What kind of players does this team need to take it to the next level next season?

[luckyman]

All? I can see some, but not all.

Initially that's what I meant. Individually, not as a collective.

But the more I think about it, I can see definitely see Keyonte George, then the lot of Jordan Hawkins, Brice Sensabaugh, Jett Howard, Leonard Miller, and even Dariq Whitehead (if fully recovered from surgery) all leap frogging the 5 I mentioned.

Private workouts, combine numbers, and interviews could change a lot between that whole group.

The dream pick is Taylor Hendricks (outside of the top 2). I really like George, Hawkins, Sensabaugh and Whitehead. Wouldn't be mad with Grady Dick.

[Blattman]

Initially that's what I meant. Individually, not as a collective.

But the more I think about it, I can see definitely see Keyonte George, then the lot of Jordan Hawkins, Brice Sensabaugh, Jett Howard, Leonard Miller, and even Dariq Whitehead (if fully recovered from surgery) all leap frogging the 5 I mentioned.

Private workouts, combine numbers, and interviews could change a lot between that whole group.

The dream pick is Taylor Hendricks (outside of the top 2). I really like George, Hawkins, Sensabaugh and Whitehead. Wouldn't be mad with Grady Dick.

I agree that after the top 2 everything is fluid (should have been top 3 but the gun story makes Miller vulnerable to slide). If it was the former Utah owners, the jazz would have been Dick's floor but with the new ownership I don't know if they have the same love for fair skinned players. So yes 1 month from now the top 10 in most mocks could be totally different.

[As I See It]

Forget about his sketchy offensive, does anybody really think that any team can win with "CJ McCollum's defense" in the postseason. For this reason, and this reason alone, the Pelicans better hope that DD makes a meteoric leap offensively before next season and/or hope that Cason Wallace is sitting there at the end of the lottery in June.

Oh, but for the days of "Jrue Holiday Defense"!!!

[msusousaphone]

Remember when Jrue was here and most of the posts on the board were about how he was bringing us down snd needed to be traded?

[Pelicanidae]

Remember when Jrue was here and most of the posts on the board were about how he was bringing us down snd needed to be traded?

Not me. Team Jrue till I die.

[PaKwAn]

If anything, these playoffs tell me that having better offense/shooting with meh defense is way better than having pretty good defense with meh offense/bad shooting.

[Pelicanidae]

If anything, these playoffs tell me that having better offense/shooting with meh defense is way better than having pretty good defense with meh offense/bad shooting.

This is something that Shamit was talking about a few weeks ago, and that I think I'm coming around a little on, with regards to drafting.

Whatever else is true, our defense this season overall was good. Obviously not perfect, some of it was luck, but we finished the year 6th in defense and at times were better than that. It's clear that, even if your roster isn't exactly tailored for defense, a good team defense can be manufactured by a few key pieces plus some scheming plus some effort.

A good team offense, however, needs good offensive players. So Shamit was saying maybe it's easier to acquire good offensive players and see if you can get them to a decent standard of defense rather than getting defense first figures and trying to drag their offense up to scratch.

Still not entirely sure I would agree, but I think there's some merit to it. At the end of the day it doesn't matter if you have the best defense in the NBA if you simply cannot score the ball.

[ml wave]

I agree that after the top 2 everything is fluid (should have been top 3 but the gun story makes Miller vulnerable to slide). If it was the former Utah owners, the jazz would have been Dick's floor but with the new ownership I don't know if they have the same love for fair skinned players. So yes 1 month from now the top 10 in most mocks could be totally different.

Danny Ainge still running things so I don't think you have to worry about him sliding...

[PELICANSFAN]

Forget about his sketchy offensive, does anybody really think that any team can win with "CJ McCollum's defense" in the postseason. For this reason, and this reason alone, the Pelicans better hope that DD makes a meteoric leap offensively before next season and/or hope that Cason Wallace is sitting there at the end of the lottery in June.

Oh, but for the days of "Jrue Holiday Defense"!!!

I like Wallace if he drops to us.

