2019 NBA draft

[Homerclease]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

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Jaylen Brown can’t do this today, much less then when he was at Cal

[mbsnmisc]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

Read on Twitter

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Jaylen Brown can’t do this today, much less then when he was at Cal

I have never seen a man that size move with that speed/fluidity/control/explosion. He is a physical marvel.

[Homerclease]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Jaylen Brown can’t do this today, much less then when he was at Cal

I have never seen a man that size move with that speed/fluidity/control/explosion. He is a physical marvel.

Closest thing I can compare it to is Bo Jackson. He’s incredible

[Curmudgeon]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Jaylen Brown can’t do this today, much less then when he was at Cal

Sure he can. And Brown can actually shoot.

[Patsfan1081]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

Barrett can rebound and has good court vision though, and isn't a total siv on defense. He also has a really good midrange game, just struggles with his outside shot. I'd love to have Barrett on this team, after him and Zion I don't see much difference between the rest of the lottery.

[Patsfan1081]

Tre jones reminds me of a smaller james young.
Im definitely not interested in getting smaller.
Reddish, and bassy are the closest to being the best out of the crop we could touch. But if we get all picks and grab jones with our last pick I wouldn't be to upset. IIan to me he is a fringe late 1st pick.

James Young couldn't pass or play defense, Jones only issues seems to be his outside shooting. I have no clue outside Zion, Barrett, and Ja how the lottery is going to fall, a lot of mocks still have Reddish 4/5/6 despite his struggles. It just seems like no one is picking up their game yet.

[Curmudgeon]

If the Celtics get Sekou Doumbouya with their first pick (which will be late lottery, it appears), I'll be delighted. I also like Amine Boua, another French pf, also 6-9. He's a little older (21) but maybe the Celtics can buy a second round pick.

[Duke4life831]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

The gap between Zion and Brown is gigantic. If they were close, we would've seen Brown come somewhat close to making the impact that Zion is currently making. Jaylen's TS% was 52%, Zion's is 71% and climbing while also scoring 8 more points per game. Brown averaged 1.4 steals and blocks combined. Zion averages 4 steals and blocks combined. Brown had horrible touch around the rim, Zion has elite of the elite touch around the rim. Brown lacked natural feel and I, Zion is elite on both areas.

Wiggins and RJ are also very different. Wiggins biggest negative was his lack of fire and intensity. RJ's biggest strength is his fire and aggressiveness.

[Curmudgeon]

I didn't see much fire from Barrett yesterday. I just saw bricks. Certainly Barrett is a top 6-7 pick, but Reddish is just better.

As for Williamson, he's better in college than Brown was-- that's why Williamson will be the No. 1 pick. But he'll have to prove it on the next level against players who are as big and strong as he is. And he absolutely has to work on his shot.

If I had the choice between Barrett, Reddish and Doumbouya right now, I'd take Doumbouya. Super athlete. Rim protector. His game is more mature than Giannis' game was at the same age, and Doumbouya is doing it against better competition.

[soxfan2003]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

The gap between Zion and Brown is gigantic. If they were close, we would've seen Brown come somewhat close to making the impact that Zion is currently making. Jaylen's TS% was 52%, Zion's is 71% and climbing while also scoring 8 more points per game. Brown averaged 1.4 steals and blocks combined. Zion averages 4 steals and blocks combined. Brown had horrible touch around the rim, Zion has elite of the elite touch around the rim. Brown lacked natural feel and I, Zion is elite on both areas.

Wiggins and RJ are also very different. Wiggins biggest negative was his lack of fire and intensity. RJ's biggest strength is his fire and aggressiveness.

I liked Wiggins/Embiid/Smart/Gordon coming out of 2014 draft relatively speaking more than Parker/Exum/Randle and I also liked Towns coming out of next draft. However, only a few years later I would have traded Wiggins and Towns for different reasons after their 3rd and 2nd years if the offers were reasonable which I am convinced they would have been.

