2nd Round pick projections

#31
Back to Admiral Schofield, if I had to compare him to another former Tennessee player it would be Tobias Harris. I'm not sure he'll develop the same way Harris did, but they are similar players and types that Tennessee apparently looks for in their scouting. I've also seen Jae Crowder on NBADraft.net. That's a decent comp too. Either way I think he could be a nice prospect that can hit the ground running for whoever drafts him with room to grow defensively.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#32
I think Bassey might be gone by the time we pick.
Based on what? Not being sarcastic, but I personally haven't seen anything from him, that makes me think he's any better than Naz Reid or Claxton, both of whom are projected as mid 2nd rd picks. Not saying he won't be better than those guys, but I have nothing to go on to make me believe it at this time, and I think I watched every game of his that was televised. He put up good numbers, but many times he was being guarded by a 6'8" center.

Where I cut him some slack is with W. Kentucky's guard play. I lost count of how many times Bassey fought for position to no avail. Either his guards were incapable of making an entry pass, or they simply ignored him. As I said, his numbers were good despite that, but he was going up against lesser competition. He was obviously the best player on that W. Kentucky team, and yet he took less than 9 shots a game. Don't misunderstand, I think there's something there, I simply don't know how much.

Yes, he shot well over 40% from the three, but only took 20 shots from there. He shot around 62% overall, but most were point blank at the rim shots against players shorter than him. So frankly, I don't know how good he really is, and I think a lot of the scouts feel the same way. I'll be very surprised if he isn't sitting there when we pick. I can think of at least 15 players in the 2nd rd I would take before him.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#33
I'm just hoping that Divac and Peja have put a lot more resources into finding some gems in the 2nd round. The 2nd round track record so far has not been good so far.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#34
you are taking this way out of context. These are second round picks we are talking about here. They are a hard find and ones that actually aren't out of the league within a few years. With that said, what I said is not wrong and these second round picks are for not if they can't fill a roster spot for more than one season or stashing them in the G-League to never come over and play.
I would guess that in any given year almost half of all the players taken in the 2nd rd would be capable of becoming NBA players at some point in time. But the current system isn't set up to properly develop those players. As a result, many give up their dream, or go play in Europe. That's all going to change in the future when the G-League will become more like baseball's minor league system. Where every team will have a G-League team, and will control every player on their team.

At that point, I expect the draft to expand to at least 3 rd's, and maybe have 4 rd's. A player that's married and has kids has a hard time surviving in the G-League right now. They don't get paid enough to continue for very long, and not many spouses want to drag their kids over to Europe. In order to get NBA owners to invest more money in G-League players, they have to have control of those players. Two way contracts were a start in that direction, but it's not enough. They need to have every player under contract where another team can't steal them.

My point is, that under the current system, the amount of 2nd rd picks that make it to the NBA is small. But given the time and the resources, I believe that will change. Not every player progresses at the same rate. Some take more time than others. But the way is is now, NBA teams can't waste a roster spot for such a player, and can't control that players destiny in the G-League. That will change in the near future, which will make 2nd rd picks more valuable.
 
#35
Based on what? Not being sarcastic, but I personally haven't seen anything from him, that makes me think he's any better than Naz Reid or Claxton, both of whom are projected as mid 2nd rd picks. Not saying he won't be better than those guys, but I have nothing to go on to make me believe it at this time, and I think I watched every game of his that was televised. He put up good numbers, but many times he was being guarded by a 6'8" center.

Where I cut him some slack is with W. Kentucky's guard play. I lost count of how many times Bassey fought for position to no avail. Either his guards were incapable of making an entry pass, or they simply ignored him. As I said, his numbers were good despite that, but he was going up against lesser competition. He was obviously the best player on that W. Kentucky team, and yet he took less than 9 shots a game. Don't misunderstand, I think there's something there, I simply don't know how much.

Yes, he shot well over 40% from the three, but only took 20 shots from there. He shot around 62% overall, but most were point blank at the rim shots against players shorter than him. So frankly, I don't know how good he really is, and I think a lot of the scouts feel the same way. I'll be very surprised if he isn't sitting there when we pick. I can think of at least 15 players in the 2nd rd I would take before him.
I read somewhere, which I am too old to remember, that he is rising up draft boards.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#36
I hope you're right about Bazley being there. It'd surprise me, but I'd definitely take him if he's still there.

