2019 Draft Megathread

Cellar-Door

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One thing I’ll say about the weight thing is that NBA players listed weight for bigger guys is probably not a great indicator of how much they really weigh. I believe there are a lot of NBA guys who weigh more than 285.
Great example is LeBron who at one point was in the upper 270s but listed at 255 or 260

I would guess that plenty of bigs are over 285
 

BigSoxFan

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Agreed on Barrett being the #1 pick but Zion is going to be a stud in the NBA. How can anyone besides LeBron stop him from getting to the basket whenever he wants? He's a good enough passer that if anyone comes help-side he'll make the right play then too. That dime he threw to Barrett on the break last night was amazing for a guy his size. And if you play off of him he's a good enough shooter to make you pay.
He may get to the rim effectively in the NBA but it won't be easy finishing at his 6'6 height even with his athleticism. His shooting looks improved from those HS clips but I would absolutely sag off him if I were ACC coaches. If he starts draining 3's at a 35-40% clip, I'll live with that.

I remain quite intrigued by Zion and would love to see him teamed up with a guard who can distribute. For instance, a Zion/Doncic combo in Dallas would basically be basketball porn.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Great example is LeBron who at one point was in the upper 270s but listed at 255 or 260

I would guess that plenty of bigs are over 285
This assumes Duke isn't lying about height and weight too. Not directed at you, but at the "using what the nba lists as height/weight."
 

RedOctober3829

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He may get to the rim effectively in the NBA but it won't be easy finishing at his 6'6 height even with his athleticism. His shooting looks improved from those HS clips but I would absolutely sag off him if I were ACC coaches. If he starts draining 3's at a 35-40% clip, I'll live with that.

I remain quite intrigued by Zion and would love to see him teamed up with a guard who can distribute. For instance, a Zion/Doncic combo in Dallas would basically be basketball porn.
Why would it be hard to finish at the rim because he's 6'6"? Plenty of players smaller than him finish effectively at the rim. There are many bigs in the league who won't be able to handle the contact he creates and he'll be able to finish.
 

Sox Puppet

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I remain quite intrigued by Zion and would love to see him teamed up with a guard who can distribute. For instance, a Zion/Doncic combo in Dallas would basically be basketball porn.
True - it was smart of Dallas to top-5 protect their 2019 pick in the Doncic trade.
 

BigSoxFan

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Why would it be hard to finish at the rim because he's 6'6"? Plenty of players smaller than him finish effectively at the rim. There are many bigs in the league who won't be able to handle the contact he creates and he'll be able to finish.
I'm not saying he won't be able to, I'm saying it won't be easy, at least initially. Jaylen Brown is an example of a guy who has size, athleticism, and strength and he struggles with finishing to this day. I'm more saying that it'll take some adjustment once he's dealing with the NBA redwoods on a daily basis. NBA teams will be much better-positioned to counteract Zion's physicality and athleticism than college teams.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Great example is LeBron who at one point was in the upper 270s but listed at 255 or 260

I would guess that plenty of bigs are over 285
I'm not sure I agree with this as even someone like Drummond is very lean. Who would the candidates be for >285 I haven't seen Marc Gasol this year but his weight last year was surely up there. Remember how deceptive the television can be with weight. I mean look what it did to Tommy Boy?
 

Cellar-Door

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I'm not sure I agree with this as even someone like Drummond is very lean. Who would the candidates be for >285 I haven't seen Marc Gasol this year but his weight last year was surely up there. Remember how deceptive the television can be with weight. I mean look what it did to Tommy Boy?
Embiid, Okafor, Nurkic, both Lopi, Zaza Felicio, Jokic, DeAndre, Adams

Think about how many of these guys are similar builds to NFL players and 8 inches to a foot taller.
 

Kliq

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This assumes Duke isn't lying about height and weight too. Not directed at you, but at the "using what the nba lists as height/weight."
My interpretation is the listed weights for a lot of NBA players is taken from their draft measurements and is never updated as players go from skinny teenagers to adult professionals. Dwight Howard is listed at 265lbs; despite being five inches taller than Zion.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Embiid, Okafor, Nurkic, both Lopi, Zaza Felicio, Jokic, DeAndre, Adams

Think about how many of these guys are similar builds to NFL players and 8 inches to a foot taller.
This is my point. Those guys are not the size of NFL linebackers in real life. Nearly all of them are extremely lean to downright skinny. Take Enbiid for example who was already fairly well physically developed at Kansas.....he weighed in at 240 at the Combine. DeAndre and Brook were also well developed and 250, 255 respectively.
 

