CBS Sports/ Norlander's top heavy Uconn mock/ effectiveness list......
NBA draft- and the pick is in
- Thread starter the Blades
- Start date
We will see what happens. There is a history of UConn players riding a big season into a first round selection, namely 2006 when 4 guys were drafted first round in Gay, Armstrong, Boone and Williams. The only one of those 4 who had long NBA careers was Gay, who was the highest one picked. Armstrong was lottery pick but flamed out after a few years, as did Boone who I think was close to the lottery. Williams went later first round and had an even shorter NBA career.
I don't think Hawkins and Andre will go as high as projected, however I think it's likely AJ goes first round as someone (likely Indiana) must have assured him he will be picked for him to be staying in the draft. Hawkins probably 15 or so. I heard Philly likes him a lot. They need a shooter BAD.
Sanogo is more of a wild card to me. I am not sure how his game translates to the NBA. He did show great improvement at UConn and is a hard worker and this bodes well for him. His footwork is superb and his moves at the college level were big time. But he lacks electric athleticism and guys like him have busted in the NBA a lot. Because of bigger bodies better athletes etc. So he is a question mark and I kind of see why. I think 2nd round is more likely.
I don't think Hawkins and Andre will go as high as projected, however I think it's likely AJ goes first round as someone (likely Indiana) must have assured him he will be picked for him to be staying in the draft. Hawkins probably 15 or so. I heard Philly likes him a lot. They need a shooter BAD.
Sanogo is more of a wild card to me. I am not sure how his game translates to the NBA. He did show great improvement at UConn and is a hard worker and this bodes well for him. His footwork is superb and his moves at the college level were big time. But he lacks electric athleticism and guys like him have busted in the NBA a lot. Because of bigger bodies better athletes etc. So he is a question mark and I kind of see why. I think 2nd round is more likely.
That Norlander list isn't a slot projection, more his guess on "which prospects will have the best NBA careers" ...Here's one today, a mock draft by pick # with both AJ ( dropping a bit after the NC hype) and Adama 2nd rounders...
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Here's the actual rankings from CBS Sports with video breakdown....
NBA Draft Prospect Rankings page
NBA Draft Prospect Rankings page
According to that Sanogo is only 6'7" which, if CBS's tape measure is correct, is severely undersized for the type of player he is on the NBA level.
Nope....really 6-7 1/4 barefoot, but this is nothing new. Every player in the history of the NBA is usually 1" to 2" shorter barefoot than their listed height. Remember when 6-8" Elton Brand was really only 6-5 1/4 ? Dwight Howard 6-11 really only 6-9 ? Sanogo does have a huge wing span (almost 7-3) and standing reach (9+ ft) though. As the saying goes nobody plays barefoot or stops playing at the top of their head. Notice the 6-9 kid from Kentucky, Oscar Tshiebwe, has almost the exact same measurements of Adama.
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"Sanogo is a unit.......He shot over 60 percent from the field and 76.6 percent from the free throw line -- improving that area by about 10 percent each season of his college career.....However, his traditional ways as a paint bully don't necessarily translate to the NBA. Most of his offensive work is done at or close to the rim......It'll be interesting to see what the Bulls can do with him, as they are in dire need of physical rim protectors in the big leagues"
PS..... also joins former Husky Andre Drummond who's been the back-up in CHI behind Nikola Vučević (free agent) " Vucevic may be willing to give Chicago a “hometown discount” on a new multiyear contract. The big man made $22MM this past season."
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Regarding the picks not in..........
Guys on 2 way contracts in the NBA are essentially 16 and 17th men on NBA rosters. Each team gets 2 2-way contract dudes. They are similar to players on 40 man rosters in baseball who can be shuttled up and down from AAA to the MLB team as needed due to injuries or bullpen arms being worn down and fresh arms being needed. The difference is the 2 way contract guy in the NBA can only play a maximum of 50 NBA games and has to spend the rest of the time in the G League. Sanogo will probably start in the G League and they will bring him up to the Bulls when and as needed. If Vukovic or Drummond get hurt he will probably get a chance....at some minutes.
