Some of the greatest joys of being a sports fan, besides your favorite team winning the championship, are the debates that arise between fellow sports nuts along the way. It’s with this in mind that we have begun providing a forum for basketball fanatics to voice their opinions, debate trending topics, and simply hang out with like-minded hoops aficionados. We’ve begun been posting a new topic for readers to discuss each weeknight, which we hope that this will become a regular part of your sports day. If you missed our previous discussions you can view them here, or simply head over to the sidebar and select “Hoops Rumors Community Shootarounds.”
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Now that the preamble has been taken care of, on to the topic of the day: In three years’ time, which player selected in this year’s NBA Draft will be considered the biggest steal?
Yesterday we took the glass is half empty approach when we discussed who would likely be the biggest bust/disappointment in this year’s draft. But each year there are players who are selected who exceed expectations, and in many cases, outperform those chosen ahead of them. It can sometimes take a few seasons before a player finds his footing in the league and his talent shines through. One of the more recent examples of this occuring is the Warriors’ Draymond Green, who just completed his third campaign in the league. Green lasted until the No. 35 overall pick, and now is in line for a max deal this summer as a free agent. It would be a safe assumption that there are 29 teams out there who are kicking themselves for passing over the talented two-way player from Michigan State.
Who do you feel will be the player we look at after the 2017/18 season as being the biggest steal of the draft? It could be a player who hears his name called during the draft lottery, or one who has to wait until the selections are dying down late in the second round. Sound off below with your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Richaun Holmes – Smart, Driven, great athleticism and length, and already had a budding skill set on both ends of the court. It’s all there for him to become a great big in the Association.
Where (and by whom) do you predict Holmes will be selected?
Robert Upshaw- Dude has been all over draft boards. The main one I follow is at Basketball Insiders, just after the end of the college season they had him as a possible late first rounder (27-30). Just last week they did their annual Complete Mock Draft and had him going 60th. He’s been all over everyone’s boards and I have no clue where he will land. The skill set is obvious. Great size, great athleticism, and a real knack for swatting shots and help defense. He isn’t polished offensively and can’t shoot free throws and relied on his size to compensate for not so great post defense. The biggest flaw of all has been questions of his “character”. Personally I don’t like to use the word character when talking about drug related issues. Teams seem to like him personality wise, and if he can get over the hump of drug issues (much like what mark hamilton did in baseball) he could be the steal of the draft.
I absolutely agree with you on Upshaw. He’s likely to fall into the second round because teams will be leery of having to pony up a guaranteed deal. But if he can stay clean, in a few year’s time he could be one of the most productive bigs in the draft. Hassan Whiteside 2.0 perhaps?
J.P. Tokoto because he has the ‘D’ down already for him to be a nice ”Three and D” player when he gets his shot right.
I think it will be Stanley Johnson. The guy is a beast and can be great in all facets of the game.
Frank Kaminsky hands down. He can go and play in the NBA now, and be ready this year. Seniors should not be underrated for their age. He’s still out of his prime years, he’s a great player- without star potential, but he would be a great fit in a young team like Boston, a team looking for some front court help.
Granted, Boston would have to trade up a few spots to snag him in the 10-14 range (roughly) but Boston may jump even higher with the rumors surrounding them trying to trade up to Philly at No. 3.
I think if the C’s are trading up its to get Cauly-Stein. They already a big man with a similar skill set in Kelly Olynyk (solid offensive game out to three point line, limited defense). Although in fairness to kaminsky I think his defense at the 4 looks a lot better than at the 5 (where he mostly played with wisconsin)
I think it will be one of the older point guards, Delon Wright or Jerian Grant if he falls far enough. Both appear to be able to join a rotation right away. And to be considered a steal, you have to be on the court. I liked Wright’s game at Utah, and I’d sure take him if I had a pick in early 20s.
As far as point guards go, I’d go with Tyus Jones.
two Syracuse players. Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough. BOOK IT!
My guess is one of the Harrison Twins, Andrew or Aaron. Aaron is the better shooter but Andrew has a chance to be a stud NBA PG with his tool set…
Sam Dekker, 6’9″ 230 has a handle, three point stroke, and will be an absolute beast on the fast break. I can’t believe he is fluctuating in as many draft predictions as I have seen.
He’ll be the Ryan Anderson of this draft.
Dakari Johnson – He may not be the one that lights up the stat sheet, but he seems like the type of player that would fit in great on a championship team. He seems like the type of player that the Spurs always seem to pick up at the end of the first round.
It’d certainly be something if the fourth most highly regarded Kentucky big man after Towns, Cauley-Stein and Lyles breaks through!
TBH, If Mudiay falls out of the top 3-4 picks, he will be considered a steal in 3 years time. The skill set he possesses is really impressive and his maturity for his age is what makes me think he will be a great NBA player. Now, for regular perceived steal guys, I think Jerian Grant can step into a highly productive role, depending on the team that picks him, If the Rockets take him over Jones, I think they will be pleased with his contribution next season. Also, Rakeem Christmas could have played minutes in a reserve role for a contender last season and will step into that role immediately, IMO. Between him and Dakari, both under-rated, I am taking Christmas because Dakari might come down with the Eddy Curry/Othella Harrington/Michael Sweetney syndrome.
I don’t know about biggest steal, but I really like Jordan Mickey and his potential to be a small-ball center in the NBA. He really reminds me of a more athletic Taj Gibson with a less refined midrange game but a generally higher ceiling. Considering his projection to go early-mid 2nd round, and maybe really late 1st round, I think he can be a big steal down the road.
Tyus Jones from Duke. Great passer, good handles. 2-3 years and he’ll be an integral part of a title contender team.