Everything Draft 2021

[SkywalkerAC]

Did people know that Green and Kuminga played with Amir and JJ on the Ignite?

[planetmars]

Watched that Gonzaga and USC game last night. First just got to say that Gonzaga defense is very reminiscent of Raptor defense (well when we were good). The constant switching and ball-hawkness was just a lot of fun to watch. Those guys are really good. Felt bad for USC.

In a sample size of 1 game... I will say that I was really impressed by Suggs. He reminds me a lot of Brogdon. Just really under control. Has a knack of finding seems in the defense. Very fluid - a lot like Norm. They were saying his shooting isn't that great, but he hit his shots. Pretty decent defense.. but on a really good system. I believe he's 6'5 so has good size for an off guard. Pretty good passer as well.

I've seen Mobley now for 1.5 games. Easily the best player for USC but still not really impressed (sorry for all those Mobley fans). He's a big so will need a lot of time to develop and get stronger.. he used his size as much of an advantage as he could, but that won't happen in the NBA. He got bodied really easily by that Timme guy. Gonzaga basically defended him like we defended Anthony Davis. Would get a second defender to double team him as soon as he cought the ball.. and would switch out as soon as he passed it out. He's got a bad team around him, but he should have really dominated against the size of that Gonzaga team but couldn't.

Right now after watching these two play.. I'd rather go Suggs over Mobley. Again small sample size.. but it was a big game. You know if Minny ends up in the top 4, they are definitely drafting Suggs, since he's their home town kid.

[The Great One]

here is my question for you.. you keep saying we wont pick top 4... before you were saying we won't pick lottery... but it keeps getting worse... at what point will you think we actually have a shot at the top 5... cause right now its looking to be the case. It isn't improbably that we move up.

Because the teams above them - specifically the Hawks, Pacers and Bulls are just as bad if not worse. And i'm also still not sold on the Knicks. All the Raptors need is one of them to slip.

Zach LaVine is questionable tonight for Chicago. He hasn't been the same since the ankle injury. They've lost 4 straight. They have a pretty rough schedule coming up. I could easily see them go on a long, long losing streak.

[Maury]

Because the teams above them - specifically the Hawks, Pacers and Bulls are just as bad if not worse. And i'm also still not sold on the Knicks. All the Raptors need is one of them to slip.

Zach LaVine is questionable tonight for Chicago. He hasn't been the same since the ankle injury. They've lost 4 straight. They have a pretty rough schedule coming up. I could easily see them go on a long, long losing streak.

Maybe like 10 or so games in a row? Perhaps 10 of their next 11? Perhaps 1 win in a month? Will that do it?

[chris]

Watched that Gonzaga and USC game last night. First just got to say that Gonzaga defense is very reminiscent of Raptor defense (well when we were good). The constant switching and ball-hawkness was just a lot of fun to watch. Those guys are really good. Felt bad for USC.

In a sample size of 1 game... I will say that I was really impressed by Suggs. He reminds me a lot of Brogdon. Just really under control. Has a knack of finding seems in the defense. Very fluid - a lot like Norm. They were saying his shooting isn't that great, but he hit his shots. Pretty decent defense.. but on a really good system. I believe he's 6'5 so has good size for an off guard. Pretty good passer as well.

I've seen Mobley now for 1.5 games. Easily the best player for USC but still not really impressed (sorry for all those Mobley fans). He's a big so will need a lot of time to develop and get stronger.. he used his size as much of an advantage as he could, but that won't happen in the NBA. He got bodied really easily by that Timme guy. Gonzaga basically defended him like we defended Anthony Davis. Would get a second defender to double team him as soon as he cought the ball.. and would switch out as soon as he passed it out. He's got a bad team around him, but he should have really dominated against the size of that Gonzaga team but couldn't.

Right now after watching these two play.. I'd rather go Suggs over Mobley. Again small sample size.. but it was a big game. You know if Minny ends up in the top 4, they are definitely drafting Suggs, since he's their home town kid.

i think suggs might end up being the best player drafted in the last few years not named zion or luka. if we won the lottery i hope we'd pick him, or trade down a la boston/philly and pick up something else along the way.

shooting is his biggest weakness but he's still at 33% from 3 and 76% from the line and his mechanics are good, so it's not like a red flag or anything. and he's good to great at literally everything else. brogdan is the absolute floor i would say, or like a millionaire's george hill. brandon roy with all-NBA defense is the ceiling.

he also has every intangible you would want. he's as good or better a football than basketball player so is tough as hell, and played QB so has the leadership ability and mental makeup.

