Hal’s Draft Thread

[djFan71]

We didn't draft Robert Williams for his three point shooting. Garuba has an NBA body and a 7-2 wingspan and can defend multiple positions. The shot will develop in time. Last year he improved his three point shooting from 30% to 33%. If he can get to 36% next year that's good enough for a 20 year old.

The draft is full of nay sayers when it comes to international players. Garuba is a fantastic athlete but isn't skilled enough. Prkacin, who is still only 18 years old, is highly skilled but isn't athletic enough. And so it goes. They said Luka Doncic wasn't athletic either.

Semi + Yabusele had an NBA body. Not saying he is that. Just saying I am not too high on him. he currently is listed at 6'8.. may have to be a center until he becomes a strong shooter. Which may or may not happen. I love his switch-ability potential. But I have said this quite a bit since joining, I put on strong emphasis on having strong shooting potential vs a capable shooter for perimeter positions. There are exceptions of course (Giddy?) Centers not included of course.

C'mon now. How can you watch a video like this and think Semi is even a close comparison to Garuba?

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Garuba makes some insane blocks, at age 19. Semi didn't block a single shot all season, at age 26.

The closer comparison I am seeing for Garuba is Draymond Green. The focus on defense and rebounding rather than being a ball dominant scorer. The hustle, the tenacity on D. Having good focus and positioning on D and when rebounding. On offense, more of a focus on setting screens, playing off the ball, making some excellent passes, finding the open man quickly after he gets the ball. Scoring on 3's off ball movement, or on lobs off PnR, or dunks on dump downs. Very similar to Green, Garuba is 2 inches taller though and further along in terms of strong frame/defense instincts/passing instincts/shooting compared to Green when he was 19.

Garuba turned 19 this season. The season Green turned 19 was his freshman year at Michigan State. Let's compare Green at age 19 vs Garuba at age 19:

Green = 0% from 3 (0/1), 61.5% FT, 55.6% FG
Garuba = 31.6% from 3 (37/117), 63% FT, 48.1% FG

The FG% of 48.1 is low, but the year before that in 19-20 Garuba's FG% was 59%

At age 19, Green barely got mins off the bench for Michigan State as a freshman. At age 19, Garuba is starting PF for the 2nd best team in the EuroLeague, which is the most competitive league in the world after the NBA.

IMO Garuba is the best defender in the draft. These are some of the elite defenders in the draft from what I've seen:

Garuba = excellent defender, on perimeter as well as interior..and even has shown good hustle on chase down blocks
Wagner = damn good perimeter defender, not as good defending bigs inside
Mitchell = NCAA defensive player of the year. Tenacious defender, smart defender, but not as versatile. Defends the heck out of little guys, not sure how well he can switch onto guys over 6'6" which is a huge amount of NBA players
Queta = insanely good interior defender, rim protector. Good at hustling for chase down blocks on the break. Struggles a bit though when he has to switch onto guards/wings out on perimeter
Jackson = excellent rim protector, good (but not great) at switching out, quick and has good hustle to get back in transition D, only 206 lbs though so likely to struggle defending/rebounding inside vs bigger centers
Springer = hell of a perimeter defender, scrappy, hustles, gets good position on D. Does a decent job when switched onto bigs but still not great in that aspect though, since he's just 6'4" and 204 lbs.
Suggs - same as Springer, basically

Garuba also seems to have a great motor. You can't teach dudes to play that hard.

[Hal14]

Semi + Yabusele had an NBA body. Not saying he is that. Just saying I am not too high on him. he currently is listed at 6'8.. may have to be a center until he becomes a strong shooter. Which may or may not happen. I love his switch-ability potential. But I have said this quite a bit since joining, I put on strong emphasis on having strong shooting potential vs a capable shooter for perimeter positions. There are exceptions of course (Giddy?) Centers not included of course.

C'mon now. How can you watch a video like this and think Semi is even a close comparison to Garuba?

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Garuba makes some insane blocks, at age 19. Semi didn't block a single shot all season, at age 26.

