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

McDemott? Lakers would've been livid if we passed on Smart AND Lavine to grab McDermott.

 

Brown taking him under his wing will definitely help. He must really believe in the kid.

 

Ok, so here is my solution; draft Mudiay, fire Scott, hire Larry Brown. Yeah, I know, it's not realistic, but I can dream.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...t-guard-passing-nba-ncaa-tournament/24383823/

Here you go, Elgin. Good piece on Russell.

 

I've started doing some research on the top two bigs in the draft, Okafor and Towns. I haven't started digging into stats or anything yet, just checking out clips for the eye test...you know, very scientific stuff.

My initial thoughts, my gut reaction, is that between Towns and Okafor, Towns is the guy you want.

Okafor looks awesome in the post and is so, so smooth. But the NBA has made a concerted effort to focus on perimeter play and get out of the post. Okafor, in some ways, is playing in the wrong era. He isn't a rim protector and doesn't look to be an elite rebounder. To me, he comes across as a Greg Monroe type: very good offensively, but ultimately not good enough all-around to be a superstar. The modern center needs to be able to defend the paint, catch and finish on the pick and roll, and rebound well, and I don't see any of those things in Okafor. Not saying he won't be good, but the #1 pick should be a superstar, and what I've seen so far makes me think he will have a tough time transitioning to the NBA.

Everyone says he's the most NBA ready but lacks elite athleticism. Well most guys who don't have elite athleticism don't become stars in today's NBA. There are exceptions of course, but I think the tools that Okafor lacks aren't going to be completely made up for by his post offense.

Towns, on the other hand, looks a bit awkward on offense. He isn't close to as smooth as Okafor, but then no post player is. Towns is a much better rim protector and defender and he competes so hard for rebounds. Even when he's cough out of position he fights to get it back and get the board. His offensive game needs work, but I think his defense and potential on offense outweighs Okafors offense and lower potential on defense.

Finally, here is what sealed it for me: I think we are seeing the Randle effect with Towns in Kentucky. Remember how surprised everyone was at Randle's ball handling and passing abilities? Everyone said he's the next Zach Randolph going into the draft, but those of us who watched summer league and preseason saw a more diverse offensive game, one that he wasn't able to show within the confines of Kentucky's system.

If that's the case I think we will see Wiggins/Parker all over again, where the less athletic guy who is supposed to be more NBA ready will struggle.

Again, this is all just based on the eye test thus far, and there is always a chance that Mudiay or Russell becomes the pick.

Chad Ford said the top 4 or 5 guys in this draft aren't on a Wiggins level but are more on a Exum/Gordon/Randle level, and that's concerning, obviously. I think there is more to Towns than meets the eye though. Okafor is the safe pick, but if someone is going to become a star in the league I think it's Towns.

Oh, and I'll add this: The guy that I'm reminded of most when I see Towns in the post is Andrew Bynum. Just the way he moves, looks very Bynum-like, in a good way.

 

Tanking slogans for the home stretch from B/R

 

Towns knees scare me. I think this is why he looks a bit like Bynum to some - same knee construction.

 

I'd still take Okafor over Towns in a heartbeat. His dominance in the post is special. And that translates to any era in the NBA, IMHO.
He's a capable short-to-midrange jumper and an underrated passer, so his offense will be extremely effective in the modern game.

And his defense will improve. You don't have to be super athletic to be a great team defender in this league (Marc Gasol, Tim Duncan)
Look at what scouts said about Marc Gasol before the draft.....

"....he doesn't make a great impact on the defensive end. His limited mobility gets exploited in pick-and-roll situations that the opponents throw at him; he's not a great intimidator, he allows smaller opponents to shoot over him; and given his superb size, he's not the best rebounder around."

Gasol was considered a liability even after his first year in Memphis. He put in the work, and look where he is now defensively.
Same thing can be said about Okafor. The key similarities between the two are court awareness and basketball IQ.

 

Thanks. Good read.

 

Thanks for the in-depth response, unpossil. A couple of things; Randle displayed his ball-handling in high school. If you watched him in high school, you knew he could handle and pass like that and he only question was if it would translate to the next level. You're right on about Towns; we seen it in the last game. Kentucky got behind and they started going to Towns in the post and Towns was feasting in the paint. I hadn't seen that all season up until that game. There' another part to his game that he doesn't get to show much at the college level and that's his shooting. He has range all the way out to the 3 point line. Either way, good insight....

 

Also consider Bynum had two freak injuries to both knees involving landing on someone's foot and someone sliding into your knee causing it to hyperextend.

If Towns can become 2007, pre-injury Bynum, AND stay healthy, that would be ideal.

Okafor is still #1 because he has the ability to immediately contribute offensively. Athleticism can only take you so far as a player, for example, Duncan vs Deandre. Duncan never had elite athleticism, yet, he's considered the best PF/C of all time. Deandre, on the other hand, with his out of this world athleticism, is just a role player.

Honestly, there's no tell until the player gets to the NBA, that's why the draft is a crapshoot.

The whole Wiggins/Parker draft was blown way out of proportion, and yes, Parker is still the better pick of the two. Wiggins is athletic and all, but the kid doesn't have the makeup mentally. He's still passive. He's still finding his game. Parker was a stud before his injury, despite his "lack of defense."

Don't trust anything Chad Ford says, the guy goes back on things he says and needs to "rework" drafts he's done before. This years draft may not be as deep, but there's A LOT more potential to produce a superstar than last years.

 

I would take Towns beceause of his defense and the way he would fit with Randle. But draft is in some way a crapshot, right now JC is better then Exum and Smart, but who knows how they develop in 2-3 years.
Regarding last years draft the only player i would take right now ahead of Randle is Wiggins and maybe Embiid(beceause we just dont know how good he can be).
Parker imo is overrated, they are a lot of good scorers in NBA with zero defense:Young, Meeks, Martin...

 

Pierce was a very good defender in his prime...

 

I liked how Parker played too. He was a ROY front-runner until the injury. He definitely deserved the 2nd pick in the draft.