Hal’s Draft Thread

[KJStark23]

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Potential sleepers mentioned in this breakdown:
-Trey Murphy
-Matthew Hurt
-Chris Duarte
-Charles Bassey
-Austin Reaves
-Sandro Mamukelashvili
-Neemis Queta
-Quentin Grimes

[cloverleaf]

It's time to buy us second-round picks.

Did Danny give 4 2nd round picks away for the opportunity to sign Fournier?

[playa-hater]

This draft is very deep, and there are going to be some quality players available in the second round when the Celtics pick, including this guy. I checked three mocks that project second round picks. Two did not have him on the board, and one, Spinella's, had him at #54.

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;t=313s

Here's an interesting write up on Jason. His story is almost hard to believe.

https://nypost.com/2021/03/20/ohios-jason-prestons-big-rise-from-hs-benchwarmer-to-pro-prospect/

this draft is so deep that some players who may have been drafted any other year might not get drafted at all. This kid has some nice attributes that make you think someone should take a chance on him. If not sign him up for summer league.

He looks a tad slow imo

And that may be the one thing holding him back. But if he is a pass first PG whom can knock down 3 pointers that might give him and NBA contract.

[Justin33]

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?s=20

[Hal14]

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?s=20

Interesting pretty much all of the names you'd expect to see on there, except I'm not seeing:

Cade Cunningham
Vrenz Bleijenbergh
Usman Garuba
Alperen Sengun
Jalen Suggs
EJ Onu

[Curmudgeon]

Top picks get measured but they don't play. Also, guys like Garuba and Sengun are still under contract with European teams.

[Hal14]

The guru Adam Spinella posted a mock draft the other day. Here it is. Picks 1-15:

Watch on YouTube

Picks 16-30:

Watch on YouTube

Interestingly, he has the Celtics taking Jared Butler, a 6'3" combo-guard. Just got done watching Butler vids and I'm very impressed. Spinella actually has Butler ranked no. 10 overall on his big board so getting him at 16 would be a good value pick. Butler has picture perfect shooting form, smooth release, high release, quick release, can shoot off the catch or the dribble, 3 level scorer, excellent passer (especially on lobs) and excellent defender.

I know most of us want to draft a guy with more size, but Spinella actually has Butler ranked ahead of Giddey, ahead of Mitchell and ahead of Springer. I can kind of see why. In watching the footage, I'm actually seeing Butler as a Steph Curry/Damian Lillard type of player, with better defense. Like Curry and Lillard, Butler has crazy range on his shot. If he's still there at 16 (based on most mocks he almost definitely will be), it could be a solid pick for the Celtics.

In Butler, I'm seeing Kemba except Butler is 3 inches taller, better shooter, better passer, better defender while being just as good in terms of mid range pull-ups, dribble drive moves, finishing through contact, taking charges and athleticism. Sounds like an upgrade to me!

Butler Highlights:

Watch on YouTube

Butler Scouting report:

Watch on YouTube

Maybe we take Butler at 16 and then a big man like Onu/Queta/Bassey in the 2nd round. I think Spinella has us taking Bassey in 2nd round in his mock..a Butler + Bassey draft would be solid IMO..both Butler and Bassey are juniors in college so more developed then so many of these 18 year old kids, freshmen/sophomores so ready to make an impact on the Celtics quicker..

[playa-hater]

Anyone watching the Bucks and Nets this 4th quarter and NO little players (PGs) No centers.. it's all switching and attacking the matchups.

I keep saying it, hoping more will listen. DRAFT DEFENSIVE WINGS.. who can shoot. Early and often. The only team in the league we need a Bigman for is Embiid.

My new motto..

IF YOU CAN'T SWITCH, YOU CAN'T PLAY !!

[playa-hater]

The guru Adam Spinella posted a mock draft the other day. Here it is. Picks 1-15:

Watch on YouTube

Picks 16-30:

Watch on YouTube

Interestingly, he has the Celtics taking Jared Butler, a 6'3" combo-guard. Just got done watching Butler vids and I'm very impressed. Spinella actually has Butler ranked no. 10 overall on his big board so getting him at 16 would be a good value pick. Butler has picture perfect shooting form, smooth release, high release, quick release, can shoot off the catch or the dribble, 3 level scorer, excellent passer (especially on lobs) and excellent defender.

I know most of us want to draft a guy with more size, but Spinella actually has Butler ranked ahead of Giddey, ahead of Mitchell and ahead of Springer. I can kind of see why. In watching the footage, I'm actually seeing Butler as a Steph Curry/Damian Lillard type of player, with better defense. Like Curry and Lillard, Butler has crazy range on his shot. If he's still there at 16 (based on most mocks he almost definitely will be), it could be a solid pick for the Celtics.