My concern with Wiggins was his shooting was not showing enough improvement from my perspective. After 3 years in the NBA, he still hadn't had a year shooting free throws as good as he did in college. In college, 77.5% as a freshman on a lot of shots which is very good and first 3 years in the NBA a remarkable consistent 76% which just isn't good enough for the role he wanted to play if you want your team to be a serious contender...given he didn't project as a great 3 point shooter. He still has time to get his career on track but Wiggins is an example of why clubs should wait until after a players 4th year to give out a max contract unless it is very close to a no brainer. He got a max deal that he had not earned after year 3. I would have shopped him like heck after that year 3 since he had good trade value but hadn't shown nearly enough progress.

Wiggins has since regressed from the line shooting 64% last year and 72% this year. Terrible/bad for a scoring wing in his 4th/5th years in the NBA.

Lonzo Ball is a completely different player than Wiggins but a player who would be considered much better than he is considered right now if he could hit free throws at a reasonable rate. Not saying he is worth the Lavar headache but if I knew he would be healthy and could start hitting free throws, I wouldn't mind Ainge acquiring him to serve as a Rozier replacement for the next 3 years. (Assuming Celtics don't get AD) Just hard to play Lonzo in playoffs when he shoots free throws worse than Shaq.... To be fair, very few attempts so I suspect he improves a lot from the line. I recognize why Ainge wouldn't go for it since Lonzo/Lavar wants a bigger role to get his career on track. My vision for him would be as a better version of Livingston from a few years ago. Smart can pass but Celtics could still use a better passer than Rozier.

I haven't watched RJ Barrett much but I would be concerned with his free throw shooting and 3 point shooting. So much focus on free throw shooting and 3's sounds boring but when you are trying to take down Curry/Klay/KD or any team that has 3 stars that shoots close to that, tough to draft meh shooters super high unless they are exceptional in other areas and/or you are convinced they will progress a lot as shooters.

[soxfan2003]

Watching Duke St. Johns.

Williamson is a 285 lb Jaylen Brown. Exciting player. His stroke from the free throw line is bad, though, and his release on the jumper is too low. Those will be issues when he hits the NBA. He's a legit No. 1 but he's no LeBron.

RJ Barrett is too much like Wiggins, and not just because they're both Canadian. He looks better than he is.

After Williamson, the guy on that Duke team I'm liking best is Reddish. Very nice player at both ends.

The gap between Zion and Brown is gigantic. If they were close, we would've seen Brown come somewhat close to making the impact that Zion is currently making. Jaylen's TS% was 52%, Zion's is 71% and climbing while also scoring 8 more points per game. Brown averaged 1.4 steals and blocks combined. Zion averages 4 steals and blocks combined. Brown had horrible touch around the rim, Zion has elite of the elite touch around the rim. Brown lacked natural feel and I, Zion is elite on both areas.

Wiggins and RJ are also very different. Wiggins biggest negative was his lack of fire and intensity. RJ's biggest strength is his fire and aggressiveness.

For sure I do rate Zion higher than Brown since you can't ignore his stats/athleticism/strength/skill level but I do think 3 point shooting/shooting is a great leveler than no one should ignore for most players that are not Shaq clones.

So my concern with Zion living up to the growing expectations in the long run is just eras from what I have seen. I do think he should be an all-star. But does he have enough to dominate as a legit NBA superstar/top 10 player without a 3 point?

NBAdraft.net compares him to Charles Barkley which isn't a bad comparison if one remembers the young Philly version of Barkley instead of the older Phoenix version. (Barkley faced much better competition in college than Williamson since future NBA/international players where mostly staying until after their jr/senior years so ignore his college stats and Barkley wasn't in the best shape in college) IMHO, get rid of 3 point shot in the NBA right now and Charles Barkley at his best is probably a top 3ish player in the NBA.

But the 3 point shot since Barkley couldn't hit them at a good rate just really hurts a lot of his value on offense. Still an all-star IMHO but not a superstar given the rest of his abilities.

