Liberty Links: De’Aaron Fox compares well to Mike Conley

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The Casual Fan’s Guide to Learning About the 2017 NBA Draft Class, Part I - The Ringer

Club Trillion member Mark Titus takes a look at this year’s crop of NBA prospects through the lens of someone who’s first and foremost a college basketball fan, not an NBA fan. I thought his take on De’Aaron Fox was intriguing, especially as it relates to his potential fit with the Sixers:

But there is good news: Fox reminds me of Mike Conley when he was in college (they’re both left-handed!) just as much as he reminds me of Wall. Fox seemed way too smart and in control of the Wildcats offense to be a freshman point guard; he’s got insane quick-twitch muscles; and he’s the fastest guy on the court who knows that the most effective way to use that advantage is to deploy clever changes of pace.

What makes that comparison especially apt is that Conley shot just 30.4 percent from the 3-point line during his lone season at Ohio State, hitting four more 3s than Fox did while taking the same amount of attempts (69). Ten years later, Conley has developed into one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA, connecting on 40.8 percent of his tries from beyond in the arc in 2016–17. So there is hope that Fox could fix his jumper and become one of the best all-around players in the world. Even if he doesn’t, he should still be a great defender and athlete with a high basketball IQ who would chew his own arm off if it meant the difference between winning and losing. I’d take that guy on my team any day.

2017 NBA Mock Draft: What if the Lakers don’t take Lonzo Ball? - The Step Back

If that were to happen, Chris Stone has the Sixers drafting Lonzo Ball with the third pick:

Ball is the best of both worlds as a top tier prospect who would fit in well with the Sixers’ current core. The UCLA point guard is far from ball-dominant, post a usage rate of just 18.1 percent as a freshman. That would allow Philadelphia to proceed with their current plan to have Ben Simmons be the team’s primary ball-handler. In this scenario, Ball would be able to avoid some of the concerns about his lack of creation ability while attacking moving defenses as a secondary option and bending the floor with his 3-point shooting.

The 76ers would be a landing spot that allows Ball to maximize his strengths while minimizing his weaknesses, a combination that suggests an ideal fit and a big win for the franchise.

Despite the presumed fit with the Sixers, I could see the selection going over poorly with Sixers fans. Here’s to being continuously disappointed!

2017 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline: Evaluating winners and losers of pro decisions - Sporting News

A big get for John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats is guard Hamidou Diallo rescinding his name from next month’s draft and coming back to Lexington:

Diallo, a 6-5 wing, hasn't seen his 19th birthday and he already has a 44.5-inch vertical and 6-11 wingspan, according to DraftExpress. He's the highest-ranked recruit in Kentucky's top-ranked 2017 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, which features six five-star players and a pair of four-star prospects.

Swapover Hat - Stepover Tees

Catch me on the beach sometime this summer down the shore with this hat on:

Game of Zones - Bleacher Report

I don’t follow this Game of Zones series, but it seems pretty entertaining, especially if you’re both an NBA diehard and a Game of Thrones diehard (basically everyone I follow on Twitter). The latest episode features the Sixers: