Raps 2020 Picks (Prospect Watch, Update: Vecenie Mock Released)

[ATLTimekeeper]

Wingspan doesn't matter at all if you can play. Bane is probably going to be a good NBA player just because he can do so many things well that he'll be adaptable to any team's needs. I think when people think of Fred's success, they don't realize that his biggest attribute is this flexibility to contribute. He doesn't have to be a full-time lead guard, but he can do that if you need it. He doesn't have to be a lockdown defender, but if you need a guy to chase guards around screens, he'll do that. A lot of guards coming into the NBA are only capable of running their team, and so when that's taken away from them in the NBA they get lost in the shuffle. Being able to play yourself onto the court is an underrated aspect of analysis, imo.

[ATLTimekeeper]

I got the same thought, as his lack of wingspan puts him towards PF than C.
The biggest thing is probably you have Paul Reed and other prospects where Nnaji does not seem to stand out enough to make me feel he is ahead of the other ones.

He's listed at 6"11. He's a C. Watching that clip he's already shooting off the dribble. I think his upside will be tied to bball IQ on the defensive end.

[HeadtopChunes]

If Bane was a pg I'd get behind the pick but we already got so many sg if that's the plan I'd just go with Joe

Naji's selling point is gonna have to be him proving he can hit 3s, cause he's not really elite at any other important center qualities other than rim running and hustle

His number 1 quality as a center is elite PnR defense imo, he was already doing that at Arizona at times. He’s the most mobile big man in this draft and should be able to play above the screen coverages really well.

[Dalek]

Wingspan doesn't matter at all if you can play. Bane is probably going to be a good NBA player just because he can do so many things well that he'll be adaptable to any team's needs. I think when people think of Fred's success, they don't realize that his biggest attribute is this flexibility to contribute. He doesn't have to be a full-time lead guard, but he can do that if you need it. He doesn't have to be a lockdown defender, but if you need a guy to chase guards around screens, he'll do that. A lot of guards coming into the NBA are only capable of running their team, and so when that's taken away from them in the NBA they get lost in the shuffle. Being able to play yourself onto the court is an underrated aspect of analysis, imo.

What you wrote basically sounds like Matt Thomas if you ask me. Bane is basically a knockdown shooter who is meh athletically and doesn't hurt you on defense. I just think if you recall Matt Thomas who is probably a bit quicker, he really struggles to get his shot off as players in the NBA are bigger and can close on shooters. Bane is going to have a huge adjustment getting ready for the speed of the game because he has a low release that isn't lightning quick.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Wingspan doesn't matter at all if you can play. Bane is probably going to be a good NBA player just because he can do so many things well that he'll be adaptable to any team's needs. I think when people think of Fred's success, they don't realize that his biggest attribute is this flexibility to contribute. He doesn't have to be a full-time lead guard, but he can do that if you need it. He doesn't have to be a lockdown defender, but if you need a guy to chase guards around screens, he'll do that. A lot of guards coming into the NBA are only capable of running their team, and so when that's taken away from them in the NBA they get lost in the shuffle. Being able to play yourself onto the court is an underrated aspect of analysis, imo.

What you wrote basically sounds like Matt Thomas if you ask me. Bane is basically a knockdown shooter who is meh athletically and doesn't hurt you on defense. I just think if you recall Matt Thomas who is probably a bit quicker, he really struggles to get his shot off as players in the NBA are bigger and can close on shooters. Bane is going to have a huge adjustment getting ready for the speed of the game because he has a low release that isn't lightning quick.

I mean, Matt as a rookie averaged 8 3PAs/36. That doesn't sound like a guy who struggled to get his shot off.

Bane is also strong enough to throw guys off him, like Redick or Joe Harris. Matt is pretty slim. I suspect he's going to be able to shoot just fine, because most of the times these guys are just taking open 3s anyway. Add in every complimentary skill Bane has that a guy like Thomas doesn't (passing, good defender, little bit of self-shot creation) and you're looking at a much better player and not a specialist.

