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[MrFortune3]

Next year’s draft isn’t going to be as strong as people think. On paper this year’s draft was strong a year ago.
Then prospects played or got suspended and it changed everything.

I remember people saying it was a weak draft before the 19/20 season started, so I'm not sure I agree with that. I don't really follow the draft until the draft though, so I'm not sure how good this next one is, just that I've heard repeatedly it is good. I definitely did not get that vibe last year.

This is definitely not the final product but I think the amount of moves people assume will happen is overblown.

I don't think there will be many moves this year either. I would probably offer Zach a max extension (adds 3/75 onto his deal and makes his deal effectively 5 years 22 per year) and if he turns it down, look to trade him. I'd probably look to trade Lauri either way, but might hang on to him if the value is simply too low.

I just don't believe we have the core pieces of doing anything right now, so would get out ahead of the big extensions and try to reset those guys for draft picks.

I would not be attempting to win hard this year unless I felt after this year that I had something that I could build around to win really big. Lauri on an extension chews up too much cap room to do add a FA, and I fear Zach's next contract (if you can't extend him now) will be really expensive potentially, so I'd get out ahead of those two time bombs that might make it difficult to add the other pieces you need.

Now if you think Zach/Lauri can combine into something really special, then that's a different thing, and I wouldn't mind paying them. I think they're the basis of a upper 30s type team if we don't add other great pieces around them, and their future prices will make that difficult.

Ball, Wiseman, McDaniels, Hunter, Green were all seen as top notch prospects. People were raving about them. Then they got into the season and the shine came off. The same will happen next year.

[TheStig]

Simmons doesn't shoot 3's for any type of floor spacing. Embiid really needs to be mid range and high post more than shooting 3's.
That's not going to work without a 3rd star who can get their own shot and work in conjunction with those 2.

It did work well when they were younger. The difference was that they had shooters around them. Embid can also hit some 3's but I agree, that shouldn't be a big facet of his game.

Both players were less set in their ways then and Embiid has become the franchise recently, whereas before it was kind of a question of who's team it really was.

I think the optimal way they work is in the pick and roll/pop with shooters. That's what made them great last time. There is also plenty of time for them to run the show when the other is on the bench. I think they'll be good if you souround them with shooters and defenders. Not only could they be good offensively again but they're also really good defenders.

[MrFortune3]

It did work well when they were younger. The difference was that they had shooters around them. Embid can also hit some 3's but I agree, that shouldn't be a big facet of his game.

Both players were less set in their ways then and Embiid has become the franchise recently, whereas before it was kind of a question of who's team it really was.

I think the optimal way they work is in the pick and roll/pop with shooters. That's what made them great last time. There is also plenty of time for them to run the show when the other is on the bench. I think they'll be good if you souround them with shooters and defenders. Not only could they be good offensively again but they're also really good defenders.

Rivers will be good for them but I worry that Simmons isn’t dialed in.

[PrimzyBulls81]

Interesting, Udoka and Mike D'Antoni going to Nets as assistant coaches..

[dougthonus]

Ball, Wiseman, McDaniels, Hunter, Green were all seen as top notch prospects. People were raving about them. Then they got into the season and the shine came off. The same will happen next year.

Here are comments I was able to find that were basically in articles discussing 2020 draft after 2019 draft before the start of the college season. In general, there was a consensus view that the top is wide open, there weren't dominant prospects. That is generally code for "this is a weak draft, hopefully someone will emerge".

Rookie Wire:

The 2020 class does not seem to have a clear-cut top pick, but R.J. Barrett and eventually Zion Williamson held that position. The battle for the top pick should be a fun one to watch, with NBA teams likely differing by the franchise.

SI:

A long summer of shoe camps, exhibition games and international tournaments has wound to a close, and the early makeup of the 2020 NBA draft has begun to coalesce. Granted, it’s not a draft teams are particularly excited about at this stage, but there’s always room for that to change.

ESPN:

The lack of star power in the 2019 high school class might cause you to believe we're headed for an older 2020 draft, but that hasn't materialized yet at this stage. That just means there is more uncertainty at the top, similar to what we saw with the 2019 draft class.

SB Nation:

This draft class is wide open at the top. There is no clear front-runner to be the No. 1 pick right now, in part because many of the top recruits in the 2019 high school class are traditional big men whose value has been marginalized in the modern NBA. A strong international class also figures to throw a wrench into early evaluations, with five of those players cracking our early look at the first round and three making the top 10.

