Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

[Jamaaliver]

As of today for me..

1. Luka

4. Mikal Bridges (This dude is impressing me more and more....honestly wouldn't be surprised if he made a climb into the top 5...book it..this kid is special and I'm never ever wrong on players...actually I am but watching this kid..easy transition into the NBA...).

What are the chances that Bridges is better than Luka in 5 years?

Mikal Bridges is approaching his ceiling. Luka is producing at a top level and still has years to go. (He might not even be done growing, physically.)


I say there's very little chance Mik Bridges ascends that high or that Luka dips that low.

[Jamaaliver]

Serious question...has this poll always been at the top of this thread?

Am I losing my mind?

[Spud2nique]

As of today for me..

1. Luka
2. Ayton
3. Bagley
4. Mikal Bridges (This dude is impressing me more and more....honestly wouldn't be surprised if he made a climb into the top 5...book it..this kid is special and I'm never ever wrong on players...actually I am but watching this kid..easy transition into the NBA...).

What are the chances that Bridges is better than Luka in 5 years?

I'm a Luka believer...I think he will be the best euro player since Dirk. There is ALWAYS a possibility though...and a bigger one of Mikal being better than Deandre or Bagley...

Mac, check out the way Mikal moves on the court...he's got another gear..I LOOOOVE players with that extra gear..UR boy Kyrie has it..Giannis has it..Lebron does as well..

I will say this...the chances of Mikal being a bust are super slim in my mind...I would rather reach on a play with the 4th or 5th pick like this than to go with what the book says and draft Mo Bamba at that slot...just saying that if you want a player..just grab him even if you reach...

A recent example of this that stinks out in my mind is a few years ago with Aaron Gordon...the Bay Area product was mocked to go around the 10th pick that year but the Magic snagged him at pick 5 and he's another player with that extra gear.

A more close to home example is our very own Prince..projected to go between picks 20-30...we grabbed him at #12 and it worked out.

Mikal remind me of a modern day Scottie Pippen type...mixed in with a lil Alvin Robertson for you older schoolers like myself. I think Bud secretly loves this kid like he did Kawhi..

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

This mock has us taking three big men:

Bagley at #1
Mitchell Robinson at #22
PJ Washington at #30

This mock seems pretty bad. Very different form the consensus held elsewhere.

[kg01]

Serious question...has this poll always been at the top of this thread?

Am I losing my mind?

You are losing your mind but yeah that poll is new ... I think.

[Spud2nique]

Serious question...has this poll always been at the top of this thread?

Am I losing my mind?

I dunno but add Mikal Bridges...I'm a belieber..

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

Bamba has been sliding down draft boards all season. He isn't ready yet for High Level ball.

I can see Collin Sexton taking his place in the top 5.

1. Atlanta – Luka Doncic, G/F, Slovenia: Turns 19 in February and is currently torching a top league in Europe. He’s got an NBA body (6-foot-8, 225) and the only question will be if he can defend SFs or SGs.

22. Atlanta (via Wolves) – Jalen Hudson, SG, Florida

30. Atlanta (via Houston) – Bonzie Colson, F, Notre Dame

[atlantabbq99]

Bamba has been sliding down draft boards all season. He isn't ready yet for High Level ball.

I can see Collin Sexton taking his place in the top 5.

1. Atlanta – Luka Doncic, G/F, Slovenia: Turns 19 in February and is currently torching a top league in Europe. He’s got an NBA body (6-foot-8, 225) and the only question will be if he can defend SFs or SGs.

22. Atlanta (via Wolves) – Jalen Hudson, SG, Florida

30. Atlanta (via Houston) – Bonzie Colson, F, Notre Dame

I like Hudson. Colson is ok, and i have no problem in taking him. Other guys the Hawks need to look at:

Kevin Hervey - Looks like Millsap or Boozer clone and 2nd round steal for 2018. Muscular PF with a jumpshot

Thomas Wilder - Reminds me of Jordan Clarkson, combo guard, good handles, microwave scorer and can attack the basket

Yante Maten - Homer pick, very productive player, good IQ

But with that said, the 2018 draft is loaded with International players. I wouldn't be surprise if Hawks end up drafting 4 international players... Doncic, Dzanan Musa, Tryggvi Hlinason, Goga Bitadze

[Jamaaliver]

A deep dive on one of the rising stars of college basketball:

Can Trae Young be a Generational Shooter?

Every year there are risers during the year who often times lack the desired physical traits/athleticism, but are arguably skilled and productive enough to compensate for a lack of tools translating to the next level. This year, the poster boy for that categorization is unequivocally Sooners’ 6-foot-2 freshman point guard Trae Young.

