If we get a top 3 pick, who are you taking?

[walker834]

I could be wrong. I think Tatum is a nice player. But he more reminds me of a sg version of otto porter.   But even Mercer was more muscular in those vids and more defined that way.  Guys like lavine etc.  I'm not knocking these guys.  I prefer AB over Lavine even though.  He's not as flashy but understated but probably a better all around player.

Even AB in collge he was not on a lot of draft guides being up there.  His athleticism was there though.  He just didn't show it off like some of these other guys. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYJVTePSMYw

Effortless.  Not much flash. I remember watching that mixtape and falling in love with AB. Oh man.  john wall who?  Loved john wall.  Paul George was also in that draft.  But AB was so overlooked.

Here we go celtics.  Here we go.

As a celtics fan not much makes my jaw drop. But Avery Bradley at 42 seconds did.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Flip it, together with the other Brooklyn pick for Anthony Davis

[walker834]

Isaac really isn't half bad. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi8i66mP7-I

Not sold on him yet. He's a bit of an odd pick but I can see it as a guy to push Kelly.

No he isn't Kevin Durant.

We have Yab and Zizic stashed who are more muscle to go with Horford.   Isaac is a versatile guy with length.  We took a shot on jajuan johnson and it didn't work out where Isaac is more talented.

I like him more than Giles at this point who is getting more hype.  The rest of these guys make very little sense to me.

Mickey is supposed to be this is the thing.  Isaac looks more talented to me.  We didn't draft Bender and I wouldn't be surprised if we don't pick Isaac either.  He has my approval though somewhat.

Best player is probably Dennis Smith.  We don't need another pg though.  I think those two guys right now though. Or trade it.

[walker834]

Tatum we could use as a crowder replacement i guess but eh.  I will be shocked here if I am wrong honestly.  Looking at the top players we don't need any of these guys.  Why would we ever draft fultz or ball or those guys? We've been developing smart, rozier, bradley etc..  We have IT.  T his pick is very overvalued where we are now talking about taking a guy who is listed to go in the teens who really is not paul george or any of those guys.

Trade it to a team that wants smith.  Or trade IT or one of our guards for a legit big man or star. Or draft Isaac.

[NHCelticsFan]

Flip it, together with the other Brooklyn pick for Anthony Davis

Thought the same thing.  It would take a lot, probably 2017 and 2018 Nets Pick, Brown , and Rozier.

Thomas
Bradley
Crowder
Davis
Horford

Wonder if we would enough cap to sign someone like Hayward?

That is the pipe dream scenario.

I wouldn't object to keeping another top three pick, in which case I would take best player available.  Hopefully Fultz.

[tazzmaniac]

Tatum we could use as a crowder replacement i guess but eh.  I will be shocked here if I am wrong honestly.  Looking at the top players we don't need any of these guys.  Why would we ever draft fultz or ball or those guys? We've been developing smart, rozier, bradley etc..  We have IT.  T his pick is very overvalued where we are now talking about taking a guy who is listed to go in the teens who really is not paul george or any of those guys.

Trade it to a team that wants smith.  Or trade IT or one of our guards for a legit big man or star. Or draft Isaac.

If Ainge could trade the pick for a star that could help us contend now, he'd most likely do so but it is unlikely that a star will become available. If there is not a star available, Ainge should keep the pick.  I think you're underestimating the talent in this draft and overestimating our players.  Brown and Smart wouldn't be top 10 picks in this draft and Rozier would probably be a 2nd rounder.  IT, Bradley and Smart are all free agents after next season.  I doubt we'll keep all three. 

[CFAN38]

I haven't been able to watch much of Fultz or any of Smith yet so my opinion may change but right now I would go with Lorenzo Ball. In Ball I see a player who has great positional size, two clear cut elite skills in his passing ability and 3pt shot and as a freshman has clearly made his team better. His 45% from 3 on 5 attempts is particularly impressive when you look at the shots he takes. Most of his 3s are deep or contested. He isnt the perfect prospect. He has an odd release ala Kevin Martin, is struggling from the FT line ( I expect that to change), and needs to add strength but a 6'4-6'5 19 year old PG who can shoot the 3 and average around 9 assists per game is a rare find. I could see him flourishing under BS. The IT situation would then need to be figured out but that high in the draft BPA must be taken.   

[A Future of Stevens]

Tatum. We are in the business of getting stars, and he looks like a star. I view him as a 3/4  where Jaylen is a 3/2 so both could easily play together in their primes.

In about a month or so I plan on doing my own version of a draft analysis (ive watched most of the duke games and all of tatums, to see their tons of prospects) on his strengths and weaknesses.

Big time scorer, huge frame, good rebounder for his position, consensus potential on defense. Sign me up.

[walker834]

The thing Tatum has over other dukies that get overhyped is that he seems like a real leader.  If we want a wing to replace Crowder he has more of an it factor than a guy like Porter. He actually is an aggressive player.  A lot of dukies get overhyped.  Tatum is actually much more likeable in that regard.

He's one player that might legitamently rise up the rankings as the season goes.

We also need a better scorer than Crowder to go with IT and Horford.

If Tatum is a legitament star that's different.