Butler Highlights:

Watch on YouTube

Butler Scouting report:

Watch on YouTube

Maybe we take Butler at 16 and then a big man like Onu/Queta/Bassey in the 2nd round. I think Spinella has us taking Bassey in 2nd round in his mock..a Butler + Bassey draft would be solid IMO..both Butler and Bassey are juniors in college so more developed then so many of these 18 year old kids, freshmen/sophomores so ready to make an impact on the Celtics quicker..

He would be a perfect Celtic role player for Tatum and Brown. I wouldn't hate the pick. But to even consider drafting him, moving Walker and/or Smart becomes paramount. I always say draft the BPA, but is Butler a better combo guard than someone like Kai who is a 4-5. My guess is they are close. If they are close then the weight of position of need overtakes the guard spot.

[Hal14]

The guru Adam Spinella posted a mock draft the other day. Here it is. Picks 1-15:

Watch on YouTube

Picks 16-30:

Watch on YouTube

Interestingly, he has the Celtics taking Jared Butler, a 6'3" combo-guard. Just got done watching Butler vids and I'm very impressed. Spinella actually has Butler ranked no. 10 overall on his big board so getting him at 16 would be a good value pick. Butler has picture perfect shooting form, smooth release, high release, quick release, can shoot off the catch or the dribble, 3 level scorer, excellent passer (especially on lobs) and excellent defender.

I know most of us want to draft a guy with more size, but Spinella actually has Butler ranked ahead of Giddey, ahead of Mitchell and ahead of Springer. I can kind of see why. In watching the footage, I'm actually seeing Butler as a Steph Curry/Damian Lillard type of player, with better defense. Like Curry and Lillard, Butler has crazy range on his shot. If he's still there at 16 (based on most mocks he almost definitely will be), it could be a solid pick for the Celtics.

Butler Highlights:

Watch on YouTube

Butler Scouting report:

Watch on YouTube

Maybe we take Butler at 16 and then a big man like Onu/Queta/Bassey in the 2nd round. I think Spinella has us taking Bassey in 2nd round in his mock..a Butler + Bassey draft would be solid IMO..both Butler and Bassey are juniors in college so more developed then so many of these 18 year old kids, freshmen/sophomores so ready to make an impact on the Celtics quicker..

He would be a perfect Celtic role player for Tatum and Brown. I wouldn't hate the pick. But to even consider drafting him, moving Walker and/or Smart becomes paramount. I always say draft the BPA, but is Butler a better combo guard than someone like Kai who is a 4-5. My guess is they are close. If they are close then the weight of position of need overtakes the guard spot.

We're in agreement again. I can see Butler being a nice fit here, especially with how good he is at knocking down catch and shoot 3's. We could really make a conscious effort to have Tatum/Brown attack the basket and if defense collapses, kick out to Butler for 3, if defense doesn't help them Tatum/Brown scores. Plus I love the way Butler runs PnR and can hit the lob man (Rob) perfectly, even from way beyond the 3 point arc. Good size for the PG spot at 6'3". Also, I like how assertive/confident he is, compared to Langford and Nesmith who seem so scared/tentative.

I think Butler could be even better than a role player here, once fully developed..

Agreed that you need to weight BPA vs need. Butler and Kai are probably on the same tier in terms of BPA so do you go with the combo guard or go with the combo 4/5? I would probably go with the bigger guy Kai, but IDK I really like what I see from Butler, he seems more ready to contribute right away, Kai might be kind of a project that is raw and needs time to develop before he's ready for heavy minutes..the same is also true for Garuba and Roko, bigs take longer to develop..

[Hal14]

Anyone watching the Bucks and Nets this 4th quarter and NO little players (PGs) No centers.. it's all switching and attacking the matchups.

I keep saying it, hoping more will listen. DRAFT DEFENSIVE WINGS.. who can shoot. Early and often. The only team in the league we need a Bigman for is Embiid.

My new motto..

IF YOU CAN'T SWITCH, YOU CAN'T PLAY !!