[AtlPel]

Watching the Lakers win only pisses me off even more. Our Coach and GM has 1 more year or they both can go.

[PELICANSFAN]

Watching the Lakers win only pisses me off even more. Our Coach and GM has 1 more year or they both can go.

Pels do not get the benefit of officiating that the Lakers do. In the 4 games, they are +52 in FTs against the Warriors. It is so obvious.

[luckyman]

Seems like either Derrick White or OG Onunoby will make the 2nd All NBA Defense team over Herb.

OG I can see. If it's White it will make me angry for the young man.

[luckyman]

Well they both made 2nd team over Herb. And Draymond with Dillon Brooks. Alex Caruso made 1st team.

If you're popular you're popular.

[b_l_p]

Buy low on Ayton

[Pelicanidae]

Pels do not get the benefit of officiating that the Lakers do. In the 4 games, they are +52 in FTs against the Warriors. It is so obvious.

Remember when we played the Warriors a few years ago and they got this kind of officiating in their favour? That series ended with Then having taken nearly 40 more FTAs than us despite them being a shooting-first team. At least the Lakers play in the paint to superficially justify it.

Karma, I guess.

[Pelicanidae]

Well they both made 2nd team. And Draymond with Dillon Brooks. Alex Caruso made 1st team.

If you're popular you're popular.

Just robbery stuff, honestly.

Brooks is such a great amazing defender the team he's on is about to tell him to kick rocks, but sure, he's better than Herb who was the best defender on a top 6 defense, always taking the toughest matchup, and being touted as dpoy by guys like Paul George.

[luckyman]

Just robbery stuff, honestly.

Brooks is such a great amazing defender the team he's on is about to tell him to kick rocks, but sure, he's better than Herb who was the best defender on a top 6 defense, always taking the toughest matchup, and being touted as dpoy by guys like Paul George.

I don't know if fans down here are active and loud enough, because the whining for AD and Jaden McDaniels is definitely a lot louder right now.

That sets the table nicely for them both next year. While you can make an easy case Herb was robbed last year too and it didn't make any difference. Rejected again.

[new city champ]

I'm not saying that everyone else in the draft sucks, there are other good names, I was just trying to keep it relatively restricted and by sticking to roughly that top 20, it's guys who are at least in the conversation for our pick. Obviously some of those names will be gone before we pick (no way Wemby slides, for example) and there's every chance we don't even use the pick at all and it's traded, but it's just a bit of fun to talk about.

I think in general drafting for need is a fool's errand because either your team is bad enough to need real minutes from that player - in which case it's bad enough to need upside - or it's good enough that rookies won't get minutes in which case, you might as well draft for upside and develop them anyway.

If your team 'needs' a rookie to come in and play a vital role, odds are your team isn't good enough to be caring about need.

I'm also not particularly interested in drafting one-dimensional players at this stage. Take the Lively point: if all I wanted was a huge rim runner who fouls like a madman, I've had Jax on my bench for the last 4 years. They're not one-to-one players obviously, but you get my point.

I do but I don't think Lively is seen as a foul machine and his defensive instincts are way ahead of Jax's even though Hayes has been in the league for four years (FWIW the guys at the Game Theory podcast just mocked Lively to the Pels @ 14, though to be fair they said they'd probably trade the pick if they were Griff, which I wouldn't be keen to do). I watched a fair number of Duke games this year during the ACC season and he really showed a lot of growth as a player, something I can't say for Hayes as much as I'd like to.

I'm not sure I agree about your formulation on drafting for need. This is conventional wisdom I realize, but I think Pels are a bit past the just take the best guy and sort the roster later phase. First of all, you never really know who that best player will end up being. Second, if a guy has an easily transportable skill set--shooting, rim protection--I think the rook is often as good a bet as the FA and cheaper too. Of course I'm not passing on a guy near the top of my board to fill a need in the draft, but towards the middle of the round where the tier is pretty jumbled, I'm happy to factor in need in which guy I pick.

