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The Hawks are now said to be leaning to Doncic, is he really a safe pick ?..

WCDawg

I know, yet another NBA draft thread, but it's tomorrow so it's the right time.
I just saw a talking head claim that thinking about length and athleticism is outdated....really.
I agree Doncic's skill set fits today's game, but it has to translate to The NBA, which requires athleticism.

All one needs do ( fancy wording) is look at the top 10 in scoring and assists in The NBA for 2017, they are all excellent athletes.
When I watch Doncic I'm concerned about whether he can get to the basket to break down defenses, I know he can pass in the open court and shoot a bit, but being it's a certainty you'll get far weaker defense with him than with either Jackson or Bamba, he needs to be exceptional in other areas to warrant being taken at #3, I'm not convinced he has the speed quickness or hops to make his game work at a high level in The NBA.

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Kasey

Highest floor in the draft imo

WCDawg

@Kasey said:
Highest floor in the draft imo

That would be Ayton, followed by Bagley.
I have little doubt both of them will be successful NBA players.

ChicagoDawg

Doncic is the surest pick in the NBA draft. He may not blow you away with measurables but his ability to see the court is off the charts. He will make everyone playing with him better. In the NBA he will need to improve his physical conditioning through training and diet to adjust to the rigors of NBA life. With the improved training you should see improvements in speed, lateral quickness, and jumping ability. He also has the ability to become a better shooter under the tutelage of the a strong shooting coach. As a player, he will not be the guy you see with the big dunk on ESPN's top ten plays, but with the right group of players around him, you are likely to see his team among the teams with the best record and playing at the end of the season consistently. I think if the Hawks are confident that they can sign him, he will be the pick.

WCDawg

@ChicagoDawg said:
Doncic is the surest pick in the NBA draft. He may not blow you away with measurables but his ability to see the court is off the charts. He will make everyone playing with him better. In the NBA he will need to improve his physical conditioning through training and diet to adjust to the rigors of NBA life. With the improved training you should see improvements in speed, lateral quickness, and jumping ability. He also has the ability to become a better shooter under the tutelage of the a strong shooting coach. As a player, he will not be the guy you see with the big dunk on ESPN's top ten plays, but with the right group of players around him, you are likely to see his team among the teams with the best record and playing at the end of the season consistently. I think if the Hawks are confident that they can sign him, he will be the pick.

I think Ayton is almost certain to be an excellent player, he's close to a can't miss barring injury.
Bagley has the athleticism and competitive drive to score big against elite athletes.
Doncic has skills, how transferable they are is questionable in my opinion.

donm

Isn’t he just 19. Isn’t that Euro-league pretty tough ? I don’t know if it’s tougher than D1, but it’s got to be close I think. Don’t see how the kid can miss. Still, there are two 6’11 kids that could help a lot. Can’t go wrong I don’t think.

VALDOSTADAWG

B B
A O A
M R G
B L
A E
Y

VALDOSTADAWG

@VALDOSTADAWG said:
B B
A O A
M R G
B L
A E

Well that didn't work lol. Either way I think Bamba and Bagley are the most ready to contribute right now.

ChicagoDawg

@WCDawg said:

@ChicagoDawg said:
Doncic is the surest pick in the NBA draft. He may not blow you away with measurables but his ability to see the court is off the charts. He will make everyone playing with him better. In the NBA he will need to improve his physical conditioning through training and diet to adjust to the rigors of NBA life. With the improved training you should see improvements in speed, lateral quickness, and jumping ability. He also has the ability to become a better shooter under the tutelage of the a strong shooting coach. As a player, he will not be the guy you see with the big dunk on ESPN's top ten plays, but with the right group of players around him, you are likely to see his team among the teams with the best record and playing at the end of the season consistently. I think if the Hawks are confident that they can sign him, he will be the pick.

I think Ayton is almost certain to be an excellent player, he's close to a can't miss barring injury.
Bagley has the athleticism and competitive drive to score big against elite athletes.
Doncic has skills, how transferable they are is questionable in my opinion.

I do not think Ayton or Bagley will be available to the Hawks. No doubt, they are both excellent prospects, but like any player they present risks. In Ayton's case, you have a 7 footer with no game on the block. He has always played on the perimeter. He will need a lot of development on his inside game to reach his potential. He will also need to hit the weights hard to develop the strength to play inside and rebound at both ends of the court. I think he will achieve all of that but it will take 2-3 years before he is a big time contributor on a good team.

Bagley is kind of the opposite of Ayton in that he needs to improve his shooting. He was only a 62% free throw shooter and in today's NBA everyone needs to be able to shoot if they are to become a star player. His basic mechanics are good so I think he will develop as a shooter over the next 2 years. I love his post up game and energy as you pointed out. He is also an excellent rebounder. He will need to add upper body strength like most big men coming into the league to rebound against the big boys. He will need to improve his lateral quickness as a defender, which I believe will happen.

Not knocking either of these guys - but Doncic is more of a sure thing. Doncic has already demonstrated the ability to compete at a high level against NBA and other professional players who are grown men with Real Madrid as the Euroleague MVP. The two big guys you mentioned are higher risk having played one year at the NCAA level, but both also have potential to be dominant players in the NBA.

umooner

@donm said:
Isn’t he just 19. Isn’t that Euro-league pretty tough ? I don’t know if it’s tougher than D1, but it’s got to be close I think. Don’t see how the kid can miss. Still, there are two 6’11 kids that could help a lot. Can’t go wrong I don’t think.

i think it’s definitely tougher than D1. I think you could argue the quality of athletes at top fleet college programs are better, but I don’t think it’s definitive, and Euroleague is more sophisticated for sure.

KyotoPhantasy

I said it before, the Hawks will regret not taking Bagley if available (big if). Dude should far and away be the top pick in the draft. In fact, I would try to move up to get him. He dominated in the best college BB conference.

Thelordjohnson

The safest pick in the draft and highest floor both come from Bagley. Jackson and Ayton have bust potential. Donic has a pretty high floor with the fact he has good court vision and when I look at PGs the scouts called non athletic (Kyrie and Steph) I would assume athletism doesn't beat out skill.

Thelordjohnson

I also was high on Micheal Porter Jr until injuries.

donm

@Thelordjohnson said:
I also was high on Micheal Porter Jr until injuries.

And if his injuries are healed?

coastaldawg

Didn't watch the Hawks last year and didn't watch any college games except UGAs. From what I know about Hawks roster, I'll just say that one player or one draft isn"t going to come close to turning them around. Need to draft whoever has the most potential to help them in the long run. Think there"s going to be a couple more years like last year before they build up their talent enough to compete.

WCDawg

@donm said:
Isn’t he just 19. Isn’t that Euro-league pretty tough ? I don’t know if it’s tougher than D1, but it’s got to be close I think. Don’t see how the kid can miss. Still, there are two 6’11 kids that could help a lot. Can’t go wrong I don’t think.

The Euro-League is considered the 2nd best in the world behind The NBA.
Still, most players who come from there do not fair as well against NBA athletes, that is why trying to estimate the athletic component is important. It's not like going from The Eastern Conference to the Western Conference in The NBA.
If he is The Hawks' pick, I'll be hopeful, I don't think he'll be a bust, but whether he'll be as valuable as some others on the board at #3 is another question.