2019 Draft Prospects...

Russ Smith

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Said it all year when Duke lost it would be because of RJ Barrett. I don't just mean the missed FT, all those crazy drives into traffic where he just chucks it up hoping for a foul. 7-17 and 7 to's for RJ today. To be fair, Zion had 5 To's plus it was his man that hit the go ahead 3 for MSU he bought a fake and couldn't recover in time.

MSU is better coached and more experienced, Duke had more talent but 4 freshmen they're going to make mistakes.

What a great Elite 8 all 4 games were good.
 
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GatorAZ

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Said it all year when Duke lost it would be because of RJ Barrett. I don't just mean the missed FT, all those crazy drives into traffic where he just chucks it up hoping for a foul. 7-17 and 7 to's for RJ today. To be fair, Zion had 5 To's plus it was his man that hit the go ahead 3 for MSU he bought a fake and couldn't recover in time.

MSU is better coached and more experienced, Duke had more talent but 4 freshmen they're going to make mistakes.

What a great Elite 8 all 4 games were good.

I’m not sure the Auburn/UK game was a great one. Auburn played solid D but their offensive gameplay was a disaster and UK couldn’t take advantage.

It’s also funny that Bruce Pearl has been fired for lying to the NCAA and had an assistant arrested in the FBI scandal but is beloved by ESPN/everyone.
 

AzStevenCal

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Duke was unimpressive all tournament.

Yeah, they were and they woefully under-utilized Zion at times all season. Too much ego on that squad IMO and not one of Coach K's best coaching efforts (season, not necessarily the Michigan State game). Despite being a huge Zion supporter all season I really hate having to cheer for Duke so I'm not too upset over the loss even though it killed my bracket. The worst part about watching Duke lose today though was having to watch Magic revel in the outcome.
 

Raindog

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Said it all year when Duke lost it would be because of RJ Barrett. I don't just mean the missed FT, all those crazy drives into traffic where he just chucks it up hoping for a foul. 7-17 and 7 to's for RJ today.

Yeah, I am definitely off of any Barrett bandwagon (if there was one). I REALLY hope we aren't in a position to have to take him where we end up picking. He is another Josh Jackson more than anything else... and I don't think we need two of those, if we even need one.
 

JCSunsfan

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Not impressed with Duke's other "stars" outside of Zion, at all... Barrett, Reddish, Jones all woefully overrated.
I agree. Jones definitely needs to come back another year, Reddish has been very unimpressive. While Barrett has been decent, I think he has gotten more notoriety than he is due because of the Nash connection.

Zion, Ja, Darius, Bol. Those are the players I am interested in. If we can trade down and get one of the second two along with a good veteran, I am all for it. But if we get a chance to draft Zion or Ja, I would do it. I think both have superstar potential.
 

Russ Smith

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I’m not sure the Auburn/UK game was a great one. Auburn played solid D but their offensive gameplay was a disaster and UK couldn’t take advantage.

It’s also funny that Bruce Pearl has been fired for lying to the NCAA and had an assistant arrested in the FBI scandal but is beloved by ESPN/everyone.


I wouldn't touch Pearl with a 10 foot pole but he is a good coach. Pearl lied his butt off to his school and the NCAA a few years ago about recruiting violations.
 

sunsfan88

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I agree. Jones definitely needs to come back another year, Reddish has been very unimpressive. While Barrett has been decent, I think he has gotten more notoriety than he is due because of the Nash connection.

Zion, Ja, Darius, Bol. Those are the players I am interested in. If we can trade down and get one of the second two along with a good veteran, I am all for it. But if we get a chance to draft Zion or Ja, I would do it. I think both have superstar potential.
Assuming this is Garland, doesn’t he have a negative assist/turnover ratio? Not even an exaggeration.

A PG averaging 2.5 assists a game in nearly 28 mins/game is not what the Suns need at the moment imo.

If he drops to the Bucks pick then sure take a flier on him but otherwise, no thanks. No way should the Suns trade down or trade up for him.
 

Russ Smith

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Yeah, I am definitely off of any Barrett bandwagon (if there was one). I REALLY hope we aren't in a position to have to take him where we end up picking. He is another Josh Jackson more than anything else... and I don't think we need two of those, if we even need one.


There was a stretch in the 2nd half where Zion took over, gave Duke the lead, and then in very short order Barrett took 3 really bad shots. i was like he's mad that Zion is taking over he wants the limelight for himself. MSU took the lead in that run. He's a very talented player no question he'll be a very good NBA player, but he hurt his team at times today with terrible shot selection.
 

JCSunsfan

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Assuming this is Garland, doesn’t he have a negative assist/turnover ratio? Not even an exaggeration.

A PG averaging 2.5 assists a game in nearly 28 mins/game is not what the Suns need at the moment imo.

If he drops to the Bucks pick then sure take a flier on him but otherwise, no thanks. No way should the Suns trade down or trade up for him.
Small sample size. Very small. I think this is an aberration. His last game, he only got two minutes before injury. He is a 4 assist guy really. Probably more. Its a legit question to ask though.
 

sunsfan88

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Raze

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Small sample size. Very small. I think this is an aberration. His last game, he only got two minutes before injury. He is a 4 assist guy really. Probably more. Its a legit question to ask though.

He is a ball dominant "PG" that's fits the mold of the vast majority of "PG"s that come out these days. There's a lot of Kyrie Irving in Garland's game. I agree that his assists will approach a more normal level when he puts on an NBA uniform. To me, he falls into the Marbury type of passer; that is, he only seems to pass when it makes him look good. It's as common for this era as it is revolting. He does have some natural passing instincts, but he seems less interested in that than he does scoring. Absolutely a score first PG.

