2021 NBA Draft Thread

[bondom34]

Idk, I don't see much barry. The jumper is not real good, athleticism is lacking...

I'm getting lonzo ball vibes.

Ok, cool.

Sorry for disagreeing, was hoping maybe you'd point out where you were seeing the barry comp
I just don't get it, since the weaknesses seem to be Barry's strengths and vice versa

I think I've heard the Lonzo comp from Vecenie maybe?

[Mr Thunder Nick]

Giddey, with his size can also play SG and even SF

[Atomic Punk]

Idk, I don't see much barry. The jumper is not real good, athleticism is lacking...

I'm getting lonzo ball vibes.

Ok, cool.

Sorry for disagreeing, was hoping maybe you'd point out where you were seeing the barry comp
I just don't get it, since the weaknesses seem to be Barry's strengths and vice versa

I did point it out, we just disagree, that all. I’m fine with the Ball comp but I think Giddys jumper looks better than Balls. I hadn’t watched much video on him and my first, hot take was he reminded me of Bones.

[Big nick]

New guy here and a big thunder fun. I can't believed how this draft went down. I was expecting presti to use up some of our picks to move up. Giddy really that's the best we could do. I don't know much about Mann but I am shocked. What's the use having all those picks and not so much. I so trust presti but crap.

[Dadouv47]

Read on Twitter

weird value move once again...

[spearsy23]

Ok, cool.

Sorry for disagreeing, was hoping maybe you'd point out where you were seeing the barry comp
I just don't get it, since the weaknesses seem to be Barry's strengths and vice versa

I think I've heard the Lonzo comp from Vecenie maybe?

I think it's pretty obvious. I also think that's a good fit next to Shai if he develops into current lonzo. Defense has got to improve a lot.

But a pass first guy that can defend the better of the other teams guards (all the way up to sf with that size)? It really let's shai focus on that area he's excelling in.

[ThunderBolt]

Read on Twitter

weird value move once again...

Thats pretty poor value. What a weird night.

[RunOKC]

Don't mind the player, but 34/36 to 32 is terrible value

Not overly excited/confused with how things went down

[thor19]

Read on Twitter

weird value move once again...

Thats pretty poor value. What a weird night.

Yeah, is like the 16 pick trade, we could get sengun and tre or get jer with our 34 pick

[ThunderBolt]

Robinson-Earl

Spoiler:

Background
Parents are Katie Robinson and Lester Earl. Lester was a McDonald’s All-American who started his college career at LSU before transferring to Kansas due to an NCAA investigation into his recruitment stemming from a $5,000 payment from a booster. He never quite reached the lofty heights that his high school standing promised due to knee injuries, but he did go on to play professionally in Spain. Jeremiah started his career in high school at Bishop Miege outside of Kansas City and started immediately as a freshman while playing a critical role on a state champion team. Robinson-Earl won two more state championships and in his junior year averaged 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Decided to transfer to basketball training powerhouse IMG Academy for his senior season. Was a member of what was basically the best team in the country during his senior year, pairing with Jaden Springer, Armando Bacot and former first-round pick Josh Green. Won the GEICO Nationals Tournament and scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the title game. Won just about every honor you can win in 2019. Was a McDonald’s All-American, was invited to the Nike Hoop Summit and was a Jordan Brand Classic honoree. Was a five-star recruit and a consensus top-20 player in the country. Committed to Villanova over his father’s alma mater of Kansas. Also considered Arizona, North Carolina and many others. His freshman season at Villanova went well as he won the Big East Rookie of the Year award while helping Villanova to a conference title. He considered going pro but decided to return for his sophomore year, which was the right call as he would have been a clear second-round pick. Robinson-Earl won co-Big East Player of the Year honors in his second season and was a late season finalist for the Wooden Award. He was a finalist for the Karl Malone Award as the top power forward in college basketball. Carried a short-handed Villanova team to the Sweet 16, where it lost to eventual champion Baylor. Robinson-Earl then decided to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft with representation, forgoing his final three years of eligibility.

