Merged: The Draft Thread For Stuff About The Draft Including Thoughts About The Draft

How many players are going to be "off the board by #15"? Yeah, I know the answer should be 14 but according to all reports, it's probably closer to 30. Across several different sources I've seen claims that Kennard will be gone by #15, Mitchell will for sure be gone, Giles will be long gone, Anunoby will have been taken, Justin Jackson will not be available, Zach Collins will be picked before 10... Seriously, everybody's going to be off by 15. We should pack it in.

But seriously, DraftExpress have us taking OG Anunoby at #15 (before Jackson), Harry Giles at #20 (before Leaf) and Pasecniks at #26... I think I like it. Maybe get another power forward prospect in second round if we can buy in there with Davis/Aminu, future pick or cash (Bell or Adebayo?).

 

NEW Bolden analysis

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/jonah-bolden-nba-draft-scouting-report-and-video-analysis-6004/

 

As they say: "It's difficult to find players with his size and length who can make shots from beyond the arc, handle the ball and also demonstrate potential defensively on the perimeter."
But: "With that said, Bolden's mentality doesn't always match the potential he demonstrates in flashes. He tends to get pushed around mercilessly by stronger players at the power forward position, and especially at center where he sees minutes as well. He gets buried under the rim frequently and moved around in the post with ease. He has a thin frame that may struggle to put on a great deal of bulk, and he doesn't show the level of physicality and intensity you might hope to compensate for his lack of strength. Bolden's focus tends to waver from possession to possession and it's not rare to see him lose his man off the ball. He plays very upright at times and doesn't always bother getting in a defensive stance, allowing himself to get buried under the rim without resistance. This shows up most vividly on the defensive glass, where he rarely boxes out, is often flat-footed as the ball comes off the rim, and tends to get moved around by stronger players without fighting back. He was very foul prone this season at 4.3 fouls per-40 minutes, after averaging 3.7 per-40 at UCLA."

 

Any of those mocks having us taking Rodions Kurucs can fix that; he has withdrawn.

 

Could Juwan Evans be a real steal in this point guard heavy draft?
“I’ve been saying that for years. I think he’s got defensive upside like Patrick Beverley and offensively he’s got a lot of similarities with Chris Paul. Once Jawun actually gets guys around him that are your prototypical size in terms of bigs, wings, and specialists in their field, that’s only going to make him a better player at the next level.”

"Evans is listed just below six feet but uses his 6’5 ½ wingspan to clog the passing lanes and reach around opposing ball handlers to poke the ball away. It’s the longest wingspan measurement for any drafted player below six feet in DraftExpress’ system."
http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-drafts-most-underrated-point-guard-jawun-evans/

 

From RealGM, Wolves board:

http://www.1500espn.com/the-scoop-2/2017/06/wild-vp-brent-flahr-key-gophers-football-recruit-ep-78/

Now hear rumors of us and NYK at 8. Us and Minnesota at 7.

 

I can't see us trading up unless we can get Isaac. The others don't fit well. Unless they want to make sure and get zcollins or someone else.

 

Guys I'd trade up to 7/8 for

Isaac
Zach Collins
Monk

 

Give me Terrance Ferguson or give me death.

The talk now adays is about how he isn't ready, I disagree. I see a perfect fit - a coach who will get the most out of him, and players who will put him in the ideal situation to succeed. You already know how high I think this kids ceiling is. Even if he never hits that he'd still be my pick. Elite scorer with the length and athleticism to be a top tier 3 and D player, with an average midrange game as well.

Great chemistry fit. Humble hard worker who took a gamble oversees to get experience different from college players. I think he's ready to be part of the rotation, hopefully who ever drafts him believes so as well. Would be a shame for his development to be stunted sitting on the bench.

 

If he turned out to be a JR Smith/KCP type he'd be a golden pick.

 

I still don't think anyone at 7/8 is going to be that much more talented than 15.

 

Draft Express has made one change; Pasecniks has moved up a few spots so they now have Portland taking Ojeleye at 26 instead of Pasecniks.

 

He'll be one of the top steals IMO.

 

I don't know much about him but I think the "isn't ready" argument is a little weak. How many of these players are ready? None of the freshmen who dominate the lottery. It is all based on projections on how a player will be in 2-3 years. So if Ferguson projects to be a very good 2 way player in a couple years......I would be open to taking him with one of our picks.

On a another note I see nbadraft.net has Anunoby projected to go in the 2nd round? Where Draft Express has us taking him at 15.....

 

NBA draft.net historically isn't terribly accurate while DE is pretty reliable

 

Yeah, I only like Nba draft net for their player comparisons, which aren't always very good either.

 

Nbadraft.net seems to do their mock draft based more largely on their "scouts" big board rather than than intel they gather from around the league which is why I think you see a pretty large slotting devide on certain prospects.

Basically, DX is much more about getting their mock draft to mirror what they think will actually than nbadraft.net is.

Not saying which is better or worse, but just pointing out the differences in philosophy.

 

The main reason I've used NBA Draft.net is the page layout is pretty user friendly. Their player summaries are also very well done. I just don't want to watch a ton of Youtube video with a bunch of slow visuals. Since I usually wait till a couple of weeks before the draft before gorging on info, that site works well.