Don't drop that THON THA THON - JWoo's 2016 Mock Draft
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Don't drop that THON THA THON - JWoo's 2016 Mock Draft
I'm on vacation but a certain person who I talk to every day nagged me to post a mock draft. Here it is.
This is a fun draft and pretty open for interpretation in terms of what to prioritize. Excited to see how this goes. Hope we can start it Friday! Still the lotto and some tiebreakers to run but whatever, this is more for fun.
***
1. Golden State Warriors: Jaylen Brown
This is a very eye of the beholder draft, there are a handful of good options at the top, and not a lot separating most of these guys. Clint needs someone to play defense, and while I was tempted to give him Ben Simmons to address his point guard situation (would be a fun experiment) I went with Brown, who's a bit safer and gives him the type of wing defender he currently lacks.
2. Vancouver Grizzlies: Brandon Ingram
The Grizz are in kind of a fun spot with lots of prospects on board. They're going to need a wing scorer, and Ingram has a really great starting point to become a top option-caliber player. Terry Rozier needs some help! Get BI on that Giannis strength diet and he'll be rock solid in time.
3. Orlando Magic: Jamal Murray
The Magic are loaded with young guys and don't have a ton of pronounced needs, but Murray's positional versatility and shooting makes him a good fit here. He's 19 and has a lot of potential. He's going to score a lot. Not sure what Merv would do with all the guards, but would be a good problem to have.
4. Seattle Sonics: Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis has a legit case at No. 1, falling somewhere on the Shittier Jokic/Whiter Chris Webber SLN spectrum. Vancouver and Orlando both have power forwards already on board, so he falls here to Seattle, where they love European big men. Feels like a BPA type of deal if you are bold enough to try and develop an offensive-oriented big (a task that's been proven to have high variance).
5. Charlotte Hornets: Ben Simmons
Not sure exactly where it becomes the right time in the draft to gamble on Mr. Simmons, but I have banished him to Charlotte. Jack please log on! This will be one of the more interesting experiments we've seen, considering Simmons just can't shoot at all and will have to get SF TCs. If you think about this through the lens of Russell Westbrook's slow (but eventually good) SLN development, well, maybe you shouldn't actually take him this high. Idk.
6. Los Angeles Lakers: Jakob Poeltl
Lakers need a reliable sturdy big fella, Poeltl seems solid, maybe not exciting but this feels like a fit. Probably not a franchise player but I can see him being very Gortat-esque. MOVE OVER SIM BHULLAR THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN.
7. Orlando Magic (via LAC): Henry Ellenson
He's big, he's pasty and he has the highest scouted potential in the file. Who will take a swing on Wisconsin Kevin Love??? Probably Chad. Move over Julius! I'm usually anti moving bigs to the perimeter because they'll just abjectly suck at defense, but Ellenson will probably suck at defense anyway. So might be a situation where the GM can lean into the shooting. Not sure.
8. Cleveland Cavs: Pascal Siakam
Mantypas is probably in the market for a four now that he's kinda loaded up on the perimeter. Siakam seems pretty solid and has a BPA case here even with B potential. Seems like he has a good base in a lot of areas and it'll be a TC-dependent case as to how you want to camp him. Feels kind of Aaron Gordon-y to me (the guy who has Aaron Gordon).
9. Washington Wizards: Marquese Chriss
Chriss has the type of upside as a teenager with interesting ratings that might warrant him going a lot higher than this, but I kinda forgot about him so I stuck him down here. Could probably argue him like 5-8 range if you wanted to. I think it kinda depends on who you are, but Weston is stripping this thing down and can kinda take whoever.
10. New York Knicks: Buddy Hield
Nav loves bucket getters and Buddy Hield is nothing if not that. Does this duplicate Normal Powell, maybe. But the Knicks seem ready to take a big jump next season into playoff mode and Buddy can slide into some rotation minutes. He's basically Tim Hardaway Jr., which is either good or bad.
11. Indiana Pacers (via PHX): Fred Van Vleet
FVV is kinda like Dunn but with more shooting and less volume. He feels Jason Hart-y in a good way. Great starting ratings and one of the safer guys in the draft Can see him being a nice long-term addition for the Pacers, who just put Deron Williams on a large contract and might want to develop his replacement.
12. Seattle Sonics (via PHI): Dejounte Murray
I'm not sure if Murray is more interesting or less interesting as a guy who will get SG TCs but play PG, but he's definitely some degree of interesting. That rebounding is kinda sexy and he shoots it OK to start. Sonics could use a long term PG and this seems like a pretty interesting pick that fits the roster.
13. LA Lakers (via MIA): Dragan Bender
Bender is one of the biggest mystery boxes in the draft, kinda like he was IRL. Has a good scoring base. Bad at defense. Might be a small forward in the long run. Could go way higher than this thanks to his A potential but the lack of name value might hurt him. The Lakers are the right type of team to just take a swing.
