Players projected as 1st round, non-lottery picks:

[bajaden]

Yeah, I agree that age is overblown when evaluating prospects. I don't really care if a guy is young for his class or vice versa cause I don't see how it makes a difference. Maybe if you're really concerned that a player is undersized and they're still a teenager that works in their favor as they could still be growing but I try not to penalize prospects for being 21 or 22 if they're dominating. The only thing I do look at age-related is that I try to compare players at the same point in their development. So I'll compare everybody's Freshman year for instance not just look at what they did this season. I think you have to account for the fact that prospects tend to get better with age and allow for a certain degree of expected improvement in your evaluation. That doesn't mean it's a given that everybody is going to improve dramatically though and if a guy makes a huge jump in his Sophomore/Junior/Senior season you've got to trust what you see and remember that they're still very young compared to the average NBA vet.

I agree, which was my point when I stated that how much a player improved between college seasons was an important part of the equation. If a player improves greatly between his freshman and sophomore year, he's obviously putting in the work, and has the physical ability to absorb that work and improve. When I played baseball I got passed over by my highschool coach because I was 5'11" tall and weighed 135 pounds. He didn't think I was strong enough. He made a huge mistake because I went on to play ball at a much higher level. Although I played at a weight of 165 lb's, I still hit with power. It's all about bat speed.

So using myself as an example, I'm always more interested in skill level than I am athleticism. Don't get me wrong, I love if a player has both, but if I have to choose, I'll go with skill level 90% of the time.

 

[jiimbob]

This is the first I have looked at this thread because honestly I believed we were lottery bound.
I had watched other tape on Garuba and liked what I saw. The guy is strong, mobile, and does a bit of everything. Of course what McNair does this off season will tell a lot about what we need most, regardless due to the playoff push which I'm behind, best start paying attention to these projected mid first rounders.

 

[bajaden]

Josh Giddey: PG/SG/SF, 6'8", 215 Lbs, 18 years old, (Won't turn 19 until Oct.) NBL
31.0 mpg - 11.1 ppg - 41.3% fgp - 31.8% 3pp - 66.7% ftp - 7.0 rpg - 6.6 apg - 1.2 stl's

It's quite possible that Giddey ends up being a lottery pick. Very talented for his young age, and is one of the best kept secrets in the coming draft. Giddey plays in the same league that R J Hampton and Ball played in, and one could argue that he's made a bigger splash than either of them. He's the youngest player in NBL history to complete a double/double, and he's had several. He's a terrific passer, and some have compared him to either Simmons, or Cade Cunningham, although Cunningham is a better shooter at this point in time.

He mostly plays PG for his team. As you can see by his stats, he's a very good rebounder as well. He has excellent handles, and can pass the ball with either hand. He's a good finisher and can finish with either hand, but prefers his right. He needs to improve his 3 pt shooting percentage, shooting just a tick under 32%, but to be fair, he doesn't take many, so it's a small sampling. Aside from all his skills, what makes him unique for his age is his ability to play within himself. He hardly ever forces things, and as such, doesn't turn the ball over much.

Defensively, he's a bit of a mixed bag. His on the ball defense is fairly good, but his off the ball defense needs some work. It's as though he loses interest when not defending the ball. As a result he sometimes loses track of his man. AKA, Buddy Hield! But, he's only 18 years old, and has plenty of time to improve that part of his game. He's been making a slow climb up the draft boards, and after some individual team workouts, he may find himself in the lottery.

Lastly, he needs to get stronger. He currently has a build similar to Ziaire Williams, although he has a stronger lower body base. He also has a pretty good mid-range game mixing floaters with step back jumpers. So he can score in a variety of ways. I think he's a player that would fit well into the Kings system of cutting and passing the ball, as well as spreading the floor. Finding good film on him presented a challenge of sorts. Finding full games proved almost impossible for some reason. Maybe Covid19 had some effect on it. However here is at least a sampling of what he can do.

 

[kingsboi]

has Juzang played his way into the 1st round with his tournament performances?

 

[kb02]

has Juzang played his way into the 1st round with his tournament performances?

I think he needs another year. Needs to build up his body and refine all parts of his game. Same with Jacquez. UCLA has a 5 star SF and a 4 star SG coming in, so if both return, UCLA will be a favorite next year.

That said, Jordan Farmar turned a tourney run into a first round draft pick, so maybe he goes, if he gets a first round promise.

