2021 NBA Draft Thread

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

9 hours ago, jmmagicfan said:

Which actually gives me a lot of comfort, as I think we can most likely get him with the Bulls' pick (assuming we don't get screwed by the lottery, again). However, if for some reason we do have the worst possible outcome, where four teams including the Bulls jump ahead of us, and we end up with just the #7 pick this year, then I definitely want us to go all-in on Giddey. I think his floor is pretty solid, and his ceiling is ridiculously high. Most draft boards have Cunningham, Suggs, Green, Mobley as the top-4; and six out of Kuminga, Barnes, J Johnson, K Johnson, Wagner, Mitchell, Kispert, Sengun, Moody for the remainder of the top-10. If we get a top-4 pick, and the Bulls pick is in the 8-10 range, I'm okay with picking one of the "usual suspects/top-4" with that pick and Giddey with the Bulls pick, as he will most likely (90%) still be there. But, if we start hearing someone else is going to pick him in the 5-10 range; or if we fall into the 5-7 range, and the Bulls pick is 11 or 12, I'm picking Giddey first, and then whoever else is still available at 11/12. I know he's not a typical Weltham guy, as he is 6'8", but his wingspan is only about 6'7-1/2", but he's such a unique prospect I am really pulling for us to get him.

Actually my toughest scenario is if the Bulls jump ahead of us, and we end up with the #4 pick only. Yes, we are probably going to get a really good player (Mobley?), but I think the likelihood of us then trading that pick and getting Giddey becomes almost 0%.  The prospect of us picking yet another really tall guy with a thin frame like Isaac and Bamba just really worries me. 

I think any of Mobley/Suggs/Green could be #4 based on the teams in the 2-4 range but I'd kind of be surprised if it was Mobley. 

Realistically we don't even know if Giddey is on Weltman and Hammond's radar. You and I would pick him at 8 without thinking, Weltman might have him in the 20-30 range. So it ultimately might not matter if we don't keep the Bulls pick. We'll see. Like you I'm hoping his positional size offsets his average wingspan in WeltHams eyes. 

[The Neighborhood Bully 266]

Wasserman's latest top 50

Quote

50. RaiQuan Gray (Florida State, PF, Junior)

49. Julian Champagnie (St. John's, SF, Sophomore)

48. Austin Reaves (Oklahoma SG, Senior)

47. Isaiah Livers (Michigan, SF, Senior)

46. JT Thor (Auburn, PF, Freshman)

45. Josh Primo (Alabama, SG, Freshman)

44. Isaiah Todd (G League Ignite, PF, 2002)

43. Nah'Shon Hyland (VCU, SG, Sophomore)

42. Santi Aldama (Loyola Maryland, PF, Sophomore)

41. Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois, PG/SG, Junior)

40. Herb Jones (Alabama, SF, Senior)

39. Greg Brown (Texas, PF, Freshman)

38. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova, PF, Sophomore)

37. Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech, SG/SF, Sophomore)

36. Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky, C, Junior)

35. Rokas Jokubaitis (Zalgiris, PG/SG, 2000)

34. Trey Murphy III (Virginia, PF, Junior)

33. Brandon Boston Jr. (Kentucky, SF, Freshman)

32. Joel Ayayi (Gonzaga, PG/SG, Junior)

31. Ziaire Williams (Stanford, SF, Freshman)

30. Roko Prkacin (Cibona, PF, 2002)

29. Cameron Thomas (LSU, SG, Freshman)

28. Kessler Edwards (Pepperdine, SF, Junior)

27. Josh Christopher (Arizona State, SG/SF, Freshman)

26. Sharife Cooper (Auburn, PG, Freshman)

25. Day'Ron Sharpe (North Carolina, C, Freshman)

24. Chris Duarte (Oregon, SG, Senior)

23. Usman Garuba (Real Madrid, PF/C, 2002)

22. Kai Jones (Texas, PF, Sophomore)

21. Corey Kispert (Gonzaga, SF, Senior)

20. Jaden Springer (Tennessee, PG/SG, Freshman) 

19. Jared Butler (Baylor, PG/SG, Junior)

18. Miles McBride (West Virginia, PG, Sophomore)

17. Davion Mitchell (Baylor, PG/SG, Junior)

16. Aaron Henry (Michigan State, SG/SF, Junior)

15. James Bouknight (Connecticut, SG, Sophomore)

14. Tre Mann (Florida, PG/SG, Sophomore)

13. Alperen Sengun (Besiktas, C, 2002)

12. Isaiah Jackson (Kentucky, PF/C, Freshman)

11. Moses Moody (Arkansas, SG/SF, Freshman)

10. Josh Giddey (Adelaide 36ers, PG/SG, 2002)

9. Franz Wagner (Michigan, SF/PF, Sophomore)

8. Scottie Barnes (Florida State, PF, Freshman)

7. Keon Johnson (Tennessee, SG/SF, Freshman)

6. Jalen Johnson (Duke, PF, Freshman)

5. Jonathan Kuminga (G League Ignite, SF/PF, 2002)

4. Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga, PG/SG, Freshman)

3. Evan Mobley (USC, PF/C, Freshman)

2. Jalen Green (G League Ignite, SG, 2002)

1. Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State, PG/SG, Freshman)

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2943639-2021-nba-draft-big-board-updated-rankings-of-top-50-prospects

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

22 minutes ago, The Neighborhood Bully said:

Wasserman's latest top 50

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2943639-2021-nba-draft-big-board-updated-rankings-of-top-50-prospects

This list is certainly... Interesting. 

