Following 2019 draftees!!!

[Ozymandias]

I've followed the Charles Bassey story since he was imported, his story is easily one of the best we'll see in this draft. Just a few years ago he was selling chickens on the side of a road in Nigeria.. I always watch the Jordan Brand Classic international game, even tho there's never a crowd it's one of my favorite events of the summer. In 2016 Bassey stole the show. He was spectacular IMO, he's one of these guys that picked the game up late but is somehow got very solid passing instincts.

This was a great picture of Bassey from that event. His wingspan is easily in the 7'5" range.

Thats RJ Barrett in white rightside of pic btw.

 

[bajaden]

At this early stage, I'd use the word suspect over think. Much more confident in a statement like 'Keldon and Hunter will need to have bad years to fall out of the top-20'. I'd say the same about Bassey but not the top-20, i'd say the lotto...

We've got positional differences and a 2 year age gap. I'm buying the Keldon Johnson hype bigtime tho, I suspect he can hold his own way better than most 5-star 18 y/o freshman. absolutely love his demeanor, I'd be shocked if he doesn't pass inspection from NBA teams with flying colors....

Keldon's an Oak Hill product, their legendary coach Steve Smith swears by him, says he's the same caliber as the best guys he's had, which is a high magnitude statement. Over the years I know Coach Smith has been complementary about Skal Labissiere(Said he was the best player they went up against, better than Harry Giles and Ben Simmons), he said about Skal, he moves like a 6'2" guard not a 6'11" big... and then obviously he was complementary of Harry Giles who was at Oak Hill.

Don't disagree with anything you said. I was making a long winded response about Bassey and basically saying that I don't put too much emphasis on early rankings. I think Bassey is a very interesting prospect with a lot of tools to work with, and he has very good natural instincts as well. But due to coming to the game late, he becomes a sort of mystery man. However, I think that will all shake out by years end, and who knows, Bassey could end up in the top ten or even the top five by then.

I think a lot depends on his learning curve. If he progresses quickly, some GM is going to take a long term gamble on him at a higher spot than he's currently ranked. I try and rank players based on what I know in the immediate and not what they could be down the road. I know that flies in the face of how the current NBA works right now. But I've been bit in the butt too many times by potential. Having said that, I don't think Johnson is just potential, and I think by years end he'll still be ranked ahead of Hunter, who I like. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

 

[Ozymandias]

Don't disagree with anything you said. I was making a long winded response about Bassey and basically saying that I don't put too much emphasis on early rankings. I think Bassey is a very interesting prospect with a lot of tools to work with, and he has very good natural instincts as well. But due to coming to the game late, he becomes a sort of mystery man. However, I think that will all shake out by years end, and who knows, Bassey could end up in the top ten or even the top five by then.

I think a lot depends on his learning curve. If he progresses quickly, some GM is going to take a long term gamble on him at a higher spot than he's currently ranked. I try and rank players based on what I know in the immediate and not what they could be down the road. I know that flies in the face of how the current NBA works right now. But I've been bit in the butt too many times by potential. Having said that, I don't think Johnson is just potential, and I think by years end he'll still be ranked ahead of Hunter, who I like. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

I like to think of it in terms of "staying power" and I have a hunch Bassey has precisely that, Johnson too.. I just think Bassey's gonna pass the eye test better than people are expecting.... especially those mocking him in the 20's currently. The stats people are gonna love him.... His rebounding is gonna be insane, he's got extreme potential on the offensive boards.

This is most certainly not a Cliff Alexander situation. He is a true NBA C specimen. I think players like Capela having so much success could work in Bassey's favor too. He's taller than Clint for sure.

He also reminds me of a young Derrick Favors, who turned out to be a pretty damn good player. I think he might be taller than favors too. Word is he's a legit 6'10 without shoes... There is no doubt in my mind he's more skilled than Derrick at this stage tho, it's not even close.

He's good with these little post dump off passes, he feels the help coming and reacts accordingly, and looks fluid doing it... His potential is immense. Turns 19 right before Halloween...

 

[Ozymandias]

Robert Franks could be a serious sleeper 2nd rd pick in the Kings range, so I've gotta just post this game where he hit 10 3's, the last one is my favorite, he's zoned in

6'7" he's got some versatility too, not a one trick pony. Should be one of the better seniors in college basketball.

