Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

Post #4581 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Oct 18, 2018 11:16 am

ahhhhhh

It's like pulling out your new toys on Christmas morning.

Whelp...now that first day jitters are out of the way. Let's rock!!!

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Post #4582 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 4:46 pm

Wendell Carter Jr. gets early 'learning experience' against Embiid, Sixers

Carter Jr. was the seventh overall pick in the NBA draft after just one season at Duke. He earned the start in his NBA debut after an impressive preseason, but nothing could've prepared him for going up against Philadelphia's Joel Embiid.

"Oh yeah, for sure," Carter Jr. said when asked if Embiid was as impressive as he thought he'd be. "He's a phenomenal player. He's one of, or the best, big man in the league. Very skilled, very poised. He knows his spots on the court.

"I didn't go out there with my best effort. It's just a learning experience for me."

Carter Jr. had eight points, three rebounds, three assists and a block in 20 minutes. He also picked up four fouls, which the rookie attributed to the physicality and craftiness of Embiid.

But he did flash the impressive and varied skill set that made him a high pick and such a coveted prospect.

To his credit, Carter Jr. was candid about his performance. He admitted that his emotions ran the gamut from nervous to excited to happy.

In a season that will have its ups and downs as the young Bulls develop and learn, there will likely be more games like this against other elite NBA competition. It'll be how Carter Jr. responds that will define his career.

Yahoo Sports

Spud2nique · Post #4583 » by **Spud2nique** » Sat Oct 20, 2018 3:32 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Wendell Carter Jr. gets early 'learning experience' against Embiid, Sixers

Carter Jr. was the seventh overall pick in the NBA draft after just one season at Duke. He earned the start in his NBA debut after an impressive preseason, but nothing could've prepared him for going up against Philadelphia's Joel Embiid.

"Oh yeah, for sure," Carter Jr. said when asked if Embiid was as impressive as he thought he'd be. "He's a phenomenal player. He's one of, or the best, big man in the league. Very skilled, very poised. He knows his spots on the court.

"I didn't go out there with my best effort. It's just a learning experience for me."

Carter Jr. had eight points, three rebounds, three assists and a block in 20 minutes. He also picked up four fouls, which the rookie attributed to the physicality and craftiness of Embiid.

But he did flash the impressive and varied skill set that made him a high pick and such a coveted prospect.

To his credit, Carter Jr. was candid about his performance. He admitted that his emotions ran the gamut from nervous to excited to happy.

In a season that will have its ups and downs as the young Bulls develop and learn, there will likely be more games like this against other elite NBA competition. It'll be how Carter Jr. responds that will define his career.
Yahoo Sports

His true colors are shining. This kid gives up way too early. He reminds me of Al Horford no heart.

Post #4584 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon Oct 22, 2018 11:38 am

I can't help but think, that in a draft this deep, Memphis (once Luka was off the board) should have dangled that #4 pick in trade to Clippers for #12 and #13 and then picked up a pair of building blocks for their squad. SGA and Miles Bridges both looking like keepers at positions of need for the grizzlies.

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Post #4585 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon Oct 22, 2018 2:16 pm

Experience Is Coming In Quick

For the third game in a row, Wendell Carter Jr. tonight faces off against one of the best centers in the league

The Bulls get a look on Monday at the developing Slovenian sensation as they hope to get their first victory of the season in Dallas.

Several teams are getting some early bangs from those lottery bucks, and Carter is getting ready to put his two cents in.

It’s early to make any judgments about this rookie class, which looks like it is going to be very good. No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton is averaging 11.5 points in two games and No. 6 pick Mo Bamba has sunk some, averaging six points and about four rebounds.

He is a lot more substance than show.

Carter has shot well, shooting 50 percent on eight of 16.

“We feel with Wendell and everything we saw in the preseason that he was ready for the challenge to be the starter. I thought he handled the preseason very well. He has tough assignments these first couple games. But he’s going to learn from it and get better.”

-- Coach Fred Hoiberg on Wendell Carter Jr.

Carter has done well under the circumstances. He’s played well enough to deserve the starting position. He’s not likely to be a scorer to match some of the other top rookies given his tertiary role in the offense. And he’s facing much more difficult defensive matchups. With Markkannen out, Carter has looked more to be a facilitator, setting screens and defending. Which makes it more difficult to stay out of foul trouble, and especially against this unusual run of the league’s best centers.

Bulls Propaganda Page

ChokeFasncists · Post #4586 » by **ChokeFasncists** » Tue Oct 23, 2018 8:42 pm

Logo, no joke. But JJJ looked great as well.

