2020 nba offseason draft free agency etc

lol

What's going on with the top three prospects?
James Wiseman's departure

Wiseman's surprise decision to abandon his Memphis Tigers team midseason just as his NCAA-mandated suspension was nearing its end brought additional scrutiny about his perceived lack of competitiveness among NBA teams.

This has been a lingering concern for Wiseman, as he had already been prone in the past to pick and choose when to play and whether to operate at maximum intensity. That isn't ideal for a modern NBA big man who doesn't have proven shooting range or a means of creating offense consistently off the dribble.

At the moment, Wiseman's candidacy for the top pick consists of two impressive performances against overmatched opponents in South Carolina State and Illinois-Chicago, an inconsistent, foul-plagued showing against Oregon and a strong month on the high school all-star circuit last spring. That body of work leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering the concerns teams have about the ability of big men in his mold -- lacking elite defensive feel or money 3-point touch -- to affect an NBA game.

LaMelo Ball's unknowns

Ball rocketed to the top of some draft boards in the fall with his special combination of size, ballhandling, creativity and passing instincts. However, many skeptical teams did not make it a priority to scout his early-season National Basketball League games, and now a foot injury from early December could cause him to miss the rest of the season.

Most NBA decision-makers projected to be picking at the top of the 2020 draft never got a chance to evaluate Ball live in Australia, despite the early signs indicating he was more than worth their time, which in hindsight was a crucial mistake.

The fact that Ball has missed most of the NBL season because of injury -- something that has also been an issue for his brother, Lonzo, in the NBA -- won't do anything to quell the myriad concerns teams already had about him at the top of the draft. Along with his durability, the questions primarily stem from his reportedly erratic work ethic, potential distractions generated by his father, LaVar, and his glaring inconsistency with defense, perimeter shooting and general half-court scoring prowess.

Ball has clear No. 1 pick talent, but NBA teams still need a lot of convincing to feel comfortable that he has a good chance to realize his full potential.

Anthony Edwards' inconsistency

Edwards might gradually emerge as the consensus safest pick at the top of the draft, which is odd considering the Georgia guard has yet to put together a full game in which he is locked in from start to finish: operating at maximum intensity, making good decisions with the ball consistently and finding ways to use his tremendous tools to make an impact on both ends of the floor.

The theoretical version of Edwards at his peak -- a long-armed, hyperathletic, multipositional guard who can dribble, pass, shoot and defend -- is far more enticing at the moment than what he has actually shown.

To this point in the season, he has been plagued with inconsistency, passivity and inefficiency, but his extreme youth, less-than-ideal team situation and flashes of brilliance in small doses seemingly give him an edge. Those inconsistencies are not as worrisome to NBA executives as the major red flags his competitors for No. 1 carry.

Edwards still has quite a bit to prove over the next two months, but the door is wide open for him to emerge as the presumptive favorite.

Ball is still a candidate for the No. 1 pick, but there remains a lot of uncertainty among NBA evaluators. Setbacks caused by a lack of scouting opportunities Wiseman's abrupt desertion, combined with injuries to Ball and North Carolina guard Cole Anthony, have brought to the forefront a long-bubbling conversation in scouting circles pertaining to the NBA's self-imposed handicaps for evaluating future draft picks.

Outside of a handful of camps and all-star settings -- such as the McDonald's All American Game, the Nike Hoop Summit, the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp and the USA Basketball junior national team minicamp -- NBA scouts are restricted in their exposure to top high school talent before those prospects enroll in college. Scouts aren't allowed to watch elite prospects in their most natural settings (high school and AAU games), as the 2005 age limit intentionally restricted NBA scouts' ability to travel to games for youth prospects over a year away from draft eligibility.

More and more, NBA teams are asking why these outdated rules -- which are rife with confusion regarding who can and can't be scouted -- are still in place. Many expect a push to come soon that will allow scouts to return to high school gyms, even without the one-and-done rule going away.

Since the age limit was instituted, there have been numerous examples of players being drafted despite playing only a handful of college games -- or none at all, in the case of Darius Bazley and Mitchell Robinson. Injuries to the likes of Kyrie Irving and Darius Garland showed young prospects that the NBA isn't afraid to pick players in the top five even if they've played only a fraction of a season. The extreme case of Dante Exum, in which the Australian sat out an entire season to protect the draft stock he built up at the FIBA level and was nevertheless picked in the top five, showed the benefits of withholding scouting opportunities.

Now, more prospects feel that there's no need to risk injury or poor play knowing that the NBA has rarely shied away from selecting players due to limited information if there's intriguing upside attached.

From a basketball development standpoint, there's a strong case to be made that top prospects considering this strategy might very well be costing themselves the valuable experience of playing in big games, participating in practices, engaging in film sessions, undergoing skill-development training and handling legitimate feedback through the ups and downs of an actual season. It's one thing to be drafted high in the lottery, but it's another altogether to be ready to compete and excel in the NBA.

There's a real chance that none of the top seven players currently in our top 100 NBA draft rankings ends up playing a single NCAA tournament game. The entire top half of the lottery not playing in the tourney would be unprecedented in draft history, further costing NBA teams opportunities to evaluate prospects in high-stakes situations.

