2015 Draft Prospects:

[jcwkings]

I'm just hoping the basketball gods give us a lifeline for once and we get a top 3 pick. When was the last time we had a top 3 pick? For as bad as we have been we have always had terrible luck in the lottery. Russell would be perfect for us. Trade Mclemore or Stauskas with others to upgrade PF. This lineup works great because Collison is just as good off the ball spotting up in the corners and cutting, while being just an average facilitator. He and Russel could split ball handling duties.

Collison
Russell
Gay
?
Cousins

If that doesn't go through I have to with Cauley-Stein

 

[206Fan]

I'm just hoping the basketball gods give us a lifeline for once and we get a top 3 pick. When was the last time we had a top 3 pick? For as bad as we have been we have always had terrible luck in the lottery. Russell would be perfect for us. Trade Mclemore or Stauskas with others to upgrade PF. This lineup works great because Collison is just as good off the ball spotting up in the corners and cutting, while being just an average facilitator. He and Russel could split ball handling duties.

Collison
Russell
Gay
?
Cousins

If that doesn't go through I have to with Cauley-Stein

I hope we win the lottery this year. If we get a top 3 pick, we're set for the playoffs.. Top 3? You're looking at Towns, Russell, Okafor, and Mudiay. Okafor dominates like Cousins.. If only Okafor was a better defensive player..

I don't think we should have Russell play next to Collison. Russell does a lot with the ball, and I'd like to see him grow and develop as a PG. I don't want this to be Tyreke 2.0 again..

 

[miltonap]

I haven't seen Towns play that much, but he looked like the real deal in the Cinci game yesterday. Blockin shots left and right

 

[Gilles]

I'm just hoping the basketball gods give us a lifeline for once and we get a top 3 pick. When was the last time we had a top 3 pick? For as bad as we have been we have always had terrible luck in the lottery. Russell would be perfect for us. Trade Mclemore or Stauskas with others to upgrade PF. This lineup works great because Collison is just as good off the ball spotting up in the corners and cutting, while being just an average facilitator. He and Russel could split ball handling duties.

Collison
Russell
Gay
?
Cousins

If that doesn't go through I have to with Cauley-Stein

Russell's selling points are distributing ability, that is driven by the threat of a pull-up, so you have to give him the ball. He's much better suited to being a 6th man on that roster - not enough balls to go around in the starting lineup with Collison back. His defense will need at least a 2-3 years to get to average, so Russell would be rather ineffective in 3&D mode, since it would look 3&no-D for the foreseeable future.

I haven't seen Towns play that much, but he looked like the real deal in the Cinci game yesterday. Blockin shots left and right

DeBerry also took two offensive rebounds just over him, and all his offensive production was finishing around the rim. He couldn't establish deep position even against Ellis, who is much lighter, though shorter as well, so Ellis can leverage his weight better. As for "blocking left and right" KAT had half-dozen games of 5 or more blocks earlier in the season, so it shouldn't affect his stock in any way.

 

[jcwkings]

I haven't seen Towns play that much, but he looked like the real deal in the Cinci game yesterday. Blockin shots left and right

Towns is more of an overall big, I think Bogut is a decent comparison with a better offensive ceiling, defensively I want to see how he translates at the next level but he will certainly be good. Okafor I'm not sure on but ultimately I think he will fall somewhere in between Al Jefferson and Tim Duncan which is pretty darn good no matter what end of the spectrum he ends up at. I haven't seen much of Mudiay, but the top 3 are clearly the "franchise" type players and after that theres a pretty steep fall off.

 

[bajaden]

I hope we win the lottery this year. If we get a top 3 pick, we're set for the playoffs.. Top 3? You're looking at Towns, Russell, Okafor, and Mudiay. Okafor dominates like Cousins.. If only Okafor was a better defensive player..

I don't think we should have Russell play next to Collison. Russell does a lot with the ball, and I'd like to see him grow and develop as a PG. I don't want this to be Tyreke 2.0 again..

Hey, we agree on this one. To be fair to Okafor, he's not a bad defender. It's just that when you compare him to Cauley-Stein or Towns, he's not at their level. But he is one talented guy. If compared to Cousins at the same time in their careers, Okafor would get the nod. Similar size and weight. Okafor is a little better athlete, and definitely a better post player. Bear in mind, I referring to their freshman years in college. So if you add in Okafor's potential, you could see him being the next Cousins like player, which is pretty dammed good.