The closer comparison I am seeing for Garuba is Draymond Green. The focus on defense and rebounding rather than being a ball dominant scorer. The hustle, the tenacity on D. Having good focus and positioning on D and when rebounding. On offense, more of a focus on setting screens, playing off the ball, making some excellent passes, finding the open man quickly after he gets the ball. Scoring on 3's off ball movement, or on lobs off PnR, or dunks on dump downs. Very similar to Green, Garuba is 2 inches taller though and further along in terms of strong frame/defense instincts/passing instincts/shooting compared to Green when he was 19.

Garuba turned 19 this season. The season Green turned 19 was his freshman year at Michigan State. Let's compare Green at age 19 vs Garuba at age 19:

Green = 0% from 3 (0/1), 61.5% FT, 55.6% FG
Garuba = 31.6% from 3 (37/117), 63% FT, 48.1% FG

The FG% of 48.1 is low, but the year before that in 19-20 Garuba's FG% was 59%

At age 19, Green barely got mins off the bench for Michigan State as a freshman. At age 19, Garuba is starting PF for the 2nd best team in the EuroLeague, which is the most competitive league in the world after the NBA.

IMO Garuba is the best defender in the draft. These are some of the elite defenders in the draft from what I've seen:

Garuba = excellent defender, on perimeter as well as interior..and even has shown good hustle on chase down blocks
Wagner = damn good perimeter defender, not as good defending bigs inside
Mitchell = NCAA defensive player of the year. Tenacious defender, smart defender, but not as versatile. Defends the heck out of little guys, not sure how well he can switch onto guys over 6'6" which is a huge amount of NBA players
Queta = insanely good interior defender, rim protector. Good at hustling for chase down blocks on the break. Struggles a bit though when he has to switch onto guards/wings out on perimeter
Jackson = excellent rim protector, good (but not great) at switching out, quick and has good hustle to get back in transition D, only 206 lbs though so likely to struggle defending/rebounding inside vs bigger centers
Springer = hell of a perimeter defender, scrappy, hustles, gets good position on D. Does a decent job when switched onto bigs but still not great in that aspect though, since he's just 6'4" and 204 lbs.
Suggs - same as Springer, basically

Garuba also seems to have a great motor. You can't teach dudes to play that hard.

Yup, love his motor, hustle and effort. Agreed, you can't teach that sh%t

[playa-hater]

We didn't draft Robert Williams for his three point shooting. Garuba has an NBA body and a 7-2 wingspan and can defend multiple positions. The shot will develop in time. Last year he improved his three point shooting from 30% to 33%. If he can get to 36% next year that's good enough for a 20 year old.

The draft is full of nay sayers when it comes to international players. Garuba is a fantastic athlete but isn't skilled enough. Prkacin, who is still only 18 years old, is highly skilled but isn't athletic enough. And so it goes. They said Luka Doncic wasn't athletic either.

Semi + Yabusele had an NBA body. Not saying he is that. Just saying I am not too high on him. he currently is listed at 6'8.. may have to be a center until he becomes a strong shooter. Which may or may not happen. I love his switch-ability potential. But I have said this quite a bit since joining, I put on strong emphasis on having strong shooting potential vs a capable shooter for perimeter positions. There are exceptions of course (Giddy?) Centers not included of course.

C'mon now. How can you watch a video like this and think Semi is even a close comparison to Garuba?

Watch on YouTube

Garuba makes some insane blocks, at age 19. Semi didn't block a single shot all season, at age 26.

The closer comparison I am seeing for Garuba is Draymond Green. The focus on defense and rebounding rather than being a ball dominant scorer. The hustle, the tenacity on D. Having good focus and positioning on D and when rebounding. On offense, more of a focus on setting screens, playing off the ball, making some excellent passes, finding the open man quickly after he gets the ball. Scoring on 3's off ball movement, or on lobs off PnR, or dunks on dump downs. Very similar to Green, Garuba is 2 inches taller though and further along in terms of strong frame/defense instincts/passing instincts/shooting compared to Green when he was 19.

Garuba turned 19 this season. The season Green turned 19 was his freshman year at Michigan State. Let's compare Green at age 19 vs Garuba at age 19:

Green = 0% from 3 (0/1), 61.5% FT, 55.6% FG
Garuba = 31.6% from 3 (37/117), 63% FT, 48.1% FG

The FG% of 48.1 is low, but the year before that in 19-20 Garuba's FG% was 59%

At age 19, Green barely got mins off the bench for Michigan State as a freshman. At age 19, Garuba is starting PF for the 2nd best team in the EuroLeague, which is the most competitive league in the world after the NBA.

