2017 NBA Draft Prospect Discussion

[Mori Chu]

GO CATS! Sweet 16 and still going strong. They kept it together and overcame a lackluster first half. Markkanen was pretty impressive overall against their big front line. Bear down!

[carey]

Yo, Caleb Swannigan is really good. Anyone see his line tonight? 20/12/7 with three 3-pointers. That's excellent passing for a big man. Like Alan Williams he's a little short but has an insane 7' 4" wingspan. Unlike Alan Williams he is not a load and is very swift on his feet. Has legit moves around the basket.

[Superbone]

I really like Bender, probably more than Chriss. Just wish he played more and was healthy. That being said, I really love how Markkanen plays and the skills he brings to the table. Might even say he's already better than Bender right now.

I watched the game today. I wasn't impressed.

[Mori Chu]

I just don't see Markkanen being a star at the pro level. I wouldn't want us to draft him in the first round with a lottery pick.

[ShelC]

I wouldn't take Markkanen. We have our young bigs and I haven't been impressed watching him.

One guy who's caught my eye is Xavier Ratham Mayes on Florida State. Just seems like a heady, strong combo guard who plays like a vet. He's actually a 22 yr old junior, is from Canada and has played on their U-18 and U-19 national teams. Very, very good off the pick and roll and can be an explosive player. Reminded me a bit of Westbrook attacking the basket when coming off a screen. He's not listed on a lot of draft boards, but he could be a sleeper.

[specialsauce]

I really like Bender, probably more than Chriss. Just wish he played more and was healthy. That being said, I really love how Markkanen plays and the skills he brings to the table. Might even say he's already better than Bender right now.

I watched the game today. I wasn't impressed.

I would trade Bender for the draft rights to Markkanen without hesitation

[Split T]

I really like Bender, probably more than Chriss. Just wish he played more and was healthy. That being said, I really love how Markkanen plays and the skills he brings to the table. Might even say he's already better than Bender right now.

I watched the game today. I wasn't impressed.

I would trade Bender for the draft rights to Markkanen without hesitation

So would I. Bender seems like he could be a very versatile players someday, but it's not for certain. I'm much more confident Markkanen becomes a significant contributor in the nba. At worst, he's Channing Frye.

[Superbone]

Did both of you go to UofA? Your glasses seem rose tinted.

[Split T]

Ha, no I didn't. Just love Markkanen's stroke. I still wouldn't draft him though with Chriss and Bender on the team, especially with the loads of talent in this draft.

[carey]

Did both of you go to UofA? Your glasses seem rose tinted.

I went there and I'd still take Bender. He's a better passer already (by far), and he's better defensively and much more versatile (by far as Markkanen will not be chasing SFs on the perimeter). However, Markkanen seems to be the better shooter right now. We do have to consider that Bender is playing against much different competition than Larui is and Bender is actually younger than Markkanen, if you can believe it after almost a full year in the NBA. Lauri turns 20 in May and Bender won't turn 20 until after the '17-'18 season starts in November.

Also, this stuff about Markkanen's defense being awful is overblown. Yesterday his defense on Lamande changed the game because Comanche and Ristic were both getting owned. Markkanen blocked him twice and played good post defense once Miller decided to make the switch.

Anyhow, as I said before I think several teams are going to be hot for Markkanen. So to me this is the perfect opportunity to trade down and get a couple lottery picks or a later pick and a young prospect if we don't land in the top 3. Just my early thoughts. I'll likely change my mind once the tournament is over and I get deep into the draft through the lottery.

[Superbone]

That seems like a balanced take, carey.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Josh Jackson. Yes, please.

[In2ition]

Josh Jackson. Yes, please.

I know there is a contingent here that likes Tatum over Jackson, Tatum is very skilled and long, but Jackson is legit.

[Split T]

I'd rather pair booker with a jack of all trades like player(Jackson) than another ball in their hands ISO scorer(Tatum). Especially when our other young wing is a scorer(Warren). If Tatum was a significantly better prospect then I could see going best available player, but I'd argue that not only is Jackson a better fit, but he's also a better player. Fultz is the only guy I take over Jackson right now.

[Sunsfan4life]

Jackson vs Miles Bridges was fun. Jackson is a beast, just so athletic.

KU vs Purdue in the sweet 16 will be very very interesting.

[pickle]

I know that this has already been posted somewhere on this site, but it seems to be particularly pertinent to this discussion. I don't really want Tatum. Jackson please.

https://theringer.com/jayson-tatums-old ... .ob4lpdlrs

Tatum rarely looks to move the ball, and it’s one of the reasons he takes so many tough shots. He plays with blinders on at times, driving into traffic and looking to score even when there’s nothing there. It may work for some players, but he himself isn’t physically imposing enough to bail himself out when he gets caught in those situations.

...

Tatum is averaging more turnovers (2.8) than assists (1.9) per game, which isn’t a great ratio for a guy who has the ball in his hands as much as he does. He can be a ball stopper, and even when he is looking to make the extra pass, there’s no guarantee he’s going to make the right read or deliver the ball on target.

If these observations are correct, then I really have no interest in Tatum. We cannot complain about the lack of ball movement on this team, rip McDonough for not building teams but rather assemble a host of poor-fitting assets, and then turn around and want Tatum over Jackson (again, based on scouting reports only).

[pickle]

And for you guys who want Markkanen over Bender, I get the recency bias of watching Lauri dominate the tournament etc. But is there something you see in Bender that leads you to be disappointed enough in him that you'd swap him for Markkanen without ever seeing the latter play in the NBA?

I don't know how good Markkanen is on defense, saw one of his games (against UCLA during the PAC-12 tournament) and think that he is indeed a good shooter with a smooth and confident stroke, but, as is my personal bias, give me defense, passing, and general versatility any day of the week. Unless Markkanen's offense and shooting is at Dirk levels, i.e. a game changer, let's say an A to A+ on shooting, then I'd rather go for the guy who rates out as B to B+ in everything but not A in any particular category.

[Split T]

And for you guys who want Markkanen over Bender, I get the recency bias of watching Lauri dominate the tournament etc. But is there something you see in Bender that leads you to be disappointed enough in him that you'd swap him for Markkanen without ever seeing the latter play in the NBA?

Not disappointed in bender, we just really haven't seen much from him. I hope he still turns into a super versatile player on both offense and defense, but I'm not convinced he will.

Will he be able to add strength to his frame without compromising his ability to defend on the perimeter? Will he become a consistent shooter? Well he be able to bang for rebounds? Will he be able to get into the lane off the dribble? I don't know the answer to those questions, I hope they are all yes, and I imagine at least some will be yes, but I don't know which ones.

With markkanen, I know he'll be able to shoot. Will he defend? Rebound? Protect the rim? Score in the post? Off the dribble? I don't know, but I know he'll shoot and shoot well.

That being said, I'm still happy with bender and have high hopes for him. I hope he gets a chance to play here before the season is over. I don't feel the need to aggressively pursue Markkanen, but if a team picking 6-8 happened to love bender and offered their pick for him, I'd take that deal and I'd consider drafting markkanen among others who might be available.

[TOO]

Gimme Bender and his versatility all day. No way would I trade Bender just to draft another PF who has defensive questionmarks.

[TOO]

Watching will closely, his half court deficiency will be a problem in the NBA. He really needs to fix that shot and learn to get that shot when going right. His transition game is Kidd like, but his half court game is that of a PF. He needs someone to set him up for a catch and shoot.