2019 NBA Draft Thread

[Odin]

So, I understand the odds are slim, but say we miss the playoffs and luck into the #1 pick.

We have to draft Zion, right? Like, I understand that he absolutely doesn't really fit with our team right now, especially as he is a PF, but he is one of those players that you just say "screw it all" and draft and figure out everything afterwards, right?

[KRISH10]

2 minutes ago, Odin said:

So, I understand the odds are slim, but say we miss the playoffs and luck into the #1 pick.

We have to draft Zion, right? Like, I understand that he absolutely doesn't really fit with our team right now, especially as he is a PF, but he is one of those players that you just say "screw it all" and draft and figure out everything afterwards, right?

Yep you got it. ZION is the clear number 1 pick in my opinion.

[jmmagicfan]

19 minutes ago, Odin said:

So, I understand the odds are slim, but say we miss the playoffs and luck into the #1 pick.

We have to draft Zion, right? Like, I understand that he absolutely doesn't really fit with our team right now, especially as he is a PF, but he is one of those players that you just say "screw it all" and draft and figure out everything afterwards, right?

99.5% of the time - the exception being if you get a Chris Webber/Penny Hardaway deal; where the guy you really want is gonna be a 2-4 pick and you can get him plus future assets.

[Fultz4thewin]

25 minutes ago, Odin said:

So, I understand the odds are slim, but say we miss the playoffs and luck into the #1 pick.

We have to draft Zion, right? Like, I understand that he absolutely doesn't really fit with our team right now, especially as he is a PF, but he is one of those players that you just say "screw it all" and draft and figure out everything afterwards, right?

Yeah. You trade Isaac or Gordon assuming he's as good as advertised. 

You could also see what the return would be to go from 1 to 2. 

[TrueBlueDrew]

18 hours ago, ?4thewin said:

Yeah. You trade Isaac or Gordon assuming he's as good as advertised. 

You could also see what the return would be to go from 1 to 2. 

Yeah, I think I'd rather trade down to #2 and get RJ Barrett. 

Look I get it, Zion is a freak athlete. He's a high jumper. But I don't trust that jump shot and I'm not sure he's going to be "The Next Lebron" that everyone is claiming he will. Maybe I'm wrong. But I think RJ fits our team better and if you can get RJ Barrett and future picks & current solid players for that swap, that's something I would do. Similar to what Atlanta did last year with Trae...but lets just hope that RJ is the better NBA player vs what could have been with Luka in ATL. 

[Odin]

2 hours ago, TrueBlueDrew said:

Yeah, I think I'd rather trade down to #2 and get RJ Barrett. 

 Look I get it, Zion is a freak athlete. He's a high jumper. But I don't trust that jump shot and I'm not sure he's going to be "The Next Lebron" that everyone is claiming he will. Maybe I'm wrong. But I think RJ fits our team better and if you can get RJ Barrett and future picks & current solid players for that swap, that's something I would do. Similar to what Atlanta did last year with Trae...but lets just hope that RJ is the better NBA player vs what could have been with Luka in ATL. 

I don't think Zion is like Lebron. If anything, he fits into the Barkley mold (which is still a darn good player). Or, another way to put it is, if he is like LeBron, then he is what would happen if Lebron had less point type skills and more big man skills.

But Zion is playing 6 less minutes than Barrett and here are their numbers matched up:

(per 40 minutes to standardize):

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/duke/2019.html

Barrett isn't bad, but Zion is a wrecking ball. He is shooting 74% (!?!?!?!) from 2. He gets to the line. He gets both steals and blocks (averaging almost 2 a game for both). He is a good rebounder. While you aren't going to be running an offense with him as the primary ball handler, at least not right away, he is a willing and able passer. (16% assist rate is not bad).

He is probably the best College Basketball player in at least a decade: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/zion-williamson-is-the-best-college-basketball-player-in-at-least-a-decade/ (This was ten games in, but his advanced metrics have not dropped much if any.)

Unless you are getting an absolute haul for him, you take him. He is not only as close to a "can't fail" type player as there is, but he also has loads of potential where he can still improve. He is the definition of a high floor, high ceiling player.

[ML6]

22 hours ago, Odin said:

I don't think Zion is like Lebron. If anything, he fits into the Barkley mold (which is still a darn good player). Or, another way to put it is, if he is like LeBron, then he is what would happen if Lebron had less point type skills and more big man skills.

But Zion is playing 6 less minutes than Barrett and here are their numbers matched up:

(per 40 minutes to standardize):

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/duke/2019.html

Barrett isn't bad, but Zion is a wrecking ball. He is shooting 74% (!?!?!?!) from 2. He gets to the line. He gets both steals and blocks (averaging almost 2 a game for both). He is a good rebounder. While you aren't going to be running an offense with him as the primary ball handler, at least not right away, he is a willing and able passer. (16% assist rate is not bad).

He is probably the best College Basketball player in at least a decade: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/zion-williamson-is-the-best-college-basketball-player-in-at-least-a-decade/ (This was ten games in, but his advanced metrics have not dropped much if any.)

Unless you are getting an absolute haul for him, you take him. He is not only as close to a "can't fail" type player as there is, but he also has loads of potential where he can still improve. He is the definition of a high floor, high ceiling player.

Yep.

And since you covered the numbers I'll just throw out there his demeanor.  How many guys play with that much energy/joy/intensity all the time?  He always looks like he is having the time of his life out there.  Maybe it's nothing but that just seems to bode well to me.  He's not one of these uber athletic guys just playing bball for that reason.  He seems to genuinely love the game.

[hootie249]

On 1/18/2019 at 11:27 AM, TrueBlueDrew said:

Yeah, I think I'd rather trade down to #2 and get RJ Barrett. 

Look I get it, Zion is a freak athlete. He's a high jumper. But I don't trust that jump shot and I'm not sure he's going to be "The Next Lebron" that everyone is claiming he will. Maybe I'm wrong. But I think RJ fits our team better and if you can get RJ Barrett and future picks & current solid players for that swap, that's something I would do. Similar to what Atlanta did last year with Trae...but lets just hope that RJ is the better NBA player vs what could have been with Luka in ATL. 

    Almost always in the NBA you have to draft B.P.A. Think how good the Kings would be if they drafted Luka Doncic.

They would be in the news everyday as the new,sexy up and coming team in the NBA. 

[Mauro Pedrosa]

On 1/17/2019 at 9:36 PM, Odin said:

So, I understand the odds are slim, but say we miss the playoffs and luck into the #1 pick.

We have to draft Zion, right? Like, I understand that he absolutely doesn't really fit with our team right now, especially as he is a PF, but he is one of those players that you just say "screw it all" and draft and figure out everything afterwards, right?

I’d take Barrett over him

[magicblue]

Morant might be the best player in this draft. If he played at Duke or Kentucky there's no question he'd be in the conversation

[Fultz4thewin]

17 minutes ago, magicblue said:

Morant might be the best player in this draft. If he played at Duke or Kentucky there's no question he'd be in the conversation

No. Not at all

[magicblue]

1 hour ago, ?4thewin said:

No. Not at all

Care to expand on that?