If you draft Russell, he has to be your PG. It's his PG skills that make him special, and you'd waste those skills playing him at SG, where you already have two young players being developed. If I get the top pick in the draft, I'm taking either Towns or Okafor, or I'm trading down. As I've stated before, I don't see a great need at PG, and I do see a need for a defensive player next to Cousins. Give me a player that can cause the other team to score 4 to 6 points less per game, and we win a lot more games.

 

[bajaden]

Towns is more of an overall big, I think Bogut is a decent comparison with a better offensive ceiling, defensively I want to see how he translates at the next level but he will certainly be good. Okafor I'm not sure on but ultimately I think he will fall somewhere in between Al Jefferson and Tim Duncan which is pretty darn good no matter what end of the spectrum he ends up at. I haven't seen much of Mudiay, but the top 3 are clearly the "franchise" type players and after that theres a pretty steep fall off.

I mostly agree, but I disagree on the steep fall off. There is a fall off, but it's not that steep. It's just that the players left have a little lower ceiling, or their not as well rounded overall. Such as Cauley-Stein, who is a terrific defensive player, but is still raw offensively. Or you have a PG that is great at distributing the ball with great court vision, but is a bad outside shooter. In other words, they have some holes in their games. Or bigger holes than the top four. But trust me, one or more of those players will end up being a better, or equal player than one of the top four. Cauley-Stein may come in and have a bigger impact on his team than anyone else in the draft, but not be the overall better player down the road. You have to think long term with these players.

 

[Dime Dropper]

1. Towns
2. Russell
3. WCS

I can't decide if I want Russell's potential legit star quality, or WCS defensive beast potential. I'd be happy with either. Russell reminds me of a more PG oriented Harden with less putrid defense. Very crafty player and deceptive athleticism.

My thoughts on WCS are well known, I want him badly. Towns is my number 1 player in the draft. He couldn't be much more of a perfect fit next to DeMarcus.

Any of those three and I'd be ecstatic. Obviously we're not going to jump into the top 3 though.

 

[bajaden]

1. Towns
2. Russell
3. WCS

I can't decide if I want Russell's potential legit star quality, or WCS defensive beast potential. I'd be happy with either. Russell reminds me of a more PG oriented Harden with less putrid defense. Very crafty player and deceptive athleticism.

My thoughts on WCS are well known, I want him badly. Towns is my number 1 player in the draft. He couldn't be much more of a perfect fit next to DeMarcus.

Any of those three and I'd be ecstatic. Obviously we're not going to jump into the top 3 though.

Well, it's not obvious, but it's not probable either. But I'am predicting it this year. Don't know why. No angel appeared to me in the middle of the night and told me so. Well, one did, but I had been drinking heavily, so I discounted it. Top three here we come! (don't bet any money on it)

 

[hrdboild]

It's really hard to fairly judge Myles Turner considering he plays for a terrible coach and his team dramatically under-performed the second half of the season. It's not his fault he barely played the last 4 games of the year. He wasn't in foul trouble except for the game against Butler and he still managed to grab 10 boards in only 16 minutes. I watched the Iowa State game they blew in the Big 12 tournament and Barnes barely even played Turner in the second half even though he's clearly their most talented player and the lead was slowly evaporating without his defense in the paint. I don't know that he's one of the 5 most talented player in the draft, but he should be in the mix from 6-10. When he's in the game I definitely notice his impact. He's an interesting prospect because he's very effective defensively (his block percentage is the same as Karl Towns) but he also has stretch 4 potential on offense. I have a feeling he's going to slip down in the draft because he isn't getting the exposure that Kentucky's stable of big men are getting, but I think his production this year was still pretty impressive in any circumstance and especially impressive considering that Rick Barnes didn't seem to know how to use him.

Justise Winslow has been a favorite of mine all year even though he doesn't really fit a need for us and he's looked especially impressive in a tournament setting. He's another guy that was on that U-19 USA team a couple years ago (along with Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart, Jahlil Okafor, Aaron Gordon, Montrezl Harrell) and looked really impressive in that tournament too. Actually, I think he outplayed Okafor on that team and has at times this year too. If we end up picking in the 6-10 range, he's another guy who should be on the radar. Remember it's not really about fit so much as picking the best pro player available on the board. Even though we already have Rudy Gay and he's playing well under George Karl and re-signed for 3 more years, I would strongly consider bolstering our perimeter defense with either Winslow or Stanley Johnson with our pick. Both look like they'll be terrific pros and we need depth on the wing and standout defenders at any position. Of course, Nerlens Noel is still my number one target and Philly needs SFs so that might be a better option if it's remotely possible.

