2022 NBA Draft Thread

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

36 minutes ago, Soul Bro said:

I think it's a really strong comp the more I consider it. Look at Klay's college stats, especially his freshman year. Smith is considered a deadly shooter and one of the best (if not the best) perimeter defender in the draft... just at 6'10''. That said, I've convinced myself I'll be okay with four guys in this draft. 

I'm with you, my point was more... How confident are we that Jabari is going to be an elite shooter versus just a very good one? Because that's kind of the difference between Klay Thompson and Danny Green. Obviously being 6'10 helps, he'll probably be more impactful than Green even if he's only a very good shooter because of that.

I'm at 

1a. Chet

1b. Paolo 

1c. Jabari

Everyone else.

EDIT: on reflection the Danny Green comment is kind of a stretch but I think it still makes the point that the level of shooter you are can dramatically affect your outcome when shooting is your main offensive skill.

[ball junkie 277]

Oh my gosh how prophetic …like he knew the Magic were gonna win the lottery …I posted this months ago but certainly worth reposting 3 1/2 weeks until the draft …scroll to the 10:45 mark and he talks specifically the Magic and Sharp …also when prompted makes a comparison between Jalen Hardy and Sharpe and why we should be confident in Sharpe …about 4,5 minutes of relevant discussion 

Edit: no doubt in my mind who is the best fit …and you can call me a UK homer lol …just are the Magic willing to take the risk 

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

A reminder that numerous mocks had Jaden Hardy top 5 predraft. Here's what Jonathan Wasserman had to say about him in October (had him at 3):

"The G League's freedom, pace and space should help bring out Jaden Hardy's creation, shot-making and range for scoring in volume.

There is an outside chance that he could go No. 1 if he demonstrates playmaking that suggests he's capable of being a lead NBA point guard. Regardless, as the Ignite's likely No. 1 option, he figures to sway scouts with how effortlessly he separates, shoots off the dribble and releases from NBA distance."

Here's a snippet of what Mike Schmitz wrote about him in October (ESPN/Givony/Schmitz had him top 5)

"Standing 6-4 with a solid frame, a 6-9 wingspan and shooting range from half court, Hardy possesses a lot of the qualities teams look for in a modern NBA guard. Thirty-foot pull-ups and step-back 3s have never been more valuable, and few teenagers in the world are as advanced as Hardy in terms of off-the-dribble shooting."

ESPN currently has Hardy at 33 after a year in the G League (that's outrageous, he'll be a first round pick unless he has some serious red flags). 

Point being that if Hardy hadn't played for a year instead of playing in a pro league we'd be talking about him as a top 10 guy still... 

Also if we can trade up for Hardy in the 20s we absolutely should to be honest i think it's hard for a teenager to put up efficient scoring against grown men. 

 

[ball junkie 277]

24 minutes ago, CTMagicUK said:

A reminder that numerous mocks had Jaden Hardy top 5 predraft. Here's what Jonathan Wasserman had to say about him in October (had him at 3):

"The G League's freedom, pace and space should help bring out Jaden Hardy's creation, shot-making and range for scoring in volume.

There is an outside chance that he could go No. 1 if he demonstrates playmaking that suggests he's capable of being a lead NBA point guard. Regardless, as the Ignite's likely No. 1 option, he figures to sway scouts with how effortlessly he separates, shoots off the dribble and releases from NBA distance."

Here's a snippet of what Mike Schmitz wrote about him in October (ESPN/Givony/Schmitz had him top 5)

"Standing 6-4 with a solid frame, a 6-9 wingspan and shooting range from half court, Hardy possesses a lot of the qualities teams look for in a modern NBA guard. Thirty-foot pull-ups and step-back 3s have never been more valuable, and few teenagers in the world are as advanced as Hardy in terms of off-the-dribble shooting."

ESPN currently has Hardy at 33 after a year in the G League (that's outrageous, he'll be a first round pick unless he has some serious red flags). 

Point being that if Hardy hadn't played for a year instead of playing in a pro league we'd be talking about him as a top 10 guy still... 

Also if we can trade up for Hardy in the 20s we absolutely should to be honest i think it's hard for a teenager to put up efficient scoring against grown men. 

 

I thought in the vid above Veccine did a nice job addressing this …I even alluded to it in my post …he used the words bigger size, better shooter …and to quote, “just overall a better prospect by a substantial margin”.

And in terms of playing against men …Look at Sharpe’s body …dude is well built …at 18 years old when you project him down the road he’s gonna be a monster …in that interview with Shams he talked about his football background and how it benefits him …nobody we draft is a garuntee .

[Nyce_1 311]

On 5/28/2022 at 3:16 PM, ball junkie said:

https://www.tmz.com/2022/05/28/chet-holmgren-not-sweating-nba-draft-i-want-to-land-in-best-fit/

Man this interview screams no Orlando to me …if I was in his shoes and that lady asked me if I wanted to go to Orlando and if I wanted to be the top pick I would have said “Hell ya” so fast she’d of had to step back lol …my friends say the same thing .

I don’t think Holmgren will be drafted by us anyway with or without this video 

So, I was thinking about this video again this morning, and remembered what Givony wrote last week about Chet and Jabari: 
 

Quote

 

While Magic executives have made it clear they will conduct a thorough process -- even extending beyond the widely believed top three prospects in Smith, Holmgren and Paolo Banchero -- most NBA teams firmly believe that's a formality and that Smith is all but assured to become the top pick. Smith, for his part, appears thrilled with that development. So is Holmgren over his looming marriage with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is also the overwhelming expectation from NBA executives with whom we spoke at the draft combine. -- Givony

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/33969912/winners-losers-2022-nba-draft-combine

 

In that TMZ video, to me, if rumors are true, definitely looks and sounds like Givony's Intel is accurate; everyone knows Jabari going 1, even Chet knows. When he is asked, he can't bring himself to lie and lobby to be #1 pick when he already knows it's not happening. 

