Kristaps Porzingis has become the trendy name among NBA executives since dominating at his ASM Sports workout a week ago. “I think there is a strong chance he lands in the top four picks,” one Eastern Conference general manager told SheridanHoops. “The Lakers, Knicks and 76ers are all possible options. He has the length and athleticism of Andrei Kirilenko and stroke and footwork like Dirk Nowitzki. He will be the best prospect in this draft while also having the best upside.”
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing for the start of the NBA Finals, but 28 other teams already are evaluating their ever-changing draft boards. Sheridan Hoops has done three mock drafts thus far and probably will do at least three more. Why? Because players can help or hurt themselves with their performances at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and in team workouts. Four players who have improved their stock considerably are Richaun Holmes, Rakeem Christmas, Jordan Mickey and
NEW YORK – Just when New York Knicks fans thought the worst season in franchise history couldn’t get any worse, it did. After watching superstar Carmelo Anthony shut things down with a knee injury and his constantly changing teammates stagger to a 17-65 mark – the second-worst record in the league – the Knicks dropped two spots to fourth overall in Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery. General manager Steve Mills summed it up for the team’s title-starved fans watching at home, bowing
Based on conversations I had with multiple people around the league at last week’s combine in Chicago, this draft sounds like it will be known as the Karl-Anthony Towns draft– and the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to get him. Barring an injury issue similar to what Joel Embiid had last year, Towns is all but certain to be the first player to shake hands with Adam Silver on draft night and become the third straight No. 1 pick to wear a Minnesota
21. Dallas Mavericks – Tyus Jones, PG, Duke If you watched any of Duke’s tournament games, you could see how big of an impact Jones had as a true freshman. Jones is a throwback PG that creates great scoring opportunities for his teammates, but he also has the ability to hit the big shot or convert when he’s open, sort of like Chris Paul. While Jones is not big, he has tons of heart and is a true leader. In a point guard-driven league, especially
11. Indiana Pacers – Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas Like many Jayhawks prospects, Oubre should be even better in an NBA system where he’ll have more scoring opportunities. As a rookie, Oubre should be able to hit open jumpers, and if he develops his ball-handling skills to create his own scoring opportunities, he could be very good. He averaged 9.3 points and 5 rebounds in just 21 minutes per game for Kansas, and went 15-for-19 from the foul line in a late-season victory over
The NBA Draft Combine is complete, and with it player movement up and down draft boards has begun. This year, live scrimmages were added to the Combine to give scouts and GMs more of a sample to use for evaluating these prospects. While the measurements, interviews, and testing still are the focal point for teams, the live scrimmages have given teams the chance to see how players respond to coaching and the type of competitive juices they have. One major takeaway from
The NBA draft lottery is next week, and hopefully there won’t be a scandal involving deflated ping-pong balls. For a franchise in the lottery, it is a chance to hit the jackpot and find a player who can help the team become a playoff contender immediately and a title contender down the road. According to several league executives, Texas center Myles Turner has the potential to be that type of player. “He’s probably a late lottery pick with big-time upside now,” one general