2015 Nba Draft Discussion: Russell, Nance Jr., Brown

For sure...my fault. I'll recap it later when I have more time. I am leaving for work. Johnson's physical dimension at age 19 are off the freaking charts. 6-11 wing span, built like a tank, my goodness. I didn't realize until I was reading it today...

 

Could you post this article please. Sounds like a good read

 

Draft Express has Johnson # 5 , I've only seen him once, in a beat down of Michigan. He's 6'8" 240lbs, great handles, great rebounder, incredible on the break, plays GREAT defense! Excellent mid range, decent on the 3 ball, best of all he plays the game like it's his last. He's got a pro body right now and at 19 is still growing. This guy is going to be the real deal, and a SF....where do the Lakers need the most help, besides everywhere..lol

 

The Lakers look like a sure bet to get a top 5 pick, the projected top 5 is in flux but right now it looks like this
1 Okafor
2 Russell
3 Mudiay
4 Towns
5 Johnson

IMO of those only Mudiay does not project into a solid if not great NBA player. I can not put stock into a guy that can't get it together to play as a 1 and done for a great college program. Puts in doubt his character, IQ, and if he's hiding flaws, weaknesses that would be called out and scrutinized by playing under pressure here in the USA. See Dante Exum from last years draft...

 

It would be tough to take anyone over Okafor for sure, But Towns yes I would, The Lakers need a leader, Scorer, a defensive presence at the 3, in short they need a star, this kid has it written all over him player for a top flight college program.

 

Towns concerns me. Not because I think he'll be a bust, I think he'll have a damn good career. Might even surpass Okafor in time. My concern is time. Yeah, we're rebuilding and have virtually an empty roster, but I'm not so sure we have the time to invest in him. As ridiculous as that sounds, I think all that matters right now is making this team look as attractive as possible for Kobe's replacement. Okafor is NBA ready today, Towns isn't. How long will it take Towns? 3-4 years? Does a superstar want to wait 2-3 years for the next best player to catchup? That said after Okafor and Mudiay, I say the hell with it and take him anyway.

 

Kevin has him at 19 on his first statistical big board; points out that Johnson's biggest advantage is he's only 19. Chad points out there's a split between scouts and execs that have him between 5th and 12 (according to the draft)...some think he has a chance at being a superstar to a solid starter.

Kevin looked at core projected statistics and the only one where Stanley was either in the top or bottom of of NBA Small Forwards is a good steal rate. He's making nearly 40 percent his 3-point the upside; downside, he's only converting about 50% of his attempts around the rim; in contrast, nobody on the Arizona roster is making less than 60% of those shots. Another that that will translate for Johnson is rebounding at the next level; he's rebounding.

Very confident young man, plays like a senior instead of a freshman; a fearlessness in his game. Can get after it defensively; again, not great at creating off the dribble and wondering if Stanley is not as explosive of athlete due to low finishing percentage around the rim.

Kevin says three comps; Deng, Marvin Williams, and Thaddeus Young; Chad compares him to Ron Artest.

Very brief recap; sorry. By the way, I had a chance to watch him against ASU; I'd be very happy with this pick. Kobe could mentor him in his last year...

 

This is where Mitch will have to do his best work as a talent evaluater. Tough to gauge a kid off of what he's done in China, or just from workouts....I'd definitely go with Russell if picking a PG.

 

Also,

Nailed it. You should do some research on the league he's playing in...not to say he will be a bad player, he's just very difficult to gauge. He has that 'Exum' mystique going for him right now...

 

Yep. Larry Brown was on First Take and was asked about him and the situation. 7:49 marker on First Take. His family had nothing, people lied to him about a $10m shoe deal he'd get over there. He didn't get that, but did get money to care for his family.

 

Thank You for that post, very informative. Knowledge is so valuable to have, It opened my eyes to another possibility to this slam dunk draft for the Lakers.

 

I really like Johnson. I wish the team was in a position for him to be the difference maker. If Kobe was a couple years younger and Pau was still here, I think Johnson could come in and be a huge contributor to the club. He has all the tools to be a great lockdown perimeter defender and a starting SF for a dozen years. I don't see the Ron comparison because while Ron had a ridiculous build, a large part of what made Ron Ron was mental and his rabid dog approach. I don't see Johnson as a franchise player though. Career starter? yes. Franchise changer? No. If I'm a contender, I'm doing everything in my powers to move up to get him because I think he's the ultimate grab for a team that's one player away. I have Johnson ranked 4th on my board. Top three are reserved potential franchise players. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be upset if we got him. I just think we'd be wasting each others time.

 

Towns has a better focus on defense than Bynum did, but I think Towns has decent enough in the post with his use of size, length, athleticism. That's the difference between Okafor and Towns. Okafor can get his shots, but he doesn't get off the floor as much, but he's still effective with his footwork. Towns on the other hand just uses his sheer size to get his shots off, and his moves aren't that bad and geared towards his size. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him in the LSU game. Excellent post moves. Help defense. Boxing out. What reminds me most about Towns in regards to Bynum is how he just goes up for the rebound with his arms outstretched and it's like no one else is there.