2022 NBA Draft Safari

MD13 said:

Are we (myself included) being too harsh on Johnny Davis for carrying a huge load despite playing injured for the second half of the season?

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I dont think it matters. Even with a bit more burst, I just do not see as much upside with him and do not think he fills an important niche in the NBA right now. A high scoring small wing is pretty replaceable and unless he also happens to be a plus playmaker, steph level shooter, or Marcus Smart, that is a waste of a pick at 14 when we can get a big wing. Replacement level big wing is more valuable than a slightly plus 2/3.

I would argue Jalen Williams does not fall under this limitation because he has the playmaking that Davis does not. I am also higher on Branham than Davis, but I dont think either are in the top 16 prospects in this draft.

adam81king said:

I don't know all the new machinations involved, but I would go to Miller and say I want to draft you in the 2nd with the purpose of sending you overseas (can we assign G League without being a 2-way and retaining his rights?) for a year or 2. Bring him back once he's grown into his body.

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We can put a player drafted in the second round on a two way contract. Atlanta did it with Sharife Cooper last year. The more murky question is how much a player can make on the Ignite team vs being on a two way contract. The rules seem to be constant influx. Last season two way contract players got a flat 50% of vets minimum. I've read that Ignite players were suppose to make up to $125k but there are some reports that Jalen Green got $500k to play on the Ignite.

Cement said:

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I could see this draft as a bad one for smaller guards (6'3 and under). There are alot of taller guys with guard skills. Someone like Smith could tumble like Cooper did last year and end up on a two way contract. I also think TyTy could fall much further than expected.

Cement said:

14 - Branham
39 - Hugo Bessen (Leonard Miller and Kamagate still on the board here)
58 - Yannick Nzosa

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They predict Eason, Agbaji, Branham, Jalen Williams, and TyTy Washington will all be available at 14. Lots of choices!

I’ve been into Eason but TBH all five of those players seem like they could be good choices. (Maybe Washington least, he had an unimpressive freshman year, but Kentucky guys tend to be underrated). Be curious to see one of our draft nuts give views on them. It seems like at least three or four will be there at 14. A very good late lottery this year

cavsfever said:

A very good late lottery this year

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And to think quite a few on this forum (you know who you are) would've preferred us get the experience of getting spanked by Miami 4-0 or 4-1 than the opportunity to get a critical piece.

inliner311 said:

We can put a player drafted in the second round on a two way contract. Atlanta did it with Sharife Cooper last year. The more murky question is how much a player can make on the Ignite team vs being on a two way contract. The rules seem to be constant influx. Last season two way contract players got a flat 50% of vets minimum. I've read that Ignite players were suppose to make up to $125k but there are some reports that Jalen Green got $500k to play on the Ignite.

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Sure, but guys that you’d take late 2nd and put on a two-way aren’t the same guys the Ignite are paying serious money to.

dark2332 said:

Sure, but guys that you’d take late 2nd and put on a two-way aren’t the same guys the Ignite are paying serious money to.

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Leonard Miller has an offer to play for Ignite but hasn't decided if he is going to just enter the draft or play one year for the Ignite. He had an offer from Kentucky but has decided he isn't going that route. He will have to make his final decision to stay in the draft or play for the Ignite by June 13th.

He is probably waiting for a promise to be drafted with a 15 man roster spot.

inliner311 said:

Leonard Miller has an offer to play for Ignite but hasn't decided if he is going to just enter the draft or play one year for the Ignite. He had an offer from Kentucky but has decided he isn't going that route. He will have to make his final decision to stay in the draft or play for the Ignite by June 13th.

He is probably waiting for a promise to be drafted with a 15 man roster spot.

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Leonard Miller is likely going top 40 based on his measurables, so I think he’s fine.

dark2332 said:

Leonard Miller is likely going top 40 based on his measurables, so I think he’s fine.

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Given his youth, size, and measurables, I’d love to take Leonard Miller at #39, but I have a hunch he won’t be there and some team will take him before that.

cavsfever said:

They predict Eason, Agbaji, Branham, Jalen Williams, and TyTy Washington will all be available at 14. Lots of choices!

I’ve been into Eason but TBH all five of those players seem like they could be good choices. (Maybe Washington least, he had an unimpressive freshman year, but Kentucky guys tend to be underrated). Be curious to see one of our draft nuts give views on them. It seems like at least three or four will be there at 14. A very good late lottery this year

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TyTy Washingtons film tells you all you need to know. Dude is going to explode in the NBA. The spacing, pace, and talent he will be playing with will all lend themselves kindly to his game. He absolutely belongs physically. He’s gonna do a little bit of everything on both ends.

sailfish said:

Given his youth, size, and measurables, I’d love to take Leonard Miller at #39, but I have a hunch he won’t be there and some team will take him before that.

