Potential sleepers

[EvanZ]

Reggie Perry is my main sleeper in this Draft. He will probably go mid- to late-2nd (possibly undrafted) but I think he should be a first round pick.

I agree with this and like him more than last season's SEC POTY Grant Williams. However, there are apparently off-court issues and coachability questions that are hanging over him.

Not something I've heard anywhere. Do you have any available sources for this?

[Catchall]

Reggie Perry is my main sleeper in this Draft. He will probably go mid- to late-2nd (possibly undrafted) but I think he should be a first round pick.

I agree with this and like him more than last season's SEC POTY Grant Williams. However, there are apparently off-court issues and coachability questions that are hanging over him.

Not something I've heard anywhere. Do you have any available sources for this?

Someone on another forum was saying this based on a source of his. I don't know first hand, and I don't know the details. See if it comes up in the media. It was related to off-court conduct.

[EvanZ]

I agree with this and like him more than last season's SEC POTY Grant Williams. However, there are apparently off-court issues and coachability questions that are hanging over him.

Not something I've heard anywhere. Do you have any available sources for this?

Someone on another forum was saying this based on a source of his. I don't know first hand, and I don't know the details. See if it comes up in the media. It was related to off-court conduct.

I'll check around but really haven't heard anything like that.

[EvanZ]

Lo and behold this came out today:

https://ahbanalytics.wordpress.com/2020-nba-mock-draft/

While I am a well documented Perry skeptic due to major intangibles issues, I think that if he has a chance to succeed it will be with Phily. He has a crazy high ego and is one of the least coachable guys (and low character) from what I have heard over the past year. While I wouldn’t want that on my team, I think Phily has the roster needed to put him in his place. He may never fully buy in, but if Embiid sons him in practice and shows him where he is on the totem pole, he could end up providing value. He has a really interesting skillset to pair with a grown man’s body, so there is something there that only a few teams may be able to unlock, and Phily is one of them. They are good enough anyway to afford the risk.

[Catchall]

Lo and behold this came out today:

https://ahbanalytics.wordpress.com/2020-nba-mock-draft/

While I am a well documented Perry skeptic due to major intangibles issues, I think that if he has a chance to succeed it will be with Phily. He has a crazy high ego and is one of the least coachable guys (and low character) from what I have heard over the past year. While I wouldn’t want that on my team, I think Phily has the roster needed to put him in his place. He may never fully buy in, but if Embiid sons him in practice and shows him where he is on the totem pole, he could end up providing value. He has a really interesting skillset to pair with a grown man’s body, so there is something there that only a few teams may be able to unlock, and Phily is one of them. They are good enough anyway to afford the risk.

He actually reminds me a little of a young Al Horford. I think he has that level of talent.

[EvanZ]

I think Perry is a bit of a blend between Marcus Morris and Julius Randle.

[BlazersBroncos]

Part of me thinks Udoka Azubuike can be a really effective short minute big. He doesnt fit the current big man fad, but he is an absolute insane athlete for his size and could be about as close to a DAJ lob threat as we have seen in quite some time. I dont think he has starter potential, but as a lob threat bully big who can protect the rim and grab tons of rebounds for 15mpg, I sorta like his chances. Will barely be 21 despite a 4 year college career too.

[Stillwater]

Part of me thinks Udoka Azubuike can be a really effective short minute big. He doesnt fit the current big man fad, but he is an absolute insane athlete for his size and could be about as close to a DAJ lob threat as we have seen in quite some time. I dont think he has starter potential, but as a lob threat bully big who can protect the rim and grab tons of rebounds for 15mpg, I sorta like his chances. Will barely be 21 despite a 4 year college career too.

hack a shaq on deck...
his innability to make a ft is his biggest hurdle to being a rotation player, he obviously is paint limited as a defeder though too. the 7'7" wingspan and 9'4 sr confirmed at combine are great and although his standing vert and max vert are oddly nearly identical at 31 and 31.5" he can obviously cover ground up to top of backboard.What is intersting is his lane agility and shuttle time were the worst of centers tested yet he posted the fastest 3/4 q sprint of all the bigs tested that year.
Somebody will draft him late 2nd and he will be a low usage playoff team bruiser that maybe if the ft start falling could crack a rotation on a regular basis.

