2018 NBA Draft Thread

[TOO]

Zero interest in Trae Young.

Please explain.

I think his performances versus NBA caliber opponents speaks volumes as to how overrated he's become. He's not looked good against anyone that was bigger/stronger/faster than him. He also takes awful shots, like tons of them.

[Mori Chu]

I don't watch enough college hoops to really have a smart opinion on Trae Young. He looks impressive in highlight videos and has had some really gaudy stat lines. But he has some big flaws, too, and could end up as a Jimmer-esque bust.

I do think that the upcoming era of the NBA will probably fool several GMs into taking the "next Steph Curry." Some little PG/SG who handles the ball, takes a ton of crazy pull-up 3s, but can kind of make them, that sort of thing. After a mini-era of such mistakes, GMs will realize that players like Steph are extremely rare. There isn't a next Steph coming out every year. A player like Steph who is 80% as good is not very valuable, because he won't hit his crazy shots in the NBA at a high enough percentage to make him actually worth it. You'll end up with a Swaggy P or Dion Waiters type of guy who hurts you as much as he helps you.

[Gladiator]

I don't watch enough college hoops to really have a smart opinion on Trae Young. He looks impressive in highlight videos and has had some really gaudy stat lines. But he has some big flaws, too, and could end up as a Jimmer-esque bust.

I do think that the upcoming era of the NBA will probably fool several GMs into taking the "next Steph Curry." Some little PG/SG who handles the ball, takes a ton of crazy pull-up 3s, but can kind of make them, that sort of thing. After a mini-era of such mistakes, GMs will realize that players like Steph are extremely rare. There isn't a next Steph coming out every year. A player like Steph who is 80% as good is not very valuable, because he won't hit his crazy shots in the NBA at a high enough percentage to make him actually worth it. You'll end up with a Swaggy P or Dion Waiters type of guy who hurts you as much as he helps you.

That's my take on Young as well, admittedly without having watched him play beyond highlights. But I am concerned about his potential fit next to Booker (in terms of defense and the fact he shoots a ton) and think there'll be players at our pick that will not only be a better fit, but just better NBA players. If he miraculously falls to our Miami or Milwaukee pick (not going to happen, obviously) I'd jump at taking him there, but not with our (hopefully) top 3 pick.

[Split T]

I don’t see why we aren’t in the position to take the BPA? The only positions I’d avoid are SG and SF with Booker and Jackson there. Nobody else is worth passing up a draft pick over.

Yep and there aren't any SG/SF in this draft that should be taken top 5 anyways. The Bridges are the best and Miles is a 3/4 that should go around 10-12. Mikal is probably in the same range, maybe 8-12.

Doncic is a weird prospect in that he's probably best suited to defend the 3, but he's a PG offensively. I still have some hope that he can defend the 4 a bit.

[Split T]

New ESPN mock draft, guess who lands the #1 pick?

1. Phoenix Suns

Luka Doncic
Real Madrid
Age: 18.9
PG



The Suns' backcourt is a work in progress after Phoenix traded Eric Bledsoe and brought in Elfrid Payton for what may end up being a rental.

Doncic's size, skill level and versatility allow him to play anywhere from 1 to 4, but there's little doubt that he's at his best with the ball in his hands. He would fit very well with playmaking wings Devin Booker and Josh Jackson.

He's having a phenomenal season in Europe, posting historic numbers in the Euroleague and Spanish ACB for an 18-year-old.

Deandre Ayton also will get a long look here.

Starting salary: $8,095,680

http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_ ... -prospects

[Split T]

For the record, rest of the top 10 goes:

2. Ayton
3. Bamba
4. JJJ
5. Bagley
6. Porter
7. Trae
8. Carter
9. Sexton
10. Bridges
11. Bridges

[O_Gardino]

[youtube][/youtube]

This is the most he's shown offensively. Scoring in the post, driving, passing and of course hitting the 3 ball. His defense is the real reason I want him.

