2018 draft sleepers

Worse than Thanasis?

 

Thoughts on Alex Antetokounmpo?

 

I don't know, man- every time I watch him he just travels 'round in circles.

 

Hey ! Watch it there !







Nan you're right

 

ELI OKOBO

My first sleeper candidate. Left-handed point guard.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first.

Cons
Small. Not long. Average athlete.

That's it. That's all. Everything else is a plus.

Pros
1. Great basketball IQ - on both sides of the ball. Knows how to run all the plays with and without the basketball. Knows score, time, shot clock, foul count, and matchups. Very possession efficient offensively. Very productive defensively. Knows where the play is going defensively. Reads the opponent well. Instinctive. Great floor vision. Nose for the ball.

2. Good shooter with plenty of range - both catch-and-shoot and pull-up.

3. Good low-risk passer.

4. Great handle even if non-spectacular.

5. Winner - winners mentality. Very competitive.

6. Great work ethic.

7. Loves the game.

He is currently projected end of first/top of the second. If he goes there he will outperform many players drafted ahead of him. He really should be in the lottery. But his average athleticism and size will cause a lot of GMs to want to wait until later on him. That's a mistake. This guy is a baller.

 

I would have to say get a back up PG like Devonte graham or Cody martin

 

My top 3 in this draft are Doncic, Jackson, and Young. I'm wavering on Young a little because of his size/athleticism (not skills). But I'd trade both Capela (sign and trade) and Gordon and a future pick to go get Jaren. Then stretch Anderson and sign LeBron.

Ayton is way overrated. He's going to disappoint. I'd take Bagley and MPj before him and if I were at 6 I'd trade the pick if the other 5 were already gone. I see a lot of dumb in Ayton that I don't like.

 

Been following him for a while. Kansas recruit. I have connections.

This kid has a looooooooooooong and hard road to travel if he wants a successful NBA career. And it's so sad to me. Because he's oozing with talent. But it's undeveloped talent inside a shell of a human being that has character issues.

1. He's got talent and a great young body, athleticism.

2. He's dumb as a box of hammers.

3. He's surrounded by people (including his mom) that are hindering his development, both his person (character) and his basketball skills/game.

I hate it. But I don't see any answer for this kid short of him signing away his rights and going to some basketball prison for a couple years where a strong character coach and basketball coach could:

a. keep all the idiots away from him.
b. train him to be a man and make good career choices
c. train him on the basketball court in skills.
d. train his body.
c. train his basketball mind to comprehend basketball play and learn how to actually play the game the right way.

This boy needs a career coach in the worst way to help him mature and develop.

I don't think it'll happen. And it's really sad to me. Because you can easily see the natural talent.

I would consider drafting him at the bottom of the second round and letting him brew in Europe while offering him a program with the organization to develop in the off season.

Somebody in the NBA needs to line this kid out, be hard on him, see if they can break him down and pull him away from all the trash in his life. Without doing that, without separating him from the current crew he's surrounded with, he's another LLOYD DANIELS in the making, with even more downside potential.

I hate that. There's no telling what he could become if he had actual parenting, coaching, and mentoring, and had been brought up with a lot more accountability. Because, unlike LeBron, he doesn't have it within himself to rise above all the garbage. He doesn't have LeBron's mentality.

 

we need a back up PG bad we need a devonte Graham type point gaurd or a Cody martin pg

 

Malik Newman. This kid can shoot

 

Trevon Duval. He needs to work on his shot more but he's got everything else.

 

DiVincenzo tested absurd at Combine and is now solidly in first round. White guy with more twitchy athleticism and ups than the brothers.

 

if you have a chance to get the greek freaks brother you take a flyer on him or do you still draft a point like devonte graham or malik newman

 

Malik Newman shooting is really needed on the Rockets Corner 3 pointers, Pull-up 3, Creating up and under layups, Speed on fast breaks

 

so what you think about kostas antetokounmpo or devonte graham or de anthony malik newman or
Hamidou Diallo

 

He's a sure UDFA, so low risk and high reward for freak with his length. At worst, he is bait for Giannis.

 

Poor man's Aaron Gordon, sans the ability to D all 5 positions.

 

I have a hard time judging any of the bigs.

So with Jackson, the upside is Clint that can hit a jumper?? Which is, indeed, fantastic upside, and a much needed player in today's NBA on a championship team.

That said, isn't the upside comp for a Trae Young higher... as ridiculous as it sounds... to the extent he has a Curry-esque upside? Of course his floor also seems lower...