2017-2018 College Basketball / '18 NBA Draft Thread

[76ciology]

Why is nobody talking how bad this 2018 draft is? I feel like BC and Ainge knew about this.

I also feel like everybody is caught up with the hype on Trae Young, Bagley and Ayton. Sucks to end up with either one of those guys with a top 5 pick. Funny thing is all three fits the type of player Kings is used to get LOL

I hope Kings get an impact guy in 2018. I'll be rooting for them to do well in this draft

[NBA Fan 1234]

Keita Bates-Diop could be an option with a later first round pick. Would be an awesome fit in the same way Mikal would be.

[Negrodamus]

Man WKU would have been a decent tournament team if Mitchell Robinson stayed committed there.

[Negrodamus]

I'm pretty sure it was Kobble who was outspoken about not liking De'Anthony Melton, but I kinda like him if you're expectations aren't too high (combo guard off the bench). His shot looks nice despite being pretty mediocre from three last year. It's quick and has a nice form. His real value is jumping passing lanes. Looks pretty good moving without the ball. I'd give him a shot in the second round.

[PLO]

I'm pretty sure it was Kobble who was outspoken about not liking De'Anthony Melton, but I kinda like him if you're expectations aren't too high (combo guard off the bench). His shot looks nice despite being pretty mediocre from three last year. It's quick and has a nice form. His real value is jumping passing lanes. Looks pretty good moving without the ball. I'd give him a shot in the second round.

I reckon he'll be gone by that point. He was seen by many as a lottery guy coming into this season so he'll likely go in the first round; I think we'd have to use our own first rounder to get him.

[Negrodamus]

I'm pretty sure it was Kobble who was outspoken about not liking De'Anthony Melton, but I kinda like him if you're expectations aren't too high (combo guard off the bench). His shot looks nice despite being pretty mediocre from three last year. It's quick and has a nice form. His real value is jumping passing lanes. Looks pretty good moving without the ball. I'd give him a shot in the second round.

I reckon he'll be gone by that point. He was seen by many as a lottery guy coming into this season so he'll likely go in the first round; I think we'd have to use our own first rounder to get him.

You’re probably right. I’m just putting my valuation on him. Similar to how I’d take Knox if he was available at our pick, but no way at the Lakers pick.

[Mik317]

Why is nobody talking how bad this 2018 draft is? I feel like BC and Ainge knew about this.

I also feel like everybody is caught up with the hype on Trae Young, Bagley and Ayton. Sucks to end up with either one of those guys with a top 5 pick. Funny thing is all three fits the type of player Kings is used to get LOL

I hope Kings get an impact guy in 2018. I'll be rooting for them to do well in this draft

i wouldn't say its bad but I can definately say I wonder about how "great" any of these guys may be. I see a bunch of good to really good type guys but nothing I'd kill myself to tank for, y'kno? I am no expert (far **** from it based off my previous draft takes) but still I am glad we are good now and don't have to rely on getting a top pick THIS year.

Like, Ayton; he has all the tools, the body, the frame, and damn near everything you want out of a modern bigman...but I wonder if he has the juice to be "build my team around" good. I want to blame Sean Miller for playing him out of position a bit or the Ben Simmons "he gave no ****" reasoning but I also saw someone who could easily just skate by on his natural ability and thats it. I think I called him the Wiggins of Bigmen (and I am still an irrational Wiggins stan) a few weeks back and yeah its a weird repeat of Wiggins. Or he'll be Andre Drummond good....a damn good player (especially now he has to give a **** or else Embiid will roast him) but to tank heavily for idk.

Bagley seems like a guy who will eat off of rebounding and PNR dunks...but I think he does a lot of the same **** John Collins does...nice stuff but not franchise altering. I lowkey think Trey Young kinda sucks. People want to run to the Curry comp but Curry seems like he's much bigger (of course he was much older and dat NBA training solves a lot), faster and has better handle than him. Curry was also elite at finishing...and Curry range didn't become a thing until he fully arrived which could be a case of not getting the keys ASAP like Trey sadly probably will. Lonzo also shows us what all that bad shot selection ends up looking like in the NBA...plus the "next ____" guys tend to never pan out ...remember all the next AIs? Or the next T-Macs? What about the next Dirk? Every draft yo.

