Everything Draft

[KeonClark]

Theres no trends in that graph, seems a more random circumstance

[DanH]

Theres no trends in that graph, seems a more random circumstance

LOL, yep, a best fit line probably runs horizontally. It's a "look how noisy this data is!" graph.

[Apollo]

Excerpts from the graph's origin article:

According to rankings from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, there isn’t a single player taller than 6-foot-7 projected to be taken in the first five picks and just one 7-footer forecast for the lottery. The average height of the projected Top 10 selections is 78.8 inches, or nearly 6-foot-7. While that may be well above the national average, by NBA beanstalk standards this would be the fifth-shortest Top 10 of any draft since 1985. It’s also a stark contrast to 12 months ago, when 7-foot-1 DeAndre Ayton went No. 1 overall, five of the first seven selections were bigs,¹ and six lottery picks were at least 6-foot-10. This season, only one projected lottery pick exceeds 82 inches.

But just because this year’s draft has downsized doesn’t mean the incoming crop is all Lilliputian guards. The class is full of versatile wings, and surefire top selection Zion Williamson is an athletic marvel unlike anyone in recent memory. In fact, this draft class is perhaps the clearest encapsulation of the league’s transition away from the lumbering frontcourt.

Take Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke, for example, who is 6-foot-8 and among 20 players invited to sit in the green room. Last season, coach Mark Few tasked him with protecting the rim. Clarke proceeded to set the single-season blocks record and was the backline of the most dominant shot-blocking unit Few has had in his 20 years in Spokane. “I’m not 7 foot,” Clarke told FiveThirtyEight, “but I have really, really good timing by the basket. Even though I’m 6-8, I feel like I play like I’m much taller.”

Juxtapose that with Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-6 skyscraper who will likely become the tallest player in the NBA since Yao Ming.² He’s coming off one of the most efficient scoring careers in the history of college basketball, but there’s a fairly good chance that he won’t be drafted Thursday night, a notion that would stun front office execs of yesteryear.

Indeed, there was a time when the most coveted player in an NBA draft was a 7-foot, back-to-the-basket force, capable of controlling the game on both ends of the floor.

In a league that seemingly gets longer by the minute, it’s telling that switchability — rather than height — is expected to dominate this year’s draft. This year’s NBA Finals pitted 6-foot-7 Draymond Green against 7-foot-1 Marc Gasol, and although the latter won the championship, the incoming archetype more closely mirrors the former. If things play out as ESPN’s latest mock draft suspects, this year’s lottery will feature a bevy of oversized guards, guys capable of being slotted at either guard or wing, bigs with the lateral quickness necessary in modern NBA defense … and one 7-footer.

No longer can bigs be immobile. They must now move laterally at a high rate, tread water against guards on pick-and-roll sets and defend multiple positions on the interior. Positional flexibility is here to stay — look no further than Thursday night’s draft.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...all-standards/

[S.R.]

Hey remember when championship teams used to use 30+ minutes on guys like Luc Longley and Bill Wennington because you HAD TO have a 7 footer out there all the time, even if he was a stiff? lol

Say what you want comparing eras, but there is more skill at more positions now for sure.

[KeonClark]

As long as the game is to put a ball In a cylinder 10 feet off the ground, size will always matter

[S.R.]

As long as the game is to put a ball In a cylinder 10 feet off the ground, size will always matter

Give Dwane Casey a couple more years and he'll be playing 5 point guards at a time.

#ProveEm

[Chr1s1anL]

Lindell Wigginton will make this team. Family friend of one my close friends. Kid can play!

[Ebonhawke]

Dammit.. LaMelo Ball is draft eligible for 2020

[KHD]

slope = +0.0029
R^2 = 0.0013 lmao

[GOLDBLUM]

Dammit.. LaMelo Ball is draft eligible for 2020

Forgive my ignorance... why is this upsetting to you?

[Ebonhawke]

Forgive my ignorance... why is this upsetting to you?

Because that means Lavar Ball will be blaring b.s. all year

[Maury]

This was an all-time draft in terms of names.

[GOLDBLUM]

Because that means Lavar Ball will be blaring b.s. all year

Of course. How silly of me. Lol

Thanks for the clarification!

[S.R.]

Because that means Lavar Ball will be blaring b.s. all year

I think I saw ESPN finally banned him from live interviews after his last appearance?

[Bendit]

This was an all-time draft in terms of names.

Was there one "better" than Hunter Skinner?

Backstory ... I follow the NY Rangers hockey team occasionally and looked into their draft yesterday/today. This guy was on the list and I went ...haha.