Exclusive Official 2020 Draft Thread

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Mocks get it wrong so often because they put too much thought into team needs. Of course if you have a high pick and your point guard is Lillard you’re not gonna take another PG, but outside of obvious decisions like that, media needs to start focusing more on BPA and team specific trends. Its why I wouldn’t dismiss someone like Jaden McDaniels, as he fits a trend with Olshey. As for BPA, an example would be Tyrell Terry. He may not be an immediate fit, but when you’re picking at 16 and you have him (hypothetically) graded out as a starter, you may as well pull the trigger. I mean isn’t that what Olshey did when he selected McCollum?
 
Last time we had a PF from Maryland that wore black goggles, we did pretty well.
 
Hoopguru said:
How do you feel about Jalen Smith. Thanks
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I like his ability to pick and pop. Clean footwork and release in those situations. Really comfortable there. Shows some coordination of the bounce too which is important. Pretty active rebounder and defender. Safe/smart player offensively--Stays in his lane, rarely makes mistakes. Intangible/personality stuff looks solid with him as well.

Biggest worries for me are his technique and footwork defensively. A bit stiff and a short strider. Not great changing direction. Takes too many false steps and has a bad habit of taking small hop before jumping. Leaves him late in help or unable recover when out of position. Chases blocks too often for my liking.

Think his movement locks him into being a 5 which is worrisome considering his lack of strength. Also don't think he'll be super versatile offensively outside of pick and pops. Not a great finisher or much of a lob threat.

Overall, wouldn't bet on him being a starter. But if he can clean up the footwork on D, I think his strengths are good enough and valuable enough to find a spot in the league eventually. Intangibles and work ethic are what really tip me in that direction though.
 
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Kevin O’Connor is saying front offices are expecting a lot of trades on draft day.
 
Scalma said:
Kevin O’Connor is saying front offices are expecting a lot of trades on draft day.
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Makes sense. Especially with the shortened free-agency/offseason.
 
JDC said:
Makes sense. Especially with the shortened free-agency/offseason.
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It’s looking like teams will have less than two weeks from the opening of free agency to the beginning of training camp. There’s like a 0% chance teams aren’t tampering as we speak.
 
This has to be the worst year to have a top pick. I think there are a lot of solid prospects this year, but there’s almost no separation between the guys that are projected to be taken in the top 10, and the guys projected to be somewhere after in the first. For example, I don’t think there’s that much of a gap between Ball and Bolmaro. Works out well for Portland so whatever.
 
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Scalma said:
This has to be the worst year to have a top pick. I think there are a lot of solid prospects this year, but there’s almost no separation between the guys that are projected to be taken in the top 10, and the guys projected to be somewhere after in the first. For example, I don’t think there’s that much of a gap between Ball and Bolmaro. Works out well for Portland so whatever.
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There's definitely a difference in ceilings and floors... it's just that those two things are all over the place for everyone in this draft. Wiseman is probably the most likely person in this draft to be an all star but bigs just don't have the effect on the game that they once did and with so many perimeter players with high ceilings out there, I expect many GMs are ready to gamble on some of these perimeter guys. Anthony Edwards is an absolute beast at his size and his size is a huge question mark... has the guy grown from 6'5" height, 6'9" wingspan and 225 lbs. in the last year? LaMelo is so interesting, so much length, such a great handle and passing but can he score in any way, can he shoot, can he even defend at all? I don't think anyone wants to draft a poor man's Michael Carter Williams with the first pick in any draft. Could Advija make an impact similar to Luka or will he just be another Euro miss? Speaking of Euros how good is Hayes or Madelon for that matter? Just how bad is Toppin's D because his O is fantastic and the most NBA ready and bankable commodity in this draft? There are so many guys with so many question marks in this draft but I think it will yield some surprise stars and a few not as surprising stars from the top of the draft. There are also specialists in this draft that have a more solid floor on both ends of the floor than anybody at the very top of the draft. It should be very interesting.
 
blazerkor said:
Could Advija make an impact similar to Luka or will he just be another Euro miss? Speaking of Euros how good is Hayes or Madelon for that matter?
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A lot of questions you asked lol, so I’ll stick to what I know. I don’t think Avdija is anywhere near Luka, but that’s ok since Luka is generational. He is however my favorite prospect in this draft. There’s concern about his shot but I have no doubt he’ll figure it out after some work with coaching. Instincts however can’t be taught/fixed, and he has that more than anyone in this draft outside of maybe Haliburton. Mix that with his size and ball handling, and you have a pretty unique prospect. I would take him first overall. If Golden State grabs him imma be so bummed out.

I personally like Maledon more than Hayes. Hayes is talented but I think Maledon is a safer bet to reach his ceiling. If I were a good team that happens to be in the lottery, I would take a chance on Hayes, but if I’m a perennial lottery team, I’d pass.
 
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Scalma said:
This has to be the worst year to have a top pick. I think there are a lot of solid prospects this year, but there’s almost no separation between the guys that are projected to be taken in the top 10, and the guys projected to be somewhere after in the first. For example, I don’t think there’s that much of a gap between Ball and Bolmaro. Works out well for Portland so whatever.
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I wonder if the same could be said of many other seasons, had they been terminated before the tourney? That's where reputations are often made.
 
I could listen to Cassius talk hoop all day.

 
JDC said:
I could listen to Cassius talk hoop all day.

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What do you think about him vs. Malachi Flynn? He mentions Lowry and maybe his chunkier body (Flynn's kind of skinny) is an advantage?
 
Rastapopoulos said:
What do you think about him vs. Malachi Flynn? He mentions Lowry and maybe his chunkier body (Flynn's kind of skinny) is an advantage?
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I personally like Cassius more. Think he's clearly the more talented offensive player. Much better shooter + passer, puts more pressure on the rim and draws more fouls.

There's definitely an argument for Flynn being safer due to his better defense and low-mistake game though.
 
Olshey said in his interview with Jaynes recently that they’re leaning on agents a lot more than in the past when it comes to draft prep.

So, who does Bartlestein represent in this class? Hehe
 
Scalma said:
Olshey said in his interview with Jaynes recently that they’re leaning on agents a lot more than in the past when it comes to draft prep.

So, who does Bartlestein represent in this class? Hehe
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The only name I can find is Nwora of Louisville. Perhaps my google-fu is just weak.
 
tester551 said:
That's really not a good sign....
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It’s not that big of a deal. They’re just being used to deliver information, like video. I’m pretty sure Neil isnt asking for a highlight mix.
 


Very interesting backstory on him. Didn't play basketball until his senior year and weighed in as a high as 270 lbs.

Played a year of Juco so already 22, but his shot creation, growth curve and finishing craft make him an intriguing upside bet.
 
I don’t feel like browsing, what’s the consensus on Nesmith? Would you move up a couple spots to secure him? What if he’s there at 16?
 
JDC said:


Very interesting backstory on him. Didn't play basketball until his senior year and weighed in as a high as 270 lbs.

Played a year of Juco so already 22, but his shot creation, growth curve and finishing craft make him an intriguing upside bet.
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Two things I like about him: led the SEC in box +/-, and also led the SEC in drawing FTs, something CJ is weak in. Also he has an absurdly good finishing rate around the rim despite not being the most athletic guy. Somebody legit compared him with Luka Doncic in that regard.
However, the last time we drafted a guy who'd dropped a huge amount of weight it didn't work out too awesome.
 
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