Poll o' the day: Drafting a position

Always draft the best player available. We passed on Chris Paul because we had a PG in Sebastian Telfair. Not to mention Bowie over Jordan.

But if all else is equal, SF is the biggest long term position of need. I would address positions in trades or free agency though. Drafted players shouldn't contribute right away.

 

I think PF is actually our biggest long term need. Collins will eventually be a full time center at some point. And we already have Little as our young prospect at the SF spot. And if Little was in this draft he would have the highest upside out of any wings and be a top 5 pick. So with that being said who do we have at PF spot, the answer is no one

 

I said PF as well for this reason. However, the more I think about it, PF is a vanishing position. I think of the paradigmatic PF as Karl Malone. After him came players like Chris "Power Forward for the 90s" Webber, then people like Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett and LaMarcus. (I don't count Tim Duncan because really he played center mostly - you're not telling me Matt Bonner was their C.) But LaMarcus is now pretty much forced to play C, as is Zach Collins, who would've been a classic PF back in the day. Now who is there? Blake Griffin? I guess. But who else? It's mostly players who would've been SFs back in the day, but don't have SF skills - like Aminu or Draymond Green. (Jerome Kersey would probably be a PF in today's game.) We've got Carmelo there because he's too slow for SF, but he's been SF all his career. Philly tried to play the closest player to Tim Duncan around today, Al Horford, at PF next to Embiid and it just didn't work, so much so that they're starting Shake Milton over him now. Am I missing something here or is it just two guards, two wings and a big these days?

 

Your writing in two young unproven players as long term starters?

Neither has been a proven bench rotational player.

I like them as prospects. But I'm not passing on a small forward, the scarciest position in the Association, because of them.

Again this is why you draft the best talent.

If somehow we draft an elite SF and Little becomes elite I'd love to have that problem. One could likely get minutes at SG or PF. Two there is a bench role.

We've had many young players in Portland that were though to be destined to major roles and it never happened. Jared Bayless is an example. Once we have too much depth of proven elite players at a position.... then I'll worry about how we fix it.

 

A big wing would be great, but don't love any of them.

Patrick Williams is young, but really struggled vs good competition and has big issues moving on the perimeter.

Saddiq is fine. Doesn't play as big or as physically as his frame suggests though (I expect his standing reach to be abnormally short for his height and length) and can't do much with the ball. Versatile defender in college but worry he becomes a man without a country in the NBA. Team defense is meh, but could be partly due to Villanova's scheme (very conservative off the ball).

Tyler Bey and Precious Achiuwa aren't nearly skilled enough to play 3.

After that you got guys like Robert Woodard, who doesn't stand out in any one area and wasn't that good in college.

Jordan Nwora doesn't defend and isn't much of a ball handler or passer. Has a bankable skill, but likely settles into being a bench spread 4 if he sticks.

 

Okay I see where you’re coming from. I guess I should’ve clarify myself a little better. I think our PF spot is our weakest spot long term, there’s no prospect at that spot now. But I also agree that this draft is actually somewhat deep on SF spot and short on talent at the PF spot. So with that being said I could agree with you on that we need to draft the best player which very could be a SF which I wouldn’t mind to create a competition between Little and this SF prospect. So that could be good. But the PF would still be our weakest spot which we don’t have to answer this draft. We can wait till 2021 draft where there’s way more talent to get a PF. Does that make sense?