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I would be okayish with him at 39 (depending on who else is there) but Leonard Miller has actually been a personal revelation for me in terms of my thinking about prospects. You look at those things you referenced--age and measurables--and it feels like it's virtually impossible for this kid to end up as anything but a massive steal anywhere outside the lottery. You see a couple highlights and start drooling. But then you watch videos of him playing organized basketball for a few minutes in a row...

...and things get ugly.

Can't even remember where i saw it, but him playing 5 on 5 was grosser than i thought possible for any legitimate prospect. No ballhandling ability, no body control, no conscience or BBIQ. Constant possessions of him looking like a kid in a high school student / faculty game trying to finally show off his skills in front of the whole school... but constantly getting his water shut off and launching absolute slop.

Drafting him should be viewed like drafting the fetus of two super tall and athletic people as a shot in the dark lottery ticket.

Dalen Terry is remaining in the draft. I'm thinking he goes before 39.

narbar32 said:

I would be okayish with him at 39 (depending on who else is there) but Leonard Miller has actually been a personal revelation for me in terms of my thinking about prospects. You look at those things you referenced--age and measurables--and it feels like it's virtually impossible for this kid to end up as anything but a massive steal anywhere outside the lottery. You see a couple highlights and start drooling. But then you watch videos of him playing organized basketball for a few minutes in a row...

...and things get ugly.

Can't even remember where i saw it, but him playing 5 on 5 was grosser than i thought possible for any legitimate prospect. No ballhandling ability, no body control, no conscience or BBIQ. Constant possessions of him looking like a kid in a high school student / faculty game trying to finally show off his skills in front of the whole school... but constantly getting his water shut off and launching absolute slop.

Drafting him should be viewed like drafting the fetus of two super tall and athletic people as a shot in the dark lottery ticket.

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That doesn’t make sense because Miller was a guard until a recent growth spurt shot him up to 6’10”/6’11”. One of the appealing things about him is that he supposedly has guard-like skills on a frame that he is still growing into. He’s one of the youngest prayers in the draft at 18.6 years of age.

Is he ready to contribute next year? No, but you stick him in the G-league, work with him, and he could really have something in a year or two. Since the Cavs will likely be without a first round pick next year, I see Miller as an advance on the 2023 draft.

He’s the type of kid that OKC, or a franchise with multiple picks and not hard-pressed to get an immediate return, will take and work with.

Can someone explain the fascination with Branham? I don’t want to be mean or anything but the guy was slow against college talent, how is he going to fare against the top 1% of athletes in the sport? I don’t see a super high upside athletically in the nba and I don’t love the fit here either outside of the role okoro has. He has great length and shot but not much else….it could totally be me but if I take off the OSU/St Vincent St Mary glasses, I think he is going to struggle in the NBA outside of open shots.

Would much rather have Tari Eason, Agbaji, or even Johnny Davis just because you have to have athletes at the wings.

Willard513 said:

Can someone explain the fascination with Branham? I don’t want to be mean or anything but the guy was slow against college talent, how is he going to fare against the top 1% of athletes in the sport? I don’t see a super high upside athletically in the nba and I don’t love the fit here either outside of the role okoro has. He has great length and shot but not much else….it could totally be me but if I take off the OSU/St Vincent St Mary glasses, I think he is going to struggle in the NBA outside of open shots.

Would much rather have Tari Eason, Agbaji, or even Johnny Davis just because you have to have athletes at the wings.

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I would assume people like his overall shooting percentage line as well as his 3 level scoring.

50% FG
41% 3P
83% FT

For a true freshman, and one of the younger players in the draft overall, that is tantalizing. Another thing that stands out is within his midrange game, he shows the ability to get shots off and in under tight coverage and physical play. That is something that a lot of college kids don’t show. Sure they hit the wide open shots or the shots where their athleticism blows them by someone, but often when the defense tightens and is in their body, they struggle.

Taking a deeper dive at his numbers, after his initial ten game non conference stretch where he was acclimating to the transition from college ball and having his role on the team defined, his shooting percentages go up even higher.

In B1G play, his FG% was 52% and his 3P% 45%, both exceptional numbers for a SG

His size, while not the jumbo wing, is not undersized for a SG at all.

I think the main thing people see is actual offensive skills and aptitude vs length and projection. I think they also see a player who can not just score in the wide open less intense NBA regular season games, but someone who showed stuff on tape to indicate they can be a reliable, efficient scorer in tighter more physical playoff games.

Is all of that right? Will it translate in the NBA? Will his defense be horrible, bad, average, or above average? I don’t know. And the same could be said about almost anyone in the draft when asking if what they exhibit in college will translate to thei highest ceiling for their skill set in the NBA.

But unless you think it’s all just manufactured agent smoke, the attention Branham is getting is not just limited to the Cavs but a number of teams and their is a belief that he can be taken in that 8-15 range