2019 NBA Draft

Countdown T minus 5 days!

The Atlanta Hawks have 3 first round picks and 3 second round picks. They have a lot of options for moving all around the draft board.

Kdp59 has mentioned the possibility that Atlanta could move up to secure Culvert. That makes a lot of sense as they need a young stud at SG who is a 2-way player. I think however you still have to consider Keldon Johnson who should be available without having to trade assets.

With respect to the Celtics drafting a PG early or even moving up to snag one, is not a move I would anticipate. Next year either Kyrie Irving or Terry Rozier will be our starting PG. The odds of that changing seem remote. Boston will need a BU at PG and he could come from free agency or Boston may find one in the 2nd round with their 51 pick but they are probably not going to spend big assets there.

Bol Bol has been mentioned several times. His stress fracture in his foot is a red flag however if he was to fall to the early 20's anything could happen.

The Celtics are still in pursuit of the Davis pipedream.

Claxton is rumored to have a promise in the 15 to 20 range, specifically at 17 from Atlanta.

Playing for Boston is not easy if you lack the ability to take and make a 3 point shot. This becomes particularly difficult for bigmen.

It is not like a guy rotates into the game and the offensive changes to enhance that particular player's skill.

I am somewhat surprised that Danny Ainge has not addressed this issue with Brad Stevens given the fact that Danny played with the best frontline in NBA history.

Scoring in the post is a great offensive strategy to employ.

dboss wrote:Playing for Boston is not easy if you lack the ability to take and make a 3 point shot.  This becomes particularly difficult for bigmen.

It is not like a guy rotates into the game and the offensive changes to enhance that particular player's skill.

I am somewhat surprised that Danny Ainge has not addressed this issue with Brad Stevens given the fact that Danny played with the best frontline in NBA history.  

Scoring in the post is a great offensive strategy to employ.  

Driving the lane and going to the charity stripe as a result is a great offensive strategy to employ. That, in my mind, is where we failed the most.

Most of our players that actually drove in the lane avoided contact (and then complained about a non-call immediately after).

Gyso true.

I would add that reliance solely on keeping the middle open for driving to the rim should be just one post option strategy. Big men who can score in the post make defenses collapse. That is another way to open up the 3 point shot. This team does not have a single guy that is reliable in a post offense and if they did would Stevens be able to make that a more prominent part of the offense?

New NBA Draft room mock
14: Tyler Herro
20: Kevin Porter Jr
22: PJ Washington
51: Jaylen Nowell

KyleCleric wrote:New NBA Draft room mock
14: Tyler Herro
20: Kevin Porter Jr
22: PJ Washington
51: Jaylen Nowell

that draft would be exact opposite of what I feel would be a good draft.

three guards and only one big man.

kdp59 wrote:

KyleCleric wrote:New NBA Draft room mock
14: Tyler Herro
20: Kevin Porter Jr
22: PJ Washington
51: Jaylen Nowell

that draft would be exact opposite of what I feel would be a good draft.

three guards and only one big man.

Yup. Herro and Porter are pretty much locked into that same position.

The new one on nbadraft.net-
14: Herro
20: Bol
22: Claxton
51: THT

The more I think about Bol Bol the less I am interested. There is the well documented stress fracture but the other issue is his lack of bulk. He weighs 208 lbs. This give you 2 red flags.

The last thing Boston needs is a lightweight center.

What concerns me most is that he gives up on plays. On the other hand, he’s so talented

Here's a look at how the rookie centers drafted in 2018 fared this past year.

http://bkref.com/tiny/Dpig4

swish

Giannis was a toothpick when he was drafted too but filled out nicely. On the other hand look at Bol Bol's father, Manute. He never filled out. How's Bol's ballhandling?


bob


.

bobheckler wrote:Giannis was a toothpick when he was drafted too but filled out nicely.  On the other hand look at Bol Bol's father, Manute.  He never filled out.  How's Bol's ballhandling?


bob


.

He’s fine with it. Him and Claxton are fairly natural ballhandlers.

Bol is a very skilled player, but extremely thin.  His position may be the 4, because he would be easily backed down in the paint.

He already has two strikes on him.

1. His foot issues over the long haul.  How will his feet stand up to the longer season in the pros?

2. As Kyle says, he tends to take plays off.  Even back to his high school days, it has been reported that he sometimes seemed disinterested in what was happening on the court. Is it a lack of drive?

