I'd hope the Sixers wouldn't pass on him with the Laker pick. Seems like a perfect guy to add, someone a bit older that can contribute immediately and would be a good fit.

I don't think he would get past the Knicks at #9.

https://dailyknicks.com/2018/03/20/n...s-sweet-16/16/

MIKAL BRIDGES Junior, Guard/Forward
Projection: Top 10
Age: 21 (8/30/1996)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 6’7″, 210 pounds, 7’2″
Slash Line: .517/.442/.849
Season Averages: 32.2 MPG, 18.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 2.7 3PM

If you read Daily Knicks on a consistent basis, then you likely know how high I am on Villanova Wildcats star Mikal Bridges. Bridges is the prospect whom I desperately want the New York Knicks to select, and his performances during the 2018 NCAA Tournament only support his case.

Bridges is the best three-point shooter and on-ball defender amongst the wings in this draft class, and has star potential beyond that 3-and-D role.

Bridges is a fearless three-point shooter with legitimate NBA range and a release that’s both high and quick. He can get his shot off over the average defender and has vastly improved his ability to take an opponent off the bounce with his handle.

Bridges is also an ambidextrous finisher at the rim, with the ability to adjust in the air and convert in traffic at a rather efficient rate.

Defensively, Bridges utilizes his prototypical size and gigantic wingspan to lock down players at both wing positions. He also has the athleticism to switch and defend point guards, and the length to hold his own against power forwards and undersized centers.

With a core of Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mikal Bridges, and Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks would have the foundation for sustained success.

Bridges’ ultimate upside comparison: Kawhi Leonard.

Define success.

do people honestly still care about rebounding

lol I know its from DailyKnicks. I'm guessing he means make the playoffs.

You can ask him what he means if you want tho. @MaxwellOgden on twitter.

I swear to all things holy that if the Knicks draft Collin Sexton when Mikal Bridges is available I am going to walk outside and punch 🤛 a penguin square in the face.

That's right folks your friendly neighborhood McLovin will be penguin punching levels of irate.

my mind will be completely bottled if bridges slides further than like 7 or so - he's a pretty great prospect who'd be lock top 5 in most drafts imo

too many players get billed as 3+d prospects just based on half-ok shooting and decent tools - but most of them aren't actually great college defenders who can shoot really well. bridges actually is both those things, elite stocks #s and great shooting %s. the lack of passing is a bit of a downer for creation potential, but with shooting and athleticism like that he'll have opportunities, and his a:t ratio is strong + he's improved so much already - definitely some decent hopes that he can make solid passes and keep up the all-round improvement trajectory, even if it's pretty unlikely he ends up a #1 creating offensive superstar type

Nuggets can always settle for the smaller/more athletic/ light skinned Bridges instead, Dood.

Or just consider draft sucks after pick 5 and trade the pick to Utah for a bag of crap

Draft is loaded all thru the lottery. Not a good idea to trade out of this draft.

This is where I'm at, BUT I'm just wondering if the teams in the early lottery have more of a need for superstar creation upside and will pass on him, plus he's quite old for a lottery pick.

He's seems like the type of guy that's mediocre to build around, but an absolutely elite finishing piece for a team like Philly/Denver who already has 3 or 4 of their future roster set.

I should probably stop fantasizing because it would take quite a bit to jump from #14 to #7/8 where I think he goes.

I read that Chicago is interested in drafting Trae Young.

Imagine Lauri Markannen and Trigger Trae bombing 3's away all day!

This is the kind of reasoning that leads to Jalol and Mudiay picks and allow teams between 12th and 20th to get a real player while half of top picks are huge busts

#Giannis

heh reading that again i def overstated how high i am on bridges in that post - he's a good prospect but on reflection my mind wouldn't really be bottled at all if he slips past 7 because his warts are actually pretty significant - the low usg is a big meh that gives him disturbing amounts of bust potential, and a lot of why he seems so good is that his shooting numbers are so sexy, but if he's been the beneficiary of a bit of positive variance, and is like a 38% shooter say, he starts looking significantly worse

what i do think is that nba teams are going to like him a lot -
doncic/ayton/jjj/trae/bagley/bamba/mjp imo are in all likelihood going to make up the top 7, and i would be pretty surprised if he slips past 10 after that

Givony updated the Big Board this morning

Ayton
Doncic
JJJ
Bagley
Bamba
Wendell Carter
MPjr
Sexton
Trae Young
Mikal
Miles

I really wonder about Trae's draft ranking.

If he started out as a top 3 recruit and was high on draft boards at the beginning of the year where would he be now?

I think because he wasn't really on the NBA radar he had to slowly move up and not just rocket to the top and then when he struggled at the end of the year he fell back down behind some players without any real rhyme or reason.

you dont think there is rhyme or reason behind the preseason draft boards?

The middle ball won’t get drafted , right ?

Givony also had Keita Bates Diop at #18. He would be a very nice piece for a playoff team to add if he fell too far.

How many players from this draft would go #1 in last year's draft?

Meaning with what knowledge you had at the time of the 2017 draft, not with the rookies playing most of the system and your assessment of them now.

Most of the season***

I would guess that Jaren Jackson JR, Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley, Michael Porter JR, and Mo Bamba would have all gone #1 last year.

Maybe even guys like Wendell Carter, Colin Sexton, and Trae Young as well.

Celtics traded out of the #1 slot afterall.

Fultz and Lonzo were pretty highly regarded by most though.

You realize that the optimal strategy is to go for boom/bust guys near the top over 20+ low-ceiling "good" players early right?

i predict that the bias against guys who don't profile as lead offensive superstars will keep jjj from actually getting picked top 3 this year, and imo would have stopped him from going over fultz last year too

i think ayton/doncic are the locks to get picked over fultz/lonzo. i don't think anyone else is though, even if i personally regard a few more guys as potentially superior prospects - fultz and lonzo really looked the goods which is easy to forget with the years they've had. lonzo was particularly rated super highly by draft models statistically


i think the thing with this years draft is not so much that there's 5-6 #1 picks, but that it's just kind of solidly above average in quality and depth through the whole lottery