2022 NBA Draft Talk: Never too soon

[KGdaBom]

If we draft Kessler at 19, I will throw up

I'm OK with you throwing up.

[theGreatRC]

If we draft Kessler at 19, I will throw up

I'm OK with you throwing up.

Are you OK with Kessler at 19?

[KGdaBom]

If we draft Kessler at 19, I will throw up

I'm OK with you throwing up.

Are you OK with Kessler at 19?

Totally. However, I won't bum out if we don't pick him. I'm going to have faith that Connelly knows what he is doing and will make a good pick. We very likely won't pick at 19 anyway.

[SO_MONEY]

He isn't even a need. When there are players at positions we could project as starters going out and we draft a certain backup in a marginal tier, what we did is draft a luxury when we actually had needs. Obviously, every team has holes, you can call them needs, but as a matter of importance they don't register compatibly when using a normally finite resource like a 1st round pick. Presumably one would expect a "top 5" in his field guy like TC gets this.

Rebounding and defense aren't needs?

Rebounding and Rim protection are huge needs. Who's going to project as a starter at pick 19? Most likely nobody.

Any PG/Wing/PF you take you are taking them with the hopes they compete for a starting spot...you are not taking them to be a backup and keep them buried. A guy that can rebound and defend can't do it from the bench. Taking the guy that would be on the court and can do those things would be addressing needs, the other is filling a luxury. Kessler is drafting a luxury when you have needs. Look at it as NEEDS vs needs if you can better visualize that.

[moss_is_1]

Yeah I'd pass on Kessler that high. Rather seeing for the fences on one of the wings, or take one of the Pg's.

[Krapinsky]

Kessler looks like he’ll spend more time on the injured list than in uniform. Don’t trust the legs on that guy.

[karch34]

19 I feel like Liddell is likely. Kessler I see us trading down since 19 for a backup C is not good use of resources.

First time that the name Paul Grant has come to mind in about 20 years

Lol. That made me laugh…and then cry.

Kessler isn’t terrible and would be useful. The key to it all is what’s the other moves we’re looking at. If Hartenstein or similar is our MLE then no. We’re going to have strong reactions regardless tomorrow night but that’s one piece of the off-season picture.

Regardless, hope everyone has a great draft night. We’re heading to San Diego so probably won’t get a chance to post during but will be following.

[Nick K]

For the record, I'm not saying Kessler at 19 is my top option. I doubt it's even second or third on my board. But I'm willing to concede that it's an option within the realm of possibilities, and I would understand if that was the route they felt was the best way forward for the franchise considering the options.

Look at what you wrote, admitting he's not even your second or third option (assuming you have a board hovering around Minny's pick).

If the Wolves end up drafting him at 19, it was for a couple of reasons: one, the draft didn't fall the way TC hoped, and two, he panicked, going for a need.

I love to draft for need IF the players are close in perceived ability. At #19 the cream is usually gone. When Connelly said he had trouble drafting for need in the past, I think he just took the wrong player.

Drafting at 19 is tough but if there is a guy with a super high ceiling I'm willing to swing for the fences.Giannis had that super high ceiling.

Dieng has a low floor high ceiling. Any others you think might fit that?

[shrink]

Jon Krawczynski and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic discuss Minnesota’s draft possibilities for the 19th and 40th picks (the Wolves also control the 48th and 50th picks). Vecenie doesn’t love the team’s options for the first-rounder and believes trading out in order to acquire additional first-round selections makes sense, but if the Wolves keep the pick, he thinks Blake Wesley or E.J. Liddell could be decent options. Wesley, a guard from Notre Dame, is ranked 22nd on ESPN’s big board, while Liddell, a forward from Ohio State, is ranked 21st. Vecenie says there are a number of “interesting, high-upside” prospects who could be available with the 40th pick, including Peyton Watson, Josh Minott and Kendall Brown, among others.

[minimus]

Gut feeling: our biggest draft success will be found in 2nd round, not in 1st.

[Rookie-Mistake]

I just hope our draft doesn't end up like the Vikings draft where everyone felt deflated with a new GM and some really bizarre moves were made.

Sent from my SM-G991B using RealGM mobile app

[Neeva]

Gut feeling: our biggest draft success will be found in 2nd round, not in 1st.

Well three chances are better than one.

[_AIJ_]

I’d love to take a flier on Kai Sotto in the 2nd round. It may convince my wife to let me go to more games next year….with her obviously.

Ugh. Stay away. I dont want my bandwagon countrymen here.