I think Zion is a prime example of why the NBA has to make major moves to cut the amount of 3 point shooting in half since he is obviously a damn exciting player to watch. Fpr him to possibly be considered a "mild disappointment" for his NBA career if he doesn't get the 3 but a superstar if he played in let's say 1988 I think is awful for the NBA.

As a fan do I want to pay to watch Zion being Zion or Zion to just try to turn himself into a player that shoots 6-7 3's?

IMHO the answer isn't getting someone with Zion's skillset to be shooting 3's but I think NBA really needs to reevaluate things. I made a thread about this on GB a few weeks ago saying just count 3's as 2.5's. I know ridiculous but not as nuts as Rockets tossing up 75 3's in a game.

[Curmudgeon]

It's not just the three point shooting with Williamson, it's shooting, period, including free throws. He has an ugly stroke that will have to be completely reworked if he ever wants to be a good shooter. Apart from shooting, his game is great (he defends well too), but as Doc Rivers used to say, it's a make miss league.

[Homerclease]

It's not just the three point shooting with Williamson, it's shooting, period, including free throws. He has an ugly stroke that will have to be completely reworked if he ever wants to be a good shooter. Apart from shooting, his game is great (he defends well too), but as Doc Rivers used to say, it's a make miss league.

Giannis seems to be doing just fine

[Curmudgeon]

It's not just the three point shooting with Williamson, it's shooting, period, including free throws. He has an ugly stroke that will have to be completely reworked if he ever wants to be a good shooter. Apart from shooting, his game is great (he defends well too), but as Doc Rivers used to say, it's a make miss league.

Giannis seems to be doing just fine

Giannis is 5 inches taller and has a better stroke. Giannis shot over 75% from the line last year. Williamson will not attain that with his stroke. If he could get a running start and dunk the ball from behind the free throw line, he'd shoot a better percentage. Alas, the rules don't permit that.

[Homerclease]

It's not just the three point shooting with Williamson, it's shooting, period, including free throws. He has an ugly stroke that will have to be completely reworked if he ever wants to be a good shooter. Apart from shooting, his game is great (he defends well too), but as Doc Rivers used to say, it's a make miss league.

Giannis seems to be doing just fine

Giannis is 5 inches taller and has a better stroke. Giannis shot over 75% from the line last year. Williamson will not attain that with his stroke. If he could get a running start and dunk the ball from behind the free throw line, he'd shoot a better percentage. Alas, the rules don't permit that.

He couldn’t shoot a lick when he came into the league. Didn’t stop him. He’s a freak. Zion is the same in that regard. He’s not gonna need to be an elite outside shooter to be an effective offensive weapon.

He’s an even more athletic Shawn Kemp that weighs 285 pounds.

[Curmudgeon]

Shawn Kemp was also much taller.

[Homerclease]

Shawn Kemp was also much taller.

He was. But Zion more than makes up for that in vertical. Also much bigger and stronger.

Kemp was one of my favorite players ever growing up. Prime Kemp before the lockout was a force. Zion will be every bit as good and then some IMO

[djFan71]

Shawn Kemp was also much taller.

He was. But Zion more than makes up for that in vertical. Also much bigger and stronger.

Kemp was one of my favorite players ever growing up. Prime Kemp before the lockout was a force. Zion will be every bit as good and then some IMO

95-96 Kemp was a monster, and that Sonics team was loaded. If they hadn't played one of the all-time great teams (with arguably THE all time great at his peak) in the finals, they would have gotten a ring.

[Curmudgeon]

Zion is a great prospect. He'll be No. 1 overall. But don't pretend that he can shoot. He can't. One of two things will happen: either he learns to shoot and becomes a top 10 player-- maybe even top 2 or 3-- or he doesn't learn to shoot and becomes a top 30-35 player.

[sam_I_am]

Zion is a great kid, a leader, and has the mentality to be as great as his talent allows. He is more like Giannis than Kemp in that he has a high BBIQ and excellent court vision for a big. I think he will be an immediate star in NBA. Whether he can carry a franchise will come down to how well he learns to shoot from outside.