2019 NBA draft

[Darth Celtic]

Oh, and it's Zion or bust baby. Great 5 for us.

[SmartWentCrazy]

I have a gut-feeling that we end up with Little— can never have enough two-way athletic and highly switchable wings. Little, Tatum and Brown would make for an utterly dynamic long-term 2-4.

[Homerclease]

google "derrick rose rule"

does danny save cap space and trade-out for future picks?

Perhaps you should google the rule yourself. Kyrie is a free agent next year.

Draft happens before free agency, so we can't trade for AD prior to the draft, only after when Kyrie officially opts out of contract. So we'd have to have a wink wink deal to draft who they want, then trade after the draft. Nothing can be fully agreed too.

Maybe you need to google NBA offseason timing.

It's for this reason the NBA has been talking about moving the draft back a few weeks instead.

So the answer is yes.

[Homerclease]

That's what sucks about having the pick this year as opposed to last year's draft. Jaren Jackson, Bamba, or Wendell Carter would have been god like for this core. The perfect fits. Except for maybe Bamba I guess, jury is out on how mobile he is and how he fits in today's NBA.

But that said, since Ainge decided to bid against himself in a throwback free agent handling like that of Mark Blount and dramatically overpay Marcus Smart...

I wouldn't worry about drafting another wing/guard with our Kings pick if we get it. Our financials of 13 million starter level pay for Smart suggest it's impossible for us to keep all 3 of Smart/Rozier/Irving by the end of next season without a tax hit that only organizations with really rich owners can handle (a Knicks, Mavs style tax). And one of them leaving the team will free up plenty of minutes for a young lottery pick to show if he's a bust or not in 2 seasons time.

Also if we get that MEM pick aside from the international or Zion it looks like at least one of the intriguing bigs will still be there in the middle of the first. So we can have our cake and eat it too.

You’re trying to tie two separate issues together simply because you don’t like the Marcus Smart contract.

I'm tying a simple answer to the 'problem' of drafting another guard/wing.

Smart is paid starters money, Rozier and Irving will be too. One way or another we won't have all 3 for long so there will be minutes available.

I'd love Smart on this team at the right price but he's not so someone will have to go, so we don't have to worry about having too many guards if we draft a potential stud one in the draft.

History shows us that Ainge doesn’t think this way though. Having a glut of guards didn’t stop them from drafting Terry Rozier. Having a glut of wings didn’t stop them from taking Jayson Tatum either.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

I don't mind Zion..............but I wouldn't be heartbroken if we didn't get him. What is his ceiling? Isn't he essentially a chubby Blake Griffin? And what is Blake up to now? Oh yeah, he's rotting in Detroit because he doesn't have his athleticism anymore. Remember - Blake worked on his jumper and is a really good passer, but the Clips still felt the need to dump him because he's no longer athletic - a trait he had been far too reliant on.

[Homerclease]

I don't mind Zion..............but I wouldn't be heartbroken if we didn't get him. What is his ceiling? Isn't he essentially a chubby Blake Griffin? And what is Blake up to now? Oh yeah, he's rotting in Detroit because he doesn't have his athleticism anymore. Remember - Blake worked on his jumper and is a really good passer, but the Clips still felt the need to dump him because he's no longer athletic - a trait he had been far too reliant on.

I’m not sure he’s chubby at all. Dude is built like a tank. Blake is a decent comparison but I think Zion is a little quicker on the perimeter and an even better athlete

[threrf23]

It’s fairly annoying that I can’t say ****. What’s the deal with that?

**** makes a good nickname.

[brackdan70]

It’s fairly annoying that I can’t say ****. What’s the deal with that?

**** makes a good nickname.

If we draft him I am changing my sig to Semisola Shittu is the ****!!!

[SmartWentCrazy]

Picture this monster running on the wings with Kyrie, Jaylen, Jayson and Gordon.

Read on Twitter

Love it. Im all for hoarding hyper-athletic wings with 7+ foot wingspans.

[Curmudgeon]

Who know about any of these guys? We'll know more by Christmas, after Duke and UNC have played 10-12 games.

[Duke4life831]

Finally with this thread. Ive been waiting haha.

[Bleeding Green]

Jontay Porter is going to be so nice when he gets his conditioning in check. Easily the best passing and shooting big in this draft, and probably last draft if he had decided to not go back for his sophomore season. Cam Reddish is really intriguing too, love his profile and can never have enough 6'8" guys with 7'1" wingspans on the team. Too early to tell from some hyped highschool videos how he plays against real competition, though (just like all these incoming freshman).

