2019 NBA Draft Prep

[Spud2nique]

Sekou, baby!

6'9" combo forward as a draft and stash option with the Dallas pick:

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Mickael Pietrus written all over ur dumbo!

[Spud2nique]

Possible lineups next year:

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Prince
PF- Zion Williamson
C- Collins

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Barrett
PF- Prince
C-Collins

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Reddish
PF- Prince
C-Collins

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Prince
PF- Hachimura
C-Collins

PG-Trae
SG- Huerter
SF-Prince
PF- Hunter
C-Collins

PG-Trae
SG-Huerter
SF-Culver
PF-Prince
C-Collins

Which helps us win win win win????

[Jamaaliver]

There's no need to "stash" a guy like that. Develop him here.

We're not in a position to "stash" a top-8(ish) pick anyways.

I get it, I get it ... you only want dudes to enter the league as 28 year-old guys or w/e. You've got to get over that, mayne.

And every player could see some benefit from further development, overseas or otherwise, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best plan for the player.

You said the same type of stuff about Collins, Young, Huerter, etc. You make me sad, @jamalll Don't you want kg to be happy?

Ummmmm...

There's been a consensus for a while that this kid is a while away.

Specific to him, I don't want to start his rookie contract any time soon. Why get little production from him for the first half of his rookie contract and have to make a financial decision before we know what he is?

He just turned 18 like 7 weeks ago.


Considering his English is still weak and his adjustment to a new country might not be completely smooth, I'd strongly recommend waiting a year and bringing him over at age 19 or 20.

Spoiler:

Pre-season socuting report.

Sekou Doumbouya, 6-9, 230, SF/PF, France

When it comes to the top of the International leaders board, Sekou Doumbouya is easily the top international prospect, a player likely to be among the top-5 players selected in 2019. The 18-year-old forward has shown the potential to be an impact player at both ends of the floor. As a 15-year-old, he was the leading scorer on the French national team which took home the gold during the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. His emergence comes at a time when the NBA continues to become a “small-ball” league which allows players with Doumbouya’s skills to play both forward positions (although him at small forward should be something we see little of at the next level) as well as some center. He has shown growth in terms of shooting the ball more efficiently as well as solid mechanics on his shot, but his feel for the game is very much a work in progress. Defensively, there’s a lot to like about his game but his success at the next level defensively will depend heavily on where he’s placed on the floor. If he’s called upon to play more of a power forward/center role, he’ll be fine. His quickness will make him an asset at both ends of the floor. But if he’s being asked to defend small forwards on a consistent basis, that’s not playing to his strengths. When all is said and done, his upside will be too much for a team picking in the top-five to pass on.

NBC Sports

[Spud2nique]

That’s my 1a. My 1b right now is Rui and Culver. Hunter and Porter are creeping up my board too.

I gotta watch Bruno but honestly all I saw was a glorified Ian Mahinmi. I like a Ian pick as a second round gamble, speaking of second rounds, I’d like us to take a look at Mutombo’s nephew as well.

Bruno has a 7'4.25" wingspan, is a better rebounder and shot-blocker than Mahinmi. Higher motor, notoriously intense work ethic. 77% from the line, Mahinmi is only 61%. Not the best comparison. Bruno got dat DAWG all up in'em.

Whose a good comparison to Bruno that’s playing in the league right now? I see no low post moves from him. Seems like a power guy with a motor but no specific skills than stand out to me. I dunno, maybe I’m just down on this year’s bigs.

[Jamaaliver]

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[EazyRoc]

One thing I’ve never considered with Sekou is that he could still be growing and could still end up taller. Has anybody heard any commentary on this ?

[Hazer]

I gotta watch Bruno but honestly all I saw was a glorified Ian Mahinmi. I like a Ian pick as a second round gamble, speaking of second rounds, I’d like us to take a look at Mutombo’s nephew as well.

Bruno has a 7'4.25" wingspan, is a better rebounder and shot-blocker than Mahinmi. Higher motor, notoriously intense work ethic. 77% from the line, Mahinmi is only 61%. Not the best comparison. Bruno got dat DAWG all up in'em.

Whose a good comparison to Bruno that’s playing in the league right now? I see no low post moves from him. Seems like a power guy with a motor but no specific skills than stand out to me. I dunno, maybe I’m just down on this year’s bigs.

