73 Comments

I think we trade down to get Giddey. He has the size and playmaking ability that the org loves. All depending on what our scouts thing of him of course.

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As a UConn fan I watched him alot the past 2 years and like Bouknight's upside but really feel that size is the need for us.

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Feels like all is right with the sports world at the moment.

So far the process continues and the battle tested Bucks survived the Durant show, despite Tucker fouling out almost exclusively on Nets moving screeners forearm shoving him into Durant.

The way the west has shaken out, the Warriors could still be playing if they had made the playoffs.

Is it bad that I feel like Mr. Apricot should be running the Warriors draft room? He seems to have a way of presenting information that led to the Warriors fanbase selecting possibly the best value in the draft last year (despite having Twitter involved.) I sense a guiding touch in these mock draft reviews too

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Thank you for the very kind words but I always believe the teams have much more information than we do, so I don’t presume to know better…

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Guys, just like last year when I fell in love with Haliburton, I’ve been doing some scouting on my own and I’m growing more and more intrigued with Jalen Johnson (who seems quite the controversial prospect).

Standing at 6’9 with a 6’11 wingspan, he is a smooth athlete with a solid first step along with an intriguing handle. Defensively, he seems eminently versatile capable of guarding all 5 positions averaging 1.2 steals/blocks in 21 mpg. Watching his tape, Johnson seems to have amazing instincts and nose for the ball when it comes to grabbing rebounds/chasing blocks allowing him to put up some silly numbers for a Center despite playing SF. People rightfully praise Scottie Barnes for his talents as a passer . . . but Johnson honestly wasn’t too far behind him consistently flashing excellent vision (especially in transition).

The negatives for Johnson are that his jumper is extremely poor (his 3pt % is misleading), though thats in part because of his bad shot selection where he’s tried to take the opposition off the dribble into contested mid range shots. While he seemed to have some promise with his catch and shooting, his jumper is nonetheless a genuine concern given his subpar FT%. My secondary main criticism of Johnson was that even though he demonstrated excellent hand/eye coordination in other aspects of his game, my charting of his shot attempts displayed a lackluster ability to retain body control through contact and finish. Still, he did finish with 60.3% ATR so maybe I’ve overstating this problem.

Overall, I really like him, warts and all. If he can add a bit of muscle + shift down to PF (which is where he really belongs), he’ll be able to put up ridiculous stat-lines like 24 pts, 15 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Blk, and 2 Stl far more.

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I admit to being in the Scottie Barnes camp, but J Johnson has some game. His passing and court awareness up there with Barnes, good defender. What separates them for me is size/length and the infectious energy Barnes brings to the game. I see him as a mix of Draymond's intensity mixed with Curry's joy. However, J Johnson is right there, and these are probably my 1st & 2nd choices on the board and if we get MIN pick, good chance one of them available. Ahhh shit, lottery tomorrow. Where's my heart medication?

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That’s great that you’ve been scouting on your own. If you’d cleared it ahead of time, we probably would’ve approved covering your travel expenses.

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Definitely intrigued by Johnson, think he is probably a borderline top 10 guy

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Most recent Wasserman mock has him #6: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2944643-2021-nba-draft-big-board-top-50-prospects-ahead-of-tuesdays-lottery

1. Cade Cunningham

2. Jalen Green

3. Evan Mobley

4. Jalen Suggs

5. Jonathan Kuminga

6. Jalen Johnson

7. Scottie Barnes

8. Franz Wagner

9. Keon Johnson

10. Josh Giddey

11. Moses Moody

12. James Bouknight

13. Sharife Cooper

14. Isaiah Jackson

15. Davion Mitchell

Three Jalens in the top 6…

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...

Wasserman also has a piece today on various and sundry pre- draft combine thoughts, including some buzz on Johnson: "Lottery teams will be eager to chat with Duke's Jalen Johnson. His talent has been evident for years, but his journey to this point has included multiple high schools (including a stint at IMG in which he left without ever having suited up) and a half-season of college basketball.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2944637-latest-buzz-ahead-of-2021-nba-draft-combine

"Johnson caused a stir by leaving Duke midway through the season once his minutes started to decrease after he returned from a foot injury.

There have been mixed opinions about whether Johnson was right to protect his stock—or if his departure reflected a me-first attitude in which he bailed on a team that wasn't expected to make the NCAA tournament.

NBA executives will want to explore the mind of Johnson and his thought process. He is not expected to participate in scrimmages."

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Not mad at that Johnson ranking at all, even though I'd probably put him below Moody, Barnes, and Wagner.

I really like that board other than swapping out Keon Johnson for Alperen Sengun. I'd quibble with a name or two and some of the placements but I think it's pretty good.

Also, I was out on Ziaire Williams but apparently he grew 3 inches and is 6'10 now?!? Curious to see what he measures at the combine. Could see him rising back up to the lottery if that new height is legit.

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*big board, not mock (just as well, cos mock drafts are lame).

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Jalen Johnson is on my list to be in this year’s Draft Tournament.