Best switchable defenders in this draft:

-Scottie Barnes (no way in hell he's gonna be there at 16, projected to go in the 6-8 range)
-Thor (love his switchability but he's too raw IMO to draft at 16, I would take a flier on him later in 1st round and think his best option is going back to school for 1 more year and then being a sure-fire lottery pick (maybe even top 10 pick) next year
-Garuba
-Wagner (I actually have Thor ranked 1 spot higher than Wagner because of Tor's upside being higher, Thor is longer, more athletic/explosive while being just as good perimeter defending, better interior defending/rim protection and just as good shooting, not to mention Wagner is projected to go in the top 15 in most mocks so we won't be able to take him anyways)
-Jalen Johnson
-Kai Jones

I know you like Ziaire but his frame scares me, at 6'8" and only 185 lbs he's just too small, the guy in the NBA close to that frame is Brandon Ingram at 6'8", 190 lbs but a) that 5 pounds makes a difference b) Ziaire is not the scorer that Ingram is, both played in college 1 year, Ziaire averaged 10 PPG, Ingram averaged 18 a game and b) Ingram is not a good defender which just shows you at the NBA level you need more meat on your bones to be able to defend c) the fact that there's only 1 good wing player in the entire NBA with a frame similar to Ziaire scares me, it's just not good odds - taking Ziaire is a gamble, one that wouldn't take with a top 20 pick with so many other good players in the draft..

So that leaves Garuba, Jalen Johnson and Kai Jones..

And don't forget about Roko! He might not be quite as switchable as these other guys and but he shows some solid defense here, especially at the 4:25 mark where he has to cover a guard who tries taking him off the dribble but Roko defends it well and forces a miss:

Watch on YouTube

IDK, there's an "it" factor I see in Roko. You can see on Youtube footage of a game where he had 29 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals, and another game where he had 38 points (on 6 threes), 10 rebounds and 2 assists. He's doing this as an 18 year old playing in a tough, physical professional league overseas.

This video he just looks like a monster, in the middle of the video he hits a 3 over Evan Mobley (projected top 2 pick in the draft), then he blocks Mobley inside. I could seriously see Roko turning our to be a star, and could be a legit 3rd scoring option alongside Tatum and Brown.

Watch on YouTube

Side note - in Spinella's video on Butler he points out how Baylor did play a switching defense scheme and also shows many clips where Butler plays excellent perimeter defense. Not sure how he does switching into bigs but at 6'3" with a solid frame you have to think he does better than most PGs at defending bigs..

[GoGreen]

Give me Garuba or Kai Jones or give me death

[djFan71]

I'm not 100% yet, but my current leanings are:

1. If Johnson, Giddey, Garuba, or Kai are at #16, grab one in that order.
2. If not trade down with HOU and get 2 of Mann/Butler/Murphy III/Roko/Robinson-Earl/Todd/Thor.

I'm not positive on the Kai part even.
I really like Mann. Worst case he's Shamet, best case he's a taller Young. I might even take him 16 if the others are gone.

[JediMasterRevan]

I'm not 100% yet, but my current leanings are:

1. If Johnson, Giddey, Garuba, or Kai are at #16, grab one in that order.
2. If not trade down with HOU and get 2 of Mann/Butler/Murphy III/Roko/Robinson-Earl/Todd/Thor.

I'm not positive on the Kai part even.
I really like Mann. Worst case he's Shamet, best case he's a taller Young. I might even take him 16 if the others are gone.

For me to not trade down with Houston the only guys I take at 16 are Giddey, Springer or Garuba. If those 2 are gone I look to trade down.

My choices at 22 and 23 are eerily similar to yours.

Obviously I am all on the Todd train. Been for a while now. Kid got Christian Wood/Chris Bosh written all over him. Be a great addition to the team.
I take a pg with the other pick. Springer, Ayo for me are in this spot. Mann is too short armed for me. He is tall but he plays smaller.

[Hal14]

Give me Garuba or Kai Jones or give me death

Both would be solid picks. Lots to like about both of them.

[BK_2020]

Langford - Nesmith - Brown - Tatum - Scottie Barnes would be a pretty sweet lineup but need Langford to develop at least Marcus Smart-tier shooting and PNR ability, and for Scottie Barnes to shoot at Marcus Smart-level.
Not to mention Barnes has to fall to #16.

[Hal14]

Langford - Nesmith - Brown - Tatum - Scottie Barnes would be a pretty sweet lineup but need Langford to develop at least Marcus Smart-tier shooting and PNR ability, and for Scottie Barnes to shoot at Marcus Smart-level.
Not to mention Barnes has to fall to #16.

There's no way Barnes is falling to 16. I don't think I've seen a single mock where he falls outside the top 10 and most of them he's in the 6-8 range.

Who plays PG in that lineup? Perhaps Barnes does. Watching footage of him, he does have some Point Forward Magic Johnson type vibes going on - in terms of a 6'9" guy with good athleticism and excellent passing who's capable of running the point but not a great shooter, while also having a flair for the dramatic and knack for big plays, highlight reel plays, excellent in transition - there's some similarities Barnes has to Magic - Barnes obviously not as good, not as good passing but Barnes is a much better defender.

