Everything Draft 2021

[magoon]

We got OG because he had ACL surgery the last year of uni. If not he would have went in the lottery. Not saying either of those guys can't progress, but at the same time, we will be picking them around 20 spots higher. Which changes the risk vs reward quite substantially.

The obvious counterpoint here is that we would be picking Barnes or Kuminga around the area where OG should have gone and that their opportunity for improvement is comparable.

[LJ2]

We got OG because he had ACL surgery the last year of uni. If not he would have went in the lottery. Not saying either of those guys can't progress, but at the same time, we will be picking them around 20 spots higher. Which changes the risk vs reward quite substantially.

Sure but I'm wondering did he come into the league as a skilled forward or was he sort of regarded the same way as Barnes or Kuminga. I'd say Kuminga is already more athletic and Barnes more skilled than OG if I'm remembering correctly.

[LJ2]

Keon looks like a pretty special kind of athlete, with the explosiveness to play a lot bigger than his size (which isn't bad either) - like an old school 90s-early 00s shooting guard, a big asset thanks to the versatility to play at the 2 or 3 in a pinch.

The truly great athletes figure things out on the court - shooting, speed of the game, passing, defense, etc. - and Keon consistently wows with his ability to make use of his explosiveness on the court.

He does look explosive but skills are really lacking. Reminds me of T. Ross but with no shot. If you're ace card is athleticism then your handles better be off the charts because you're not getting to the rim like D Wade unless you can score in isolations. Based on what I've seen Keon doesn't get to the rim against set offenses. If Raps chose him I trust that decision but he's easily one of my least favourite picks in the 6-10 range.

[LJ2]

Was a big fan until I watched how he defends...horrific

[big boi]

He does look explosive but skills are really lacking. Reminds me of T. Ross but with no shot. If you're ace card is athleticism then your handles better be off the charts because you're not getting to the rim like D Wade unless you can score in isolations. Based on what I've seen Keon doesn't get to the rim against set offenses. If Raps chose him I trust that decision but he's easily one of my least favourite picks in the 6-10 range.

Keon’s defence is insane tho. Never saw that kinda D in Ross. I love the Raps’ priority or playing defence and thus I’d prioritize Barnes, Keon, off night

[A.I]

Sure but I'm wondering did he come into the league as a skilled forward or was he sort of regarded the same way as Barnes or Kuminga. I'd say Kuminga is already more athletic and Barnes more skilled than OG if I'm remembering correctly.

If I remember correctly, OG was seen as a potential difference maker on defense (which he has been) with a limited offensive game(which is still evolving) and needed to work on his jump shot. He has become an elite spot up shooter now.

I guess Kuminga and Barnes are similar in that sense. Both have raw offensive skills which can become something with proper development, but those 2 have talents on the offensive end that OG didn't. Kuminga has athleticism, the ability to finish around the rim and a better handle than OG did. Barnes has his ball handling and playmaking abilities.

Basically if you have ball handling skills, you can improve quite a bit on the other aspects of offense outside of shooting. OG's is still developing though.

[planetmars]

Sure but I'm wondering did he come into the league as a skilled forward or was he sort of regarded the same way as Barnes or Kuminga. I'd say Kuminga is already more athletic and Barnes more skilled than OG if I'm remembering correctly.

OG had some power to his game.. not much of a 3pt shooter, but could take it.

Here is a highlight reel of his college year... looks a lot like he does for the Raptors.. so not much has really changed, except his shot goes down far more than it did when he wasn't a professional:

You can compare college stats here for OG and Barnes:
OG: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...anunoby-1.html
Barnes: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...-barnes-1.html

Barnes is not a great shooter at all.. OG was much better. Barnes was a point forward. And maybe the coach used him like that because he couldn't shoot well. Sort of like how Miami uses Bam. Or how we used RHJ last year. So it's tough to compare the two offensively because they played different roles.

I'm really intrigued by Kuminga but his stats were awful in the G-league. Where as Raptor 905 guys typically excel. And the Ignite had some good vets like Jarret Jack and Amir Johnson to pave the way. So maybe there are some red flags there. If you can't do well in a G-league environment are you going to work out in the actual NBA? Tough to say.

Kuminga would have been better off in a college program and his stock might fall because he didn't. I'd take him at 7 or 8 if he's still there, but not in the top 4. Too risky. OG was a no brainer at 23.

[LJ2]

Keon’s defence is insane tho. Never saw that kinda D in Ross. I love the Raps’ priority or playing defence and thus I’d prioritize Barnes, Keon, off night

Is his defence that much better than Trent though? And with that slight frame he's going to get erased by NBA screens. He'll get bigger and stronger I know and I may very well eat my words but he just looks like such a project. No shot, and weak handles make for a player that is difficult to fit into an established system. Guys like Trent and Flynn fit so much better.