14. Vancouver Grizzlies (via MIL): Thon Maker
Grizzlies have prospects at every position so I just kinda gave him an interesting guy. Is he interesting? Not sure but his notes aren't bad and he has some upside and can be stashed, so this range makes sense if you need a big in the NDL. Thon actually has pretty well-balanced notes.
15. New Jersey Nets (via SAS): Kris Dunn
Ashes built Fake Dunn like real life Kris Dunn - stud defender with good tools who will need shooting camps and might wind up ideal for a balanced offense. Not a need pick for the Nets but provides some depth and flexibility behind Kemba and at least has a very easy profile to camp and PG TCs. His shitty shooting makes him a little more gamble-y but you can certainly argue for that B- starting PG inside.
16. Dallas Mavericks: Ivica Zubac
A wild Zubac appeared. This guy is kinda awesome IRL and looks like he has a chance to be a pretty good SLN role player/fifth starter. The Mavs could use some big man depth and this guy probably shouldn't be 10 picks behind Jakey Poots but who knows. The fact he's a teenager could lead to him going in the lotto, feasibly. Best rebounder in the file.
17. Golden State Warriors (via HOU): Alex Caruso
Another cool option in an interesting PG class, Caruso looks kind of like white Marcus Smart. Volume and efficiency will have to be developed but he might be a great backup 1-2 combo with those ratings and awesome starting defense. An argument can be made for him ahead of guys like Dunn, Murray and Van Vleet if you really feel like it. He can't go to the NDL with those nice ratings.
18. LA Lakers (via POR): Timothe Luwawu Cabarrot
This guy is a bad shooter but otherwise seems well-built. Another guy that can go higher than this if you really want a wing (and the league is a little light on stud wings right now!) Maybe a good candidate to play the two and get shooting-oriented development, or someone who could get stocky if left at SF. He can't go to the NDL, so if he doesn't go in the late lotto could he fall a bit?
19. Phoenix Suns (via DET): Malcolm Brogdon
Not to be forgotten in a solid PG class, Brogdon looks like a plug and play guy after winning Rookie of the Year IRL. Curious if he gets prioritized in the draft by teams who are currently competing. Would be a nice fit for the Suns, who are trying to make the playoffs next season, if he falls. The C potential will turn some people off, but that could also be what turns him into a nice value pick.
20. Seattle Sonics (via ATL): Caris LeVert
For some reason I always pronounce this guy's name like he's French. He had no knees IRL but he does here. Wouldn't shock me if he goes higher - if you need a wing scorer he has a good profile, and he also looks like the type of guy who might go off in the NDL for a year or two. That stash appeal could move him up the board and make him a great fit for a tanker.
21. Chicago Bulls: Taurean Prince
I could never decide if Taurean Prince was overrated or underrated but he has turned out to be a perfectly average NBA player. Seems like he should be moved to SF. Nice depth addition for a playoff team with good offensive ratings on the wing.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves: Dorian Finney Smith
Heard the Orlando Magic sent a contingent of scouts to the University of Florida campus this week to learn more about this guy. [REDACTED].
23. Golden State Warriors (via BOS): Bryn Forbes
Forbes is an excellent shooter who will probably kill the NDL - has Clint written all over him.
24. Toronto Raptors (via SAC): Georgios Papagiannis
A teenager who is a wide load and got overdrafted by the Kings IRL — gonna guess Jesse Divac finds a way to get him, but if not, maybe a valid guess for someone in the 20s. Did I just give him to myself as a distraction from who I really want? No, because Matt will pick him at 21.
25. Orlando Magic (via IND): Denzel Valentine
Valentine has a good profile but probably isn't that athletic and probably has passing, so I could see him being a little turnover-y for a guy who isn't an elite shooter. His rebounding is high level for a two-guard though and he figures to go in the first round somewhere.
26. Vancouver Grizzlies (via UTA): Skal Labissiere
IRL everyone always kinda knew Skal was going to be a bust. He was! But he does have a decent overall base for an NDL big and might not be totally ass, idk. His notes are fine, he should probably get drafted 20-35.
27. Toronto Raptors: Malik Beasley
Not a good defender but will shoot it. Probably a decent NDL guy with some specialist upside if you need a guy in this mold. Bad rebounder on top of the bad defense, so you have to live with that.
28. Chicago Bulls (via NJ): Damian Jones
Boring as hell but has good notes and can see him being a serviceable backup big. C starting potential is less than ideal. He's a very nice guy IRL.
29. Denver Nuggets: Juancho Hernangomez
I really wanted Ashes to give this guy an Adam Sandler related stip. Alas.