 

[bajaden]

It's really hard to fairly judge Myles Turner considering he plays for a terrible coach and his team dramatically under-performed the second half of the season. It's not his fault he barely played the last 4 games of the year. He wasn't in foul trouble except for the game against Butler and he still managed to grab 10 boards in only 16 minutes. I watched the Iowa State game they blew in the Big 12 tournament and Barnes barely even played Turner in the second half even though he's clearly their most talented player and the lead was slowly evaporating without his defense in the paint. I don't know that he's one of the 5 most talented player in the draft, but he should be in the mix from 6-10. When he's in the game I definitely notice his impact. He's an interesting prospect because he's very effective defensively (his block percentage is the same as Karl Towns) but he also has stretch 4 potential on offense. I have a feeling he's going to slip down in the draft because he isn't getting the exposure that Kentucky's stable of big men are getting, but I think his production this year was still pretty impressive in any circumstance and especially impressive considering that Rick Barnes didn't seem to know how to use him.

Justise Winslow has been a favorite of mine all year even though he doesn't really fit a need for us and he's looked especially impressive in a tournament setting. He's another guy that was on that U-19 USA team a couple years ago (along with Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart, Jahlil Okafor, Aaron Gordon, Montrezl Harrell) and looked really impressive in that tournament too. Actually, I think he outplayed Okafor on that team and has at times this year too. If we end up picking in the 6-10 range, he's another guy who should be on the radar. Remember it's not really about fit so much as picking the best pro player available on the board. Even though we already have Rudy Gay and he's playing well under George Karl and re-signed for 3 more years, I would strongly consider bolstering our perimeter defense with either Winslow or Stanley Johnson with our pick. Both look like they'll be terrific pros and we need depth on the wing and standout defenders at any position. Of course, Nerlens Noel is still my number one target and Philly needs SFs so that might be a better option if it's remotely possible.

I have no explanation for how Turner was used except Barnes, who I gave up on a few years ago. He reminds me of Howland. Good recruiter, but not a good coach. As a result, I have mixed feelings about Turner. My knock on him is that he spends too much time away from the basket, and just about every time he went up against another good big man, he disappeared. The matchup I wanted to see was against Kentucky, and he showed me nothing in that game. He got into foul trouble and couldn't do a thing against Kentucky's big front line. That said, he's a talented kid that could develop into a very good player down the road. He's not in the same group with Cauley-Stein and Towns because he's not the athlete that they are. At pro day at Kentucky, both Cauely-Stein and Towns posted over a 37"vertical. That's an exceptional vertical for seven footers.

 

[206Fan]

Hey, we agree on this one. To be fair to Okafor, he's not a bad defender. It's just that when you compare him to Cauley-Stein or Towns, he's not at their level. But he is one talented guy. If compared to Cousins at the same time in their careers, Okafor would get the nod. Similar size and weight. Okafor is a little better athlete, and definitely a better post player. Bear in mind, I referring to their freshman years in college. So if you add in Okafor's potential, you could see him being the next Cousins like player, which is pretty dammed good.

If you draft Russell, he has to be your PG. It's his PG skills that make him special, and you'd waste those skills you playing him at SG, where you already have two young players being developed. If I get the top pick in the draft, I'm taking either Towns or Okafor, or I'm trading down. As I've stated before, I don't see a great need at PG, and I do see a need for a defensive player next to Cousins. Give me a player that can cause the other team to score 4 to 6 points less per game, and we win a lot more games.

Okafor is better than Cuz coming out of college I agree. The way he dominates the post... Is it just me or does Cuz now shy away from hook shots and slick post moves? Aside from his jumpers, when he's in the post, he just tries to face up or tries to get a step on his opponents to score. No more back to the basket anymore...maybe he's just attacking with what defenders are giving him? Hrmms, but that's another discussion for later lol.


