Who should Wolves draft at 19?
Who should Wolves draft at 19?
Assuming the following players are gone 1-18 (which I took based on a consensus pick of several top services): Jabari, Holmgren, Banchero, Ivey, Sharpe, Murray, Mathurin, Griffin, Johnny Davis, Duren, Sochan, Daniels, Mark Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Branham, Agbaji, Eason and TyTy Washington. Who would you take at 19, if Wolves keep and use pick?
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
Does Matt Lloyd have an account here? I want to know who he'd pick.
-
Camden [enjin:6601484]
- Posts: 18065
- Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 12:00 am
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
I voted for Ohio State's E.J. Liddell, assuming there are no major roster shakeups between now and when Minnesota is on the clock. In short, I really like his ability to impact basketball games on both ends of the floor whether he's on the ball or not. He's 6'7", 243-pounds with a 7'0 wingspan. He recorded a standing vertical leap of 35.5-inches and a 38-inch max vertical leap-- both of which are pretty impressive for a guy that doesn't get much love for his athleticism. He also performed well in the agility drills and that ability shows up on film. He's tough as nails. Really plays above his weight. He's smart. He's efficient. He continues to expand his shooting range with good results. He has a very savvy in-between game. He's capable of playing in multiple schemes. He defends at a very high level without fouling. He rebounds the basketball. There's a lot to like with Liddell and I don't feel like there's much risk involved in taking him. He would be my guy at 19.
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
I have not yet voted, but I am down to three guys that I think are so close: Jalen Williams, Kennedy Chandler and EJ Liddell. I think I would be happy with any of these guys, unless someone like Tari Eason falls.
Edit: I picked Kennedy Chandler, though I liked Jalen Williams and Lidell about the same amount. I think I thought Chandler has the highest ceiling, but also the lowest floor of the three. Two issues caused me pause with Chandler. One is his height, but there are a lot of guys his height who have had success and his wingspan is said to be 6"5 or 6"6, and he has a 41 inch vertical and plays and elevates well and finishes above the rim. On the defensive side, his height may be an issue, but he has cat quick reflexes and gets a lot of steals and is very pesky at the point of attack and I think a good coach can put him in a scheme where he is a plus defender. The second area of concern is his shooting. His Free throw shooting was not good in college at just above 60%. His three point shooting was 38%. Outside of college, his free throw shooting was reportedly much better in high school and in the Nike league it was around 75%. Rick Barnes said he makes about 95% of free throws in practice, so the mechanics are there but its been a mental issue in college. I like how quick he is, has some nice hesi moves and how quick he can accelerate and hit an open seam. He is fearless when it comes to attacking the rim. He is also a very good passer and ball handler. I have read some pretty heady comparisons made with some very good point guards such as Kyle Lowry a lesser shooting Darius Garland, Kyrie (by Desmond Oliver) and even CP3 (by Fran Fraschilla), though to be fair I have also seen Mario Chalmers and I think CP3 and Kyrie comparisons are a stretch. It appears he's a student of the game (he watches a lot of film trying to emulate the greats like CP3) and has a high BB IQ. He is 19.
Jalen Williams, also is a super high IQ guy, and there is a nice video of him talking with Schmitz who is now in the Portland front office and discussing his reads on various plays. More developed as a shooter than Chandler. He is impressive passer and shot creator. He know how to use screens and defend against screens. He really made Chet Holmgren look bad on a couple plays and that caught my eye. He played well in the Combine scrimmages and he played very well in two games against St. Mary's who was a ranked team this year, so the small school thing doesn't bother me at all. I didn't see any video of his defense, so that is probably the one area I felt unsure about him. I would be fine drafting him at 19, however I am not sure he would be as good a fit for the Wolves as Chandler, as I am not sure how he breaks into the starting lineup with Ant at the 2, and Jaden (assuming he continues his progress) at the 3. While he has a good vertical and nice wingspan, he doesn't have the quickness as Chandler.