 

[bajaden]

Robert Franks could be a serious sleeper 2nd rd pick in the Kings range, so I've gotta just post this game where he hit 10 3's, the last one is my favorite, he's zoned in

6'7" he's got some versatility too, not a one trick pony. Should be one of the better seniors in college basketball.

Last season was Frank's breakout year, and it makes this season a very important season for him. When you go from shooting 22% and then 30% from the three to 40%, everyone takes notice, and wonders, was it an aberration, or did he actually improve that much. He also shot a very nice 47% overall, which is excellent for a jump shooter. Throw in, that he's an above average rebounder for his position, and there's a lot to like. He's definitely someone that I noticed last season and was surprised.

If he can do no more than duplicate his numbers from last season, he's going to get a lot of attention come draft time. One of the irony's is that, if he does everything you want him to do, he just might move out of reach for the Kings. I know some will look at the game you posted where he went 10 of 13 from the three, and wonder how much that one game affected his overall average. My answer is go look at his game log and you'll see he was fairly consistent all year long with games where he went 3 for 7 or 2 for 5 etc. Yes, he did have those 0 for 5 games on occasion, but those games seem to be the outliers.

One last note. He managed to get to the line 4 times a game, which is excellent and bodes well for his offensive future. He's not Mikal Bridges defensively, but he's shown effort on that side of the ball. I'll be paying more attention to his defense this season.

 

[Ozymandias]

Last season was Frank's breakout year, and it makes this season a very important season for him. When you go from shooting 22% and then 30% from the three to 40%, everyone takes notice, and wonders, was it an aberration, or did he actually improve that much. He also shot a very nice 47% overall, which is excellent for a jump shooter. Throw in, that he's an above average rebounder for his position, and there's a lot to like. He's definitely someone that I noticed last season and was surprised.

If he can do no more than duplicate his numbers from last season, he's going to get a lot of attention come draft time. One of the irony's is that, if he does everything you want him to do, he just might move out of reach for the Kings. I know some will look at the game you posted where he went 10 of 13 from the three, and wonder how much that one game affected his overall average. My answer is go look at his game log and you'll see he was fairly consistent all year long with games where he went 3 for 7 or 2 for 5 etc. Yes, he did have those 0 for 5 games on occasion, but those games seem to be the outliers.

One last note. He managed to get to the line 4 times a game, which is excellent and bodes well for his offensive future. He's not Mikal Bridges defensively, but he's shown effort on that side of the ball. I'll be paying more attention to his defense this season.

When u look at that roster outside of Franks It's pretty much all JuCo kids!!!! I used to thoroughly enjoy watching their PG Malachi Flynn play but he's x-ferred to SDSU and will sit this season.. Very interested to see how they look as a whole. Franks is gonna have to do a whole lot of heavy lifting.

 

[Ozymandias]

Louisville obviously has had quite a bit of trouble these past few years and it's most certainly come back to haunt them on the recruiting trails. according to verbalcommits.com their only incoming freshman is a non-scholarship player.


There is still some talent from the last regime there though... Specifically 4 players; RS Jr. Steven Enoch, So. Malik Williams,
So. F Jordan Nwora and Jr. VJ King. That will be worth keeping an eye on. Also Sophomore guard Darius Perry is probably their x-factor for really putting together a solid season.


Steven Enoch's story is particularly infuriating to me. UConn/Kevin Ollie did this kid a great disservice (and he did himself a great disservice) commiting to UConn --- cuz this kid was good enough to play but they let him rot on the bench so that 25y/o center they had could get burn.... Somehow UL got him on the Armenian u20 team last summer and he completely dominates the competition.

Enoch passes the eye test with flying colors, always has, even when he was rated outside of the top-50 recruits. He is 6'10 or 6'11" with an NBA build, he jumps quickly, long arms, and he can shoot --- 3pt range... he's also got some ability to put the ball on the floor --- he should seamlessly fill the void left by Ray Spaulding, who was an excellent college player.

Malik Williams IMO was clearly one of the most talented freshman in the country last year that got pretty much 0 hype... Like the above Enoch, this kid can block shots and shoot 3's, and do more.. He's a legit 6'11.