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For comparison with similar players in Per 36 . . .

Cade Cunningham: 20.5 PTS 6.3 REB 3.5 AST 0.8 BLK 1.6 STL

Scottie Barnes: 15.0 PTS 5.8 REB 5.9 AST 0.7 BLK 2.1 STL

Jalen Johnson: 18.9 PTS 10.2 REB 3.8 AST 2.1 BLK 1.9 STL

Johnson is 1rst in rebounds, first in blocks, tied in first for steals, 2nd in assists, and 2nd in points . . . thats not a bad performance in a group containing Barnes/Cunningham.

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The issue with Johnson is that he quit his college team 1/2 way through the season. I'm guessing it was for academic reasons but the NCAA is not noted for requiring difficult coursework for "student"-athletes so it is something of a red flag.

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Johnson was dealing with injuries at the time and decided, with three weeks left in the season and Duke's chances of making the NCAA tournament were low.

I'm not sure where you got this assumption that he was doing terribly academically, I think its far more likely that he wanted to get fully healthy and prepare for his NBA career rather than continue laboring for a team that he doesn't get paid to represent.

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I stand corrected. You still have to wonder about a player with a "me first" attitude, if that is what is. I'm sure the Warriors aren't anxious to repeat the Patrick McCaw experience by drafting somebody that thinks he should be starting in place of Wiggins or Green.

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I agree with you that a "me first" attitude is a genuine concern. We'll just have to rely on the coaching staff to figure out if thats a problem.

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"a team that he doesn't get paid to represent."

LOL, you must be living under an idealist rock ;-)

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Doc Rivers was asked after the game whether he still believes they can win a championship with Simmons at point, and Doc's reply was "I don't know the answer to that". Sure Simmons came up small in the series, but that's such a terrible answer as a head coach.

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Honestly, I think a big part of the problem is Doc. Does anyone else here think Kerr & staff could have gotten more out of Simmons than Doc did?

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I dunno, maybe the turning point was when Embiid had a wide open three pointer (down four) he passed on for a dribble drive where he then turned the ball over. Maybe you should look in the mirror a bit, Joel...

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Yeah... really seems like they're done with him. Don't want him over here though, even if it's "buy low" time... just not sure how he fits.

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I could honestly see Wiggs for Simmons happening, but I don’t want it to.

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Ouch

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Ben Simmons is a lesson on trade value. Earlier this season he was the centerpiece for a Harden trade. Now he's presumably a negative contract.

It can happen very fast. Waiting and hoping a young guy improves their trade value through age-related progression isn't always the wiser move, they have to actually improve.

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Apparently Sixers fans still think they can get Lillard for him.

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On Liberty Ballers they're also proposing Simmons for Wiggins. It's crazy that is even a conversation piece.

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I mean...I'd do that trade. Of course, Simmons has flaws but he's a better defender than Wiggs. Plus a much better rebounder and passer. The only skill you're giving up is spacing, and with Dray, giving up spacing is tough.

There's just too much upside to say no.

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> The only skill you're giving up is spacing

And, you know, scoring. LOL.

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Ben Simmons scored 15.9 pts/36 last year. Wiggins scored 20.1. It's really not giving up that much scoring. Ben was also more efficient at .584 TS vs Wiggins .568.

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I'd rather have Wiggins, straight up. Am I crazy?

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No. I agree, but it’s mostly because I KNOW Wiggins works in our system. It’s possible that with Klay back, Simmons does too, but it’s enough of a question mark that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

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Are we sure it ain't broke? We missed the playoffs.

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So What now with Simmons? What kind of player does he become moving forward? It's so weird evaluating him- he's very talented yet very flawed

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And he really hasn't changed all that much since he was drafted. You would think that he'd want to improve his game, but apparently that's not a priority with him.

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Appropriate Qs for this thread as Giddey could well be another version of Simmons without as good D

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Scottie Barnes could too. Not saying I'm predicting that will happen, I like Barnes, but his shooting percentages in high school/EYBL/college are pretty ugly. Simmons himself was a much better free throw shooter than Barnes while factoring in volume. If people are going to throw "Ben Simmons" at Giddey, it seems only fair to me to throw it at Barnes too.

Of course, Barnes is 19 (and Giddey is 18), whereas Simmons is already 24 (sidebar: technically the same age as Duarte). He has plenty of time to correct his shot. Draymond was a worse shooter than Barnes at his age. And who knows where Draymond would be as a shooter right now if he never fucked his shoulder up.

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Yes he could, but at least Barnes is aggressive around the hoop. Hard to imagine him passing up an open dunk.

And would walking away from this draft with the next Ben Simmons be that bad a thing?

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I know they lost Danny Green but they were never going to win a championship with Simmons being a complete liability on the offensive end anyways. At least Draymond can occasionally make the open 3. I can't tell if Simmons is physically incapable of expanding his offensive game or he just doesn't want to. All he needs is a reliable mid range and everything else will open up entirely

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And that’s the thing. Dray is horrid as a shooter but still keeps the D honest.

