If Fox is Gone at #5...

A lot of people seem sold on Fox at #5 (it's not consensus, but the majority of the board seems to be onboard with him as the pick). However, if the first 4 picks of the draft happen to be Fultz, Jackson, Ball, & Fox, who would you prefer to draft?

For the sake of the poll, let's pretend trading the pick is not an option (e.g., teams are asking for way too much when we talk to them).

DSJ for me. Get your franchise PG and player all in 1 pick. Yes there's risk with his attitude, but it seems over-blown at this point.

Personally I like Isaac but I wouldn't be upset with Tatum or Smith.

I like Fox but not enough to want to see the Kings aggressively move up to get him. Smith is a more well rounded scorer and a better playmaker. Neither guy is a good defender but at least Fox has the physical tools and have effort on D.

Tatum could be the best go-to scorer in this draft. He's very good attacking the basket and pulling up and was very efficient when isolated even if he does get tunnel vision and stop the ball more than I like.

Isaac has a very solid floor as a versatile defender/rebounder/shotblocker who can make shots and he has the potential to be a lot more.

I worried that if the Kings stayed at 8 (or slipped to 9) that they'd be forced to take whichever top prospect was still there. At 5 they have a lot of options.

Isaac and Mitchell/tradeback at 10!

I'm not into Tatum much and i'm worried about DSJ's attitude + i dont prefer scorers at PG. However, i would take DSJ because PG is our priority and if we take Tatum at 5, we can only hope Ntilikina is free at 10. If we draft DSJ, we will have very talented Point Guard (maybe worth a risk) and more options at #10 to cover SF/PF position.

But Fox is my no.1, so i hope he will be avaiable at 5

Yes the difference between 5 and 8 or 9 is significant. However, I am so hell bent on Fox and am convinced he will be gone that I can't get excited about any of the alternatives. Isaac I like a lot, but 5 seems like a bit of a gamble. Monk, I hope he shows promising PG skills in work outs, no need to question his ability to score. Mitchell at 10 or a trade down ?, guess I need to see how workouts go.

It seems Fox and Buddy have a connection and would like to play together. Imagine them growing up a bit and challenging the ageing Warrior back court.

how many of these threads do we need?

Isaac would be a good pick at 5 then take Ntilikina at 10. Pretty much what many of us wanted all along.
TDOS man.

Start a new thread with a poll on how many threads we need.

I agree with the posters above...another thread about Fox? Why don't we just mesh together a NBA Draft thread and call it a day

I would take Tatum at 5, if Fox is gone.

At 10, I think there is a chance that Frank Ntilikina slides to us. We just need someone ahead of us to fall in love with Markaren or Collins.

If Frank N. and DSJ are off the board, then, I may take a shot at Donovan Mitchell. I would then re-sign Lawson or Collison, to give Mitchell some time to develop his PG skills.

My concern with Mitchell is that he may never develop PG skills. As it stands now he struggles handling the ball against pressure, tends to make a lot of bad decisions with the ball and isn't a playmaker as he really looks for his own shot above all else.

If Mitchell has no PG skills, then I would pass on him. But, if he can show some combo guard skills in workouts, then he may be worth a risk.

Also, I think if Markkanen slides to us at 10, I could see Vlade taking him to be a stretch 4 in the new NBA. I think that Vlade values 3 point shooting, which we don't really have with our bigs right now, except for Tolliver.

I went with Monk but I won't be super thrilled with anyone if it's not Fox. Honestly wouldn't mind trading the pick at that point if we could get an offer that made sense.

At ten it's anunoby or bust for me. Fox/Anunoby is what I'm looking for.

If Fox is gone we're getting Tatum or Jackson (unless it is Ball who slips). If the Lakers go for Fox it's gonna be a bummer for us, but hilarity could ensue.

I don't think Vlade take Smith Jr not with his attitude problems and lazy defense. I like Issac but he has to much ifs to be taken at 5 and I'm not taking a SG that eliminates Monk. That leaves Tatum who would be the scorer we need in half court

We're not getting Ball but I definitely wish we were! I want nothing to do with Tatum at #5, I hate the thought of that pick. Jackson I could get on board with but wouldn't be thrilled. Of the guys we have any shot at the only one that I'll be excited about is Fox.... Really hoping we get him.

