[qDizzle32Participant]

Assumming Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Smart, Randle and Exum all declare for the draft, which of those players is the most likely to be the odd man out by falling out of the Top 5? Those six alone just show how bad last year’s draft class really was compared to this year, because there was no unanimous #1 pick last year…..In a bad way meaning there was nobody good enough.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

You didn’t mention Marcus Smart, but I assume he is the 6th player

I’d guess Randle.  I worry about his lack of offensive versatility and struggles on the defensive end.  Plus, he probably isn’t going to look as good at the combine or in workouts as the other guys.

Exum is the real wild card.  He could rocket up draft boards if he has great workouts, but poor ones could really hurt him.  I haven’t seen enough of him to have a firm opinion on his game.

I think Wiggins, Embiid, and Parker are all pretty much lock top-5 picks.  Just too talented to pass up.  Embiid just keeps getting better (see his domination of Iowa State in the 2nd half) and Wiggins has steadily improved as well.  And Parker is too talented to stay in his current slump for too long and he should look great in workouts due to his polished handles and shooting ability.  

I think Smart is just too solid of a player to be a likely candidate to drop out of the top-5.  Some team will fall in love with his work ethic, tenacity and innate court sense.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Didn’t see Marcus Smart’s name in the post originally.  Don’t know if you edited it.  I wonder why I received such negative feedback.  Don’t care about negs, but I wonder what people disagree about with my post.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Didn’t see Marcus Smart’s name in the post originally.  Don’t know if you edited it.  I wonder why I received such negative feedback.  Don’t care about negs, but I wonder what people disagree about with my post.

[Lafferty DanielParticipant]

Sorry, tihs is a mistake free zone.   

 

 

 

[Lafferty DanielParticipant]

Sorry, tihs is a mistake free zone.   

 

 

 

[B-ball fanParticipant]

You didn’t mention Marcus Smart, but I assume he is the 6th player

I’d guess Randle.  I worry about his lack of offensive versatility and struggles on the defensive end.  Plus, he probably isn’t going to look as good at the combine or in workouts as the other guys.

Exum is the real wild card.  He could rocket up draft boards if he has great workouts, but poor ones could really hurt him.  I haven’t seen enough of him to have a firm opinion on his game.

I think Wiggins, Embiid, and Parker are all pretty much lock top-5 picks.  Just too talented to pass up.  Embiid just keeps getting better (see his domination of Iowa State in the 2nd half) and Wiggins has steadily improved as well.  And Parker is too talented to stay in his current slump for too long and he should look great in workouts due to his polished handles and shooting ability.  

I think Smart is just too solid of a player to be a likely candidate to drop out of the top-5.  Some team will fall in love with his work ethic, tenacity and innate court sense.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

I don’t see Parker, Embiid nor Wiggins falling out of top 3, Exum will be taken top 5 because GM’s don’t have enough to pick on him for and seem to love going sight unseen, Kanter might have benefited from not playing in college since he ended up going 3. I’m assuming that Randle will measure shorter than ideal but will a great wing span and Smart being labeled a tweener could end up hurting his stock. So it’s between Randle and Smart in my opinion.

My top 6 thought would be

1. Parker- struggling but clearly the most NBA ready
2. Wiggins- Big game tonight and will excel at next level
3. Embiid- Unlike many freshman centers entering a draft he doesn’t seem to have the bust potential
4. Smart- Leadership, strength, size, handles, and an NBA ready defender already
5. Randle- Great hands, footwork, a motor and finisher, but his moves are somewhat predictable
6. Exum- Never seen him play so hard to say, if he played NCAAB he might be in my top 3, but maybe that’s why I’m not a scout

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

I don’t see Parker, Embiid nor Wiggins falling out of top 3, Exum will be taken top 5 because GM’s don’t have enough to pick on him for and seem to love going sight unseen, Kanter might have benefited from not playing in college since he ended up going 3. I’m assuming that Randle will measure shorter than ideal but will a great wing span and Smart being labeled a tweener could end up hurting his stock. So it’s between Randle and Smart in my opinion.

My top 6 thought would be

1. Parker- struggling but clearly the most NBA ready
2. Wiggins- Big game tonight and will excel at next level
3. Embiid- Unlike many freshman centers entering a draft he doesn’t seem to have the bust potential
4. Smart- Leadership, strength, size, handles, and an NBA ready defender already
5. Randle- Great hands, footwork, a motor and finisher, but his moves are somewhat predictable
6. Exum- Never seen him play so hard to say, if he played NCAAB he might be in my top 3, but maybe that’s why I’m not a scout

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

The crazy thing about this is Aaron Gordon could end up going top-5 and two of those players drop out.

