2018 NBA Draft Big Board

Riggins44

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As an aside, Adam Silver looks like a space alien. He does not look human.

So six Whites taken in the first round. Not that great, but it could have been worse. Not nearly as good as the NFL draft this year, which was I think 12 Whites in the first round.
 

icsept

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6 out of 30 Whites drafted. Hmmm, keep the NBA at 20% White, year after year.

Just turned it on and of the 3 draftees I’ve seen, all Jay Bilas can say is “wingspan!” “Long arms!”. Who cares if they can play as long as they have orangutan arms.
 
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On to the 2nd round, we see a further 4 whites drafted giving us 10 whites in total taken in 2018. While this draft saw an unusual high amount of white wing players, it lacked depth in the 2nd round.
SF/PF Rodions Kurucs no. 40 by the Nets.
SG Sviatoslav Mykhaliuk no. 47 by the Lakers.
SF Arnoldas Kulboka no. 55 by the Hornets.
C Thomas Welsh no. 58 by Denver
 

Shadowlight

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Not sure what it means but the fact I was able to predict the white players picks this year nearly dead on raises a question. I think that when it comes to the NFL and the NBA there is CONCERN about the level of white players. Unfortunately MLB has pursued a different path openly rooting for less white players in vile fashion.

As bad as these numbers sound six players chosen in the first round is actually not bad and that has been the trend the past few years. And many of this year's crop were extremely athletic which pleases me to no end.Granted there were less second round picks but better to skew first than second round as many second round picks often linger on the edges or never make it. Some do of course and I think this year's second round crop have a chance to stick in the NBA.

To me the biggest challenges and problems with the caste profile in the football and basketball take place on the high school level and the recruiting tentacles from there. It is almost unheard of to see six white high school players ranked in the top 30 of a given class. At best there are one or two but often there are virtually zero white players ranked in the top 30 in a given class.

Black kids are getting a huge jump on white athletes and you see this at the football camps where blacks are putting up better 40 yard dash numbers. The same is true in basketball which begs the question are black kids taking steroids and or are white kids maturing at a later stage and that puts them behind the eight ball in terms of recruiting? There are other factors that have been discussed at length here of course.

That said like the NFL draft I was genuinely pleased at how the draft worked out knowing full well things could be a lot worse--next year perhaps?

The fact that Mo Wagner and Musa squeezed into the first round was nice to see. Grayson Allen landed on a perfect team for him and his coach comes from Duke stock. Grayson was just too athletic and skilled to be a second round pick and staying all four years I think helped his stock as he got selected 21st.

Also pleased that players like Musa and Huerter (Nets and Hawks) were selected by eastern conference teams. Living on the East Coast too often white players disappear from my view being on west coast teams.

Dallas is a nice fit for Doncic who will take some pointers from Dirk. Most people like him although there has been the usual too much focus on his "lack of athleticism." We will have to judge for ourselves but I suspect that POV is exaggerated. One name I haven't heard much regarding him is Magic Johnson. Perhaps a cross between Magic and Kukoc at the high end of speculation.

Donte D also landed on an up and coming team with the Bucks. Donte is very mature and although I will miss him and Huerter lighting it up in college for one more year Donte should seamlessly fit in with his team as he is very unselfish.

So scanning the past several drafts there are white players being selected but I guess the nagging problem is star power. More important than sheer numbers or bench warmers is to have high profile white stars and recently that has been a big problem.

But the bottom line is the NBA in my mind is moving the needle in the right direction in terms of white participation. Now the trick is to see if it comes to fruition in practice and most importantly real stars start to emerge preferably on winning teams.
 

Shadowlight

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Want an insider look at the Grayson Allen draft process with the Jazz see below. To me a perfect fit. The Utah fans will LOVE Allen and the fact that coach Quin Snyder is a Duke man I can't think of a better team for Grayson. Congratulations to this exciting talent who Coach K took under his wing and stood by him through the rough patches.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article...-to-the-utah-jazz-drafting-grayson-allen.html
 

white lightning

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Thanks for posting that. Great video and a very interesting read. I'm a huge Grayson Allen fan and I feel
he would to the perfect team. I still will never understand why they didn't draft Jimmer Fredette several
years back. That also would have been a perfect fit.
 

whiteathlete33

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Grayson Allen basically had a 38 inch vertical and some of the best numbers at the Combine yet was called an "average athlete" prior to the Combine. Now the scouting reports have changed and say he is an underrated athlete. You can't make this stuff up. Also, I believe Divcenzo or whatever his name is had the highest vertical leap. Another average athlete.
 

Shadowlight

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Actually Grayson Allen's official vertical was 40.5. And Donte D jumped 42 inches!!

You are correct prior to the combine both players were seldom talked about in "athletic' terms. Allen showed speed and agility at the combine too. He is an explosive athlete and if he puts everything together could become a real good player.
 

white lightning

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Grayson Allen reminds me of Rex Chapman. He can be good player & borderline all star depending on his minutes. The
only problem is that Utah has a lot of other really good players so his shots will be limited. I still predict he should be able
to score around 15 pts a game approx. Great draft by the Jazz.
 

icsept

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I’m glad to see DiVincenzo, Huerter and Allen go 17,19, and 21. American born, White, athletic wing players are rare in the NBA. All 3 will serve racial apprenticeships. I expect Allen to be an immediate rotational player off the bench for the Jazz. His versatility will make him invaluable. DiVincenzo will be on a short leash with Milwaukee because they are perceived to be an up and coming team with high expectations. The Hawks are horrible, so Huerter should get plenty of opportunities. They will have Trae Young, a rookie point guard, so hopefully they develop a great chemistry (Atlanta’s version of the “splash brothers”) rather than the coach not wanting two rookies on the floor.
 
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DixieDestroyer

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As an aside, Adam Silver looks like a space alien. He does not look human.

That hideous Tribesman reminds me of another nefarious character...
 

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