https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2915414-2020-nba-draft-buzz-emerging-point-guards-and-latest-rumors
Notes from article
Teams will not waste workouts as they are limited to 10 and traveling out of state requires quarantine
the following workouts reported
Lewis jr. Magic, Knicks, Pistons, Bulls
Haliburton. Mavs * not from this article
S Bey. Mavs* not from this article
RJ Hamptom,. Celtics not from this article
Toppin. Cavs https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-cleveland-cavaliers-draft-workout-obi-toppin-this-week
Poku linked to Blazers and Mavs
Pritchard getting first round buzz
Terry linked to Lakers, Bucks, and 76ers
Washington wants Okongwu or will look to trade back
Hayes is receiving interest from Pistons, Knicks, Hawks, and Kings
Nesmith getting interest from Suns
Patrick Williams is getting top twin buzz namely from Pistons
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article246759051.html
Hornets appear to want Wiseman, this could lead to a trade up to 1st or 2nd pick.
nice
-but Wizards have no avenue to move up for Okongwu. Unless they are willing to include Hachimuira in a trade. Unlikely
-Hornets have some decent assets to move up to 1st or 2nd. Bridges, Washington, Graham
- Terry won't get past the 76ers at 21
- very curious to see what Suns, Spurs, Pelicans will do
I assume that they hope Okongwu falls to their pick (washington that is) several Mocks have him on the board when they select.
Can't see Okongwu getting past the Cavs. Hornets could also nab him at 3 if Wiseman is not available
If slips to 7, I would want Danny to think about trading the 1sts for Okongwu
Okongwu looks so much like Bam on the floor it's crazy. I'm not sure the passing and handle are there but the way he moves is real good.
Let me preface this by saying: I'd be ecstatic to get Okongwu. I think his PnR defense could be elite sooner rather than later. He screams modern big. I also think he could be a legit option to playmake on short rolls in the PnR on offense.
Bam is alot more explosive though. Bam also is a great dribbler/passer. I dont think Okongwu would get to THAT level, but I'd love to have him.
Watching more tapes on Okongwu as of late. I think his lack of quality perimeter skills is not going to bring in strong interest from the Celts. At least not by trading 3 1st to move up. What really differentiates Okongwu from Timelord??
Instead I see the Celts have more interest in Jalen Smith. He is one of the more explosive/quick bigs from this class but also can shoot the 3 and has a nice straight line drive ability (if guarded too tightly at the 3 line or against slow defenders)
Even for Smith, Celtics may have to trade down a few spots as there are rumors that Pelicans, Spurs, Kings could be interested
I would consider trading 14, 30, Edwards for example to Wizards for their 9th pick
9th: Jalen Smith
26. Immanuel Quickley
47: Nate Hinton
Most draft boards don't have Jalen Smith being taken until late teens/early twenties, and you want to trade up to 9th pick to draft him.
Seriously?
Yup
He is 14 on nbadraft mock board and 13 on a few others
Smith is considered the 4th best big of the draft. Imo 3rd best because he is a better defender than Toppin. Adv over Okongwu also because he can shoot the ball.
My quick rankings of this classes bigs
1. Wiseman
2. Okongwu
3a Achiuwa
3b Toppin
4a Tillman
4b Nnaji
4c Poku
5a Smith
5b Azubuike
5c Stewart
Outside of these 10 I’m not sold that the rest are worth drafting (I view Reed as a big wing project unless he measures bigger the 6’8 and 220lbs)
As for Smith I fear he is January Johnson 2.0, a really good college big who can shoot and block shots but isn’t big enough to be a drop rim protector or quick enough to to switch.
As for Okongwu I think he will be a good long term NBA big, I fear that the rise of Bam and his rise to a likely top 10 pick will burden him with unrealistic expectations.
As for Celtics fits,
I’ve long been a huge Tillman fan. His IQ and toughness should allow him to play a similar role to Theis.
Achiuwa is an interesting fit in that he is an elite athlete who could be Faried 2.0 but more dynamic with the ball in the open court. If he buys it a Theis like undersized 5 role and becomes a solid screen setter coupled with his grab and go ability he could be an interesting Cs for.
Nnaji, seems like a late draft riser. He measured out well (almost identical to Greg Monroe) and is rumored to look really good shooting the 3 in practices and workouts.
Azubuike, a counter intuitive fit but he could be amazing in a 15-20mpg role. His size and explosiveness would give the Cs a package of rim protection, rebounding and rim running that they don’t have in one player.
Okongwu at best could turn out to be Tristant Thompson. Maybe a little bit better perimeter skills ... but minus the dogfight ability TT presents
Lol, seriously? At best? You surely don't actually believe that if you've like, ever watched him play
Ok ... what decent perimeter skills does Okongwu posses??
Watch below his scouting report weakness. Poor shooter and passing skills at the moment
https://youtu.be/dPFzWZfnJUY
For Jalen Smith the 2nd bullit point. Regarding his defensive impact
https://youtu.be/XfKPIOh1LFE
Okongwu D is not leaps better like you describe. It is better but there is room for Smith to improve. Where as Okongwu is a solid D big but his offensive ceiling is hard to gauge. His jump shot needs work. Awkward looking form.
I ask again, what difference are we looking at between Okongwu and Timelord really?
Scenario: in the playoffs, a smart team can lay layoff Timelord/Okongwu. Where a stretch big like Smith forces Bam come out to guard him out to the perimeter, opening up space underneath the basket. Making Brown, Tatum, Walker life a little easier
First off I think all top end expectations for this draft class need to be kept in check.
The Okongwu / Tristan Thompson comp though imperfect is one that I would consider fair for ultimate ceiling outcome. At his best Thompson is a 12pt 10rb big who is capable of defending at a high enough level to be the starting 5 on a championship level team. At his peak outcome Okongwu could be slightly better but as a player who will fill a very similar role I don't expect a huge difference in their ceilings. In this draft if teams where guaranteed Tristan Thompson I believe that outcome is a lock for a top 5 pick.
As for the R Williams / Okongwu comp it starts and ends with bball IQ. Williams physical tools are superior to Okongwu but he just hasn't figured it out on the court and may never. This is especially true when it comes his P&R defense.
As for how a player like Okongwu performs on offense in the playoffs, he is setting screens and diving to the rim or forcing switches. This is no different from 75% of the bigs in the NBA.
In terms of the Celtics big man skill hierarchy I would say its the following
Offense.
1. Screen setting/sealing lanes
2. Passing
3. 3pt Shooting / Rim running
Defense
1. IQ
2. Solid as either a switch or drop big
Smith I agree has potential as a 3pt shooter, I think he will be at least an average passer, setting screens/sealing lanes i'm honestly not sure. I still go back to the defense. In the playoffs vs Miami I don't see him guarding Bam. Bam gave Theis fits and I think Theis moves better laterally then Smith.
Topic: 10/29 Draft Buzz (11/9 update) (Read 12933 times)