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

I'm still following Domantas Sabonis - he's shooting 68% and averaging 10 and 7 at Gonzaga. And he's still only 18. Does he have to wait another year before declaring for the draft?

 

It's called damage control by the Sixers front office. Embiid is seen dunking between his legs. People start an outcry about how ridiculous Philly's tankonomics have gotten. So they send a minor setback down the pipe. It's all theater so they can continue to hold him out without people pointing at his acrobatic dunks.

Philly is disgusting. And if this does end up working, other teams will copy the plan, turning the league into shambles.

 

Towns is growing on me. Fast. I watched his game against Georgia and he was throwing up right handed hooks like a professional. I said it earlier, but the development of his post moves has been the deciding factor. He's got decent touch on those moves, but the important part is how much he brings defensively as a rim protector and he's a plus rebounder as well.

I'm still worried about his knees. Those comparisons to Bynum are good ones, but that's as concerning as it is exciting. Towns REALLY needs to develop his lower body strength. He's only 19, but his jumps often land awkwardly and he's using a lot of natural athleticism which is great but he needs long-term training. Once he gets a stronger base, he can be a force in the paint.

If we lucked into the #1 pick... I wouldn't be upset if we went Towns over Okafor at this point. I probably would take Okafor still, but Towns would be a great pick too.

 

If any team got the #1 spot and drafted Russell they should get their next 1st rounder taken away from them.

 

Mudiay and Russell will be almost foils of each other I think. I think Mudiay will have a MUCH easier time in transition/getting to the rim and finishing with contact. I think Russell will be the MUCH more polished shooter on the perimeter and passer in half-court situations.

I think long-term Mudiay still projects better, but Russell maybe short-term thanks to his jumper.

I think we'll do great to land either of them.

edit- I think maybe if we land Mudiay we end up needing a future SG. I think if we end up with Russell we'll need a future PG.

 

I haven't studied Towns' gait at all, but I've noticed two things.

1. He is very athletic, but he's completely off-balance most of the time. He tends to lean forward when he runs because his upper body is more developed muscularly than his legs. His legs are relatively thin for his size and athleticism. He needs to really bulk up his glutes and thighs to support all that weight or he'll end up leaning too much and straining the ligaments in his knees.

2. He tends to jump wildly and he lands on one leg too much. Coupled with his "top heavy"-ness he puts a LOT of strain on his knees to hold him upright. Eventually those ligaments are going to snap. He needs to learn how to move under control. Someone who could be a great tutor for him in terms of body control is Cap. Kareem's martial arts training really helped him with his core strength and his movement.

In short Towns needs to develop muscularly in his legs and core. If he doesn't he leaves himself at risk for injury down the road. I have no evidence of pre-existing injuries, but there's some red flags. The key is he's only 19 so this development will come as long as he lands on a good team with a good weight training staff.