I haven't studied Liddell in as much depth, but his college stats are probably the most impressive of the three and he doesn't have any glaring holes except that he may be a bit undersized (6"7) and has a thick frame (240 pounds). His blocks, rebounds and shooting are very impressive and 2.6 assists is decent for a big. I probably feel his fit on the Wolves may not be as great as the two other guys, since KAT is hopefully the power forward and given his height, I'm not sure he's an NBA center. I think Liddell would be a solid pick here if that's the direction the Wolves want to go. I think his floor is pretty high, but I think his ceiling may not be as great as Chandler or Williams.
Edit: I picked Kennedy Chandler, though I liked Jalen Williams and Lidell about the same amount. I think I thought Chandler has the highest ceiling, but also the lowest floor of the three. Two issues caused me pause with Chandler. One is his height, but there are a lot of guys his height who have had success and his wingspan is said to be 6"5 or 6"6, and he has a 41 inch vertical and plays and elevates well and finishes above the rim. On the defensive side, his height may be an issue, but he has cat quick reflexes and gets a lot of steals and is very pesky at the point of attack and I think a good coach can put him in a scheme where he is a plus defender. The second area of concern is his shooting. His Free throw shooting was not good in college at just above 60%. His three point shooting was 38%. Outside of college, his free throw shooting was reportedly much better in high school and in the Nike league it was around 75%. Rick Barnes said he makes about 95% of free throws in practice, so the mechanics are there but its been a mental issue in college. I like how quick he is, has some nice hesi moves and how quick he can accelerate and hit an open seam. He is fearless when it comes to attacking the rim. He is also a very good passer and ball handler. I have read some pretty heady comparisons made with some very good point guards such as Kyle Lowry a lesser shooting Darius Garland, Kyrie (by Desmond Oliver) and even CP3 (by Fran Fraschilla), though to be fair I have also seen Mario Chalmers and I think CP3 and Kyrie comparisons are a stretch. It appears he's a student of the game (he watches a lot of film trying to emulate the greats like CP3) and has a high BB IQ. He is 19.
Jalen Williams, also is a super high IQ guy, and there is a nice video of him talking with Schmitz who is now in the Portland front office and discussing his reads on various plays. More developed as a shooter than Chandler. He is impressive passer and shot creator. He know how to use screens and defend against screens. He really made Chet Holmgren look bad on a couple plays and that caught my eye. He played well in the Combine scrimmages and he played very well in two games against St. Mary's who was a ranked team this year, so the small school thing doesn't bother me at all. I didn't see any video of his defense, so that is probably the one area I felt unsure about him. I would be fine drafting him at 19, however I am not sure he would be as good a fit for the Wolves as Chandler, as I am not sure how he breaks into the starting lineup with Ant at the 2, and Jaden (assuming he continues his progress) at the 3. While he has a good vertical and nice wingspan, he doesn't have the quickness as Chandler.
I haven't studied Liddell in as much depth, but his college stats are probably the most impressive of the three and he doesn't have any glaring holes except that he may be a bit undersized (6"7) and has a thick frame (240 pounds). His blocks, rebounds and shooting are very impressive and 2.6 assists is decent for a big. I probably feel his fit on the Wolves may not be as great as the two other guys, since KAT is hopefully the power forward and given his height, I'm not sure he's an NBA center. I think Liddell would be a solid pick here if that's the direction the Wolves want to go. I think his floor is pretty high, but I think his ceiling may not be as great as Chandler or Williams.
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
I voted for Jalen Williams. As a Junior he scored over 18 points per game while shooting 52.1% from the field and 39.6% from behind the arc. He averaged 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game as well. He has a complete offensive game. He's not only a scorer as evidenced by his points and shooting percentages; he's also a good playmaker as evidenced by his 4.2 assists per game. He has tremendous length for a small forward with a 8'9.5 standing reach and 7'2 wingspan. He's also an excellent athlete with a 33.5 no-step vertical and a 39.0" maximum vertical. He's also smart and a very good ball-handler. I think he might end up the steal of the draft and I actually don't think he'll be available at #19. But if he is available, the Wolves should absolutely take him.
