2020 NBA Draft Thread

[Axl Rose]

So much anger over a pick in draft where the #1 pick said they'd rather be playing football.

 

[greg23]

You should just draft the best basketball player then and pay off your head doctor to make up some patella bullshit around his meniscus, and sit them for a year.

Otherwise you get into the development projection business and do something really stupid like draft Patrick Williams expecting he can change his athleticism and be something he isn't going to be in his man frame.

Thinking you could ever win the projected development game is probably where the ego brings these guys down. Thinking way to hard here. Just take fucking Toppin and sit him for a year. Or take Hayes and develop a PG that can already shoot.

**** the PG from Oregon taken much later...Prichard or whatever his name is...that dude is a way better athlete and will develop more than Williams.

In a draft that sucked ballz; you're cunting about a 19 year old that we drafted at #4....because of his potential man body??? (Which you have no idea what will look like)

And you think Obi Toppen is athletic?
And you think Pritchard is even more athletic?

You're quite the moron.

 

[Icculus]

UPDATE: Obi Toppin already averaging 44 minutes per game.

If Thibs doesn't unofficially redshirt him. He IS a rookie you know.

 

[redgrange19]

Jesus, let the kid play.

 

[Raskolnikov]

He is the youngest with the best NBA body.

It all depends on how his offensive game develops, and if he can use any of that athleticism without getting hurt.

I'll root for him. Tons of upside.

Some movies have alternate endings.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

He is the youngest with the best NBA body.

It all depends on how his offensive game develops, and if he can use any of that athleticism without getting hurt.

I'll root for him. Tons of upside.

Some movies have alternate endings.

Rask, could you cite any of the draft profiles on Williams that call him "stiff"?

 

[Raskolnikov]

Rask, could you cite any of the draft profiles on Williams that call him "stiff"?

Thats all me Gus.

And I want to be careful because he doesn't have his man strength yet, and his quads and calves are so gifted and explosive...there may be good reasons he is tentative and plays under control still. I fear he is a "track body"...a type of guy who is so explosive he breaks himself. Also called a "Ferrari" or sports car.

For every Westbrook that also has freak durability, there are 1000 guys that athletic who get hurt by following Nagy's "be you."

So if you watch Patrick Williams highlights, you don't see him beat a guy with a quick burst and ascend horizontally and land 8 feet away. Thats what I'm saying. Check it out...he always leaps vertical. Stays in control, gets set, leaps vertical. He doesn't go meet an alley oop on the fly, or chase a guy from behind for the block. He leaps vertical.

But he doesn't even know his body yet. I'd be scared to turn that thing on too... and he is still green as hell. The more I look at his body the more I think its mental or some fear, maybe a past injury...IDK...so while he is a guy it could all click for, that all hinges on him developing more coordination and experience with his own athletic ability. I'd really like to see him keep crossing training at his age and learn how to use himself other ways. Very gifted athlete.

His knuckles drag on the ground, I wouldn't be too surprised if he grew an inch or two still.

Definitely, a long term thing...and I should step back and let the big picture coalesce for a few years and not get hung up on details.

Denver and Utah and OKC didn't happen overnight. Its an invested long term process.

And Danny Ainge took the best basketball IQ players. Pritchard and Nesmith. Danny Ainge just gets players over and over and has a great coach. Those western small budget 3 just plug away at the percentages. Bey is another in that debate who can already play ball.

 

[Raskolnikov]

The next dominoes are to decide who can be showcased for the trade deadline(Lavine/Porter Jr/Young), and if either Lauri or Wendall will be part of the White/Williams timeline, or can their value be reset?

Can White be developed into a PG? With his short arms I would thing that would help the team around him, or if he were paired with a big facilitater like Ben Simmons/White...would be sick. Lebron/White. Jordan/White.

Thats one reason I like the Ball brothers for us. If we could get Lonzo cheap...he actually compliments White.

 

[redgrange19]

More recent and against NBA pros. He’s definitely showing me something.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

More recent and against NBA pros. He’s definitely showing me something.

I was surprised with the pick, but looking at it, it makes a ton of sense.

1. He is the 2nd youngest player from the 2020 draft. He has time to improve.
2. He was a PG in high school, so he can handle the ball in his hands. This is shown in the video. He is not going to be PG, but he won't be lost with the ball in his hands.
4. He grew 8 inches in one season, so he is learning to be a big man. He will improve because he is athletic.
5. He is a really good defender which is probably what is missing the most on the team.
6. He is not a great shooter right now, but, unlike Deni, he is a really good FT shooter (83% shooter, I believe). FT percentage is probably the best stat that can show the ability to become a better shooter.
7. He seems to be a hard worker. He wants to be good, so he will put in the time to improve.
8. This year's draft is full of players with question marks that could derail their careers. Even the top 3 players have red flags. Williams' red flags are that he didn't start games. He was effective when he played and he was given more opportunities as the year went along.