Curious Bajaden, if we end up drafting 8-9 and miss out on WCS, would you look to add another wing? Winslow is such a difficult player to evaluate because he flashes something new every game. I'm in love with a lot of Duke players..Okafor, Winslow, and Cook. Duke vs. Kentucky...

 

[Gilles]

1. Towns
2. Russell
3. WCS

I can't decide if I want Russell's potential legit star quality, or WCS defensive beast potential. I'd be happy with either. Russell reminds me of a more PG oriented Harden with less putrid defense. Very crafty player and deceptive athleticism.

My thoughts on WCS are well known, I want him badly. Towns is my number 1 player in the draft. He couldn't be much more of a perfect fit next to DeMarcus.

Any of those three and I'd be ecstatic. Obviously we're not going to jump into the top 3 though.

JT has trouble defending stretch 4s/tweeners. Towns will be the same. Even some SFs can play effectively vs Towns for a couple of years. This is where WCS advantage is significant. Again Towns is more talented player, WCS is a better fit next to Boogie, especially with Karl at the helm.

It's really hard to fairly judge Myles Turner considering he plays for a terrible coach and his team dramatically under-performed the second half of the season. It's not his fault he barely played the last 4 games of the year. He wasn't in foul trouble except for the game against Butler and he still managed to grab 10 boards in only 16 minutes. I watched the Iowa State game they blew in the Big 12 tournament and Barnes barely even played Turner in the second half even though he's clearly their most talented player and the lead was slowly evaporating without his defense in the paint. I don't know that he's one of the 5 most talented player in the draft, but he should be in the mix from 6-10. When he's in the game I definitely notice his impact. He's an interesting prospect because he's very effective defensively (his block percentage is the same as Karl Towns) but he also has stretch 4 potential on offense. I have a feeling he's going to slip down in the draft because he isn't getting the exposure that Kentucky's stable of big men are getting, but I think his production this year was still pretty impressive in any circumstance and especially impressive considering that Rick Barnes didn't seem to know how to use him.

Justise Winslow has been a favorite of mine all year even though he doesn't really fit a need for us and he's looked especially impressive in a tournament setting. He's another guy that was on that U-19 USA team a couple years ago (along with Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart, Jahlil Okafor, Aaron Gordon, Montrezl Harrell) and looked really impressive in that tournament too. Actually, I think he outplayed Okafor on that team and has at times this year too. If we end up picking in the 6-10 range, he's another guy who should be on the radar. Remember it's not really about fit so much as picking the best pro player available on the board. Even though we already have Rudy Gay and he's playing well under George Karl and re-signed for 3 more years, I would strongly consider bolstering our perimeter defense with either Winslow or Stanley Johnson with our pick. Both look like they'll be terrific pros and we need depth on the wing and standout defenders at any position. Of course, Nerlens Noel is still my number one target and Philly needs SFs so that might be a better option if it's remotely possible.

Turner had late growth spurt, and it feels, he might still not get used to it. He just moves so awkwardly, and at this point he's strictly a C - while Towns might have some problems at PF, Turner absolutely will...Against smaller opponents his post game looked even better, than Towns', but he's much much farther away from getting the strength to establish position. Still Myles has impeccable timing blocking shots, so when he gets much stronger overall, which might also increase his lift, he might become a terror defensively.
Between Johnson and Winslow Justise is absolutely ahead. Other than FTs, where Winslow has some weird trouble, he's better across the board. Johnson might shoot better from outside, but Stanley's shot is flat, and will be in trouble with increased range, plus Winslow was injured during his shooting slump. Johnson's inability to finish at the rim, when opponents became stronger in the second part of the season, is probably most serious problem.

 

[bajaden]

Okafor is better than Cuz coming out of college I agree. The way he dominates the post... Is it just me or does Cuz now shy away from hook shots and slick post moves? Aside from his jumpers, when he's in the post, he just tries to face up or tries to get a step on his opponents to score. No more back to the basket anymore...maybe he's just attacking with what defenders are giving him? Hrmms, but that's another discussion for later lol.


Curious Bajaden, if we end up drafting 8-9 and miss out on WCS, would you look to add another wing? Winslow is such a difficult player to evaluate because he flashes something new every game. I'm in love with a lot of Duke players..Okafor, Winslow, and Cook. Duke vs. Kentucky...