I'm also adding Bassey, Lawson and Admiral Schofield to my wish list after doing more research.
If they were to make a movie about Schofield, it should be named, Against All Odd's. You have a player that's built like a NFL linebacker, who doesn't really look like an NBA player, but you can't argue with the results. Schofield is a winner, and he and Grant Williams were the heart and soul of that Tennessee team. Earlier in the year I called him Zion Williamson lite. He's not quite the athlete that Zion is, but he's a good athlete, and a better outside shooter than Zion. Of course he's had a few more years to hone his game.

The Admiral isn't my first choice, but I wouldn't bet against him. He's one of those players that has those intangibles you can't put your finger on. I see him as a SG that can play some SF because of his wingspan. I'm not a fan of 6'6" players playing SF but I do like players capable of playing more than one position.

I'm glad you added Lawson. I'm a big fan of his. He's one of those players that doesn't have a lot of wow moments in a game. He's more of a blue collar guy that at the end of the game has 21 pts and 11 boards, and you don't quite remember him doing all that. Thing is, he did that every single game for the last two years. He was one of the most consistent players I watched. out of 36 games played he had 22 double/doubles. He's not per say a shotblocker, but he did average around 1.6 blocks a game with weakside help. He's the kind of player you love to have sitting on your bench.

I think with both Bassey and Bazley, the combine and their individual workouts will help determine where their taken. I hope Bassey competes in the scrimmages at the combine so scouts can see him going up against other big's his own size. Ditto Bazley, although my gut tells me that Bazley want's to remain the mystery man, similar to Mitchell Robinson last year. I also have a question as to why Bassey wore knee supports on both knee's all year long. He seemed to run the floor fine, but it makes me wonder.
 
#37
I'm just hoping that Divac and Peja have put a lot more resources into finding some gems in the 2nd round. The 2nd round track record so far has not been good so far.

Unless they do something strange, pull a nobody out of a hat, or the end of the 1st and 2nd round do some swapping position wise, the Kings should be in an unusually good position to find not only some decent talent but ones at a position of need like on the wing. The 2nd round has more than a few decent SF/PF options in that range on most mocks. Horton-Tucker, Brazdeikis, Franks, Paschal, and a few more are all players in that range that could be in the Kings rotation as early as next year. Especially players like Brazdeikis and Paschal. Brazdeikis is very mature for a 1st year college player and plays with infectious energy.
 
#38
Admiral reminds me of Jimmy Butler. Both faced adversity, are leaders, and are excellent athletes with similar size. Their stats are almost idential too, although Admiral is coming out as a senior and Jimmy came out as a Junior. I'd absolutely be down for taking him with one of our second rounders if he's there.
 
#39
If they were to make a movie about Schofield, it should be named, Against All Odd's. You have a player that's built like a NFL linebacker, who doesn't really look like an NBA player, but you can't argue with the results. Schofield is a winner, and he and Grant Williams were the heart and soul of that Tennessee team. Earlier in the year I called him Zion Williamson lite. He's not quite the athlete that Zion is, but he's a good athlete, and a better outside shooter than Zion. Of course he's had a few more years to hone his game.

The Admiral isn't my first choice, but I wouldn't bet against him. He's one of those players that has those intangibles you can't put your finger on. I see him as a SG that can play some SF because of his wingspan. I'm not a fan of 6'6" players playing SF but I do like players capable of playing more than one position.

I'm glad you added Lawson. I'm a big fan of his. He's one of those players that doesn't have a lot of wow moments in a game. He's more of a blue collar guy that at the end of the game has 21 pts and 11 boards, and you don't quite remember him doing all that. Thing is, he did that every single game for the last two years. He was one of the most consistent players I watched. out of 36 games played he had 22 double/doubles. He's not per say a shotblocker, but he did average around 1.6 blocks a game with weakside help. He's the kind of player you love to have sitting on your bench.

I think with both Bassey and Bazley, the combine and their individual workouts will help determine where their taken. I hope Bassey competes in the scrimmages at the combine so scouts can see him going up against other big's his own size. Ditto Bazley, although my gut tells me that Bazley want's to remain the mystery man, similar to Mitchell Robinson last year. I also have a question as to why Bassey wore knee supports on both knee's all year long. He seemed to run the floor fine, but it makes me wonder.

6'5" or 6'6" players built like tanks thrive in todays game for the most part. PJ Tucker, Jae Crowder, Justise Winslow. Admiral physically shares similar characteristics to those players and has more verticality. Size won't be an issue for him. If he isn't fools gold as a shooter he'll be a mismatch for the other team most nights since he can post up. Usually shy away from those Tennessee undersized bruisers but as I posted above, he's more similar to Tobias Harris than the others.
 