 

[kingsboi]

I think he needs another year. Needs to build up his body and refine all parts of his game. Same with Jacquez. UCLA has a 5 star SF and a 4 star SG coming in, so if both return, UCLA will be a favorite next year.

That said, Jordan Farmar turned a tourney run into a first round draft pick, so maybe he goes, if he gets a first round promise.

He can build his body and refine his game much better in the NBA than in college so if he is hearing from his agent that he can go in the first round he should take that and run unless he feels they can make another run at a national title next season but there needs a lot for that to happen.

 

[kb02]

He can build his body and refine his game much better in the NBA than in college so if he is hearing from his agent that he can go in the first round he should take that and run unless he feels they can make another run at a national title next season but there needs a lot for that to happen.

If he gets a promise, he’ll likely go.

 

[Turgenev]

Josh Giddey: PG/SG/SF, 6'8", 215 Lbs, 18 years old, (Won't turn 19 until Oct.) NBL
31.0 mpg - 11.1 ppg - 41.3% fgp - 31.8% 3pp - 66.7% ftp - 7.0 rpg - 6.6 apg - 1.2 stl's

It's quite possible that Giddey ends up being a lottery pick. Very talented for his young age, and is one of the best kept secrets in the coming draft. Giddey plays in the same league that R J Hampton and Ball played in, and one could argue that he's made a bigger splash than either of them. He's the youngest player in NBL history to complete a double/double, and he's had several. He's a terrific passer, and some have compared him to either Simmons, or Cade Cunningham, although Cunningham is a better shooter at this point in time.

He mostly plays PG for his team. As you can see by his stats, he's a very good rebounder as well. He has excellent handles, and can pass the ball with either hand. He's a good finisher and can finish with either hand, but prefers his right. He needs to improve his 3 pt shooting percentage, shooting just a tick under 32%, but to be fair, he doesn't take many, so it's a small sampling. Aside from all his skills, what makes him unique for his age is his ability to play within himself. He hardly ever forces things, and as such, doesn't turn the ball over much.

Defensively, he's a bit of a mixed bag. His on the ball defense is fairly good, but his off the ball defense needs some work. It's as though he loses interest when not defending the ball. As a result he sometimes loses track of his man. AKA, Buddy Hield! But, he's only 18 years old, and has plenty of time to improve that part of his game. He's been making a slow climb up the draft boards, and after some individual team workouts, he may find himself in the lottery.

Lastly, he needs to get stronger. He currently has a build similar to Ziaire Williams, although he has a stronger lower body base. He also has a pretty good mid-range game mixing floaters with step back jumpers. So he can score in a variety of ways. I think he's a player that would fit well into the Kings system of cutting and passing the ball, as well as spreading the floor. Finding good film on him presented a challenge of sorts. Finding full games proved almost impossible for some reason. Maybe Covid19 had some effect on it. However here is at least a sampling of what he can do.

I've watched Giddey play recently and was probably expecting a little more based on the hype. Not to say he won't do well and agree with your take. What I saw:

- He looks like an 18 year old and would need a bit of time to mature physically.
- He has good vision and makes good passes
- He dominated the ball quite a bit. This may be due to his team. They didn't seem especially talented or all that comfortable together. When he left the floor they couldn't get into their sets.
- He can dribble penetrate. More herky jerky and fakes than explosive. But he did have a couple of strong drives off a quick crossover. I felt he held back on these a fair bit as he was so focused on setting up the offence and controlling play.
- As the lead guard he didn't move off the ball all that much. He did look fluid enough when he did, but this would be an area of development for him.
- Defensively he got a couple of steals from being in the right spot or having a moment of hustle but otherwise was not a high energy guy.
- He does not look like a natural shooter but he made one nice step back three. I have read he has been putting a lot of work into his shot. Early in the season this was a bigger weakness.
- It will be good to see him play with the national team in Tokyo. I think he will look better playing alongside good players.
- There is no reason why he couldn't have a strong NBA career. But I think he is a few years away from being a contributor at that level.

