The Official 2018 NBA Draft Talk Thread 6/21

[42 Monks]

You right about that in a way. If they were more athletic they would play a little bit more high pace. But both played below the rim because they didn’t need to. They had exceptional skill. Joe Johnson on the Hawks wasn’t nearly as athletic as him on the Suns though.

pace got nothing to do with it

being a high activity player has no correlation to athleticism

 

[Bigblackted4]

pace got nothing to do with it

being a high activity player has no correlation to athleticism

To a degree

 

[Tate]

Harden the most underrated athlete in the league. Guess all the Russ comparisons make him look average but he’s far from unathletic.

He’s not laterally quick but he’s got well above average burst and explosiveness.

 

[threattonature]

Switching on to smaller or slower players and elite shooting will create the same dynamic...

Yall make this way too hard.

Harden has a good handle but its his shooting, bull strength, and body control that make him really special for not having tons of burst.

How many slow players are actually in the league though? Most slower players are getting played out of the league already. In all the highlight videos it was rare to see Doncic blowing by anybdoy in even the Euro leagues. And if a smaller player gets switched on them what's to keep them from crowding his dribble. Majority of drives I've seen from him have been on taking advantage of bad pick and roll defense.

Those Harden traits are what he uses to finish off the drives but it's his handle and quickness that gives him the opening to take the ball to the hole in the first place. And again I think dude will definitely be a solid player, I'm just speaking on terms of him being a ready made NBA star or the notion that these teams will be idiots for drafting anybody over him. And he was shooting low 30s from three in Euroleague so I would say he's far from elite shooting.

Dude has a crazy skillset but it's never a given how someone will react to the crazy athleticism in the NBA.

 

[threattonature]

Harden the most underrated athlete in the league. Guess all the Russ comparisons make him look average but he’s far from unathletic.

He’s not laterally quick but he’s got well above average burst and explosiveness.

Agreed. He's far from being some unathletic player that gets by on craftiness. Dude is a legit athlete. Not top tier in the league at all but he's quick as hell and has a great burst once he gets a step. Add that in with his strength, body control, and hops and it's crazy to paint him as being unathletic.

 

[42 Monks]

To a degree

naw not even close lol. more than anything its wildly inefficient for the peak athletes in any sport

on top of that, pace in basketball is dependent on the team, coach, playstyle, etc

How many slow players are actually in the league though? Most slower players are getting played out of the league already. In all the highlight videos it was rare to see Doncic blowing by anybdoy in even the Euro leagues. And if a smaller player gets switched on them what's to keep them from crowding his dribble. Majority of drives I've seen from him have been on taking advantage of bad pick and roll defense.

Those Harden traits are what he uses to finish off the drives but it's his handle and quickness that gives him the opening to take the ball to the hole in the first place. And again I think dude will definitely be a solid player, I'm just speaking on terms of him being a ready made NBA star or the notion that these teams will be idiots for drafting anybody over him. And he was shooting low 30s from three in Euroleague so I would say he's far from elite shooting.

Dude has a crazy skillset but it's never a given how someone will react to the crazy athleticism in the NBA.

if shaun livingston can get by with his knees imploded and andre miller can have a decades long career, then its more than possible doncic to thrive lol

 

[Poitier]

How many slow players are actually in the league though?

Doncic isn't slow, he just isn't a speedster. Greivis Vasquez was slow lol.

Yall are so focused on quick twitch but the kid is abnormally tall for his position, abnormally strong for a teen, and has great hand eye/spatial awareness.

And if a smaller player gets switched on them what's to keep them from crowding his dribble.

Doncic isn't a very creative ball handler but he has excellent command of the ball. He also has a budding post game @ 6'8 to take said smaller players on the block.

Those Harden traits are what he uses to finish off the drives but it's his handle and quickness that gives him the opening to take the ball to the hole in the first place.

His shooting is the primary reason but a lot of the time Harden doesn't even create separation...he just uses his strength to carry his defender to the rim and finish through contact.

\'m just speaking on terms of him being a ready made NBA star or the notion that these teams will be idiots for drafting anybody over him. And he was shooting low 30s from three in Euroleague so I would say he's far from elite shooting.

I agree

He will have to improve in a few areas

Its true for every prospect thats ever been drafted that they will have to improve in key areas to make good on their ceilings

I don't see a superstar because of the lack of quick twitch but I don't see "role player" as his ceiling.....something like Manu as a ceiling - DLo as a middle outcome - and maybe a Joe Ingles or Marco Jaric floor is fair.

 

[Professor K.]

if a career backup can get by with his knees imploded and a solid but never star PG can have a decades long career, then its more than possible doncic to thrive lol

Thats what you want in the top 3 breh?

 

[42 Monks]

Thats what you want in the top 3 breh?

now you're changing the argument the question was if slow guards can exist in this league and they always have. in a league where the court is more spaced than ever, its only more favorable to a guy with doncic's skillset. if you really want to front, livingston could easily be a starter on a team other than the warriors and andre miller is one of the best point guards to never make an all-star team dude led the league in assists in 2002

 

[Ashyneezz]

he's got that, his first step and footspeed in general are trash and in the nba he's not gonna be creating out of nothing - he'll need a real organized team to get the most out of his toolkit for the first year or so.

once nba defenders smell blood and start blitzing you as a ballhandler your season is gonna be in the gutter for months. it'd be nice to see him in dallas or something, but atlanta, sac, and memphis are gonna be an uphill climb for him and maybe even stunt his growth

He can go be a solid starter somewhere else. We need an elite player to pair with Dsj

 

[Poitier]

We need an elite player to pair with Dsj

Yall keep saying this when it comes to Doncic and only Doncic but who is "elite" in this draft?

 

[Flight]

Yall keep saying this when it comes to Doncic and only Doncic but who is "elite" in this draft?

Elite player or a player that has elite traits?

 

[Poitier]

Elite player or a player that has elite traits?

People keep mentioning Harden, Curry, etc so I take it to mean top 10 player in the league at some point.

 

[Professor K.]

now you're changing the argument the question was if slow guards can exist in this league and they always have. in a league where the court is more spaced than ever, its only more favorable to a guy with doncic's skillset. if you really want to front, livingston could easily be a starter on a team other than the warriors and andre miller is one of the best point guards to never make an all-star team dude led the league in assists in 2002

I’m not changing shyt

Yes, slow guards exist. No, you don’t draft them in the top 3. If he was showing at least one skill at an ELITE level then maybe, but he’s “just” really good on offense and a possible liability on defense. There is no reasonable comp for him to warrant drafting him top 3 in THIS class. Don’t mean he won’t be a contributor, just not a (true) star

 

[Max.]