Exclusive Official 2020 Draft Thread

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by tester551, Nov 12, 2019.

  1. JDC

    JDC Well-Known Member

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    Think I'm going to end up lower on Avdija than most.

    Have had that feeling for a while, but going back through some of his U20 tape tonight is reinforcing that for me.

    Strengths
    + Instinctive Cutter - does a good job reading how defense is helping / rotating
    + Transition Play - good open court speed, aggressive pushing the ball / making advance passes
    + Weakside Rim Protection - does a good job meeting guys early with his chest, quick and fairly bouncy off 2 feet , helps compensate for poor length and reach.
    + Willing Passer - Does a solid job making the extra pass. Passes well out of post. Uses size to make hook passes to popping big when teams are in over and drop coverage in pick and roll.
    + Developing Shooter - FT% scares you/ but mechanics are solid enough (still need work, especially lower body). Shown some ability to shoot off some movement. Not at a high speeds, but can take a hand off, turn and quickly fire with some reliability.

    Weaknesses
    - Scoring off the dribble
    - Touch and accuracy really falls off, prone to all types of misses. Lacks a degree of quickness and deceptiveness as a ball handler. Strength / length limit on ball finishing
    - Ball Handling - Upright and predictable, not comfortable with his left. Struggles to get all the way to the rim in non-advantage situations.
    - On-Court Demeanor - Very emotional on the floor, high and lows, pouts at times when he feels he's open and doesn't get ball
    - Physical Profile - Lacks strength and length. Poor reach considering he's 6'9" in shoes (8'6") - which is more like solid SG size.
    *Very similar dimensions to Jake Layman / Brandon Clarke. Movement and verticality on defense very reminiscent of Clarke.
    - Lacking Elite Skill - Not a great shooter, ball handler or self creator, length and reach likely limit the level his rim protection will translate to NBA
    - Passing Accuracy / Decision Making
    - Defensive Consistency -
    Gets caught in no man's land often, energy/focus/activity comes and goes, protecting rim is natural tendency / sacrifices off ball positioning at times.

    Like a lot of what he brings but high end outcome still feels like a rotation guy / 5th starter in perfect situation type. Would not be surprised if he struggles to bring above replacement level value (-2.0 BPM).

    Have him late lottery right now. Below Okoro and Vassell, right around Josh Green. May even be a little higher on Green because of the better physical profile.
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2020
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  2. Hoopguru

    Hoopguru Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]
    Mike Schmitz

    ✔@Mike_Schmitz



    Isaiah Stewart’s perimeter shooting has really progressed over the years. Clean mechanics at 6-9 with a 7-4 wingspan. Full of energy.
     
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  3. damianlillard

    damianlillard Well-Known Member

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    I was once very high on Deni but after extensive research I have to agree with you. His ceiling is similar to Batum, a jack of all trade type guy but his floor is frighteningly low, I see a lot of Mario Hezonja in his game. So I stay off of that guy
    With that being said here are my top 3 guys for each pick
    1st round
    1. Saddiq Bey. This guy is a great small forward. I do see him being a lot like Wesley Matthews of the forwards. A 3D forward immediately while in the future he can become more of a star like Khris Middleton
    2. Patrick Williams. He’s more of a project than Bey is but has a lot more potential. His defense is near elite but his offense need to be consistent
    3. If he’s somehow available Isaac Okoro who is basically a beast on defense who need coaching from nba coaches on offense
    Round 2
    1. Tre Jones. A true backup point guard
    2. Cassius Winston. A true backup point guard
    3. Payton Pritchard. A true backup point guard
     
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  4. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    THIS IS THE CONTENT I COME HERE FOR!!!!
     
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  5. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    I have not been high on Pritchard's NBA prospects to this point, but I would not be mad at spending a 2nd round pick on him.
     
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  6. damianlillard

    damianlillard Well-Known Member

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    Yeah that’s why I have him 3rd behind those guys. If he wasn’t from west Linn I probably wouldn’t draft him lol. But I think this guy will turn out to be like Steve Blake a little bit
     
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  7. James lamphear

    James lamphear Well-Known Member

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    I am not has high on Bey especially at the defense end. While watching him play he continue have keeping up with his man majority of the night. I think he would have trouble keeping up with small forward. He might do alright against power towards on D. His offense is alright is alright. The reason he be considered in my my mind is the college coach he played for.
     
