04-29-2020, 07:05 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-29-2020, 07:07 AM by DanSchwartzgan.)
Vecenie's latest mock:
18.Dallas Mavericks
R.J. Hampton | 6-5 guard | 18 years old | New Zealand Breakers
Hampton got hurt and shut things down in the NBL in January. It was encouraging that he held down a rotation spot on a pro team this year, but it wasn’t quite the wild success that many had hoped. I recently went deeper on Hampton, and explained why teams are struggling to reconcile his tape against other elite guards in this draft. The struggles shooting and the lack of success on defense, particularly, are the issues at play.
In general, I think the draft range is a bit wider on Hampton than what people think. It’s not impossible a team falls in love with the tools and takes him in the back half of the lottery. But it’s also a pretty real possibility he takes a bit of a tumble into the latter portion of the teens based on the feedback I’m getting after he averaged nine points and four rebounds per game in Australia with a 48.8 true-shooting percentage.
In terms of the role, the idea for Hampton is to be a solid combo guard who can switch between the 1 and the 2, given that his handle is pretty polished and his pull-up game has potential. But his jumper needs to be good for that to work in actuality, and it was terrible this season in Australia.
If I were the Mavericks and this is the way the board fell, I’d probably look more at the trade market. But Hampton does make a modicum of sense for them if they think he will keep getting better. They could use a bigger, secondary ballhandler next to Luka Doncic. Hampton does have good burst athletically, and has the potential to break down defenses. But yeah, the start to his pro career wasn’t completely ideal, and the way the board fell doesn’t totally work for what the Mavericks need.
31. Dallas Mavericks (via GSW)
Daniel Oturu | 6-10 center | 20 years old, sophomore | Minnesota
Oturu was one of the big risers within this draft cycle, going from something of an afterthought after a solid freshman campaign heading into the season to one of the best centers in college basketball. Oturu averaged 20.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game while swatting away 2.5 shots per game. And even beyond that, he showed some potential as a shooter. He hit 36.5 percent of his nearly two 3-point attempts per game, and was up over 70 percent from the line. The mechanics also look good and should be workable long-term. He was an All-Big Ten performer and an All-Defense guy in the league.
The concerns here? First, he just doesn’t really pass it at all. His near-1-to-3 assist to turnover ratio is an issue. For him to become a potential starter at the center position, he’ll need to at least be able to make reads in short rolls. Also, at 6-10, even with good length, he’ll be slightly undersized for the position. Will the defense totally translate? Teams are a bit skeptical, but I think he’ll be fine given that he has a 7-2 wingspan, and he should be up over a 9-foot standing reach. He’ll be in the mix for teams starting in the teens, but the floor is always lower for big men because not everyone needs one, and there are only limited roster spots league-wide for centers. Still, Oturu is modern enough to where I think he has a real shot to go in Round 1. The Mavericks could use another backup center option, particularly with Dwight Powell’s injury and Boban Marjanovic’s general ineffectiveness.
18.Dallas Mavericks
R.J. Hampton | 6-5 guard | 18 years old | New Zealand Breakers
Hampton got hurt and shut things down in the NBL in January. It was encouraging that he held down a rotation spot on a pro team this year, but it wasn’t quite the wild success that many had hoped. I recently went deeper on Hampton, and explained why teams are struggling to reconcile his tape against other elite guards in this draft. The struggles shooting and the lack of success on defense, particularly, are the issues at play.
In general, I think the draft range is a bit wider on Hampton than what people think. It’s not impossible a team falls in love with the tools and takes him in the back half of the lottery. But it’s also a pretty real possibility he takes a bit of a tumble into the latter portion of the teens based on the feedback I’m getting after he averaged nine points and four rebounds per game in Australia with a 48.8 true-shooting percentage.
In terms of the role, the idea for Hampton is to be a solid combo guard who can switch between the 1 and the 2, given that his handle is pretty polished and his pull-up game has potential. But his jumper needs to be good for that to work in actuality, and it was terrible this season in Australia.
If I were the Mavericks and this is the way the board fell, I’d probably look more at the trade market. But Hampton does make a modicum of sense for them if they think he will keep getting better. They could use a bigger, secondary ballhandler next to Luka Doncic. Hampton does have good burst athletically, and has the potential to break down defenses. But yeah, the start to his pro career wasn’t completely ideal, and the way the board fell doesn’t totally work for what the Mavericks need.
31. Dallas Mavericks (via GSW)
Daniel Oturu | 6-10 center | 20 years old, sophomore | Minnesota
Oturu was one of the big risers within this draft cycle, going from something of an afterthought after a solid freshman campaign heading into the season to one of the best centers in college basketball. Oturu averaged 20.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game while swatting away 2.5 shots per game. And even beyond that, he showed some potential as a shooter. He hit 36.5 percent of his nearly two 3-point attempts per game, and was up over 70 percent from the line. The mechanics also look good and should be workable long-term. He was an All-Big Ten performer and an All-Defense guy in the league.
The concerns here? First, he just doesn’t really pass it at all. His near-1-to-3 assist to turnover ratio is an issue. For him to become a potential starter at the center position, he’ll need to at least be able to make reads in short rolls. Also, at 6-10, even with good length, he’ll be slightly undersized for the position. Will the defense totally translate? Teams are a bit skeptical, but I think he’ll be fine given that he has a 7-2 wingspan, and he should be up over a 9-foot standing reach. He’ll be in the mix for teams starting in the teens, but the floor is always lower for big men because not everyone needs one, and there are only limited roster spots league-wide for centers. Still, Oturu is modern enough to where I think he has a real shot to go in Round 1. The Mavericks could use another backup center option, particularly with Dwight Powell’s injury and Boban Marjanovic’s general ineffectiveness.