Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

Post #2781 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon May 14, 2018 5:21 pm

ESPN explores potential fit of Luka Doncic with Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks may not have the chance to draft Luka Doncic but ESPN broke down how he might look in Atlanta

Mike Schmitz of ESPN recently explored the Doncic experience and the full piece is certainly worth a read when it comes to his overall game and potential in a number of different markets.

With that said, Schmitz discussed Doncic through the fit with each lottery team and, in taking a look at the Atlanta Hawks, he sees a strong future fit alongside “building blocks” like Taurean Prince and John Collins.

Peachtree Hoops

Spoiler:

Post #2782 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon May 14, 2018 5:28 pm

Lacking the ideal backcourt mate could lead to some lumps early in Doncic’s career if he’s saddled with too much shot-creation responsibility. But with plenty of draft picks coming, the Hawks are in a solid position to add more young pieces. Finding the guard to unlock Doncic’s strengths will be key.

Any guys from this draft that seem like natural fits alongside Doncic?

I'm thinking combo guards with 3 & D potential. Someone who can take some of the playmaking burden when necessary, but can stretch the floor and keep opposing defenses honest. Also...play defense.

My list:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Lonnie Walker IV
Bruce Brown
*Shake Milton <----Added later
Aaron Holliday
Jevon Carter

Post #2783 » by **ATL Boy** » Mon May 14, 2018 5:37 pm

Tuesday night can't get here fast enough. Insane how a favorable or unfavorable bounce with the ping pong balls will affect the franchise for years to come. Tbh I hate the fact that luck has so much to do with it but that's just the way it is.

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Spud2nique · Post #2784 » by **Spud2nique** » Mon May 14, 2018 6:18 pm

This is the last CBS pre draft lottery pick and has us taking Mo Bamba if we stay at #4...I like it.

Thoughts?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-mock-draft-2018-heres-where-we-stand-before-tuesdays-lottery-sets-the-draft-order/

Post #2785 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon May 14, 2018 7:33 pm

How sweet...

Read on Twitter

Spud2nique · Post #2786 » by **Spud2nique** » Mon May 14, 2018 8:24 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:How sweet...

Read on Twitter

Can’t spare a square better spare some luck. We need it. Speaking of luck, anyone else wearing their lucky suite or gear to work tomorrow?

I’m gonna show up in a controversial Karl Malone style tight pants. F it, it’s for the Hawks! I do anything for Selena!

GO HAWKS!!!!!

DirtybirdGA · Post #2787 » by **DirtybirdGA** » Mon May 14, 2018 8:54 pm

Not really superstitious like that, no lucky draws or socks.or nothing.

Post #2788 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue May 15, 2018 1:28 pm

This kid would be a solid selection. I'm not sure if he is starting caliber player, but he's undoubtedly a rotation guard who can hit open 3s and operate effectively out of the pick and roll.

He reminds me of a shorter version of Manu Ginobili. He also could be our version of TJ McConnell.

NBA Draft 2018 scouting report: Landry Shamet

The combo guard out of Wichita State has a defined role at the NBA level.

Landry Shamet declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season (though he’s already 21 years old due to a redshirt season) and looks to be a first-round pick solidly in the range of Atlanta’s No. 19 (or No. 30) selection. Standing 6’4 with an unofficial 7’0 wingspan, Shamet projects to be an off-guard at the NBA level, a position that will complement him on both ends of the floor, as he doesn’t quite have the handle, vision, or passing to be a primary ball handler on offense nor the tremendous lateral quickness to stick to opposing point guards defensively.

Shamet had the ball in his hands a ton with the Shockers at the collegiate level, but his offensive role at the NBA level will not call upon him to be a primary creator. That should suit him just fine, as he was absolutely lethal as a spot-up threat during his sophomore season.

Shamet finished in the 99th percentile among all Division I players last season in spot-up efficiency, per Synergy. Overall, Shamet got up almost six attempts per game and ranked 13th in the country in three-point percentage at 44.2 percent. His knockdown shooting from outside is what’s keeping him in the first round on draft boards and what will keep him in rotations in the league.

Outside of his outside shot, Shamet has some potential as a secondary pick-and-roll operator. All his reps as a primary threat at Wichita State will hold him in good stead as he moves forward to the NBA level, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to develop into that primary ball handler against quicker and stronger defenders. His length and height help him to find passes smaller players cannot, but he lacks advanced handle and shake to really make it work as an every-possession point guard.

At just 188 pounds, Shamet will have to get stronger to defend his position at the NBA level, but with growth he should do well enough defensively. He didn’t get knocked around too much at the collegiate level, but 2 guards are a lot bigger in the NBA than.

He’s not a flashy pick with a ton of upside, but with a mid-first like the No. 19 overall pick, Shamet’s looks to be a good player with a well-defined role in the league.

