Draft prospects - Who do we want?

[Lipoli390]

I'd stay away from Russell as a top three pick. At best he's another one-way player who would likely become yet another poor defender on an already historically bad defensive team. I also question his offensive potential at the next level. Watch him closely and note that he is a one-handed player in the sense that he always goes left on his drives, turns left to shoot and puts the ball up with his left hand. Brandon Roy and the other really good ball-handling guards are nearly ambidextrous handling the ball, shooting in the paint and driving to the hole. Watch film of Mudiay and you wouldn't even know he's right-handed except for his right-handed shot from mid and long range. Also note that Mudiay has even better change of speed and direction in his game than Russell has in his - in addition to Mudiay's tremendous speed and athleticism. Russell's lack of speed and athleticism will I think really limit his potential at the next level.

Right now, it's Towns, Mudiay and Okafor in that order for me. I'd love to end up with one of those three, especially Towns. After that I'm not sure who I'd take at #4. I might still take Russell there, but I'd also look at the top Euros and consider trading down.

[TheFuture]

I'd stay away from Russell as a top three pick. At best he's another one-way player who would likely become yet another poor defender on an already historically bad defensive team. I also question his offensive potential at the next level. Watch him closely and note that he is a one-handed player in the sense that he always goes left on his drives, turns left to shoot and puts the ball up with his left hand. Brandon Roy and the other really good ball-handling guards are nearly ambidextrous handling the ball, shooting in the paint and driving to the hole. Watch film of Mudiay and you wouldn't even know he's right-handed except for his right-handed shot from mid and long range. Also note that Mudiay has even better change of speed and direction in his game than Russell has in his - in addition to Mudiay's tremendous speed and athleticism. Russell's lack of speed and athleticism will I think really limit his potential at the next level.

Right now, it's Towns, Mudiay and Okafor in that order for me. I'd love to end up with one of those three, especially Towns. After that I'm not sure who I'd take at #4. I might still take Russell there, but I'd also look at the top Euros and consider trading down.

I agree with All of this. I've been watching tape on all of the top 8 guys as of late. The only difference on my end is that if I'm picking 4 I'm taking Winslow.

Towns, mudiay, Okafor, Winslow, Russell for my top 5.

From 6-12 its really up in the air for me. All strengths are almost completely negated by weaknesses. Mario is looking to be my 6 followed by WCBS, Stanley, etc. In no particular order ATM.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Meh. Russell's as good of an offensive talent as you'll find from a freshman. His numbers in one college season are better than the likes of John Wall, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. Not to mention Russell played in the nation's second-best conference (ACC is best), the Big 10.

Russell is left-hand dominant, no doubt about it, but he's so damn good at going left/finishing left that it opens up his right considerably. For a guy that has his handle and his touch, I don't see this as a problem. He's shown the capability to go right enough for me anyway to feel like it's a non-issue.

My only concerns with Russell would be:

Is he athletic enough?

Is he a point guard or shooting guard? He's only 180 pounds. The NBA is getting XL in size at the 2. Look no further than our Wolves to see Wiggins at SG. Or Klay Thompson. James Harden. Bradley Beal. These guys are bigger than Russell. Russell's best position is likely that of a point guard, in my opinion. He has all the skills and then some to be good running the offense.

Can he defend? He didn't really engage on defense this year. He showed that he can turn it up for a play here and there, but was largely invisible on that end. Perhaps it was that he had to carry an offense, but I don't think he'll ever be a plus defender. You draft him for the superthreat he is on offense, though.

[Monster]

Meh. Russell's as good of an offensive talent as you'll find from a freshman. His numbers in one college season are better than the likes of John Wall, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. Not to mention Russell played in the nation's second-best conference (ACC is best), the Big 10.

Russell is left-hand dominant, no doubt about it, but he's so damn good at going left/finishing left that it opens up his right considerably. For a guy that has his handle and his touch, I don't see this as a problem. He's shown the capability to go right enough for me anyway to feel like it's a non-issue.

My only concerns with Russell would be:

Is he athletic enough?

Is he a point guard or shooting guard? He's only 180 pounds. The NBA is getting XL in size at the 2. Look no further than our Wolves to see Wiggins at SG. Or Klay Thompson. James Harden. Bradley Beal. These guys are bigger than Russell. Russell's best position is likely that of a point guard, in my opinion. He has all the skills and then some to be good running the offense.

Can he defend? He didn't really engage on defense this year. He showed that he can turn it up for a play here and there, but was largely invisible on that end. Perhaps it was that he had to carry an offense, but I don't think he'll ever be a plus defender. You draft him for the superthreat he is on offense, though.

Good post but I don't think size or athletic ability will hold him back if his skill is really as good as it seems it could be. Has Beal grown since he was drafted? He was just under 6'5" in shoes at the combine.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

The one thing Russell brings to the table that is unique versus our cadre of young guys is that he can really shoot the ball. He knocked down 41% of 3's on 231 attempts. And a lot of those shots were quick-trigger off the dribble 3s. He wasn't getting set-up for easy looks by anyone. That is a sizeable sample size, which gives me confidence that his shooting can translate to the NBA. After defense and rebounding, outside shooting is the biggest bugaboo with this team and he could help address that problem.

In terms of position, he's a tad undersized versus the prototypical 2, but not by much. He's 6'5" in shoes with a decent wingspan. That puts him ahead of guys like JJ Redick and Courtney Lee, not to mention the dual-PG pairings we see on teams like Phoenix.