Busted only skimming my posts, eh Spuddy? I only name-dropped Serge Ibaka 5 times or so

[Spud2nique]

Bruno has a 7'4.25" wingspan, is a better rebounder and shot-blocker than Mahinmi. Higher motor, notoriously intense work ethic. 77% from the line, Mahinmi is only 61%. Not the best comparison. Bruno got dat DAWG all up in'em.

Whose a good comparison to Bruno that’s playing in the league right now? I see no low post moves from him. Seems like a power guy with a motor but no specific skills than stand out to me. I dunno, maybe I’m just down on this year’s bigs.

Busted only skimming my posts, eh Spuddy? I only name-dropped Serge Ibaka 5 times or so

sadly no I didn’t skim. I think my brain just registered Ibaka and dismissed it quickly I kid I kid...we do like a lot of the same guys every year Haze, this one is perplexing ... gonna try to watch some Maryland games and just follow Bruno the whole time... maybe I’ll appreciate him more. I’ll ride with ur Serge Ibaka though because my Mahimni did seem like a lazy one lol.

[Jamaaliver]

One thing I’ve never considered with Sekou is that he could still be growing and could still end up taller. Has anybody heard any commentary on this ?

At the start of the season, Sekou measured in at 6' 9" and a chubby 230 lbs. That was at age 17.

Word is he's now down to a leaner 220 lbs (after missing 6+ weeks with a minor thumb injury).

You'd have to think he could pack on 15-20 pounds of muscle over the next 5 years in an NBA training program. If he gets to 6' 10", with his bounce and skill set -- at around 240 pounds, he could reasonably guard SFs, PFs and Centers effectively.

[Jamaaliver]

Not a Big Board or a Mock Draft...

Top 25 players in college basketball 2.0

Welcome back to our latest rankings of the top 25 players in college basketball. You'll never guess Nos. 2-25. Just a reminder that NBA-agnostic player evaluation is the name of this game. We'll leave the mock drafts and fretting about future potential to others. This is how players would be ranked on present-tense college impact only.


3. Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga Bulldogs



The Zags collectively, and Clarke individually, are continuing to do rather remarkable basketball things. By the first week of February, to take one example, the 6-foot-8 junior had already broken the program's single-season record for blocked shots. Not bad for a player shooting a near-Zion-like 70 percent on his high-volume 2s.

Perhaps it will require confirmation from March, but what we've seen thus far merits at least a provisional sum-up: Clarke is, to this point in the season, in the conversation as the best Gonzaga player of the past decade. Given the program that Mark Few has built, that's saying something.


5. PJ Washington, Kentucky Wildcats



The scary thing about Washington's 23-point performance on 9-of-12 shooting against what was then No. 1-ranked Tennessee isn't that it was such a good game. No, the remarkable part is that it felt so representative and customary. This is what Washington does now, and he's running out of spots to climb higher on this list as a result.

At 6-foot-8, Washington has assumed the role of Kentucky's featured scorer as a nominal stretch-4. He averages one made 3 per contest and commands respect from opponents by shooting an excellent percentage from out there, but he's most dangerous in the paint. Again, ask the Vols: Washington wore out Rick Barnes' team on the interior, to the tune of 8-of-10 shooting on his 2s. The sophomore's season numbers say a relatively low 53 percent of his 2-point attempts are recorded at the rim, but that might be changing before our eyes, making Washington, if anything, even more dangerous.



7. Grant Williams, Tennessee Volunteers



It's difficult to pigeonhole a reigning SEC player of the year who has actually improved year-to-year in almost every facet of his game, but let's try. For starters, Williams is having what can only be termed an amazing season shooting 2-point jumpers, runners and every other kind of attempt that's inside the arc but not at the rim. That type of shot is, of course, supposed to be a low-efficiency quagmire, and defenses are increasingly happy to allow them.

But letting Williams shoot those non-rim 2s is looking more and more like a mistake. Tennessee's star is getting better than a point per attempt from those tries, at a time when he's also better than he was last season at the line, on the defensive boards and at distributing the ball. There's no guarantee Williams will repeat as POY in the SEC, but it's looking increasingly likely that 2018-19 will, in fact, clock in as his better all-around season.



15. Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech Red Raiders



There's a case to be made that fans, writers, coaches and humans in general are hardwired to overreact at least a little when one player goes missing because of injury or some other cause. But if Texas Tech ever had to do without Culver, well, that might be a different matter. The 6-foot-6 sophomore is the best option for made shots, assists, drawn fouls and low-turnover ball possession on a Red Raiders team with an immaculate defense and a so-so offense. He could be a 2019 lottery pick, and it's conceivable there's an "aha" moment coming soon, where we'll see Culver playing against defenses that can't single him out so relentlessly.