I certainly hope that doesn't happen. But if it does, I think I'm inclined to go with the player that I believe is more of a can't miss player. And I don't mean a can't miss star, but a player I'm fairly positive will be a decent to good contributor in the NBA, and maybe a starter. The other option is to shoot for the moon. Take a gamble on a high risk/high reward player. If I'm sitting in the 10th spot, first I have to see if someone has slid down to me. A Stanley Johnson or a Justise Winslow. If not, then the guys I would consider are Frank Kaminsky, Myles Turner, Trey Lyles, Jerian Grant, Chris Dunn, and Sam Dekker. I suspect that you would have to include Mario Hezonia and Kristars Porzingis in that group. Since I haven't really seen either of them play, I can't comment. I have heard great things about Hezonia from some of the scouts. Apparently he's a terrific athlete and very skilled.

I have a slightly different opinon on Johnson and Winslow. Both need work on their outside shot, but Winslow's needs the most work. He shoots the ball on the way down, and he'll never be a good shooter as long as he does that. One of the reasons that Casspi's shot has improved of late, is that he had the same problem for most of the year, but of late, he's shooting the ball at the top of his jump. Wa La, he's becoming more consistent. Johnson is a better ballhandler than Winslow, but that doesn't mean his ballhandling doesn't need to improve. Right now, if I had to choose between the two, I'd take Johnson, but I could make a good argument for Winslow as well. Both are very good athlete's, and both can guard several positions. Johnson reminds me a bit of Ron Artest. Mostly in stature, but with his ability to defend PF's as well as SF's and SG's. I don't think you can go wrong with either player, but both are a couple of years away from reaching their potential.

 

[bajaden]

JT has trouble defending stretch 4s/tweeners. Towns will be the same. Even some SFs can play effectively vs Towns for a couple of years. This is where WCS advantage is significant. Again Towns is more talented player, WCS is a better fit next to Boogie, especially with Karl at the helm.

Turner had late growth spurt, and it feels, he might still not get used to it. He just moves so awkwardly, and at this point he's strictly a C - while Towns might have some problems at PF, Turner absolutely will...Against smaller opponents his post game looked even better, than Towns', but he's much much farther away from getting the strength to establish position. Still Myles has impeccable timing blocking shots, so when he gets much stronger overall, which might also increase his lift, he might become a terror defensively.
Between Johnson and Winslow Justise is absolutely ahead. Other than FTs, where Winslow has some weird trouble, he's better across the board. Johnson might shoot better from outside, but Stanley's shot is flat, and will be in trouble with increased range, plus Winslow was injured during his shooting slump. Johnson's inability to finish at the rim, when opponents became stronger in the second part of the season, is probably most serious problem.

I don't think the gap between Towns and Turner skill wise is that big. Both have decent post games and both can hit the outside shot. Turner took more outside shots than Towns, but that was mostly by design. Calapari had Towns down low more often, where Barnes had Turner out on the perimeter more often. But Towns has a very smooth release on his jumper, that he used mostly when in the key at 15 feet. Granted, he only shot 25% from the three, but he only took 8 shots all year making 2 of them. I don't think anyone can say that Turner is the better three point shooter, when he only shot 27.4%, but we have a much larger measuring stick. He took 62 three point shots, making only 17 of them. If I'm the coach, I might suggest to Turner to try scoring at the basket a bit more, and stop shooting that many shots from out there. As a result of his outside shooting, his overall shooting percentage is only 45.5%. Towns shot ten percentage points higher at 55.9%.

The other difference between the two is that Turner plays a little soft in the post, and gets moved around on man defense. Towns plays a more physical game. He's no Cousins by any stretch, but he tends to look like a post player. Both guys favor hook shots over their left shoulder, but Towns at least trys some hooks over his right shoulder. Finally, Towns is just a better, and more fluid athlete. He has a standing reach of 9'5" compared to Turner's 9'0.5". But then I'm just explaining why Towns is at the top of the board and Turner isn't. That said, if you can't have Towns, Turner isn't a bad fall back prize. Of course I'd take Cauley-Stein first over Turner. Hands down, the best defender in the draft.

 

[bajaden]

About to head out the door and head north for my annual March Maddness get together. Taking my laptop with me, so I'll check in now and then. Until then adios amigo's....

 

[Gilles]

Interesting link: http://journalistsresource.org/stud...ational-exuberance-nba-draft-decision-making#
And there's link to the full study on that page for, I guess, Captain.

