[gatorheelsParticipant]

 My Position Rankings.  Top 5 at each position.  These rankings aren’t based on how high each player will be drafted or how good they are now.  These rankings are solely based on how good of an NBA player I think each prospect will become in the future.  

CENTERS (C)

1. Jonas Valanciunas

2. Bismack Biyombo

3. Enes Kanter

4. Keith Benson

5. Nikola Vucevic 

POWER FORWARDS (PF)

1. Kenneth Faried

2. Tristan Thompson

3. Markief Morris

4. Jeremy Tyler

5. Trey Thompkins

SMALL FORWARDS (SF)

1. Derrick Williams

2. Tobias Harris

3. Marcus Morris

4. Kawhi Leonard

5. Chris Singleton

Top 10 GUARDS (PG,SG, Combo)  I just put all the guards together because there is so many players that are not TRUE PGs or SGs. Also a lot of these guys can easily play both positions.  

1. Kyrie Irving

2. Klay Thompson

3. Jimmy Fredette

4. Josh Selby

5. Shelvin Mack

6. Marshon Brooks

7. Alec Burks

8. Brandon Knight

9. Darius Morris

10. Scotty Hopson

Any questions about the rankings? I’ll be glad to explain my thinking.

 

Random Prospect Thoughts: 

Jay Vesely… overrated.

Donatas Montiejunas, Nikola Mirotic, Robin Benzing, Davis Bertans…. might as well stay overseas. Don’t see any of them really helping an NBA team. 

Greg Smith… bust

Jordan Williams…bust

Reggie Jackson, Charles Jenkins, Andrew Goudelock… I wouldn’t mind my favorite team taking any of these guys in the mid to late 2nd round. 

Michael Dunigan is a little overlooked right now. I think he is a solid 2nd round prospect. In a draft that just doesn’t have many talented big men in the 2nd round, Dunigan is a sleeper. 

DeAndre Liggins is better than people think.  One of the top defenders in this draft.  Plus his offensive game is constantly improving. Actually showed an outside shot this season. Word is in practice he would always light it up from 3 point range.  He just has to find a way to bring that offensive confidence in to real games. 

Jordan Hamilton, I’m not sold on him. Not high on him at all as an NBA player.  I know he can score but I personally think there are a lot better scorers in this draft than Hamilton. Especially if they get to take as many shots as he does.  Not sure he can help a team win.

Tyler Honeycutt & Chandler Parson barely missed my top 5 rankings for SFs. I think both will be solid pros. 

Tobias Harris.. still think he is a top 15 pick.  Too much upside. Deep deep shooting range…trust me you will see it in time.

Shelvin Mack.. where is the love?  He was one of the best players in the NCAA tournament. No doubt in my mind he makes a positive impact in the pros. 

Biyombo could be scary good.  His foot speed for a big man is IMPRESSIVE. We all know about his defense. 

Kemba Walker.. can he make it the the NBA? Sure.  But, his size concerns me.  I wouldn’t pick him the lottery.

Brandon Knight… I really like the kid as a person.  But I think picking him at #3 is a pretty big reach.  His upside is limited.  Can he really hang against way more athletic PGs like John Wall, D Rose, etc… Nope

TEAM Thoughts:

The Kings are in a bad spot in this draft.  #7 doesn’t offer much value.  They should make a trade.  Building around Cousins & Tyreke Evans is going to be harder than I expected.

Lakers, a team that needs to get Younger.  This draft is fairly deep with role players.  The Lakers have 4 late 2nd round picks.  They can get some immediate help I think.  There will be some very solid PG/SG towards the end of the draft that can come in & help right away. Lakers will benefit from this draft as much as I hate to say it. I hate the Lakers.

I hope the Heat take Hopson with the 31st pick.  He could learn a lot of from Wade & King James haha.  Yeah I know its not gonna happen, but I can hope. Seriously though I have to think Miami is going to seriously be looking hard at Jeremy Tyler & Keith Benson at that 31st pick. They need size.  I think the Spurs are in the same boat.  They will also consider Tyler & Benson with the 29th pick.

Something tells me that the Houston Rockets & Charlotte Bobcats are going to have an excellent draft.

Something tell me that the Toronto Raptors & Utah Jazz are going to have an awful draft.

I have a feeling the Washington Wizards would be Thrilled if they drafted Biyombo or Valanciunas.  Any of those players would greatly improve their team.  

If the Warriors drafted Fredette that would be fun to watch.  Him & Curry shooting it from DEEP.

