2022 NBA Draft Thread – (June 23rd, 8PM, ESPN)

[djFan71]

The Ringer dropped their draft guide:
https://nbadraft.theringer.com/

They only do top 30, but fun for the draft junkies.

I truly enjoy their presentation for it, still miss the in depth of the draftexpress youtube videos

And crying fully that we don't have a first round pick for me to pine on from this draft lol.

Yeah, like the way they do it as well. Pro tip - you can always delude yourself into thinking we'll trade into the top 10. It works for me sometimes.

[Hal14]

Gabe Brown looked good today for Michigan st in the win.

Knock down shooter from 3, especially on catch and shoot jumpers. 6'8" with a 7'0" wingspan, good defender. Solid passer/ball mover. Big dude, strong frame while at the same time being really fast in the open court, quick on his feet in half court.

He is projected (by literally everyone) to still be there when we pick.

Should we just call the pick in now to the commissioner?

[Ruzious]

Today's sleeper special!

Darryl Morsell.

6'5" wing but plays bigger than that with the high motor, high energy, strong frame - can't find a wingspan but pretty sure it's at least 6'10".

Justin Lewis (Morsell's teammate on Marquette) keeps getting picked by us in the recent mocks on Tankathon. While Lewis has a higher ceiling than Morsell (since he is taller and had higher scoring average despite being 3 years younger), Lewis doesn't look like he's that good on defense. He's still young, so he could improve...but maybe he won't.

What we do know for sure, is Morsell was Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

Morsell has a strong frame. He is really quick. Can handle the ball, shoot off the dribble (from 3 or from mid range), take it to the rack (so he's a 3 level scorer) shot 35% from 3 this season.

One thing that's impressive is his 3 pt % jumped from 25% on just 2 attempts per game last season to 35% on 4 attempts per game this season. This shows a crazy work ethic, that he was able to improve his shot so much from last season to this season.

Did I mention he was Big 10 defensive player of the year last season?

Oh and he just turned 23 years old. Which means he's pretty much a finished product - not like we're drafting some young 19 or 20 year old kid who's gonna need all kind of time to develop.

Morsell isn't even getting drafted in most mocks - he's super underrated..

He's a good passer too..

Being a Maryland fan, I had the pleasure of rooting for Morsell for 4 years. Nobody hustles more on D than he does - with the possible exception of Marcus Smart. He actually played mostly PF at MD - despite being 6'4. He simply won't back down - which is why he got a broken face defending Franz Wagner 2 years ago lol - and didn't miss a game. He's obviously not a great offensive player, but he still had more than his share of clutch baskets with MD. His teammate at MD, Alan Wiggins, surprised us by making it to the NBA and recently getting a multi-year contract. I think Morsell can do the same. Frankly, Morsell was a more reliable player at MD.

[Scoonie]

Looking at different mock drafts to see who is currently projected to go to Boston:
USA Today - Marcus Bingham
Tankathon - Iverson Molinar
NBADraft.net - Hugo Besson
nbadraftroom.com - Christian Braun
ESPN - Drew Timme

Out of the lot, only Braun looks like a Brad Stevens pick.

I like Molinar quite a bit. He's a sleeper.

[Hal14]

Sleeper special - Dalen Terry. One of the best wing defenders in the draft. 6'7" with a 7'1" wingspan. He's got a rapidly improving 3 point shot. Crazy athleticism, good length, plays hard, a good glue guy. Can defend well, really good passer too. Only 19 yrs old so has bigger window for development. Keep an eye on him as Arizona goes deeper into the tournament.

Only downside is there's quite a bit of overlap with what Terry brings to to the table and what Begarin brings to the table - and they're same age too so might not really make sense to pick him.. but with that being said, Begarin was a 2nd round pick, hasn't shot the ball well this season and has played 0 games for the celtics so he probably shouldn't factor in much when drafting a player this year..

Terry was a freak in high school:

Watch on YouTube

[Hal14]

another good game today in the tournament by Gabe Brown. shot 4/6 from 3. Definitely a guy who should be on Brad's radar for this 2nd round pick..

[playa-hater]

while the BPA always applies, I want the best 3-4 or 4-5 possible. Though getting a good 3 and D wing is always nice, it seems like we have no young talent at the bigger positions behind our starters with Horford being old n maybe gone..

keep those sleepers coming please..

[playa-hater]

So on that note, what about Roko Prkačin??

[BillessuR6]

So on that note, what about Roko Prkačin??

He has been a huge disappointment.

He was heralded as one of the best prospects at age 16/17 but these last two years have been bad. At this point I would not draft him with our pick, I seriously doubt he can turn the corner...

There are other prospects that have leapfrogged him, he will have to improve a lot just to be a good Eurolegaue player at this point.

[Hal14]

So on that note, what about Roko Prkačin??

he just played in his 3rd game back after missing 3 months with a leg injury. If he had been healthy all season, he'd likely go way before our pick. His injury likely means he'll still be on the board.

Just not sure if it's worth the risk, even at pick 50. I haven't seen any footage yet of how he's looked post-injury, assuming he's lost some explosiveness..

