2018/2019 NBA draft talk: Who should be our target? (Poll)

Furinkazan · Post #41 » by **Furinkazan** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 3:08 pm

atm
Id take Zion.

Skin · Post #42 » by **Skin** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:58 pm

drsd wrote:Ja Morant got my vote as he is both the highest ranked PG prospect and is in a draft range the Magic is likely to select at.

That makes 2 of us so far. I voted for Morant as well. Kid is slick. Explosive, great handles w/the length that WeHam will covet at the position. Just need to gauge his shooting this year, and if he improves, he will be a top 10 pick in our range.

If we have a chance at Barrett, there's no way we could pass on him though. I've been a fan of Reddish for a while, but Barrett is a sure superstar. We would have to win the lottery for him and I don't think that's happening.

So Morant would be my pick if the draft were today and we were picking in the 6-10 range.

MartinsIzAfraud · Post #43 » by **MartinsIzAfraud** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 6:52 pm

Skin wrote:
drsd wrote:Ja Morant got my vote as he is both the highest ranked PG prospect and is in a draft range the Magic is likely to select at.

That makes 2 of us so far. I voted for Morant as well. Kid is slick. Explosive, great handles w/the length that WeHam will covet at the position. Just need to gauge his shooting this year, and if he improves, he will be a top 10 pick in our range.

If we have a chance at Barrett, there's no way we could pass on him though. I've been a fan of Reddish for a while, but Barrett is a sure superstar. We would have to win the lottery for him and I don't think that's happening.

So Morant would be my pick if the draft were today and we were picking in the 6-10 range.

Went Morant as well due to the draft slot we will likely be in 6-10 like you said. Dude looks to be very polished as a PG and if he can improve shooting/not force things watch out. Also interested to see how Shamorie Ponds does at St Johns, he is my sleeper guard that could rise quickly

Post #44 » by **Duke4life831** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 7:08 pm

drsd wrote:
Knightro wrote:Here's the box score...

Zion Williamson: 29 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk, 11-13 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-7 FT
RJ Barrett: 23 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 0 blk, 10-14 FG, 3-7 3PT, 0-0 FT
Cameron Reddish: 13 pts, 3 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk, 4-13 FG, 3-10 3PT, 2-6 FT

http://www.goduke.com/fls/4200/stats/2018-19/basketball-m/du1023.pdf

Should we deal sad or excited for Tre Jones and Marques Bolden?
Both are NBA caliber players whose draft stock could get killed this season. But they also could be part of the best starting five ever assembled at an Amateur level, and frankly, will be projected by some to go undefeated this year.

..

Duke isnt even opening the season as a top 3 team. I dont think anyone is predicting them to go undefeated or for this to be the best starting five of all time.

With that said, Bolden is not an NBA caliber player. I highly doubt he even finishes the season as the 5th starter. There is a reason he has struggled to get minutes at Duke the previous 2 seasons. He is a bad rebounder, horrible offensive player and is a slow defender. You rarely see guys make it in the NBA anymore just because they're tall.

For Tre Jones, just like his brother who was on the perfect college team. This team is the best case scenario for Tre. He isnt going to be asked to be a scorer (his biggest weakness), he is going to be asked to be the guy to keep the 3 wings happy and put them in great positions to score. Just like his brother, that is his strength. But unless he can drastically change his shot over this season, I have a hard time seeing him going pro after one year. That 3 point shot needs to get a lot better and quicker.

magicman112 · Post #45 » by **magicman112** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 7:39 pm

Furinkazan wrote:atm
Id take Zion.

He's a beast. Reminds me so much of Larry Johnson not much height and a big dude but so much athleticism and talent. Put him next to Isaac, AG, and Bamba and that would be something to see.

Skin · Post #46 » by **Skin** » Thu Oct 25, 2018 9:19 pm

Zion Williamson is way too scary. I ain't touching that guy.

Post #47 » by **Knightro** » Fri Oct 26, 2018 12:30 pm

Zion Williamson doesn't fit what the Magic already have right now, but if he's ends up being the best player available when they're picking then you just take him and deal Gordon for a PG/SG that offseason.

