Following 2018 draftees

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#1
Let the madness begin.

I'll start by saying that right now I'm hoping for one of (in no order);

Marvin Bagley III
DeAndre Ayton
Robert Williams
Michael Porter Jr.
Mo Bamba
Luka Doncic
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Wendell Carter Jr.
Mitchell Robinson
Collin Sexton
 
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#2
The Kings own its 1st rd pick no strings attached. Here's the stipulations on the 2nd rd pick;

2018 second round draft pick from Portland (swap, Sacramento outgoing to Denver)
Sacramento will receive the more favorable of its 2018 2nd round pick and Portland's 2018 2nd round pick and Denver will receive the less favorable of these two picks (via Sacramento's right to swap for Portland) [New Orleans-Portland-Sacramento, 7/10/2013; Denver-Portland, 2/13/2017]
 
#3

To the left of De'Aaron Fox (#0) is Jarred Vanderbilt, a possible lotto pick in this draft with a great nose for the ball and excellent ball-skills and passing ability at SF. Behind them is Robert Williams, Williams has since grown at least 3" since this was taken. (#3 Carsen Edwards has a chance to make the league too, 2nd rd pick tho.)

Robert Williams was a surefire lottery pick last season but opted to return to polish his game and try to raise his stock higher. He's a freak athlete and has a monstrous 7'6" wingspan. One of my favorite players in this draft hands-down.

Reminds me of a young Serge Ibaka
 
#4
Let the madness begin.

I'll start by saying that right now I'm hoping for one of (in no order);

Marvin Bagley III
DeAndre Ayton
Robert Williams
Michael Porter Jr.
Mo Bamba
Luka Doncic
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Wendell Carter
Mitchell Robinson
Collin Sexton
I'm at the point where I think we have to go BPA no matter what. Right now, I don't think we can say for certain that we've found our franchise player. Fox is a legitimate candidate, but we won't know until the season starts. He'll also have to play behind Hill which might make it even harder to tell. The second candidate is Skal. Everyone sees his scoring potential, but we really don't know if he's someone who has the ability to carry an offense.

I've only watched Williams, Porter Jr, and Doncic. Out of your list, who do you think has the most potential to be a franchise player?
 
#5


DeAndre Ayton is the most physically gifted player in this upcoming draft. He's comparable to David Robinson IMO. He's also got a great shooting touch (with range) and figures to be over an 80% FT shooter.

The best way to introduce him to this thread is with the story and footage of him scrimmaging against UNC in the Bahamas Summer of 2016.

Kings Rookie, Justin Jackson was a part of this game wearing #44 in blue.
 
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#7
I'm at the point where I think we have to go BPA no matter what. Right now, I don't think we can say for certain that we've found our franchise player. Fox is a legitimate candidate, but we won't know until the season starts. He'll also have to play behind Hill which might make it even harder to tell. The second candidate is Skal. Everyone sees his scoring potential, but we really don't know if he's someone who has the ability to carry an offense.

I've only watched Williams, Porter Jr, and Doncic. Out of your list, who do you think has the most potential to be a franchise player?
Well thats a tough call, I really like all of those players and some of them appear to have immense pro potential.

Marvin Bagley III, who's expected to join the freshman class before the end of next month is probably the easiest answer. He figures to be rather impossible to guard on the break, and his game is sorta like a Blake Griffin / Amare Stoudemire / Lamar Odom fusion.. He's hands-down one of the best bigmen I've ever seen play in HS, possibly even the best... He's also got a defined position at PF.

DeAndre Ayton has the best NBA body and he's got the ability to lead the league in rebounding. He's also got a deft shooting touch, his potential is scary. He's one of these types of players that has PF skill but C size.

Mo Bamba might have the highest upside of any of them, I am personally a big believer in his ability and when I start doing mocks he'll be right near the top, if not #1. He has an absurd wingspan for a 7-footer, he's also got great anticipation and I'm quite certain he's one of the smartest bigmen I've ever seen at the same stage, he's very bright. Figures to be a menace on the offensive glass, he's also got a very nice looking shooting stroke despite his comically long arms. He's skinny but has wide shoulders and should really continue to improve for many years. Again he's one of these types with PF skill and C size.

Michael Porter Jr is hands-down one of the best SF prospects you'll see at this stage. I like him better than Jayson Tatum of yesteryear., and I liked Jayson Tatum a lot. To me Porter Jr is the favorite to win ROY, his game is extremely polished, just put the ball in his hands and good things will happen. I'd liken him to a Grant Hill. He's very athletic and possesses excellent instincts. He's the easiest to project as a #1 option.