Even the guys I like a lot (Mikal Bridges, Shai, Smith), I think max out as really dang good starters...at best. As of right now, the only guy I could see having true star power is Doncic..and thats mainly due to lack of knowledge on him and the fact that story seems like it is pre-ordained y'know? EuroLeague Star to NBA star seems like a cool ass story. Plus he is a shot creator type....but then again the euro wing guys kinda have flamed out (Exum, Mario...and probably Frank)...with the the only success from that group being ...Dario lol.

Its just a weird draft all around for me....which could be chalked up to us not being in it so I don't have to hype up guys beyond what they truly are for once.

But again...some GMs are going to make some choices that get them fired and probably blackballed from the league lol.

[Negrodamus]

I actually think this draft is great depth wise. The top players are a bit shaky, but if you need size, this is the draft for you. I think that benefits us in a sense because we are right outside of where all the big men are going to fall, so we will get a need and BPA.

I love the second round in this draft so far. Great potential. I’m excited to see who else declares.

[mithrandir17]

Are Miles and Mikal Bridges brothers or they just have the same last names?

[PLO]

Are Miles and Mikal Bridges brothers or they just have the same last names?

Not related, same last names - The Athletic has a very good article on Mikal Bridges and his mother in recent days. She actually has quite a bit to do with the 76ers in her role as a business executive, a job she worked her way towards while raising Mikal. Just quietly she's not that hard on the eye either.

[PLO]

I actually think this draft is great depth wise. The top players are a bit shaky, but if you need size, this is the draft for you. I think that benefits us in a sense because we are right outside of where all the big men are going to fall, so we will get a need and BPA.

I love the second round in this draft so far. Great potential. I’m excited to see who else declares.

I couldn't agree more, this is a deep draft - I just wonder what will happen with our second rounders given we just flat out don't have the roster space. It really sucks passing on a very good talent then watching that player lighting it up elsewhere in the NBA.

The only thing overall I don't like about this draft is that the game is moving away from pure 5s - that's one of the reasons why I'm down on Bamba as a top 5 player, and like you say there are a LOT of very good big men in this draft. Defense is the most important skill for a 5 but its the 5s with legit offensive skills that I like best in this draft - guys especially that project to have good shooting so you can possibly play them as fours in some lineups - guys like Jontay, JJJ, Wendell Carter. We've seen in playoffs pure defence will only get you so far in playoffs (remember Steph Curry just totally pawning Gobert, arguably the best defensive player in the league, in last years conference semis).

This draft is also deep at guard and wings, like there's no real incredible top end talent but there will be players picked in the second round that will be very good rotation players in time, and even the first players picked at those positions could well end up perennial All Stars if things break their way. Like we currently have talk of Michael Porter falling to the back end of the top 10, and this time last year basically every scout in the country was talking of him as the next generational player given his awesome scoring skillset and the fact he crushed everything in his path en route to being proclaimed as the top prospect entering college.

[PLO]

Also, like Negrodamus says, the top guys are "a bit shaky" but that doesn't mean they aren't top-end talent. Not all of them will work out and who drafts them will have a big say in that, but that doesn't mean they aren't top 10 players going into the draft.

People are down on Trae Young but he's broken a lot of records this season, overall he's a ridiculously good prospect. Ayton is also a bit nit-picked, as is Bagley. We have to remember there were a sizeable number of people who thought Ben Simmons would be a relative bust in the NBA going into his draft if he was selected number one. Well, the main thing that is bad about Simmons has proven to be true, namely he can't shoot, but because he's so awesomely talented, and also very importantly has been played at point guard by the excellent Brett Brown, that fact has barely mattered to his record-breaking output this season.

