I need this info^{^}

Another tournament another app to download. Goot-bye US Open app. Another week of typing F into google chrome before realizing the site starts with an R. The French are classy. But who was Roland Garros? Was he, a fictitious dragon who ruled over the Alps and the Bay of Biscay and all that lay in between? Or was he a French aviator and pilot during World War I? Over the next two weeks, we’ll get to the bottom of this. I know which way I’m leaning.
PS that is Querrey in the photo if you're on mobile, not me
Djokovic Ymer : Novak’s biggest win at the French Open is having Thiem and Nadal on the opposite side of the draw. A healthy reward for the #1 player in the world, and one that will mean a very wide open draw and a very enjoyable snackathon while he watches the other semifinal. Novak, or Snack Attack as he’s known to his close friends and family, will be hungies for this one after a very odd day of frustration against Carreño Busta at the US Open led to a disqualification. Novak won the Rome event with relative ease and is as close to a frontrunner as someone other than Nadal can be at this event.
Ymer has been steadily improving but is still at the top of the challenger level when it comes to clay. This won’t be close, but it’s good to see Ymer stringing together a few seasons of appearances in the majors. Djokovic in 3.
Berankas Dellien : Ricardas Berankas may be closer than he appears. After a good hardcourt mini-swing, Berankas has been absent from the clay warmups. He’s never really been the best on clay although he plays a solid baseline game, and this mostly because while he’s consistent, he struggles to hit through the court on slower surfaces. Dellien on the other hand, does his best work on clay. He’s been losing matches you’d expect him to have a better chance in and hasn’t had many bright points leading up to the break. With Djokovic in the next round and Berankis on his worst surface with minimal warmup, this is a must-win for Dellien. He’s struggled to find the finish line but he’ll have ample chances here, and his defending is similar to Munar’s in terms of lockdown baselining Dellien in 4 or he is likely headed off the tour.
Galan Norrie : This is a brilliant opportunity for Daniel. He’s been hinting at a big run on clay and overcoming a lot of the gatekeepers of the challenger tour, but a lot of third set losses have plagued him, and while it’s considered a short stretch of tour, the clay events are deep with talent. Norrie has ventured to the South American swing once or twice, with relatively poor results. He can be a frustrating opponents at his peak, but his backhand doesn’t get through the court well and he’s just a bit inconsistent with results. He’ll still be a favorite here because playing in the spotlight in a major is something that takes time to adjust to, but Galan will make it close and could eke out a win since he’s still a developing player. Galan in 5.
Sandgren Hurkacz : Sandgren hasn’t had a terrible time on the dirt this year, qualifying for events the last two weeks and unfortunately running into guys who are simply better than him. Almost beating Caruso is a great step, and a year ago that would make him a bit of a favorite to beat Hurkacz. Those of us who watched his matches with Rublev and Schwartzman saw a different Hurkacz from the inconsistent but promising server that’s been exhausting bettors while losing after winning the first set time and time again. Hurkacz was hitting very clean and generating winners relatively easily, and while his serve left him late against Diego, playing a returner like that in a long match will do that to you.
Sandgren and Hurkacz will both be hitting a heavy ball here and looking to hold behind big serves, but one of them has had higher level success in the past few weeks, and I think Hubert, or “Hubert”, as he’s known down at the ‘ol library, has the better serve and bigger groundstrokes. Hurkacz in 3-4, and please when you look at Hurkacz picture him wearing glasses and looking up from his wooden table anytime someone coughs across the room.
Garin Kohlschreiber : This is a good start for Garin, whose physical state is somewhat dependent on Tsitspas. A finals appearance on Saturday will make for a tough turnaround, but I don’t think he’ll withdraw from a major, and given Kohl’s loss to a super-hampered Fognini last week a little bit of fatigue won’t be too much of an issue. That being said, Garin’s game is largely dependent on physical effort and being a ball machine. I would say it’s split 95% that, and 5% having elegant hair. Kohlschreiber won’t just disappear and if Garin is a ghost of himself, he’ll lose, but that’ll be a big dip in level in a short period of time, and the fatigue I expect to hurt Garin’s run at the French is more of a 3rd-4th round type of struggle. Garin in 4.
