2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watch - Revised Poll

[RedIndian]

This kid will score in the league. Elite burst, terrific handles and a nice looking stroke. I'm very surprised he isn't being projected to go in the lottery. He could easily be the best PG in the draft.

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[Ghost of Kleine]

This kid will score in the league. Elite burst, terrific handles and a nice looking stroke. I'm very surprised he isn't being projected to go in the lottery. He could easily be the best PG in the draft.

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Some pundits have compared him to DeAaron Fox with respect to his speed, burst.

[RedIndian]

Prospects I like for us with the 10th pick:

PG - Ball, Haliburton, Kira Lewis, Tre Jones. I'd pass on Cole Anthony - knee issues worry me, and he comes across as a chucker to me. Unsure about Hayes or Maledon. Hayes looks pretty unathletic, and I haven't seen enough tape on Maledon. Maxey is however interesting as a combo guard.

PF - Toppin is the standout candidate. I don't see Achiuwa, Jalen Smith or Isaiah Stewart as PFs - their games scream center in the NBA , and I'd pass on them. Patrick Williams doesn't excite me - seems fundamentally decent, but not enough length or athleticism to have high upside. Paul Reed, Pokusevski and Jaden McDaniels are all very interesting - probably too boom or bust for my liking. Odds are that at least one of them will end up being very good, but I'm not confident in predicting which.

Wing players aren't exactly a positional priority for us, so I'd focus on trying to get a PG or PF in the draft. I don't think there's a particularly amazing wing prospect in the draft in any case. The two Beys, Vassell, Nesmith look like good role players at best - don't think there's any star emerging from that lot.

2nd round picks I like:

Riller - absolutely endorse him - he's going to be a steal for someone.

Tillman - just a smart-ass role player on both ends of the floor. I can see him being a very strong role player on a playoff team.

Myles Powell - should be a great bench scorer.

I'd have some interesting in moving Diallo for a 2nd rounder if we can get one of these guys.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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Another relatively unknown 2nd round gem to consider for backup guard. He's a really solid passer, And has a good/ developing perimeter game too. And plays tough defense.

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[Ghost of Kleine]

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Theo Maledon is really underrated. He doesn't quite have the craftiness when driving to the hoop that Hayes has, But Maledon does have better athleticism and more strength. He definitely could end up being much better than higher projected lottery guards. I think that we should take a big with our pick, And then trade back into the draft ( ***middle to the late teens/ early twenties) for either Maledon or Riller. That could be an absolute coup for us.

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/theo-maledon.html?m=1

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[Ghost of Kleine]

Still going to keep pushing for the Suns to draft Grant Riller as their backup point guard. He's got surefire starter/ core potential at the very least. And will quite likely be one of the best players to come out of this draft.

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He's simply a combination of PRIME Deron Williams/ Fred van Vleet. Or also comparable to Prime Baron Davis offensively perhaps. He'd be an absolute steal for our bench unit.

[bwgood77]

Still going to keep pushing for the Suns to draft Grant Riller as their backup point guard. He's got surefire starter/ core potential at the very least. And will quite likely be one of the best players to come out of this draft.

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He's simply a combination of PRIME Deron Williams/ Fred van Vleet. Or also comparable to Prime Baron Davis offensively perhaps. He'd be an absolute steal for our bench unit.

Prime Deron Williams and prime Baron Davis were pretty good players. FVV is a great player too. If he's that good, yeah, we should take him with our pick.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Still going to keep pushing for the Suns to draft Grant Riller as their backup point guard. He's got surefire starter/ core potential at the very least. And will quite likely be one of the best players to come out of this draft.

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He's simply a combination of PRIME Deron Williams/ Fred van Vleet. Or also comparable to Prime Baron Davis offensively perhaps. He'd be an absolute steal for our bench unit.

Prime Deron Williams and prime Baron Davis were pretty good players. FVV is a great player too. If he's that good, yeah, we should take him with our pick.

Exactly! IF we can get him in a trade back scenario, that would be quite optimal I think. Maybe a trade with Boston? Something along the lines of our #10 pick for their #17th and 26th picks. Take Riller at 17, And Then take one of Jalen Smith or Paul Reed or Patrick Williams at 26( BPA). Finally buy a 2nd round pick from either Sacramento or Philly, And take Killian Tillie ( * Sarics' replacement)??? Ultimately though, It all is very fluid, and of course depends on many ranging factors. But I wouldn't be totally surprised to find Riller moving up into the first round maybe even into the late teens to early 20s' of the draft due to his known body of work and skillset.

