2018 NBA Draft Thread

[Chuck Diesel]

Where are we all at with Musa? Mirza Teletovic’s archnemesis.

[Ruzious]

[tweet][/tweet]

Impressive stuff well beyond the shooting here.

Also that's Aaron Craft defending him.

Craft looked like he was walking on hot coals trying to defend him. I had seen some older videos of Okobo and noticed he's very left-handed - looked awkward going to his right. Not sure if he's fixed that. He's really good going to his left. Apparently, he's a tremendously improved player. Average size at 6'3 but good length at 6'8. Gotta be able to finish in the NBA - the scouting reports said that was a problem for him, but again - maybe he's addressed that. He appears to be a very good shooter with 3 point range.

[LuessiT]

Putting some games in here so I can check them out later:

Watch on YouTube

The footspeed on the block @ 20:48 is pretty impressive. Doesn't look like he's going full speed either going by his stance.

Leadup and pass @ 30:52. In general he just looks very much in control.

The pass @ 31:44

Stepback @ 34:43 is pretty. Does another @ 35:39.

Spin move @ 51:30.

Pump fake at 54:52

[Chuck Diesel]

Where are we all at with Musa? Mirza Teletovic’s archnemesis.

And current teamate of former Bucks ledgends Roko “Leni” Ukic and Damir Markota.

[Frank Nova]

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the idea of this class not being so deep. Very top-heavy, with one clear-cut blue chip prospect (Ayton) and a few tier-2 guys rounding out the Top-6 or so (Bagley, Jackson, Doncic, Bamba). Just the way that I see it playing out.

I still think Doncic is the prize of this draft. I'd take him 1st overall without blinking.

[Xanadu]

I like Okogie more than most of the other 3 and D wings. He is young a proven shooter with good athleticism and great length at the 2. Not to mention I love his rebounding numbers just seems like a guy who gets after it. A longer Avery Bradley is my lazy comp. He looks to have all the tools to be a plus defender and good off ball shooter. With his athleticism his potential just seems better than other guys at the 2. Like him more than Smith especially he is longer just as athletic and a more proven scorer. Liking him more and more.

[Badgerlander]

Haven’t had a chance to watch the new Okobo stuff but in the vid that DB posted originally his 3pt release looked low, his first step didn’t look overly quick, and he played below the rim. He makes sound decisions at PG but basically he plays kind of like Harden which I’m not sure works at his size. Have to watch the new stuff and see what stands out

[Badgerlander]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Do you think he gets drafted?

No idea really. Probably good enough to get drafted in this draft but not sure he’s good enough to want to deal with his dad.

[LuessiT]

Haven’t had a chance to watch the new Okobo stuff but in the vid that DB posted originally his 3pt release looked low, his first step didn’t look overly quick, and he played below the rim. He makes sound decisions at PG but basically he plays kind of like Harden which I’m not sure works at his size. Have to watch the new stuff and see what stands out

I think this description of his game still fits the bill. I don't mind his release being on the lower side as it's very quick and he has excellent footwork and great handles to create seperation. While I too am worried about his athleticism (especially since it's hard to judge athleticism directly on film; You mostly judge by comparison and european athletes are generally weaker so they appear greater in their domestic leagues) players in Europe also more often than not haven't done much weight training.
His defense is also a major work in progress. He can defend just fine in spurts, but there are major motor/awareness issues.

The move in the second video that starts at ~8:33 is so pretty.

[Baddy Chuck]

After an extremely brief look at guys likely available where we're at I think I would rather look at guys we could trade the pick for.

[M-C-G]

Grayson Allen- I just can't see a scenario where he's not an effective NBA player for a long time. jack of most trades guy. Lower ceiling and low bust potential. I've been on his jock since he was a freshman.

I just keep coming back to this simple definition.

"The Sunk Cost Fallacy. The Misconception: You make rational decisions based on the future value of objects, investments and experiences. The Truth: Your decisions are tainted by the emotional investments you accumulate, and the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it."

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[emunney]

I need to find some of his bad games. Reeaaaaaally like what I saw out of that first one. Think his physical tools are underrated. Have to bear in mind that Pro A may not be the NBA, but it is not an unathletic league, and obviously it's a man's league, so to compete in it as a 20yo, you have to be somewhat ahead of the curve.

What I really like about him is his poise and court vision -- you put those together with a well-rounded skill-set: you have a winner. He's clearly a natural point guard and his youth coaches have to be embarrassed watching him now. I've read about him being really left dominant, but he looks like he's already worked that out. Very intrigued. Will find more games.

[Pachinko_]

what's his stats compared to Ntilikina's?

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[bizarro]

what's his stats compared to Ntilikina's?

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Okobo has much better stats and plays more in his third year than Frank ever did. I mean, Okobo shoots 39% on 5 3pa per match. Definitely a much more rounded floor general amd offensive player than Frank at his age. But, Frank was and is the much better man defender.

[VooDoo7]

Okobo is quite intriguing. I hadn't paid him much attention until you guys mentioned him.

Here's a nice breakdown of his game. May have been posted already.

https://www.thestepien.com/2018/02/15/hiding-plain-sight-elie-okobo/

[LuessiT]

what's his stats compared to Ntilikina's?

