Following 2019 draftees!!!

bajaden · Dec 7, 2018

Well it's a little early for me to have a top thirty, much less a top sixty, but I'll give you my top thirty off the top of my head. Bear in mind that when you get down to the last 5 or 6 picks in the first rd, I think players from 25 to 35 are almost interchangeable. Ten different GM's will likely have somewhat different players in that group and in different order.

1. Zion Williamson: SF/whatever - Duke
2. R. J. Barrett: SF - Duke
3. Bol Bol: C - Oregon
4. Cam Reddish: SF/PF - Duke
5. Romeo Langford: SG/SF - Indiana
6. De'Andre Hunter: SF - Virginia
7. Keldon Johnson: SG/SF - Kentucky
8. Kevin Porter: SG/SF - USC
9. Nas Little: SF - UNC
10. Ja Morant: PG - Murray St.
11. Darius Garland: PG - Vanderbilt
12. Daniel Gafford: C - Arkansas
13. Simi craptu: PF - Vanderbilt
14. Sekou Doumboya: SF/PF - Pointers-International
15. Louis King: SF - Oregon
16. Rui Hachimura: SF/PF - Gonzaga
17. Kezie Okpala: SF - Stanford
18. Moses Brown: C - UCLA
19. Charles Bassey: C/PF - Western Kentucky U.
20. Jalen McDaniels: SF - SDSU
21. Brandon Clarke: PF - Gonzaga
22. Jordan Poole - SG - Michigan
23. Nickeil Alexander-Walker: SG - Virginia Tech
24. Colby White: PG/SG - UNC
25. P. J. Washington: SF - Kentucky
26. Talen Horton-Tucker: SF - ISU
27. Charles Mathews: SG/SF - Michigan
28. Chris Smith: SF - UCLA
29. Dylan Windler: SF - Belmont
30. Jemery Harris: SF - Buffalo

A couple of those last additions might surprise some people, but I honestly believe that their as good as anyone else left I could put before them. That might change as the season goes on, as will the order of the top thirty. I like P. J. Washington a lot, and think he has terrific defensive potential. His shot isn't broken, and Calipari isn't exactly showcasing him. Charles Mathews might be a bit of a reach where I have him, but I happen to like the kid. If Brandon Clarke keeps playing the way he's been playing, he's a lock for the first rd. Just a matter of where. Hope I'm wrong about that for the Kings sake. Hope I'm right for his sake.

Ozymandias · Dec 7, 2018

bajaden said:

I like your style!! SOLID mock. I'm a maniac with this stuff It'd probably be easier for me to do a list of 80 instead of 60 right now LOL, I cast a wide net and slowly process of eliminate down.

I like the bullish call on De'Andre Hunter too. When I've watched him this year, he looks great, and I think "he's just getting started in exacting his revenge for how last year played out".

Charles Matthews is a player thats low on my mock strictly on his poor FT shooting right now. He cleans that up a bit and I'll boost him considerably higher.

Brandon Clarke's measurements will be at the top of the list of players I'ma be checking for. He's gonna blow-out the athletic portion wondering about his wingspan height hands etc.

PJ Washington is a curious case, his stock is relatively safe but the question is how high can he go? The UK frontcourt this year is a nightmare to try and showcase on tho... If they don't land Isaiah Stewart for next year (or N'Faly Dante who'd have to reclass up) it'll probably be more of the same.

bajaden · Dec 8, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Yeah, the last couple of years Kentucky hasn't been able to land one of top bigs. They've recruited good five star players, but have missed out on guys like Bol Bol, Bagley, Carter, Ayton, etc. As far as I know they haven't offered to Isaiah Stewert or Jaden McDaniels. I know they've made an offer to Mathew Hurt, and their still in the running for the SG, Anthony Edwards, both top ten players. I think McDaniels is scheduled for a visit, so there might be an offer in the works there. Could be that Calipari is counting on some of his frontcourt returning for another year. Guys like Richards and Montgomery.

I think once Washington gets feedback, he'll declare. I think he's a player that will blossom once in the NBA. I agree on Mathews. He has some holes he needs to plug up, but he does a lot of things well, and he comes out of a program that's excellent at developing players.

Ozymandias · Dec 8, 2018

bajaden said:

This game vs Seton Hall right now, the first 32 minutes has been super ugly for Kentucky. I get the feeling this team will go as far as Tyler Herro can carry them and not a step further and he's currently shooting under 30% from 3...

Ah ok, PJ Washington just came thru and provided a huge burst. Seton Hall and specifically Myles Powell who's a great shooter, missed a bunch of 3's in this one which would've made this a whole different game..

I have trouble these days talking about "recruiting misses" when it's so obvious that guys are getting paid, and there's bids being placed.. It's an ultimate "bring silent weapons for quiet wars" type situation...

Nick Richards was a 5-star big but it turns out he sucks, I hate that its a NY kid who's thrown such a monkey wrench into the UK machine... Cuz really if you look back at last season, Shai Gilgeous saved that team.