[LibertyPrime]

There's so many good wings in the draft that I wouldn't be surprised to see them grab the best PG prospect (in a PG-light draft) and grab a handful of wings with second round picks, then keep the one who performed the best. In this draft there's enough wing depth that you might well find a keeper between 40-50.

So, gut feeling: they'll take TyTy Washington as a first step on the way to a D'Lo goodbye and try to add experienced bigs through free agency. Not my first choice but I think I'll be okay with that. TyTy is a sparkplug player even if he doesn't address our biggest needs, and with the combination of a possible D'Lo exit and PatBev's durability concerns, you could do worse if your strategy is BPA.

[shangrila]

There's so many good wings in the draft that I wouldn't be surprised to see them grab the best PG prospect (in a PG-light draft) and grab a handful of wings with second round picks, then keep the one who performed the best. In this draft there's enough wing depth that you might well find a keeper between 40-50.

So, gut feeling: they'll take TyTy Washington as a first step on the way to a D'Lo goodbye and try to add experienced bigs through free agency. Not my first choice but I think I'll be okay with that. TyTy is a sparkplug player even if he doesn't address our biggest needs, and with the combination of a possible D'Lo exit and PatBev's durability concerns, you could do worse if your strategy is BPA.

I wouldn't hate Washington, since he copies a lot of what makes DLo appealing next to Ant/KAT (shooting, playmaking) while having some upside to be better at the problem areas (defence, attacking off the bounce).

He loses out to Ryan Rollins in a lot of different categories, including physical tools (Tyty is taller but has a 2 inch smaller wingspan). Now obviously there's a lot of factors that go into this, such as Washington playing off ball and his injury or Rollins playing in a significantly worse conference, but still...if you can get a similar player at 40, why not go that route and try to get someone else at 19?

[minimus]

Okay, wish list for today draft night:

TyTy, Jovic, Dieng, Jalen Williams or Danel Terry at 19
Kessler at 40
Jabari Walker and Justin Lewis at 48, 50

Lets freaking do it!!!

[shangrila]

I'm calling Ryan Rollins at 40. Just a gut feeling. Ticks too many boxes.

Have no idea what they're doing at 48/50, though I highly doubt they're selling either pick.

At 19 I assume we take BPA if we can't trade up with Cleveland. If we can do that trade I think it's for Jalen Williams. If we can't I'd maybe lean towards Liddell, if he's even available. Not sure who else honestly.

[Devilzsidewalk]

Jon Krawczynski and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic discuss Minnesota’s draft possibilities for the 19th and 40th picks (the Wolves also control the 48th and 50th picks). Vecenie doesn’t love the team’s options for the first-rounder and believes trading out in order to acquire additional first-round selections makes sense, but if the Wolves keep the pick, he thinks Blake Wesley or E.J. Liddell could be decent options. Wesley, a guard from Notre Dame, is ranked 22nd on ESPN’s big board, while Liddell, a forward from Ohio State, is ranked 21st. Vecenie says there are a number of “interesting, high-upside” prospects who could be available with the 40th pick, including Peyton Watson, Josh Minott and Kendall Brown, among others.

I think of everybody I've seen, Wesley is the one that confuses me the most with talk of being a top 20 pick.

[SO_MONEY]

I'm calling Ryan Rollins at 40. Just a gut feeling. Ticks too many boxes.

Have no idea what they're doing at 48/50, though I highly doubt they're selling either pick.

At 19 I assume we take BPA if we can't trade up with Cleveland. If we can do that trade I think it's for Jalen Williams. If we can't I'd maybe lean towards Liddell, if he's even available. Not sure who else honestly.

I think if we trade up you are correct. Jalen Williams is the obvious pick if we can get him. With 40 I think there are a ton of guys we are hoping for and all depends on who drops. I think we really like David Roddy and if we trade down or back in he might be who we do it for. But with 40 the likely outcome is seeing who drops and only if there is a significant difference in draft grade go with the best available F/PF/C with positional flexibility either way...And then hit the other direction of flexibility if we keep more than 1 second to kick the tires on for this year. Probably looking at 1 stash. If we keep all three picks in the second who knows, but probably just a BPA situation and we have worked out a few guys that might go around 48 or 50 and it is several different position groups, including Rollins.

[Biff Cooper]

Kessler looks like he’ll spend more time on the injured list than in uniform. Don’t trust the legs on that guy.

His legs do look weird. My guess it is the white tight things that he wears under his shorts, but tough to be sure. Not too many tall guys choose to wear white tights.