Doncic is worthy of mention too. In today's NBA shooting is king and Luka is the best shooter IMO. I've followed him for some time and I'm a believer that he'll translate well and quickly. He's also younger than many of these other 'one and dones'

Collin Sexton has star potential, he has one of the best step-back J's I can remember for a player at the same stage, and he's also easily the quickest player in this draft. He's not a pure PG by any stretch but he's fearless and actually reminds me of Allen Iverson, he's equipped to single-handedly demoralize a defense in a similar fashion and seems to have potential to score 20+PPG easily.

Wendell Carter Jr is like a bigger version of Paul Millsap, he's a way better prospect than Jahlil Okafor, I coulda told you that long ago. He also reminds me a bit of Karl Malone. He's easily got the best post game of this crop, go-to moves, and you can't put him on the FT line.. he's got some nice bounce for a wide-body and he's got perimeter skill, super tough, he's built like a brick house.

There's also Jaren Jackson Jr(6'10), Robert Williams(6'10) and Mitchell Robinson(7') who are all crazy athletic (extremely light on their feet/quick-twitchy) with prototype builds, great shotblocking instincts and traces of outside shots (Jackson's shot is screwy looking) which make for very high upside. Robinson might actually be the best athlete of all the players I just listed, he's got some absurd combination of explosion, agility and raw speed, I'd compare him to Hassan Whiteside.
 
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#8
Well thats a tough call, I really like all of those players and some of them appear to have immense pro potential.

Marvin Bagley III, who's expected to join the freshman class before the end of next month is probably the easiest answer. He figures to be rather impossible to guard on the break, and his game is sorta like a Blake Griffin / Amare Stoudemire / Lamar Odom fusion.. He's hands-down one of the best bigmen I've ever seen play in HS, possibly even the best... He's also got a defined position at PF.

DeAndre Ayton has the best NBA body and he's got the ability to lead the league in rebounding. He's also got a deft shooting touch, his potential is scary. He's one of these types of players that has PF skill but C size.

Mo Bamba might have the highest upside of any of them, I am personally a big believer in his ability and when I start doing mocks he'll be right near the top, if not #1. He has an absurd wingspan for a 7-footer, he's also got great anticipation and I'm quite certain he's one of the smartest bigmen I've ever seen at the same stage, he's very bright. Figures to be a menace on the offensive glass, he's also got a very nice looking shooting stroke despite his comically long arms. He's skinny but has wide shoulders and should really continue to improve for many years. Again he's one of these types with PF skill and C size.

Michael Porter Jr is hands-down one of the best SF prospects you'll see at this stage. I like him better than Jayson Tatum of yesteryear., and I liked Jayson Tatum a lot. To me Porter Jr is the favorite to win ROY, his game is extremely polished, just put the ball in his hands and good things will happen. I'd liken him to a Grant Hill. He's very athletic and possesses excellent instincts. He's the easiest to project as a #1 option.

Doncic is worthy of mention too. In today's NBA shooting is king and Luka is the best shooter IMO. I've followed him for some time and I'm a believer that he'll translate well and quickly. He's also younger than many of these other 'one and dones'

Collin Sexton has star potential, he has one of the best step-back J's I can remember for a player at the same stage, and he's also easily the quickest player in this draft. He's not a pure PG by any stretch but he's fearless and actually reminds me of Allen Iverson, he's equipped to single-handedly demoralize a defense in a similar fashion and seems to have potential to score 20+PPG easily.

Wendell Carter Jr is like a bigger version of Paul Millsap, he's a way better prospect than Jahlil Okafor, I coulda told you that long ago. He also reminds me a bit of Karl Malone. He's easily got the best post game of this crop, go-to moves, and you can't put him on the FT line.. he's got some nice bounce for a wide-body and he's got perimeter skill, super tough, he's built like a brick house.

There's also Jaren Jackson Jr(6'10), Robert Williams(6'10) and Mitchell Robinson(7') who are all crazy athletic (extremely light on their feet/quick-twitchy) with prototype builds, great shotblocking instincts and traces of outside shots (Jackson's shot is screwy looking) which make for very high upside. Robinson might actually be the best athlete of all the players I just listed, he's got some absurd combination of explosion, agility and raw speed, I'd compare him to Hassan Whiteside.
The college season hasnt started and I am really not all that familiar with these guys yet, but I have some serious questions about them. So I'm going to play devils advocate here :p In general it seems like they all have great physical tools but are either not skilled (Bamba), have a bad approach (Ayton) or have positional questions (Porter, Bagley). They are also pretty old compared to last years class. Its the perfect group of guys that looks incredible now and underachieves in college. We will see. The only one that wow-ed me is Doncic. He is #1 for me right now. So here are my thoughts right now:

Ayton: Seems like Cousins all over again. Great physical tools but doesnt use them. Floats on the perimeter. Disinterested on defense. Empty stats guy? We will see if Miller gets through to him. If not thats a red flag.