#40
Admiral reminds me of Jimmy Butler. Both faced adversity, are leaders, and are excellent athletes with similar size. Their stats are almost idential too, although Admiral is coming out as a senior and Jimmy came out as a Junior. I'd absolutely be down for taking him with one of our second rounders if he's there.

If I were a scout for the Kings I'd be starting the conversation of moving into the 1st round to take him. It's not a flashy draft but he could be a terrific get in any year.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#41
I read somewhere, which I am too old to remember, that he is rising up draft boards.
Right now, and I haven't looked at every mock draft out there, but NBAdraft.net is the only one I could find that had Bassey going in the first rd, and that site is a total mess. They have Bruno Fernando going in the lottery for heavens sake, and P. J. Washington going at the bottom of the first rd. Washington will be a lottery pick.

ESPN's mock draft is more in line with mine. They have Daniel Gafford the 6'11" center form Arkansas going at 36, Nic Claxton the 6'11" center from Arkansas going at 41. Both players played in the Southeastern Conference against teams like Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn, etc. Both put up numbers as good as Bassey and did it against far superior competition. They have Jontay Porter going at 43, and Porter when healthy, is a lottery pick. They have Darius Bazley going at 43 and Charles Bassey going at 53.

Now I'm not saying that what ESPN says is written in stone, but they are basically Draftexpress now, and Draftexpress was one of the most accurate mocks out there. Now granted, the individual workouts and the combine could change some minds, but you usually don't get big jumps from either, particularly when scouts have already watched these guys play numerous times.

ESPN has Chuma Okeke going at 42 one pick before Porter at 43. Both these guys are interesting, because if neither were injured, both would go in the first rd, with Porter being a lottery pick. One has to wonder how far Auburn might have gone in the tournament if Okeke hadn't gotten injured. There's little doubt that he was the best player on that team for the last 15 or so games. I think both are worth a gamble in the 2nd rd. Porter is almost a point PF/C. He can play under the basket, or step out and shoot the three. I'm not totally sure what position Okeke plays, SF or PF, but it doesn't matter. He's NBA material.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#42
6'5" or 6'6" players built like tanks thrive in todays game for the most part. PJ Tucker, Jae Crowder, Justise Winslow. Admiral physically shares similar characteristics to those players and has more verticality. Size won't be an issue for him. If he isn't fools gold as a shooter he'll be a mismatch for the other team most nights since he can post up. Usually shy away from those Tennessee undersized bruisers but as I posted above, he's more similar to Tobias Harris than the others.
Lets not forget that Schofield is 6'6" and Harris is 6'9". I'm not arguing against Schofield, but I'm not as sure as you are that he'll succeed. I did say I wouldn't bet against him. I like him, but I like others more. If he's posting up against SG's, then I would give him an advantage, but against SF's and PF's, that's a different story. He did shoot around 40% from the three for two straight years so that's a plus. He'll have to tighten up his handles. He has a great feel for the game, and he's a hard worker. So there's a lot to like.

Lets's also not forget that SG isn't a position of need. Now if our turn comes, and you think that Schofield is the best player available, then you take him. But if there's equal talent or better talent at a position of need (backup PG, backup SF, backup or potential starting center) then you take that. If my choice is between Schofield and Okeke, then I'm taking the gamble on Okeke.
 
#45
Just in case people have forgotten how good a player Jontay Porter is, here's a video from his freshman year.

Yeah Porter might be worth the risk but I’d bet he goes early second round as soon as you are out of guaranteed cash. In either case I think Kings will have some interesting players to target.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#46
Yeah Porter might be worth the risk but I’d bet he goes early second round as soon as you are out of guaranteed cash. In either case I think Kings will have some interesting players to target.
Yeah, I think the whole point is that there will be players available when the Kings pick that will have a chance to be productive NBA players, and if you get lucky, maybe even a starter. There are two ways to go in the 2nd rd. One is to go with the four year players that excelled in college, like a Dedric Lawson or a Dylan Windler. Or you go with a young athletic player that so far, is behind the curve a little, but shows long term potential. I think who you pick depends on how soon you want that player to contribute.

As for where Porter goes, is anyone's guess, but my guess is that there's a chance he falls down to us. If he was just recovering from his initial ACL injury, I think he would have gone mid 1st rd. But having a second ACL injury on the same knee will likely push him down the board into the 2nd rd. It will probably be a year and a half before he sets foot on a basketball floor, maybe longer. So he's a gamble. But if your where the Kings are, why not?
 
