NBA Mock Draft: DraftExpress Moves To Kawhi Leonard, SBNation Takes Brandon Knight

Here

But three combo guards is not ideal to me. I think two combo guards (Reke and Marcus) and a smaller speed guard like Kemba seems more like an optimal mix. Any of the three can play simultaneously, like your scenario too, but roles are more naturally defined and defensive match-ups are more natural too. Little speed players like Barea and Brooks can be assigned to Kemba and when the team needs a spark or pace adjustment off the bench, Kemba is there to offer change of pace. It seems like an optimal mix assuming they are comparable talents.

Ultimately though it is about taking the better player, if the possibility exists. Positional considerations and mix of chemistry are secondary to whom can have biggest long term impact.

I think Zillers draft boards is pretty astute at this stage in the process. One of the best I have seen, in terms of logic and.

I think our draft board could shape up like this. First, cross off all the Euros. Then we are looking at:
(1) Knight
(2) Kemba
(3) Biyombo
(4) Jordan Hamilton (my sleeper pick)
(5) Kawhi Leonard

Although I hope it shapes up like this and names are reversed:
(1) Biyombo
(2) Kemba
(3) Knight
(4) Kawhi Leonard
(5) Jordan Hamilton

I am developing bit of man-crush on Biyombo, no homo lol. Something about Bismack screams perfect fit for a team lacking physicality and toughness: a dirty work, doesn’t need the ball, hustle pick-setting, shot blocking smash-mouth player. Awesome!!! How long would it take for this guy to become an extra bad ass version of Jon Brockman? Two days into training camp?

Last year we all talked about DeMarcus and Tyreke needing their touches. We added another volume shooter to the mix in Marcus. We will likely add a more capable scoring SF in free agency or trade. Who better to add to group of potent scorers than a Ben Wallace-type force who doesn’t need the ball but impacts the game every second with hustle, rebounding and defense? He can consistently outrun bigs down the court. I love it. He will have to prove rudimentary skills (shoot, dribble, pass) to be a legitimate candidate. But even if raw as raw gets this gives me confidence he will develop:

Per Draft Express:

Off the court, Biyombo might be just as interesting, as we chronicled recently in the following article. He speaks five languages fluently: English, Spanish, French and two Congolese dialects. and came across as an extremely charismatic and engaging player in our time with him in Portland.

He stood out as the most vocal players on the International team over the course of the week at the Nike Hoop Summit, assuming a position of leadership almost immediately upon arrival. You would often see him having tactical discussions between plays with the coaching staff, and he was quick to take teammates aside and explain the nuances of a play to them when something got lost in translation.

These are all incredibly atypical qualities compared to other African prospects we’ve evaluated in the past.

These are the type of intangibles and character traits that would give an evaluator a basis to expect improvement and not stagnation. Learning a second language is a bitch. Knowing five fluently is off the charts. An assertive personality counts too. A passive and timid nature is what I saw in Wesley Johnson last year, on and off court. This does not translate well into production.

Basketball-wise he does block shots with both hands. Nice. And he gets wide base and low in post to receive post entry pass. His rebounding and shot blocking timing is excellent. He will not be moved easily off the block on either end. He displays quick drop step move and half spin out of block. You can see a semblance of an offensive game, if you squint hard enough.

It should not escape the Kings brass that BB has a 7’7" wingspan, which is identical to Hassan Whiteside. And exceeds pterodactyl-like specimen like Kevin Durant (7’5") and Shawn Bradley (7’5"). His length in a quick 6’8" frame allows him a lower center of gravity and agility than conventional forward and centers, and you have a freakish athletic specimen that is worthy of careful consideration. If they don’t bring him to town for close up view and personalized workout, they are negligent and operating inside-the-box.

PG and combo guards like Kemba and Knight are nice and I will be OK with either pick, but players like these seem to come along each year. Biyombo is a rare breed I would not be quick to bypass. BB has clearly definable skills that translate to the NBA game. He seems like the type of player that opponents do not want to face. He will constantly harass and hustle and challenge shots against guards as much as centers. His upside is difficult to project but it is hard to envision a complete bust.

This is where Petrie earns his keep: Is BB a 5/5 player due to fundamental deficiencies he will likely never outgrow? Or a 12/14/3 player in 3 years through normal growth curve? Let’s hope for latter.

Wooo…this coffee does the trick :)

He isn’t ready to start, and can play behind or even with Devin Harris. I don’t think Enes Kanter is a clear-cut BPA over Knight or Walker, and they already have a solid frontcourt rotation.

considering Milsap, jefferson and Favors all play the 4.

Hell, they need to get better period and soon. I think it’s likely they trade that pick

I think Kanter fits their needs more than Williams. But you never know with that Kahn fella

(Note – I am upside down in my house)

that reke loses his size advantage when pushed to the 3.

…the Sacramento Kings select Leonard “Jimmer” Knight, out of …

of course that was on a very good team . . . .

on Rotoworld that he measured out with the biggest hands in the draft. Dude has a 7’3" wingspan too. Nice.

I’m continue to hope for Knight or Leonard.

They didn’t exactly show that they work well together,IMO, in those last stretch of games, but I can see more games together alleviating that issue as well as Reke improving his jump shot.

The more confident Reke becomes in his jumper, the better the offense will flow, as the way he would stand around on offense messed up the spacing for the team, as he would just want to get the ball back to create his shot.

He’s horrible at running the pick and roll, because he cant’ hit the deep shot when defenders go under the screen and he’s not quick enough with the ball to cut sharply off the pick so his defender ends up reacquiring after going under.

Any type of pressure or double team late in the game creates problems getting the offense going and turns into steals and breakaway easy baskets. Not just off of Tyreke or Marcus, but by everyone on the team because we have our PG’s giving up the ball to bigs and wings when they face pressure. Tyreke is not a heads up ball handler, and mostly tucks the ball away like a running back when he gets into the paint. At this point in time Thornton is the better ball handler, but still not a PG.

Eventually, Marcus and Tyreke could improve their ball handling enough to be a more conventional PG, but not anytime soon. Which is why I’ve been in favor of picking up a vet PG to fill the role for a couple more years, or until we figure out which role is better for Tyreke. And, it’s why I’ve suggested that GP might pass on PG’s at the #7 pick and go after a vet PG by way of trade or FA. We were looking for a distributor when we drafted Tyreke ( some guy name Rubio) and we’ve gone 2 years without one. Not sure I want to put the job in the hands of another rookie, and hope it doesn’t take him 2 more years to figure it out.

To overvalue Batum because I think his hustle, defense, and shooting would be perfect for our team. I think they are more inclined to trading him now with wallace around as well, they’ve probably backed off their stance of him being untouchable.

but would doubt the deal would go down before the draft. Essentially, if the Blazers are eyeing someone available it might get done in the middle of the draft.