Young has taken college basketball by storm over the first month of play and is laying waste to basically every high volume efficiency statistic and record we have for guards (all guards, not just freshman) over the last decade plus (more on this below).

The following is a chart outlines the intersection of true shooting percentage greater than 60 percent and usage rate over 30 percent for drafted guards since 2001/02 (I created this database derived from DraftExpress which should be exhaustive) :



That’s an insane list to be on even in a limited sample, and all but one of those players (Curry as a sophomore) accomplished this in their senior season. Maintaining historical efficiency with an outlier usage rate as a freshman is incredibly promising.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rendering this more impressive is Young is creating an obscene amount of his own offense and doing so with peak efficiency. Compare his self-created shooting on 2pt jumpers and 3pt jumpers to Lillard as a senior and McCollum’s junior and senior seasons:



We haven’t seen anything quite like this, at least over the last decade or so. And to reiterate, we’re talking about being in the same company as some of the best shooters (and the best shooter) of all time.


What Young hasn’t seen a lot of this year are open looks off the catch, and because of this almost all of the shooting attention he is given in draft discourse is fixated on his pull-up game. But Young on tape is a damn near knockdown shooter when he gets his feet set.

The Stepien



This is a really good read, with video. The consensus seems to be that even with all his flaws, Trae Young's shooting range will allow him to produce in the NBA.

Though he might be more Isaiah Thomas than Steph Curry.

[Spud2nique]

Read on Twitter

Bamba has been sliding down draft boards all season. He isn't ready yet for High Level ball.

I can see Collin Sexton taking his place in the top 5.

1. Atlanta – Luka Doncic, G/F, Slovenia: Turns 19 in February and is currently torching a top league in Europe. He’s got an NBA body (6-foot-8, 225) and the only question will be if he can defend SFs or SGs.

22. Atlanta (via Wolves) – Jalen Hudson, SG, Florida

30. Atlanta (via Houston) – Bonzie Colson, F, Notre Dame

I could have sworn Bonzie Colson came out last draft...he's supposedly one of the many next Draymond Green's...

[Jamaaliver]

I could have sworn Bonzie Colson came out last draft...he's supposedly one of the many next Draymond Green's...

Really?!? I am intrigued.

Bonzie Colson, PF, Notre Dame | Senior

Height: 6'5" | Weight: 220 | Age: 21 | Last: 47

A truly unorthodox prospect, Colson has great length and a deep bag of offensive moves while standing just 6’5”. He’s been remarkably effective for Notre Dame anyway, and will tempt teams with his history of production and the hope that he can make it all work as a factor in smaller lineups. He can get to the foul line and has been extremely efficient to date. Whether or not he succeeds in the NBA, his situation will make for an interesting case study.

SI.com

[Spud2nique]

I could have sworn Bonzie Colson came out last draft...he's supposedly one of the many next Draymond Green's...

Really?!? I am intrigued.

Bonzie Colson, PF, Notre Dame | Senior

Height: 6'5" | Weight: 220 | Age: 21 | Last: 47

A truly unorthodox prospect, Colson has great length and a deep bag of offensive moves while standing just 6’5”. He’s been remarkably effective for Notre Dame anyway, and will tempt teams with his history of production and the hope that he can make it all work as a factor in smaller lineups. He can get to the foul line and has been extremely efficient to date. Whether or not he succeeds in the NBA, his situation will make for an interesting case study.

SI.com

Hmmm stayed for his senior year...good for him! I guess he still can be a big man at 6'5"...likes of Byron Houston mold...broke man's Barkley...

Not super athletic but knows the game well...smart player..possibly grab him with the 30th?

[kg01]

Dangit yall {lights flamethrower}...

First of all, pretty sure atlbbq totally made up atleast one-a the names of int'l guys there. Can't fool me, bro.

Next, he'll be saying we need to draft that Gesundheit kid.

Next, Colson isn't a guy you waste a draft pick on. He's smaller, slower, less lengthy and less athletic than Draymond. EZPass, despite a great college career. He should apply for another year of eligibility.

On this Trae Young cat, eh, not impressed with the 'off-balance, deeeepp 3 that happens to go in' guy. Shades of Limelo Ball imho. Kinda small too. Lookin more like Jimmer to me.

{shuts off flamethro ...wait, where's the off button ... yowch ... somebody call 911!}

[Jamaaliver]

^Alize Johnson is my preferred selection as 'the next Draymond'. He's another undersized PF who stayed in college for years. (A converted PG, too.)

But Bonzie definitely sounds as if he's worth considering. As it stands today...we have picks 30 & 31.

