2021 NBA Draft Thread

[Dadouv47]

https://thunderousintentions.com/2021/07/30/okc-thunder-perplex-nba-draft/

good article

pretty good and agree about almost everything. Just saying Giddey is a reach while considering Bouknight at 6 being ok is a bit weird to me. Teams were clearly higher on Giddey than Bouknight from what we heard (he wasn't going to fall to 11). The Bouknight hype was a bit crazy two weeks before the draft, mostly media/fan base hype than anything else. Some could disagree on our pick and say Kuminga was BPA but after that Giddey/Wagner/Bouknight are on the same tier.

For the rest, Presti messed up and I'm not excited at all about next season

[Old Man Game]

I think this guy makes some good points (seen on r/Thunder)

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/oukgx7

Based on that post some of the youtube stuff I've seen from him I have a crazy comp. Is he ... Aussie Westbrook? Great at racking up assists and rebounds but questionable outside shooter. There's also something about some of his assists in transition, controlled chaos that is very Russ.

Couldn't you just see Presti being attracted to that?

[Dadouv47]

I think this guy makes some good points (seen on r/Thunder)

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/oukgx7

Based on that post some of the youtube stuff I've seen from him I have a crazy comp. Is he ... Aussie Westbrook? Great at racking up assists and rebounds but questionable outside shooter. There's also something about some of his assists in transition, controlled chaos that is very Russ.

Couldn't you just see Presti being attracted to that?

He looks more like Luka or Shai than Westbrook in my opinion. Not athletic but very skilled and play at his own pace.

[spearsy23]

https://thunderousintentions.com/2021/07/30/okc-thunder-perplex-nba-draft/

good article

How? There was no substance at all.

[spearsy23]

I think this guy makes some good points (seen on r/Thunder)

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/oukgx7

Based on that post some of the youtube stuff I've seen from him I have a crazy comp. Is he ... Aussie Westbrook? Great at racking up assists and rebounds but questionable outside shooter. There's also something about some of his assists in transition, controlled chaos that is very Russ.

Couldn't you just see Presti being attracted to that?

I wouldn't be surprised if the stats end up looking like westbrook (very) lite, but I don't think they'll be accomplished in the same way. He seems more creative and a little more reactive than russ.

[getrichordie]

I don’t understand why Zaire Williams was so coveted and Brandon Boston wasn’t.Regardless, it was a very gutsy move by Memphis. I heard Giddey and Wagner were the two they wanted so it sounds like their trade up might have backfired. I hope it works for them.

The contexts surrounding both players matters a lot here. I did have Brandon Boston Jr. top 30 on my board, but I wonder how much his “Pro Day” and the circumstances of TC’s passing affected his stock… On top of that, the brand of basketball he currently likes to play is incompatible with NBA physicality. The same thing could be said about Ziaire to an extent, but he’s 6’10 and his context was arguably worse at Stanford. Played with a 5 lb. knee brace on a 175 lb. frame which throws off your balance a ton. ZW needs to get stronger, but his game translates much better in theory than BBJ’s.

Sure, but at number ten? The excuses for Williams may be valid but he legitimately wasn’t good in college. That’s a tough pill to swallow at ten. I don’t think that’s who Memphis wanted when they traded up to ten. If that’s true, thats on them too.

Like I said, context matters. NBA scours know how much the circumstances surrounding ZW can throw off your game. Not having access to weight room, 5 lb. knee brace, etc. But you have to watch his HS/AAU tape and look past the shooting to see what he actually brings to the table. Yes the numbers aren’t sexy, but his tape was really good outside of the shooting. So if you believe that ZW’s shooting woes were affected by these things and that he is a much more capable shooter than what he showed (I do) then it makes sense to have a lottery valuation on him.

[Dadouv47]

Giddey is really smart/mature. JRE looks like a very nice dude.

[Old Man Game]

Giddey is really smart/mature. JRE looks like a very nice dude.

I was impressed by all of them. I thought Mann was a nice, soft-spoken kid. Good energy.

Sent from my moto g power using RealGM mobile app

[ThunderBolt]

Sam said he basically first got familiar with Giddey in the g league bubble. He had to quarantine for four days after arriving and really became familiar with his game.

[ThunderBolt]

Giddey is really smart/mature. JRE looks like a very nice dude.

“We draft people first and players second”. It’s kind of a corny statement but there is some merit to what he’s saying.

[Devilanche]

https://www.si.com/.amp/nba/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-10-parting-thoughts?

