2020 NBA Draft

[JJ_PR]

Well, they're better at different things. It's pairing that could work if Ball was able to defend SG's. Right now, though, he can't defend anyone. But he does have 2 guard size.

Ball isn't particularly elite at anything. I think he'll struggle to adjust at the NBA level.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Ball isn't particularly elite at anything. I think he'll struggle to adjust at the NBA level.

He may. I'm just saying that he's a different kind of guard than is Sexton. Much more of a distributor, and less of a shooter. FWIW, I don't want Ball either.

 

[I'mWithDan]

Ball isn't particularly elite at anything. I think he'll struggle to adjust at the NBA level.

He's similar to Lonzo in that he rebounds exceptionally well for a guard. I think for a player his size, he exhibits near elite touch and body control. When you watch him knife through traffic, it is easy to forget he's 6'6"-6'7" with length.

He needs to improve shot selection but he looked pretty slippery playing against grown men as an 18 year old. Clearly, the NBA is a step up but his handle has just improved so much. He's become really good at changing gears and direction, to get his defender off balance and create space......and that has specifically started to show up attacking off ball screen action.

The huge question mark is his defense certainly......but I think he can be a pretty good defender, if you can get him to buy in. He provides defensive value as a rebounder and opportunistic passing lane roamer but he certainly has a long way to go in ISO. I think maturing will naturally help and then the other 50% is finding the right coach / player mix that can get him to expend effort on that end.

His best kind of natural fit would be on a team that has shooters or....bigs who excel in the P&R. If you put him in a situation where he could facilitate the offensive action, I think he can contribute pretty quickly. A bad situation (to me) is one similar to ours......where there isn't really an established pecking order or culture and he'll be given a longer leash initially.

 

[Nathan S]

Ball is certainly an elite passer. How is that even debatable? How many other 18-year-old PGs have put up AST:TO numbers like him? And the eye test obviously backs it up.

 

[JJ_PR]

He's similar to Lonzo in that he rebounds exceptionally well for a guard. I think for a player his size, he exhibits near elite touch and body control. When you watch him knife through traffic, it is easy to forget he's 6'6"-6'7" with length.

He needs to improve shot selection but he looked pretty slippery playing against grown men as an 18 year old. Clearly, the NBA is a step up but his handle has just improved so much. He's become really good at changing gears and direction, to get his defender off balance and create space......and that has specifically started to show up attacking off ball screen action.

The huge question mark is his defense certainly......but I think he can be a pretty good defender, if you can get him to buy in. He provides defensive value as a rebounder and opportunistic passing lane roamer but he certainly has a long way to go in ISO. I think maturing will naturally help and then the other 50% is finding the right coach / player mix that can get him to expend effort on that end.

His best kind of natural fit would be on a team that has shooters or....bigs who excel in the P&R. If you put him in a situation where he could facilitate the offensive action, I think he can contribute pretty quickly. A bad situation (to me) is one similar to ours......where there isn't really an established pecking order or culture and he'll be given a longer leash initially.

I like Ball but there are some things that concern me, starting with Lavar. His talent is undeniable & without a doubt he has improved since joining the NBL.

The thing is, we've selected a point guard high the past 2 drafts. Imagine drafting another point guard. The media would kill us. Not to mention, there's no room for another player like him on this roster. I don't see how he fits next to Sexton & Porter. His defense is suspect.

 

[JJ_PR]

Ball is certainly an elite passer. How is that even debatable? How many other 18-year-old PGs have put up AST:TO numbers like him? And the eye test obviously backs it up.

I'd like to see him do that against actual NBA competition. He might be as good as you're describing him, but he just doesn't fit next to Sexton & Porter Jr.

 

[I'mWithDan]

Ball is certainly an elite passer. How is that even debatable? How many other 18-year-old PGs have put up AST:TO numbers like him? And the eye test obviously backs it up.

Yeah, I was operating under the assumption that has pretty much been universally accepted.

Elite tends to be, for me, in the top 5% of a statistical category. On an AST/TO ratio basis, Ball lands in the 98th percentile of all the players I have in my draft database and he put up those numbers (albeit in a smaller sample size), in a professional league.

