SMTBSI wrote:ConstableGeneva wrote:Please don't put Semi ahead of our lottery picks in the rotation. Langford, get well already!!
Complete tangent, but I got to be honest, I have a hard time thinking of Langford and Nesmith - #14s in general - as "lottery picks". I know they technically are, but it feels like it's in the same way that Roy Hibbert was
technically an all-star.
Not saying this to knock them. #14 just feels solidly mid-pack.
Well, at least this year, you should factor in the weirdness of this draft and the fact that no one wanted picks at the top of this draft and all the value really came in picks 11 through 14, and I truly mean that. I dove full into this draft and it was one of the oddest on record.
1, 2, and 3 are all headscratchers. By that I mean their pedigree and measurements put them there, but by no means are they locks to be superstars.
Anthony Edwards has every measurable that you want and all the athleticism, but if you read one interview you start shaking your head, and he went number one. Minnesota was looking to trade out right up until the pick was made.
James Wiseman, again the package is there for him, and anyone can see the makings of a stud, but he played three whole games in college. He's not a no brainer at two, but he should be okay at Golden State, there are a wide array of outcomes for him.
LaMelo, another tough player to forecast. He has a legitimate skill with his handle and ability to pass the ball. He can't shoot, he can't play defense. He's got the height and length, but has a long way to go before his body is NBA ready. Every place he's played has been catered to him. He's never had to play in a system.
The crazy thing is they all deserved to be drafted where the were slotted, but I'd be shocked if any of them won rookie of the year.
Then at four Patrick Williams is another baffling pick. He was picked based on measurables and hints of possibility.
By no means am I saying that Nesmith is a home run, but to get a 6'6 wing with a 6'11 wingspan that already knows his role and has an NBA ready skill in the most difficult skill to find in the NBA is a gift. If there was any year where the 14th pick in the draft was worth a pick in the lottery this was the year. In fact for all the pomp and circumstance of last year's draft with Zion and Ja on a whole the talent was better in this draft than 2019.
There's been some encouraging signs with Romeo even though he hasn't been on the court much, but the pedigree, the measurements, and the willingness to work is there. Still I consider him to be more of a project than Nesmith is. I think Nesmith will show something because his game is polished and he knows his role.
Anyone of of Vassel, Halliburton, Lewis, or Nesmith were the sweet spot in this draft - the Celtics were fortunate to have that selection.
