Some final thoughts on the 2019 pool from the perspective of 14/20/22. Post Kyrexit and Horgone they have a couple of holes to address. Their need for apex scorers lends itself to the Kevin Porter Jr. rumors. He’s immensely talented, but needs to refine his shooting mechanics (a weird little hitch in the motion).
He would benefit from a team whose culture is driven by Smart, Baynes, and Hayward, and by having to earn every moment of playing time. But if you win that bet you’ve picked up a poor man’s James Harden. If he ends up on a young team throwing him minutes bet on him washing out. It takes real effort to get tossed off a USC athletic team.
Other guys:
Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He’s got warts, a weird hitch in his shooting motion which I think prevents him from being elite (he basically pauses at the top of the motion), he’s more smooth than explosive, and more of a combo guard than a point one.
PJ Washington. A Marcus Morris replacement. Entering the NBA at the exact right moment. Can defend out on the perimeter and shoot from distance. A sure thing as a depth F off the bench.
Nick Claxton. A potential long-term Horford replacement. Rock solid ball handling skills for a big man and shows some potential as a stretch 5. Defensively he has very quick hands and feet. His lateral quickness allows him to stay in front of guards, so he’s ideal for modern switchy defense. On the minus side his shooting release is slower than an 80 year old’s bowel movements and his body is less than ideal. He’s 6’11” 215 at the moment, but I’m not sure that body can carry more than another 30lbs or so.
There are also some gambles available (like KPJ), that could pay dividends down the line.
Nassir Little, so long that he probably gives Danny a hard-on. Really busts ass on defense. A major work in progress on the other end. But he and Smart could form their own terrorist cell on the defensive end of the floor.
KZ Okpala. There’s something missing upstairs with Okpala, with his length and athleticism he should have killed the competition at the college level. But he didn’t. He needs work everywhere, ballhandling, shooting mechanics, all of his defense. But, on the other hand, you can’t teach guys to be that explosive at 6’10” with a 7’2” wingspan and an 8’11” standing reach. He’s as raw as steak tartare, but if you could get him matched up with a skills trainer and teach him to harness those physical gifts, you’d have a heckuva player.
Rui Hachimura. See above. You can’t teach wingspan and standing reach. On the other hand he’s more smooth than explosive (if he had Brandon Clarke’s explosiveness he’d be the 4th pick) and his jumper needs refinement. He has a slowish release that he gets away with because of the 7’2” wingspan, it’ll be tougher in the NBA though. Pretty good drive & kick game for a F. Defense is a major work in progress.