[Bankroll PJParticipant]

 I know it’s early so I’m not looking into the whole mock draft too much, but how in the world is Gary Trent Jr at #14 and Trevon Duval at #18 if you watched the game vs Michigan State!?!?  Duval looked look like a surefire lottery pick IMO that game. Sure he missed a lot of shots from the perimeter, as did DeAaron Fox last year, but it’s not like he has Lonzo’s form.  And he got to the basket at will! His handle in tight areas was very impressive and his passes were on time and on target. Additionally, he looked to be a very solid defender.  Now onto Gary Trent… he looks to be a shooter and his misses looked good so i won’t knock him for a cold shooting night. However, he couldn’t get by people off the dribble and looked to be an average athlete.  He has some scoring moves, but he didn’t seem to have a great handle or passing vision and he didn’t make an impact on defense either. How does this make him #14??? Now in his defense, Miles Bridges was guarding him, but I see no reason for him to be ranked higher than Duval. And honestly he didn’t even look like a 1st round prospect but I’m aware this is a hot take…. Ok I’m done.

[Robb_CParticipant]

 Bagley’s basketball IQ is very limited, not exactly the brightest basketball player.. I watched him countless times let Michigan St get behind him in the zone.. Most of States offense came from that corner where Bagley was at in the first half.. 

 

 

[Evan_MilbergParticipant]

Little surprised to see Wendell Carter fall to 17. I know he didn’t do that well against MSU, but I think off potential you have to keep him in the lottery for now.

[Anton123Participant]

TBH, I have been confused by Wendell Carter being in the lottery for a while now. He is a traditional strong back to the basket big guy. Not very quick, not much range, not great on switches. He might develop into a Greg Monroe, but nobody wants a guy like Greg Monroe anymore, at least not in the lottery. 

[warson24]

Good to see Miles Bridges finally in the top 10 as this site somehow always underestimated him around 20s….
Moving Lamar Peters from 10th to 19th is also positive, since he looks like a typical nbadraft.net misread prospect. 
Agree with the Duval-Trent debate. Swapping Lagerald Vick #22 with Trier #36 would also make much more sense, Trier is playing extremly well for his already late first projection.
I also think Wendell Carter is low at #17, he was better than his numbers might suggest (reverse of Kevin Knox – who in my mind is going generally overhyped just becasue he isn’t as putrid as the fellow UK counterparts)
I know it’s almost irrelevant at #55, but seeing Aleksa Ilic constantly mocked in the second round is somewhat surprising too, since his lack of development in the past years both physically and skillwise, not to mention he’s playing currently poorly in low competition.
 

[The GoatParticipant]

 ESPN currently reporting ’18 prospect Anfernee Simons now eligible for 17 draft. Not ready to contribute as an NBA player, but how high does he go? 

[GBeeParticipant]

 He’s more of a combo guard or an undersized 2 ATM but I think he has potential to become a PG.  He’s a scorer/shooter first and foremost but appears to have a good feel for the game and a solid IQ with good balance defensively so I could see him making the transition to full time point.  He’s not as creative of a passer or a risk-taker like a D’Angelo Russell, but I could see him being a similar style point…maybe being a purer shooter.  If drafted as a point I could see him benefitting from a weak PG crop in terms of depth and be taken somewhere in the mid to late teens (that’d be the higher end of his projection IMO), but he could get the same treatment as Diallo last year, being devalued because of the lack of exposure.  The difference with Simons though is that I could see him impressing in workouts unlike Diallo because he’s very skilled.  He’s a lights out shooter with a super quick release, an ability to create his own shot to go along with a solid handle and footwork. 

As for this iteration of the mock, players that I’d move up: Carter, Duval, Troy Brown and Allen. Players I’d move down: Williams, McCoy, Trent, Hachimura, Peters.

I think Carter gets discounted because of how polished he is. Mature players tend to have the rep that they don’t have much room for improvement.  He might not have as high of a ceiling as Ayton, Bagley or Bamba, but right now he has the best feel for the game plus skillset out of any big in his class….and that goes for BOTH ends of the floor, not just on offense.  He’s not another Greg Monroe. He’s not a plodder.  He’s actually very good defensively, does his work early, anticipates, plays defense with his feet and body first and he has spring off the floor unlike a Monroe to go along with very good shot blocking instincts.  He’s also not just a back to the basket player.  He was more of a face up big in HS, with a solid mid-range game and expanding range.  As the season goes along,  I think people will be shocked at just how complete of a player he is.

Another player who I’d move way up is Troy Brown.  I think it’s a toss up with Walker as far as who the better SG prospect in this draft is.  Walker hasn’t been able to show what he’s capable of doing because he’s coming off of surgery and tweaked is ankle the other day, but he has all the tools:  shooting, strong build, explosiveness, slashing ability, length and defensive potential, etc.  But IMO Troy Brown is right there.  He’s a got a very mature game, has the size, length, brains, defensive intensity, PG instincts, 2ndary ball-handler potential and I think he’s an underrated shooter.  His improvement as a shooter is IMO what allowed him to regain some of his lost luster as a prospect.  I think he’s better than Trent fairly easily bc he has so many more dimensions to his game.  Trent is a solid shooter, but is streaky (due to his shot selection) and doesn’t really do much else.

Couple of other notes on players I’d move down:

-I worry about Williams’ motor and low IQ

-I haven’t been able to watch UNLV, but I have seen McCoy in other settings prior and unless he’s completely turned the corner as player, I don’t see the hype in him as an NBA prospect.  Sloppy, low IQ, hot/cold motor, more confident than a good shooter, doesn’t have good footwork, doesn’t have great bounce or length for a 7 footer.

-Can somone explain to me what makes Hachimura intriguing? He looks like an undersized PF or a SF with no ball skill. He’s not a great athlete either.

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 He reminds me of Jerryd Bayless from watching YouTube videos.

[kobyzParticipant]

 Carter need to be top 10, he’s a David west clone…

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