I like three others on this list as well and I'd take them in the following order of preference if Jalen Williams isn't available at 19:
1. EJ Liddell. He'd be my first choice after Jalen for all the reasons Cam gave in his post
2. MarJon Beauchamp. He has great length for a SF with a 8'10 standing reach and a 7'0.75 wingspan. There are questions about his perimeter shooting, but his shot doesn't look broken. Moreover, he can get to the hoop and finish. Overall he had a terrific FG percentage of 57.1. And he's also a terrific rebounder, averaging 7.3 boards per game along with 1.5 steals. He has the potential to be a defensive stopper and is physically ready to compete in the NBA from day one. I also think he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder - in a positive way. He's come up the hard way, going to different schools, spending a year in Junior college before ending up with the Ignite where he competed effectively against grown men. I might even take him before Liddell. I have a good feeling about him.
3. Nikola Jovic. There are big questions marks surrounding him defensively. But sometimes there's a tendency to focus too much on a draft prospect's weaknesses. I'd argue that the main focus in the first round should be on the prospect's upside in the areas he's good at. Jovic has the potential to be a stellar offensive player. He's one of those guys who was a PG but had a late growth spirt. So he has the ball-handling and playmaking skills of a PG in the body of a long SF. And I'll emphasize that he's REALLY long for a SF with a 9'0.5 overhead reach and 7'0.25 wingspan. He hit 35.6% of his threes this past season while averaging 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He'll be a point forward in the NBA and could become an all-star caliber offensive player. He might be worth taking a chance on at #19. But I'd still take Liddell or Beauchamp over him.
I didn't see Wendell Moore on this list, unless that's who KG meant by Wesley Moore. If that's who he meant, then I'd take Moore ahead of Beauchamp and might take him over Liddell. Moore shot 50% from the field, 41.3% from behind the arc and 80.5% from the free throw line. He averaged 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He plays both sides of the ball. He's tough and strong on the defensive side and both scorer and playmaker on the offensive side.
Another guy I like in the late 1st round is Jake LaRavia. I think he's grossly underrated. As a Junior he averaged 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He hit 56% of his FG attempts and 38.4% of his three point attempts. He got to the line an impressive 4.8 times per game. He's strong with a 6'6.75, 227 pound frame and sold SF length with a 8'8 standing reach and 6'9.5 wingspan. He's smart and mature. Definitely a guy to consider trading down a few slots for.
I like three others on this list as well and I'd take them in the following order of preference if Jalen Williams isn't available at 19:
1. EJ Liddell. He'd be my first choice after Jalen for all the reasons Cam gave in his post
2. MarJon Beauchamp. He has great length for a SF with a 8'10 standing reach and a 7'0.75 wingspan. There are questions about his perimeter shooting, but his shot doesn't look broken. Moreover, he can get to the hoop and finish. Overall he had a terrific FG percentage of 57.1. And he's also a terrific rebounder, averaging 7.3 boards per game along with 1.5 steals. He has the potential to be a defensive stopper and is physically ready to compete in the NBA from day one. I also think he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder - in a positive way. He's come up the hard way, going to different schools, spending a year in Junior college before ending up with the Ignite where he competed effectively against grown men. I might even take him before Liddell. I have a good feeling about him.
3. Nikola Jovic. There are big questions marks surrounding him defensively. But sometimes there's a tendency to focus too much on a draft prospect's weaknesses. I'd argue that the main focus in the first round should be on the prospect's upside in the areas he's good at. Jovic has the potential to be a stellar offensive player. He's one of those guys who was a PG but had a late growth spirt. So he has the ball-handling and playmaking skills of a PG in the body of a long SF. And I'll emphasize that he's REALLY long for a SF with a 9'0.5 overhead reach and 7'0.25 wingspan. He hit 35.6% of his threes this past season while averaging 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He'll be a point forward in the NBA and could become an all-star caliber offensive player. He might be worth taking a chance on at #19. But I'd still take Liddell or Beauchamp over him.
