Semi-OT: 2015 NBA Draft

[EastCoast2]

Was this one of the worst drafts in recent memory? I know it's still absurdly early to tell, but I was looking at the draft board below. Towns looks like he'll be a stud, and maybe Porzingis can turn into a franchise player, while Okafor can be a staple big guy for ~10 years. After that, it looks like a draft of role players.

 

[two3zone]

Far too early to tell. Right now it's easy to say it could end up being bad but if Russell does well that is one hell of a top 4.

Winslow and Turner could end up being great and some of the other guys are really really young. Lot's of time on this one.

 

[OrangeDW]

Was this one of the worst drafts in recent memory? I know it's still absurdly early to tell, but I was looking at the draft board below. Towns looks like he'll be a stud, and maybe Porzingis can turn into a franchise player, while Okafor can be a staple big guy for ~10 years. After that, it looks like a draft of role players.

I think Myles Turner is a potential star. That guy is good. He wasn't far behind Porzingis this year. Way too early to write off Russell as a potential star. He has the offensive skills. As his game matures, he could be very good. Mudiay struggled badly, but is a physical specimen. Again...too early to tell.

Stanley Johnson and Justice Winslow both had solid rookie years on playoff teams. Cauley-Stein has a chance too. Think of someone like Tyson Chandler... it took him years to really come into his own.

 

[Melancer46]

What exactly is a bad draft? I feel like getting a guy that looks to potentially be a perennial MVP candidate (Towns), a couple other potential cornerstones (Zinger, Okafor, Russell, Turner, Devin Booker), and a bunch of other promising young players (Payne, Lyles, Hezonja, Winslow, Stanley Johnson, Anderson, Nance, etc.) is a pretty damn good draft. I feel like at this moment, the 2015 draft looks much better than the 2014 draft was.

 

[OrangeDW]

What exactly is a bad draft? I feel like getting a guy that looks to potentially be a perennial MVP candidate (Towns), a couple other potential cornerstones (Zinger, Okafor, Russell, Turner, Devin Booker), and a bunch of other promising young players (Payne, Lyles, Hezonja, Winslow, Stanley Johnson, Anderson, Nance, etc.) is a pretty damn good draft. I feel like at this moment, the 2015 draft looks much better than the 2014 draft was.

I forgot about Booker. I think he will be one of the best two guards in the league.

 

[longislandcuse]

Is Norman Powell a rookie, up in Toronto? That guy isn't a star but looks to be a good role player from the 2nd Round.

 

[Knicks411]

Any draft that has Towns in it can't be that bad a draft. And Porzingis is probably going to be an all star a lot of times.

I think if anything it's a pretty damn good draft.

 

[Melancer46]

Is Norman Powell a rookie, up in Toronto? That guy isn't a star but looks to be a good role player from the 2nd Round.

Yes he is. Milwaukee drafted him this year and traded him in the deal for Vasquez! :bat:

 

[Cusefan0307]

Bad? I think 2015 has the chance to be the best draft since 09. Go look at some other recent drafts. They are a lot weaker than last year. Anthony Bennett was picked number 1 overall in 2013.

 

[Knicks411]

I thought since he was a rookie, Jokic was drafted last year, but nope, 2014.

Man, that 09 draft had some dudes. Say what you want about James Harden, but he's at best the third best guy from that draft.

 

[MikeSU02]

Way too early to tell, but so far it's shaping up to be a solid draft.

 

[Briancuse]

What exactly is a bad draft? I feel like getting a guy that looks to potentially be a perennial MVP candidate (Towns), a couple other potential cornerstones (Zinger, Okafor, Russell, Turner, Devin Booker), and a bunch of other promising young players (Payne, Lyles, Hezonja, Winslow, Stanley Johnson, Anderson, Nance, etc.) is a pretty damn good draft. I feel like at this moment, the 2015 draft looks much better than the 2014 draft was.

I would say this has a chance to go down as one of the better drafts.

 

[Tom K.]

It's definitely too early to tell but already it's leaning toward a strong draft.

The 8-11 all played meaningful playoff minutes which, without looking at past drafts, sounds pretty damn good. Russell will be a very good point guard if he doesn't do anything stupid.

 

[Knicks411]

It's definitely too early to tell but already it's leaning toward a strong draft.

The 8-11 all played meaningful playoff minutes which, without looking at past drafts, sounds pretty damn good. Russell will be a very good point guard if he doesn't do anything stupid.

Luckily he's shown no inclination to do stupid things so far

 

[djcon57]

Mudiay was real good too. Very impressed with what I saw. Much better shooter than I thought

 

[Knicks411]

Mudiay was real good too. Very impressed with what I saw. Much better shooter than I thought

He shot 36.4%; how bad did you think he was?

 

[djcon57]

He shot 36.4%; how bad did you think he was?

Not talking about the season as a whole. I saw a bunch individual games of his (due to gambling/fanduel), he can hit open looks.

Denver sucks so he had to take a bunch of bad shots, but I think he can be a good player in this league if he gets some talent around him.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

Not talking about the season as a whole. I saw a bunch individual games of his (due to gambling/fanduel), he can hit open looks.

Denver sucks so he had to take a bunch of bad shots, but I think he can be a good player in this league if he gets some talent around him.

As a Nuggets fan I'm inclined to agree. I think Mudiay has a pretty good shooting stroke but hasn't had to shoot jumpers his whole life because he's been bigger and stronger than everyone until he got to the league this year. He was terrible for a decent portion of the season but that's the expected rookie lull. He finished strong over the last month or two and got noticeably stronger with the basketball and with DJ Augustin providing outside shooting. I like his game especially considering the lack of shooting around him after Gallo went down. Gary Harris did his best to make up for the lack of shooting but I think next year will be his true breakout season. If Denver can find some shooting to go with their young athletic bigs they've got a bright future. Only problem being they're in an absolutely loaded division especially if KD stays in OKC.

 

[Knicks411]

Not talking about the season as a whole. I saw a bunch individual games of his (due to gambling/fanduel), he can hit open looks.

Denver sucks so he had to take a bunch of bad shots, but I think he can be a good player in this league if he gets some talent around him.

Not saying you're wrong there; being a 19 year old PG on a bad team is maybe the toughest job a rookie can have