2013 Draft Prospects
- Thread starter Vlade4GM
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I think I'd go with Muscala over Wolters, and it would have nothing to do with talent level. Apples and oranges actually. I just think the Kings need some legit size on the team, and more depth in the front line. Hayes is a nice player, and maybe with the right players on the floor around him, he'd be a good player. But too many times when he was on the floor last season we had a JJ or a Outlaw playing PF and our rebounding went down the toilet. I'd actually perfer if we traded Hayes, found a good PF to put next to Cuz, and moved JT to the backup center position.
I know everyone yearns for a shotblocker next to Cuz, but they don't grow on trees, and sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go in another direction. Barring changes to the current roster, I'd like to try Patterson next to Cuz, Bring JT in off the bench as the backup center, and I can envision a scenario where Muscala is the backup PF. But even with that scenario, I'd like to have one more big. Maybe keeping Aldrich for instance
I know everyone yearns for a shotblocker next to Cuz, but they don't grow on trees, and sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go in another direction. Barring changes to the current roster, I'd like to try Patterson next to Cuz, Bring JT in off the bench as the backup center, and I can envision a scenario where Muscala is the backup PF. But even with that scenario, I'd like to have one more big. Maybe keeping Aldrich for instance
Baja, that's certainly a good list, but a majority are from waaaaay back. Meaning; not many of those guys slip through the NCAA recruiting machine any longer.
But, I'd definitely add Shawn Kemp to your list under this criteria.
But, I'd definitely add Shawn Kemp to your list under this criteria.
Gobert's DX Scouting video up:
Really like his defensive instincts. Blocks, good PnR D, causes TOs. He's pretty quick and mobile in the half court, which surprised me. I think he's ready for 5-10 minutes in the NBA just for his D.
His offense, besides put backs and alley's, has a long long long way to go.
Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders too.
Really like his defensive instincts. Blocks, good PnR D, causes TOs. He's pretty quick and mobile in the half court, which surprised me. I think he's ready for 5-10 minutes in the NBA just for his D.
His offense, besides put backs and alley's, has a long long long way to go.
Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders too.
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It's not like he's some kind of reliable talent evaluator, but still steven_adams_could_be_a_big_help
Great minds think alike! I'm hoping they'll have some film of next weeks workouts in Las Vegas. Karasev is participating, and I haven't been able to get him out of my mind since I saw him play. He really impressed me in that game. I'm curious, do you get to any of the pro games there, or are they televised locally?
Pursuing my obsession with Steven Adams I made a video of footage from Big East QF Syracuse-Pittsburgh. It was second to last game for Adams in Pittsburgh, so it's the latest in-game footage of his play. You can also take a look at James Southerland. It's not a highlight video: you will see Adams miss, getting stripped, blocked and even...make a few mistakes defensively . It's almost complete meaningful part of the game for both guys. Just to see what impact Southerland had on offense, move to 5:30 mark. Two defenders are so afraid to leave him open that they leave Triche open, too bad his release is not as quick as Southerland's. Also keep in mind that Syracuse along with Louisville are arguably two most athletic teams in college.
I have three other games: from 12/15/12 vs cupcake Bethune-Cookman, 01/16/13 vs Villanova and 02/18/13 vs Notre-Dame. I will create similar videos over the weekend.
Video was dubbed with Russian commentary over ESPN's one so might want to mute it. Enjoy: [video=youtube_share;KzLvQn5LaIA]http://youtu.be/KzLvQn5LaIA[/video]
I made a video of footage from Big East QF Syracuse-Pittsburgh. It was second to last game for Adams in Pittsburgh, so it's the latest in-game footage of his play. You can also take a look at James Southerland. It's not a highlight video: you will see Adams miss, getting stripped, blocked and even...make a few mistakes defensively . It's almost complete meaningful part of the game for both guys. Just to see what impact Southerland had on offense, move to 5:30 mark. Two defenders are so afraid to leave him open that they leave Triche open, too bad his release is not as quick as Southerland's. Also keep in mind that Syracuse along with Louisville are arguably two most athletic teams in college.I have three other games: from 12/15/12 vs cupcake Bethune-Cookman, 01/16/13 vs Villanova and 02/18/13 vs Notre-Dame. I will create similar videos over the weekend.
Video was dubbed with Russian commentary over ESPN's one so might want to mute it.
