[Dog_ShammdogParticipant]

The Draft is over and it was a fun one. I like what a whole lot of teams did from Phoenix consolidating assets to assemble a competitive roster, the Hawks getting their pieces to try their hand at GSW 2.0, the Mavs getting the heir apparent to the Nowitzki throne and a perfect fit next to DSJ etc. But what rookies do you believe have landed in situations that make you confident in them going forward? Here are a few of mine: 

-Lonnie Walker to the Spurs is one of my favorite picks of the draft. If he had gone elsewhere, I wouldn’t be nearly as excited. His athleticism and physicality are top notch, he’s a very smart kid, his jumper is promising off the catch and dribble, and he even has some combo guard abilities. I really like the pairing of him and Murray in the backcourt and can’t wait to see what the Spurs player development staff can get out of him. 

-Mikal Bridges: It was sad to see Philly trade him, but I believe he’s going to be a perfect fit next to Booker, Warren, Jackson and Ayton. Him and Jackson will be a nightmare defensive duo and his efficiency on the offensive end fits in perfectly next to Booker and Ayton who look to have the ball in their hands more often than not for the Suns offense. Bender and Chriss need to get their behinds in gear bc I believe the defensive prowess of Ayton and Bridges could see them losing minutes despite them playing different positions. 

-Elie Okobo: If he reaches his potential then he will be the Suns starting point guard for the next decade. If not, it was a worthy gamble. The Suns could’ve gone after a more ‘sure thing’ like Brunson, Carter or Graham, but Okobo had the best upside for a pg at that stage in the draft and may be closer to being NBA ready than most euros. The guy has been putting up crazt numbers overseas and won’t be asked to shoulder much of a burden on the offensive end. I think he’ll earn his way on to the court with his defense and court savvy as he is a very heady compeitor.

-Luka Doncic and Jalen brunson to the Mavs is going to be just what the doctor ordered imo. With Yogi and DSJ handling the lions share of the PG duties, the Mavs often played a frenetic pace and had issues executing in the halfcourt. Doncic and Brunson are the perfect fix with their ridiculous maturity at such young ages and innante ability to run a team.

-SGA and Jerome Robinson have been selected to be the Clippers backcourt of the future, and I believe they fit in well with the pieces already in place. Deandre Jordan may not be coming back buck I don’t think even Clips fans are too worried about that either way. Lou Williams and Tobias Harris will be complimented well by SGA and Robinson bc SGA is a true point guard with the size to pay with Lou, and Robinson has the combo guard skills to play either guard spot as well. All four will be able to play on the court together, and if Deandre does stay, the clippers will not be an easy out.

-Aaron Holiday to Indiana seems like a perfect fit, unless you’re Joe young who is probably going to be out of the NBA soon. I think Holiday could step right in to the rotation and fill a need as a leader of a second unit and eventually step into a starting role. I believe his leadership, intensity, and aggressive nature would be a perfect pairing with Victor Oladipo. 

-Omari Spelman wound up with the Hawks and is the third three point threat ATL selected in the first round after trading for Young and picking Huerter at 19. I actually like his upside because we’ve still never seen him at an ideal weight, and despite that he’s still made himself into a first round pick and national champion. I’m not sure he can’t become a legit perimeter defending big man if he optimizes his conditioning. Even if not, he’ll be serviceable on both ends at the very least. 

-Rodions Kurucs is apparently hoping to come over ASAP and play for the Nuggets. His buyout is down to $1 mil and I believe he’s the perfect type of wing to play next to Murray and Harris bc he can score off the catch and shoot and can do just enough with the ball in his hands to function as a secondary ballhandler in case they wanted to run some sets for Murray or Harris to get a catch and shoot. If he and MPJ both were to reach their ceilings, I believe they could be a lethal 3/4 combo and a lineup of Murray, Harris, Kurucs, MPJ, Jokic gets me excited. So much offensive potential and would be a very high IQ bunch that you could do a lot with. 

-Kevin Hervey to OKC has gotten hated on a bit in the forum, but I actually loved the pick. Hervey has the size and length of Andre Roberson but with a far superior offensive game. If Hervey can prove to be a plus level defender, or atleast be able to cover 3’s and 4’s, then I could see him making his way into the rotation. His shooting and savvy will get him on the floor first and foremost imo though. 

-Landry Shamet went to the Sixers and is a perfect fit as he can play the 1 and 2 which means he’ll have value leading the second unit as well as be able to compliment the first unit as an off ball catch and shoot guy. His athleticism and physicality are what will determine his NBA success imo. If he can add some strength and stay in front of opposing PG’s, then he might be taking TLC’s spot. I think this pick might also be an indciator that philly doesn’t want to pay Redick what it’ll take to bring him back. 

-Issuf Sanon to the Wizards could be one of the best value picks in this draft or one of the worst. Sanon was a late riser on draft boards but is exactly the type of prospect teams are looking for. Solid size for a PG who is more of a combo at this point, but he shows flashes of some serious talent. Plays with a great and unique pace/sense of urgency that really endeared him to scouts. He jumps off the screen at you with his energy level when you’re watchin him play. Definitely a developmental pick but could be worth the gamble. 

-Gary Trent Jr. slid to Portland at 37 and their FO was thrilled to get him there. They reportedly are planning on having him on the roster and expect him to be in the rotation as a rookie, and I can totally see it. He’s super low maintenance for as potent of an offensive threat as he is, he has an NBA pedigree, strong build, feathery and replicatable jumper, and just has a knack for putting the ball in the hoop without having to dominate it – sounds like a perfect compliment for Lillard and McCollum to me. I’m really excited to see what he becomes and what he can do with the ball in his hands more on Portland’s second unit. 