The current roster construction should not have much bearing on what the Magic do in the draft. They're not that far down the development funnel yet.

j-ragg · Post #48 » by **j-ragg** » Sat Oct 27, 2018 3:01 pm

Skin wrote:Zion Williamson is way too scary. I ain't touching that guy.

Might be the worst fit possible among the top 10 too, not that fit should mean everything.

Rainwater · Post #49 » by **Rainwater** » Sun Oct 28, 2018 3:10 am

For the love of god take Reddish, he does every the magic needs. A tall, smooth, perimeter scorer, who can create, and pass. He is the guy. He reminds me of a mix of T-Mac and Paul George.

Post #50 » by **Knightro** » Sun Oct 28, 2018 4:23 am

http://www.goduke.com/fls/4200/stats/2018-19/basketball-m/du1027.pdf

Duke with their final exhibition game tonight...

Zion Williamson: 9-14 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-7 FT, 10 REB, 1 AST, 3 TO, 2 BLK, 2 STL, 23 PTS
Cam Reddish: 4-9 FG, 2-6 3PT, 10-14 FT, 1 REB, 5 AST, 2 TO, 1 BLK, 3 STL, 20 PTS
RJ Barrett: 11-18 FG, 4-7 3PT, 6-10 FT, 8 REB, 3 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 32 PTS

j-ragg · Post #51 » by **j-ragg** » Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:52 am

Bring Mo his sidekick.

T-Cat · Post #52 » by **T-Cat** » Sun Oct 28, 2018 3:26 pm

Watch on YouTube

Post #53 » by **Knightro** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:08 am

Here are both of Duke's exhibition games...

RJ Barrett

Zion Williamson

;t=102s

Cam Reddish

Post #54 » by **Knightro** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:54 am

I'm probably going to end up watching every single Duke game this year. When your NBA team isn't very good and one college team has three certain lotto picks, potentially three top 5 picks, it's a no brainer.

My WAY TOO EARLY impressions...

Barrett seems like the best overall of the three. One of my favorite things about Barrett is that he's not only skilled, but he seems like he plays really hard. His jumper is a little slow and little low, but he did hit 7 threes in two exhibition games. I think he has a blossoming offensive skill set. Really like him a lot. Would pick him No. 1 if the draft was today.

Zion reminds me of an even more athletic Julius Randle. He's going to put up CRAZY efficient stats at Duke because he's arguably the most athletic player in college basketball this season. I don't know if he actually has any real range, but his FT stroke definitely isn't broken which is a big plus because he's going to draw a ton of fouls. All my worries with Zion are entirely "how does X translate in the pros?" He's a really tough evaluation because he has the height of a 3, the athleticism of a 4 and the strength/skillset of a 5.

Reddish has a nice well-rounded game. He can score, he can defend, he's the most willing and best passer of the bunch. He's taller, longer and might actually have slightly more overall skill than Barrett. But unlike Barrett who is an attacker, Reddish is a settler. Settles for jumpers, settles defensively, settles into the background. You just get the vibes he's going to become a supremely tantalizing, but highly frustrating prospect. You look at him and you know there's a possible superstar in there, but you just wonder if someone will be able to coax it out of him.

I can't wait for next Tuesday when these guys play Kentucky.

neuraldarwinism · Post #55 » by **neuraldarwinism** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 8:32 pm

#dropdeadforredd

#gogayforrj

Floridharkless · Post #56 » by **Floridharkless** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:32 pm

With the number one pick, it's a no brainer choice to pick R.J. Barrett.
I'm in love with Reddish and Zion probably a very good choice but with Gordon, Bamba and Isaac it's hard to see how its possible to play with the four.
Romeo Langford would be a good choice for us with an around 5th pick. Good shoot and can create his own shoot too and we need that.

(sorry for my english).

OrlChamps2030 · Post #57 » by **OrlChamps2030** » Wed Oct 31, 2018 10:45 pm

Watch on YouTube

7’3 with a 7’8 wingspan.. pure shooter.. you know what’s going to happen :lol:

Blue_and_Whte · Post #58 » by **Blue_and_Whte** » Thu Nov 1, 2018 1:39 pm

About Zion... How do I say this without offending people. Oh thats right I love offending people.