Peachtree Hoops

Post #2789 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:00 pm

Read on Twitter

The Hawks hold a 13.1 percent chance of winning the draft lottery, which will be held tonight. Should the ping-pong balls align, I’d say Deandre Ayton has a 70 percent chance of being their No. 1 pick. Yes, the NBA keeps getting smaller, but this is still basketball. Having a good big man is never a bad place to begin.

As Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk noted Monday, recent impact draftees have been wings. (Boston has two in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.)

Spud2nique · Post #2790 » by **Spud2nique** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:01 pm

The odds for us once again...

1st: 13.7%
2nd: 14.2%
3rd: 14.5%
4th: 8.5%
5th: 32.3%
6th: 15.5%
7th: 1.3%

Post #2791 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:07 pm

Who is Luka Doncic? Scouting one of the draft's top prospects

What makes Real Madrid's Luka Doncic, one of the likely top picks in the 2018 NBA Draft, such a fascinating player? According to former coach and ESPN international guru Fran Fraschilla, the wünderkind has already proven himself at a high level.

“Let’s put it into perspective: In the EuroLeague, roughly 25 percent of the players are former first- and second-round picks,” Fraschilla told 247Sports. “And at 19 years old, Luka Doncic is one of the five most productive players in the league.

Fraschilla said that the best EuroLeague team would likely beat a team like NCAA Champion Villanova by 30 points. He compared top college basketball leagues like the Big 12 and ACC to Double-A baseball, while EuroLeague would be similar to Triple-A.

“So unlike a kid in college who is playing against very few future NBA Draft picks,” Fraschilla said. “Doncic is performing at a very high level at a very early age.”

“He’s not going to be the greatest player ever to come out fo Europe. He’s not going to be the most accomplished player ever to come out of Europe. He’s not going to pass what Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol did, or what somebody like the Greek Freak [Giannis Antetokounmpo] is doing,” Fraschilla said. “Having said that, his body of work at his age surpasses those great NBA players at the same stage of their careers.

Fraschilla said. “You look at Doncic, on good teams, he would be a key figure. He’s a glue guy extraordinaire who makes the game easy for his teammates.”

So what does Doncic bring? First off, forget the notion that Doncic is a point guard, as Fraschilla said NBA teams evaluate a player’s position by who he can guard. And while the 6-foot-8 Doncic can handle and create, teams won’t put him in positions to defend the league’s point guard talent on a night-in, night-out basis.

“What he is, he’s a play-making small forward, a bit of a combination of Gordon Hayward or Manu Ginobili — that’s what he could evolve into some day,” Fraschilla said. “He’s 6-foot-8, he has a great sturdiness to him, his skill level is high and he has to make some minor tweaks to his shooting, which is why he consistently shoots 33, 34 percent, which is average at best."

247 Sports

King Ken · Post #2792 » by **King Ken** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:09 pm

Spud2nique wrote:This is the last CBS pre draft lottery pick and has us taking Mo Bamba if we stay at #4...I like it.

Thoughts?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-mock-draft-2018-heres-where-we-stand-before-tuesdays-lottery-sets-the-draft-order/

Love it if we are 4

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Spud2nique · Post #2793 » by **Spud2nique** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:14 pm

King Ken wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:This is the last CBS pre draft lottery pick and has us taking Mo Bamba if we stay at #4...I like it.

Thoughts?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-mock-draft-2018-heres-where-we-stand-before-tuesdays-lottery-sets-the-draft-order/
Love it if we are 4

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Is there a part of any of you that doesn’t want to be #1 as a Hawks fan? I just don’t want us to get it, screw it up, and people talk about it like cp3 for a decade or more.

King Ken · Post #2794 » by **King Ken** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:15 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Who is Luka Doncic? Scouting one of the draft's top prospects

What makes Real Madrid's Luka Doncic, one of the likely top picks in the 2018 NBA Draft, such a fascinating player? According to former coach and ESPN international guru Fran Fraschilla, the wünderkind has already proven himself at a high level.

“Let’s put it into perspective: In the EuroLeague, roughly 25 percent of the players are former first- and second-round picks,” Fraschilla told 247Sports. “And at 19 years old, Luka Doncic is one of the five most productive players in the league.

Fraschilla said that the best EuroLeague team would likely beat a team like NCAA Champion Villanova by 30 points. He compared top college basketball leagues like the Big 12 and ACC to Double-A baseball, while EuroLeague would be similar to Triple-A.

“So unlike a kid in college who is playing against very few future NBA Draft picks,” Fraschilla said. “Doncic is performing at a very high level at a very early age.”

“He’s not going to be the greatest player ever to come out fo Europe. He’s not going to be the most accomplished player ever to come out of Europe. He’s not going to pass what Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol did, or what somebody like the Greek Freak [Giannis Antetokounmpo] is doing,” Fraschilla said. “Having said that, his body of work at his age surpasses those great NBA players at the same stage of their careers.

