Spent a fair amount of the time the last 2 days looking at players in the top 10-15 or so. I'm sure there are players i'm still missing. I looked at players a bit a couple months ago and think i have a more clear picture. I honestly don't think many players fit us this draft. But here's my top 10 on how they fit and where I would rank them across the league. Sort of a particular order but not set in stone or anything.
1. Bender - I think he is the type of player I'd like to draft. He's 18 and going to take a bit but plays off the ball and does everything. He's foreign which is a bit of a stretch but I still like him. He has some bust potential but is really the only guy in this draft who can do everything on and off the ball. He isn't the iso scorer like Ingram is though, or the rebounder or finisher or Ball handler Simmons is at least not yet. He's not as good as those guys right now but he has the potential to be better than them. He is skinny and 18 but super fluid for that age and has a lot of quickness and finesse and toughness to his game. He's tom brady like that way. He can also block shots. Who knows if he has that kind of heart? That's pretty rare and might be found elsewhere. This draft is also has more sure things where taking a chance on an 18 year old and waiting is a gamble. We have the nets pick the next 2 years. I'd hate to end up with nothing however especially with the next guy sitting there.
2. Simmons - Will be/Should be a top player in the NBA. He's too physically gifted. I don't know how he fits us though honestly. He plays on the ball a lot and would definately mean bye bye to Turner. I like Turner and think he's pretty underrated and was a top pick himself who can't shoot and has some flaws on defense. But can rebound and run an offense and score in transition. Simmons is obviously a superstar starting quality version of that. Turner is a bench player. I am not sold on Simmons being that guy for us. But Ainge and Stevens would know better than me. MAybe they feel the same way though. He has great length, smarts, physical tools and the ability to handle the ball and finish in so many ways and wants the ball and goes after it especially on the defensive glass and when driving the lane. If he played off the ball he'd be even better. He plays like Lebron. He seems more Tim Duncan in personality to me but I can't tell. If he steps up on defense and can finish off the ball, he could be really special. He's a horse. He needs to improve his shooting. He's more magic than bird in skillset but he plays with good focus I feel.
3. Ingram - Ingram is not kevin Durant. He is a good scorer though who can do a lot of things as far as that. He's no bust. He's a star. He's going to score. Best pure scorer in the draft right now not named Buddy Hield. He's a potential all star caliber scorer. Wiggins was getting a lot of hype like he was michael jordan and I more likened him to a poor man's Dominique. If Wiggins is that. Ingram is a poor man's George Gervin to Durant. He can be really good but all those guys are nba all time greats. I don't see players today necessarily on that level. He'll be good though. Right now he's really skinny and struggles finishing at the rim.
4. Hield - Supreme Shooter. Shoots a lot. Not really a great distributer. Not a great defender either. Has all the tricks to get his shot off though and has a quick first step. He isn't steph curry. He is a shooting guard. He does not have the ability to distribute or make decisions in the lane like curry. He can pull up or drive or get stripped that's about it. I like our guards. I think Bradley is not as good a shooter but doesn't shoot as much. Bradley is developing in other ways and will always be a better defender. We could use more scoring though.
*I'd like Hield more if he were a patient shooter. He seems like a guy you really have to build around right now and let him shoot it and I'm not sure that's what I want. Kind of like ray early in his career where he shot the ball a lot and his teams weren't very good. Hield is a system player that way and it might take him a bit to calm down and be a team player. Do we really want to build around Hield and change directions like that? If he comes in and is a patient shooter that's different. He definately can make shots and shoots it good. That much is known. I love watching him come off screens and just patiently shoot daggers in teams faces. He's ridiculous.
5. Sabonis - Quality center and prospect. Like a lot of big men it's going to take him a bit though. He's intelligent. Good passer like his father. Pretty versatile and plays with fire. I like him but I don't know if he's the guy I want as our center for the next 10-15 years. He's good though
6. Kris Dunn - He's a pg. I haven't watched him a ton because I don't see us drafting another pg. We have Isaiah, Smart and Rozier. Kris Dunn is a great pg though by my estimation. He is a leader. Plays with the utmost integrity. He's the closest thing to chris paul in a while. He's not that good but he's up there.
7. Ellenson - I like his game. He is not a guy who jumps off hte screen though. He's a borderline scrub imo but he plays with such a high motor he is fun to watch. HE can't shoot like love. He doesn't have the athleticism of David Lee coming out but he plays like Harangody on steroids. We have Sully. I don't see why we make this pick really. Ellenson's motor is maybe better but I'm not jumping at this.
8. Skal Labbissiere - a bit of a sleeper at this point. I don't see much weakness to his game. He can post up. He has a decent mid range. He plays hard and is developing. He has great exploision on his leaps and good hands and can really block shots. He's undervalued but undersized. He's like a cross between Larry Sanders and Whiteside to me. I think barring injury he will be very good. His legs are a bit skinny where he might have injury issues. Not a passer which loses some value for me. He's a bit overvalued that way at the same time and is not in the class of great centers. Sabonis is the best center on this list. Next.
9. Ivan Rabb - See Skal but without the upside. I think they are similar but Rabb is more solid. Not as explosive. I haven't watched a ton of Rabb recently but I like him.
10. Jamal Murray. I watched a few of his games this year and was not that impressed with him. I think he is like Smart without the defense or leadership but a better shooter and scorer. He reminds me a bit of Jeff HOrnecek or Majerle and those Phoenix guards they used to have. I don't see why we would draft him though. He is ranked so low because I just think he is overhyped as a pick for us. Good blend of offensive skills for a guard though.
11. Jaylen Brown - I think Jaylen Brown is a sleeper pick for us. I really like him. I think he will make a jason richardson type physical guard in the nba although some questions about his shooting. He can really finish and take it to the rim though but is somewhat raw. He really should be higher on the list because I could see us taking Brown if we don't get who we really want. Brown should probably be in the top 5 ahead of dunn and Sabonis, but I put him here.
Poeltl and everyone else I really can't comment on because I haven't seen enough. I've seen a few guys like Stone and a few others like Thon Maker but I'm not putting them on this list yet. Brice Johnson probably deserves to be. I'm still waiting on a few sleepers to add to my list. I'll probably get into those once I start looking at pick 16.
MAJOR POINT ALERT************
Overall I don't see us drafting 90 percent of these guys which is good because we only have 1 pick in the top 15. I like Bender although I could see us going Simmons as a surprise. Everyone else doesn't really fit us. Guys like Skal could maybe replace Amir down the road but i don't see it. Our options are somewhat limited though.
I'm still leaning Bender or Simmons. I want Bender I won't lie. Or a guy like Brown or Ingram if we don't get who we want. I don't see a huge difference between those two. Guys like Sabonis, Ellenson or Skal or Rabb would be deep sleepers with our top pick. Hield is kind of that guy I like but I don't but kind of that guy i could see us taking. I can see Ainge being enamored with Hield.
Call me crazy but I think Bender, Brown or Ellenson make the most sense. Don't ask why. Simmons is obviously the big choice this draft. Rabb is a bit of a sleeper.
I also could see ainge taking a guy like Bryce johnson even if he doesn't fit projections if he really likes him.