IMO Garuba is the best defender in the draft. These are some of the elite defenders in the draft from what I've seen:

Garuba = excellent defender, on perimeter as well as interior..and even has shown good hustle on chase down blocks
Wagner = damn good perimeter defender, not as good defending bigs inside
Mitchell = NCAA defensive player of the year. Tenacious defender, smart defender, but not as versatile. Defends the heck out of little guys, not sure how well he can switch onto guys over 6'6" which is a huge amount of NBA players
Queta = insanely good interior defender, rim protector. Good at hustling for chase down blocks on the break. Struggles a bit though when he has to switch onto guards/wings out on perimeter
Jackson = excellent rim protector, good (but not great) at switching out, quick and has good hustle to get back in transition D, only 206 lbs though so likely to struggle defending/rebounding inside vs bigger centers
Springer = hell of a perimeter defender, scrappy, hustles, gets good position on D. Does a decent job when switched onto bigs but still not great in that aspect though, since he's just 6'4" and 204 lbs.
Suggs - same as Springer, basically

While on my phone I failed to highlight what I thought was obvious and that was the reference to semi having already an NBA body

[GoGreen]

I'm thinking Garuba could be the pick. Wouldn't hate it.

[Hal14]

Nice Garuba video. The kid's got good length, good timing and good quick hops. And he's playing 16 mpg for the biggest basketball club in Europe.

Yeah. He's projected to go in the 15-20 range, right where we pick.

[Hal14]

I'm thinking Garuba could be the pick. Wouldn't hate it.

Agreed - I wouldn't hate it at all. A lot of things to like about him. Some things to work on but with some development, he'd be an ideal stretch 4 / small ball 5.

[playa-hater]

Not sure why I like Jeff Goodman's knowledge a bit more than most Mock drafters, but he did get Nesmith correct last year.

Meanwhile I hate that most of my Favorites went off the Board before our pick, but for those who like this content, here is an updated mock list

https://watchstadium.com/jeff-goodmans-2021-nba-mock-draft-1-0-rockets-reload-06-02-2021/

[GoGreen]

Not sure why I like Jeff Goodman's knowledge a bit more than most Mock drafters, but he did get Nesmith correct last year.

Meanwhile I hate that most of my Favorites went off the Board before our pick, but for those who like this content, here is an updated mock list

https://watchstadium.com/jeff-goodmans-2021-nba-mock-draft-1-0-rockets-reload-06-02-2021/

Goodman is really tapped in, so if he's saying Tre Mann, I'll def have a look

[playa-hater]

Not sure why I like Jeff Goodman's knowledge a bit more than most Mock drafters, but he did get Nesmith correct last year.

Meanwhile I hate that most of my Favorites went off the Board before our pick, but for those who like this content, here is an updated mock list

https://watchstadium.com/jeff-goodmans-2021-nba-mock-draft-1-0-rockets-reload-06-02-2021/

Goodman is really tapped in, so if he's saying Tre Mann, I'll def have a look

He must read me posts. I talked about liking T Mann a few pages back as a Big PG.

[31to6]

Another sleeper here. Someone may have mentioned him earlier. Just checking him out now. Wow, really impressed.

It'll be interesting between now and the draft on july 29. How is Time Lord's health looking? Is he getting any surgery on toe, knees/hip? How's his ankle? Did we give him a contract extension? Are they going to possibly trade him?

If Brad isn't feeling so optimistic about Time Lord's future with the team, Neemias Queta could be the guy to go and grab at no. 16.

Everyone keeps saying we need a big, we need a big. We need a big who can match up with Embiid. Well, this guy might be it. 7'0" (with 7'4" wingspan) and 245 lbs. He averaged over 3 blocks and over 1 steal a game, 2-time defensive player of the year in his conference. Moves well for a guy his size. You watch the video and he might remind you a little bit of Time Lord except

a) Queta actually has a post-up game
b) Queta is more durable, dude played in every one of his team's games this season, averaged 30 mins a game (Time Lord has never been able to play 30 mins a game, not even in college) and was his team's leading scorer, whereas Time Lord was never more than his college team's 4th leading scorer
c) Queta is 4 inches taller and 8 pounds heavier, while being just as quick

Queta is also just as good of a passer as Time Lord is.

