I’m curious what players we could have drafted at 14 that wouldn’t be “fit” picks. Shooting isn’t a fit it’s a skill. The only draft guide I saw that had Hawkins outside the top 20 was The Ringer, so we probably didn’t reach for him. There was that analytics chart (forgot the name) that didn’t like him also. But, the vast majority of grades and post draft podcasts I’ve played liked him a lot. I don’t understand the philosophy critique. We drafted a raw non-shooting player last year. A shooter before that and an SEC DPOY as well. It’s a diverse group. The notion of this being a “safe” picks just seems lazy to me. I think people say safe when they wish they could criticize it more because they want to be critical but don’t really have reasons to be.
I agree. Last thing Pels need is another developing player that gotta teach the game to. I think a non safe pick would have been like Whitmore or Lively possibly.
Totally agree. Hawkins is not who I would have chosen, but the fit on paper is fine. The problem is that it's the sort of pick a top tier, proven contender makes - the Nuggets made a similar style of pick selection this year, taking guys who are low-upside but who fit small gaps that make sense on their roster. The problem is that we're not the Nuggets. Griff played this draft as though we were in cruise control, ignoring the fact that the road we're cruising may well be a dead end.
Brilliant write up, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we might handle the rest of the summer, especially seeing some of your thoughts on twitter re the C position.
I’m curious what players we could have drafted at 14 that wouldn’t be “fit” picks. Shooting isn’t a fit it’s a skill. The only draft guide I saw that had Hawkins outside the top 20 was The Ringer, so we probably didn’t reach for him. There was that analytics chart (forgot the name) that didn’t like him also. But, the vast majority of grades and post draft podcasts I’ve played liked him a lot. I don’t understand the philosophy critique. We drafted a raw non-shooting player last year. A shooter before that and an SEC DPOY as well. It’s a diverse group. The notion of this being a “safe” picks just seems lazy to me. I think people say safe when they wish they could criticize it more because they want to be critical but don’t really have reasons to be.
I agree. Last thing Pels need is another developing player that gotta teach the game to. I think a non safe pick would have been like Whitmore or Lively possibly.
Totally agree. Hawkins is not who I would have chosen, but the fit on paper is fine. The problem is that it's the sort of pick a top tier, proven contender makes - the Nuggets made a similar style of pick selection this year, taking guys who are low-upside but who fit small gaps that make sense on their roster. The problem is that we're not the Nuggets. Griff played this draft as though we were in cruise control, ignoring the fact that the road we're cruising may well be a dead end.
Brilliant write up, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we might handle the rest of the summer, especially seeing some of your thoughts on twitter re the C position.