Humbert Polmans : Polmans name backwards is Snamlop, and that’s important because it’s now the second thing you know about his clay game. Polmans wears a hunting cap and plays a very energetic and consistent game. In normal circumstances he’d have a puncher’s chance, and the lucky losers in tour events are classic for pulling a number of upsets (like Bublik this week) but this is not the spot. Humbert played great in Hamburg and lost early enough that he’ll have a few days to travel and get ready for RG. Humbert in 3.
Vesely Broady : These two will be very happy to play each other first round. Vesely has only just started to eke out wins on this clay swing and Broady has just qualified for the first time, beating Polmans and Kuhn along the way. These aren’t the type of wins that suggest he’ll beat Vesely, but Vesely’s struggles are the kind of thing that could see lower-tier players reel him in. I expect Broady’s timing to be a bit better than Vesely’s to start as he’s had a few matches on these courts, but Vesely really is a tour level player at the end of the day, so I believe both players will have some difficulty pulling away here. Someone in 5. The Vesely that lost to Vukic in a challenger loses. The Vesely that played a decent match against Humbert wins.
Majchrzak Khachanov : If you got into a car accident with a basket full of the alphabet, you miiiiiiiiight get this combination of letters. Kamil just won a challenger in Prostejov, beating some quality players and Andujar in the finals. Everyone who knows Andujar knows he was raised with jaguars, and wins two titles in a row every year then disappears. Majchrzak interrupting this is a very brave feat, but also one that means this isn’t the one-way traffic that a Khachanov Majchrzak match normal would be. The problem for Kamil has been distancing himself against mid-tier opponents, and that is exactly what Khachanov big hitting and aggressive serving have done. Karen struggled against Lajovic last week, but that’s a puzzle he hasn’t solved yet, and likely won’t impact his performance here. He’s got a better shot at excelling in the big moments, and outlasting Kamil’s steady play. Khachanov in 4-5.
Baustista Agut Gasquet : This is a sleeper of a great match. The way Gasquet moves around the court in between points is deceptive given how well he covers the court, and his game looks a bit more devoted to flair than it is to hitting winners. Still, his results over the past decade have been brilliant and his serving is sneaky good at times. Zero warmup matches leading into this is the polar opposite of RBA’s commitment to getting in hard yards on the surface, and that’ll be a big edge for RBA. Not his best surface (I’ll stop harping on this eventually), but RBA is playing some good ball and Gasquet is half a question mark heading into this week. Playing at home and not sporting any visual injury means Gasquet won’t just disappear, but I think rust will be a factor. RBA in 4-5.
Uchiyama Balasz : Uchiyama is most famous for being the inspiration for that Nas song, but his second claim to fame is being a helluva tennis player. Many bettors had genuine panic attacks in his first round loss to PCB in last month’s US Open, and having that fresh in their minds could lead them astray here. Attila Balasz is one of the pure clay specialists on tour, and plays a very unique style of tennis. Tons of dropshots, a strangely effective but flailing backhand, and an affinity for hitting forehand winners from 10 feet behind the baseline are on display from him, as well as one of the best kick serves you’ll see. Given Uchiyama got the business from Duckworth last week, this should be a W for Balasz, who can trouble the winner of RBA/Gasquet but likely can’t win. Balasz in 3.
Pella Caruso : Pella has allegedly been diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma, which is an inflamed nerve in the metatarsal region of the foot. I’ve dealt with nerve issues in the metatarsals after breaking a toe recently, and it is the strangest thing. It’s nonstop pain, even when you’re sitting down, but you can still train. Your foot feels like it’s on fire, but you can still walk and you know nothing is wrong. I’m not sure what treatment he’s getting for it, but the stop and start aspect of tennis is going to really preclude him from doing much on tour while this is an issue, and I believe that’s what is leading to his subpar results since the restart.
Caruso on the other hand has become a household name lately, and although he’s done better on hardcourt than clay in the restart, this is a winnable match for him. I’m just not sold on Pella’s physical ability, and Caruso has the power to break down what is normally a rock-solid defense. Caruso in 3. Disclaimer : There’s a big tendency amongst gamblers to jump on lines because they think they have some injury info. Just keep in mind, the information the general public has is always less than what the books have. If anything, a question mark about an injury is a good reason to avoid betting on a match at all.