ESPN

[kg01]

What's a good comp for this Clarke kid? Is he a Siakim-type of big?

[Radioblacktive1]

Possible lineups next year:

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Prince
PF- Zion Williamson
C- Collins

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Barrett
PF- Prince
C-Collins

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Reddish
PF- Prince
C-Collins

PG- Trae
SG- Huerter
SF- Prince
PF- Hachimura
C-Collins

PG-Trae
SG- Huerter
SF-Prince
PF- Hunter
C-Collins

PG-Trae
SG-Huerter
SF-Culver
PF-Prince
C-Collins

Which helps us win win win win????

I like the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th but Collins as a full-time Center scares me.

I know most aren’t high on taking a Center with any of our FRPs but I’m not sure shifting Collins is a suitable alternative. I’ve seen a couple of centers that are worth the Dallas pick (if it ends up in the teens).

[Jamaaliver]

What's a good comp for this Clarke kid? Is he a Siakim-type of big?

There is some Siakam there. Maybe Josh Smith minus the hops, the play-making or the boneheaded plays. His ceiling is likely Serge Ibaka.

But he's short and rail-thin. He played SG before transferring to Gonzaga.

14. Brandon Clarke
Forward/center, Gonzaga, redshirt junior (6-foot-8, 215 pounds, 22 years old)

Chau: Clarke will turn 23 before the start of next season, making him one of the oldest lottery-caliber prospects in recent memory. He’ll be drafted for his defense, which might be elite, even by NBA standards. Clarke would have been a hopeless 3/4/5 tweener in a past life -- an athletic center in an athletic wing’s body who languished on the fringes of the league a decade ago. Today, Clarke could easily serve as an omnipositional defender; a player equally adept at protecting the rim, blowing up pick-and-rolls, and roaming away from the ball as a weakside threat. Clarke, in theory, is a high-floor play. You know exactly what you’re getting.

Yet I can’t help but think about what upside might still be untapped. He might be relatively old compared to his peers, but players with his speed and explosiveness afford themselves a wider margin for error. Pascal Siakam was one of the oldest players in the 2016 draft yet managed to completely redirect his career trajectory in two short years. Clarke, who possesses many of Siakam’s strengths, could see more growth than expected in a system that allows him to grow organically. The next time Clarke makes a nifty pass in the half court, or the next time he takes the ball from the top of the key down to the teeth of the defense with a vigorous spin move, know that there is certainly a precedent for him to exceed a mere defensive specialist role.

The Ringer

[Spud2nique]

What's a good comp for this Clarke kid? Is he a Siakim-type of big?

Poor man’s Aaron Gordon rich man’s Keon Clark.

Active body and rebounder, specially on the O boards keeping balls alive. He’s a low teen pick to me. Between 14-22 pick.

[Spud2nique]

This is a dream draft for me. Picking up Reddish and Culver!

By the way, I love Garland but #4 overall??? I’d put him at around 10-14 personally but individual workouts will change a lot.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2019-nba-mock-draft-zion-williamson-still-an-easy-pick-to-take-at-no-1-even-after-knee-injury/

[CP War Hawks]

Very good slate of games with all the lotto prospects in action.

I've gotta say this, we are not going to pick 5th. Mavs, Heat, and Magic currently have higher odds of picking 1st than us staying at 5. It's the equivalent of getting in an elevator on the 5th floor, you are either going up or down.

[Spud2nique]

My boy with tude! Want him with that Mavs pick possibly...Keldon!

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[Spud2nique]

Schlenk’s boy.. 9-11 fg 2-2 from downtown. This is another possible Mavs selection for us. I know a lotta use love him.

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[CP War Hawks]

One thing I’ve never considered with Sekou is that he could still be growing and could still end up taller. Has anybody heard any commentary on this ?

I'd always felt he could grow into a center eventually, though he doesn't seem to have the body type to grow longer. Here is alist of 1st rd. prospects that were 18 or younger during most of the season.

Jaxson Hayes
RJ Barrett
Sekou Doumbouya
Charles Bassey
Coby White
Nasir Little
Kevin Porter
Zion Williamson

[King_Supreme]

I’m still not spending our first or the Mavs on a center. I want 2 wings from this wing heavy draft. We can draft a center with our second rounder pick. Hayes and Bruno need to show me more.

Why would you need 2 wings when you have that SG you drafted last year?