Queta seems like right now he's being projected as a 2nd round pick. So he'd be an absolute steal if we take him with 45th pick. I am guessing though that his stock risers a lot between now and draft and we would have to pick him 16th if we want him. He's pretty clearly better than Isaiah Jackson and jackson is projected in the 11-22 range. Probably just because Jackson played at a big school (kentucky) and Queta played at a small school (utah state).. If this dude doesn't go in the 1st round, either this is one of the deepest drafts in history, or we've got same really stupid GMs in this league.

This draft does have some good centers. Mobley is consensus top 3 pick. Sengun is projected to go in the 9-15 range but some people rank him as high as no. 6. Comparing Sengun to Queta....Sengun put up better numbers this season, vs better competition (Turkish professional League is definitely better than then the Mountain West conference) and he did it despite being 3 years younger than Queta. So based on that, you have to rank Sengun higher but:

-Queta is 2 inches taller than Sengun
-Queta is more athletic, and a little quicker
-Queta is a slightly better defender
-Queta is definitely a better passer

So while Sengun is better, it's very close who the better prospect is. I wouldn't rank Queta very far behind Sengun at all.

Watch on YouTube

Yo ... nice find! And that Utah connection means he must be on Danny’s radar, eh? (I know Danny’s leaving, but apparently not until after the draft?)

Tankathon has Queta going 27th: http://www.tankathon.com/players/neemias-queta

Weaknesses: turnover prone, no jumper yet, limited perimeter mobility (though has shown some flashes of potential there). My five minute draft expert analysis says “he doesn’t look much worse than Ayton, right?” and adds him to my list of guys I’d be happy with:
Kai Jones, Sengun, Garuba, Jalen Johnson, I. Jackson, I. Todd, Queta, that tall twiggy PG. Up to 8! My goal is 10 so only room for two more draft binkies.

[return2glory]

Another sleeper here. Someone may have mentioned him earlier. Just checking him out now. Wow, really impressed.

It'll be interesting between now and the draft on july 29. How is Time Lord's health looking? Is he getting any surgery on toe, knees/hip? How's his ankle? Did we give him a contract extension? Are they going to possibly trade him?

If Brad isn't feeling so optimistic about Time Lord's future with the team, Neemias Queta could be the guy to go and grab at no. 16.

Everyone keeps saying we need a big, we need a big. We need a big who can match up with Embiid. Well, this guy might be it. 7'0" (with 7'4" wingspan) and 245 lbs. He averaged over 3 blocks and over 1 steal a game, 2-time defensive player of the year in his conference. Moves well for a guy his size. You watch the video and he might remind you a little bit of Time Lord except

a) Queta actually has a post-up game
b) Queta is more durable, dude played in every one of his team's games this season, averaged 30 mins a game (Time Lord has never been able to play 30 mins a game, not even in college) and was his team's leading scorer, whereas Time Lord was never more than his college team's 4th leading scorer
c) Queta is 4 inches taller and 8 pounds heavier, while being just as quick

Queta is also just as good of a passer as Time Lord is.

Queta seems like right now he's being projected as a 2nd round pick. So he'd be an absolute steal if we take him with 45th pick. I am guessing though that his stock risers a lot between now and draft and we would have to pick him 16th if we want him. He's pretty clearly better than Isaiah Jackson and jackson is projected in the 11-22 range. Probably just because Jackson played at a big school (kentucky) and Queta played at a small school (utah state).. If this dude doesn't go in the 1st round, either this is one of the deepest drafts in history, or we've got same really stupid GMs in this league.

This draft does have some good centers. Mobley is consensus top 3 pick. Sengun is projected to go in the 9-15 range but some people rank him as high as no. 6. Comparing Sengun to Queta....Sengun put up better numbers this season, vs better competition (Turkish professional League is definitely better than then the Mountain West conference) and he did it despite being 3 years younger than Queta. So based on that, you have to rank Sengun higher but:

-Queta is 2 inches taller than Sengun
-Queta is more athletic, and a little quicker
-Queta is a slightly better defender
-Queta is definitely a better passer

So while Sengun is better, it's very close who the better prospect is. I wouldn't rank Queta very far behind Sengun at all.

Watch on YouTube

Great post. I was about to post about him.