Spoiler:

Memphis then moved to grab No. 30 from the Jazz and picked Aldama, who was rumored to have a guarantee from Oklahoma City in the second round, and shocked a vast majority of the NBA when he snuck into the first. He was excellent last season at Loyola-Maryland, and his production and age made him a favorite of analytical models, but played a brief slate of games at an extremely low college level in the Patriot League. Still, the 20-year-old Spaniard became a deep-cut sleeper, and multiple teams were in the market for him, per a source with knowledge of the situation. His decision not to attend the NBA’s G League Elite Camp was a strategic shutdown, I’m told, designed to steer him specifically to teams that had shown the most interest. The Grizzlies were high on Aldama, obviously, and were thought to have been concerned about the Thunder selecting him in the 30s. Memphis wanted him badly enough to make a move and grab him.

Seems we were interested in a huge range of players after the draft happens . I don’t think this is true but if it is it’s somewhat explain why we use 34/36 to move to 32. To get the second person on our list before both is gone .


I find below to be fairly interesting

Spoiler:

There were only a handful of true bigs taken in the first round, and most of those ones drafted in the second came after No. 50. The value spectrum shifted in a real way, although to be fair, there was also a very thin group of centers available. But the “find a bunch of 6'8" guys who fit real roles and figure it out later” strategy has become much more popular for good reason. The success of teams like the Suns and Bucks who are constructed in that way doesn’t hurt.

Basically , someone to bring up the ball. A token big and then a mixture of 3 players who can fit the vision of how you want play.

[ThunderBolt]

https://www.si.com/.amp/nba/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-10-parting-thoughts?

Spoiler:

Memphis then moved to grab No. 30 from the Jazz and picked Aldama, who was rumored to have a guarantee from Oklahoma City in the second round, and shocked a vast majority of the NBA when he snuck into the first. He was excellent last season at Loyola-Maryland, and his production and age made him a favorite of analytical models, but played a brief slate of games at an extremely low college level in the Patriot League. Still, the 20-year-old Spaniard became a deep-cut sleeper, and multiple teams were in the market for him, per a source with knowledge of the situation. His decision not to attend the NBA’s G League Elite Camp was a strategic shutdown, I’m told, designed to steer him specifically to teams that had shown the most interest. The Grizzlies were high on Aldama, obviously, and were thought to have been concerned about the Thunder selecting him in the 30s. Memphis wanted him badly enough to make a move and grab him.

Seems we were interested in a huge range of players after the draft happens . I don’t think this is true but if it is it’s somewhat explain why we use 34/36 to move to 32. To get the second person on our list before both is gone .


I find below to be fairly interesting

Spoiler:

There were only a handful of true bigs taken in the first round, and most of those ones drafted in the second came after No. 50. The value spectrum shifted in a real way, although to be fair, there was also a very thin group of centers available. But the “find a bunch of 6'8" guys who fit real roles and figure it out later” strategy has become much more popular for good reason. The success of teams like the Suns and Bucks who are constructed in that way doesn’t hurt.

Basically , someone to bring up the ball. A token big and then a mixture of 3 players who can fit the vision of how you want play.

I read that about Aldama as well. That was a bit of a disappointment even though I know very little about him. I probably would have preferred him to JRE, but I'm not going to lose any sleep of it.

[Devilanche]

https://www.si.com/.amp/nba/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-10-parting-thoughts?

Spoiler:

Memphis then moved to grab No. 30 from the Jazz and picked Aldama, who was rumored to have a guarantee from Oklahoma City in the second round, and shocked a vast majority of the NBA when he snuck into the first. He was excellent last season at Loyola-Maryland, and his production and age made him a favorite of analytical models, but played a brief slate of games at an extremely low college level in the Patriot League. Still, the 20-year-old Spaniard became a deep-cut sleeper, and multiple teams were in the market for him, per a source with knowledge of the situation. His decision not to attend the NBA’s G League Elite Camp was a strategic shutdown, I’m told, designed to steer him specifically to teams that had shown the most interest. The Grizzlies were high on Aldama, obviously, and were thought to have been concerned about the Thunder selecting him in the 30s. Memphis wanted him badly enough to make a move and grab him.

Seems we were interested in a huge range of players after the draft happens . I don’t think this is true but if it is it’s somewhat explain why we use 34/36 to move to 32. To get the second person on our list before both is gone .


