Murray seemed to be the easy pick for this forum at #6, so it's time to move on. But there doesn't really seem to be a consensus favorite for this spot. Is this where we finally see the wide divergence in opinion over who's the next most desirable prospect? 1. Jabari Smith 2. Paolo Banchero 3. Chet Holmgren 4. Jaden Ivey 5. Shaedon Sharpe 6. Keegan Murray 7. ???
The way Eason dribbles reminds me of Kawhi. Dude pounds the crap out of the ball and puts a dent into the floor, and there's no wasted motion. His handle obviously is nowhere close to Kawhi's but I suppose Leonard's wasn't either when he dropped to 15th in his draft. It's really difficult to project the kinda improvement we saw from Kawhi AFTER he came to the league. I love Johnny Davis but think I'm gonna go with Eason here. Even if he never develops a strong offensive game, I think he brings the athleticism/defensive energy from the wing that I have been desperately in search of in these drafts. Might take a few years, but I think he can be a longstanding starter in the league and an elite role player.
I picked Eason, I don't know if he can be the PF that we need immediately because he's still pretty light but he does get blocks, steals, is starting to really hit the three. I think he fits needs we have of length, athleticism, shooting and fundamentals. So he's who I put here. We may be able to get him at 11 if we have it but for this big board, he's who I'm going with. I'm not sure Mathurin and Duren are better by enough to ignore the needs they don't fill that Eason does but they are both really good and would be hard to overlook.
I like Eason, but #7 seems a bit of a reach. Griffin may have one of the highest ceilings in the Draft, so will go with him and his 7' wingspan and NBA ready build.
Eason's elite in a lot of ways. He compares very favorably with Kawhi, Buttler, Anunoby in advanced metrics. https://tankathon.com/players/compa...ler--kawhi-leonard--o-g-anunoby--josh-jackson Great at getting to the FT line & shoots a high percentage there. Great at generating blocks & steals. His yellow flags are his 1) turnovers, 2) fouling, & 3) low assist numbers. I don't know where to find the data, but I have a feeling that there is a reasonable correlation between turnovers being a result of an offensive foul. All things being equal, I think he has all-star potential if he can reduce turnovers & fouling. I see a higher probability of Eason hitting his best case than someone like Griffin or Mathurin. I think most likely comp would be someone like Anunoby.
I dunno if anyone here remembers how hard I was hoping to land OG in 2017. But he turned himself into a great shooter in the league. I don't see Eason having the shot mechanics to become that. My comp if everything goes right for Eason is someone like Shawn Marion. Worst case, he could be Aminu with more offensive skill which is a good role player in the league today. BTW, I did not know of this comparison tool. Terrific. Tankathon is really my go-to website these days.
Griffin needs to go back to school. He's got a smaller sample size, and didn't show any of the non-stats appeal (athleticism/impact on winning/ leadership/etc) necessary to maintain his high lottery status. And I think he's got a slow release while having some major hidden red flags with knee injuries. If there's anyone projected higher right now that I feel will drop, it's him. I see him as the guy in the green room waiting.
Yeah these are the obvious things that we would do but they don't really help with this exercise. I think the idea is that we're building a big board of who we would take and keep. Obviously it sounds like, unless someone blows Cronin's doors off or he's not in charge anymore, we'll likely find out what other team will give us the most for whatever player they like the most, that's available when we pick. So trading the BPA is probably the way we'll go. Trading down might be good too. Maybe the Knicks would be so desperate to get rid of Randle's long contract and like who we have available at let's say 6 that they let us trade them the 6th pick and Bledsoe for the 12th pick and Randle. There's a lot of shit that can go down with the approach that Cronin is saying he's taking but for the purposes of this thread, I think we're supposed to be assuming we're keeping our pick.
Why exactly do you say Mathurin doesn't fill a need? Do we have a decent sized 3 that we expect to stay healthy?
If this is the case, I want to say Griffin or Eason because I think the fit would be better for the Blazers. I just think if you pass on Davis it’s going to be a mistake and not just by the Blazers. Johnny Davis is all star material. Have to take the best player not the best fit.
I do think we could use an upgrade at the 3 but we do have Nas and Hart who don't necessarily have the ideal size but can definitely defend that position. The difference in size between Mathurin and Eason is reportedly significant. Our most pressing need is at the 4, so despite Mathurin being a good prospect at SF and Duren being a good prospect at C, I don't think they're better enough prospects than Eason to pick either and keep them in front of Eason, given the huge hole that Eason would fill. We don't have the same gaping hole that Mathurin would fill.
Eason would be a better pick at 11 and he could be there. I do like him and we do have a need at 4, so Im good with taking him if they want I just think there are better players than him at 7.
I know his school measurements are saying he's 6'-7", but he sure doesn't look like that on the court. He looks 6-4ish to me. I definitely view him as a 2.
Eason is a 3 that CAN play 4. I think Eason will be a top 3 player from this draft. If we can pick him up at 6, you do it.
Yeah, I understand but my point is this: If we have the 7th pick and I HAVE to make a pick, it would be Griffin, Eason or Sochan. But that would be so incredibly fûcking stupid to actually take one of those guys in my POV that it’s not even realistic. Just because he/they are 7th on my big board doesn’t mean I’d draft them there. This is where i agree with cronin having a “assigned value” rather than a “big board”. For me, 1-6 is fairly clear. Then I would have a massive gap that says “not worth it” then around pick 11 I’d have Griffin, Sochan and Eason.
I do like what I read about him, I haven't seen him play. I know that Sochan kid from Baylor is a decent defender too.
I guess a more clear way for me to explain it is that I have assigned a slot in the draft where I would be comfortable choosing a player.