 

[serbiangoat]

I've watched Giddey play recently and was probably expecting a little more based on the hype. Not to say he won't do well and agree with your take. What I saw:

- He looks like an 18 year old and would need a bit of time to mature physically.
- He has good vision and makes good passes
- He dominated the ball quite a bit. This may be due to his team. They didn't seem especially talented or all that comfortable together. When he left the floor they couldn't get into their sets.
- He can dribble penetrate. More herky jerky and fakes than explosive. But he did have a couple of strong drives off a quick crossover. I felt he held back on these a fair bit as he was so focused on setting up the offence and controlling play.
- As the lead guard he didn't move off the ball all that much. He did look fluid enough when he did, but this would be an area of development for him.
- Defensively he got a couple of steals from being in the right spot or having a moment of hustle but otherwise was not a high energy guy.
- He does not look like a natural shooter but he made one nice step back three. I have read he has been putting a lot of work into his shot. Early in the season this was a bigger weakness.
- It will be good to see him play with the national team in Tokyo. I think he will look better playing alongside good players.
- There is no reason why he couldn't have a strong NBA career. But I think he is a few years away from being a contributor at that level.

I agree with this I would say he's a less athletic Tomas Satoransky (can get up for massive dunks just rarely does it) but slightly more crafty I see him a solid back up PG going forward in a few years . We have seen taller/less explosives guards have ok careers like Vasquez (former King) and Ty Jerome currently is playing ok. Not sure he's a first rounder tbh.

 

[bajaden]

I agree with this I would say he's a less athletic Tomas Satoransky (can get up for massive dunks just rarely does it) but slightly more crafty I see him a solid back up PG going forward in a few years . We have seen taller/less explosives guards have ok careers like Vasquez (former King) and Ty Jerome currently is playing ok. Not sure he's a first rounder tbh.

I have mixed emotions about Giddey. First, he's one of the youngest players in the draft. Second, he is playing in a pro league against grown men, so I take that into consideration. I also agree that he would look like a much better player if he was surrounded by good players. It seemed like he had to do a lot of directing at times and that it took his team too much time to get into their sets. I agree that he's not an explosive player, but he makes up for it with hesitation moves and head fakes etc. He's very crafty, and will only get better in that area..

He has a good feel for the game and has good court vision. I see him more as a point forward in the NBA as opposed to being the lead guard. Put him at SF and make him your fourth option, and I think he's an asset. At lead guard, at least right now, I think he would struggle.

 

[bajaden]

If he gets a promise, he’ll likely go.

Yeah, I think he'll drop his hat into the ring to get feedback and then make his decision. Most mocks have him, or at least had him, in the 2nd rd with most scouts wondering if he was legit or just a player having a good run. Like, what happened to that Jamal Murray that we saw in the bubble last year? It happens! But if some team near the bottom of the 1st round gives him a promise, I think he stays in the draft. But I agree with you that he would be better served to stay at UCLA another year. With their incoming class, him and the remaining players from this season they would have a legit shot at a national title, and he might be a lottery pick.

I would like to give kudo's to UCLA who many thought had no chance coming into this tournament. They came close to beating, in my opinion, the best team in this tournament. A team that had walked through every other team they played previously. So congrats to UCLA! They have nothing to hang their heads about. I do my best to remain neutral in these games, but I have to admit that I found myself rooting for UCLA halfway through the game. Plus I have to support my bud, The Capt!

 

[kb02]

Yeah, I think he'll drop his hat into the ring to get feedback and then make his decision. Most mocks have him, or at least had him, in the 2nd rd with most scouts wondering if he was legit or just a player having a good run. Like, what happened to that Jamal Murray that we saw in the bubble last year? It happens! But if some team near the bottom of the 1st round gives him a promise, I think he stays in the draft. But I agree with you that he would be better served to stay at UCLA another year. With their incoming class, him and the remaining players from this season they would have a legit shot at a national title, and he might be a lottery pick.

I would like to give kudo's to UCLA who many thought had no chance coming into this tournament. They came close to beating, in my opinion, the best team in this tournament. A team that had walked through every other team they played previously. So congrats to UCLA! They have nothing to hang their heads about. I do my best to remain neutral in these games, but I have to admit that I found myself rooting for UCLA halfway through the game. Plus I have to support my bud, The Capt!

I was as surprised as anyone that this year's team made it that far. They played legit good ball in the tourney and should've won it all had their players stayed in college or avoided injury. Next year should be fun with or without Juzang or Jacquez. Cronin can coach.

As for Juzang, he comes from an upper middle class family. Not starving for money, so it won't be as big of a financial decision as, say, another kid, who's family is depending on him to turn pro. But if he gets a first round promise, he's gone--Mom is a financial advisor, she won't let him give up millions in guaranteed money.