The NBA TV Guys Mock Draft indicate that we should be taking Kawhi Leonard from SDSU as a complement to Daye if Tay leaves.... NBA Draft Lottery Preview: Raptors | NBA.com You may have to scroll down to the bottom of the page once the link opens to get Piston analysis
I like Kawhi Leonard a lot, and also like Thompson. They're probably the top two guys on my board assuming no one drops.
John Hollinger probably puts the most statistical analysis into his rankings. Here is a summary of his rankings and his top 60 board:
I've seen him hyping Thompson. He's slightly undersized but makes up for it with a huge reach. Maybe this guy is more interesting than I first thought. A solid defensive guy.
1. Kyrie Irving 2. Derrick Williams 3. Tristan Thompson 4. Jonas Valuncianas 5. Kawhi Leonard 6. Enes Kanter 7. Kemba Walker 8. Tobias Harris 9. Alec Burks 10. Jordan Hamilton 11. Bismack Biyombo 12. Brandon Knight 13. Tyler Honeycutt 14. Jon Leuer 15. Nikola Vucevic 16. Chris Singleton 17. Jan Vesely 18. Klay Thompson 19. Norris Cole 20. Iman Shumpert 21. Nikola Mirotic 22. Jimmer Fredette 23. Donatas Motiejunas I am surprised that Knight and Vesley are so low on his list compared to the other so called experts and mock drafts...
Two point guards on the fence Brandon Knight could go as high as the third pick, while Jimmer Fredette is also a likely lottery selection. Draft Rater is pretty lukewarm on both of them. Knight rates at 10.02 and Fredette rates at 10.45; unheralded Norris Cole of Cleveland State has a better rating than both. Each projects to have a career, but probably as a third guard or marginal starter. Draft Rater top-rated perimeter players Player Rating Kyrie Irving 15.14 Kawhi Leonard 13.21 Kemba Walker 12.75 Tyler Honeycutt 12.56 Jordan Hamilton 11.90 Alec Burks 11.87 Klay Thompson 10.88 Norris Cole 10.85 Jimmer Fredette 10.45 Chris Singleton 10.15 Brandon Knight 10.02 Darius Morris 9.57 Brad Wanamaker 9.57 Reggie Jackson 9.45 Damian Saunders 9.20 In Knight's case, as a one-and-done we have to acknowledge that the system hasn't rated players like him as accurately, although it has done very well with guards as a whole. Fredette has a slightly better rating in a larger body of work. Among point guards to rate between 10 and 11, the historical comps aren't great: One All-Star (Rajon Rondo), one really good player (Kyle Lowry), several halfway decent players (Luke Ridnour, D.J. Augustin, Jerryd Bayless, Mario Chalmers), and some end-of-bench filler (Darius Washington, Marcus Banks). I moved Knight up to 12th on my board to reflect that his one-and-done status may result in his being undervalued; on sheer rating he'd be in the 20s. Fredette I've left at 19 ... two spots behind Cole.
"The other top European prospect, Czech forward Jan Vesely, doesn't grade out nearly as well. His first-year PER translates to 10.72; while one supposes he would improve further from that point given his youth and athleticism, it still makes him somewhere south of a sure thing. I've listed him as a top-20 pick based on potential and the general weakness of this draft, but taking him in the top five or 10 would be a mistake."
Chad Ford: "I'm hearing that if either Leonard or Walker is on the board at No. 8, the Pistons are likely to take one of them. If both are gone, it's down to Biyombo, Tristan Thompson and Markieff Morris. The Pistons really like Valanciunas as well, but sources say they aren't willing to wait a year to get him."
Do you still want that Vucevic guy? I honestly am not sure what I want. I'd like Leonard to drop to us and then make the deal with Houston for their two first round picks.
As I mention some time ago, this is a deep draft that reflects many opportunities from 5 through the first round. But the aspect of deep dimensions only apply to those that know the hatch. It is not for those of deep water trolling...for it belongs to the fly-fisherman. Houston at 14 and 23. Projected: Chris Singleton (13); Marshon Brooks (23). Gets a little more interesting, doesn't it?
Yep, you're right; but this is OK. It's out there and for sure... transparency of known deficiencies, has been widely acknowledged. Just as long as he begins to listen and if this helps fine tune his strengths, so much the better. A different knowledge base is out there. A different sort of freedom. You no longer need darken corners and when you need to look up: it is eye to eye and never the downward shuffle.
The other "advantage" Dumars recently mentioned about missing the playoffs this year is that they have had about 2 full months of time that they dedicated to researching ALL of these NBA prospects. Joe said they know all of these guys better than in any previous year.