Spud2nique · Post #4587 » by **Spud2nique** » Wed Oct 24, 2018 2:24 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Experience Is Coming In Quick

For the third game in a row, Wendell Carter Jr. tonight faces off against one of the best centers in the league

The Bulls get a look on Monday at the developing Slovenian sensation as they hope to get their first victory of the season in Dallas.

Several teams are getting some early bangs from those lottery bucks, and Carter is getting ready to put his two cents in.

It’s early to make any judgments about this rookie class, which looks like it is going to be very good. No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton is averaging 11.5 points in two games and No. 6 pick Mo Bamba has sunk some, averaging six points and about four rebounds.

He is a lot more substance than show.

Carter has shot well, shooting 50 percent on eight of 16.

“We feel with Wendell and everything we saw in the preseason that he was ready for the challenge to be the starter. I thought he handled the preseason very well. He has tough assignments these first couple games. But he’s going to learn from it and get better.”

-- Coach Fred Hoiberg on Wendell Carter Jr.

Carter has done well under the circumstances. He’s played well enough to deserve the starting position. He’s not likely to be a scorer to match some of the other top rookies given his tertiary role in the offense. And he’s facing much more difficult defensive matchups. With Markkannen out, Carter has looked more to be a facilitator, setting screens and defending. Which makes it more difficult to stay out of foul trouble, and especially against this unusual run of the league’s best centers.
Bulls Propaganda Page

Seriously more than an obsession...

Post #4588 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:31 pm

Observations from Bulls-Hawks: The tale of two rebuilds

First career double-double for Wendell Carter Jr.

Wendell Carter has had a rough start to the season (40 percent shooting from the field) but he got things going against the Hawks. In just 22 minutes, he amassed 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with 2 blocks. He still shot below 50 percent from the field, but this was more of a result of Carter attempting to help stretch the floor—he shot 0-for-2 from the 3-point line—than an indicator of poor shot selection or general struggles.

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Casual basketball fans will look at Carter’s productivity and suggest that perhaps he isn’t the player the Bulls selected him to be, but they would be missing the mark. Carter is averaging 1.8 blocks, 2.2 assists and is the only Bulls player with a positive defensive box plus/minus.

NBC Sports

Post #4589 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:03 pm

So according to this, Bamba, JJJ and Wendell have been the best defenders.

Ayton has been the best offensive player.

And Miles Bridges is really good all around.

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Post #4590 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:01 pm

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tbhawksfan1 · Post #4591 » by **tbhawksfan1** » Tue Oct 30, 2018 7:10 pm

Looking like a very strong draft. Alot of rooks doing very nice things. I wanted TS to go all in on this draft. He was in a position to run the draft but he chose to trade back and out. Not the way I would have done it even though the DAL picl could turn out very well.

Heurter or Okogie...? A lot of us liked Okogie, but I guess after the Trae selection we'll have to hope that Heurter can keep showing and progressing. Given Heurter's injury, it will be more interesting to compare the two about mid-season.

Post #4592 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:35 pm

It's looking like i may have been completely wrong about JJJ. He might actually have the makings of a 'less fiery Kevin Garnett'.

NBA Prospect Film Room: Jaren Jackson Jr. Keeps Getting Better

Jackson Jr. was drafted to be a cornerstone for the Memphis Grizzlies moving forward. However, after 4 games and 111 minutes of NBA play, Jackson Jr. has exceeded even many optimistic projections for what he would look like early in his rookie season. He is averaging 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks across 27.8 minutes per night, all while being the youngest player who has played in the NBA this season.

What is most notable about Jackson Jr.’s early performance, aside from the impressive counting stats, is his sudden proficiency in areas that were not clear strengths for him as a freshman at Michigan State. The best example of this has been his comfort as a face-up handler and attacker on offense.

Watch on YouTube

The first four clips in this video contain examples of Jackson handing the ball on drives in each of his games thus far. Even though the finishing results aren’t all the way there yet, his handling coordination and fearlessness in putting the ball on the floor is highly encouraging for projecting his future as a face-up scorer. The eurostep that he executes in the open floor in the third clip is particularly impressive, as few 6-foot-11 19 year-olds have the necessary coordination and balance to slow down after flying up the court then maintain composure while changing direction on the eurostep, and finally extend toward the basket to finish the play...the spacing he has found in the NBA has freed him as an off-the-bounce attacker and given him much more breathing room to put the ball on the floor.

