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2020 NBA Draft

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I think he stepped out once in this vid, I'm not sure. His free throw shooting mechanics indicate that there's some potential in him as a floor spacer.

I think he does have shooting touch. He has a soft touch. I really like that in a big man. My issue is can he defend in space? He has poor awareness. He wasn't racing back on defense despite being very fast.
 
Ran my draft rater on another handful of prospects, and Trevelin Queen jumped out as a 2nd-rounder who could be a good roleplayer for the Cavs.

What to like: Good size and athleticism for an NBA guard. Exceptional motor: best steal rate in the class (3.9 per 100) and best offensive rebound rate among perimeter players (4.4 per 100). Good shooter on high volume (39% from deep on 12 attempts per 100). Decent assist:TO ratio (5.4 assists vs 4.1 turnovers per 100). Late bloomer, had to work hard for opportunities and keeps improving every year.

What to dislike: Relatively skinny at just 190 pounds. Played a very weak schedule, even by minor-conference standards. Capable ballhandler, but not good enough to create his own offense reliably. Among the oldest prospects at 23 years old.
 
Among the oldest prospects at 23 years old.

I actually like that for roleplayer guys. Obviously limits his ceiling, but the additional maturity and motor suggests he'll be a good effort/glue guy willing to do the dirty work. Can do worse at the end of the bench.
 
Next years draft is disgustingly stacked with centers. Should that change the potential strategy Altman has when it comes to the draft? Do you bypass the big men in this draft & wait a year to get one in next years draft? I personally think that'd be ridiculous, Wiseman is a fantastic prospect.

That is, of course, if the plan is to draft a big with our top pick, which I hope it is. But what if we lose out on the Wiseman sweepstakes? We'd still need a big moving forward. Do you swing for the fences & hope Azubuike is everything you're looking for in a big man? I think he is everything you want in a big man.

Azubuike is just as good of a prospect as most of next years bigs imo.
 
Next years draft is disgustingly stacked with centers. Should that change the potential strategy Altman has when it comes to the draft? Do you bypass the big men in this draft & wait a year to get one in next years draft? I personally think that'd be ridiculous, Wiseman is a fantastic prospect.

That is, of course, if the plan is to draft a big with our top pick, which I hope it is. But what if we lose out on the Wiseman sweepstakes? We'd still need a big moving forward. Do you swing for the fences & hope Azubuike is everything you're looking for in a big man? I think he is everything you want in a big man.

Azubuike is just as good of a prospect as most of next years bigs imo.

Call me crazy but I'm looking for a center who's good enough to beat me in a free throw shooting contest :chuckle:
 
Next years draft is disgustingly stacked with centers. Should that change the potential strategy Altman has when it comes to the draft? Do you bypass the big men in this draft & wait a year to get one in next years draft? I personally think that'd be ridiculous, Wiseman is a fantastic prospect.

That is, of course, if the plan is to draft a big with our top pick, which I hope it is. But what if we lose out on the Wiseman sweepstakes? We'd still need a big moving forward. Do you swing for the fences & hope Azubuike is everything you're looking for in a big man? I think he is everything you want in a big man.

Azubuike is just as good of a prospect as most of next years bigs imo.
There are about 7 centers in this draft alone better than Azubuike
 
Call me crazy but I'm looking for a center who's good enough to beat me in a free throw shooting contest :chuckle:
That's a pretty high bar. I'd settle for someone who could beat a blind man, and Azubuike ain't it.
 
I honestly have no idea how some NBA players shoot below 50%.. you throw it at the box and it has a 50% chance of going in at worse.. the box has no other purpose that I am aware of lol
 
I honestly have no idea how some NBA players shoot below 50%.. you throw it at the box and it has a 50% chance of going in at worse.. the box has no other purpose that I am aware of lol

They miss the box.

I think Rick Barry is right. Underhand free throws may look stupid, but if you actually care about your team and winning, and can't even hit 60% consistently, then you should try changing it up. There's an article somewhere about how Deandre Jordan worked with an underhand coach who got him up to 70% in three days. But then Jordan gave it up and refused to do it.
 
If Ball had better shot selection, would he be in the stratosphere of some of the elite players that have come out in recent years?

I dont think his problem is shooting touch, more that someone needs to tell him that he isnt Steph.
 
If Ball had better shot selection, would he be in the stratosphere of some of the elite players that have come out in recent years?

I dont think his problem is shooting touch, more that someone needs to tell him that he isnt Steph.
His shot is also not great either. Bad combination.
 
