2020 NBA Draft Thread: Bulls pick 4th!

[kodo]

Pokuševski is on some mocks as a mid 1st rounder and a mid 2nd rounder on others, so his buzz is relative to where you get him. He's probably very intriguing as a 2nd rounder.

He's very much a perimeter player, reports have him being a poor finisher and poor post-up player, so he's not likely to bring you the traditional things you'd want out of a 7 footer like intimidation in the paint on both ends. With his narrow frame and 200 lb weight, I don't see him filling out very well either.

But I can totally see him being Hedo Turkoglu, +2". Hedo had good vision, shooting and good ballhandling, he just never had the footspeed but still carved out a good role in the NBA.

[PlayerUp]

I'm sold on Vessell at #4. Just too good not to take!

Better to trade down and nab him while picking up an asset. He isn't going in the Top 7 in any mocks. I like Vassell, not sure why Okoro is ranked higher than him in most mocks when they're 5 months apart and Vassell is clearly the better player.

Pokuševski is on some mocks as a mid 1st rounder and a mid 2nd rounder on others, so his buzz is relative to where you get him. He's probably very intriguing as a 2nd rounder.

#14-#40 is likely his range.

[sco]

Pokuševski is on some mocks as a mid 1st rounder and a mid 2nd rounder on others, so his buzz is relative to where you get him. He's probably very intriguing as a 2nd rounder.

He's very much a perimeter player, reports have him being a poor finisher and poor post-up player, so he's not likely to bring you the traditional things you'd want out of a 7 footer like intimidation in the paint on both ends. With his narrow frame and 200 lb weight, I don't see him filling out very well either.

But I can totally see him being Hedo Turkoglu, +2". Hedo had good vision, shooting and good ballhandling, he just never had the footspeed but still carved out a good role in the NBA.

His footspeed was one of the more impressive things about him. His passing and ball handling look elite. His shooting seems inconsistent. I like him in that point-power forward role.

[Fastbrk4brkfast]

You win with superstars in the NBA. I don't think there are any in this draft.

Statistically every draft has a top all star or superstar in it.

Consider this: every draft class since 2000 (excluding this year's because it's too early) has had at least two All-Stars. In the 18 drafts from 2000 to 2018, all but one class has had three or more All-Stars. Fourteen of those 18 drafts have produced at least four. And nine of them - so, half - had at least five All-Stars.

Read here: https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/some-say-2020-nba-draft-class-weak-history-shows-plenty-talent-can-be-had

You're right about all-stars. I said superstar, so let's say a top 10 player. Statistically they are only available in every 2nd draft but can also be bunched up with 2 or 3 in a single draft and none in the next 2 or 3 drafts.

I don't think there's a future top 10 player in this draft. I think there are several high quality players and potential multiple all-stars. It's not a great year to draft 1-3, but a pretty strong one to draft 4-15.

[cjbulls]

Have you watched the videos of him? The one I saw he was playing against boys. I don’t know how much stock to put into defensive talent showing through at that level.

And his efficiency numbers in high end competition, albeit very small sample size, are pretty weak.

FG% last 3 years: 39.4, 44.9, 40.4
3pt%: 27.3, 52.6, 32.1
FT%: 50.0, 75.0, 78.3

https://www.proballers.com/basketball/player/175104/aleksej-pokusevski

I'm not about to go and say that some kid who's never played above the Greek second division is gonna be a star, but just for comparison, Giannis did even less.

It's about his tools and potential player archetype, nothing more. Going in the teens is about right for someone so raw. I mean, are RJ Hampton or Tyrese Maxey really blowing your skirt up any more?

You're definitely right (although I don't have a feel for his best range), but that's why I wouldn't want to be the scouts/GM in the 10-20 range trying to make a decision on him. A lot of foreign guys big on traits but low on experience have bombed out. I assume they've gotten better at figuring this stuff out, but we will see.

[JohnnyTapwater]

Sleep on RJ Hampton if you want to...

...Star

[Grodoboldo]

The Ringer updated their mock today. They have us taking Deni, with Ball dropping to Detroit and Hayes all the way to Phoenix.

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/

(the link takes you to their big board, with Hayes #1. You have to change it to their mock to see it)

[Jcool0]

The Ringer updated their mock today. They have us taking Deni, with Ball dropping to Detroit and Hayes all the way to Phoenix.

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/

(the link takes you to their big board, with Hayes #1. You have to change it to their mock to see it)

Obi Toppin is definitely the type of player Charlotte loves.

[bad knees]

The Ringer updated their mock today. They have us taking Deni, with Ball dropping to Detroit and Hayes all the way to Phoenix.

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/

(the link takes you to their big board, with Hayes #1. You have to change it to their mock to see it)

O’Connor has the PGs going this way:
7 Ball
8 Hali
10 Hayes
12 Anthony
13 Lewis
15 Terry

I like Hayes, Lewis and Terry the best of this group.

10 PGs in the first round.

[PlayerUp]

The Ringer updated their mock today. They have us taking Deni, with Ball dropping to Detroit and Hayes all the way to Phoenix.

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/

(the link takes you to their big board, with Hayes #1. You have to change it to their mock to see it)

Obi Toppin is definitely the type of player Charlotte loves.

Kira Lewis #13
Poku going #19

Makes more sense and not worth moving up for Lewis, Poku you just hope he slips and we find a way to get a late 1st Rd Pick.

LaMelo at #7 is never going to happen. If he drops, take him at #4 do not hesitate.

[Jvaughn]

Sleep on RJ Hampton if you want to...

