Draft Prospects besides Simmons

[celticmania]

I have really become a huge fan of Simmons. He is unbelievable and only a jumpshot and a few inches of length away from mega-stardom. As I've learned by experiencing the last couple of drafts, we should never get our hopes up about one prospect so this thread is meant to point out prospects who may not be as well-known. These are a few of the prospects I have been watching/researching lately:

1. Jonathan Jeanne- foreign center... Ridiculous size. 7'2 with a 7'6 wingspan ! Athletic and reasonably skilled.. Gonna be a beast shot blocker.. Looks kinda like Gobert.. Has to get a lot stronger and add weight.. Has big-time upside.. Draftexpress wrote that his combo of size and athleticism allow him to do things only a few people in the world can !

2. Brandon Ingram- obviously he is pretty well-known and has been playing great lately.. Basically a 6'10 guard.. Crazy long.. Extremely skinny has to put on weight.. Not overly explosive but is fairly quick and extremely smooth.. Outstanding shooter... I see him as a 6'10 Klay Thompson.. High floor because of size iq and shooting

3. Cheick Diallo- crazy motor... Tommy would love him... Relentless rim runner... Fast for a big.. Super long.. Blocks shots and makes plays inside.. Longer taller Kenneth Faried.. Can help a team win with energy and hustle

[konkmv]

Ingramm brown ellenson jones bacon

[PhoSita]

This is looking like a one man draft in terms of true star power.  That said, Brown, Bender, Poeltl, and Ellenson all look like interesting prospects. 

I'm not sold at all on Labissiere or Ingram, nor am I particularly interested in seeing the Celts draft another combo guard like Murray or Dunn.  Not unless it's a clear cut star prospect.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I have really become a huge fan of Simmons. He is unbelievable and only a jumpshot and a few inches of length away from mega-stardom. As I've learned by experiencing the last couple of drafts, we should never get our hopes up about one prospect so this thread is meant to point out prospects who may not be as well-known. These are a few of the prospects I have been watching/researching lately:

1. Jonathan Jeanne- foreign center... Ridiculous size. 7'2 with a 7'6 wingspan ! Athletic and reasonably skilled.. Gonna be a beast shot blocker.. Looks kinda like Gobert.. Has to get a lot stronger and add weight.. Has big-time upside.. Draftexpress wrote that his combo of size and athleticism allow him to do things only a few people in the world can !

2. Brandon Ingram- obviously he is pretty well-known and has been playing great lately.. Basically a 6'10 guard.. Crazy long.. Extremely skinny has to put on weight.. Not overly explosive but is fairly quick and extremely smooth.. Outstanding shooter... I see him as a 6'10 Klay Thompson.. High floor because of size iq and shooting

3. Cheick Diallo- crazy motor... Tommy would love him... Relentless rim runner... Fast for a big.. Super long.. Blocks shots and makes plays inside.. Longer taller Kenneth Faried.. Can help a team win with energy and hustle

My opinions:

1.) I'm okay with him with a later pick, but he won't contribute at all for a few years.  He plays in the French league, which is fine, but he doesn't seem to be getting any run with his current team: http://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/12/French-LNB-Pro-A/team/8/Le-Mans-Sarthe-Basket  - I don't see him on any of those box scores.

Last year he was on a different team in that league who are basically the 76ers of France (they're 0-12 last year), but he at least played some minutes with them.  I don't think he's injured, so I'm not sure what's up. I think I might like Zhou Qi a little more, he can actually pass, play defense and run with the ball at the same size.  However, Qi has to put on a ton of weight and work on his focus. Both are kind of mysteries to me and I don't know where JJ is slotted to be drafted right now.

2.) Brandon Ingram - he played so bad the first few games but now is on a tear.  I think he could be special, but I'd still rather have Skal by a hair.  Ingram is currently #2 on Draft Express' rankings though, which are the most accurate out there.  So now there is a clear top 3.

3.) He seems like he will put up stats but never be good enough to help a team out.  I don't like players like Faried, so I'm probably biased.  Plus he's too short, although he has good wingspan.   I just don't see him doing it as well vs the pros.

Other guys I like:

Furkan Korkmaz - leading the U-18 European league in steals right now which would be a great fit for our team, NBA body, has played against real competition in the Turkish League (which is slightly better talent wise than the French league, but both are fine) and seems to be a real competitor. 

Jaylen Brown - This guy looks to be the real deal, although it would be nice if he shot more.  It's funny because I think he can shoot, but he can drive so easily on college competition he doesn't bother to do it.  It's kind of hard to tell a player to work on a skill for their next league instead of trying to win the games he's playing in now so I understand, but man he and Ingram look to be better than Winslow, Johnson and Hezonja.  If we get Brown, Ingram, Simmons or Skal with the Nets pick, I'll be pretty happy.

Jakob Poeltl - I think he will be a top 5 pick by the end of the year.  Look at this: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3134908/jakob-poeltl

The guy I'm unclear about is Dragan Bender.  He has the early scout hype + plays in a bad league combination that makes it really hard to tell.

[number_n9ne]

I obviously want Simmons because he is the clear number 1, but I'm not down on the guys after him. There is still some star potential there.