[kodo]

Interesting, Udoka and Mike D'Antoni going to Nets as assistant coaches..

Weird seeing guys with that much experience in coaching working for a no experience HC, but just shows what HC really is these days. Ego management, player relationships, politics.

[TheStig]

Both players were less set in their ways then and Embiid has become the franchise recently, whereas before it was kind of a question of who's team it really was.

I think the optimal way they work is in the pick and roll/pop with shooters. That's what made them great last time. There is also plenty of time for them to run the show when the other is on the bench. I think they'll be good if you souround them with shooters and defenders. Not only could they be good offensively again but they're also really good defenders.

Rivers will be good for them but I worry that Simmons isn’t dialed in.

I think he's dialed in. He's an elite defender. That shows his dialed in. He just can't shoot. It's gonna take a bit. I think they have to play with Simmons with the ball in his hands. Embid should get his touches early and shouldn't try to close. But a two man game with these guys was always good and is their best path forward.

[Chi town]

With all facilities opened up for practices and scrimmages I'd expect Billy D to really get these guys playing his way.

I think this also helps AK alot before the draft. He will get two more weeks to watch his players with Billy and Evs. IMO this makes a trade even more likely at the draft. The more info he gets pre draft on his players and how Bills wants his guys to fit the better.

[PhilLeotardo]

Never ever was the 2020 draft viewed as even solid, let alone strong. That is a false narrative

We’ve known since 2018 that it was going to be a very weak draft, and outside of Wiseman, there weren’t any prospects being hyped up as potentially elite. Edwards was always a huge question mark with serious weight issues & lack of skill, and Ball was viewed as a farce until he showed that he could (barely) hold his own in the ABL

2021 has been viewed as an all-time great draft since early 2019, and it appears as though meet expectations

[PhilLeotardo]

Interesting, Udoka and Mike D'Antoni going to Nets as assistant coaches..

Weird seeing guys with that much experience in coaching working for a no experience HC, but just shows what HC really is these days. Ego management, player relationships, politics.

Ehh that really isn’t the case here. Dantoni is ancient. Many are surprised he’s still coaching period. Nash is one of his best friends & he’s clearly going to help give him some support (which Nash will need lol, what an asinine “coaching” hire, but that’s the Nets for ya) before he bows out

I’m not seeing where Udoka was a great coach. What are we basing this on? Philly consistently underperformed, everywhere, even on defense. There’s a reason they gutted their entire staff, Udoka included. As it stands, Udoka is a nobody & hasn’t done anything of note

[PhilLeotardo]

Ball, Wiseman, McDaniels, Hunter, Green were all seen as top notch prospects. People were raving about them. Then they got into the season and the shine came off. The same will happen next year.

Here are comments I was able to find that were basically in articles discussing 2020 draft after 2019 draft before the start of the college season. In general, there was a consensus view that the top is wide open, there weren't dominant prospects. That is generally code for "this is a weak draft, hopefully someone will emerge".

Rookie Wire:

The 2020 class does not seem to have a clear-cut top pick, but R.J. Barrett and eventually Zion Williamson held that position. The battle for the top pick should be a fun one to watch, with NBA teams likely differing by the franchise.

SI:

A long summer of shoe camps, exhibition games and international tournaments has wound to a close, and the early makeup of the 2020 NBA draft has begun to coalesce. Granted, it’s not a draft teams are particularly excited about at this stage, but there’s always room for that to change.

ESPN:

The lack of star power in the 2019 high school class might cause you to believe we're headed for an older 2020 draft, but that hasn't materialized yet at this stage. That just means there is more uncertainty at the top, similar to what we saw with the 2019 draft class.

SB Nation:

This draft class is wide open at the top. There is no clear front-runner to be the No. 1 pick right now, in part because many of the top recruits in the 2019 high school class are traditional big men whose value has been marginalized in the modern NBA. A strong international class also figures to throw a wrench into early evaluations, with five of those players cracking our early look at the first round and three making the top 10.

