Draft day thread

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

3 minutes ago, Ibn Battuta said:

can't put the ball on the floor

 

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

 

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Also he's super endearing. He's really smart and speaks extremely well. Looked great on TV. 

[Justin Jaudon 221]

It's funny how my evaluation of Bamba has mirrored Aaron from '14. I looked at Aaron's stats, watched him at Arizona, and assumed he was just a dunker and defensive stopper. Then we picked him, I actually researched him, and I realized he could handle a bit, pass a bit, and even possibly develop a solid jumper. Same thing happened this year. I looked at the stats. Finishes well, blocks a lot of shots...okay I don't really want Clint Capela. Now that we've drafted him I see the areas he can grow. What I guess we need to know now is can he be a worker. I heard somewhere (don't remember where) that Bamba may have commitment issues, like WCS. Gordon has improved so much offensively because he works his ass off by all accounts. Is Bamba going to be that guy?

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

2 minutes ago, Justin Jaudon said:

Is Bamba going to be that guy?

He's not Gordon. His recent work suggests a positive outlook. He loves basketball culture. Spent time at the sport stat convention that I can't think of the name right now. 

But no he's not a "worker" but he should be fine. 

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Bamba’s immense defensive upside is tied to his otherworldly wingspan. His potential as a perimeter threat could make him a 3-point-shooting Rudy Gobert.

SHADES OF: Rudy Gobert, Jermaine O’Neal, Tyson Chandler

PLUSES

• Combines length with excellent coordination, allowing him to block or alter shots with either hand all over the court.
• Mobile; a potential five-position defender if he masters fundamentals.
• Long strides enable him to cover a lot of ground when closing out on shooters or sprinting in transition.
• An ambidextrous finisher who can catch tough passes, though he occasionally fumbles or double clutches.
• Solid passer who can make basic reads.
• A curious learner and thinker off the court.

MINUSES

• Lacks the intensity you’d hope for in a defensive anchor.
• Gets pushed around by stronger players inside the paint.
• Not the quickest leaper when battling for contested rebounds; usually needs time to gather and launch to elevate.
• Weak screener with poor technique, which will hinder his pick-and-roll ability until he improves.
• Lacks the strength to dunk over and through defenders the way explosive NBA rim runners like DeAndre Jordan can.
• Post-up skills need work; he gets moved off his spots when sealing down low.
• Only a theoretical shooter. He needs to simplify his mechanics before he can be considered a threat from 3.

[Justin Jaudon 221]

Early understanding after some research and such (and tell me if I'm way off):

 

If he can put on some weight over the next few seasons, I see him in a Myles Turner mold offensively. A guy who's solid from a lot of places on the floor, but doesn't dominate anywhere. Defensively, I could see him in the AD range, honestly, if he can defend on the perimeter at all. If not, more Rudy Gobert, I guess. That's, um, a ridiculous couple of comparisons. Am I way off on his defensive potential?

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

3 minutes ago, Justin Jaudon said:

Early understanding after some research and such (and tell me if I'm way off):

 

If he can put on some weight over the next few seasons, I see him in a Myles Turner mold offensively. A guy who's solid from a lot of places on the floor, but doesn't dominate anywhere. Defensively, I could see him in the AD range, honestly, if he can defend on the perimeter at all. If not, more Rudy Gobert, I guess. That's, um, a ridiculous couple of comparisons. Am I way off on his defensive potential?

No you're pretty much on it. He could be the best defensive big in the NBA. Like that's not an absurd ceiling. 

But he's more likely going to be just really really good instead of best. 

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,031]

Glad I chose sleep.

Excited to see the young guys, and even more excited to see the veterans get traded.

GO MAGIC

[crisby pancakes 126]

1 hour ago, Mauro Pedrosa said:

Glad I chose sleep.

Excited to see the young guys, and even more excited to see the veterans get traded.

GO MAGIC

Yeah I went to bed as well. Pleasantly suprised with Frazier had no idea he would drop to the 2nd round. We've had a good draft, can see us standing pat at the PG spot for another year if we can't find a good deal for Vooch. I'm happy they've decided to not rush the process.

[CTMagicUK 1,480]

I'm actually super excited by Melvin Frazier.  He's a legitimate elite college defensive player. Plays the passing lanes, great lateral quicks, glides around screens with ease, terrific on close outs and a great motor. I think that alone makes him a serviceable NBA bench player. His offense isn't non existent either, shot 38%ish from 3 last season, super athletic finisher with potential as a passer and ball handler. His shooting motion isn't perfect so it remains to be seen if he can make NBA 3s regularly but a couple of tweaks to his mechanics could go a long way to him being a knock down shooter from catch and shoot and a better shooter off the dribble.

Simmons

Frazier

Isaac

AG

Bamba

Score on that lineup. I mean, we may also have some trouble scoring but you're going to struggle to even get a good shot off against that 5.

[CTMagicUK 1,480]

With Jackson I guess we have to hope his medical issues are behind him and his shooting stroke from his freshman year is still the real him. If it is we could have got a decent player with a fair bit of upside. If he's hampered by injuries or doesn't shoot it as well as he has previously he probably won't be around for very long.