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  8. TorturedBlazerFan

    TorturedBlazerFan Well-Known Member

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    Pritchard IMO is just not athletic enough for the NBA... He's going to need to follow the "Steve Nash" model, and I'm not sure he's skilled enough for that either...
     
  9. Hoopguru

    Hoopguru Well-Known Member

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    I followed Nash in college and he's a good model for Pritchard to follow.
    Both very crafty with the ball and can make up for lack of speed with ability find seams and they both could get their shot off whenever.
    If he improves his D a notch he amy go second round?
     
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  10. Hoopguru

    Hoopguru Well-Known Member

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    I was spending a lot of time in Milwaukee when Wes Matthews was playing at Marquette and there were many arguments about if he could be an NBA player, many believed he wasn't quick enough and a bad handle. When he wasn't drafted there were allot of ha, ha, told you so's flying around. I loved it when he established himself as a player in Utah and proved many wrong, and really enjoyed it when he became Blazer and I was able to pick my spots and rub in to the naysayers. A bunch also thought DWade would be a bust too.
     
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  11. TorturedBlazerFan

    TorturedBlazerFan Well-Known Member

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    Talking about Wes Matthews is one way to make my day gooooood.
     
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  12. Hoopguru

    Hoopguru Well-Known Member

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    I love pulling for underdogs with heart, resilience and a super work ethic, that IS Wes Matthews! Hopefully Payton Pritchard can do the same, besides, his first and last name are those of a couple of decent guards that played the game.
     
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  13. JDC

    JDC Well-Known Member

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    Josh Green is a pretty bad finisher in the half court. Probably his biggest weakness right now besides his lack of on ball / self creation skill.

    - Makes poor decisions as far as what type of finish to use based on situation. Often opts for floater when he can get all the way to the rim and vice versa.
    - Small hands. Struggles with ball control because of it. Doesn't seem comfortable extending and finishing with one hand. A lot of awkward two handed finishes.
    - Loses composure / sight of rim when in traffic with contact. Leads to wild, out of control finishing attempts.
    - Not a great leaper in traffic.
    - Little use of the left hand.

    Has some floater touch which helps, but will need to also learn to be more crafty around the rim.

    Some other noted weaknesses I've seen the more I've watched...

    Poor navigation on ball screens. Footwork looks clunky and often does a poor job getting into ball handler and getting skinny. Often runs right into screen. Hard to say how much of this is poor communication by his bigs to help him prepare for the screen.

    Too many bad routes on off ball screens. Likes to cheat and shoot the gap.

    Off ball D could be better. Fairly aware making rotations and plays passing lanes, but head not always on a swivel.
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
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  14. JDC

    JDC Well-Known Member

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    Josh Green's offensive synergy page for those that are unfamiliar with his game (pulled from Spencer Pearlman's scouting report on The Stepien)

    Stats definitely match the eye test. Projects as a likely lower usage spot up / closeout attack / transition finisher on offense with good physical profile to be versatile on the ball and a playmaker off of it on defense.

    upload_2020-4-1_23-15-38.png
     
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  15. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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  16. JDC

    JDC Well-Known Member

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    I watch these guys too much...

    I've gone from being not sure about Josh Green pre-college, to not liking him, to buying parts of his game and then back to thinking he may not even be rotation level...
     
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  17. JDC

    JDC Well-Known Member

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    He's starting to get a good amount of buzz.

    I understand it too. Has some on-ball equity and isn't bad defensively (strength will be an issue though)

    Will depend on what level pull-up/spot up shooter he can become and if he can reign in the decision making a little.
     
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  18. TorturedBlazerFan

    TorturedBlazerFan Well-Known Member

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    This is what quarantine does to people.
     
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  19. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    My thinking is: the top Spanish teams (Real Madrid and Barca especially) do NOT play young guys unless they can really play. And (while they haven't given him many minutes) they've played him with their stars (like genuine NBA player Mirotic) ... at POINT GUARD. That's a very good sign.
     
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  20. JDC

    JDC Well-Known Member

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    Tyrese Maxey and Nico Mannion are two "eye test is better than the stats" guys for me.

    Maxey is safer due to his size and defense, but if Nico can develop into a high level pull up shooter he might have the higher upside.

    Favorite players (not the best) in this draft so far in no particular order...

    Vassell
    Maxey
    Okoro
    Mannion
    Bolmaro
    Tillman
    Tillie
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2020
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