 

[jcwkings]

What do you guys think of Stanley Johnson? If Rudy is going to be playing more at the 4, Johnson is a hell of a player with an NBA ready body, looks like he is going to be a great defender, he and Gay can switch against most 3's and 4's in the league.

 

[Tetsujin]

What do you guys think of Stanley Johnson? If Rudy is going to be playing more at the 4, Johnson is a hell of a player with an NBA ready body, looks like he is going to be a great defender, he and Gay can switch against most 3's and 4's in the league.

If you want Draymond Green but don't want to pay for Draymond Green, Stanley Johnson is probably the way to go. If you're looking to shore up your defense and WCS and Towns are off the board, I'd take him over Winslow, but I'm more "anti-Winslow" than a lot of other posters here. You're getting a Ron Artest except instead of getting a crazy person you're getting a great person who pretty much refuses to lose.

 

[Gilles]

Stanimal is a gunner with weird inability to finish inside, which might have something to do with his mentality - on his drives, when there's no room to go all the way to the rim, he goes for all sorts of weird finishes. On defense he's aggressive, uses his strength pretty well, but he struggles against speed, plus he's a bit short: ok wingspan with wide shoulders means pedestrian reach - Rudy or KD would love to play against him.

On another note, Poeltl is going to be a lottery pick this year: amazingly efficient scorer and defender - game just comes naturally to him.

 

[206Fan]

My observations and breakdowns of players from Sweet Sixteen

Stanley Johnson vs. Justise Winslow.
I think Johnson is better, but he's disappeared in the tournament while Winslow is playing like a #1 overall pick. 2-3 games are a small sample size, but you just can't ignore them.. For a poor shooter, Winslow is the better 3pt shooter. I think Stanley Johnson would be ideal for this team if we didn't have Rudy, but since we do have Rudy, I'd go Winslow. He can step in and contribute on defense and as a 3&D guy. Great passer who loves to hustle. I wouldn't be surprised if his tournament stock rises him above Johnson. Winslow has shown a ton of flashes and talent. Hard to pass up on him if WCS is gone.

Demetrius Jackson- without him, that Norte Dame team wouldn't be as good as they are. I actually think Grant is being overrated now(funny because midway through the season I stated that he was underrated). A lot of people tend to look the other way when you point out the fact that Grant has a ton of help and talent on that team. Jackson is one of them.. He's looking like a deadly combo guard who can score and pass. He's rising to top 20, and he's rising fast.

Wisconsin Team- Wow. I see at least 4 potential NBA players in their starting lineup. Kaminsky, Dekker, Hayes, and maybe Koenig. I honestly don't know where to start on that team, so I won't start anywhere. One of the best offenses in the NCAA. Dekker has turned into a mad man in March. I respect the hell out of that guy and I think he can contribute on any team in the NBA because he's a driven player. Kaminsky has been playing well, but not great. I actually do have a knock on him..he's been playing noticeably a lot more around the perimeter. Sometimes he just hovers around or stays put at one spot. He looks stand still, HOWEVER when the ball gets into his hands, it always results in pts some how.. Nigel Hayes and Koenig are probably going to return, but this is a nice team full of talent.

Trey Lyles- If there is a step brother term for the middle child, then I think it's Lyles. Overshadowed by two other dominant bigs(Towns and WCS...rightfully so), but he has a skillset of his own. I think he's a lot better than what it seems like in Kentucky. He needs to add a bit more weight, but I see him as an actual starting PF in the NBA. Solid PF all around. Can post up, defend, and score. I think he has a jumper that doesn't get showcased very often too.

Kyle Wiltijer- Holy hell, stretch 4 who can pass and rebound? He's the forgotten child of Kentucky. He's ranked as a late draft pick, but I think he'll eventually climb his way to late 1st/early 2nd round. I think if we can obtain a 2nd round pick, he's the guy to look for. He had amazing showcase vs Iowa.. almost perfect from the floor. He had a good game vs. UCLA. Tough time scoring, but he did a great job on the glass and passing. Unselfish 3pt shooting PF for the NBA. He can come off the bench, or he can start on a team like ours to space the floor out.

