Post by IanBoyd on Jan 30, 2017 10:15:04 GMT -6
All draft positions are based on current standings and win/loss record.
1.
Brandon Ingram SF 6'9'' 190 19 B- B C B- C+ AAfter winning the loaded 3043 lottery, the Toronto Raptors are once again projected to finish with the #1 odds heading into the 3044 draft. Although not as deep as last year's draft, Brandon Ingram as the headliner has the grade set of a future star in the making. Standing at a probable 6'10'' after a height increase, Ingram would instantly become one of the tallest SG eligible wings as soon as he enters the league, together with Fultz, rookie ladder snub Josh Hart and a talented Miles Bridges (currently playing for the Olympiacos probably), the Raptors have a very bright future as the youngsters develop together.
2.
Ben Simmons SF/PF 6'10'' 240 19 B+ C B C+ B+ AWith OG "AnyAntibody" Anunoby still being very raw and early in his development, the Lakers should look to find a running mate for standout rookie Jayson Tatum to pair with him in either the back court or the wings. Without a stud PG in the class, Ben Simmons at #2 in what many GMs consider as a 2 player draft is a no brainer pick. Possessing one of the more unique grade sets for a big man, Simmons can be grown to a full 6'11'' 275 lbs while still maintaining SF eligibility. If Ben can develop a 3 point shot in TC, he can offer the Lakers a devastating one two punch with Tatum in the wings.
3.
Buddy Hield SG 6'4'' 215 22 B- B+ C C+ C B After the top 2 picks the perceived talent level drops off a bit in the draft, that isn't to say there aren't solid players to pick. Buddy Hield brings to the table the highest scoring grade among all rookies. With Jewish Jordan and De'Aaron Fox already on the roster, Miami would be addressing their biggest need in finding a back court running mate for their young PGs. At B- B+ scoring and given a favorable TC, Buddy is likely the favorite to lead all rookies in scoring, should his defense develop a bit more and his 6'4'' size not hinter his rebounding abilities, Miami could very well have an all star shooting guard on their hands.
4.
Geoff Groselle PF/C 7'0'' 240 23 A D+ D+ B B- BFollowing what many among the league consider as having the best draft of 3043 despite not picking until the double digits, the Boston Celtics addressed potentially all the back-court and wing positions with the pickups of Josh Jackson, Dennis Smith Jr. and later rookie ladder standout Nigel Hayes in the early second round; The Celts will look to divert their attention to the needs in the front court. Enter Geoff Groselle, late trofie profile addition, Creighton prospect; the 23 year old big man obviously calls to attention the deja vu of Justin Patton from last year. Having complained vocally about 20s love for Creighton basketball might work out in dumptime's favor for once.
5.
Jamal Murray SG 6'4'' 207 20 C+ B C+ C+ C A The Spurs were the only team to make a jump in the 3043 lottery and to their fortune picked up Lonzo Ball, whom many considered after the summit as the best propsect in the draft. GM Bruns followed the draft with an encore of landing the best available free agent in the 23 year old scoring machine at small forward Marvin Williams. With Williams and Ball secured for the next 3 years, Jamal Murray and his outside shooting stroke makes the perfect complement for the Spurs. Being slightly undersized at 6'4'', Jamal Murray would benefit tremendously playing alongside a 6'6'' point guard as well as a 6'10'' small forward to mask any rebounding deficiencies he might have.
6.
Kris Dunn PG 6'4'' 210 22 B- C+ B B+ C BIn any other draft, Kris Dunn might have been secure in his position as a top 3 pick, having sublime handles and defensive grades before his first TC as well as that tantalizing C rebounding. But with many teams picking in the top 5 being in the unique situations of already having secured their point guards of the future, the loss of Kris Dunn's draft status is Denver's gain. TJ Ford, despite his A+ handles and excellent looking grades, is not the answer at PG after having shown very little development in the area of ball security. Dunn, on top of being likely less liberal with turnovers offers more size than Ford, whom at 6'0'' and only 160 lbs, is practically borderline a midget PG.
7. 
Thon Maker PF/C 7'1'' 216 19 (?) B- C+ C B- B- A
With Carmelo Anthony still on a rookie deal for the next few years, the Grizzlies biggest need in the off-season would be to secure the expiring Mike Bibby and Larry Hughes on long term and hopefully cheaper than max contracts. With there not being many elite wing talent left in the draft, Thon Maker at 1.7 makes a ton of sense for Vancouver. Its well known by now that big men are risky picks at the top of the lottery, especially those in the teens. However, in a relatively down draft year is worth a gamble for Gm andrewluck, should TC be kind to the 19 (?) year old bean pole, with a bit of TLC in terms of upgrades via SC/RC, Vancouver could possibly have the next Jermaine O'Neal on its hands in a few years.