Millman Carreño Busta : For a while I thought Millman had a knack for drawing guys he’d have a real war with, but it’s just his style. He doesn’t serve aces but he has a decent serve. He doesn’t hit winners but he swings for the fences on the forehand. He doesn’t have much of a backhand but he puts it in play in decent spots. It’s just very difficult for Millman to overwhelm anyone, and very difficult for players to create offense against what he offers. PCB didn’t look great against Nadal, but two weeks of rest will have him in good shape to compete here. I do expect him to make a decent run at this event, and this is a good test to see where his game is at after a huge payday in the USO. PCB is a professional, but I don’t put it past him to struggle to find form/motivation for a while. PCB in 4-5.
Struff Tiafoe : This is the first line I’ll mention. Tiafoe comes in at +170 for this match, which is much closer than I’d set it. Tiafoe isn’t really a productive player on clay, and lost to local hero Musetti in a challenger last week. Struff blew up with a big lead in the third against Khachanov, and lost quickly in Rome as well, but he’s had some great clay results, and I expect him to come through very well here. The Tiafoe we saw at the USO may be a repeat appearance, but this would be the best win of his career on the dirt, so the line (especially after his loss to Musetti) makes me wary. Struff in 4.
Altmaier Lopez : Altmeir is a challenger level player with a big claycourt game. He plays pretty exclusively on the dirt, and while Lopez is a great server, he may take an L here. Altmaier came through qualifying fairly easily, and Lopez is a wildcard for his effort level and service efficiency, but I’d rather back a qualifier in-form than a maybe of an offensive veteran on a slow surface. Altmaier in 4.
Harris Popyrin : This is a nice matchup, as both of these guys wouldn’t be expect to make the 2nd round at RG very often. I’ve been big on Popyrin’s game in the past, but Harris has had the better win in recent times on clay, beating Caruso in two straight. This will largely be decided by serves, and in the interest of honesty, I haven’t watched many of their recent matches. Popyrin was better for a time, but that seems to have flipped. Someone with their hat backwards in 4.
Pospisil Berretini : Oddsmakers have set the games total for this at 32, which given Pospisil’s serve is a bit low. Vasek is by no means a great clay player, and Berretini is going to make quick work of this, but I do think Pospisil will keep him on court for at least two hours. Berretini in 3.
Medvedev Fucsovics : Spooky line for this one, with Medvedev (who regularly comes in at -1000 against solid opponents) only a 4 to 1 favorite here. Fucsovics hasn’t played any clay warmups and although Med lost to Humbert it was a side event and Humbert played lights out tennis. I guess the premise we’re going with here is that Medvedev’s style isn’t great on clay, but I think he’ll have a good event here as he was a bit more impatient than usual against Humbert. Medvedev in 4.
Mannarino Ramos-Vinolas : If you like lefties who’ve been on tour forever and never change their game, this is the match for you. Local robot ARV has had a disappointing start to his clay season, courtesy of an unexplainably good Bublik. He’s the type of player who generally needs a bit more time to work the point, and doesn’t go for clean winners very often. A bit like a more defensive version of Delbonis, ARV will have a good chance here to get a win. Mannarino has potential to make this close because ARV hasn’t been winning and that mental state is sometimes a difficult hurdle. He’ll also be playing at home which has historically been a huge boost for French players. It’ll depend largely on the condition of ARV’s game, but it will be difficult given Mannarino’s controlled game and ARV’s defense for either player to pull away. ARV in 5.
Halys Giron : These guys just aren’t that good, but they’re in a great section of the draw. Halys has been hanging around the challenger tour, but hasn’t made a great deal of impact. Giron has had a more impressive stretch of wins on tour, but none of them have come on clay. The crowd will help Halys, and I think he’s a bit more comfortable on clay, but Giron is the better player at the end of the day. Not a lot to separate these two. Giron in 5.
Querrey Rublev : I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about Querrey. It’s easy to say he’s washed up or he doesn’t care or he’s only good on grass and fast hardcourt. What’s difficult to do though is to remember that he did this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ICHm96chw&ab_channel=TennisWizard
That is all. Rublev might be coming off a title win, and the courts will be slower, but Querrey’s work on this planet is already complete. Rublev in 4. PS an anonymous source has recently informed me that Rublev’s house in Russia is actually structured like a hamster emporium and he wears a cape and refers to himself only as Tubelev. Vetting my source now.
Monteiro Basilashvili : Monteiro is somewhere fancy winning a challenger as we speak. I love this guy’s work ethic and he plays like he’s Nadal’s wild cousin who mountain climbs and just plays tennis when he’s in town. The forehand is big and he’s going against a guy who hasn’t notched a win since he came back to the tour. Commenting on legal issues isn’t great, but Basilashvili is facing some domestic assault charges back in his home country and there’s some notion that this is not great for his mental state. If they were both at their peak Nikoloz wins, but he’s in the doldrums and Monteiro is winning tons of matches. Monteiro in 3.
Lajovic Mager : Another tough draw for Mager. After getting a motivated Dimitrov he goes up against Lajovic who found his chops last week in a major way in Hamburg. Mager can absolutely crush the ball but he needs some times to find these shots, and Lajovic moves his opponents exceptionally well. A few missed opportunities against Tsitsipas have afforded Lajovic a few days of rest, and he should be good to roll through this one. Lajovic in 3-4.
Djere Anderson : This one of my favorite matchups in the first round. Djere is a great claycourter and plays harder than most when he gets in a rhythm, but he’s been struggling to win matches lately. Anderson’s return from injury has been similar to Nishikori’s as far as results, but not style. Nishikori has struggled to keep the ball in the court. Anderson seems to be able to play his normal game in stretches, but is hesitant to do so. It’s like watching a baby deer test it’s legs out. In a 2/3 format I think Anderson might sprint away, but here I like Djere to make this match physical and beat Anderson, who’ll be happy to go into the indoor season where things are a bit easier on the ol deer bits. Djere in 4-5.
Mayot Davidovich Fokina : Mayot is not the worst, but he’s not the best. Rublev vs Fokina is probably the best 2nd round we’re going to see in this event, and barring injury we’ll get a look at it. Fokina’s loss against Lajovic looked bad since Dusan was slumping, but looking at his form the next few rounds it makes sense. It’s like playing Paire on a day where he makes no errors and serves 16 aces. You come off the court like wait, where’s christmas? ADF in 3.
Shapovalov Simon : Shap had some clay wins that he hasn’t in the past. It’s nice to see the slower surface giving him time to really craft some winners. There aren’t many holes in his game, and he seems to only struggle once opponents settle onto his patterns since he tries to hit through the court on so many shots. When you see the guy shifting to where you’re going there’s a tendency to try to add some juice. Simon’s physical struggles aren’t public, but there’s something off about him. Age/fatigue/injury. I don’t know. The backhand is still beautiful and he’s still a great player, but he just can’t win lately, and this is the wrong opponent to be moving poorly against. Shap in 3. PS if you haven’t seen Shap’s rap video yet don’t see it. It’s not to be seen, like a rare butterfly or a peanut butter jelly sandwich your child hid in their closet for some reason 4 years ago.
Johnson Carballes Baena : Another match I feel good about. RCB is the RBA of ARV. His ability to push the pace without really hitting for winners is a quality the best claycourters all possess. Johnson can play some clay, but usually only in the USA event that consists of hardcourt players playing each other. This will be somewhat close as Johnson is decent on serve and RCB retired from his last match. The appeal of a big check at a major is such that people will make the trip even if they’re not at their best, and this one is RCB’s if he’s healthy, but Johnson’s if he isn’t. No way to pick, but I’m pulling for RCB, as he’ll be the better round 2 against Shap.
Martin Sousa : The hits keep coming. Sousa simply can’t win a match. He doesn’t seem to be playing terribly, just dealing with a huge slump. Martin will know how that feels, as he’s been taking first round losses when he finally makes his way into main tour events for a while. That changed at the start of this year though, and Martin has been a difficult out on clay in recent months. That likely will give him an edge here, and the confidence being based in results rather than in coaches puffery is likely to keep him pushing where Sousa will have doubts creeping in. Martin in 5.
Barrere Dimitrov : Barrere looked like he’d be making a big impact on tour this year before the break. There are some winners and some losers in any sporting revolution, and halting his progress seems to put him in the loser category. Draws are important, and while the solid hitter could have a chance against the new Kanye, this seems to be the old Kanye. Dimitrov tried exceptionally hard to beat Shapovalov in their Rome test, and it was good to see him playing well against even if the overarching idea is that the pinnacle of the tour has kinda passed him by. Dimitrov in 4-5.
Krajinovic Milojevic : Tough pull for Milojevic, who plays excellent dirt and worked very hard to qualify, notching wins against Leo Mayer and Yannick Maden. Kraj is pretty solid on clay and playing his best tennis the past few weeks. He’ll have to work hard to put Milojevic away, but he should do so. Krajinovic in 4.