And the debate will be which of these two. JJJ has a very immature body. He is big. He has a very good wing span. He still looks like he has baby fat. He has the frame to turn a lot of fat to muscle. Bamba is longer. That 7-9 wingspan is unheard of. But he is thin. Those twig legs are not going to get that much bigger. This one is tough. Bamba is a better rebounder though. JJJ should be. He just doesn't seem to be interested in rebounding as much.


[youtube][/youtube]

Bamba is almost a year and a half older, so his body is bound to be more mature.

To me, it's not even close. JJJ does everything well, his head is up, and I think he has special awareness of everything happening on the court.

[O_Gardino]

I don't watch enough college hoops to really have a smart opinion on Trae Young. He looks impressive in highlight videos and has had some really gaudy stat lines. But he has some big flaws, too, and could end up as a Jimmer-esque bust.

I do think that the upcoming era of the NBA will probably fool several GMs into taking the "next Steph Curry." Some little PG/SG who handles the ball, takes a ton of crazy pull-up 3s, but can kind of make them, that sort of thing. After a mini-era of such mistakes, GMs will realize that players like Steph are extremely rare. There isn't a next Steph coming out every year. A player like Steph who is 80% as good is not very valuable, because he won't hit his crazy shots in the NBA at a high enough percentage to make him actually worth it. You'll end up with a Swaggy P or Dion Waiters type of guy who hurts you as much as he helps you.

I agree with all of that, but I don't think of Trae as a Steph type player. I think he's more of a passer than Steph and I think he would look a lot better playing off other talented players.

[O_Gardino]

For those of you on the hunt for the next Archie Goodwin:

[youtube][/youtube]

[wpmiller42]

New ESPN mock draft, guess who lands the #1 pick?

1. Phoenix Suns

Luka Doncic
Real Madrid
Age: 18.9
PG



The Suns' backcourt is a work in progress after Phoenix traded Eric Bledsoe and brought in Elfrid Payton for what may end up being a rental.

Doncic's size, skill level and versatility allow him to play anywhere from 1 to 4, but there's little doubt that he's at his best with the ball in his hands. He would fit very well with playmaking wings Devin Booker and Josh Jackson.

He's having a phenomenal season in Europe, posting historic numbers in the Euroleague and Spanish ACB for an 18-year-old.

Deandre Ayton also will get a long look here.

Starting salary: $8,095,680

http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_ ... -prospects

I think Doncic is great and I would be happy to get him, but I'd still go with Ayton #1, and that's without my UofA bias. If ever there was some miracle to be had, I would love to get Ayton and Doncic and I'd trade pretty much anyone not named Booker or any pick to make that happen. I really have high expectations for both of them.

[Mori Chu]

Can somebody who's a big Doncic fan explain to me how the roster would work with Doncic on our team? Would he be our SF? If so, what about Josh Jackson? Is he more of an SG? If so, how do we play him with Booker? Is he more of a PG? If so, I kind of get it on offense, but on D can he really stop guys like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, etc.? Isn't that going to be a defensive nightmare? Can somebody describe to me a rotation that makes sense with Doncic on the Suns? (I don't hate the dude, I just want to understand how we might use him if we took him.)

[Shabazz]

Can somebody who's a big Doncic fan explain to me how the roster would work with Doncic on our team? Would he be our SF? If so, what about Josh Jackson? Is he more of an SG? If so, how do we play him with Booker? Is he more of a PG? If so, I kind of get it on offense, but on D can he really stop guys like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, etc.? Isn't that going to be a defensive nightmare? Can somebody describe to me a rotation that makes sense with Doncic on the Suns? (I don't hate the dude, I just want to understand how we might use him if we took him.)

It requires more of an in-depth response, but the template is what Philly is doing with Ben Simmons at PG. I'm not as concerned with building a team to stop Russell Westbrook. No "normal sized" PG can stop him either. Force the issue and make the other's teams PG worry about matching up with Doncic.

