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Following Potential 2020 draftees

Niang was a GLeague all star but is truly horrible. The Jazz need to strike gold with this pick as we won't have one the following year.
 
Justian Jessup is one of the guys I have been pimping as a late 2nd round pick or as an udfa. This from a draft publication.
Boise State: 16 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals on 43% from the field and 40% from 3 on 7.7 attempts per game
In the last section of this series, we took a look at BYU standout Jake Toolson and UT-RGV wing Lesley Varner, who both excelled as perimeter shooters during the senior year of their college careers. That trend continues into this article as Jessup stood as an elite perimeter threat through shooting 41% from beyond the arc on 455 three-point attempts during his run with the team.

The climax of his offensive output came during the 2019-20 campaign where he put up the numbers that you see above you while maintaining a 58% True Shooting Percentage. His mix of good production and efficiency led to the 6’6 wing joining future NBA Draft pick Malachi Flynn on the Mountain West Media All-Conference First Team and Mountain West Coaches All-Conference Second Team.

Jessup’s excellence as a perimeter threat came no matter if he was working in catch-and-shoot or off-the-dribble. In catch-and-shoot, the Longmont, Colorado native looks like a well trained man with how smooth he is with maneuvering around screens, getting to his spot on the wing or corner, gathering a pass, and using his great stroke to put up a shot. The effortless nature continues when we transition into his work as an off-the-dribble shooter. From this perspective, he’s a joy to watch through his mix of range as a shooter and ability to use step-back moves before throwing up a shot.

While his excellent perimeter shooting was a key behind him being one of the best players in the Mountain West, that isn’t the only skill that he excels at. On the defensive end of the floor, the 6’6 wing was able to stand as a solid defender. His excellent work on defense was most evident when opposing players were driving to the rim as the 6’6 wing is able to stick to hem like velcro from the perimeter to paint, which leads to those players having a tough shot at the rim.

Jessup’s mix of excellent perimeter shooting and standing as a really solid defender stand as the two biggest reasons why he stands as one of the players on this list.
 
Paul Reed is only 3 months older than Precious Achiuwa, and Reed is better on FG%, assists, steals, blocks and turnovers. Reed is also a 74% FT shooter, while Achiuwa shot 60%, meaning Reed projects as a better shooter.

If the Jazz draft Achiuwa, it sure looks like he'd be functionally very similar to Derrick Favors--a non-shooting defensive big who scores off rolls and putbacks. I get that he guards 3 or 4 positions, but we'd be back where we were with Derrick and we'd be playing Precious mostly as a backup.
 
Any word on where Poku is thought to be going right now?

To a team that realizes he's not physically ready for the NBA and likely won't be for at least two seasons. A team drafting in the lottery is probably looking for someone to contribute sooner than that. The Celtics could draft him and stash him overseas, but if their Memphis pick moves up to #14 (assuming Memphis misses the playoffs), there are going to be other players on the board to tempt them, including Achiuwa and maybe Williams.

Look for Poku to get picked in the 16-25 range. Dallas could take him at #18 if Williams and Saddiq are already off the board. (Portland could grab Williams or Saddiq at #14 or #15.) Brooklyn could be interested with Philly's pick at #19. However, the Nets have a 2-year window with KD and Kyrie under contract, and it looks like they're going to try to make a consolidation trade. It might depend on what that trade looks like.

Milwaukee could take him with Indiana's pick at #20, although I also see them wanting a player who can contribute right away to help contend and convince Giannis to re-sign in the near-term. They also rely on George Hill and Wes Matthews and they'll be 35 and 34, respectively, next season. I could see them draft a more mature guard, like Bane or Riller.

If the Jazz let the Rockets and Thunder pass them in the standings (which looks likely), the Jazz could get the #21 pick and potentially take Poku or Paul Reed there, imo. Otherwise, Denver has the Rockets' pick and Poku would be on-brand for them (pending who their new GM is).

I have a hard time seeing him get past Boston at #26. Boston has three 1st-round picks right now, and could easily draft him to let him develop overseas.

If the Jazz's pick ends up at #21, it might not take too much to move up to #17 or #19 to grab Poku, if that's the direction the Jazz want to go. No. 17 gets the Jazz ahead of Dallas, and 19 gets them ahead of Milwaukee.
 
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Oh wow, I expected him a lot higher than that, he's a ways off for sure, but he looks like a top ~5 talent in the draft imo (probably the highest ceiling). I guess I'd agree with you that I'd be pretty happy if we had the opportunity to move up a bit to draft him.
 
Oh wow, I expected him a lot higher than that, he's a ways off for sure, but he looks like a top ~5 talent in the draft imo (probably the highest ceiling). I guess I'd agree with you that I'd be pretty happy if we had the opportunity to move up a bit to draft him.

Maybe he goes lottery. He has that level of talent. It's just that he's not going to be ready to do much until likely his third season. It's a question of whether the GM feels secure enough to take a developmental pick that early. But that said, guys like Brandon Ingram and Jonathan Isaac didn't do much until their third years either. It's just a matter of physical maturity, and Poku is only 18.

Incidentally, I think Pokusevski used to practice a bit with Nigel Williams-Goss on the Olympiacos senior team.
 
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I'd love to know the context behind the attitude concerns teams have with Jaden McDaniels. It's something that always comes up with him but context is never really given. Is it just the technicals? Was he a poor teammate? Uncoachable? Is it off court concerns? Knowing the context is so important to project his future.

If it's just the technicals or issues with teammates then I think that it's something that you can work with him on. If he's not coachable or has a poor work ethic then I probably wouldn't be interested in drafting him if I was a GM because he's a developmental prospect who is going to have to put in a lot of work to eventually get on an NBA floor.
 
I'd love to know the context behind the attitude concerns teams have with Jaden McDaniels. It's something that always comes up with him but context is never really given. Is it just the technicals? Was he a poor teammate? Uncoachable? Is it off court concerns? Knowing the context is so important to project his future.

If it's just the technicals or issues with teammates then I think that it's something that you can work with him on. If he's not coachable or has a poor work ethic then I probably wouldn't be interested in drafting him if I was a GM because he's a developmental prospect who is going to have to put in a lot of work to eventually get on an NBA floor.

He'll have 6 months off to get ready for the NBA Combine. Let's see if he's worked on his body and his maturity in interviews. He has the physical tools to be Brandon Ingram.
 
Jaden McDaniels would be a swing for the fences in this draft. he has the potential to be very very good if not great but he needs work to make that happen. If he does wow he has potential
 
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