Nwora is a former 3-star who's got a sweet shot and just overall sweet offensive game, he's got the potential for a huge breakout. He is a natural scorer and a legit 6'8.

 

[Ozymandias]

one of my favorite small-school sleepers, and Juniors in the nation. last year there was NBA teams keeping tabs on this kid. 6'10 Nathan Knight at William & Mary. wingspan is 7'2" and some change.

His Sophomore stats were pretty damn good.. in 29mpg 19ppg, 7.5rebs, 2.2 ast, 2.0blk .6 stl. He shot 77% from the FT stripe and 31% from 3 (only shot 1.2 per game). and in both of his first 2 seasons he's shot 58% from the field..


If you wondered why Syracuse has fallen off a bit the past few years, part of it is because their missing on kids like this --- he's from Syracuse... He'd be their star bigman... Late-bloomer tho for sure, Thats how he ended up at William and Mary, he was a 6'8" SF not too long ago that grew 2" and is now a legit PF prospect... *He did have ton of D1 offers(reportedly over 25)

 

[Ozymandias]

Nebraska has a pair of players to watch, possible 2nd rd picks in 6'8" combo forward Isaiah Roby and 6'6" wing James Palmer.

Both are fairly well rounded. Roby has sneaky good shotblocking instincts too.

 

[Ozymandias]

John Petty Sophomore at Alabama is a player I'd be ecstatic with in the 2nd rd. I can tell ya that already right now. He can do a bit of everything at 6'6".

 

[Ozymandias]

Matisse Thybulle should have one of the stronger senior campaigns in the nation at Washington, he's always reminded me a bit of Raja Bell. He's got prototype swingman size. near 7-foot wingspan and is a solid 3-pt shooter.

 

[Kingfor3]

Nebraska has a pair of players to watch, possible 2nd rd picks in 6'8" combo forward Isaiah Roby and 6'6" wing James Palmer.

Both are fairly well rounded. Roby has sneaky good shotblocking instincts too.

I got the chance to see Jesse Palmer practice last year in Nebraska. I was very impressed. Smaller Paul George type of player. Was not as impressed with Roby in that practice. Didn't seem to have a great motor despite his athletic gifts.

Only one practice but that was my initial impression.

 

[Ozymandias]

I got the chance to see Jesse Palmer practice last year in Nebraska. I was very impressed. Smaller Paul George type of player. Was not as impressed with Roby in that practice. Didn't seem to have a great motor despite his athletic gifts.

Only one practice but that was my initial impression.

I remember tuning into a few games last season, to see Roby, and leaving with the impression "Palmer looks like he's got a chance"..

Roby kinda reminds me of Cameron Oliver from Nevada a few years back, who shockingly went undrafted. Its unlikely Roby suffers the same fate though.

 

[bajaden]

Matisse Thybulle should have one of the stronger senior campaigns in the nation at Washington, he's always reminded me a bit of Raja Bell. He's got prototype swingman size. near 7-foot wingspan and is a solid 3-pt shooter.

Thybulle is on my must watch list. Interesting prospect who right now I think is more of a SG than a SF. It will be interesting to see his measurements at next years combine. He's a terrific defender as well as a decent to good three pt shooter. I'd like to see him post 40% numbers from the three this season. I do think he's a 2nd rounder and might be there for the Kings. Just don't know if his size doesn't fit what their looking for.

 

[Ozymandias]

Thybulle is on my must watch list. Interesting prospect who right now I think is more of a SG than a SF. It will be interesting to see his measurements at next years combine. He's a terrific defender as well as a decent to good three pt shooter. I'd like to see him post 40% numbers from the three this season. I do think he's a 2nd rounder and might be there for the Kings. Just don't know if his size doesn't fit what their looking for.

Yeah I'm gonna be tuned into as many UW games as I can catch. Pretty sure Thybulle is 6'5" with a 7' wingspan. Jaylen Nowell has some potential too. Plus Bryan Johnson-Penn who I already dropped a post on here about, it's extremely unlikely he's a major factor this year though, kid who picked up basketball late.

