2018 NBA Draft - June 21

[Adam]

I agree with those saying the mikal bridges is a great fit for the cavs with any pick outside the top 5. His release is pure and his motor is high. Everything else can be taught. Inpre draft work outs he will be working on dribble moves to create space int he NBA and while his shot is not lightning quick he does a lot of work before the catch to give him time to get it off on flares and spot ups. i like him a lot

 

[MarkyCavs88]

Why didn't Mikal Bridges get drafted in 2017 draft?

 

[blommen]

I'm watching the Michigan St - VCU game and Jaren Jackson Jr. already has, like, 4 blocks with 5 minutes left in the first half. He is so fucking smart on defense for a guy playing his first season of College ball. He reads offenses very well and he uses his quick feet and length expertly to get good positioning.

Offensively it's not nearly as pretty, but I can't really tell how much of that is on Michigan not really having the personel to be good on that end and how much of it is JJJ being bad. Like, he doesn't really do anything when he has the ball in his hands and he doesn't really try to put himself in position to do anything offensively, but that also has to fall back on the coaching to a degree. Looking at his outside shooting I'd say using him as a floor spacer is at least on option worth trying, even considering that his shot looks a bit wonky.

 

[Adam]

I'm watching the Michigan St - VCU game and Jaren Jackson Jr. already has, like, 4 blocks with 5 minutes left in the first half. He is so fucking smart on defense for a guy playing his first season of College ball. He reads offenses very well and he uses his quick feet and length expertly to get good positioning.

Offensively it's not nearly as pretty, but I can't really tell how much of that is on Michigan not really having the personel to be good on that end and how much of it is JJJ being bad. Like, he doesn't really do anything when he has the ball in his hands and he doesn't really try to put himself in position to do anything offensively, but that also has to fall back on the coaching to a degree. Looking at his outside shooting I'd say using him as a floor spacer is at least on option worth trying, even considering that his shot looks a bit wonky.

I really like jackson. He is very awkward with the ball in his hands (much like TT) but his shot is effective and i tihnk he can improve his co-ordination. His dad was a solid pro and also had an awkward but effective shot IIRC

 

[blommen]

8 blocks by Jackson, holy moly. He's going to be an absolute terror on defense when his body fills out a bit more.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

Why didn't Mikal Bridges get drafted in 2017 draft?

He never declared for the draft. But he wasn't the same player that he is this year.

I keep thinking about how he's got some Donovan Mitchell in him. Guy gets better and better every single year, plays with a ton of energy, and has all of the intangibles.

 

[Nathan S]

Bridges stole the spotlight last night, and rightly so, but how about Spellman and Killian Tillie? Both guys would be worth a look with the Cavs' late first rounder if they choose to declare.

 

[blommen]

That block Bridges had on Tillie was incredible. That's a guy who is much larger than you taking you into the post and Bridges just out-athleted the size difference and had spectacular timing.

Bridges is very strong for his size, Tillie had to work really hard to move him down low.

 

[Nathan S]

That block Bridges had on Tillie was incredible. That's a guy who is much larger than you taking you into the post and Bridges just out-athleted the size difference and had spectacular timing.

Bridges is very strong for his size, Tillie had to work really hard to move him down low.

Tillie ran into a wall last night against a very long and athletic Nova defense, but his skillset is intriguing for a 19-year-old sophomore (doesn't turn 20 until March). Great motor, and great feel for the game.

 

[blommen]

Watched my first full Bagley game as Duke basically disemboweled St Francis, and it's easy to see why people have him rated so highly.

- awesome motor
- great attitude
- great length and body en general
- good looking shooting mechanics
- quick feet and very athletic for his size
- runs the floor with great fluidity
- rebounding machine
- advanced post game and good footwork in general
- good touch around the rim

The problem I have with him is that it's also very easy to see where his faults lie
- terrible rim protecting instincts
- can't contain a lick of penetration from the perimeter
- slow to contest shooters in general
- gets a lot of his points due to being bigger than his opponents

Now, thanks to his work ethic there's nothing that is stopping him from improving on most of these points, but I can't help but feel like a lot of them are going to hold him back in the NBA for a long time. it's like a one step forward, two steps back situation almost. He's got a nice shooting touch, but his range isn't long enough that he can space the floor properly. He's got good post moves, but he isn't strong enough to take advantage of it against NBA bigs. He's athletic and quick, but he doesn't use it to move off the ball and can't take guys off the dribble. He's active and works hard, but defensively his fundamentals are piss poor and he's going to get taken off the dribble by pro's night in and night out.

Now again, I don't think he'll be a bust. He's too hard of a worker and is too good of an athlete for me to think that will be the case, but as it stands right now? man do I think he's going to have a tough transitioning period into the league.

I think he's going to be shooting a lot of fadeaway jumpers in the post his first season, just because he's gonna have trouble getting points anywhere else, outside of hustling on the glass.

 

[Nathan S]

Meanwhile, Bamba on pace to become the second freshman in NCAA history to average 10 boards, 4 blocks, and 1 steal per game. The first was Anthony Davis.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

Watched my first full Bagley game as Duke basically disemboweled St Francis, and it's easy to see why people have him rated so highly.

