How would a Booker/Culver tandem work?

[bwgood77]

Unless they can get Zion that they can't pass on, they are taking one of Ja, Garland or White before they take another wing.

Well I certainly hope they'd take Clarke before Garland or White. Maybe even Ja. I like White, but not quite that much. Garland in theory is good, and I know it's a bad draft, but taking a small guard who was injured based on high school play isn't something I do. Heck, in scouting rankings he was 14th overall, behind Ashton Haggans and one spot (with nearly identical score) above Tre Jones.

No way I'd take a guy who sat out as a freshman that high unless he had LeBron like hype. I wonder how high Reddish and Little would be ranked on lists if they had been injured this year. Probably a lot higher than they are right now after seeing them. Of course Garland could be great but it's an enormous gamble.

White is so underrated, so is Garland. The dribble step-back three White is is really good, he creates a lot of space, but his shot starts from his face. It’s just a weird shot, but it goes is and he can get super hot. I’m also just a huge fan of how intelligent he is as a player, he’s also 6’5 and quick with the ball. Also has some of the best defensive footwork in the class. I honestly can’t see him fail, he’s better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was last year. I have White as the Donovan Mitchell in this draft, he won’t get drafted till after 10, but he’s going to come in right away and do really well.

Well I have White 5 on my Suns big board...right behind Ja...but I just really really like Clarke, especially for the Suns...but honestly after 1 the next group is all fairly close to me...and it's a big group, so for the Suns purposes, I basically remove the 3s and 5s...and pure SGs who don't do any play making.

[doordoor123]

Well I certainly hope they'd take Clarke before Garland or White. Maybe even Ja. I like White, but not quite that much. Garland in theory is good, and I know it's a bad draft, but taking a small guard who was injured based on high school play isn't something I do. Heck, in scouting rankings he was 14th overall, behind Ashton Haggans and one spot (with nearly identical score) above Tre Jones.

No way I'd take a guy who sat out as a freshman that high unless he had LeBron like hype. I wonder how high Reddish and Little would be ranked on lists if they had been injured this year. Probably a lot higher than they are right now after seeing them. Of course Garland could be great but it's an enormous gamble.

White is so underrated, so is Garland. The dribble step-back three White is is really good, he creates a lot of space, but his shot starts from his face. It’s just a weird shot, but it goes is and he can get super hot. I’m also just a huge fan of how intelligent he is as a player, he’s also 6’5 and quick with the ball. Also has some of the best defensive footwork in the class. I honestly can’t see him fail, he’s better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was last year. I have White as the Donovan Mitchell in this draft, he won’t get drafted till after 10, but he’s going to come in right away and do really well.

Well I have White 5 on my Suns big board...right behind Ja...but I just really really like Clarke, especially for the Suns...but honestly after 1 the next group is all fairly close to me...and it's a big group, so for the Suns purposes, I basically remove the 3s and 5s...and pure SGs who don't do any play making.

I really like Clarke too, I actually have him ahead of White on my board. I’m with you there, but I also think DeAndre Hunter can be a really good player. See? This is a deep class. That’s why actually think Culver has a chance to fall, because there are so many guys to fall for in that range.

[clyde21]

Unless they can get Zion that they can't pass on, they are taking one of Ja, Garland or White before they take another wing.

Well I certainly hope they'd take Clarke before Garland or White. Maybe even Ja. I like White, but not quite that much. Garland in theory is good, and I know it's a bad draft, but taking a small guard who was injured based on high school play isn't something I do. Heck, in scouting rankings he was 14th overall, behind Ashton Haggans and one spot (with nearly identical score) above Tre Jones.

No way I'd take a guy who sat out as a freshman that high unless he had LeBron like hype. I wonder how high Reddish and Little would be ranked on lists if they had been injured this year. Probably a lot higher than they are right now after seeing them. Of course Garland could be great but it's an enormous gamble.

i'd rather take Garland and White over Clarke for Suns IMO. Both are legit premier PG prospects.

[bwgood77]

Unless they can get Zion that they can't pass on, they are taking one of Ja, Garland or White before they take another wing.