[O_Gardino]

Can somebody who's a big Doncic fan explain to me how the roster would work with Doncic on our team? Would he be our SF? If so, what about Josh Jackson? Is he more of an SG? If so, how do we play him with Booker? Is he more of a PG? If so, I kind of get it on offense, but on D can he really stop guys like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, etc.? Isn't that going to be a defensive nightmare? Can somebody describe to me a rotation that makes sense with Doncic on the Suns? (I don't hate the dude, I just want to understand how we might use him if we took him.)

I think you have to make trades if you draft Doncic. That's ok; we should be looking to rebuild the roster anyway. I think Warren has to go. I start Doncic at 3. Payton has to become a better defender and a more confident 3pt catch and shoot guy, or he goes. Jackson can back up 1-3, and in stretches defends the PG, but let I Booker or Doncic handle the ball. With this many ball handlers and passers, you need lots of movement and passing, so the coach has to put in a Popovic or Kerr style playbook.

I think it's a tough fit, but I would happily make it happen.

[Split T]

I think a lot depends on whether he can defend 4's. If he can, you can just run Payton, Booker, Jackson, Doncic 1-4. Could probably also just run Jackson, Booker, Doncic at 1-3 and have Jackson defend the 1.

Offensively it would look like shabazz said. They'd run a system similar to Philly with Simmons.

Defensively you'd ideally have an elite rim protector as I think that team gives up a lot of points.

[specialsauce]

Can somebody who's a big Doncic fan explain to me how the roster would work with Doncic on our team? Would he be our SF? If so, what about Josh Jackson? Is he more of an SG? If so, how do we play him with Booker? Is he more of a PG? If so, I kind of get it on offense, but on D can he really stop guys like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, etc.? Isn't that going to be a defensive nightmare? Can somebody describe to me a rotation that makes sense with Doncic on the Suns? (I don't hate the dude, I just want to understand how we might use him if we took him.)

I think you have to make trades if you draft Doncic. That's ok; we should be looking to rebuild the roster anyway. I think Warren has to go. I start Doncic at 3. Payton has to become a better defender and a more confident 3pt catch and shoot guy, or he goes. Jackson can back up 1-3, and in stretches defends the PG, but let I Booker or Doncic handle the ball. With this many ball handlers and passers, you need lots of movement and passing, so the coach has to put in a Popovic or Kerr style playbook.

I think it's a tough fit, but I would happily make it happen.

I think you go Doncic Booker Jackson Bender 1-4

[Cap]

Can somebody who's a big Doncic fan explain to me how the roster would work with Doncic on our team? Would he be our SF? If so, what about Josh Jackson? Is he more of an SG? If so, how do we play him with Booker? Is he more of a PG? If so, I kind of get it on offense, but on D can he really stop guys like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, etc.? Isn't that going to be a defensive nightmare? Can somebody describe to me a rotation that makes sense with Doncic on the Suns? (I don't hate the dude, I just want to understand how we might use him if we took him.)

I think you have to make trades if you draft Doncic. That's ok; we should be looking to rebuild the roster anyway. I think Warren has to go. I start Doncic at 3. Payton has to become a better defender and a more confident 3pt catch and shoot guy, or he goes. Jackson can back up 1-3, and in stretches defends the PG, but let I Booker or Doncic handle the ball. With this many ball handlers and passers, you need lots of movement and passing, so the coach has to put in a Popovic or Kerr style playbook.

I think it's a tough fit, but I would happily make it happen.

I think you go Doncic Booker Jackson Bender 1-4

You must be counting on Bender to make a lot of progress between now and October.

[specialsauce]

Can somebody who's a big Doncic fan explain to me how the roster would work with Doncic on our team? Would he be our SF? If so, what about Josh Jackson? Is he more of an SG? If so, how do we play him with Booker? Is he more of a PG? If so, I kind of get it on offense, but on D can he really stop guys like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, etc.? Isn't that going to be a defensive nightmare? Can somebody describe to me a rotation that makes sense with Doncic on the Suns? (I don't hate the dude, I just want to understand how we might use him if we took him.)

