Community Shootaround

Thursday’s NBA draft lasted until almost midnight on the East Coast, but viewers who tuned out after the first hour probably got to see next season’s Rookie of the Year.

Apart from Malcolm Brogdon (taken at No. 36 in in 2016) and Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11 in 2013), every Rookie of the Year since 2004 has been a top-six pick. Donovan Mitchell could add his name to the list of exceptions, but Ben Simmons appears to be the favorite to collect the award on Monday.

This year’s first six picks could all emerge as strong candidates, as each figures to have a chance to contribute right away. Let’s take a closer look at the field:

1. Deandre Ayton — The Suns have been searching for help in the middle for several years, and Ayton looks like a legitimate NBA center. He is the early ROY favorite, according to the Bovada Sportsbook, which gives him 13-5 odds.
2. Marvin Bagley III — Whether Bagley becomes a power forward or small forward, he should provide much-needed scoring punch for the Kings’ front line. He was a dynamic scorer and rebounder at Duke, where he averaged a double-double during his lone season.
3. Luka Doncic — The Mavericks believed in the teenage Euroleague MVP enough to trade up to snag him with the third pick. Some scouts question how easily Doncic’s skill set will translate to the NBA, but he will get ample playing time in Dallas to prove himself.
4. Jaren Jackson Jr. — The shot-blocking specialist out of Michigan State will help anchor the Grizzlies’ defense alongside Marc Gasol. He also gives Memphis a strong rebounding presence at the four spot that has been lacking since Zach Randolph left.
5. Trae Young — There should be plenty of excitement in Atlanta next season as Young takes control of the Hawks’ offense. His numbers declined during the second half of his freshman season at Oklahoma, but his limitless shooting range makes him a perfect fit in the modern NBA.
6. Mohamed Bamba — He may not start right away with Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo on the roster, but Bamba should earn significant playing time because of his tremendous shot-blocking abilities. If he improves on offense, he could be the first-string center by the end of the season.

Those are the top candidates, but there could be plenty more, as Mitchell, Brogdon and Carter-Williams have shown. We want to get your picks, so please leave your choice in the comments box below.

From all appearances, the Suns will take Arizona center Deandre Ayton with the top pick on Thursday. However, there’s quite a bit of intrigue in terms of what the Kings will do at No. 2.

For months, Euro guard Luka Doncic was considered the likely selection at that spot. His stock has seemingly fallen this month, as Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported Monday that Doncic could still be on the board at No. 4.

The Kings could use help in a lot of areas, of course, and they’re not chock full of dynamic playmakers. They were tied for 24th in the league in assists per game last season. But they are apparently committed to last year’s lottery pick, De’Aaron Fox, as their main ballhandler.

Instead, they’re in the market for big man who can stretch the defense. Duke’s Marvin Bagley III has emerged as the leading candidate to fill that need. He’s a near-lock to be their selection, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko (Twitter link).

The 6’11” Bagley put up big numbers in his lone college season, averaging 21.0 PPG and 11.1 RPG. He didn’t take a lot of threes but he knocked down 39.7% of the ones he attempted.

Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson, who reportedly had a very impressive workout for the Suns, is another enticing prospect. Texas center Mohamed Bamba has zoomed up many draft boards and is currently ranked No. 3 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Michael Porter Jr., despite his health risks, could be the wildcard in the equation.

It’s no lock the Kings will even hold onto the pick. GM Vlade Divac is reportedly willing to deal the pick in order to acquire additional assets. When Kawhi Leonard made public last week his desire to be dealt from the Spurs, the Kings made the list of potential landings spots. They are reportedly willing to give up the pick as part of a package to land the star forward.

This brings us to our question of the day: Assuming the Suns draft Ayton with the top pick, which player should the Kings select at No. 2? Or should the Kings deal the pick for additional draft choices and/or players?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

“He made strides as a playmaker in his sophomore season and operating out of the pick and roll … However, he still plays too fast at times, not always reading the defense and making the simple play … He also lacks the ideal height and court vision to see over the top of the defense, especially with bigger opponents guarding him … He has a tendency to settle for tough, contested two-point jumpers, partially due to his inability to consistently get all the way to the rim, and also because of his average decision making skills … While he can make some of these attempts, it will not be a reliable way to score at the next level, and it will decrease his overall offensive efficiency, as it has in college.”