Bamba: Love his tools and defensive upside, but what does he do well on offense, other than catch lobs? Can he make up for it on defense? Still a very good prospects in my mind but I can see GMs being more hesistant taking him high.

Bagley: I question his position in the Pros during the regular season. If youre labeled as a PF that means your not big enough to play C and not skilled enough to play SF. Its the Anthony Davis problem. You're offense kills it when he plays C but he does not hold up there. If you have to put a big C next to him that lowers his value during the regular season quite a bit because it drags down your team. I think we will see the NBA going way more in the direction of playing SFs like Crowder at PF because they give you more spacing and handling. Still a good prospect.

Porter: Kind of similar to Bagley. Great height, can shoot and jump. I question his ball handling ability. Can he play SF or does he have to play PF?
 
#9
Well thats a tough call, I really like all of those players and some of them appear to have immense pro potential.

Marvin Bagley III, who's expected to join the freshman class before the end of next month is probably the easiest answer. He figures to be rather impossible to guard on the break, and his game is sorta like a Blake Griffin / Amare Stoudemire / Lamar Odom fusion.. He's hands-down one of the best bigmen I've ever seen play in HS, possibly even the best... He's also got a defined position at PF.

DeAndre Ayton has the best NBA body and he's got the ability to lead the league in rebounding. He's also got a deft shooting touch, his potential is scary. He's one of these types of players that has PF skill but C size.

Mo Bamba might have the highest upside of any of them, I am personally a big believer in his ability and when I start doing mocks he'll be right near the top, if not #1. He has an absurd wingspan for a 7-footer, he's also got great anticipation and I'm quite certain he's one of the smartest bigmen I've ever seen at the same stage, he's very bright. Figures to be a menace on the offensive glass, he's also got a very nice looking shooting stroke despite his comically long arms. He's skinny but has wide shoulders and should really continue to improve for many years. Again he's one of these types with PF skill and C size.

Michael Porter Jr is hands-down one of the best SF prospects you'll see at this stage. I like him better than Jayson Tatum of yesteryear., and I liked Jayson Tatum a lot. To me Porter Jr is the favorite to win ROY, his game is extremely polished, just put the ball in his hands and good things will happen. I'd liken him to a Grant Hill. He's very athletic and possesses excellent instincts. He's the easiest to project as a #1 option.

Doncic is worthy of mention too. In today's NBA shooting is king and Luka is the best shooter IMO. I've followed him for some time and I'm a believer that he'll translate well and quickly. He's also younger than many of these other 'one and dones'

Collin Sexton has star potential, he has one of the best step-back J's I can remember for a player at the same stage, and he's also easily the quickest player in this draft. He's not a pure PG by any stretch but he's fearless and actually reminds me of Allen Iverson, he's equipped to single-handedly demoralize a defense in a similar fashion and seems to have potential to score 20+PPG easily.

Wendell Carter Jr is like a bigger version of Paul Millsap, he's a way better prospect than Jahlil Okafor, I coulda told you that long ago. He also reminds me a bit of Karl Malone. He's easily got the best post game of this crop, go-to moves, and you can't put him on the FT line.. he's got some nice bounce for a wide-body and he's got perimeter skill, super tough, he's built like a brick house.

There's also Jaren Jackson Jr(6'10), Robert Williams(6'10) and Mitchell Robinson(7') who are all crazy athletic (extremely light on their feet/quick-twitchy) with prototype builds, great shotblocking instincts and traces of outside shots (Jackson's shot is screwy looking) which make for very high upside. Robinson might actually be the best athlete of all the players I just listed, he's got some absurd combination of explosion, agility and raw speed, I'd compare him to Hassan Whiteside.
Thanks!
This certainly seems to be a very good bigman class. I'm hoping we can finally win the lotto to secure the next Simmons/KAT/AD. Not sure who that'll be, but I think we'll start to figure out 1/2 way through the college season. I'm still not used to these older "freshman".
 
#10
I've been looking into some of the young players coming in. Right now the two I am most intrigued by are Kentucky recruits Kevin Knox and Nick Richards.
 
