Draft Notes: Jackson, Bolmaro, Atar, Fofana
Marreon Jackson, who had previously declared for the NBA draft, has opted to stay in school for one more year, as he announced on his Twitter feed.
The Toledo guard writes that “COVID-19 has caused a lot of unfortunate complications,” suggesting that the coronavirus situation played a part in his decision. He added that he has received some “great feedback” from the NBA. Jackson averaged 19.8 PPG and 5.4 APG in 32 games (35.3 MPG) last season as a junior.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- 19-year-old forward Leandro Bolmaro will enter in the 2020 draft, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along. Bolmaro, who plays in Barcelona, is a candidate to go in the first round, though he’s expected to stay in the draft even if he begins to hear he may fall to round two.
- Turkish center Berke Atar is entering the 2020 draft, according to Stefan Djordjevic of EuroHoops. Atar finished the 2019/20 season with KK MZT Skopje in Macedonia.
- Selim Fofana has entered the draft, Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays. The guard averaged 6.9 points per game for Union Neuchatel Basket in Switzerland this past season.
Mixed Reviews On R.J. Barrett’s Rookie Season
RJ Barrett had an up-and-down rookie season, but the 2019 No. 3 overall selection flashed the top-notch potential that made him a tantalizing pick. Some within the league believe Barrett’s strides are promising, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic hears.
“I think he’s a got a bright future if the Knicks handle him the right way and (give him) the resources to keep improving,” one Western Conference scout told Vorkunov.
Barrett’s 14.3 points per game were third among all rookies, though efficiency remains an issue. Barrett ranked in the 24th percentile as a scorer off the pick-and-roll, per Synergy Sports, and his turnover rate left much to be desired.
Another rival scout told Vorkunov that he doesn’t believe Barrett will become a “high-level” play-maker, but his ability to get the paint consistently provides hope for his future. Still, free throw shooting is an area of concern, as the rookie made just 61.9% of his attempts. Vorkunov notes that – within the last 10 years – only three rookies who shot at least 200 attempts during their respective rookie seasons were worse from the line (Nerlens Noel, Ben Simmons, Elfrid Payton).
Still, there’s optimism surrounding Barrett’s long-term viability in the league.
“Not sure (shooting guard is) his long-term role moving forward,” the aforementioned Western Conference scout added. “… I like his makeup. The way he plays. There’s definitely a competitive side to him that is not very common with a lot of these young players coming in … The pick for the Knicks was a good one … Once he finds his comfort zone he’ll be a really good player. He’s got to work on his shot.”
Bulls Notes: Jordan, Management, Butler
Happy Last Dance Day! Tonight is the first of 10 episodes of the Michael Jordan documentary. In honor of the occasion, allow me to pass along one of my favorite quotes from Jordan:
“It’s heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody. My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can. People may not agree with that. I can’t live with what everyone’s impression of what I should or what I shouldn’t do.”
It’s a quote that I vividly remember reading before making a leap into sports full-time, leaving the comfy confines of a corporate position. It’s something I recall every time I make a move that hopefully brings me closer to my goal of being an NBA GM (dreamers can still dream), and it’s a reminder that everything you do is not going to please everyone, so excuse the bad analogy, but shoot your shot.
While we await an inside look into Jordan’s final season with the Bulls, let’s take a look at some notes from Chicago:
- Sam Smith of NBA.com explains how the conflict between management, players, and coaches helped motivate Jordan’s final championship season with the Bulls. Jackson and Jordan knew they had to go out as winners and the internal feuds fueled the team.
- Chicago feared paying Jimmy Butler the supermax and made one of the bolder franchise pivots over the past decade when they traded away the All-Star for a package of young prospects, ESPN’s Zach Lowe contends. The Bulls felt that a new core would bring them closer to championship contention, though they have yet to make the playoffs since trading Butler.
