2017 NBA Draft Prospect Discussion

[Mori Chu]

I don't think he's Dirk, but hard to believe markkanen isn't at least Ryan Anderson in the NBA. I think the NBA will actually help him, he'll have better teammates that draw the defense away and he'll get a lot of great looks from 3.

He may look overmatched when the d locks in on him, but I don't think we'll see that much in the NBA. Not likely he'll ever be the number 1 option on offense in the NBA.

I don't know if I would want to spend a top-6 ish pick on Ryan Anderson, though.

[Split T]

That's fair, I wouldn't draft him either. We've already got two pf prospects we are developing.

[carey]

That's fair, I wouldn't draft him either. We've already got two pf prospects we are developing.

Someone is going to want him badly though. That's why I suggested ransoming the pick. You could trade down slightly with Portland for #11 and #19 then draft Williams and Anunoby. Or maybe a late lotto pick where you take Isaac or Ntilikina and also get a player. I think we will have a lot of options and unless we land the #1 pick we should consider all of them.

Btw, I think if we land #3 and don't trade out of it we take Tatum over Jackson. Not a lot to go on at this point so just a hunch.

[Split T]

I haven't been able to get behind Tatum yet, I imagine he'll be a good player, he just seems too similar to Warren. That's kinda my feeling with Dennis Smith Jr as well, too similar to Bledsoe.

I love Jackson, I don't know that he'll ever be a super star, but should at least be Andre Iguodala. In his prime, Iggy was a little over matched as a number 1 scoring option, but he does so many things well, that he's great as a secondary star. Jackson is the same, very versatile on offense and defense. He'll be able to defend maybe 4 positions, he'll rebound, he can finish or lead the break. He moves well without the ball and creates offense with the ball. His shot is a little suspect, but it's not terrible. I think he's a perfect fit next to Booker.

[carey]

I haven't been able to get behind Tatum yet, I imagine he'll be a good player, he just seems too similar to Warren.

Ha. I just wrote the same thing on RealGM. They get their points differently yet the same. Warren is a slasher that scores with a variety of floaters & excels on the break. Tatum is a true iso player in the mold of Melo. The net result is the same since they get their points in the mid range. I guess it all depends on what you think Tatum's ceiling is. He is a year younger than Jackson with a longer reach. You could package Warren with Knight and a pick and get something useful as well as cap space. We have some options.

[Split T]

If Tatum could show a reliable 3 pt shot he'd be very interesting. Has anyone watched much of him? How is he defensively?

[In2ition]

Tatum isn't a great defender and he also isn't an elite athlete like Jackson. His outside shot is getting better and is a work in progress. He used to play pg, so he has the handles and is a decent passer. He will get better at defense, as he's a quick learner, and is already an excellent defensive rebounder. In short, I see him as a better offensively skilled and a little bit longer Shane Battier.

[pickle]

So what do we all think of Ball's performance last night? He played 35 of 40 minutes and tallied just 8 points & 6 rebounds. Are we blaming it on the thumb?

Trier and Markkanen look like legitimate NBA players. I don't know that Trier will be able to shoot and defend like that at the next level but that's his ticket in. There will be a lot of teams after Markkanen. If we find ourselves out of the top 5 it might be wise to ransom him to a team for multiple picks or players.

I was not impressed with Ball at all. He didn't do anything before he got "injured" either. I don't like his dad either. PASS. Markkanen looked like the real deal last night

Don't let one game taint your opinion, he's been the best player in college basketball all year. And as far as the dad, I love his confidence in his kids and the bravado. They haven't and probably won't shrink under pressure. I don't think it hurt the Williams sisters or Tiger Woods.

I think his dad is beyond bravado. And I think even if by some miracle we get him, he bolts to the Lakers at some point and I'd rather not deal with that. I don't like the way his shot looks. Maybe I'm extra annoyed because Bill Walton was slobbering all over him the whole game and ESPN was CONSTANTLY mentioning how "injured" he was

Once upon a time I couldn't stand Bill Walton. Now I've grown quite fond of him. He's your broadcaster's dream, always saying controversial stuff without saying anything truly controversial, adding an element of fun to the broadcasts. I'm quite surprised by how he gushed over all the UA guys even though his personal allegiance should clearly be for UCLA. The whole hippie thing is awesome too.

