2019 NBA draft part deux

[KGdaBom]

Just over a week until the draft, workout warriors are showing off their dribbling and dunking skills, burying unguarded 3 pointers one after another. Wish we could fast forward to draft day. Today's thoughts...

-The top 10 players from almost every draft class are a collection of players not ranked in order in mock drafts.

-Ky Bowman is a must get for me. He's strong, he can dribble, shoot, and pass, and can play D. If Kyle Lowry can be a starter at 6-2 then so can Bowman (who has a 6-7 wingspan). At worst he's going to be a damn good backup PG who has a great offensive package. You cannot teach the gifts that he has with the ball in his hands.

-Because of statement number one above, players like Grant Williams (everyone really needs to read the Stepein's recent article on him - https://www.thestepien.com/2019/06/09/draft-notes-grant-williams-chosen-24-40-drafts-second-best-play/), PJ Washington, Nickiel Alexander-Walker, Cam Johnson, Mfiondu Kabengele, Luka Samanic, Chuma Okeke, and Louis King (guys who will go in the 15-35 range) have just as good of odds to be legit nba players as more "sexy" or highly ranked players like Reddish, Little, Doumbouya, Hachimura, Clarke, and others.

-If Grant Williams DOES reach his potential and becomes the ridiculously efficient and multi-faceted player he could be, a draft nabbing Williams (in a trade-down if possible) and Bowman would be awesome and would address some serious needs.

Isn't Williams like a slightly smaller Paul Milsap?

Hell yes, I like that comp. Millsap is a 4X all-star and has been part of all defensive teams. If I knew GW would be as good as Millsap, being a similar type of player, I'd TRADE UP to get him. 2, maybe 3 guys in the lotto have all-star talent, agreeable, all-star talent. But the Millsap comp, I like it. They are built the same and do a lot of the same things. GW is an inch shorter, and I think he'll play both the 3 and the 4 in the nba and will have a chance to guard more positions than Millsap. 14 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 apg (very good passer), over 50% overall FG percentage, I think he'll shoot 34% or better from behind the arc, with a low volume at the beginning of his career, and that will grow. Plus he hustles, is a leader, is physical, and has off the charts instincts both offensively and defensively and will NEVER kill you with bonehead plays, turnovers, or jacking up shots he shouldn't. He has traits of Millsap, Daymond Green, and Jae Crowder. I see him being a better Jae Crowder I would say, with a few more tools in the bag.

I appreciate the enthusiasm, but don't overreact. Just because he has similarities to Milsap doesn't mean he will ever be in the same realm as a player. I don't think I would draft him unless we find a trade down partner because he won't be available in the 2nd round and 11 is too soon.

[KGdaBom]

I am far from sold on Sekou. He seems to shy from contact and has a pretty loose handle. He's young enough that the upside is still there, but this guy is a few years away from cracking someone's rotation.

That's what I've been thinking. One or two years in the G League. Maybe makes an impact at the time his rookie contract is expiring.

[Krapinsky]

Over his career, Millsap has been the glass half-full comp for more NBA prospects than any other player I can think of.

The thing with guys like Milsap, West, and more recently, Siakam, is they averaged 10 rebounds per game in college for a reason -- they were more determined and worked harder than other players. So for me, unless a guy is averaging 10 rebounds per game, then I don't want to hear the all-star PF comps.

[wolfen]

I don't see any SF versatility in his game, which makes a comp to PJ Tucker or Jae Crowder void in my mind.

PJ doesn’t play the 3 a lot and Grant is a much more versatile offensive player. He’s a great team defender that relies on his extremely high iq. Depending on the matchup I think he can play some 3

I agree with this. He's a 4/3 with some unique traits and skills. Of course, I have some concerns about his tweener size (height), but he's so strong in the base, he won't get pushed around by either 3's or 4's. And yes, some are concerned about his footspeed, lateral quickness, ability to stay with quicker players, switch, etc. Not that the combine is the be-all end-all, but his lane agility time was really good - 10.83. To put that in perspective, he was quicker than many SF's, SG's, and PG's. Leque, PG , 11.09. KZ Okpala, SF, 10.88. Quicker than Shayock, Charles Matthews (thought to be an elite defender, poor guy just tore his ACL in a workout), Nassir Little, Louis King. He was 2nd among PF's in that category, topped all C's, quicker than 3/4 of the SF's. He's got elite court vision on the offensive end and elite defensive awareness as well. Can he shoot the 3? He thinks he can...

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[Klomp]

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[alabamawolf]

I don't see any SF versatility in his game, which makes a comp to PJ Tucker or Jae Crowder void in my mind.