I feel like Ingram could be sneaky good, his frame is gonna scare a lot of people away but he could end up being pretty dominate.

I LOVE Brown. He just looks like he belongs on this current C's team.

I think Ellenson and Poeltl could end up being huge steals where ever they are drafted in the lottery.

Out of the lottery I really like Stone, Sabonis and Onuaku.


If we are out of the top 5, I hope we trade that pick. But I wouldn't be upset if we drafted anyone in the top 5.

[max215]

I love Brown as well. He's probably a better fit here than Simmons and is a freakish athlete. He should be a really fun NBA player with some pretty serious upside.

[brundlenye the sciencefly]

Jakob Poeltl - I think he will be a top 5 pick by the end of the year.  Look at this: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3134908/jakob-poeltl

This. In 5-6 seasons when AD, KAT, Porzingis, Okafor, and whoever else is a part of this incoming wave of superstar big men are all in their prime and tearing up the league, it'd be nice to have the guy who held Okafor to 6 pts in our tent. But beyond D, the fact that he's now displaying legit post moves, the capability of being a go-to-guy, and passing abilities makes me think his ceiling could be much higher than rim-protecting-stiff.

I think he's capable of being the player we want Sully to be... but bigger, more athletic, etc. But that's just IMO.

[saltlover]

Jakob Poeltl - I think he will be a top 5 pick by the end of the year.  Look at this: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3134908/jakob-poeltl

This. In 5-6 seasons when AD, KAT, Porzingis, Okafor, and whoever else is a part of this incoming wave of superstar big men are all in their prime and tearing up the league, it'd be nice to have the guy who held Okafor to 6 pts in our tent. But beyond D, the fact that he's now displaying legit post moves, the capability of being a go-to-guy, and passing abilities makes me think his ceiling could be much higher than rim-protecting-stiff.

I think he's capable of being the player we want Sully to be... but bigger, more athletic, etc. But that's just IMO.

I also came to post about Poeltl.  A 7-footer who can play interior defense and is solid on offense?  Absolutely someone that could fit on this (or any) team.  Mocks have had him in the 8-12 range, which would be nice for the Dallas pick should they miss the playoffs, but it also means he's an option if the Brooklyn pick doesn't produce a lottery win for us.  Aside from Simmons, there's not a player I'm more excited for.

[DrJasper]

I've got to say that Kris Dunn really impresses me, he has so many moves in his arsenal and he combines that with stellar defense and a high motor!
Of course it wouldn't look to good if we draft another PG, but if Simmons, Brown, Ingram and Labissiere are off the board he would be a great choice!

Another prospect we should take an eye on with a later pick is Malik Newman, he is an explosive scorer and has the competitive mindset I would love to see on this celtics team.

[Tr1boy]

Justin Jackson

[saltlover]

An option for our 2nd-4th pick in the first, depending where (or if) those prospective picks fall, is Caris Levert of Michigan.  He was considered to be a late lottery/mid 1st type of player last year.  However, he got a foot injury over the summer, was inconsistent to start the year, and then had to shut it down early to fix his injury.  Now 100%, he's a 6'7" guard with length who's averaging 19/6/4 per game, to go with good on-ball defense.  He's shooting 54% from the floor and 48% from deep, and 89% at the foul line on six attempts per game.

He can play anywhere from point to sf, both offensively and defensively.  Imagine if Evan Turner could shoot better, got to the line more, and was a bit quicker, and that's what Levert might be able to wind up as in the NBA.  I don't think he'll be a star, but his versatility gives him a lot of value, especially with a coach like Stevens who experiments with lineups because he can.  And, as a senior, he should be able to crack an NBA rotation very quickly.  Also, despite being a senior, he's still young.  Doesn't turn 22 until next August, which is more like a junior in NCAA basketball years, so he's got a little bit more growth in his game than your average senior draftee.

[loco_91]

Not much love on here for Bender. He's the prototype of a modern big man - shoots 3's and makes plays from the perimeter, switches screens and protects the rim. I think a lot of teams will regret passing on him in the top 3-5.

[Evantime34]

Not much love on here for Bender. He's the prototype of a modern big man - shoots 3's and makes plays from the perimeter, switches screens and protects the rim. I think a lot of teams will regret passing on him in the top 3-5.

Completely agree.

[number_n9ne]

Not much love on here for Bender. He's the prototype of a modern big man - shoots 3's and makes plays from the perimeter, switches screens and protects the rim. I think a lot of teams will regret passing on him in the top 3-5.

Completely agree.

This is true, but Bender is the unknown right now. He's playing in the Israeli Basketball Premier League not an American university. Will he gain hype when he comes over? Probably. But like Prozingis he's gonna fly under the radar for awhile. I think after Porzingis' start it's gonna be hard for anyone to pass on Bender if he shows the same skill set in any Combine events. He's def in my top 5.

Simmons, Brown, Ingram, Labissiere, Bender

[mef730]

It wasn't more than a few months ago that we were worried about having so many picks in what was supposed to be a weaker than average draft. From the little I've seen, I'm feeling much better now than I was then.

Mike