A number of scouts are concerned that the lowering of the age limit back down to 18 could cause elite prospects to take the drastic step of skipping their senior years of high school altogether, which would lead to further confusion in player evaluation. So it's no surprise that the chatter around one-and-done going away has screeched to a halt, as executives have encouraged their owners to tell NBA commissioner Adam Silver how opposed they are to making draft decisions on high schoolers yet again.

everyone gonna be looking to trade their draft picks

There aren't any Zions or Lukas lurking out there for 2020, but there could easily be a Kawhi.

I feel like RJ Hampton will be the highest upside guy outside the top 5. Has an “it factor” to me.

idk i feel like after rj barretts struggles teams might be weary of selecting another rj

That’s gonna be a factor no doubt

Through 12 games, Ball averaged 17 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, while shooting 37.7 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond the arc. NBA scouts are intrigued by the California-native point guard skillset for his 6’7 frame, yet still have questions about his suspect jump-shot, which he struggled with over the season

https://www.foxsports.com.au/basketball/nbl/lamelo-ball-nbl-news-stats-injury-update-latest-illawarra-hawks-shutting-down/news-story/8013a5ec7305ce0e624f1e0cba42bb97

that famous ball jumper

why is he projected as a top 3 pick idgi

everyone who missed out on lonzo is chomping at the bit to get another shot

why is he projected as a top 3 pick idgi

― omg what did you type to find this gif? (Spottie), Thursday, January 16, 2020 12:25 PM (thirty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

because there's no one that teams like any better

yeah no ones feeling this draft

Anybody wanna post some Givony content

http://insider.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/28484246/nba-draft-international-scouting-notebook-lottery-picks-more-intel

i put it in the thread for c&p

Some guy named Pokusevski has all of a sudden entered the top 10 mix.

Thanks goon btw

yaya

I was looking at the grizz and they are insanely under the cap this offseason and there’s lots of small forward free agents, their only position that seems to be an issue. Might be worth overpaying one of them.

Add giannis and they'd be pretty tough

Like why not just throw a ton at Davis Bertans

Morant-Brooks-Bertans-JJJ-Jonas would be a hard team to defend that’s for sure

Sad to say as a Georgia grad that I’ve never seen Anthony Edwards play. I guess he’d be nice next to trae. Confused why everyone has us passing on Wiseman just because capella is there now.

yeah thats silly

I saw him play Great Balls of Fire on piano once, but never basketball. Maybe with Eriq La Salle at some point?

da big day

The NBA draft lottery is tonight at 8:30PM EST on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/orfzsg0auk

— •Association Addict• (@AA_BallTalk) August 20, 2020

fingers crossed

i like that they changed the odds and number of spots so that the teams with less shot still have some shot not like .0001%

i also like that the 1-3 worst record have equal shot and it's not a guarantee at all. like gs could have the #5 pick thatd be great

yeah if the warriors get the 5 pick thats a good system

This is one of those drafts where it feels like the best player is gonna go 9th

11th* (if thats the spurs pick)

i also like that the 1-3 worst record have equal shot and it's not a guarantee at all. like gs could have the #5 pick thatd be great

― methinks dababy doth bop shit too much (m bison), Thursday, August 20, 2020 11:00 AM (forty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah if the warriors get the 5 pick thats a good system

― lag∞n, Thursday, August 20, 2020 11:00 AM (forty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

whoa you guys are rude. they deserve the top pick they are just scrappy underdogs trying to get back into the playoffs next year sheesh #WeBelieve

lol

i have faith those guys are gonna be the cinderellas of the ball

spurs deserve the top pick every time they miss the playoffs so i am rooting for SA it is right

Lol knicks

Lol hawks

wow cursed no longer

lucky for the hornets who prob needed it more than half the teams below them

I think Anthony Edwards could be good, if he ends up on the right team and plays like his hair’s on fire he could be a Russ type. But he can’t shoot for shit.

Is Anthony Edwards nickname "Goose"? If not, can we make that happen?

It would surprise me if Edwards doesn’t become a good shooter tbh

Tim Duncan is the only player in the lottery era to be selected No. 1 overall and lead his original franchise to multiple titles.

crazy fact!

guess theyre leaving bron out since he left and came back

also the cavs only won one title :-p you are thinking of his time with the multiple time champion miami heat

i dont know them

we had over a week straight of 4 games b2b2b2b daily and now im missing it. felt like march madness watching 1030 am hoop.

yeah that sched is fun for sure

NBA is moving toward pushing back this year's draft, scheduled for Oct. 16, along with Oct. 18 start of free agency, partly because of likelihood that the tentative opening of the 2020-21 season will be delayed from Dec. 1, per sources. Also allows more time to set a salary cap. https://t.co/Sv2i5EqAsp

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 25, 2020

There’s not that many guys in the pre-lotto era that did it other than Magic, are there?

hadn't seen the other thread. joined

o/ = hand raised

ronron 4 life

It’s so crazy to me. I literally pissed away a complete career and still walked away with A ring , citizenship award (lol) , third team all nba , multiple all defense teams, all star , DPOY while being depressed and putting in for retirement at 23yrs old. Lol

— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorld37) December 19, 2020

Nice thx xp.

heat’s new derrick jones jr has looked good in the preseason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJW48H5e2vw

is it just me or are there way more players with "jr" after their name these days

Hey good to hear this. A complicated dude

Michael Porter Jr.: “Everybody knows Will’s a starter. Him saying that shouldn’t have been blown up the way it was bc he has started, he has produced. That’s not immature or anything on his part. He views himself as a starter. I view myself as a starter.”