That lineup would have 2 bad 3 point shooters though, Langford and Barnes - perhaps Langford can keep improving his shot though, it was definitely getting better towards end of season and in playoffs.

[Half-Full]

The guru Adam Spinella posted a mock draft the other day. Here it is. Picks 1-15:

Watch on YouTube

Picks 16-30:

Watch on YouTube

Interestingly, he has the Celtics taking Jared Butler, a 6'3" combo-guard. Just got done watching Butler vids and I'm very impressed. Spinella actually has Butler ranked no. 10 overall on his big board so getting him at 16 would be a good value pick. Butler has picture perfect shooting form, smooth release, high release, quick release, can shoot off the catch or the dribble, 3 level scorer, excellent passer (especially on lobs) and excellent defender.

I know most of us want to draft a guy with more size, but Spinella actually has Butler ranked ahead of Giddey, ahead of Mitchell and ahead of Springer. I can kind of see why. In watching the footage, I'm actually seeing Butler as a Steph Curry/Damian Lillard type of player, with better defense. Like Curry and Lillard, Butler has crazy range on his shot. If he's still there at 16 (based on most mocks he almost definitely will be), it could be a solid pick for the Celtics.

Butler Highlights:

Watch on YouTube

Butler Scouting report:

Watch on YouTube

Maybe we take Butler at 16 and then a big man like Onu/Queta/Bassey in the 2nd round. I think Spinella has us taking Bassey in 2nd round in his mock..a Butler + Bassey draft would be solid IMO..both Butler and Bassey are juniors in college so more developed then so many of these 18 year old kids, freshmen/sophomores so ready to make an impact on the Celtics quicker..

He would be a perfect Celtic role player for Tatum and Brown. I wouldn't hate the pick. But to even consider drafting him, moving Walker and/or Smart becomes paramount. I always say draft the BPA, but is Butler a better combo guard than someone like Kai who is a 4-5. My guess is they are close. If they are close then the weight of position of need overtakes the guard spot.

We're in agreement again. I can see Butler being a nice fit here, especially with how good he is at knocking down catch and shoot 3's. We could really make a conscious effort to have Tatum/Brown attack the basket and if defense collapses, kick out to Butler for 3, if defense doesn't help them Tatum/Brown scores. Plus I love the way Butler runs PnR and can hit the lob man (Rob) perfectly, even from way beyond the 3 point arc. Good size for the PG spot at 6'3". Also, I like how assertive/confident he is, compared to Langford and Nesmith who seem so scared/tentative.

I think Butler could be even better than a role player here, once fully developed..

Agreed that you need to weight BPA vs need. Butler and Kai are probably on the same tier in terms of BPA so do you go with the combo guard or go with the combo 4/5? I would probably go with the bigger guy Kai, but IDK I really like what I see from Butler, he seems more ready to contribute right away, Kai might be kind of a project that is raw and needs time to develop before he's ready for heavy minutes..the same is also true for Garuba and Roko, bigs take longer to develop..

I do think that Spinella is on to something. Butler would be an excellent pick. He is a solid player on both offense and defense, and could likely step right into some major minutes. He has all the makings of a player that teams will regret passing over. While I favor getting a big, the more I check into this draft, the more I wonder about taking a guard instead. There are so many good guards out there. I feel very confident that Butler will be an impact player, and who couldn't use one of those.

[playa-hater]

Anyone watching the Bucks and Nets this 4th quarter and NO little players (PGs) No centers.. it's all switching and attacking the matchups.

I keep saying it, hoping more will listen. DRAFT DEFENSIVE WINGS.. who can shoot. Early and often. The only team in the league we need a Bigman for is Embiid.

My new motto..

IF YOU CAN'T SWITCH, YOU CAN'T PLAY !!

Best switchable defenders in this draft:

-Scottie Barnes (no way in hell he's gonna be there at 16, projected to go in the 6-8 range)
-Thor (love his switchability but he's too raw IMO to draft at 16, I would take a flier on him later in 1st round and think his best option is going back to school for 1 more year and then being a sure-fire lottery pick (maybe even top 10 pick) next year
-Garuba
-Wagner (I actually have Thor ranked 1 spot higher than Wagner because of Tor's upside being higher, Thor is longer, more athletic/explosive while being just as good perimeter defending, better interior defending/rim protection and just as good shooting, not to mention Wagner is projected to go in the top 15 in most mocks so we won't be able to take him anyways)
-Jalen Johnson
-Kai Jones

I know you like Ziaire but his frame scares me, at 6'8" and only 185 lbs he's just too small, the guy in the NBA close to that frame is Brandon Ingram at 6'8", 190 lbs but a) that 5 pounds makes a difference b) Ziaire is not the scorer that Ingram is, both played in college 1 year, Ziaire averaged 10 PPG, Ingram averaged 18 a game and b) Ingram is not a good defender which just shows you at the NBA level you need more meat on your bones to be able to defend c) the fact that there's only 1 good wing player in the entire NBA with a frame similar to Ziaire scares me, it's just not good odds - taking Ziaire is a gamble, one that wouldn't take with a top 20 pick with so many other good players in the draft..

