2019 Draft Discussion

[Braggins]

People who want a center should check out Goga Bitazde. 6'11"+ with a a 7'2" wingspan and mobility + fluid athleticism. He runs the floor, protects the rim, and can shoot.

I'm glad you brought Goga up, because from what I've read I'd be very okay with him being the pick at 12 (USA Today has BKN taking him at 18, and Stepien ranks him 11 so not a reach). Im a fan of Jokic and Nurkic, and see Goga in their lineage.

Spoiler:

Highlights from a few profiles of Goga:

The 19 year-old big man has made massive strides this season playing first with Mega Bemax in the Adriatic League and recently with Buducnost where he has started to earn major Euroleague minutes (in addition to playing in the Adriatic League). The 6-foot-11.25, 251-pound Bitadze has been remarkably productive this season splitting time between the Adriatic League and Euroleague, posting 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1 assist per game across 25.8 minutes a night on a 65.9 true shooting percentage.

Bitadze has flashed signs of a much higher ceiling on both ends of the floor. His most notable area of progress has been his greatly improved mobility on both ends. No longer does Bitadze look plodding trying to defend pick-and-rolls on the perimeter. JZ mentioned that Bitadze rarely left the paint last season, but this year he looks much more comfortable venturing out the perimeter and hedging and recovering against pick-and-rolls. He has slimmed down and looks much more nimble moving on the perimeter on defense.

Bitadze’s improved fluidity extends to the offensive end of the court as well, where he has flashed comfort putting the ball on the floor and attacking from the perimeter as seen in the clip above. This is a particularly interesting development; having dribble-attack upside significantly raises Bitadze’s offensive ceiling especially if he reaches the upper end of his potential shooting outcome range

Bitadze relishes contact on both ends, and the next two clips feature his propensity for going into the bodies of defenders and finishing through them. This makes him a useful asset as a roll man, as does his elite screen-setting, which in my opinion is best of all the bigs in this class. His combination of pure size, coordination, and strength is pretty rare and it goes a long way in terms of unlocking high-end below-rim finishing.

The most interesting part of Bitadze’s offensive profile is his outside shooting ability. As the two clips above show, he shoots an easy ball from 3 with soft touch and highly projectable mechanics. He’s hit 15 of his 37 3-point attempts in 23 games this year while knocking down 67.3 percent of his shots from the free throw line. Few 6-foot-11 19 year-olds are as developed from 3-point range as he is, and the ones who are usually are shooting specialists

https://www.thestepien.com/2019/01/30/why-goga-bitadze-is-one-of-2019s-top-bigs/#

Much like his Adriatic league predecessors (Jokic, and Nurkic), Bitadze is a positive passer. He is a quick decision maker, that makes high IQ reads. He has shown the ability to pass off the dribble where he leverages his finishing, and handle to suck defenses in and hit open shooters.

Bitadze is an amazing screen setter, no doubt a product of his professional upbringing.

His behemoth strength, coordination, fluidity all come together to allow him to be a positive finisher through contact where he does not shy away but rather embraces contact.

Defensively, Bitadze is a team defending extraordinaire. He rotates extremely well and always puts himself in the position to help without over committing

https://basketballsocietyonline.com/goga-bitadze-scouting-report

If half of this is true guy ticks a lot of boxes for Hornets needs

I'm not in the camp that thinks we need to reach for a center, but I'm still starting to zero in on Goga as my preferred pick. Depending on what you make of Bol Bol, I don't think its hard to imagine Goga as the best center prospect in this draft and I love the fit here. I might prefer someone like Sekou Doumbouya or Cam Reddish if we were drafting a few slots higher, but I really don't think either has much chance of being available at 12.

[Snidely FC]

agreed, among other things this team seriously needs to add some physicality

[BigSlam]

Wasn’t expecting that. A hybrid between Frank and Cody?

Or another Andrea Bargnani?

[Braggins]

agreed, among other things this team seriously needs to add some physicality

Yeah, I think a legit center is among the teams biggest needs, but I don't think they are in a position to reach for specific needs right now. Goga seems like great value at 12 though and the fit could be fantastic, so it seems like a win/win if hes there.

[Braggins]

Wasn’t expecting that. A hybrid between Frank and Cody?

Or another Andrea Bargnani?

I think hes more of an inside first guy who can also shoot/pass and not really a perimeter oriented big like Bargnani. He could obviously still be a bust, but it will be for different reasons than Bargs.

[fatlever]

All this talk of turkey has got me Hungary.

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[predators]

Horton-Tucker measuring 6-4 with a 7'2" wing span is low key the most absurd measurement going into the draft.

[taj2133]

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[SWedd523]

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Ok seriously though, what the hell is up with all these names?

We're getting to the point to where people just pick out 6 letters from a scrabble bag and make something up.

Starting to read like the Key and Peele East-West game

[taj2133]

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[316Hornets]

With this draft class being perceived as weak, I wonder what is the possibility that we could trade a future 1st to get another pick in this one. I think that could help offset Kemba's max contract and allow some improvement.

[gundysmullet]

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Ok seriously though, what the hell is up with all these names?

We're getting to the point to where people just pick out 6 letters from a scrabble bag and make something up.

Starting to read like the Key and Peele East-West game

Uh...It’s an African name.

[Benjamin Linus]

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IMO there’s a drop off after 10 so I’d love to see some team take Nassir Little early so maybe someone can fall to us

[GiggitySmalls]

I want Washington or little. I want a guy to pair with miles.

[Eoghan]

I just want a NBA player. Gerald Henderson caliber or better. No Ajincas.

[SWedd523]

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Ok seriously though, what the hell is up with all these names?

We're getting to the point to where people just pick out 6 letters from a scrabble bag and make something up.

Starting to read like the Key and Peele East-West game

Uh...It’s an African name.

Really?

"Mfioundu" really screams Germanic to me