No team needs to make a bunch of Trades more than the Minnesota Timberwolves.  This team is a mess right now but has some very nice trading pieces.  If the right moves are made this team could make HUGE improvements. 

At the 17th pick the Knicks draft board shoud look like this Klay Thompson, Fredette, Shelvin Mack, Marshon Brooks, Darius Morris. Knicks fans should be very pleased if New York gets one of those 5 prospects.

Toronto needs to trade Down!  Trade the 5th pick for 2 late 1st round picks.  The Bobcats or Rockets could be potential trade partners.  Toronto needs some guards.  My thinking is for example… Klay Thompson & Josh Selby > Brandon Knight OR Kemba Walker.  There isn’t a PG or SG worth taking with the 5th pick.  Be smart Raptors.  Jazz are in very similar situation to the Raptors & should follow a similar plan.

Blazers draft plan should be simple… Draft the best player available.

All Feedback is welcome.

Looking forward to the Mock Draft Challenge!

 

 

 

 

[EuroBallParticipant]

Like your top 5 for the Forwards and Centers.  The Guys that really impress me the most in this draft is Bismack Biyombo and Jeremy Tyler. I think that Twolves should consider Bismack with the Second Pick give Kevin Love some support Defensively and he’s kinda raw offensively (that can improve). But I hope the Raptor Pick Him with the fifth pick, they need a solid Center if they want to keep the Italian Pasta, but I think Ed Davis and Bismack is the Starting PF and C for the Raptors. Tobias Harris is high on radar for my mock draft, but can he really make that transition to play full time at SF in the NBA. Other than that your Analysis may be at Par at best. 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Just wondering. He has seemed to come into his own quite a bit playing in Europe, and has size and athleticism that could take him places. I am not as high on him as some prospects, but certainly do not feel he will in no way play a role on an NBA team.

Also really am not on the Valanciunas and Biyombo over Kanter bandwagon. Just do not think either has the basketball skill set of Kanter, not to mention that while Biyombo has some strength, Kanter blows him out of the water. The guy is going to be a tank, and while he is in no way a sure thing, I think he is much more ready to be an NBA contributor than either player. I have a hard time seeing either Valanciunas or Biyombo being players than Kanter. They may have more upside due to their length and athleticism, but the only way I see them being better than Kanter is if he gets hurt.

I am a big fan of Klay Thompson, but I have no idea how he will be a better player than some you have listed below him, in particular Brandon Knight. He has a nice skill set and is a solid shooter, but have no real clue if his lateral quickness is such that he will be able to defend 2 guards. He has great size for the position, so that is a plus, but I could see him getting eaten alive off of the dribble. I think Knight has a great head on his shoulders, plus I love his ability to create shots. I see a possibility of him being a very strong PG. Also, as much as I love Shelvin Mack’s toughness, he was a volume shooter in college, and think he is highly overrated in your list.

What do you not like about Jordan Williams? The guy has gotten into great shape and seemed to show a lot this past season at Maryland. He obviously still has work to do, but still think calling a projected late first round pick a bust already is not necessarily the way to go. It would be great to hear some more reasons from a basketball or mental perspective as to why you feel the way you do about certain players. For instance, what makes Biyombo a better player than a Kanter, or why is Josh Selby ranked ahead of more established players? All because of athleticism?

Lastly, it seems incredibly obvious that while you are GatorsHeels, you LOVE Tennessee. But, did that Scotty Hopson video not scare the pants off of you? If you do not know the one I am talking about, look it up, he seemed incredibly delusional about his abilities. While I liked Scotty coming out of HS, he seems incredibly one dimensional and he seems to be oblivious to what his role will be. Has to scare you a bit. Also, while I like Tobias Harris, I might think of taking a Kawhi Leonard or Marcus Morris over him. I find my rankings would differ from yours exponentially, but I appreciate the time you put into it and I thought the presentation was well done. Keep it up, and really hope you can answer some of these questions.

[mwalling2117Participant]

I like the bold predictions.  To many times on here people only say what is politically correct and dont say what they truely feel.  I disagree about Vessly and how high your are on Josh Selby, and I agree with you about Brandon Knight and Tobias Harris (although I would take Kawhi Leonard above him).  Overall good post and thank you for putting your actual opinion.