- In the same piece, Lowe argues that better play-makers – whether acquired via outside acquisition or internal improvements – would help the Bulls’ young frontcourt improve. Neither Lauri Markkanen nor Wendell Carter Jr. has played at a high level for consistent stretches during their respective young NBA careers.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Paul, Draft, Oubre, Kaminsky
The Warriors‘ dynasty almost didn’t happen. Golden State was looking for an All-Star back in 2011 and the franchise offered Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to New Orleans in exchange for Chris Paul, Ethan Strauss writes in The Victory Machine (h/t Dan Feldman of NBC Sports).
Paul, whose contract expired at the end of that season, reportedly told the Warriors that he would not re-sign with them, which nixed the negotiations. Paul was later dealt to the Lakers in a trade that was vetoed. He ultimately ended up on the Clippers via another trade.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- If the NBA doesn’t resume, the Warriors are guaranteed a top-five pick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines the team’s options with that selection. As Slater details, trading it away for a proven vet is worth exploring, especially if there are no surefire prospects in the draft, as some believe.
- Trading down is an option for the Warriors in the draft and Slater (in the same piece) proposes a fun hypothetical deal that sends Kelly Oubre and the Suns‘ pick (projected to be No. 10) to the Warriors for their top-five pick. Oubre would fit in nicely with the team’s core and his salary would fit into the team’s $17.2MM trade exception.
- Suns GM James Jones said that Oubre, who underwent meniscus surgery back in February, and Frank Kaminsky, who was dealing with a patella stress fracture, have both medically healed, Gina Mizell of The Athletic tweets. Both have “kind of pressed the pause button” though, as they can’t participate in traditional sports rehab.
Heat Notes: Iguodala, Winslow, Robinson
Andre Iguodala hasn’t been with the Heat too long. He was traded to Miami back in February, but during his short time with the team, he has already figured out why the organization has such a good reputation.
“It’s the Heat culture, which is a different type of culture in terms of the connection you have, with not just your teammates but the coaching staff,” Iguodala said (via Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel). “I see why they’ve been so consistent.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- In the same piece, Iguodala said the team was still figuring out how to play alongside each other when the NBA suspended the season. The former Finals MVP suited up in 14 games for Miami.
- Grading the Justise Winslow-Iguodala trade will come down to how Winslow performs in Memphis, Winderman opines in his latest mailbag. Winslow has yet to suit up for the Grizzlies.
- Duncan Robinson was in the midst of a career year before the NBA’s hiatus, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Robinson’s 243 made threes rank third in the league behind James Harden and Buddy Hield.
- In case you missed it, on Wednesday we passed along word that the Bulls haven’t sought permission to interview Heat executive Shane Battier.
Rui Hachimura Talks Beal’s Mentorship, Carmelo’s Influence On His Game
The atmosphere in Washington this past season fostered growth. Veterans assisted young players on and off the court and rookie Rui Hachimura was recently asked which player on the Wizards was the best mentor for him. The rookie singled out Bradley Beal, as I relayed on Heavy.com.
“There’s a lot, but obviously Brad is a guy I’m always looking at,” Hachimura said. “I talk to him about basketball and off the court, everything. He’s a great leader of the team. I think it’s good to see, even at practice, I can watch him and how hard he works…He’s not much of a talking guy. He shows. Whatever he’s doing, I can see…He’s the guy I always look at.”
Hachimura was also asked about which player inspired his game when he first got into basketball.
“I watched a lot of Carmelo Anthony,” Hachimura said. “He was my guy when I started playing basketball. I watched his footsteps and his pull-up shot. That why I think I have a pull-up now, because I watched him a lot. He’s obviously a big guy, 6’8” and a power forward or small forward. I watched him a lot when I was a kid…He was one of the (hardest players to guard all season).”
Hachimura added that he isn’t letting this time off go to waste, just as he didn’t when he missed 23 games with a groin injury early in the season. As he did then, the first-year forward is using his time off the court to watch film in order to grow as a player.
Adam Silver, Mark Cuban Among Potential White House Consultants
United States President Donald Trump addressed the nation earlier today, speaking about how he plans to re-open the economy and detailing some steps he will take that would hopefully result in the NBA and other leagues booting back up later this year.
“We have to get our sports back,” Trump said (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).