8.
Jaylen Brown SF 6'5'' 225 20 B C C B- C+ A
In somewhat of a bit or ironic twist, having an inactive/nonexistent GM turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for the Hawks. After being buried in the depth charts ala Phil Ford for so long, Rafer Alston finally got his chance to shine this season, giving his potential new GM a bright spot in an otherwise hopeless roster. Paul Pierce is an expiring rookie and has proved nothing in 4 years that he'll be worth the max contract he'll likely demand, Atlanta needs to re-sign Skip 2 My Lou on a max deal and look for suitable running mates for him. Jaylen Brown's C outside scoring at SF is not ideal, but with a bit of TC luck and upgrades in his 3 point shooting/jump shot, Brown should at least be better than Paul Pierce.
9.
Malik Beasley SG 6'5'' 196 20 B- B- C- C+ C A
The Bulls roster is a mess and GM lip is in the unfortunate situation that no team wants to be in: sim purgatory. With not nearly enough talent to even challenge for possible playoff berths and too many mediocre but not horrible enough players to tank, Chicago needs to hit the reset button and commit to fully tanking for the upcoming loaded Tim Duncan/Tracy McGrady draft. In the mean time, with the 9th pick of the draft, the Bulls should select the best available player left that isn't a point guard, that being Malik Beasley. With proper development, Beasley could eventually become a solid starter for the Bulls should that C- handles not result in being too turnover prone.
10.
Jakob Poeltl PF/C 7'0'' 259 21 B- C- D+ B B B
Orlando is in a similar situation to the Bulls, but their roster is not nearly as bleak. Having signed Chris Paul to a full 7 year max deal in the off-season, the Magic is all in on CP3 and Shaq to contend (for 8th seeds?). The rest of the starting lineup however, isn't nearly playoff quality yet. With Shaq being a volume shooting big and likely no proven SG eligible wings left in the draft, the best thing GM mj can do would be to pair The Big Diesel with a competent partner down low for a bit of twin tower offense. Poeltl, up until the addition of the Creighton big man to the profile ranks was the best NBA ready big, with some TC luck, Jakob could have a Chris Kaman like rookie campaign playing alongside Shaq in the interior.
11.(From Bucks) Taurean Prince SF/PF 6'8'' 220 22 B- B- C- B- C+ B
The second lottery pick from the Bulls in this draft via the Bucks should look to address similar needs as their 9th pick. Ideally this pick should be traded so the roster isn't loaded with too many not good enough players to sabotage the tank, but for the sake of this article, assuming the pick is made, Taurean Prince would be a good addition to Chicago with a late lottery pick. Despite not having any grades above B-, Prince is a well rounded wing player that could provide some immediate help to a roster devoid of any proven talent in the wing.
12.
Wade Baldwin PG/SG 6'4'' 204 20 C+ B- C+ B- C B
After landing Lebron James and Malik Monk in back to back drafts, the Kings have decided to end their tanking campaign ahead of schedule and shift gears into contending mode. The biggest need for GM 2poor is finding at least a serviceable point man the run the offense after Monk proved that he's better suited as an undersized SG rather than a point guard. Unlike last year's draft, which was loaded with point guard talent, the 3044 draft is pretty barren for point guards outside of Kris Dunn, Baldwin is the only prospect left that deserves lottery consideration. Having C rebounding at point guard is always a benefit, and with C+ handles, he's already ahead of where Malik Monk was in terms of a point guard prospect at this time last year.
13. (From Rockets) Henry Ellenson PF/C 6'11'' 245 20 B C+ C- C+ B B
The last pick of the lottery via the Rockets comes full circle as we venture back to Toronto. With there not likely a Josh Jackson free fall worthy of trading up for, the Raptors should start to look at addressing the front court needs after having secured their perimeter players of the future in Fultz, Hart, Miles and Ingram. With B potential and B- C- scoring grades, Ellenson isn't likely to blossom into a star big man, but with the final lottery pick, GM handsome pete could do a lot worse than a a 6'11'' big with B/B d/r.
