Official 2016 Draft Thread

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

The thing that's striking about this draft for us is that most of the guys we have coalesced around - Dunn, Hield, and Murray - all play positions filled by players that we could argue are "set" for us in terms of starters. Now I know Pork and Duke think Rubio should be in the Chilean or Thai league, but I think most of us believe he's a good starting PG that can quarterback an outstanding team, so long as there are other stars on it. And while LaVine is far from a finished product, I think most of us were very encouraged by his play when he finally played SG full-time.

Does anyone believe we should avoid these three prospects and do everything possible to land a young PF prospect?

(my own view is that we can go in a ton of different directions with this pick, so I don't really have a strong opinion about it).

Always take BPA in the draft and only think of fit as a tie breaker for prospects on equal levels. By the time most guys drafted become good players the teams they are on could look totally differently than when they were drafted. I think outside of Bender there isn't another big in that second tier of players so take BPA and let them beat out the incumbent if they are good enough. You never know what could happen to open up playing time for guys stuck behind other guys. Ricky could tweak his ankle again and be out two weeks. Would we rather have to then rely on Tyus to run the show with who knows who as his backup? Or would we rather have Dunn and Tyus to handle the load? I think if Zach goes down Wiggins is already there to fill in as a good starter option, but then we'd have Wiggins and Hield or Murray to fill in if we landed one of them. That's why I think you take BPA because you never know what could happen to get them an opportunity to prove themselves.

I agree with you and that's why I'm not really opposed to taking any of those three guys mentioned. Anything can happen. That being said, it's often difficult to clearly differentiate between every single prospect and so instead teams tend to put them in tiers. In the case you have two guys in the same tier, it makes sense to go with the one that fits your team's functional/positional needs the most. It's not clear to me there is a PF that is in the same tier as Hield/Dunn/Murray.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I think Buddy is the best of those three (Hield, Dunn, Murray). Can somebody convince me otherwise?

I'm willing to be convinced. I just think it would be interesting to hear the most sound, logical, convincing arguments we could put together for these guys.

[TheFuture]

Has anyone else read/watched much on AJ Hammons center out of Purdue? He's old at 24, and hasn't always asserted himself, but by looking at the numbers he seems to wreak havoc when he wants to. At 7 foot 270 pounds he is a load, and he's also athletic. Rebounds, blocks shots extremely well, has an advanced offensive game. I know he has character flags, and has been in the coaches doghouse many times over his college career. He is projected to go late first/early 2nd because of the age/character concerns, but looks to be worth a flyer. Worth the risk of buying an early 2nd rounder? Maybe Payne can still net one?

Well, I was looking at more on him and saw his Wikipedia page at the top of google says he died may 27th? I can't find any other news on that, anyone else know something?

[TheFuture]

I think Buddy is the best of those three (Hield, Dunn, Murray). Can somebody convince me otherwise?

I'm willing to be convinced. I just think it would be interesting to hear the most sound, logical, convincing arguments we could put together for these guys.

Flip's vision was to build a team of two-way players, and it is hard to make an argument that Thibs will differ from that route. I'd argue he will put more weight to the defensive side of a prospect. I'm also slightly confused about the huge desire for a shooter. The playoff effect/warrior effect is obviously having an influence on this. I disagree on following a current trend, when we are likely at least 2 more full seasons away from being a real threat in the west. I am all for sticking to a plan that has this team on a path to success for the first time in a decade, with more hope than we ever have had in the organizations existence. We showed last year that we can hang offensively with anybody. On the other hand, defense is a completely different story, and our 2nd unit was so bad defensively that you wished our starting 5 could play all game.

Dunn is the only player in that group of three that possesses a known commodity on the defensive side of the ball. Murray/Hield may progress into decent defenders, but Dunn will be at least an average defender right away in the NBA, with the potential to be a shutdown defensive player. He possesses the ability to not cause a catastrophic drop-off on defense when Rubio has to take a breather. That would be huge for this team. On offense, Dunn is no slouch. When he's compared to two great scoring prospects, sure he leaves something to be desired. It's hard to argue that Dunn is not capable on offense though when he has more length than both, is more athletic, is a better ball-handler, and thus is a much better bet to create offense off the dribble than either Hield or Murray.

Murray and Hield will bring shooting, there is no denying that. Everything else about them is really up in the air. Murray may be able to play some PG, Murray and Hield may be able to defend. Hield and Murray may be able to develop better ball handling skills. Murray and Hield may be able to develop better vision/passing ability. Murray and Hield may be athletic enough. You get the idea. There are more questions than proven ability around them than people are admitting.

[Coolbreeze44]

I'm not a Dunn hater, far from it. But I've been asked to make a case why I prefer Bender and Hield more. I DO think it's a bit of a stretch to suggest Dunn can play a lot of minutes at the 2 with Rubio. Teams would collapse in the paint and our offensive efficiency would suffer. I DID watch Dunn play quite a bit last year and his shooting guard skills didn't impress me. He has good point guard ability and would be a nice insurance policy for Ricky. I also tend to agree with what khans is saying. BPA makes sense because you never know what's going to happen in a given season or a couple years down the road. My sense is that BPA would be Bender and Hield after Simmons and Ingram.

