RSSBot
News Junkie
Joe Timmerman/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
WHERE WILL CODY, TRISTAN AND KJ GO?
Welcome to the Ralphie Report’s NBA Draft coverage, presented by a writer who can name mayyybe ten starters on the Colorado Buffaloes football team.
While this doesn’t excuse my lack of knowledge or care about what Deion is cooking up, it is CU-relevant that not one, not two, but three BasketBuffs are expected to hear their name on Thursday or Friday night.
Of course, those Buffs would be Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson, each of whom will be the subject of a player profiles that will be published in the next few days.
1. Atlanta Hawks — Donovan Clingan, C, UConn
2. Washington Wizards — Alexandre Sarr, PF, Perth Wildcats (Australia)
3. Houston Rockets — Reed Sheppard, PG/SG, Kentucky
4. San Antonio Spurs — Zaccharie Risacher, SF, JL Bourg (France)
5. Detroit Pistons — Matas Buzeilis, PF, G League Ignite (USA)
6. Spurs (via Hornets) — Stephon Castle, SG, UConn
7. Portland Trail Blazers — Cody Williams, SF, Colorado
Williams is a strange prospect in that the experts who are highest on him expect the least of him. Cody isn’t his brother Jalen. He doesn’t have star upside because his handle is rudimentary and his pull-up game is non-existent. He’s going to struggle early because of his inconsistent shooting and lack of strength on defense. But if a team is willing to give him time to learn and grow into his body, and he isn’t asked to do too much right away, he’s going to become a versatile role player who hits open shots, attacks closeouts and makes winning plays on both side of the floor.
8. Charlotte Hornets (via Spurs) — Devin Carter, SG, Providence
Devin Carter deserves a special shoutout as not just as a Cherry Creek standout — his dad Anthony Carter was a role player on the Nuggets
9. Memphis Grizzlies — Zach Edey, C, Purdue
10. Utah Jazz — Nikola Topić, PG, Crvena zvezda (Serbia)
11. Chicago Bulls — Dalton Knecht, SG/SF, Tennessee
Another Colorado kid, Knecht is from Henderson, played JUCO ball up in Sterling and then balled out for two years at Norther Colorado. The Buffs tried their best to recruit him, but he ended up at Tennessee, where he was all but unguardable when heathly. He’s an older prospect, but he’s a late bloomer who’s NBA-caliber athleticism and jump shot gives him more upside than most super seniors.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder — Tristan da Silva, SF/PF, Colorado
It’s doubtful he goes this high, but the Thunder are looking for rotation players who can contribute right away on their rookie contacts. Da Silva offers shooting and playmaking at a position of need, plays within the flow of the offense, and is a cagey defender, even if he’s a so-so athlete.
13. Sacramento Kings — Ron Holland, SG/SF, G League Ignite (USA)
14. Blazers — Tidjane Salaun, PF, Cholet (France)
15. Miami Heat — Rob Dillingham, PG, Kentucky
16. Philadelphia 76ers — Jared McCain, SG, Duke
17. Los Angeles Lakers — Kyle Filipkowski, PF/C, Duke
18. Orlando Magic — Ajay Mitchell, PG/SG, UC Santa Barbara
19. Toronto Raptors — Bub Carrington, SG, Pittsburgh
Both Ajay Mitchell and Bub Carrington get some attention here as under-the-radar upside picks in this weak draft class. Mitchell is an older prospect who can’t shoot much and isn’t that athletic, but he’s got a deep bag, is polished and patient, and is too smart to not figure it out. As for Carrington, that boy is nice. It’s going to take time, but not many prospects show his ability to get to his spots, read the floor like he does, and look as comfortable taking pull-up jumpers.
20. Cleveland Cavaliers — Ja’Kobe Walter, SG, Baylor
21. New Orleans Pelicans — Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana
22. Phoenix Suns — DaRon Holmes, PF/C, Dayton
23. Milwaukee Bucks — Johnny Furphy, SG/SF, Kansas
24. New York Knicks — Ryan Dunn, SF, Virginia
25. Indiana Pacers (via Knicks) — Jaylon Tyson, SF, California
26. Wizards — Isaiah Collier, PG, USC
27. Minnesota Timberwolves — Pacome Dadiet, SG, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
28. Denver Nuggets — A.J. Johnson, SG, Illawarra Hawks
29. Utah Jazz — Tyler Smith, PF, G League Ignite
30. Boston Celtics — P.J. Hall, PF/C, Clemson
Just to get a few hot takes out of the way. Ware doesn’t have enough weight in the ass to be a rotation player in the NBA. Dunn is Andre Roberson with less offensive game. Collier plays like washed Russell Westbrook and that’s not a good thing. Johnson is going to be the steal of the draft if his team lets him cook in the G League for a couple years. I also think P.J. Hall has a bit of Nenê to his game and I can’t be the only one seeing it.
...
46. LA Clippers — KJ Simpson, PG, Colorado
Whoever drafts KJ — either as a second rounder or undrafted — is getting someone who will fight tooth and nail to not only make the squad, but crack the rotation. Any obstacle in front of Simpson is a personal challenge. Sometimes that’s to the team’s detriment when he plays too much hero ball, but if he can shift that energy into playing elite on-ball defense and moving without the ball, he can stick around in the league.
And finally, here’s my final Big Board. No one should care about this, but it’s fun for me to publish and then look back on in a few years.
Tier 1 — All-Star Upside
1. Zaccharie Risacher
2. Stephon Castle
3. Donovan Clingan
4. Alexandre Sarr
5. Reed Sheppard
Tier 2 — Productive Role Players
6. Devin Carter
7. Cody Williams
8. Dalton Knecht
9. Tristan da Silva
Tier 3 — On-Ball Upside
10. Ajay Mitchell
11. Bub Carrington
12. Rob Dillingham
13. Nikola Topić
14. Jared McCain
Tier 4 — Mystery Box
15. Ron Holland
16. A.J. Johnson
17. Zach Edey
18. Tidjane Salaun
19. Matas Buzelis
Tier 5 — Rotation Hopefuls
20. Tyler Smith
21. DaRon Holmes
22. Tyler Kolek, PG, Marquette
23. P.J. Hall
24. Ryan Dunn
25. Kyle Filipkowski
26. Baylor Scheierman, SF, Creighton
27. Jaylon Tyson
Tier 6 — Raw Potential
28. Johnny Furphy
29. Ja’Kobe Walter
30. Cam Christie, SG, Minnesota
31. Pacôme Dadiet
32. Bobi Klintman, PF, Cairns Taipans (Australia)
33. Isaiah Collier
34. Yves Missi, C, Baylor
35. Kel’el Ware
36. KyShawn George, SG, Miami
Tier 6 — Roster Hopefuls
37. Cam Spencer, SG, UConn
38. Kevin McCullar, SG, Kansas
39. Jamal Shead, PG/SG, Houston
40. Jaylen Wells, Washington State
41. Nikola Djurišić, SF, Mega Basket (Serbia)
42. Keshad Johnson, PF, Arizona
43. KJ Simpson
44. Oso Ighodaro, C, Marquette
45. Jonathan Mogbo, C, San Francisco
46. Juan Núñez, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
47. Entrique Freeman, C, Akron
48. Anton Watson, PF, Gonzaga
49. Adem Bona, C, UCLA
50. Tristen Newton, SG, UConn
by Sam Metivier
Continue reading...