Fat...I think Zion, with all of his athletic accolades..will get fat in the NBA.
For some reason I feel like people are enamoured with big guys like that who can jump but do nothing else. Julius Randle, Anthony Bennett ring a bell. I think hes a trap. I do not trust his game,translating to the pros.

Further more, we have AG, JI, and Bamba. I'm,currently on the Reddish train. A smooth SCORER with good vision is a starter for me. But its way too early,to tell.
EDIT: I meant to include RJ Barrett as well. I love his game
Sent from my VS501 using RealGM mobile app

Post #59 » by **Knightro** » Thu Nov 1, 2018 2:50 pm

Blue_and_Whte wrote:About Zion... How do I say this without offending people. Oh thats right I love offending people.

Fat...I think Zion, with all of his athletic accolades..will get fat in the NBA.
For some reason I feel like people are enamoured with big guys like that who can jump but do nothing else. Julius Randle, Anthony Bennett ring a bell. I think hes a trap. I do not trust his game,translating to the pros.

Further more, we have AG, JI, and Bamba. I'm,currently on the Reddish train. A smooth SCORER with good vision is a starter for me. But its way too early,to tell.
EDIT: I meant to include RJ Barrett as well. I love his game

I rank the Duke guys like this.

1. Barrett
2. Reddish
3. Zion

Barrett is clearly No. 1 for me. I love his frame, love his competitiveness, love his crafty game. Barrett is a little herky jerky, but I think he'll be able to score in the NBA in a variety of ways with the ball in his hands. Plus, he isn't really a loafer. I think he's going to be one of those guys who really maximizes his abilities by working relentlessly on his game. He's also almost a full year younger than Reddish. I think Barrett is a prototypical NBA wing with legitimate superstar potential.

Reddish is, to me, a lot smoother than Barrett. You can tell Reddish has played a lot of point guard in his time. He's a better passer than Barrett with a better *looking* jumper and better physical gifts (height, weight, length). Unfortunately, Reddish just appears to be, for lack of a better term, a little soft. He's a little too finesse. He settles for a lot of jumpers. Seems a little adverse to physical play. Reddish could end up being better than Barrett, but I believe in Barrett's mentality and desire a lot more.

My concerns with Zion stem from the fact that he's just not that tall or long. He's probably going to measure like 6'5" 1/2 in barefoot and 6'6 1/2 (or slightly higher) in shoes, rounding up to 6'7", but even then he's rumored to only have a 6'10" wingspan. Even with his top 1% athleticism - and make no mistake he's coming into the NBA next year as one of the best athletes in the entire league - I don't see how he's going to be a true rim protector or deterrent at that height/length.

Combine those defensive issues with his lack of range offensively and you, unfortunately, have a tweener.

Not really tall or long enough to play C defensively, but not enough range offensively to truly be a 3 or 4 in the modern NBA.

Interestingly enough, you could potentially cross match Zion with a guy like Bamba at C assuming Bamba continues to develop as a shooter and eventually settles into being a 40% guy, which I think he will be, but I think it would be better to just pick one of the wings

OrlChamps2030 · Post #60 » by **OrlChamps2030** » Thu Nov 1, 2018 5:20 pm

Blue_and_Whte wrote:About Zion... How do I say this without offending people. Oh thats right I love offending people.

Fat...I think Zion, with all of his athletic accolades..will get fat in the NBA.
For some reason I feel like people are enamoured with big guys like that who can jump but do nothing else. Julius Randle, Anthony Bennett ring a bell. I think hes a trap. I do not trust his game,translating to the pros.

Further more, we have AG, JI, and Bamba. I'm,currently on the Reddish train. A smooth SCORER with good vision is a starter for me. But its way too early,to tell.
EDIT: I meant to include RJ Barrett as well. I love his game
Sent from my VS501 using RealGM mobile app

I agree Barrett and Reddish are the obvious “fits” but if Zion displays point forward ability (Who knows if we see it, apparently he’s destroying practice) he is an exceptional prospect

Who is the perfect fit?