WeekapaugGroove wrote:Take the best player but I kind of feel like PG would be the ideal pick. Have them as a bench guy next season and then hopefully they challenge Rubio year 2 which will be the final year of his deal.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using
RealGM mobile app
I just wish there were more I liked, though
I still like Halliburton, but haven't watched him much. Need to make sure he has enough athleticism for the NBA.
I talked to a draft analyst who said he thought Cole Anthony would be a good fit here, though I can't get behind a 48% TS% and 3.5 apg/3.5 topg. I would like a PG who can pass and shoot. Seems important.
Killian Hayes could be the best fit. 60% TS%, almost a 2/1 ast/to ratio, solid defense, good with steals. A lot of turnovers though.
His ESPN writeup:
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Great size for a lead guard. Has the tools to defend either guard spot when fully motivated. Can change speeds and directions with the ball. Fluid athlete who can use his size to overpower smaller guards.
- Comfortable pick-and-roll player with three-level scoring potential. Capable of making shots off the dribble and scoring inside the arc with floaters. Nifty ball handler. Can create space with step-backs. Plays with a lot of confidence for his age.
- Improved floor game. Can whip the ball around with his left hand. Comfortable hitting the roller or the weakside corner when going to his left.
Improvement areas
- Average athletically both in terms of burst and vertical explosion. Tends to struggle with aggressive ball pressure. Doesn't quite have the shiftiness to beat rangy defenders off the dribble. Will have to become a more consistent shooter to combat that.
- Extremely left hand dominant as a driver, passer and finisher. Lack of willingness to use his right-hand limits him all over the floor -- misses live-dribble passes going right, doesn't get all the way to the rim and settles for lefty floaters when put on his right hand.
- Defensive intensity comes and goes. While improved, approach to the game was a question mark in the past. Needs the ball in his hands to have an impact.
--Mike Schmitz
Of course he's from France.
One guy that I know told me he watched and was really impressed with his Deni Advija, who sounds interesting. E
SPN has him ranked #5 overall. Size of a PF with skills more like a PG....at least according to Givony. Tankathon has his TS% near 60%, and his 3pt% at 36.6%, though Givony mentions his 3pt% being lower. I think tankathon updates the #s more often.
ESPN's writeup on him:
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Big enough to play PF at 6-foot-9 with a good frame, but has the ballhandling, creativity and playmaking skill of a PG. At his best operating out of pick-and-roll, where he displays excellent timing and vision from his unique vantage point, allowing him to make every read and pass in the book. Aggressive offensive player who is in attack mode every time he steps onto the floor. Loves shooting pull-up 3-pointers in transition. Never hesitates to fire away when open. Brings toughness, competitiveness and swagger.
- Learning how to play without the ball this season in a more compact role at the pro level. Elite cutter thanks to his strong feel for the game. Capable of playmaking out of secondary ballhandling situations. Makes the right play more often than not.
- Has made significant strides on the defensive end, one of the main reasons he's been able to get real minutes in the EuroLeague. Covers ground well and plays with real intensity getting over screens, battling on the glass and rotating to protect the rim. Gets in passing lanes, blocks quite a few shots and rebounds very well.
Improvement areas
- Inconsistent shooter who has converted just 32% of his 3-pointers and 58% of his free throws over a huge sample size. Mechanics have been tweaked repeatedly to the point that you rarely see him shooting the same way, sometimes kicking his legs out excessively or looking very stiff with his release.
- Being asked to do very little in terms of creating his own shot in isolation, pushing in the open court or playing pick-and-roll. Some NBA teams might struggle to get past his limited role.
- Struggles to create offense from a standstill. Right-hand-dominant and much more limited when pushed to dribble or finish with his off hand. Reliant on changes of speed and using his body to create space, which might prove more difficult against NBA defenders.
Projected role: Big playmaker
--Jonathan Givony
I asked the guy who mentioned Cole Anthony (the scout) what he thought of Toppin and he also said he would be worried about
Obi Toppin's defense here. And it's not the guy that earlier stopped by to mention that...this is a different one, who has actually done some work for an NBA team. So I looked back at Mike Schmitz's writeup. I like that he can defend the rim, block shots, and play small ball 5, but I guess his perimeter defense needs work. However, I'm also not sure if he knows how much Ayton's D has improved.
ESPN updated their rankings....here is Obi Toppin's writeup:
Pre-Draft Analysis
Strengths
- Explosive leaper with solid size at 6-9, high shoulders and a reach better than his 6-10.5 wingspan would suggest. Big hands. Runs the floor really well. Lob threat. One of the best finishers in college basketball.
- Versatile offensive skill set. Can pop out to 3 (career 47.6%) with sound mechanics, finish at the rim or score in the post. Takes advantage of switches with jump hooks over either shoulder or quick spins. Comfortable post passer. Likes to facilitate with his left hand.
- Comfortable protecting the rim in a pinch. Can play some minutes at the small-ball 5 spot because of his shot-blocking instincts. Solid positional rebounder on both ends. Has a great energy about him on the floor.
Improvement areas
- Narrow-hipped and thin in his lower body. Really upright as a runner and mover. High-hipped. Short, choppy strides.
- Has his struggles sitting down and sliding with perimeter forwards. How much can he function at the 4 as a perimeter defender? Lacks the strength to bang with more traditional centers in the post. Gets moved on the defensive glass at times. Also moved off his spots trying to establish position in the post. Where does he fit in defensively?
- Not all that comfortable attacking off the bounce quite yet, in part because of his upright nature. Needs time and space to get his 3-ball off. Much better off the catch than the dribble. Has a feel but still maturing as a decision maker.
--Mike Schmitz