I’m not sure why he is hardly talked about. One of the most underrated players on mock drafts this season.

Queta caught my attention during the NCAA tournament. Celtics should take a hard look at him. He is legit.

[Hal14]

Not sure why I like Jeff Goodman's knowledge a bit more than most Mock drafters, but he did get Nesmith correct last year.

Meanwhile I hate that most of my Favorites went off the Board before our pick, but for those who like this content, here is an updated mock list

https://watchstadium.com/jeff-goodmans-2021-nba-mock-draft-1-0-rockets-reload-06-02-2021/

Interesting. In this mock, Orlando grabs Mobley and Giddey. Damn, that would be a nice duo to build around, especially for a young rebuilding team like Orlando.

As for the Celtics pick, IDK I haven't really evaluated Mann very much. My understanding was he was more of a 2 then a 1 and we really don't need a 2. Hell, even a 1 we don't really need (with Kemba, smart, Pritchard, Madar) but if we get a 1 then I'd be ok if it's Giddey, Mitchell or Springer. I'll have to check out Mann, and see if he's as good as those other guys. I know someone in the Real Gm NBA Draft forum had Mann as a top 10-12 player in the draft..

I'm thinking, if those are the first 15 picks I'd rather us go with Sengun. He is just too good to pass up if he's still there at 16 IMO. I know quite a few people who se him as a top 5 or 6 player in this draft. There's someone in the real gm nba draft forum who watches international ball closely who even has Sengun ranked as the best player in the draft.

Or, if Stevens is feeling optimistic about Time Lord being our center of the future and being able to stay healthy, or if Brad is thinking he can pull off a trade for Towns or Turner, maybe he decides against Sengun and goes with Springer or if he doesn't want a PG, he could go with Roko or Garuba. Or trade the pick, lots of options..

Side note - that mock does not have Queta or Roko going in the 1st round. So those 2 guys continue to be the most underrated players in this draft IMO. And this mock has Springer going 27th - he's also very underrated. Again, I see him being just as good as Suggs, who's a consensus top 4 pick. They're very similar players. I just don't get how someone could put Suggs top 4 but Springer 27th.

I also don't get how this mock can have Isaiah Jackson 18th but Queta nowhere in the top 30, SMH..Sengun going 21st also seems crazy low to me..but what do I know? lol

[playa-hater]

Not sure why I like Jeff Goodman's knowledge a bit more than most Mock drafters, but he did get Nesmith correct last year.

Meanwhile I hate that most of my Favorites went off the Board before our pick, but for those who like this content, here is an updated mock list

https://watchstadium.com/jeff-goodmans-2021-nba-mock-draft-1-0-rockets-reload-06-02-2021/

Interesting. In this mock, Orlando grabs Mobley and Giddey. Damn, that would be a nice duo to build around, especially for a young rebuilding team like Orlando.

As for the Celtics pick, IDK I haven't really evaluated Mann very much. My understanding was he was more of a 2 then a 1 and we really don't need a 2. Hell, even a 1 we don't really need (with Kemba, smart, Pritchard, Madar) but if we get a 1 then I'd be ok if it's Giddey, Mitchell or Springer. I'll have to check out Mann, and see if he's as good as those other guys. I know someone in the Real Gm NBA Draft forum had Mann as a top 10-12 player in the draft..

I'm thinking, if those are the first 15 picks I'd rather us go with Sengun. He is just too good to pass up if he's still there at 16 IMO. I know quite a few people who se him as a top 5 or 6 player in this draft. There's someone in the real gm nba draft forum who watches international ball closely who even has Sengun ranked as the best player in the draft.

Or, if Stevens is feeling optimistic about Time Lord being our center of the future and being able to stay healthy, or if Brad is thinking he can pull off a trade for Towns or Turner, maybe he decides against Sengun and goes with Springer or if he doesn't want a PG, he could go with Roko or Garuba. Or trade the pick, lots of options..

need Tre, not as much. and with the potential of a good size player still being available, we may have an equal talent to draft as well.

[Hal14]

Another sleeper here. Someone may have mentioned him earlier. Just checking him out now. Wow, really impressed.

It'll be interesting between now and the draft on july 29. How is Time Lord's health looking? Is he getting any surgery on toe, knees/hip? How's his ankle? Did we give him a contract extension? Are they going to possibly trade him?