He is an intriguing prospect, but I hope that the Celtics' staff does their homework.

gyso

swish wrote:Here's a look at how the rookie centers drafted in 2018 fared this past year.

 http://bkref.com/tiny/Dpig4

 swish

thanks for that....we all need a wake up call when it comes to draft time and our "expectations" of how much a rookie can help a team the first year (or first couple years).

this is why I always want Danny to pick older rookies in the bottom half of the first round or second, as they may be able to help faster than 19YOs.

of course their ceiling as an NBA player is likely lower than the younger guy, but lets be honest most players drafted after 15 never reach their ceiling anyway.

dboss wrote:The more I think about Bol Bol the less I am interested.  There is the well documented stress fracture but the other issue is his lack of bulk.  He weighs 208 lbs.  This give you 2 red flags.

The last thing Boston needs is a lightweight center.  

depends on if Danny keeps all three first for me.

if he does, I am drafting Bol at 20 if hes there...if he ends up another Fab Melo...OK.

he;s also 7-2 with a 7-7 wingspan, is fluid and can move and has a pretty good shot for a big man.

I also always like players who's father player pro sports and Manute had a long NBA career, even if he was more a curiosity back then.

Bol Bol by all accounts is more skilled than his father.

IF Danny only had one pick, I would likely shy away form drafting Bol... but with THREE picks....yeah, I'd go for it.

He might be the most dangerous player in this draft because of his upside. Bol puts everything together and he’s an elite player. It’d be very annoying a few years down the road, talking about whoever we take at 14 and that we passed on Spurs or Hawks superstar Bol Bol like Olynyk/Giannis.

kdp59 wrote:

KyleCleric wrote:New NBA Draft room mock
14: Tyler Herro
20: Kevin Porter Jr
22: PJ Washington
51: Jaylen Nowell

that draft would be exact opposite of what I feel would be a good draft.

three guards and only one big man.

Newest one is worse. They replaced Washington with Okpala

Getting to the point the mocks are a laugh fest.

I was just looking at the latest, and they have Kabengele going 15 to Detroit.

Consider Kabengele lately. Moving up the boards at a fast pace. Some have had him higher than 15

Now... Dude is a BACKUP at Florida St. Struggled to get playing time. Holes in his game left and right. Questions about the condition of his knees. How does this happen? He had a couple of big moments in the tourney. Oh, and he reportedly gives a killer interview.

The only thing funnier is if someone actually takes him in the first round.

Kabengele. Rhymes with Yabusele. Coincidence?

NYCelt wrote:Getting to the point the mocks are a laugh fest.

I was just looking at the latest, and they have Kabengele going 15 to Detroit.

Consider Kabengele lately. Moving up the boards at a fast pace. Some have had him higher than 15

Now... Dude is a BACKUP at Florida St. Struggled to get playing time. Holes in his game left and right. Questions about the condition of his knees. How does this happen? He had a couple of big moments in the tourney. Oh, and he reportedly gives a killer interview.

The only thing funnier is if someone actually takes him in the first round.

Kabengele. Rhymes with Yabusele. Coincidence?

NYCelt

To set the record straight Kabengele's biggest weakness is his passing and he picks up a lot of fouls because of his physical aggressive style of play. He was asked to come off the bench by his coach and won the ACC 6th man of the year award.  He still led FSU in scoring even though he came off the bench.  His knees checked out fine at the combine .  His skill set translates into the NBA.  Of all the top PF and centers, him, Bol and PJ Washington are the only ones who shoot well from deep.  He scores well at all 3 levels (50.2 % FG, 76.1% Ft and 36.9% from deep (shot 38.5% previous year)  

I have probably spent more time looking at Centers and PF this year than ever before.  I rate him as the #2 PF available in this draft behind Williamson.

There is talent to be had at 4 and 5 other than Kabengele and here are my findings.  I still think he is the best PF/C prospect and I think Fernando is the best center.

Bruno Fernando C  the only center that averaged 10 rebounds per game and he scored 13.8 ppg, , Nice low post skills, physically strong and was the overall top performer at center in the agility skills shuttle  run and three quarter sprint .  Long wingspan, Solid shot blocker, poor 3 point shooter, above average free throw shooter, plays with intensity. Great body.  

Jaxson Hayes PF/C Length, athleticism.  Good ft shooter, poor 3 pt shooter, solid shot blocker limited post skills. High energy. averaged 10 PPG and 5 rebounds.  Mostly a dunker.

Goga Bitadze C  did not participate in combine, averaged almost 15.9 PPG and 6.7 boards in 12 games in Serbia super league, average athleticism.  Poor shooter from deep and from the line.  Has size and decent length.  Deceptive post scorer.

Bol Bol C  Crazy length, can put the ball on the floor, Can score from everywhere.  Length provides ability to rebound and block shots.  Only played 9 games and remains an injury risk.  Lacks  bulk . Averaged 21 PPG and 9.6 rebounds but only played in 9 games.

