That one actually does get to me every time. I guess I find it very easy to imagine and appreciate players’ desires to go pro, it’s their dream. They’re going to look for reasons to go to the league and fulfill their dream rather than risky upside of staying one more year and risking stock dropping/injury/etc. They make the choice best for them at the time with the information they have, and we aren’t privy to soooo much of that info.
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I think the process is better than it was when Manny H went pro. I like the interaction between the NBA and the Michigan kids of late. Maybe it’s because Manny went undrafted but the guys of late have gotten good NBA feedback including DWALT and DR as 2 way players. To me if you sniff the 1st round and gaurenteed money you have to go. Late 2nd round I’m not so sure. I think it depends on the returning UM team and how you can show case your talent. I’m really happy for DJW, he has matured into a good NBA player with lots of upside. I will say if this team gets to the Finals…JP and IGGY are gone, their brand will be strong. I don’t think UM gets there without both those guys having great games on the national stage.
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Jordan Poole (1st rd) and Ignas Brazdeikis (2nd rd) feature in this 2020 Mock.
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Good. They should both come back once they read this. 
Ohhhh 2020. I saw that headline and thought someone was on crack thinking Zion won’t be first. Also feeling more sanguine about Poole as a first rounder. Whew.
I find Iggy only being a 2nd rounder next year kind of crazy considering some think he’s a first rounder this year. Let alone with another year to develop under Beilein and co. And a full summer with Sanderson to hopefully add flexibility and improve his speed/athleticism.
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What NBA skill do you think he possesses right now that is above average?
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Straight line Slasher/finisher elite with both hands. Rebounds well for a 3/4. Impact scorer in a 2nd unit type player. Can space the floor and shoot as well but he still needs to get a little more consistent there. But i think he can become a really solid shooter at the next level too. You wouldn’t like him as a go to scorer off the bench for a 2nd unit? I think he’d be a pretty good player for that role.
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Interesting. He will need to be able to finish over much different athletes with length at the next level. Has had trouble recently doing just that as opponents go with bigger defenders.
Can’t see him consistently beating anybody off the bounce in the Association. Just not quick enough. Limited potential as a creator/initiator.
Just not someone who I think has one above average NBA skill to bank on at this time in development.
Very difficult for me to project him as a second unit “impact scorer” in the NBA. Just don’t see it happening there.
I’ve assumed Iggy will leave because he’s older, confident and virtually every NBA team is desperate for combo forwards these days but I do wonder if Iggy’s offensive go to being outquicking college 4s to get to the rim and finishing inside will be seen as dicey in the NBA where he’ll be guarded by quicker types, and whereas Poole has the shooting range and creativity to make a team think he can become a great offensive player, Iggy seems more like a straightline scorer.
But yeah, with most NBA benches now consisting of a center, 3 wings and a PG that’s 90 wing rotation bench spots to fill.
Poole’s game is so intriguing he seems like the most likely guy to get one of those late 1st round promises. Someone could fall in love with him there, like Milwaukee (needing shooting around Giannis and currently playing DJ Wilson a decent amount), Oklahoma City or Philly( both desperate for shooting).
I think that Iggy’s straight line drives will actually be more effective at the NBA level, assuming there is more spacing and he’s surrounded by better threats from the perimeter. He’s trying to drive through 3-4 guys on any given possession when X and Teske are on the floor with the college three point line. I think at the next level it’s more likely to be 1-2, with less significant help side
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Vecenie’s first 2019 Mock has Charles Matthews going 39th overall, Iggy and Poole undrafted.
Know this order will change going forward, but this is an absolutely crummy draft year.
Charles snippet:
Matthews is the best defensive wing in this class, in my opinion. He will be higher than this on my personal board. Still, NBA executives have him a bit lower, and they’re rightly concerned about his ability to shoot it. He shoots a very heavy ball that clangs off the rim hard, with most believing he won’t be much of a shooter in time. Still, I’ll take the athleticism and defense he provides, and so do the Pistons in this case.
He’s got the Pistons taking Romeo and Charles. 
For a team desperate for deep shooting help.
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No Iggy and Poole in this weak crop is not very promising.
Worth noting he proactively left Iggy out, presumably because he believes he’s coming back, but not because he believes he wouldn’t be drafted in the top 60…or at least that’s the inference I drew from this:
- In regard to which players to include and which not to include, I used my judgment and used intel gathered from NBA executives and college coaches. In many cases, the players themselves have not decided what they want to do. At this stage, we just have imperfect information, which makes a lot of this speculative in nature. Guys I’ve chosen to leave out despite potential one-and-done speculation include Jalen Smith, Ignas Brazdeikis, Talen Horton-Tucker and Ayo Dosunmu, and underclassmen include Isaiah Roby and Chuma Okeke.
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Good catch. I skimmed this, and had a feeling that might be the case. Notable that he named Iggy and not Poole at this point, but maybe that makes sense based on Poole’s last two weeks of play.
In comments Sam V. mentions Iggy should come back, work on his frame and athleticism.
Also references how he got roasted on D in the Wisconsin game continually.
“He shoots a very heavy ball that clangs off the rim hard…”.
That’s funny stuff. What does that even mean?
I’m not sure exactly what that means either but I feel like he is right
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Shoots line drives maybe?