From NBAdraft.net, that was part of last year’s scouting report on Donovan Mitchell. Those concerns led to him being passed over by 12 teams and then traded by the one that did select him. Mitchell was viewed as an undersized player for his position who needed to land in the right situation to be successful.

He blew away expectations, of course, providing the Jazz with the go-to scorer they needed after the loss of free agent Gordon Hayward. Mitchell became a finalist for the Rookie of the Year award and reminded us that the draft remains hard to predict, no matter how closely the prospects are studied.

It’s easy to criticize the teams that didn’t see Mitchell as a future star. It’s much harder to pick out a similar surprise from this year’s crop. The first 10 selections in the latest mock draft by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony are Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Jaren Jackson Jr., Luka Doncic, Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr., Michael Porter Jr., Trae Young, Kevin Knox and Mikal Bridges. The next version of Mitchell might be somewhere outside that group. Here are a few candidates:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — The late-blooming Kentucky star has exceptional size for a point guard, standing 6’6″ with a nearly 7-foot wing span. He is an aggressive defender who can guard several positions, and scouts are confident that his offense will improve as he ages.
• Lonnie Walker — Miami’s shooting guard is blessed with considerable athletic ability and a nice shooting stroke that should transfer well into the NBA. He was impressive at the combine both on and off the court, as teams took notice of how he smoothly conducted himself with the media.
• Collin Sexton — For all the attention that went to Young, Alabama’s Sexton may have been the best pure point guard in college basketball. He displayed a combination of strength, speed and agility and seemed to raise his game in big moments.
• Zhaire Smith — Athleticism stands out for the Texas Tech freshman, who proved to be a dangerous scorer from all over the court and is particularly adept at drawing fouls. He also made strides on defense and as a rebounder and could develop into an all-around player.
• Miles Bridges — An A-plus athlete who can match up with guards and forwards, Bridges might have been a certain lottery pick if he had left Michigan State last year. He has a smooth jumper and can get easy points on cuts to the basket, but scouts are most impressed by his athleticism and competitive drive.

Of course, there are a lot more candidates, and we want to get your input. Which player projected to be drafted outside the top 10 has the best chance to turn into a star? Please leave your feedback in the comments section below.

An NFL version of the Warriors and Cavaliers would never be able to meet in four straight Super Bowls. That league operates with much more restrictive salary cap rules, which means veteran players frequently hit the open market as their current teams decide they are no longer affordable.

The NBA has a much softer cap structure, utilizing Bird rights that give great leeway in allowing teams to exceed the cap to re-sign their own free agents and providing yearly exceptions for teams that choose to use them.

Not coincidentally, only six franchises — the Mavericks, Heat, Thunder, Spurs, Warriors and Cavaliers — have reached the finals in the past eight seasons, as teams that amass talent tend to find a way to keep it. Over that same stretch, 11 teams have played in Super Bowls.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended his league’s cap system during his annual pre-Finals press conference this week. He pointed out differences between the two sports and noted the importance of continuity in basketball.

“Now [the hard cap is] something that we’ll continue to look at,” Silver said. “There are pros and cons to doing it. Historically, one of the issues in our league was we didn’t necessarily want to break up teams. There is a different sense in the NBA than the NFL, and the chemistry and dynamic that comes together with a group of players.”

This year’s salary cap is set at $99MM, but only a handful of teams operate below it. Even the $119.2MM luxury tax threshold hasn’t been much of an impediment for organizations that believe they have a shot at a championship. Both the Warriors and Cavaliers have payrolls that exceed $137MM, and a few other owners have expressed a willingness to pay whatever tax is necessary to get to their level.

Continuity may be important, but it also has a downside as eventually fans get tired of seeing the same teams in the Finals every year. If LeBron James stays in Cleveland and Golden State keeps its crew of All-Stars together, it’s easy to envision this matchup again next year, and possibly for several more seasons to come.

Any cap changes would have to be negotiated with the players’ union, which would take a strong stance against anything that lowers salaries, but do you believe that’s the direction the league needs to take? Please jump into the comments section below and give us your thoughts on how stricter cap rules would affect the NBA.

The Warriors roared back after halftime of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday to force a deciding Game 7 on Monday night.

