Poll: Who do you want at #6?

[Nef-Oracle]

Aaron Gordon. Versatile, athletic, unselfish, hard worker, fearless, easily get to rim, plays good d. He's just the bpa at #6. Better take him, i heard that LAL likes him a lot.

[86MaxwellSmart]

as of right now, it's VONLEH for me.

Could be our Center for the next 15 years--Same height as Perkins, with Way more Talent and Upside...Only 18....Has a couple of intangibles, that you do not see often (7'-4" Wingspan + Huge, Ball-Catching Hands))....The Center position has changed in the NBA...Not necessary to have a 7'-2" guy in the middle--and you can't find these guys but once a decade anyway.

[Evantime34]

I think it's Gordon if they stay at six.

I see Gordon as a safe pick but with low upside. Saric on the other hand has the highest upside but the biggest risk.

I don't understand this line of thinking. Gordon is the youngest player in the draft and potentially the most athletic with raw offensive skills. To me that means he has the highest upside.

Saric is a 6'10 forward with ok athleticism. Why is he a high upside pick when his biggest talent is skill. It is much harder to improve your athleticism than your skill.

well, the line of thinking that an athlete with poor skills is going to come in and develop great skills just because he's a year younger than a few other guys makes no sense. How many players with great athleticism have been taken in drafts for that reason and have worked out? How many have been busts? The list is huge for busts, I can't think of any that have developed into stars. Gordon's NBAdraft.net profile also clearly states that he will be a great role player, but anyone who drafts him and is expecting a star player will be disappointed.

Saric on the other hand has the skills to become a superstar, he has the much higher upside imo. You can't teach talent, you either have it or you don't/ Ask Bradley, Gerald Green, Javale McGhee, Harold Minor, etc etc how far athleticism gets you and if you can develop talent and skill once you are already 18 and over and in the NBA. It's not like these guys just started playing basketball a few years ago like Embiid, and even Embiid is miles ahead of them on skill.

Athleticism is about genetics, so while you don't expect Gordon to become more skilled, there is a certainty that Saric will not become a plus athlete. So Gordon has a higher upside because the chance he improves his skills to a high level is much higher than the chance Saric  becomes a high level athlete.

That being said painting Gordon as someone who has poor skills is inaccurate. He is a plus ball handler for his position, a solid passer, a high level rebounder and an elite defender. Those are all skills.

How can you say Saric has the upside to become a superstar? Because he is a scorer who scores against slower 4's and shorter 3's that aren't prevalent in the NBA.

You list all the athletes who haven't developed enough skill to match their athleticism. Do you want me to list all the international players who looked great against B competition then came to the nba and were complete busts?

Athleticism also tends to go early in some of these players from injury and/or overuse and age, and then they are relatively useless (Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, Gerald Wallace, Shawn Kemp are just a few examples). Players like Saric don't need to become athletic in order to be successful, that is the whole point. They already have what it takes. Dirk has done well without athleticism, so did Bird, so did Pierce. Jabari Parker is not highly athletic, does that make him any less valuable? Olynyk was a great example of choosing a player on skills rather than athleticism. I see Saric as a taller Dragic, which is an all-star in this league. Is he an all-NBA defender? No, but we need a scorer badly. What does Gordon do that makes him a potential all-star? I like Gordon a lot actually, but his upside is not huge, and he can potentially be a taller Tony Allen, which is great as a role player, not as one of your top 3 stars. Saric has the skills to be one of the best 3 players to come out of this draft, and a lot of GMs will kick themselves for passing up on him.

The other guy I would strongly consider at 6 is Smart. He's a tough as nails competitor with a ton of skill, I think he is a rare type of player. Sure he can't shoot, but he can get to the line with the best of them. Rondo's problem has been much more that he doesn't want to get to the line and can't hit free throws than the quality of his jumper.

I think players with athleticism, always have more potential, since athleticism is innate, and skill is not. Why do you think Saric has higher potential than Gordon?

As to what type of player Gordon would have to be to make an all star team,  Scottie Pippen an elite defender at most positions who developed into a good shooter would be my guess.

I'm a big fan of Smart as well as Gordon. With us picking low athleticism, average defenders the past two years we need to draft a plus defender athletic player. Sullinger and KO should end up being a good offensive tandem but I think you will need to surround them with plus defenders to maximize their value (if only to trade them for better players later). I also think Smart could end up being a go to scorer similar to Wade but i'm unsure of his shot selection. I love both players because they are defensive agitators who bring energy to their entire team.

[Tr1boy]

One thing I dont like about smart is he is out of control half of the game. Like I mean he will get you rebounds out of sheer will but also dribble into a crowed and lose the ball. Commentators have said multiple times he needs to learn how to change his speed and when he shoots not to always try to lean it in for example. Maybe a good coach can help tweak this negative part of his game.

Smart, gordon and randle are all nice looking prospects. You never know in 5 years they could end up being better than the top 4 or just as good.  I think we are in a good position picking 6

[Celtics4ever]

Athletic ability is harder to develop ( largely natural) than skill.  Gordon has way more upside.  His skill at shooting is low and his athletic potential is off the boards.   Saric might be very good and Gordon not, but potential wise Gordon has a clear edge.

[Celtics4ever]

Gordon, Green and Rondo could be alley opp city.  Not that it would be good in other ways.

[PickNRoll]

Gordon is more Dennis Rodman than Scottie Pippen.

[Celtics4ever]

I think we are in a good position picking 6

Someone will fall as always.   

[Hawkeye199]

I take Saric Because he has a great upside but he does have a high risk.I think Ainge will take him too because Ainge doesn't have the patience for a long rebuild and neither do we.

[freshinthehouse]

...because Ainge doesn't have the patience for a long rebuild...

What do you base this on?

[michael 26]

There are a lot of good power-forwards available for the Celtics which is too bad since the four is probably our strongest position. I didn't want Marcus Smart because he won't really be able to play with Rondo. If I were Danny Ainge i'd pick Aaron Gordon because he can also play the 3 and he has much upside. This way Jeff Green could be traded for some good center. I made this pick regardless of getting Kevin Love or not, just the best guy for us at #6.

[kraidstar]

i'd pick vonleh... he looks like more of a center than a PF, he's big and strong, and his wingspan is only 2 inches less than embiid, and his athleticism is similar. he's a truly elite rebounder and a hard worker, apparently he makes a lot of hustle plays. he does lack offensive polish, but, watching his moves, he looks like he has real upside, he just needs to improve his muscle memory in the post in real game situations a little bit, he has the grace and athleticism to make the moves, he just hasn't figured out how to do it consistently yet without traveling. he's fairly quick-footed - with proper training he could be an effective post player. also, his jump shot is solid, he has great form, he even shot well from 3 (with limited attempts).
i think he'd pair well with olynyk and sullinger, olynyk could stretch the floor while vonleh cleans up underneath.

[mef730]

Aaron Gordon, but only if he also comes with a shrink to help him get over whatever issues he has at the foul line.

Mike

[doinky]

Gordon!!