2017 NBA Draft

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Oh yay, another euro averaging basically no stats who will magically become a star

3.5ppg, 1.4rpg, 0.5 assists

Per 36? Still pretty low
9.5pts, 3.8reb, 1.3ast

But he'll become our PG of the future?

He is this year's Giannis. Giannis didn't have very good stats for the greek league, but he certainly turned it on in the NBA. Of course, being a freak athlete and ball handler helped things move along.

These types of players will always be high risk, high reward types. Good news is that Frank is only 18, so I don't see why he couldn't groomed since he seems to have the physical tools to make it at the next level.

[EricaLubarsky]

More I see of him, the more he grows on me. Some strong performances in U-16 and two U-18 leagues, but still hasn't proven much and certainly looks more like a SG or shoot-first PG than a floor general. He's probably 3-5 years from contributing, which isn't great for Barnes and Matthews' timelines, but still interesting.

[BPo001]

I'll be a little upset if Dennis Smith Jr gets drafted 1 pick before us.

[EricaLubarsky]

Best kids
Fultz
Smith
Ntilinka (?)

Biggest busts
Ball
Fox

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Best kids
Fultz
Smith
Ntilinka (?)

Biggest busts
Ball
Fox

Ntilinka won't be 19 until July 28. Don't players have to be 19 before the draft?

He is still intriguing and looks pretty smooth but athletic and quick. I just have visions of Roddy B but at least he has a little more size and could be groomed as a SG if PG doesn't work out.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Ntilinka won't be 19 until July 28. Don't players have to be 19 before the draft?

He is still intriguing and looks pretty smooth but athletic and quick. I just have visions of Roddy B but at least he has a little more size and could be groomed as a SG if PG doesn't work out.

"Eligibility: Player must be 19 years old during draft calendar year, and at least one season has passed since graduation of high school" and "An American player who signs a contract and plays for an international team is automatically eligible by age of 19"

He's both played professionally in Europe and will turn 19 by December 31st, 2017, so he's eligible.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

"Eligibility: Player must be 19 years old during draft calendar year, and at least one season has passed since graduation of high school" and "An American player who signs a contract and plays for an international team is automatically eligible by age of 19"

He's both played professionally in Europe and will turn 19 by December 31st, 2017, so he's eligible.

Ah...cool thanks!

I think we could do worse....I kinda like his game.

[Bryan_Wilson]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCUHKhywGJ8

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCUHKhywGJ8

That's what he does.

[hayth.james.g]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCUHKhywGJ8

Very impressive performance.

[MavzMan]

Yes, I have to admit that his aggressive attitude was much more than what I've seen of Fultz. He's got the CP3 look/playstyle and doesn't mind the contact. That's encouraging.

[tap2390]

Originally Posted by MavzMan

Yes, I have to admit that his aggressive attitude was much more than what I've seen of Fultz. He's got the CP3 look/playstyle and doesn't mind the contact. That's encouraging.

Smith definitely looks more explosive/ aggressive, but bear in mind Fultz is significantly longer. Smith has a 6'3'' wingspan, Fultz 6'9''.


Less talked about by us as a prospect is Jayson Tatum on the loaded Duke team. He's averaging 16/7/2 on 42/26/84 shooting. The thing that stands out to me is his excellent free throw percentage and his defense (two blocks & two steals a game).

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by tap2390

Smith definitely looks more explosive/ aggressive, but bear in mind Fultz is significantly longer. Smith has a 6'3'' wingspan, Fultz 6'9''.


Less talked about by us as a prospect is Jayson Tatum on the loaded Duke team. He's averaging 16/7/2 on 42/26/84 shooting. The thing that stands out to me is his excellent free throw percentage and his defense (two blocks & two steals a game).

My only concern with Tatum is he gets his points in the same spots as Barnes does. From what little I've seen of him anyway. I'd take him of course I'd just be slightly concerned with how well they would play together going forward.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCUHKhywGJ8

His game is a lot like Steve Francis.

[BPo001]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCUHKhywGJ8

Can we just call dibs on him now? Does the NBA abide by the rule of dibs?

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by BPo001

Can we just call dibs on him now? Does the NBA abide by the rule of dibs?

If we lick him, no one else will touch him.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

If we lick him, no one else will touch him.

[hayth.james.g]

Does anyone else see some Kobe in Markelle Fultz?

