Who is your dark horse draftee?

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Mediocre Man said:
Tyler Smith is my dark horse.

6’11”
7’ 1” wingspan

long athletic forward who chooses violence around the rim

Can shoot a little bit as well.

needs to work on defense a bit
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This guy likes him; he thinks his upside is Lauri Markennen: "If a player is going to hang their hat on their shooting at the next level, they need to be able to hit tough threes. The NBA game is fast-paced. Big, athletic bodies are constantly flying around all over the place. Easy looks are tough to come by, especially when the scouting report notes that a team needs to close out hard on a shooter. If you’re going to be a shooter, an opponent isn’t just going to let you spot up. You have to be able to move, screen, and shoot over contests. Tyler Smith has proven he can do those things as a 6’11” 19-year-old playing in a professional league while shooting from the NBA line.
The Ignite have found him on a few lobs by using his shooting as a decoy before having him move back toward the rim on screen-the-screener actions. He also has solid instincts for when his defender has zoned out off ball, allowing him to cut effectively. His speed, size, and motor also make him a rim threat in transition."
https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/the-understated-upside-of-tyler-smith
 
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I like Djurisic as well and hope they find a way to get him at #34.
 
UKRAINEFAN said:
This guy likes him; he thinks his upside is Lauri Markennen: "If a player is going to hang their hat on their shooting at the next level, they need to be able to hit tough threes. The NBA game is fast-paced. Big, athletic bodies are constantly flying around all over the place. Easy looks are tough to come by, especially when the scouting report notes that a team needs to close out hard on a shooter. If you’re going to be a shooter, an opponent isn’t just going to let you spot up. You have to be able to move, screen, and shoot over contests. Tyler Smith has proven he can do those things as a 6’11” 19-year-old playing in a professional league while shooting from the NBA line.
The Ignite have found him on a few lobs by using his shooting as a decoy before having him move back toward the rim on screen-the-screener actions. He also has solid instincts for when his defender has zoned out off ball, allowing him to cut effectively. His speed, size, and motor also make him a rim threat in transition."
https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/the-understated-upside-of-tyler-smith
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His defense has been described as beyond putrid. If we liked Smith, I don't know why we wouldn't just go after Ware. Can also shoot, but is much much better defensively and also plays a rarer position.
 
AmirIcon said:
His defense has been described as beyond putrid. If we liked Smith, I don't know why we wouldn't just go after Ware. Can also shoot, but is much much better defensively and also plays a rarer position.
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I think we would try to get this guy in the second round. Sounds as if his defensive liabilities are not physical so could be fixable. He is 19.
 
AmirIcon said:
His defense has been described as beyond putrid. If we liked Smith, I don't know why we wouldn't just go after Ware. Can also shoot, but is much much better defensively and also plays a rarer position.
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UKRAINEFAN said:
I think we would try to get this guy in the second round. Sounds as if his defensive liabilities are not physical so could be fixable. He is 19.
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I agree with both of you.

Smith is intriguing and we could use an athletic PF, who can spread the floor.
But I would not pass on Ware for him. Too risky at 14 IMO
 
Pinwheel1 said:
I agree with both of you.

Smith is intriguing and we could use an athletic PF, who can spread the floor.
But I would not pass on Ware for him. Too risky at 14 IMO
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Doesn't sound like he's going to make it to the second round but I agree we need to start structuring the team to better utilize Scoot. We need shooters and rim runners.
 
@DUB - what do you think of Johnny Furphy? He's got an epic mullet, I'll say that for him
 
UKRAINEFAN said:
I think we would try to get this guy in the second round. Sounds as if his defensive liabilities are not physical so could be fixable. He is 19.
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Ware has the talent, but are you going to get effort? That has always been the issue.
 
We have way too many guards, so I don’t know that I’d draft him, but Hunter Sallis would be an interesting pick.
 
TBpup said:
Ware has the talent, but are you going to get effort? That has always been the issue.
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Seems inaccurate. That was the issue at Oregon. Not seeing those issues at Indiana. In fact, he improved significantly. You don't improve without effort.
 
I do not see Ware's mental traits transfering to the nba.

We do not need a lazy porch dog that has to be pushed to do his job.