He added that he plans on talking to upwards of 120 people – including NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban – about the best way to re-open the economy and restart sports. The advisory panel, which includes executives and leaders from many industries, also includes a number of other sports commissioners and team owners, including the NFL’s Roger Goodell and MLB’s Rob Manfred.
“We’re not going to rip out every other seat in (stadiums),” Trump said in discussing how to get fans back to sporting events.
All the commissioners of the North American sports leagues recently conducted a call with Trump. All parties want the leagues to start back up, but Trump said he needs to get the “all clear” from officials first.
In addition to the league’s conversations with the White House, the NBA is consulting with health experts on the best way to get back up and running.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Alters Draft Decision Because Of Coronavirus Concerns
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will not enter the 2020 draft after all. Head coach Jay Wright had previously said the Villanova forward would test the draft waters, but Robinson-Earl provided Wright with his final decision earlier this week, as the University’s website relays.
“A few days ago Jeremiah called me and told me he wanted to just continue working out and concentrate on getting better,” Wright said. “He said ‘ I don’t want to bother with the NBA stuff, so I just want to say I’m coming back. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of this.”
Wright added that JRE had gotten some feedback on his game from the NBA early entry committee and it was likely that he would have been drafted.
Robinson-Earl, who is No. 64 on ESPN’s big board, said the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus and how the NBA will respond to it played a role in his decision.
“The uncertainty of what the NBA is going to do did a play a part in this,” the forward said. “I just feel like I don’t want to worry a lot about that with the times we’re all going through right now. I just want to focus on getting better, going back to Villanova and getting my mindset on that.
“I did get some feedback [from the NBA] and it was good feedback. I just felt like I wanted to focus on being a better overall player. The feedback was that I would have gotten drafted but I feel like I can put myself in a better position just by coming back.”
Central Notes: Pistons, Beasley, S. Brown, Brogdon
The Pistons will enter the NBA offseason looking for upgrades in free agency and James Edwards III of The Athletic examines some restricted free agent options in the upcoming draft.
Malik Beasley is among the possibilities suggested by Edwards, though Detroit may have to overpay if the franchise hopes to land the shooting guard. Beasley came to Minnesota in the Robert Covington deal at the trade deadline and the Wolves have the right to match any offer sheet he receives.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Sterling Brown is another possible target, Edwards notes in the same piece. Brown has shown flashes in limited minutes for the Bucks and it’s feasible that the 25-year-old could perform better with more run.
- Malcolm Brogdon was nursing a quad injury prior to the NBA’s hiatus, but Indiana’s prized offseason addition has informed Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard that he’s 100 percent recovered, as Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets.
- If the season resumes, the Pacers may benefit from a healthy backcourt, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star writes. In addition to Brogdon healing up, Victor Oladipo would have more time to get back to top form. Doug McDermott, who was nursing a big toe injury, has already returned to full health.
Draft Notes: Nuggets, J. Harris, Hawks
The Nuggets‘ acquired a first-round pick from the Rockets in the four-team, 12-player deal that sent Malik Beasley to the Wolves. That pick is currently slated to be the No. 21 overall selection and Mike Singer of the Denver Post examines five prospects the team could take at that spot in the first round.
Florida State guard Devin Vassell and Villanova forward Saddiq Bey are among the more intriguing options, in Singer’s view. Both players have range and could provide the Nuggets with depth, something that might be needed if Paul Millsap or Jerami Grant (player option) departs in free agency.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- Nevada guard Jalen Harris has declared for the 2020 draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. Harris, who averaged 21.7 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 30 games as a junior, is the No. 93 overall prospect on ESPN.com‘s big board.
- The Hawks could go a number of different directions with their first-round pick, which is expected to fall in the top five, Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago writes. Depending on where the pick lands, the team could look for a new backcourt partner for Trae Young (Anthony Edwards or perhaps LaMelo Ball) or simply go with the best player available.
- Some NBA teams want to delay the draft until at least August 1. Check out the latest on that, as well as some of the restrictions that teams are facing as they virtually evaluate prospects.