Appropriately early 2020 NBA Draft Thread

[Jamaaliver]

This video doesn't prove anything because of the quality of opponents, but Melo's size, fluidity and ball handling are pretty solid as a prospect. I'm not in favor of bringing him in, but I can see why he's considered a lottery selection.

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[kg01]

This video doesn't prove anything because of the quality of opponents, but Melo's size, fluidity and ball handling are pretty solid as a prospect. I'm not in favor of bringing him in, but I can see why he's considered a lottery selection.

I don't buy this at all coming from you aka Mr. Anybody's Replaceable

Hehe. Don't you miss this back 'n forth, 'malll?

How long before you tell me to go back where I came from?

[Jamaaliver]

Scouting Every Potential 2020 Top Pick's Biggest Weakness

Anthony Edwards (Georgia, SG, Freshman)

Weakness to monitor: Playing off ball/impacting winning

Our projected No. 1 pick entering the season, Anthony Edwards possesses an undeniable mix of natural talent and advanced skills. Can he convert them into winning basketball?

USA didn't even ask him to play at the Nike Hoop Summit. He's had no FIBA experience. At Holy Spirit, there were games in which he had trouble making an impact when the offense wasn't run through him.

Physical and athletic, Edwards is tremendous with the ball, capable of exploding to the rim or separating into pull-up and step-back jumpers. Learning how to efficiently score and create playing off the ball—or when the defense game-plans around him—will be his challenge in college and the NBA.

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

How long before you tell me to go back where I came from?

I'm pretty sure I would never use hostile, coded language like that...

Oh, wait.

[kg01]

How long before you tell me to go back where I came from?

I'm pretty sure I would never use hostile, coded language like that...

Oh, wait.

Mmhmm. Showed your true colors weeks ago, huh? smh

[Jamaaliver]

Yo, Ant Edwards is 220+ lbs as a freshman SG?!?



I can't tell whether I should be impressed or concerned. If he throws on another inch or two, dude could be a beast in the college game and the pros.

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mmhmm. Showed your true colors weeks ago, huh? smh

Yep, I'm a monster.

[kg01]

Mmhmm. Showed your true colors weeks ago, huh? smh

Yep, I'm a monster.

First step to getting help is admitting you have a problem. I'm proud of you, @jam'.

[EazyRoc]

This video doesn't prove anything because of the quality of opponents, but Melo's size, fluidity and ball handling are pretty solid as a prospect. I'm not in favor of bringing him in, but I can see why he's considered a lottery selection.

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He’d be a STAR on this team. The way he plays would fit so well with us.

[Jamaaliver]

He’d be a STAR on this team. The way he plays would fit so well with us.

Me...researching the 2020 draft, then considering LaMelo Ball in a Hawks uni.

[kg01]

He’d be a STAR on this team. The way he plays would fit so well with us.

Me...researching the 2020 draft, then considering LaMelo Ball in a Haks uni.

I have no clue why anyone would want him here and I'm not one of these anti-Ball folks. I just think that's the type of player you'd have to be all-in on as an organization. Put the ball in his hands and build around him.

That's not gonna happen here, nor should it.

[EazyRoc]

He’d be a STAR on this team. The way he plays would fit so well with us.

Me...researching the 2020 draft, then considering LaMelo Ball in a Haks uni.

I have no clue why anyone would want him here and I'm not one of these anti-Ball folks. I just think that's the type of player you'd have to be all-in on as an organization. Put the ball in his hands and build around him.

That's not gonna happen here, nor should it.

He is better on the ball right now, but he is almost like a bigger version of Trae Young.

I think having him and Trae would leave the floor wide open as they both can shoot from damn near half court well enough to be a threat. He’s a very very good playmaker and high IQ offensive player at his age. Really developed mentally and improved his approach to the game. Just had a growth spurt to 6’8”. If you see how Lonzo is built, it is possible to see him getting up around 215 lbs in 3-5 years. I wish he would go to the D-League as a select player with the 125k contract. If you look at it from a pure basketball perspective, Ball could be a really good fit long term at SG and backup PG initially.

[jayu70]

Me...researching the 2020 draft, then considering LaMelo Ball in a Haks uni.

I have no clue why anyone would want him here and I'm not one of these anti-Ball folks. I just think that's the type of player you'd have to be all-in on as an organization. Put the ball in his hands and build around him.

That's not gonna happen here, nor should it.

He is better on the ball right now, but he is almost like a bigger version of Trae Young.

I think having him and Trae would leave the floor wide open as they both can shoot from damn near half court well enough to be a threat. He’s a very very good playmaker and high IQ offensive player at his age. Really developed mentally and improved his approach to the game. Just had a growth spurt to 6’8”. If you see how Lonzo is built, it is possible to see him getting up around 215 lbs in 3-5 years. I wish he would go to the D-League as a select player with the 125k contract. If you look at it from a pure basketball perspective, Ball could be a really good fit long term at SG and backup PG initially.

Minumum age for GL is 18 years.

[kg01]

Me...researching the 2020 draft, then considering LaMelo Ball in a Haks uni.

I have no clue why anyone would want him here and I'm not one of these anti-Ball folks. I just think that's the type of player you'd have to be all-in on as an organization. Put the ball in his hands and build around him.

That's not gonna happen here, nor should it.

He is better on the ball right now, but he is almost like a bigger version of Trae Young.

I think having him and Trae would leave the floor wide open as they both can shoot from damn near half court well enough to be a threat. He’s a very very good playmaker and high IQ offensive player at his age. Really developed mentally and improved his approach to the game. Just had a growth spurt to 6’8”. If you see how Lonzo is built, it is possible to see him getting up around 215 lbs in 3-5 years. I wish he would go to the D-League as a select player with the 125k contract. If you look at it from a pure basketball perspective, Ball could be a really good fit long term at SG and backup PG initially.

I think there's a lot of evidence with Ball, and really with any high-level player, you can't make decision purely from a basketball perspective. Fit and culture matter.

It seems clear, if Ball isn't given the ball from day 1, there could be issues. You think he'd come here and just go along to get along? Again, I'm not a super anti-Lavar guy, but they couldn't make it to training camp in LA before role and fit became issues.

[Jamaaliver]

I think there's a lot of evidence with Ball, and really with any high-level player, you can't make decision purely from a basketball perspective. Fit and culture matter.

It seems clear, if Ball isn't given the ball from day 1, there could be issues. You think he'd come here and just go along to get along? Again, I'm not a super anti-Lavar guy, but they couldn't make it to training camp in LA before role and fit became issues.

FTR, I'm not even convinced he has a great IQ or knows how to play organized ball. When's the last time this kid played on a structured bball team that wasn't created specifically to showcase his skills?

[kg01]

I think there's a lot of evidence with Ball, and really with any high-level player, you can't make decision purely from a basketball perspective. Fit and culture matter.

It seems clear, if Ball isn't given the ball from day 1, there could be issues. You think he'd come here and just go along to get along? Again, I'm not a super anti-Lavar guy, but they couldn't make it to training camp in LA before role and fit became issues.

FTR, I'm not even convinced he has a great IQ or knows how to play organized ball. When's the last time this kid played on a structured bball team that wasn't created specifically to showcase his skills?

Eggsactly. He's been playing pickup ball for the last ... well, the only ball he's ever played has been unorganized.

It's a legit question.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

Killian Hayes Is Coming to Claim His Basketball Birthright

At Basketball Without Borders, NBA scouts were unanimous in their assessment that Killian is a future first-rounder, and some even saw him as a potential lottery pick in 2020. At 6'5" with a tight handle, sharp vision and an eagerness to absorb contact on his way to the rim, it's no wonder why.

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"He's a unique player," one scout said. "You like that he comes from a basketball family and that he will bring that professional experience from Europe. Playing professionally makes you tough, and you can see that in the way that he plays. I'd bet on him making a big impact right away in the NBA."

Spoiler:

"I wanted to play high school basketball in America," Killian says. "I wanted to play in the NCAA, too, and go to a big school like Kentucky or Kansas. I wanted to be an All-American; that was my dream. But my dad said the best option was for me to stay [in France] and play pro, and I trusted him."

In April 2017, Killian was invited to New York for the Jordan Brand Classic International Game, and he won co-MVP after posting 13 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. In August, he picked up another MVP honor, this time in the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. With 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game, he helped lead France to a gold medal.