Mfiondu Kabengele PF/C solid shooter from deep and at the line, nice wingspan, solid defender has size and length, runs the floor well can score in the post. high energy.  Great Body.  Averaged 13.2 PPG and 5.9 rebounds.
 
Nicholas Claxton PF Long and athletic but only 216 LBS. Below average shooter, solid shot blocker, slender frame. Averaged 13 PPG and 8.6 rebounds.

PJ Washington PF  undersized PF, physically strong, developing shooter,  solid wingspan. Great body. Scores in the post. did not participate in the strength and agility tests. Average 15.2 PPG and 7.5 rebounds.

Brandon Clarke PF undersized PF listed as  SF at combine and had great measurable except for the wingspan and his overall height  and weight (216)  Poor 3 pt and below average FT shooter.  Averaged 16.9 PPG and 8.6 rebounds.  Scores in the post.  High energy with big time hops. Above average defender for his size because of his quickness, timing  and leaping ability.

SI most recent mock here

https://www.si.com/nba/2019/06/17/nba-mock-draft-anthony-davis-trade-zion-williamson-ja-morant-rj-barrett-jarrett-culver-pelicans-grizzlies-knicks-lakers


they have the celtics picking:

14. Bitadze
20.K. Porter
22. Cam Johnson

NYCelt wrote:Getting to the point the mocks are a laugh fest.

I was just looking at the latest, and they have Kabengele going 15 to Detroit.

Consider Kabengele lately. Moving up the boards at a fast pace. Some have had him higher than 15

Now... Dude is a BACKUP at Florida St. Struggled to get playing time. Holes in his game left and right. Questions about the condition of his knees. How does this happen? He had a couple of big moments in the tourney. Oh, and he reportedly gives a killer interview.

The only thing funnier is if someone actually takes him in the first round.

Kabengele. Rhymes with Yabusele. Coincidence?

I was wondering what you felt about Kabengele...I'd say you pretty much let us know...LOL.


I'll take him and Bol...but then if I was a NBA GM I would probably get fired.

NBA draft net:
14: Herro
20: Bol
22: Kabengele
51: THT

NYCelt

Yea I like Kabengele but as I said there is frontline talent to be had.  Each and every prospect has some flaws and I am trying to find the one with the least flaws that also checks a lot of the boxes on the plus side for what Boston needs.  

So for example PJ Washington is similar to Kabengele but at 6' 8" he joins the 6 ' 8" club that is already on this team.   Bol has all the offensive skills and extreme length we could ever hope for but his potential for injury combined with his very slender frame is a problem.

I like the kid from Georgia (country) and I watched every snippet of film I could find.  I thought when comparing him to Fernando I thought Fernando had more advanced post scoring skills and can shoot Ft.  Goga is a poor FT shooter and a poor 3 point shooter.   Guys like Hayes and Claxton are long and athletic players but both of them have more developmental needs than the other also long and also athletic players.

None of the guys mention are particularly good passers particularly when you look at their assists to turnover ratios.

We need a long and athletic big man that can defend the paint and rebound the ball.   Most of the group here have decent shot blocking numbers in the  per game range.   Clark 3.2 , followed by Bol 2.7, Claxton 2.5, Haynes 2.2, Fernando 2.0, Kabengele 1.5, PJ 1.2 and  Bitadze, 1.0

If Boston also wants their big man to make shots in their pick and pop offense the options dwindle.  Bol and Kabengele are the only ones in the group that shoot well FG/FT/3PFG.  Some guys are quicker than others.  Fernando was tops in the 3 QTR sprint among centers.  And is the top rebounder among the group.   He also is the most skilled scorer in the post form all the film I have seen on all of these guys.

Kabengele looks like the best combination PF/C and Fernando is the best combination of strength, length and quickness  that contributes to his rebounding abilities and low post scoring skills among the centers.  

I'm greedy so I would take both of those guys.

kdp and dboss,

I'm less enthusiastic about several of the centers being mentioned.

I think the best bet is still Daniel Gafford, and he looks to have slid into the 20s.

After Gafford, I like Fernando, but he's Robert Williams, and we already have one.

I wouldn't touch Bol or Kabengele if you promised me court-side season tickets.

That being said, were I GM, I'd be looking to trade 14. This isn't a very deep draft, not really talented at all when it comes to any particular position. So if 14 has some value to another team, I'd move it for future considerations, or in a trade for an established big. I wouldn't use it to move up, because I don't think the talent is there. With the two picks in the 20s, I'd either go big, big, or maybe big, guard. Gafford, Jerome.

Having given my strategy, I've just guaranteed there is no way the Celtics will do anything close. I also just guaranteed Boston selects Bol and Kabengele! Guaranteed! You can thank me on draft night.

Regards