In the end, there wasn't anyone who was a sure bet #1 pick let alone the 4th pick. The Bulls looked beyond the hype and chose who they thought was their best chance of becoming something special in this weak draft.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

I was surprised with the pick, but looking at it, it makes a ton of sense.

1. He is the 2nd youngest player from the 2020 draft. He has time to improve.
2. He was a PG in high school, so he can handle the ball in his hands. This is shown in the video. He is not going to be PG, but he won't be lost with the ball in his hands.
4. He grew 8 inches in one season, so he is learning to be a big man. He will improve because he is athletic.
5. He is a really good defender which is probably what is missing the most on the team.
6. He is not a great shooter right now, but, unlike Deni, he is a really good FT shooter (83% shooter, I believe). FT percentage is probably the best stat that can show the ability to become a better shooter.
7. He seems to be a hard worker. He wants to be good, so he will put in the time to improve.
8. This year's draft is full of players with question marks that could derail their careers. Even the top 3 players have red flags. Williams' red flags are that he didn't start games. He was effective when he played and he was given more opportunities as the year went along.

In the end, there wasn't anyone who was a sure bet #1 pick let alone the 4th pick. The Bulls looked beyond the hype and chose who they thought was their best chance of becoming something special in this weak draft.

This is a question for discussion: what shortcoming can be improved the easiest (which shortcoming has been improved the most by actual NBA players), shooting or defense?


In my opinion, all players can improve their shooting. Now some players can go from awful shooter to merely bad shooters, while many can go from bad to good shooters. As for defense, players are taught from an early age that offense is what they need to improve, while defense is passed off to the next stop, be it college or the pros.

Players don't even seem to be interested in learning defense.

Lamelo Ball is a perfect case study for this question. He is a great distributer while he is actually a poor shooter and does not even seem to care about playing defense.

Two years from now, will his defense or shooting be more improved?

 

[DirtyDutchDiggler]

More recent and against NBA pros. He’s definitely showing me something.

Okay. I've been very skeptical of this pick. I still think it was a reach. Watching highlights I saw a PF and he still could grow into that. Watching him move in this video he does have SF potential if he doesn't grow much more. He is 6'8 225 as a 19 year old. I was impressed at his shooting form. Reminds me of Brandon Ingram with more size. Only 3in shorter wingspan but he is only 19 again. If he puts on another 25lbs stays just as athletic, I can see him as a 3pt shooting Antonio McDyess which is pretty good.

 

[Raskolnikov]

I was surprised with the pick, but looking at it, it makes a ton of sense.

1. He is the 2nd youngest player from the 2020 draft. He has time to improve.
2. He was a PG in high school, so he can handle the ball in his hands. This is shown in the video. He is not going to be PG, but he won't be lost with the ball in his hands.
4. He grew 8 inches in one season, so he is learning to be a big man. He will improve because he is athletic.
5. He is a really good defender which is probably what is missing the most on the team.
6. He is not a great shooter right now, but, unlike Deni, he is a really good FT shooter (83% shooter, I believe). FT percentage is probably the best stat that can show the ability to become a better shooter.
7. He seems to be a hard worker. He wants to be good, so he will put in the time to improve.
8. This year's draft is full of players with question marks that could derail their careers. Even the top 3 players have red flags. Williams' red flags are that he didn't start games. He was effective when he played and he was given more opportunities as the year went along.

In the end, there wasn't anyone who was a sure bet #1 pick let alone the 4th pick. The Bulls looked beyond the hype and chose who they thought was their best chance of becoming something special in this weak draft.

Lonzo Ball-White-Williams-Lauri-WCJ 2021


I actually like the chemistry and balance that team would bring.

Williams is likely to grow into a PF by age 22, but we have some time.

 

[dweebs19]

More recent and against NBA pros. He’s definitely showing me something.

His highlights here look better than his FSU college highlights. Watching him here knowing he's only 19 and after listening to AK post draft, I can understand why AK took him at 4.

 

[NCChiFan]

More recent and against NBA pros. He’s definitely showing me something.

For the last 20 years I've played basketball with a dentist buddy of mine. 1 on 1 he is a freak of nature at basketball. Under whistle his game evaporates. This video, no one is playing real D. Looks like an all star game out there. Guys jogging, meh.

When is it ever right to take a "prospect", a "development" with the 4th pick in a draft. I like the Bulls Second pick better from that aspect, and their undrafted guard even better. Hell. It feels as if I just watched Pace draft for the Bulls.

 

[Raskolnikov]

For the last 20 years I've played basketball with a dentist buddy of mine. 1 on 1 he is a freak of nature at basketball. Under whistle his game evaporates. This video, no one is playing real D. Looks like an all star game out there. Guys jogging, meh.