I think you have to make trades if you draft Doncic. That's ok; we should be looking to rebuild the roster anyway. I think Warren has to go. I start Doncic at 3. Payton has to become a better defender and a more confident 3pt catch and shoot guy, or he goes. Jackson can back up 1-3, and in stretches defends the PG, but let I Booker or Doncic handle the ball. With this many ball handlers and passers, you need lots of movement and passing, so the coach has to put in a Popovic or Kerr style playbook.

I think it's a tough fit, but I would happily make it happen.

I think you go Doncic Booker Jackson Bender 1-4

You must be counting on Bender to make a lot of progress between now and October.

Well, I'm assuming he will be the starting 4 unless the Suns go out and acquire somebody better. I think the priority at this point should be the 1 and the 5 positions. I don't have a ton of faith that he will make a lot of progress, but I do think what he offers now is better than what he have currently at the 1 and 5 positions. I would take Ayton or Doncic at 1 and 2 to fill those roles and then see where we can go from there.

[Shabazz]

Can somebody who's a big Doncic fan explain to me how the roster would work with Doncic on our team? Would he be our SF? If so, what about Josh Jackson? Is he more of an SG? If so, how do we play him with Booker? Is he more of a PG? If so, I kind of get it on offense, but on D can he really stop guys like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, etc.? Isn't that going to be a defensive nightmare? Can somebody describe to me a rotation that makes sense with Doncic on the Suns? (I don't hate the dude, I just want to understand how we might use him if we took him.)

I think you have to make trades if you draft Doncic. That's ok; we should be looking to rebuild the roster anyway. I think Warren has to go. I start Doncic at 3. Payton has to become a better defender and a more confident 3pt catch and shoot guy, or he goes. Jackson can back up 1-3, and in stretches defends the PG, but let I Booker or Doncic handle the ball. With this many ball handlers and passers, you need lots of movement and passing, so the coach has to put in a Popovic or Kerr style playbook.

I think it's a tough fit, but I would happily make it happen.

I think you go Doncic Booker Jackson Bender 1-4

Agreed. I think you play Doncic as your nominal PG and he and Booker share the offensive initiation duties. Doncic guards the 3 and Jackson guards the 1. Ideally you pair those 4 with an elite rim protector/rebounder like Split says.

[carey]

Is Mirotic a starting PF in the NBA in your opinion?

Do you think if Bender shot the ball as aggressively as Mirotic that he would put up the same numbers? MIrotic is only shooting 40/30 as a Pelican. In February Bender is shooting 49/44 and putting up 13/6/2 in 30mpg. That is pretty solid numbers for a guy that on most nights isn't even your 3rd option.

[TOO]

[youtube][/youtube]

This is the most he's shown offensively. Scoring in the post, driving, passing and of course hitting the 3 ball. His defense is the real reason I want him.

And the debate will be which of these two. JJJ has a very immature body. He is big. He has a very good wing span. He still looks like he has baby fat. He has the frame to turn a lot of fat to muscle. Bamba is longer. That 7-9 wingspan is unheard of. But he is thin. Those twig legs are not going to get that much bigger. This one is tough. Bamba is a better rebounder though. JJJ should be. He just doesn't seem to be interested in rebounding as much.


[youtube][/youtube]

Bamba is almost a year and a half older, so his body is bound to be more mature.

To me, it's not even close. JJJ does everything well, his head is up, and I think he has special awareness of everything happening on the court.

Too bad he rebounds like a MoBro. I'd take Bamba all day. The age difference means nothing to me, and it won't matter for a very long time, not sure why everyone is so wrapped up in that. This reminds me of everyone going gaga over Jonathan Isaac, meh.