Bedene Rinderknech : Strasbourg is in France, and Rinderknech is French. I like it. The 25 year old has been doing excellent recently on clay, and it’s nice to see him get a wildcard. Bedene isn’t the type of player who’s unbeatable, and Rinder’s win against Marc-Andrea Huesler (who should be in this event) shows he’s able to compete at tour level. The “home crowd” issue is probably getting annoying to read about now, but there’s some real comfort zone issues with the French players that lets them play comfortably there. Bedene is still a step above, but this could be close. Bedene in 5.
Laaksonen Cuevas : Henri never blinked in the qualifying, and this is a guy who does way more with way less. He trains his fitness at least as hard as anyone on tour, and while his game is pretty one-dimensional, he gets a lot out of it. He reminds me a bit of a local club champion who plays a tour pro and doesn’t just fold up and hope for their adulation. The serve is big and that’s the main weapon, and he’ll need it against Cuevas. Cuevas doesn’t give up much in the way of rallies and uses his variety to expose his opponents. Laaksonen won’t get tired, but he will have difficult ending baseline rallies, and his somewhat predictable approach is something that Cuevas is well suited to defend against. Cuevas in 4.
Munar Tsitsipas : This is a sleeper for an upset, especially with Tsitsipas playing for a title tomorrow. Munar hasn’t shown the type of world-beating dominance I expected him to on clay, because frankly he is a bit small for the tour, but he has a Nadal-level (RIP my inbox) effort on the court. He is rock-solid from the baseline and has a great attitude. Some injuries have hampered his development but even with Tsitsipas playing his best tennis this won’t be a walkover. The huge edge in serving for Tsitsipas means it’ll be tough for Munar to really apply pressure, but I think it’ll be a similar affair as his match with Garin where he seems in control until he begins making errors. Tsitsipas is still prone to shanking random rally balls and returning poorly. After talking up Munar’s chances I still think Tsitsipas may win in straight sets, but it’s one of those matches where I’d never give the spread. Tsitsipas in 3 difficult sets. PS Munar, or Lil Buttons as he’s known in the tennis rap community, buttons all the buttons on his shirt and that’s cute.
Monfils Bublik : Tough draw for both. Monfils has looked half motivated, as if he wants to play but can’t bring himself to until the pressure’s off or it would be an amazing comeback. It’s time to stop looking at these moments as a slump as this is pretty much how he has spent his whole career. When conditions are perfect, he thrives. These are outliers though, not his real level. Bublik won a bunch of sets of tennis this past week and had his chances against Garin. My initial thought looking at this match was that the games total of 35 seemed low. Bublik is likely to hold serve moderately well, and Monfils is likely to get drawn into the skill contest that Bublik represents with his dropshots/serve and volleys/underhand serves. I think this has potential to be the most entertaining match, and while Bublik is looking very good, Monfils has a lot of time here to play himself into a mental state where he can fight. Monfils in 5.
Gomez Sonego : Gomez and Sonego will both like their chances here. Sonego’s been losing, but to quality opponents like FAA and Ruud. Gomez qualified and got a nice article written about him, but his game has been legit and he’s been right around tour level for 2-3 seasons now. Gomez actually beat Seyboth Wild in the qualifiers, which is a huge win. Sonego really hasn’t won many matches, and that’ll be in his head a bit against a qualifier who is hungry to prove himself. Gomez in 5.
Thompson Albot : Our boy Radu hasn’t really been winning much since the tour’s return, which I think puts an asterisk next to the entire sport. It’s bad form for Radu not to get wins, and I believe that’s what Pospisil’s union is mainly focused on. Thompson was awfully disappointing against Coric in the USO, and is pretty bad on clay, but this again is a nice section of the draw with Fritz waiting in round two (I say that now but by the next paragraph I’ll convince myself he’s going to lose). Thompson in 4.
Machac Fritz : Is it legal to cheer? Machac’s recent results don’t say he can beat a player like Fritz, but he has beaten some players who can beat some players who can beat a player like Fritz. Fritz did well against Travaglia, and likely has the edge here. Some home-cooking for the 19 year old will be a factor if he manages to grab a set, but he’ll have to get there on his own and Fritz’ hitting may be a big factor in this one. Fritz in 3-4 but I’ll be crossin my fingas.
