by 12. San Antonio Spurs: Alperen Sengun (Turkey, 18, Center)
The Spurs need a center with the ability to score the ball to compliment their young, up and coming wings and guards. They could make a splash here at number 12 picking up 18 year-old Turkish League MVP Alperen Sengun, making him the first overseas player taken off the board.
The 6’10” big man is coming off of a stellar MVP season in the Turkish League where he put up 19 points and 9 rebounds per game on 64% shooting from the field. At first glance Sengun may look like a throwback big but he has some modern features to his game that the Spurs can be attracted to.
A technician in the post, Sengun is gifted with size, patience and a high basketball IQ allowing him to create easy scoring opportunities for himself and teammates with his back to the basket.
He uses a series of pump fakes and spin moves along with good feet to carve out space in the paint oftentimes leading to a basket or a dump off to the open man.
Sengun also excels as a ball handler for someone his size. He’ll comfortably grab rebounds and immediately look to push the ball as well as take slower centers off the dribble.
Defensively, Sengun is a pretty good shot blocker and solid at containing guards on the perimeter but must improve his ability to defend the pick and roll.
San Antonio can see Sengun as a complimentary big alongside Dejounte Murray with both being able to create for themselves on and off the ball despite needing to work on his outside shot.
13. Indiana Pacers: Kai Jones (Texas, Freshman, Center/Forward
Although he’s only been playing organized basketball for 5 years, the explosive, 6’11” Kai Jones projects to be an active rim runner with some shooting and ball handling capabilities, although most of his buckets are going to come as a roller to the basket and cleaning up around the rim.
The Indiana Pacers can use some depth behind Miles Turner who missed a large part of this past season with an injury. Jones provides elite shot blocking and finishing around the rim thanks to his high vertical leap and long arms.
While at Texas, the big man showed some encouraging ability to stretch the floor as a pick and popper as well as the ability to attack closeouts from the perimeter and drive to the basket. Jones’ quick feet and length allow him to contain the pick and roll effectively in addition to recovering on blow bys for blocked shots.
Needing to improve his frame and all around feel for the game, Jones is a project at this point in his career but can soon pose as an interesting piece for the Indiana Pacers as an energizer, lob threat and shot eraser entering this new era under new coach Rick Carlisle.
14. Golden State Warriors: Josh Giddey (Australia,19, Guard)
Up again at number 14, the Golden State Warriors may look for a more established shooter to pair with their 7th pick Scottie Barnes.
However, at 6’8” Josh with a load of potential, Giddey may be too hard to pass on given his floor vision, passing ability and firm grasp of the game. The 18 year-old Australian had himself a solid season in the NBL averaging 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game while becoming the youngest player in league history to record a triple double.
One of Giddey’s main strengths is his passing ability as he’s able to see over defenses for needle threading skip passes and is a maestro in pick and roll situations. In transition, Giddey has his head up at all times and is always looking for a well timed pass.
As a scorer, Giddey left more to be desired as his lack of burst and athleticism makes it difficult for him to create space and finish through contact at times. He’s shown to be a pretty good spot up shooter despite the 29% clip he shot at last season and a solid defender, using his size to smother smaller guards.
The Warriors can see Giddey as a nice compliment to their shooters and big men in a similar role to Ricky Rubio or Kyle Anderson for the time being as a pace maintainer which their bench unit desperately needs.