PJ doesn’t play the 3 a lot and Grant is a much more versatile offensive player. He’s a great team defender that relies on his extremely high iq. Depending on the matchup I think he can play some 3

I agree with this. He's a 4/3 with some unique traits and skills. Of course, I have some concerns about his tweener size (height), but he's so strong in the base, he won't get pushed around by either 3's or 4's. And yes, some are concerned about his footspeed, lateral quickness, ability to stay with quicker players, switch, etc. Not that the combine is the be-all end-all, but his lane agility time was really good - 10.83. To put that in perspective, he was quicker than many SF's, SG's, and PG's. Leque, PG , 11.09. KZ Okpala, SF, 10.88. Quicker than Shayock, Charles Matthews (thought to be an elite defender, poor guy just tore his ACL in a workout), Nassir Little, Louis King. He was 2nd among PF's in that category, topped all C's, quicker than 3/4 of the SF's. He's got elite court vision on the offensive end and elite defensive awareness as well. Can he shoot the 3? He thinks he can...

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I think he has ability to play the 5 as well in a small ball lineup. His mid range shot is money and his release is high enough that he doesn’t have trouble shooting over the top of taller players. I think eventually he’ll be able to shoot the 3 consistently, and he did show some flashes at Tennessee, but he wasnt asked to be on the perimeter much due to his ability to dominate 18 ft and in. I really can’t say enough good things about his character because the kid is as good as they come and his work ethic is off the charts.

[Klomp]

I don't see any SF versatility in his game, which makes a comp to PJ Tucker or Jae Crowder void in my mind.

PJ doesn’t play the 3 a lot and Grant is a much more versatile offensive player. He’s a great team defender that relies on his extremely high iq. Depending on the matchup I think he can play some 3

I agree with this. He's a 4/3 with some unique traits and skills. Of course, I have some concerns about his tweener size (height), but he's so strong in the base, he won't get pushed around by either 3's or 4's. And yes, some are concerned about his footspeed, lateral quickness, ability to stay with quicker players, switch, etc. Not that the combine is the be-all end-all, but his lane agility time was really good - 10.83. To put that in perspective, he was quicker than many SF's, SG's, and PG's. Leque, PG , 11.09. KZ Okpala, SF, 10.88. Quicker than Shayock, Charles Matthews (thought to be an elite defender, poor guy just tore his ACL in a workout), Nassir Little, Louis King. He was 2nd among PF's in that category, topped all C's, quicker than 3/4 of the SF's. He's got elite court vision on the offensive end and elite defensive awareness as well. Can he shoot the 3? He thinks he can...

I'm just calling it as I see it, and I don't see Williams as a SF. The thing about Tucker is, he can easily slide out to defend the small-ball PFs who are really SFs (James, Antetokounmpo, Durant, Leonard, etc.) if those teams put out a bigger lineup. I don't see any way Williams can regularly defend guys like that. I have my doubts about Washington too. Saying those guys can play SF is like saying Derrick Williams or even Michael Beasley can play SF. Much more confident in Brandon Clarke being competent at SF than Williams or Washington.

[twix2500]

ESPN mock

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[Neeva]

ESPN mock

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Looks great to me

[KGdaBom]

ESPN mock

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Looks great to me

ESPN coming from left field with Keldon Johnson at 10.

[GeekFreak]

ESPN mock

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Looks great to me

I wouldn't count on something called Keldon Johnson going ahead of us, lol.

[Klomp]

ESPN mock

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Was this one of those roundtable mocks where 5-6 talking heads each had a team, or was this a legit mock draft?

[wesleyt95]

ESPN mock

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Looks great to me

I wouldn't count on something called Keldon Johnson going ahead of us, lol.

I could see them gambling on nassir little, Sekou should be our #1 target if he slides

[Neeva]

Looks great to me

I wouldn't count on something called Keldon Johnson going ahead of us, lol.

I could see them gambling on nassir little, Sekou should be our #1 target if he slides

I could see atlanta going after herro also since they seem
Hellbent to be make the splash brothers south happen.

[gandlogo]

ESPN mock

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Was this one of those roundtable mocks where 5-6 talking heads each had a team, or was this a legit mock draft?

Roundtable mock.

[Norseman79]

People ripping the Keldon Johnson pick, kid has potential out the ears, and is a Kentucky player. This is always the time of year that we start seeing some people start climbing.

[Klomp]

Was this one of those roundtable mocks where 5-6 talking heads each had a team, or was this a legit mock draft?

Roundtable mock.

Well then you can throw the results out the window. Those things are borderline useless.

[wesleyt95]

I wouldn't count on something called Keldon Johnson going ahead of us, lol.

I could see them gambling on nassir little, Sekou should be our #1 target if he slides

I could see atlanta going after herro also since they seem
Hellbent to be make the splash brothers south happen.

Kinda redundant with Kevin Huerter

[Neeva]

I wonder if phoenix and atlanta will trade 6 for 10 and 17? Hawks get Culver, Suns get Clarke and then the suns send the 17 and johnson to the Wolves for teague?
I would love to come out of this draft with Doumbouya and Little /or Herro/ or Washington.

[karch34]

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Interesting too was they were saying one of the recent hires (can't remember who) was the guy who first discovered pick swapping as way around the cant trade picks in consecutive years. Woj seems to be a pretty big Rossas fan.