[Bebop Meat Mop 8]

6 hours ago, The Neighborhood Bully said:

Wasserman's latest top 50

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2943639-2021-nba-draft-big-board-updated-rankings-of-top-50-prospects

He's got Kispert in the right spot at least.  

[Jay Magic 1,233]

Hyland with our 2nd rounder please. He is going to be a absolute steal. I hope we draft him. He is going to be a real good player in the league. 

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

4 hours ago, Jay Magic said:

Hyland with our 2nd rounder please. He is going to be a absolute steal. I hope we draft him. He is going to be a real good player in the league. 

I honestly think Bones at 43 on those rankings is insane. I'd have him like 20 spots higher I think.

 

This is a really good draft from top to bottom in my opinion. Like looking at those rankings there are like 10 guys from 28-50 who I'd be absolutely delighted to draft at 33.

[Jay Magic 1,233]

1 hour ago, CTMagicUK said:

I honestly think Bones at 43 on those rankings is insane. I'd have him like 20 spots higher I think.

 

This is a really good draft from top to bottom in my opinion. Like looking at those rankings there are like 10 guys from 28-50 who I'd be absolutely delighted to draft at 33.

Yep. We need shooters and he is of the  best in the draft. Hope we do get him. Id be ecstatic 

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

23 hours ago, CTMagicUK said:

Looking at those rankings there are like 10 guys from 28-50 who I'd be absolutely delighted to draft at 33.

I'm bored so here are the guys in that range I like with our 2nd rounder:

Kessler Edwards

Roko Prkacin

Ziaire Williams (easily, I posted a couple pages ago I might consider him lotto)

Joel Ayayi

Trey Murphy III

Bones Hyland

JT Thor

RaiQuan Gray

(Maybeee) Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

The common themes with that group really is they're all wings or forwards in the 6-5+ range with enough perimeter skills to meet a minimum pass/dribble/shoot threshold (i.e. where they're not great passers they can still shoot etc). Most of them are also solid defensively or have at least shown enough flashes where I feel like they won't be a liability.

That's not really by accident. Small backup guards and non skilled bench bigs are just so replaceable that it seems a bit pointless to waste picks in the 30s on them unless you have an abnormally high grade on them (i.e. you think they can be positive starters on good teams). Like we picked Donta Hall up on a 10 day midseason, he's not great but does our team win measurably more games if you replace Donta Hall with Dwight Howard? (he was the best backup big in that mould I could think of for illustrative purposes) I don't think so personally. And even if you do think that you can get a guy like Dwight for a vet minimum if you're a good team. 

Bones is kind of the exception to that since he's 6'3 and not a very good defender or passer but he's such a special shooter and crafty finisher that I think he's more than worth betting on at 33 to potentially be at least like a sparkplug scoring option off the bench (or more if you can fix some or all of his strength, defense and passing).

 

 

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

I've got a new draft sleeper:

 

https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/05/ej-onu-2021-nba-draft-prospect-profile/

Had literally never heard of him before this article but this is all super interesting. Wouldn't risk picking him at 33 though.

[All Eyes On Me 1,196]

39 minutes ago, CTMagicUK said:

I've got a new draft sleeper:

 

https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/05/ej-onu-2021-nba-draft-prospect-profile/

Had literally never heard of him before this article but this is all super interesting. Wouldn't risk picking him at 33 though.

I just can’t see us rostering our 2nd round pick with how much youth we already have on the roster and the potential for 2 top 10 picks. If we lose the Bulls pick, sure, but if we don’t I think we trade out of the 2nd round or draft and stash 

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

8 minutes ago, All Eyes On Me said:

I just can’t see us rostering our 2nd round pick with how much youth we already have on the roster and the potential for 2 top 10 picks. If we lose the Bulls pick, sure, but if we don’t I think we trade out of the 2nd round or draft and stash 

I'd be disappointed with that. Not because I don't understand the rationale you're putting forward about the youth (and you're probably right given how this FO has operated in the past), but because pick 33 is essentially a first round pick without the guaranteed salary. It's an opportunity to take a virtually risk free swing. I don't think we can waste something like that at this stage of the rebuild. 

[All Eyes On Me 1,196]

1 hour ago, CTMagicUK said:

I'd be disappointed with that. Not because I don't understand the rationale you're putting forward about the youth (and you're probably right given how this FO has operated in the past), but because pick 33 is essentially a first round pick without the guaranteed salary. It's an opportunity to take a virtually risk free swing. I don't think we can waste something like that at this stage of the rebuild. 

True. Regardless I don’t see us going forward with this young of a roster, but I’ve been wrong before. We need more vet presence and I can see us moving some of the youth to address it, maybe Mo?  But assuming we don’t and we stay put we’d have a youth roster of:

Fultz/Cole/RJ/Isaac/Chuma/Mo/WCJ/our pick/Bulls pick/2nd round pick 

with vets:

Ross/Harris/MCW/Maybe Bacon

which would leave us room for one or 2 more vets/2 way players to fill out the roster. Man, it’s gonna be an interesting offseason.