2020 Draft Thread, Part 2

[BG]

i'm pretty sure that man is called Doumbouya not Dembouya

[HiRez]

I guess if DET offers a #7+ future 1st + Kennard that may be interesting for me, but I really like Okoro and don't know if he'll be there at 7. I'll be disappointed if we get a bunch of small pieces to move down and end up with someone I'm less-than-thrilled with.

Yeah Okoro is really iffy at #7, if I had to guess I'd say he's probably gone by then. But you'd probably still have some good choices. Assuming Wiseman, Ball, and Edwards go earlier, several of Haliburton, Okongwu, Vassell, Williams is likely to be there (at least one two would be guaranteed in that case).

[azwfan]

I guess if DET offers a #7+ future 1st + Kennard that may be interesting for me, but I really like Okoro and don't know if he'll be there at 7. I'll be disappointed if we get a bunch of small pieces to move down and end up with someone I'm less-than-thrilled with.

Yeah Okoro is really iffy at #7, if I had to guess I'd say he's probably gone by then. But you'd probably still have some good choices. Assuming Wiseman, Ball, and Edwards go earlier, several of Haliburton, Okongwu, Vassell, Williams is likely to be there (at least one would be guaranteed in that case).

I do like Williams as a development guy. I guess it comes down to what we think of Kennard.

Its all moot anyways cause I doubt Detroit is trading away any future 1sts anytime soon. They are rebuilding.

I don't see Kennard and #7 as enough to trade down, and don't know that they have anything else that makes up the gap. Maybe I underrate Kennard.

[wco81]

No, someone talked about Kennard in one of the podcasts recently..

Nice guard for regular season, not for playoffs.

[northoakland510]

Was listening to the Runnin Plays Podcast with Grant Liffmann. He had Chris Mullin on and they talked about the draft. Says they can plug Edwards or Wiseman in immediately, and Ball is a tougher fit because he likes to have the ball in his hand. Also says Steph and Klay are so great people forget the Warriors are an inside out team. And that there is still a place for big men in the league. He thought Houston was better with Capela and with his lob threat got better shots for the shooters.

Edwards - Prototype athlete and explosive. Improve shot selection and must bring it every night. He will realize quickly there are a bunch of players in the league like him. Star potential for sure.

Wiseman - Physically incredible and has all the skills. Says Wiseman will be able to play tonight and be able to rim run, be a lob threat and play defense. Will improve his shot over time.

Ball - Dynamic passer with speed and advances the ball with pace. Unique kid and talented everyone likes a passer.

[Free Ballin]

i'm pretty sure that man is called Doumbouya not Dembouya

[TB]

Stewart only measured 6'7.25 barefoot. Massive wingspan though.

So insane that we don't know exact measurements of most of the top guys. Pretty big implications if someone is a good 2 inches shorter than what they are listed.

What if Lamelo is only 6'5 barefoot.. or Okongwu is actually a couple inches shorter than Bam... is Poku 6'9 or 7' barefoot...

[azwfan]

Stewart only measured 6'7.25 barefoot. Massive wingspan though.

So insane that we don't know exact measurements of most of the top guys. Pretty big implications if someone is a good 2 inches shorter than what they are listed.

What if Lamelo is only 6'5 barefoot.. or Okongwu is actually a couple inches shorter than Bam... is Poku 6'9 or 7' barefoot...

Probably should draft guys based on their game more so than their measurements. But that's just me.

[HiRez]

Lavar is a total jackass, but got to hand it to him and his kids, there will be likely 2 Balls picked top 3 in the NBA draft, that's quite a feat.

[Scoots1994]

Stewart only measured 6'7.25 barefoot. Massive wingspan though.

So insane that we don't know exact measurements of most of the top guys. Pretty big implications if someone is a good 2 inches shorter than what they are listed.

What if Lamelo is only 6'5 barefoot.. or Okongwu is actually a couple inches shorter than Bam... is Poku 6'9 or 7' barefoot...

Probably should draft guys based on their game more so than their measurements. But that's just me.

Length is a critical part of being able to defend in the NBA.

[wco81]

What are teams doing when they work these prospects out, they're not measuring them?

[Little Digger]

Myers conference video

https://www.nba.com/warriors/news-blogs/bob-myers-20201111?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Scoots1994]

What are teams doing when they work these prospects out, they're not measuring them?

They are not making it public.

[azwfan]

Stewart only measured 6'7.25 barefoot. Massive wingspan though.

So insane that we don't know exact measurements of most of the top guys. Pretty big implications if someone is a good 2 inches shorter than what they are listed.

What if Lamelo is only 6'5 barefoot.. or Okongwu is actually a couple inches shorter than Bam... is Poku 6'9 or 7' barefoot...

Probably should draft guys based on their game more so than their measurements. But that's just me.

Length is a critical part of being able to defend in the NBA.

Length helps, but its not a critical part. Jimmy Butler isn't long and he's one of the best defenders in the league. Chris Paul isn't exactly long. Jacob Evans is longer than Jimmy Butler. Maybe we wouldn't have drafted that dude if we didn't have his measurements. Length isn't critical at all.

[TB]

What are teams doing when they work these prospects out, they're not measuring them?

They are not making it public.

Lots of guys they aren't able to workout though.

For example, Joe and Stanley have both been listed as 6'5 (which usually means they will be 6'4 barefoot for the most part)...