Well I certainly hope they'd take Clarke before Garland or White. Maybe even Ja. I like White, but not quite that much. Garland in theory is good, and I know it's a bad draft, but taking a small guard who was injured based on high school play isn't something I do. Heck, in scouting rankings he was 14th overall, behind Ashton Haggans and one spot (with nearly identical score) above Tre Jones.

No way I'd take a guy who sat out as a freshman that high unless he had LeBron like hype. I wonder how high Reddish and Little would be ranked on lists if they had been injured this year. Probably a lot higher than they are right now after seeing them. Of course Garland could be great but it's an enormous gamble.

i'd rather take Garland and White over Clarke for Suns IMO. Both are legit premier PG prospects.

What makes you like Garland so much? His HS play? What you read? A mixtape? A few college games? Because coming into this class he was behind Ashton Hagan and right there with Tre Jones. AND you add an injury into the not knowing how he would have done in college.

He could be great but no way I risk a really high pick on that much unknown with a guy who was ranked in the mid teens in his class and then got injured and we couldn't see.

https://247sports.com/Season/2018-Basketball-20182/CompositeRecruitRankings/

https://n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/rivals150/2018

Clarke is a legit freak. You read stuff like this it's hilarious...

He’s so good at erasing shots that others can’t that it’s even caused some unexpected headaches for his own coach. From The Athletic, here’s a story about last season, when Clarke was sitting out post-transfer:

As part of Gonzaga’s scout team, Clarke guarded Johnathan Williams, a guy who would average a near double-double in his last year with the Bulldogs. The goal, of course, was to make things difficult for Williams, but Clarke got a little carried away, snuffing his teammate’s shot so often (head coach Mark) Few realized the Bulldogs were practicing under false pretenses.

“Nobody else in the country could block Johnathan’s hook shot, so it wasn’t real game prep for us,’’ Few said. “I’d just say, ‘Brandon, go guard someone else.’ There’s bouncy, and then there’s whatever he is.’’

https://deadspin.com/brandon-clarkes-numbers-shouldnt-be-possible-1833578744

The guy has played fairly similarly to Zion...stats very close across the board though Clarke doubles him in blocks. Of course I know there is a big age difference, but the stats Zion are showing are not just crazy good for a freshman but crazy good period...and Clarke is right there with him.

http://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=brandon-clarke--zion-williamson

Smooth scorer too.

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[clyde21]

HS rankings don't really mean much to me and it's not something I follow so that doesn't really matter in this conversation, and I'm well aware of how much of a ridiculous athlete Brandon Clarke is I'm the one that pointed that out earlier in the beginning of the year when Gonzaga played Tennessee...

as for Garland, he has the makings of everything you need a star PG, from the playmaking to the quick-twitch athleticism to the handle to the ability to get his shot off from anywhere on the court and at any point in time. he projects to be an ELITE offensive PG and is exactly what a guy like Ayton needs in the backcourt which is why I'd take him over Clarke for the Suns.

also it's not the biggest deal in the world but there's the whole age thing with Clarke vs. freshmen like Garland and Coby.

[Stillwater]

HS rankings don't really mean much to me and it's not something I follow so that doesn't really matter in this conversation, and I'm well aware of how much of a ridiculous athlete Brandon Clarke is I'm the one that pointed that out earlier in the beginning of the year when Gonzaga played Tennessee...

as for Garland, he has the makings of everything you need a star PG, from the playmaking to the quick-twitch athleticism to the handle to the ability to get his shot off from anywhere on the court and at any point in time. he projects to be an ELITE offensive PG and is exactly what a guy like Ayton needs in the backcourt which is why I'd take him over Clarke for the Suns.

also it's not the biggest deal in the world but there's the whole age thing with Clarke vs. freshmen like Garland and Coby.

I tend to agree with most of this, Garland looks legit skills wise, so when team bring him in for workouts against other pg prospects like JA if they can make that happen they will get a better feel for his timeline and if the injury negates the positives that high in the lottery. I would just take White if I had any concerns about Garland if PHO is 3 or later. Clarke I wouldn't touch before 10 due to age.
If I wanted Clarke that bad I'd trade down with Boston,pick up another mid first and Rozier and hope Clarke is still available.