#11
The college season hasnt started and I am really not all that familiar with these guys yet, but I have some serious questions about them. So I'm going to play devils advocate here :p In general it seems like they all have great physical tools but are either not skilled (Bamba), have a bad approach (Ayton) or have positional questions (Porter, Bagley). They are also pretty old compared to last years class. Its the perfect group of guys that looks incredible now and underachieves in college. We will see. The only one that wow-ed me is Doncic. He is #1 for me right now. So here are my thoughts right now:

Ayton: Seems like Cousins all over again. Great physical tools but doesnt use them. Floats on the perimeter. Disinterested on defense. Empty stats guy? We will see if Miller gets through to him. If not thats a red flag.

Bamba: Love his tools and defensive upside, but what does he do well on offense, other than catch lobs? Can he make up for it on defense? Still a very good prospects in my mind but I can see GMs being more hesistant taking him high.

Bagley: I question his position in the Pros during the regular season. If youre labeled as a PF that means your not big enough to play C and not skilled enough to play SF. Its the Anthony Davis problem. You're offense kills it when he plays C but he does not hold up there. If you have to put a big C next to him that lowers his value during the regular season quite a bit because it drags down your team. I think we will see the NBA going way more in the direction of playing SFs like Crowder at PF because they give you more spacing and handling. Still a good prospect.

Porter: Kind of similar to Bagley. Great height, can shoot and jump. I question his ball handling ability. Can he play SF or does he have to play PF?
The only question marks with Ayton, if there are any, would be his mindset, and that he can play down to lesser comp/fade-away. I've seen Mo Bamba outplay him and I've seen him not assert himself over lesser competition a lot, his HS team Balboa Prep a few years back lost a lot of games even though he was putting up huge #'s.. The chances this issue manifests itself many times over in the college season are slim. Expect Ayton to dominate competition regularly, he's in fact over-equipped for the job.. He's got franchise big written all over him.

Bamba can really shoot it, he'll fall in love with the outside shot if you let him. He's got immense potential on the offensive boards though so his skillset is a bit double-edged (same for Ayton!). Coach Cal compared him to Anthony Davis, and I'm not gonna say he's gonna be that, but I can understand how that comparison came to pass.. He plays with this extremely high level of anticipation, even during the McDonalds game you could tell he coulda gotten like 10 blocks if he wanted but was letting defenders off easy, because it's an all-star game.

Bagley's 'positional question-marks' are the easiest to debunk, to me his position is PF/C/SF... He can play C in the NBA vs certain matchups, vs the Rudy Gobert's and Whiteside's he can't stack up in the paint with. Bagley also has SF level skills up his sleeve, he's got an excellent 1st step and budding ball-skills, he's got a wicked amount of hand-eye coordination agility and explosiveness. He's an obvious franchise big and a supreme 'new age PF' prospect, built for 20-10 and 2blocks. Bagley is very fast end-to-end, he's gonna terrorize teams on the break for years. He's been double-teamed his whole career.

Bagley is a lot like Harry Giles, but even more explosive, left-handed, and with no major injuries.. He's the grandson of Jumpin Joe Caldwell. MB III has been a fixture on the HS and even Jr high scouting circuits for years, he's been 6'10 and stuck out like a sore thumb for a long time now. He's is built to punish these Jae Crowder types of SF's you've mentioned. If a team is running, lets say Draymond Green as their big man, Bagley is the perfect type of counter to that.. (Having some Wilt Chamberlain size C with agility and speed like Gobert works too.. but those players are in short supply)

Porter Jr is very good with the ball in his hands and can function as a point-forward, he's great at making reads and anticipating the defense. His shooting stroke is picturesque, he's a true triple threat. Porter Jr can definitely play SF, thats his natural position, if teams play smallball he can slide to the 4 and you can have lineups with extreme perimeter firepower. There's only one SF in this upcoming crop that can hold a candle next to him as far as ball-skills and passing are concerned and it's Jarred Vanderbilt.
 
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#12
I've been looking into some of the young players coming in. Right now the two I am most intrigued by are Kentucky recruits Kevin Knox and Nick Richards.
Same. 2 players to keep an eye on for sure. When I first saw Kevin Knox he was much heavier and was still being talked about as a two-way basketball-football player, that was a long time ago it seems. He's improved so much since then it's staggering and he's also one of the truely young freshman. 6'9" he's tough, he's got tons of skill (don't let anyone tell ya otherwise) he's got handle and his shooting stroke is rapidly improving.

Nick Richards is a beast, extremely good athlete, lotto grade at 6'11". He's easily got one of the most NBA ready bodies in this freshman class, and he should wreck havoc on the opposition all year. He's old for a Fr. but has only been playing organized ball for a handful of years.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#14
Let the madness begin.