Ran my draft rater on a dozen more players this morning. Some highlights:

-Nate Hinton jumped out as a virtual lock to be a valuable roleplayer thanks to his absurd rebound rate (17.2 per 100), which would be good for a center let alone a wing, his solid outside shot (39% from 3 on 7.6 attempts per game), and his tidy assist:TO ratio (4.0 vs 2.4 per 100). He'll probably appear in the late teens or early 20's of my next big board.

-Vit Krejci appears to be an overlooked draft-and-stash option. He played limited minutes in the tough Spanish ACB league, but should step into a larger role next season. The Deni Avdija of 2nd-round prospects.

-Jalen Harris is a sturdy 6'5" combo guard who can shoot and pass. Should be able to provide bench minutes right away, especially on a team like the Cavs that lacks size in the backcourt. A nice option in the late 2nd round or as a summer league/2-way guy

-Lamine Diane is an athletic mystery man wing who put up enormous numbers in the Big West, leading the conference in points, rebounds, and blocks, and nearly in steals as well. A good boom/bust option in the early 2nd round.
 
If Ball had better shot selection, would he be in the stratosphere of some of the elite players that have come out in recent years?

I dont think his problem is shooting touch, more that someone needs to tell him that he isnt Steph.

This is one of the reasons I find data models interesting, as this is something you could noodle on.

You'd need to be more specific but if you had a hypothesis on a prospect......i.e........ "I think if Ball took better shots, his percentages could improve by (insert range) and that improvement would likely lead to (insert #) more make per game / or (insert range) points per 100."

If you thought about the cause and effect, you could then make minor adjustments to his projected shooting and scoring numbers and see what a model might say.

He's already a very good prospect and his production was in a pro league. If he can scratch out a meaningful shot selection improvement, I think he can start to edge in to "great". I don't think he's an elite prospect, even with shot selection improvement but he would be a very worthy top 3 player if you thought it was likely that he addressed one of his main weaknesses.
 
This is one of the reasons I find data models interesting, as this is something you could noodle on.

You'd need to be more specific but if you had a hypothesis on a prospect......i.e........ "I think if Ball took better shots, his percentages could improve by (insert range) and that improvement would likely lead to (insert #) more make per game / or (insert range) points per 100."

If you thought about the cause and effect, you could then make minor adjustments to his projected shooting and scoring numbers and see what a model might say.

He's already a very good prospect and his production was in a pro league. If he can scratch out a meaningful shot selection improvement, I think he can start to edge in to "great". I don't think he's an elite prospect, even with shot selection improvement but he would be a very worthy top 3 player if you thought it was likely that he addressed one of his main weaknesses.
Lot of folks will talk themselves into Ball because of the hype and he looks the part, but there is so much potential for disappointing performance and drama, I just am not on that train. If you truly think this kind of player is a plus for the cavs, then we should take the ben simmons trade more seriously. At least there is no pig in the poke. While I understand the frustration with Sexton, I also point out that given he was an 8th overall pick, he has outstripped expectations by quite a bit. He is playing every game and he keeps getting better, and he is a top flight scorer. If all of our picks presented this kind of actual value , we would be the spurs.
 
Lot of folks will talk themselves into Ball because of the hype and he looks the part, but there is so much potential for disappointing performance and drama, I just am not on that train. If you truly think this kind of player is a plus for the cavs, then we should take the ben simmons trade more seriously. At least there is no pig in the poke. While I understand the frustration with Sexton, I also point out that given he was an 8th overall pick, he has outstripped expectations by quite a bit. He is playing every game and he keeps getting better, and he is a top flight scorer. If all of our picks presented this kind of actual value , we would be the spurs.

To me, Ball is a potentially really nice complement to Sexton......relative to what they are both good at. Their skill sets are very complimentary. And if Ball eventually fills out, gets stronger and can be coached in to being a competitive defender, could be the larger guard pair Sexton needs.

Generally speaking, I have heard both of the Ball's have done a good job distancing themselves from the drama. I think that consideration is overblown. Will there be some unwanted attention? I would imagine so but I don't think it is worth not drafting him over.

I honestly am not sure how you build around Simmons........I like him as a theoretical player, I just don't know how you win with a guy who is THAT reluctant of a shooter.......if you are talking a #1 option. If we had a bonafide #1 offensive option, then sure, give me Simmons as a #2......but given what he will cost and the inherent flaw in his offensive game, I just don't see a path to winning a title with a #1 who isn't a transcendent offensive player.
 

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