[bwgood77]

HS rankings don't really mean much to me and it's not something I follow so that doesn't really matter in this conversation, and I'm well aware of how much of a ridiculous athlete Brandon Clarke is I'm the one that pointed that out earlier in the beginning of the year when Gonzaga played Tennessee...

as for Garland, he has the makings of everything you need a star PG, from the playmaking to the quick-twitch athleticism to the handle to the ability to get his shot off from anywhere on the court and at any point in time.

he projects to be an ELITE offensive PG and is exactly what a guy like Ayton needs in the backcourt which is why I'd take him over Clarke for the Suns.

also it's not the biggest deal in the world but there's the whole age thing with Clarke vs. freshmen like Garland and Coby.

Based on what though? I mean it can only be based on HS play. Most highly ranked HS prospects "have the makings" to be really good. I just don't know what you are basing this on. Is it a video? Something you read? I think a lot of people probably are able to get off their shot anywhere on the court in high school at any point in time, which is why they are highly recruited, but when they haven't shown it at the college level consistently because they only played a few games, we don't know that they could have even done it at that level, much less at the NBA level. And that's before coming off injury.

[bwgood77]

I tend to agree with most of this, Garland looks legit skills wise, so when team bring him in for workouts against other pg prospects like JA if they can make that happen they will get a better feel for his timeline and if the injury negates the positives that high in the lottery. I would just take White if I had any concerns about Garland if PHO is 3 or later. Clarke I wouldn't touch before 10 due to age.
If I wanted Clarke that bad I'd trade down with Boston,pick up another mid first and Rozier and hope Clarke is still available.

Where did you seem him look legit skill wise? Against what competition?

[Chi town]

Culver is more of a wing that can be a secondary handler in some spurts by he's not a combo-guard so Phoenix would still need an actual PG that can facilitate real offense for long stretches which neither Booker or Culver would be able to do IMO.

i am with you on that Morant/Booker isn't necessarily a great fit so best course of action is to take Morant and trade D-Book even though you said that's not a possibility. if I were the Suns' FO I'd approach the Lakers and make work out a trade with them sending Booker to LA and getting the Lakers' first, Ingram and Josh Hart in return but maybe that's not a possibility like you said. Also with the Lakers' first you could probably still land Clarke...Morant/Bridges/Ingram/Clarke/Ayton would be an incredible young core to move forward with and fit together like a glove.

if you guys drop to the 5-7 range, I'd probably target Garland or White before I do Culver or Clarke honestly, even though they're not great fits next to Booker either.

Why aren’t White or Garland good fits with Booker?

[Chi town]

Unless they can get Zion that they can't pass on, they are taking one of Ja, Garland or White before they take another wing.

Well I certainly hope they'd take Clarke before Garland or White. Maybe even Ja. I like White, but not quite that much. Garland in theory is good, and I know it's a bad draft, but taking a small guard who was injured based on high school play isn't something I do. Heck, in scouting rankings he was 14th overall, behind Ashton Haggans and one spot (with nearly identical score) above Tre Jones.

No way I'd take a guy who sat out as a freshman that high unless he had LeBron like hype. I wonder how high Reddish and Little would be ranked on lists if they had been injured this year. Probably a lot higher than they are right now after seeing them. Of course Garland could be great but it's an enormous gamble.

White is so underrated, so is Garland. The dribble step-back three White is is really good, he creates a lot of space, but his shot starts from his face. It’s just a weird shot, but it goes is and he can get super hot. I’m also just a huge fan of how intelligent he is as a player, he’s also 6’5 and quick with the ball. Also has some of the best defensive footwork in the class. I honestly can’t see him fail, he’s better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was last year. I have White as the Donovan Mitchell in this draft, he won’t get drafted till after 10, but he’s going to come in right away and do really well.

Wow. Interested in your White takes. Haven’t heard the Don Mitchell flier.

Can White be a plus defender? Defend 1s and 2s? Is he a Brogdon type PG or a real facilitator PG?

How would he fit with my Bulls and Lavine?

Who is White’s comp?

I’m a fan of Garland too. His 3 ball and handles are elite.

[Chi town]

Unless they can get Zion that they can't pass on, they are taking one of Ja, Garland or White before they take another wing.

