2021 NBA Draft Safari

[adam81king]

Just got a gut feeling we’re getting a Top Two Pick this year!

I wouldn't be the slightest bit upset about that. Speak it into existence!!!

 

[adam81king]

Moody with 28 points on 15 shots for the second straight game. He's one of the younger freshmen, turning 19 just before the draft, and he hit a huge go-ahead 3 in the final minute to keep Arkansas's impressive win streak intact. He has an elite 1-and-done wing profile and should be a mid/high lottery pick.

This year seems like an amazing year for SGs...I wish we didn't have Sexton and Okoro that need developing...

 

[Nathan S]

This year seems like an amazing year for SGs...I wish we didn't have Sexton and Okoro that need developing...

I think Sexton/Okoro/Moody would be able to hang defensively. The problem is...I don't think there's enough passing ability in that 1/2/3. Still, I can imagine a scenario where I'd draft Moody as BPA and just find a way to make it work. You almost never see that combination of elite shooting and elite slashing in an 18-year-old prospect, and he can bring it on defense too.

 

[adam81king]

I think Sexton/Okoro/Moody would be able to hang defensively. The problem is...I don't think there's enough passing ability in that 1/2/3. Still, I can imagine a scenario where I'd draft Moody as BPA and just find a way to make it work. You almost never see that combination of elite shooting and elite slashing in an 18-year-old prospect, and he can bring it on defense too.

I think we disagree on Sexton (and Garland). I cringe everytime Sexton plays the lead guard position and think Garland will develop into a top end point guard if given the time. If Okoro could play the 3, I'd be more inclined to use another lottery pick on a SG, but im not sure they're developing guys to maximize the roster.

Current roster:
Pg-Garland (30ish minutes)
Sg-Okoro (30ish minutes)
Backup guards: Sexton (30ish minutes)
Sf-windler (25ish minutes)
Backup (Prince 15 minutes)
Pf-Nance (35ish minutes - 5min at SF; 5min as C)
Backup (Wade 30 minutes)
C-Allen (35ish minutes)
Pf-

 

[Nathan S]

I think we disagree on Sexton (and Garland). I cringe everytime Sexton plays the lead guard position and think Garland will develop into a top end point guard if given the time. If Okoro could play the 3, I'd be more inclined to use another lottery pick on a SG, but im not sure they're developing guys to maximize the roster.

Current roster:
Pg-Garland (30ish minutes)
Sg-Okoro (30ish minutes)
Backup guards: Sexton (30ish minutes)
Sf-windler (25ish minutes)
Backup (Prince 15 minutes)
Pf-Nance (35ish minutes - 5min at SF; 5min as C)
Backup (Wade 30 minutes)
C-Allen (35ish minutes)
Pf-

I definitely agree that I don't like Sexton trying to run the offense. Disagree on Garland though...he's gradually getting better, but PG is such a competitive position, and I don't really think he's special/dynamic enough to be that guy for a winning team.

 

[Nathan S]

Gonna stop tracking several players in my draft rater who don't have very strong projections and also don't have much traction on mock drafts:

Earl Timberlake
Juhann Begarin
Yves Pons
Romeo Weems
RJ Davis
Bryce Thompson
John Petty
Carlik Jones
Marcus Garrett
Jeremy Roach
Efe Abogidi

Happy to keep any of them that people are still interested in though, and happy to add any others I've missed (see complete table below)

I've produced a prospect ranking based on a blend of my own draft ratings, strength of schedule, and ranking in the recent Hoopshype aggregate mock draft:


Barnes, Sengun, and Moody are pretty solidly 1-2-3. Garuba comes out pretty well thanks to a surprisingly solid scout ranking; he's struggled to carve out a significant role on a stacked Real Madrid squad, but has been respectably efficient in limited minutes vs. a very tough schedule. Giddey also sneaks into the top-10; he's been on an improving trend as I noted recently. (EDIT: Giddey fell a few spots after fixing an issue with pace adjustment for international propects, but still comes out pretty well).

 

[Nathan S]

Keegan Murray the x-factor for Iowa today. He's gonna be a valuable 3&D guy in the NBA sooner or later.

 

[Nathan S]

I think Green just took the #1 spot

 

[MD13]

I think Green just took the #1 spot

Most impressive single game performance by a prospect this year?

 

[Nathan S]

Most impressive single game performance by a prospect this year?

Yeah...I still have doubts about his defense that'll probably prevent him from taking the #1 spot on my board personally, but it'd take a really, really gutsy GM to pass on him after a performance like that. He looks like he could go score 20+ in an NBA game tomorrow.

 

[MD13]

Yeah...I still have doubts about his defense that'll probably prevent him from taking the #1 spot on my board personally, but it'd take a really, really gutsy GM to pass on him after a performance like that. He looks like he could go score 20+ in an NBA game tomorrow.

Overall, I think the G league was an incredible success for all of them. So impressed with the way Green really improved from beginning to end, his playmaking was noticeably better in a month. And if he's hitting those stepback 3s, forget about guarding him.

 

[chrisrich91]

Jalen Suggs just willed Gonzaga to comeback victory down the stretch in the WCC championship.

Wild that he’s a freshman.

 

[Nathan S]

I've noticed that when Sharpe gets going for UNC they pretty much always win.

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

I've noticed that when Sharpe gets going for UNC they pretty much always win.

Guy might have worse touch than Andre Drummond around the basket.

Which has frustrated the hell out of me all season. He has GREAT passing instincts (might be the best passer on the team), and he competes for a big man, but he is a corner-cutter relying on his size and athleticism to give him the advantage and not putting in the work to be better at his craft. Whoever drafts him will need to have a dedicated big man coach just for him to really help him with everything, work out with him and help him learn to approach the game like a pro and put it together.

Jerome James in that motivated year in Seattle right before the Knicks paid him and he stopped trying hard. Jamal Maagloire at Kentucky on offense, not defense. Big Kat was tough on D. Sharpe is ok and has good timing on weakside blocks but needs to work on technique and effort.

I'm MUCH more intrigued with Kessler coming back next year and then what he could look like as a pro prospect next summer. I think he had close to 10 blocks tonight and he's really starting to show growth from the beginning of the season.

 

[Nathan S]

Another excellent game for Josh Giddey today, with 19 points, 7 boards, and 11 assists. He's now the second prospect in this class averaging over 10 boards and 10 assists per 100 possessions...can anyone guess who the other is? It's not Scottie Barnes (just short on rebounds at 9.8 per 100).