[bwgood77]

Still going to keep pushing for the Suns to draft Grant Riller as their backup point guard. He's got surefire starter/ core potential at the very least. And will quite likely be one of the best players to come out of this draft.

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He's simply a combination of PRIME Deron Williams/ Fred van Vleet. Or also comparable to Prime Baron Davis offensively perhaps. He'd be an absolute steal for our bench unit.

Prime Deron Williams and prime Baron Davis were pretty good players. FVV is a great player too. If he's that good, yeah, we should take him with our pick.

Exactly! IF we can get him in a trade back scenario, that would be quite optimal I think. Maybe a trade with Boston? Something along the lines of our #10 pick for their #17th and 26th picks. Take Riller at 17, And Then take one of Jalen Smith or Paul Reed or Patrick Williams at 26( BPA). Finally buy a 2nd round pick from either Sacramento or Philly, And take Killian Tillie ( * Sarics' replacement)??? Ultimately though, It all is very fluid, and of course depends on many ranging factors. But I wouldn't be totally surprised to find Riller moving up into the first round maybe even into the late teens to early 20s' of the draft due to his known body of work and skillset.

Williams and Davis were both drafted 3rd overall in better drafts. If your assessment is correct in that he is as good as them in their prime he wouldn't last to anywhere near 17. Even a current FVV wouldn't last nearly that long.

[RedIndian]

The Stepien has a very complimentary write up on Kira Lewis Jr.

https://www.thestepien.com/2020/03/06/kira-lewis-scouting-report/

I think he's my favourite prospect for the 10th pick.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Prime Deron Williams and prime Baron Davis were pretty good players. FVV is a great player too. If he's that good, yeah, we should take him with our pick.

Exactly! IF we can get him in a trade back scenario, that would be quite optimal I think. Maybe a trade with Boston? Something along the lines of our #10 pick for their #17th and 26th picks. Take Riller at 17, And Then take one of Jalen Smith or Paul Reed or Patrick Williams at 26( BPA). Finally buy a 2nd round pick from either Sacramento or Philly, And take Killian Tillie ( * Sarics' replacement)??? Ultimately though, It all is very fluid, and of course depends on many ranging factors. But I wouldn't be totally surprised to find Riller moving up into the first round maybe even into the late teens to early 20s' of the draft due to his known body of work and skillset.

Williams and Davis were both drafted 3rd overall in better drafts. If your assessment is correct in that he is as good as them in their prime he wouldn't last to anywhere near 17. Even a current FVV wouldn't last nearly that long.

Very true man. But each and every draft, There are tremendous talents that get vastly overlooked and end up being steals. You yourself have even referenced such players quite astutely. I mean, Even with players like Fred Van Vleet, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetekounmpo, Michael Redd, Monta Ellis, Nick Van excel, Isiah Thomas, etc. Went unnoticed until the 2nd round or nearly undrafted. So it surely is unpredictable and does happen.

Now in also taking into consideration that this draft will be very different than any others, As the scouting will be very restrictive. And without the combined, Macdonalds all American games, and other showcasing events, it then becomes even more plausible for someone like Riller to rise up into the first round based upon his limited body of work, But obviously not yet enough to likely garner lottery consideration. But the immense talent and fire are definitely present.

Now to be clear, I am obviously very high on him as an outlier for becoming one of the top 3 guards to come from this draft. And as stated, in certain scenarios, I would absolutely entertain using our pick for him too. But my big board (** wishlist) is as follows:


Point Guards-

1- LaMelo Ball.
2- Tyreese Haliburton.
3- Killian Hayes.
4- Grant Riller. (*** moves to BPA for me IF all three other guards are off the board.
5- Theo Maledon (** He may end up as a better functional guard than Hayes, with his defense athleticism, and work ethic.

Power Forwards-

1- Obi Toppin.
Unfortunately for us, very likely he goes top 5 in this draft. So he'll most likely be gone before we pick.

2- Oneyka Okungwu.
Also likely to be gone before we pick, unless we move up). I also do actually believe that he can develop a consistent 3 point shot.

3- Jalen Smith.
I see some Ibaka potential If he can work on his mobility and fluidity. But he's definitely the type of 3& D power forward that we need.

4- Precious Achiuwa.
I see him as a bigger/ stronger version of Jerami Grant. He actually has good mobility and decent ball handling abilities. Has elite athleticism and rim protection potential. **IF he can improve on his perimeter game, Then I believe that he has All star potential.