[Bleeding Green]

I don't mind Zion..............but I wouldn't be heartbroken if we didn't get him. What is his ceiling? Isn't he essentially a chubby Blake Griffin? And what is Blake up to now? Oh yeah, he's rotting in Detroit because he doesn't have his athleticism anymore. Remember - Blake worked on his jumper and is a really good passer, but the Clips still felt the need to dump him because he's no longer athletic - a trait he had been far too reliant on.

He's more like Charles Barkley I'd say. And Griffin was fantastic on his rookie deal, so if Zion turns out like that he's easily worth the number 1 pick.

[Patsfan1081]

With all the enthusiasm surrounding the coming season, it's easy to forget that we may have a top 3 pick in next year's draft. We will also have the option of trading this pick come the deadline.

Who do y'all like? Who should we be keeping eyes on when the NCAA season boots up.

Browsing over scouting capsules and/or stats, here are my impression of nbadraft.net's projected top 15 guys - because, offseason.

RJ Barrett. On one hand, he seems highly comparable to CJ Miles - probably a better shooter/scorer but I'm not excited. One another hand, he is young for his class, and ranked #1 in his class by every major scouting outlet. That would typically make him a sure thing star. He's worth keeping a close eye on.

Sekou Doumbouya. Projected #2 pick. 6'9 215 and the youngest prospect in the draft if his age is accurate. Still, nbadraftroom.com raves about his frame and athleticism while noting that he is raw and inexperienced and still learning the game. His stats in LNB Pro B are reminiscent of Yabu & Damien Inglis. Hard pass for me.

Zion W. Huge, hasn't kept conditioning, plays a lot of bully ball. A better BBD perhaps? Still, hard pass for me. A lot of adjustment will be required once he is no longer a monster amongst boys.

Nassir Little. Sounds kinda like Jaylen?

Naz Reid. Big guy with a good frame, in the mold of a modern center. Old for his class, arguably an underachiever, questionable motor. Stereotypical LSU big man?

Daniel Gafford. Late blooming big man who has a low IQ. Would have made a decent backup Center years ago.

Reddish. Potentially elite wing who has had his motor and drive questioned. Old for his class, kinda fits the mold of a top prospect who won't make it due to maturity/attitude issues, but also fits the mold of a guy like Paul George. Possibly a better prospect than Barrett.

Bruno Fernando. Big man with good size, good motor, but he's raw. He was born in Angola and supposedly just turned 20. I'd be curious to read about his background before writing him off.

Romeo Langford. nbadraft.net's Khris Middleton comp sounds passable. Worth consideration outside of the top 5?

Rui Hachimura. Undersized PF who averaged about 9 rebounds per 40 in the Mountain West conference last year. Cool name, hard pass.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker. A potentially great 3&D guy who is too passive. Pass.

Jontay Porter. nbadraft.net's Brad Miller comp seems passable? Still, nothing special.

Charles Bassey. Now this guy is being slept on. Although he's just under 7', he's one of those African big men who started with soccer and didn't play basketball until he was like 12 years old. Except unlike the Fab Melo's of the world, this guy's got natural instincts and IQ and he moves smoothly. If his age is accurate he is one of the youngest players in his class; it isn't known whether his age is accurate but it is known that he was 6'1 5-6 years ago and is now 6'11. Floor is probably Serge Ibaka and his ceiling is possibly much higher.

Bol Bol. Potential to be a good old school center, maybe even a new school center, but it also sounds like he was maybe pushed into this life and lacks passion for the game. Won't contribute quickly enough to be worth top 5 consideration.

Killian Tillie. meh

The only I agree about is Bassey maybe getting overlooked. Just because a kid is from Africa though doesn't mean his age should be questioned or he's lying about it. The Maker family went through a lot when Thon was young, having to flee from Sudan, it made it difficult to backtrack paperwork and such. Bassey was from Lagos, Nigeria, had a better family life, not to mention he looked like a 16 year old kid when he was 16. I wouldn't question his age, especially since he reclassified it wouldn't make sense to lie about it. He's not a shotblocker like Ibaka though, more like Aldridge. Hopefully either him or Bol will end up worthy of a lottery pick. Gafford dissent have a low IQ, he's just raw offensively. Bol def isn't an old school center either, he already has somewhat decent of a range and isn't afraid to take a three, and also has decent handles for his size. Complaints are his motor and body, seems common now, I know he's put on some size over the summer though.
You didn't mention Grimes, who I think could be an option if Irving walks Sam he has great courtvision and could prob be converted into a full ball handler. Not big on Langford or Reddish(though I disagree that he has attitude problem, just isn't somone who's willing to take over a game and settles for the jumper too often). Would be fine with Zion. I really hope that isn't BBD you're comparing him to, the difference in athlectism and agility is gigantic, and Zion doesn't have conditioning problems. He's been through some injuries, the kid is somewhat cut yet still thiick and could prob slim down but I don't see why he should. Not going to talk about the wings except that I would watch for Louis King playing next to Bol and Kevin Porter jr to be sleepers.

