The 2015 NBA Draft Thread: Draft Day Is Here

Ford-Pelton: Team draft fixes: Suns, Thunder, Nets, Celtics

Kevin Pelton: Over the next few weeks, we'll take a look at the biggest need I identified for each team in in my my Roster Reload series and how they might be able to fill it in the Draft. Having already covered the bottom four teams, teams 5-8 and 9-12, today we round out the lottery and take on the first two teams that made the playoffs.

Chad Ford: And as an added bonus, I'll bait you with my picks from my "Grade: A" mock draft, where I played GM for all 30 teams and told readers what I would do if the draft were held today. Especially with some of these picks, I think you are going to disagree.

No. 13. Phoenix Suns

Pelton: I said 3-point shooting. While we think of the Suns as a hot-shooting team, they made just 29.8 percent of their 3-point attempts after the trade deadline. A healthy Brandon Knight will help -- he shot 31.3 percent from 3 in his brief 11-game cameo after being traded to Phoenix, as compared to 40.9 percent in Milwaukee -- but if free agent Gerald Green departs as expected, the Suns will have lost all three players who made at least 100 triples from their surprise 2013-14 team.

Ford: I think that's a good call. I'm not in love with their depth at the center position behind Alex Len, and I actually made an argument in last week's "Grade: A" mock that they could use help at the point. Trading away Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ennis at the trade deadline and getting Brandon Knight back put them in a weak spot there. I think there's a drop-off after the first 12 picks into this next tier, so the Suns are sitting at the upper edge of it. If it's shooting they want, then R.J. Hunter or Devin Booker are both good options (and Kelly Oubre if he's still on the board), though I think it's early for Booker. Frank Kaminsky would be a nice get here at center. I chose Murray State's Cameron Payne here as sort of a best talent available pick. Neither Knight nor Eric Bledsoe is what I'd call a pure point guard. Payne is, and I think all of them could find time together on the floor. Who would you take, Kevin?

Pelton: I can't see another point guard after the problems the crowd at the position created last season. Phoenix could have a few options in terms of adding shooting. Kaminsky profiles as a Channing Frye-type in the NBA, so why not put him in the system where Frye excelled? And Hunter could fit into Green's role without the head-scratching mistakes that eventually caused Jeff Hornacek to drop Green from the rotation.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder

Pelton: I went with "a lucky charm" after the Thunder's playoff hopes were dashed by debilitating injuries to reigning MVP Kevin Durant and others. In terms of the roster, it's hard to call much a "need" since Oklahoma City has 13 players under contract for next season and controls the future of restricted free agents Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler. I think it's fair to call a 3-and-D wing to play next to Durant a desire. Andre Roberson is a standout defender but a dreadful outside shooter at this stage of his career, and Anthony Morrow gives the Thunder the shooting they need but is limited defensively. Dion Waiters struggled in both regards after a midseason trade.

Ford: I'm with you a 100 percent on this one, Kevin. None of Roberson, Morrow, Waiters or Jeremy Lamb does much for me. They have four guys trying to hold down that position, and none of them are doing the job. I'm not totally sold that the right 3-and-D guy will be there when they draft -- trades or free agency might be the better route given that they're trying to win a title. In my "Grade: A" mock, I had R.J. Hunter here, and I still believe he'd be a great pick for the Thunder -- if he's around. I have a feeling he could be a guy who starts rising in workouts. Oubre is another option, though he's so young and raw; I'm not sure he really fits their short-term goals. I think Jerian Grant would be another interesting option here just because of his ability to play both backcourt positions. He's got great athletic ability, he's one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft. He's not a lights-out shooter, however, and that could scare the Thunder off.

Pelton: With D.J. Augustin under contract for 2015-16, I don't think point guard is a priority, but Sam Presti did draft Reggie Jackson while Eric Maynor was still around. Hunter and Oubre probably are the most sensible options, though even as a Hunter fan I don't see him as an upgrade on Morrow as a rookie.

15. Brooklyn Nets

Pelton: Because of the Joe Johnson trade, the Nets will swap picks with the team that beat them in the first round (the Atlanta Hawks) and draft 29th. I identified consistent wing play as Brooklyn's biggest need. Rookie Markel Brown held the starting job next to Johnson late in the season yet saw just 10 minutes of action against Atlanta because his poor outside shooting was too problematic. Bojan Bogdanovic stepped into that role and may fill the need in-house, but only if he improves on his own 35.5 percent accuracy from 3-point range.