Coric Gombos : I see some people on twitter disrespecting my man Gombos. I’m lying, I don’t go near twitter, and only made an account so I can post a portrait of myself. You can view it here :
https://twitter.com/blurryturtle/header_photo
Gombos probably can’t win this, but he is the Gombosiest. Coric in fouric.
Rodionov Chardy : Is Chardy really tryna play tennis anymore? It seems like he’d have been making a retirement announcement this year but the pandemic ruined it. Rodionov did great in the qualifiers and winning is a habit. Chardy has the skill and serving to outclass Rodionov but he just hasn’t been doing the work lately. The upset is somewhat likely in my mind. Rodionov in 4-5.
Moutet Giustino : Local rapgod Corentin Moutet is a tiny little nugget of a player, who plays a big big game. Both have been winning matches lately, and this will be a tight contest. If this gets deep, I like Moutet as his experience winning 5-set matches is a big factor and his game is better after some miles are on both opponents since he thrives on his speed but plays a bit too far behind the baseline. Giustino in 4 or Moutet in 5.
Kecmanovic Schwartzman : We all know Kecmanovic is a great baseliner. He’s one of the tours more competent pushers, but Diego is just a better version of him. Diego was at his best in Rome, and I expect a good run here. Schwartzman in fourtzman.
I feel like there are more matches than usual. Also always nice when they don’t release the qualifier matchups until the day before the tournament. Thus ends my gripes.
Wawrinka Murray : Is it okay if I think they’ll both lose? Wawrinka played one of the funnier challenger events, losing the first set in almost every single round then winning the match and the title. Murray has hinted at the old Murray at times, but fans have grown a bit sadpants when watching him struggle with mid-level tour players. Murray hasn’t played, and Wawrinka looks like he hasn’t wanted to. The edge here goes to Wawrinka, but I expect a great contest as Murray has no quit in him and Stan has shown a prolific ability to find struggle where there is none. Wawrinka in 5.
Koepfer Hoang : Tough wildcard draw for Hoang, though a year ago he’d have been ecstatic. Hoang’s been winning locally, and I wouldn’t sleep on him here. He has a great serve, a big backhand, and is still developing. Home court advantage adds another wrinkle, but Koepfer will likely be physically recovered from his runs in Rome/Hamburg, and he really showed he can elevate his game and cover the court remarkably during that period. Koepfer in 4, and hopefully he’ll be the wakeup call Wawrinka needs in round 2.
Gaston Janvier : Two wildcards playing each other. Good for them. Probably Gaston in 4 (he has the much cooler name/hits a bit bigger)
Nishioka Auger-Alliassime : This one is interesting given FAA’s struggle to find his serving last week. Squishioka can be very frustrating in rallies, but he just hasn’t been able to win matches on clay. Clay is more of a big hitters surface, even though it’s slow. The work ethic is there, but not the offense. A disaster of a day for FAA if he loses this one; I don’t rule it out but it’s unlikely, and Bublik was in great form which explains half the loss. FAA in 3-4.
Ruud Sugita : Ruud has been excellent for years, and now he is looking like a real threat against anyone outside the top ten, and a big hurdle for those inside it. Sugita is a nice guy, but Ruud in 3.
Paul Duckworth : Tommy Paul’s best surface is clay? He really has shown an ability to perform and Duckworth just enjoyed a zipping in his last outing. One way trafffic, and Paul/Ruud in the second round is a great matchup. Paul in 3.
Opelka Sock : Say no to Jack Sock. It is addictive when this half boy/half potato starts winning matches. I think it continues here. Opelka has played no warmups, and moving on clay for such a tall fellow is really tough. He’ll have a tough time hanging with Sock’s pace, and the easier opponent (defensively) is likely to make Sock really focus on hitting to the open court. Sock in 4.
Honestly you’d tell me if there’s extra matches right? I feel like some guys are playing twice.
Cilic Thiem : Cilic is going to be sick of Thiem by the end of this one, but as a fan this is the perfect early round for Thiem. After playing no warmup matches the concern is rust, and so I’m excited to see Thiem have a match where he has to work right away. Typing that makes me a bit scared, as Cilic has played some ok tennis in the warmup, beating Goffin 2, 2. Still, this sub’s affinity for Thiem’s tumbly bum won’t let him lose in the first round, and as he gets going I think we’ll see him kinda shape into a threat for the title. Thiem in 4.
