Official 2022 NBA Draft thread

[CGD]

Liking EJ Lindell the more I watch. Wouldn’t be bad with one of the later picks

[TD 21]

I'd agree with you that it was a shorter run than the 60s Celtics, 80s Lakers, 90s Bulls, etc., but I still think having a five year run with a 73 win season sandwiched in between two 67 win seasons plus three les is good enough material for a modern day NBA dynasty. It seems this debate got a little off track though-- the original point was that they built the core of their team primarily through the relatively ordinary draft picks of a #7 + a #11 + a #35, and I'd still say that's pretty impressive. Teams like Sacramento, the Knicks, and quite a few others have consistently had similar or better chances and not even produced playoff teams.

Durant's a whole other topic, but I've always sided with him & the Warriors on that one. Staying with Westbrook would've simply been a bad basketball decision on Durant's part, and I think more & more people are seeing that. I can't fault a guy for wanting to play with guys who play the right way fundamentally over anchoring himself to Russ. People were dazzled by Westbrook's number for a while, but most have come around now to the opinion that his style of play-- low efficiency shooting, poor shot selection, laziness on defense, high usage rate, high turnovers-- is not conducive to winning championships. I'd judge Durant more harshly if he'd stayed in OKC for sentimental reasons, ignoring the fact that it wasn't the best move to make at the time.

I agree the standards should be shorter for a modern day dynasty, but 3 (one highly questionable, two tainted) in 5 years is still not enough and the regular season wins only mean so much.

Yeah, impressively lucky . . . and yes, I consider the Spurs and all the others luck too. Other than generational prospects like Robinson and Duncan, the idea that any of those teams had a clue that the majority of their core would become the players/fit they became, is absurd.

Durant could have played anywhere and in addition to those two teams, had meetings with the Celtics, Clippers, Heat and Spurs. If he were leaving the Thunder for so called altruistic basketball reasons, he could have come to the Spurs.

Instead, it was about taking the easy way out. I agree that he shoulders too much of the blame though. Their core (particularly golden boy) deserve their fair share.

[wildbill2u]

What does our group of draft gurus think about New Mexico State player Teddy Allen. Saw him in the tournament and was impressed by how he took over the game on offense for the Lobos in their upset win.

I know, I know, we already have plenty of 6'6" players, but he looks like a natural shooter and none of them are. He's also pretty damn burly although listed at only 212 lbs..

He was WAC player of the year.

[Kurik]

Liking EJ Lindell the more I watch. Wouldn’t be bad with one of the later picks

Liddell is my favorite for the 3rd FRP, he needs to work on his ball security though he was pretty rough at the end of the game and lost a couple critical possessions. Would love to see him off the bench as a scorer in a sort of Spurs Rudy Gay role plus the ability to block on the weak side.

[tonight...you]

Lord. Chet looks like a tired, withered husk of a human.
Dude can ball though.

[PhantomDashCam]

What does our group of draft gurus think about New Mexico State player Teddy Allen. Saw him in the tournament and was impressed by how he took over the game on offense for the Lobos in their upset win.

I know, I know, we already have plenty of 6'6" players, but he looks like a natural shooter and none of them are. He's also pretty damn burly although listed at only 212 lbs..

He was WAC player of the year.

I think he's tough as nails and plays with an edge. I also think he's probably as anti-Spur as it gets when I've seen him interviewed multiple times. Here's an example:


My thinking is he'll go the P.J Tucker route.
Play overseas for a bit and then some team will take a flyer on him and may play a role in the future.

[PhantomDashCam]

Zeus' boy...Does that mean his nickname should be Hercules??

May not make it to late teens...

[objective]

Watched 6 quarters of Spagnolo ... based on that tiny sample, he's an atrocious defender. Eaten alive by nobodies.

He's like a combination of Forbes and Marco. Physically weak, upright, just bad.

[Kurik]

Johnny Davis is out of the top 10 for me, I think he is a good player but he has definitely struggled with tougher compe ion and the 3pt shot may be a struggle for him. If he fell to the second first round pick it would be a no brainer to pick him.

[CGD]

Liddell is my favorite for the 3rd FRP, he needs to work on his ball security though he was pretty rough at the end of the game and lost a couple critical possessions. Would love to see him off the bench as a scorer in a sort of Spurs Rudy Gay role plus the ability to block on the weak side.