Marciano490

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People tend to guess weights by looking at upper body development and not legs. TEs and linebackers have much thicker legs than basketball players. Also, remember that being lean can make you look bigger, so the fact that guys like Embiid is so lean can make him seem bigger.
 

Cesar Crespo

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People tend to guess weights by looking at upper body development and not legs. TEs and linebackers have much thicker legs than basketball players. Also, remember that being lean can make you look bigger, so the fact that guys like Embiid is so lean can make him seem bigger.
Do you mean bigger or taller?
 

Devizier

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My interpretation is the listed weights for a lot of NBA players is taken from their draft measurements and is never updated as players go from skinny teenagers to adult professionals. Dwight Howard is listed at 265lbs; despite being five inches taller than Zion.
It's like the opposite of pro wrestling, where every dude is listed to be the size of prime Shaquille O'Neal
 

JCizzle

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Is this a glimpse at what LeBron in college would have been like? Those numbers are crazy.
 

HomeRunBaker

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First live look at Bol Bol tonight. My initial impression after 20 minutes is he's a more passive and taller Thon Maker. Nice balls skills for his size but don't see how his skillset translates at a high level.

Color me unimpressed.

Edit: Now he's out with lower leg injury which is another potential longterm problem for someone his size. I wouldn't want to be the GM of a lottery team betting my job on this kid.
 

DJnVa

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My favorite part is when youtube or ESPN puts an add over the top left corner of the video that I cannot delete obscuring about 20% of the screen.

How the fuck can companies not figure out video? Autoplay, ads on screen, pulling down 3rd party videos that give you publicity...
 

BigSoxFan

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Darius Garland at Vandy, a likely top 15 pick, has a meniscus tear and is out for the year. We’ll see if he stays or goes. Would make a nice potential Rozier replacement.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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My favorite part is when youtube or ESPN puts an add over the top left corner of the video that I cannot delete obscuring about 20% of the screen.

How the fuck can companies not figure out video? Autoplay, ads on screen, pulling down 3rd party videos that give you publicity...
The amazing thing is that a ton of media companies made a huge and now infamous “pivot to video” (in part because of Facebook algorithm updates that turned out to be largely bullshit) without ever figuring out how to make it a good experience. Of course, the shift was a flop and a lot of the layoffs in the field over the last couple years are more or less a direct result of that kind of moronic decision making.
 

HowBoutDemSox

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I just don't see how you can watch Duke and not think Williamson is the #1 pick.
Watching someone with his mass fly through the air like he does is just uncanny, it looks like a bad special effect at times. He also looks like he has some nice footwork and quickness along the baseline to get to the rim (check 2:25 of the video below), though it could just be bad college defenders:
 

tims4wins

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Watching someone with his mass fly through the air like he does is just uncanny, it looks like a bad special effect at times. He also looks like he has some nice footwork and quickness along the baseline to get to the rim (check 2:25 of the video below), though it could just be bad college defenders:
His lateral quickness has been the most surprising aspect of his game to me so far.
 

chilidawg

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His lateral quickness has been the most surprising aspect of his game to me so far.
His court vision is a surprise as well, and the shooting hasn't been bad at all. He's got a nice touch around the rim when he isn't trying to destroy it.

The athleticism is obviously as advertised, but it seems every other facet of his game was underestimated.
 

tims4wins

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His court vision is a surprise as well, and the shooting hasn't been bad at all. He's got a nice touch around the rim when he isn't trying to destroy it.

