Wizards 2019 Draft Thread - Part II

[payitforward]

Samanic reminds me a lot of the Brooklyn Nets rookie - Rodions Kuruc. He was the 40th pick and played really well for them, he was selected to the rookie-soph game iirc. ...

Kurucs was expected to be a typical floor spacing big, but the aspect of his game that got overlooked was his underrated athleticism and quickness. He’s able to take other bigs off the dribble when they run him off the 3pt line. And on defense , it turns out that he can actually switch and slide his feet with guards so he makes for a useful small ball C.

Kurucs was a terrific pick at #40, no doubt. & he has potential. But, tho he started the season well, I'd say "played really well" is an overstatement.

I'm not dinging the guy! For example, he had one outstanding game vs. the Sixers in R1 of the playoffs. Plus he played 1300 minutes for the Nets as a 20-21 year old rookie. A bargain pick w/o a doubt.

I also think he's got to wind up more of a wing than a big. If you get 7.5 boards per 40 minutes, it might be hard projecting you at Center.... But, he shot 31.5% on 3-pointers. That made for a TS% well below average.

I mention this only b/c of your comparison to Samanic -- whom, like you, I really like. But Samanic is a good bit bigger than Kuriucs, he's 6'11" & already at 220 lbs -- Samanic is a 2 full years younger than Kuriucs -- just turned 19 in January -- so he might well grow a bit more.

I have to think Samanic is even earlier in his development than Kuriucs. Watching him, it's hard for me to imagine he's ready to play big minutes in the NBA.

I thought I remember seeing Kurucs he was shooting near -40% on threes earlier in the season. Maybe he tailed off towards the end (which would make sense for an NBA rook) not exactly sure.

But I know BKN is pretty happy with him thus far and they had a first round grade on him. What's interesting is that his team in Europe, FC Barcelona, was intentionally holding him back and didn't give him playing time because they were afraid he'd showcase his talent and leave for the NBA.

https://nothinbutnets.com/2018/07/12/brooklyn-nets-rumors-rodions-kurucs/
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/794116/rodions-kurucs-after-three-years-im-finally-enjoying-playing-basketball/

As I said, a bargain pick at #40 -- of course they're happy with him! Wow, that was a deep draft!

I figured you were still opining off his early season play. He trailed off. Doesn't make me hate him! I'd be delighted if we had him. You will recall that I was screaming last year at this time for us to trade down & get 2 picks, a lower R1 pick & a high R2 pick. Now, the guy I'd have wanted most with a high R2 pick was Mitchell Robinson, but he went #36. If we'd traded our #15, lets say, for Atlanta's #30 & #34 -- we could have picked Mitchell Robinson at 30 & Kurucs at 34. That would have been a haul.

But... at least Ernie was fired!!

[nate33]

Continued from here

[tontoz]

Sekou and Samanic are at the top of my wish list right now.

After that, not sure.

[prime1time]

I like Sekou, need to watch tape on Samanic. I use to think Cam Reddish was the biggest enigma of the draft but now I'm not sure. Bol Bol is a mystery to me.

[Dat2U]

I'm warming a bit to Sekou as well. His improvement from earlier in the year is stark.

I still prefer a trade down however. Getting 2 for 1 in this draft after the top 2 seems ideal.

[gambitx777]

I was not saying that Beal commands the same as AD. #4 and kuzma wouldn't get AD in any reality. All I meant to point out was ingrim and a pick swap for beal is stupid. A first and a young player is fair for Beal. AD is going to probably be 2-4 young players and 1-3 firsts.

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[Illuminaire]

Nawp. I can't and won't. I'm a fan. A passionate partisan. I will use whatever damn language I please to express it.

But I'm responding to this and similar posts:

Sure. You do you. And being a passionate fan is a positive in my book.

Just remember that most of the people advocating for a different path are also passionate fans - who, with a few rare exceptions, have not stooped to casting emotional aspersions on other perspectives.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Gafford, after Sekou.

Sekou and Samanic are at the top of my wish list right now.

After that, not sure.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I'm warming a bit to Sekou as well. His improvement from earlier in the year is stark.