I like him in that range. Will need to work on his body though (seems a little squishy).

[CGD]

Johnny Davis is out of the top 10 for me, I think he is a good player but he has definitely struggled with tougher compe ion and the 3pt shot may be a struggle for him. If he fell to the second first round pick it would be a no brainer to pick him.

It’s always hard to tell if it’s the player or the team when it comes to Wisconsin players. They play an atrociously painful to watch brand of defensive basketball that results in looooooow scoring games.

[Maddog]

It’s always hard to tell if it’s the player or the team when it comes to Wisconsin players. They play an atrociously painful to watch brand of defensive basketball that results in looooooow scoring games.

Man First time in a long time watching college basketball
It's sorta of painful.
I'm checking Davis off, was unimpressed. Caveat is I'm really bad at evaluating potential draftees

[CGD]

Man First time in a long time watching college basketball
It's sorta of painful.
I'm checking Davis off, was unimpressed. Caveat is I'm really bad at evaluating potential draftees

The Duke/MSU game was excellently played and the closest I’ve seen so far to “nba speed.” But the gulf is still big. These tourneys reminds me just how talented the pros are.

[Mr. Body]

Man First time in a long time watching college basketball
It's sorta of painful.
I'm checking Davis off, was unimpressed. Caveat is I'm really bad at evaluating potential draftees

College basketball is clearly played by amateurs. Guards who can barely bring the ball up the court. Poor shooters.

[MultiTroll]

Another meaningless win to move the Spurs draft chances back.

Yah!

[BackHome]

Yep, were going to draft a great bench warmer but at least wont hurt our draft chances in 2023

[Mr. Body]

He hasn't been on my radar as I don't think the Spurs need a SG or swing, but Mathurin is making big plays in an intense game between AZ and TCU.

[Mr. Body]

Holy , Mathurin's awesome.

[Drewlius]

Ya dude Mathurin is the play if he is still going to fall to our range, he might be shooting up after this tourny is all said and done though.

[Mr. Body]

Imagine having a guy who wants the ball in the clutch and works to get things done.

[Kurik]

Mathurin has been playing at a high level for most of the year and has the character the Spurs covet. He's a few steps above any wing the Spurs have offensively.

[mystargtr34]

Yeah I've liked Mathurin this year, he may not be a bad consolation prize if the Spurs end up in the 8-10 range of the draft. It still leaves the Spurs with a big hole at the 4 spot.

Assuming Smith, Holmgren, Banchero, Ivey are gone in the first 4 picks, you are left with Murray, Griffin, Sharpe, Duren, Mathurin, Sochan.

That's 6 guys I could live with with the Spurs first pick depending on where that pick is. Some are higher risk and higher potential (Sharpe) while others have higher floors and lower ceilings (Sochan).

[mystargtr34]

Im intrigued by Mark Williams from Duke with the later first round pick. Would probably have to be the Toronto pick in the 18-20 range. 7 footer with a reported 7-8 wingspan. Mike Schmitz on twitter said he apparently has a 9'8 standing reach which is ridiculous. That's Rudy Robert type length. Even a super long guy like Javale McGee 'only' has a 9'5 standing reach, which would be one of the longest in the entire league. He could backup Jakob for a season or two while he develops and would make Jakob a good trade option to improve the team in other areas.

[BatManu20]

Im intrigued by Mark Williams from Duke with the later first round pick. Would probably have to be the Toronto pick in the 18-20 range. 7 footer with a reported 7-8 wingspan. Mike Schmitz on twitter said he apparently has a 9'8 standing reach which is ridiculous. That's Rudy Robert type length. Even a super long guy like Javale McGee 'only' has a 9'5 standing reach, which would be one of the longest in the entire league. He could backup Jakob for a season or two while he develops and would make Jakob a good trade option to improve the team in other areas.

Agreed. He’s got size & length you can’t teach. Plus he’s a solid FT shooter, which is a huge plus. He and Walker Kessler from Auburn are trending upwards though so not sure either would be available at 17-18.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Agreed. He’s got size & length you can’t teach. Plus he’s a solid FT shooter, which is a huge plus. He and Walker Kessler from Auburn are trending upwards though so not sure either would be available at 17-18.

Pretty sure between them 2 and Duren, at least one would be available before pick 20. Even in a weak draft rim running bigs aren't likely to be in high demand.