[Slacktard]

Why is nobody talking how bad this 2018 draft is? I feel like BC and Ainge knew about this.

This is literally EVERY SINGLE DRAFT for years now. Online sites hype up high school kids for years and the 'next draft' is going to be the best since LeBron/Melo/Wade/etc... in 2003. Then these kids play in college and the shine fades a bit, flaws are seen and focused on and then people shift their focus to the next year.

Second verse, same as the first. ad infinitum

[No-Man]

I actually think this draft is great depth wise. The top players are a bit shaky, but if you need size, this is the draft for you. I think that benefits us in a sense because we are right outside of where all the big men are going to fall, so we will get a need and BPA.

I love the second round in this draft so far. Great potential. I’m excited to see who else declares.

I think you are anticipating a bunch of guys declaring that will go back

my feel is that this draft has a strong top8 or so, and then the depth is going to be pretty subpar, and next year is the other way around, not strong at the top with real doubts about any prospect been a legit nº1 guy, and a ton of depth because a bunch of guys won't declare this year and will be there next season, also another loaded Senior class probably

[Wilfried]

I agree with some people here that say we should take the player with the highest upside. We can fill out our roster next drafts with our picks in the high 20's.

Looking at our roster, we should acknowledge that we are pretty thin at center, behind Joel (and Amir being a FA this summer). Therefore I would go for a big, while this draft has some intriguing potential at that position.

I'm intruiged about Jontay Porter, but don't know much about him. He's very young, seems to have range and ability to play 4 and 5.

He could grow behind Joel and in the future, could be a part-time 4 maybe and an insurrance when Joel gets hurt (or misses games from time to time because of load management).

Or do you guys 10 is to high for Porter or see other prospects that are better than Porter at that position?

[Kolkmania]

I agree with some people here that say we should take the player with the highest upside. We can fill out our roster next drafts with our picks in the high 20's.

Looking at our roster, we should acknowledge that we are pretty thin at center, behind Joel (and Amir being a FA this summer). Therefore I would go for a big, while this draft has some intriguing potential at that position.

I'm intruiged about Jontay Porter, but don't know much about him. He's very young, seems to have range and ability to play 4 and 5.

He could grow behind Joel and in the future, could be a part-time 4 maybe and an insurrance when Joel gets hurt (or misses games from time to time because of load management).

Or do you guys 10 is to high for Porter or see other prospects that are better than Porter at that position?

If you want to go for upside then don't settle for a specific position. Also, it's damn hard to determine who has the highest upside. Mikal Bridges is considered as a safe option with a high floor, but when I see this guy shooting off the dribble and screens this year, he might have Paul George-lite potential. Progress isn't linear (Hi Sam!) and therefore some players have a steeper developmental curve at an older age.

Haven't seen too much of Jontay Porter, but with his lateral quickness I'd bet against him becoming a decent 4.

One thing to consider is the importance of playing time. I can understand the admiration of Zhaire Smith, but if he can't hit threes he won't see the floor next year for extended minutes. With Mikal Bridges you'll know he'll contribute as a floor spacer and a solid defensive piece and therefore he'll get plenty of minutes.

[PLO]

I actually think this draft is great depth wise. The top players are a bit shaky, but if you need size, this is the draft for you. I think that benefits us in a sense because we are right outside of where all the big men are going to fall, so we will get a need and BPA.

I love the second round in this draft so far. Great potential. I’m excited to see who else declares.

I think you are anticipating a bunch of guys declaring that will go back

my feel is that this draft has a strong top8 or so, and then the depth is going to be pretty subpar, and next year is the other way around, not strong at the top with real doubts about any prospect been a legit nº1 guy, and a ton of depth because a bunch of guys won't declare this year and will be there next season, also another loaded Senior class probably

I can't really comment on next years draft because I haven't seen enough of those prospects but I really like this draft for depth as I said above, but I respect your opinion. The only guy I really wanted a shot at with one of our picks (touch wood we snag the Lakers pick) who likely won't declare is Hunter, maybe also Smith and Tillie.

