All Things 2017 Draft

[Tiny ball]

I'm taking Jackson 2 assuming Fultz goes 1 but I question if Jaylen / Josh has enough shooting to be a 2/3 combo and if they have enough size to be a 3/4 combo.

Draft the best available player and figure out the rest.

Yeah definitely something to worry about later on. I'm confident Jaylen can play the 3. We have Crowder swinging between 3/4 consistently and he measured similarly to Jaylen.

Jackson has been a good shooter for Kansas by the numbers, so we'll see. If he's the best guy at two, or definitely 3 don't look back. He's a hell of a prospect.

When Jaylen had to switch on wall he stayed right with him. I think he did the best defense on Wall of any Celtics player. I like Jaylen at the 2. I think in time he could play the point.

[GoodVibezin]

A lineup of Lonzo Ball, Jaylen Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba and Ante Zizic is championship calibre.

[AgentGreen]

I've got the feeling that Danny will surprise everybody again like he did last year.. Danny has his own mock draft list and it could be way different compared to the main mock draft sites.

Besides thinking what Danny might do. I personally am not that high on Fultz like most of you are over here.. He's the next Carmelo to me and not the next Kobe, Wade, Westbrook etc. He'll be a volume shooter combined with poor defense. The way he sleeps on defense and shows no effort at all really scared me. Also he isn't that quick either, he'll have a hard time in the league, the level of defense is much higher in the NBA.

I think that Danny goes for a player with two way potential like he always did.

My prediction? It's probably Jackson. He's exactly what this team needs. Size, rebounding, shot blocking, defense, takes it to the rack and has 3-point range.

If it's Jonathan Isaac? lol.. this board will riot.

[claycarver]

I personally am not that high on Fultz like most of you are over here.. He's the next Carmelo to me and not the next Kobe, Wade, Westbrook etc. He'll be a volume shooter combined with poor defense. The way he sleeps on defense and shows no effort at all really scared me. Also he isn't that quick either, he'll have a hard time in the league, the level of defense is much higher in the NBA.

I think that Danny goes for a player with two way potential like he always did.

My prediction? It's probably Jackson. He's exactly what this team needs. Size, rebounding, shot blocking, defense, takes it to the rack and has 3-point range.

If it's Jonathan Isaac? lol.. this board will riot.

If Fultz can't defend, you're right, Danny won't draft him. If Fultz has the tools to defend but he's just been lackadaisical about it at the college level, we've got the right coach to work that one out. No way Fultz is content riding the pine.

[Afam]

Aside from watching highlights, the only prospect i have watched in a game was Lonzo Ball. He wasn't that impressive. He was ok.

With that said if the Celtics get the No one pick and keep it, they are picking Markelle Fultz. They should. You pick the player with the highest potential/ceiling. That is Fultz. Imagine if the Celtics pick Jackson or any other player, and he busts and becomes the next Jeff Green Kwame Brown or Adam Morrison etc, the anger and criticism that would follow wouldn't be pleasant or funny.

The only reason the Celtics picked Jaylen Brown was because they didn't have a top 2 pick. If they did, it would have been Brandon Ingram, or Ben Simmons. The Number one pick is not something you mess around with. Trying to prove you are smarter than other Teams, General Managers, Fans would get you in trouble etc. Many teams have set their franchises back doing that. Perfect example would be the Pistons picking Darko over Wade ,Bosh or Carmelo. Imagine how different things could have turned out. They passed up on three hall of famers, and drafted a bust. Look at where it got them. Mediocrity.

Celtics has never had a number one pick. They can't afford to mess that up. Just draft the safe pick in Fultz especially if you're not trading the pick, and be done with it.

[BannerStatus]

A lineup of Lonzo Ball, Jaylen Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba and Ante Zizic is championship calibre.

whaaat

[Afam]

You can teach offense, and Defense, but you can't teach talent. It's either you have it or you don't. Markelle Fultz seems to have it, so he should be the pick. Watching highlights of him,his playing style is similar to Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul.

[SmartWentCrazy]

I've got the feeling that Danny will surprise everybody again like he did last year.. Danny has his own mock draft list and it could be way different compared to the main mock draft sites.

Besides thinking what Danny might do. I personally am not that high on Fultz like most of you are over here.. He's the next Carmelo to me and not the next Kobe, Wade, Westbrook etc. He'll be a volume shooter combined with poor defense. The way he sleeps on defense and shows no effort at all really scared me. Also he isn't that quick either, he'll have a hard time in the league, the level of defense is much higher in the NBA.

I think that Danny goes for a player with two way potential like he always did.

My prediction? It's probably Jackson. He's exactly what this team needs. Size, rebounding, shot blocking, defense, takes it to the rack and has 3-point range.

If it's Jonathan Isaac? lol.. this board will riot.

I think the thing with Fultz, regarding his defense, is that his effort level was generally pretty poor. I struggle with discerning whether he can't defend, or if he just chose not to exert effort.

It's not too dissimilar from Jaylen, to be honest. He had all the tools to be a great defender, but his effort was generally poor in college. In the NBA on a team with a set role, he turned into a serviceable defender with the potential to be a shutdown guy. Fultz has all the tools you'd want for a strong defender at the guard spot. Big frame, great reach, fantastic length and good athleticism. On the Celtics, where he's not going to be asked to carry a team of scrubs to victory, if expect him to flash real well on that end.

Fultz can score from all three levels at an amazing clip and was one of the best PnR players in college in the past 10 years. As he further grows into his body (he was 5'9 as a sophomore in HS and only really played at his current height for 1.5 years), he'll become more coordinated and look more athletic. He'll never be a nuclear athlete, a la Josh Jackson, but he'll still be good on this area as well.