[TRC1991Participant]

lol at jimmer fredette and stephen curry in the same backcourt…the lack of defense being played would be quite excruciating to watch

[TimbosliceParticipant]

You lost me quickly… Kanter 3rd among centers??? Idk man, valanciunas might be ok but biyombo is all potential and hype right now

[TimbosliceParticipant]

As I keep reading, knight 8th among guards??!!? Idk if bold is the word for these predictions. However I do like the fareid pick, his motor and rebounding will keep him around for a long time

[NashyMingParticipant]

I don’t agree with:

"Toronto needs to trade Down! Trade the 5th pick for 2 late 1st round picks. The Bobcats or Rockets could be potential trade partners. Toronto needs some guards. My thinking is for example… Klay Thompson & Josh Selby > Brandon Knight OR Kemba Walker. There isn’t a PG or SG worth taking with the 5th pick. Be smart Raptors. Jazz are in very similar situation to the Raptors & should follow a similar plan."

I think the Raptors need a defensive C more than anything.  We already have Jerryd Bayless who still has potential to develop into a solid starting PG (I would say 50/50).  At #5, Bismack Biyombo and Jonas Valanciunas would be my preferences.  I hope BC is smart enough to take one of them.

Regarding the big man situation with Raptors, we have a bunch of PFs trying to play Cs, and it had been failing for quite a few years.

Ed Davis is the player to keep unless we can get really good return.

Amir Johnson should be on the block.  As much as I like him, he is just too similar to Ed.

Andrea Bargnani is a PF.  As much as I want him to go, I would try to get value in return.

 

[JNixonParticipant]

I simply don’t understand why people like Biyambo so much and they are falling for the okey doke. Talk about the prototypical late rising shot-blocker who teams think has "potential." Nothing about him says he should be a top 10 or lotto pick really.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

"I simply don’t understand why people like Biyambo so much and they are falling for the okey doke. Talk about the prototypical late rising shot-blocker who teams think has "potential." Nothing about him says he should be a top 10 or lotto pick really."

Well in this weak draft, I don’t think drafting Biyombo in the top-10 would be all that bad. This draft lacks star power, and if there is a team that has scorers but lacks a defensive stopper that is drafting in the top-10, I think drafting Biyombo would be a good move. From the footage I’ve seen of him, he hustles and is a tenacious defender. He’s good man-to-man, on the pick-&-roll, help defense, and is a great shot-blocker. And he’s an OK rebounder (because of his physical tools & hustle, doesn’t have good fundamentals, but this is correctable). If the team that drafts him doens’t need him to score, I think he would be a great addition.

[JNixonParticipant]

He’s not a defensive stopper though. He’s a shot-blocker, and there is a difference. Weak draft or not, if you’re picking in the lotto you look for a guy who can start and contribute production, even if it’s later on down the line. I’m not sure this guy will ever be a true starting C or be productive enough to live up to his draft spot. He’s a 6’9 C, and one who literally came out of nowhere to become a top 10 pick.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

To spend a top 10 pick on a Center who does not score? You want to acquire the most complete basketball player you can possibly find. Unless Biyombo is a shut down defender, which I do not believe he is, than I would not be so high on his prospects. Serge Ibaka is a great shot blocker, and he had loads more of offensive polish than Biyombo, but even he has limitations that are being exposed. Biyombo is an even more raw prospect in my belief, without Ibaka’s speed or freakish athleticism.

Let me make an example that proves why I feel Biyombo may indeed be overrated as a prospect, and this example is Joel Anthony. I am not calling Biyombo Joel Anthony, but this was just something I think is relatable. I was watching the Bulls-Heat Game 1 with friends, and one friend was saying "Joel Anthony’s blocks per minute is incredible!" My reply was, "Very true, but his points per minute are pathetic". If Joel did not play with incredible players, their is little to no way you would want him playing extended minutes due to his limitations. I feel Biyombo may have a ceiling well over Joel, but he might have similar limitations.

Unless he is playing with some pretty incredible players, I doubt we see him make much impact on a team. Their is little way he will block more than a couple shots per game at the most, and while his length may bother some, his constant attempts at blocks will probably leave him out of position quite often and more than likely in foul trouble. I may not be as down on him as BTPH, but I have a hard time rating him higher than some more complete basketball players. Jorrye I think is right on the money in that taking him in the top 10 is a very risky move if you are expecting a good value pick.

[aamir543Participant]

CENTERS (C)

1. Jonas Valanciunas

2. Bismack Biyombo

3. Enes Kanter

4. Keith Benson

5. Nikola Vucevic

I understand that it is your opinion to put Kanter behind Valanciunas and Biyombo, but can you explain your logic behind that. Like why do you think Valanciunas and Biyombo will be more succesful than Kanter

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