Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2022 7:19:55 GMT -8
The 2051 draft just concluded hours ago, so what better time to take a look at the lottery selections and share some reflections and grades. Trade?
1. Boston Celtics - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 22 7'2'' 225 A- C C B A- A
Kareem was the obvious prize of the draft class as he looks to be an instant impact player and likely future multi-year all-NBA player. There was no other choice to be made here. The Celtics gutted their roster without receiving a lot of assets in return however it was all worth it in the end due to ending up with Karrem.
Grade: A
2. Memphis Grizzlies - Pete Maravich SG 22 6'5'' 197 B- B+ B+ C C A
I was slightly shocked skillz made this selection here. One of Pistol's greatest strengths is passing, and he doesn't look like a positive stockboy or a boardman, so it sort of seemed out of character. Skillz likely picked the player that he thought had the highest market value league wide for a potential trade which is exactly what occurred moments later. Memphis shipped Pistol to the Rocky Mountains for 2 later lotto selections, a future first round pick, and scoring afficionado Gus Johnson. I love this trade for the Grizzlies and understand it for Denver although this basically means they traded Bill+Gus for Maravich. I think Pete will be a very good offensive shooting guard but not sure there will be much that will separate him from a myriad of other great offensive weapons in the league.
Grade for pick: B-
Memphis Grade for Trade: A-
Denver Grade for Trade: C-
3. Dallas Mavericks - Bingo Smith SF 23 6'5'' 195 B C+ C B C+ A
The goat in a forgotten version of BBS made his entrance into the 2020 rendition of the league with much fanfare. Bingo looks to have a solid base and the only thing that gives me pause is that Smith apparently has very poor 3PT shooting. I'm not sure what his ceiling is but I would rather someone not take 3s at all than hoist them and shoot 25%. I think Bingo can be a better Donnie Freeman who I adore and that should make him a very good player. Players 3-5 were all similar in stature to me so I'm a fan of this selection
Grade: B+
4. Los Angeles Clippers - Gar Heard PF 21 6'6'' 220 B- C- C- B B- A
Meh. I had a KAJ sized hole in my frontcourt, so it was disappointing to end up selecting fourth. I like Gar as he has several categories that fell in the "good" rating in notes/Qs and he has poor jumping so assume under the hood most of those good ratings are truly close to 70 or higher. I don't think he has the upside to be a franchise player which is a disappointing realization after tanking, but I do feel he can be a very solid defensive big. I possibly should have just gone with BPA instead in Dandridge but I have to start getting bigs at some point.
Grade: C+
1. Boston Celtics - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 22 7'2'' 225 A- C C B A- A
Kareem was the obvious prize of the draft class as he looks to be an instant impact player and likely future multi-year all-NBA player. There was no other choice to be made here. The Celtics gutted their roster without receiving a lot of assets in return however it was all worth it in the end due to ending up with Karrem.
Grade: A
2. Memphis Grizzlies - Pete Maravich SG 22 6'5'' 197 B- B+ B+ C C A
I was slightly shocked skillz made this selection here. One of Pistol's greatest strengths is passing, and he doesn't look like a positive stockboy or a boardman, so it sort of seemed out of character. Skillz likely picked the player that he thought had the highest market value league wide for a potential trade which is exactly what occurred moments later. Memphis shipped Pistol to the Rocky Mountains for 2 later lotto selections, a future first round pick, and scoring afficionado Gus Johnson. I love this trade for the Grizzlies and understand it for Denver although this basically means they traded Bill+Gus for Maravich. I think Pete will be a very good offensive shooting guard but not sure there will be much that will separate him from a myriad of other great offensive weapons in the league.
Grade for pick: B-
Memphis Grade for Trade: A-
Denver Grade for Trade: C-
3. Dallas Mavericks - Bingo Smith SF 23 6'5'' 195 B C+ C B C+ A
The goat in a forgotten version of BBS made his entrance into the 2020 rendition of the league with much fanfare. Bingo looks to have a solid base and the only thing that gives me pause is that Smith apparently has very poor 3PT shooting. I'm not sure what his ceiling is but I would rather someone not take 3s at all than hoist them and shoot 25%. I think Bingo can be a better Donnie Freeman who I adore and that should make him a very good player. Players 3-5 were all similar in stature to me so I'm a fan of this selection
Grade: B+
4. Los Angeles Clippers - Gar Heard PF 21 6'6'' 220 B- C- C- B B- A
Meh. I had a KAJ sized hole in my frontcourt, so it was disappointing to end up selecting fourth. I like Gar as he has several categories that fell in the "good" rating in notes/Qs and he has poor jumping so assume under the hood most of those good ratings are truly close to 70 or higher. I don't think he has the upside to be a franchise player which is a disappointing realization after tanking, but I do feel he can be a very solid defensive big. I possibly should have just gone with BPA instead in Dandridge but I have to start getting bigs at some point.
