2018 NBA Draft Thread

[BuildingBucks]

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Mitchell Robinson was the player I wanted to see most, at the moment I want the Bucks to stay away from him but had he impressed at the combine I might've changed my mind. Hopefully the Bucks bring him in for a workout.

[LuessiT]

Yeah, you roll the dice on Zhaire Smith if he's there at #17. Him and Diallo are the most athletic perimeter prospects in this draft, but unlike Diallo, his jumper doesn't look completely broken.

Also while Diallo has the potential to be a pretty good defender, he's a really bad defender right now. Different story with Zhaire.

[LuessiT]

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[msiris]

With Jontay, you have to appreciate that he reclassified and played his first game at Missouri at 17 years old. He'll be almost as young as Giannis was when we drafted him. At 6-11, 240, he produced at a high level for his minutes load in the SEC. For a non-elite prospect, I think he's as much of a sure thing as they come.

The comparisons to DJ are laughable when they play different positions, have totally different games, and Jontay will be 3 years and 9 months younger than DJ when they were drafted. When DJ was Jontay's age he was some 3 star HS player.

I was not comparing him to DJ Wilson as a position player. Jontay was not that productive in college. I am looking for guys who were productive and fall like John Collins.

[Badgerlander]

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[emunney]

With Jontay, you have to appreciate that he reclassified and played his first game at Missouri at 17 years old. He'll be almost as young as Giannis was when we drafted him. At 6-11, 240, he produced at a high level for his minutes load in the SEC. For a non-elite prospect, I think he's as much of a sure thing as they come.

The comparisons to DJ are laughable when they play different positions, have totally different games, and Jontay will be 3 years and 9 months younger than DJ when they were drafted. When DJ was Jontay's age he was some 3 star HS player.

I was not comparing him to DJ Wilson as a position player. Jontay was not that productive in college. I am looking for guys who were productive and fall like John Collins.

Nobody in college basketball this season was as boxscore productive as John Collins was last year on a per minute basis. Porter was a good player and outstanding for a young freshman.

[msiris]

The comparisons to DJ are laughable when they play different positions, have totally different games, and Jontay will be 3 years and 9 months younger than DJ when they were drafted. When DJ was Jontay's age he was some 3 star HS player.

I was not comparing him to DJ Wilson as a position player. Jontay was not that productive in college. I am looking for guys who were productive and fall like John Collins.

Nobody in college basketball this season was as boxscore productive as John Collins was last year on a per minute basis. Porter was a good player and outstanding for a young freshman.

Weaknesses: Somewhat unproven compared to other prospects who "proved it" for a longer period of time and with more consistency ... Had a very solid end to the season but some wonder whether he's capable of playing at a high level with competitiveness night in and night out, as he excelled in spurts ... Not a high level run/jump athlete ... Lacks vertical pop and burst … Adding muscle/physical improvement will help him reach his full potential as a player … As of now, he does not have the strength of a typical NBA center … Isn’t physical … Inconsistent in games… Good offensive player but he’s not elite in any particular area … Needs to continue to add consistency to his perimeter game … Post game should develop over time, but is not currently a strength ... Must improve his low post game, becoming more adept at sealing opponents and utilizing drop steps and pump fakes … There’s questions about his ability to create and finish against NBA quickness/athleticism ... Streaky shooter…
Has lapses on the defensive end …to work on lateral quickness … Stuck in between positions defensively, being too slow for a four and too small for the five at the NBA level … Could be a matchup dependent player…Turnover and foul prone … Gets caught trying to do too much with the ball. Screams tweener..

[msiris]

The comparisons to DJ are laughable when they play different positions, have totally different games, and Jontay will be 3 years and 9 months younger than DJ when they were drafted. When DJ was Jontay's age he was some 3 star HS player.

I was not comparing him to DJ Wilson as a position player. Jontay was not that productive in college. I am looking for guys who were productive and fall like John Collins.

Nobody in college basketball this season was as boxscore productive as John Collins was last year on a per minute basis. Porter was a good player and outstanding for a young freshman.

Keita Bates-Diop was very productive. Kind of guy I would look at.

[BuildingBucks]

I wasn't really sold on Zhaire Smith, but now that we have Budenholzer and most of his staff from the Hawks coming in I'm a lot more open to it. Would like to give them a chance to work with him and see if they can add skill to all that athleticism. He looks like he freezes in the air every time he jumps.

[emunney]

I was not comparing him to DJ Wilson as a position player. Jontay was not that productive in college. I am looking for guys who were productive and fall like John Collins.

Nobody in college basketball this season was as boxscore productive as John Collins was last year on a per minute basis. Porter was a good player and outstanding for a young freshman.