Enjoy: [video=youtube_share;KzLvQn5LaIA]http://youtu.be/KzLvQn5LaIA[/video]Anyone that followed Adams all year long, knows the improvement he made. He went from barely being able to stay on the floor, to what you see in this video. I saw this game when it was played, and yes, Adams is a work in process on the offensive side of the ball, but as you can readily see, defensively he has the ability to be very, very good. His athleticism is on full display. He's extremely quick defending the pick and roll, making a show, and then getting back to his man. He rotates quickly to defend the basket. I have no doubts that he's going to be a good player in the NBA. Its just going to take a little time. Everyone thinks he would be a reach in the draft, but the overall talent level is so close after the top five or so, that just about any player, depending on your needs, from 7 to 22 could be interchanged. I'd have no problem drafting him at 7.
In my humble opinion, Southerland and Fair were the two best players on the Syracuse team, and it wouldn't surprise me to see either of them have a better career than Williams. Hope I'm wrong for Williams sake. Southerland is a deadeye shooter with a quick release. He has the size for the SF position and he's a good athlete. Once again, defense is a mystery when it comes to Southerland because of playing in a zone 100% of the time. But he is a good athlete, and his shooting ability alone would tempt me to choose him. Fair of course decided to stay in school another year. Which means that he'll be entering a draft next year that loaded with far more talent.
In my humble opinion, Southerland and Fair were the two best players on the Syracuse team, and it wouldn't surprise me to see either of them have a better career than Williams. Hope I'm wrong for Williams sake. Southerland is a deadeye shooter with a quick release. He has the size for the SF position and he's a good athlete. Once again, defense is a mystery when it comes to Southerland because of playing in a zone 100% of the time. But he is a good athlete, and his shooting ability alone would tempt me to choose him. Fair of course decided to stay in school another year. Which means that he'll be entering a draft next year that loaded with far more talent.
Brandon Triche coming in for a workout. Very exciting.
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/227955/Brandon-Triche-To-Work-Out-For-Blazers-Kings-Knicks
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/227955/Brandon-Triche-To-Work-Out-For-Blazers-Kings-Knicks
Second video of Steven Adams:[video=youtube_share;JXi_JUC8ZIM]http://youtu.be/JXi_JUC8ZIM[/video]
Look at 1:24 mark. When he's not thinking, what to do, Adams is executing pretty smoothly. He might be a P&P option as a rookie. Final play: give him some space and you will pay. He will get a lot more opportunities in NBA, where there's that much more space, like Drummond did last season.
And that moment at 4:17 - that's just fun. Adams did get away with offensive foul though. Small guy unable to catch dribbling 7-footer is quite interesting too.
You can see him making a lot more mistakes than in Syracuse game that happened a month later: Adams is slow to start rotating back after contesting screens, he looks too much at the ball a few times losing his opponent.
Another note, Adams was mostly an immovable object for Cooley, the best offensive rebounder in college, so he should be a major problem for NBA offensive rebounders, maybe even as a rookie. You can get him off-balance as his upper body is not as strong as lower one(background in rugby explains his strong legs), so he will be schooled for a year or two by the elite rebounders, but eventually he should be more than fine.
Look at 1:24 mark. When he's not thinking, what to do, Adams is executing pretty smoothly. He might be a P&P option as a rookie. Final play: give him some space and you will pay. He will get a lot more opportunities in NBA, where there's that much more space, like Drummond did last season.
And that moment at 4:17 - that's just fun. Adams did get away with offensive foul though. Small guy unable to catch dribbling 7-footer is quite interesting too.
You can see him making a lot more mistakes than in Syracuse game that happened a month later: Adams is slow to start rotating back after contesting screens, he looks too much at the ball a few times losing his opponent.
Another note, Adams was mostly an immovable object for Cooley, the best offensive rebounder in college, so he should be a major problem for NBA offensive rebounders, maybe even as a rookie. You can get him off-balance as his upper body is not as strong as lower one(background in rugby explains his strong legs), so he will be schooled for a year or two by the elite rebounders, but eventually he should be more than fine.
Ok, apparently we have first workout video:
Gobert looks good around the basket if he can hold position - big if at this point: on the last play Aziz N'Diaye, who has solid 260 pounds, is bulldozing him towards the basket. Mobility looks like an issue if you'll ask him to be PF. At C he's absolutely fine.
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With some possibility that he's available in the second round Ricky Ledo looks like a very good option late in the first - early in the second round. Shooting in the open gym is worthless, but this video of him competing against John Wall is very intriguing.
Ledo is able to follow Wall most of the time that probably removes major doubts about his defense projection in NBA: he will be a negative defender at first like basically every rookie but tools are there. He has excellent handles for SG as well. When shooting releases the ball pretty low, so Ledo might have trouble getting his shot off.
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I totally think he could play PF, and it might be his more natural position in the NBA. How valuable would it be to have a player that can be solid at both PF and C? Even as a backup he could get a lot of playing time and limit your frontcourt to a 3-man rotation. He's criminally underrated.
