2020 NBA Draft

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Flat-out depressing watching the Arizona guys tonight. None of them are lottery picks unless they look completely different 3 months from now.

Can someone explain the fascination with Josh Green?
Isaac Okoro to me is the much better prospect.

 

[cabs]

This is the draft to stack 1st round picks and get a top 3 and TRADE BACK.
We need a sale, soon.
I like a lot of guys that are not even in the top10.

I agree this draft seems very even

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

I'm not touching Wiseman when there are better centers even in this draft.

 

[cabs]

Can someone explain the fascination with Josh Green?
Isaac Okoro to me is the much better prospect.

Theyre very similar standard I would have thought, why do you think Okoro is the much better prospect?

 

[blommen]

Theyre very similar standard I would have thought, why do you think Okoro is the much better prospect?

Haven’t spent a lot of time watching Green, but I think what makes Okoro such an interesting prospect is that even disregarding his defensive skillset and athletic ability which is already S-tier and best in the class, he just plays so much smarter than you expect from a freshman college kid. He had a terrific basketball IQ and looks way more like a senior than a one and done player with the way he reads the game. His shot is a huge questionmark, and one the ultimately will probably decide whether he goes top 10 or between 15-20, but even with his shot being such a big unknown he still has ways to impact the offense. He’s a very good passer with a decent handle that allows him to attack closeouts, and his physique and body control makes him a strong finished at the rim. He’s also shown an affinity for cutting to the rim off the ball and catching the defense off balance.

Like, he has all these facets to his game that you normally only see in wily 3-year vets, yet he’s barely out of high school and it just sort of comes naturally to him. If the 3 was there people would be talking about him as a stone cold lock for the top 10 easily, and even without it he’s still projecting as an extremely valuable starter/roleplayer on a successful team.

 

[ajz20]

This is a draft where the 5th pick could easily have a better career then the guy that goes at one. All the guys in the top 10 are going to have holes in their game. Honestly don’t think some of the guys that are being discussed have the same upside as Kevin Porter JR. That being said I think you can find a future starter who is a double digit scorer. What are thoughts about the kid from Texas tech? Has been hurt a ton , but has shown some interesting flashes .

 

[cabs]

This is a draft where the 5th pick could easily have a better career then the guy that goes at one. All the guys in the top 10 are going to have holes in their game. Honestly don’t think some of the guys that are being discussed have the same upside as Kevin Porter JR. That being said I think you can find a future starter who is a double digit scorer. What are thoughts about the kid from Texas tech? Has been hurt a ton , but has shown some interesting flashes .

Was just doing some research on him, looks like he is a solid 3 and D guard. Not sure he is really what we are after though, at least not with our first pick.

 

[ajz20]

Was just doing some research on him, looks like he is a solid 3 and D guard. Not sure he is really what we are after though, at least not with our first pick.

Well until we know what the roster looks like after the Trade deadline and then where the pick lands it is kind of hard to rule anyone out at this point. Plus we could get another first rounder so guys that could go in the 12 to 25 range are worry looking at too. This is the type of draft where your scouting department is going to get tested. Probably a lot of guys picked in the top 20 that may be out of the nba in a few years .

 

[Nathan S]

Can someone explain the fascination with Josh Green?
Isaac Okoro to me is the much better prospect.

His passing is pretty good. His shot looks decent. He's really active on both ends of the court. But man, when he puts the ball on the floor and tries to make something happen, you immediately see how far away he is. Roleplayer through and through, I'd agree.

Haven't watched Okoro yet...his shooting is an obvious concern, but he appears to be a much more dangerous slasher than Green (or any player in this draft?)

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

His passing is pretty good. His shot looks decent. He's really active on both ends of the court. But man, when he puts the ball on the floor and tries to make something happen, you immediately see how far away he is. Roleplayer through and through, I'd agree.

Haven't watched Okoro yet...his shooting is an obvious concern, but he appears to be a much more dangerous slasher than Green (or any player in this draft?)

First off, Josh Green looks like a fairly risky player. Profile and game wise looks like so many of those late 1st round picks that either bust or become positive role players. I have issues with the fact that he doesn't excel in one particular thing, and doesn't looks like a great defender at there next level. He is just spazzy and I hate that in a wing.

