2019 NBA Draft

[I'mWithDan]

Additionally, this is worth a watch for those following the draft.

 

[I'mWithDan]

Barret looks like he is moving at half speed to me. I think he might have another gear when he gets into an NBA workout regimen.

I agree about his handle. Is it better than Cedi's who has been targeted in that way? I don't think it is. It's pretty loose. I think he might have trouble in NBA traffic. Still, he has come a long way from high school where his handle looked very sloppy IMO.

Guys with Barrett's usage and ball dominance would be turning it over at an obscene rate if they truly had a loose or sloppy handle. He has a sub 10% TOV. That is incredibly good for someone who uses as many possessions as Barrett does. Think about how good LeBron is with the ball in his hands. He's only had one NBA season (2008) where he was sub 11% in TOV.

Maybe it isn't as esthetically pleasing as it could be but all his advanced metrics would be impossible to pace if he weren't a capable dribbler, given the amount of possessions he uses and how often he is driving to the basket.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

One of the main things I worry about with Barrett that I've not seen mentioned yet is Barrett's mentality meshing with Sexton's.

It's early, but Sexton has been more stubborn than I would've expected. There was the report earlier in the year that he wasn't really allowing George Hill to mentor him. He also does tend to play selfishly at times, though the Cavs are a breeding ground for that sort of play with Hood + Clarkson + poor coaching. Heck, I've even seen him go full on stat-pad mode in garbage time a couple of times. Barrett appears to possibly have a similar mentality, though time will tell.

Not to say it'd prevent me from taking Barrett over anyone else besides Zion right now, but it'd be a legitimate factor for me if I was the Cavs. It's tough to have two of those personalities at once I'd think.

 

[Cavatt]

Guys with Barrett's usage and ball dominance would be turning it over at an obscene rate if they truly had a loose or sloppy handle. He has a sub 10% TOV. That is incredibly good for someone who uses as many possessions as Barrett does. Think about how good LeBron is with the ball in his hands. He's only had one NBA season (2008) where he was sub 11% in TOV.

Maybe it isn't as esthetically pleasing as it could be but all his advanced metrics would be impossible to pace if he weren't a capable dribbler, given the amount of possessions he uses and how often he is driving to the basket.

Like I said he looks like he is moving half speed right now. All well and good, but it's possible that won't fly in the NBA. It was just what I see

Good info on your part

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

If the Cavs are somehow able to sneak into the back end of the first by taking on $$ with one of their expirings, Ty Jerome is a guy I'd love for them to get.

Excellent shooter off of movement or as a standstill spacer. Can be a secondary creator in a pinch. Smart team defender.

A guy that can fit any team - something the Cavs haven't put a priority on yet.

 

[CavsFan07]

Question for you Cavs fans / draft followers..

Say we get the 5th pick or so.... are you all totally against drafting Ja Morant?

I know, I know, we already have our "PG of the future" in Sexton, but man, Morant really impresses me. Granted, he doesn't play the best teams in his conference, but he also lit up Alabama who is decent.

The kid is going to be nearly averaging a triple double this year, and currently averages 23 points and most importantly near 10 assists a game. Sexton is not known for his assists, and quite frankly is poor at distributing the ball. Morant has shown the ability to share and score, both at a very high rate.

Is that combo possible? They would be electric in the open court, but I can see defensively how they could struggle. Neither are very good from the 3 point line yet either, however, both seem to have proper shooting mechanics so I don't think it's something that's unfixable by any means.

What do you guys think? Here's a video of him. Granted, it's highlights, but you'll see he most definitely have NBA level athleticism and speed. Some sites are saying he's up to 6'4" now. I like the kid, he's growing on me A LOT.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIESzmboXZQ

 

[I'mWithDan]

Question for you Cavs fans / draft followers..

Say we get the 5th pick or so.... are you all totally against drafting Ja Morant?

I know, I know, we already have our "PG of the future" in Sexton, but man, Morant really impresses me. Granted, he doesn't play the best teams in his conference, but he also lit up Alabama who is decent.

The kid is going to be nearly averaging a triple double this year, and currently averages 23 points and most importantly near 10 assists a game. Sexton is not known for his assists, and quite frankly is poor at distributing the ball. Morant has shown the ability to share and score, both at a very high rate.

Is that combo possible? They would be electric in the open court, but I can see defensively how they could struggle. Neither are very good from the 3 point line yet either, however, both seem to have proper shooting mechanics so I don't think it's something that's unfixable by any means.

What do you guys think? Here's a video of him. Granted, it's highlights, but you'll see he most definitely have NBA level athleticism and speed. Some sites are saying he's up to 6'4" now. I like the kid, he's growing on me A LOT.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIESzmboXZQ

I like Ja, I just don't think he's a good enough prospect to over draft a year later.

If he was a Derrick Rose type guy? If he had MVP potential and was a slam dunk #1 pick, it would be silly to not swallow last years selection and go with him.......but Morant is just nowhere near that.

One of the reasons he's not a match for Sexton is that he's a poor 3 point shooter. He may measure out big enough to play the 2 for stretches but I'm not sure how you could do anything on offense with a guy who wouldn't be guarded outside the arc (Morant) and a guy who is a really reluctant 3 point shooter (Sexton). You'd have absolutely no spacing.

I also mentioned that I think next years PG class is better, so it makes even less sense to forgo a second year of Sexton in favor of someone like Morant. If our organizational preference is to build around a lead guard, we'd be better to wait this year and see how the PG class shakes out next.