[magoon]

I'm going to once again bang a gong for Scottie Barnes, who I really think is a very special player: people keep talking about him as a Draymond-type combo-forward facilitator, but I look at him as a point guard who happens to be 6'9", averaging 4.1 assists per game this season at Florida State. For the sake of comparison, Jalen Suggs - who is the top traditional point guard in this draft and is undoubtedly a very good point guard - averaged 4.5 assists per game with Gonzaga, a team that shot far better than Florida State did this year. If you don't want him to play point, you can move him to literally any position on the floor and he can play it. Barnes is already a great defensive player with all the tools to be a DPOY candidate down the line. The shooting isn't there yet, but he's got work ethic and if he becomes even a league-average shooter he's going to be a menace just because of his insane court vision.

If Suggs' ceiling is an All-Defense version of Brandon Roy, then Barnes' ceiling is Magic, straight-up. I don't think you pass on that, and the fact that other players are ranked higher is just testament to the fact that a lot of the NBA overweights scoring ability compared to other skills.

[golden]

I'm going to once again bang a gong for Scottie Barnes, who I really think is a very special player: people keep talking about him as a Draymond-type combo-forward facilitator, but I look at him as a point guard who happens to be 6'9", averaging 4.1 assists per game this season at Florida State. For the sake of comparison, Jalen Suggs - who is the top traditional point guard in this draft and is undoubtedly a very good point guard - averaged 4.5 assists per game with Gonzaga, a team that shot far better than Florida State did this year. If you don't want him to play point, you can move him to literally any position on the floor and he can play it. Barnes is already a great defensive player with all the tools to be a DPOY candidate down the line. The shooting isn't there yet, but he's got work ethic and if he becomes even a league-average shooter he's going to be a menace just because of his insane court vision.

If Suggs' ceiling is an All-Defense version of Brandon Roy, then Barnes' ceiling is Magic, straight-up. I don't think you pass on that, and the fact that other players are ranked higher is just testament to the fact that a lot of the NBA overweights scoring ability compared to other skills.

Magic comparison.... wow. A 6-9 defensive menace who can't shoot sounds a lot like what Pascal has become, with less playmaking. Nurse loves him some 3 & D, though, so I don't know. But since we're building this team around Fred, a tall point guard who can defend would be a nice backcourt complement, and pray he can improve his shooting. Tall playmakers are definitely a mini-trend in the league..... Luka, Giannis, Lebron, Simmons, Ball Bros, etc...

TBH, I'm just crossing my fingers we don't screw up the whole tanking opportunity this year. Reminds me of the year we were drooling about where our Knicks pick might land, and we ended up with, meh... Jakob. Let's just get into the top 7 and take it from there.

[big boi]

I'm going to once again bang a gong for Scottie Barnes, who I really think is a very special player: people keep talking about him as a Draymond-type combo-forward facilitator, but I look at him as a point guard who happens to be 6'9", averaging 4.1 assists per game this season at Florida State. For the sake of comparison, Jalen Suggs - who is the top traditional point guard in this draft and is undoubtedly a very good point guard - averaged 4.5 assists per game with Gonzaga, a team that shot far better than Florida State did this year. If you don't want him to play point, you can move him to literally any position on the floor and he can play it. Barnes is already a great defensive player with all the tools to be a DPOY candidate down the line. The shooting isn't there yet, but he's got work ethic and if he becomes even a league-average shooter he's going to be a menace just because of his insane court vision.

If Suggs' ceiling is an All-Defense version of Brandon Roy, then Barnes' ceiling is Magic, straight-up. I don't think you pass on that, and the fact that other players are ranked higher is just testament to the fact that a lot of the NBA overweights scoring ability compared to other skills.

I like Barnes too, and conveniently enough he's forecast to be available at the 7th pick. Watched Florida St. vs. Michigan, and was really unimpressed with Florida St., they didn't even appear to be running an offense, but Scottie Barnes stood out as a good performer even during a bad team performance. Watched him a few times now. NBA ready body, good passer, plays in the flow of the offence / lets the game come to him. Seems to have gotten better every time I've seen him.

Cade, Green, Suggs and Mobley are a nice looking top 4, but if we don't move up and pick 7th, I'd be quite happy to pick Barnes.

[SkywalkerAC]

Barnes is very intriguing as a positionless basketball fit for us. Sometimes you have him at center, sometimes the 3, switch everything, etc. Fits the turn-people-over-and-run-it direction of the team. 2-way playmaker. Grit + swagger. Athleticism with strength and length. Likely to develop a solid 3-ball.

Ticks a lot of boxes. Modern-style 4s have a lot of value and versatility if they can defend.

