Took the mock draft comparison Eric posted below and created an average consensus list. Basically, averaged placement from each outlet (1-30), using 31 if an outlet left a player off their top 30 list:
In a major bout of either groupthink or an idea whose time has come, four new mock drafts came out today which have Jake LaRavia going to GSW: Tankathon, SB Nation, B/R, ESPN.
And for those who know something about basketball, when “bad mechanics” is mentioned for a college player, is that something that ever changes or can be fixed?
Jun 16, 2022·edited Jun 16, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot
This is a tough one cause I really hate Braun's short little arms... but I gotta go with him here. I'm tempted to say that it's almost due to process of elimination, but he's actually a pretty exciting player when you give him a chance. I love the energy he plays with, and I actually love that he compared himself to Dillon Brooks (even though I still have some latent hatred I'm trying to get over). I think having high energy spirited players is important, and something we'll be a little lacking in in the post Draymond era. He's put up very solid numbers all three years in college, he can shoot, pass, get to the basket, he's an absolutely elite leaper with a 40 inch vert and 33 inch standing vert, and he plays dogged hard nosed defense, stays in front of his man, doesn't bite on fakes, and uses his springiness to block and contest shots. Oh and he can pass a little bit. I don't love him, but out of this group he's my clear favorite.
Re: process of elimination, Wesley and McGowens just didn't perform well in their freshman years, I'm not saying they're gonna be bad, just that I have no good reason to think that they won't. On video Wesley looks like he's got a pretty good handle, and McGowen has some nice finishes, and of course all the shots go in in the highlights, but then they end up with a 30% 3pt %... I just don't see anything that makes me thing they have so much more potential than the guys who actually played well (many of whom are still likely to be bad).
Koloko just seems like too much of a traditional center to spend a first round pick on, I don't see him guarding effectively on the perimeter, he's pretty old at 22 and still very raw. Seems like a risky pick without a ton of upside.
I wish 538 did draft prospect success projections. We could just pick whoever they projected for 3% likelihood of success, then sit back and enjoy watching them represent us in multiple all star games.
In today's media session, Jason Tatum held a basketball while being interviewed on the podium. I thought that was strange until I saw GP2 and Draymond on either side of the podium guarding him.
OT: I see Andrew, Dray and Klay getting smaller contracts in their next contract. Jordan and Looney will get bigger ones… I can easily see only a $5M/year bump for that quintet. I really don’t think it will get thaaaat much more expensive to keep this core together for the next 4 years…
Braun - for his energy and "get -er done" fight. My question to Christian: Are you willing to sit the bench while learning from the champs?
Group A - Christian Braun
Koloko, Group A
Koloko for me, nice improvement on his FTs is a good sign.
Group A - Christian Braun
Group B - EJ Liddel
Group C - Jalen Williams
Group D - Wendell Moore
Took the mock draft comparison Eric posted below and created an average consensus list. Basically, averaged placement from each outlet (1-30), using 31 if an outlet left a player off their top 30 list:
1: Jabari Smith, score: 1.25
2: Chet Holmgren, score: 1.875
3: Paolo Banchero, score: 2.875
4: Jaden Ivey, score: 4.25
5: Keegan Murray, score: 5.25
6: Dyson Daniels, score: 7
7: Shaedon Sharpe, score: 7.25
8: Bennedict Mathurin, score: 8.777777777777779
9: Jalen Duren, score: 9.5
10: Johnny Davis, score: 10.125
11: AJ Griffin, score: 10.625
12: Jeremy Sochan, score: 11.75
13: Ousmane Dieng, score: 13.75
14: Mark Williams, score: 13.75
15: Malaki Branham, score: 14.5
16: Ochai Agbaji, score: 17.125
17: Jalen Williams, score: 18
18: Tari Eason, score: 18.625
19: TyTy Washington, score: 19.5
20: EJ Liddell, score: 20
21: Blake Wesley, score: 22.25
22: Nikola Jovic, score: 23.75
23: MarJon Beauchamp, score: 24.25
24: Jaden Hardy, score: 24.75
25: Walker Kessler, score: 25.25
26: Dalen Terry, score: 25.875
27: Jake LaRavia, score: 27.25
28: Kennedy Chandler, score: 27.625
29: Patrick Baldwin, score: 28.125
30: Leonard Miller, score: 29.25
31: Bryce McGowens, score: 29.75
32: Max Christie, score: 29.75
33: Caleb Houstan, score: 30
34: Ismael Kamagate, score: 30.25
35: Wendell Moore, score: 30.5
36: Christian Koloko, score: 30.625
37: John Butler, score: 30.625
38: Kendall Brown, score: 30.75
39: Andrew Nembhard, score: 30.75
40: David Roddy, score: 30.875
41: Trevor Keels, score: 30.875
42: Ryan Rollins, score: 30.875
One nice thing about picking 28 is that most of our guys actually participated in the combine, so we get real measurements.
In a major bout of either groupthink or an idea whose time has come, four new mock drafts came out today which have Jake LaRavia going to GSW: Tankathon, SB Nation, B/R, ESPN.
https://hoopsdistillery.com/mockdraftcomp-june22/
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/steph-curry-is-cutting-through-the-noise/
Braun
When’s the voting deadline Eric?
And for those who know something about basketball, when “bad mechanics” is mentioned for a college player, is that something that ever changes or can be fixed?
Ciao da Roma!
This is a tough one cause I really hate Braun's short little arms... but I gotta go with him here. I'm tempted to say that it's almost due to process of elimination, but he's actually a pretty exciting player when you give him a chance. I love the energy he plays with, and I actually love that he compared himself to Dillon Brooks (even though I still have some latent hatred I'm trying to get over). I think having high energy spirited players is important, and something we'll be a little lacking in in the post Draymond era. He's put up very solid numbers all three years in college, he can shoot, pass, get to the basket, he's an absolutely elite leaper with a 40 inch vert and 33 inch standing vert, and he plays dogged hard nosed defense, stays in front of his man, doesn't bite on fakes, and uses his springiness to block and contest shots. Oh and he can pass a little bit. I don't love him, but out of this group he's my clear favorite.
Re: process of elimination, Wesley and McGowens just didn't perform well in their freshman years, I'm not saying they're gonna be bad, just that I have no good reason to think that they won't. On video Wesley looks like he's got a pretty good handle, and McGowen has some nice finishes, and of course all the shots go in in the highlights, but then they end up with a 30% 3pt %... I just don't see anything that makes me thing they have so much more potential than the guys who actually played well (many of whom are still likely to be bad).
Koloko just seems like too much of a traditional center to spend a first round pick on, I don't see him guarding effectively on the perimeter, he's pretty old at 22 and still very raw. Seems like a risky pick without a ton of upside.
If it’s not too late, I’ll throw a vote in for Wesley. He may be listed at 6’3 but that length and his style of play is much bigger. I like him a lot.
I wish 538 did draft prospect success projections. We could just pick whoever they projected for 3% likelihood of success, then sit back and enjoy watching them represent us in multiple all star games.
In today's media session, Jason Tatum held a basketball while being interviewed on the podium. I thought that was strange until I saw GP2 and Draymond on either side of the podium guarding him.
Update: The vote count in the comments is surprisingly tight
Wesley 10
Braun 9
Koloko 8
Planning to run Group B on Friday, win or lose Game 6…
OT: I see Andrew, Dray and Klay getting smaller contracts in their next contract. Jordan and Looney will get bigger ones… I can easily see only a $5M/year bump for that quintet. I really don’t think it will get thaaaat much more expensive to keep this core together for the next 4 years…