DRAFT TALK Thread: Looking Like Lonzo

More like a dislocated ego.

 

Ball and Deng for whatever. Next problem?

 

I was joking.

 

Predicting the 1st now with draft set (subject to change after workouts):

1. Boston- Fultz. He's the most talented and has some serious flags, but Boston is a perfect spot for him. Less pressure to carry the team, a friend he can play with, and a solid future too. A hand-in-glove fit (damn it).
2. Lakers- Ball. You don't need more takes on this. Good fit, good player, blah blah.
3. Sixers- Jackson. I've been reading they want to try Simmons at the PG spot. Personally, I think they need to take Fox, but hey that's their prerogative. Jackson now fits in at SG/SF with a super interesting lineup of Simmons/Jackson/Covington/Saric/Embiid. Not a lot of shooting, but a lot of size and a ton of athleticism.
4. Suns- Tatum. I think the Suns should also pick a PG, but Tatum is a solid choice too. I wouldn't be surprised if they went Dennis Smith (I don't think they've got the PG of their future on the team), but Tatum gives them a versatile scoring SF/PF that fits decently with Booker.
5. Kings- Fox. Sacramento and Fox have been connected for a while. Collison is a FA and Fox brings a great attitude to pair with their young core of Hield, Labissiere, and Cauley-Stein. They still need a wing, but Fox is a terrific find at #5.
6. Magic- Z. Collins. Surprising a little, but I think Orlando is going to double down on mistakes. They love Payton, they overpaid Fournier, and they're dedicated to Gordon. They may have paid Biyombo, but he's clearly a backup and they've been trying to trade Vucevic for two years now. Collins is a solid PF/C prospect.
7. Wolves-Isaac.Fantastic fit for the Wolves next to Towns. Dieng has been solid for them, but he doesn't have much of a ceiling. Isaac gives them a versatile forward with some stretch potential and great defensive upside. They go into the future with LaVine/Wiggins/Isaac/Towns and Dunn(?), but a great base.
8. Knicks- Ntilikina. Phil goes at it again and picks the international kid. Ntilikina has the potential to be the best guard defender in the draft. Tall with a great reach, he's going to be frustrating for opponents. He's a project though and will need time to adjust to the Triangle and creating at the NBA level.
9. Mavs- Monk. I struggled here. I wanted to say they'll take Smith, but I think Dallas makes an incredible push for Jrue Holiday and let the chips fall where they may. Monk gives them someone capable of creating from the perimeter which they really need.
10. Kings- Anunoby. This one is a reach, but with their guard spot sorted out at #5, assuming they keep the pick they need a wing. Rudy Gay is leaving, Afflalo is burnt, Hield is a SG, and that leaves... Tyreke Evans. So Anunoby it is and it's not a bad place for him.
11. Hornets- J. Allen. The Hornets are a weird nest of mediocre players. The best player on the board is probably Smith or Markannen, but I'm not sure how either would fit in with Charlotte. I actually expect them to move out of this spot, but if they don't they'll want a kid who fits their team and has great upside. Allen fits.
12. Pistons- D. Smith. Smith falls right into their lap and he's a tremendous fit for them. The Pistons became instantly disenfranchised with their two "franchise" players last season. I'm not sure what the future of Reggie Jackson is. Smith is a reserved kid, but has some fire to him. His leaping ability is impressive.
13. Nuggets- Markannen. A solid fit here. Jokic is clearly their future and Markannen gives him a dangerous running mate as a spacer. I'm not sure Markannen does anything else at an NBA level, but he can sure stroke the three ball. Faried's days there are numbered.
14. Heat- Ju. Jackson. The Heat are looking for shooters and Jackson fits that bill. I had compared him to Tayshaun Prince in the past. I think the comparison is still there. He's a solid 3 & D player and he'll be a good addition.
15. Blazers- Anigbogu. The fit is obvious. He'd be what they thought Ezeli might be. He'd be what they thought Ed Davis would be. Big target, defensive minded, hard worker and has experience playing off guards. Great lob target. Lillard would love this guy.
16. Bulls- Mitchell. He tested extremely well at the combine and catapulted himself into the lottery as a result. I'm not that high on him, but I didn't get to see him at the Combine where he apparently blew folks away. The Bulls have a shaky future right now. Does Wade return? Do they trade Bulter?
17. Bucks- Patton. He came out of left field a bit as a prospect, but the Bucks are going to look for a long-term solution at Center. He's got great size and good athleticism, but there's questions of his physicality. Give him some time to grow out in Milwaukee. Worth the gamble at this point.
18. Pacers- J. Collins. This one threw me for a loop a little bit. Do the Pacers pick for now? Do they prep for George's possible departure? In the end I went with the best player available and Collins was a terrific scorer last year for a big man. He and Turner could be the future at that position in a twin-tower kind of way.
19. Hawks- Giles. This is a gamble, but late in the teens it's worth it. Giles has tremendous upside, but he's a project and a injury prone one at that. At this stage though the Hawks already hate Howard so this pick needs high upside as a potential replacement.
20. Blazers- Kurucs. I expect the Blazers to probably trade out of this pick since they're absolutely stacked with contracts right now, but if they don't they'll want a guy who is high upside, but needs work. Kurucs fits that to a tee. Wing player who could be really solid one day (as a trade chip).
21. Thunder- Kennard. The Thunder need shooting. Kennard is shooting. Not quite a hand in glove fit and I'm not positive Kennard can stick around defensively with any NBA players, but if Kennard can adjust his stroke to the NBA line, he can have a great career as a shooter worth 18-20 million (according to JJ Redick).
22. Nets- Hartenstein. The Nets need a guy with extremely high upside and this is your man. He's a 7 footer with a bit of shooting ability and a nice frame. He could be a really good player with some seasoning or he could be Andrea Bargnani. It's a hit or miss pick, but what the hell? Might as well take swings.
23. Raptors- Leaf. The Raptors are another team that needs shooters. Lowry and DeRozan control the ball a lot, Leaf could be helpful on the glass, the break, and spacing the floor. I think Leaf ends up having a pretty good career in the mold of Channing Frye and Ryan Anderson.
24. Jazz- Rabb. Rabb strikes me as the Labissiere of this draft. Lots of talent, but some size questions. He's a tall kid, but sort of a slender frame. He would project as the Favors replacement, but brings some outside shooting potential. He'd make an interesting long-term fit next to Gobert.
25. Magic- Diallo. This is a complete Orlando move. Diallo has some buzz, so they grab him and hope he retains value even though he's a project and won't get much time. That athleticism will rot on the bench until Diallo's contract is eventually thrown into a trade and he blossoms somewhere else as a contributor.
26. Blazers- Ferguson. He's a very similar project to Diallo and I think the Blazers almost certainly trade out of this pick, but if not then they'll take the high upside kid who will probably be a G-Leaguer for a while. High ceiling, low floor pick.
27. Nets- Jeanne. He'd be another big man, but where Hartenstein might eventually play PF, Jeanne projects as a Center. He's a legitimate 7 footer, but built like a straw. A fluid athlete who runs the floor well, he can contribute in some capacity right away but you hope he can put some muscle on like Gobert.
28. Lakers- Ojeleye. I have a hard time passing on him. He can shoot outside and has a Karl Malone-esque physique. He's got very good defensive potential and could be a small ball power forward if need be given his strength. At this point in the draft, he could be a steal as a 3 & D forward candidate behind Ingram.
29. Spurs- Lydon. He's about as Spurs as it gets. Not an athletic threat, but smart as all get-out. He can shoot the ball and would immediately factor in as a player Pop could use to get the offense going off the bench. Not a flashy pick, but probably a productive one who wouldn't make it elsewhere.
30. Jazz- White. The Jazz experiment with Exum might come to end rather soon. He hasn't been terribly productive and with George Hill getting older and more injury prone, they're going to need a guard soon. White gives them a solid PG option who is a little bigger than Jawun Evans.