[Dalek]

Wingspan doesn't matter at all if you can play. Bane is probably going to be a good NBA player just because he can do so many things well that he'll be adaptable to any team's needs. I think when people think of Fred's success, they don't realize that his biggest attribute is this flexibility to contribute. He doesn't have to be a full-time lead guard, but he can do that if you need it. He doesn't have to be a lockdown defender, but if you need a guy to chase guards around screens, he'll do that. A lot of guards coming into the NBA are only capable of running their team, and so when that's taken away from them in the NBA they get lost in the shuffle. Being able to play yourself onto the court is an underrated aspect of analysis, imo.

What you wrote basically sounds like Matt Thomas if you ask me. Bane is basically a knockdown shooter who is meh athletically and doesn't hurt you on defense. I just think if you recall Matt Thomas who is probably a bit quicker, he really struggles to get his shot off as players in the NBA are bigger and can close on shooters. Bane is going to have a huge adjustment getting ready for the speed of the game because he has a low release that isn't lightning quick.

I mean, Matt as a rookie averaged 8 3PAs/36. That doesn't sound like a guy who struggled to get his shot off.

Bane is also strong enough to throw guys off him, like Redick or Joe Harris. Matt is pretty slim. I suspect he's going to be able to shoot just fine, because most of the times these guys are just taking open 3s anyway. Add in every complimentary skill Bane has that a guy like Thomas doesn't (passing, good defender, little bit of self-shot creation) and you're looking at a much better player and not a specialist.

I don't doubt that Bane belongs in the NBA given his shooting and solid build, but he cannot attack the rim given his size and athleticism at the college level after four years (1.014 PPP - 33rd percentile when shooting around the rim) and he is a pretty basic playmaker and his defense is at best neutral -- so you have more of an off-ball shooter and maybe a tertiary playmaker. I actually think your comparison with Joe Harris makes a ton of sense. It took Harris a few years to find his roster spot, but he has played well in his role and now he is going to get paid.

Not sure if a Joe Harris-type draft pick excites me, but that is solid for 29. I just prefer a bit more size, youth and upside for a first rounder.

[ATLTimekeeper]

You can't take these comps literally, though, projecting how long it will take them to break into the league. I was just comparing an aspect. Joe Harris at 29 would be a great pick, by the standards of pick #29. Everyone wants the home run, but the home run doesn't look like a home run to even the teams that draft them in this range. They look like Desmond Bane or any of the other guys that will get taken in this range, and the thing that made them considered a worse prospect at the time will have been a mistake, or something they've overcome.

He wouldn't be my first choice, either, but not because of his athleticism or wingspan.

[Syd-TK3]

If Bane was a pg I'd get behind the pick but we already got so many sg if that's the plan I'd just go with Joe

Naji's selling point is gonna have to be him proving he can hit 3s, cause he's not really elite at any other important center qualities other than rim running and hustle

His number 1 quality as a center is elite PnR defense imo, he was already doing that at Arizona at times. He’s the most mobile big man in this draft and should be able to play above the screen coverages really well.

Most of the reports and videos I seen say he has the ability to be good at that but he actually isn't and he lacks the length/shot blocking to make up for the times he gets blown by
He's one of the younger Center prospects so I guess you could just expect more discipline later on but idk

[Indeed]

I got the same thought, as his lack of wingspan puts him towards PF than C.
The biggest thing is probably you have Paul Reed and other prospects where Nnaji does not seem to stand out enough to make me feel he is ahead of the other ones.

He's listed at 6"11. He's a C. Watching that clip he's already shooting off the dribble. I think his upside will be tied to bball IQ on the defensive end.

With his length and hop being a SF size, he is hardly a rim protector.
His upside will most likely be on the offensive end, maybe similar to Kaminsky or slightly better on defense. Kaminsky is also a 7' with a high basketball IQ, their measurement are among the same (and I think their skill set are similar as well, but I didn't watch a lot of Kaminsky).