Okoro is fascinating as hell. Guy is probably the best finisher I have seen in years relative to his size. He is so balanced on his drives, and not in a stiff way... in a Lebron way. On his drives he goes hard, explosive but always in control and has perfect sense of his surroundings. His finishes though are what's it all about. Just so balanced, finishes with either hand, absorbs contact like it's nothing. The ball always goes in the same away whether he is against a big defender or not.. makes it looks easy. Nothing acrobatic, just very solid. This just looks so translatable.
I love his ceiling as a star wing because of his body, and above all his finishing and aggressiveness that he plays with. The thing is that he doesn't need his shot to be great to be great because he is so good at so many other things. I dunno, I have seen this type before and they usually succeed eventually.

His form on his shot also looks fairly decent, so I would;'t bet against him.

 

[BankShot]

As Garland progresses, we need to surround him with shooters and high end athletes to fill lanes. With this pick I'd like us to go with a athletic/length combo. I'm going to be closely watching Okongwu, Achiuwa, Reed and Carey for the next couple of months to see who fits best.

 

[Nathan S]

First off, Josh Green looks like a fairly risky player. Profile and game wise looks like so many of those late 1st round picks that either bust or become positive role players. I have issues with the fact that he doesn't excel in one particular thing, and doesn't looks like a great defender at there next level. He is just spazzy and I hate that in a wing.

Okoro is fascinating as hell. Guy is probably the best finisher I have seen in years relative to his size. He is so balanced on his drives, and not in a stiff way... in a Lebron way. On his drives he goes hard, explosive but always in control and has perfect sense of his surroundings. His finishes though are what's it all about. Just so balanced, finishes with either hand, the ball always goes in the same away whether he is against a big defender or not.. makes it looks easy. Nothing acrobatic, just very solid. This just looks so translatable.
I love his ceiling as a star wing because of his body, and above all his finishing and aggressiveness that he plays with. The thing is that he doesn't need his shot to be great to be great because he is so good at so many other things. I dunno, I have seen this type before and they usually succeed eventually.

His form on his shot also looks fairly decent, so I would;'t bet against him.

Didn't see a bust when I watched Green. He does a lot of things you want from a 4th/5th offensive option starter. Had several really nice passes where he caught the ball and sent it where it needed to go with zero hesitation, which is a key skill if you want to stick as a roleplayer in the NBA. And while I don't think he'll be a great shooter or a great defender, it would be a surprise to me if he ends up so bad in either of those areas that it keeps him off the floor.

But the player I'm describing is obviously not a guy you're excited to pick in the lottery.

As for Okoro, my only real complaint is that we haven't seen him against many good defenses, so I don't want to prematurely get my hopes up about his scoring ability. According to kenpom, Auburn's faced the 243rd-strongest schedule so far in terms of opponent defensive rating. All of the top-50 defensive teams on their schedule are packed into the last 11 games of the season: Kentucky (x2), Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee (x2).

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Didn't see a bust when I watched Green. He does a lot of things you want from a 4th/5th offensive option starter. Had several really nice passes where he caught the ball and sent it where it needed to go with zero hesitation, which is a key skill if you want to stick as a roleplayer in the NBA. And while I don't think he'll be a great shooter or a great defender, it would be a surprise to me if he ends up so bad in either of those areas that it keeps him off the floor.

But the player I'm describing is obviously not a guy you're excited to pick in the lottery.

As for Okoro, my only real complaint is that we haven't seen him against many good defenses, so I don't want to prematurely get my hopes up about his scoring ability. According to kenpom, Auburn's faced the 243rd-strongest schedule so far in terms of opponent defensive rating. All of the top-50 defensive teams on their schedule are packed into the last 11 games of the season: Kentucky (x2), Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee (x2).

You have your mock draft?
I have not been following this draft or last years closely compared to years past. I'd love to see what you think.

 

[Nathan S]

You have your mock draft?
I have not been following this draft or last years closely compared to years past. I'd love to see what you think.

Haven't been following closely this year because I don't have access to a stats database and have had less time in general. I can get behind Okoro and Haliburton in my top tier, though neither of them feel like guys who "should" be in the top tier of a normal draft class. Maybe Ball or Edwards join them. Lot of bigs I like, though I'm not sure any of them belong in tier 1.

 

[blommen]

Another fun little stat on Okoro:

He hasn't lost a basketball game since since February 2018.

Like, obviously that stat doesn't tell you a whole lot considering all the context that kinda gets lost with regards to teammates, role, strength of schedule, etc. But I do think it points towards Okoro being the kind of player who understands and values winning basketball. The fact that he plays as smart as he does for a freshman, has a good passing game and knows how to attack the basket off the ball, these things that aren't necessarily that flashy or show up on the stat sheet, I think it can be argued that those are the signs of a player who will generally be able to help your team win by whatever means he may have at his disposal.