A Rubio/LaVine/Russell guard rotation could be kind of fun.

[thedoper]

The one thing Russell brings to the table that is unique versus our cadre of young guys is that he can really shoot the ball. He knocked down 41% of 3's on 231 attempts. And a lot of those shots were quick-trigger off the dribble 3s. He wasn't getting set-up for easy looks by anyone. That is a sizeable sample size, which gives me confidence that his shooting can translate to the NBA. After defense and rebounding, outside shooting is the biggest bugaboo with this team and he could help address that problem.

In terms of position, he's a tad undersized versus the prototypical 2, but not by much. He's 6'5" in shoes with a decent wingspan. That puts him ahead of guys like JJ Redick and Courtney Lee, not to mention the dual-PG pairings we see on teams like Phoenix.

A Rubio/LaVine/Russell guard rotation could be kind of fun.

It would be really fun. We would then have to put a lot of energy into a FA big. Maybe Kevin Love?

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Ha! Love at times must feel pangs of longing for those halcyon days of the corner offense and Rubio's timely passes....But alas, the west coast beckons. He won't be coming back here, much to LST's disappointment!

Don't forget about Bjelica. Right now he is vastly better than any full-time power forward on our roster (KG is in semi-retirement). And this is not the same Bjelica we drafted years ago. He's put on weight and is probably a better rebounder than either Payne or AB, not to mention all the other skills he brings to the table. I don't think he's an ideal fit for us, but he's miles better than anything else we have right now.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Ha! Love at times must feel pangs of longing for those halcyon days of the corner offense and Rubio's timely passes....But alas, the west coast beckons. He won't be coming back here, much to LST's disappointment!

Don't forget about Bjelica. Right now he is vastly better than any full-time power forward on our roster (KG is in semi-retirement). And this is not the same Bjelica we drafted years ago. He's put on weight and is probably a better rebounder than either Payne or AB, not to mention all the other skills he brings to the table. I don't think he's an ideal fit for us, but he's miles better than anything else we have right now.

Come on...let's bring back Kevin!

There is a scenario under which even a Love detractor like yours truly would welcome him back. If he made this statement: "Playing in Cleveland has helped me understand how good I had it playing with Rubio. But I was immature and a jerk, and I didn't appreciate what I had. I blamed everyone else, so that I didn't have to take any responsibility for the team's failings. I didn't build relationships with anyone in the organization other than the equipment manager because frankly my head was never in Minnesota...I always was thinking about leaving. I fully admit that my being such a bad teammate was a major reason for us not making the playoffs. You may not want to believe me, but I have grown up in the past year. I want to build a winner, and I think we can do it in Minnesota. If the organization and fans will have me, I want to come back". He does this, and I would welcome him back with open arms. And people can change. But alas, Q is probably right...he's Malibu-bound.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

The one thing Russell brings to the table that is unique versus our cadre of young guys is that he can really shoot the ball. He knocked down 41% of 3's on 231 attempts. And a lot of those shots were quick-trigger off the dribble 3s. He wasn't getting set-up for easy looks by anyone. That is a sizeable sample size, which gives me confidence that his shooting can translate to the NBA. After defense and rebounding, outside shooting is the biggest bugaboo with this team and he could help address that problem.

In terms of position, he's a tad undersized versus the prototypical 2, but not by much. He's 6'5" in shoes with a decent wingspan. That puts him ahead of guys like JJ Redick and Courtney Lee, not to mention the dual-PG pairings we see on teams like Phoenix.

A Rubio/LaVine/Russell guard rotation could be kind of fun.

Yeah, I don't share Lipoli's concerns about Russell, or Camden's concerns about his size or defense. And Q, there's another element that Russell would bring to us beyond shooting...this kid can handle the rock. I saw some magical things happen when he had the ball in his hands last season, and so effortlessly. That said, I think he belongs at SG next to Rubio, and agree that a Rubio, LaVine, Russell rotation (with Martin providing instant offense at times) could be lethal. Cam is probably correct that his defense is occasionally a weakness, but anyone who watched him against the Gophers this year would call his defense a strength. Right now I have him second behind Towns on my board.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

The one thing Russell brings to the table that is unique versus our cadre of young guys is that he can really shoot the ball. He knocked down 41% of 3's on 231 attempts. And a lot of those shots were quick-trigger off the dribble 3s. He wasn't getting set-up for easy looks by anyone. That is a sizeable sample size, which gives me confidence that his shooting can translate to the NBA. After defense and rebounding, outside shooting is the biggest bugaboo with this team and he could help address that problem.

In terms of position, he's a tad undersized versus the prototypical 2, but not by much. He's 6'5" in shoes with a decent wingspan. That puts him ahead of guys like JJ Redick and Courtney Lee, not to mention the dual-PG pairings we see on teams like Phoenix.

A Rubio/LaVine/Russell guard rotation could be kind of fun.

Yeah, I don't share Lipoli's concerns about Russell, or Camden's concerns about his size or defense. And Q, there's another element that Russell would bring to us beyond shooting...this kid can handle the rock. I saw some magical things happen when he had the ball in his hands last season, and so effortlessly. That said, I think he belongs at SG next to Rubio, and agree that a Rubio, LaVine, Russell rotation (with Martin providing instant offense at times) could be lethal. Cam is probably correct that his defense is occasionally a weakness, but anyone who watched him against the Gophers this year would call his defense a strength. Right now I have him second behind Towns on my board.

Being a good defender against the Gophers joke of a backcourt this year isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.