As Negrodamus said above there are some excellent talents who would go top 10 in other drafts who will be pushed down because of the "consensus" top 8; the space between Lakers pick and ours will be fat with some good upside complimentary players you wont normally find in other drafts. Even better that's exactly what we are after in terms of our roster given we already have franchise-altering talent.

What's your view on potential Euro stash candidates? Should we get after guys like Okobo or Bitadze with our second rounders? Anyone else worth a second round stash spot in Europe?

[PLO]

Thing is with Jontay while he's not morbidly obese he does look like he's eaten too many burgers. I'll be interested to see what he becomes after time in an NBA level strength and conditioning program.

[No-Man]

I actually think this draft is great depth wise. The top players are a bit shaky, but if you need size, this is the draft for you. I think that benefits us in a sense because we are right outside of where all the big men are going to fall, so we will get a need and BPA.

I love the second round in this draft so far. Great potential. I’m excited to see who else declares.

I think you are anticipating a bunch of guys declaring that will go back

my feel is that this draft has a strong top8 or so, and then the depth is going to be pretty subpar, and next year is the other way around, not strong at the top with real doubts about any prospect been a legit nº1 guy, and a ton of depth because a bunch of guys won't declare this year and will be there next season, also another loaded Senior class probably

I can't really comment on next years draft because I haven't seen enough of those prospects but I really like this draft for depth as I said above, but I respect your opinion. The only guy I really wanted a shot at with one of our picks (touch wood we snag the Lakers pick) who likely won't declare is Hunter, maybe also Smith and Tillie.

As Negrodamus said above there are some excellent talents who would go top 10 in other drafts who will be pushed down because of the "consensus" top 8; the space between Lakers pick and ours will be fat with some good upside complimentary players you wont normally find in other drafts. Even better that's exactly what we are after in terms of our roster given we already have franchise-altering talent.

What's your view on potential Euro stash candidates? Should we get after guys like Okobo or Bitadze with our second rounders? Anyone else worth a second round stash spot in Europe?

who are those top10 talents? I don't see any

Also, yes on Okobo, and I think he goes 1st, Bitadze is a bit like a non-athletic Nurkic, not sure what to make of him really, he is productive to be sure, probably a back-up type, I liked Zubac more

Depends entirely on who declares, I like a few guys but still early

[PLO]

I think you are anticipating a bunch of guys declaring that will go back

my feel is that this draft has a strong top8 or so, and then the depth is going to be pretty subpar, and next year is the other way around, not strong at the top with real doubts about any prospect been a legit nº1 guy, and a ton of depth because a bunch of guys won't declare this year and will be there next season, also another loaded Senior class probably

I can't really comment on next years draft because I haven't seen enough of those prospects but I really like this draft for depth as I said above, but I respect your opinion. The only guy I really wanted a shot at with one of our picks (touch wood we snag the Lakers pick) who likely won't declare is Hunter, maybe also Smith and Tillie.

As Negrodamus said above there are some excellent talents who would go top 10 in other drafts who will be pushed down because of the "consensus" top 8; the space between Lakers pick and ours will be fat with some good upside complimentary players you wont normally find in other drafts. Even better that's exactly what we are after in terms of our roster given we already have franchise-altering talent.

What's your view on potential Euro stash candidates? Should we get after guys like Okobo or Bitadze with our second rounders? Anyone else worth a second round stash spot in Europe?

who are those top10 talents? I don't see any

Also, yes on Okobo, and I think he goes 1st, Bitadze is a bit like a non-athletic Nurkic, not sure what to make of him really, he is productive to be sure, probably a back-up type, I liked Zubac more

Depends entirely on who declares, I like a few guys but still early

Thon Maker goes top 10 in 2016, was he a better prospect than what Mitchell Robinson is now? Would you take prospect Nik Stauskas over prospect Miles Bridges? What about Shai over Stanley Johnson?