This season will be the ultimate measure of whether Killian has taken the right path. This week, he transferred to the German club Ratiopharm Ulm, with whom he'll have an opportunity to be a starter and show NBA teams that he'll be ready for his American basketball debut a year ahead of schedule.

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

Cade Cunningham is made for modern basketball

Cade Cunningham is the next big, badass point guard coming for the NBA

Cunningham stands now on the brink of basketball stardom. He blew up during the summer before his senior year, dominating Nike’s EYBL circuit on his way to the league MVP award. Cunningham powered USA Basketball to a gold medal against older competition in the FIBA U19 World Cup, and has positioned himself as a consensus top-three recruit in the class of 2020. He could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Cunningham is a superstar for the modern game, following the NBA’s recent trend of oversized ball handlers. Though listed as a small forward for most of his prep career, Cunningham made the full-time transition to point guard after his sophomore year. For his size — 6’7, 230 pounds — he offers a rare combination of passing, handling, and the power to finish through contact. He may be the first player to ever be compared to Luka Doncic.

“I haven’t scouted many prospects as polished, mature, and talented as Cade Cunningham,” says Jerry Meyer, director of scouting for 247 Sports. “He has that powerful, functional athleticism. It’s not going to win you a dunk contest but it is going to get you an and-one.”

The first hints at a superstar turn happened when Montverde faced powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Tampa in February. That meant a matchup with the top-ranked senior point guard in the country, Cole Anthony. Cunningham finished the game with 26 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in a blowout victory.

“Cade was the best player on the floor in a game full of future pros,” Boyle told SB Nation. “We knew how good he was before that game. I think that’s when the rest of the world started to figure it out.”

“Everyone knows he’s unselfish,” Bennings says. “We heard people say he passes too much. The last checkmark on the list was him scoring.”

Cunningham was a force of nature from the moment the EYBL season began. He was too strong to contain going to the rim, and improved as a three-point shooter. He also continued to impress with his reads as a passer and fortified the belief that he’d be a point guard long-term. Cunningham ended the year with some of the best numbers in the history of the league: 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game on 37.5 percent shooting from deep. He also recorded the best box score plus-minus on the circuit.

With so much polish, it’s easy to forget he is still just 17 years old. A generation after his father’s athletic dreams were dashed, Cade Cunningham is on the brink of fulfilling his own potential.

Cunningham’s star has risen so dramatically that he could be the frontrunner to be the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick if he entered a wide-open draft next year, not in 2021. He is just barely old enough to reclassify and play college ball in the fall, which would make him 2.5 months younger than Zion Williamson when he was drafted with the first overall pick. Cunningham admits that he’s had discussions with his family about the possibility, but he’s comfortable with another year of high school ball at Montverde.

“We talked about it for a little bit,” Cunningham says. “I think I’m in the right grade right now. I never reclassified growing up. If I do make it to the league, I want to be able to stay in the league and be ready for it. Just taking this time to get better, spending another year with coach Boyle will help me a lot.”

SB Nation

[jayu70]

I think there's a lot of evidence with Ball, and really with any high-level player, you can't make decision purely from a basketball perspective. Fit and culture matter.

It seems clear, if Ball isn't given the ball from day 1, there could be issues. You think he'd come here and just go along to get along? Again, I'm not a super anti-Lavar guy, but they couldn't make it to training camp in LA before role and fit became issues.

FTR, I'm not even convinced he has a great IQ or knows how to play organized ball. When's the last time this kid played on a structured bball team that wasn't created specifically to showcase his skills?

And that's what's unfortunate for him. Can he fit in a team concept where it's not just about him.

[EazyRoc]

I think there's a lot of evidence with Ball, and really with any high-level player, you can't make decision purely from a basketball perspective. Fit and culture matter.

It seems clear, if Ball isn't given the ball from day 1, there could be issues. You think he'd come here and just go along to get along? Again, I'm not a super anti-Lavar guy, but they couldn't make it to training camp in LA before role and fit became issues.

FTR, I'm not even convinced he has a great IQ or knows how to play organized ball. When's the last time this kid played on a structured bball team that wasn't created specifically to showcase his skills?

And that's what's unfortunate for him. Can he fit in a team concept where it's not just about him.

His last run he was actually playing winning basketball, getting his teammates involved and allat. He did a complete 180 in his approach to the game after playing pro overseas.