Chad Ford Draft Buzz

[colincb]

Heavily excerpted from another well-worth-the-price ESPN Insider piece.

Here are some of the quotes I've been given this week:

"The Lakers should take Marquese Chriss at No. 2."

First Kevin Pelton says the Lakers should take Dragan Bender at No. 2. Now this? Chriss was at No. 8 on our Big Board for quite a while, and moved up to No. 6 in our latest Big Board. We are currently projecting him to go No. 4 to the Suns in our latest mock draft. But No. 2? Over Brandon Ingram? Is the hype going overboard?

Chriss' elite athleticism, combined with size, length and the ability to both stretch the floor and protect the rim make him a unique prospect. Few players have a similar combination of physical tools and basketball skills.

In the past few weeks I've heard comparisons to Shawn Marion and Shawn Kemp. As we've been saying in this space for a while, he has highest ceiling in the draft after Ben Simmons and Ingram.

But does he have a higher ceiling than Ingram? Perhaps. He's a better athlete, and given his body type, he might be a better defender (if he can learn how to stay out of foul trouble). That said, he's not the shooter Ingram is and his floor is also much lower.

Ingram is more of a sure thing. Chriss is much more raw, and while he is clearly competitive, his decision-making on the court is a lot further behind compared to Ingram. Talking to Lakers sources, I think Ingram is the pick for L.A. at No. 2. He has similar upside to Chriss without the risks. But after that? The Celtics, Suns and Wolves all will be very tempted. I'm still betting on the Suns at No. 4. But the Celtics taking him at No. 3 is a real possibility.


"Jamal Murray may be the best scorer in the draft, but he can't guard anybody."

One GM nailed it by saying there are serious concerns about who Murray guards at the next level. The effort is there, but the lateral quickness is not. That probably keeps him in the No. 3-6 range.


"If Dejounte Murray played at North Carolina or Duke, he'd be a top-five pick."

We've been high on Murray for a while and it seems as if the league is catching up to that point of view. His length, quickness, toughness and ability to play multiple positions make him one of the highest upside guards in the draft.


"Malachi Richardson canceled his workout with us."

It's not clear exactly why the workouts were canceled, but the evidence suggests that Richardson's range is No. 10 to No. 21.

There’s more about how the ability to make plays for others based on where the NBA is now is a bigger consideration this draft, and about Oklahoma’s Isaiah Cousins belongs in the first round.

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/16084867/chad-ford-latest-intel-brandon-ingram-jamal-murray-ben-simmons-more-2016-nba-draft

[dreamgreen]

TP thanks. After reading more and more I have Chriss as my dark horse for us at #3. Two things I always say when watching the C's:
1. we need more shooting
2. we need bigs that are athletic

Also beginning to get worried about Murray's defense. But I'm still hanging on to a miracle that we end up with Ingram.

[TheSundanceKid]

Finally acknowledgement of Murray's lack of defence from these guys. He can shoot real good but at 3 I want a complete player.

There's so much hype overdrive going on these last few weeks. I've seen Chriss, Skal. Murray all get big boosts in the media. I'm not sure if it's for real, if it is then great for them. I trust in Ainge to make the right pick. He seems very good at shutting out the hype and following his and his teams judgement.

[BDeCosta26]

"The Lakers should take Chris's at #2"
- Anonymous NBA executive aka Danny Ainge

[Moranis]

Maybe the Lakers really do take Chriss and Ingram falls to Boston.  That is why I can't see Boston moving the pick until the pick is on the clock.

[colincb]

Finally acknowledgement of Murray's lack of defence from these guys. He can shoot real good but at 3 I want a complete player.

There's so much hype overdrive going on these last few weeks. I've seen Chriss, Skal. Murray all get big boosts in the media. I'm not sure if it's for real, if it is then great for them. I trust in Ainge to make the right pick. He seems very good at shutting out the hype and following his and his teams judgement.

I've been on the Kris Dunn bandwagon as BPA at 3 if we're picking a backcourt player because I see issues with Hield and especially Murray at the next level. Dunn is much more athletic, has NBA all-defense potential, and can create and make plays. Not going to cry if Danny thinks Hield or Murray is the right pick though.

If Danny goes elsewhere, then might Chriss > Bender? Haven't looked at Chriss videos, has anyone?

Still hoping for a trade.

[Who]

I wonder if Jamal Murray can be a Chris Mullin type.

Deficient in athleticism and defense but super-intelligent and super-skilled so he finds a way to be a high level player despite his limitations.

[hpantazo]

Interesting. It looks like Draft Express was spot on by moving Chriss all the way up to #3 in their last mock draft. I guess it had more to do with the overall Chriss hype than the Celtics themselves.

I wonder what happened to generate this hype for him all of a sudden. Has he been killing it in his workouts?

[TheSundanceKid]

Interesting. It looks like Draft Express was spot on by moving Chriss all the way up to #3 in their last mock draft. I guess it had more to do with the overall Chriss hype than the Celtics themselves.

I wonder what happened to generate this hype for him all of a sudden. Has he been killing it in his workouts?

Basically yes he has. Teams are excited about his athleticism and apparently he is showing a good 3 point shot. I still have concerns about the fact he doesn't look as good in a 5 on 5 setting but I guess thats what you teach him

[cons]

the shawn kemp comparison is making me drool.



that guy was awesome!

[hpantazo]

Interesting. It looks like Draft Express was spot on by moving Chriss all the way up to #3 in their last mock draft. I guess it had more to do with the overall Chriss hype than the Celtics themselves.

I wonder what happened to generate this hype for him all of a sudden. Has he been killing it in his workouts?

Basically yes he has. Teams are excited about his athleticism and apparently he is showing a good 3 point shot. I still have concerns about the fact he doesn't look as good in a 5 on 5 setting but I guess thats what you teach him

What concerns me the most are the reports of his poor basketball IQ, especially defensively. Did he start playing basketball relatively late? Reportedly he's a smart kid academically, and has a competitive nature, so he's certainly no Fab Melo or anything. If he started playing late, then I can understand his poor basketball IQ, but if not, it is concerning.

[celts55]

Interesting. It looks like Draft Express was spot on by moving Chriss all the way up to #3 in their last mock draft. I guess it had more to do with the overall Chriss hype than the Celtics themselves.

I wonder what happened to generate this hype for him all of a sudden. Has he been killing it in his workouts?

Basically yes he has. Teams are excited about his athleticism and apparently he is showing a good 3 point shot. I still have concerns about the fact he doesn't look as good in a 5 on 5 setting but I guess thats what you teach him

I can't really say much, as I haven't really seen much of him, but I'm concerned that he doesn't rebound. Maybe I'm wrong, but seems to me a 6'10 incredible athlete should be able to pull down more boards by accident. Lack of rebounding equals lack of effort in my opinion.

[PhoSita]

I think the Chriss thing is not dissimilar to Anthony Bennett rising back in 2013.

We have a draft that is perceived to be low on high end talent but deep in role players.  Teams watch these players on tape and working out and think, man, I can't use a lottery pick on a guy with very little chance of even becoming an above average starter.

So they talk themselves into the guys who have great physical tools but less in the way of actual proof of ability to play team basketball.

[footey]

Yeah I read he has only been playing 5 years.

[MBunge]

Chriss' subpar rebounding and talk of a low basketball IQ are concerning but he was a freshman on a solidly mediocre team playing against decent competition, so that shouldn't be overblown.  But a legit stretch 4 with elite athleticism?  That's pretty tempting.

Mike