So we'll have options.

[Jamaaliver]

^Response is above

I could have sworn Bonzie Colson came out last draft...he's supposedly one of the many next Draymond Green's...

Hmmm stayed for his senior year...good for him! I guess he still can be a big man at 6'5"...

Not super athletic but knows the game well...smart player..possibly grab him with the 30th?

[kg01]

I could have sworn Bonzie Colson came out last draft...he's supposedly one of the many next Draymond Green's...

Really?!? I am intrigued.

Bonzie Colson, PF, Notre Dame | Senior

Height: 6'5" | Weight: 220 | Age: 21 | Last: 47

A truly unorthodox prospect, Colson has great length and a deep bag of offensive moves while standing just 6’5”. He’s been remarkably effective for Notre Dame anyway, and will tempt teams with his history of production and the hope that he can make it all work as a factor in smaller lineups. He can get to the foul line and has been extremely efficient to date. Whether or not he succeeds in the NBA, his situation will make for an interesting case study.

SI.com

Hmmm stayed for his senior year...good for him! I guess he still can be a big man at 6'5"...likes of Byron Houston mold...broke man's Barkley...

Not super athletic but knows the game well...smart player..possibly grab him with the 30th?

Don't disrespeck the memory of the late, great Barkley. He was a BEAST athletically which allowed him to be what he was at that size.

May he rest in peace.

[Spud2nique]

Really?!? I am intrigued.

SI.com

Hmmm stayed for his senior year...good for him! I guess he still can be a big man at 6'5"...likes of Byron Houston mold...broke man's Barkley...

Not super athletic but knows the game well...smart player..possibly grab him with the 30th?

Don't disrespeck the memory of the late, great Barkley. He was a BEAST athletically which allowed him to be what he was at that size.

May he rest in peace.

Lmmfao...I said broke man's Barkley!!! I believe you do take a chance on a guy like him at the 30th pick..let's face it, you aren't drafting a star at the 30th, not even a STARter...so what do you want to do..draft and stash? I'm tired of doing that. How many stashes have come back to us?


Ps Heard about you lil backyard BBQ you had the other day in the sac...couple things, if ur gonna borrow my tongs please ask...same goes for when you borrow Mac's thongs...:-|

Pps Tell ur neighbor he can't attack people with tiki torches when he is drunk next time. Those things hurt when lit and swung properly..yes even in the sac.

[atlantabbq99]

Dangit yall {lights flamethrower}...

First of all, pretty sure atlbbq totally made up atleast one-a the names of int'l guys there. Can't fool me, bro.

Next, he'll be saying we need to draft that Gesundheit kid.

Next, Colson isn't a guy you waste a draft pick on. He's smaller, slower, less lengthy and less athletic than Draymond. EZPass, despite a great college career. He should apply for another year of eligibility.

On this Trae Young cat, eh, not impressed with the 'off-balance, deeeepp 3 that happens to go in' guy. Shades of Limelo Ball imho. Kinda small too. Lookin more like Jimmer to me.

{shuts off flamethro ...wait, where's the off button ... yowch ... somebody call 911!}

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/luka-doncic
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/tryggvi-hlinason
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/dzanan-musa
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/goga-bitadze

[kg01]

Hmmm stayed for his senior year...good for him! I guess he still can be a big man at 6'5"...likes of Byron Houston mold...broke man's Barkley...

Not super athletic but knows the game well...smart player..possibly grab him with the 30th?

Don't disrespeck the memory of the late, great Barkley. He was a BEAST athletically which allowed him to be what he was at that size.

May he rest in peace.

Lmmfao...I said broke man's Barkley!!! I believe you do take a chance on a guy like him at the 30th pick..let's face it, you aren't drafting a star at the 30th, not even a STARter...so what do you want to do..draft and stash? I'm tired of doing that. How many stashes have come back to us?


Ps Heard about you lil backyard BBQ you had the other day in the sac...couple things, if ur gonna borrow my tongs please ask...same goes for when you borrow Mac's thongs...:-|

Pps Tell ur neighbor he can't attack people with tiki torches when he is drunk next time. Those things hurt when lit and swung properly..yes even in the sac.

I take a flyer on a guy like the Bell kid. Someone with linth and athleticism who you can teach the game to. The ceiling on Colson is just too low for my tastes. You can sign an UDFA that'll be as promising.

Also, if macd leaves his thongs out on the veranda to dry, seems like they're fair game for the neighborhood. I light them to ward off mosquitoes.

[atlantabbq99]

This argument about Colson is getting moronic. Colson is not a lottery pick but he is a more than decent high to mid second round pick.