AJ with the phone call to his new coach.... Dan's former team mate and Aubrey's dad.....gotta keep it in the family I guess 
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Well we know Cam Whitmore was one of the biggest drops in the draft, but this is crazy if true. I can say myself as someone who watches and roots for other BE teams OOC, Whitmore seemed about as low a BB IQ player as you can get for his lofty rankings. With the both untimely & just strait up bonehead plays he made.
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That's very interesting, but I agree with your comments Blades. I remember being very impressed by Whitmore's physical skills but I can specifically remember one play he made which was what I would call " telegraphed hero ball drive to hole to thrown down highlight reel dunk." The move was ultra-telegraphed and Andre Jackson Jr. blocked his shot out to halfcourt and it was a fast break for UConn going the other way. It's the kind of block you see result from a low IQ basketball play.
There were other rumors, however, that Whitmore had an injury or some physical issue. Whitmore himself in post draft interviews made defensive comments about his health.
I am guessing Neptune was being straight with the NBA scout and thought his comments would be held privately. I imagine NBA scouts mostly hear coaches puffing like bullfrogs about their players, but Neptune's a young coach and might have thought honesty=credibility. Which in this world should still mean something.
There were other rumors, however, that Whitmore had an injury or some physical issue. Whitmore himself in post draft interviews made defensive comments about his health.
I am guessing Neptune was being straight with the NBA scout and thought his comments would be held privately. I imagine NBA scouts mostly hear coaches puffing like bullfrogs about their players, but Neptune's a young coach and might have thought honesty=credibility. Which in this world should still mean something.
Well the other angle on this was what Randy Edsall was known for at times, even publicly. Making excuses for bad coaching( Neptune dropped @ Nova himself) by throwing his players under the bus. Either way it's not a good look to future recruits.
Article on AJ and other Huskies in NBA Summer League:
The other kid the Bucks drafted after AJ, Livingston, is a 19 year old who appears to be very raw. Looking at his college stats he didn't really look ready for the NBA. I am guessing he is destined for the G League whereas AJ will probably make the team and can help the Bucks defensively right out of the gate.
Andre started for Bucks tonight 9 points, 6 assists, 3 boards in a Bucks win. Didn't shoot well- 2 for 8, 0 for 4 on 3s. But the Bucks win!
That first blocked shot was virtually a boilerplate replay of the blocked shot he had last year against Cam Whitmore of Villanova, except that he blocked Whitmore's shot as he was cupping the ball to dunk:
Then in the meantime DH's problem child still seems to be just going through the motions, with a glimpse here or there. As I discussed on this site many times, even as he became a lottery pick, kid just seemed very immature and un-engaged, almost the exact opposite of Andre Jackson. Glad for him that he collected some lottery pay checks but if you don't step it up mentally, the NBA grind will spit you out. Seems like Europe or bust if he can't figure it out fast, which isn't likely to happen, especially needing to play in the summer league as a 3rd year player.
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Andre gets "a roster spot contract" , "likely using the new second-round pick exception," not a 2 way deal according to this report. Looks like it was the perfect spot for him in MIL, getting good intel to stick ( no G-league that he was looking for to stay in the draft). Especially with DH's former Seton Hall buddy, Griffen as his head coach. Being that AG was a similar glue guy type, do a little of everything, not much of a scorer duing his NBA career.AJ with the phone call to his new coach.... Dan's former team mate and Aubrey's dad.....gotta keep it in the family I guess
In case any of you forgot about Tyrese Martin, he gave us a reminder that he is still around last night:
Lead his team with 21 pts and had 4 rebs along with a good shooting night.....Jordan had an off shooting night from 3 but still had 16 pts / 5 rebs. Sleepy Bouknight continues to shoot alot/ miss alot...(31.3 FG / 22.2 3pt ) but has grabbed 7.5 rebs. ...............To check out the summer stats / numbers here's the link:
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I saw Bouknight's first summer league game and he was terrible. Out of control, bad shots, air balls. He looked very undisciplined.
Andre Jackson Jr. signed a 4 year / $7,639,302 contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, including $2,065,492 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $1,909,826. In 2023-24, Jackson Jr. will earn a base salary of $1,119,563, while carrying a cap hit of and a dead cap value of $1,119,563.
Looks like sleepy James finally woke up, but is he to late for work ?
BTW...Hawk had another bad shooting game against him (2-13 FG/ 1-6 3pt w/ 8 rebs)