Please ignore the low three-point percentage. Will go toe-to-toe versus a slashing ball-handler and decide to immediately cease activity (see: correlation with instances that would involve contact), Can be seen overreacting to jabs and fakes, often with a lunge, putting himself out of position, Habitually loses sight of his man in a variety of scenarios. Microwave backup scorers aren’t as valuable as other archetypes, but Harris is certainly good and complete enough as a bucket-getter to stick on an NBA bench, with some tail end sixth man upside. Tyrell Terry is the first of four non-primary guards in this range, all with varying skillsets and ranges of outcomes. In the past, floater would on occasion resemble a set shot; during others, would feature a double-clutch and inconsistent wrist extension. Defensively, Hayes has transformed from a liability on the ball and a good team defender to arguably the best guard defender in the class at his position. A 6’7 forward who is a great bet to shoot, make smart decisions with solid playmaking and heady team defense, Tres Tinkle’s path to rotation four-man equity is easy to conceive. For much of his youth career, Hayes profiled as a wizard playmaker with serious athletic and defensive limitations. All of that comes with a massive asterisk, though, as Edwards’ wiring and decision-making could render all of that goodness obsolete. He has a long way to go before he can survive defensively on an NBA floor, but his upside as an off-ball scoring wing is real. ), and still growing–has recently put on a little muscle, Long legs, high center of balance. Therefore, I prioritized the prospects who can add value in the playoffs and bring teams closer to titles in my rankings. Thus, I use a tier system to add more depth, as the primary purpose of tiers is to delineate large gaps in value that a straight numerical ranking fails to show. If you prefer a prospect to another I have ranked higher, there’s likely a good case for it, especially in a draft like this one. He’ll need to prove he can thrive on the ball to be more than a bench combo guard. He’s currently raw in many areas of basketball: decision-making, handling creation, team defensive feel, and despite his classification as a freshman, he’s already 21 — 13 months older than Zion Williamson. Joe is more than an elite shooter (despite the efficiency, his elite volume and shot versatility are massively positive for his shooting projection), and he creates space off of the dribble, with snatches and step-backs, and can slip pocket passes and other pick-and-roll feeds. Wiseman isn’t a bad prospect by any means and is a solid bet for a long NBA career — maybe even an All-star appearance or two. Green’s flaws are significant offensively — he’s a horrific, right-hand dominant finisher and an average at best, low confidence spot-up shooter. Login to add posts to your read later list, Positive recent indicators in regards to development and utility of floaters. Flashes define Reggie Perry’s appeal. The defensive end is still Wesson’s area of concern though, as at 6’9, he might not be vertically explosive or mobile enough to have an area of defensive specialty. If not, he probably won’t add much value outside of spacing. He’s a good weak side rim protector, but he can’t play the four because a team asking Toppin to defend on the perimeter is sentencing their defense to death. save. For all prospects, not just primary creators, basketball intelligence is the most important trait to me. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets have selected former Illawarra Hawks point guard LaMelo Ball.The youngest Ball … Athletic tools are critical, but they must exist in conjunction with decision-making and the ability to apply those tools. He is a good horizontal athlete, less good vertically, with shifty change of direction and control of pace as a handler. Some might be surprised to find Edwards excluded from my top tier — and I’ve spent many hours grappling with that myself, but I’m partly ignoring my own philosophy with this ranking. Defensively, he’s a rare playmaker, with rim protection instincts few players rival. If that happens, he’s the type of complementary piece that elevates a good team to new heights. 6 comments. This year (2K21 next gen) I made a 6'10 max strength, max wingspan power forward, that also gets a 86 vertical attribute. His lack of strength is debilitating on both ends as, defensively, he’s not strong or technically sound enough to hold up at the five, and he’s a bad finisher on the offensive end. A textbook floor raiser, James Wiseman’s skills help a bad team much more than a good one. He’s burly and sturdy enough to fight through screens and mirror on the ball. ... unlike in the U.S most of the time is just to show off ypur vertical atheleticsm and played with just bucnch off wannabe cool kids. The Ball Brothers are headed to Lithuania! Sometimes inserts a backwards lean involving a kick-out, which offsets his balance. Particularly without the built in “going against pros” excuse. Max