[Bryan_Wilson]

Duke got spanked. Harry Giles still isn't healthy and he looks like it's going to be a while till he looks like that top 3 type of talent, maybe he falls more than ppl think at this rate. A while back someone brought up Allen, who I can't stand. But man.... Kennard is really growing on me. Not for a top 10 pick obviously but I really wouldn't mind if he falls to the end of the first and we can move up to grab him or better yet just get him in the 2nd depending what we get in the first. He just plays basketball the right way to me. He's not flashy, prolly not a real high ceiling, but he just makes the right decisions and takes good shots. I've seen him projected all over the map from 15-20 to 35-40. But I've seen enough good playmaking to convince me he can be a combo guard in RC's offense.

[GermanStandard]

Even the Mavs cant ruin the next Draft. This and next years Draft are historically deep. As deep as the early 90's Drafts.

Fultz, Fox, Josh Jackson, Smith, Tatum even Giles or Isaac. The Mavs cant ruin this Draft.

Its a perfect Scenario to go into a 2-year short rebuild phase. We can develop our own Youngsters and add two Franchise Players over the next two years while Dirk can hunt some Records and give us some Highlights.

Lets just hope we stay on this Tank Train and wont ruin it mortgaging the future before the Trade Deadline for some Vets who may bring us out a Top5 Draft Spot.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by GermanStandard

Even the Mavs cant ruin the next Draft. This and next years Draft are historically deep. As deep as the early 90's Drafts.

It's ALWAYS possible to mess up a draft.

1998 was perhaps one of the deepest drafts in years and it produced allstars like Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Rashard Lewis, as well as a dozen other semi-stars.

The first three picks? Olowakandi, Bibby, and LaFrentz.

Bibby and LaFrentz were borderline stars and solid role players. Olowkandi was one of the biggest busts in NBA draft history.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

It's ALWAYS possible to mess up a draft.

1998 was perhaps one of the deepest drafts in years and it produced allstars like Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Rashard Lewis, as well as a dozen other semi-stars.

The first three picks? Olowakandi, Bibby, and LaFrentz.

Bibby and LaFrentz were borderline stars and solid role players. Olowkandi was one of the biggest busts in NBA draft history.

Yep, and people can mistakenly overlook "weak" drafts like the 2013 one that gave us The Greek Freak, Gobert, Schroder, CJ Mcollum, Steve Adams...all of those picks were 10 and up...

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Yep, and people can mistakenly overlook "weak" drafts like the 2013 one that gave us The Greek Freak, Gobert, Schroder, CJ Mcollum, Steve Adams...all of those picks were 10 and up...

WE know that. Does the Mavs FO know that?

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

It's ALWAYS possible to mess up a draft.

1998 was perhaps one of the deepest drafts in years and it produced allstars like Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Rashard Lewis, as well as a dozen other semi-stars.

The first three picks? Olowakandi, Bibby, and LaFrentz.

Bibby and LaFrentz were borderline stars and solid role players. Olowkandi was one of the biggest busts in NBA draft history.

Which begs the question....who could be the biggest bust in this year's draft?
Difficult to say but we simply cannot miss on this one or we're in deep crap.
As much of a Jayhawk fan that I am, I'd still say stay away from Jackson.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Which begs the question....who could be the biggest bust in this year's draft?
Difficult to say but we simply cannot miss on this one or we're in deep crap.
As much of a Jayhawk fan that I am, I'd still say stay away from Jackson.

My list from the eye test?

Risky moves
Ball - the next Kendall Marshal/MCW. Smart, quick, good size. Offense won't transfer to the NBA. Love guys who are just pure distributors, but you have to be able to keep an offense honest if you want to be a Nash/Maravich

Josh Jackson - offense is extremely limited. Athleticism won't be so noticeable at the next level. Fundamentals are flawed.

De'aaron Fox - May really struggle with offense. He'll either be Westbrook or he'll be one of a huge list of athletic players without a jump shot who wash out. He's fierce, but his offensive fundamentals are lacking. His jumper is not only inconsistent, but the mechanics of it are as well. Maybe that makes it more malleable. It just worries me that he doesn't have any consistent mechanics

Harry Giles - Ok, so we may not even be looking at him because he's basically Barnes, but he's still pretty far from contributing. He looks like Rashard Lewis but way more raw than even Lewis was at that point of his career and lightyears behind KG even coming out of high school

Moves I like

Fultz - has fluidity and versatility. Scoring is just something you either can struggle with or not. He just doesn't struggle. I worry about his motor, but his BBIQ is really high. He will contribute 17ppg/6apg his first season

Smith - Dude has a complete game. He's another Williams/Paul. He's a leader. He can score. He can run an offense. Excellent motor.