Well I certainly hope they'd take Clarke before Garland or White. Maybe even Ja. I like White, but not quite that much. Garland in theory is good, and I know it's a bad draft, but taking a small guard who was injured based on high school play isn't something I do. Heck, in scouting rankings he was 14th overall, behind Ashton Haggans and one spot (with nearly identical score) above Tre Jones.

No way I'd take a guy who sat out as a freshman that high unless he had LeBron like hype. I wonder how high Reddish and Little would be ranked on lists if they had been injured this year. Probably a lot higher than they are right now after seeing them. Of course Garland could be great but it's an enormous gamble.

i'd rather take Garland and White over Clarke for Suns IMO. Both are legit premier PG prospects.

What do you see in Garland and White? Comps?

As for Booker Culver... No go. Both are secondary creators. There are only a few non PG elite initiators in the league... Giannis KD Harden. 2 secondary creators won’t get it done IMO.

[Stillwater]

I tend to agree with most of this, Garland looks legit skills wise, so when team bring him in for workouts against other pg prospects like JA if they can make that happen they will get a better feel for his timeline and if the injury negates the positives that high in the lottery. I would just take White if I had any concerns about Garland if PHO is 3 or later. Clarke I wouldn't touch before 10 due to age.
If I wanted Clarke that bad I'd trade down with Boston,pick up another mid first and Rozier and hope Clarke is still available.

Where did you seem him look legit skill wise? Against what competition?

That's a fair point... but the man has obvious high level tools that should transfer at his position quite easily,although like you said not much window of proof so you're basically drafting a less proven prospect going that route. I mean if he's really 6'3" now than that's a big difference from 5'11" in HS. his dynamic pull up game and crafty distribution skill level alone makes him a lottery lock,everything else has to be based on upside and ability to score on 3 levels transferring.

[doordoor123]

Well I certainly hope they'd take Clarke before Garland or White. Maybe even Ja. I like White, but not quite that much. Garland in theory is good, and I know it's a bad draft, but taking a small guard who was injured based on high school play isn't something I do. Heck, in scouting rankings he was 14th overall, behind Ashton Haggans and one spot (with nearly identical score) above Tre Jones.

No way I'd take a guy who sat out as a freshman that high unless he had LeBron like hype. I wonder how high Reddish and Little would be ranked on lists if they had been injured this year. Probably a lot higher than they are right now after seeing them. Of course Garland could be great but it's an enormous gamble.

White is so underrated, so is Garland. The dribble step-back three White is is really good, he creates a lot of space, but his shot starts from his face. It’s just a weird shot, but it goes is and he can get super hot. I’m also just a huge fan of how intelligent he is as a player, he’s also 6’5 and quick with the ball. Also has some of the best defensive footwork in the class. I honestly can’t see him fail, he’s better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was last year. I have White as the Donovan Mitchell in this draft, he won’t get drafted till after 10, but he’s going to come in right away and do really well.

Wow. Interested in your White takes. Haven’t heard the Don Mitchell flier.

Can White be a plus defender? Defend 1s and 2s? Is he a Brogdon type PG or a real facilitator PG?

How would he fit with my Bulls and Lavine?

Who is White’s comp?

I’m a fan of Garland too. His 3 ball and handles are elite.

I’m super high on his defense, I think he can defend 1s, 2s and even smaller 3s. I think he’ll have a little trouble with elite starting point guards in terms of keeping up with speed, but most players have trouble with that. On the other hand I think he can get those kind of players in trouble drawing charges and being pesky because he has size over a lot of those guys.

I see his passing getting better with more space. Not a lot of point guards have the power he has in his passes, he can whip the ball with one hand to the post. And to me, he’s such a smart player, I have a hard time not seeing him improving his passing. He’s methodical.

I wouldn’t say he’s a perfect fit with LaVine because I see them both as scoring guards, but I he can add that extra energy and leadership that team needs. Defensively I like him next to player who can also defend a little, just because I think he still needs a little help with the Damian Lillards of the league.

He’s kind of like a modern Chauncey Billups (bigger, quicker, with more 3s), but I guess Billups would post up a lot more. So maybe not him haha.

