Considering the way we're being reported, I could see a draft of Tyrell Terry, Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman and Jay Scrubb. I would be pretty pleased with that. However, given the chance here's who I would go with.
14: Kira Lewis Jr.: Has the 2 years of college experience compared to Terry's 1, and is 7 months younger than Terry. How's that for a reclassification! Lewis Jr. is a better scorer inside the arc, a better passer, a slightly better defender and a better athlete. However, Terry is a genuinely elite shooter. The only elite ability Lewis Jr has is speed, but he has lots of things that are near-elite (interior finishing, playing the passing lanes, blocking shots for a 6'3 guard). Both are similarly turnover prone and both have very similar frames, standing at 6'3 each and both weighing between 165-180. It's basically a toss-up, but I like the fact that Lewis Jr. has two years of experience at Bama and is still only 19.
26: Desmond Bane: I'd be perfectly happy with Bane. There are other guys I rate similarly but as a pure shooter he's probably the best in the 20-30 range. Elite coming off screens (1 of 20 D1 players who had 90+ possessions off screens, for 41% shooting, which is a good number as it was mostly 3s), elite shooter in general, having hit 249/475 from 3 in his career, surprisingly good shooter off the dribble, solid finisher at the rim but is hampered by his short wingspan, and has a high defensive IQ. Not going to wow anyone with explosive athleticism or shot creation, but I see him succeeding at the NBA level. Reminiscent of Brogdon, but a better shooter and worse ball-handler.
30: Xavier Tillman: I rate him as the 2nd best pure centre in the draft behind Wiseman, who is really only there because of the allure of his physical attributes. Tillman is an NBA-ready 6'10, 250lbs big with a 7'1 wingspan. He's an elite defender and passer, can finish inside with both hands really well and he rarely fouls. I expect he'll be similar to Theis when it comes to shooting the ball. I would absolutely love to see Tillman and G Williams share the floor with Tatum, Brown and Smart. That's some crazy defensive potential.
47: Sam Merrill (if Paul Reed has already been selected
): I rate Merrill as the best pure shooter in the whole draft. Over his long college career at Utah State he's shot 319/759 (42%) from three. That is a huge sample size for a collegiate player. He's also a 52% shooter inside the arc and a 90% shooter from the FT line. Better defender than you might think too. The way he scores reminds me a lot of Luka Doncic (before you eat me alive, I'm in no way saying he'll be a similar player). Merrill will be in the elite of the elite when it comes to shooting. I think he'll have a 3PT contest trophy or two when it's all said and done.
It's hard for me to find a place to draft Reed, given I think we need a genuine center who can defend 4s as well over a guy who can defend 3-5, but
if we drafted Terry at #14, I would then draft Tillman and #26 and Reed at #30, alongside Merrill at #47. That would give us two of the genuinely elite 3PT shooters and two of the elite defenders 6'9 and taller.
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Topic: Who You Got with the 14th Pick? (Poll added) (Read 160083 times)