Keita Bates-Diop was very productive. Kind of guy I would look at.

Keita Bates-Diop is four years older than Porter. He was just graduating from high school when he was Porter's age.

[Pachinko_]

No idea how much Bud had to do with it but this is the Hawks drafting record under him:

2017 #19 John Collins
2017 #41 Tyler Dorsey
2017 #60 Alpha Kaba
2016 #21 DeAndre Bembry
2016 #44 Isaia Cordinier
2016 #54 Kay Felder
2015 #15 Kelly Oubre
2015 #50 Marcus Eriksson
2015 #59 Dimitrios Agravanis
2014 #15 Adreian Payne
2014 #43 Walter Tavares
2013 #17 Dennis Schroder
2013 #18 Shane Larkin
2013 #47 Raul Neto
2013 #50 James Ennis

Pretty fkn impressive considering there's not a single pick over #15

[Badgerlander]

I was not comparing him to DJ Wilson as a position player. Jontay was not that productive in college. I am looking for guys who were productive and fall like John Collins.

Nobody in college basketball this season was as boxscore productive as John Collins was last year on a per minute basis. Porter was a good player and outstanding for a young freshman.

Weaknesses: Somewhat unproven compared to other prospects who "proved it" for a longer period of time and with more consistency ... Had a very solid end to the season but some wonder whether he's capable of playing at a high level with competitiveness night in and night out, as he excelled in spurts ... Not a high level run/jump athlete ... Lacks vertical pop and burst … Adding muscle/physical improvement will help him reach his full potential as a player … As of now, he does not have the strength of a typical NBA center … Isn’t physical … Inconsistent in games… Good offensive player but he’s not elite in any particular area … Needs to continue to add consistency to his perimeter game … Post game should develop over time, but is not currently a strength ... Must improve his low post game, becoming more adept at sealing opponents and utilizing drop steps and pump fakes … There’s questions about his ability to create and finish against NBA quickness/athleticism ... Streaky shooter…
Has lapses on the defensive end …to work on lateral quickness … Stuck in between positions defensively, being too slow for a four and too small for the five at the NBA level … Could be a matchup dependent player…Turnover and foul prone … Gets caught trying to do too much with the ball. Screams tweener..

John Collins-
Listed at 6'10, Collins has a below average (relative to his height) 6'11 wingspan. His lack of length isn't ideal for a small-ball center from a defensive standpoint, the position he most frequently played in college.

Collins will need to improve his court vision and decision making to be utilized as a full-time power forward in the NBA. He gets tunnel vision at times, as he tries to score through double teams rather than surveying the floor and seeing all his options, leading to difficult shots through two defenders. He ranked as the second worst passer among DX Top-100 prospects, evidenced by his paltry 4.5% assist percentage assists per 40 minutes and .28 assist to turnover ratio. Power forwards in today's NBA are asked to make quite a few decisions with the ball in their hands, be it attacking closeouts from the perimeter, finding the open man off short rolls, or in dribble hand-off situations, so improving his feel for distributing would go a long way in helping him carve out an effective niche.

The biggest hurdles Collins will have to overcome in carving out an important niche at the NBA level will likely come on the defensive side of the ball, where he has some major strides to make with his feel and awareness. He looked hopelessly lost at times while struggling to read the floor, which led to him giving up bucket after bucket. He had a tough time moving in space to stay in front of dribble penetration or his man cutting to the rim and didn't always fight hard to get back into the play after he was beat, an issue that plagued Wake Forest's entire team last season. - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/John-Collins-76415/ ©DraftExpress

[Coach Carter]

Ayton has the body of David Robinson but the defensive IQ of Javale. Potential is there but how many bigs who were **** on defense in college became elite in the NBA? I've soured on Doncic a bit too, his shooting dosen't look elite and he dosen't have much burst. Gimme Jaren Jackson

Hmmm perhaps i need to watch more of ayton to pick on what you said about his IQ. One thing i liked is that he moves so well for his size. I mean i saw a guy defending guards before moving back into the paint. I think effort is a problem. Seems to to play when he feels like it.

Doncic is the guy i've least seen. I saw him against greece though some time back. He was clutch in that game and showed leadership qualities. He seems really committed to the national setup, so i wonder if that changes when he comes into the league. I've learnt to worry less about guys that are not as quick. He is too good of a scorer to not put up numbers. He is too good of a passer to not influence the game. Your getting a high IQ guy and leader. Back court balance may be a problem though. Booker is not great defensively either.

I'm leaning towards Jaren Jackson as well. Plays hard and already a great defender, once he figures it out offensively, he is going to be a big problem.