If we can get a legit star to go with IT and Horford on teh wing then obviously we just draft that then trading for it.  Right now the guys listed in the top 10 are not that though.  Tatum and Hartenstein are receiving a lot of hype as potential risers.

I'm not opposed to drafting a duke player if he is the missing link.  He'd have to be the right one though and it would have to be a perfect storm where we get tatum and then go into the 18 draft getting a big man or something like that.

Color me impressed when we actually draft him though.  Tatum has a nice game and everyone is hyping him.  People might actually get one right for once.

N ever been opposed to what's good.  Let's see what Tatum can do as the season goes though.

[walker834]

This highlight reel impresses me a lot more on tatum.  It happened 5 days ago.  Probably why he is receiving a lot of hype. He is on a big stage and had a nice game and showed that he can play with strength.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvfdkSXOusg&t=17s

Watching that I can see the hype.  He looks much bigger and stronger.

More impressed with that then some of these other guys that get hyped year after year. He's doing a variety of things and looks like a leader.

Watching that he just went way past Otto Porter for me though.  He also looks like a star that actually can do a variety of things too.

Tatum is now on my watch list.  Thanks. Like him better than Ingram already.

[tazzmaniac]

This highlight reel impresses me a lot more on tatum.  It happened 5 days ago.  Probably why he is receiving a lot of hype. He is on a big stage and had a nice game and showed that he can play with strength.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvfdkSXOusg&t=17s

Watching that I can see the hype.  He looks much bigger and stronger.

More impressed with that then some of these other guys that get hyped year after year. He's doing a variety of things and looks like a leader.

Highlight reels aren't a good way to judge draft prospects.  Duke is on ESPN2 four times over the next 3 weeks alone.  Giles is supposed to be back soon too. 

[walker834]

You can see what players can do from highlight reels. I agree it's not teh end all be all.  But it's just footage and tape.  Some players are overhyped and you can see that too.  Certain things players do stand out.

Thon Makers mixtape for example if you know how to look at it you can tell it's a lot of baloney.  Same with that chinese center everyone was hyping last year.  Yeah there are certain things that stand out and these guys could be decent in ways.

I don't look at these highlight reels like a moron.  There are certain things that stand out.

I've never understood that though.  Yeah if you look at them like a moron sure they are but I don't look at them like that.

Certain players are going to be on my watch list regardless.

[walker834]

That's why I'm saying if we were to draft Tatum it would be with the intent that we feeel he is a legitament star to go on the wing and replace Crowder to go with IT and Horford.  That's something we could use.

If he's not there is very little incentive to draft him.

Thon Maker it was pretty clear he wasn't the next Kevin Garnett so why waste a pick on something like that when we can fill needs in other ways that fit us better. Zizic made more sense that way because we could stash him overseas and he is more an up tempo player.

We went with Brown who had a lot less questions than Bender as well where we were drafting. 

Ingram a lot of people were hyping  but he was not a superstar or durant.  Maybe james worthy someday but Brown fit us just as well if not better.  Ingram was way too tentative in college and very skinny where it was going to take him a while.

I could see those things from watching tape.  Ingram was a twig and was tentative.  Talented sure.  Simmons needs the ball in his hands a lot and is not a shooter.  If we were to draft Simmons last year it would have meant him taking Turners role and really messing with what we are trying to do with our current guards.

Tatum could actually fit us as a legitament star because of the way he plays if he is indeed that.   I'm a bit wary  of duke players though because they do receive so much hype because of the stage they play on.  I'm also not opposed to taking a guy if he is that though regardless of where he played in college.

I still see Ingram more like george gervin than Durant anyways.  He's more in line with james worthy than Brown ever was as well.  He's too skinny and tentative right now.  I could tell these things from watching tape.

Durant was a stud the minute he entered Texas.  Rondo was also physically ready at kentucky although he got overlooked because of his deficiencies in other areas.

Bradley was always good but just needed time to find his place in the nba and develop his game.

Tatum looks good to me but you have to be careful with those dukies.  He could be Paul George or Pierce or a wing like that but you just have to be careful is all.

He looks much more advanced as a leader at this stage than jabari parker ever did.  He may reach his ceiling sooner as well but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I still think jabari is good too but always compared him to grant hill.  I don't think he is the leader hill was at duke though and it's taking him time to get there vs Hill who maxed out and got hurt a lot.

Tatum may actually just be good.  I would still be careful with those dukies.  Laetner, Hill etc. There are just too many.

[walker834]

All that said lol I wouldn't be surprised to see a guy like Stevens get a guy from Duke.  He never had that at Butler.  It would be a perfect storm scenario where we cant get paul george or a star another way and we end up drafting Tatum and getting a big man in 18 to go with Horford.  All this hayward stuff.  Tatum could be that.  A bigger nba version of him.

That would make for a good story.  Stevens couldn't get duke in college but got their guy in the nba and won a championship.

Hayward to me really isn't worth that at the nba level.  He's a really good player but not a guy who could put us over the top.  Love maybe, George maybe, a few others maybe.  Durant sure thing.  Tatum we'll see.

It's witchcraft what I do lol but makes sense if you really think about it.

[Donoghus]

Fultz.