 

[Cavatt]

Yeah, I was operating under the assumption that has pretty much been universally accepted.

Elite tends to be, for me, in the top 5% of a statistical category. On an AST/TO ratio basis, Ball lands in the 98th percentile of all the players I have in my draft database and he put up those numbers (albeit in a smaller sample size), in a professional league.

I think he goes 1 almost no matter what as there is some positional flexibility there.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Yeah, I was operating under the assumption that has pretty much been universally accepted.

Elite tends to be, for me, in the top 5% of a statistical category. On an AST/TO ratio basis, Ball lands in the 98th percentile of all the players I have in my draft database and he put up those numbers (albeit in a smaller sample size), in a professional league.

JJ is falling into a line of argument we saw a lot last year before the lottery. He really likes Wiseman and has gone extreme negative to other top tier prospects.

Last year I remember a lot of Ja Morant supporters negging Zion to extremes, and Zion supporters picking apart Ja with hyperbole. Of course, after the lottery many of those takes looked foolish because the Cavs weren't in a position to draft either one.

I don't believe the Cavs are targeting Ball, but again the lottery rules have changed. The Cavs have a 14% chance of winning the top pick but the lower seeds have a much, much better chance to crack the top three than they used to.

 

[panchan]

I placed Ball in my top five for Cleveland for a number of reasons. One is obviously his height and overall upside - though there are clearly areas of weakness. But it would be wrong it seems to me to not note that it is too easy to overlook the value of a player that can actually pass and run an offense - an area he may be elite. Delly was a team leader last year in plus/minus last year (especially toward the end) even with a broken shot for most of the year not because of athletic ability or scoring ability - but because he can (despite his weaknesses) take a group of players and make them into a team that actually looks like more than passing the ball around and hoisting shots. I do not find any of our current players so valuable to me that I would blame anyone for drafting a player that may be elite in that area and has plenty of room to grow in others. I would not groan over Hayes or Haliburton either actually.

 

[Man Called X]

LaMelo the player is a fine player to draft in the lottery. LaMelo the character is a fucking primadonna nightmare and guaranteed to bolt after his rookie deal.

 

[JJ_PR]

JJ is calling into a line of argument we saw a lot last year before the lottery. He really likes Wiseman and has gone extreme negative to other top tier prospects.

Last year I remember a lot of Ja Morant supporters negging Zion to extremes, and Zion supporters picking apart Ja with hyperbole. Of course, after the lottery many of those takes looked foolish because the Cavs weren't in a position to draft either one.

I don't believe the Cavs are targeting Ball, but again the lottery rules have changed. The Cavs have a 14% chance of winning the top pick but the lower seeds have auch, much better chance to crack the top three than they used to.

If the Cavs are in position to draft Wiseman, they would be foolish to pass on him. Sometimes, you go for BPA regardless of need. In this instance, he's the BPA & happens to be a position of need. Kills two birds in one stone.

I think he's too obvious of a pick. I don't see the argument for LaMelo. He isn't a position of need. Same thing with Edwards.

 

[JJ_PR]

LaMelo the player is a fine player to draft in the lottery. LaMelo the character is a fucking primadonna nightmare and guaranteed to bolt after his rookie deal.

I think he has a good work ethic & the team that drafts him will be happy regardless if it's a small market team. I don't think we're the right situation for him however.

 

[wildfan]

www.tanhkathon.com/big_board

think any of the to 11 would help the cavs. cavs will with there luck lately get the 5th or 6th pick. my favorites are
hayes, toppin, okongwv in that order. most talented likely ball, wiseman, edwards.

 

[Henry Tuttle]

The most frustrating thing about this draft is that, despite the lack of obvious star power, it would be the perfect draft to find a complement to Sexton in the backcourt with all the taller guards set to go in the lottery. Really wishing we would have done the trade with Phoenix where we give up #4 for Dario (or Bridges/other prospect) and #11 (Cam Johnson/PJ Washington), though hindsight etc etc.