-Chimezie Metu to the Spurs was one of the only second round picks  I hit (i didn’t get to finish my mock bc I live in rural Ohio and my wifi shit the bed as I was putting on the finishing touches) and I believe SA wanted to add some athleticism to their front line where Aldridge is becoming a bit of a dinosaur. He’s not the greatest shot blocker for his size and not a three point shooter despite his solid shooting mechanics, high level coordination and fluid athleticism, but could be a prototypical modern center if Pops and co can help him put it all together. Aldridge will be a great mentor and Metu is now poised to excede expectations imo. 

There are a few more that I might add in the comments but most of you probably quit reading a while ago anyways. What picks have you excited? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The GoatParticipant]

 Ive been a big supporter of Mo Wagner and I was adamant he was a first round talent. Hes a big guy with a nice shot and offensive variation. He moves his feet well on that end  and I think if you combine that with the fact he plays hard, he has potential to really improve on the other end and work on flaws in his game. 

I also like the Zhaire Smith move Philly pulled. Smith will play 2 next to Ben and lock down the smaller guards. They got another first rounder and saved about a mil dropping back from paying the 10th pick and paying the 16th. Bridges should be a good player but i dont think theyll lose anything with Smith and these two bonuses came along with him. 

 

[Dog_ShammdogParticipant]

I’m happy you commented on Mo, I’m a Lakers fan and didn’t have him on my wishlist but trust Magic and Rob drafting in the range. I was hoping for Anfernee Simons or Mitchell Robinson but knew the chances were slim considering Rob and Magic’s affinity for prospects from blue blood programs.  I was really surprised they went after Bonga but they must have had a higher grade on him on account of his upside, and once again, I trust magic and Rob. 

But about Mo, I do believe he’s going to be a regular in the rotation regardless of how free agency plays out. He’s more nimble and athletic than people give him credit and I don’t think he’s going to be a defensive liability like some assume. I had an early second/late 1st round grade on him, but that range was also short on big men in my rankings so seeing him go in the first wasn’t that much of a surprise. 

I’m still up in the air on the Zhaire Smith/Mikal Bridges trade. I thin Bridges would be an earlier contributor and if they land a big name free agent wing, I believe he’d be an ideal compliment. I’m not sure they’re going to get as much out of Smith as they would Bridges by the time their rookie deals are up, but I could be wrong. If Zhaire Smith can maintain his shooting percentages with an increased volume and deeper 3 pt line, then he’ll be a a steal, but I don’t think that will come for a year or two. I think he can actually play a similar role as an uber athletic mismatch at the 4 on offense and handle the other teams guard on defense so Simmons can guard a post player. Certainly going to make Philly even more fun to watch

 

 

 

[goddagParticipant]

The Wolves bench got a lot better last night after their draft picks. I didn’t like the Okogie pick until I started reading the scouting reports on here and other sites about him. He sounds like he loves playing defense and rebounding, and can shoot the 3 ball at a 36% clip, and that 7 foot wing span, can’t hurt also. And the Diop pick also helped the Wolves a great deal for the same reason. And he also can shoot the ball at a pretty high percentage. Considering a lot of mocks had him going either in the first round or early second, even with the 3 posts before me, he was a steal at pick 48.

Hopefully some of this defense gaurding can rub off on Wiggins. If nothing else Thibs has some guys now that he shouldn’t be afraid of putting out there to play, knowing they will play defense first of all.

I’m excited now to see what they do with Dieng and what free agents they consider going after.

It was a very positive night to be a Wolves fan.

 

 

 

  

[cap777Participant]

 Rodions Kurucs was drafted by the nets, not the nuggets. Not sure why this site has it listed that way.

[JNixonParticipant]

 Aaron Holiday will be a steal for Indiana.

The Hawks at the very least got more exciting and gained more of a sense of direction. 2 good shooters in Rd 1. I wanted Divencinzo to fall to 19, but Huerter might be a Kyle Korver type so I cant complain. Spellman and Graham both are gonna get to prove that they belong too. Im satisfied with this draft, its a start at least.

Divencinzo is gonna be a stud so Milwaukee got good value picking him.

I liked Jacob Evans to Golden State too. 

Lakers added some shooters too, Svi is gonna be like Francisco Garcia lol. 

 

 

 

 

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 The major winners for me are

Lonnie Walker, Spurs: perfect team, perfect fit he has the highest chance of success in the draft IMO.

Luka Doncic, Mavs: He is in the perfect system to build a team around him.

Robert Williams, Celtics: He is the steal of the draft, going to the Celtics he will not have to contribute on offense right away and fits a need and the timeline of the Celtics. 

 

 

 

[The GoatParticipant]

 Everyone is sleeping on Sacramento.. for good reason, it is Sacramento after all.. But Bagley may be the best player in the draft. Even better news for them – word is that Harry Giles is back. Thats a scary thought, he was at the top of his class pre-injury. With Fox and Bogdanovic they have a good young core. 

[kobyzParticipant]

After mavs Clippers are the big winners- at the end, when it all said and done I believe Shai could challenge doncic for best player in this class, west is a genius for getting him that late lottery, you just don’t find often such prospect with great basketball body, natural talent and passion for the game… The Robinson pick also starting to grow on me, can’t doubt west, he know how to recognize gamers whos game translet to the NBA and provide them competetive spirit as a mentor…

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

Kurucs was drafted by the Nets. Either way, I like him as a prospect but Musa is the one I’m excited for. He’s the type of player that will excite home crowds in some games with his shooting. He’s just very entertaining to watch. His personality has a lot to do with it also, he’s got that mean streak t his game.

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