[Patsfan1081]

I don't mind Zion..............but I wouldn't be heartbroken if we didn't get him. What is his ceiling? Isn't he essentially a chubby Blake Griffin? And what is Blake up to now? Oh yeah, he's rotting in Detroit because he doesn't have his athleticism anymore. Remember - Blake worked on his jumper and is a really good passer, but the Clips still felt the need to dump him because he's no longer athletic - a trait he had been far too reliant on.

I’m not sure he’s chubby at all. Dude is built like a tank. Blake is a decent comparison but I think Zion is a little quicker on the perimeter and an even better athlete

I don't understand why people are calling him chubby, have they seen him play on their tour or posing his workouts at Duke? There's a difference between being chubby and thick, chubby guys can't jump like he does. I would expect him to be better on the offensive boards and as a defender than Griffen too. Griffen also basically had limited side movement and did strait cuts to the basket, while Zion is more agile with fakes and such. Not saying I thinking will end up better, I just think finding a comp for Zion is too difficult. Larry Johnson was 6 6" 250, was there somone else closer to his bodytype?

[thelarrybirdx]

As of now, all I'm hoping for is a top-4 pick. One of Barrett, Zion, Little, or Reddish would make me happy.

[Dogen]

Picture this monster running on the wings with Kyrie, Jaylen, Jayson and Gordon.

Read on Twitter

Love it. Im all for hoarding hyper-athletic wings with 7+ foot wingspans.

Draft him just for the epic arm wrestling matches with Ojeleye.

[Duke4life831]

Here is my biased rundown on this draft heading into the college season.

1. Zion is my #1 guy right now. I slid him to my #1 right before the Canada trip when I heard from my buddies that his handles in practice were really improved. Zion with a handle is a damn scary guy. The dude loves to rebound, underrated facilitator, tremendous IQ offensively. Defensively he isnt bad, he plays with effort but he has horrible defensive skill and footwork right now.

2. Cam is my #2. To me he is by far the best prospect in this class and best Duke wing prospect I have seen (didnt see Grant Hill). Handle? Check. Length? Check. Jumper? Check. Can finish at the rim? Check. Not the most explosive athlete, but has enough explosion and is very agile and a lot of wiggle to his game, has no problem creating space. The only down side to him is he reminds me of Wiggins when it comes to his fire. That is scary for me and the only reason I dont have him #1.

3. Little. I love his physique and I love how much he loves to play defense. Offensively he has a good spin move when he drives and has a good turn around mid range jumper. His 3pt shot is coming along, not sure he is ever going to be a deadly 3pt shooter, Im kind of expecting a Jimmy Butler type shooter. The downfall I have with him is he can play really stiff offensively. He doesnt have the agility and wiggle like a Jimmy Butler. He also has a pretty average handle as well for a wing his age. Im not sure he is ever going to be a guy that can create his own shot efficiently consistently.

4. RJ. I think he is a solid prospect but I have never seen the superstar potential that so many people talk about. Solid size but definitely not elite with a 6'9 wingspan, he has that assassin mindset which can be great but can also be bad when his jumper isnt falling. His jumper is pretty ugly right now, it is a slow shot that is not consistent and Im not sure how much potential is there. He is a very stiff athlete. Really lacks lateral agility, he stays really high when he attacks off the dribble. When he has open spaces he can really get up, but still not the most functional athlete. I dont think he is a horrible prospect, I think he can be a mid range wizard like DeMar but with defense.

Right now I think any team that lands a top 4 pick will be happy with the value they're getting, after that is another story in my opinion. Right now I personally feel like there is only 1 other player that would be a lottery pick in most drafts and that is Langford and I think he would be tail end of the lotto most drafts. Im also not high on Jontay Porter either. I think he is a rotation big in the NBA. I know there are many Langford and Porter fans that will disagree with me on those 2 guys. Mid 20s is where I think the value returns in this draft, especially if Tyler Herro drops to the 20s. I think if guys like Konate, Bazley, Jordan Brown, Garland, Tre Jones and Louis King are sitting there in the mid and late 20s those would be good value picks.

[ddb]

I know this class fairly well from keeping up with them over the past 2 years. Underrated bunch at the top, not a deep class... Too early to have this discussion IMO. Celts are title contenders. Focusing on what could be a special year.....I'll keep up with top 10 prospects knowing that there is a very good chance Boston lands 1 in June.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

[Parasite]

Total gut feeling. We end up with a pick in the 8-11 range and take Darius Garland after not re-signing either Kyrie or Terry.

Probably way off, but hey, throwing it out there.