My bad FAMS..... I assumed if they were in the draft thread it was about nothing BUT next season. I'll stay in my lane.
is Ashton better then Scoot overall, no. Better complimentary player next to Simons... that's debatable. Just going by what i saw on the court. Not advanced win shares or other applicable metrics
At best? Do you not know how the lottery works? You might want to go read up on that before commenting on the lottery. You want me to tell you who we should take with those picks without knowing what other teams would do? There are more than a dozen different ways this can go. You don't draft for next season. I'm pretty sure no team is.
So you obviously know how it works…..thus you’re getting your hopes up for 2 of the best players available?
Been watching here and there. Some of these players haven't performed as well but here are my thoughts. - This isn't a draft for a primary option/NBA superstar. This is a draft for a Khris Middleton, a Paul Millsap, a Jerami Grant...with the hope that you get a Demar Derozan or LaMarcus Aldridge tier player. There should still be 4-6 All Stars and a few borderline All Stars which makes it better than a 2000 or 2013 Draft. - Cody Williams is dealing with a very recent ankle injury, which obviously limits him. Not exactly easy playing on a recently sprained ankle so I think it's smarter to evaluate him prior to his late February self, when he was doing quite well and dominated Oregon (whereas, he slipped up against Oregon recently). - Reed Sheppard didn't play as well as he could. Unless Portland wants to flip Scoot or Simons for a top pick or player, the Blazers don't need a PG but I feel Sheppard could be a similar player to Mike Bibby with shades of CP3 in that, he can get passes and make steals while hitting 17-20ppg. - DJ Wagner should return to college. He doesn't look NBA ready. Maybe having a bigger role next year as the main PG could make his stock jump ala Morant or Ivey. Maybe he doesn't have confidence in himself but I think he should rest up his ankle and heal up for next season and try to become a Top 5 pick, which he did show flashes of at the beginning of the season prior to the injury. - Zach Edey should be on everyone's watch list. Check him out. In the NBA, he'll probably be limited due to lack of mobility but on the right team, he will flourish. By the right team, I mean a team with two guards that can open the floor up for him and get him the ball while having wing defenders to make up for his limited mobility.....which his mobility isn't that limited like some people say. On the Rockets, Spurs, Sixers, Nuggets, and the Blazers.....he'll thrive. I really think he's a lottery pick and many are beginning to warm up on that idea of him going #12-20. I will note this about Edey: He broke the college PER record twice. Every player who plays in a major Div I program (meaning that he has to compete for ball usage and against tough competition) that has had his level of efficiency have turned out well in the NBA. The Top 5 are Freshman Zion, Keegan Murray (the two closest to Edey's PER), John Collins, Brandon Clarke, and Kelly Olynyk. The first two, which Edey is closest to, are young stars. Collins is a good starter. Clarke and Olynyk have been Sixth Men of the Year contenders. So I don't think he'll bust. I just can't predict whether he'll be a Yao Ming or an Enes Kanter. If the Blazers want to replace Robert Williams III, Edey is it - Stephon Castle is a good player and I expect him to be a Joe Johnson/Demar Derozan hybrid with similar levels of talent. He had an earlier injury, too, that slowed him down. That said, I don't see Brandon Roy or D-Wade like some others have stated (that belongs moreso to Sharpe and Edwards).
I’m not understanding why this being a bad draft means so much. There’s good players in every draft. Do your homework and make a good pick. What other option do we have?
It only means something to the person who wants to denigrate others for being interested in the draft.
Portland lost while Memphis won, so in the race for lottery balls Portland has a 4 game lead on Toronto and a 4.5 game lead on Memphis meanwhile, the Blazers only trail Charlotte by 1.5 games and the two teams play, in Charlotte on April 3. But other than Portland, Charlotte has a killer ending schedule filled with playoff teams. So the odds of Portland catching them seem small. Those two OT wins against Memphis and Toronto are dragging the Blazers down...I mean up...wrong direction?
So curious, are the two Oregon guys getting any draft buzz? I haven't seen anything about Dante or Cousinard? I would think Dante would be looked at as a flyer in the second by someone?
The post was who of the 3 is rated higher in the draft. So if I were an NBA evaluator I can see how they would rate the 19-year-old Evans as having a longer NBA career than the 25-year-old Cousinard or the 22-year-old Dante who has questionable knees. Evans has the body and the athleticism. But like most freshman forwards, he needs a jump shot. He is not ready now but yeah bet he will be the best of the 3.....in the NBA IMO. Hopefully, Dante's knees check out ok. I am pulling for that guy
Edey playing on CBS right now. Cream Abdul-Jabbar playing in the NIT on ESPN. Some people get so caught up in Edey's size and the lack of agility that will hurt him on the defensive end that they miss just how much space he creates for others on the offensive end because his screens are a $20 cab ride to get around and he's a phenomenal passer. Avila, though, is the best passing big in college hoops this year, and ranks among the best I've ever seen. I think he's a Walton/Sabonis-level distributor. His game with the 3-point shot and the wraparound shot fake and drive is so much like a mini-Jokic it's scary. He's fun to watch play, especially with Indiana State and the way those guys move without the ball.
