Carter Pearson: They came, they cried, Jay Bilas referred to outfits as “drips”.
John — the NBA Draft is weird and magical.
It also showed the continuous evolution of the league from 5 traditional positions down to 3 — point, wing, big — and how smart team’s are leaning further than ever into styles of play. The Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and even Suns are leaning hard into a specific style of play. Some (the Hawks) are doing it better than others (the Suns), In this draft win so few top guys, the Tiers on Big Boards were probably large from Tier 3 onwards, so it makes sense that teams went with fit over pure talent.
Take the Hawks — they know Trae Young is a zero on defense, so they are surrounding him with huge wings (Reddish, Hunter, Huerter) that can theoretically shoot and theoretically guard the other team’s best perimeter guy. They might run a high pick and roll on every single possession Young and John Collins play together next year, with Reddish and Hunter on the weak side and Huerter on the strong. If Collins proves he can defend the rim even a little bit, the Hawks will be really fun. Also, all of those guys are 21 or under — aka 3 years younger than Cam Johnson.
(disclaimer: I do not think Cam Reddish is good, but he provides a lot of value at 10. If he can stop falling down when he dribbles, he will be a high-level starter. If he keeps falling, he’ll be Danny Green. That’s fine!)
What stood out most to you? Besides Tyler Herro’s suit and general demeanor.
J.D. Crabtree: The Herro show was interesting. I read an article where his dad was a high school superstar then tore something that derailed his college hoop dreams. So Tyler was coached by him for a long time and his dad “held him accountable for mistakes in execution and judgment.” Yaaa…so Tyler probably had an interesting upbringing in Greenfield, Wisconsin. Outfit matched that story. Billingsley! Party at Taylor’s House!
Good point on the game sharpening down to three positions. Makes me wonder if the Steve Nash-led Suns were before their time: Nash, Marion/Joe Johnson, Stoudamire. If I’m building a team, and I’m not being derailed by someone named Buss or Dolan or Westbrook, you stay too close to that formula. I’m starting to believe you only want 1 “big” on the floor at once at any time, in addition to that being the position of the point/wing/big formula you are most willing to take minutes from in tight games. Some of your wings (Middleton, Siakam, Tobias Harris, etc.) can just about do anything. And the idea of having a guy that simply weighs more is becoming outdated fast. Glen Davis’s are becoming husky fossils.
Anyway, about these young men.
I’ll do a few accolades, feel free to create your own.
Most Likely to Return to Their High School Five Year and Surprise Everyone They Were a First Round NBA Pick: Ty Jerome
Most likely to be that guy you have to look up how old he is and where he attended college: Matisse Thybulle
Most likely to bounce out of the league in one year due to an on-court identity crisis: Nassir Little
Most likely to VanVleet: Carsen Edwards
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We also didn’t have the traditional player currently competing overseas light up draft day. But while there was no Luka Doncic, I’m sure one of these picks in the first round will be hitting clutch threes in the playoffs in 2022.
I also sense there is much anxiety from lottery teams outside of the surefire picks (1-3 most years), because you need to land on players to satisfy management and the frustrated, losing fanbase. We are seeing more and more later picks developing into studs just as often as their early counterparts. Some of this can be attributed to the overall rise of basketball talent. It’s not that clear once the Anthony Davis of your draft goes off the board. And if I was drafting 7th every year, I would be tempted to throw a dart.
With that being said, how strong is this class? And did any team completely whiff on their selection?
CP: I think this class is fairly weak. You have one transcendent talent who…whispers… can’t shoot. That is followed by someone who could be Dame Lillard or Jeff Teague. And then R.J., who tops out as the best player on a 42 win team.
Then it’s pretty much role player city from 4 on. I mean, DeAndre Hunter is fine, but does he go in the Top 15 last year? I don’t think so.
Which brings me to doing something that I didn’t see coming earlier: defending the Suns.
Look, I know the Suns look clueless, and those trades were not great. But, they have a shot to turn this into something…that’s something. If they can avoid overpaying Terry Rozier or DeAngelo Russell, they can go into next year with Devin Booker surrounded by a bunch of big shooters in the floor and coming off the bench.
They could run out Booker, Kelly Oubre, Mikal Bridges, the Homie Dario Saric and DeAndre Ayton as the starting line ups. I know I say this about every team, but run a lot of spread pick and rolls and see what happens.
If Booker can be less of a train wreck on defense, and Ayton improves like a guy with his tools should, then the defense might be okay.
Then you bring Cam Johnson, Aron Baynes, Josh Jackson (unless he is out of the league), and Tyler Johnson (who you can hopefully flip for a 2nd round pick as an expiring contract).
Let Josh Jackson run pick and rolls on your second unit and see if he can stay in the league. If he fails, cut bait (on a 4th overall pick, not great).
(That being said, Cam Johnson was a super reach at 11. If you like him, trade back and get another asset.)
I mean, that’s not good. But, am I crazy or is that interesting? Also, I know you have some feelings about Coby White, but I really like him on the Bulls. Thoughts?
JD: I have this theory that Devin Booker wants his points per game to be higher than his team’s win total till the end of time. Them making smart moves won’t help his master plan.
Ok, I’m going to attack the Suns. Their ceiling is not going to get much higher unless they develop or acquire a second all-star player. They’ve already proved that Devin lighting it up every night equates to twenty wins. It looks like they only option is Ayton, and that feels like it would take a couple of years even if he burst into that tier.