vertical leap: 25.5 inches ... LaMelo Ball Injury LeBron James Injury Elite short-roll and post passing, elite, ambidextrous finishing in the post, on the roll and on drives, and good enough spot-up shooting make for a perfect complementary big. The key to his on-ball upside is a reliable off-dribble three-pointer and a more diverse intermediate game. Shows rapid-fire dribbles involving both hands. He’s a special passer for his size, trying and connecting on some ridiculous deliveries in pick-and-roll and in transition. Tyler Bey’s defensive highs are some of the highest in the class. Widely touted for his versatility, Deni Avdija’s aptitude in a few areas builds his case as a complementary four, projecting into a similar role as Williams despite a different playstyle and different skills. There is no true primary initiator or franchise-changing star. As the NBA spaces out further and the court widens, defenses counter that with ground coverage, breeding the “three-and-rim-protection four”, an archetype increasing in popularity. Optimizing Okoro offensively requires some ingenuity as his spotty outside shot means teams can ignore him if an offense stations him in the corner. The rest of his game is unspectacular, but Elleby’s size and shooting potential bodes interest late in the second or on a two-way deal. That pull-up shooting was sustained through the whole season, powering his top three case by way of genuine difficult shotmaking upside. He’s going to be a significant negative on defense and he isn’t bursty or explosive enough to self create at all, but in a pick-and-roll dominated league, Winston has a place. Derrick White, Colorado (Senior) Stats: 18.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.4 APG, 50.7% FG, 39.6% 3FG. For more Pelicans talk, subscribe to The Bird Calls podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. spot-up threes this season. He’s an ideal draft-and-stash candidate, hoping his confidence as a shooter increases. His shooting projection is hard to grasp, but it is undeniably intriguing. He is now a capable point-of-attack stopper, adding refined technique to improved lateral movement and strength. To tank or not to tank? A former No. Avdija’s speed and passing translates beautifully to transition and he’s best offensively off of the ball, where his elite cutting and secondary pick-and-roll playmaking shine. The energetic Israeli guard’s playmaking flair and defensive instincts stand out, but the shot must improve for him to stick. Those are the obstacles for Vital, but he’s one of the best guard defenders in this class. As a rookie, he contributed valuable minutes on a conference championship team, shocking many unaware NBA fans. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. But at 6’6 with an okay jumper and elite vertical athleticism, he’s worth a bet in the second round as a rotation wing/combo gamble. His skills elevate good teams and scale with high-end talent, which is exactly what I’m looking for along with savvy general managers. Check out Borisa Simanic’s shooting numbers over the past five seasons or so. While he lacks a great handle, N’Doye’s combination of touch and foul-drawing skills provide optimism for his slashing upside. Simple cause and effect leading to loss of efficiency in the lane: as he creates separation, rim protection enters the picture, and LaMelo’s shot goes short as he falls away from the defender(s) in an imbalanced fashion, LaMelo’s shot is starting to come around in terms of rhythm and consistency with mechanics, but there are still numerous red flags. The rest of Anthony’s offensive repertoire is problematic as his burst and one-foot explosion in traffic proved a massive problem for his advantage creation and finishing. He’s not a plus decision maker or advantage creator, doesn’t project to shoot off of the dribble threes and is a poor mover on defense with average instincts. Though he slices to the rim at will, he can’t finish due to poor vertical explosion and strength (under 50% at the rim in the half court) and he’s not an advanced pick-and-roll operator. Florida State’s de facto point guard has a murky offensive projection, however. Questions about Ball’s character are far overblown in my opinion, as there’s no substantial evidence to doubt his drive or worth ethic. Offensively, he’s a prototype modern offensive big man, with the handle and passing to thrive as in dribble handoffs, on the roll and in the post. Offensively, he’s a daring and manipulative passer, one of the best in the class. LaMelo Ball remains the biggest mystery in this year's NBA draft. The 2020 class is weaker than most, largely due to its lack of high-end talent. But his floor is equally low if his shooting, which is iffy, and his defense, which is bleak, don’t significantly improve. Posted Sat, May 09 2020. That’s tough to find. Passing improvement will be something to track as he progressed as a short roll and post passer as the season went on. 4 out of 5 stars (25) $ 12.56. 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