Monk - Dude is a young Jason Terry. He's a SG in the body of a big PG, but he just hits shots. You can't fake that.

Williams - love his game, but he's so much like Brandon Bass. He'll find success in the NBA, but he's not worth a lottery pick. 20-30, he'll be a steal.

Adebayo - same as Williams. I adore his game. He's a Tristan Thompson/Gorgiu Dieng type. He'll be in the league in 5-7 years. He's just not a great value in the lottery, but if we can pick him up with a later pick, I'd love him.

Ferguson - Could be really nice behind Matthews or as a replacement. Love his game.

Bolden - Will take 2-3 years to be decent and even more to be great, but he'll be the next big center.

[GermanStandard]

Fultz is the real deal and will go #1.

I gladly pick Smith.

I also like Ball i think he has a higher ceiling than MCW but he also has bust potential.

Also like that finnish guy Markkanen if we want to find Dirks replacement. Depends on when we draft.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by GermanStandard

Fultz is the real deal and will go #1.

I gladly pick Smith.

I also like Ball i think he has a higher ceiling than MCW but he also has bust potential.

Also like that finnish guy Markkanen if we want to find Dirks replacement. Depends on when we draft.

I agree with all this. Markkanen is one of those guys I wouldn't mind getting if we missed out on the top 5-7 pick and couldn't get Fultz or Smith.

[Thebo]

I like Markkanen but problem with drafting him is - Barnes and Dirk do not fit that well together right now. Why would Barnes and Markkanen fit? Markkanen fits so well with size and skills to get same plays that Dirk and Barnes are getting right now. Rick would have to invent new plays for Barnes where he plays small forward.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Thebo

I like Markkanen but problem with drafting him is - Barnes and Dirk do not fit that well together right now. Why would Barnes and Markkanen fit? Markkanen fits so well with size and skills to get same plays that Dirk and Barnes are getting right now. Rick would have to invent new plays for Barnes where he plays small forward.

Idk it's hard to judge Dirk and Barnes offensively because right now, almost all Dirk lineups are bad. I also haven't seen Markkanen display the mid range post/iso game that Barnes and Dirk have. So I don't know if they would have the same issue of having 2 guys who get shots in the same spot on the floor at once. I've only watched his per game highlights but they all show him pick and popping or just simply spacing the floor at the 3pt line. I haven't seen any calls in the post or top of the key on pnr switches.

[hayth.james.g]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

My list from the eye test?

Risky moves
Ball - the next Kendall Marshal/MCW. Smart, quick, good size. Offense won't transfer to the NBA. Love guys who are just pure distributors, but you have to be able to keep an offense honest if you want to be a Nash/Maravich

Josh Jackson - offense is extremely limited. Athleticism won't be so noticeable at the next level. Fundamentals are flawed.

De'aaron Fox - May really struggle with offense. He'll either be Westbrook or he'll be one of a huge list of athletic players without a jump shot who wash out. He's fierce, but his offensive fundamentals are lacking. His jumper is not only inconsistent, but the mechanics of it are as well. Maybe that makes it more malleable. It just worries me that he doesn't have any consistent mechanics

Harry Giles - Ok, so we may not even be looking at him because he's basically Barnes, but he's still pretty far from contributing. He looks like Rashard Lewis but way more raw than even Lewis was at that point of his career and lightyears behind KG even coming out of high school

Moves I like

Fultz - has fluidity and versatility. Scoring is just something you either can struggle with or not. He just doesn't struggle. I worry about his motor, but his BBIQ is really high. He will contribute 17ppg/6apg his first season

Smith - Dude has a complete game. He's another Williams/Paul. He's a leader. He can score. He can run an offense. Excellent motor.

Monk - Dude is a young Jason Terry. He's a SG in the body of a big PG, but he just hits shots. You can't fake that.

Williams - love his game, but he's so much like Brandon Bass. He'll find success in the NBA, but he's not worth a lottery pick. 20-30, he'll be a steal.

Adebayo - same as Williams. I adore his game. He's a Tristan Thompson/Gorgiu Dieng type. He'll be in the league in 5-7 years. He's just not a great value in the lottery, but if we can pick him up with a later pick, I'd love him.