If Brad isn't feeling so optimistic about Time Lord's future with the team, Neemias Queta could be the guy to go and grab at no. 16.

Everyone keeps saying we need a big, we need a big. We need a big who can match up with Embiid. Well, this guy might be it. 7'0" (with 7'4" wingspan) and 245 lbs. He averaged over 3 blocks and over 1 steal a game, 2-time defensive player of the year in his conference. Moves well for a guy his size. You watch the video and he might remind you a little bit of Time Lord except

a) Queta actually has a post-up game
b) Queta is more durable, dude played in every one of his team's games this season, averaged 30 mins a game (Time Lord has never been able to play 30 mins a game, not even in college) and was his team's leading scorer, whereas Time Lord was never more than his college team's 4th leading scorer
c) Queta is 4 inches taller and 8 pounds heavier, while being just as quick

Queta is also just as good of a passer as Time Lord is.

Queta seems like right now he's being projected as a 2nd round pick. So he'd be an absolute steal if we take him with 45th pick. I am guessing though that his stock risers a lot between now and draft and we would have to pick him 16th if we want him. He's pretty clearly better than Isaiah Jackson and jackson is projected in the 11-22 range. Probably just because Jackson played at a big school (kentucky) and Queta played at a small school (utah state).. If this dude doesn't go in the 1st round, either this is one of the deepest drafts in history, or we've got same really stupid GMs in this league.

This draft does have some good centers. Mobley is consensus top 3 pick. Sengun is projected to go in the 9-15 range but some people rank him as high as no. 6. Comparing Sengun to Queta....Sengun put up better numbers this season, vs better competition (Turkish professional League is definitely better than then the Mountain West conference) and he did it despite being 3 years younger than Queta. So based on that, you have to rank Sengun higher but:

-Queta is 2 inches taller than Sengun
-Queta is more athletic, and a little quicker
-Queta is a slightly better defender
-Queta is definitely a better passer

So while Sengun is better, it's very close who the better prospect is. I wouldn't rank Queta very far behind Sengun at all.

Watch on YouTube

Yo ... nice find! And that Utah connection means he must be on Danny’s radar, eh? (I know Danny’s leaving, but apparently not until after the draft?)

Tankathon has Queta going 27th: http://www.tankathon.com/players/neemias-queta

Weaknesses: turnover prone, no jumper yet, limited perimeter mobility (though has shown some flashes of potential there). My five minute draft expert analysis says “he doesn’t look much worse than Ayton, right?” and adds him to my list of guys I’d be happy with:
Kai Jones, Sengun, Garuba, Jalen Johnson, I. Jackson, I. Todd, Queta, that tall twiggy PG. Up to 8! My goal is 10 so only room for two more draft binkies.

1) It's funny, those weaknesses (turnover prone, lack of jumper, not so great defending smaller guys on the perimeter) are basically the same weaknesses as Time Lord.

And Queta's strengths (runs floor well in transition, rim protector, great finisher on lobs, good size and athleticism, good passer for a big man, really hustles and plays hard) are the same strengths as time Lord.

They're very similar except a) Queta is 4 inches taller b) Queta has a strong post up game c) Queta is less of an injury risk.

Maybe you package up Time Lord + Kemba, trade them for a star and then draft Queta to play Center?

2) Those 8 guys you mention are a solid list. I'd probably add Jaden Springer and Roko Prkacin and that gives you 10..maybe add Davion Mitchell too, but it seems pretty unlikely that he will still be on the board. Plus it seems like you don't really want a guard, unless it's a big one like Giddey (who's an insanely good passer)..taking either Todd or Jackson at 16 would probably be a reach though IMO..

[Curmudgeon]

As for Queta, I just watched some other film. He is underrated, as Hal 14 said. I expect him to move up the mock boards quickly.
Having said that, except for UNLV, schools in the Mountain West get little or no respect from the East coast pundits. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Christian Wood were all drafted much lower than they should have been. Anthony Bennett makes up for some of that, but he's an outlier.

[31to6]

Another sleeper here. Someone may have mentioned him earlier. Just checking him out now. Wow, really impressed.

It'll be interesting between now and the draft on july 29. How is Time Lord's health looking? Is he getting any surgery on toe, knees/hip? How's his ankle? Did we give him a contract extension? Are they going to possibly trade him?