 

[206Fan]

UCLA Team- They suck.
Kevon Looney- Most overrated player this year. I want to know who decided to compare him to KD....... it's about time DX had him out of their top 15... Tweener 3-4 who can shoot 3s sometimes..but is a great rebounder. He will be able to fill out his frame in a few years, but I don't understand why he's considered a 1st round pick at this point. He's had dominant games this year, but most of them came against weak competition. Excuse this subjective view, but I'm just not impressed with UCLA or any of their players. It probably doesn't help that the first 5 games I watched fully of them were vs. Oklahoma(lost by 10), UNC(lost by 20), Gonzaga(lost by 15), Kentucky(lost by 40), and Utah(lost by 100). Blow out in EVERY single game...

Jakob Poeltl- Huge 7ft euro prospect for Utah. Damn is he an amazing scorer. I was very very very very very very very impressed with the way he handled Okafor. Utah did double/triple team Okafor a lot of the game, but it was Poeltl who executed and denied him position almost every time. I was amazed by how well he was able to defend Okafor. If he declares, I think he's a lock for the 1st round. He's shooting at almost .700% for this season! He's had a great tourny. He averages around 23mpg 9pts 6.7rebs and 1.8blks. He's going to be one of those draftees that make people wonder how they slipped so far.

Travice Trice- Senior PG who has played OUTSTANDING in the tournament. You can tell that he's a senior because of his smarts on the court. He's such a high ball IQ player who's looking to win. In the NBA, he will be a nice spark off the bench type of player. I think his FG% are all low, but they don't explain how of a good player he's been this year. He's stepped up and took a huge role next to Valentine.

Denzel Valentine- He's struggled in the tournament, but he's had an amazing all around season. 6-5 prolific SG who averages 4.4apg? I don't see how he doesn't get a role in the NBA down the road. Very versatile player who's been struggling scoring lately.


I didn't get to all of the players(Quinn Cook, Buddy Hield, Trevor Lacey, and etc), but these were some of the players I thought I should comment about.
Of course, feel free to disagree if you'd like.

March Madness is always exciting. I think it gives these players a feel of the NBA a bit. There are a lot of tick tack fouls that these players aren't accustomed to being called on, but it will happen in the NBA.

 

[bajaden]

It's late and I'm tired, but just a few observations. Great game today by Winslow. Really shooting the ball well right now. Overall this year, not a lot of difference between Johnson and Winslow. Winslow is playing well right now when it matters. Poeltl played well today, but he should stay in school another year. I've moved Wright ahead of Grant on my board. Great game by Kentucky yesterday. Towns had maybe his worse game of the year, but it didn't matter. Trey Lyles is one of my favorite players. He's the unsung hero of the Kentucky team. No holes in his game. He may be the most fundamentally sound player on the Kentucky team.Off to bed. My eyes are blurry after three days of watching basketball. Tomorrow is another day.

 

[Gilles]

My observations and breakdowns of players from Sweet Sixteen

Stanley Johnson vs. Justise Winslow.
I think Johnson is better, but he's disappeared in the tournament while Winslow is playing like a #1 overall pick. 2-3 games are a small sample size, but you just can't ignore them.. For a poor shooter, Winslow is the better 3pt shooter. I think Stanley Johnson would be ideal for this team if we didn't have Rudy, but since we do have Rudy, I'd go Winslow. He can step in and contribute on defense and as a 3&D guy. Great passer who loves to hustle. I wouldn't be surprised if his tournament stock rises him above Johnson. Winslow has shown a ton of flashes and talent. Hard to pass up on him if WCS is gone.
Demetrius Jackson- without him, that Norte Dame team wouldn't be as good as they are. I actually think Grant is being overrated now(funny because midway through the season I stated that he was underrated). A lot of people tend to look the other way when you point out the fact that Grant has a ton of help and talent on that team. Jackson is one of them.. He's looking like a deadly combo guard who can score and pass. He's rising to top 20, and he's rising fast.

Wisconsin Team- Wow. I see at least 4 potential NBA players in their starting lineup. Kaminsky, Dekker, Hayes, and maybe Koenig. I honestly don't know where to start on that team, so I won't start anywhere. One of the best offenses in the NCAA. Dekker has turned into a mad man in March. I respect the hell out of that guy and I think he can contribute on any team in the NBA because he's a driven player. Kaminsky has been playing well, but not great. I actually do have a knock on him..he's been playing noticeably a lot more around the perimeter. Sometimes he just hovers around or stays put at one spot. He looks stand still, HOWEVER when the ball gets into his hands, it always results in pts some how.. Nigel Hayes and Koenig are probably going to return, but this is a nice team full of talent.

