NBA Draft and NCAA Basketball

[bwgood77]

I'm sceptical with Doncic.

Skills and talent is there.. But the hunger and competitive nature?... Will it carry over to the NBA or will he Bender out... As in be passive and just be happy to be in the NBA.

You need that confidence and passion. Its what determines development and learning rate.

Hunger and competitive nature? I'm far more worried about that with a guy like Ayton than with Doncic. Doncic/Bender comparison is not a good one. Doncic was THE main guy to lead his team to the eurocup championship as an 18 year old or whatever. Bender was on a much worse team and barely got off the bench...when he did he was passive.

I would put his competitive nature above everyone's in the draft. He doesn't get where he is without it. Bagley is probably second in that respect.

You have to worry about competitive nature with bigs more because they haven't had to work as hard for it. I don't think Ayton and Bamba particularly have the type of competitive nature that Doncic or Bagley do, despite their physical gifts.

[sunsbg]

I'm sceptical with Doncic.

Skills and talent is there.. But the hunger and competitive nature?... Will it carry over to the NBA or will he Bender out... As in be passive and just be happy to be in the NBA.

You need that confidence and passion. Its what determines development and learning rate.

You are the first one to question his competitiveness and passion in 70 pages(and probably the Internet). Comparing him to Bender in this regard is an insult to Doncic and his achievements so far.

[thamadkant]

I'm sceptical with Doncic.

Skills and talent is there.. But the hunger and competitive nature?... Will it carry over to the NBA or will he Bender out... As in be passive and just be happy to be in the NBA.

You need that confidence and passion. Its what determines development and learning rate.

You are the first one to question his competitiveness and passion in 70 pages(and probably the Internet). Comparing him to Bender in this regard is an insult to Doncic and his achievements so far.

I am.


Once someone becomes super rich or made it to the big leagues. They tend to get complacent.
It's rare. But it does happen.

The interview process that the Suns do...Will determine that. What we see in highlights and stuff are just that. A proper interview where their motivations are unveiled will help a lot.

Look at Hezonja as well... Showed hunger in Europe but demotivated right now because he doesn't get much minutes or a role in the team.

[sunsbg]

I'm sceptical with Doncic.

Skills and talent is there.. But the hunger and competitive nature?... Will it carry over to the NBA or will he Bender out... As in be passive and just be happy to be in the NBA.

You need that confidence and passion. Its what determines development and learning rate.

You are the first one to question his competitiveness and passion in 70 pages(and probably the Internet). Comparing him to Bender in this regard is an insult to Doncic and his achievements so far.

I am.


Once someone becomes super rich or made it to the big leagues. They tend to get complacent.
It's rare. But it does happen.

The interview process that the Suns do...Will determine that. What we see in highlights and stuff are just that. A proper interview where their motivations are unveiled will help a lot.

Look at Hezonja as well... Showed hunger in Europe but demotivated right now because he doesn't get much minutes or a role in the team.

And all of this applies only to Doncic and euros ? You need to watch him in a few games, not only highlights. He has all the passion.

[gaspar]

I'm sceptical with Doncic.

Skills and talent is there.. But the hunger and competitive nature?... Will it carry over to the NBA or will he Bender out... As in be passive and just be happy to be in the NBA.

You need that confidence and passion. Its what determines development and learning rate.

You are the first one to question his competitiveness and passion in 70 pages(and probably the Internet). Comparing him to Bender in this regard is an insult to Doncic and his achievements so far.

That's a personal attack and we won't tolerate this on the boards

-LF22

[Mulhollanddrive]

Doncic big issue will be creating good shots for himself I find it hard to see him averaging 20 points.

My vote would be 1. Young 2. Ayton 3. Doncic

[MrMiyagi]

I believe both Young and Ayton will be better in the NBA. If we can walk away from this draft with either one I'll be incredibly happy, but I won't lie, I want Ayton a little bit more.

So suns need top 2 pick pretty much!


If Suns finish outside top 4... And Michael Porter is there. Take the chance?

I don't know much about Porter. I know he was highly touted coming into college, but I don't feel confident enough to give an opinion.

[MrMiyagi]

Doncic big issue will be creating good shots for himself I find it hard to see him averaging 20 points.

My vote would be 1. Young 2. Ayton 3. Doncic

I'd like to see some full games of Doncic, but from highlights he seems to have a pretty well-rounded skill set. He can handle, pass, get to and finish at the rim. His shot looks good, though his 3pt% isn't great. High FT% gives some hope that the 3 will develop. He might be #3, but I still need to see some more of the other top prospects.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I'm sceptical with Doncic.

Skills and talent is there.. But the hunger and competitive nature?... Will it carry over to the NBA or will he Bender out... As in be passive and just be happy to be in the NBA.