[bwgood77]

I tend to agree with most of this, Garland looks legit skills wise, so when team bring him in for workouts against other pg prospects like JA if they can make that happen they will get a better feel for his timeline and if the injury negates the positives that high in the lottery. I would just take White if I had any concerns about Garland if PHO is 3 or later. Clarke I wouldn't touch before 10 due to age.
If I wanted Clarke that bad I'd trade down with Boston,pick up another mid first and Rozier and hope Clarke is still available.

Where did you seem him look legit skill wise? Against what competition?

That's a fair point... but the man has obvious high level tools that should transfer at his position quite easily,although like you said not much window of proof so you're basically drafting a less proven prospect going that route. I mean if he's really 6'3" now than that's a big difference from 5'11" in HS. his dynamic pull up game and crafty distribution skill level alone makes him a lottery lock,everything else has to be based on upside and ability to score on 3 levels transferring.

Curious where you get your crafty distribution skill level. He scored and shot well in his brief college career but never had more than 4 assists in a game and recorded more turnovers than assists in his brief college career averaging 2.6 apg and 3 topg.

[No-Man]

Culver is my favourite fit for the Suns after Zion, hands down

I don't think Morant-Booker+Ayton is tenable on defense, and RJ is a murkier fit and doesn't have clear higher upside than Jarrett

Brandon Clarke would be another good one

[Crives]

Culver is my favourite fit for the Suns after Zion, hands down

I don't think Morant-Booker+Ayton is tenable on defense, and RJ is a murkier fit and doesn't have clear higher upside than Jarrett

Brandon Clarke would be another good one

Who do you think is the better defender, Culver or RJ?

[No-Man]

Culver is my favourite fit for the Suns after Zion, hands down

I don't think Morant-Booker+Ayton is tenable on defense, and RJ is a murkier fit and doesn't have clear higher upside than Jarrett

Brandon Clarke would be another good one

Who do you think is the better defender, Culver or RJ?

Culver by like a lot... a lot

[doordoor123]

Culver is my favourite fit for the Suns after Zion, hands down

I don't think Morant-Booker+Ayton is tenable on defense, and RJ is a murkier fit and doesn't have clear higher upside than Jarrett

Brandon Clarke would be another good one

Who do you think is the better defender, Culver or RJ?

Culver by like a lot... a lot

But like you said, he needs to get stronger. He gets out-muscled a bit.

[clyde21]

HS rankings don't really mean much to me and it's not something I follow so that doesn't really matter in this conversation, and I'm well aware of how much of a ridiculous athlete Brandon Clarke is I'm the one that pointed that out earlier in the beginning of the year when Gonzaga played Tennessee...

as for Garland, he has the makings of everything you need a star PG, from the playmaking to the quick-twitch athleticism to the handle to the ability to get his shot off from anywhere on the court and at any point in time.

he projects to be an ELITE offensive PG and is exactly what a guy like Ayton needs in the backcourt which is why I'd take him over Clarke for the Suns.

also it's not the biggest deal in the world but there's the whole age thing with Clarke vs. freshmen like Garland and Coby.

Based on what though? I mean it can only be based on HS play. Most highly ranked HS prospects "have the makings" to be really good. I just don't know what you are basing this on. Is it a video? Something you read? I think a lot of people probably are able to get off their shot anywhere on the court in high school at any point in time, which is why they are highly recruited, but when they haven't shown it at the college level consistently because they only played a few games, we don't know that they could have even done it at that level, much less at the NBA level. And that's before coming off injury.

I'm confident in the sample size we saw earlier in the year...a lot of that skill easily translated to college and will continue to translate to the NBA.

like someone else said, Garland has been out of sight out of mind for a while, but once work outs kick in, I feel like the hype will start ramping back up.

[Stillwater]

Where did you seem him look legit skill wise? Against what competition?

That's a fair point... but the man has obvious high level tools that should transfer at his position quite easily,although like you said not much window of proof so you're basically drafting a less proven prospect going that route. I mean if he's really 6'3" now than that's a big difference from 5'11" in HS. his dynamic pull up game and crafty distribution skill level alone makes him a lottery lock,everything else has to be based on upside and ability to score on 3 levels transferring.

Curious where you get your crafty distribution skill level. He scored and shot well in his brief college career but never had more than 4 assists in a game and recorded more turnovers than assists in his brief college career averaging 2.6 apg and 3 topg.

unsure, sorry . just remember thinking that last year