NewKnicks wrote:https://theathletic.com/2554168/2021/05/06/2021-nba-mock-draft-4-0-davion-mitchell-josh-giddey-jump-into-top-10-plus-player-and-team-fits/The Athletic's new mock. They do a really good job breaking down players. Kudo's to them.
Edit: Should have taken 30 seconds to check first if this was posted already.
Not surprisingly, as some of us on here have discussed for a long time, he projects all 4 top picks as future All-Star's, with Kominga being a 'maybe'.
At six he's got my guy Scottie Barnes. Love that kid. I think he falls in the 'potential future All-Star' category as well. Hopefully he gets with a good shooting coach who helps improve his form and technique (which I think he'll be able to do). He doesn't get a lot of elevation on his shot, and it's a bit stiff. But I think when the professional coaches get to work on him he can make some corrections and improve.
Barnes is a point-forward type player who can bring the ball up the court. He has an incredible 7'2 wingspan, and can guard 1-5 (at potentially an elite level). He's a playmaker at 6'9 and can really dish the ball. He plays with a passion you don't see from a lot of players. He plays to win, not rack up stats. He's a dog. Similar to Suggs in that regard. He's built to be a big wing in the league. Adept passing skills as well.
The thing about him is he does everything else well, so even if his shot is not falling he's going to be able to impact games. With the skill set he has, he'll be around this league for a long time. I don't get the unnecessary bashing of him on here. He'll be a fan favorite wherever he ends up.
I won't spoil who the Knicks take if you'd like to take your time flipping through it before getting to the picks.
How will he contribute offensively, if teams will give him the Payton treatment? Barnes is a complete non-shooter at the moment. And to me, there are not many signs that it'll change in the near future. His passing - his only good offensive skill atm - will be neglected in the half-court completely. That's why I don't see All-Star Potential. Like what else does he do offensively on a level where you may think he has this upside? He can't shoot, he can't create his own shot and while he's not a bad finisher, he definitely isn't a great one.
Yes, he'll be a very good defender in the league, no doubt about that. But he isn't a good rim protector yet. And one might wonder how much potential in this regard he'll have, because amongst other things, he isn't the greatest vertical athlete. So to maximize him, you'd probably need to have a shooting rim protector + all the shooting you can get from the other positions on a team. So in my eyes, Rookie contract Barnes has only value to a handful of teams.
Don't get me wrong, Barnes isn't a bad player per se. I simply don't like his fit with us. We won't go that route, and that'll be the right decision, but if you wanna go for a raw wing with defensive versatility, then Garuba's the pick, and not Barnes.
If the draft would be tomorrow, I'd probably lean Springer btw. He's my favourite combo G of the draft besides Mitchell. Why? Because he's by far the best defender of the group (minus Mitchell ofc) and to me he's shown plenty playmaking flashes. Couple that with his youth and the fact that Tennessees Roster as well as their offense weren't the best circumstances for him, I feel like in a few years people will wonder why he went so low if he should go in the late teens as most mocks predict at the moment.