Which 2018 NBA draft prospects do you predict will have the best NBA careers?
Printable View
Which 2018 NBA draft prospects do you predict will have the best NBA careers?
Ayton should be as good as all of the hype.
Wendall Carter is just a baller. He can block anyone's shot. He can rebound with the big boys.
The Luka Doncic hype is interesting. I will have to wait and see on him.
an underrated PG is Jevon Carter. That kid is tougher than a $2 steak cooked well-done.
Jevon Carter is Patrick Beverly 2.0.
Doncic and Bamba are the most interesting to me because their ceilings are the most difficult to project.
[QUOTE=Jailblazers7]Jevon Carter is Patrick Beverly 2.0.
Doncic and Bamba are the most interesting to me because their ceilings are the most difficult to project.[/QUOTE]
I agree with all of this. It seems like a lot of people have soured a bit on Bamba, because of how raw he is, but I'm fascinated by the idea that he brings a definable skill, he will rim protect, and he can switch out on smaller guys. I suppose he could wind up being Willie Caulie-Stein.
Ayton scares me a bit because I'm afraid his offensive game and defensive weaknesses are fools gold. Just good enough to be impossible to replace, but not good enough to get you anywhere the way the game is played now.
I do worry about Doncic's athleticism limiting him. But because he can play both on and off the ball, I feel like his floor is high in addition to the huge ceiling if he can become a legit playmaker.
I love Carter too as a second round backup PG. I've seen him in person up close a couple times over the last couple years, and he will be a hazard defensively, especially only being asked to play more limited minutes.
[QUOTE=Thorpesaurous]I agree with all of this. It seems like a lot of people have soured a bit on Bamba, because of how raw he is, but I'm fascinated by the idea that he brings a definable skill, he will rim protect, and he can switch out on smaller guys. I suppose he could wind up being Willie Caulie-Stein.
Ayton scares me a bit because I'm afraid his offensive game and defensive weaknesses are fools gold. Just good enough to be impossible to replace, but not good enough to get you anywhere the way the game is played now.
I do worry about Doncic's athleticism limiting him. But because he can play both on and off the ball, I feel like his floor is high in addition to the huge ceiling if he can become a legit playmaker.
I love Carter too as a second round backup PG. I've seen him in person up close a couple times over the last couple years, and he will be a hazard defensively, especially only being asked to play more limited minutes.[/QUOTE]
I think the best scenario for each player would be Bamba to Dallas and Doncic to Memphis.
Bamba feels like a perfect big for Rick Carlisle and absorbing wisdom from Dirk would be great. He definitely seems like a smart, hard working player so he could really have a chance to develop there. Plus, he'd be a perfect pair with Dennis Smith as a pick and roll rim runner and would cover up for Smiths defense weaknesses.
Doncic to Memphis just feels right to me. He'd instantly fit with Conley and Gasol on the court and they'd be great mentors for him as he transitions to the NBA. He'd get more reps as the leading man in Sacramento and Atlanta but I just don't trust those organizations.
The back half of the lottery gets more interesting because there are a lot of wings who haven't separated themselves. Philly is in an interesting spot because taking a PG would signal a lack of confidence in Fultz but a wing like Mikal Bridges might be redundant with a player like RoCo.
One guy I like a lot on the 1st/2nd round bubble is Khyrie Thomas out of Creighton. He feels like an instant 3&D guard who can be paired with an offensively talented PG to relieve the defensive burden.
[QUOTE=Jailblazers7]I think the best scenario for each player would be Bamba to Dallas and Doncic to Memphis.
Bamba feels like a perfect big for Rick Carlisle and absorbing wisdom from Dirk would be great. He definitely seems like a smart, hard working player so he could really have a chance to develop there. Plus, he'd be a perfect pair with Dennis Smith as a pick and roll rim runner and would cover up for Smiths defense weaknesses.
Doncic to Memphis just feels right to me. He'd instantly fit with Conley and Gasol on the court and they'd be great mentors for him as he transitions to the NBA. He'd get more reps as the leading man in Sacramento and Atlanta but I just don't trust those organizations.
The back half of the lottery gets more interesting because there are a lot of wings who haven't separated themselves. Philly is in an interesting spot because taking a PG would signal a lack of confidence in Fultz but a wing like Mikal Bridges might be redundant with a player like RoCo.
One guy I like a lot on the 1st/2nd round bubble is Khyrie Thomas out of Creighton. He feels like an instant 3&D guard who can be paired with an offensively talented PG to relieve the defensive burden.[/QUOTE]
I agree with a lot of this too. I know the Dallas - Bamba thing makes a lot of sense because there's some comparison to Tyson Chandler in Bamba, but you could say the same about Nerlens Noel, and that didn't work. Noel seemed much more like a personal conflict, probably stemming all the way back from his Sixers days, and where he falls contractually now. I could actually see the Celtics trying to make a lowball run after Noel, and rumor is that Ainge really loves Bamba, and there's definitely some similarity there.
Doncic makes a ton of sense in Memphis because they use so much of the European style high post game, and he can compliment Conley who might not be able to sustain as much on ball game coming back from the injury.
The Kings are a mess. And Doncic probably screws up whatever they're trying to do with Fox. I read somewhere the other day that it might makes sense for Sacto to see if the Magic would take Fox for that Sixth pick. That would free them up to hand the ball to Doncic comfortably, and then they could still chase the scorer or big they want at six, be it Jackson, Bamba, Porter, or even pair Doncic with Trae Young in the backcourt so they can space the floor off each other, and not guard anyone. It makes sense for Orlando because they need a PG, and Fox is probably still a better prospect than either Young or Sexton.