The next area where Jackson Jr. has surprised offensively has been his refined self-creation out of the post. While he was an effective post scorer at Michigan State, scoring in the 98th percentile on post-ups, per Synergy, he mostly relied on a simple righty hook over his left shoulder. As the four clips above will show you, he has quickly developed a reliable spin move that has proven to be successful against NBA defenders. He flashed this move at times at Michigan State, but he was much more content to use his length to toss in hooks over college defenders whom he usually had a height advantage over. Now, he has a more advanced move to counter the size that he faces at the NBA level.

Watch on YouTube

The last area where Jackson Jr. has stood out to me on offense is as a passer. Although he has not shown much in terms of passing on the move, he has been useful in dribble hand-off sets for the Grizzlies and has displayed promising vision. Per 36 minutes, he is averaging 1.9 assists and 1.3 turnovers, and has shown excellent discipline as a decision-maker overall on offense.

The Stepien

atlantabbq99 · Post #4593 » by **atlantabbq99** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:49 pm

This is a strange article to have after JJJ had a very disappointing game against Ayton.

jayu70 · Post #4594 » by **jayu70** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 5:09 pm

atlantabbq99 wrote:This is a strange article to have after JJJ had a very disappointing game against Ayton.

I think The Stepian had him rated high before the draft so maybe they're trying to hold the narrative?

Post #4595 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Nov 1, 2018 11:40 am

Spud2nique wrote:I hate you I took him in fantasy bball.

Damn you you got in my head.

And that decision is starting to really pay off, is it not?

Wendell had a career night last night and has clearly been trending upward over the last week.

Putting up that type of production against a veteran front court and a top-five defense is even more impressive.

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Spud2nique · Post #4596 » by **Spud2nique** » Mon Nov 5, 2018 2:49 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
Spud2nique wrote:I hate you I took him in fantasy bball.

Damn you you got in my head.

And that decision is starting to really pay off, is it not?

Wendell had a career night last night and has clearly been trending upward over the last week.

Putting up that type of production against a veteran front court and a top-five defense is even more impressive.

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Yes it actually is...Wendell is solid. Ur boy!

Post #4597 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Nov 8, 2018 1:20 pm

Wendell Carter is looking beastly right now. Three weeks in, and he's already looking like a vet -- as the youngest player on the team!!!

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Carter is averaging 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds for the season. But in the last five games as Carter has expanded his offensive play, he is averaging 15.6 points and 10.6 rebounds. He has made four of seven threes and is averaging 2.4 blocks.

Overall among rookies, Carter is sixth in scoring, second in rebounding and first in blocks.

He'd look fantastic as the starting Center next t John Collins.

Spud2nique · Post #4598 » by **Spud2nique** » Thu Nov 8, 2018 3:27 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:Wendell Carter is looking beastly right now. Three weeks in, and he's already looking like a vet -- as the youngest player on the team!!!

Read on Twitter

Carter is averaging 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds for the season. But in the last five games as Carter has expanded his offensive play, he is averaging 15.6 points and 10.6 rebounds. He has made four of seven threes and is averaging 2.4 blocks.

Overall among rookies, Carter is sixth in scoring, second in rebounding and first in blocks.

He'd look fantastic as the starting Center next t John Collins.

Ya that would have been nice. I just wanted 2 guys in this draft. Doncic/Trae ...Trae/And a big.

I just feel like we either had the assets to get 2 top 10 picks in the 2018 draft or the 2019 draft..must be 2019.

Post #4599 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Nov 8, 2018 3:35 pm

Spud2nique wrote:Ya that would have been nice. I just wanted 2 guys in this draft. Doncic/Trae ...Trae/And a big.

I just feel like we either had the assets to get 2 top 10 picks in the 2018 draft or the 2019 draft..must be 2019.

I love Wendell and would be happy to have him here for a decade.

But selecting him in lieu of Doncic or Trae would have been the most boring, vanilla, milquetoast selection. The fanbase would NOT have been happy.

With that said. I think we could have traded back twice from #3 and still ended up with Wendell plus extras in the 2018 draft and 2019 draft.

NOTE: Rooting for a Trae-led team is exhausting. He has clear talent and is an NBA caliber player, undoubtedly. But, he's so erratic. I kind of wish Lloyd would rein him in a bit on both PT and shot selection. He shouldn't be avg 30 mpg so early in the season.

atlantabbq99 · Post #4600 » by **atlantabbq99** » Thu Nov 8, 2018 3:37 pm

Spud2nique wrote:Ya that would have been nice. I just wanted 2 guys in this draft. Doncic/Trae ...Trae/And a big.

I just feel like we either had the assets to get 2 top 10 picks in the 2018 draft or the 2019 draft..must be 2019.

Schlenk did get Huerter, who is looking like he should have been the 8th selection in the draft.

Are you happy with the draft?