Also, Ainge is apparently smitten with Fultz. Multiple individuals around the team have indicated as such and it's fair to conclude he's #1 on Ainge's board.

[SmartWentCrazy]

I personally am not that high on Fultz like most of you are over here.. He's the next Carmelo to me and not the next Kobe, Wade, Westbrook etc. He'll be a volume shooter combined with poor defense. The way he sleeps on defense and shows no effort at all really scared me. Also he isn't that quick either, he'll have a hard time in the league, the level of defense is much higher in the NBA.

I think that Danny goes for a player with two way potential like he always did.

My prediction? It's probably Jackson. He's exactly what this team needs. Size, rebounding, shot blocking, defense, takes it to the rack and has 3-point range.

If it's Jonathan Isaac? lol.. this board will riot.

If Fultz can't defend, you're right, Danny won't draft him. If Fultz has the tools to defend but he's just been lackadaisical about it at the college level, we've got the right coach to work that one out. No way Fultz is content riding the pine.

It's definitely a case of the bolded. Brad would coach him the same as he did with Jaylen and Fultz would flash defensively if we got him.

[Wes-J]

I get this sense that people here are really underestimating Fultz's athleticism. He's top shelf across the board. Not fair to compare to say a guy like Westbrook, who may be the best athlete we've ever seen on this stage.

[robdog_5]

He's also 6'5 and very strong. He's a PG in a SG body. He will be able to get to spots and elevate over most defenders. I get frustrated with this because IMO, Fultz........Ball/Jackson..Tatum/Fox..Issac/Monk/DSJ/Markenen

[klemen4]

Fultz
Jackson
...or trade the pick

[pasfru]

There's a few things that worry me with Fultz.

1. He may not be all that intelligent of a player going by his team's record. I don't care how bad his teammates were, great players make their teammates better. Lonzo, along with the additions of Leaf and Anibogu, turned a mediocre offensive team into the best offence in the country. I'd cut some slack for Fultz if Washington had merely just met expectations, or disappointed a little, but to be that awful as a team? It's a bit worrying.

2. His effort on defence was piss-poor. Harden-esque. Now, that doesn't really matter if he ends up being just as good as Harden on offence, but his "style over substance" type of effort on D somewhat permeates his play on offence. I don't see much energy, I don't get excited watching him play like I do some of these other guys. Harden is one of the most aggressive scorers in the league, I don't see that with Fultz. He plays like he's in a practice game all the time.

3. Can he be productive off-the-ball? If he can't find ways to score, create and contribute without sucking up a significant amount of usage, then what good is he? With Lonzo, I know for sure that I'm getting a guy who can play the 1 or 2 and do it with great efficiency. With Fultz, it's a big question mark.

4. Fit. This kind of ties into my third point, but I feel like that has more to do with the future and this is based more in the now. If we get Fultz, is IT gone? Otherwise, what role does he play? As a primary ball-handler in college who scored mostly off of top-of-the-key P&Rs into threes or shoot-first, pass-second drives, how does he fit alongside the same player in IT with the same problems on defence? It'd be near-impossible to play them together.

I'm not even sure if I have him in my top 3. Of course, I could end up being completely wrong and maybe he ends up becoming a franchise talent, I just think there's safer options with higher upside in Lonzo and Jackson, maybe Isaac too.

[pasfru]

Now, mind you, I still think he could be a terrific scorer on the next level.

But is he Jamal Crawford good or Stephen Curry good? Two great scorers, but two hugely different players.

[LarryBirdsFingr]

I need to rewatch film before i give my definitive statement on if fultz is the best pick as a basketball player, but what about personal backgrounds? Book smarts? Lets talk about those aspects more before we reach conclusions.

[GoodVibezin]

A lineup of Lonzo Ball, Jaylen Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba and Ante Zizic is championship calibre.

whaaat

Multiple NBA titles!

[pasfru]

I need to rewatch film before i give my definitive statement on if fultz is the best pick as a basketball player, but what about personal backgrounds? Book smarts? Lets talk about those aspects more before we reach conclusions.

There's a good piece on Fultz here:

https://www.si.com/nba/2017/04/18/markelle-fultz-profile-nba-draft-washington-dc-lonzo-ball

Regardless, it still doesn't change my feelings on him as a prospect.

[pasfru]

A lineup of Lonzo Ball, Jaylen Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba and Ante Zizic is championship calibre.

whaaat

Multiple NBA titles!

I'd love more than anything to come out of this draft with both Lonzo and Isaac but... how?

[GoodVibezin]

whaaat

Multiple NBA titles!

I'd love more than anything to come out of this draft with both Lonzo and Isaac but... how?

Well we've got 3 picks in next years draft. Keep the BKN pick for a chance at one of the elite bigs (I like Bamba). Trade ours and Memphis' pick. I can't see Memphis getting stronger next season so it should be pretty good. Drafting Ball means Rozier is expendable.

So would two picks and a promising bench player yield a top 10 pick?

[Homerclease]

Multiple NBA titles!

I'd love more than anything to come out of this draft with both Lonzo and Isaac but... how?

Well we've got 3 picks in next years draft. Keep the BKN pick for a chance at one of the elite bigs (I like Bamba). Trade ours and Memphis' pick. I can't see Memphis getting stronger next season so it should be pretty good. Drafting Ball means Rozier is expendable.

So would two picks and a promising bench player yield a top 10 pick?

Memphis pick doesn't convey until 2019 at the earliest