[Striver347Participant]

 I’m actually pretty lost surrounding the idea why Memphis should exclusively consider Morant at #2. I think I’m in a clear minority where I think Memphis should absolutely consider Barrett, if not trade down altogether.

 

Didn’t Delon Wright and Jevon Carter actually play pretty well last season in Memphis uniform? As far as the few games/highlights I saw, they showed promise on both ends of the floor. Especially against Portland where I remember Delon gave Damian problems offensively. 

 

I’m not the greatest basketball analyst but from what I saw, Delon has a number of good things about his game including his defensive instincts, size, rebounding, and emerging shooting ability. He recorded a number of triple doubles last season also. Between Wright, Caboclo, and Jaron Jackson, it seems like Memphis has a nice trio in terms of potential, even though they’re all in different stages of their career. 

[Sewok15Participant]

 I think Morant is the no doubt #2 pick in this draft. I don’t think RJ is even a lock for number 3. Delon Wright can be solid but Ja Morant has the potential to be special. RJ will have a solid NBA career but I am not sold on him as a star player you want to build your franchise around. 

[Striver347Participant]

Memphis took Jaron Jackson Jr last year and there were people who thought he was selected far too early. Turns out he was drafted at just the right spot. Not sure people who watch TV (people like you and I) are the best talent evaluators.

Why wouldn’t Memphis draft Morant and trade their #2 down to a team later in the draft like say, Chicago, Phoenix, or Orlando, for some of their other young talents? Since we’re using the eye test to evaluate Barrett’s comprehensive talent, I could say Delon Wright looks rather promising and that Culver or Barrett may have potential that we don’t see. 

I’m just not sold that Morant is the pick for Memphis, even if he is the second best player in this draft. Didn’t Atlanta acquire Young after trading the rights to Doncic for him and a spare pick?

[Sewok15Participant]

staging.nbadraft.net/forum/2nd-best-bigman

"Jackson is already a good shooter and defender. He didn’t produce like he could have in East Lansing but he still showed flashes of big time ability.

The playoffs this season have shown how important it is to have versatile defenders. I would say Jackson could be the safest and also have one of the highest upsides.

Bagley will be the best scorer. Bamba should be the best shot blocker. But I think Jaren Jackson Jr. will give you enough of both to make him more valuable long term."

That was my quote on JJJ last year on May 15th…so I thought he was great pick for them. Just like Ja would be….not Barrett. I understand the value of getting more picks like Atlanta did for Doncic. I just don’t agree with it in this scenario unless you get some crazy offer.

Atlanta ended getting the 10th pick this year for dropping two spots last year. I wouldn’t call that a great trade. They will get a decent player for sure especially with their track record of drafting lately. However I think the jury is still out on Trae vs Luka…Young had the better 2nd half but you could argue Luka had a better overall season. It will be interesting to see in a few years how this trade truly worked out for both sides. 

 

 

 

 

 

[high floorParticipant]

Wright can play both guard spots, for the right $$ I would keep him if possible. I believe Morant will put up numbers, and he seems like a quality guy. But his game is predicated on the same types of things that Westbrook’s are…… and those Westbrook / Wall type of high usage point guards, without a significant off-ball game & non-threatening outside shot, are losing steam in today’s game.

I would trade down and still select a guard….. Darius Garland. Garland is a Nashville kid, right down the road. Keep Conley until the trade deadline, and flip him to an eastern conference team that needs a point guard looking to make some noise in the postseason.  That first 4-months of mentorship under Conley would be great for his assimilation to the league. Conley has a lot of strengths that Darius needs to work on (i.e decision making, defense, overall leadership characteristics) and it seems like a great match to me. If Garland and JJJ both reach their ceiling, they could form a devestating 1-2 punch in four to five years.

[Sewok15Participant]

Russ was 3rd team all NBA this year. His shooting is actually regressing which is rare. He went from shooting free throws at 82% as a rookie then 84% at 22 years old….he shot 66% from the line this year. The first year he averaged a triple double he shot 34% from 3…this year he shot 29% from 3. 

I think his style of play has taken a toll on his body. He is 30 years old and will likely only keep regressing at this point. He likely doesn’t practice as much as he used to and it shows. 