I didn't see Wendell Moore on this list, unless that's who KG meant by Wesley Moore. If that's who he meant, then I'd take Moore ahead of Beauchamp and might take him over Liddell. Moore shot 50% from the field, 41.3% from behind the arc and 80.5% from the free throw line. He averaged 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He plays both sides of the ball. He's tough and strong on the defensive side and both scorer and playmaker on the offensive side.
Another guy I like in the late 1st round is Jake LaRavia. I think he's grossly underrated. As a Junior he averaged 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He hit 56% of his FG attempts and 38.4% of his three point attempts. He got to the line an impressive 4.8 times per game. He's strong with a 6'6.75, 227 pound frame and sold SF length with a 8'8 standing reach and 6'9.5 wingspan. He's smart and mature. Definitely a guy to consider trading down a few slots for.
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
Lip, you are right, I meant Wendell Moore and I corrected the poll to include his correct name.
Edit: I didn't realize that editing a poll resets the votes, so please vote again as some of the votes disappeared after I corrected the name.
Two other guys I think could end up being very good players are Dalen Terry and Jovic. I am starting to see why Givony has Dalen Terry as a fast riser on his board, he is explosive, a good defender, good ball handler with 3 and D potential.
Jovic is one of those guys that might be the next great Euro or flame out as the next Bargnani/Dragan Bender. I like his size, potential as an outside shooter and playmaking ability. I am not sure about his defense and how he'd fit in on the Wolves. I trust that Connelly will be able to discern whether he's real gold or fool's gold.
Edit: I didn't realize that editing a poll resets the votes, so please vote again as some of the votes disappeared after I corrected the name.
Two other guys I think could end up being very good players are Dalen Terry and Jovic. I am starting to see why Givony has Dalen Terry as a fast riser on his board, he is explosive, a good defender, good ball handler with 3 and D potential.
Jovic is one of those guys that might be the next great Euro or flame out as the next Bargnani/Dragan Bender. I like his size, potential as an outside shooter and playmaking ability. I am not sure about his defense and how he'd fit in on the Wolves. I trust that Connelly will be able to discern whether he's real gold or fool's gold.
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
I'm changing my vote to Dalen Terry. He's my second man-crush after Dyson Daniels in this year's draft.
I was just watching a bunch of Dalen Terry videos and an interview. I think he'll be available at #19, and if so, the Wolves should take him. He's really long with an 8'10 standing reach and a nearly 7'1 wingspan. He's a very good ball-handler and exceptional passer. His passing suggests a really high basketball IQ as well. He is also an excellent rebounder at his position, averaging 4.8 boards in only 27 minutes. He looks like an excellent defender as well. The only question might be his perimeter shot, but he was a 50% FG shooter as a sophomore and on low volume he hit 36% of his three-point attempts. I think his limited role at Arizona has allowed him to fall slightly under the radar. So I think he's an excellent value pick in the late first round. I previously thought he might last until #40, but I don't think so now since he's reportedly a fast riser on NBA draft boards.
The more I reflect, the more I see Dalen Terry and Wendell Moore as the best picks at #19. They're both bona fide two-way players with high basketball IQs. I like that they are both good passers, which would make them good fits on a Wolves team filled with scorers.
I was just watching a bunch of Dalen Terry videos and an interview. I think he'll be available at #19, and if so, the Wolves should take him. He's really long with an 8'10 standing reach and a nearly 7'1 wingspan. He's a very good ball-handler and exceptional passer. His passing suggests a really high basketball IQ as well. He is also an excellent rebounder at his position, averaging 4.8 boards in only 27 minutes. He looks like an excellent defender as well. The only question might be his perimeter shot, but he was a 50% FG shooter as a sophomore and on low volume he hit 36% of his three-point attempts. I think his limited role at Arizona has allowed him to fall slightly under the radar. So I think he's an excellent value pick in the late first round. I previously thought he might last until #40, but I don't think so now since he's reportedly a fast riser on NBA draft boards.
The more I reflect, the more I see Dalen Terry and Wendell Moore as the best picks at #19. They're both bona fide two-way players with high basketball IQs. I like that they are both good passers, which would make them good fits on a Wolves team filled with scorers.
