Okay, now I'm going to group players who are likely/possibly available at our pick this year according to the categories I used before, along with the reasons they might be available so low in the first round) Big name college player, deemed too slow or too small: Tyus Jones, PG, 6'2" (step slow, bit scrawny) Kevon Looney, PF, 6'9" (very raw, poor "feel for the game"?) Rondae Hollis-Jefferson , SF, 6'7" (no "O") Jerian Grant, PG, 6'5" (can he shoot? An oldish senior) Delon Wright, PG, 6'6" (ditto, only more so) Montrezl Harrell, PF, 6'8" (actually shorter, no O, poor "feel"?) Andrew Harrison, PG, 6'6" (the dreaded big PG) Norman Powell, SG, 6'4" (undersized and still raw as a senior, but super athletic and a great defender. Tony Allen type?) J.P. Tokoto, SG, 6'6" (a shooting guard who can't shoot? anemic stats but super athlete) Misc. American college players: Justin Anderson, SF, 6'6" (a bit short?) Virginia Christian Wood, PF, 6'11" UNLV Rashad Vaughn, SG, 6'5" (total gunner? small?) UNLV Jarell Martin, PF, 6'9" LSU Jordan Mickey PF/C, 6'8" (very undersized, but with humungous arms - blocks everything) LSU Rakeem Christmas, PF/C, 6'10" (old senior, late bloomer?) Syracuse (always a red flag) Jonathan Holmes, SF/PF, 6'9" (classic tweener) Texas Former blue-chippers who slid because of character concerns: Robert Upshaw, C, 7' with massive wingspan (incorrigible stoner?) Small school heroes: R.J. Hunter, SG, 6'6" (slow and scrawny?) Georgia State Richaun Holmes, PF, 6'10" (narrow shoulders, but PER of over 30) Bowling Green International: Alexsandar Vesenkov, SF/PF, 6'8" (too small, too slow? Star as a teenager in Greek league) Nikola Milutinov, C, 7' (skinny, not much O, but good on D, plays in Adriatic League) Mouhammadou Jaiteh, C, 6'11" (a bit slow and heavy-footed but big and strong) Moussa Diagne, C, 6'10 (playing sparingly in Spain - the next Biyombo? late starter but super athletic with massive wingspan) George Lucas de Paula, PG, 6'6" (dreaded big PG. can he shoot? YOUNG, but weak league [Brazil]) Timothe Luwawu, SG/SF, 6'7" (skinny, plays in France second division. Has been compared with Giannis because of size, skills but also weak competition) Guillermo "Willy" Hernangomez, C, 6'11 (playing pretty well in ACB, but a bit lumbering) Luka Mitrovic, PF, 6'9" (helped Red Star Belgrade win the championship in their league) Nedim Buza, SF, 6'8" (you got me) Alpha Kaba, PF/C, 6'10" (skinny, young and raw. Playing in France) Cedi Osman, SF, 6'8" (average stats but on one of the best teams in Europe Andalou Efes with a legendary coach, and only just 20. Also was MVP of Euro U-20 championship. The Turkish Brent Barry (TM)) Danilo Fuzaro, PG/SG, 6'4" (weak league, may be a tweener, already 21) Arturas Gudaitis, C, 6'10" (playing for top Lithuanian team Zalgiris - the one Ty Lawson stunk for, so has faced Euroleague competition) I'm including more internationals just because NOBODY knows where they'll get drafted and there's always one taken whom nobody expects. Plus it's really hard to compare stats, particularly for young players who tend not to get played in Europe.
If I had to guess, I think Olshey will go international just to keep the salary cap as open as possible. Unless the cap hold is the same even if they're playing abroad? I would be very surprised if we tried to fill a positional need with the 23rd pick. You can do that high in the draft, but at 23 you take a flyer on talent.
All right, my latest crush is Timothe Luwawu. All it took was the Antetokounmpo comparison (or Bruno Caboclo): The French League tends to have the best athletes in Europe, FWIW. If you want to jump on the bandwagon with me, this is the (surprisingly professional) YouTube channel of his team, the Antibes Sharks. I DEMAND a George Lucas de Paula vs. Timoth Luwawu (-Cabarrot) workout!
It makes sense that he goes international for salary cap purposes UNLESS he feels good about the pick. If he can fill a position of need I think he does it. I do disagree with your description above on Delon Wright though: PG, 6'6" (can he shoot? An oldish senior) He can shoot just fine. When he needed to take over he usually did.
I think Olshey is going to draft a player who can come in a contribute right away. I also think we could see him deal Crabbe+cash for a second rounder and pick up a euro stash player.
I really hope we don't turn a player we traded two second round picks for into...one second round pick.
I have to disagree. I think he'll draft on potential. Think about it: if a player is ready to contribute then why would they be available at #23? Maybe the player he takes WILL be able to contribute (perhaps because a good player drops because of other teams swinging for potential), but I don't think that will be the plan. Also remember: our coach is Stotts. He'll play Steve Blake 20 minutes rather than play, say, Tim Frazier 1 minute.
Okay (but DraftExpress disagrees with you - see below). Maybe it's fairer to say shooting is not a great strength. I worry with Wright that he'll need to have the ball in his hands to be effective. We already have CJ being a bit ball-dominant. You need more Jason Kidd and less Michael Carter-Williams.
Lots of players ready to contribute from 16-40+ every draft, the only reason they don't get drafted high is age, size, etc. I don't think Olshey gives a shit about that stuff, look who he has drafted. Mostly players who played at least 2 years of college ball. You may be right about Stotts though, which is unfortunate.
Crabbe is the only player I could think of(Maybe kaman?), I like his skillset and all but Stotts rarely plays him.
Crabbe is a good person to keep in mind. He came out as a junior having just been voted Pac-12 player of the year. He had great size for a shooting guard and played solid defense. He's been gradually improving his minutes and game and even filled in as a starter for a while, with not catastrophical results. He knows Stotts' system. Any wing player we take will likely be behind him in the rotation. So don't get too excited! (Or if you like: think of CJ. An absolute stud in college, a lottery pick, one of the older rookies, probably voted one of the players "most ready to contribute" -- but got limited minutes his rookie year. I think most good teams are like that. Bring players on slowly. I bet the Spurs are absolutely pretty high on Kyle Anderson, but they're not giving him minutes.)
If they're available, I think the best value picks would be: - Delon Wright (Perhaps too old with a suspect shot. Andre Miller comparisons) - Tyus Jones (Too small? Ty Lawson comparisons) - Jerian Grant (Another one that is considered too old with limited upside. Perhaps a Jason Terry comparisons.) Some individuals with potential character issues that might pan out: - Robert Upshaw (He can block, but can he do much more? Comparisons range from Jarvis Varnado to Scot Pollard. Can he be more?) - Cliff Alexander (Is he the next "Thomas Robinson"? Can he overcome his perceived low BBIQ?) Some wings that may be available: - Justin Anderson (His stats might not represent the complete picture this past year: he missed 8 games in 2014-15 plus 2 games with limited minutes due to a broken finger and an emergency appendectomy. He measured at a 43" vertical. Is he one dimensional or can he be more?) - Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (defense is there but no offense. PJ Tucker comparisons.) There's a gem out there in the late first round and/or second round...
Exactly! And I really think he is more Jason Kidd than MCW in terms of defense, as well as not needing to dominate the ball on offense. He has the handles to bring it up against pressure, set up the offense, get into the lane, and make the pass. And he can hit the open outside shot well enough to keep the defense honest while CJ and Dame do their thing. I am not big on stats, but his shooting numbers were pretty good. Is he a great finisher? Apparently not. However I did not notice it to be honest.