John Wall was also 3rd team all nba two years ago when he was last healthy. Injuries are the only thing that stopped him from being great. The arguement for the these hyper athletic point guards losing steam seems mostly health based as a result of their play style. 

Ja hasn’t been hurt yet but Garland has so I think that evens them out based on possibility of future injury. 

How many guys like Wall or Westbrook have come into the league and failed recently? 

De’Aaron Fox has been really good. Dennis Smith Jr has been ok and is still 21 with some big potential. Dejounte Murray looked good before injury. Fultz who really knows what his deal is time will tell I suppose…

I believe the reason you don’t see many PGs like Wall, Westbrook and Ja is because there aren’t many guys like that around.

Memphis was the worst offensive team in the league last year. Draft Ja they are no longer awful at scoring. It seems like a no brainer to me. I also thought Evan Turner was a no brainer for the Sixers number 2 overall so it can go either way. 

[zolaParticipant]

Grizzlies should keep Delon Wright. He’s just entering his prime. I hope he won’t cost more than 8-9 milion per year.

For almost ten years Grizzlies lack another guy besides Conley who can create for himself and a bit for the others. This year they finally have the opportunity to get such guy. Barrett was concensus no. 1 pick before the season started and probably because of that people are much harder on him than on the other guys. If we compare him with some recent SGs, he had better college carreer than Bradley Beal, Victor Oladipo, Andrew Wiggins, Devin Booker, Zach LaVine, Donovan Mitchell. Maybe Zion and Morant have higher cealling (that is also questionable) but for me Barrett is safer pick. Even if he doesn’t improve much his game, he’ll be 20+ points scorer in NBA, maybe even from day one. Guy is a natural scorer

[Sewok15Participant]

 Barrett is a natural scorer because he shoots 20 shots a game. Every player on that list has a better looking jumpshot than him. RJ litterally took over 10 more shots a game than Booker at KU or Oladipo did his last year at IU. 

Based on what I have seen I think he will struggle to score against NBA level athletes. His game doesn’t have a lot of finese. He will get his buckets and maybe he will come in and average 20….but no way will it be an efficient 20.

He shot 40% with 14 turnovers in his 3 tournament games that weren’t against a 16 seed. He only shot 30% from 3 on the season but sitll took over 6 a game. I don’t see that percentage getting better with a longer 3 point line. His shot just looks meh. People worry about Ja not being a great jump shooter but I would rather have my wings be knock down shooters than my PG. 

His assertiveness made him look way better than Reddish at Duke or Little at UNC but I think down the line they will all be comprable players. 

[Scrooge McDuckParticipant]

Nice prediction on JJJ. The unending hype for Barrett perplexes me. I’m better at predicting when a player will fail then when they’ll succeed.

[zolaParticipant]

Barrett was coached by Coach K. I suppose he knows why Barrett gets so many shots, more than Zion, Reddish, Jones. Barrett is criticized for his inefficiency, but Morant shot worse in his freshman season and had just 12 points per game in mid major conference. In his two college seasons Morant didn’t play against first round talent. We didn’t have the opportunity to see how efficient he would be against elite defences of Virginia, Texas Tech, Michigan State… Florida St beat Murray St by 30 points, that’s how big gap beetwin these conferences are. For me Morant is much more unproven player.

[The GoatParticipant]

 Memphis already said they are taking Morant, so unless they are lying to their fan base and sponsors, I’d have to think New York are on the clock, almost certain to take RJ.

This draft starts at #4. We’ll see if Lonzo packs his bags or not after the Bulls have picked at 7. I’m starting to think it’ll be Lonzo to Chicago, 4 & 7 then packaged by LA somewhere… I think it’ll be a completely shocking move too, someone like Ben Simmons to LA for the picks

[OhCanada-Participant]

 When did they say that? Link?

[HobbyOGParticipant]

 Reports out there..they haven’t "offically" said it..

http://www.grizzlybearblues.com/2019/5/15/18627119/report-memphis-grizzlies-will-select-ja-morant-2-overall-2019-nba-draft-lottery

[Sewok15Participant]

 Why would the Sixers trade Simmons for draft picks when they are in win now mode?

Unless they could flip 4 and 7 to the Wizards for Bradley Beal or something. 

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