This is a fun draft and pretty open for interpretation in terms of what to prioritize. Excited to see how this goes. Hope we can start it Friday! Still the lotto and some tiebreakers to run but whatever, this is more for fun.
***
1. Golden State Warriors: Jaylen Brown
This is a very eye of the beholder draft, there are a handful of good options at the top, and not a lot separating most of these guys. Clint needs someone to play defense, and while I was tempted to give him Ben Simmons to address his point guard situation (would be a fun experiment) I went with Brown, who's a bit safer and gives him the type of wing defender he currently lacks.
2. Vancouver Grizzlies: Brandon Ingram
The Grizz are in kind of a fun spot with lots of prospects on board. They're going to need a wing scorer, and Ingram has a really great starting point to become a top option-caliber player. Terry Rozier needs some help! Get BI on that Giannis strength diet and he'll be rock solid in time.
3. Orlando Magic: Jamal Murray
The Magic are loaded with young guys and don't have a ton of pronounced needs, but Murray's positional versatility and shooting makes him a good fit here. He's 19 and has a lot of potential. He's going to score a lot. Not sure what Merv would do with all the guards, but would be a good problem to have.
4. Seattle Sonics: Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis has a legit case at No. 1, falling somewhere on the Shittier Jokic/Whiter Chris Webber SLN spectrum. Vancouver and Orlando both have power forwards already on board, so he falls here to Seattle, where they love European big men. Feels like a BPA type of deal if you are bold enough to try and develop an offensive-oriented big (a task that's been proven to have high variance).
5. Charlotte Hornets: Ben Simmons
Not sure exactly where it becomes the right time in the draft to gamble on Mr. Simmons, but I have banished him to Charlotte. Jack please log on! This will be one of the more interesting experiments we've seen, considering Simmons just can't shoot at all and will have to get SF TCs. If you think about this through the lens of Russell Westbrook's slow (but eventually good) SLN development, well, maybe you shouldn't actually take him this high. Idk.
6. Los Angeles Lakers: Jakob Poeltl
Lakers need a reliable sturdy big fella, Poeltl seems solid, maybe not exciting but this feels like a fit. Probably not a franchise player but I can see him being very Gortat-esque. MOVE OVER SIM BHULLAR THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN.
7. Orlando Magic (via LAC): Henry Ellenson
He's big, he's pasty and he has the highest scouted potential in the file. Who will take a swing on Wisconsin Kevin Love??? Probably Chad. Move over Julius! I'm usually anti moving bigs to the perimeter because they'll just abjectly suck at defense, but Ellenson will probably suck at defense anyway. So might be a situation where the GM can lean into the shooting. Not sure.
8. Cleveland Cavs: Pascal Siakam
Mantypas is probably in the market for a four now that he's kinda loaded up on the perimeter. Siakam seems pretty solid and has a BPA case here even with B potential. Seems like he has a good base in a lot of areas and it'll be a TC-dependent case as to how you want to camp him. Feels kind of Aaron Gordon-y to me (the guy who has Aaron Gordon).
9. Washington Wizards: Marquese Chriss
Chriss has the type of upside as a teenager with interesting ratings that might warrant him going a lot higher than this, but I kinda forgot about him so I stuck him down here. Could probably argue him like 5-8 range if you wanted to. I think it kinda depends on who you are, but Weston is stripping this thing down and can kinda take whoever.
10. New York Knicks: Buddy Hield
Nav loves bucket getters and Buddy Hield is nothing if not that. Does this duplicate Normal Powell, maybe. But the Knicks seem ready to take a big jump next season into playoff mode and Buddy can slide into some rotation minutes. He's basically Tim Hardaway Jr., which is either good or bad.
11. Indiana Pacers (via PHX): Fred Van Vleet
FVV is kinda like Dunn but with more shooting and less volume. He feels Jason Hart-y in a good way. Great starting ratings and one of the safer guys in the draft Can see him being a nice long-term addition for the Pacers, who just put Deron Williams on a large contract and might want to develop his replacement.
12. Seattle Sonics (via PHI): Dejounte Murray
I'm not sure if Murray is more interesting or less interesting as a guy who will get SG TCs but play PG, but he's definitely some degree of interesting. That rebounding is kinda sexy and he shoots it OK to start. Sonics could use a long term PG and this seems like a pretty interesting pick that fits the roster.
13. LA Lakers (via MIA): Dragan Bender
Bender is one of the biggest mystery boxes in the draft, kinda like he was IRL. Has a good scoring base. Bad at defense. Might be a small forward in the long run. Could go way higher than this thanks to his A potential but the lack of name value might hurt him. The Lakers are the right type of team to just take a swing.
14. Vancouver Grizzlies (via MIL): Thon Maker
Grizzlies have prospects at every position so I just kinda gave him an interesting guy. Is he interesting? Not sure but his notes aren't bad and he has some upside and can be stashed, so this range makes sense if you need a big in the NDL. Thon actually has pretty well-balanced notes.