2021 NBA DRAFT GUIDE 58
YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AGE GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 31 10.5 9.4 1.9 0.5 1.1 32.8 81.4
20 25 15.7 8.5 2.2 0.6 1.0 28.0 71.4
Strengths
Everything Robinson-Earl does is fundamentally sound. Can’t emphasize enough how strong his polish and feel for the game is. Catches almost everything. Keeps the ball high as a finisher. Puts himself in the right spots. Offensively, extremely smart in finding open spaces. Smart as a roller in pick-and-roll. Can short roll into space, put the ball on the deck to finish or make a high-level passing read on the move. Great feel for when to slip a screen and dive toward the rim to finish. An underrated scorer at the basket because he has underrated bounce off two feet. Made 67.7 percent of his shots at the basket in half-court settings, most of which were off rolls or from sitting in the dunker spot.
But also has some game as an advantage creator. When Villanova didn’t use him as a roller, it often used him as a high-post scorer at the elbow or top of the key. Can put the ball on the deck and get to the rim. Loves to face a guy up, drive and then use a back spin to get back to his right hand. Can also pass it because of his understanding of how defenders play. Excellent at reading help on the backside and diagnosing which of his teammates are open for a kickout. Showed some live-dribble passing with both hands. He’s going to be solid as a great team player who keeps the ball moving while also being enough of an offensive threat to finish inside.
Went from struggling defensively in space as a freshman to being a legitimately impactful switch defender. One of the most technically sound defenders in the 2021 NBA Draft class. Does a good job of containing in switches against guards due to the balance he plays with in his defensive stance. Plays with great bend. Doesn’t have the most lateral quickness in the world, but he plays angles exceptionally well and has great feel for when to be aggressive and disruptive with his hands. Gets big and uses his length well when he can. Does a good job of squaring his frame and getting his feet set after a first slide, which cuts off driving angles and forces contact while he’s in a legal guarding position. Will be able to play any coverage that a team asks of him with ease.
Off the ball, seems to read complex actions well and diagnose defensive situations with ease. Not a shot blocker but uses his strength and the principle of verticality to be an impactful rim protector. Does well at staying vertical while he’s on the move sliding backward. Rarely jumps into a player’s space but rather just lets his natural size and length take over. Good when accepting drivers on the ball but also makes some impactful weakside rim rotations despite lacking a ton of bounce. Has enough strength to play against fours and fives inside. Won’t get blown off the ball in terms of strength.
Weaknesses
Not a particularly explosive athlete. Doesn’t have much twitch. Great balance but must load up to do what he needs to, which causes issues when he gets off balance. If he comes heavy on a closeout, he struggles to get back into defensive position. Opponents drive him regularly out of that position. Also thought the game against Connecticut when the Huskies got him matched up on James Bouknight wasn’t great, as Bouknight blew by him a couple of times in a straight line. Robinson-Earl is excellent with his angles and positioning, but he just might not be quite quick enough to be anything more than a good complementary defender as opposed to a difference-maker. Can also occasionally get finished over the top of inside. Definitely not a five-man at the NBA level. Will have to play the four.
Because he’ll need to play the four, he’s going to have to shoot it. The jumper looks good, but the results weren’t there. Great base and great shot prep. Had a couple of moments where he hit shots off movement this year that showcased upside. And when he’s set and can just step into the shot, there is every reason to believe he’ll consistently make them. Made his corner 3s at a 37.1 percent clip on 27 attempts. But he hasn’t had good results as a shooter anywhere else. A lot of his misses out of spot-ups come to the right and come up short. There was a bit of a regression as a sophomore. At some point, he probably makes shots because he’s a worker and there is nothing wrong with the shot. But the misses while being off directionally pose some concerns.
Also, not much here in terms of upside. Not going to be a high-level shot creator. Probably not going to be a truly elite defender because of the lack of athletic tools. If the shot doesn’t translate, is there some real downside?
Summary
Where you fall on Robinson-Earl likely comes down to the jumper. If you think he’s going to shoot it at some point, then you should probably be a fan and have him in the late first round. He’s a smart defender who profiles very nicely as a role player on that end of the floor and will make the right reads and be in the right positions. He’s smart, finishes around the rim, plays unselfishly and profiles nicely as a rotation player at the
2019-20
Villanova
NCAA (Big East)
2020-21
Villanova
NCAA (Big East)
2.2
1.6
45.4
49.7

2021 NBA DRAFT GUIDE 59
next level. He might not be a true difference-maker, but it’s easy to see him being a part of effective lineups for the next decade, helping his teammates be in the right spots due to his well-rounded skill set and ability to help them be in the right spots. But if you think he’s not going to make shots, then he profiles more as a good team defender who is inefficient offensively, and that does the help anyone. The swing skill is his jumper

[spearsy23]

Sounds kinda like udonis haslem. Could be useful if he stretches his game out a bit more? Depth big is kinda a different direction than where we've been going.

Also, he kinda sounds like discount sengun.....

[thor19]

Could we at least get sandro mamu??

[spearsy23]

BJ Boston interest anyone, or has he completely ruined his outlook?

[thor19]

BJ Boston interest anyone, or has he completely ruined his outlook?

Bj , sandro, cooper, vrenz, jericho or garza if they go undrafted or with the 55

[RunOKC]

Maybe Presti knew that the Clippers were trading up to grab Robinson-Earl at 33? 34/36 for 32 is insane considering the Jazz traded 30 for 40 and 2 future 2nd's, and the Magic traded 33 for cash and a future second from the Clippers.

[Devilanche]

Maybe Presti knew that the Clippers were trading up to grab Robinson-Earl at 33? 34/36 for 32 is insane considering the Jazz traded 30 for 40 and 2 future 2nd's, and the Magic traded 33 for cash and a future second from the Clippers.

At 30s there’s no can’t miss prospect so I’m impartial even if the one we like more get taken

[bondom34]

I said earlier today I was OK with whoever they took.

Well its after midnight, and I'm pretty much OK with everything. The 34/36 for 32 wasn't good value. But other than that it's whatever, and interested in Giddey.

[bondom34]

Sorry for disagreeing, was hoping maybe you'd point out where you were seeing the barry comp
I just don't get it, since the weaknesses seem to be Barry's strengths and vice versa

I think I've heard the Lonzo comp from Vecenie maybe?

I think it's pretty obvious. I also think that's a good fit next to Shai if he develops into current lonzo. Defense has got to improve a lot.

But a pass first guy that can defend the better of the other teams guards (all the way up to sf with that size)? It really let's shai focus on that area he's excelling in.

Yeah I actually really liked Lonzo as a guy next to SGA. So I'm pretty intrigued by this. I didn't expect it but kinda like it.

[Bensational]

Magic fan coming to say I’ll be watching a lot more OKC next season! Love your draft. I had both Giddey and Mann in my personal top 5. With Giddey, SGA and Mann I think you guys are going to have a fantastically potent offense in the future. Guys who can knock it down from all over and someone to get them the ball.

Such a shame you guys traded Sengun away, or drafted Garuba. They would’ve really completed the trifecta.

[retrobro90]

I would've taken Sengun at 16 instead of kicking the can down the road. Mann/JRE aren't who I would've picked at their respective spots but happy we took 3 guys with solid to great BBIQs. Seem like 3 great kids too. I know almost nothing about Wiggins.