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Larkin's going to disappoint someone, I think. He's kind of like Jordan Farmar IMO. Sick vert but I can't get past having a wingspan below 6', especially when said player is already below 6'. He's going to look mighty small on the court. I don't think he has the body of work to even warrant a mid-1st round selection, and is riding some real late-stage hype here.
Ricky Ledo is kind of this year's mystery player. Giannis Adetokubo kind of being the international version of that, but at least he actually played this year and extrapolating for the super weak competition, I think the guy does have mid-1st round talent. But back to Ledo--I think this guy's good. Prototypical swingman frame, really nifty ballhandling skills, gets off his own shot, that pretty much sounds like a JR Smith clone. Now, we have zero data to back up the scout's assessments, but he looks the part and that's definitely a chunk of the battle. I'd split the difference with this prototype and say he's a bubble 1st rounder.
One guy I really like is Grant Jerrett. Arizona's been lagging as a basketball churner recently, but since 2000 in an aggregate they're one of the top schools in churning out NBA players. Anyone remember Arenas-Bibby-Jefferson-Iguodala? That's the battle there. Also, 19-year old PFs tend to produce the highest value out of the draft. Jerrett doesn't quite fit the prototype of past 19 year olds, but he has a lot of history on his side to suggest he could be viable. And that's not even counting that I thought highly of him in the first place. Stretch 4 with reasonable length and some knack for blocking shots. Soft, yeah, but smart teams will work around that, and he has the skills to adjust to the league. There's massive steal potential out of this one.
I'd like to toot my own horn (shameless plug, I know) and say I thought James Ennis was awesome back when he was a relative nobody halfway through the college season. Yeah, in some mocks he's still floundering in the late 2nd, but good to know the smart teams think he's up for some first round consideration. He might even have mid-1st value. I see some Kawhi Leonard molding potential out of this one.
Has anyone paid attention to Khalif Wyatt out of Temple? He's likely peaked but he's NBA ready and has the tools. Could be a Marcus Thornton type IMO. There could be some great value from him anywhere in the 2nd round. Myck Kabongo also is an awesome value pick--people point to his lack of finishing what he creates, but the "finishing" part is the easiest part to rectify if you have the tools. And he has the tools. Very moldable prospect there.
I'd be skeptical of players from Kansas, Syracuse, or NC State somewhat, and Jeff Withey by virtue of being a 23 year old center and from Kansas fell from my book significantly, even though I thought his 4-year career was worthy of being in the lotto. Still, a late 1st round grab--should be a role player in the mean. As usual, Michael Carter-Williams, CJ Leslie, Lorenzo Brown, James Southerland...gotta be a little wary.
Ricky Ledo is kind of this year's mystery player. Giannis Adetokubo kind of being the international version of that, but at least he actually played this year and extrapolating for the super weak competition, I think the guy does have mid-1st round talent. But back to Ledo--I think this guy's good. Prototypical swingman frame, really nifty ballhandling skills, gets off his own shot, that pretty much sounds like a JR Smith clone. Now, we have zero data to back up the scout's assessments, but he looks the part and that's definitely a chunk of the battle. I'd split the difference with this prototype and say he's a bubble 1st rounder.
One guy I really like is Grant Jerrett. Arizona's been lagging as a basketball churner recently, but since 2000 in an aggregate they're one of the top schools in churning out NBA players. Anyone remember Arenas-Bibby-Jefferson-Iguodala? That's the battle there. Also, 19-year old PFs tend to produce the highest value out of the draft. Jerrett doesn't quite fit the prototype of past 19 year olds, but he has a lot of history on his side to suggest he could be viable. And that's not even counting that I thought highly of him in the first place. Stretch 4 with reasonable length and some knack for blocking shots. Soft, yeah, but smart teams will work around that, and he has the skills to adjust to the league. There's massive steal potential out of this one.
I'd like to toot my own horn (shameless plug, I know) and say I thought James Ennis was awesome back when he was a relative nobody halfway through the college season. Yeah, in some mocks he's still floundering in the late 2nd, but good to know the smart teams think he's up for some first round consideration. He might even have mid-1st value. I see some Kawhi Leonard molding potential out of this one.
Has anyone paid attention to Khalif Wyatt out of Temple? He's likely peaked but he's NBA ready and has the tools. Could be a Marcus Thornton type IMO. There could be some great value from him anywhere in the 2nd round. Myck Kabongo also is an awesome value pick--people point to his lack of finishing what he creates, but the "finishing" part is the easiest part to rectify if you have the tools. And he has the tools. Very moldable prospect there.
