Yeah going into last nights game, JJJ was already at 10 blocks per 100 possessions with a true shooting % of .759 in conference play then he scored 21 points on 6 shot attempts and blocked 6 more shots. His numbers are getting stupid.

If he keeps playing like that hes going to wind up passing up the other bigs on EVERYBODYS boards damn. Such a tank worthy draft

jjj seems like a better prospect than bamba imo

better mover, better shooter, more smarts/instincts, way higher general skill level and feel for the game. bamba seems like a smart guy and potentially hard worker, but he reeks of really bad bball aptitude to be as uninstinctual as he is. i sense disturbing thabeet vibes emanating from his direction

jjj>bagley? idk - i don't like bagley's megastar credentials as a dude worth taking over the top tier of guys (doncic/ayton/trae basically, maybe mjp), but he's got a lot of outs to be a useful player, and some star equity. seems like a tough choice, as good as jjj is, he's not without warts. i am inclined to like him more than bagley because his mould seems more useful, but bagley's upside should be carefully studied

as a hawks fan i am still 100% doncic but trae is making me sweat for the potential buyers remorse. i think trae will struggle his first year or two but could end up doing curry things.

to me i think bagley is gonna end up being the most polarizing pick.

i know they have different games, but tatum has made me rethink duke players. here is a guy that looked like the next rudy gay-esque inefficient chucker and brad stevens turns him into a savage. should have seen that coming. bagley on a "smart" team could be a monster. bagley on a dumb team could be awful.

i really have no idea how that plays out. ultimately i am bearish the guy cuz his 3 pt shot and his free throws aren't great, but give this guy to a good coach and maybe he becomes an absolute monster.

that's the new finicky way i have to find myself looking at things, because nothing in terms of development is static. you can have a great idea how a certain player is going to look in the NBA, but then a good coach can turn them into something a little different and make them way better than you thought they were gonna be.

... sorta tangent, that's my big thing on Ayton right now. i don't see this guy as being transcendant just cuz that's not how modern NBA is (I am more bullish JJJ). but what if a really smart team was able to unleash something not even we saw coming with Ayton and turn him into a mega-unicorn? who knows.

Bagley is not a great shooter yet and never will be a defensive anchor. Isn't the 1990's NBA afaik.

Throw Bamba/Bagley on the Hawks and Kings. Can rise up and become the Bucks, Pelicans, or 76ers maybe.

Will take my chances with Doncic, Trae Young, any of the wings that are pure from deep and have some other fun tools.

Hard to divorce Tatum’s surprising success from Brad.

Ayton is already a unicorn, he’s being held back by a terrible coach that won’t let him play like the Biid he is.

only players id take over Porter are Ayton & Luka

What's surprising about Tatum's success? He was clearly the best Duke prospect since Kyrie and arguably even a safer prospect that Kyrie.

Sure the 76ers are surprised.

No one expected him to
(1) Shoot so well
(2) Defend so well

I’m giving more credit to Brad than Danny.

Doncic could become the GOAT meanwhile Trae could be the best player ITL

[spoiler]At the same time![/spoiler]

I just love how Bagley plays, dude goes hard. As ive said here before pretty rare for a dude to be that good of athlete and have a once in a decade motor. I get it though hes got a weird skillset for todays nba. I think he'd be a nice fit on the grizzlies if they keep Gasol. He needs to go somewhere where another big can step out on the 3pt line on offense and rim protect.

Hes currently shooting 34% from 3(only 36shots) hes a 61% free throw shooter. Hes one of the younger prospects in the draft so not like hes drawing dead to be a good shooter. Remember he reclassified to this years class he was going to be in next years draft.

Young just keeps impressing with his play. Look at him in the big game vs Kansas. He really step his game up for that scoring 26 on only 9 shots. Seems like his stock is going to keep rising. Going to be interesting with Young because alot of teams at the top of the draft have pgs already. He does seem like the type of guy the kings owner would fall in love with, he loves the awesome ncaa guys. Him going to the magic makes alot of sense.

Can't be GOAT without elite level defense, both Trae & Doncic have huge upside, potential future allstar level talent but goat? neither of them possess that due to lack of defensive upside.

Curry and his doppelganger both being in NorCal a few hours apart would be kinda cool.

Agree, the reason Doncic is such a good prospect has more to do with his floor than his ceiling

Just for comparisons sake, Jaren Jackson has as good of a motor, has a 7'4 wingspan, and is shooting 45% from 3 and over 80% from the free throw line while blocking 8 shots per 100 compared to Bagleys 1.8.

Every mock I can find had Bagley no worse than 4th and JJJ in the 7th-10 range. I dont understand how Bagley is still universally regarded as a better prospect than JJJ.

I guess people expect Bagleys ability to crash the offensive boards and get easy buckets to translate to the league.

Why is Trevon Duval still projected in the lottery?

I don't see how he translates to the NBA unless he learns to shoot. Sure, he can get to the rim and finish reasonably well, but that's still going to be harder in the NBA. He is a PG who cannot shoot at all. He's a Rondo-like shooting talent except more willing which is a problem when you're that bad.

Bagleys the better athlete thats why. Not saying Jacksons not a good athlete as well but Bagley is the best athlete in the draft this year. Still alot of time left in the season not like the draft is set in stone. Seems like this year esp were going to have some big time tourney runs going from these guys to really see them vs big time competition on a big stage.

Sucks we cant look at the draftexpress mock without having espn premium. That was my favorite and they updated it often.

What’s Bagley’s PPP in the post and in isolation? What’s his team PPP when the offense originates out of a post or iso Bagley possession?

Duke’s ORTG last year was 115. They lost two NBA draft picks who both were very good offensively and could create offense (Tatum and Kennard). This year their ORTG is 124, they’ve added Duval (who is not very good offensively), Gary Trent (who is very good), and Carter (who is very good offensively but is not a creator).

Then there’s Bagley. I think it stands to reason that given his high volume and significant role in the Duke offense, that his affect on it beyond just his numbers warrants additional consideration in light of the always highly talented team’s massive improvement year over year.

Major issues w/JJJ are
1. Low volume
2. Can he create his own shot. Although I do grant him positive offensive effects given his ability to stretch the floor.

http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/stor...-brooklyn-pick


1 Doncic
2 Ayton
3 Bamba
4 Bagkey
5 JJJ

In the updated DX mock

wtf at bagley being the best athlete in the draft

Who do u think is a better athlete? Being a 6'10 sick AF athlete is what has had him as a top recruit since he was in high school. Dudes fast and jumps. Trying to look over the top picks and see who would even be considered a better athlete, maybe Sexton or some non lotto player but as far as top picks hes the guy.