This year's draft isn't too deep but is loaded with tanking prizes at the top. My preview:

https://deanondraft.com/2016/10/20/2017-draft-preview/

im all in on josh jackson

he is a killer

Dennis Smith JR is thr clear #1 imo. A more explosive and skilled Derrick Rose.

Dean,

after all these years, how happy are you to see the embiid pick finally pan out? Kid's already at an all star level.

Where do you see Grayson Allen, provided he performs at expectations this year? I'm thinking he seems like a ~20-25 kind of player, but you seem like you might be lower than that on him.

Which Syracuse guy will be taken too high this year?

Some years there is an obvious #1. I mean I know you have to rate someone #1, but I don't see how you can say somebody is an obvious #1 this year. **** if you think someone is so obvious I'll give you even odds vs the field for a small wager (I do still have to accept). I think this is a crazy good deep class.

ncaa draft anyone?

markannen looks dope

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/46...draft-1637965/

nate duncan had a podcast with mike schmitz from draftexpress which is worth a listen:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/duncdon...h-mike-schmitz

Frank Ntilikina is the real deal

6"5, 7" wingspan PG with sick court vision and sick athletic tools

lonzo ball (dx 16th) looks pretty good at first glance to me. dx's profile has him as a merely "good" athlete, as far as i can tell that's the biggest knock on him, so if he erases that as a concern then it def bumps him up. given that he had a sick alley oop where he just crammed it right over a defender in the highlights below, i'm pretty intrigued. overall he looks pretty damn athletic to me, has good size, also looks like a good passer/ballhandler

his shot looks weird but the results are apparently ok, seems to have the ability to shoot decently off the dribble and seems very willing to take those shots which is really crucial imo (as long as he can actually hit a decent percentage of course)

very intriguing imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgUUEa7NxMU

Jackson really a trex? Ouch

'Cuse fan, been lurking for years but decided to jump in.

It will either be Tyler Lydon or Tyus Battle. Although both are semi-interesting prospects. Battle's knock coming in was the jumper and from what I've seen against lol competition is a pretty compact, repeatable jumper that he's found early success with.

Lonzo ball's jumper just looks so broken. And beyond how it looks, he has great height but no elevation on the shot and a super low release point, gonna be way harder to get that shot off and it seems like he'd have to completely re-work it to get it to useful in the NBA beyond just a wide open look (like late career Jason Kidd's 3pt form).

tbh i think with the quickness of his release and the threat of the drive, i can't see him having a problem getting it off

i also don't think his shot is confirmed broken, with form that unusual it's prob fair to say that he's morel likely to bust as a shooter though so it's def a legit point. BUT for a flattering comparison i'd say it's like kevin martin's where he kinda slings it inside out. kmart never had a problem shooting it in guy's faces, and was a good shooter obviously


outlook for long term accuracy is obviously up in the air, dx stats have him at 31% on 3s in their db which isn't good, but judging by highlights he takes a lot of 'hard' shots. 31% looks a lot better on the kinds of shots he's taking than wide open 3s

Ladies and gentlemen, your #1 pick in the draft:

fultz looks like a strong #1 pick, really not showing any weaknesses so far. seems like he has a rep for lackluster d, but he's racking up heaps of stocks and certainly looks physically capable

dennis smith's stats are solid so far, but to me he hasn't impressed the eyetest so far either based on youtube highlights. not as athletic or high-bbiq as advertised imo. still early tho

josh jackson looking like a total trash shooter so far. needs to simplify his form asap, has a really loopy windup. maybe a shot doctor can fix him tho because he seems to have ok touch generally. he seems legit good at pretty much everything else, but without improving the shot his upside is seriously limited because he looks like a guy who needs to play on the wing

lonzo ball has been bumped up to #4 on dx already which is pretty unsurprising, he's been great. looking like a uniquely good passer, he's really effective continuously seeking passing advantages even multiple times in the same possession. and while he's pretty low usg at 17%, he seems pretty willing and able to shoot 3s and attack obvious openings so far though, which is a huge advantage over rondo/rubios

Jayson Tatum has returned and played 2 games. Most interesting thing thus far is that he's 13-14 from the FT line. Obviously a micro-sample here, so take care in extrapolating. But if he turns out to be a good shooter it would seem to make his value rise, since Dean's primary complaint seems to be that he's not going to be a good shooter.

Disagree he isnt as athletic as advertised. How much more athletic/explosive do you need him to be? He looks pretty damn explosive and quick to me.

First time seeing Rabb since last season and he looks awful tonight vs Seton Hall. Been nonexistent on offense and constantly out of position on defense. Still looks really raw offensively. Cant imagine he finds his way into the lottery in this draft and pretty sure he was considered at least a fringe lottery pick as a rebounding machine and raw talent if he wouldve came out last season. Sucks for him.

for smith it's more the overall package of smallness + athleticism isn't that impressive to me. as a starter he'd be one of the smaller pgs in the nba, and imo you need some elite aspect/s to your game to make up for that disadvantage - imo he hasn't shown enough to distinguish himself so far (esp since his stats are fine but nothing sick)

i'm mostly talking in terms of upside - which is the bar he needs to clear to be worth getting picked #2 as dx has him now

dx has him ~6'8 with ~6'10 span, not amazing but hardly a problem imo. jimmy butler / gordon hayward are examples of wings who are rexier than jackson and both compete fine athletically as 2/3s

Hi,
Believe this is the thread for Dallas Mavericks fans.

THE TANK IS ON