I hope Montgomery declares, I'd love to have him here on the Kings, another Lefty... I'm a big believer in that kid. At his size/age the flashes he shows are encouraging enough to gamble on IMO. I actually remember a time back when his father said he had 27 D-1 offers, this was many, many years ago and BAgley was #1 in the class and had like 15 (reported) offers... EJ's game may very well be more suited for the NBA than college too. Way back at the time I'm saying he had 27 offers years ago they were calling him a 6'9" PG, now he's 6'11" and still has legit guard skills. I'm not thinking he goes high or anything but letting him develop in the d-league could pay major dividends.

Ozymandias · Dec 8, 2018

Ozymandias said:

He was 0/5 from 3 when I wrote this just minutes ago. Now he's 5/11 and just drilled the game-winner with a second on the clock.. Myles Powell is an NBA level 3pt shooter for sure.

Kentucky most certainly deserved to lose that game.

Ozymandias · Dec 8, 2018

Keldon Johnson just tied it with a halfcourt 3 they had 1 second on the clock!!!!!!!!!! This is crazy.

https://twitter.com/statuses/1071486772272607232

bajaden · Dec 8, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Tough one point loss for Kentucky. Good game by P. J. though. Almost a coming out party. 29 pt's, 13 boards, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots. Got to the line a ton of times. I believe Hero had 10 pt's, but didn't shoot the ball particularly well. They need to get Keldon more shots. The truth is, Kentucky isn't all that good this year. Maybe Cal can work one of his miracles and somehow get them all on the same page. Richards is just worthless. Not enough BBIQ on the team in my opinion.

bajaden · Dec 8, 2018

I came close to putting Dort into my top 30, but decided to hold off a bit longer. He's not shooting the three great, but good enough that you have to guard him on the perimeter. Good athlete who definitely has a future in the league as a defender. Has trouble finishing at times, but extremely strong. Matter of fact they have him listed at 215, and I'll eat my hat if he doesn't weigh more then that. He's built like a linebacker.

Ozymandias · Dec 9, 2018

bajaden said:

I try to keep up on the "Canadian phenoms" so I think I first saw Leuguentz a few summers back and I remember thinking "How old is this kid?! He looks built like Marcus Smart right now"

He'd be a damn interesting fit on this Kings team, tough kid... Almost seems like a pipe-dream scenario though I can't imagine our picks will be in range..

bajaden · Dec 9, 2018

Grant Williams, another player I gave serious thought to for my top 30, is having yet another good game today for Tennessee against Gonzaga. Unfortunately for the Vol's, he's about the only one. My problem with Williams is I'm not yet sure what he is. He has a great post game, but is somewhat undersized at 6'7". He's a good, but not an elite athlete. Not sure his handles are good enough for the SF position, or if he could defend the SF position. He's shooting a good percentage from the three, but then doesn't take very many. So the sampling size is small.

I definitely think he's a future NBA player, or at least has the talent to play in the NBA. Another player that looks like a linebacker, and plays a very physical game. He definitely has some Bernard King in him around the basket. He's also an excellent rebounder. Just not quite sure what to make of him just yet, but I really love watching him play.

Ozymandias · Dec 9, 2018

Jaxson Hayes on Texas is a surefire 1st rd pick. He's 6'11 with a 7'4 wingspan and he's extremely explosive, and he's like Willie levels of graceful and agile, it's really not even all that complicated, kid passes the eye test with flying colors... BIGTIME shotblocker too, shades of Marcus Camby..

I remember reading about his recruitment blowing up and he's one of these players who had a big growth spurt of late and it might end up beign a Jonathan Isaac type of situation where his stock just keeps going up and up after the spurt...

Ozymandias · Dec 9, 2018

Fran Frashilla compared Carsen Edwards to David Wesley in this broadcast, I kinda like that.

bajaden · Dec 10, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Edwards only problem is that he's a SG in a PG's body. He wouldn't be the first of course. He's typically what I would call a future 6th man off the bench for scoring. If he was 6'5", there would be a bit more lust for him.

Ozymandias · Dec 11, 2018

bajaden said:

He used to be Fox's backup in AAU!

Ozymandias · Dec 11, 2018

Brewster Academy is ridiculously, obscenely loaded... Thats gotta be the #1 HS team in the nation, good luck to the kids who gotta play them, good lord..

they call their starting 5 the fab 5 and its Jamal Mashburn Jr at point guard, Lecque off the ball, Terrence Clarke(future top10pick and imminent reclass up - kid is a certified baller), Alonzo Gaffey and Kai Jones. This team would honestly beat the breaks off a long list of D-1 teams.. Gaffney and Kai jones are long armed and very athletic, Gaffney has decent skill level too.

It's relevant to this thread because of Jalen Lecque. That might be one of the best HS teams i've ever seen though. I'd expect them to go undefeated. If u watch them u will see Lecque just casually flying around throwing down Hamidou Diallo style dunks..
the team is so loaded its going to make it difficult to evaluate Lecque....