Said sacrifice is key.

— Mike Singer (@msinger) December 19, 2020

ball

Oh, brother. pic.twitter.com/9B0ZAKSKFu

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) December 20, 2020

oh man

i thought he was gonna be a bust bc he cant shoot and would get bullied as a defender, but my god his passing is beautiful

I think the Twolves fucked up

I think the Twolves fucked up

aint shit new

btw fyi the leading rookie scorer during the preseason is DEVIN VASSELL

my thought process is like this
1. who is devin vassell
2. should i look it up
3. hes prob just whoever the spurs drafted
4. fin

He’s really good but I think he had an injury teams didn’t like

i think in lots of mock drafts ppl had the suns taking him but the suns did the suns thing and made a crazy draft pick so then the spurs got him

devo had no major injury history that im aware of, tho he did have a pre-draft video of him shooting with weird mechanics. with derrick white and keldon johnson injured he has been the spurs' best player in the preseason. he's going to be a steals machine.

and also he can shoot from multiple spots on the floor, that helps a lot

Rudy Gobert has agreed to a 5-year, $205M extension with the Jazz, he told ESPN. It’s the biggest contract ever for a big man. Gobert: “It means they believe in me. They believe in what we’ve been building over the years with this whole organization.” https://t.co/hPJwYMdSS5

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 20, 2020

utah is all-in on being pretty good.

yeah lol - the curse of the small market, they do need to make the difference between the max and super max not count against the cap

If bubble Donovan mitchell is Donovan mitchell 2021 then I’d say they have a pretty bright future! Conley thing didn’t work tho.

Kawhi Leonard, referencing his own potential free agency, said he's "just focused on this season."

Added that: "If I stay healthy, the best decision is to decline the player option but it doesn't mean I'm staying or leaving."

— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) December 21, 2020

oh ok

bored man gets paid

Los Angeles Clippers guard Luke Kennard has agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension, his agents Aaron Mintz and Dave Spahn of @caa_sports tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2020

that seems like a lot

life is really working out for luke kennard

its a good time to be a shooter in the nba

hoisting is here to stay

Markelle Fultz has agreed to a three-year, $50 million extension with Orlando, his agent Raymond Brothers of @RocNationSports tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2020

well that contract isn't going to kill anybody. given that there was a time when it looked like his earnings potential was nonexistent, i'm happy for him.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1341154388484775937

Unlike the famous song, it turns out that Anunoby does stay in one place anymore...

broken link :( "Toronto Raptors forward O.G. Anunoby has agreed to a four-year, $72 million extension"

Remarkable rise for Anunoby, who arrived at Indiana for Tom Crean as the 294th ranked high school senior and entered the draft with Wilkes with a torn ACL on the way to the Raptors selecting him 23rd overall in 2017.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2020

how else are those scoops gonna keep going to him

wow. he is someone who i thought could make really serious money next offseason.

Spurs 73/4 Derrick White yeee-ha

Seeing a lot of people agree with this frankly insane opinion

Good for Fultz and Isaac getting those contracts. One is hurt, one was written off by a lot of people. Could actually be really nice value for the Magic as well

— Josh Lloyd (@redrock_bball) December 21, 2020

My big issue with Kennard is that he seems like the kind of guy who will fall out of the league with one injury. Rooting for him tho, he’s one of the biggest overachievers in the league

It seems most charitable to interpret the statement "could actually be really nice value for the Magic as well" as incorporating its logical extension "or it could be a big mistake, who knows? Not me!"

Josh Lloyd sees basketball through a fantasy basketball prism ime

isaac's an incredible defender but he has missed 100 games in the last 3 years and will miss the next 72.

so uhhhhhh missing half your possible games for the first 4 years of your playing career doesnt bode well.

Unclear to me that Isaac ever plays a full season again

Josh Lloyd sees basketball through a fantasy basketball prism ime

My big issue with Kennard is that he seems like the kind of guy who will fall out of the league with one injury. Rooting for him tho, he’s one of the biggest overachievers in the league

― Matt Armstrong, Monday, December 21, 2020 7:21 PM (yesterday)

lol he was a 5 star recruit who went to duke and was a lottery pick. the most you could say about him is that he has achieved. and that might be generous

wow owned

He’s one of the most unathletic guys in the league. Yes he was a top 25 recruit in 2015, but that happens a lot to shooters who can’t really play in the NBA

i mean... i guess. there’s dozens on dozens of players who have overachieved more than a guy with that pedigree

NBA 2020-21 reg season 1st half thread