Junkie, I agree with you.

[Soul Bro 1,419]

1 hour ago, CTMagicUK said:

I'm with you, my point was more... How confident are we that Jabari is going to be an elite shooter versus just a very good one? Because that's kind of the difference between Klay Thompson and Danny Green. Obviously being 6'10 helps, he'll probably be more impactful than Green even if he's only a very good shooter because of that.

I'm at 

1a. Chet

1b. Paolo 

1c. Jabari

Everyone else.

EDIT: on reflection the Danny Green comment is kind of a stretch but I think it still makes the point that the level of shooter you are can dramatically affect your outcome when shooting is your main offensive skill.

I think Smith's shot is elite... I mean really elite. Sure I was pumping AJ Griffin because of his 3PT% earlier this year, but then I watched all the upper tier NCAA teams play quite a bit. Smith's shot is just so pure... and so much more athletic in his timing and release than anyone else in this draft. (I'm not counting Sharpe here for the moment because we've not seen him play in any competition in a year). Going back to Smith, his shot is one of the best outside shots in years. His perimeter defense is also just so nasty. Now here's my question: Can Smith become THE two-way alpha a team needs? I'm not sure. Honestly, all these guys have question marks for me. But I'm not betting against Smith.

[Nyce_1 311]

2 minutes ago, Soul Bro said:

I think Smith's shot is elite... I mean really elite. Sure I was pumping AJ Griffin because of his 3PT% earlier this year, but then I watched all the upper tier NCAA teams play quite a bit. Smith's shot is just so pure... and so much more athletic in his timing and release than anyone else in this draft. (I'm not counting Sharpe here for the moment because we've not seen him play in any competition in a year). Going back to Smith, his shot is one of the best outside shots in years. His perimeter defense is also just so nasty. Now here's my question: Can Smith become THE two-way alpha a team needs? I'm not sure. Honestly, all these guys have question marks for me. But I'm not betting against Smith.

I don't think the team NEEDs a 2-way alpha. Would be nice to have, but I'm confident in the core (Kelle/Franz/WCj/Suggs?/Isaac?) we have and think Jabari fits with any of them. He's a 2-way player, and plays with fire. Him gaining that alpha mentality will come with time and further development of his game; if it ever comes.

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

13 minutes ago, Soul Bro said:

I think Smith's shot is elite... I mean really elite. Sure I was pumping AJ Griffin because of his 3PT% earlier this year, but then I watched all the upper tier NCAA teams play quite a bit. Smith's shot is just so pure... and so much more athletic in his timing and release than anyone else in this draft. (I'm not counting Sharpe here for the moment because we've not seen him play in any competition in a year). Going back to Smith, his shot is one of the best outside shots in years. His perimeter defense is also just so nasty. Now here's my question: Can Smith become THE two-way alpha a team needs? I'm not sure. Honestly, all these guys have question marks for me. But I'm not betting against Smith.

That's a fair thought and I can't disagree.

Do I think Smith can be THE guy on a team? Probably not. Because I don't believe Klay Thompson could be THE guy on a great team. But you have to take what the draft gives you. If you don't think there's a guy like that in this draft, or if you think the candidates for that are a lot more high risk than you're prepared to take then sure take Jabari.

 

[J Roc Baby 24]

After watching Jimmy Butler take perhaps the most ill-advised shot I can remember in recent memory, I'm terrified that Smith being the 3 point shooter he is makes the same choice. Not saying he wouldn't make the shot just what is his selection at that moment?

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

3 minutes ago, J Roc Baby said:

After watching Jimmy Butler take perhaps the most ill-advised shot I can remember in recent memory, I'm terrified that Smith being the 3 point shooter he is makes the same choice. Not saying he wouldn't make the shot just what is his selection at that moment?

If we reach a point where Jabari Smith misses a clutch basket in the Eastern Conference Finals for us he's probably already proved he's the correct pick so I wouldn't be worrying about stuff like this.

[ball junkie 277]

So I’ve watched Smith a lot …cause he’s SEC and Auburn was leading UK so I watched them pulling for them to lose …I agree with the dead eye spot up shooter thing …but I think it’s wishful thinking wanting him to become one of these wing/perimeter players we see dominating the playoffs …he certainly didn’t demonstrate that in his one year of college …agree with his defensive assessment also …but, and I know you guys don’t like to read this but that’s the same spot Isaac plays and he’s Dam good …Givony also telling you about Smith .

On Sharpe geez …only argument is haven’t seen him play ? …He was playing tournaments last October …UK fans complained saying he shouldn’t be draft eligible lol …plenty of HS tape …all over YouTube …just thank goodness Magic management was open minded about the draft in 2004 …and I was right here on these boards …nobody saw any HS vids on him …at least none were posted …all anybody knew was this tall kid from a small private school of 100 kids on the outskirts of Atlanta was putting up gaudy numbers …the only thing I remember about that draft year …and mostly because I was focused on Okafor …was that when he worked out for the team he could touch the top of the backboard …so I slowly but surely got on board with the pick …but it took me awhile 

[Nyce_1 311]

22 minutes ago, J Roc Baby said:

After watching Jimmy Butler take perhaps the most ill-advised shot I can remember in recent memory, I'm terrified that Smith being the 3 point shooter he is makes the same choice. Not saying he wouldn't make the shot just what is his selection at that moment?

1. Jabari wouldn't be bringing up the ball in that situation. 

2. It was a good shot for him. He walked right into the 3; just missed it. They struggled against a set Celtic defense so in-transition is how they had to score.

3. Definitely a good question to ask on an interview.