[LJ2]

Watched that Gonzaga and USC game last night. First just got to say that Gonzaga defense is very reminiscent of Raptor defense (well when we were good). The constant switching and ball-hawkness was just a lot of fun to watch. Those guys are really good. Felt bad for USC.

In a sample size of 1 game... I will say that I was really impressed by Suggs. He reminds me a lot of Brogdon. Just really under control. Has a knack of finding seems in the defense. Very fluid - a lot like Norm. They were saying his shooting isn't that great, but he hit his shots. Pretty decent defense.. but on a really good system. I believe he's 6'5 so has good size for an off guard. Pretty good passer as well.

I've seen Mobley now for 1.5 games. Easily the best player for USC but still not really impressed (sorry for all those Mobley fans). He's a big so will need a lot of time to develop and get stronger.. he used his size as much of an advantage as he could, but that won't happen in the NBA. He got bodied really easily by that Timme guy. Gonzaga basically defended him like we defended Anthony Davis. Would get a second defender to double team him as soon as he cought the ball.. and would switch out as soon as he passed it out. He's got a bad team around him, but he should have really dominated against the size of that Gonzaga team but couldn't.

Right now after watching these two play.. I'd rather go Suggs over Mobley. Again small sample size.. but it was a big game. You know if Minny ends up in the top 4, they are definitely drafting Suggs, since he's their home town kid.

Jalen Suggs, is 6'5? He looks a LOT shorter than that and he has a fairly slight frame, so not expecting him to be absorbing a lot of contact at the NBA level. He's a nice player but if there's one guy among the consensus top 4 which might drop, Suggs would be my guess. I'm basing this opinion completely off highlights thought

[LJ2]

Here are my top 5 picks for the draft, as per my expert highlight reel analysis.

1. Cunningham
2. Green
3. Barnes
4. Kuminga
5. Mobley

I think Raps pick either Suggs or Bouknight if they pick outside of the top 5. Both guys look smaller than their listed heights though, so will be interesting to see actuals.

[TrueTorontoFan]

Because the teams above them - specifically the Hawks, Pacers and Bulls are just as bad if not worse. And i'm also still not sold on the Knicks. All the Raptors need is one of them to slip.

Zach LaVine is questionable tonight for Chicago. He hasn't been the same since the ankle injury. They've lost 4 straight. They have a pretty rough schedule coming up. I could easily see them go on a long, long losing streak.

That may be true but I do think Vuc raises their ceiling JUUUUST enough. Hawks are .. who knows.

I just think from a mental stand point we are deflated more than the other teams despite being more talented and likely better in a normal year. In a normal year with a proper center we SHOULD be sitting around the 4th or 5th seed.

[big boi]

Here are my top 5 picks for the draft, as per my expert highlight reel analysis.

1. Cunningham
2. Green
3. Barnes
4. Kuminga
5. Mobley

I think Raps pick either Suggs or Bouknight if they pick outside of the top 5. Both guys look smaller than their listed heights though, so will be interesting to see actuals.

Suggs looks like a bonafide top 4. As of now don't see Kuminga dislodging him, could see Barnes move in to the top 5 though. Suggs is listed at 6'4 I think, so that could be with shoes. In the NBA I think he projects as a combo guard.

The Zags are so deep, any one player can look relatively unimpressive on any given night. They're so unselfish and a number of them can beat you. Their whole starting 5 might make the NBA at some point, 3 are forecast in the 1st round this year alone. Suggs doesn't force his game.

[Kagemusha]

I'm going to once again bang a gong for Scottie Barnes, who I really think is a very special player: people keep talking about him as a Draymond-type combo-forward facilitator, but I look at him as a point guard who happens to be 6'9", averaging 4.1 assists per game this season at Florida State. For the sake of comparison, Jalen Suggs - who is the top traditional point guard in this draft and is undoubtedly a very good point guard - averaged 4.5 assists per game with Gonzaga, a team that shot far better than Florida State did this year. If you don't want him to play point, you can move him to literally any position on the floor and he can play it. Barnes is already a great defensive player with all the tools to be a DPOY candidate down the line. The shooting isn't there yet, but he's got work ethic and if he becomes even a league-average shooter he's going to be a menace just because of his insane court vision.

If Suggs' ceiling is an All-Defense version of Brandon Roy, then Barnes' ceiling is Magic, straight-up. I don't think you pass on that, and the fact that other players are ranked higher is just testament to the fact that a lot of the NBA overweights scoring ability compared to other skills.

I agree. This kid can be special.
He is like a playmaking OG.

[Maury]

I agree. This kid can be special.
He is like a playmaking OG.

he's a more fluid athlete as well.