Event 2018 NBA Draft

Mikal Bridges and Chandler Hutchison are my two favorites right now.

Down on Troy Brown (I think he's returning), Bruce Brown and Hamiduo Diallo.

 

Chandler Hutchison...? Favorite for a two-way contract as as undrafted rookie?

 

He's very good. You're severely under rating him. I'd take him with an early second pick. He's one that will play in the league for a long time... not necessarily a star, but a good role player.

 

This is going to be another really good draft class with late first and second round having gems going later than they should. Do not give away a pick.

 

Me liking him is more about the complete lack of quality wings in this class. He's also not a guy I've honestly watched a lot of either minus highlights. I think I watched one full game of his last year and didn't come away impressed but his jumper looks better this year and has had a couple big games lately.

He looked awful in the first half vs Utah State though. And still most likely isn't at an nba rotation player level on either end w/o improvement, which for a senior is a bad sign.

 

I agree. I like this draft class.

 

Maybe he'll have a career as a 9th man. Sounds like another Harkless-level player at best.

 

To put it out there, I think the depth of this draft is far worse than last year. More star level talent among the top 5 guys but I don't see a franchise changer.

I'm not sold on Bagley or Ayton offensively as high usage bigs and both have pretty ugly defensive projections. These guys aren't AD, Cousins, Towns, Embiid level prospects. Plenty enough natural talent to be all star level players, but I don't think that's a safe bet and are ultimately tough to build winning teams around.

Trae Young and Luka Doncic look like they have a chance to be primary offensive weapons, but both have legitimate physical tools concerns.

Porter Jr is the wild card with the back injury and no college tape. The HS and world stuff I've seen of him though has left me unimpressed. I get the size, shooting and athleticism combination, but he's always seemed stiff and awkward to me in some ways and a little lacking in the IQ department. Doesn't have many advanced scoring moves either.

Jaren Jackson Jr and Mikal Bridges are the two good bets to be pieces on contender type teams as elite defensive players and efficient support pieces offensively. If Boston ends up in the Top 3 again, I would not be surprised to see them trade down with a team looking for a potential primary offensive weapon and taking Jackson Jr. and picking up another future lottery pick. He'd be a great fit there.

Bamba could belong in this group too, but I'm still not sure if he'll ever be good enough offensively or versatile enough defensively to be a 30+ minute a game type player on a team with contender aspirations. He's also the one top guy I've seen the least of so far though.

Wendell Carter Jr. is pretty underrated. He might have the most balanced skill set of all the bigs, but he probably doesn't have the skill level or tools to be elite on either end. Think Derrick Favors with more shooting.

I'm lowish on Miles Bridges and Colin Sexton. Sexton seems destined for the Suns and I'm just not sure what to do with Bridges. He probably has enough athleticism, strength, shooting and playmaking to be a useful two-way combo forward and honestly may be the best fit for us if we found ourselves in the lottery, followed by Mikal Bridges. Good fit as a connecting piece between Collins and Nurkic.

 

I think Bagleys going to be good defensive and there's no reason Ayton couldnt be. You forgot to mention Bamba. Usually scouting reports have positives too..

 

D69 and I haven't started our Draft breakdown yet so I haven't seen enough of JJ to have much of an opinion. We are both big fans of wingspan because it can help cover deficiencies and create openings. Will get back to him later in the year.

D69 and I were both big fans of OG and without his injury and a chance to play more in college, we think he would have been a #13-18 pick. He is doing quite nicely in his rookie year. This has surprised me....even though it is limited attempts, he is shooting .445 from the field and .362 from '3'. Way out of context but for perspective, that is better than Dame is shooting this year. He is also doing a good job for a rookie of playing defense but not fouling.

 

2018 NBA Draft: Chandler Hutchison is a first round sleeper

As conference play is fully underway in college basketball, several first round sleepers like Chandler Hutchison are starting to emerge in unlikely places.
Conference play in college basketball can get a bit overrated in terms of how valuable the performances are by NBA prospects. However, we do sometimes get matchups between players with NBA potential. In general, though, it sees top players face their toughest competition of the year.

Players that thrive during conference play and through the end of the season can see their draft stock soar. For Boise State’s Chandler Hutchison, he was already trending in the right direction.

A career night
The senior wing was playing great ball, but then had his game of the season in a conference game against an athletic San Diego State team.

Against the Aztecs, Hutchison went off for 44 points on just 21 shot attempts. The Boise State senior hit seven 3s and seven free throws en route to a career night. Not only was it an amazing night for the senior, but it was actually the most points scored in Boise State’s history. In addition to his scoring explosion, Hutchison grabbed eight rebounds and had one assist.



After his monster night, Hutchison sits nicely on the season, averaging 19.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. In addition to those great numbers, he’s hitting a career-high 42.4 percent from 3, a career high from the charity stripe and is assisting on nearly one-fourth of his team’s field goals when he’s on the floor.

If Hutchison continues to rebound and pass well, he becomes more appealing as a prospect. How quickly he can pick up defensive schemes and concepts will be critical to being a rotation player early on in his career.

Not a lot of first round depth
For this upcoming draft class, there’s a lot of excitement about the top 8-10 players. After that, things get a lot more uncertain. Hutchison doesn’t possess the same upside as younger wings like Lonnie Walker. However, for a team picking in the back third of the first round, Hutchison’s 3-and-D potential is worth taking a flier on.

TheThe 3-and-D wing is arguably the toughest position to find in the NBA and one that is highly valued. Rather than investing in project big men who are extremely risky, more teams should look for wings like Hutchison.

Sure he may be 22 and closer to 23 by the time his career starts, but he’s a useful player. One of the pros of drafting a senior is they may be more likely to contribute sooner than freshmen. For a lot of teams picking in the mid-to-late 20s, they’re looking to make playoff runs in 2019. Those teams could use someone who can contribute sooner rather than later.

This is especially true if a team doesn’t have a loaded bench when it comes to shooting guard and small forward. Sometimes swinging for the fences isn’t always the best option. Nearly every team in the NBA could use another long, athletic shooter on the wing.

With still months to go until the draft, Hutchison has clearly emerged as someone worth following. Yet, even if he goes in the second round, we may look back on him as someone who should have gone in the first. He’s putting his name in the conversation for sure.

 

Bamba is a monster defensively with a freakish 7'9 wingspan. He's likely the best defensive center in the 2018 NBA draft.

 

Yeah I've noticed PA and NO haven't been sitting in their normal courtside seats that much this season. Been wondering if NO was on the road looking at late round picks.

 

Bamba is a dope name too

 

I've watched A LOT of college ball this season and the guy I'm starting to focus on is SAGABA KONATE:

 

De'Andre Hunter from Virginia is a kid to keep tabs on. 20 year old redshirt frehman wing with a standout physical profile (6'7", 7'2" wingspan, 222lbs) and some intriguing offensive skills.

Think OG Anunoby with less explosion but more skilled offensively.

 

Bagley plays pretty hard but the instincts aren't there. Length and frame will limit him too.

Ayton has much better tools (Not an amazing reach though) but isn't physical or instinctive and just an offensively minded player overall.

Bamba will definitely be a rim protector but I think there are lower body strength concerns with him. He definitely has big time upside on that end though.

 

Here's a video I put together of De'Andre Hunter vs Duke today.

 

Wish I'd watched the game earlier. I've seen mostly West Coast BB this season. Duke getting all those top players is friggin' insane.