We need a bull terrier, always ready to use his talents, at the highest level, and eager to do it everyday.
 
AmirIcon said:
Seems inaccurate. That was the issue at Oregon.
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Well, not just Oregon. His high school coach hinted as much, too, with him having a weak motor and with coach wanting him to try harder. It seems he might be fully embracing it now but I think, it will probably always be a label applied to him when he isn't able to live up to certain expectations expected of him. If he's not a star, he's soft. If he's not a superstar, he'll be soft.

https://highschool.si.com/oregon/20...elel-ware-finally-letting-game-do-the-talking

Either way, I am warming up to Ware. I do believe he is very similar to LaMarcus Aldridge (whose motor and 'softness' was also questioned) due to how well he pivots and how unblockable those long arms can be......but with more strength and power in his hips and shoulders than Aldridge which, again, reminds me of Jermaine O'Neal.

Comparisons to Skal and Frye are also similar (including complaints) but Ware is much more efficient, has a higher TS%, has a much longer wingspan, and has better athleticism at the college level. This makes him closer to Aldridge than those other two. I don't know that he quite reaches that high of a level but it's possible that makes him Myles Turner-like with better rebounding and less defense.
 
TBpup said:
Ware has the talent, but are you going to get effort? That has always been the issue.
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The video quoted earlier basically said that you don't get the huge improvement Ware has undergone without having a serious attitude. Could it be his demeanor is the problem? Is that really a problem?
 
TBpup said:
Ware has the talent, but are you going to get effort? That has always been the issue.
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I believe I was talking about Tyler Smith here. I don't expect Ware to drop to the second round. I've got some stuff on Ware in another thread. I actually watched a full game replay of Indiana against Iowa and I thought his effort was good. He has improved a lot since he played at Oregon and as someone pointed out, that takes effort too. Also I think he got stricter guidelines from the coaches at Indiana.
 
TBpup said:
Ware has the talent, but are you going to get effort? That has always been the issue.
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Interesting that although I was talking about hoping Smith would fall to the second round. Givony has him going at #20 and Ware at # 27.
 
oldfisherman said:
I do not see Ware's mental traits transfering to the nba.

We do not need a lazy porch dog that has to be pushed to do his job.

We need a bull terrier, always ready to use his talents, at the highest level, and eager to do it everyday.
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I was listening to Tom Tolbert on local Bay Area sports talk the other day talking about his playing days in the league. When he entered the NBA he thought all the players would be big sports fans like himself but soon found out other wise. He said many were in the league just because they were tall and hoops came naturally to them and that many weren't even following the standings and goings on of the NBA.

I'm not saying how Ware is mentally, but I'm with you hoping Blazer brass is targeting ballers not just guys who are good at hoops.

STOMP
 
Wizard Mentor said:
The video quoted earlier basically said that you don't get the huge improvement Ware has undergone without having a serious attitude. Could it be his demeanor is the problem? Is that really a problem?
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I haven't said anything about this because the person I talked to was getting the chatter 2nd hand from another source. But I was told that the "Ware has an attitude problem" chatter all flowed from his time at Oregon. And that right from opening practice at Oregon, Dana Altman and Ware butted heads. There was immediate friction. Having watched Altman's time at Oregon there is little doubt he's a demanding coach and has a strong personality. There is also little doubt he usually gets the best out of his players.

But not always, and that seems like it might have been the case with Ware. Certainly the dramatic change in his role and numbers from Oregon to Indiana imply that's a probability. So then, it may be an amber caution flag on Ware but I don't think it's anywhere close to a red flag
 
I like Jared McCain—don't think he'll be available at 34 and Portland isn't really in the market for a guy like him.
 
I'm gonna take advantage of having 2 second rounders and make 2 dark horse selections. The first is a guy I've been wanting for a while, Jamal Shead. Tough! Great defender, good shooter, very good playmaker, exceptional leader. My new 2nd rd/UDFA crush is Jalen Bridges. I see a lot of Ariza/Igoudala from him. 6'7", 40%+ from 3, great defender. He'll never be an All-Star, but I can see him being Tysse with a very good stroke. That's more than you usually get from a 2nd rd.
 
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