[Pachinko_]

Khyri Thomas seems like a good idea
Long wingspan, can shoot, can defend, you can't go wrong with these guys
might be available because he's 22

[Garbs_7]

No idea how much Bud had to do with it but this is the Hawks drafting record under him:

2017 #19 John Collins
2017 #41 Tyler Dorsey
2017 #60 Alpha Kaba
2016 #21 DeAndre Bembry
2016 #44 Isaia Cordinier
2016 #54 Kay Felder
2015 #15 Kelly Oubre
2015 #50 Marcus Eriksson
2015 #59 Dimitrios Agravanis
2014 #15 Adreian Payne
2014 #43 Walter Tavares
2013 #17 Dennis Schroder
2013 #18 Shane Larkin
2013 #47 Raul Neto
2013 #50 James Ennis

Pretty fkn impressive considering there's not a single pick over #15

You missed 2016 - Pick 12 : Taurean Prince. Picked by Utah but by chose by Atlanta and then immediately on-traded to the Hawks. Really like Prince and looks great considering the mid - late first round of 2016 looks pretty average.

[Pachinko_]

You missed 2016 - Pick 12 : Taurean Prince. Picked by Utah but by chose by Atlanta and then immediately on-traded to the Hawks. Really like Prince and looks great considering the mid - late first round of 2016 looks pretty average.

Ok, and I think it was the exact opposite situation with Oubre?
I didn't know what happened with those two, I was just going off the basketball-reference draft pick history so it only lists who officially picked them on draft day, not what happened immediately after.

[drone3]

Agreed, and they're almost certainly picking Ayton, but it's an interesting what if... Who would Phoenix use to defend the point if they picked Doncic? Jackson would be an interesting choice.

They could just sign Smart. Smart-Booker-Doncic-Jackson is a pretty good start to a lineup. 2 big time defenders and 2 big time playmakers. I don’t even like Smart, but if he only has to play D then you can make it work.

Smart's a helluva defender. I'm just not impressed with the rest of his game. Boston's done a great job of hiding his weaknesses - by surrounding him with bigs who can shoot - and by playing him with guys who can make up for his play-making deficiencies.

I really don't think Ayton is a given at #1. Doncic instantly makes everyone better his bbiq is crazy high. Jackson could definitely defend opposing PG.

Ayton is a physical specimen and he is great around the rim, confident from mid range. His block rate and steal rate are surprisingly low, you have to wonder if he has a low bbiq, seems a step slow on defence and what's going on around him.

[machu46]

You missed 2016 - Pick 12 : Taurean Prince. Picked by Utah but by chose by Atlanta and then immediately on-traded to the Hawks. Really like Prince and looks great considering the mid - late first round of 2016 looks pretty average.

Ok, and I think it was the exact opposite situation with Oubre?
I didn't know what happened with those two, I was just going off the basketball-reference draft pick history so it only lists who officially picked them on draft day, not what happened immediately after.

Yeah, accounting for trades, this is who they drafted while Bud was there:

2013:
- Lucas Nogueria @ 16
- Dennis Schroder @ 17
- Mike Muscala @ 44

2014:
- Adreian Payne @ 15
- Walter Tavares @ 43
- Lamar Patterson @ 48

2015:
- 3 team trade that brought Tim Hardaway Jr. to Atlanta (Oubre to Washington and Jerian Grant to Knicks)
- Marcus Erikkson @ 50
- Dimitrios Agravanis @ 59

2016:
- Taurean Prince @ 12
- DeAndre Bembry @ 21
- Isaia Cordinier @ 44

2017:
- John Collins ( ) @ 19
- Tyler Dorsey @ 41
- Alpha Kaba @ 60

I think we can safely consider Schroder, Prince, and Collins to have been pretty good picks considering where they were taken. Nogueria and Payne were clearly busts. Jury is out on Bembry still and with the exception of Muscala, they haven't really gotten anything out of the 2nd rounders yet.

[Coach Carter]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/2018/05/15/espn-mock-draft-has-michigans-moritz-wagner-going-first-round-nets/611467002/

Wagner may just be the most offensively polished big available but other than that, not much else to like. With allen at the 5 though, i get what nets are trying to do.

[msiris]

Nobody in college basketball this season was as boxscore productive as John Collins was last year on a per minute basis. Porter was a good player and outstanding for a young freshman.

Keita Bates-Diop was very productive. Kind of guy I would look at.

Keita Bates-Diop is four years older than Porter. He was just graduating from high school when he was Porter's age.

I am looking for guys you can help us now. Not 3 or more years from now.