Lmao exactly. Literally no one ever said or even implied that 2020 was going to be a strong draft. We’ve known for almost 2 years that it was going to be a crappy class

I have no idea why people try & establish false narratives, or what could be gained from it

“The 2021 draft isn’t going to be as strong as people think” literally nothing supporting that whatsoever. Everyone knows it’s going to be a stellar draft pretty much across the board, which is why every single team is holding onto their ‘21 pick(s), while trying desperately to offload this year’s pick

“2020 was viewed as a strong draft” LOL!!! Like, why even say that? I think there are some folks on here that are trying to will the 2020 draft being strong into existence. It sucks that the Bulls go figure landed a top 5 pick in one of the weaker drafts in contemporary NBA history, but that’s the way it is. You just have to hope for the best, and then start zeroing in on/gearing up for 2021

[MrFortune3]

I think the optimal way they work is in the pick and roll/pop with shooters. That's what made them great last time. There is also plenty of time for them to run the show when the other is on the bench. I think they'll be good if you souround them with shooters and defenders. Not only could they be good offensively again but they're also really good defenders.

Rivers will be good for them but I worry that Simmons isn’t dialed in.

I think he's dialed in. He's an elite defender. That shows his dialed in. He just can't shoot. It's gonna take a bit. I think they have to play with Simmons with the ball in his hands. Embid should get his touches early and shouldn't try to close. But a two man game with these guys was always good and is their best path forward.

If he's dialed in, then he will be working on his perimeter game, provide more floor spacing and work in better conjunction with Embiid.

[Grodoboldo]

Never ever was the 2020 draft viewed as even solid, let alone strong. That is a false narrative

We’ve known since 2018 that it was going to be a very weak draft, and outside of Wiseman, there weren’t any prospects being hyped up as potentially elite. Edwards was always a huge question mark with serious weight issues & lack of skill, and Ball was viewed as a farce until he showed that he could (barely) hold his own in the ABL

2021 has been viewed as an all-time great draft since early 2019, and it appears as though meet expectations

Which is why there should be no pressure in making the playoffs this next season. We are still in the gathering assets/talent phase of the rebuild, and should act like it.
Everyone in the roster should be fair game for a trade. Markannen should be shopped aggressively during the draft (I know his value is low right know, but it's not gonna get much better till the trade deadline). We should think very hard about a Lavine trade this next deadline, and offer him a max extension (which is very different from a max contract) if we keep him.

[TheStig]

Rivers will be good for them but I worry that Simmons isn’t dialed in.

I think he's dialed in. He's an elite defender. That shows his dialed in. He just can't shoot. It's gonna take a bit. I think they have to play with Simmons with the ball in his hands. Embid should get his touches early and shouldn't try to close. But a two man game with these guys was always good and is their best path forward.

If he's dialed in, then he will be working on his perimeter game, provide more floor spacing and work in better conjunction with Embiid.

He plays both ways and does a lot of the little things. I think he's dialed in. From what I've heard he works on shooting. But not having a skill or confidence, doesn't mean that he's not dialed in. Shaq never learned to shoot fts. Giannis is 7 years in now and just started shooting some volume of wide open 3's and barely hit 30%. Are those guys not dialed in?

To me, it's Embid that has to change his game. How many giant plotting bigs are there that lead their team to contention? The guy is always out of shape. It always leads to nagging injuries. He struggles on switches. Doesn't take advantage of matchups. He really needs to be the #2, get in shape and become more complimentary.

[TheStig]

Interesting, Udoka and Mike D'Antoni going to Nets as assistant coaches..

That was really interesting to see. I wonder why they didn't go for HC gigs.

[PrimzyBulls81]

Interesting, Udoka and Mike D'Antoni going to Nets as assistant coaches..

That was really interesting to see. I wonder why they didn't go for HC gigs.

Maybe they see a chance on Nets, if Nash fails..

[TheStig]

Interesting, Udoka and Mike D'Antoni going to Nets as assistant coaches..

That was really interesting to see. I wonder why they didn't go for HC gigs.

Maybe they see a chance on Nets, if Nash fails..

I think they might just be pumping up their value for next year. I don't think they'll dump nash within the year.

[MrFortune3]

Ball, Wiseman, McDaniels, Hunter, Green were all seen as top notch prospects. People were raving about them. Then they got into the season and the shine came off. The same will happen next year.

Here are comments I was able to find that were basically in articles discussing 2020 draft after 2019 draft before the start of the college season. In general, there was a consensus view that the top is wide open, there weren't dominant prospects. That is generally code for "this is a weak draft, hopefully someone will emerge".

Rookie Wire:

The 2020 class does not seem to have a clear-cut top pick, but R.J. Barrett and eventually Zion Williamson held that position. The battle for the top pick should be a fun one to watch, with NBA teams likely differing by the franchise.