I still prefer a trade down however. Getting 2 for 1 in this draft after the top 2 seems ideal.

Gafford and Ky Bowman.

Bowman or Carsen Edwards strike me as overachieving types who will be successful in the NBA despite being undersized and lacking athleticism.

Gafford is a sneaky good scorer. Like Kyle Kuzma, his numbers will blow up in the NBA.

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[TGW]

I'm warming a bit to Sekou as well. His improvement from earlier in the year is stark.

I still prefer a trade down however. Getting 2 for 1 in this draft after the top 2 seems ideal.

My problem with Doumbouya is his ok but not great wingspan (6'11). Wish he had a little more length.

[payitforward]

I'm warming a bit to Sekou as well. His improvement from earlier in the year is stark.

I still prefer a trade down however. Getting 2 for 1 in this draft after the top 2 seems ideal.

That 34 point game was impressive, no doubt. Definitely a promising player.

But, trading down -- if possible -- is the best strategy, IMO. We should also buy a R2 pick.

[Dat2U]

I'm warming a bit to Sekou as well. His improvement from earlier in the year is stark.

I still prefer a trade down however. Getting 2 for 1 in this draft after the top 2 seems ideal.

That 34 point game was impressive, no doubt. Definitely a promising player.

But, trading down -- if possible -- is the best strategy, IMO. We should also buy a R2 pick.

Right Sekou's previous high was 14. So while he's improving, his most recent performance us an outlier. Unfortunately, if he keeps it up, he could likely play his way into a top 8 spot anyways.

[Dat2U]

I was looking over the free agent list, the depth of available free options at the C position is quite extensive. I count nearly 40 playable options.

Then you look at the draft... Hayes, Bol, Bitadze, Fernando, Porter, Gafford & Queta all rate as 1st round picks.

Then you have plentiful trade options as well as there are number of teams overloaded at the position because rosters were assembled with 3 and 4 Cs, failing to adapt to smallball.

Should the Wizards prioritize non-C positions in the draft with this in mind?

[pcbothwel]

I was looking over the free agent list, the depth of available free options at the C position is quite extensive. I count nearly 40 playable options.

Then you look at the draft... Hayes, Bol, Bitadze, Fernando, Porter, Gafford & Queta all rate as 1st round picks.

Then you have plentiful trade options as well as there are number of teams overloaded at the position because rosters were assembled with 3 and 4 Cs, failing to adapt to smallball.

Should the Wizards prioritize non-C positions in the draft with this in mind?

100%
I've made this known as Im a BIG fan of Goga and Hayes... but you simply cannot take them in the top 10.

[payitforward]

I was looking over the free agent list, the depth of available free options at the C position is quite extensive. I count nearly 40 playable options.

Then you look at the draft... Hayes, Bol, Bitadze, Fernando, Porter, Gafford & Queta all rate as 1st round picks.

Then you have plentiful trade options as well as there are number of teams overloaded at the position because rosters were assembled with 3 and 4 Cs, failing to adapt to smallball.

Should the Wizards prioritize non-C positions in the draft with this in mind?

100%
I've made this known as Im a BIG fan of Goga and Hayes... but you simply cannot take them in the top 10.

I understand what you mean, Dat, & your response as well, pcbothwei (& I agree w/ you -- don't take either Goga or Hayes @ #9).

But, overall, that's not how I'd be reading/reacting to this information. To whatever degree all the above is true, to that degree other teams will be more likely to pass on the BPA if he's a Center & instead take the "next-to-BPA", as it were. The result will be that better players who are Centers will be pushed down in the draft.

You don't want to mimic what other teams do; you want to profit from what they do. The situation you cite is yet another reason to trade down.

We have only 1 player going forward who is a C -- Bryant. Bitadze, for example, looks like quite a different kind of guy, more like Steven Adams, say. If we can manage to move our #9 for 2 mid-round picks, I'd love to have him and another prospect. I've already mentioned that I think Clarke's measurements will push him down. I can't imagine anything better than coming out of this draft with Bitadze & Clarke -- & a guy we get by buying a R2 pick.

