martin and admins...i vote to make a sticky for the upcoming draft.
anyways, here goes mine:
1. Team- Philadelphia 76ers
Strengths – cap space (relative to other teams; approx $60mil), youth, size and frontcourt
Needs – guard play, outside shooting, experience
Draft Prediction – Ben Simmons (PF): best player available. PF body with PG skills/Weakness = CAN’T SHOOT
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2. Team-Los Angeles Lakers
Strengths-young back court (Clarkson, Russell), cap space, LA Franchise
Needs-shooting, front court, defense
Draft Prediction- Brandon Ingram (SF): wing shooter with height/Weakness = skinny, not explosive
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3. Team-Boston Celtics (after 1 & 2 this is where the real draft starts)
Strengths-Coach Stevens, defense, perimeter defense, cap space
Needs-interior defense (amir johnson won’t be resigned), shooting, big man depth (sullinger gone too)
Draft Prediction-either trade down (to get a vet AND draft Buddy or Murray) or Dragon Bender(C): 7ft big man with excellent passing, defense and could develop more offensive skills/Weaks = raw; 2 yrs away
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4. Team-Phoenix Suns
Strengths-guard play (Bledsoe, Booker, Knight), youth
Needs-power forward, rebounding, overall defense
Draft Prediction-Marquisse Chriss (PF): excellent face up 4; Uptempo style fits his play/Weaks = doesn’t rebound or play defense. Can be hidden with Tyson chandler.
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5. Team-Minnesota Timberwolves
Strengths-talented starting 5 (Rubio, Lavine, Dieng, Wiggins, KAT)
Needs-shooting, vet leadership, develop bench
Draft Prediction-Kris Dunn (PG): def PG that Thibs will be love/Weaks = streaky shooter, turnover prone
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6. Team-New Orleans Pelicans
Strengths-Unibrow Davis, size
Needs-shooting, wings, may need to replace Evans/Holiday eventually, Gordon and Anderson are gone
Draft Prediction-Buddy Hield (SG): one dimensional shooter – great shooter/Weaks= doesn’t do much else
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7. Team-Denver Nuggets
Strengths-Mudiay and Jokic (might’ve been the 3rd best rookie), size (Nokie, Lauvergne, Jurkic)
Needs-Shooting, wing depth (harris, barton and chandler are off the bench; Gallo is injury prone)
Draft Prediction-Jamal Murray (SG): 2nd best shooter/could play some PG/Weaks = slow defender
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8. Team-Sacramento Kings
Strengths-Demarcus Cousins
Needs-backcourt, might lose a lot of players to free agency
Draft Prediction-Jaylen Brown (F): best physical talent, def/Weaks=can’t dribble, create or shoot
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9. Team-Toronto Raptors
Strengths-backcourt (lowry and derozen – I think they’ll OVERPAY to keep him),
Needs-solid team that will likely lose biyombo
Draft Prediction-either trade pick for a vet or Deyonta Davis (PF): defensive and mobile big man/Weaks=limited offensive skills
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10. Team-Milwaukee Bucks
Strengths-Giannis, Parker, Middleton trio
Needs-upgrade in front court (plumlee isn’t enough, Monroe may need to go)
Draft Prediction-Henry Ellenson (PF)-stretch 4 big man from Milwaukee/Weaks=slow footed
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11. Team-Orlando Magic
Strengths-talented players (Oladipo, Gordon, Herzonja, Fournier), new coach,
Needs-defensive big men (that’s what Vogel likes, that’s what Vucevic isn’t), shooting, PG play
Draft Prediction-Skal Labessiere (C)– raw big man with already good def instincts/Weaks= still learning
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12. Team-Utah Jazz
Strengths-young lineup (Favors, Gobert, Hayward, Hood, Exum, Lyles)
Needs-depth (backup for Exum), shooting
Draft Prediction-Wade Baldwin (PG) – smart PG who can shoot and defend/Weaks=not the quickest, doesnt finish well
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13. Team-Phoenix Suns
Strengths-guard play (Bledsoe, Booker, Knight), youth
Needs-power forward, rebounding, overall defense
Draft Prediction-Domantas Sabonis (C)- excellent passing big with a motor/Weaks=athleticism
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14. Team-Chicago Bulls
Strengths-back court (rose, Butler) and Mirotic
Needs-needs front line help (Gasol and Noah may be gone)
Draft Prediction-Jakob Poetl (C) – traditional low post big man/Weaks = modern NBA fit?
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After the lottery, the draft is up for grabs. I expect a lot of international draft and stashes. A lot of unpredictable moves: drafting seniors, international players, trades, etc. I'm not sure anyone can predict what will happen next
Some Notables to watch:
- Dejonte Murray (PG) – streaky PG with quicks; horrible shot selection
- Malachi Richardson (SG)– streaky SG with length, lots of potential despite up and down fresh yr (Memphis has guaranteed to draft him)
- Denzel Valentine (SF)-Jack of all trade wing that has the IQ to make up for his lack of athleticism (injured knees?)
- Thon Maker (C)– 7fter with SG skills/ still learning the game- makes lots of mistakes
- Malik Beasley (SG)– talented streaky shooter - still learning how to create his own shot
- Patrick McGraw (SG)- excellent defender, streaky shooter, needs to gain some muscle mass
- Timothe Lawawu (SF) - athletic 3&D player; draft and stash candidate
- Demetrius Jackson (PG) – excellent traditional PG; small streaky shooter
- Damian Jones (C)- nice defensive big man like Ezeli from Vanderbilt
- Ben Bentil (PF) – my sleeper of the draft. Talented inside and out
- Taurean Prince (SF) – athletic 3&D player
- Diamond Stone (C)- classic low post big man
- AJ Hammons (C) – another defensive big man who has developed a jumper
Knicks should be improved: win about 40 games and maybe sneak into the playoffs. Melo, Rose and even Noah will have some nice moments however this team should be about PORZINGUS. the sooner they make him the primary player, the better