Exclusive Official 2020 Draft Thread

I’m fine with BPA as long as it means ready to play not could be good

 

Elijah Hughes Scouting Report (6-7 Full Games watched)

O-Role: Versatile 19-22% usage scorer, talented enough to be used in multiple play-types
D-Role: ⅔ Defender that likely doesn’t add + value on or off the ball. Enough tools and IQ to not be a stark negative. Strength to switch on 4’s
Upside Comp: Tim Hardaway Jr. w/ better strength and defensive playmaking

Strengths
+ Versatile Scorer / Developed Scoring Feel: Pull-up and stepback footwork going L or R, able to create and make tough shots, can post-up smaller players, doesn’t attack the rim often, but can finish when he gets there (good 1 and 2 legged jumper). Talented enough to potentially see pnr reps in the NBA. Decent vision w/pull-up game and finishing tools. Plays with a nice bounce and shake to his game. Uses it effectively to create space. Takes and makes deep NBA range 3’s, some even off the dribble.
+ Size: 6’6” with a strong 215lbs frame. No official wingspan measurement but eye test has me thinking +2” or +3”. Especially strong through his lower body. Big butt. Moves fluidly and powerfully.
+ Off-ball play: Knows who to relocate, shows feel and footwork getting open, reads screens well
+ Shot blocking: Uniquely good shotblocker for a wing. Part of that is playing in the Syracuse zone as he’s tasked to sink down when he’s guarding the weakside, but instincts / timing / leaping ability when crashing down are still impressive. Also showed the ability to cover ground and block jumpers on closeouts when the ball is swung back to the strong side.

Weaknesses
- Lacks an Elite Skill: Jack of all trades type of player. Could potentially fall into the grey area of not being good enough on or off the ball to be valuable offensively. Skills likely don’t scale well into a lower usage role on good teams. Not a standout passer, defender or a deadeye off ball shooter.
- Shot selection / Offensive Mentality: Too often settles for tough shots. Has the tendency to catch and hold. Doesn’t attack the rim enough when he has the tools to do so. Think this is largely due to not being completely comfortable dribbling downhill. Mishandles are somewhat prevalent in those situations.
- Inconsistent Defensive Motor: Energy level and awareness can be uneven. Doesn’t always rotate within the 2-3 zone with urgency. Hard to evaluate man to man potential. Not many situations to evaluate lateral quickness, tracking off the ball. Defensive principles are obviously wildly different.

 

You have put together a bunch of these scouting reports & it appears that you know your stuff....

What does your 'big board's look like? Is Vassell still a top prospect for you? What about Haliburton?

 

Don't have a big board. I'll probably tier guys at some point though.

Vassell is solidly in the 7-10 range if I had to guess.

Haliburton is a tier lower. I don't think he's an on-ball player in the half court. Just don't trust the handle and overall dynamism with the ball. Also think he's an off the ball player defensively. And at his size I start to struggle projecting him as a starter. Very context dependent. Could eventually become a high level rotation guy on a really good team, but with where he's projected to go, I worry that he won't find the fit for his skills until his 2nd contract.

 

So, who is this year's Tyler Herro? I want him.

 

The closest thing is Nesmith. But Trent is pretty close to Herro. Just as good of a shooter, but not as good as a scorer though. However Trent play better defense making him an ideal fit next to Dame and CJ. Herro is something special

 

Wait, Gary is an ideal fit next to Dame or CJ but not next to Dame and CJ. That would still leave us with two ball dominant guards who can't guard wing players and aren't that great at guarding guys their own size. I love the idea of a Gary/Dame back court but SG is where Gary should play not SF.

Edit: If we are going for another perimeter player I would like one that isn't redundant to anyone else we have on the roster so I'd go for Saddiq Bey.

 

My concern about Nesmith is that his reputation is based on small sample size. There is also the concern about foot injuries turning into long term problems. I disagree that his skills are redundant - given the severity of Hood's injury and the fact he is an expiring deal.

That said, I would take Bey in a heartbeat if he falls to 16. Same with Vassell. I'm not holding my breath for either.

 

Sorry I should’ve clarify myself. Yes Trent is an ideal fit next to Dame or CJ when he’s playing point guard. You’re right about Trent need to play the majority of his minutes at SG. I also would love to have Bey. Rather have him more than Nesmith. Bey strike me as a player that can do everything that we need at SF. 3 point shooting. Check. Defense. Check. Size. Check. And he come in already polished and not a project much like our 1st rounders have been lately.

 

I like Bey a lot and think he’d be the BPA if he fell to #16. From what I’ve seen though, he looks slow, I’m not sure he could be a full time SF. But he seems like a better shooting/less athletic version of covington. If his strength can make up for his lack of athleticism though, I’d love him to be our 3 or stretch 4. I’ve been wanting someone like Covington on the Blazers for about two years, so if we got Bey and he could grow into that kind of player I’d be ecstatic.

 

Vassell is going to struggle to hit 3s at the NBA level. His shot mechanics dont translate well to a deeper arc. Defensively, he's frail and doesnt have the tools to be a lockdown on-ball defender. I dont think he's a lottery talent, to be honest.

 

Friendly reminder that both Kawhi and Giannis were draft 15th. Plenty of talent has been drafted in our range.

 

I’m firmly on the Nesmith train.

Trade up if needed!

 

My choice is Williams but way mocks are going he will probably be gone. Now Bey I am not sold on him from the defense side. But it comes down to pick the best available player or trade it.

 

In the worst draft in living memory, #16 was Hedo Turkoglu...

 

SMH. Best player in that draft was #43!

 

Until his knees gave out.

 

Watching Jerami Grant, I think Patrick Williams could easily become that type of contributor. Williams' athleticism, though, makes his ceiling so much higher; he could turn into a great two-way player. Seems unlikely he'd fall to 16, but the mocks have those guys between like 9-22 slotted all over the place.

 

If we had the #1 pick, whom would you hope we picked? I'm torn. I don't like Edwards (sounds very Dion Waiters-ish) and James Wiseman has a lot of red flags. Meanwhile, I'm not as down on Lamelo as most people seem to be, but he is very inefficient (and doesn't seem to share his brother's fondness for defense). And after that, it's kind of a crapshoot. I guess I'd go for Onyeka Okongwu (which is a risk for any GM, in case Wiseman is obviously better) or possibly Avdija (even though I don't think he'll be remotely as good as Luka).