[HeadtopChunes]

If Bane was a pg I'd get behind the pick but we already got so many sg if that's the plan I'd just go with Joe

Naji's selling point is gonna have to be him proving he can hit 3s, cause he's not really elite at any other important center qualities other than rim running and hustle

His number 1 quality as a center is elite PnR defense imo, he was already doing that at Arizona at times. He’s the most mobile big man in this draft and should be able to play above the screen coverages really well.

Most of the reports and videos I seen say he has the ability to be good at that but he actually isn't and he lacks the length/shot blocking to make up for the times he gets blown by
He's one of the younger Center prospects so I guess you could just expect more discipline later on but idk

Eh I’d personally disagree with that, Nnaji isn’t perfect but he’s better at that than Okongwu for example. The shot blocking thing I don’t really buy either, firstly because the Arizona system is pretty conservative and Nnaji was playing 4 most of the year.

The other thing is looking at rim protection as just being blocks is pretty poor way to look at it imo. Rim protection is getting between the ball and the rim and Nnajis does that fine imo.

Conceptually even if he does turn out to be a mediocre rim protector, the potentially elite PnR D more than makes up for it because the latter is worth a lot more in the modern game. (Horford in Boston for example)

Especially since Nnaji adds decent rebounding + probably pretty good shooting to that.

I will admit Nnaji needs to increase his awareness level but for a 19 year old Center it’s pretty acceptable to me.

[Kevin Willis]

I am rooting for Scrubb. If he was a little better defensively he might be a Nesmith type of player.

[nabbs]

Watch on YouTube

I am really sold on Zeke Nnaji man.He turns 20 in January. Fluid, compact shot, atheltic, has great touch. I am impressed

[Dalek]

I feel like Josh Hall would be the guy Toronto would shock the world with by selecting him at 29. I know he is barely ranked in the second round in most mock drafts, but despite the lack of quality talent he has faced, he looks like a real NBA prospect.

At 6'9" with a 7 ft wingspan with great mobility and a scorers mentality, he is exactly the type of guy you take a swing on. He is like a better version of Bruno coming to the Raptors. His body and movement kind of reminds me of Brandon Ingram. Hall is a very long strider which will be fun with a transition team like Toronto.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

I wonder if his stock goes up after the combine, but I have been reading about his workouts with Tyshon Alexander and Naji Marshall, and I think he is the type of guy Toronto develops into a star player. His dad mentioned in an article that Toronto had been interested in him but I am not sure if it could be as high as 29. To me, he would be a good gamble. He looks like one those position-less archetypes who you could play SF, PF or as a small ball C in time.

[Psubs]

I feel like Josh Hall would be the guy Toronto would shock the world with by selecting him at 29. I know he is barely ranked in the second round in most mock drafts, but despite the lack of quality talent he has faced, he looks like a real NBA prospect.

At 6'9" with a 7 ft wingspan with great mobility and a scorers mentality, he is exactly the type of guy you take a swing on. He is like a better version of Bruno coming to the Raptors. His body and movement kind of reminds me of Brandon Ingram. Hall is a very long strider which will be fun with a transition team like Toronto.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

I wonder if his stock goes up after the combine, but I have been reading about his workouts with Tyshon Alexander and Naji Marshall, and I think he is the type of guy Toronto develops into a star player. His dad mentioned in an article that Toronto had been interested in him but I am not sure if it could be as high as 29. To me, he would be a good gamble. He looks like one those position-less archetypes who you could play SF, PF or as a small ball C in time.

Would rather draft Mane and him at #59. There are so many potentially good players down at #59; let them fall or pickup him.

I would rather them trade #59 and a future 2nd to move up if they really want someone.

[TorontoRapsFan]

Has Paul Reed been discussed here? For first round. What's the verdict on him. For his size I like his mobility and handles. Seems like he's got some range. Soft touch around the rim and long arms to help his jump shot. No idea if he plays any defence.