Ford: I'd pick a new general manager. It's been Billy King's short-sighted, disastrous draft pick management that has them in such a difficult predicament going forward. They don't hold their first-round pick outright until 2019. The Hawks can swap this year. The Celtics own their pick outright in 2016 and 2018 and have the right to swap picks with the Nets in 2017. There's no team in a poorer draft pick position going forward than the Nets. The difference between drafting No. 15 and No. 29 can't be overstated. There are several strong wing prospects like Oubre, Stanley Johnson, Sam Dekker and Hunter who will be available in the No. 15 range. At No. 29? No one really stands out. Virginia's Justin Anderson and Arizona's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson might be available, but I doubt it. I gave them Louisville's Terry Rozier at No. 29 just as a value pick. I know they don't need a scrappy combo guard at the moment. But the pickings are pretty slim at No. 29. This is a deep draft through the lottery, but it really starts to thin out in the 20s.

Pelton: The big question I have with Brooklyn is how much next season should be taken into consideration, when the roster is likely to have a completely different look in 2016-17. So I might just go best player available. One player who would fit both criteria for me is Florida's Michael Frazier II. I don't think it's crazy to take him in the first round.

16. Boston Celtics

Pelton: The real answer here is a star, something that won't likely be available with the Celtics' 16th pick (or the 28th, which they'll get from the Los Angeles Clippers). Besides that, Boston's biggest need is clearly rim protection. The Celtics were last in the league in blocks per game and have a variety of big men whose biggest weakness is defending the paint.

Ford: Again, a new coach and a new general manager! Just kidding, Celtics fans! The Celtics didn't do themselves any favors in the long-term by getting hot after the All-Star break. It cost them any chance of getting a potential difference maker in the lottery. There was plenty of good news -- Brad Stevens can really, really coach, Isaiah Thomas was great for them and the playoffs was an unexpected surprise -- but none that overshadows how the Celtics' likely target when they were projected in the lottery, Willie Cauley-Stein, will be long gone. They needed a rim protector in the worst way, but there just isn't one worth gambling on at No. 16 unless they are really going to hope that Washington's Robert Upshaw (who has the talent to go this high) will turn the rest of his life around. I had them taking Kentucky's Trey Lyles. Not a shot blocker. Not crazy athletic, but a bit like a young Carlos Boozer or Juwan Howard. What would you do, Kevin?

Pelton: My comp for Lyles is Brandon Bass, who might be leaving Boston as a free agent, so that would make sense. I could also see Bobby Portis' athleticism giving the Celtics' frontcourt a slightly different look. But yeah, even if Boston is willing to take a risk on Upshaw, that makes more sense at No. 28 than No. 16.
Click to expand...
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draf...solutions-suns-thunder-nets-celtics-nba-draft
 
NBA TV @NBATV ·
#NBACombine special coming up at 1pm ET...we'll have interviews from @NBADraft prospects & coverage of the combine
 
"[I'm a] good person, [with] good character. Love to be around people ... but I'm one of the fiercest competitors out there."

"I think one thing about Coach Sean Miller, he's always been genuine to me ... I've known him for five years now. He's awesome to me, for real."

"The person I think I can learn the most from from watching ... Paul George ... I think I can really be that one day."


- Stanley Johnson
 
JPZx said:
"[I'm a] good person, [with] good character. Love to be around people ... but I'm one of the fiercest competitors out there."

"I think one thing about Coach Sean Miller, he's always been genuine to me ... I've known him for five years now. He's awesome to me, for real."

"The person I think I can learn the most from from watching ... Paul George ... I think I can really be that one day."


- Stanley Johnson
Click to expand...


He didn't really show PG fast twitch and defensive IQ but idk he just looks like an NBA player.


Will definitely take a chance on a teenage kid with Bron esque size who's a proven winner, gym rat and just scratching the surface.

Hope he ends up on the Lakers.
 
Larry Bird's draftees usually fit a profile like Danny Granger, Shawne Williams, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush, Paul George, Lance Stephenson and Solomon Hill.
 
Last edited:
Kelly Oubre:

"[Bill Self] humbled me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be half the man I am today." (when asked about his early struggles at Kansas, riding the bench)

"The game of basketball pretty much takes up most of my day, so I don't get much leisure time." (question about what he does in his off time)

"I more than a basketball player. I'm a student of the game ... I just want to show [teams] I have a well-rounded head on my shoulders. And I'm ready for the next level, physically and mentally ... I want these teams to know I'm a great person, maybe in the longevity of everything take them to the Finals one day."
 
On draft stocks:


Andrew Harrison: "I feel I'm the best PG in the draft all around, and I just have to prove that every day."

Aaron Harrison: "Similar, best 2-guard in the draft."


Gold :lol:
 
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