[EvanZ]

Part of me thinks Udoka Azubuike can be a really effective short minute big. He doesnt fit the current big man fad, but he is an absolute insane athlete for his size and could be about as close to a DAJ lob threat as we have seen in quite some time. I dont think he has starter potential, but as a lob threat bully big who can protect the rim and grab tons of rebounds for 15mpg, I sorta like his chances. Will barely be 21 despite a 4 year college career too.

He is like 25. His age is completely fake.

But I like his tools a lot. If he can ever get to even 50% on free throws he will be playable 10-15 mpg.

[nolang1]

Part of me thinks Udoka Azubuike can be a really effective short minute big. He doesnt fit the current big man fad, but he is an absolute insane athlete for his size and could be about as close to a DAJ lob threat as we have seen in quite some time. I dont think he has starter potential, but as a lob threat bully big who can protect the rim and grab tons of rebounds for 15mpg, I sorta like his chances. Will barely be 21 despite a 4 year college career too.

Yeah I've thought that about him for a couple years now. At the very least some contending team is gonna want an option off their bench to give 6 good fouls to Embiid/Giannis/etc. He can obviously move around way better than Tacko Fall, and I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that someone born to a middle-class family in a city the size of NYC is going to have a proper birth certificate.

[No-Man]

Azubuike is 23-24 yo, was 20 at the Hoop Summit in 2016

[aguiar95]

Corey Kispert gives me Duncan Robinson vibes. Low USG%, automatic from 3 (C&S/on-the-move), doesn't need the ball in his hands and (at least to me) doesn't seem like a liability on D. For a team that sets good screens/schemes to get him open, he will be a very usefull player.

[BlazersBroncos]

I dont think Azubuike age really matters. He will be a R2 pick and your drafting him for what he is, not what he can become.

[getrichordie]

I think Azubuike goes undrafted. He's an absolute and total liability on D. Offenses would just run high P&Rs and run him off the floor so quick.

[Catchall]

Corey Kispert gives me Duncan Robinson vibes. Low USG%, automatic from 3 (C&S/on-the-move), doesn't need the ball in his hands and (at least to me) doesn't seem like a liability on D. For a team that sets good screens/schemes to get him open, he will be a very usefull player.

Joe Harris.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Thoughts on Sam Merrill? He'd be considered an extreme case I suppose as he's not even ranked in the top 50 that I can see. But he really does remind me a lot of Luke Kennard with his shooting and craftiness.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/sam-merrill-1.html

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kennalu01.html

As well as style of play.

Kennard-

Watch on YouTube

Sam Merrill-

Watch on YouTube

Does anyone else get the Kennard vibes too? Or do you feel like he's more comparable to Duncan Robinson or Joe Harris?

[BlazersBroncos]

Kennard is a much better athlete, but Merrill can find a niche if he learns to use anticipation and IQ on the defensive end to mitigate his athletic limits and become a below average defender rather than a full on turnstile. His shooting stroke is just picture perfect. Much better than other great shooters like Nesmith. Its quick, high and he can adjust in the air to square up. That body control goes a long way in making it in the NBA as a specialist. I think he is getting undervalued as NBA teams value shooting at a crazy high premium. He is a pretty poor defender even for NCAA standards at 1.6 DBPM career average. He plays like a PG right now, handling the ball a ton. That isnt going to be his role in the NBA, but if he can accept a designated shooters role and keep his move-without-the-ball motor hot, I think he can make it as a backup SG (A low minute backup SG, somewhat like a better Troy Daniels)

[Klomp]

How is Jordan Nwora not higher on most draft boards? Came into the year as a first round prospect, had a very good year, but yet has dropped to the early 2nd at best on most sites? Makes no sense to me.

To me, his draft profile shares a lot of similarities with Robert Covington's. Productive college career. Older prospect. Not strong enough for PF but not quick enough for wing. Good as spot-up shooter, but not necessarily able to create his own offense. Struggled in big games.

Watch on YouTube

[Skin]

Cassius Stanley. Whatchu got against him?

[The-Power]

To me, his draft profile shares a lot of similarities with Robert Covington's.

Covington's defensive tools have been great. Nwora has been a terrible defender with little effort.