Official 2016 Draft Thread

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Poeltl vs Sabonis is going to be fun to watch. I want both.

[bleedspeed]

Poeltl vs Sabonis is going to be fun to watch. I want both.

Looking forward to this.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

I prefer Sabonis to Poetl.

If the Wolves end up with HOU's 2nd (if they miss the playoffs or have the worst record of all the playoff teams, MIN get the pick, and that could happen), does anybody like that kid from SF Austin? What, he's going to be worse that Flynn or Ebi?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I prefer Sabonis to Poetl.

If the Wolves end up with HOU's 2nd (if they miss the playoffs or have the worst record of all the playoff teams, MIN get the pick, and that could happen), does anybody like that kid from SF Austin? What, he's going to be worse that Flynn or Ebi?

I like Dorian Finney-Smith if we do get that pick and decide to use it rather than sell it.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Ibeh from Texas would be another guy I would target in the second round. He's another big, defensive center who gave UNI big problems trying to score around the basket. 6-10 260 with 5 boards and 2 blocks per game in only 18 MPG's. Averaging 10 boards and 4.5 blocks per 40 with a career defensive rating at 94.4.

[m4gor [enjin:6667447]]

guys can you tell me if there was top1 pick not playing March tournament before? (not counting high school and international kids obviously) ..

Not since 1980. No. 1 overall pick Joe Barry Carroll from Purdue. Thanks for asking that, m4gor.

Thanks for your research Cam. Yea i thought that number1 guys should be at least able to get their team into tournament no matter what basically, esp. Simmons who should be able to run whole NBA offense

m4gor,
See bold. You have made this statement a couple times about Simmons. You do realize he is a 6'10" PF, correct? While he has superb handles and dribbling capability for anyone over 6'6", he will NOT be asked to run an NBA offense. Not sure where this is coming from.

While on subject, Cam made a point about why he may have struggled a bit to get team into tourney. Simmons is a very well rounded offensive player. As stated, he has supreme handles and also showed to be a very willing and creative passer. Those skills, along with being a great rebounder, are probably his top assets at the moment. He is a good scorer as well, but he did not always show that killer scorer mentality. His team was poor, and he looked to facilitate often, with little to show. I don't hold that against him. He could have chosen to hog the ball and jack up unwarranted shots, but the games I saw, he continued to keep teammates involved. I haven't noticed a passive side to Simmons....he just might not be a #1 scoring option at the next level. With everything else he brings, I don't see any red flags here.

this is interview somewhat connected to what we are discussing here,
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Jonathan-Givony-Joins-Colin-Cowherd-on-the-Herd-to-Talk-Ben-Simmons-5392/
i mean, even you describe his main pluses as handle/vision/passing, that is what pg is doing, what is he going to do without the ball? .. and yes i understand he is 6'10 PF, you just have to play him differently, otherwise he is nowhere near no.1 pick imho .. bolded statement is probably too far-fetched though i admit

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

m4gor,
I guess I just don't understand the logic, and I must be missing something huge with this guy. So let me get this straight. Because he can handle the ball extremely well for a PF, and has great vision, but doesn't shoot 3's at a 40 % clip, he is basically a man without a position? Did you miss the fact that he is also averaging 11.8 rpg (6th in NCAA...and 1st of any major schools) . And averages 19.2 ppg. I bring up the fact that he is a PF because when typical PF prospects enter the NBA, they aren't prolific long-range shooters. This is not Rubio we are talking about. In fact, Simmons shot 56% this season....as a freshmen. Is he the best shooter from range? Nope. Can he still score extremely efficiently? I would say that to shoot the volume he does, and maintain 56%, that would be a yes. Again, he is a PF with some guard-like skills. Just because he can't shoot long-range today, doesn't mean he can't thrive in NBA as a PF. If I was going to play him as a SG, I would have more concern...

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

m4gor,
I guess I just don't understand the logic, and I must be missing something huge with this guy. So let me get this straight. Because he can handle the ball extremely well for a PF, and has great vision, but doesn't shoot 3's at a 40 % clip, he is basically a man without a position? Did you miss the fact that he is also averaging 11.8 rpg (6th in NCAA...and 1st of any major schools) . And averages 19.2 ppg. I bring up the fact that he is a PF because when typical PF prospects enter the NBA, they aren't prolific long-range shooters. This is not Rubio we are talking about. In fact, Simmons shot 56% this season....as a freshmen. Is he the best shooter from range? Nope. Can he still score extremely efficiently? I would say that to shoot the volume he does, and maintain 56%, that would be a yes. Again, he is a PF with some guard-like skills. Just because he can't shoot long-range today, doesn't mean he can't thrive in NBA as a PF. If I was going to play him as a SG, I would have more concern...

I wouldn't put too much stock in his FG%. Beasley at 6'7 dominated in the paint and on the glass in college as well. When you get to the NBA the guys protecting the rim are all a lot bigger and it's a lot harder to score inside. I think his game is a combination of Lebron and Blake Griffin. He's a point forward who can't shoot outside of a few feet (http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2016/2/16/10966798/ben-simmons-nba-draft-scouting-report-jump-shot) who won't be able to have an elite impact on the game until he gets a reliable jump shot like Blake did. Don't get me wrong Blake was a great player early in his career, but he didn't become the MVP candidate he was last year until he added a jump shot to his arsenal which opened up his driving lanes which led to him also being a better playmaker. Simmons is a walking catch 22. He needs the ball in his hands to be the great playmaker he is, but his lack of a jump shot limits how good he can be with the ball in his hands. I think adding Simmons is like adding a poor man's Blake Griffin. He would give us scoring, rebounding and playmaking, but not much defensively and won't make an elite impact offensively without that jump shot.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I've also mentioned Griffin as a decent comparison to Simmons. Even without the jumper, Griffin averaged 22.5 PPG, 12.1 RPG and 3.8 APG in 38 MPG while shooting 50% from the field and 64% from the line his rookie season (or sophomore depending on what you define as a player's first year). That was without a jumper like he has now. Still a no-doubt All-Star player.

I don't think Simmons will be the slam dunk (no pun intended) prospect that Griffin was, but I don't think he's too far behind. His perimeter drives and floater game is more advanced than Blake's was at this age. He's also a 67% shooter from the line on 9 FTA per game, which isn't necessarily great or anything, but it's better than what Griffin showed as a frosh or sophomore at Oklahoma (58.9% on 6 FTA, 59.0% on 9.3 FTA). I'm confident Simmons will be able to develop a mid-range shot despite his funky shot motion just as Griffin did.

[Monster]

No one has ever mentioned Thomas Bryant

Center

6'-11" 241 lbs
Age 18
Birth Jul 31, 1997
Class Freshman
Reach 9'-4"
Wingspan 7'-6"

Pros
Versatile forward
Crazy long wingspan
Can score inside and outside
Has range all the way out to the 3-point line

Negatives
Still raw and inconsistent
Can fall in love with his perimeter shot at the expense of his post game

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Thomas-Bryant-7231/

Nice game for him today hit his FTs down the stretch.

Anunoby is a guy I really like he is raw but looks the part of a 3 and D guy

Murray was not impressive in this game. Really it felt like Indiana's freshman played better than or at least equal to the UK freshman.