Minnesota Sports Forum

Man, this draft class looks great.

You can't read too much into summer league stats. The top scorers and MVPs of summer league are historically as likely to end up stuck on the bench or in the D league as they are regularly contributing on an NBA team. And I'm still trying to forget the excitement I felt for Dunn last summer.

But the eye test on the performances we've seen from these rookies suggest this might be one of the best draft classes in years. I'm listing these more or less in the order of how much they have impressed me so far, to some degree based on expectations, not necessarily in how good I think they'll be 5 years down the line.


Early Picks Looking Great

Dennis Smith Jr.-this dude looks legit. Elite athleticism, physical, great scoring feel plus playmaking instincts and showing good 3 point range. This dude has finished some incredibly tough shots, gotten to the line through aggressiveness, and shown some audacious aggressiveness. The knock on him was his defense, but the tools are clearly there and he looks like he can do more as the stage gets bigger. Like a D-Rose or Steve Francis with a possible outside shot. Yikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR71zrXRTmg

Lonzo-forget the distractions. His vision, craftiness, and feel for the game really are off the charts. He could be great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNJUmXkH40Y

Tatum-amazing footwork, smooth scorer with a really great feel for the game, his handles and mobility on D suggest he could play 2-4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuJoUWa1i0Y

Donovan Mitchell-really great defender with nimble, aggressive hands on defense (Thibs would have loved him), this guy looks like he'll at least be a great 3 and D guy, but his handles and scoring instincts off the dribble also look impressive. A little undersized for the 2, but he already defends bigger, like Avery Bradley. This guy could end up being really good. I could see him being asked to carry a decent scoring load next year with Rodney Hood on the wing. The Jazz may have pulled off a draft swap like the Spurs when they got a steal in Kawhi, and they gave up even less. Not saying he'll be as good, but for the 12th pick, this guy could be great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj2FejTJ-Yk

Josh Jackson-intense defender who can pass showing he could also be a great rebounder and reliable scorer. Love the competitiveness. Any team would love to have a player like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Iw_vzflw0U

Fultz-went down with the sprain but looked legit when he played. Basically backed up what we thought about him as the #1 pick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCO3Yka76IE

Adebayo-like a mini-Dwight, dude looks like a really good shot blocking rim crasher (Clint Capela showed how valuable a guy like that can be in the modern NBA last year), and he also showed a bit of touch with the ball, in the low-post, and taking guys off the dribble and pushing the ball up the floor and finishing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSeby-G3GYo

Fox-quick as a . . . well, you know. Not as productive this summer as other PGs, but good defense and you can see his game fits the modern PG position.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DT8yufjUUY


Later Picks Standing Out

John Collins-the most statistically productive college player last year, looks the part this summer, if he can become a better defender, he could end up becoming a great player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llc9Szwxdmw

Bell and Bacon-looking early like a couple steals of the second round. Bell confirming he's a super versatile role player--perfect for the Warriors. Bacon looks like a nice scorer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JerVlceNY8Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er8DhZtO2lY

Kuzma-long, athletic, solid defender, and who knew this dude can shoot the 3? Looks like a good role player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxa1xzCUOLM

Swanigan-I wonder how much the speed of the NBA game will hurt him, but it hasn't in Vegas, where he's doing what he did in college, which is impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWADRIMREFU


Other Guys to Keep an Eye On from this Class

Malik Monk-not playing this summer, but this guy could be a very special scorer.
Isaac-looked solid this summer, I'm not as sold on him, but a lot of guys are for a reason.
Ojeleye and Bolden-a couple second round guys who could be good role players
Derrick White-another solid Spurs pick.
Markkanen-I have my doubts because of the D, but his shooting could make him a good rotation player
Patton-high upside, hopefully he can reach it!
Giles-bounce back from the injuries, and he could be yet another very good payer from this draft. I'm skeptical, but the guy was the #1 prospect in high school for a reason.