If Brad isn't feeling so optimistic about Time Lord's future with the team, Neemias Queta could be the guy to go and grab at no. 16.

Everyone keeps saying we need a big, we need a big. We need a big who can match up with Embiid. Well, this guy might be it. 7'0" (with 7'4" wingspan) and 245 lbs. He averaged over 3 blocks and over 1 steal a game, 2-time defensive player of the year in his conference. Moves well for a guy his size. You watch the video and he might remind you a little bit of Time Lord except

a) Queta actually has a post-up game
b) Queta is more durable, dude played in every one of his team's games this season, averaged 30 mins a game (Time Lord has never been able to play 30 mins a game, not even in college) and was his team's leading scorer, whereas Time Lord was never more than his college team's 4th leading scorer
c) Queta is 4 inches taller and 8 pounds heavier, while being just as quick

Queta is also just as good of a passer as Time Lord is.

Queta seems like right now he's being projected as a 2nd round pick. So he'd be an absolute steal if we take him with 45th pick. I am guessing though that his stock risers a lot between now and draft and we would have to pick him 16th if we want him. He's pretty clearly better than Isaiah Jackson and jackson is projected in the 11-22 range. Probably just because Jackson played at a big school (kentucky) and Queta played at a small school (utah state).. If this dude doesn't go in the 1st round, either this is one of the deepest drafts in history, or we've got same really stupid GMs in this league.

This draft does have some good centers. Mobley is consensus top 3 pick. Sengun is projected to go in the 9-15 range but some people rank him as high as no. 6. Comparing Sengun to Queta....Sengun put up better numbers this season, vs better competition (Turkish professional League is definitely better than then the Mountain West conference) and he did it despite being 3 years younger than Queta. So based on that, you have to rank Sengun higher but:

-Queta is 2 inches taller than Sengun
-Queta is more athletic, and a little quicker
-Queta is a slightly better defender
-Queta is definitely a better passer

So while Sengun is better, it's very close who the better prospect is. I wouldn't rank Queta very far behind Sengun at all.

Watch on YouTube

Yo ... nice find! And that Utah connection means he must be on Danny’s radar, eh? (I know Danny’s leaving, but apparently not until after the draft?)

Tankathon has Queta going 27th: http://www.tankathon.com/players/neemias-queta

Weaknesses: turnover prone, no jumper yet, limited perimeter mobility (though has shown some flashes of potential there). My five minute draft expert analysis says “he doesn’t look much worse than Ayton, right?” and adds him to my list of guys I’d be happy with:
Kai Jones, Sengun, Garuba, Jalen Johnson, I. Jackson, I. Todd, Queta, that tall twiggy PG. Up to 8! My goal is 10 so only room for two more draft binkies.

1) It's funny, those weaknesses (turnover prone, lack of jumper, not so great defending smaller guys on the perimeter) are basically the same weaknesses as Time Lord.

And Queta's strengths (runs floor well in transition, rim protector, great finisher on lobs, good size and athleticism, good passer for a big man, really hustles and plays hard) are the same strengths as time Lord.

They're very similar except a) Queta is 4 inches taller b) Queta has a strong post up game c) Queta is less of an injury risk.

Maybe you package up Time Lord + Kemba, trade them for a star and then draft Queta to play Center?

2) Those 8 guys you mention are a solid list. I'd probably add Jaden Springer and Roko Prkacin and that gives you 10..maybe add Davion Mitchell too, but it seems pretty unlikely that he will still be on the board. Plus it seems like you don't really want a guard, unless it's a big one like Giddey (who's an insanely good passer)..

Yeah I want no SGs at 16 since we’ve gone back-to-back SGs at 14 (unless we’re making major trades this summer beyond my current imagination). I’m interested enough in Giddey to put him on my list, but bet he’ll be gone earlier. Otherwise, I want a list of 10 bigs I’d be happy with, so I can be sad when the draft none of them in favor of a combo guard. Roko is the one I need to check out next!

[31to6]

I think Playa has had the suggestion of trading 16+Kemba+? and trying to get another 1st (like 20 or a bit worse) back if there’s someone like Queta or I. Todd that we like, and would be “reaching” for a bit at 16, but won’t last until #45.

