Under the radar/underrated players in this year's draft ...

[BallsOfFurry]

I'll start with Calib Swanigan.
The 6'10'' 255lb sophomore from Purdue averaged 18.5 pts. 12.5 rebounds and 3 assist last season.
He has a 7' 3.5'' wingspan and a 9.0 standing reach. He is projected to go early in the 2nd round, the knock being his supposed limited athleticism.
He has an old school back to the basket game where he establishes himself by boxing out in the low post, getting the ball and working for a shot with really good skill. He has a good baby hook from either side and with either hand. He has a short turn around jumper and bank shot.
He also can shoot the 3 with accuracy and pass well out of double teams or find the cutter and hit him in stride.
He comes from a very rough background till he was taken in by an AAU couch his older brother put him in touch with. He weighed 360lb at 6'2'' in the 8th grade. He is said to be the hardest worker and most determined player any of his coaches have worked with.
I want my Hawks to take this kid with the 30th pick, he might end up being something special.

Your turn.

 

[wildturkey]

John Collins

 

[BallsOfFurry]

John Collins

Collins is getting a decent amount of ink, I'm not sure how I feel about him.

 

[wildturkey]

Collins is getting a decent amount of ink, I'm not sure how I feel about him.

He put a pretty lackluster WF team on his back and carried them to the NCAA tournament. It looks like now he's going to be a late lottery (maybe even 10) pick so he's not much of a sleeper pick as he was a couple of months ago. But if I had to pick a guy that could have star potential outside of the guys you hear about at the top of the draft, I'd go with John Collins. Could be a real stud of a PF. He's sort of like an early career Chris Bosh

One thing he'll need to improve on though is a 3 point shot. He doesn't shoot them. AT ALL. Don't know if its because he can't or just never showed it, but he'll need a decent one in the NBA if he's going to be a star.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

He put a pretty lackluster WF team on his back and carried them to the NCAA tournament. It looks like now he's going to be a late lottery (maybe even 10) pick so he's not much of a sleeper pick as he was a couple of months ago. But if I had to pick a guy that could have star potential outside of the guys you hear about at the top of the draft, I'd go with John Collins. Could be a real stud of a PF. He's sort of like an early career Chris Bosh

One thing he'll need to improve on though is a 3 point shot. He doesn't shoot them. AT ALL. Don't know if its because he can't or just never showed it, but he'll need a decent one in the NBA if he's going to be a star.

I wouldn't want The Hawks to take any player who hasn't displayed the ability to shoot and pass. We have a great rebounder who blocks shots and can score under the basket, he is awful in our motion offense, Howard is of course the slug I'm referring to.
I think Collins is high risk in today's game.

 

[The Q]

Collins was super efficient though. His PER was higher than Brow's in college, which is just ridiculous.

I just read he shot pretty well in some shooting drills during a workout though, so there may be some shooting potential there.

 

[The Q]

I'll add a few:

Jordan Bell: he's not gonna be a star, but he has elite defensive versatility, can rebound and block shots and is an efficient offensive player. He'll play in this league for a while.

Sindarius Thornwell & Devin Robinson: classic 3 and D type players in the NBA. They will play in the NBA for a while IMO.

Alec Peters: a stretch 4 type. Again probably not a star but has some Chandler Parsons in him.

Bam Adebayo: some mocks have him in round 2. Way too low for my tastes.

Harry Giles is hard guy to peg, top 3 talent, but the injuries and his clear lack of confidence in his body this season are concerning.

Jonathan Jeanne is super long, needs to put on some weight but had a great PER for a 19 year old kid playing pro in Europe.

Zach Collins at 10 is too low IMO.

 

[trojanfan12]

Lavar Ball

 

[Great Dayne]

Marcus Kene averaged 30 5 and 5. Dude could be better than Isaiah Thomas. He's not even on a single mock draft right now. It must suck to be 5'9" 175 lbs.