I just can't shake the feeling that Tatum is not going to effective on the NBA level. I freely admit I could be wrong here and am likely biased because I don't like his style of play.

But if Tatum is the pick at 5 then Markkanen makes more sense at 10 with an increased need to spread the floor.

I might kill myself if we end up with Tatum and Markkanen lol

Wouldn't be my first choice, that's for sure.

If a goal is to get a go-to scorer then after Fox I think Smith would be the guy.

Tatum/Labissiere/Koufos or Cauley-Stein or Papagiannis is likely a front court with not a lot of spacing.

Odd, because the consensus from what I can tell is that Fox is already a capable defender that could develop into a really good one. At UK, he gambled a lot but so do many of the top level players in college.

Even if you don't believe he is already a capable defender, he has proven to be a lot better than Smith on that end of the floor. So they're not comparable in that aspect at all, IMO.

With regard to offense, UK was so deep and talented that I don't think Fox was able to showcase everything he can do. While we all know he's got work to do on his outside shot, I firmly believe he's a far more capable playmaker than we've seen. I'm also not convinced Smith is better on the offensive end other than having the better J right now. Fox is only 19 and will fill out over the next couple seasons so I'm not worried about his thin frame.

I don't think Frank will slide, too many teams need PGs IMO

Where are the sources of DSJ's "attitude problems"? I keep seeing people refer to it, but everything I've read has not indicated an attitude problem.
Does "attitude problem" mean a lack of motivation at times? Not a bash, just curious for clarification, thanks!

Yeah, color me in with those not intrigued with Tatum. In fact, those that loathed DeMarcus Cousins for being an ISO post player should really be against drafting Tatum. He's a ball stopper that isn't the skilled and willing passer Boogie is.

I'd much rather have Isaac. Honestly, I'd even be happy with Monk or Markkanen over Tatum despite whatever limitations they have. At least they have a skill that translates well (unfortunately) to today's NBA. Both can catch and shoot the lights out.

With regards to defense, De'Aaron reminds me of Wooden's saying, "Don't mistake activity for achievement"

Fox is very ACTIVE on defense. He's not all that effective on defense though. At least not in terms of man defense. He doesn't properly slide laterally and gets beat a LOT. He then tries to use his quickness to recover. Westbrook does the same thing. He's flying around but he'd be better off taking better angles and he'd get better results with less effort.

Can he be a good defender? Absolutely. But he has to clean up his footwork and do a better keeping his hands up and in position. Fox is a pest off the ball and pretty good defensively in that regard.

Smith can pressure the ball well when he's engaged but his lack of height and length is going to hamper him on the next level, especially if he doesn't give max effort.

Fox is actually a better midrange shooter than Smith, but significantly less effective from three and finishing at the basket. Part of that is his frame too. He doesn't shy from contact, but it does often prevent him from finishing. Smith finishes better through contact.

I think getting stronger will open up Fox's game but it concerns me a bit that he doesn't look like he's added much (if any) muscle since high school. His legs especially still look super thin. He may be a hard gainer in terms of muscle/strength.

I think I'm done with these conversations for a while. It's all starting to become a rehash. We need some new info to fertilize with. If we desire to move up, then move up to number one, and grab Fultz. Here's a little video that explains why he's the number on pick in the draft.

Do you think the 5th and 10th pick would be too much for the #1? Would Boston even do that? It kind of makes sense for them when you think about it. It's a strange situation they find themselves in. ECF, #1 pick in a draft where the consensus pick is a pg, you already have a star pg yadayada...

They could find themselves in a sticky situation if Fultz and IT don't mesh. Could be even worse if Fultz doesn't play well as a result. Then they'd probably be forced to trade IT at below market value and roll the dice and hope the rook can kep the train rolling.

Idk, I personally think we should try and get the #1. Just imagine him and Buddy in the back court!

LOL! ....fertilize...

I think I'd take DSJ. It would be a tossup between him and Tatum for me though. Lets just hope Fox is there lol.

If Fox is gone at #5 I will cry!

At 5 I want a player with a potential to be a perennial all-star or at the absolute worse NBA level starter on a play off team. With that in mind I would look at Smith Jr. and Tatum in no particular order.