So that leaves Garuba, Jalen Johnson and Kai Jones..

And don't forget about Roko! He might not be quite as switchable as these other guys and but he shows some solid defense here, especially at the 4:25 mark where he has to cover a guard who tries taking him off the dribble but Roko defends it well and forces a miss:

Watch on YouTube

IDK, there's an "it" factor I see in Roko. You can see on Youtube footage of a game where he had 29 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals, and another game where he had 38 points (on 6 threes), 10 rebounds and 2 assists. He's doing this as an 18 year old playing in a tough, physical professional league overseas.

This video he just looks like a monster, in the middle of the video he hits a 3 over Evan Mobley (projected top 2 pick in the draft), then he blocks Mobley inside. I could seriously see Roko turning our to be a star, and could be a legit 3rd scoring option alongside Tatum and Brown.

Watch on YouTube

Side note - in Spinella's video on Butler he points out how Baylor did play a switching defense scheme and also shows many clips where Butler plays excellent perimeter defense. Not sure how he does switching into bigs but at 6'3" with a solid frame you have to think he does better than most PGs at defending bigs..

first, another good post. You gave me too much to digest, but here goes.

Scotty Barnes - I do think he is the most switch-able defender in this draft by a lot. Hate his outside shooting to date. BUT maybe Boston should start considering that if Barnes can be a great addition (or anyone else) make a move up and trade. Trade 16, next year's number 1 and Smart if necessary (not saying I would do it, just declaring if they target a player who is that good in their eyes, then get aggressive in getting him)

Boston needs another IMPACT player if possible.

Thor - his upside is high, but does look so raw. How patient will Stevens Boston be in development ?

Garuba - may end up on Boston, still only Luke warm on him.

Jalen Johnson and Kai Jones still my top 2 choices.

Still like Ziaire a lot.

Roko is rising high in my eyes. maybe even to my top 3 choice. Similar to Thor though in that how patient will Stevens/Boston be with his development.

Wagner. Is he really a very good defender? and a good shooter. Maybe. But Boston better take a damn good look first.

[Hal14]

He would be a perfect Celtic role player for Tatum and Brown. I wouldn't hate the pick. But to even consider drafting him, moving Walker and/or Smart becomes paramount. I always say draft the BPA, but is Butler a better combo guard than someone like Kai who is a 4-5. My guess is they are close. If they are close then the weight of position of need overtakes the guard spot.

We're in agreement again. I can see Butler being a nice fit here, especially with how good he is at knocking down catch and shoot 3's. We could really make a conscious effort to have Tatum/Brown attack the basket and if defense collapses, kick out to Butler for 3, if defense doesn't help them Tatum/Brown scores. Plus I love the way Butler runs PnR and can hit the lob man (Rob) perfectly, even from way beyond the 3 point arc. Good size for the PG spot at 6'3". Also, I like how assertive/confident he is, compared to Langford and Nesmith who seem so scared/tentative.

I think Butler could be even better than a role player here, once fully developed..

Agreed that you need to weight BPA vs need. Butler and Kai are probably on the same tier in terms of BPA so do you go with the combo guard or go with the combo 4/5? I would probably go with the bigger guy Kai, but IDK I really like what I see from Butler, he seems more ready to contribute right away, Kai might be kind of a project that is raw and needs time to develop before he's ready for heavy minutes..the same is also true for Garuba and Roko, bigs take longer to develop..

I do think that Spinella is on to something. Butler would be an excellent pick. He is a solid player on both offense and defense, and could likely step right into some major minutes. He has all the makings of a player that teams will regret passing over. While I favor getting a big, the more I check into this draft, the more I wonder about taking a guard instead. There are so many good guards out there. I feel very confident that Butler will be an impact player, and who couldn't use one of those.

Yeah man, watching the footage I really like Butler's game and the way he plays. Such a damn good shooter too, and with beautiful form, good passer, good defender. My only question with him is, can he be a true PG? Seems like a combo-guard who might be better suited to the 2, like a 2 who is a lethal scorer but also a good passer. But at 6'3" he's an undersized 2. Might be kind of an adjustment if we tried making him a pure-PG..