From a talent perspective I see this draft a lot like the 2013 draft, it's going to be hard to find the stars. I see solid rotational players as deep as the second round but the trick is to find them too as so many players look alike. There aren’t many standouts. We are in a win now mode and have a full roster. We can’t draft 4 projects. We need guys who can play right away, but we should still take a swing for a star. I can get behind taking a project pick if we counterbalanced with a safe pick.
I like these guyse as swing for the fences high risk high reward players.
Aleksej Pokusevski and Jalen Smith. Like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert they just need to gain weight. Giannis Antetokounmpo gained like 50 lbs and Rudy Gobert gained like 20 lbs. They needed time to develop more physically. Neither of them looked like stars as rookies. If these guys can just gain 20 lbs of muscle like Gobert, their defense and post games will get so much better. And the added strength will reduce turnovers. If they can pull a Giannis and gain even more weight, say 30 to 40lbs they will be beasts without any change to the skills they have right now, Just getting stronger. Every year there are players that need to get stronger and can't do it, so there is no reason to believe these two will make that cut, but if they do they will be stars.
Precious Achiuwa, Patrick Williams, and Isaiah Stewart. Like Jimmy Butler these guys have that grown man body already but they need to refine elements of their game. They need to make things happen that involve improving in skills areas and overall BBIQ. Also, Achiuwa and Stewart really need to develop their shot. Again, every year there are players that just need to figure it out mentally and then they will be stars. We are going into year three of Rob Williams trying to figure it out. Like these guys Timelorad has all the physical tools, he just hasn’t put it together enough to even earn serious rotation minutes. Now he has had many injury setbacks but still he’s not where he needs to be. I don’t know if these guys can make it mentaly but they are already there physically with their strength and their athleticism.
I think of all of these I like Pokusevski and Smith the most. Picking them is betting on the weight trainers to do their thing and get these guys strong. Pokusevski is 18 so he has the best chance to get much stronger but Smith showed signs of developing physically between freshman and sophomore year, and he’s still only 20. However, I could see Danny going with the physically ready guys and hoping Brad can coach them up. I think all these guys will be available at 17 and some will still be there at 26 so maybe he can get two of them.
I like these guys as safe bets to be able to be rotation guys in the NBA but without star potential.
Xavier Tillman, Saddiq Bey, Payton Pritchard, and Cassius Winston. I like Tillman at pick 30 and Pritchard at pick 46. I think Bey may need to be taken at 17 if we are going to get him, but he is all over the draft boards from late lotery to second round. Tillman has really gotten a lot of praise from Coach Izzo and not like he has talked up other guys. He really talks tillman up differently, really a lot like he talked up Draymond. The guys defense is spot on and that’s what we need most from a Big. Plus he can facilitate as well, which Brad likes his bigs to do. Pritchard and Winston are just solid, Nothing overly special about them but just solid. They are like Jaylen Brunson, and just what we need from a third ball handler behind Kemba and Smart. Bey has a grown man's body and a solid feel for the game. He is well coached coming from Villanova.
Given the apparent parody of the players after the top few, I think we need to draft for need but swing for the fences with the first two picks and play it safe with the second two.
#17 - PF - Aleksej Pokusevski or Precious Achiuwa,
#26 - C - Jalen Smith or Isaiah Stewart.
#30 - C - Xavier Tillman
#46 - PG - Payton Pritchard or Cassius Winston