I find below to be fairly interesting

Spoiler:

There were only a handful of true bigs taken in the first round, and most of those ones drafted in the second came after No. 50. The value spectrum shifted in a real way, although to be fair, there was also a very thin group of centers available. But the “find a bunch of 6'8" guys who fit real roles and figure it out later” strategy has become much more popular for good reason. The success of teams like the Suns and Bucks who are constructed in that way doesn’t hurt.

Basically , someone to bring up the ball. A token big and then a mixture of 3 players who can fit the vision of how you want play.

I read that about Aldama as well. That was a bit of a disappointment even though I know very little about him. I probably would have preferred him to JRE, but I'm not going to lose any sleep of it.

I’m indifferent tbh. But it seems our leaks are always after players are taken and not before . Is it cause of hidden agenda or were we really interested in the players

[ThunderBolt]

https://www.si.com/.amp/nba/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-10-parting-thoughts?

Spoiler:

Memphis then moved to grab No. 30 from the Jazz and picked Aldama, who was rumored to have a guarantee from Oklahoma City in the second round, and shocked a vast majority of the NBA when he snuck into the first. He was excellent last season at Loyola-Maryland, and his production and age made him a favorite of analytical models, but played a brief slate of games at an extremely low college level in the Patriot League. Still, the 20-year-old Spaniard became a deep-cut sleeper, and multiple teams were in the market for him, per a source with knowledge of the situation. His decision not to attend the NBA’s G League Elite Camp was a strategic shutdown, I’m told, designed to steer him specifically to teams that had shown the most interest. The Grizzlies were high on Aldama, obviously, and were thought to have been concerned about the Thunder selecting him in the 30s. Memphis wanted him badly enough to make a move and grab him.

Seems we were interested in a huge range of players after the draft happens . I don’t think this is true but if it is it’s somewhat explain why we use 34/36 to move to 32. To get the second person on our list before both is gone .


I find below to be fairly interesting

Spoiler:

There were only a handful of true bigs taken in the first round, and most of those ones drafted in the second came after No. 50. The value spectrum shifted in a real way, although to be fair, there was also a very thin group of centers available. But the “find a bunch of 6'8" guys who fit real roles and figure it out later” strategy has become much more popular for good reason. The success of teams like the Suns and Bucks who are constructed in that way doesn’t hurt.

Basically , someone to bring up the ball. A token big and then a mixture of 3 players who can fit the vision of how you want play.

I read that about Aldama as well. That was a bit of a disappointment even though I know very little about him. I probably would have preferred him to JRE, but I'm not going to lose any sleep of it.

I’m indifferent tbh. But it seems our leaks are always after players are taken and not before . Is it cause of hidden agenda or were we really interested in the players

One thing about leaks is they could always come from the other side. That's why I don't completely discount them. Perhaps Memphis was the one who said they moved up because OKC was rumored to want him.

[Devilanche]

I read that about Aldama as well. That was a bit of a disappointment even though I know very little about him. I probably would have preferred him to JRE, but I'm not going to lose any sleep of it.

I’m indifferent tbh. But it seems our leaks are always after players are taken and not before . Is it cause of hidden agenda or were we really interested in the players

One thing about leaks is they could always come from the other side. That's why I don't completely discount them. Perhaps Memphis was the one who said they moved up because OKC was rumored to want him.

Works both way. Same reason we drafted giddey at 6 . Cause GSW were ready at 7 or if not Memphis would have taken at 10.

[Dadouv47]

I’m indifferent tbh. But it seems our leaks are always after players are taken and not before . Is it cause of hidden agenda or were we really interested in the players

One thing about leaks is they could always come from the other side. That's why I don't completely discount them. Perhaps Memphis was the one who said they moved up because OKC was rumored to want him.

Works both way. Same reason we drafted giddey at 6 . Cause GSW were ready at 7 or if not Memphis would have taken at 10.

and we overpaid 34+36 for 32 because team at 33 was going to draft Jre.

[spearsy23]

I read that about Aldama as well. That was a bit of a disappointment even though I know very little about him. I probably would have preferred him to JRE, but I'm not going to lose any sleep of it.

I’m indifferent tbh. But it seems our leaks are always after players are taken and not before . Is it cause of hidden agenda or were we really interested in the players

One thing about leaks is they could always come from the other side. That's why I don't completely discount them. Perhaps Memphis was the one who said they moved up because OKC was rumored to want him.

The Aldama thing was pretty widely circulated prior to/ during the draft. And we do have a pretty open history of making draft promises