The 2015 NBA Draft Thread: Draft Day Is Here

[Olympus]

There are rumors that the Wolves are considering taking Russell and trading Rubio. ....But they're just rumors.

I'm hoping it IS because Hinkie promised to draft him and told him to go home. Who else would you want?

 

[pmatic]

Who is the best post player in the NBA draft?

With less than two weeks to go before the draft, we're ranking and debating the best players by position in the draft. After beginning with point guards and continuing with wings, we conclude with post players this time around.

Q: Who is the best post player in the draft?

Ford: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky

I began the season convinced this would be Jahlil Okafor, but as the season progressed and Okafor's defensive and free throw issues became apparent while Towns progressed on both ends of the floor, I flipped to Towns. Two weeks before the draft, I don't actually think it's really all that close. While Okafor has superior footwork and go-to moves in the paint, Towns trumps him in virtually every other category. He's a better athlete, superior defender, elite shot-blocker, better shooter and, after watching him work out, I also came away supremely impressed with both his intelligence and work ethic. To me he's the complete package for a modern NBA big.

Pelton: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky

I'd agree with that, Chad. The stats and the scouting are all in alignment here. Towns has the better chance of developing into an above-average center at both ends of the floor, which is an incredibly valuable building block. Injury aside, his floor seems remarkably high given his combination of size and skill. It's difficult to see Towns failing and easy to see him developing into an All-Star as his offense progresses.

Q: Who is the second-best post player in the draft?

Ford: Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Baloncesto Sevilla

I have a feeling we may end up agreeing on this next guy as well. I really love Porzingis, though I've been burned in the past by international players. I'm a sucker for long, athletic guys with guard skills. However, I'm usually burned when those skills show up in practice or workouts, and don't appear in games. In Porzingis' case, I think there's enough evidence of his play in Sevilla to safely say that the things I love about him (his shooting ability and his athleticism) will come through in the NBA. If Porzingis were playing at Duke or Kansas, I think he would be the toughest competition for Towns for the No. 1 overall pick. I really believe Sam Hinkie may pull the trigger on Porzingis at No. 3. I have no idea how he'll fit, but I'll still give them an A.

Pelton: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke

Alas, no. You're more willing to buck conventional wisdom than I am. Since he's suffered by contrast to Towns over the past few months, let me make the case for Okafor. It's dangerous to write off any player defensively at age 19. It's possible that improved conditioning will make Okafor a more mobile defender, putting him in position to contest more shots and more effectively defend the pick-and-roll. And even if Okafor is below average defensively, the comparisons to players such as Al Jefferson and Nikola Vucevic may sell him short because Okafor shot a significantly higher percentage at Duke than those players ever have from the field. Even if he's not the best prospect in this draft, Okafor is still a unique talent with great potential.

Q: Who is the third-best post player in the draft?

Ford: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke

Interesting, I thought you had Porzingis higher on your Statistical Big Board. I like Okafor a lot. I think he'll be a beast offensively. I think he'll dominate in the paint from day one. And you are right; there are a number of factors (conditioning, system, maturity, etc.) that could lead to Okafor developing into a

good defender. The talent to me is clear. My biggest concern is just the overall trend of the NBA toward floor spacing and the relatively paltry number of post-up plays teams run anymore. Maybe Okafor will be so good that he'll reverse that trend. Ten years ago I think Okafor would've been a lock for No. 1. It will be interesting to see how the league develops and what role players like Okafor will play in it.

Pelton: Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Baloncesto Sevilla

Yeah, Porzingis has the better WARP projection, but I'm a little less inclined to trust Okafor's projection because of the regression to the mean his 2-point percentage suffers. The one caution flag I'll raise on Porzingis is that I think he has to develop into a good 3-point shooter to be a special player in the NBA. That's less certain than Okafor being a special offensive player. But I still think Porzingis is one of the five elite prospects in this draft a cut above everyone else.

Q: Who is the fourth-best post player in the draft?