[LJ2]

If I remember correctly, OG was seen as a potential difference maker on defense (which he has been) with a limited offensive game(which is still evolving) and needed to work on his jump shot. He has become an elite spot up shooter now.

I guess Kuminga and Barnes are similar in that sense. Both have raw offensive skills which can become something with proper development, but those 2 have talents on the offensive end that OG didn't. Kuminga has athleticism, the ability to finish around the rim and a better handle than OG did. Barnes has his ball handling and playmaking abilities.

Basically if you have ball handling skills, you can improve quite a bit on the other aspects of offense outside of shooting. OG's is still developing though.

And Barnes at least is known for his defence already. Man's body and 6"9". Surprisingly fast in the open court. That's the type of size and mobility you need to guard the Giannis, and George's of the league.

[LJ2]

OG had some power to his game.. not much of a 3pt shooter, but could take it.

Here is a highlight reel of his college year... looks a lot like he does for the Raptors.. so not much has really changed, except his shot goes down far more than it did when he wasn't a professional:

You can compare college stats here for OG and Barnes:
OG: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...anunoby-1.html
Barnes: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...-barnes-1.html

Barnes is not a great shooter at all.. OG was much better. Barnes was a point forward. And maybe the coach used him like that because he couldn't shoot well. Sort of like how Miami uses Bam. Or how we used RHJ last year. So it's tough to compare the two offensively because they played different roles.

I'm really intrigued by Kuminga but his stats were awful in the G-league. Where as Raptor 905 guys typically excel. And the Ignite had some good vets like Jarret Jack and Amir Johnson to pave the way. So maybe there are some red flags there. If you can't do well in a G-league environment are you going to work out in the actual NBA? Tough to say.

Kuminga would have been better off in a college program and his stock might fall because he didn't. I'd take him at 7 or 8 if he's still there, but not in the top 4. Too risky. OG was a no brainer at 23.

Kuminga, like Keon is raw but athletic. Kuminga has power and physicality for the NBA level though. The evaluations will sort out whether he has the work ethic to improve.

[LJ2]

If Raps pick at 7 I think they look to strengthen SF/PF especially with Boucher likely gone by trade deadline (imo they can't afford to sign him). So guys like Kuminga, Barnes, Jalen Johnson, Giddey are the types I think they look at unless someone really wows them.

[G__Deane]

Keon’s defence is insane tho. Never saw that kinda D in Ross. I love the Raps’ priority or playing defence and thus I’d prioritize Barnes, Keon, off night

I like the Raps prioritizing D but it's by necessity since they don't have a consistent 20-25 and 7-10 guy.
I'd like to see an elite offensive weapon come along with decent D, not an elite defender who can't drop shite

[big boi]

Is his defence that much better than Trent though? And with that slight frame he's going to get erased by NBA screens. He'll get bigger and stronger I know and I may very well eat my words but he just looks like such a project. No shot, and weak handles make for a player that is difficult to fit into an established system. Guys like Trent and Flynn fit so much better.

Most players in this draft are going to be projects. Mobley, Green in the top 4, and pretty much everyone after with the possible exception of Mitchell. If you want upside, you’ve got a project.

I’ll take a project that can play elite D tho. Cuz that project will get minutes to work on his offensive game. See OG.

I’m not worried who else plays the position, PG, SG, SF, want the best player. I’m not worried about having too many good players.

[big boi]

I like the Raps prioritizing D but it's by necessity since they don't have a consistent 20-25 and 7-10 guy.
I'd like to see an elite offensive weapon come along with decent D, not an elite defender who can't drop shite

I like it as our brand and identity. I hope we don’t stray from it. It’s a competitive advantage and even tho half of the game is spent playing defence it comes at a vast discount to offence. If you’re gonna pay someone X amount anyway for a given position, you may as well have them play good defence too.

I’d like to have a team that all play good D. No exceptions. Don’t want any passengers on D.

[SkywalkerAC]

He does look explosive but skills are really lacking. Reminds me of T. Ross but with no shot. If you're ace card is athleticism then your handles better be off the charts because you're not getting to the rim like D Wade unless you can score in isolations. Based on what I've seen Keon doesn't get to the rim against set offenses. If Raps chose him I trust that decision but he's easily one of my least favourite picks in the 6-10 range.

No excuses but apparently he was a baseball guy started taking basketball seriously quite late. Mother was a great collegiate basketball player though, so has made quick strides. Could be a bit of a late bloomer still building out aspects to his floor-game. That he's so highly ranked in spite of the lacklustre box score says quite a bit about how scouts are gauging his ability to improve.