Tell me what you guys think!
1. Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons is extremely good at basketball.
2. Brandon Ingram
Ingram might be slightly overrated. It's not 100% guaranteed that he'll be a good defender, as his lateral quickness is only decent and he's ultra skinny. His 68ft% raises some concerns about his true shooting ability; if he's merely a good, not a great, shooter, then a lot of people will be disappointed. Still, I love his potential as an unblockable shooter who can get off a massive volume of 36% 3 pointers.
3. Dragan Bender
Thare are other threads where you can trash Bender all you want. Let's discuss other prospects here.
4. Furkan Korkmaz
6. Jamal Murray
I don't usually like bad defenders like Murray and Korkmaz, but both are awesome enough shooters that I will overlook their defensive shortcomings. Both of these guys could shoot >40% from 3 on high volume in the NBA. Both are awesome running off screens, and both can create off the dribble as well, both for themselves and for their teammates. I like Korkmaz better because he is 6'7 to Murray's 6'5, and more athletic as well. It is extremely puzzling to me that Murray is consistently mocked in the top 7 while Korkmaz isn't viewed as a lottery pick. Korkmaz has proven himself against high-level Euro competition at an incredibly young age, and he checks every single box on the offensive end: production, NBA size and athleticism, handles, passing, feel, and production.
5. Jakob Poeltl
There aren't a ton of two-way seven footers in the NBA. Poeltl doesn't have one skill that will blow you away, but he's a rock solid interior defender, and he was super efficient offensively. He's a legit 7'1. An excellent rebounder. He's a great roll man, great hands, makes good decisions. He's got the post game to punish switches and small-ball lineups. Not a sexy prospect, but an extremely solid one.
7. Chris Dunn
9. Demetrius Jackson
Elite upperclassman athletes at the PG position with questions about their PG skills. If you like Terry Rozier, you'll love both of these guys. Dunn is turnover prone, and Jackson was mostly a SG before this year. I like Dunn better because he has much better size + length than Jackson, but Jackson is a much better shooter (especially off-ball) and even more explosive (which is saying something). Both seem like good defenders to me, but Dunn has much better versatility and his steal rate is gaudy.
8. Deyonta Davis
If I'm going to make room in my top ten for two one-way offensive guards, then I should also give some love to the best defensive big in the draft. Deyonta Davis looks to me like he can be pretty dominant defensively. His 10.2BLK% isn't quite elite, as guys like AD and Nerlens posted block rates in the 13's, but it's still extremely impressive. I especially like that he was so productive defensively with so little high-level experience, as he is a late bloomer who looks like he is on a steep developmental trajectory. He also looks like he can be really effective/efficient in a limited role offensively, which should enable him to get on the floor more easily than an offensive liability like Jordan Mickey.
9. Timothe Luwawu
11. Wade Baldwin
Toolsey 3+D guys at the PG/SG and SG/SF positions. Baldwin is super long at 6'3 with a whopping 6'10 wingspan to go with a good frame. Luwawu is 6'7 with a 6'11 wingspan and some serious hops. Luwawu has only recently developed into a good shooter, so there is some question as to the legitimacy of his “3”. Baldwin is a career 84/199 from 3, and 240/300 on FT's, so there is no question that he can shoot. But Luwawu gets the edge due to his superior athleticism/upside.
10. Skal Labissiere
12. Jaylen Brown
13. Marquese Chriss
Ahh, the lottery tickets. I'm sure one of these guys will be good, but I have no idea which. Raw potential counts for something, but all these guys have potentially fatal flaws. The Celtics might be a really bad landing spot for these guys; they need to go to a bad team that can afford to play them through their growing pains. I like Lab the best of these guys, as he seems to have the most raw talent. Brown played a lot more in college, but it's not clear that he really contributed to his team winning as his efficiency on everything but transition dunks was unimpresive. Chriss has the least good physical tools, as you can't always compensate for lack of size with athleticism.
14. Denzel Valentine
15. Buddy Hield
There are other guys I might actually like better, but I'll give the last two slots on this board to the seniors who dominated college. Both of these guys are awesome shooters with good overall skill levels, especially Valentine who reminds me of Kyle “Slo Mo” Anderson. Both guys have questionable athleticism and defense though, especially Valentine, and it will be harder to hide them in the NBA than it was in college. Moreover, neither of these guys looks like a #1/#2 option at the NBA level with their pedestrian tools, so it isn't clear to me that they will even be playable. Still, these guys have a strange sort of upside: if they can contribute on a playoff team right away, then you get a solid rotation player on a bargain four year contract.
Honorable mentions, in no particular order
Fred VanVleet - Gets no respect from draft sites, but advanced stats LOVE him. Looks like a candidate to be Isaiah Thomas 2.0: undersized, overskilled PG that hushes the haters.
Zhou Qi – 7'2 with a 7'7 wingpsan, but rail thin. Has a nice offensive skillset, including post moves and a midrange jump shot. Tough to project: nobody plays defense in the CBA.
Ante Zizic – Productive young Adriatic League big men have outperformed their draft projections in recent years. Ivica Zubac looks decent too.
Taurean Prince – Athletic D+3 guy who might be able to contribute right away. His stats on both ends slipped a bit this year after an impressive Junior campaign.
Josh Hart – not sure why he dosn't get any respect; DX ranks him #61. One of those guys who's just good at basketball. Frequently looked like the best player on the floor for Villanova.
Topic: Big Board (Read 2368 times)