[pr0gr4m]

Has Paul Reed been discussed here? For first round. What's the verdict on him. For his size I like his mobility and handles. Seems like he's got some range. Soft touch around the rim and long arms to help his jump shot. No idea if he plays any defence.

He'd probably be the most sure fire rotation player. He can be the back up 4/5 for the next 4 years and potentially start if we don't get Giannis. I would also look to get 12/Hield for Ibaka/Powell. I'd probably use the 2nd on Tillman.

Giannis/Tillman
Siakam/Reed
OG/MLE(6th man)
Hield/Davis
Lowry/Terry

[ATLTimekeeper]

I got the same thought, as his lack of wingspan puts him towards PF than C.
The biggest thing is probably you have Paul Reed and other prospects where Nnaji does not seem to stand out enough to make me feel he is ahead of the other ones.

He's listed at 6"11. He's a C. Watching that clip he's already shooting off the dribble. I think his upside will be tied to bball IQ on the defensive end.

With his length and hop being a SF size, he is hardly a rim protector.
His upside will most likely be on the offensive end, maybe similar to Kaminsky or slightly better on defense. Kaminsky is also a 7' with a high basketball IQ, their measurement are among the same (and I think their skill set are similar as well, but I didn't watch a lot of Kaminsky).

I don't think it's all that helpful to your argument to compare him to a player you admit you know little about. I don't know if Nnaji can be a great defender at the 5, but I do know he's big enough and he does move his feet pretty well from what I've seen. As for protecting the rim, I do think that's largely an IQ aspect. Bam Adebayo was not much of a shot blocker at Kentucky, either. There were legitimate concerns that he wasn't going to be all that valuable on the defensive end, and then Miami really struggled to put him and Whiteside on the floor together because Bam wasn't quick enough to play the 4 (with the way the 4 is evolving in the NBA, there's a lot of guys that can put the ball on the floor). He ended up developing as a small 5 and he's now a DPOY candidate. I'm a Kentucky fan, so I watched a good deal of his games there and this development was unseen (by me, at least).

[DG88]

I feel like Josh Hall would be the guy Toronto would shock the world with by selecting him at 29. I know he is barely ranked in the second round in most mock drafts, but despite the lack of quality talent he has faced, he looks like a real NBA prospect.

At 6'9" with a 7 ft wingspan with great mobility and a scorers mentality, he is exactly the type of guy you take a swing on. He is like a better version of Bruno coming to the Raptors. His body and movement kind of reminds me of Brandon Ingram. Hall is a very long strider which will be fun with a transition team like Toronto.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

I wonder if his stock goes up after the combine, but I have been reading about his workouts with Tyshon Alexander and Naji Marshall, and I think he is the type of guy Toronto develops into a star player. His dad mentioned in an article that Toronto had been interested in him but I am not sure if it could be as high as 29. To me, he would be a good gamble. He looks like one those position-less archetypes who you could play SF, PF or as a small ball C in time.

Funny you bring him up. I was looking into him when someone mentioned his name in this thread. I found the article you're referencing and yes the Raptors did make a call to him and his family, potentially more than one.

Quincy says there have been a lot of calls. A number of teams, such as the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, are definitely intrigued.

Josh has been doing his part. He’s transformed his body in the last three months from a teen’s body to a man’s body.

“Josh has gone from 195 pounds to 215 in the last three months,” Quincy said. “He wants to get to about 225, but not past 225. Adding too much weight could throw his shot off.”

https://www.salisburypost.com/2020/09/27/josh-hall-the-nba-is-looking-for-a-few-good-men/

The part that intrigued me was his weight gain. He was fairly skinny when he was playing in highschool but he definitely put on some nice muscle with his workouts over the past few months.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFQPR7-D0Ex/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

That was posted just 2 weeks ago. I'm very intrigued by him.

[DG88]

Scout Mike Babcock gives us his insights on 3 players that have been talked about in this thread.