I think the likely candidates to drop out are Julius Randle and Dante Exum for simple reasons.

Julius Randle’s size, athleticism, and bully-style may make some teams uncomfortable because that might limit him in the NBA.

Dante Exum is an enigma.  He could very well be the best player in this draft or could be a fringe starter in his prime.  Who knows?

[jwall1Participant]

 What gm in their right mind would take Aaron Gordon over Randle or Exum? Randle is above average athletically for his size and is almost identical size wise to Aaron Gordon. Exum is a mystery but highly regarded amongst scouts.. I think Gordon will be a respectable starting PF in the league but he just is not on par talent wise with Julius Randle..

[jwall1Participant]

 What gm in their right mind would take Aaron Gordon over Randle or Exum? Randle is above average athletically for his size and is almost identical size wise to Aaron Gordon. Exum is a mystery but highly regarded amongst scouts.. I think Gordon will be a respectable starting PF in the league but he just is not on par talent wise with Julius Randle..

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m not saying I would take Gordon over Randle but year after year, there’s always a pick that stands out as odd.

If there’s a player that’s going to be "reached" for, it’s Gordon.  I think Gordon might have a higher ceiling than Randle albeit a much lower floor.  Randle is what we consider a safe pick because he’s ultra talented for a guy his age but he does have some limits, which is why the Zach Randolph comparison suits him.  Can he play with the bigger bodies in the NBA?  Physically, he is average, if not slightly below because of his small wingspan relative to his height in comparison to other NBA stars and defenders.

I think Randle can range anywhere from Carlos Boozer to David West to Zach Randolph whereas Aaron Gordon can range anywhere from Donte Green to a Jamison/Griffin hybrid.

Of course, all of this is speculating and we won’t know with certaintly for another 5-7 years.

Now, let’s say Utah has the 5th pick with Embiid, Parker, Wiggins, and Smart all gone, do they take a PF in Randle, a PG/SG in Exum or a SF/PF in Gordon?  I’m sure they would, at the very least, consider taking Gordon and sliding Hayward to the 2, right?

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m not saying I would take Gordon over Randle but year after year, there’s always a pick that stands out as odd.

If there’s a player that’s going to be "reached" for, it’s Gordon.  I think Gordon might have a higher ceiling than Randle albeit a much lower floor.  Randle is what we consider a safe pick because he’s ultra talented for a guy his age but he does have some limits, which is why the Zach Randolph comparison suits him.  Can he play with the bigger bodies in the NBA?  Physically, he is average, if not slightly below because of his small wingspan relative to his height in comparison to other NBA stars and defenders.

I think Randle can range anywhere from Carlos Boozer to David West to Zach Randolph whereas Aaron Gordon can range anywhere from Donte Green to a Jamison/Griffin hybrid.

Of course, all of this is speculating and we won’t know with certaintly for another 5-7 years.

Now, let’s say Utah has the 5th pick with Embiid, Parker, Wiggins, and Smart all gone, do they take a PF in Randle, a PG/SG in Exum or a SF/PF in Gordon?  I’m sure they would, at the very least, consider taking Gordon and sliding Hayward to the 2, right?

[jwall1Participant]

After seeing many of Arizona’s games I just could not see Gordon being an effective SF in the NBA. If he had a better midrange game things would be different, but it is just not good enough right now. Gordon and Randle are close in height and wingspan, but Gordon will be more prone to struggling as a 4 due to lack of weight and muscle (Gordon is around 215 and Randle is 250). I think the only way the ZBo comparison suits Randle is striclty on size. Randolph does not have the athleticism or mobility Randle has. I could see the Jazz taking a chance on a guy like Exum or taking Randle and moving Favors to the 5 over taking Gordon… Just my opinion.

[jwall1Participant]

After seeing many of Arizona’s games I just could not see Gordon being an effective SF in the NBA. If he had a better midrange game things would be different, but it is just not good enough right now. Gordon and Randle are close in height and wingspan, but Gordon will be more prone to struggling as a 4 due to lack of weight and muscle (Gordon is around 215 and Randle is 250). I think the only way the ZBo comparison suits Randle is striclty on size. Randolph does not have the athleticism or mobility Randle has. I could see the Jazz taking a chance on a guy like Exum or taking Randle and moving Favors to the 5 over taking Gordon… Just my opinion.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

The crazy thing about this is Aaron Gordon could end up going top-5 and two of those players drop out.

I think the likely candidates to drop out are Julius Randle and Dante Exum for simple reasons.

