Following potential 2015 draftees

[Handlogten's Heros]

How about Trey Burke over either Goannis Antetokounmpo or Dennis Schroeder? Is that a better example?

Trey's measurables sucked, but his production in college was electric. Shooting, clutch, leadership, etc. Turns out that he can't shoot or defend at the next level and his upside stinks because of his limited athleticism. IF he somehow fixes his shooting, great. He's a spotty starter or a solid backup. I said at the time of the draft that it's better to swing and miss on the homerun, than it is to bunt and get safely on to first base.

I still believe that. Okafor, Towns, Russell, Porzingis, Johnson, Hezonja or Mudiay. Anything less than those guys and I start looking at possibly trading the pick for a veteran.

Right. All I was trying to say was that you can't always assume that its a safer/better pick to pick a player who's produced more... There are likely hundreds of examples of drafting misses with both strategies. I don't think it's ever a good strategy to reach for a guy who's projected much later. We could likely move to pick 14-17 and still get booker if we wanted. Get a vet or another asset on the way.

 

[Hantlers]

I agree with and understand your points, but I'm tellin ya, Booker is gonna be looked at as a top 10 pick by the end of the year.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

I agree with some of Hantler's points. Championship contender teams have great shooters. It doesn't matter what system you run to get open looks--guys have to knock down those shots. The Mavs, Heat and Spurs won because they made shots. Period. Ray Allen and Danny Green were alternating setting records for 3-pt shooting in the Finals.

That said, I don't think I would take Booker in the top 7 of this draft. Guys like Porzingis, Russell, and Oubre will also make shots. They are prototypical for their positions and have the ability to get themselves an open look. I also still see superstar potential in Hezonja. I couldn't pass on that for Booker at this stage. You might talk me into taking Booker over Winslow though. Turner for sure.

Booker is being hidden a bit in UKs deep line-ups, but I also think he's getting open looks by being the 3rd option when he's on the floor. If he's a wing in the NBA and he's being guarded by guys like Ariza, Leonard, Butler, etc., I think he'll be forced to try to make difficult, contested looks. He can make some of those shots, but they're not high percentage. Also, both Klay and Steph Curry are guys who can shoot off the bounce and on the move even when their feet aren't set. Can Booker really do that? D'Angelo Russell can, and I think Hezonja and Oubre can too.

More importantly, one of the reasons that I'm so high on Andrew Wiggins is that his set of tools enables him to get easy open looks. Wiggins gets so much space from a defender, that he can raise up for an open 15-foot shot just about anytime he wants. This has been bread and butter for Michael Jordan and Kobe. And if Wiggins' defender tries to crowd him, he can get in the lane with one or two strides. I'd rather have an athlete like Wiggins get easy looks than a dead-eye shooter like Curry or Klay get difficult contested jumpers on the move. Over time, the odds are that the dead-eye shooter won't hold up.

Obviously what Klay Thompson did last night was legendary, but it's not something that can be replicated or relied upon in the playoffs. Curry shot 3/11 last night. Some nights you've got it. Some nights you don't. If Booker is a spot-up shooter and floor spacer, that's great, but I'm not sure you draft that above a potential 2-way superstar.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I agree with and understand your points, but I'm tellin ya, Booker is gonna be looked at as a top 10 pick by the end of the year.

Alright then. I get ya. If he's that good and projected to go in that range then I'd go for it... Lord knows we need some shooters.

And I will say this... Kentucky players are likely under valued because they don't have all the playing time and opportunities other prospects might because the team is so loaded. Think Bledsoe when he was playing behind/with Wall.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

FWIW, D'Angelo Russell looks like a better prospect as a freshman to me than Brad Beal did. I'd have to go look up their numbers to really compare them.

 

[stitches]

FWIW, D'Angelo Russell looks like a better prospect as a freshman to me than Brad Beal did. I'd have to go look up their numbers to really compare them.

He's much better! He's better than Harden and Curry too... purely offensive stats-wise... Beal probably was better defensively.

Also Russell is the most statistically impressive freshman guard in years. Here's the top freshmen guards with over 28% usage ranked by offensive rating over the last 10 years:

Russell - 120.1 ORTG
McCollum - 118.8 ORTG
Curry - 116.9 ORTG
Harden - 115.7 ORTG

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

He's much better! He's better than Harden and Curry too... purely offensive stats-wise... Beal probably was better defensively.

How do D'Angelo's steals and rebounds compare to Beal?

Edit: D'Angelo averages 5 rebs. and 1.7 stls. Beal averaged 3.8 rebs. and 1.3 stls.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

DX now has Booker at #14 on their mock draft, with Booker sliding ahead of Levert.

 

[stitches]

How do D'Angelo's steals and rebounds compare to Beal?

Per 40 mins:
Russell: 2.1 steals, 0.2 blocks
Beal: 1.6 steals, 1.0 blocks

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/bradley-beal-1.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dangelo-russell-1.html

I don't remember if Florida played man or zone defense with Beal. With Russell, OSU plays zone so it's somewhat understandable that he'd get inflated steals and deflated blocks numbers. His length might have something to do with the high number of steals, and his lack of athleticism might have something to do with his lack of blocks...

 

[Park Bites]

I am liking booker too

 

[spycam1]

I'd take Mario ahead of Booker, but I'm not sure if he'll even enter the draft.

 

[QuinSnydersHair]

He's much better! He's better than Harden and Curry too... purely offensive stats-wise... Beal probably was better defensively.

GGR.

GO. GET. RUSSELL.

Rather than just leaving it at that, I'll expound. My bi-polar *** today thinks Russell is the perfect fit for this team. We need a stud scorer. Check. This system can really use guys who can play multiple positions. Check. We really need multi-faceted players, specifically guys who can pass, rebound and shoot the three. Check, check, check. And while I want a great defensive team, I was thinking about it more, and questioned if the Spurs are loaded with studly defensive players. Don't get me wrong, Duncan and Leonard are. But Parker? Ginobili? Diaw? I think proper coaching can teach and motivate guys to play defense to the best of their ability as part of a great team defense.

Exum
Russell
Hayward
Favors
Gobert

That lineup could have three stud defenders with Hayward being above average and hopefully Russell being average. It offers three legit three point shooters, three legit passers, really good rebounding. Okay, I'll stop there. I really like the balance that lineup offers. Throw in Kanter, Burks, and Hood off the bench along with maybe one cheaper yet key vet this off-season and this could be a hell of a team.