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
I need to do some more research before I vote. I'd put a poll up if I was more aware of all the prospects but is there a guy or guys you REALLY don't want to draft at #19?
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
lipoli390 wrote:I'm changing my vote to Dalen Terry. He's my second man-crush after Dyson Daniels in this year's draft.
I was just watching a bunch of Dalen Terry videos and an interview. I think he'll be available at #19, and if so, the Wolves should take him. He's really long with an 8'10 standing reach and a nearly 7'1 wingspan. He's a very good ball-handler and exceptional passer. His passing suggests a really high basketball IQ as well. He is also an excellent rebounder at his position, averaging 4.8 boards in only 27 minutes. He looks like an excellent defender as well. The only question might be his perimeter shot, but he was a 50% FG shooter as a sophomore and on low volume he hit 36% of his three-point attempts. I think his limited role at Arizona has allowed him to fall slightly under the radar. So I think he's an excellent value pick in the late first round. I previously thought he might last until #40, but I don't think so now since he's reportedly a fast riser on NBA draft boards.
The more I reflect, the more I see Dalen Terry and Wendell Moore as the best picks at #19. They're both bona fide two-way players with high basketball IQs. I like that they are both good passers, which would make them good fits on a Wolves team filled with scorers.
I just watched some video and looked up the stats for Terry and Moore. I had in the back of my mind I liked Moore but haven't dug into this draft much especially in this part of the draft.
Terry is intriguing. A couple of the passes were pretty sweet. He looks a bit like a PG version of McDaniels not quite as long but McDaniels grew some since he was drafted. He doesn't look like a natural shooter it looks like he will need to work on that part of his game but his shot certainly isn't broken. It just looks like sometimes he is mucking it up there.
Wendell Moore Jr he is 1.5 shorter than Terry but has the same wingspan with 5 inches shorter standing reach. lol we have discussed this before but this is another one that doesn't make sense. When watching the Tourney I thought Moore probably was gonna get knocked for being not long enough. He is plenty big for a SG but a little small for a SF. I forgot he was a JR and really before this year he was just ok. His JR year though he led Duke in Minutes and his highlights are really impressive. Are you getting the 2021-2022 version of Moore or the guy that was less impressive the years before? Several clips have Moore operating as the PG and I remember that being the case with Duke. If he can do that or be a solid secondary guy maybe even next to a high usage SG then his size and length would be terrific. His athleticism looks quite good. He seems to have really good body control able to hang in the air and move his body around. He has a good first step and he has some really nice lift on those dunks. I really like what I see out of Moore. He looks like a player that can do a little of everything and did it for a year for a good program. Still he did it his junior year...was it real? Also watching clips of Moore who has plenty of nice passes himself Mark Williams is ridiculously long at the rim.
Compare that to Liddell who I've said I think there wil be better prospects at #19. As much as I like what I saw of Moore I can't put him above Liddell. Liddell has 2 seasons where he has played really well for a good program in a good conference.
So of these 3 guys I've mentioned here you have Liddell who has the most proven resume, Moore who has done it one year and Terry who is a lot about potential but he also played on a very good team.
I'm conflicted on what I would do but I also feel really good about getting a player at #19 that could help the Wolves.
-
Camden [enjin:6601484]
- Posts: 18065
- Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 12:00 am
Re: Who should Wolves draft at 19?
monsterpile wrote:I need to do some more research before I vote. I'd put a poll up if I was more aware of all the prospects but is there a guy or guys you REALLY don't want to draft at #19?
Yeah, I do not want Baylor forward Kendall Brown or G-League Ignite forward MarJon Beauchamp in the first round, period. Both are very raw, very incomplete prospects with significant holes in their games to include perimeter shooting. Beauchamp, specifically, is behind in his development compared to other prospects/players his age. I've seen both mocked around where Minnesota picks on several outlets and I'm hoping they're not anywhere near the top prospect on Tim Connelly's board by then. They may pan out in the NBA, but I'm confident that they wouldn't be good picks for the Wolves.