Following potential 2015 draftees

[karl malone]

I don't know enough to really comment on prospects, but most of us don't and I'm going to comment anyway:

If you think Hezonja can be a legit offensive hub/alpha that won't disrupt the chemistry of the team too much, then you grab him. If you think he's anything less and still has the potential to cause problems on or off the court and doesn't play great D, then I take Stanley Johnson or Winslow over him all day. You can never have too much defense, but you can quickly have diminishing returns on ball-dominant offensive players.

Good points. I agree with what you said & obviously don't know enough about the character of Hezonja to say for certain one way or the other, but one of the reasons I am so high on him (aside from his offensive potential) is his length & athleticism. He may not project to be the type of lockdown defender that both Winslow & Johnson project to be, but he appears to have the tools to become a plus defender (on top of being an elite scorer), so long as he has the drive & determination to apply those tools to both sides of the ball. How he carries himself in pre-draft interviews will likely be the determining factor. If we didn't have the elite interior defense that we do or the lack of a go-to-scorer, I would prefer Winslow, but with the stable foundation that we have developed over this past year, I think Hezonja would be much less of a risk for us, than he would be for a team such as PHI, MIN, or SAC for example.

 

[seattlejazzfan]

Some of you know that Devin Booker's dad was an all-American at Mizzou and played a lot of years in Europe.. But did u know Melvin scored his career high of 35 against in the NCAA tourney.. Against Wisconsin?

Storyline? I think so.

I remember Melvin Booker well. I didn't know he is Devin's dad. Devin got lucky with his height. Iirc, Melvin was about 6'. A small guard.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Oubre declared for the draft. I have him behind Hezonja and Winslow (given the way Winslow is progressing), but about on par with Johnson.

Edit: Looney also is planning to enter the draft. I still don't know what to think about him. I think he could go anywhere from top 9 to about 16.

 

[stitches]

Eurohoops.net ‏@Eurohoopsnet 40m40 minutes ago

Aleksandar Vezenkov of @ARISBCgr is a target of @FCBbasket and the first contact has already been made https://www.eurohoops.net/?p=82851

Also, here's the draft early entry list so far:

https://www.cbssports.com/collegeba...arly-entry-list-whos-staying-and-who-is-going

IN:

Michael Frazier

Montrezl Harrell

Tyler Harvey (hasn't hired agent)

R.J. Hunter

Jarell Martin

Jordan Mickey

Kelly Oubre

Terry Rozier

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera

Jherrod Stiggers

Myles Turner

Rashad Vaughn

RETURNING:

Georges Niang

Damian Jones

Melo Trimble

 

[stitches]

A great article on Towns:

https://espn.go.com/mens-college-ba...karl-anthony-towns-big-man-big-game-big-heart

 

[The Midnight]

Oubre declared for the draft. I have him behind Hezonja and Winslow (given the way Winslow is progressing), but about on par with Johnson.

Edit: Looney also is planning to enter the draft. I still don't know what to think about him. I think he could go anywhere from top 9 to about 16.

Good news that Oubre is declaring. He didn't have the best season as a freshman, I was worried he might stay 1 more year.


Let's hope someone falls in love with him and picks him up top #9. He does have Paul George's potential both defensively and offensively.

 

[The Midnight]

Ford is still bullish on Looney...

Question: Despite UCLA's Sweet 16 run, Kevon Looney had a bit of an underwhelming tourney on the offensive end. Did that hurt his stock or is he still seen as a mid-lottery guy?

Answer: Not really. He's an upside guy. He wasn't a Top 6 pick on our Board in January because he was having a dominant season offensively. Nothing's changed -- just some overreacting to a tournament where he was playing with a facial fracture and lost some of his aggressiveness because of it. He doesn't project as a guy who comes in Year One and dominates. He's a work in progress, but with that crazy wingspan and skill set? I think Looney could be a Lamar Odom type down the road. Remember, the good NBA teams are drafting on NBA potential, not just current production. Kevin Pelton and I went in-depth into this last week. For too many lazy scouts, they can only tell you what a player can and can't do right now. The best scouts tell you what the will be able to do, with development, in the NBA.

 

[NCJazz]

Some of you know that Devin Booker's dad was an all-American at Mizzou and played a lot of years in Europe.. But did u know Melvin scored his career high of 35 against in the NCAA tourney.. Against Wisconsin?

Storyline? I think so.

Booker will be lucky to score two points against the mighty Badgers.

 

[Jazz4ever]

Everyone seems to be declaring, so good so far. I actually thought Turner and Looney were the strongest candidates to go back. Can't see Winslow going back with his late season lottery stock boost.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Ford is still bullish on Looney...

I don't see the Odom comp. Odom was quick, explosive and could handle and pass like a guard.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I don't see the Odom comp. Odom was quick, explosive and could handle and pass like a guard.

On the DX video where they show "Offensive Flashes" I can see the Odom comps.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

On the DX video where they show "Offensive Flashes" I can see the Odom comps.

I'll check it out again, thanks. If he really compares to Lamar Odom, he should be pretty high on our board.