To add, he doesn't give a rip on D. With his quick twitch movement he should excel on D like De'Aaron Fox did. However, we haven't seen it yet. I don't have high hopes that he'll figure it out... again, Kyrie Irving.

Yes, the kid can flat out score. He's got all types of O. And for that reason alone, he'll probably "shine" and make people lament passing on him. However, for those who truly look at a player for ALL he has to offer, I think he'll come across more as a stats guy than a winner. My guess is that he's a 20ppg/6apg/4topg kinda guy with a horrendous Drtg.

He's a terrible fit next to Book. He's not a pass first guy. He doesn't play D. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective. The last thing we need is a guy who is a ball hog AND is a raw project.

Oh... and I get that this era is fine with carrying, but sheez. At least try to hide it. Garland might set a record for the most carries called in his rookie season.
 

AzStevenCal

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He is a ball dominant "PG" that's fits the mold of the vast majority of "PG"s that come out these days. There's a lot of Kyrie Irving in Garland's game. I agree that his assists will approach a more normal level when he puts on an NBA uniform. To me, he falls into the Marbury type of passer; that is, he only seems to pass when it makes him look good. It's as common for this era as it is revolting. He does have some natural passing instincts, but he seems less interested in that than he does scoring. Absolutely a score first PG.

To add, he doesn't give a rip on D. With his quick twitch movement he should excel on D like De'Aaron Fox did. However, we haven't seen it yet. I don't have high hopes that he'll figure it out... again, Kyrie Irving.

Yes, the kid can flat out score. He's got all types of O. And for that reason alone, he'll probably "shine" and make people lament passing on him. However, for those who truly look at a player for ALL he has to offer, I think he'll come across more as a stats guy than a winner. My guess is that he's a 20ppg/6apg/4topg kinda guy with a horrendous Drtg.

He's a terrible fit next to Book. He's not a pass first guy. He doesn't play D. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective. The last thing we need is a guy who is a ball hog AND is a raw project.
Oh... and I get that this era is fine with carrying, but sheez. At least try to hide it. Garland might set a record for the most carries called in his rookie season.

I agree with most of this although I wouldn't go quite so far as to write him off as a non-winning player. Regardless, I don't want him but it's primarily the injury risk that drives me away. As for the comment about him only passing when it makes him look good, it's probably true but I've heard that about players for as long as I can remember. Randy Smith led his team in assists back in the 70's and I often heard him described the same way, same with a guy who apparently is "better" today than he was back when he actually played (the Big O).

As for Booker, I think he can pair with a lot of types but Garland would not be anywhere near my first choice. I think his best running mate would be a combo guard that can shoot, penetrate, defend and run an offense. Obviously we won't find anyone stellar in each category but average in each while excelling in any one of them is probably enough. IOW, a well rounded guard.
 
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GatorAZ

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I’ve been slower to jump on the Ja’ bandwagon but if he’s more committed to getting Booker/Ayton “theirs” than “his” we could have something special. I don’t have reason to think he wouldn’t be based on his unselfishness last year... I just hope the new regime does a deeper psychological dive on these guys than the old regime did. I think McD and Co were all about physical upside which should be a large aspect of drafting but not the end all conclusion.
 

1Sun

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He is a ball dominant "PG" that's fits the mold of the vast majority of "PG"s that come out these days. There's a lot of Kyrie Irving in Garland's game. I agree that his assists will approach a more normal level when he puts on an NBA uniform. To me, he falls into the Marbury type of passer; that is, he only seems to pass when it makes him look good. It's as common for this era as it is revolting. He does have some natural passing instincts, but he seems less interested in that than he does scoring. Absolutely a score first PG.

To add, he doesn't give a rip on D. With his quick twitch movement he should excel on D like De'Aaron Fox did. However, we haven't seen it yet. I don't have high hopes that he'll figure it out... again, Kyrie Irving.

Yes, the kid can flat out score. He's got all types of O. And for that reason alone, he'll probably "shine" and make people lament passing on him. However, for those who truly look at a player for ALL he has to offer, I think he'll come across more as a stats guy than a winner. My guess is that he's a 20ppg/6apg/4topg kinda guy with a horrendous Drtg.

He's a terrible fit next to Book. He's not a pass first guy. He doesn't play D. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective. The last thing we need is a guy who is a ball hog AND is a raw project.

Oh... and I get that this era is fine with carrying, but sheez. At least try to hide it. Garland might set a record for the most carries called in his rookie season.

Doesn't this all pretty much describe Ja Morant to a T?
 

Mainstreet

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Tyler Johnson comes close to what the Suns need at point guard next season but I can't feel comfortable with him as a starter. If the Suns draft Morant this might be a solid combination.
 

Mainstreet

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"NFL Scout" for Beacher Report.

I think he has this all wrong. Barrett may be fine but Zion is the number 1 pick with Morant right behind.

Of course I wouldn't be upset if another team had Barrett rated higher.
 

SunnyBaller

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Doesn't this all pretty much describe Ja Morant to a T?
No ja is always looking to pass, he took alot of shots yes , but that's because he had too because the rest of his team wasn't making anything, he has also shown Alot of instances of good defense with fast hands and blocking ability albeit bad defensive instances as well but based off the 4 games we saw with Garland (small sample size) ja projects to be the better defender
 

Mainstreet

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Cassius Winston while on short in stature plays like a giant putting MSU on his back to get to the FF. Seasoned PG with 3 years of college under his belt.

I think Winston has a chance to get into the second round of the draft. Maybe he is an option with the Suns second round pick depending upont what they do with their first round pick.

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