't shoot at all. I mean it would be like passing on Fultz because we had Goodwin. He has shown some tenacity on defense but that's not it.

When you talk about having a set lineup are you just talking about a fun lineup for entertainment purposes or a lineup that you think is championship caliber down the road?

You know the hype is out of control when merely having doubts about a player becoming a superstar is considered being "low" on a guy. I think JJ has a chance to be Kawhi Leonard. But we're talking about chance, here. All draft selections are risks. And I happen to think that other players' ceilings are high enough to warrant factoring position into the equation.

As I've said, we will only have to deal with this conundrum if we're selecting third. Because without regard to fit, I have Tatum and Ntilikina battling for #4 on my board, with JJ in the third spot. I just don't want to be in that spot. That's all. I'd prefer to have The Next Harden or The Next Magic or The Next Payton than The Next Kawhi or The Next Sprewell. I'm not low on JJ. I'm just not so certain about his future - or the futures of TJ or DJJ, for that matter. I feel like this is reasonable. Sorry for not mindlessly chanting "BPA" as if that is the end of the analysis, under all circumstances. We have circumstances. We should think about them.

... or, the FO should think about them. I should work.

[bwgood77]

TJ Warren vs Josh Jackson (both as 19yo FROSH)

Spoiler:

Lol seems like polar opposite (offense vs defense)

So Warren, as we know, near elite offensively (adj ortg), steals vs turnovers, and on putback (those latter two are insane). and JJ far better Adj DRtg, TRB, and AST (yes, I know people can read charts...I guess I just love typing).

Yes, pretty much polar opposites.

[bwgood77]

You know the hype is out of control when merely having doubts about a player becoming a superstar is considered being "low" on a guy. I think JJ has a chance to be Kawhi Leonard. But we're talking about chance, here. All draft selections are risks. And I happen to think that other players' ceilings are high enough to warrant factoring position into the equation.

As I've said, we will only have to deal with this conundrum if we're selecting third. Because without regard to fit, I have Tatum and Ntilikina battling for #4 on my board, with JJ in the third spot. I just don't want to be in that spot. That's all. I'd prefer to have The Next Harden or The Next Magic or The Next Payton than The Next Kawhi or The Next Sprewell. I'm not low on JJ. I'm just not so certain about his future - or the futures of TJ or DJJ, for that matter. I feel like this is reasonable. Sorry for not mindlessly chanting "BPA" as if that is the end of the analysis, under all circumstances. We have circumstances. We should think about them.

... or, the FO should think about them. I should work.

OK, so you have him ranked 3rd. It didn't sound like that before. I was thinking you would want to trade out of 3 or 4 spot if both PGs are gone. The vast majority here do prefer Fultz, as he clearly has very few weaknesses compared to Jackson. Ball scares a lot of people though. I guess the biggest head scratcher to me was seemingly banking on DJJ being definite rotation player of the future.

[jcsunsfan]

I have Boston taking Jackson no.1 as he's the perfect Danny Ainge type and wouldn't get in the way of what Isaiah Thomas is doing on offense.

The worst record has landed the #1 pick five times in 27 years.

Didn't they just draft Jaylen Brown?