Well Stanley officially measured 6'5 barefoot and can essentially be listed as a 6'6 wing.

Joe measured 6'3 barefoot!

Now, Stanley has short arms, so their length is about the same... but still thats a pretty big difference on two players that would have been listed as 6'5 if they didnt attend the combine.

I'm not saying dont watch them play basketball...if a team wants a pure gunner, they are still going to go with Joe. But this is all worthy information to have, and its pretty insane its not required for anyone entering the draft or being rostered by a team.

[JSML]

Draft roundup

Players I like, somewhat relative to their draft position
Okoro, top 10
Elijah Hughes, early to mid 2nd round
Nnaji, late 1st
Ball, top 3
Killian Hayes, 4 to 12

Okoro top 10
With all the talk of the Warriors trading back, I wouldn't be surprised if they have Okoro on top of their board. It's not just the defensive potential and athleticism, it's the offensive facilitating role that Okoro already does for his team. In crunch time, Okoro takes the ball quite a bit of the time. He's a great passer and decision maker. For a defense first guy, he scores enough and can score more if he looked to score.

Elijah Hughes, early to mid 2nd
To me, Hughes is the most underrated player in the draft. Good size and athleticism. A bit older. At Syracuse, he was the offensive focus. He jacked up shots at the end of the shot clock so his averages weren't the best but still shot .342 on 7 3's per game. Over .800 FT percentage. Over 5 free throws per game. Solid handles and passing. The knock is on his age and the Syracuse zone defense. But look at the film on him before his groin injury... he was really athletic and great on defense.

Nnaji, late 1st
6'11" and 240 pounds. Great size for a PF/C. Has both back to the basket and face up game. Routinely takes and hits mid ranges. 6.3 free throws per game at 0.760 free throw rate. If there's a big that is going to develop into a stretch big, I trust Nnaji's development more than others. He's really a NBA PF though, not C. Pac 12 freshmen of the year. He's fluid and can handle the ball. Pushes the ball up the court.

Ball, top 3.
Lamelo is better than Lonzo. If forced to pick at 2, and Ball is there, I think the Warriors take him. He can fill out the stat sheet. Assists, rebounds, points, steals. That's not easy to match. 6.75 assists to 2.5 turnovers. A special passer.

Killian Hayes, 4 to 12.
Hayes has too much footwork to be ignored. Such a mature and savvy player for his age. The best trait I like is that when he drives, he's always looking for the pass, unlike D'Angelo Russell. His head is always up and looking. He can create space organically with his footwork, somewhat like Doncic. 2 big challenges for him: one is to hit his step backs consistently and two is that he has to draw fouls in the NBA to be special.


A few words on other top players.

Wiseman. Top 3
He gets pushed out of his position by even small players. I've seen guards do it to him. All his shooting upside is projection. He doesn't shoot free throws or mid ranges well. He just doesn't do it for me, especially at a top 5 price.

Okongwu. Top 10
He really has to play center only in the NBA and I am not sure he gets all those easy baskets and rebounds against NBA centers. He floats too much.

Edwards. Top 3
Physically, he's more impressive than Wiseman for me. Just a beast and plays his weight. When you look at him on the court, you would think he's a power forward. It's all the intangibles that dooms him as a prospect in the top 3 for me.


Lastly, on the Warrior's situation, Warriors are short 3 to 4 players that can play in the NBA finals. That is a lot of pieces to fill. If we generously count Looney and assume Wiggins is one, they would have 5 and they need 3 more. Trading back plus the player trade exception must get back 2 players you can play in the death lineup. That's a tall order.

[whatisacenter]

I'm starting to get a feeling that the Warriors have their eye on Edwards if they keep the pick. All the talk is how they prefer Wiseman if Ball goes no.1, that might be so a team that wants Ant won't feel the need to trade up to Minny.

[jason bourne]

TWolves - LaMelo Ball because of a trade down with the Knicks, Pistons, Hornets, and Bulls. Ball only did drills for the TWolves thinking they just will draft him as a trade chip. Wiseman would not return their calls, so I don't think they'll draft him unless they have a trade. If they're keeping the pick, then they draft Anthony Edwards. He worked out for all top three teams.

Warriors - This may be a bogus rumor, but teams are more interested in trading with the Warriors at #2 that the TWolves. but hope that's true. The pick will depend on what TWolves do, but the Ws have the most trading power with Ball and then James Wiseman. We haven't heard much trades for Anthony Edwards, but who knows? Of course, James Wiseman could be their likely pick with Anthony Edwards as another keeper.

Hornets - James Wiseman if still on the board, but likely will take Anthony Edwards if Ws take James Wiseman.

I think the top three are known. As for #4, it looks like the big men who are left in Obi Toppin or Onyeka Okongwu. I'd be surprised if the Bulls went for Killian Hayes. The same for the Cavs as they'll take whoever is left.

The sixth pick by the Hawks would be interesting if they do not trade. I think the Ws trade with the Hawks if they make John Collins available and they want Wiseman or AntMan, but likely they'll keep their #6 pick and try to get a stud there.

Watch on YouTube

[DAWill1128]

Watch on YouTube

[Onus]

I think the warriors are sabotaging the twolves by undervaluing the 2 pick which is why teams would rather deal with the warriors while the wolves still want full value for the 1. This will prevent anyone trading with the wolves especially since they have been noncommittal to anyone.