Draft Thread Part 4

[biglottoballs]

If Boucher has more value than Poeltl I'd be interested in a direct swap.

Poeltl is a great counter against Embiid in a playoff series.

The 7th pick would likely be Giddey considering how much personnel the Raptors sent down to see him.

I don't see the infatuation with drafting an isolation scorer. Giddey does need a pick to score but having a player that creates mismatches and allows others to attack on closeouts is far more dangerous.

That's the same reason I would consider Lonzo Ball in free agency. He also has some underlying star demeanor and potential.

[Kevin Willis]

I think he may go higher. He looks like Boucher with a handle.

Watch on YouTube

Nice. He also looks like he can injure one of his own players in practise. Very jumpy and a little wild. We only need one Boucher.

[PD28]

Khalif Diop from Senegal is great second round pick.

Watch on YouTube

Good find. He is a big body. It looks like he plays for Herbalife Gran Canaria, but I guess he would be on their second team given his age. If he is in the draft he might be worth a draft and stash, but there are a couple interesting international bigs to look at who are better known:

Ariel Hukporti
Ibou Badji
Filip Petrusev

If we are looking at lesser know hidden gems, I am very curious about EJ Onu who at 6'11 who could be a stretch 5 in time.

Watch on YouTube

Read on Twitter

EJ looking super fluid damn!

[Psubs]

Is EJ Onu a taller Richaun Holmes that may be able to shoot 3's at least average?

[PD28]

Is EJ Onu a taller Richaun Holmes that may be able to shoot 3's at least average?

6'11, 7-8 wingspan and some great athleticism...no way he slips into the late second IMO. Not sure if I buy his shooting % from 3, however, the shot looks better than most big men. I could see him developing into a solid 30% shooter.

https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/08/celtics-reportedly-working-out-ej-onu-potential-sleeper-stretch-big-man/

[Reeko]

If Boucher has more value than Poeltl I'd be interested in a direct swap.

Poeltl is a great counter against Embiid in a playoff series.

The 7th pick would likely be Giddey considering how much personnel the Raptors sent down to see him.

I don't see the infatuation with drafting an isolation scorer. Giddey does need a pick to score but having a player that creates mismatches and allows others to attack on closeouts is far more dangerous.

That's the same reason I would consider Lonzo Ball in free agency. He also has some underlying star demeanor and potential.

Poeltl would get abused by Embiid.

We need an isolation scorer because we don’t have one. The need for an iso scorer is proven year in and year out in the playoffs.

[DG88]

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=AdamSpinella

[WuTang_CMB]

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/chad-fords-nba-big-board-nba-draft-podcast/id1503591370?i=1000525065426

[Indeed]

If Boucher has more value than Poeltl I'd be interested in a direct swap.

Poeltl is a great counter against Embiid in a playoff series.

The 7th pick would likely be Giddey considering how much personnel the Raptors sent down to see him.

I don't see the infatuation with drafting an isolation scorer. Giddey does need a pick to score but having a player that creates mismatches and allows others to attack on closeouts is far more dangerous.

That's the same reason I would consider Lonzo Ball in free agency. He also has some underlying star demeanor and potential.

Poeltl would get abused by Embiid.

We need an isolation scorer because we don’t have one. The need for an iso scorer is proven year in and year out in the playoffs.

I think we are not getting an isolation scorer below the 6th pick, and not necessarily an isolation scorer if the purpose is to demand double team or breaking down the defense.

As long as someone who can break down the defense and provide the playmaking, it might works better than an isolation scorer. Rather than creating the own offense by taking jump shot after jump shot, I prefer someone who can get to the rim and require defense to make adjustment for freeing up other players.

[Saciid11]

Khalif Diop from Senegal is great second round pick.

Watch on YouTube

Good find. He is a big body. It looks like he plays for Herbalife Gran Canaria, but I guess he would be on their second team given his age. If he is in the draft he might be worth a draft and stash, but there are a couple interesting international bigs to look at who are better known:

Ariel Hukporti
Ibou Badji
Filip Petrusev

If we are looking at lesser know hidden gems, I am very curious about EJ Onu who at 6'11 who could be a stretch 5 in time.

Watch on YouTube

Read on Twitter

EJ looking super fluid damn!

The competition looks like high-school level, but the guy has some crazy vertical for guy his height. He is definitely worth second round pick or even late first round ...

[mademan]

If we stay where we ware, it feels like Giddey's the pick. Masai's been looking for a big playmaker for years (from Ntilikina to SGA to Lamelo) and now he's got his chance. And Raps have pretty overtly scouted him heavily. Hope it doesnt turn the way it did last time Masai got FOMO after failing to get Giannis (the Bruno experiment)

[Saciid11]

If we stay where we ware, it feels like Giddey's the pick. Masai's been looking for a big playmaker for years (from Ntilikina to SGA to Lamelo) and now he's got his chance. And Raps have pretty overtly scouted him heavily. Hope it doesnt turn the way it did last time Masai got FOMO after failing to get Giannis (the Bruno experiment)

I just can't see Masai drafting a defensive liability when he name sure to trade way guys who didn't defend like Demar & JV. Also Raptors system favors guys who can play off the ball .. both Lowry and FVV are guards who can be effective without the ball and they are both great defenders.

I could see Raptors drafting Boughknight, Keon Johnson, Moody, Davion Mitchell as their wing or guard before Giddy.