Then sign someone undrafted, & go into camp with 4 rookies. Maybe 2 of them wind up on 2-way contracts. Maybe... whatever.

[payitforward]

I'm warming a bit to Sekou as well. His improvement from earlier in the year is stark.

I still prefer a trade down however. Getting 2 for 1 in this draft after the top 2 seems ideal.

That 34 point game was impressive, no doubt. Definitely a promising player.

But, trading down -- if possible -- is the best strategy, IMO. We should also buy a R2 pick.

Right Sekou's previous high was 14. So while he's improving, his most recent performance us an outlier. Unfortunately, if he keeps it up, he could likely play his way into a top 8 spot anyways.

For sure, but... for every player that moves up, another player has to move down!

Zion, Morant, Barrett, Culver & Hunter look to be locks to go in the top 8. If Sekou moves up, that's 6 guys. I wouldn't be surprised to see Reddish in there too -- someone's gonna watch him alone in the gym where he looks like he should go at the top of the draft. That's 7. Some mocks have White in the top 8, some have Hayes there.

On that scenario, we might get Garland -- assuming we don't trade down, which is an even better way to go.

The current SI mock draft would make it possible to trade our #9 to Boston for their #14 & #22 (not #20...) -- & still wind up with Bitadze & Clarke! Sounds good to me.

[TGW]

Semancic is Vesely if Vesely actually had tangible basketball skills outside of dunking.

It would be nice if we had multiple picks. This is a top heavy draft with 2 clear franchise changing studs, but it's a deep draft IMO. The international prospects in this draft are phenomenal. Between Semancic, Goga, Doumbouya, and Tacko Fall (if you want to include him in that bunch), you have the opportunity to add some real talent in the late first/early second. Unfortunately, idiot mustache man traded all of our second rounders, and I don't think they're going to be easy to trade for in this draft.

[nate33]

I was not saying that Beal commands the same as AD. #4 and kuzma wouldn't get AD in any reality. All I meant to point out was ingrim and a pick swap for beal is stupid. A first and a young player is fair for Beal. AD is going to probably be 2-4 young players and 1-3 firsts.

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I think Beal commands just as much as AD, if not more. The issue is that AD has only 1 year on his deal and he is holding a proverbial gun to the Pelicans' head. Everyone knows he must be traded so nobody is offering his true value.

Beal has 2 years left on his deal and hasn't signaled that he wants to leave. To get Beal, you need to offer equal value.

[nate33]

I was looking over the free agent list, the depth of available free options at the C position is quite extensive. I count nearly 40 playable options.

Then you look at the draft... Hayes, Bol, Bitadze, Fernando, Porter, Gafford & Queta all rate as 1st round picks.

Then you have plentiful trade options as well as there are number of teams overloaded at the position because rosters were assembled with 3 and 4 Cs, failing to adapt to smallball.

Should the Wizards prioritize non-C positions in the draft with this in mind?

Absolutely.

It's also noteworthy that the supply of centers will drive down Bryant's price, making it extremely likely that we keep him. A signed Bryant would be the 2nd best asset on the team and could possibly man the center position for the next 8-10 years. With him on board, I would definitely focus on other positions.

Good teams need 3 good guards, 3 good forwards and 1 good center. Optimistically, we will have 2 good guards (Beal and Sato), 1 good forward (Brown), and 1 good center (Bryant). Center is therefore the last position we need to worry about.

[Rafael122]

Kyler of BBall Insiders suggests Garland to the Suns as a promise he heard about. I'm guessing as of now the draft will go like this:

1. Pelicans: Zion
2. Grizzlies: Ja
3. Knicks: Barrett
4. Lakers: ?
5. Cavs: ?
6. Suns: Garland
7. Bulls: White

Culver and Hunter are missing, but they're probably going 4 and 5 at that point, which leaves Cam Reddish at 8 to the Hawks possibly, and maybe Sekou is there. The Hawks scare me the most b/c their pick is sandwiched in between ours. They could shoot for the upside pick in Sekou at 8, knowing we'll go with Reddish at 9, and then they can pick the guy they probably wanted at 8 anyway.