Thon Maker PF/C 7'1'' 216 19 (?) B- C+ C B- B- A With Carmelo Anthony still on a rookie deal for the next few years, the Grizzlies biggest need in the off-season would be to secure the expiring Mike Bibby and Larry Hughes on long term and hopefully cheaper than max contracts. With there not being many elite wing talent left in the draft, Thon Maker at 1.7 makes a ton of sense for Vancouver. Its well known by now that big men are risky picks at the top of the lottery, especially those in the teens. However, in a relatively down draft year is worth a gamble for Gm andrewluck, should TC be kind to the 19 (?) year old bean pole, with a bit of TLC in terms of upgrades via SC/RC, Vancouver could possibly have the next Jermaine O'Neal on its hands in a few years.
8.
Jaylen Brown SF 6'5'' 225 20 B C C B- C+ AIn somewhat of a bit or ironic twist, having an inactive/nonexistent GM turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for the Hawks. After being buried in the depth charts ala Phil Ford for so long, Rafer Alston finally got his chance to shine this season, giving his potential new GM a bright spot in an otherwise hopeless roster. Paul Pierce is an expiring rookie and has proved nothing in 4 years that he'll be worth the max contract he'll likely demand, Atlanta needs to re-sign Skip 2 My Lou on a max deal and look for suitable running mates for him. Jaylen Brown's C outside scoring at SF is not ideal, but with a bit of TC luck and upgrades in his 3 point shooting/jump shot, Brown should at least be better than Paul Pierce.
9.
Malik Beasley SG 6'5'' 196 20 B- B- C- C+ C A The Bulls roster is a mess and GM lip is in the unfortunate situation that no team wants to be in: sim purgatory. With not nearly enough talent to even challenge for possible playoff berths and too many mediocre but not horrible enough players to tank, Chicago needs to hit the reset button and commit to fully tanking for the upcoming loaded Tim Duncan/Tracy McGrady draft. In the mean time, with the 9th pick of the draft, the Bulls should select the best available player left that isn't a point guard, that being Malik Beasley. With proper development, Beasley could eventually become a solid starter for the Bulls should that C- handles not result in being too turnover prone.
10.
Jakob Poeltl PF/C 7'0'' 259 21 B- C- D+ B B BOrlando is in a similar situation to the Bulls, but their roster is not nearly as bleak. Having signed Chris Paul to a full 7 year max deal in the off-season, the Magic is all in on CP3 and Shaq to contend (for 8th seeds?). The rest of the starting lineup however, isn't nearly playoff quality yet. With Shaq being a volume shooting big and likely no proven SG eligible wings left in the draft, the best thing GM mj can do would be to pair The Big Diesel with a competent partner down low for a bit of twin tower offense. Poeltl, up until the addition of the Creighton big man to the profile ranks was the best NBA ready big, with some TC luck, Jakob could have a Chris Kaman like rookie campaign playing alongside Shaq in the interior.
11.
(From Bucks) Taurean Prince SF/PF 6'8'' 220 22 B- B- C- B- C+ B The second lottery pick from the Bulls in this draft via the Bucks should look to address similar needs as their 9th pick. Ideally this pick should be traded so the roster isn't loaded with too many not good enough players to sabotage the tank, but for the sake of this article, assuming the pick is made, Taurean Prince would be a good addition to Chicago with a late lottery pick. Despite not having any grades above B-, Prince is a well rounded wing player that could provide some immediate help to a roster devoid of any proven talent in the wing.
12.
Wade Baldwin PG/SG 6'4'' 204 20 C+ B- C+ B- C BAfter landing Lebron James and Malik Monk in back to back drafts, the Kings have decided to end their tanking campaign ahead of schedule and shift gears into contending mode. The biggest need for GM 2poor is finding at least a serviceable point man the run the offense after Monk proved that he's better suited as an undersized SG rather than a point guard. Unlike last year's draft, which was loaded with point guard talent, the 3044 draft is pretty barren for point guards outside of Kris Dunn, Baldwin is the only prospect left that deserves lottery consideration. Having C rebounding at point guard is always a benefit, and with C+ handles, he's already ahead of where Malik Monk was in terms of a point guard prospect at this time last year.
13.
(From Rockets) Henry Ellenson PF/C 6'11'' 245 20 B C+ C- C+ B B The last pick of the lottery via the Rockets comes full circle as we venture back to Toronto. With there not likely a Josh Jackson free fall worthy of trading up for, the Raptors should start to look at addressing the front court needs after having secured their perimeter players of the future in Fultz, Hart, Miles and Ingram. With B potential and B- C- scoring grades, Ellenson isn't likely to blossom into a star big man, but with the final lottery pick, GM handsome pete could do a lot worse than a a 6'11'' big with B/B d/r.