I'd be skeptical of players from Kansas, Syracuse, or NC State somewhat, and Jeff Withey by virtue of being a 23 year old center and from Kansas fell from my book significantly, even though I thought his 4-year career was worthy of being in the lotto. Still, a late 1st round grab--should be a role player in the mean. As usual, Michael Carter-Williams, CJ Leslie, Lorenzo Brown, James Southerland...gotta be a little wary.
Larkin with wingspan and and standing reach 3 inches shorter than IT? I'm taking IT2 over him if I had to choose.
Jerrett looks like Patrick Patterson IF he pans out. Sure for undrafted player developing into solid NBA back-up is great, but I'm not sure Kings will have place on the roster to nurture him.
James Ennis is the guy I like. For now he still hasn't moved that far up with highest being ND.net at #37. He has very good physical tools and good statistical markers (3.1stl%, 4.2block% and 6.9off.reb.%) that he's able to apply his athletic ability in games. .834 from FT line on 4.6 attempts per game shows that he's a very good shooter.
Don't want Kabongo: good physical tools, but worthless shooter and wild passer.
Southerland has problems, mainly one-dimensional nature of his game, no matter how good and translatable this one dimention looks, but he'll likely go undrafted, so picking a player with potential in a position with no depth on your roster is not the worst move. If Southerland learns to be a good defender, and he has physical tools for that, he transitions from spot bencher, your 9-10th player to a possible spot starter.
Jerrett looks like Patrick Patterson IF he pans out. Sure for undrafted player developing into solid NBA back-up is great, but I'm not sure Kings will have place on the roster to nurture him.
James Ennis is the guy I like. For now he still hasn't moved that far up with highest being ND.net at #37. He has very good physical tools and good statistical markers (3.1stl%, 4.2block% and 6.9off.reb.%) that he's able to apply his athletic ability in games. .834 from FT line on 4.6 attempts per game shows that he's a very good shooter.
Don't want Kabongo: good physical tools, but worthless shooter and wild passer.
Southerland has problems, mainly one-dimensional nature of his game, no matter how good and translatable this one dimention looks, but he'll likely go undrafted, so picking a player with potential in a position with no depth on your roster is not the worst move. If Southerland learns to be a good defender, and he has physical tools for that, he transitions from spot bencher, your 9-10th player to a possible spot starter.
I disagree with the Patterson comparisons with Jerrett; Patterson after only developed college three point range in his third year in Kentucky, and shot his free throws in the mid 70s. Yeah, he was an exquisite mid-range shooter in Houston and also in his half-stint with us, but again, he only really seemed to develop NBA three point range this season, and doesn't take too many of them. Besides, I always thought Patterson always liked to languish on mid-range J's. If he really wants traction, considering he's not really a conventional inside guy, he needs to turn over most of his shot selection into threes.
Jerrett showed enough in his lone season that he's a shooter, and that he can shoot. Half of his shots came from deep, and he shot 40% from them, and hit over 80% of his free throws (limited attempts, but still). Granted, while it would be great to see if he could duplicate this, on the flip side him doing this as a 19 year old big was somewhat impressive. I also think there's more than meets the eye when it comes to defense with him. He's soft and can't board at all but every player has their flaws, and I think there's potential here for sure, if teams key him to his strengths.
Southerland is one-dimensional for sure. I had him as a mid-2nd, but that wasn't really accounting for the "Syracuse factor" and the fact that 23 year old SFs have some of the worst success rates in the league. He and Jeff Withey were the only prospects who had double whammies with college and age. So yeah, at this point we can chuck him down 20 spots into undrafted territory. Really wary of them Syracuse players.
Kabongo has his detractors but in the 2nd round he's one of those prospects with the greatest upside. There's more than meets the eye with his shooting--he got to the line a lot so his 79% free throw shooting this season doesn't seem like a fluke, so it gives some hope. I don't ever imagine he's much of a three point shooter, but to be a solid shooter, there's slight confidence here for sure. He's also a 6'3" PG--perhaps more of a combo, he's straddling the border, but I'd throw him as a PG. Have to admire the guy's toughness though--he's pretty weak (only benchpressed 2 lbs) but routinely attacks the basket. He can't finish, but he sure can draw fouls. And I think there's defensive potential here too--he's laterally quick. Maybe not the best open court speed, but he fares pretty well against his matchup.
Jerrett showed enough in his lone season that he's a shooter, and that he can shoot. Half of his shots came from deep, and he shot 40% from them, and hit over 80% of his free throws (limited attempts, but still). Granted, while it would be great to see if he could duplicate this, on the flip side him doing this as a 19 year old big was somewhat impressive. I also think there's more than meets the eye when it comes to defense with him. He's soft and can't board at all but every player has their flaws, and I think there's potential here for sure, if teams key him to his strengths.
