Would you be pleased w/ Tari Eason at 7-10?

is he not pretty similar to larry nance?

Yea nance is a very good comp I think. He has a little more finesse than larry imo

I'm in favor of picking the best player.

Really would not love Eason's fit with the current team though.

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He might be very good on another team, but I’m not using our top 10 pick on someone who isn’t already known to be a good shooter.

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In 20-21, he shot 46% FG, 24% from 3, and 57% FT.

In 21-22, he shot 52% FG, 36% from 3, and 80% FT.

He turned into a very good shooter especially when you consider he was LSU's #1 offensive threat so teams could focus on him.

I agree though that it would probably be a reach to draft him in the top 10.

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Most of us watched him play all season At LSU. 6'8" athletic defender who is a great scoring threat around the rim. With Fred Vinson helping him become an outside threat, do you think it makes sense to pick him?

The good teams in the league seem to have more 6'6"-6'9" wings on their roster. i.e. Griz, GSW, Celts etc.

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No. Not overly excited about him that high.

He’s starting to slide on some draft boards which I don’t think is too surprising when guys are reevaluating the tape and have a better overall context of the level of competition. His numbers are good, but his game can be ugly. I also don’t expect him to shine in individual workouts as much because it’s hard to showcase some of his better traits in solo drills. Here is what I had said about Eason a couple months ago when his name got brought up in the draft thread (if anyone cares):

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I think Eason will be a productive NBA player and wouldn’t melt if we took him at 10, it’s just there are 9 guys I like more than him. If we pick 9, one of Griffin, Murray, Davis, Mathurin, or Sharpe will be available who are all guys I like more than Eason (Davis is my least favorite of the group). I would even personally take Dyson Daniels (who I think we absolutely thrive with his hard nosed defense and Vinson fixing his shot) over Eason.

Eason’s game is not the prettiest to watch. He only really can shoot a set shot which has a low release and an awkward slingshot form. Although he can go coast-to-coast on a defensive rebound he doesn’t really create for others in those opportunities. He can get to the rim on slower bigs but is a head down/straight-line driver that is right hand dominant. He has a tendency to reach at times on D and will also commit dumb fouls especially after a miss. He’s also going to be 21 at draft night, which isn’t “old” but is still older than most of the other lottery prospects.

With that said, he has a lot of good in his game. He was asked to do a lot at LSU on both ends and I think his game grew as a result. With no true creator, Eason had to create a lot of looks for himself against a set defense that he shouldn’t have to in the NBA. Although he’ll reach some, when he moves his feet he has the length/strength/quickness to be a versatile defender that can potentially competently guard 4 positions at the next level. Even though his shot needs tweaking, it goes in at a decent clip and he’s a good enough FT shooter that you would believe that his shot will translate enough at the next level. Finally, his overall impact on the court was undeniable and that was backed up by the advanced stats. Almost every advanced stat absolutely loved him. He had a better PER and equal WS/per 40 as Chet (who the advanced stats love too), and that’s with LSU relying on Eason more on the offensive end. In SEC play he shot 50/40/79.8. He also had a 31 USG% for the year which is crazy when you think about his offensive limitations. Non-traditional bigs that play in a major conference that put up advanced stats like his have an extremely low bust rate. Which is why I wouldn’t melt if we took him because I think he will be a useful rotational player at worst, although his ceiling might be “average starter.”

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Hoping to get into top 4 for Smith, Chet, Ivey in that order.

If not I am praying Mathurin or Sharpe.

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If not I am praying Mathurin or Sharpe.

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If we get 8, I think one will be there. Personally Im hoping for Sharpe.

Matt Pennie and Sam Vecenie both had Sharpe at 9 on their big board. Raphael Barlow had Sharpe going number 8 to the Pelicans in his last mock. I am concerned that Sharpe was going to pull a Lillard and be mocked to us predraft but kill workouts so much that his stock takes off. Although I think I remember someone saying that he is only doing individual workouts (unlike Lillard who shined in the competitive portions) so maybe it won’t happen this time.

In the same vein, Pennie, Vecenie, and Barlow all had Eason outside of the lottery. Pennie and Vecenie specifically had him in the 20s

lillard also had tournament momentum

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I like Tari, but not that high. He’s more of a late teens sort of guy to me. His shooting doesn’t worry me, it’s the fouling to me. Shows a lack of focus, IQ, etc.

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The fouling and turnovers are his biggest issues which, like you said, may indicate issues with his focus or basketball IQ. Given the priority that Griff has placed on those things recently, they may be too much of a red flag for us to draft him.