[TheFuture]

I'm not a Dunn hater, far from it. But I've been asked to make a case why I prefer Bender and Hield more. I DO think it's a bit of a stretch to suggest Dunn can play a lot of minutes at the 2 with Rubio. Teams would collapse in the paint and our offensive efficiency would suffer. I DID watch Dunn play quite a bit last year and his shooting guard skills didn't impress me. He has good point guard ability and would be a nice insurance policy for Ricky. I also tend to agree with what khans is saying. BPA makes sense because you never know what's going to happen in a given season or a couple years down the road. My sense is that BPA would be Bender and Hield after Simmons and Ingram.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with BPA being the pick, and I honestly will be happy with any of Bender, Dunn, Hield, and Murray. As an armchair scout, I would personally put my $ on Dunn, but I obviously know Thibs/Laydens are more informed than I and I trust them to make the right pick. There has been a lot of great discussion on the 3 guards, and the Murray camp does make a strong case. The most intriguing thing for Murray is his age obviously, and what he accomplished at that age. It's also very possible he grows another inch or two. That would make him strikingly similar to Klay Thompson...

For Hield, outside of his shooting, the most intriguing aspect that distinguishes him for me is his known work ethic. Judging by all reports, you know that guy wants it. He will do anything in his power to improve, and that's what makes a great player. It would be outstanding to add another player possessing the gym rat trait we already have in KAT, LaVine, Shabazz, and Dieng.

[Mr. Brightside [enjin:16464947]]

General thoughts on the players being mentioned in this thread.

1. I'm leaning towards Hield as my favorite for pick #5. He'd add significant shooting and scoring to the bench which will be welcomed with open arms. Can you imagine the open shots he'd get when playing with Rubio? His defense is underrated in my opinion as he has pretty good length and size for the position (6' 9.25" wingspan per DX). The only concern I have with him is that he might need a high volume of shots to be effective. However, shooting/scoring is always welcome. He'd instantly be the best shooter on roster, too. Hield's floor is a more athletic JJ Reddick with a pretty good ceiling, even though he's slightly older than other prospects. I love Hield's fit.

2. Kris Dunn is right behind Hield for me. As others have mentioned, he'd immediately bring an upgrade defensively to the squad. I like Tyus (I think he's a DJ Augustine type player, eventually), but Dunn would easily supplant him as the back-up PG. He would add a totally different dimension to the bench play and could honestly play the 2 spot in some situations (although his shooting is very average). Phenomenal length and size with above average athleticism makes Dunn extremely intriguing. I'm not advocating trading Rubio as I'm a huge Rubio backer, and I believe he has tangibles that cannot be measured in a box score. However, Dunn would give us some insurance if Rubio never improves as a jumpshooter/finisher around the rim. I just love the defensive potential and dynamic Dunn would bring. John Wall is my ceiling for Dunn.

3. Jamal Murray is third for me behind the guys above. He won't be the defender that Dunn will be and wont quite be the shooter/scorer that I believe Hield will turn out to be. Murray would definitely add scoring/shooting, but he just doesn't seem to fit as well as the other two. Reminds me a little bit of Eric Gordon.

I think it comes down to these 3, really. I want absolutely nothing to do with Marquese Chriss due to lack of rebounding and defense. He was historically bad as a rebounder in college and gives little effort on defense. Reports are that his BBIQ is low as well. Skal Labissiere is the big I would take a gamble on if I had to at #5.

[TheFuture]

If anyone is curious on watching some good tape on Valentine/Davis and Dunn/Bentil this one is worth your time.

[youtube]tSxT4_n0NGw[/youtube]




If you don't have time for the full game, here are the highlights.



[youtube]onjrtID8eqY[/youtube]

[bleedspeed]

Brightside - I am debating on Chriss. I think that is down to the scouts and coaching staff to decide if they can develop him. I think he can be coached to play defense and since he was good on the offensive boards should be able to rebound at Thad levels. I really worry about his BBIQ and not passing. How often do low BBIQ guys workout?

I wonder if he would have went to another school that didn't play with so many young guys if he would have looked better. Here is a good write-up.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/4/27/11505978/marquese-chriss-nba-draft-2016-scouting-report-washington

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I'm not a Dunn hater, far from it. But I've been asked to make a case why I prefer Bender and Hield more. I DO think it's a bit of a stretch to suggest Dunn can play a lot of minutes at the 2 with Rubio. Teams would collapse in the paint and our offensive efficiency would suffer. I DID watch Dunn play quite a bit last year and his shooting guard skills didn't impress me. He has good point guard ability and would be a nice insurance policy for Ricky. I also tend to agree with what khans is saying. BPA makes sense because you never know what's going to happen in a given season or a couple years down the road. My sense is that BPA would be Bender and Hield after Simmons and Ingram.

For Hield, outside of his shooting, the most intriguing aspect that distinguishes him for me is his known work ethic. Judging by all reports, you know that guy wants it. He will do anything in his power to improve, and that's what makes a great player. It would be outstanding to add another player possessing the gym rat trait we already have in KAT, LaVine, Shabazz, and Dieng.

Yeah, that seems pretty crucial to me too. Hield just seems to have the kind of intangible quality that makes players just keep getting better, which bodes well for his defense and his overall impact on our team, IMO.

Good ideas on Dunn and Murray, guys. Keep 'em coming.