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

I do prefer Winslow, but Stanley's stock has dropped way too low in my opinion. I expect him to bounce back once individual workouts begin.

 

That's what I see as well. Winslow just has a motor that doesn't quit.

 

Hmm... but has anyone seen evidence of Johnson actually taking plays off or slacking during a game?

 

I can't understand why these two Euros Kristaps Porzingis, Mario Hezonja are so high on draft boards. It looks like a team would need to leave them over in Europe for a couple seasons to develop. I can't see the Lakers being interested at all with the roster in such disarray.

 

I know most of you guys are a lot higher than Winslow than I am. can't exactly put my finger on it, but he just doesn't excite me as a prospect. His style won't be nearly as effective against grown a** men in the NBA. He's too reckless, plays out of control, he heated up at the right time and it worked for him in the tourney (getting overhyped because of it). I see him as a great future 6th man. He really needs to land in a run and gun spot to be properly utilized. But I see Johnson as a starter on day 1. He and Okafor have games that immediately translate into the next level.

 

5:00-6:10

 

Euros TEND to be more fundamentally sound than most American counterparts, which I think is relatively true.

The American brand of prospects are highly focused on their athleticism or size, rather than actual basketball skills. Okafor has both, which makes him so coveted. Towns started with size, but developed some skill. For the most part however, these guys are mostly hype and highlight tapes.

Euros teach fundamentals very well, but some lack that aggressiveness that the successful ones have. They're not quite as physically gifted as the prospects here, but they can do a lot of other things well. I think Hezonja is that mystery kid this year, as Exum was last year, except, Mario has a fire about him that's very intriguing and why Mitch made the scouting trip.

 

Thanks, the last play shows a clear lack of effort. I'm not sure about the other plays though. Seems to be nitpicking mistakes that can happen to any teenager.

I'd like to know if he's a slacker because that is very hard to tell in workouts.

 

It's hard to tell anything with these players and what they will become until they enter they league. We see a guy like Wes Johnson who could blow the combine away with his athleticism, a team thinks he has all the physical tools to become a great player, and he becomes a bust. Every once in a decade you get a draft where it's incredibly deep, talented, and you can still pick a Darko when the draft had Lebron, Carmelo, and D-Wade. We'll do our due diligence and make the best choice possible...

 

maybe i didn't see enough of winslow, but i was more concerned about his shot than i was about johnson's. and i'm definitely concerned that he's maybe a wing tweener of sorts. i'd still probably take winslow simply based on his ability to move on the perimeter on both ends, which is quite important in the current nba, but it's not a slam dunk to me. at least not like it seems to be among the scouts/draft sites.

 

I like Winslow, but it could be argued that he's getting a little overrated because of his tournament run. He'll be an excellent defender on the next level, and effective in transition, but I don't see the tremendous skills that some are talking about. He's an okay shooter/ballhandle, but hardly exceptional in either respect at the NBA level. He strikes me as a potential stopper on defense, and jack of all trades, master of none on offense. That's not a bad thing at all. Nevertheless, if you can give me a kicka** perimeter defender who is at least adequate on multiple things on offense, on a team that's likely to have 2-3 free agents handling most of the responsibilities? Yes, please.

 

i understand hezonja more than porzingis. the latter isn't very fluid, and he's not big enough to not be fluid and/or faster. i hear dirk or ak, but i sometimes see fazekas. i'm sure he's better than fazekas, but still...

hezonja looks like he could step in and play, imo. i like that he's been pretty good against high quality competition.

 

poor wes just didn't improve in any way since his last season in college. this is the danger of projecting, of course. there's also the danger of assuming guys have already hit their ceiling, though (which is why jimmy butler--and josh howard before him--went so low).

it is a bit of a crap shoot, but i'd still rather be picking high than low!

 

Yeah you're right. It's especially difficult evaluating intangibles like effort/hustle when we haven't seen most of their games.

I guess the bigs are the safest choice at this point. I'm putting WCS at #3 after Okafor and Towns.

At #4 or #5 it's Russell - Mudiay - Winslow - Johnson in no particular order. All of them are questionable lol

 

Well, the bigs should be first always, IMO. The old cliché, ''you can't teach size.' It's very true. Now, couple that with adding a 7' footer with the offensive upside in Okafor, or the elite upside of 2-way play from Towns, or the defensive capability that WCS has shown and the possibility that he might even develop in a better defender at the next level. I like the guards, I think the wings will be good, and so on.

Well, all of them are questionable, we've seen what you can do at the NBA level if you put the time in, are in the right situation, and are determined to get better; you get Jordan Clarkson. Randle has that same work ethic. Of course there is a foundation that the drafted player has to have (physical tools), but when you combine those physical tools with the work ethic, you might get an All-Star or at the very least a starter. Additionally, when you have the fundamentals coming out of high school, have the work ethic tom improve upon that foundation, and talent, you end up with an all-time great in Kobe Bean Bryant.

 

Can you run your usual numbers on the top 5 prospects? Russell, Winslow, Mudiay, Towns, Okafor?