#48
If I was going to move up, I'd be drafting Dylan Windler. And yes, I'am biased...
Windler would certainly fit right in. Obviously he doesn't bring the same physical tools Schofield does but he's ready made for the way Vlade wants to play. He could be the player they hoped Justin Jackson would have become.
 
#49
If I was going to move up, I'd be drafting Dylan Windler. And yes, I'am biased...
I admit that until around March I had no idea who Windler was. The past couple years I just haven’t followed NCAA as closely as I usually do. But upon researching then following him during conference tourney time and March Madness, I discovered that I really like him. I’d be excited if the KINGS found a way to land him.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#50
Right now, and I haven't looked at every mock draft out there, but NBAdraft.net is the only one I could find that had Bassey going in the first rd, and that site is a total mess. They have Bruno Fernando going in the lottery for heavens sake, and P. J. Washington going at the bottom of the first rd. Washington will be a lottery pick.

ESPN's mock draft is more in line with mine. They have Daniel Gafford the 6'11" center form Arkansas going at 36, Nic Claxton the 6'11" center from Arkansas going at 41. Both players played in the Southeastern Conference against teams like Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn, etc. Both put up numbers as good as Bassey and did it against far superior competition. They have Jontay Porter going at 43, and Porter when healthy, is a lottery pick. They have Darius Bazley going at 43 and Charles Bassey going at 53.

Now I'm not saying that what ESPN says is written in stone, but they are basically Draftexpress now, and Draftexpress was one of the most accurate mocks out there. Now granted, the individual workouts and the combine could change some minds, but you usually don't get big jumps from either, particularly when scouts have already watched these guys play numerous times.

ESPN has Chuma Okeke going at 42 one pick before Porter at 43. Both these guys are interesting, because if neither were injured, both would go in the first rd, with Porter being a lottery pick. One has to wonder how far Auburn might have gone in the tournament if Okeke hadn't gotten injured. There's little doubt that he was the best player on that team for the last 15 or so games. I think both are worth a gamble in the 2nd rd. Porter is almost a point PF/C. He can play under the basket, or step out and shoot the three. I'm not totally sure what position Okeke plays, SF or PF, but it doesn't matter. He's NBA material.
The Kings pick 40 and 47. Who does ESPN have for those slots?
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#51
Windler would certainly fit right in. Obviously he doesn't bring the same physical tools Schofield does but he's ready made for the way Vlade wants to play. He could be the player they hoped Justin Jackson would have become.
The thing about Windler, is that he's a team guy. Very unselfish player, that really has all the tools in his tool box. Great BBIQ etc. That's not to say that Schofield isn't a team player, he is. I just think Windler is more ready to contribute right now than Schofield is. Plus, Windler is around 6'8". I love skilled basketball players, which is why I really like Porter. I would love to have Cam Johnson, but I just don't think he'll slide down to us. Ditto Ty Jerome, who would be an excellent backup PG for us.

An interesting choice, if he sitting there when we get to the 60th pick, is Kyle Guy. At 6'2", he's not a PG, but the dude can really shoot the rock. There's always a place for shooters in the NBA. Maybe you take him at 60, if he's still there, and stick him on our G-League team and see if you can develop him into a PG. He's a good ball handler already, so he could certainly bring the ball up and then play off the ball. You could pair him with Fox, and let Fox guard the other teams SG. Guy is actually a good pesky defender.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#52
I haven't seen 95% of the guys talked about on this board, but I have seen Schofield several times. He sure does strike me as a guy who has maxed out in college, and I don't see the athleticism from him that is required from someone of his height. He is certainly not the fluid athlete that I want to see for his size. I'd be very unhappy with that pick. I'm much more inclined to take a flier on Thybulle than Schofield.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#53
The Kings pick 40 and 47. Who does ESPN have for those slots?
ESPN has the Kings taking Ignas Brazdeikis at 40 and Joshua Obiesie at 47. Brazdeikis is a freshman SF from Michigan who was highly ranked coming out of highschool who overall, had a good year. He threw in a clinker every once in a while, but averaged 14. 8 ppg, shot 39.2% from the three and pulled down 5.4 boards a game. He's listed at 6'7", so he would be the appropriate height for the position. Michigan played him at the PF position as well, but in my opinion, he's a SF.

Joshua Obiesie is a 6'5.5" (in his bare feet) PG that played in the German league if I'm not mistaken. I admit that I only saw him play once, so most of what I know comes from reports I read. This past season was his first year of professional ball, and from what I read, he surprised everyone with his play considering his lack of experience. He's a player, if drafted by the Kings, that could be stashed in Europe for a year or two.

