The 2018 NBA Draft
- Thread starter HomeRunBaker
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So....apparently Mark Cuban is looking into the academy system as an avenue for NBA player development.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2017/9/21/16341796/nba-aau-fc-dallas-player-development
I'd put it this way:
Playoff locks (5): Cleveland, Boston, Buck, Toronto, Wizards.
Possible playoff teams (3, inside looking out): Miami, Charlotte, Philly (assuming good health). Any of these could be knocked out by the next tier.
Team that could challenge the above 3: Pistons.
Truly awful teams (6) : Pacers, Magic, Bulls, Nets, Hawks, Knicks.
Basically, I'm not as high on Indy and Orlando as others. Either way, it's not inconceivable that the Nets end up with a better record than the other 5 teams in their group. Ending up in the middle of that group is likely. There will be a couple of western teams with poor records, which will put the Nets draft slot somewhere between 5 and 8. Lots of dice rolling by the Cavs on that pick.
If you have access to ElevenSports, Luka Doncic and Real Madrid take on Valencia Basket at 8pm EST tonight.
In other news, Philadelphia 76er executives are ecstatic!!
edit: Apologies for redundancy but layups are hard to pass up.
I didn’t watch a lot of serious footage of him in HS but Mo Bamba is really intriguing. He’s impossibly long, a good leaper and has shown a willingness to expand his shooting range. He could be a more athletic, better shooting Rudy Gobert; which is scary. If we end up picking 5-7 range I’d be happy snagging him.
Ayton has a lot of David Robinson comps.
Ayton has a lot of David Robinson comps.
I'm just thinking about this Celtics team - one of the youngest in the entire league, run by Ainge and Stevens - adding possibly Ayton or Porter in the draft, and getting Hayward back.
How do you spell juggernaut?
How do you spell juggernaut?
not that it changes his long term potential or anything, but Bamba is out for now with a concussion he sustained in practice.
I stood next to him this past weekend. I know this isn't a newsflash or anything, but it is incredible how long his arms are. Unbelievable.
I can imagine you would feel the need to point that out after standing next to him in person. I just like what he should be able to do at the NBA level and see where the game is heading; with an ultra-long body, fluid running up and down the floor, could expand his shooting range out to the three-point line, laterally moves very well and can be switched and contest shots on the perimeter. Out of the elite big men in 2018 he might technically be the rawest prospect, but he has a pretty high floor in the NBA, imo.
So Porter, Bamba, Bagley and Doncic are all hurt? I'd be looking into insurance options if I were Ayton's family...
(note - I know none of the injuries appear to have any serious long-term impact and that Bagley is probably back tomorrow)
(note - I know none of the injuries appear to have any serious long-term impact and that Bagley is probably back tomorrow)
Michael Porter, Jr. needs back surgery and will be out 3-4 months so he's out for the season. Brutal.
That's going to be a tough decision for him, I don't see him returning to school unless he has to. 4 month recovery gives him plenty of time before the draft, if he works out well for teams I can't see him falling past 5 even with the medical risk. With Barrett, Williamson and Bol next year and the possibility of the one-and-done rule being eliminated, a healthy year next season might move him up to 1 or 2 but another injury basically kills his stock.
Hate to see this happen to a kid. Hope it's more like Embiid hurting his foot than Giles' knees in terms of long term impact.
Kudos for this sir.
Not that returning was ever a consideration for Porter but now that there is a injury history on his resume that is all the more reason to begin the clock ticking sooner rather than later.
It's legitimately shocking how much he stands out on the court right now. Oden is the last guy I remember looking like such a man among boys.
Meanwhile, the other Bridges, Mikal, might just put up record BPM numbers this year. If he doesn't top Brow and KAT, he'll at least give Dipo a run for his money for tops among guards. He'll be nearly 22 come draft time, but his ceiling seems higher to me than a lot of the recent upperclassmen, and his floor in the NBA looks really high for a team looking for a solid 3&D.
Not for this year but the Grizzlies have lost 6 in a row and are right on the edge of where the pick protection will be next year. Bad, top-heavy, and capped out with aging players is not a great place for a franchise to be.
Becoming less far-fetched that they’ll be in position to give the C’s a high lotto pick if they totally collapse over the next few years and/or fall far enough that they to tank to hang on to their picks (until it’s unprotected).
Becoming less far-fetched that they’ll be in position to give the C’s a high lotto pick if they totally collapse over the next few years and/or fall far enough that they to tank to hang on to their picks (until it’s unprotected).
Giles had three knee surgeries before he turned 18 and went from a potential number 1 overall pick to a late first rounder who looked nothing like himself in limited college action, and who's being held out of most of his rookie season due to concerns around both knees. If you don't want to call that long term impact that's your prerogative, I disagree.
If the one and done is eliminated after this season, I'd almost prefer the Kings pick. Almost. The 2019 draft could easily be 6-10 deep.
Doesn't change their future prognosis, but Mike Conley has missed the last 4 games and is getting re-evaluated in a week.
Be careful, the Sixers may draft you if that bruise is still showing come June.
It might make sense for them to start a rebuild by moving Gasol and Conley for youth and cap space regardless, but I don't think attempting to hang on to that pick should play much of a factor in that decision considering how many terrible teams there are out there. Granted some of those teams have cap space next year, but it would be a big gamble to try to get into the bottom 8 with the Bulls, Suns, Mavs, Kings, Hawks, Nets, Magic, Heat and Lakers (or swap in the Cavs here if Lebron takes his talents to LA) out there stinking it up. They're gonna have to give us that pick at some point, tanking just to delay it a year or two seems like a homeless man's Process.