- awesome motor
- great attitude
- great length and body en general
- good looking shooting mechanics
- quick feet and very athletic for his size
- runs the floor with great fluidity
- rebounding machine
- advanced post game and good footwork in general
- good touch around the rim

The problem I have with him is that it's also very easy to see where his faults lie
- terrible rim protecting instincts
- can't contain a lick of penetration from the perimeter
- slow to contest shooters in general
- gets a lot of his points due to being bigger than his opponents

Now, thanks to his work ethic there's nothing that is stopping him from improving on most of these points, but I can't help but feel like a lot of them are going to hold him back in the NBA for a long time. it's like a one step forward, two steps back situation almost. He's got a nice shooting touch, but his range isn't long enough that he can space the floor properly. He's got good post moves, but he isn't strong enough to take advantage of it against NBA bigs. He's athletic and quick, but he doesn't use it to move off the ball and can't take guys off the dribble. He's active and works hard, but defensively his fundamentals are piss poor and he's going to get taken off the dribble by pro's night in and night out.

Now again, I don't think he'll be a bust. He's too hard of a worker and is too good of an athlete for me to think that will be the case, but as it stands right now? man do I think he's going to have a tough transitioning period into the league.

I think he's going to be shooting a lot of fadeaway jumpers in the post his first season, just because he's gonna have trouble getting points anywhere else, outside of hustling on the glass.

Unfortunately one of the biggest fallacies in this draft is Marvin Bagley having great length. He has just a 7'0" wingspan and a poor 8'9" reach.

I also am not really sure about his post moves. I don't really think he's particularly impressive there. He literally never goes to his right hand, and if he's being guarded by NBA 5's where he'd be giving up plenty of length, alot of these lefty runners he takes will be contested fairly well.

I agree with everything else you said though. His game doesn't translate that well IMO as far as contributing to winning... unless he can hit an NBA three, which I don't think he's close to right now.

Bagley though will always produce and put up #'s so I doubt he's ever considered to be a bust by the general public.

 

[blommen]

Unfortunately one of the biggest fallacies in this draft is Marvin Bagley having great length. He has just a 7'0" wingspan and a poor 8'9" reach.

I also am not really sure about his post moves. I don't really think he's particularly impressive there. He literally never goes to his right hand, and if he's being guarded by NBA 5's where he'd be giving up plenty of length, alot of these lefty runners he takes will be contested fairly well.

I agree with everything else you said though. His game doesn't translate that well IMO as far as contributing to winning... unless he can hit an NBA three, which I don't think he's close to right now.

Bagley though will always produce and put up #'s so I doubt he's ever considered to be a bust by the general public.

And again, his work ethic will probably help him overcome some of these things down the line, like getting NBA range on his jumper or getting stronger in order to improve his inside scoring. I'm sure he'll be a damn fine player, as long is he doesn't end up on a team/coach who completely saps him of joy and will to play. Defensively I think it's hard to see him ever completely overcome how piss poor his instincts are, but if he works hard enough on it I absolutely think he can be servicable. I just don't think he'll ever be elite in that regard, definitely not like Bamba or Jackson look like they can.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

@blommen 's post about Bagley reminded me to update my list of Bagley's opponents and their heights lol

Marvin Bagley avg height of primary defender:

vs Elon: Tyler Seibring 6'9"
vs Utah Valley: Jake Toolson 6'5"
vs Michigan State: Jaren Jackson 6'11"
vs Southern: Emanual Shephard 6'8"
vs Furman: Daniel Fowler 6'4"
vs Portland State: Traylin Farris 6'8"
vs Texas: Dylan Osetkowski 6'9"
vs Florida: Egor Koulechov 6'5"
vs Indiana: Juwan Morgan 6'8"
vs South Dakota: Trey Burch-Manning 6'6"
vs. St. Francis: Keith Braxton 6'4"

Now down to a 6'7.0" average.

In watching the South Dakota highlights to determine the primary defender, I came across this beauty of a defensive possession for Bagley:

Takes an embarrassing angle around the screen and allows middle. Dig by Carter allows Bagley to get back in front. And lastly, he makes a full contest... he's in front of the offensive player, full extension and gets off his feet well, and yet you can see his reach limitation. This is a layup 10/10 times in the NBA. Really shows his deficiencies.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

@blommen 's post about Bagley reminded me to update my list of Bagley's opponents and their heights lol

Marvin Bagley avg height of primary defender:

vs Elon: Tyler Seibring 6'9"
vs Utah Valley: Jake Toolson 6'5"
vs Michigan State: Jaren Jackson 6'11"
vs Southern: Emanual Shephard 6'8"
vs Furman: Daniel Fowler 6'4"
vs Portland State: Traylin Farris 6'8"
vs Texas: Dylan Osetkowski 6'9"
vs Florida: Egor Koulechov 6'5"
vs Indiana: Juwan Morgan 6'8"
vs South Dakota: Trey Burch-Manning 6'6"
vs. St. Francis: Keith Braxton 6'4"

Now down to a 6'7.0" average.

In watching the South Dakota highlights to determine the primary defender, I came across this beauty of a defensive possession for Bagley:

Takes an embarrassing angle around the screen and allows middle. Dig by Carter allows Bagley to get back in front. And lastly, he makes a full contest... he's in front of the offensive player, full extension and gets off his feet well, and yet you can see his reach limitation. This is a layup 10/10 times in the NBA. Really shows his deficiencies.

I remember that play. I actually thought that he didn't move his feet well... I thought that his stance was off and that will probably will not be enough to contain any wing in the NBA. If you look closely, you can see that he isn't moving his feet laterally, but he is actually twisting in body in order to contain the offensive player. I have see this numerous times.

Also, like you said, the reach limitation is a huge problem. Every time he tries to contest he doesn't even come close to blocking a shot against college players nonetheless and he has a tendecy to foul on his way down.