The athleticism is obviously as advertised, but it seems every other facet of his game was underestimated.
True. Although maybe it was us, the fans, doing the underestimating. There is a reason he was a top 5 recruit and it wasn't "dunking".
 

nighthob

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Watching someone with his mass fly through the air like he does is just uncanny, it looks like a bad special effect at times. He also looks like he has some nice footwork and quickness along the baseline to get to the rim (check 2:25 of the video below), though it could just be bad college defenders
He still looks like a man among boys. The one part of his game I wondered about was the perimeter shooting, as at Div 3 high school ball he never had to shoot more than a couple of feet from the rim. But he's been surprisingly solid at it.

Given that he's entering the NBA at the perfect time, I suspect that he has the inside track on #1. Barrett, for the athleticism and potential as an alpha scorer, is probably #2. Reddish should be #3, and he's still my favourite player from the pool (even if he isn't going to be the best one).
 

HomeRunBaker

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BigSoxFan

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Bol is my 2019 version of Dragan Bender and Mario Hezonja as nearly certain busts even with two good feet. Having a bad one may have saved a lottery team of further embarrassment.
I’m in your camp. Would make a great story but no chance in hell I spend a mid-lotto pick on him.
 

benhogan

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Bol is my 2019 version of Dragan Bender and Mario Hezonja as nearly certain busts even with two good feet. Having a bad one may have saved a lottery team of further embarrassment.
Most mocks have him top 10, but I agree with you here. I watched Bol Bol rip Syracuse at the Garden earlier this year and still don't think he translates to the NBA. Thon Maker-esque. Foot problems for a big man? Wouldn't ever expect him to fill out? and work ethic issues? Firm pass in top 20... maybe a very late first/2nd round flyer
 

edoug

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Most mocks have him top 10, but I agree with you here. I watched Bol Bol rip Syracuse at the Garden earlier this year and still don't think he translates to the NBA. Thon Maker-esque. Foot problems for a big man? Wouldn't ever expect him to fill out? and work ethic issues? Firm pass in top 20... maybe a very late first/2nd round flyer
I think if a team uses him like the Celts used Walton, he'll be a very useful player. But that's not you do with lottery picks. So he might be a bust originally but come into his own for his second or third team.
 

mostman

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Most mocks have him top 10, but I agree with you here. I watched Bol Bol rip Syracuse at the Garden earlier this year and still don't think he translates to the NBA. Thon Maker-esque. Foot problems for a big man? Wouldn't ever expect him to fill out? and work ethic issues? Firm pass in top 20... maybe a very late first/2nd round flyer
Current Tankathon has him falling to 11 and being picked by.... the Celtics.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Most mocks have him top 10, but I agree with you here. I watched Bol Bol rip Syracuse at the Garden earlier this year and still don't think he translates to the NBA. Thon Maker-esque. Foot problems for a big man? Wouldn't ever expect him to fill out? and work ethic issues? Firm pass in top 20... maybe a very late first/2nd round flyer
Thon Maker isn't exactly great but he's still an NBA player and will have a long career. Do you think Bol Bol won't stick around the league for awhile?
 

lovegtm

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Thon Maker isn't exactly great but he's still an NBA player and will have a long career. Do you think Bol Bol won't stick around the league for awhile?
If he really does have work ethic issues, I wouldn't expect him to last long.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Thon Maker isn't exactly great but he's still an NBA player and will have a long career. Do you think Bol Bol won't stick around the league for awhile?
I think it's way too early to project Maker having a long career since we aren't privy to his day to day mental approach but what is certain is that he isn't going to evolve into a star player or even a really good player. Right now he's playing a role similar to that of Theis here when we are fully healthy and not making an impact or showing improvement in year 3.

He has the physical tools to last for 15 years but that will depend on what is between his ears which we can only hear reports on or analyze by any improvements in his game and/or body.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Agreed. Remember---much of the "Thon Maker upside" stuff was people who fixate on his age, not people who follow basketball and skills/tools. It is still possible Maker is a legit NBA frontline starter, but odds are well against it. I don't think that makes it a bad pick for Bucks---they can afford to gamble on the upside. And it doesn't look like it will pan out.

I'd much rather bet on Bol Bol, who has a broader skillset and is earlier in the development cycle. If Celts have 3-4 1s, he's a good gamble. I agree with HRB the 'median' projection isn't all that good (some combination of injury risk, body type, work ethic, and slightly-hard-to-figure role) but the Celts can take a shot on at least one of those picks too.