What does your Draft Board look like?

[inliner311]

Bagley already has a 3-point shot? Uh...I got some bad news for ya

I can't imagine putting the ball in Bagley's hands and asking him to create from the perimeter. Don't think he's naturally a very good decision maker with the ball. Better ballhandler than Bamba and perhaps Ayton, but still much more of a finisher than a creator.

He shot almost 40% from 3 with 1.8 attempts per game. He will have to adjust to the NBA 3 point line but everyone but Trae Young are in that same boat.

 

[Nathan S]

He shot almost 40% from 3 with 1.8 attempts per game. He will have to adjust to the NBA 3 point line but everyone but Trae Young are in that same boat.

Yeah, sorry, I edited my post later to clarify. I get that he has some shooting ability, but as I understand it, scouts seem to view him as the least promising outside shooter out of all likely lottery picks. That alone doesn't necessarily make him a no-go (Giannis also can't really shoot it, but can get to the rim anyway), but combined with his fairly limited passing ability I think it mostly rules out any potential for him to be a go-to guy offensively.

 

[inliner311]

Yeah, sorry, I edited my post later to clarify. I get that he has some shooting ability, but as I understand it, scouts seem to view him as the least promising outside shooter out of all likely lottery picks. That alone doesn't necessarily make him a no-go (Giannis also can't really shoot it, but can get to the rim anyway), but combined with his fairly limited passing ability I think it mostly rules out any potential for him to be a go-to guy offensively.

I'm a firm believer in a tanking team putting players like Bagley into uncomfortable situations to help round out their game so they can maximize their potential. It could be real ugly but if you put the ball in his hands for the first year, it could payoff to down the road by huge amounts. If he doesn't develop the vision to be a good passer, it will at least help get him comfortable slashing and dribbling while posting up.

 

[Green Lantern]

. The question I really wanted to answer is do you abandon the option to switch by drafting Young because his offensive upside is intriguing. I feel like drafting Young is like rolling the dice on IT due to his defensive limitations.

My opinion..I am a defensive mind..I want a player who is able to control whoever he is guarding.
I am not as enamoured with Young as most are..I like the lengthy type of players who can't be posted up as easily , can fight over screens and alter shots on defense.

 

[Randolphkeys]

I believe that Duke team shifted in how they used Bagley halfway through the season, allowing him to be more of a finisher in the second half. I believe his shooting is where you can expect a 19 year old who used to live in the paint should be, no major red flags. Second half of the season he drove to the basket more often and his handle is decent for his size. The biggest edge I see with Bagley is that at 6'11 he absorbs and delivers contact while still getting his baskets or grabbing loose balls. His motor is better than all the other top bigs in this draft.

So you are left with one question: Can he develop better awareness as a 19 year old? In the one and done era, every blue chipper will have some things to develop. Bagley is a top five prospect in this draft because aside from the court awareness there is a lot to like. He will be off the board at #8.

 

[CBBI]

He shot almost 40% from 3 with 1.8 attempts per game. He will have to adjust to the NBA 3 point line but everyone but Trae Young are in that same boat.

Focus on FT% more than 3PT% for college prospects. It's generally a better indicator if a guy can actually shoot or not than his college 3PT%.

Bagley shot just .627 from the line on 209 attempts. That's a more realistic look at his shooting ability to me than his 53 attempts from five feet further back.

 

[Nathan S]

I believe that Duke team shifted in how they used Bagley halfway through the season, allowing him to be more of a finisher in the second half. I believe his shooting is where you can expect a 19 year old who used to live in the paint should be, no major red flags. Second half of the season he drove to the basket more often and his handle is decent for his size. The biggest edge I see with Bagley is that at 6'11 he absorbs and delivers contact while still getting his baskets or grabbing loose balls. His motor is better than all the other top bigs in this draft.

So you are left with one question: Can he develop better awareness as a 19 year old? In the one and done era, every blue chipper will have some things to develop. Bagley is a top five prospect in this draft because aside from the court awareness there is a lot to like. He will be off the board at #8.

No doubt he'll improve...but there's less than a handful of bigs in the NBA that are skilled enough offensively to be the #1 option on a team. Jokic, Cousins, Davis, maaaybe Towns and Embiid. I just don't think Bagley has the same level of innate skill as those guys. He could still be a great player in his own way, of course, thanks to his demonstrated ability to wreak havoc off the ball. But that's not a player I would pick if I'm trying to find a centerpiece for my rebuild.

 

[cavsfever]

I think he is the guy with maybe the highest floor but his ceiling isn't as high as the rest of the top 8. People compare him to Al Horford.

I think Trae Young might have the widest gap of floor to ceiling. I would pick Trae Young over Carter.

I definitely pick Carter over Young if Lebron is staying and we are keeping the pick. Trae Young is just too much of a roll of the dice in that situation.

 

[Dr. Claw]

The team who takes Trae Young is going to have to commit to his high usage rate, his unique shot selection, and have a ton of faith that his lack of defense was by design in college. Young will never be a guy who can switch defensively. I see the high ceiling but I believe he has the lowest floor out of that group of ten. I bet he does go in the top ten, I just hope the Cavs don't take him.

I'm hoping that team is Orlando so that the Cavs don't get tempted to "appease LeBron" with that pick. Don't let him be the Shabazz Napier pick (who, btw ..... is a solid guard I wouldn't mind on the Cavs right today)

 

[Randolphkeys]

I'm hoping that team is Orlando so that the Cavs don't get tempted to "appease LeBron" with that pick. Don't let him be the Shabazz Napier pick (who, btw ..... is a solid guard I wouldn't mind on the Cavs right today)

Trae Young is taller than Napier and a better passer, but the limitations of being unable to switch are there. Longer-term, I remember how dominant Patty Mills looked for St. Mary's but he bounced around the league until he improved his defensive technique and upper body strength. Young needs to take note and work on the same areas to compensate. I get it that I'm comparing Young to role players while he is likely going to be drafted much higher, but I can't help but see Young as a possible high end role player if he doesn't find ways to impact the game on the defensive side. It's the same feeling in the pit of my stomach when Jerryd Bayless or Brandon Jennings slid in the draft.

 

[daddywags]

The things I like about Young are: 1. He can shoot long-long range. Lots of teams nowadays are doing better closing out at the three point line but it's still nearly impossible to guard 28 feet from the basket. He's the only guy in this draft that can do that. 2. He has elite court vision and makes unreal passes. Good, smart, players will benefit from that. 3. For a smaller, slightly built, guy who plays lousy defense, he gets his share of rebounds and steals.

 

[Nathan S]

The things I like about Young are: 1. He can shoot long-long range. Lots of teams nowadays are doing better closing out at the three point line but it's still nearly impossible to guard 28 feet from the basket. He's the only guy in this draft that can do that. 2. He has elite court vision and makes unreal passes. Good, smart, players will benefit from that. 3. For a smaller, slightly built, guy who plays lousy defense, he gets his share of rebounds and steals.

Agree with your assessment of Young, but worth pointing out that Doncic and MPJ also have really deep range off the dribble. In terms of pure shooting talent at all positions, this is maybe the best draft of all time.