Anyone you like in particular for the potential one-and-dones? From what I've read, the general consensus is that 2019 is weaker than 2018, particularly at the top, and that it's a significantly worse class for bigs. Sounds like Barrett, Zion and Reddish are good wing prospects, if not quite on the Doncic/Porter level, but Bol Bol is the only guy on par with Ayton, Bagley, and Bamba. And it's certainly no guarantee that the rule will be changed by 2019. A lot can happen in year, but having a 2-5 pick in hand for 2018 seems preferable to me.
Duke v. Texas later today should be a good chance to watch Bamba, Bagley, Duvall and Wendell Carter.
It was interesting watching Bagley last night. He was playing against 6'6 non-athletes (Portland State?) and while he was able to play volleyball around the rim to get his points and rebounds, he really was limited in every other offensive aspect. He tried a three from the top of the key and it was UGLY, missed right by several feet.
He has all the tools but he's FAR away. Carter, who has promised an undefeated season for Duke, looks fine, mostly overshadowed so far by Grayson Allen and Bagley. Duvall hit a three in the corner, that's the extent of my scouting on him so far.
He has all the tools but he's FAR away. Carter, who has promised an undefeated season for Duke, looks fine, mostly overshadowed so far by Grayson Allen and Bagley. Duvall hit a three in the corner, that's the extent of my scouting on him so far.
Yeah Doncic is number 1 with a bullet right now, and I think Mo Bamba is moving up vs other big men.
I'm not convinced by Ayton, you simply cannot have a no D center, having watched Okafor for too long I will never wish this on anyone. Porter with back injury and no chance to show anything. Bagley I am totally unconvinced by so far, but hopefully lot more to watch.
We shall see, keep an eye on Mikal Bridges, could be a fantastic 3&D wing. I love the idea of him on the Sixers, he can really shoot now and his D is legit. So many steals and deflections.
I'm not convinced by Ayton, you simply cannot have a no D center, having watched Okafor for too long I will never wish this on anyone. Porter with back injury and no chance to show anything. Bagley I am totally unconvinced by so far, but hopefully lot more to watch.
We shall see, keep an eye on Mikal Bridges, could be a fantastic 3&D wing. I love the idea of him on the Sixers, he can really shoot now and his D is legit. So many steals and deflections.
It's funny how every draft is THE BEST ONE EVER, until the guys have to actually "play basketball."
I was never as hyped about this class as some, because big men need specific skills more than ever.
Porter will be fascinating for this, he won't play so he's all potential and excitement and almost no meaningful tape to look at.
I bet he goes higher than we think because there are no warts to pick at.
I was totally sure Josh Jackson was going to be great, then I watched a bunch of tape just looking at him and I was like, ughhh no. This guy has no floor, it's total bust potential. No tape and I might have (wrongly) had him top 3
Porter will be fascinating for this, he won't play so he's all potential and excitement and almost no meaningful tape to look at.
I bet he goes higher than we think because there are no warts to pick at.
I was totally sure Josh Jackson was going to be great, then I watched a bunch of tape just looking at him and I was like, ughhh no. This guy has no floor, it's total bust potential. No tape and I might have (wrongly) had him top 3
Josh Jackson has a floor. It is a very solid defensive player player. Check out some of his defense this year, it is impressive. But he is on a shit team with shit leadership. I'm not a huge Jackson fan, but I have watched him play some stellar D this year. (sexy I know.)
Jackson seems like the next Kidd-Gilchrist to me, a guy who will always have value because of plus defense but who will leave you wanting more on offense for his entire career. MKG won’t even touch 3 points shots after 5 years so Jackson may be able to improve to decent levels there.
I disagree, not because he can't be a good defender, but he's not been consistent. I saw waaaaay too many reaches, switching off and not rotating or simply being completely reckless.
I very much had that view before I watched the tape, but after I think he's a bit of a headcase and he has a lot of mental lapses. He's actually a guy I'd think would be good for Stevens, high publicity etc. But on the suns? Who knows.
I haven't watched much of the suns this year because... well. They suck.
I've seen some of the same highlight packages and I agree they are impressive, but this was the same for college the highlights are great, but he's very Wiggins here in that the tools and flashes are great but not consistent.
edit: this is why he collapsed on my board, I didn't see anything but athleticism as a given. Shot, no. Passing tools but no IQ and poor vision. Rebounding, yes but nothing elite. When I wrote down his defense to questionable he was barely a lottery pick for me.
Pretty tough to evaluate a young player on such a bad team (they committed 29 turnovers in their last game!!!) but I would agree that his temperament gives me pause. I think Jackson has some raw skills on defense but he, like most young players, is inconsistent. End of the day, I don’t see a whole lot of upside here, as I’m not confident his offense ever becomes much. For a team that had Bledsoe with one foot out the door and a backup in Ulis at PG, Fox was probably a better pick
+1. I've seen the same schtick the few times I've watched him.
Lots of exciting players from this year's draft that have surprised to the upside: Tatum, Collins, Kuzma, Markkanen, Mitchell, DSJ, Ntilinka
Jackson has really been inept at shooting, he's in the Lonzo cohort.
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