Fraschilla said. “You look at Doncic, on good teams, he would be a key figure. He’s a glue guy extraordinaire who makes the game easy for his teammates.”

So what does Doncic bring? First off, forget the notion that Doncic is a point guard, as Fraschilla said NBA teams evaluate a player’s position by who he can guard. And while the 6-foot-8 Doncic can handle and create, teams won’t put him in positions to defend the league’s point guard talent on a night-in, night-out basis.

“What he is, he’s a play-making small forward, a bit of a combination of Gordon Hayward or Manu Ginobili — that’s what he could evolve into some day,” Fraschilla said. “He’s 6-foot-8, he has a great sturdiness to him, his skill level is high and he has to make some minor tweaks to his shooting, which is why he consistently shoots 33, 34 percent, which is average at best."

247 Sports

This is exactly what I think Doncic is why hes #4 on board behind Bagley, Ayton and Bamba. Hes only ahead of Porter Jr due to his back status.

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King Ken · Post #2795 » by **King Ken** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:16 pm

Spud2nique wrote:
King Ken wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:This is the last CBS pre draft lottery pick and has us taking Mo Bamba if we stay at #4...I like it.

Thoughts?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-mock-draft-2018-heres-where-we-stand-before-tuesdays-lottery-sets-the-draft-order/
Love it if we are 4

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Is there a part of any of you that doesn’t want to be #1 as a Hawks fan? I just don’t want us to get it, screw it up, and people talk about it like cp3 for a decade or more.

We are all in the same boat. This draft pick is extremely critical. We need this one to work.

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kg01 · Post #2796 » by **kg01** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:47 pm

Spud2nique wrote:
King Ken wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:This is the last CBS pre draft lottery pick and has us taking Mo Bamba if we stay at #4...I like it.

Thoughts?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-mock-draft-2018-heres-where-we-stand-before-tuesdays-lottery-sets-the-draft-order/
Love it if we are 4

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Is there a part of any of you that doesn’t want to be #1 as a Hawks fan? I just don’t want us to get it, screw it up, and people talk about it like cp3 for a decade or more.

The trepidation I have with us getting the top pick has nothing to do with us, per se. It has everything to do with the fact that there's no player that's head-and-shoulders over any other guy.

To me, that means it's quite likely that the 3rd, 6th, 7th even lower pick could end up being as impactful and it won't really even mean we would've gotten the pick 'wrong'. It just means success/failure is dependent on factors no one can control or foresee at this time.

That means KingSupes is right. Getting it 'right' is the only thing we need to worry about. It also means I'm not gonna get all hot 'n bothered if we don't end up with the top pick.

tbhawksfan1 · Post #2797 » by **tbhawksfan1** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:54 pm

get what you get and don't pitch a fit. Can't fight ping pong balls. The key is to make sure your guy is better than all picked after

Post #2798 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue May 15, 2018 3:59 pm

Spud2nique wrote:Is there a part of any of you that doesn’t want to be #1 as a Hawks fan? I just don’t want us to get it, screw it up, and people talk about it like cp3 for a decade or more.

I most certainly do. D Ayton is easily the most talented player this year...and maybe last.

But I don't trust him to lead a franchise. He reminds me of Embiid a bit, in that he has the talent, but not necessarily the mental toughness to be in the limelight.

Call it Michael Vick Syndrome.

And Luka is coming over with a target on his back -- and not for anything he's done.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If we fall to #5 or later, I believe we can still get an elite player, the same way GSW was built on guys drafted later in the lottery.

MIkal Bridges and/or Wendell Carter would be worthy consolation prizes for us.

Post #2799 » by **dms269** » Tue May 15, 2018 4:02 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:Wendell Carter would be worthy consolation prizes for us.

But Momma says...

Spud2nique · Post #2800 » by **Spud2nique** » Tue May 15, 2018 4:04 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:Is there a part of any of you that doesn’t want to be #1 as a Hawks fan? I just don’t want us to get it, screw it up, and people talk about it like cp3 for a decade or more.

I most certainly do. D Ayton is easily the most talented player this year...and maybe last.

But I don't trust him to lead a franchise. He reminds me of Embiid a bit, in that he has the talent, but not necessarily the mental toughness to be in the limelight.

Call it Michael Vick Syndrome.

And Luka is coming over with a target on his back -- and not for anything he's done.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If we fall to #5 or later, I believe we can still get an elite player, the same way GSW was built on guys drafted later in the lottery.

MIkal Bridges and/or Wendell Carter would be worthy consolation prizes for us.

You know I gotta like that! My boy and ur boy! Although I must say I liked my boy Mikal better with Bud but I still like him a lot.

Are you happy with the draft?