Grade: C+
5. New Jersey Nets - Bob Dandridge SF 22 6'6'' 195 B B- C B C+ A
Dandridge looks great. Good on offense, defense and a solid rebounder. If I had any big I believed in I would have drafted Bob at 4. He looks like a future all-star and a cornerstone player. The Nets traded up with the Magic for the selection. I hated this trade for the Magic as Dandridge was the last top-end prospect available and I'm not a fan of the return they got (#8+Stew).
Grade for pick: A
Orlando Grade for Trade: D
New Jersey Grade for Trade: A
6. Houston Rockets - Jo Jo White PG 23 6'3'' 190 C+ B- C+ B C A
I'm not sure how excited Broph was to end up selecting a PG but I think this wasn't a hard selection as White looks like the best prospect available at this slot. I'm not sure how far up the point guard ladder he may climb but he should be a solid starting PG in the worst-case scenario and if training camp treats him right he could end up as a top 5-8 point man. This was a safe selection that has some upside.
Grade: B+
7. New Orleans Hornets - Neal Walk C 21 6'10'' 220 B- C- C- B- C+ A
Everything for Walk looked acceptable except for mediocre handles and boards. He will get some blocks and isn't anemic in the post but a big that may struggle with turnovers is a scary proposition. Also being a mediocre rebounder is tough for a top 7 selection when there are other deficiencies that may need to be addressed through camps. I'm not sold on Walk being a viable option as a starter long-term.
Grade: D+
8. Orlando Magic - Wil Jones PF 22 6'8'' 205 B C C B C+ B
I already discussed the trade so will try to focus solely on the selection here at #8. Wil Jones shares one of the same weaknesses as Walk in that they were both listed as mediocre rebounders. Jones does have better handling and will likely be a better stockboy as he's solid at getting both steals and blocks. I'm not sure of his upside but if he can develop his rebounding, he should be a solid starter. This seems like a safe pick but not sure of his longevity as a starter in BBS.
Grade: C+
9. Milwaukee Bucks - Steve Mix PF 22 6'7'' 215 B C C- B C+ A
The run on bigs that look almost identical rating-wise continues. I feel like Mix should have gone before both Jones and Walk. Elite inside scoring and good jumpshot and handles. He won't be a stockboy but will probably end up with positive stock to TO ratio with good handles. If things don't work out in the post, he may have a second chance as a small forward or a super-sub SG-PF. Either way I like his upside as a contributor more-so than the last few selections.
Grade: A-
10. Los Angeles Clippers - George Johnson C 21 6'11'' 205 B- C- C- B+ C+ B
Wildcard! George intriguingly didn't have notes for him even though he had B scouted potential and Spencer usually always lists notes for every A/B scouted player. I think he may have gone in and added him after the file was initially uploaded so it may not have been intently done. With that said George is a player who won a title with the Warriors and led the league 3X in blocks per game. I may have gambled and hoped he would be there at 21 but after getting burned waiting on a guy to slide last year by skillz I wasn't going to take the chance this year. I'm curious if Johnson was on his radar with his 2 other lotto selections.
Grade: TBD by Pre stats
11. Memphis Grizzlies - Lucius Allen PG 22 6'2'' 175 B- C+ B- C+ C A
Good inside scoring, jumpshot, and steals seems like a solid base. The drawback of course was the mediocre handling as a point guard. If his rebounding doesn't take a dip through training camps I think he will be a fine SSG or 6th man type. Low-risk selection here and I don't mind it on the backend of the lottery.
Grade: B
12. Toronto Raptors - Butch Beard PG 22 6'3'' 185 B C B+ B C B
I know some people voiced being lukewarm about Butch but I like him. He's good in a lot of categories and he just needs one of those +2/3 outside scoring TC FBB loves to give point guards to look like a really solid starting option. This is about where he should have gone, and the Raptors avoided having to trade up in order to reach for a PG. I'm not sure if braz will be forced to start Butch early in his career but I feel like he's someone you can win games with early with the right group of players.
Grade: B+
13. Memphis Grizzlies - Willie Wise SF 22 6'5'' 210 B- C+ C B- C+ A
The Willie that is Wise concludes the lottery selections. I feel like wise should have gone before Walk as they are fairly similar. Wise has the advantage of being solid in both stock categories and a better jumpshot. I think Willie could play in the post if his handling is too much of an issue or if it develops can be a solid option at SG or SF. I liked a few players better than Wise here but with A scouted potential and a few good categories it isn't a bad selection.
Grade: B-