Ferguson - Could be really nice behind Matthews or as a replacement. Love his game.

Bolden - Will take 2-3 years to be decent and even more to be great, but he'll be the next big center.

Josh Jackson = Josh Smith imo.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by hayth.james.g

Josh Jackson = Josh Smith imo.

Entirely possible. But guys do sometimes learn to shoot. Tracy McGradey had a broken jumper when he came into the league.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by mac222b

Entirely possible. But guys do sometimes learn to shoot. Tracy McGradey had a broken jumper when he came into the league.

The more I watch Jackson the more I think he should stay in school for another year. He's an old Freshmen and still living on a lot of hype so I'm sure he'll come out but he has McClemore type bust written all over him.
I can live with the lack of shooting but he just isn't assertive enough for a top 2 player coming out of HS. I know Kansas has extremely good guards that lead the team but Jackson should be more involved for the supposed level of talent that he is.
Josh handles the ball well but I don't see a significant upgrade from DFS if we take him and I just don't see a ceiling even close to Barnes' level in him.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

The more I watch Jackson the more I think he should stay in school for another year. He's an old Freshmen and still living on a lot of hype so I'm sure he'll come out but he has McClemore type bust written all over him.
I can live with the lack of shooting but he just isn't assertive enough for a top 2 player coming out of HS. I know Kansas has extremely good guards that lead the team but Jackson should be more involved for the supposed level of talent that he is.
Josh handles the ball well but I don't see a significant upgrade from DFS if we take him and I just don't see a ceiling even close to Barnes' level in him.

Oh I was just playing devils advocate. I haven't seen enough of him to know. Definitely think he's more assertive than McLemore who doesn't seem to really enjoy the game too much. I just hope we take BPA whoever that may be. Regardless of position.

Has anybody seen the 7ft Center from Creighton?! Very intriguing. Reminds me of a new age-y more athletic Brad Daughterty

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by mac222b

Has anybody seen the 7ft Center from Creighton?! Very intriguing. Reminds me of a new age-y more athletic Brad Daughterty

He can certainly run the floor well and seems to have good hands. I like the aggression and it looks like he has the frame to add a lot of muscle. Even a nice little jump hook.

Seems more athletic than Daugherty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e1xK1nn0sE

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Fox is starting to grow on me. He was fantastic against Mississippi st last night and looks to be enough of a playmaker to be a starting pg in the NBA. Kid is just lightning quick which is what you need in today's game.

[EricaLubarsky]

Fox is a competitor, but his total inability to shoot a jumper worries me. There isn't a great history of lead guards in the league who can't shoot. Rondo and Marshall are talented kids, but I wouldn't draft them with a first rounder again.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Well he is a 2 inch taller version of Schroder. Dennis has worked out pretty well for the Hawks.

I'd be more worried if we didn't have shooters, but I think Curry, Matthews, and Barnes are enough to make up for it.

And the reality is that I'm thinking now in the 6-10 range where he might be available.

[hayth.james.g]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

The more I watch Jackson the more I think he should stay in school for another year. He's an old Freshmen and still living on a lot of hype so I'm sure he'll come out but he has McClemore type bust written all over him.
I can live with the lack of shooting but he just isn't assertive enough for a top 2 player coming out of HS. I know Kansas has extremely good guards that lead the team but Jackson should be more involved for the supposed level of talent that he is.
Josh handles the ball well but I don't see a significant upgrade from DFS if we take him and I just don't see a ceiling even close to Barnes' level in him.

This was my same thought after watching him Monday night. He simply has no shot. Him in the top 10, which he will go, is too much of a risk in a draft this loaded. Then again the Mavs are trying to play for the 8 seed which is a complete joke so maybe my couchGM perspective sucks. Who knows.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by hayth.james.g

This was my same thought after watching him Monday night. He simply has no shot. Him in the top 10, which he will go, is too much of a risk in a draft this loaded. Then again the Mavs are trying to play for the 8 seed which is a complete joke so maybe my couchGM perspective sucks. Who knows.

If we are picking in the 8-15 range I gladly take Jackson if available because the possible upside would be worth it but if we are picking in the top 5 I want no part of him because any of the top 5 PGs would be a better choice and would fill an immediate need.
I'm afraid Jackson would be battling DFS and Anderson for any type of PT in Rick's system.

[hayth.james.g]

Was impressed by Markkanen against USC. He can shoot. Does he fit on the court with Barnes?