I'll start by saying that right now I'm hoping for one of (in no order);

Marvin Bagley III
DeAndre Ayton
Robert Williams
Michael Porter Jr.
Mo Bamba
Luka Doncic
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Wendell Carter Jr.
Mitchell Robinson
Collin Sexton
Good list... It has the whose/who of the 2018 draft. I think I'd add Trevon Duval to that list, but I'm nit picking. Of course adding Bagley might be premature, but I certainly hope it comes to pass. If all these players end up being as good as they're being projected, next years draft could end up being as good as this years. Of course they'll be some disappointments, and there will be a player or two that comes out of nowhere to make the top ten. Should be fun to watch though. I'm excited for the college season to start.

Sorry to hear that Mitchell Robinson has packed up his bags and left W. Kentucky. Big blow to that school since he's the highest top 100 player they have ever recruited. Not sure what his options are at this point? Will the NCAA allow him to transfer? Or will he go overseas and play for one year? The only other option is to sit out a year, and I doubt he's willing to do that. If he's allowed to transfer, and Bagley reclassifies, That would be two top 100 players up for grabs. All the big schools are licking their chops.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#16
Well thats a tough call, I really like all of those players and some of them appear to have immense pro potential.

Marvin Bagley III, who's expected to join the freshman class before the end of next month is probably the easiest answer. He figures to be rather impossible to guard on the break, and his game is sorta like a Blake Griffin / Amare Stoudemire / Lamar Odom fusion.. He's hands-down one of the best bigmen I've ever seen play in HS, possibly even the best... He's also got a defined position at PF.

DeAndre Ayton has the best NBA body and he's got the ability to lead the league in rebounding. He's also got a deft shooting touch, his potential is scary. He's one of these types of players that has PF skill but C size.

Mo Bamba might have the highest upside of any of them, I am personally a big believer in his ability and when I start doing mocks he'll be right near the top, if not #1. He has an absurd wingspan for a 7-footer, he's also got great anticipation and I'm quite certain he's one of the smartest bigmen I've ever seen at the same stage, he's very bright. Figures to be a menace on the offensive glass, he's also got a very nice looking shooting stroke despite his comically long arms. He's skinny but has wide shoulders and should really continue to improve for many years. Again he's one of these types with PF skill and C size.

Michael Porter Jr is hands-down one of the best SF prospects you'll see at this stage. I like him better than Jayson Tatum of yesteryear., and I liked Jayson Tatum a lot. To me Porter Jr is the favorite to win ROY, his game is extremely polished, just put the ball in his hands and good things will happen. I'd liken him to a Grant Hill. He's very athletic and possesses excellent instincts. He's the easiest to project as a #1 option.

Doncic is worthy of mention too. In today's NBA shooting is king and Luka is the best shooter IMO. I've followed him for some time and I'm a believer that he'll translate well and quickly. He's also younger than many of these other 'one and dones'

Collin Sexton has star potential, he has one of the best step-back J's I can remember for a player at the same stage, and he's also easily the quickest player in this draft. He's not a pure PG by any stretch but he's fearless and actually reminds me of Allen Iverson, he's equipped to single-handedly demoralize a defense in a similar fashion and seems to have potential to score 20+PPG easily.

Wendell Carter Jr is like a bigger version of Paul Millsap, he's a way better prospect than Jahlil Okafor, I coulda told you that long ago. He also reminds me a bit of Karl Malone. He's easily got the best post game of this crop, go-to moves, and you can't put him on the FT line.. he's got some nice bounce for a wide-body and he's got perimeter skill, super tough, he's built like a brick house.

There's also Jaren Jackson Jr(6'10), Robert Williams(6'10) and Mitchell Robinson(7') who are all crazy athletic (extremely light on their feet/quick-twitchy) with prototype builds, great shotblocking instincts and traces of outside shots (Jackson's shot is screwy looking) which make for very high upside. Robinson might actually be the best athlete of all the players I just listed, he's got some absurd combination of explosion, agility and raw speed, I'd compare him to Hassan Whiteside.

You never know what's going to happen, but if I had to pick, I'd go with Bagley first, and Ayton second. I think both those guys have franchise player written all over them. I think Porter might be a tad overrated, but I wouldn't count him out. I think Mitchell Robinson has great defensive potential, but now his future is up in the air with his leaving W. Kentucky. Robert Williams is a bit of a dark horse. If he develops his jumpshot, he might take his game to whole different level.