[In2ition]

So what do we all think of Ball's performance last night? He played 35 of 40 minutes and tallied just 8 points & 6 rebounds. Are we blaming it on the thumb?

Trier and Markkanen look like legitimate NBA players. I don't know that Trier will be able to shoot and defend like that at the next level but that's his ticket in. There will be a lot of teams after Markkanen. If we find ourselves out of the top 5 it might be wise to ransom him to a team for multiple picks or players.

I was not impressed with Ball at all. He didn't do anything before he got "injured" either. I don't like his dad either. PASS. Markkanen looked like the real deal last night

Don't let one game taint your opinion, he's been the best player in college basketball all year. And as far as the dad, I love his confidence in his kids and the bravado. They haven't and probably won't shrink under pressure. I don't think it hurt the Williams sisters or Tiger Woods.

I think his dad is beyond bravado. And I think even if by some miracle we get him, he bolts to the Lakers at some point and I'd rather not deal with that. I don't like the way his shot looks. Maybe I'm extra annoyed because Bill Walton was slobbering all over him the whole game and ESPN was CONSTANTLY mentioning how "injured" he was

Once upon a time I couldn't stand Bill Walton. Now I've grown quite fond of him. He's your broadcaster's dream, always saying controversial stuff without saying anything truly controversial, adding an element of fun to the broadcasts. I'm quite surprised by how he gushed over all the UA guys even though his personal allegiance should clearly be for UCLA. The whole hippie thing is awesome too.

He's been pretty balanced in the Pac12 tournament. Remember his son played at UofA.

[Split T]

Who does everyone like with our 2nd round picks? I haven't spent much time looking into prospects here, but I'll give my early thoughts. Usually 2nd round picks fall into a just a few categories. Productive upperclassmen without much room for improvement, talented but flawed underclassmen, or International mysteries.

Productive Upperclassmen:
Chris Boucher is a super long, super skinny, shotblocking, 3 pt shooter. He's also 24 and just tore his ACL
Johnathon Motley is also super long, not quite the shooter Boucher is, but he's 22
Semi Ojeyle was a highly touted combo forward at Duke that struggled, transferred to SMU and has been very productive this year, also 22.
Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard have had pretty good seasons at Duke, but lack any wow factor.
Josh Hart and Dillon Brooks are two other swing men who are great college players, but not a ton of nba potential.

Flawed Underclassmen
Not a lot here that I see dropping. Possibilites are Bam Adebayo, Andrew Jones, Jawun Evans, Thomas Bryant

International Mysteries
I think we end up picking at least 1, if not 2 international players with our 2nd round picks.

Alpha Kaba is 6'10 with a 7'5 wingspan, F/C from France, 21 years old
Johnathon Jeanne is a 7'2 C from France, 19 years old
Mathias Lessort is a 6'9 F/C with 7'1 wingspan from France, 21 years old
Anzejs Pasecniks is a 7'2 C from Latvia, 21 years old
Kostja Mushidi is a 6'5 G from Germany, 18 years old
Felipe Dos Anjos is a 7'2 C from Brazil, 19 years old
Vlatko Cancar, 6'8 SF from Sloveniz, 20 years old
Viny Okouo, 7'2 C from Nigeria, 20 years old
Michael Fusek, 7'5 C from Slovakia, 22 years old
Terrance Ferguson, 6'7 SG from USA via Australia, 18 years old

I imagine quite a few of these guys won't actually end up in this draft, but some of the international guys are intriguing. Right now, Alpha Kaba and Mathias Lessort intrigue me the most.

[Wally_West]

We should draft Alpha Kaba just for his name alone.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Who does everyone like with our 2nd round picks?

I really only watch one team, but we have no fewer that 5 guys looking to get drafted this year. #sad!