Julius Randle’s size, athleticism, and bully-style may make some teams uncomfortable because that might limit him in the NBA.

Dante Exum is an enigma.  He could very well be the best player in this draft or could be a fringe starter in his prime.  Who knows?

[qDizzle32Participant]

I’ve only watched Exum play 3 times before. Last year’s Nike Hoop Summit and I watched him play twice in the U19 World Championships. All 3 times I was very impressed with his game. As far as attacking the basket, he is by far the best finisher in this class. Even is a very coordinated ball handler. Doesn’t have Michael Carter-Williams’ ability to pass the ball but still could get a decent amount of assists at the NBA level. As much as I admire his ability to finish around the basket, what I admire the most is his high IQ. If you watch his scouting video from DraftExpress, you’ll be able to see that he even moves good without the ball and is a great on ball defender. When USA tortured his Austrailian team last summer, I really felt bad for him because how the rest of his team sucked and how he practically had to score every posession. He wouldn’t have averaged 18 points a game if he had played for a more loaded roster like Team USA’s but I still believe that he was the best player in the tournament. He could probably play either guard position in the NBA although it is very hard to determine which one would be his primarly position. I do find it being ironic how 2 of the 3 best foriegn players in this draft’s fathers (Exum and Wiggins) are both natives of North Carolina who lived life in other countries even after their pro careers.

[qDizzle32Participant]

I’ve only watched Exum play 3 times before. Last year’s Nike Hoop Summit and I watched him play twice in the U19 World Championships. All 3 times I was very impressed with his game. As far as attacking the basket, he is by far the best finisher in this class. Even is a very coordinated ball handler. Doesn’t have Michael Carter-Williams’ ability to pass the ball but still could get a decent amount of assists at the NBA level. As much as I admire his ability to finish around the basket, what I admire the most is his high IQ. If you watch his scouting video from DraftExpress, you’ll be able to see that he even moves good without the ball and is a great on ball defender. When USA tortured his Austrailian team last summer, I really felt bad for him because how the rest of his team sucked and how he practically had to score every posession. He wouldn’t have averaged 18 points a game if he had played for a more loaded roster like Team USA’s but I still believe that he was the best player in the tournament. He could probably play either guard position in the NBA although it is very hard to determine which one would be his primarly position. I do find it being ironic how 2 of the 3 best foriegn players in this draft’s fathers (Exum and Wiggins) are both natives of North Carolina who lived life in other countries even after their pro careers.

[Jester87Participant]

I’d say Exum, because some teams might have doubts considering the level of competition he’s played against. But lack of exposure may also help him. I guess it depends a lot on how the lottery plays out, Wiggins-Embiid-Parker all seem locks for the top 5 (unless Parker continues struggling), while Randle is close, but if teams in the 3-5 range don’t need a big man he might slip out, and it’s pretty much the same for Smart.

 

[Jester87Participant]

I’d say Exum, because some teams might have doubts considering the level of competition he’s played against. But lack of exposure may also help him. I guess it depends a lot on how the lottery plays out, Wiggins-Embiid-Parker all seem locks for the top 5 (unless Parker continues struggling), while Randle is close, but if teams in the 3-5 range don’t need a big man he might slip out, and it’s pretty much the same for Smart.

 

[max23Participant]

 I dont know if Smart is a lock yet for the top 5,but this upcoming game saturday against Kansas could be huge for his stock.Being likely guarded by Wiggins and Selden,and with Embiid waiting in the paint,if he has a big game offensively and Okstate wins,he would be a lock for top 5 and possibly top 4(well unless he goes through a major slump after).I really hope it for him,i like him as an all around player.

[max23Participant]

 I dont know if Smart is a lock yet for the top 5,but this upcoming game saturday against Kansas could be huge for his stock.Being likely guarded by Wiggins and Selden,and with Embiid waiting in the paint,if he has a big game offensively and Okstate wins,he would be a lock for top 5 and possibly top 4(well unless he goes through a major slump after).I really hope it for him,i like him as an all around player.

[jwall1Participant]

I agree, something tells me when it is all said and done Smart will be regarded as one of the top 3 prospects coming from this draft. He could be really good.

[jwall1Participant]

I agree, something tells me when it is all said and done Smart will be regarded as one of the top 3 prospects coming from this draft. He could be really good.

[jwall1Participant]

I agree, something tells me when it is all said and done Smart will be regarded as one of the top 3 prospects coming from this draft. He could be really good.

[jwall1Participant]

I agree, something tells me when it is all said and done Smart will be regarded as one of the top 3 prospects coming from this draft. He could be really good.

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