Southerland is one-dimensional for sure. I had him as a mid-2nd, but that wasn't really accounting for the "Syracuse factor" and the fact that 23 year old SFs have some of the worst success rates in the league. He and Jeff Withey were the only prospects who had double whammies with college and age. So yeah, at this point we can chuck him down 20 spots into undrafted territory. Really wary of them Syracuse players.
Kabongo has his detractors but in the 2nd round he's one of those prospects with the greatest upside. There's more than meets the eye with his shooting--he got to the line a lot so his 79% free throw shooting this season doesn't seem like a fluke, so it gives some hope. I don't ever imagine he's much of a three point shooter, but to be a solid shooter, there's slight confidence here for sure. He's also a 6'3" PG--perhaps more of a combo, he's straddling the border, but I'd throw him as a PG. Have to admire the guy's toughness though--he's pretty weak (only benchpressed 2 lbs) but routinely attacks the basket. He can't finish, but he sure can draw fouls. And I think there's defensive potential here too--he's laterally quick. Maybe not the best open court speed, but he fares pretty well against his matchup.
As the draft gets closer and the mock's get more and more accurate .. We're starting to get a realistic view of who will be available at 7.
At this point, I think its safe to say there is no shot at Noel, Porter, or McLemore. I'm tempted to put Oladipo in that group as well.
So out of the remaining top 12ish prospects, I'm leaning towards Len, Adams, or McCollum.
At this point, I think its safe to say there is no shot at Noel, Porter, or McLemore. I'm tempted to put Oladipo in that group as well.
So out of the remaining top 12ish prospects, I'm leaning towards Len, Adams, or McCollum.
I agree on his being underrated. If he had gone to UCLA, I suspect that he would be a sure 1st round pick. He suffers from playing at a mid-level school, and being a senior as well. I have no doubt he can play PF. I watched him guard players smaller and quicker than him at Bucknell. He's a good defender, and a shotblocker with good anticipation. I'd be very happy with him in the second round.
Unfortunately, I think Oladipo falls into that group. I don't see him getting past the Suns at 5. My three are close to yours. Len, Adams, or Bennett. I think some people picking in the top 5 are going to regret not choosing Bennett. There was a time, early in the year when I thought Bennett was the best player in the draft. Unfortunately, once teams found out what he could do, they all started drawing up defensive scheme's to stop him, so he struggled a little after that. He's a very underrated athlete, a great rebounder, and a very good shooter all the way out to the three point line. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see him picked in the top 5. Of my three, Adams is my top choice!
Starting from the bottom, I certainly agree on Syracuse. I think North Carolina St. will change now that they actually have a head coach, but it will take a while. I'm certainly not a fan of C.J. Leslie. Almost zero improvement from his freshman year till now. Southerland is a very good shooter, but is one demensional. I've already stated how I feel about Williams. I think Brown will be better than some expect. I saw Wyatt play quite a bit. Streaky shooter, but can light it up at times. He has good handles and probably a better athlete than Thornton. If Kabongo can learn to shoot well, then he's a steal in the second round. He got screwed over by the NCAA this season, and I think it really hurt his development.
Greg Jerrett should have stayed in school another year. Maybe two. He's talented, but he's a long way from ready to play in the NBA. If drafted, I think he'll spend a lot of time in the D-League. I suscribe to a website for college, and potential college or NBA scouts. The consensus among quite a few of them is that they wouldn't waste a 2nd round pick on Adetokubo. I know nothing about the player so I can't comment, but apparently he didn't impress them very much.
Greg Jerrett should have stayed in school another year. Maybe two. He's talented, but he's a long way from ready to play in the NBA. If drafted, I think he'll spend a lot of time in the D-League. I suscribe to a website for college, and potential college or NBA scouts. The consensus among quite a few of them is that they wouldn't waste a 2nd round pick on Adetokubo. I know nothing about the player so I can't comment, but apparently he didn't impress them very much.
Don't know if it's been posted, but here's Burke's workout with the Kings today:
Looks like he had a good workout, shot the ball well (although that's all they'll show). I like Burke, but his lack of explosiveness/elite athleticism is a worry in todays NBA. He did look like he has good lateral quickness, though, which is a help. I'd be fine with him at 7.
Looks like he had a good workout, shot the ball well (although that's all they'll show). I like Burke, but his lack of explosiveness/elite athleticism is a worry in todays NBA. He did look like he has good lateral quickness, though, which is a help. I'd be fine with him at 7.
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