5- Aleksev Pokusevski.
He's a true UNICORN prospect. I'd be open to taking a flier on him as a backup 4/5. IF we are confident in our strength training program and player development team. He could be Porzingis 2.0

Now making any direct distinctions on best fit to our roster will be very difficult at this point, As there's just to many fluid factors still to be considered..........

Where will we pick?
Where does each prospect range on draft day?
Do we have any trades for a specific veteran player in mind for draft day that would affect our positional needs? If we can trade for Markannen, we then need to add more defense oriented players. If we trade for Gordon, Then we would need to focus on more offense oriented players. Ultimately, this draft will be highly fluid and unpredictable I believe man. Do you have any top interests for a 4 and/or a guard IF we were to stay at the 10th pick?

[bwgood77]

Exactly! IF we can get him in a trade back scenario, that would be quite optimal I think. Maybe a trade with Boston? Something along the lines of our #10 pick for their #17th and 26th picks. Take Riller at 17, And Then take one of Jalen Smith or Paul Reed or Patrick Williams at 26( BPA). Finally buy a 2nd round pick from either Sacramento or Philly, And take Killian Tillie ( * Sarics' replacement)??? Ultimately though, It all is very fluid, and of course depends on many ranging factors. But I wouldn't be totally surprised to find Riller moving up into the first round maybe even into the late teens to early 20s' of the draft due to his known body of work and skillset.

Williams and Davis were both drafted 3rd overall in better drafts. If your assessment is correct in that he is as good as them in their prime he wouldn't last to anywhere near 17. Even a current FVV wouldn't last nearly that long.

Very true man. But each and every draft, There are tremendous talents that get vastly overlooked and end up being steals. You yourself have even referenced such players quite astutely. I mean, Even with players like Fred Van Vleet, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetekounmpo, Michael Redd, Monta Ellis, Nick Van excel, Isiah Thomas, etc. Went unnoticed until the 2nd round or nearly undrafted. So it surely is unpredictable and does happen.

Now in also taking into consideration that this draft will be very different than any others, As the scouting will be very restrictive. And without the combined, Macdonalds all American games, and other showcasing events, it then becomes even more plausible for someone like Riller to rise up into the first round based upon his limited body of work, But obviously not yet enough to likely garner lottery consideration. But the immense talent and fire are definitely present.

Now to be clear, I am obviously very high on him as an outlier for becoming one of the top 3 guards to come from this draft. And as stated, in certain scenarios, I would absolutely entertain using our pick for him too. But my big board (** wishlist) is as follows:


Point Guards-

1- LaMelo Ball.
2- Tyreese Haliburton.
3- Killian Hayes.
4- Grant Riller. (*** moves to BPA for me IF all three other guards are off the board.
5- Theo Maledon (** He may end up as a better functional guard than Hayes, with his defense athleticism, and work ethic.

Power Forwards-

1- Obi Toppin.
Unfortunately for us, very likely he goes top 5 in this draft. So he'll most likely be gone before we pick.

2- Oneyka Okungwu.
Also likely to be gone before we pick, unless we move up). I also do actually believe that he can develop a consistent 3 point shot.

3- Jalen Smith.
I see some Ibaka potential If he can work on his mobility and fluidity. But he's definitely the type of 3& D power forward that we need.

4- Precious Achiuwa.
I see him as a bigger/ stronger version of Jerami Grant. He actually has good mobility and decent ball handling abilities. Has elite athleticism and rim protection potential. **IF he can improve on his perimeter game, Then I believe that he has All star potential.

5- Aleksev Pokusevski.
He's a true UNICORN prospect. I'd be open to taking a flier on him as a backup 4/5. IF we are confident in our strength training program and player development team. He could be Porzingis 2.0

Now making any direct distinctions on best fit to our roster will be very difficult at this point, As there's just to many fluid factors still to be considered..........

Where will we pick?
Where does each prospect range on draft day?
Do we have any trades for a specific veteran player in mind for draft day that would affect our positional needs? If we can trade for Markannen, we then need to add more defense oriented players. If we trade for Gordon, Then we would need to focus on more offense oriented players. Ultimately, this draft will be highly fluid and unpredictable I believe man. Do you have any top interests for a 4 and/or a guard IF we were to stay at the 10th pick?

So you like all the guards better than the PFs? I noticed you said Riller moves up to BPA if the 3 guards ahead of him are gone...which I guess means you like at least those 4 better than any PF. I guess I really shouldn't need to ask since I know a big board lists basically your rankings from top to bottom but just making sure.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Williams and Davis were both drafted 3rd overall in better drafts. If your assessment is correct in that he is as good as them in their prime he wouldn't last to anywhere near 17. Even a current FVV wouldn't last nearly that long.

