NBA Draft 2018 II

[Shady Franchise]

I'm trying to figure out for the mavs if the better pick is mpj or bamba both are projects with major upside and bust potential, i think if we take mpj though we gotta move barnes dont need 2 softish forwards

Of those 2 I'd say Bamba, but I have a suspicion that they take JJJ if Young is taken in the top 4. Doncic/Ayton/Bagley/Young. Only one I see going in the top 4 besides those guys is JJJ over Bagley or Young, but of course its just a guess.

[doordoor123]

Kind of underrated aspect of Michael Porter Jr is that he might be able to be a small-ball center.

[WalterBenjamin]

Kind of underrated aspect of Michael Porter Jr is that he might be able to be a small-ball center.

If he can play D than yes. But I see his perimeter D as potentialy atrocious.

If he adds to much size I see problems. He will then be more Illyasova than Durand
With back problems he will be a Ryan Anderson Illyasova tipe of player more so than any other scenario.
Lack of ballhandling is a problem.

[daoneandonly]

Interesting who got the first 2 picks in a year where the 2 top picks are all but certain

Suns: Have Doncic's former coach and Ayton has obvious ties to AZ
Sac: Euro hotbed running the show and have Bojanovich, and have a Bahamas native who would gel with Ayton right away

[doordoor123]

Kind of underrated aspect of Michael Porter Jr is that he might be able to be a small-ball center.

If he can play D than yes. But I see his perimeter D as potentialy atrocious.

If he adds to much size I see problems. He will then be more Illyasova than Durand

From his last games in college he looked pretty good on D. Not in terms of communication because he has been out all year, but in terms of getting to the right places on the floor and shadowing guys he was defending. The question for me is turning and being able chase down guys that pass him. I actually like his defensive stance and sliding. The problem is that the NBA is a lot quicker and fast-pace. The question is if he can still defend in space.

[daoneandonly]

Ayton and Doncic are essentially locks

what about Atl? Bagley? JJJ? MPJ?
Memphis?

I'm curious where this leave the Mavs. I think bagley can essentially be ruled out, but wonder if Bamba and JJJ will be there, and if so, who the Mavs take?

[WalterBenjamin]

From his last games in college he looked pretty good on D. Not in terms of communication because he has been out all year, but in terms of getting to the right places on the floor and shadowing guys he was defending. The question for me is turning and being able chase down guys that pass him. I actually like his defensive stance and sliding. The problem is that the NBA is a lot quicker and fast-pace. The question is if he can still defend in space.

Yeah I think he won't ever be able to recover significantly after the blow by. To stiff. And people will go around him easy.
And then you don't have the size. And if u have size then he will loose all of his mobility on O.

Good thing he went vegan early May be he suprizes us.

[doordoor123]

Kind of interesting development: Minnesota has been really interested in Anfernee Simons. They’ve been all over him for a while.

[Dr Positivity]

Ayton and Doncic are essentially locks

Not sure about Doncic being a lock despite the Vlade connection. I remember in 2009 draft it was Griffin, Rubio and then everyone else, then the floor started to fall beneath Rubio and he fell to 5

[daoneandonly]

Ayton and Doncic are essentially locks

Not sure about Doncic being a lock despite the Vlade connection. I remember in 2009 draft it was Griffin, Rubio and then everyone else, then the floor started to fall beneath Rubio and he fell to 5

He should have fell more in hindsight, Curry-Harden-Griffin-DeRozan-Holiday are all better. And arguments could be made for Teague-Evans-Gibson easily.

[No-Man]

Ayton and Doncic are essentially locks

Not sure about Doncic being a lock despite the Vlade connection. I remember in 2009 draft it was Griffin, Rubio and then everyone else, then the floor started to fall beneath Rubio and he fell to 5

how is this connected at all? Rubio falling has a ton to do with other situations, such as the Thunder already having a non-shooting Guard in Westbrook, the Grizzlies ownership getting enamoured with Thabeet after his March and Rubio not coming right away first and foremost, which was known by that time and made him slide
Also Rubio not improving whatsoever as a shooter over the years

[doordoor123]

Bucks are interested in Robert Williams and Zhaire Smith. Clearly their scouts shoot for upside after Antetokounmpo.

[islanders11040]

Pretty bummed we dropped a spot. Bamba feels just out of reach now.

Would depend on the Dallas pick. Among the teams that are slotted earlier than Chicago, Dallas seems to have the highest chances of drafting a big man, IMO.

Though in contrary, I think Wendell Carter needs to come back to earth. I don't see him keeping his draft stock that high.

Max Kellerman on First Take just said Suns should contemplate Wendell Carter (& JJJ) at the #1 spot. I mean i like Carter but that sounds kinda nuts.

[Dzon Dilindzer]

Another rumor: Dzanan Musa will be a lottery pick. Also good chance Okobo is a first rounder.

are there any infos which teams like Musa (except Spurs whose GM went to Croatia to watch him closely)

[islanders11040]

Two rumors: Landry Shamet is going to have impressive athletic numbers and Donte DiVicenzo could have a really good wingspan

Two more: Kevin Knox and Zhaire Smith are jumping up the board. Both could end up late lottery picks.

Note from myself: It seems teams are going all-in on wings. Don’t be surprised if bigs fall or aren’t drafted.

Aren't these two guys already late lottery without jumping up any boards?

[Moooose]

Max Kellerman on First Take just said Suns should contemplate Wendell Carter (& JJJ) at the #1 spot. I mean i like Carter but that sounds kinda nuts.

Wow. Seriously? Even an ordinary person would see the difference between Ayton / Doncic and Carter / JJJ. Max Kellerman should stick to boxing.

[doordoor123]

Another rumor: Dzanan Musa will be a lottery pick. Also good chance Okobo is a first rounder.

are there any infos which teams like Musa (except Spurs whose GM went to Croatia to watch him closely)

In terms of the lottery I’ve heard Denver, Clippers, 76ers have some interest.

Something to look out for in general, the Clippers this year have a ton of scouts overseas.

[clyde21]

Atlanta is probably the first wildcard in the draft. I think they can go in a lot of directions: Bagley, Jackson Jr., Porter are all options for them most likely.

Personally I would go Bamba if I were them, but hey, I'm not the one getting paid the big bucks.

[Duke4life831]

Atlanta is probably the first wildcard in the draft. I think they can go in a lot of directions: Bagley, Jackson Jr., Porter are all options for them most likely.

Personally I would go Bamba if I were them, but hey, I'm not the one getting paid the big bucks.

Agreed. I think Bamba is the best fit, but do they view him on the same level as Bagley and JJJ. Also what do they do with the Schroeder situation, do they decide to trade him and just go all out in collecting assets?

Do they not fall in love with Bamba and feel like Bagley and JJJ won't fit well with Collins and feel like it might be a great opportunity to trade down and load up on a ton of talent? There are a lot of different ways they may go.

[Zukkoyaki]

I honestly think Atlanta and Memphis are going to explore trades. Outside of Doncic and Ayton, most of the next ~5 top prospects look pretty boom or bust to me (I'd say Bamba has the highest floor). Especially Memphis who would be looking at centers, point guards and a wing with injury concerns. As a fan, I wouldn't mind if they traded down because I like the middle of this draft quite a bit.

Assuming the top two go how we think and there aren't any trades, I'd say Atlanta grabs Bagley and Memphis grabs Jackson. Bagley has relatively high star potential and Collins is good but not good enough to cling hard to. Jackson is a modestly decent fit next to Gasol as a shot-blocker and he offers some decent long-term potential.