 

Regarding Semi Ojeleye who you have listed at #28 for us to take I found this treasure trove.

2017 NBA COMBINE ATHLETIC TESTING ANALYSIS Julian Applebome @jlapplebome May 13, 2017,

Semi Ojeleye of SMU posted an impressive 40.5 Max Vertical Leap (tied for fifth best), but perhaps the more significant numbers for him were the 10.58 seconds he posted in the lane agility testing and 3.16 seconds he posted in the three-quarter court sprint which rank third and eighth best overall respectively. Ojeleye weighed in at strong 241 pounds yesterday which he has proved is not too high of a number to compromise his athletic ability. He's a highly unique physical specimen, ranking in the 95th percentile or better in those three categories in our extensive database. - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Semi-Ojeleye-7164/ ©DraftExpress

Also in the combine game he posted these impressive defensive stats

10 points, 3 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, 2-3 2P, 1-4 3P, 22 minutes

 

One of my faults evaluating kids is I am always high on athletes so I'm trying to force skepticism on Ojeleye. He has definite flaws. He can't create for others, he isn't great creating for himself against wings, and he doesn't have a tight handle.

But he still does have a solid stroke and has fantastic defensive potential. He could be a really solid, versatile wing for us.

 

He wouldn't make it high on your list I think abeer.

His biggest flaw actually is decision making. I'm not sure how smart he is. He doesn't typically have a plan of attack offensively besides trying to "LeBron it". He can sometimes take bad pull up jumpers. Maybe worst of all, he is a ball stopper offensively. It'd be a process to get him to move the ball I think, but he's a hard working kid. Mom is a nurse, dad is a doctor. He's got smart genes in there somewhere. He reminds me of Thomas Robinson actually with the ball in his hands: earnest, but not bright. He's best as just a shooter or lob catcher which is why I think ultimately he's a bench player.

 

Yeah I'd say Ojeleye only ticks off two of those boxes... He's not particularly skilled and he struggles creating shots. I'd like to have him work out though because it could be he was asked to do that at school so he felt the need to do certain things. I'd like to hear his logic. For what it's worth, I've heard he's worked out for the Pacers who are picking at 18.