Trey Lyles- If there is a step brother term for the middle child, then I think it's Lyles. Overshadowed by two other dominant bigs(Towns and WCS...rightfully so), but he has a skillset of his own. I think he's a lot better than what it seems like in Kentucky. He needs to add a bit more weight, but I see him as an actual starting PF in the NBA. Solid PF all around. Can post up, defend, and score. I think he has a jumper that doesn't get showcased very often too.

Kyle Wiltijer- Holy hell, stretch 4 who can pass and rebound? He's the forgotten child of Kentucky. He's ranked as a late draft pick, but I think he'll eventually climb his way to late 1st/early 2nd round. I think if we can obtain a 2nd round pick, he's the guy to look for. He had amazing showcase vs Iowa.. almost perfect from the floor. He had a good game vs. UCLA. Tough time scoring, but he did a great job on the glass and passing. Unselfish 3pt shooting PF for the NBA. He can come off the bench, or he can start on a team like ours to space the floor out.

D. Jackson benefits a lot from playing with another strong ballhandler (same goes for that ballhandler himself), amazing shooting team, including their backup "big man" 6'5" Bonzie Colson (doesn't have a lot of range yet, but is shooting ridiculous .574 on 2pt jumpers - he's very long with quick release, reminds PJ Tucker only with much better shooting touch) and solid P&R man in Zach Auguste. His shooting is a bit inconsistent, and he goes for his own offense too much from time to time, but his defense is pretty good, even if potentially limited a bit by his size. DX have him as #11 in 2016, and fringe lottery looks like a good assessment of his talent at the moment. If he goes this year, he's going to be in the mix with Wright and Dunn as a PG drafted in the teens.
Dekker is an interesting guy. In a vacuum, he's not that impressive, but Sam is probably the best player this season in college at moving off the ball. His motor is fantastic! And as a role player he has enough skill, not as a 3&D guy - his D is lacking sometimes, but rather as a utility guy, contributing across the board and providing positional flexibility.
As for Kaminsky, have you seen Wiskonsin this year? He's the guy driving their "swing offense", since he's triple-threat from virtually anywhere on the floor. And it should actually help his stock - he can post and do it rather well, but no way, he's a low post player in the NBA. Defense is still a question mark and he's a senior, but Frank the Tank is good enough already to contribute offensively, while being smart to slot into team defense system next to a good defending big.
Koenig is returning, and Hayes should too with the amount of good SFs in this draft.
Wiltjer fitted in nicely in Gonzaga, producing a fantastic offensive season: 38 points (.650TS%) per 100 possessions, and he can pass, but he's a bad defender and rebounder. Kyle should return and really hit the weight room. Will likely go to Europe first, where he can be a star within a couple of years.

 

[9x1x6]

Paying close attention to Grant tonight, wouldnt mind trading back to get him. Lets see how he does vs this front line.

Edit:
CWebb: "The lack of skill is haunting WCS right now" damn.

 

[itzcoatl]

Paying close attention to Grant tonight, wouldnt mind trading back to get him. Lets see how he does vs this front line.

Edit:
CWebb: "The lack of skill is haunting WCS right now" damn.

Yeah WCS is just completely unable to capitalize on his size advantage agains ND.

 

[Gilles]

However true it might be, whenever the other big is trying to post, he is not doubled off of WCS. Willie's man is bodying him the entire possession. That's spacing without shooting.

 

[Dime Dropper]

I'm firmly on the Kris Dunn bandwagon. He's going to rise, guaranteed. I'd use a top 10 pick on him. He has star written all over him, hopefully injuries don't ruin his career.

 

[bajaden]

Paying close attention to Grant tonight, wouldnt mind trading back to get him. Lets see how he does vs this front line.

Edit:
CWebb: "The lack of skill is haunting WCS right now" damn.

He's talking about offensive skill. Not a secret to anyone. If you draft Stein, you draft him for his defense. Perfect fit next to Cousins. He'll get his points on putbacks and alley opps.

 

[sdballer]

He's talking about offensive skill. Not a secret to anyone. If you draft Stein, you draft him for his defense. Perfect fit next to Cousins. He'll get his points on putbacks and alley opps.

Agreed. Such a terrific and versatile defender.