SI:

A long summer of shoe camps, exhibition games and international tournaments has wound to a close, and the early makeup of the 2020 NBA draft has begun to coalesce. Granted, it’s not a draft teams are particularly excited about at this stage, but there’s always room for that to change.

ESPN:

The lack of star power in the 2019 high school class might cause you to believe we're headed for an older 2020 draft, but that hasn't materialized yet at this stage. That just means there is more uncertainty at the top, similar to what we saw with the 2019 draft class.

SB Nation:

This draft class is wide open at the top. There is no clear front-runner to be the No. 1 pick right now, in part because many of the top recruits in the 2019 high school class are traditional big men whose value has been marginalized in the modern NBA. A strong international class also figures to throw a wrench into early evaluations, with five of those players cracking our early look at the first round and three making the top 10.

Lmao exactly. Literally no one ever said or even implied that 2020 was going to be a strong draft. We’ve known for almost 2 years that it was going to be a crappy class

I have no idea why people try & establish false narratives, or what could be gained from it

“The 2021 draft isn’t going to be as strong as people think” literally nothing supporting that whatsoever. Everyone knows it’s going to be a stellar draft pretty much across the board, which is why every single team is holding onto their ‘21 pick(s), while trying desperately to offload this year’s pick

“2020 was viewed as a strong draft” LOL!!! Like, why even say that? I think there are some folks on here that are trying to will the 2020 draft being strong into existence. It sucks that the Bulls go figure landed a top 5 pick in one of the weaker drafts in contemporary NBA history, but that’s the way it is. You just have to hope for the best, and then start zeroing in on/gearing up for 2021

I follow college recruiting heavily so that may cloud my judgement on the perception of the draft but no one was saying this draft was supposed to be weak from the things I usually read.
Only when the season kicked off and guys struggled was there talk of weaker draft.

[dougthonus]

I follow college recruiting heavily so that may cloud my judgement on the perception of the draft but no one was saying this draft was supposed to be weak from the things I usually read.
Only when the season kicked off and guys struggled was there talk of weaker draft.

As I said "no clear top picks" is code for "weak draft". Every draft prospectus I could find either did not comment on the strength of the draft at all or made some statement like the above. Do you have anything from what you read that mentioned it as a strong draft?

I don't know that people often mention drafts as weak, because they never know who will emerge, but they often mention them as strong when they know they are good going in. It may certainly be the case that this was just a class where there was no clear great players, and maybe someone emerges and one does. It hinted at being weak early and as time went on, it got worse and worse.

I don't know much about the 2021 class either. I've just heard people say its a strong class. I remember at my draft party last year people saying 2020 wasn't a good class but 2021 was. That said, unlikely you, I do not follow college recruiting. I can not even name a guy in the 2021 draft without looking it up. I don't know that its true that it will be strong and am only repeating (in both cases) what I have heard others say.

[MrFortune3]

I follow college recruiting heavily so that may cloud my judgement on the perception of the draft but no one was saying this draft was supposed to be weak from the things I usually read.
Only when the season kicked off and guys struggled was there talk of weaker draft.

As I said "no clear top picks" is code for "weak draft". Every draft prospectus I could find either did not comment on the strength of the draft at all or made some statement like the above. Do you have anything from what you read that mentioned it as a strong draft?

I don't know that people often mention drafts as weak, because they never know who will emerge, but they often mention them as strong when they know they are good going in. It may certainly be the case that this was just a class where there was no clear great players, and maybe someone emerges and one does. It hinted at being weak early and as time went on, it got worse and worse.

I don't know much about the 2021 class either. I've just heard people say its a strong class. I remember at my draft party last year people saying 2020 wasn't a good class but 2021 was. That said, unlikely you, I do not follow college recruiting. I can not even name a guy in the 2021 draft without looking it up. I don't know that its true that it will be strong and am only repeating (in both cases) what I have heard others say.

My primary issue with that is the perception. People usually refer to a draft as extremely strong when there is a generational talent.
2012 had Davis and he was the clear #1 but the overall draft itself was weak yet it produced AD, Beal, Dame and Drummond in the 1st. Also Draymond, Middleton and Barnes.
2015 was considered stronger but no clear top pick until late when KAT was deemed the top guy due to defensive potential(lol)
It still produced KAT, Russell, Porzingis and Booker. Also Turner, Oubre Jr, Rozier.

Weak vs Strong produces nearly identical results from a sheer number of valuable players perspective. LeBron's draft year is an outlier similar to the 1983 and 2004 NFL drafts that produced legendary QB's.