re: NBA Draft prospects that youre convinced will pan out and which will bust

i think he can grow his defensive game. he has the body for it unlike julius who i think will pretty much always be a below average defender

Italy didn't mess Brandon Jennings up... Brandon Jennings inability to mature as a basketball player did that on it's own. They preach efficiency and team basketball in Euro ball. That's something he couldn't learn overseas nor here in the states.


I think the 3 Duke guys will have a lot of success. As far as flame outs, I'll also go with Dekker adding Turner, Johnson, and Russell.

Booms - KAT and WCS


Busts - Stanley Johnson and Dekker

I like this draft a lot. I think Oubre will be a bust though.

Cliff Alexander's stock is low enough that even if he doesn't pan out, he won't really be a bust. I look at Tyus in a similar way, although they are very different players. No one thinks Tyus will be a top 10 pick. He's in the 20-25 range. At that point, anyone who is a decent pro outplays their draft position. And Tyus has enough intelligence and passing ability that he will be a good 8th or 9th man for a playoff team, running the second offense. Just pair him with a good on-ball defender at the 2, and you'll be fine. Wouldn't be surprised if he never starts though, but that's acceptable for a late first round pick.

As for Okafor, I completely understand why Lakers fans don't want him since they have Randle. He's better than Randle, much much more efficient. However, they are both ball dominant 4's who are below average defenders who can't protect the rim.

I see no way that Okafor doesn't average 16-17 points per game in the worst case scenario (not as rookie, but after a few years). His worst case scenario is a guy who puts up great numbers on a bad team. His weaknesses are free throw shooting and all the stuff that doesn't show up on the stat sheet, like helpside defense and lowering field goal percentages at the rim. He will undoubtedly put up great stats though.

I also think that guys like Towns and to a certain extent, Winslow, are overrated bc they never had to be "the Man" on a consistent basis. As a result, their bad games are glossed over and their best games are considered representative. I like both guys a lot though.

You really see Okafor as a 4?

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What that does to Garnett, who knows?

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Garnett is pretty irrelevant as a player. But I'm sure he'd be a good mentor to whichever big Minnesota takes

I think Russell is one of the guys that pretty much can't be too much of a bust. There is a definite chance he doesn't live up to the 3rd or 4th pick though.

I would say he was the best ball handler last year in college and he has serious range from three. Worst comes to worst, he is a 3 point shooter that can carve up some people when he gets the ball.

I hate Oubre and dislike Booker.

Mudiay will lead the Knicks to the promised land(I can dream.)

I'm partial to Booker bc his first cousin is good friends with my roommate.

I think Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell will both be very good NBA players. Both are combo guards whose games translate well to the NBA.