Naji Marshall

To put it simply, Marshall was terrific all the way around both days I was in Phoenix. He showed a much improved outside shot, which I was hoping to see. He displayed his unparalleled toughness and competitiveness, which were the main reasons I liked him in the first place. During the pickup games, which included a handful of current NBA players, I thought Marshall was the best player on the floor. His size, versatility, and scrappiness as a wing player should translate to the NBA seamlessly, and with a much improved outside shot, he’s moving up in my book. After spending a couple of days getting to know him, he answered many of my concerns about his personality, coachability, and reliability — all things that have been questioned in various background reports. There’s no denying that Marshall is tough and chippy, but I think his hard shell has led to him being a bit misunderstood. I think he has a great personality and has substance — I liked being around him. Also, considering that he and Beckner have clicked so quickly gives me a ton of confidence. I would have no hesitation in suggesting him to NBA teams that think his skill set would fit what they’re trying to do.

Ty-Shon Alexander

Another player in Phoenix that I was supposed to watch at the Big East Tournament in March was Ty-Shon Alexander from Creighton. I had seen Alexander several times in person, and I actually saw him score 27 points versus number one ranked Gonzaga at the CHI Center in Omaha, Nebraska during the 2018-19 season. During that game, I was mainly focused on Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, but I walked away extremely impressed with Alexander. This season he averaged 16.9 points, 5.0 rebounds while shooting 39.9% from the three-point range, and 86% from the free-throw line. Coach Greg McDermott routinely assigned Alexander the role of defending their opposing team’s top perimeter player, a role that he embraced and thrived in. We recently had Raquel Rodriguez interview him via our Q&A Sessions series, so I already knew he was a great kid. Still, he and I had a chance to get acquainted, and I must say, I think he is an all-time great kid and the type of person that any team should want to be a part of their organization. Alexander was good during that first workout, but I didn’t see anything I wasn’t expecting to see. In the pickup games, however, he showed me just how good he is on the defensive end. He was matched up against NBA players all day and he stood out! At 6’4” with a thick, strong build, Alexander played his butt off, moving his feet, being physical, and contesting shots. I really started to visualize him as a player that would be able to hang his hat on the defensive end while also being a reliable shooter and scorer. He and I talked about him continuing to develop his point guard skills. I believe that if he’s able to develop into a player that can legitimately play two positions in the NBA, he could carve out a really nice NBA career.

Josh Hall

Nearly a year ago, my colleague and former co-worker, Matt McKay, called me to let me know that he was going to an individual workout to see prep school star Josh Hall of Moravian prep in North Carolina. McKay is an experienced former NBA scout and is now the owner and founder of the scouting company Pro Insight. I really trust McKay’s eye for talent, so when he called raving about Hall after watching him work out, I was extremely intrigued. He explained that Hall had tremendous length at 6’9'', with long arms, big hands, athleticism, and a well-rounded, budding skillset. Since then, I have been in touch with Hall's father, Quincy, and watched some film on him. Nevertheless, I can’t say that I knew him that well. I was set to see him at the Iverson Classic — which was canceled, of course. My trip to Phoenix was my first time seeing him in person, and let me tell you, Matt McKay was absolutely right! Hall has a ton of upside! He is a really nice kid as well. He is somewhat raw but does a little bit of everything, including shooting the ball from outside. During the pickup games, he had several impressive slashing moves and dunks and knocked down a couple of three-pointers. I could easily see a team taking him in the second round to invest time and money to develop him. He has tools you just can’t teach, and I personally think he’s worth the risk because if he continues to improve his body and his skill set, we could be looking at a serious player in the coming years. I’ll admit, there is some risk because he is unproven and still needs work, but he just might be a diamond in the rough.

https://www.babcockhoops.com/post/nba-pre-draft-workouts-phoenix-arizona

[S ID]

The only big I somewhat like is Nnaji. The guards/wings are more impressive around our pick and beyond imo.