I look at their roster and I see some low ceilings: Cam Johnson, Aron Baynes, Josh Jackson, Mikal Bridges, Daric, Tyler Johnson.
Oubre has a chance to elevate his game, I guess. And we haven’t seen Booker in anything close to a playoff situation. So I also see a dark cloud over the desert.
I’m calling you crazy then. I can’t see it yet in the perpetually-elite West. I’ll keep an eye on their development though.
*looks in mirror*
“He’s baiting you with the Coby White point, control yourself J.D.”
If there was a player that could benefit from another year of college basketball, that would never think about coming back for another year, it was Coby White. All he showed me was that he could dribble very fast and attempt, key word attempt, circus shots. I never saw him composed in competitive games, I only saw him try to shoot his teams through rough stretches.
Cassius Winston is by far better point guard than him today. But I guess you always draft on potential these days. I’m calling him a poor man’s Isiah Thomas.
Alright, who’s the guy in the 20-40 range who will be a reference point in five years on how late of a draft pick he was and that’s what drives him every day?
And talk to me about the Dukies. A bit predictable, but talk to me.
CP: Love this. I’m going one because he is good, and one because it’s a super weird story and I want to see how it turns out.
First — Brandon Clarke from Gonzaga is going to be sick. With him and JJJ, the Grizzlies have the making of the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA. They can both switch 1-5, and can both defend the rim. Clarke is a pogo stick with a great second jump, and he should be a great, energy start at minimum.
On offense, he and Morant can run pick and rolls, while JJJ pops for 3s. I see Jaren as a Horford type, with Clarke having a little bit of Clint Capela (offense) and Draymond (poor mans, obvi). That’s a good get at 21.
The second guy that intrigued me is Allen Smailagic. I have literally never seen a highlight of him. I didn’t even watch the full draft, so not even one second of him playing basketball. But, his story is super interesting. Here it is: the Warriors found this kid at 17 playing in some European league (Serbia?) that I can’t look up because my phone is dying.
They brought him over at 17 to play for their G-League team, which is apparently a thing you can do. However, halfway through the season, they realized they liked him so much, they stopped playing him. They didn’t let him play in the G League showcase because they were trying to hide him from other teams.
The other teams in the league got wind of this (of course they did), so the Pelicans drafted him and extracted a pick from the Dubs.
To recap: the Warriors found an international player they liked, and rather than wait to draft him, they signed him to the G League and his him. A predraft and stash.
This whole thing is wild to me, and also portends some shady shit happening in the future. Will someone try to go deeper and hide someone on the Iowa Wolves? Will the NBA try to stop this in the future? As usual, the Warriors are lightyears ahead.
Last but not least — I’m really happy for Zion. He’s great. That’s all I have to say about that.
Any final thoughts from you? I was expecting a Grant Williams sonnet or a Jordan Bone soliloquy. Hit me with your best shot and take us home, Uncle Crabs.
JD: I want to take a minute to address the Bol Bol debacle. On a night when several young men were having their dreams come true, parents weeping in the background, and fan bases going wild over new additions, there was one very sad story unfolding as each selection passed.
Bol Bol was selected as the 44th overall pick to the Denver Nuggets, and was also the final player to be selected that was invited to attend the draft in-person.
Quick timeline on Bol Bol:
November 16th, 1999: Bol Manute Bol was born.
2000s: Bol Manute Bol decides to go by Bol Bol.
November 20th, 2017: Bol Bol commits to The University of Oregon.
November 6th, 2018: Oregon debut.
December 12th, 2018: Bol Bol suffers season-ending ankle foot injury after averaging 21 points and 9.6 rebounds through 9 games.
June 20th, 2019: Bol Bol is selected 44th overall to the Denver Nuggets.
In high school, Bol Bol was considered one of the best players in that 2018 class, having been rated a consensus five-star recruit and playing in the McDonald’s All-American game. He was a top 5 recruit in every verified ranking, and was ranked ahead of Zion in several to give further context. His father was an NBA legend – he was an NBA prodigy.
This should be required reading for top recruits coming out of high school. If Bol Bol “trained” and strengthened his body over the last year I have no doubt in my mind he would have a top 5 pick this year. Instead he was 15 picks away from not being drafted and sat on an underachieving Oregon bench for months. That makes me sad.
I don’t want to see any more top-tier pitfalls. Stop making athletes play a meaningless year of college basketball.
Yes Cooks. On June 20th, 2019 the UT3 were born. And for the small minority that don’t follow Tennessee basketball, we (yes, we) had three players drafted this year. That’s the same amount as Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia. Not sure why any school received more press.
Since I’m writing a book on their journeys I’ll keep my kudos short:
Jordan Bone – 57th to the Pistons. Jordan has a strange shot at having the best trajectory since he is a freak athlete. He can probably carve out some minutes over time since the Pistons will play anyone. He also had an amazing draft party story.
Admiral Schofield – 42nd to the Wizards. THE ADMIRAL. Probably has the coolest background, bio, and demeanor than any player in the draft. Also another freak athlete that could play for a while if his game properly translates. He will definitely outwork his competition. Wizards need some 3 and D guys so I like the selection.
Grant Willams – 22nd to the Celtics. Grant was probably the toughest player I’ve had to say goodbye to since Chris Lofton. Not often you get a 2-time SEC player of the year that plays his style, and never gets injured. I love the Boston pick. Brad Stevens is going to be obsessed with him, and since they are experiencing a minor rebuild he will have a chance early and often. I could see him and Tatum playing complimentary high-IQ basketball for the next five years.
Go Vols.
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