If you want to get irrationally excited about an athletic PG prospect, go watch Cole Anthony.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

Additionally, this is worth a watch for those following the draft.

Biggest takeaway from this is that his dad is VERY present.

 

[I'mWithDan]

Looking forward to tonight. A nice measuring stick game for both Culver and Barrett. Going to be disappointed if they aren't matched up on one another on a majority of possessions. I'd imagine Culver will check Barrett but that Barrett will likely rotate off with Cam on defense.

6PM EST if anyone didn't realize Duke / TT was tonight.

 

[Nathan S]

There's a lot to like about Tre Jones...

 

[CavsFan07]

There's a lot to like about Tre Jones...

Loved his performance tonight. Absolute lock down defender and a competitor. Shot needs to improve but he’s got good handles and that defense, schwoo.

 

[MediumBaller]

Zion's voice is nothing like I expected it to be lol.

View: https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1075970155195310080?s=21

 

[I'mWithDan]

There's a lot to like about Tre Jones...

My biggest hangup with Jones is what is his NBA comp? What lead guard has been successful as a more average athlete and non shooter? He's a sub 32% 3PT guy through 12 games, on incredibly low sample but he's also just a 61% FT shooter.

It's not even those results at this point that worry me it is that they are in combination with non repeatable 3PT mechanics. He has a version of Lonzo's gather (left ear load and a release over the left side of his face) but Lonzo got far better college results shooting the basketball. I just don't think he has any shooting upside at all unless he adjusts his release.

He's a nice nice defender / assist backup PG type but I honestly think that is his ceiling unless he makes a non trivial mechanical adjustment to his shot.

 

[Nathan S]

My biggest hangup with Jones is what is his NBA comp? What lead guard has been successful as a more average athlete and non shooter? He's a sub 32% 3PT guy through 12 games, on incredibly low sample but he's also just a 61% FT shooter.

It's not even those results at this point that worry me it is that they are in combination with non repeatable mechanics. He has a version of Lonzo's gather (left ear load and a release over the left side of his face) but Lonzo got far better college results shooting the basketball. I just don't think he has any shooting upside at all unless he adjusts his release.

He's a nice nice defender / assist backup PG type but I honestly think that is his ceiling unless he makes a non trivial mechanical adjustment to his shot.

I tend to agree that he's a high floor low ceiling kind of guy, and for that reason I don't think I could draft him until the late lottery at earliest. But he really wow'd me with how smart he is on the court. He's the hidden hand behind Duke's hyper-efficient offense, and I wouldn't be surprised if 5 years from now he's the quiet 8 ppg guy orchestrating a hyper-efficient NBA offense somewhere.

EDIT: crazy stat

Tre Jones last night: 5 assists, 6 steals, 1 turnover

Texas Tech backcourt: 1 assist, 2 steals, 9 turnovers

Other Duke Freshmen: 2 assists, 6 steals, 17 turnovers


On a night like that you could've excused a freshman point guard for struggling to take care of the ball, but Tre Jones maintained the sterling 5:1 assist:TO ratio he's averaging for the season and took advantage of the chaos to rack up 6 steals. That's pretty special.

 

[I'mWithDan]

General thoughts about last night....

How does everyone feel about Zion? I think, athletically, you kind of have to take him but I am really luke warm on him as a #1 option at the NBA level. He's just really one dimensional with the basketball and his shot is awful. It's a testament that he can effect a game like he can while being a massive negative shooting outside of 5 feet (and also not being a very gifted ball handler). He basically has a single dribble move that will not work consistently at the next level IMO (drive right, spin left)......he is just going to have to go to a situation with good player development for him to reach his ceiling IMO. I still take him #1 but he's going to go through some growing pains.

Barrett....was meh last night. He had a few spurts where he positively impacted the game for a stretch but he was incredibly sloppy with the ball and his shot just wasn't there. Looked like he really started to press, as Duke fell behind and no one was doing anything. He got good looks but just could not get anything to go down. He played solid defense, save 2-3 possessions and he's at least showing more of a willingness to guard. With the team he's on, I hope to see him develop more feel on off nights. Instead of trying to fly through the brick wall, I'd like to see him shift in to point forward mode. He tried to do that later in the 2nd half and guys missed some nice looks he created but he needs to stick with it in games where his shot isn't falling. He has really talented teammates and in close games, he needs to trust that they will eventually make shots.

Cam.....he's going to lose a lot of money over the next few months if this is what he is. His TO rate has been utterly atrocious when matched with his usage. Someone on Duke's staff seriously needs to pull him aside and say "I know this isn't the role you necessarily want but you can be a top 5 pick if you do 3 things (1.) Shoot 3's (2.) Play good defense (3.) Shot fake, one dribble and pull up when you are closed out on. That's it. Stop trying to do other things."

Culver......I think he's a really comparable guy to Cam.....or I'd imagine this is what Cam would look like on a different team. I thought he moved well last night and athletically looked better than he has in previous games. Nice box score night but did disappear a bit when Duke made their run. I like him more than I did in the few game tapes I have watched of him......I think he's an ideal #2 option at the next level, just given his range of skills. This is another guy that is filed under "it's so depressing we didn't land Luka".

A completely non radar 1st rounder but I'm kind of intrigued by DeLaurier, as an energy bench big at the NBA level. He's really active, bouncy and looks to have nice defensive awareness. Probably a later second or un-drafted guy but he strikes me as someone who could stick in the league is he lands on the right team.