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Okobo has much better stats and plays more in his third year than Frank ever did. I mean, Okobo shoots 39% on 5 3pa per match. Definitely a much more rounded floor general amd offensive player than Frank at his age. But, Frank was and is the much better man defender.

Okobo also started at 36% well through the season and is surging. Wether that is a hot streak or legit improvement isn't totally concieveable but it makes a lot of sense with increased PT and increased reps and confidence that his %s go up.

[LuessiT]

Okobo is quite intriguing. I hadn't paid him much attention until you guys mentioned him.

Here's a nice breakdown of his game. May have been posted already.

https://www.thestepien.com/2018/02/15/hiding-plain-sight-elie-okobo/

The thing is that while this article is very true it's also slightly outdated. Okobo has been shining even more since they changed coaches and the new coach gave him the keys to the offense. That was February the fifth.

[Coach Carter]

Spent just over a week watching full games and interviews. I checked out roughly 33 prospects ranked 17 to 60. From the international prospects i only watched okobo. I compiled a list of 17 guys i liked and eventually got that down to 6.

Landry shamet (projected 16th), Khyri Thomas (projected 17th), Lonnie walker (projected 20th), Aaron holiday (projected 25th), De'Anthony Melton (projected 33th), Keita Bates-Diop (projected 37th)

As you can imagine, no real bigs caught my eye but i think when you have bledsoe and snell at the 1 and 2 respectively, you should be looking to invest in these positions.

Thomas, shamet and holiday are most nba ready. All three are great shooters but thomas is the best defender out of the three as he stays with and hassles his opponent. Quickness may be a problem at the next level but he does have a nice wing span and is quite strong. Holiday is strong as well and no slouch on d but at 6'1'', you can't help worry about his size, especially because he is not as athletic as you would like. Thomas and shamet aren't the best athletes either but it's not as much of a problem. Shamet knows where he has to be on d but even when he gets his positioning right, he gets easily overpowered. Both Shamet and holiday are good decision makers with the ball. Shamet seems to have the higher IQ but either way, you’re giving the ball to a much smarter guy than bledsoe. I don't see elite passing but at least they know where their teammates are to make the pass, unlike bledsoe.

Walker, I think has the best two way potential out of all these guys. He has that quick first step to blow past his opponent and can get airborne to block shots and rebound, though he needs to get better at finishing at the rim. He has a nice stroke which I can envision becoming more consistent. Physically, he can be a good defender. Just need to get him in the video room to help him understand his wrong doings. For instance, he is easily lured to the action and can leave his opponent open. At the other end, he can be a spectator without the ball.

Melton I feel is more of a 2 than a 1. He is a great passer, perhaps one of the best at the 2 in this class but doesn’t have a good enough handle (no left hand, prefers right) to play at the 1. His appeal comes from being one of the best defenders in this class. He may be small and thin but he is mobile and has an impressive vertical. For his size, his rebounding is incredible. I see a quick first step but again he needs to improve his handle as well as finishing at the rim. His shooting form seems okay but he is inconsistent.

Diop is a 3, though late in games sometimes used as a 4. Very reminiscent of kris with his contested midrange jumpers and he can also shoot from the 3. Whilst watching him, I was thinking, if his shooting translates, at a height of 6’8’’, he and kris would be a match up nightmare for the opposition. His shot will need to fall though because he is not going to blow past you. He is slow but he has length and defended wings quite well. Interested to see how he fares against nba guys.

Verdict

This is difficult because you have your high IQ guys with not as much upside (holiday, shamet, thomas) and then you have a really talented guy in walker which doesn't demonstrate the same levels of understanding. I think we could use some really good High IQ guys and really good off the ball guys. At the same time, we have just made a huge upgrade with the appointment of bud who has a history of improving his guys. And with this you become more confident in taking the more talented guy, even though, tactically, he leaves a lot to be desired. You can also factor in needs as we need shooting and we need a better facilitator at the 1.

When we decide on our guy, if we can get him later than 17, we should try exploring a deal to earn a second round pick to try pluck either melton or diop.

[drone3]

Thanks CC great analysis. I like all the guys you listed. I think it's absolutely crucial we get high IQ at the 1 it would really boost us in the right direction. If we can't find that guy in the draft I'm willing to shop #17 or other pieces to get the right guy.

[jakecronus8]

Grayson Allen- I just can't see a scenario where he's not an effective NBA player for a long time. jack of most trades guy. Lower ceiling and low bust potential. I've been on his jock since he was a freshman.

I just keep coming back to this simple definition.

"The Sunk Cost Fallacy. The Misconception: You make rational decisions based on the future value of objects, investments and experiences. The Truth: Your decisions are tainted by the emotional investments you accumulate, and the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it."

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Love it. Big difference being, I've been upfront about my irrational love for him for years. The Jabari guys can't come face to face with reality. Also, big difference in investing minimal salary to a #17 overall pick who projects to be a role player than the 15-20 million per year (im assuming) to a guy who you're counting on to be your second star despite being mostly disappointing in his four years in the league. But whatever you gotta tell yourself man.