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Dray often hasn't kept the D honest the past few years. He did in earlier years, and he improved some this past season but we can think of plenty of times the defense has left him alone at the arc, and he didn't make them pay.

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Memphis gave up a wide open lane to the rim for Green on a game winning shot, if teams don't respect him in that situation does he really keep them honest?

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I'm conflicted. Who are we rooting for?

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Now that the Nets are out, don't really care. I'd like to see Giannis win I suppose, I love how much joy and effort he brings to the game.

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Not the 6ers for me

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Never want to see Morey win

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76ers for me

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Oh that's right, Sixers have a Curry.

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Young is legit. Shit night for his shot and still can’t take him off the floor

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T Young is 1-14….

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2-16 now (1-8 from 3) with 4 TOs. Imagine the social media if that were Steph...

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SC31 playing hard… Young is so hard to watch with his garbage play.

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“So I count in the last 13 drafts: 1 star, 1 starter, 2 sixth men, 4 role players, 3 deep bench players.”

It should be noted that Porter would not have fallen to #14 if he was healthy. He was damaged goods in the draft and whoever picked him would have to wait a year and hope he recovered. He would have been a top 5 pick otherwise. So it’s really only 1 star/starter that “counts” when looking at that recent #14 history.

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Very good point

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I wouldn't go anything other than a Forward at the 6 to 10 picks (If we get it). Unlike last year, this year is deep on forwards in the lottery. If Baze and Oubre walk, I can see a guard at 14, and there should be plenty intriguing options there and Bouknight one of them. Giddy is tantalizing though despite his boom/bust potential. Let's say he plays like a good 14th Pick and gives you solid bench rotation minutes. Here I think he can really add value as a player as a point with size & great distribution skills, as a point small forward which allows our guards to run wild off picks, and as a switch across 4 positions high IQ defender. Of these 2 guys, Bouknight is probably a better player in a vacuum. But if both were to play = to their draft position (14), I think Giddy gives the Warriors more options, flexibility, play making and SIZE. If picking someone for a pickup game, it's Bouknight, easy. If building a roster around 3 Hall of Famers who run a system unlike any other in the NBA, I'll roll the dice on the Aussie.

People say you have to have shooting/scoring. We have Curry (30), Klay (20+), Wiggs (career 20) and Poole (per 36, 20+) plus Wiseman, who in 2 years, will score 16-20 falling out of bed.

Add Scottie Barnes and Giddy to that mix? Holy Hot Potato Sunday, Batman. You would not be able to follow the ball as it whizzed around the court. That's another 5 year run in my mind.

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Still haven't seen anything that would move me off Scottie Barnes with the 6th pick. Again, if you are going to pick a guy that can't shoot the 3, at least pick somebody that does everything else well and if Barnes could learn to shoot, he has the other tools to be a star. As for Giddey, what are we talking about, Ben Simmons without the defense? That seems like way to much risk without the reward.

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Given how many people are stanning Scottie Barnes, I guess I have to look more into him.

I'm more of a football scouting guy (Me and a couple of friends constructed custom-built predictive models for Fantasy Football which help us make quite a bit of money on the side), so I don't exactly have a process in place for evaluating basketball prospects.

More experienced basketball scouts, how do you typically approach evaluating a prospect?

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With Barnes it's mostly the size, 6'9", 230lb high motor guy that defended well, and had no problem passing or getting to the rim and finishing through contact for a very good college program in a good college conference. The downside is he can't shoot, but if he could, he wouldn't be available with the 6th pick.

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Yeah. Yeah, as is, he’s a very attractive player. If his 3-point shot (which apparently improved as the season went on) could get to league average, he could be a lead dog.

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Right now, the only thing that would move me off Barnes at #6 would be him getting picked 1-5.

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I wouldn't take Bouknight at #6, but I think there is some context behind his low 3 point percentage and I don't think his shooting potential can be dismissed. This is a very good scouting report on him in general that touches on it:

https://www.indycornrows.com/2021/6/8/22451227/james-bouknight-and-the-art-of-off-ball-movement

> In his freshman season at UCONN, he shot 36.3% from three after factoring out the two pull-ups he took all year and missed per InStat. He shot just 29.3% from three on much higher volume this season. However, there are a couple factors that need to be thrown in before taking those numbers at face value.

> As just mentioned, almost all of Bouknight’s looks were off the catch his freshman season. This past year, 45% of his threes were off the dribble. Those shots are significantly harder and Bouknight shouldered a much heavier creation load than his first year. On top of that, he suffered an elbow injury that required surgery in the middle of the season, limiting him to 15 total games. Prior to the game in which he was injured (Marquette) he was shooting 33.3% from three and over 80% from the line: after returning from injury, 26.8% from three and 75.6% from the line. So there was a ton of variability in a short amount of time.

I'd be good with either guy at #14, both clearly have development they need to do to be contributors but have nice foundational skillsets.

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