1. What was the biggest surprise pick of the first 13 picks?
IamQuailman Biggest surprise... many may go with Jokic over Wiggins, but I'm going to go with the Pistons picks #9-10 being simmed. I mean I'm not surprised, but I am surprised that they were not made/list wasn't sent after the Pistons' GM has been skating on thin ice in terms of retaining his job. With new GMs lining up to take job openings, you would think that there would be some sense of urgency to appear active.
NickMalone77 I think the biggest surprise of the first 13 picks is either Jokic going #1 instead of Wiggins or Nurkic falling to 8. The Magic needed size so I could see them going with Saric but given Nurkic skill and rebounding ability already at age 19, Nurkic is gonna be a force in Philly if DeMarcus Cousins never fully pans out.
ballsohard I'm going to kind of cop out with this one, but the Knicks not trading out of the 6 pick and taking Clarkson.With being willing to move and having Vuc on the block i thought for sure a team would take the opportunity to get younger and package the two together.
Inner_GI I think the biggest surprise, even to myself, was picking Jokic #1. He was graded as the best player in the draft on my board,
but I fully expected to draft the fit. That was 100% wiggins, but I just couldn't convince myself to pass up a super unique big man. I'm still trying to come to grasps with what I've done...
Nola For me, it was Jokic going #1. Not because he wasn't worth the pick, but because I was starting to wonder if I was the only GMbto have Jokic as my #1 guy on the board. Turns out I wasn't. Wiggins looks great and will be a better scorer, but for a big man there aren't many with an all around game like him. Closest I can think of is Noah who just won a ring.
2. Who do you think picked outside the top 5 has the best chance to establish a very good career in the league?
IamQuailman I think Clarkson is ready now, and he could be an immediate impact coming out. However, I think Jusuf Nurkic could be another guy to watch out for. He has all the classic big man traits, and could be huge for the Sixers should Cousins continue to struggle with his foul problems.
NickMalone77 I think given the minutes and time to develop, I could easily see Randle in San Antonio having an excellent career or even Zach LaVine in Philly. Both in situations where both can see plenty of minutes to develop and play with the caliber of players that they can learn from and excel with together. Also wouldn't count out Marcus Smart with NOLA for his defensive tenacity playing with Dame and Parker.
ballsohard I think Marcus Smart has a chance to have a great career with the Hornets. He's going on a team that has two dynomite scorers in Lillard and Parker. They also have Lillard doing the ball handling on offense, so he won't be square peg round holed into a starting PG spot. He'll be able to use his natural talents as an off guard being able to guard the best offensive guy and knock down 3's.
Inner_GI Jusuf Nurkic has the best chance. He's on a team with a good GM/Coach. He will get plenty of minutes because Cousins can't stay on the court, and I'm confident BallSoHard will develop a big man to fill Cousin's void if the long awaited trade happens. C'mon... we all expect Cousins back in Sacramento when Tyson retires, right?
3. Who was at the top of your draft board?Nola Clarkson. I felt this guy was the obvious #6 guy after the top 5. When you can score, you can carve a spot on any roster and get minutes. Clarkson has the look of a very good 6th man that can average 15 ppg in his prime, which would be excellent coming off the bench.
IamQuailman #1 for me, if I had the pick, would have been Jokic. However, that's from a Bucks perspective; pass happy players are always welcome. Based on overall talent, Wiggins was #1.
NickMalone77 Having the 4th pick, I know I was on the outside looking in but had to figure Wiggins-Jokic would go 1-3 in some shape or form. Then after that, Embiid and Parker either going 3 or 4. After that it was a crap shoot but there's still a bunch of players in this draft that can help a lot of teams out. I was really high on Nurkic, LaVine, and Smart as secondary players that definitely weren't going to last by the 20th pick. Traded up and satisfied with getting Smart into the gold.
ballsohard Andrew Wiggins with Jokic right there. Jokic is a ver unique player and sometimes i think players with unique skills muddy the water, even for me. Jokic reminds me of Robert Horry of years ago which had such a skillset the league hadent seen that he was a little pver drafted and valued. Jokic probably won't fall into that category since he can do mostly everything, but i think Wiggins was a little overlooked.
Inner_GI Grade wise: Jokic. He only has one potential lower than a C and it's PRD. He's a do it all big man, that needs work athletically.
Wiggins on the other hand looks like the pure scorer. I've had a lot of pure scorers in the past, and I always dislike having them. AI, Melo, Middleton.
They are just not fun to coach.
4. How would you grade this year's draft class? Did the league gain any new super stars?Nola I answered this with the first question. Jokic was my #1 guy I'd take on my team.
IamQuailman Last year's draft was very top heavy, like most drafts. However, unlike last year, there are quite a few players available after the lotto that could easily be solid rotation players on many teams. I would give this draft a B to B+ in terms of star power, and I would give this draft a A- for depth. As for superstars, Wiggins has a real opportunity to shine in this league, especially on the Wolves. He becomes their #1 scoring option long term (immediately he may struggle though).
NickMalone77 I think the league gained at least 4-5 stars with a bunch of really good players that can be significant factors on a lot of teams rotations. I think this draft honestly is the strongest class we've seen in at least the last 5 years. That's how good I think this class can be.
ballsohard It's unlikely. It looks like we have 3-5 guys who can make a lot of all star games, but im not sure we have any future HOF guys. I think Joel Embiid has the best skillset for it, but im not sure he can stay on the court enough for it.
Inner_GI I think this is a very good draft. I think the one superstar in this draft is probably Wiggins because statistically he will look very nice. Overall this draft was pretty deep. The first 5 picks are all potential all-stars, and up until pick 14-15 you were still getting very nice rotation guys, and couple potential starters.
5. With this being the last IRL player draft, do you think this will change how draft picks are valued in the future?Nola This class, barring no TC kills or boosts, seems solid. I don't think there will be a big star, with the closest being Wiggins, but the top 5-6 guys all have a chance to be really good. A big thing will be what the GMs do for training if they go that route, and how much they invest in them. In this class, I can easily see 3 all stars at one point or another in the future.
IamQuailman With the college game coming out, teams will be going in blind in terms of draft expectations. I think we may see less trades of draft picks in the off-season, but once draft classes become more apparent in season (closer to trade deadline), picks may become more available. That said, expect competing teams to still not give a crap and ship out future picks to win now. It's a new era for the league, and we are all excited to see how this plays out.
NickMalone77 I think the idea of the unknown will lead to teams being more conservative with their picks. I'm sad to see Karl Anthony Towns or Porzingis or Devin Booker not being able to play but the idea of the random college draft will lead to a lot more intrigue. Thus, holding onto more picks.
ballsohard Cheap talent which gives you rights to retain said player will always be in high demand. All in all, i think what i just said added to the traning system makes the draft even more important. being able to improve your players potentials so readily i think people are going to start home growing talent instead of trying to pry them away in RFA. Good contracts and player fit will be more essntial than ever.
Inner_GI I think everyone will be very cautious in the beginning in trading any picks away, but once we see that first draft file, I think the flood markets will open up again. This year we had 4 of the top 10 picks belonging to a different team. That seems very high.
Nola Short-term for sure. With uncertainty comes hesitancy, so it's only natural for GMs to not go all out on an uncertain outcome. The draft files were created by importing actual, real life stats of real players. We will now see a transformation from the college sim and the players. Will we see top tier PGs with A potential in block but D in pass? We don't know how these randomly generated players will work out. After several seasons we will get a feel for things to come. If drafts remain strong, picks will be strong too. If drafts get weaker, well, points may become the most important currency for trades.