Zverev Novak : Novak isn’t great on clay. Trouble is, neither is Zverev. After a major finals, I don’t picture a guy like Zverev coming in with a smaller ego. I think there will be some harrowing moments in this, and if Herbert plays well in round one I like him to take at least two sets off Zverev. Zverev in 4-5, and I’m interested to see if he’s on the “slow start gradual turnup” path again, as that’s a terrible plan on clay for a guy who’s prone to frustration.
Mmoh Herbert : Mmoh did well to qualify, besting Renzo Olivo. Add in that Hyeon Chung was in their draw, and you really have a lack of offense in that section. Herbert has been bad recently, losing to a number of players he’d normally beat. His game depends largely on his serving, and while he’s one of the best players at net outside the big 3 (I’d put him first/Sock second) he needs to get there to be effective. Mmoh is a defensive test, but Herbert likely won’t want to get dragged into extended rallies, so this will look a bit like a low-rent version of Garin vs Bublik. I think Herbert at home gets the job done, but it may take some patches of trial and error to crack Mmoh’s defense. Herbert in 4-5.
Delbonis Londero : I was initially excited to back Londero a bunch after his USO run, as I know his best surface is clay. This is his second match against his countryman though, and it is a poor matchup for him as Delbonis has been playing decent. Delbonis his big and segments the game nicely, so the pace of the ball is fast, but the progression of rallies is slow. I don’t expect Londero to lose in straight sets, but it’s hard to back him after losing to Delbonis a few weeks ago. Delbonis in 4-5, but for betting porpoises I’d recommend avoiding this altogether.
Cecchinato De Minaur : Hehe. Finally stringing wins together, Cecchinato’s reward is a maindraw against a guy who is a nightmare matchup. Cecchinato plays a classic claycourt game. Big power and deft dropshots. He needs time to produce the first of those, and De Minaur takes that away. The dropshots are cute, but De Minaur covers the net better than most on tour. He lost to Koepfer in his only warmup on clay, and Cecchinato has won a bunch of matches recently, but this is a fairly even matchup. Both are excellent frontrunners, and I think the first few sets will be very competitive. Hard to pick against De Minaur in a long contest early in the event, and Cecchinato’s defense will likely be an issue if ADM is serving well. De Minaur in 4.
Paire Kwon : Paire still avoiding multiple matches, which is an excellent strategy for his longevity as a pro athlete. He basically could lose to anyone at this point, and his retirement in Hamburg appeared to be “I’m tired”. This is a bad sign, and worse still, Kwon is not a player who’ll beat him quick or represent a dominant opponent he can just tank against. This is one I’d advise listening to rather than watching, as Paire’s outbursts will be better than his play. I’m somewhat expecting Kwon to win, although this is similar to Nishioka/FAA where the more stable player lacks the weapons to just win in dominant fashion. Kwon via retirement.
Coria Jung : Coria is a wall. Jung is not a wall. Why not be a wall? Coria in 4.
Bonzi Ruusuvuori : Bonzi beat Karlovic which makes me sad, but I’m happy to see the challenger journeyman get a shot in a grandslam. Ruusuvuori is slowly becoming a household name, and his clay game isn’t adept but it’s a notch better than Bonzi. Fatigue may be a factor here not in hampering Bonzi’s game, but in Ruusuuvuori’s being more crisp. Ruu-uuu-u—- in 4.
Sinner Goffin : One of the sketchier first round matchups, what with wildcards playing each other and Coria and Jung going at it. This happens though, and it’s our gift to watch it. Sinner is one of the more promising prospects on the tour in a long time, and with the next gen guys finally starting to come through with big results and solid play, seeing a guy who seems more mentally stable than they were early on in their career is even better. Goffin losing quickly to Cilic isn’t a great sign, and he’s always a threat to go elfmode and stifle his opponents ability to play offense, but I think Jannik’s serving will give him a small edge here. Sinner in 4.
Fognini Kukushkin : Fognini had ankle surgeries, or else his recent string of poor performances and losses would be his normal string of poor performances and losses. He doesn’t seem willing to press himself yet, and this is another Paire/Kwon style matchup. Kukushkin will take any victory he gets a look at, but isn’t going to overwhelm his opponent. Fognini’s impatiance against Ruud did include a number of shots that missed by very little, and on the slower courts in Paris he may land a greater percentage of these. I expect Fognini to play a bit better, and this will be about optics. If Fognini feels like he looks bad or is in a spot where him trying would risk his ego, he’ll fold, and Kukushkin will win. This is sad to say about a professional athlete, but Fognini has the ankle situation to fall back on, so if he can’t win,he’ll just swing for the fences and inspect his racquet until it’s over. He’s very pretty tho. Kukushkin in 4, hopefully.