When is it ever right to take a "prospect", a "development" with the 4th pick in a draft. I like the Bulls Second pick better from that aspect, and their undrafted guard even better. Hell. It feels as if I just watched Pace draft for the Bulls.

I agree about Dotson.

Pretty good pick-up for free and makes the Center trade chip pick ok. At Kansas he competed at a higher competitive level than the Bulls play at, where every game is a big game in the Big 12 basically. Intensity. Nothing short of undefeated in Lawrence is acceptable at home.

He is also very quick and can get his own shot. Has Tony Parker "esque" lane potential and good fundamentals and defensive tendencies coming from Self.

Probably has a quality 6th man upside ceiling, but can contribute more if necessary pretty much at any time needed coming in.

 

[redgrange19]

For the last 20 years I've played basketball with a dentist buddy of mine. 1 on 1 he is a freak of nature at basketball. Under whistle his game evaporates. This video, no one is playing real D. Looks like an all star game out there. Guys jogging, meh.

When is it ever right to take a "prospect", a "development" with the 4th pick in a draft. I like the Bulls Second pick better from that aspect, and their undrafted guard even better. Hell. It feels as if I just watched Pace draft for the Bulls.

I mean, no one is saying he’s amazing. All we can do is analyze the limited material we have on this prospect. Give him a chance, maybe your stretch analogy is correct and he’s a scrub. But it seems pointless to compare him at this point. Some players thrive at the pro level and feel restricted in college. He could just as well pan out in that environment. He’s only 19 and had a shortened season due to the pandemic. I’m willing to just see where this goes. I know it’s hard to be optimistic with Chicago sports but damn.

 

[NCChiFan]

I mean, no one is saying he’s amazing. All we can do is analyze the limited material we have on this prospect. Give him a chance, maybe your stretch analogy is correct and he’s a scrub. But it seems pointless to compare him at this point. Some players thrive at the pro level and feel restricted in college. He could just as well pan out in that environment. He’s only 19 and had a shortened season due to the pandemic. I’m willing to just see where this goes. I know it’s hard to be optimistic with Chicago sports but damn.

Oh, it isn't the player, who I will hope for good things as he develops, it is the concept of drafting a player that has to grow into his body. I, personally, would have felt better with a less raw recruit at 4. He could turn out to be the next Lebron, but that is an aweful big, "hope" with pick 4. Like I said, sort of, give me that that of pick in the middle/end of the first round or the second round, or even better the undrafted Guard they picked up. Perfect. In concept that's what I'm thinking.

 

[Scoot26]

Oh, it isn't the player, who I will hope for good things as he develops, it is the concept of drafting a player that has to grow into his body. I, personally, would have felt better with a less raw recruit at 4. He could turn out to be the next Lebron, but that is an aweful big, "hope" with pick 4. Like I said, sort of, give me that that of pick in the middle/end of the first round or the second round, or even better the undrafted Guard they picked up. Perfect. In concept that's what I'm thinking.

If you're going to draft a raw talent, this is the type of draft to do it in given the draft is not very strong.

That said, could be he won't ever be anything amazing. He could be a career long solid player who will never be an All-Star (Marvin Williams type), or he could be Giannis who takes 5 years to develop. Lots of unknown, but this was a weak draft (as was the draft Giannis was drafted in), so I don't mind the pick. I wasn't really going to be excited about anyone who they picked in this draft.

This is also a new regime picking the guy, so I am likely to give more leeway here and see what they can do. If GarPax made this pick, I probably would be panning it.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

If you're going to draft a raw talent, this is the type of draft to do it in given the draft is not very strong.

That said, could be he won't ever be anything amazing. He could be a career long solid player who will never be an All-Star (Marvin Williams type), or he could be Giannis who takes 5 years to develop. Lots of unknown, but this was a weak draft (as was the draft Giannis was drafted in), so I don't mind the pick. I wasn't really going to be excited about anyone who they picked in this draft.

This is also a new regime picking the guy, so I am likely to give more leeway here and see what they can do. If GarPax made this pick, I probably would be panning it.

This is also the biggest part here which I just don't understand. White, WCJ, Laurie - all safe picks. And while I liked all three of those picks at the time, I could certainly understand the criticism of someone who wanted GarPax to not just go safe. Now you have Karnisovas, a guy with a pretty good draft history, not going safe and people are upset. Would some of you prefer to have GarPax back calling the shots?

Let's not forget that Karnisovas was the guy who drafted Michael Porter Jr, a guy who had two back surgeries before he ever played an NBA game. How'd that work out for the Nuggets? Karnisovas also hired a guy who works well with younger players, and is a good developer of younger players. Would some of you prefer to have Jim Boylen back?

The Bulls are pretty much setting themselves up for the long term here. They are not winning an NBA title in the next two seasons, so you're going to need to exercise some patience.