Chris Boucher definitely has the skill-size combo that NBA teams look for now, but who ever takes him will need to be patient and understand that he's not going to make an impact until his second year at the earliest. That has a little to do with his injury, but more to do with his lack of strength. I would've predicted he'd be drafted anywhere between the late lottery to the early 20's prior to his injury, but now I wouldn't be surprised to see him slip into the second round.

Jordan Bell is a guy I think has some sleeper potential. He's a forward tweener who doesn't shoot outside of the paint, but he's an athletic freak who has progressively evolved his offensive skills. I could see him developing on a trajectory similar to Alan Williams or PJ Tucker where he goes undrafted but finds his way onto a roster and eventually becomes a rotation player.

Tyler Dorsey is a guy to keep an eye on. He still has eligibility, but he tested the draft waters last summer so he might make the jump this year. If he declares this year, I think he's a fringe first round pick and a very low risk gamble with great upside. He's been very streaky in college, but look out when he's hot (see the UA game in Feb.). If he has a good tournament and/or comes back to UO for one more season he'll probably end up somewhere in the mid-first round because he definitely has NBA talent.

Tyler Ennis could be something for a team, but he's a 6th year senior so it's hard to properly gauge him because he's so much physically stronger than a lot of college PGs. I think he goes undrafted with an outside shot to make the league down the road.

Dillon Brooks is a first round pick. He's a 2-3 tweener with short arms, but his athleticism and scoring ability are NBA quality. I'm not sure how he'll look on an NBA roster. He's the biggest mystery to me despite being the best player at UO and Pac-12 POTY.

[carey]

I like Dillon Brooks. Quite a bit. I was hoping we can snag him with 33 but small chance he'll be there then & I think there's a chance we package that pick along with Warren and maybe Knight to move back into the 1st round.

Coincidentally Draft Express has us taking him at 33 (which I did not know until I looked just now to see who they had us selecting.) I would be just as happy with that pick as I was last year when I was pulling for Ulis.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Coincidentally Draft Express has us taking him at 33 (which I did not know until I looked just now to see who they had us selecting.) I would be just as happy with that pick as I was last year when I was pulling for Ulis.

I really don't see him lasting till the 33rd pick. Recently, lot of teams tend to go for proven players or draft-and-stash once the elite talent and athletic freaks are taken in the lottery. So I think Brooks will probably be selected somewhere around 20th overall.

Obviously I'd like it if he were to be drafted by the Suns, but by no means do I think he's a can't-miss prospect. I really like the intensity he plays with even though he has a tendency to get too emotional or dramatic at times (the flop at Utah). To me that is more of a positive in that he actually gives a fuck and won't be satisfied with just collecting a rookie salary and riding the pine for a team going nowhere.

[Split T]

Is Brooks a good defender? I haven't watched much of him, I know he's shot will this year from 3, but that's kind of a new wrinkle. Is it legit? Any reason to pick him over Josh Hart? Or Alonzo Trier?

[TOO]

I dont think Brooks is anything more than an energy guy in the NBA. Sometimes those guys translate, but its few and far between.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Is Brooks a good defender? I haven't watched much of him, I know he's shot will this year from 3, but that's kind of a new wrinkle. Is it legit? Any reason to pick him over Josh Hart? Or Alonzo Trier?

He's a good defender because he's strong and plays hard. His technique and footwork aren't extraordinary.

It's hard to compare Brooks to Hart and Trier because Brooks can probably guard 4's for short stretches if needed. I think Dudley is a pretty good comp for him.

Edit: I'm referring to young Dudley, not stretch mark 4 Dudley.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I dont think Brooks is anything more than an energy guy in the NBA. Sometimes those guys translate, but its few and far between.

His energy is certainly one of his strongest points, but I think he can consistently score from all three levels in the NBA. That's something most energy guys can't do.

[Shabazz]

I'd be thrilled if Luke Kennard fell to us in round 2.

[Shabazz]

Draft Express has Harry GIles 25, TJ Leaf 26 and Bam Adebayo 27. I'd be pretty happy with any of those guys as well.