Looking over this list--and I'm sure I'm overlooking some people's favorites from this class--it's possible this draft class could be the best since . . . 2003 (LeBron, Carmelo, Bosh, Wade)? The draft class of 2011 was good though badly picked (Kawhi, Klay, Kyrie, Jimmy Butler, IT, Kemba), the class of 2009 was good (Curry, Harden, Blake, DeRozan, Rubio, Holiday, Teague), and there were other drafts that produced one or two great players and a couple role players, along with a bunch of scrubs, but I think there's a chance that this draft ends up being the best since 2003. What do you guys think?

Early on I expected Smith Jr. to be the best pg out of this draft, and I still do. Hell, he may even be the best player. I felt he wasn't showcasing everything in college, and who can blame him after tearing his acl About a year prior.. not only was he rusty, but Another injury like that would have cost him millions more.

I haven't watched much other than him in summer league, just a few highlights of others. But I'd agree that this draft class looks spectacular. I don't expect the top end talent like 2003 (that's hard to challenge), but this has a chance to be a special draft in its own right due to the depth. Generally a draft list is comprised of 5-10 guys from good to great. I wouldn't be surprised to see 10-20 listed from this draft in 5+ years as being good to great players.

Didn't Layden call this draft historic?

Phenom's_Revenge wrote:Didn't Layden call this draft historic?

Yes he did. I suspect that, if we didn't get the Butler deal done, Thibs/Layden would have traded down for two picks. Recall that Thibs said they explored scenarios trading up and trading down. He also said there was a lot of interest in the #7 pick.

lipoli390 wrote:

Phenom's_Revenge wrote:Didn't Layden call this draft historic?

Yes he did. I suspect that, if we didn't get the Butler deal done, Thibs/Layden would have traded down for two picks. Recall that Thibs said they explored scenarios trading up and trading down. He also said there was a lot of interest in the #7 pick.

Glen said in a podcast they would have selected larui

kekgeek1 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

Phenom's_Revenge wrote:Didn't Layden call this draft historic?

Yes he did. I suspect that, if we didn't get the Butler deal done, Thibs/Layden would have traded down for two picks. Recall that Thibs said they explored scenarios trading up and trading down. He also said there was a lot of interest in the #7 pick.

Glen said in a podcast they would have selected larui

Then I'm even more glad the Butler trade happened. :)

lipoli390 wrote:

Phenom's_Revenge wrote:Didn't Layden call this draft historic?

Yes he did. I suspect that, if we didn't get the Butler deal done, Thibs/Layden would have traded down for two picks. Recall that Thibs said they explored scenarios trading up and trading down. He also said there was a lot of interest in the #7 pick.

Lip you take everything that comes out of Tibs/Layden or Taylor's mouth way too literally.

Duke13 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

Phenom's_Revenge wrote:Didn't Layden call this draft historic?

Yes he did. I suspect that, if we didn't get the Butler deal done, Thibs/Layden would have traded down for two picks. Recall that Thibs said they explored scenarios trading up and trading down. He also said there was a lot of interest in the #7 pick.

Lip you take everything that comes out of Tibs/Layden or Taylor's mouth way too literally.

How is that?? Are they speaking figuratively when they refer to exploring possibilities of moving up or down or when they refer to he draft being really deep? :) Should I take Taylor at his word when he says they would have taken Markkenan? Actually, I don't.

Lonzo is going to be everything we hoped Ricky would be. He and Josh Jackson were my favorites in this class and they haven't disappointed. It was a BIG deal that the Lakers kept their lottery pick. They are going to have cap space for two max contracts next summer. They are going to be another West monster in no time.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:Lonzo is going to be everything we hoped Ricky would be. He and Josh Jackson were my favorites in this class and they haven't disappointed. It was a BIG deal that the Lakers kept their lottery pick. They are going to have cap space for two max contracts next summer. They are going to be another West monster in no time.

Agreed. If they get LBJ and George. But the question with them is their young guys be ready in ingram and ball to be top tier players on that team.