Ford: Myles Turner, PF, Texas

I struggle a bit between Willie Cauley-Stein and Turner for the last spot. I believe Cauley-Stein has the potential to be the best defender in the NBA. He has all the physical tools and defensive instincts to guard all five positions. But his utter lack of an offensive game scares me. So did his very inconsistent efforts at Kentucky over three years. Turner also was very inconsistent at Texas. But he's a similar size, a much better offensive player (he has the ability to stretch the floor) and he should be a good rim protector. And at the same age, he was a better player than Cauley-Stein as a freshman. I know there's some bust potential with Turner, but I really love the upside.

Pelton: Myles Turner, PF, Texas

If we talk about the direction the NBA is headed, I think Turner shines. While he didn't shoot the college 3 well as a freshman, his 83.9 percent free throw percentage suggests Turner should eventually develop into a dangerous outside shooter. The 3-and-D big man is an extremely rare species, and Turner's impressive shot blocking and defensive rebounding (his rates of both were similar on both counts to Towns) indicate he's got a real chance to join this group.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draf...who-best-post-player-nba-draft-2015-nba-draft

 

[carver]

There are rumors that the Wolves are considering taking Russell and trading Rubio. ....But they're just rumors.

I'm hoping it IS because Hinkie promised to draft him and told him to go home. Who else would you want?

Philly fans better start warming up to Kristaps

 

[jpzx]

There are rumors that the Wolves are considering taking Russell and trading Rubio. ....But they're just rumors

Flip actually named Chad Ford when asked about the Rubio rumor and when you mention the person by name, i don't think you do that if there was actually substance to that rumor.

Don't know about the Russell going No. 1 rumor that's being referenced. RealGM article on him/Sixers workout being cancelled said, "There are reports that the a Wolves and Lakers are considering taking Russell ahead of PHI" but are these reports recent?

 

[buc em]

According to sources Russell just got "really sick" and is going to reschedule with the Sixers.

 

[xxpizzo]

Keith Pompey  ‏@PompeyOnSixers   25m25 minutes ago

Source: D'Angelo Russell canceled his #Sixers workout because he got "real sick."

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

So much ado about nothing

I need to hear how the Porzinguis workout goes

 

[johnnyredstorm]

I'm gonna so angry if Philly takes Zinger. Draft Russell and move on damn it.

 

[jpzx]

This is a pure reach of the straws probably, but I wonder if Russell has anxiety or something. From the small sample size of his Lakers workout featured on DX, he bricked almost every shot, four or five consecutve. And now he ends up being too sick for his Philly workout (my baseless guess is that he got no sleep the night before = I can't audition in this state = I'm sick). Complete guess but whatever.

Zen is in Vegas.

@chadfordinsider: How big of a draw is Porzingis? Even Phil Jackson traveled to Vegas to see him. Porzongis, Turner, Martin & Christmas just took the court

 

[the gr8est]

I'm gonna so angry if Phil takes Zinger. Draft Russell and move on damn it.

#Loading... 

 

 

[jpzx]

I'm concerned about Russell's lift on his shot attempts when he's facing NBA defenders and not guards who play for the Northwestern Wildcats or Purdue Boilermakers.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Russell worries me the most out of any prospect.

 

[nick.]

one of the guards or Winslow

if Phil keeps Bargs & drafts Porzingis you'll see me on the news vandalizing MSG

 

[the gr8est]

I remember when people had a lot of concerns about Steph Curry back in the day.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

I loved Curry back then. Was a little concerned how he'd translate, but wanted him either way.

 

[jpzx]

I remember when people had a lot of concerns about Steph Curry back in the day.

Do you also belong to the group that says, "I think Russell should go No. 1. It's trending toward a guard-dominated, guard-oriented league"?

Guess what!!!!! Neither Steph Curry or 'where the league's going' tells us anything about how Russell will fare at the next level.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

eh Russels 6'5, with a high quick release. Don't think getting it off will be a problem.

 

[carver]

 

[d3si]

I really never thought Steph would win the MVP award before he came into the NBA. I expected him to have the Mark Price career type. Even though I wanted the Knicks to get Curry. Walsh should have listened to Curry's agent.