15. New Jersey Nets (via SAS): Kris Dunn
Ashes built Fake Dunn like real life Kris Dunn - stud defender with good tools who will need shooting camps and might wind up ideal for a balanced offense. Not a need pick for the Nets but provides some depth and flexibility behind Kemba and at least has a very easy profile to camp and PG TCs. His shitty shooting makes him a little more gamble-y but you can certainly argue for that B- starting PG inside.
16. Dallas Mavericks: Ivica Zubac
A wild Zubac appeared. This guy is kinda awesome IRL and looks like he has a chance to be a pretty good SLN role player/fifth starter. The Mavs could use some big man depth and this guy probably shouldn't be 10 picks behind Jakey Poots but who knows. The fact he's a teenager could lead to him going in the lotto, feasibly. Best rebounder in the file.
17. Golden State Warriors (via HOU): Alex Caruso
Another cool option in an interesting PG class, Caruso looks kind of like white Marcus Smart. Volume and efficiency will have to be developed but he might be a great backup 1-2 combo with those ratings and awesome starting defense. An argument can be made for him ahead of guys like Dunn, Murray and Van Vleet if you really feel like it. He can't go to the NDL with those nice ratings.
18. LA Lakers (via POR): Timothe Luwawu Cabarrot
This guy is a bad shooter but otherwise seems well-built. Another guy that can go higher than this if you really want a wing (and the league is a little light on stud wings right now!) Maybe a good candidate to play the two and get shooting-oriented development, or someone who could get stocky if left at SF. He can't go to the NDL, so if he doesn't go in the late lotto could he fall a bit?
19. Phoenix Suns (via DET): Malcolm Brogdon
Not to be forgotten in a solid PG class, Brogdon looks like a plug and play guy after winning Rookie of the Year IRL. Curious if he gets prioritized in the draft by teams who are currently competing. Would be a nice fit for the Suns, who are trying to make the playoffs next season, if he falls. The C potential will turn some people off, but that could also be what turns him into a nice value pick.
20. Seattle Sonics (via ATL): Caris LeVert
For some reason I always pronounce this guy's name like he's French. He had no knees IRL but he does here. Wouldn't shock me if he goes higher - if you need a wing scorer he has a good profile, and he also looks like the type of guy who might go off in the NDL for a year or two. That stash appeal could move him up the board and make him a great fit for a tanker.
21. Chicago Bulls: Taurean Prince
I could never decide if Taurean Prince was overrated or underrated but he has turned out to be a perfectly average NBA player. Seems like he should be moved to SF. Nice depth addition for a playoff team with good offensive ratings on the wing.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves: Dorian Finney Smith
Heard the Orlando Magic sent a contingent of scouts to the University of Florida campus this week to learn more about this guy. [REDACTED].
23. Golden State Warriors (via BOS): Bryn Forbes
Forbes is an excellent shooter who will probably kill the NDL - has Clint written all over him.
24. Toronto Raptors (via SAC): Georgios Papagiannis
A teenager who is a wide load and got overdrafted by the Kings IRL — gonna guess Jesse Divac finds a way to get him, but if not, maybe a valid guess for someone in the 20s. Did I just give him to myself as a distraction from who I really want? No, because Matt will pick him at 21.
25. Orlando Magic (via IND): Denzel Valentine
Valentine has a good profile but probably isn't that athletic and probably has passing, so I could see him being a little turnover-y for a guy who isn't an elite shooter. His rebounding is high level for a two-guard though and he figures to go in the first round somewhere.
26. Vancouver Grizzlies (via UTA): Skal Labissiere
IRL everyone always kinda knew Skal was going to be a bust. He was! But he does have a decent overall base for an NDL big and might not be totally ass, idk. His notes are fine, he should probably get drafted 20-35.
27. Toronto Raptors: Malik Beasley
Not a good defender but will shoot it. Probably a decent NDL guy with some specialist upside if you need a guy in this mold. Bad rebounder on top of the bad defense, so you have to live with that.
28. Chicago Bulls (via NJ): Damian Jones
Boring as hell but has good notes and can see him being a serviceable backup big. C starting potential is less than ideal. He's a very nice guy IRL.
29. Denver Nuggets: Juancho Hernangomez
I really wanted Ashes to give this guy an Adam Sandler related stip. Alas.
free healthcare has never been more important
Don't drop that THON THA THON - JWoo's 2016 Mock Draft
Alex Len, Henry Ellenson, Julius Randle sounds like the best front line ever
Don't drop that THON THA THON - JWoo's 2016 Mock Draft
Merv wrote: July 3rd, 2024, 5:28 pm Alex Len, Henry Ellenson, Julius Randle sounds like the best front line ever
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