 

[Ozymandias]

It's insane how Louisville's recruiting has picked up so quickly after all that drama. guess people really are numb to the shocking headlines in the news. Not relevant to this thread but the 4-star swingman they just landed Samuell Williamson is a probable NBA player for sure. He's kinda like Brannen Greene from Kansas years back but better and more athletic and an inch taller, and seems like a good kid.

 

[bajaden]

Yeah I'm gonna be tuned into as many UW games as I can catch. Pretty sure Thybulle is 6'5" with a 7' wingspan. Jaylen Nowell has some potential too. Plus Bryan Johnson-Penn who I already dropped a post on here about, it's extremely unlikely he's a major factor this year though, kid who picked up basketball late.

I tend to like the upside of players that are showing me something in their class range, but came to the game late. It's why I still have high hopes for both WCS and Skal. Doesn't always work out of course, but I think the odds are in their favor if they put in the work.

 

[Ozymandias]

I tend to like the upside of players that are showing me something in their class range, but came to the game late. It's why I still have high hopes for both WCS and Skal. Doesn't always work out of course, but I think the odds are in their favor if they put in the work.

Yup, and with the way international talent is flocking to our HS system these types of players are only gonna be more prevalent.

With bigs especially I key in on ones who show steady improvement every year, and Skal and WCS still qualify for that and it's been going on for years. It's one of the reasons I became a Kings fan, I want to watch this upclose.

For some reason when I write that bit about bigs showing steady progression, I think of Roy Hibbert, who did exactly that in his years in college. 'they' used to laud him for it IIRC.

There's so many bigs in college I'm hoping continue their upward tracjectory, 2 that immediately come to mind are Tacko Fall and 6'10 PF Aric Holman.

 

[bajaden]

In my never ending search for a sleeper SF that might be available in the 2nd round, I dug into my research from last season and came up with a player that I remember liking last year that played for Cal State Fullerton, who has everyone back this coming season and should be a very good team. I'm speaking of 6'7", 210 lb Jackson Rowe. He showed great improvement in his shooting stroke from his freshman year shooting 58.1% overall and 41.4% from the three.

Besides shooting the ball very well from the three, he's also a very good post player and scores in a variety of ways around the basket. He's a good athlete with good hops, and seems to already have an NBA body. He does have a bit of a slow release, and the question is, will he be able to create for himself at the NBA level. That remains to be seen. His ball handling improved from his freshman year as well, so if he can improve a bit more in that area this coming season, and continue to shoot the ball well, he's definitely someone the Kings should take a look at.

 

[Ozymandias]

In my never ending search for a sleeper SF that might be available in the 2nd round, I dug into my research from last season and came up with a player that I remember liking last year that played for Cal State Fullerton, who has everyone back this coming season and should be a very good team. I'm speaking of 6'7", 210 lb Jackson Rowe. He showed great improvement in his shooting stroke from his freshman year shooting 58.1% overall and 41.4% from the three.

Besides shooting the ball very well from the three, he's also a very good post player and scores in a variety of ways around the basket. He's a good athlete with good hops, and seems to already have an NBA body. He does have a bit of a slow release, and the question is, will he be able to create for himself at the NBA level. That remains to be seen. His ball handling improved from his freshman year as well, so if he can improve a bit more in that area this coming season, and continue to shoot the ball well, he's definitely someone the Kings should take a look at.

This kid looks good!!! nice find.

 

[Ozymandias]

At 6'6" Max Strus can do a bit of everything, he's "a gamer" too. has worked his way from Division 2 to possibly being drafted. Should have a monster year.

 

[Ozymandias]

Shaq's son Shareef, has been diagnosed with a heart condition and will sit out this season at UCLA.

 

[Ozymandias]

RIP to Wayde Sims, LSU basketball player who was shot and killed in Baton Rouge earlier this morning.

 

[bajaden]

RIP to Wayde Sims, LSU basketball player who was shot and killed in Baton Rouge earlier this morning.

Very sad! You never know when your time is up, or how it's going to be up. He wasn't on my to watch list, but he looked like a player ready to take that next step in improvement, even though his 3 pt shot went south for him in his sophmore year. Very, very sad...

 

[bajaden]

At 6'6" Max Strus can do a bit of everything, he's "a gamer" too. has worked his way from Division 2 to possibly being drafted. Should have a monster year.