Don't be surprised if a player like Kevin Knox has a break out year. And lets us not forget about Miles Bridges who will be playing along side Jaren Jackson. Bottom line is, if Bagley reclassifies, he's my choice as the impact player, or franchise player in this class. Ask me again in 4 months.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#17
Same. 2 players to keep an eye on for sure. When I first saw Kevin Knox he was much heavier and was still being talked about as a two-way basketball-football player, that was a long time ago it seems. He's improved so much since then it's staggering and he's also one of the truely young freshman. 6'9" he's tough, he's got tons of skill (don't let anyone tell ya otherwise) he's got handle and his shooting stroke is rapidly improving.

Nick Richards is a beast, extremely good athlete, lotto grade at 6'11". He's easily got one of the most NBA ready bodies in this freshman class, and he should wreck havoc on the opposition all year. He's old for a Fr. but has only been playing organized ball for a handful of years.
Yeah, Richards is another one of those late bloomers that Calapari likes. WCS anyone? Anyway, he's definitely someone to keep your eye on. I'm very interested to see the progress of Vanderbilt this season as well. I admit to being a bit biased when it comes to Kentucky, but that ends on draft day. Unless of course there's a good reason to stay biased.
 
#18
The only question marks with Ayton, if there are any, would be his mindset, and that he can play down to lesser comp/fade-away. I've seen Mo Bamba outplay him and I've seen him not assert himself over lesser competition a lot, his HS team Balboa Prep a few years back lost a lot of games even though he was putting up huge #'s.. The chances this issue manifests itself many times over in the college season are slim. Expect Ayton to dominate competition regularly, he's in fact over-equipped for the job.. He's got franchise big written all over him.

Bamba can really shoot it, he'll fall in love with the outside shot if you let him. He's got immense potential on the offensive boards though so his skillset is a bit double-edged (same for Ayton!). Coach Cal compared him to Anthony Davis, and I'm not gonna say he's gonna be that, but I can understand how that comparison came to pass.. He plays with this extremely high level of anticipation, even during the McDonalds game you could tell he coulda gotten like 10 blocks if he wanted but was letting defenders off easy, because it's an all-star game.

Bagley's 'positional question-marks' are the easiest to debunk, to me his position is PF/C/SF... He can play C in the NBA vs certain matchups, vs the Rudy Gobert's and Whiteside's he can't stack up in the paint with. Bagley also has SF level skills up his sleeve, he's got an excellent 1st step and budding ball-skills, he's got a wicked amount of hand-eye coordination agility and explosiveness. He's an obvious franchise big and a supreme 'new age PF' prospect, built for 20-10 and 2blocks. Bagley is very fast end-to-end, he's gonna terrorize teams on the break for years. He's been double-teamed his whole career.

Bagley is a lot like Harry Giles, but even more explosive, left-handed, and with no major injuries.. He's the grandson of Jumpin Joe Caldwell. MB III has been a fixture on the HS and even Jr high scouting circuits for years, he's been 6'10 and stuck out like a sore thumb for a long time now. He's is built to punish these Jae Crowder types of SF's you've mentioned. If a team is running, lets say Draymond Green as their big man, Bagley is the perfect type of counter to that.. (Having some Wilt Chamberlain size C with agility and speed like Gobert works too.. but those players are in short supply)

Porter Jr is very good with the ball in his hands and can function as a point-forward, he's great at making reads and anticipating the defense. His shooting stroke is picturesque, he's a true triple threat. Porter Jr can definitely play SF, thats his natural position, if teams play smallball he can slide to the 4 and you can have lineups with extreme perimeter firepower. There's only one SF in this upcoming crop that can hold a candle next to him as far as ball-skills and passing are concerned and it's Jarred Vanderbilt.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate your insight.

I am intrigued by seeing more from Bamba. If he can shoot it that's pretty nice. If not, I still like him. We will see.

Re Ayton: Oh boy, I think your post made me even more skeptical. Even while trying to defend him you brought up a lot of red flags. If he cant motivate himself and stop from floating how is going to adjust to a 82 game schedule where you need to bring it every second night? If that same issue shows at Arizona that's å long track record to over come.

Re: Bagley. I'm going to hold back my judgement on him for now because I just have seen no valuable tape on him. Just one question: if you had to pick one Team where he would be optimized, what team would that be? Where I am going at is: Is he good enough to be a primary ball handler? Or does he need to play of a strong point guard?

Re Porter: if thats the case he is awesome and should go #1 over Doncic. It doesnt match however what I saw at Mcdonalds and Hoop Summit, so I guess I have to watch again in College.
 
#19
Wait, did Baja say you could start this thread? :eek:
I asked him and didn't get a reply. If he re-starts it thats cool with me, not trying to steal anyones thunder or hold dominion over the topic.