...Star

Based on what. He struggled mightily overseas, and hasn't really shown any NBA skill that he possesses. If we're just basing this off his highschool career, then he's worth a flyer where he's projected. Late 1st to early 2nd.

[PlayerUp]

Sleep on RJ Hampton if you want to...

...Star

Based on what. He struggled mightily overseas, and hasn't really shown any NBA skill that he possesses. If we're just basing this off his highschool career, then he's worth a flyer where he's projected. Late 1st to early 2nd.

This. RJ Hampton hasn't shown anything and doesn't do anything particularly well. Remove his High School resume and he goes undrafted.

[GimmeDat]

Sleep on RJ Hampton if you want to...

...Star

Based on what. He struggled mightily overseas, and hasn't really shown any NBA skill that he possesses. If we're just basing this off his highschool career, then he's worth a flyer where he's projected. Late 1st to early 2nd.

This. RJ Hampton hasn't shown anything and doesn't do anything particularly well. Remove his High School resume and he goes undrafted.

Undrafted is hyperbole. I watched every one of his NBL games in full.. he wasn't bad by any means. Plenty of potential.

[drosereturn]

Pokuševski is on some mocks as a mid 1st rounder and a mid 2nd rounder on others, so his buzz is relative to where you get him. He's probably very intriguing as a 2nd rounder.

He's very much a perimeter player, reports have him being a poor finisher and poor post-up player, so he's not likely to bring you the traditional things you'd want out of a 7 footer like intimidation in the paint on both ends. With his narrow frame and 200 lb weight, I don't see him filling out very well either.

But I can totally see him being Hedo Turkoglu, +2". Hedo had good vision, shooting and good ballhandling, he just never had the footspeed but still carved out a good role in the NBA.

Deni is Hedo 2.0. Poku is legit 7ft with Giannis like ball handling skills at age 18. Think about Bol who can run coast to coast and put the ball on the floor.

Also, hes gone at 2nd round unless some dumb teams pass him like Bol due to some random injury. This draft is not even that good to risk not picking him at the first round. I would very much buy a pick from #18 to grab him and take Dallas bad contract. He is worth all of that.

[Grodoboldo]

The Ringer updated their mock today. They have us taking Deni, with Ball dropping to Detroit and Hayes all the way to Phoenix.

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/

(the link takes you to their big board, with Hayes #1. You have to change it to their mock to see it)

O’Connor has the PGs going this way:
7 Ball
8 Hali
10 Hayes
12 Anthony
13 Lewis
15 Terry

I like Hayes, Lewis and Terry the best of this group.

10 PGs in the first round.

Yeah, sure seems like a good draft to find a ball handler. Those PGs mid-late seem like pretty good value. I like Terry and Maledon a lot! Flynn will be a steal in the 2nd round.
Some secondary and tertiary creators as well. Deni, Okoro, Maxey (for himself, at least), Bolmaro.

[JohnnyTapwater]

Sleep on RJ Hampton if you want to...

...Star

Based on what. He struggled mightily overseas, and hasn't really shown any NBA skill that he possesses. If we're just basing this off his highschool career, then he's worth a flyer where he's projected. Late 1st to early 2nd.

What I project based on his age, skill, and work ethic.


This is a KID. Looking at what he did won't do it here. It's what he's gonna do.

He's currently in Memphis working with Penny Hardaway and he is already improved leaps and bounds. Couple those improved rudimentary skills with his natural athleticism...and you can cancel Christmas..

Read on Twitter

[PlayerUp]

Undrafted is hyperbole. I watched every one of his NBL games in full.. he wasn't bad by any means. Plenty of potential.

What has he shown that has stood out? Nothing I can see warranting someone taking him with a high pick.

Sleep on RJ Hampton if you want to...

...Star

Based on what. He struggled mightily overseas, and hasn't really shown any NBA skill that he possesses. If we're just basing this off his highschool career, then he's worth a flyer where he's projected. Late 1st to early 2nd.

What I project based on his age, skill, and work ethic.


This is a KID. Looking at what he did won't do it here. It's what he's gonna do.

He's currently in Memphis working with Penny Hardaway and he is already improved leaps and bounds. Couple those improved rudimentary skills with his natural athleticism...and you can cancel Christmas..

Read on Twitter

Well it's been months since he has played.

Ultimately this is what we should be looking at ourselves when deciding who to draft. Which player has improved immensely over the course of the last several months since the season ended prematurely?

Some guys may shoot up the draft board after predraft workouts.

[Jvaughn]

Sleep on RJ Hampton if you want to...

...Star

Based on what. He struggled mightily overseas, and hasn't really shown any NBA skill that he possesses. If we're just basing this off his highschool career, then he's worth a flyer where he's projected. Late 1st to early 2nd.

What I project based on his age, skill, and work ethic.


This is a KID. Looking at what he did won't do it here. It's what he's gonna do.

He's currently in Memphis working with Penny Hardaway and he is already improved leaps and bounds. Couple those improved rudimentary skills with his natural athleticism...and you can cancel Christmas..

Read on Twitter

You draft every kid based on what you think he's going to do. It's always based on that projection, but you have to base that off of what you've seen. I haven't seen anything from RJ that would lead me to believe he's got any star potential. At best I'm seeing Dante Exum.

I'm glad he's been working out in the downtime. It's what he's supposed to be doing. Working out in an empty gym isn't going to show you much. We saw highlights of gym workouts that made Stanley Johnson look like the next LeBron. If this kid does surprise people and ends up bucking all projections, great, but I just don't see it.

[StunnerKO]

[BigUps]

Devin Vassel is really growing on me. Outside of his handles, which need some work, I see a lot of Kawhi in his game.