Yeah, I'd say he has a lot riding on this season. He needs to bring up his overall efficiency on offense. Only shot around 33% from the three, which isn't terrible, but nothing to write home about either. Pretty good freethrow shooter if memory serves, so no reason to believe he can't get there. We shall see....

 

[bajaden]

Another kid that caught my attention last year was Isiah Pineiro, a 6'7", 210 lb, SF that plays for San Diego in the WCC. Couldn't find any current film, so excuse the video from two years ago when he was a freshman at Portland St. After one year at Portland St. he transfered to San Diego, but had to sit out a year. Only say him play a few times, but he stood out every time. He's a good athlete and has a very good build which already looks like an NBA body.

Last season he averaged 15.7 ppg on 49.1% shooting overall and 34.6% from the three. He's an excellent rebounder for the position averaging 6.2 boards a game. He also plays both ends of the floor and averaged 1.2 steals a game. Through in 2.1 assists and you have a pretty good all around player. His jumpshot release is a bit slow, but it's a high release, which compensates somewhat. Anyway, someone to keep your eye on. By the way, he's number 0 in white.

 

[bajaden]

OK, one last prospect for today. another SF that can shoot the hell out of the ball. If memory serves, Hauser came to Marquette as a 6'4"PG, and shot up to 6'8" between his freshman and sophmore years. Don't quote me, just going on memory. I believe he has a younger brother, Joey Hauser that can shoot the rock as well, but that's for another day. Last season Hauser averaged 14.1 ppg, and was definitely Marquette's most consistent player. His overall shooting percentage was 49.9%, but get this, his three point percentage was 48.7%.

Now lest you think that was some sort of fluke, or that he didn't take many 3 pt attempts, he took a total of 349 attempts, and 195 of those were 3 pt attempts, or, 55%. Now lest you think that maybe it was a one year abberation, his freshman year, he shot 45.3% from the three. The dude can shoot. And, he has a nice high, effortless quick release. He can also score around the basket and is a decent to good rebounder, averaging 5.7 a game. He also averaged just a tick under 3 assists a game against 1.2 turnovers.

How will his defense translate to the NBA? I have no idea. He's a decent to good athlete, and he's very skilled with good handles for a 6'8"player. Here's a little video of him.

 

[Ozymandias]

OK, one last prospect for today. another SF that can shoot the hell out of the ball. If memory serves, Hauser came to Marquette as a 6'4"PG, and shot up to 6'8" between his freshman and sophmore years. Don't quote me, just going on memory. I believe he has a younger brother, Joey Hauser that can shoot the rock as well, but that's for another day. Last season Hauser averaged 14.1 ppg, and was definitely Marquette's most consistent player. His overall shooting percentage was 49.9%, but get this, his three point percentage was 48.7%.

Now lest you think that was some sort of fluke, or that he didn't take many 3 pt attempts, he took a total of 349 attempts, and 195 of those were 3 pt attempts, or, 55%. Now lest you think that maybe it was a one year abberation, his freshman year, he shot 45.3% from the three. The dude can shoot. And, he has a nice high, effortless quick release. He can also score around the basket and is a decent to good rebounder, averaging 5.7 a game. He also averaged just a tick under 3 assists a game against 1.2 turnovers.

How will his defense translate to the NBA? I have no idea. He's a decent to good athlete, and he's very skilled with good handles for a 6'8"player. Here's a little video of him.

He's had some minor injuries and stuff too. Hopefully he has a big season, because Markus Howard is gonna be a one-man-wrecking crew. They have so many players redshirting this season. They need Hauser to carry a big load, if it all works out tho they could be super dangerous late.

 

[Ozymandias]

I like that Baja is going thru these west coast teams with a fine tooth comb .

Helps remind me of certain players that slipped my mind.

One player I'm gonna be very interested to see is 6'10" Redshirt Junior at San Diego State, Nolan Narain. He's a canadian import and hasn't gotten much burn, but he's talented, and can shoot.

Speaking of SDSU, Jeremy Helmsley's senior year should be a good show. I like that kid.

 

[Ozymandias]

Zylan Cheatham's Redshirt Sr. year at ASU could get interesting too. That kid is a monster athlete, lets see how his skills improved.