There's some news with these potential picks already though;

@EvanDaniels
Sources: Marvin Bagley, the top player in HS hoops, files paperwork with NCAA to potentially reclassify

@wkuheraldsports
Five-star recruit Mitchell Robinson is no longer on #WKU's campus. He left as soon as yesterday, a source told the Herald.

11:09 AM - Jul 28, 2017



USC just the other day offered Mavin a scholarship, his younger brother Marcus, who I thought was about 6'6" last i heard but I just saw a picture with him standing next to Draymond Green and he's a solid inch taller, and their 7 year old brother..

 
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#20
Good list... It has the whose/who of the 2018 draft. I think I'd add Trevon Duval to that list, but I'm nit picking. Of course adding Bagley might be premature, but I certainly hope it comes to pass. If all these players end up being as good as they're being projected, next years draft could end up being as good as this years. Of course they'll be some disappointments, and there will be a player or two that comes out of nowhere to make the top ten. Should be fun to watch though. I'm excited for the college season to start.

Sorry to hear that Mitchell Robinson has packed up his bags and left W. Kentucky. Big blow to that school since he's the highest top 100 player they have ever recruited. Not sure what his options are at this point? Will the NCAA allow him to transfer? Or will he go overseas and play for one year? The only other option is to sit out a year, and I doubt he's willing to do that. If he's allowed to transfer, and Bagley reclassifies, That would be two top 100 players up for grabs. All the big schools are licking their chops.
All signs seem to point to LSU if Mitchell Robinson can get out of his LOI. Should be an interesting story to watch. I wish he would've stuck with his original commitment from way back at Texas A&M.

His commitment to WKU was always sketchy even though they'll still be on the upswing without him.

I like Duval he's got tons of raw talent, he's a bit of a ball-hog though and I like Collin Sexton much better, who's also a bit of a ballhog.. Obviously this crop of PG's isn't like the last one..
 
#21
While watching Williams, keep your eye on D. J. Hogg, 6'9" SF, as well. He'll probably be a 2nd round pick, but you never know when a player is going to have a break out year.
I'm a bigtime DJ Hogg fan. Pure shooter and he plays smart basketball.

Texas A&M is quitely building a great program. Tyler Davis their bigman is also a borderline NBA talent IMO, powerhouse of a college C.

Be on the lookout for freshman SF Savion Flagg, he's got pro tools and seemingly high upside too.
 
#22
Yeah, Richards is another one of those late bloomers that Calapari likes. WCS anyone? Anyway, he's definitely someone to keep your eye on. I'm very interested to see the progress of Vanderbilt this season as well. I admit to being a bit biased when it comes to Kentucky, but that ends on draft day. Unless of course there's a good reason to stay biased.
Yup. Jarred Vanderbilt was the first player in this class I heard about. I remember seeing this mix about 4 years ago and thinking "looks like he's got staying power"..

 
#23
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate your insight.

I am intrigued by seeing more from Bamba. If he can shoot it that's pretty nice. If not, I still like him. We will see.

Re Ayton: Oh boy, I think your post made me even more skeptical. Even while trying to defend him you brought up a lot of red flags. If he cant motivate himself and stop from floating how is going to adjust to a 82 game schedule where you need to bring it every second night? If that same issue shows at Arizona that's å long track record to over come.

Re: Bagley. I'm going to hold back my judgement on him for now because I just have seen no valuable tape on him. Just one question: if you had to pick one Team where he would be optimized, what team would that be? Where I am going at is: Is he good enough to be a primary ball handler? Or does he need to play of a strong point guard?

Re Porter: if thats the case he is awesome and should go #1 over Doncic. It doesnt match however what I saw at Mcdonalds and Hoop Summit, so I guess I have to watch again in College.
Bagley isn't good enough to be a primary ball-handler, he can take it coast to coast but mostly he's a finisher with advanced tools as a face-up forward. once he's got a step on the defense it's going to turn into a very high percentage shot. Any of his 3 choices in college will be great showcases, I like USC, they're loaded with pro prospects from guard to C, same with Arizona and Duke.

In the Pro's Bagley would be great on a squad like Philly, to best utilize his talents he needs to be put in an uptempo system, ideally one with a monster C like Embiid so he can wreck havoc without drawing too much attention. He fits well in most every system though. They won't be anywhere close to drafting him but a squad like the Rockets he could make a big impact on.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#26
I'm a bigtime DJ Hogg fan. Pure shooter and he plays smart basketball.

Texas A&M is quitely building a great program. Tyler Davis their bigman is also a borderline NBA talent IMO, powerhouse of a college C.