[Indeed]

If we stay where we ware, it feels like Giddey's the pick. Masai's been looking for a big playmaker for years (from Ntilikina to SGA to Lamelo) and now he's got his chance. And Raps have pretty overtly scouted him heavily. Hope it doesnt turn the way it did last time Masai got FOMO after failing to get Giannis (the Bruno experiment)

I just can't see Masai drafting a defensive liability when he name sure to trade way guys who didn't defend like Demar & JV. Also Raptors system favors guys who can play off the ball .. both Lowry and FVV are guards who can be effective without the ball and they are both great defenders.

I could see Raptors drafting Boughknight, Keon Johnson, Moody, Davion Mitchell as their wing or guard before Giddy.

I have Wagner before Giddey, particularly if Wagner can defend some SG.
Although Wagner may not have the same feel and creativity of Giddey, but Wagner should able to become a secondary ball handler with better defense.

[tecumseh18]

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/chad-fords-nba-big-board-nba-draft-podcast/id1503591370?i=1000525065426

Chad Ford is the Doug Smith of Stephen A. Smiths. And of course, in the first few minutes, he compares Davion M. to Donovan M.

OTOH, Rafael Barlowe sounds competent and they both really like Canadian 6' 6" guard Joshua Primo. Barlowe sees him as a top 10 pick if he came out next season. Good choice if we can use Lowry to get a pick in the 20s.

[gojoorange]

If we stay where we ware, it feels like Giddey's the pick. Masai's been looking for a big playmaker for years (from Ntilikina to SGA to Lamelo) and now he's got his chance. And Raps have pretty overtly scouted him heavily. Hope it doesnt turn the way it did last time Masai got FOMO after failing to get Giannis (the Bruno experiment)

I just can't see Masai drafting a defensive liability when he name sure to trade way guys who didn't defend like Demar & JV. Also Raptors system favors guys who can play off the ball .. both Lowry and FVV are guards who can be effective without the ball and they are both great defenders.

I could see Raptors drafting Boughknight, Keon Johnson, Moody, Davion Mitchell as their wing or guard before Giddy.

I have Wagner before Giddey, particularly if Wagner can defend some SG.
Although Wagner may not have the same feel and creativity of Giddey, but Wagner should able to become a secondary ball handler with better defense.

Wagner projects to be a better shooter than Giddey too, which I imagine would fit their role more with the Raps. Giddey is likely a secondary playmaker for at least his first couple years in the league too. Wagner seems the better prospect to me because of the defense and shooting.

[gojoorange]

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/chad-fords-nba-big-board-nba-draft-podcast/id1503591370?i=1000525065426

Chad Ford is the Doug Smith of Stephen A. Smiths. And of course, in the first few minutes, he compares Davion M. to Donovan M.

OTOH, Rafael Barlowe sounds competent and they both really like Canadian 6' 6" guard Joshua Primo. Barlowe sees him as a top 10 pick if he came out next season. Good choice if we can use Lowry to get a pick in the 20s.

Both Rafael and his brother James seem to know the game more than Chad Ford. I think Ford's thing is that he has contacts in front offices. Remember when people caught him changing his mock drafts years later?

[Asif16]

If we stay at our spot....it has to be Davion Mitchell.

He has a little bit of everything. Scoring/Shooting/Size/Ball Handling/Defense/Swagger/IQ

I think its a no brainer

[mademan]

I just can't see Masai drafting a defensive liability when he name sure to trade way guys who didn't defend like Demar & JV. Also Raptors system favors guys who can play off the ball .. both Lowry and FVV are guards who can be effective without the ball and they are both great defenders.

I could see Raptors drafting Boughknight, Keon Johnson, Moody, Davion Mitchell as their wing or guard before Giddy.

I have Wagner before Giddey, particularly if Wagner can defend some SG.
Although Wagner may not have the same feel and creativity of Giddey, but Wagner should able to become a secondary ball handler with better defense.

Wagner projects to be a better shooter than Giddey too, which I imagine would fit their role more with the Raps. Giddey is likely a secondary playmaker for at least his first couple years in the league too. Wagner seems the better prospect to me because of the defense and shooting.

There's a lot to not like about Giddy, but the dude is a special passer. He wouldnt be my first pick (or 2nd, or 3rd....maybe 4th?), but i see the appeal. He's big and has great BBIQ; defense should come along and he has a pretty good shooting form, no reason he cant be a very good shooter.

[VanWest82]

Not sure when this happened but Givony updated his big board with Davion Mitchell and Scottie Barnes rising into the top 7 and Keon and Jalen Johnson both falling back. Bouknight and Moody are now in the top 20.

[bon]

Watching the Keon Johnson tape I can see why he’s been mocked high. He’s incredibly quick, has insane hops, guards amazingly well and is a willing and predatory scorer.

He isn’t a reliable shooter at all watching this film session but he does hunt shots both from 3 (even though he bricks a lot now) and from attacking the rim.

I can see a team thinking if they improve his jumper he is going to be elite. Lots of ifs though so he may end up another athlete that is not good enough of a basketball player

That's interesting because after watching all of Keon's footage I'm lower on him than most. He's an energy player who will grab people's attention but in terms of skillset he's really far behind as an offensive player. Not only does he have his shooting woes but with his athleticism he should at least be a much better finisher than he is right now (this is probably the aspect of his game I'm most disappointed with). He has a couple of standout plays and then a lot of really bad misses at the hoop. He's going to be strictly a cutter for some years.

I think anyone projecting him to average 20+ ppg in the future will end being disappointed. He's going to be a Josh Hart type of guy at most realistically.