Very true man. But each and every draft, There are tremendous talents that get vastly overlooked and end up being steals. You yourself have even referenced such players quite astutely. I mean, Even with players like Fred Van Vleet, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetekounmpo, Michael Redd, Monta Ellis, Nick Van excel, Isiah Thomas, etc. Went unnoticed until the 2nd round or nearly undrafted. So it surely is unpredictable and does happen.

Now in also taking into consideration that this draft will be very different than any others, As the scouting will be very restrictive. And without the combined, Macdonalds all American games, and other showcasing events, it then becomes even more plausible for someone like Riller to rise up into the first round based upon his limited body of work, But obviously not yet enough to likely garner lottery consideration. But the immense talent and fire are definitely present.

Now to be clear, I am obviously very high on him as an outlier for becoming one of the top 3 guards to come from this draft. And as stated, in certain scenarios, I would absolutely entertain using our pick for him too. But my big board (** wishlist) is as follows:


Point Guards-

1- LaMelo Ball.
2- Tyreese Haliburton.
3- Killian Hayes.
4- Grant Riller. (*** moves to BPA for me IF all three other guards are off the board.
5- Theo Maledon (** He may end up as a better functional guard than Hayes, with his defense athleticism, and work ethic.

Power Forwards-

1- Obi Toppin.
Unfortunately for us, very likely he goes top 5 in this draft. So he'll most likely be gone before we pick.

2- Oneyka Okungwu.
Also likely to be gone before we pick, unless we move up). I also do actually believe that he can develop a consistent 3 point shot.

3- Jalen Smith.
I see some Ibaka potential If he can work on his mobility and fluidity. But he's definitely the type of 3& D power forward that we need.

4- Precious Achiuwa.
I see him as a bigger/ stronger version of Jerami Grant. He actually has good mobility and decent ball handling abilities. Has elite athleticism and rim protection potential. **IF he can improve on his perimeter game, Then I believe that he has All star potential.

5- Aleksev Pokusevski.
He's a true UNICORN prospect. I'd be open to taking a flier on him as a backup 4/5. IF we are confident in our strength training program and player development team. He could be Porzingis 2.0

Now making any direct distinctions on best fit to our roster will be very difficult at this point, As there's just to many fluid factors still to be considered..........

Where will we pick?
Where does each prospect range on draft day?
Do we have any trades for a specific veteran player in mind for draft day that would affect our positional needs? If we can trade for Markannen, we then need to add more defense oriented players. If we trade for Gordon, Then we would need to focus on more offense oriented players. Ultimately, this draft will be highly fluid and unpredictable I believe man. Do you have any top interests for a 4 and/or a guard IF we were to stay at the 10th pick?

So you like all the guards better than the PFs? I noticed you said Riller moves up to BPA if the 3 guards ahead of him are gone...which I guess means you like at least those 4 better than any PF. I guess I really shouldn't need to ask since I know a big board lists basically your rankings from top to bottom but just making sure.

Sorry man!
Definitely poor wording on my part I suppose. I mean he moves to best guard available to me at that point.....lol. I just love his ridiculous efficiency in getting to the rim, his burst, advanced ballhandling his great burst, and his innate ability to hit the big shots with poise. He also creates great gravity with his penetration, Which would really open up things more for our shooters.

Honestly though, I just really want to get the best depth and production possible from this draft. But if it came down to the two positions honestly, I would look to address our needs for a 3 and D 4 first, And a backup guard second. I just believe that there'll be more easily attainable backup guard options in free agency than there will be quality defensive bigs with floor spacing abilities. But again, it does depend upon what our free agency plans are, and who we intend to target in free agency and/or trades.

I'm also still really high on Amyr Sylla as well.

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Check out his agility and defensive fluidity!

I still strongly believe that he has legitimate Pascal Siakim potential as a very long fluid, athletic switchable defender who also has a developing offensive game too. IF we were to look to trade back for maximum value, I'd look to possibly trade our 10th pick with Boston for their 17th and 26th picks.

Then I'd take Riller ( at 17) and take Jalen Smith, or Amyr Sylla at 26? Lastly, I'd buy a 2nd from either Sacramento or Philly, And absolutely draft Killian Tillie to be Sarics' post trade replacement. The trade being for either Markannen or Gordon. We move Oubre and Saric in a package for either player. Killian Tillie will now fill the backup role of power forward/ floor spacer. The other reason that we move Oubre is due to impending salary implications with a reduced cap and immenent extensions of both Bridges and Ayton ( near max)???