One other name to keep in mind is Jake LaRavia of Wake Forest. Very similar player to Roko, without the injury risk - and LaRavia as of now looks like a he'll still be on the board..

[playa-hater]

So on that note, what about Roko Prkačin??

he just played in his 3rd game back after missing 3 months with a leg injury. If he had been healthy all season, he'd likely go way before our pick. His injury likely means he'll still be on the board.

Just not sure if it's worth the risk, even at pick 50. I haven't seen any footage yet of how he's looked post-injury, assuming he's lost some explosiveness..

One other name to keep in mind is Jake LaRavia of Wake Forest. Very similar player to Roko, without the injury risk - and LaRavia as of now looks like a he'll still be on the board..

wasn't aware of any injury. that sucks for him. still his highlights pre injury made me think he had some nice potential.

[LewisnotMiller]

Looking at different mock drafts to see who is currently projected to go to Boston:
USA Today - Marcus Bingham
Tankathon - Iverson Molinar
NBADraft.net - Hugo Besson
nbadraftroom.com - Christian Braun
ESPN - Drew Timme

Out of the lot, only Braun looks like a Brad Stevens pick.

I like Molinar quite a bit. He's a sleeper.

I see a lot of Besson, as he's playing in the NBL (Aussie league).
He's a legit scorer at the level, averaging 15 (in 40 minute games) and looking more dangerous now than at the start of the season. Nice easy shot, shifty with the ball, moves off the ball.

Nice player.

But he looks too small, isn't really a point guard, and isn't a plus athlete, so I'd pass on him, much as he's been great to watch this year.

[Hal14]

1) this might be our guy...

Watch on YouTube

2) Playa Hater, you'll probably like him. He's a pure PF who can play some small ball 5. So fits with what you were saying about wanting a 3/4 or a 4/5. Walker is also a really versatile defender. In the video, Spinella says he can "defend 2-4" yet he shows a clip of him locking down Kennedy Chandler (arguably the fastest, hardest to keep in front of you PG in college basketball) out on the perimeter and there's also clips showing him defend bigs in the post well, and make nice blocks from the weak side so i'm thinking no reason he can't potentially defend 1-5.

Plus he's a pretty good shooter.

6'9" with a 7'0" wingspan so good size. Still only 19 so bigger window for further development, while at the same time being a guy who could potentially come in and get mins off the bench right away.

3) Latest tankathon mock draft has him going with the very next pick AFTER our pick so pretty good chance he'll still be there, but he's a 1st round talent IMO:

https://www.tankathon.com/mock_draft

4) the next al horford? maybe. but more realistically, he could be a slightly worse version of horford, which would still be a very solid role player..

[Scoonie]

1) this might be our guy...

Watch on YouTube

Good find, I've seen his name on mock drafts but never seen him play live. Good mix of size, skills, and upside at a position of need. He's got a little Scottie Barnes feel to him with a smoother shooting stroke.

Interesting, his father is Samaki Walker, who was the 9th pick in the legendary 1996 NBA Draft and played 10 years in the NBA for 6 teams.

[Scoonie]

Right now, we'd be picking 53rd overall, right?

[Hal14]

Right now, we'd be picking 53rd overall, right?

Yup

[Scoonie]

Kid looks like a first round talent to me as well. If he declares for the draft, that's probably a pretty good sign that he won't be there for our 53rd pick.

[BillessuR6]

Defense looks good but his block and steal averages are surprisingly low...

[Hal14]

For a more accurate depiction of where the current rankings stand...

https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/top-55-drft-stock-market-update?r=1zxo7&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct

They took the 7 biggest outlets which put out rankings/mock drafts and averaged them all together to give us the current consensus.

Procida, Jordan hall, Jake Laravia, Alondes Williams, Jabari Walker, Christian Braun are all off the board a few picks before ours according to this.

Again, we currently have pick 53. According to this, they have Jaylin Williams from Arkansas as the 53rd best player. I wouldn't hate that pick. Jaylin williams is a 5 with the potential to also play some 4 - he's kind of like an Al horford type guy. You watch him play, you'll get some horford vibes, especially with the passing, the hustle, keeps head up looking for open teammates when he has the ball in the high post, similar size/build, too.

Jaylin williams' arkansas team plays against gonzaga tomorrow. night. only shooting 23% from 3, though - I think we all would like to see that higher to feel better about taking him and projecting him into a horford-type role..

[Hal14]

Is this our guy?

Read on Twitter

Playa-hater will like him, since he's a 3-4 guy. A true combo forward IMO, which I feel like is kind of rare these days. Most guys are much better suited to the 3 or the 4. Harper Jr really can play either the 3 or the 4. Gun to my head, I'd say he's better suited to the 3, but definitely can play the 4 too.

Kind of like Grant williams except faster, more athletic, more explosive, better shooter than grant was in college, better moves off the dribble - not sure Harper is as good a defender or rebounder as grant was in college though.

Yes, he's the son of 5-time NBA champion Ron Harper. Jr has same height as his dad and a similar looking face.