Since I’m making draft binkies left and right, that’s probably the only situation in which I’d be okay with trading the 16th pick. We worked hard for that ****!

[Hal14]

Yo ... nice find! And that Utah connection means he must be on Danny’s radar, eh? (I know Danny’s leaving, but apparently not until after the draft?)

Tankathon has Queta going 27th: http://www.tankathon.com/players/neemias-queta

Weaknesses: turnover prone, no jumper yet, limited perimeter mobility (though has shown some flashes of potential there). My five minute draft expert analysis says “he doesn’t look much worse than Ayton, right?” and adds him to my list of guys I’d be happy with:
Kai Jones, Sengun, Garuba, Jalen Johnson, I. Jackson, I. Todd, Queta, that tall twiggy PG. Up to 8! My goal is 10 so only room for two more draft binkies.

1) It's funny, those weaknesses (turnover prone, lack of jumper, not so great defending smaller guys on the perimeter) are basically the same weaknesses as Time Lord.

And Queta's strengths (runs floor well in transition, rim protector, great finisher on lobs, good size and athleticism, good passer for a big man, really hustles and plays hard) are the same strengths as time Lord.

They're very similar except a) Queta is 4 inches taller b) Queta has a strong post up game c) Queta is less of an injury risk.

Maybe you package up Time Lord + Kemba, trade them for a star and then draft Queta to play Center?

2) Those 8 guys you mention are a solid list. I'd probably add Jaden Springer and Roko Prkacin and that gives you 10..maybe add Davion Mitchell too, but it seems pretty unlikely that he will still be on the board. Plus it seems like you don't really want a guard, unless it's a big one like Giddey (who's an insanely good passer)..

Yeah I want no SGs at 16 since we’ve gone back-to-back SGs at 14 (unless we’re making major trades this summer beyond my current imagination). I’m interested enough in Giddey to put him on my list, but bet he’ll be gone earlier. Otherwise, I want a list of 10 bigs I’d be happy with, so I can be sad when the draft none of them in favor of a combo guard. Roko is the one I need to check out next!

I hear ya. I'd rather get a big man too. Giddey with his passing ability and ability to create for others, make teammates better, he'd be hard to pass up if he's still there but yeah, he probably will be gone in the first 15 picks.

Enjoy studying up on Roko. There's no shortage of Roko vids on YouTube. There's a lot I like about Roko. Only downside is his lateral quickness scares me a little bit, seems like he gets burned when he switches onto smaller guys on perimeter. Good but not great size, good but not great athleticism.

But still, this something about him that makes me think he could turn out to be a star. Combination of size, skill, versatility and how hard he plays, putting up good numbers in a pro league at only 18 years old. The dude can flat out score the basketball, he can do it in a variety of ways while at the same time being a damn good passer. Lots of really good NBA players have come from Croatia (Radja, Kukoc, Petrovic, Bogdanovic, etc.) and he could be next. outside shooting is supposedly one of his weaknesses but he shot 35% from 3 in a league that's better competition than NCAA at only age 18. He's intriguing for sure..and it's pretty much guaranteed that he'll still be there at 16.

[Curmudgeon]

Roko needs to do what Bender should have done: get in the weight room for a year and lift for two hours a day. But oh no, Bender wanted to drift around in the perimeter and shoot threes-- and the Suns let him get away with it so that he became the second coming of Nikoloz Tskitishvili. The rule for Roko would be: when Ojeleye lifts, you lift, otherwise you don't play. And when you do play, the further you are away from the basket the closer you are to the bench. Roko, who is 6-9 and still growing, needs to turn himself into a legitimate NBA power forward.

[Hal14]

Roko needs to do what Bender should have done: get in the weight room for a year and lift for two hours a day. But oh no, Bender wanted to drift around in the perimeter and shoot threes-- and the Suns let him get away with it so that he became the second coming of Nikoloz Tskitishvili. The rule for Roko would be: when Ojeleye lifts, you lift, otherwise you don't play. And when you do play, the further you are away from the basket the closer you are to the bench. Roko, who is 6-9 and still growing, needs to turn himself into a legitimate NBA power forward.

He's got the potential to be one of the better 4's in the league.

And getting a more legit 4 would help make us a bigger team, sliding tatum down to the 3 and Brown to the 2.