[ndbigdaveParticipant]

I am curious, now that we are two days away from the draft, who other NBA Draft fans are willing to "pound the table for" as being too low. I would like to see who, and why, you think a guy currently being billed as a late first round pick or even second round pick should be getting more consideration for the lottery. Who has the general media been overhyping or overlooking? I have a few names I will throw out, but I dont want to bias the discussion. I would like to see what the community thinks. 

[ChrispyParticipant]

 Josh Okogie is a lottery talent. He has a an NBA fit, with his floor being a 6th man 3 and D player, but with a major ceiling upside. Still 19 with 2 years college experience, insane body and athleticism and NBA range. How he is listed in the 2nd by many is beyond me. To me he should be sqaurely in back end of the lottery or right after. His range for me is 14-25. I love this kid.

[zcnumerounoParticipant]

 Josh Okogie…

Why I like him:

– great athlete, elite length, "dog" defensively, posted good numbers at GaTech, legit two-way upside

What’s Wrong?

– decision-making, on-the-ball creating Q marks

Despite being relatively raw and somewhat rough-ish around the edges, the talent and physical profile is there for a really good two-way player in the league. It boggles me that this site, along with many others, have him as a second round pick… at the earliest I see him going 27 to the Celtics… I think he has lottery talent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lakesidebenParticipant]

 Josh Okogie?

[ndbigdaveParticipant]

A name I think is almost never mentioned (or at least never mentioned positively) is Gary Trent Jr. and while I understand he has holes in his game (size, athleticsm, defense) there are also some undeniable value in his game.

Shooting. In the modern NBA where spacing is key, space is created by shooting. Trent was over 40% in his lone season at Duke and that is shooting at a high volume (over 6 attempts per game). The partial counter to this is that he benefited from playing as a 3rd scorer (if not a 4th or 5th scorer on given nights) and got looks off of Bagley and Carter – while this is at least partially true, I think its a role he would be expected to play on any team that drafts him. He has already demonstrated that he can produce while not being "the man" on his team. I like the fact that he was able to hit the magic 40% mark from the three-point line and his stroke is fluid from the free-throw line as well at 87.6%

 Athlete. I also think his athletcism is being under sold. Gary put up a 3.08 shuttle, a 39.5 max vertical along with a 33.5 standing vertical. I am not willing to put him in the "elite" category as an athlete, but he is far from "bad."

Size. He is a legit 6’6" in shoes, solid/thick built and isnt afraid to rebound averaging 4.2 per game on a team with two major rebounders collecting most of them.

Scoring. I know I menionted his shooting, but it isnt like Trent is forced to be a shooting specialist that needs to just sit in a corner (though he could do that) I think he has tremendous scoring instincts and can use his threat of shooting the three to attack a close out to finish with pull-up jumpers, floaters or attacking the rim. As a complimentry scorer to your "star" or as the leading scorer for the bench Trent has a lot of value and I think is a known quantity in that respect.

His defense has not been good to date, but part of that was Duke simply playing zone this past year and him being "the man" offensively where he was exerting almost all his energy on scoring. I think with his height/length/build and athleticsm he can be a passable defender if he buys in an puts forth the effort.

My comp is Eric Gordon. Trent is technically taller, but Trent’s slash line for shooting is far superior to Gordon’s college production. Trent could play a similar type NBA role while not having the injury history. I also think the two are built quite similarly.

Give me trent in the late lottery over many of the "unknowns" or guys purely being picked on potential and especially in front of those without a real shot yet. Worst case Trent is a shooting specialist, if he buys into defense he could be much more than that with his offensive game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[whiteflashParticipant]

 Trent’s athletic numbers are inflated. When you watch him play, he looks fairly slow and very un-explosive. There’s no way he has a legit 40" vert. Gordon gets dunks in traffic, Trent gets layups on the break. He doesn’t look like an NBA player to me.

Edit: just looked it up, and Trent completely sandbagged his standing reach. He’s 6’6" with a 6’9" wingspan but only had an 8’2" standing reach, which is physically impossible. You can subtract at least 4" off that vert and add it to his reach.

 

[ndbigdaveParticipant]

 A fair critique, I was just going off of the listed numbers. His game is definitely not predicated on him being an explosive athlete, but there may be a narative that he is a total non-athlete which I think is a bit unfair.

What will aid him, even while not being a great athlete is simply being a shooting threat. That opens so much up for him to pump and hit a jumper or get to the lane for a floater. He demonstrated an ability to do this in college and I see no way why he couldnt continue to do that at the NBA level with even more space an a more open lane – its unlikely almost any team he goes to will have to paint-focused big guys.

The key, above all for me is the shooting. If you can knock down shots, stretch the floor and be a threat then you will have a long career (See: Korver, Redick and a host of others) if you can be something a bit more than just a sniper then your value climbs a lot. Granted, Trent is not on the Korver level shooter, though he was ahead of JJ’s college pace as a frosh. 

I think Trent can be a scoring weapon while not being an huge liability on defense, his size/length plus bulk allows him to fight through screens and not get dominated with a switch against taller wings. He may be beat one on one but that is why teams employ a rim protector.

 

 

 

[whiteflashParticipant]

 That’s fair. Didn’t intend to critique your post, just point out that he fudged his athletic numbers. 

[morestealsthanscoresParticipant]

 Omari Spellman. Genuinely – if I was the Clippers, I’d be looking at him with one of my two lottery picks. How many centres are there that play defense both inside and on the perimeter, shoot threes, accept their role and do all the little things that help a team win? There’s flashes of a poor man’s Draymond there – and that skill set is pretty darn rare. He’s built enough to cope with bigger centres and quick enough to cope with smaller ones – there’s no way to force him off the floor in matchups at either end. Do I think you could build a great team with him as one of your top two players? No. Do I think he could be a valuable starter on a championship winning team? Yes.

[The GoatParticipant]

 Mo Wagner – I think his game will translate really well to the league. He’ll never be Olajuwon on defense but there are worse guys than him out there. On offense, he will make his way however he has to do it, inside or out. He has a reliable jumper  and really strong personal drive. He has a a great skill set for a 5 or 4/5. He is a first rounder from what Ive seen. I really like the fit with Utah, Boston and Philly who all pick in the 20s. I think he would fit well on the Spurs too. 

Josh Okogie is my bolter. I have him going to Denver at 14. The Nugs dont really have a standout need at any position, they have a bit of depth with Harris, Barton and Chandler getting the majority of wing minutes. Its a great fit. 

 

 

 

[SmooveKRYPTParticipant]

There’s not 10 players better than him in this draft. But with the PG position being oversaturated, he’s projected to go towards the back of the lottery. A guy with his talent level, athleticism, worth ethic, intelligence, and passion is bound to be successful in the league. He’s ultra competitive, plays both sides of the ball, and has an infectious energy that can lift those around him. If I’m a team like PHX, I’m trying to trade up from 16 to get him. Sexton, Booker, Jackson, and Ayton is a very strong young core.

[Author]

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