Lastly, We fill our need for backup small forward and shooting guard in free agency with:

- Bryn Forbes or Alec Burks ( shooting guard).
- Glenn Robinson 3rd ( at small forward) sharing time with Cam Johnson. So essentially I would have the rotation look something like this:

- Rubio/ Riller/ Carter.
- Booker/ Forbes or Burks/ Jerome.
- Bridges/ Glenn Robinson 3rd/ Cam Johnson.
- Gordon or Markannen/ Kaminsky/ Smith or Sylla.
- Ayton/ Baynes ( resigned) / Tillie?

I suppose that the easiest way to accomplish this goal would be to trade : Oubre and the 10th pick for Gordon and the 15th pick ( Take Riller or Maledon). Then trade a package of Diallo/ Saric and Okobo to Boston for their 26th pick and their 30th pick. At 26 we take either either Jalen Smith ( 4/5) or Amyr Sylla( 3/4). And at 30 we take Killian Tillie ( 4/5). Resign Baynes and Kaminsky. Address shooting guard and backup small forward in free agency.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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[Ghost of Kleine]

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For those that have both Haliburton and Lewis high on their boards at pick 10.
A good competition between them.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

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For those that have both Haliburton and Lewis high on their boards at pick 10.
A good competition between them.

A good competition? Pssshh that was a blowout.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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For those that have both Haliburton and Lewis high on their boards at pick 10.
A good competition between them.

A good competition? Pssshh that was a blowout.

The game as a whole and endscore........Yes! They ( Iowa) really took control in the 2nd half. But in a head to head matchup between Haliburton and Lewis, Both of which are potential lottery considerations, I think it was a good competition regardless of the outcome. Haliburton showed much more leadership and poise, Lewis was definitely fast and with good burst, but fairly wreckless with the ball. And looked not yet disciplined enough to really lead a team just yet.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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[Ghost of Kleine]

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Aside from getting Haliburton, Ball, or Hayes, Feel free to sign me up for any combination of Riller and Toppin, Riller and Achiuwa, ***Riller and Jalen Smith ( favorite after Toppin), Or Riller and Patrick Williams.

[RedIndian]

Haliburton is a really smooth prospect - very high IQ, a great passer and his length is going to be really disruptive on defense. My only concern with Haliburton is his ceiling - he's rail thin (with really thin legs) and barely attacks the rim. His free throw rate is really poor and for that reason I can't ever see him becoming a 3-level scorer in the NBA. Expect him to a 15 ppg type scorer mostly on C and S opportunities and a bit of midrange and floater game.

With Kira, there's some context to that poor performance against Haliburton - firstly, that was in November, and he's grown much as a player since then. Secondly, he's still one of the youngest players in this draft class despite being a sophomore. Why I like him is that the guy has every tool to be an all-star 3-level scorer - elite speed, superb handles, and a beautiful compact stroke. He attacks the rim relentlessly, and draws fouls at a good rate already. All very translatable skills to the NBA. Known to have a good motor on defense too. The knocks against him are his turnovers and playmaking, but those are concerns with every young guard, and there has been soms statistical growth in him in this regard. I really do see him as having a Dennis Schroder type floor, and a very high ceiling - say De'aaron Fox with a better jump shot.

I really do like Riller too btw - he's strong as ****, with a really good first step and extremely crafty ball-handling. I can see him being a 3-level scorer instantly. He's not much of a playmaker though, and I doubt he's going to be, so I'm struggling to see the Deron or Baron Davis comparisons. I see a poor-man Lillard outcome as possible though. Definitely someone I'd consider in the first round, though possibly not at #10 since he doesn't project as either a good playmaker or defender.

My big board for the PG spot is Lamelo, Haliburton, Kira, Riller.

I frankly am finding it difficult to be impressed overly by either Hayes or Maledon. Hayes looks like a smart passer with high IQ, but his athleticism and first step look really average and his jump shot doesn't look anything special. Maledon looks more athletiv, but not as savvy, and his ball-handling isn't at an elite level yet. With the struggles that Ntilikina and Okobo have had, I'm quite wary of both these prospects. I'm at least certain that both will require significant development before they become positive contibutors in the NBA, which is something I'm not very confident with given our track record. I prefer Kira and Riller simply because I know they have some immediately translatable NBA skills.