Be on the lookout for freshman SF Savion Flagg, he's got pro tools and seemingly high upside too.
Yeah, Flagg is on my "to watch" list. Actually surprised he wasn't ranked a little higher in the top 100. This could be a down year for Kentucky in the SEC. They still recruited a lot of guns, but didn't get any of the top 5 or 6 as usual. Teams like Texas A&M or LSU, if they were to bag Robinson could give the Wildcats a tussle. Of course if Kentucky somehow lands Bagley, then all bets are off. Don't know what the odds are on that. All I know is that Kentucky offered, but then so did about 5 other top schools, including USC.

By the way, no one needs permission to post on this forum. I may be the one responsible for it's existence, but I don't own it. The more the merrier. Especially if they know what their talking about. I doubt that Spike was being serious.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#27
Bagley isn't good enough to be a primary ball-handler, he can take it coast to coast but mostly he's a finisher with advanced tools as a face-up forward. once he's got a step on the defense it's going to turn into a very high percentage shot. Any of his 3 choices in college will be great showcases, I like USC, they're loaded with pro prospects from guard to C, same with Arizona and Duke.

In the Pro's Bagley would be great on a squad like Philly, to best utilize his talents he needs to be put in an uptempo system, ideally one with a monster C like Embiid so he can wreck havoc without drawing too much attention. He fits well in most every system though. They won't be anywhere close to drafting him but a squad like the Rockets he could make a big impact on.
I'm thinking he might look good next to Willie with Fox at the point. That would be a lot of get up and down the floor speed. Could be a solid defensive unit as well. Hey, I can dream can't I? Yeah, I know we need a SF, but there's always freeagency in two years....
 
#29
Yeah, Flagg is on my "to watch" list. Actually surprised he wasn't ranked a little higher in the top 100. This could be a down year for Kentucky in the SEC. They still recruited a lot of guns, but didn't get any of the top 5 or 6 as usual. Teams like Texas A&M or LSU, if they were to bag Robinson could give the Wildcats a tussle. Of course if Kentucky somehow lands Bagley, then all bets are off. Don't know what the odds are on that. All I know is that Kentucky offered, but then so did about 5 other top schools, including USC.

By the way, no one needs permission to post on this forum. I may be the one responsible for it's existence, but I don't own it. The more the merrier. Especially if they know what their talking about. I doubt that Spike was being serious.
Auburn and Alabama will be forces to be reckoned with too. There's power shifting towards the SEC for sure, even though it'll probably be underhyped.

This years crop of consensus 4-star SF's might be one of my favorite to date, usually I'm picky but players like Emmanuel Akot(Zona), Brian Bowen(UL), Kris Wilkes(UCLA), Kezie Okpala(Stanford), Jermaine Samuels(Nova), Chuma Okeke(Auburn), Jordan Tucker(Duke), Jordan Nwora(Auburn) Nojel Eastern(Purdue) Yves Pons(Tenn) and my super sleeper D'Shawn Schwartz(Colorado) (to name a few) are probably how Flagg ended up outside of the top-50. Stanford has a RS freshman Kodye Pugh to watch and a 6'9" German Forward Oscar Da Silva(Consensus 3*) to keep an eye on too.

I have an unusually high amount of players that I think are sleepers in the consensus 50-100 range in this incoming freshman class; Isaiah Washington (PG - Minnesota) who might have the best handles in the class, Davion Mitchell (PG - Auburn), Jacob Epperson(C - Creighton), Derek Culver (PF - WVU) , Jase Febres (SG - Texas), Mark Smith (CG - Illinois), Marcus Garrett(CG - Kansas), Ikey Obiagu (FSU), Lavar Batts (PG - NC St), Bruno Fernando (C - Maryland), Jemarl Baker(Kentucky) and quite possibly my favorite sleeper Cheikh Mbacke Diong (PF/C - UNLV)

I have a similarly long list of 3* players I think are underrated. This class seems much deeper than has been reported IMO. One 3* in particular 6'5" SG Keith Williams headed to Cincinnati seems absurdly underrated IMO, he's tough and has a real knack for getting buckets, I've seen him drop 40 on many higher rated SG's.

Sadly I don't think Bagley will be going to UK, odds are it's Duke or Zona, even though he's giving USC and UCLA looks too.
 
#30
I'm thinking he might look good next to Willie with Fox at the point. That would be a lot of get up and down the floor speed. Could be a solid defensive unit as well. Hey, I can dream can't I? Yeah, I know we need a SF, but there's always freeagency in two years....
He would. We can only hope. Talk about a jackpot scenario...
 
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