2022 NBA Draft Thread

[Soul Bro 1,419]

Quite the statistical comp…

”Among those who have attempted at least nine 3-pointers per 100 possessions, Griffin joins Devin Booker as the only high-major freshman on record to shoot at least 70% at the rim and 40% on 3-pointers.”

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nba-mock-draft-chet-holmgren-jaden-ivey-aj-griffin

[Soul Bro 1,419]

My current Magic Board is probably:

1. Smith

2. Griffin/Ivey

3. Ivey/Griffin

4. Twiggy

5. Everyone else

Now a lot can change for me come March and through the draft process, especially around Twiggy and Sharpe, but this is where I’m at today. 

[hootie249 293]

Griffin still that high for you?

[Soul Bro 1,419]

5 minutes ago, hootie249 said:

Griffin still that high for you?

I think so. For years mock drafts have sold us on bigs with versatility and potential. Meanwhile, guys like Booker, SGA and Mitchell always drop. This year’s draft is a big unknown, so at least in Griffin we’d get an elite shooter with size (ala Booker or Middleton). Twiggy’s number are amazing but I don’t buy his body right now.

Edit - And Griffin’s numbers are impossible to ignore. He’s now up to 48% from three.

[TreyMachine 395]

12 hours ago, Soul Bro said:

I think so. For years mock drafts have sold us on bigs with versatility and potential. Meanwhile, guys like Booker, SGA and Mitchell always drop. This year’s draft is a big unknown, so at least in Griffin we’d get an elite shooter with size (ala Booker or Middleton). Twiggy’s number are amazing but I don’t buy his body right now.

Edit - And Griffin’s numbers are impossible to ignore. He’s now up to 48% from three.

We have Wendell, Franz, and theoretically Isaac as our "big core." I'm less sold on Markelle/Cole as the future and think I'm okay letting Jalen have the time to develop his playmaker skills as, again, he was an elite HS Quarterback which makes me believe he has pretty good baseline vision. Consider me on the AJ Griffin train. 

[Soul Bro 1,419]

Wow… look at how underwhelming Booker’s stats were at UK. Still he could shoot the rock.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/devin-booker-2.html

[Soul Bro 1,419]

Dennis Smith was just waved by Portland. This is a good reminder that sometimes even good draft candidates fizzle out. I remember Payton4thewin wanting Smith so badly.

[A Better DJ & Photographer 456]

5 hours ago, Soul Bro said:

Dennis Smith was just waved by Portland. This is a good reminder that sometimes even good draft candidates fizzle out. I remember Payton4thewin wanting Smith so badly.

I think at that point in time a lot of us were in the anybody but EP mode.

[TreyMachine 395]

6 hours ago, Soul Bro said:

Dennis Smith was just waved by Portland. This is a good reminder that sometimes even good draft candidates fizzle out. I remember Payton4thewin wanting Smith so badly.

Whatever happened to Payton4TheWin? He was a staple and a guiding light here for so many years. Sad to see him no longer around. 

[hootie249 293]

Maybe he is smarter then the rest of us and isn't a Magic fan anymore.

[King Close 63]

9 hours ago, TreyMachine said:

Whatever happened to Payton4TheWin? He was a staple and a guiding light here for so many years. Sad to see him no longer around. 

He’s still around on Twitter under Fultz4TheWin

[South_Aussie_Magic 90]

21 hours ago, A Better DJ & Photographer said:

I think at that point in time a lot of us were in the anybody but EP mode.

The time his free throw was blocked by his dreads really felt like a nadir for this franchise. I don't care if we are bottom of the standings this year, nothing was as depressing as that time.