I should point out that players, according to ESPN, that would be taken after the King's 40th pick are, Darius Bazley, Jontay Porter, Chuma Okeke, Nic Claxton, and Dedric Lawson. Other than Claxton, I think I would take any of them over Brazdeikis. Sorry Nic!
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
#54
I haven't seen 95% of the guys talked about on this board, but I have seen Schofield several times. He sure does strike me as a guy who has maxed out in college, and I don't see the athleticism from him that is required from someone of his height. He is certainly not the fluid athlete that I want to see for his size. I'd be very unhappy with that pick. I'm much more inclined to take a flier on Thybulle than Schofield.
I would grab Thybulle in a heartbeat. As I stated earlier, he may be the best defender in college. There are people that dispute that saying a lot of it has to do with the system he plays in, but I've seen him one on one and he's impressive. He averaged 3.5 steals a game, and think about this, he also averaged 2.3 blocks a game, at 6'5". The one clink in his armor is after averaging 37.8% from the three his first 3 years, he took a nosedive and only shot 30.5% this past season, while shooting 85% from the freethrow line. One has to think that it was an aberration.

He's another 4 year player that would be ready to step in and contribute right away. The problem with this entire scenario, is that I suspect he'll go somewhere near the bottom of the first rd.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#55
I would grab Thybulle in a heartbeat. As I stated earlier, he may be the best defender in college. There are people that dispute that saying a lot of it has to do with the system he plays in, but I've seen him one on one and he's impressive. He averaged 3.5 steals a game, and think about this, he also averaged 2.3 blocks a game, at 6'5". The one clink in his armor is after averaging 37.8% from the three his first 3 years, he took a nosedive and only shot 30.5% this past season, while shooting 85% from the freethrow line. One has to think that it was an aberration.

He's another 4 year player that would be ready to step in and contribute right away. The problem with this entire scenario, is that I suspect he'll go somewhere near the bottom of the first rd.
Unfortunately, the gold always seem to be just out of reach. I agree with your suspicion, in part because when these guys are tested at the combine Thybulle is going to score very well, imo.

Question (to baja and the board): What ammo could Vlade use if he wants to move up in the lower part of the first round?
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#56
Question (to baja and the board): What ammo could Vlade use if he wants to move up in the lower part of the first round?
Other than packaging our second rounders, I don't see much. We would be dumb to offer a future first, unless it is protected up to the hilt and we really like who is available. I think it's safe to say that we would not put Fox/Bagley/Hield/Giles and probably Bogdanovic/Barnes (if he opts in) on the table for a late first. I don't imagine Swanigan would fetch a late first. Mason? Probably not. That leaves Yogi, who could potentially be a player with enough value to land us a late first but whom we might be willing to part ways with.

Never say never, but at first glance I'd say that our odds of moving up into the late first are small unless there's a team there that doesn't like anybody on the board and *really* doesn't want to have to give out a guaranteed contract, preferring to take a couple of second rounders (or a second and cash) instead.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#57
Unfortunately, the gold always seem to be just out of reach. I agree with your suspicion, in part because when these guys are tested at the combine Thybulle is going to score very well, imo.

Question (to baja and the board): What ammo could Vlade use if he wants to move up in the lower part of the first round?
Good question. First you have to have a seller, and if your using just money to buy a 1st rd pick, there's a limit set by the league on how much you can pay. I believe the Kings have the max amount left to pay, which is around 5.2 mil. I'm sure the Capt will correct me if I'm wrong. Aside from that, then it would have to be a future first, or a couple of our 2nds plus some money, or a player, or any combination thereof.

The Celtics would be a prime target since they're likely to have (3) 1st rd picks. If memory serves, Atlanta has 2, but both are lottery picks, so I doubt they would be willing to deal, without it being a player they might covet. Here's a list of teams with more than one pick.

Celtics: 14th, 20th, & 22nd. Also the Grizzleys currently sit in the 8th spot, and that pick is top 8 protected. If in the lottery some team jumps over the Grizz and pushes them to 9th. the pick would then become the Celtics.

Hawk's: 5th & 9th
Cav's: 2nd & 26th
Net's: 17th & 27th
Spur's: 19th & 29th

Other than that, I think you approach some of the playoff teams that already have full rosters and maybe aren't looking to add another young player. A team like the Warriors, might want to keep that roster spot open for a veteran bench player. I think it can be done, just depends on the price.