The Pels need bench shooting/scoring and rim protection. If they can come out of the draft with either, or preferably both, of those, I'll be happy. I'm just much less enthused for another teenager who you can dream on and always seems to be a year away from being a year away. When the Pels were racked with injuries this year and really needed their depth, I could look at the end of the bench and see three such LOTTERY picks--Jax, Kira and Dyson--who STILL couldn't make it on to the floor. We don't need another project adolescent. We are ready to make a move up now, if we can sort out our injury issues. But we need more outside shooting and interior defense to get there. This draft can help address one or both of those problems.

[As I See It]

Given a healthy team next year with no significant roster changes, what is your starting lineup?

Mine?

...HJones
...BI
...3M3
...# 1
...JV

...and, VOILA, your shooting off the bench is headlined by CJ (I really don't care how he 'FEELS' about it; I can give him 30MM reasons to toughen up). Yep, let him be our 'microwave' (Vinnie Johnson).

[PELICANSFAN]

I do but I don't think Lively is seen as a foul machine and his defensive instincts are way ahead of Jax's even though Hayes has been in the league for four years (FWIW the guys at the Game Theory podcast just mocked Lively to the Pels @ 14, though to be fair they said they'd probably trade the pick if they were Griff, which I wouldn't be keen to do). I watched a fair number of Duke games this year during the ACC season and he really showed a lot of growth as a player, something I can't say for Hayes as much as I'd like to.

I'm not sure I agree about your formulation on drafting for need. This is conventional wisdom I realize, but I think Pels are a bit past the just take the best guy and sort the roster later phase. First of all, you never really know who that best player will end up being. Second, if a guy has an easily transportable skill set--shooting, rim protection--I think the rook is often as good a bet as the FA and cheaper too. Of course I'm not passing on a guy near the top of my board to fill a need in the draft, but towards the middle of the round where the tier is pretty jumbled, I'm happy to factor in need in which guy I pick.

The Pels need bench shooting/scoring and rim protection. If they can come out of the draft with either, or preferably both, of those, I'll be happy. I'm just much less enthused for another teenager who you can dream on and always seems to be a year away from being a year away. When the Pels were racked with injuries this year and really needed their depth, I could look at the end of the bench and see three such LOTTERY picks--Jax, Kira and Dyson--who STILL couldn't make it on to the floor. We don't need another project adolescent. We are ready to make a move up now, if we can sort out our injury issues. But we need more outside shooting and interior defense to get there. This draft can help address one or both of those problems.

Maybe I did not watch enough of his games, but his defense did not look good at all. At 14 though, you would be drafting anyone on traits and potential.

[hornetsrebirth]

Buy low on Ayton

Ayton could be a good piece for someone but not us. He is an offensive first kind of guy that doesnt want to do the dirty work and we need pretty much the exact opposite from a big man.

[Blattman]

Given a healthy team next year with no significant roster changes, what is your starting lineup?

Mine?

...HJones
...BI
...3M3
...# 1
...JV

...and, VOILA, your shooting off the bench is headlined by CJ (I really don't care how he 'FEELS' about it; I can give him 30MM reasons to toughen up). Yep, let him be our 'microwave' (Vinnie Johnson).

I'd be curious to see this starting line-up. It gives more shot creation opportunities to BI and Zion while keeping balance in shooting and defense with TM3 and Herb.

[luckyman]

Lively is the type player you go after on their 2nd/3rd contract. Assuming he's still in the league. I'd take Trayce Jackson over him 10/10 in the draft.

[new city champ]

I love me some TJD as well, but Lively is going to go 15-20 spots ahead of him in all likelihood. I think the league sees elite defensive traits in Lively and there are reasons he was rated as the first or second ranked recruit in the nation, including a decent jump shot which he didn’t show at all at Duke.

I don’t love him for the Pels @ 14, but I do think he would instantly solve a glaring problem on the roster at a cheap price. I also think he has decent upside as an overall player and as an athletic big who actually knows how to play center….

[donato]

Would you? Would the Pelicans? Would the Suns? Maybe not a perfect fit, but he's better on defense than Jonas, and he's only 24. Word is the Suns and Ayton want to move on. Three years left on his deal.