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Alright, y'all are some punks for pushing Doug McDermott and Zach LaVine onto the Liberty Ballers NBA Draft Big Board back to back days when it's my turn to write the damn thing. If the Sixers come away with one or both of those guys this early in the draft, I'm moving to Cleveland and putting my Sergey Karasev face shirsey to good use.
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LaVine is a prospect I do not like. He was like the 8th most important player on that UCLA team. He drifted in and out of games, as most freshman do, but outside of the catalogued athleticism and how well he shoots with chairs guarding him, it doesn't translate yet. All that ability to touch the rim with his tongue and it worked itself into a meager 45% shooting around the basket and the worst free throw rate in the draft class. I look at him as a below average defensive player and without any other offensive skills to show, I think 13th is incredibly high and upside-baity for him.
At 20? Sure, roll the dice. At 10? nono non on on onn nnooon on on ono nono nnnoonon on ononononno.
Welcome K.J. McDaniels into the fold, an intriguing prospect in his own right, fresh off his third year at Clemson. He's a better shooter than the numbers indicate, one of the most athletic wing players in the draft, and more than capable of becoming a coveted 3-and-D guy that looks like an obvious mistake for teams passing on him in favor of Luke Jackson and Julian Wright.
McDaniels is long, at 6'11.25 Jay Bilas Wingspan Academy, and he uses that length. Not only for steals -- a healthy 2.3% -- but blocks. As a 3, KJMcD swatted 3.3 shots per game, good for a 8.9% block rate. I think Shawn Marion is a mighty good comp for him. Would certainly be one of the fellas I'd target if the Sixers moved back from 10 into that 15ish range.
But for now, I'll be over here with the Kristaps Fan Club ("The Krisfaps") voting for his cousin, Spencer Dinwiddie, out of solidarity. Apologize for your Zach LaVine sins below.
1. Andrew Wiggins (55%)
2. Joel Embiid (66%)
3. Jabari Parker (76%)
4. Dante Exum (69%)
5. Noah Vonleh (48%)
6. Julius Randle (52%)
7. Aaron Gordon (62%)
8. Marcus Smart (67%)
9. Dario Saric (44%)
10. Nik Stauskas (45%)
11. Gary Harris (31%)
12. Doug McDermott (32%)
13. Zach LaVine (36%)