Naturally, it helped that the Rockets played without their floor leader, Chris Paul. After pulling his hamstring late in Game 5, Paul could only watch from the bench and occasionally give a piece of his mind to the officials in Game 6. He’s a game-time decision for Game 7 but even if he goes, he’ll likely be limited in terms of minutes and mobility.

The Warriors’ Big 4 will play, though small forwards Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney are questionable because of injuries. Houston will have the home court on Monday, which they earned by playing more consistently that the Warriors during the course of the regular season. But each team has won a game on the other’s court during the series, so the energy boost from the crowd will only help the Rockets to a certain extent.

Golden State has looked much less focused and more vulnerable during these playoffs than it did last season, when it cruised to the title. But Paul’s iffy status puts Houston in a bind, even though its players are clearly hungry for a ring.

This could be the night that James Harden puts his team on his shoulders and carries it to the Finals. Or the Warriors’ overall talent could simply be too much for the Rockets to handle.

This leads us to our question of the day: Who will win Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals and why?

Please take to the comments section and voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

NBA Twitter is a beautiful place where entertainment and debate reign, and great ideas can be found. Recently, the team at NBAMath organized a #TimeMachineDraft in which 30 personalities from around NBA Twitter selected an ultimate roster comprised of individual seasons from NBA greats. Let’s take a look at the top 15 picks:

1. 1988/89 Michael Jordan (Bryant Knox of Bleacher Report).

2. 2012/13 LeBron James (B/R’s Andrew Bailey).

Who else was going to be selected in the top two? The Jordan-LBJ debate has been going on for several seasons now and with James showing no signs of slowing down, it’ll likely continue for quite some time. I wouldn’t determine whether GoodFellas or The Departed is the better film without seeing how each movie ended. With LBJ still playing at a high-level, I’m not ready to pick between the two.

3. 1971/72 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Former Bulls beat writer Sean Highkin).

4. 1986/87 Magic Johnson (HoopsHype’s Bryan Kalbrosky).

5. 2015/16 Stephen Curry (CBS Sport’s Adi Joseph).

You could talk me into these three in any order, though if I were picking third, I might pull the trigger on Curry, a player who looked like his 2015 self during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals this week.

6. 1999-00 Shaquille O’Neal (T.J. McBride of Mile High Sports).

This pick might be too low or just right. Does this theoretical league play 82 games? When you pick a player, do you get him in peak form or how he looked prior to opening night of a given season? That might influence my pick in this spot. However, if we’re taking a Shaq season, this is probably the best one.

7. 1985/86 Larry Bird (NBAMath’s Coach Adam Spinella).

8. 1993/94 Hakeem Olajuwon (RotoBaller’s Justin Carter).

9. 1963/64 Wilt Chamberlain (NBAMath’s Tony East).

It would be fantastic to see each of these Hall-of-Famers play against each other in their respective primes. Also, can you image any of these players floor, surrounded by the long-range shooting in today’s game?

10. 2002/03 Tim Duncan ( The Score’s Chris Walder).

11. 2013/14 Kevin Durant (B/R’s Tyler Conway).

Two very underrated seasons. Not sure which moment was more emotional for basketball fans: Durant making his MVP speech or Popovich speaking about Duncan after the big man retired.

12. 2003/04 Kevin Garnett (NBAMath’s Tom Rende).

13. 2008/09 Chris Paul (B/R’s Dan Favale).

Two players who have had heard their fair share of criticism. Add being partially responsible for Durant’s signing in Golden State to their haters’ lists.

14. 1993/94 David Robinson (HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy).

15. 2016/17 Kawhi Leonard (Nylon Calculus’ Krishna Narsu).

Leonard was my selection for the 2016/17 MVP award after putting up a great, efficient season. Russell Westbrook – whose 2016/17 campaign was also selected in the first round of this Twitter draft – won the actual award after averaging a triple-double for the season.

I’m not sure I’d take a player who took over 2,000 shots and committed 438 turnovers in a season with my top pick in this kind of draft, but then again Westbrook provided special moments over and over again during his lone MVP campaign.

So tonight’s Community Shootaround is all about which player had the best NBA season in history and which ones are severely underrated.

Think 2006/07 Dirk Nowitzki should have gone higher in the draft? How about a season from Kobe Bryant? What about Charles Barkley, Anthony Davis or Grant Hill?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!