 

[The Q]

Marcus Kene averaged 30 5 and 5. Dude could be better than Isaiah Thomas. He's not even on a single mock draft right now. It must suck to be 5'9" 175 lbs.

It's hard to play at the outliers.

There have been guys like Isaiah before, but then there are plenty of tiny guys who just don't make it.

 

[redseat]

Harry Giles is hard guy to peg, top 3 talent, but the injuries and his clear lack of confidence in his body this season are concerning.

I'd think he'd have to bulk up a ton before he became anything in the NBA. Never got to truly see this kid play fully healthy... At Duke when he played he just seemed like he was going through the motions and I hated that!

 

[Great Dayne]

It's hard to play at the outliers.

There have been guys like Isaiah before, but then there are plenty of tiny guys who just don't make it.

In the end I look at production and how they produced despite their size. This guy was efficient while chucking like AI and he didn't have a system it was him just dominating the game by himself. I know the competition wasn't great but I'd be willing to take this guy in the second round for sure.

I assume he won't get drafted and will have to try out for the D league since he's a midget and played against weak competition. After averaging 30+ in the D league for a year I assume he will at least get a chance to ball at the pro level.

 

[The Q]

In the end I look at production and how they produced despite their size. This guy was efficient while chucking like AI and he didn't have a system it was him just dominating the game by himself. I know the competition wasn't great but I'd be willing to take this guy in the second round for sure.

I assume he won't get drafted and will have to try out for the D league since he's a midget and played against weak competition. After averaging 30+ in the D league for a year I assume he will at least get a chance to ball at the pro level.

Kay Felder didn't have much success this year in the NBA.

 

[The Q]

Harry Giles is hard guy to peg, top 3 talent, but the injuries and his clear lack of confidence in his body this season are concerning.

I'd think he'd have to bulk up a ton before he became anything in the NBA. Never got to truly see this kid play fully healthy... At Duke when he played he just seemed like he was going through the motions and I hated that!

I think he was just tentative.

 

[redseat]

I think he was just tentative.

Possibly.... and I get that as well but I just didn't like it, haha

 

[shopson67]

In the end I look at production and how they produced despite their size. This guy was efficient while chucking like AI and he didn't have a system it was him just dominating the game by himself. I know the competition wasn't great but I'd be willing to take this guy in the second round for sure.

I assume he won't get drafted and will have to try out for the D league since he's a midget and played against weak competition. After averaging 30+ in the D league for a year I assume he will at least get a chance to ball at the pro level.

It really comes down to whether or not he can defend his position. Defense is half the game. The trend is towards more position-less basketball, with players able to switch defensively (which means bigger guards).

IT is having a monster season, but don't be surprised if the Celtics eventually move on without him. Can you max out a small guard that can't defend?

 

[Great Dayne]

Kay Felder didn't have much success this year in the NBA.

Ok??? He's a different player and it was only his first season. He wasn't as efficient and didn't score as much as Kene at the college level.

 

[The Q]

It really comes down to whether or not he can defend his position. Defense is half the game. The trend is towards more position-less basketball, with players able to switch defensively (which means bigger guards).

IT is having a monster season, but don't be surprised if the Celtics eventually move on without him. Can you max out a small guard that can't defend?

Yes, you max out his value by trading him this summer.

 

[shopson67]

Yes, you max out his value by trading him this summer.

That's not really maxing out his value. How much value can you get for $6M+ in cap space? He's way underpaid, limiting that trade return.

 

[CitySushi]

Under the radar for me:

1) Bam Adebayo. I think whoever gets him is going to get a really solid player. I think he'll be similar to a Clint Capela. He was mostly a finisher with UK, but with some development on the offensive end, he could turn into a beast.

2) Alec Peters. In a draft with a lot of stretch 4's, I think he's getting really overlooked. He looks like a Ryan Anderson clone to me. He's not the most athletic guy, but he's projected in the mid to late 2nd round and think he'll be a steal for teams. Fantastic scorer and solid rebounder. He's not going to be a star, but may have a solid role from an early point.