Riley also liked that Curry was the son of a successful and respected ex-NBA player. Riley sold then-Warriors coach Don Nelson on Curry as well. Austin and Dell Curry still tried to keep the Warriors away from Stephen Curry. But Austin told then-Knicks president Donnie Walsh that unless they could trade up, he expected Golden State to draft Curry. Austin said Walsh didn't believe him because the Warriors already had guard Monta Ellis.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-st...want-the-warriors-to-draft-him-023517645.html

 

[jpzx]

It's more so because he barely jumps on his shot attempts, specifically his catch-and-shoots. I like how he projects on defense because he can move well laterally, but there are concerns, I think, regarding how his offensive game might fare at a level where guards are 6'5" - 6'7" give or take.

He didn't play up to the most formidable OSU opponents all year outside of 1-2 exceptions. On one hand, you have Ohio State, who was unanimously picked to finish second in the Big Ten before last year - losing Aaron Craft but bringing back Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson, Marc Loving and adding D'Angelo Russell. Instead, they finished 11-7 in the Big Ten, behind Iowa and Purdue. Beat a bad Minnesota team in the Big Ten tourney, and then knocked out a game later. In the NCAA tournament, they were a No. 10 seed.

There are several examples of players working out who played on teams that were better and worse, but my point is that if you think you're getting a 'transformational' player in Russell... you're probably one of those who have him ahead of Jah. That's just not me though. There are parts of his game that will work immediately, parts of his game that project out something that could be developed with time, and parts of his game I worry about. If the team who picks him Top-3/Top-5 expects that, then okay. I don't know if the majority of people who like Russell a lot are expecting they'll need to have any patience.

 

[d3si]

D'Angelo will be fine in the NBA. The best part about him is that he has excellent basketball IQ. Unlike Mudiay, D'Angelo doesn't make flashy passes. Just smart basketball.

 

[the gr8est]

Do you also belong to the group that says, "I think Russell should go No. 1. It's trending toward a guard-dominated, guard-oriented league"?

Guess what!!!!! Neither Steph Curry or 'where the league's going' tells us anything about how Russell will fare at the next level.

I belong to the group that says take the best available prospect. To me, that has been Russell and Towns all along.

I also belong to the group that says "take everything that draft analysis say with a grain of salt because it is such an unpredictable process."

To make it in the league you need to have a lot of internal desire and you also need to show a willingness to learn and adapt to the NBA and becoming a professional. I see a lot of both of those qualities in Russell. Although it is premature, and just like anybody else, I can always be wrong. But to me, I see a hungry team player and I like that a lot. But like any draft evaluator, I am just calling it as I see it.

And yes, it also helps that Russell is a smooth 6'5 team-first PG who could shoot the ball in an era of the NBA that values those particular skills more than ever.

No draft prospect comes without concerns. Especially in this era where we nitpick every little thing we can. But that Ohio State team was ******* garbage outside of DLo.

I started watching almost every one of their games once I fell in love with Russell as a prospect. DLo did everything he could for that team. He was unselfish and always took over when he was asked (besides their tourney loss to Arizona, a team they were far less talented than), the rest of the team was never able to hold their own weight. Cant hold that against DLo.

 

[jpzx]

Every team in the Big Ten was garbage this past season except Wisconsin, and Ohio State should have been one of the best of the lousiest, but that wasn't the case. Michigan State's tournament run was a shock to anybody who was up on the Big Ten this season. They were one of the dumbest teams in the country, and Izzo's postgame press conference's were littered with quotes intimating so and intimating that he wasn't used to a team with such a lack of discipline.

I love his personality. He impressed me more than anybody else when NBATV did 10-12 combine interviews, but I'm looking at his game and I don't know. I hope he succeeds.

 

[nick.]

that's my PG

 

[awwsome]

Mudiay looking like he has it all, still not convinced on the jumper but man dude is a huge/strong/athletic for a PG, mismatch from day 1.