You need that confidence and passion. Its what determines development and learning rate.

You are the first one to question his competitiveness and passion in 70 pages(and probably the Internet). Comparing him to Bender in this regard is an insult to Doncic and his achievements so far.

I am.


Once someone becomes super rich or made it to the big leagues. They tend to get complacent.
It's rare. But it does happen.

The interview process that the Suns do...Will determine that. What we see in highlights and stuff are just that. A proper interview where their motivations are unveiled will help a lot.

Look at Hezonja as well... Showed hunger in Europe but demotivated right now because he doesn't get much minutes or a role in the team.

Hezonja was always thought of as kind of a punk. I heard a lot of Euro JR Smith comps when he was coming out.


I think people are underselling just how highly regarded of a prospect Doncic is; he's the best Euro prospect maybe ever. I'm not saying he'll be the best Euro ever but no one has been this good this young over there. I bet if you asked 10 GM's who they would take between him and Young all 10 would say Doncic.

[Walt_Uoob]

Watched some of that UA game last night and I was encouraged by Ayton's defense. He seemed willing and eager to play solid D, but maybe actually a bit too eager to switch on everything on the perimeter, as he'd end up lost and get blown by. That seems like an issue that can be helped a lot with good coaching and experience. A season learning from Chandler could be great for him.

At this point my tiers for our first pick are:
Thrilled with: Ayton/Doncic/JJJ
Cautiously excited about: Young/Porter/Bamba/Bagley
Will have to be talked into: anyone else.

[ATTL]

Is everyone assuming doncic will be playing and defending point guards for us? Or are we trading TJ and JJ or putting them on the bench?

[WeekapaugGroove]

Is everyone assuming doncic will be playing and defending point guards for us? Or are we trading TJ and JJ or putting them on the bench?

I'd try him at pg along side booker and let them split some of those duties on o. Defensively its a question that probably won't be answered until you see it in action. JJ might be best along side these two because he has the best chance to guard 1s.

[sunsbg]

Is everyone assuming doncic will be playing and defending point guards for us? Or are we trading TJ and JJ or putting them on the bench?

I'd try him at pg along side booker and let them split some of those duties on o. Defensively its a question that probably won't be answered until you see it in action. JJ might be best along side these two because he has the best chance to guard 1s.

This. There is no way to know how Doncic will look defensively against quick guards, but at least he offers versatility - he can post shorter PGs all day on the offensive end. What happens if Young is a really bad defender and his offense doesn't translate that well to the pros ? Also having JJ to defend PGs, like Mitchell the first minutes vs Jazz, will really help as Doncic will move to the SF position on defense.

[Blonde]

Jeff Goodman reported today that Porter thinks he'll be back on the court before the NCAA tournament. Would be great to see him in action, though I think people in his camp might advise him to take the season off. I'm so excited about this guy as a prospect and would hate to see the Suns pass over him if picking at 4. To me that's where the top tier falls off.

One thing to consider is that he could control where he wants to go by declining to give his medical information to some of the top teams. I'd hate for him to look at our situation at forward and instead force himself somewhere else, like Dunn did with Minnesota. Booker/Jackson/Porter could be the best wing trio in the league in time.

[offset]

Jeff Goodman reported today that Porter thinks he'll be back on the court before the NCAA tournament. Would be great to see him in action, though I think people in his camp might advise him to take the season off. I'm so excited about this guy as a prospect and would hate to see the Suns pass over him if picking at 4. To me that's where the top tier falls off.

One thing to consider is that he could control where he wants to go by declining to give his medical information to some of the top teams. I'd hate for him to look at our situation at forward and instead force himself somewhere else, like Dunn did with Minnesota. Booker/Jackson/Porter could be the best wing trio in the league in time.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22384030/missouri-tigers-freshman-michael-porter-jr-hopeful-returning-season

[bwgood77]

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[Walt_Uoob]

More and more the guy I really want most out of this draft is Jaren Jackson Jr. I don't know if he's worth the #1 pick, but I just have so little doubt about his fit or his floor. That prime Ibaka comparison seems spot-on and so enticing. The spacing he could provide from the 5 would fit so well with TJ and even make it easier to keep someone like EP around. If we get the top pick I'd definitely listen to offers from teams in that 3-6 range where JJJ is currently slated to go, and if we land in that range and nab him I won't be upset about missing out on Ayton/Doncic/Young.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I love JJJ and I bet he goes ahead of Bamba and Bagley. He's such a modern fit type guy and is producing in college.

Porter is the real wild card in that top 7. He might have the most pure 'star' potential of anyone in this draft. He's the toughest fit for the suns because they would absolutely need to move at least one of the forwards. The suns aren't in a position to draft for need they need the best possible player so if they feel it's Porter you take him and figure it out with trades after the draft.

[WeekapaugGroove]

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