I actually like Jackson and Bamba better than Ayton and Bagley. But I like all these bigs. This is a great Big draft. As a Celtic fan, I'd be willing to move that Sac pick from next year to get up for one of these bigs, because I don't see how next years' top of the draft, which looks much stronger on the wings, fits their roster, with Hayward, Brown, Tatum, maybe Smart, even Rozier getting more dual PG looks, and even the bench wing depth is good with Ojeli.
That's an interesting idea about the Celtics given the big talent in this draft and their future roster. I'm not sure what trade would work tho since trading out of the top 5 this year would probably require the future Sacramento pick and a player. Maybe they could kill two birds with one stone by trading that pick & Marcus Smart so they don't have to make a call on his future past 2019. I have no clue how that works tho with the CBA since Smart is a RFA. I shutter to imagine Danny Ainge pulling off a deal with Sac or someone tho.
I like the idea of Sac trading Fox too. I think he's gonna need to be dealt if they pick Doncic anyway so they might as well pull the trigger now while his value is really high. A Doncic/Bomba pairing would be pretty enviable when they also have Bogdanovic on the wing and Skal Labissiere as a stretch 4. They would actually be fun to watch for the first time in a decade.
I'm with you on Ayton and Bagley. I wouldn't be surprised if Ayton turns out to be awesome but I've heard too many Patrick Ewing comps that have pissed me off. Even if Ayton develops exponentially on defense he will never be close to Ewing as a defender. The safer money is probably that he turns out to be like Boogie Cousins where you aren't sure how to build a team around him despite his crazy talent. I'm less sure on Bagley tho just because he's such a great athlete and his game could fit so well with modern trends. He'll never be a rim protector but I could see him developing a jumper and becoming a really awesome player. I'm probably influenced to make this comp because he's a lefty but I would try to turn him into Chris Bosh.
[QUOTE=Jailblazers7]That's an interesting idea about the Celtics given the big talent in this draft and their future roster. I'm not sure what trade would work tho since trading out of the top 5 this year would probably require the future Sacramento pick and a player. Maybe they could kill two birds with one stone by trading that pick & Marcus Smart so they don't have to make a call on his future past 2019. I have no clue how that works tho with the CBA since Smart is a RFA. I shutter to imagine Danny Ainge pulling off a deal with Sac or someone tho.
I like the idea of Sac trading Fox too. I think he's gonna need to be dealt if they pick Doncic anyway so they might as well pull the trigger now while his value is really high. A Doncic/Bomba pairing would be pretty enviable when they also have Bogdanovic on the wing and Skal Labissiere as a stretch 4. They would actually be fun to watch for the first time in a decade.
I'm with you on Ayton and Bagley. I wouldn't be surprised if Ayton turns out to be awesome but I've heard too many Patrick Ewing comps that have pissed me off. Even if Ayton develops exponentially on defense he will never be close to Ewing as a defender. The safer money is probably that he turns out to be like Boogie Cousins where you aren't sure how to build a team around him despite his crazy talent. I'm less sure on Bagley tho just because he's such a great athlete and his game could fit so well with modern trends. He'll never be a rim protector but I could see him developing a jumper and becoming a really awesome player. I'm probably influenced to make this comp because he's a lefty but I would try to turn him into Chris Bosh.[/QUOTE]
What if Sacto got 6 for Fox, then moved 6 to Boston for their pick from next year back, and Boston's first this year. And / Or Rozier, who would replace some of what Fox does anyway.
Boston has a future Memphis first, and future Clipper first, with some restrictions, and all of their own firsts moving forward.
It took that Sacto pick to move up two spots last year, so it should take more than that to move up from 27. But Rozier. Maybe the Clipper pick.
I wouldn't give up the Memphis pick.
And it would be pretty dependent on Jackson or Bamba being there.
It probably wouldn't look good from Sacto's POV because they'd be getting back their own pick. But smart management knows not to cry over spilt milk, look only forward.
[QUOTE=Thorpesaurous]What if Sacto got 6 for Fox, then moved 6 to Boston for their pick from next year back, and Boston's first this year. And / Or Rozier, who would replace some of what Fox does anyway.
Boston has a future Memphis first, and future Clipper first, with some restrictions, and all of their own firsts moving forward.
It took that Sacto pick to move up two spots last year, so it should take more than that to move up from 27. But Rozier. Maybe the Clipper pick.
I wouldn't give up the Memphis pick.
And it would be pretty dependent on Jackson or Bamba being there.
It probably wouldn't look good from Sacto's POV because they'd be getting back their own pick. But smart management knows not to cry over spilt milk, look only forward.[/QUOTE]
I give that some thought if I were Sac for sure. A team of Doncic/Bogdan/Rozier/Labissiere/top 5 next year would leave them in a pretty good spot. I'd probably rather use the 6 on Bamba and take my chances with finding a PG or wing to fill in the roster thru FA. They already have Frank Mason who could grow into a start able PG as an off-ball shooter & secondary playmaker while Doncic runs the offense through pnr or the high post. Or maybe Justin Jackson improves his shot and turns into a 3&D wing that allows them to play big. Bogdanovic already showed some secondary playmaking ability so I might not be terribly concerned with finding another PG.
as a Suns fan, I think having the #1 pick is sort of a curse. The pressure is on our GM/front office to choose Ayton because he "seems" like a transcendent talent, but in reality, he may not turn out to be that. I still like JJJ more than Ayton. Sounds like we were very impressed by JJJ after working him out, but again, we're kind of forced to pick Ayton.
The fanbse will revolt if we don't pick Ayton.
:(