Clarke has the ball on a string like a PG and he can shoot off the dribble and he's 6'7", he's like Caris LaVert...They can just give him the ball if they ever get in trouble and he'll easily carry them..

Ozymandias · Dec 11, 2018

Word is Jahvon Quinerly is gonna x-fer from Nova. They lost to Penn.

Capt. Factorial · Dec 12, 2018

Ozymandias said:

I watched one game earlier this season and Quinerly hardly got minutes. I was surprised because I thought he was considered a possible one-and-done. With a transfer year, looks like he's more likely going to be a three-year college player, huh?

Ozymandias · Dec 12, 2018

Capt. Factorial said:

He always kinda reminded me of Allonzo Trier but even shorter tbh. But yeah looks like it.

The kid who's got the reigns, 6'3" Sophomore Collin Gillespie, who was a 3-star, has been their biggest surprise this year, so it's just a really bad spot for Quinerly who had a ton of hype going in. I think he said something on social media last night about nova being his second choice...

While we're talking big east... St. Johns remains the only undefeated team! Their schedule is gonna turn into a complete nightmare in about 2 weeks though

Ozymandias · Dec 14, 2018

I just read an article that said Jaxson Hayes parents brought him to a doctor due to back pain from a growth spurt which resulted in a bone scan a few months ago that indicated he's gonna grow to 7-feet.

bajaden · Dec 15, 2018

Yeah, once St. Johns gets into conference play the schedule is going to get a bit tougher. I liked Gillespie quite a bit coming out of highschool. So he's been a bit of a surprise to me, but not a shocking one. Quinerly is finding out that it doesn't matter what you did in highschool, you have to earn your spurs in college, especially when you playing for a coach like Wright. If I was him I would stay put. He may not be a one and done, but I guarantee him, that if he listens, and works hard, he'll be a better basketball player at the end.

Ozymandias · Dec 16, 2018

Embarrassing loss to Belmont from UCLA, Dylan Windler didn't even shoot it well 12 pts on 14 attempts.

UCLA shoots 12/28 from the FT stripe... yeesh..

Ozymandias · Dec 16, 2018

Even though they lost that was another great showing by Brandon Clarke of Gonzaga. He really has some timing/anticipation and grace with these shotblocks... I think it's safe to say he's reached 1st rd territory.

Ozymandias · Dec 16, 2018

6'7" Both Gach, Sophomore long-armed SF on Utah looks like he's worth keeping an eye on.

Ozymandias · Dec 16, 2018

6'2" Sophomore PG Nick Weatherspoon at Mississippi St. is an interesting case-study. He's shooting 54% from 3 right now..... Stats don't really do his game justice tho, he flashes on film..

"The other MSU" really is just a team people don't pay attention to, thats what I've concluded, I kept a close watch on them last year and thought it was because they werent ranked in the top25, this year they've been ranked top25 all year and still no one gives a crap. LOL.

The freshman Reggie Perry they have looks quite good, not like a freshman, and if he's 6'10 as they list him he's gonna make the league as well.

bajaden · Dec 16, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Yeah Windler, who is one of my favorites had an off night shooting the ball, but at the end of the day, I thought UCLA got out coached. Terrific play by Belmont at the end of the game. Looked like an old Princeton offense play.

bajaden · Dec 16, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Yeah it's like a catch 22. You find a player that's not ranked very high, who is playing above expectations, and you think, wow he'd be a great pickup in the 2nd rd. So you secretly root for him to play well, and the result is, if he does, he becomes a 1st rd pick. He's a very impressive defender, and his shotblocking timing is terrific. Something you can't teach. I'd like to see him take a few more three's so we could get a read on his future as a possible stretch four.

bajaden · Dec 19, 2018

Went back and re-watched the Belmont/UCLA game, and although Windler didn't shoot the ball well in that game, he was terrific in every other aspect of the game. He had a couple of steals, and around 15 boards and played excellent defense throughout the game. I'd love for the Kings to nab him in the 2nd rd, but my gut is telling me that when the smoke clears, he'll have slid into the 1st rd. Windler who got off to a shaky start from the three to start the year, now has his 3 pt percentage up to just under 37%. I suspect that he'll be at his usual 40% by seasons end.

Ozymandias · Dec 19, 2018

bajaden said:

Nick Weatherspoon 6'2" Sophomore PG at Mississippi State is probably this too. I've caught a bunch of their games and he's been lights out from 3,... 57% so far this season....

Ozymandias · Dec 19, 2018

Markell Johnson 6'1 Jr PG for NC State looked great today in the upset over Auburn. He could work his way into the fringe territory if he keeps playing like that...

Ozymandias · Dec 19, 2018

Ty-Shon Alexander really does pass the eye test on Creighton I like his chances in conference play too. He's not perfect but a combo guard at 6'4 who can play fast, and shoot makes him interesting. The shooter they have there Mitch Ballock eventually could be relevant, but definitely not this year.

The more I watch UVA the more I think this is the last year we'll see Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome... Jerome especially seems like he's one of the 30 best players in this field, or very close to it.

Following 2019 draftees!!!

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