Martinez Vukic : Martinez was the best in the qualifying, and Vukic was in the qualifying. Martinez in 3.
Korda Seppi : Korda is becoming a sleeper pick on tour, and Seppi is notoriously at his worst on clay since he hits such a flat ball. I think this will stretch deep, and I am tempted to give the edge to Korda given Seppi’s recent loss to Klahn and Musetti and Korda’s win against Karatsev, who has been one of the best players in the past month on clay on the challenger tour. Korda in 4.
Benchetrit Isner : Benchetrit can make this close since it’s on clay, but Isner should be able to get into tiebreakers, which makes predicting this almost as annoying as Isner bouncing the ball between his legs. The dude’s a muppet. Someone in 4 tiebreakers.
Evans Nishikori : Evans hasn’t been great, and Nishikori has been worse. Nishikori has looked like he was gaining control of rallies and immediately making errors for a few weeks now, and it’s frustrating to predict his matches because there’s that sense that he will find form at some point. Evans likely gets the W here but it will take a lot of work. Evans in 4-5.
Andujar Travaglia : “BEGONE,” commanded Andujar. I stood there speechless. “YOU ARE AN ILLUSION!” he bellowed, waking several colorful parrots who sat atop his head. I was not there. What he saw was only his vision of me, which had come to him in a dream commanded by the vines and souls of tropical frogs. Confident that I had gone, he hopped off his perch on the mountain peak, and began descending. Not in the usual way via legs and feet, but on the breeze of a thousand moths, while nearby shamans began making a thousand broths. Andujar is back, and I hate this matchup. Travaglia was brilliant on serve leading up to RG, and Andujar was a breath of fresh air on the challenger tour, notching win after win after win and rarely dropping a set. This is one I expect to go deep, as both players are at their best. Who will win? A man does not summon the future, lest it become the present. Shamans in 3.
Diez McDonald : idc
Gerasimov Nadal : So we all know what will happen if I suggest Nadal will struggle in a match. Luckily, I won’t have to here. Gerasimov’s movement isn’t good enough to trouble many players on clay, and Nadal is probably the most dominant single-surface player that tennis has ever seen. He looked pretty human last week against Diego, and his muscles were muscley, but not as muscley as usual. Where is his massive crab-arm? The winner of Travaglia/Andujar will be his first real test. Nadal in 2 somehow.
PS User Kuklachert runs a very fun picking contest if you're interested in discord ... check it out here https://www.reddit.com/tennis/comments/izhabroland_garros_tipping_competition/

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My town is in one of the north western states- which, if you know anything about the north east, means snow like... six months out of the year. To make things worse, my town is approximately in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. We deal with it about as well as every other tiny north western town, which...
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Well, all you need to know is that there's a town up here that is literally based around a prison. That's it. That's the whole point of the town. Pretty much just to house the people who work there.
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It's pretty dismal sometimes.
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So you'd think, given the lack of other things to do, they'd embrace all the types of winter entertainment. And you wouldn't be wrong! Snowmen are an art form in my town. Ice sculptures get pretty competitive. Taboganing and sledding are Big. Deals.
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But snow angels are illegal.
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In fact, I didn't even know they were a thing until I saw someone doing it in a film one time. I was over at a friend's house, and they had an older cousin visiting from out of town. She'd brought the tape with her- it was one of her favorites. She thought we'd love it. She saw Harry and I staring at the t.v. in confusion and laughed at us.
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"What, you've never seen a SNOW ANGEL?" She asked us mockingly. I don't think it was malicious. I think she was just teasing the way some people do. You know the whole 'kids these days' trope that every generation thinks they invented. We both shook our heads and she climbed to her feet, gesturing for us to follow her while she suited up to go outside. She got as far as falling on her back in the yard- us following her like ducklings- before my friend's dad came running out of the garage yelling at the top of his lungs.
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I'd never heard Harry's dad yell like that before. Ever. And I've never heard him raise his voice since. Scared the beejesus out of all of us, including Harry's cousin. He sent Harry and I inside and I didn't hear what he said to her, but she was as white as a sheet by the time he was done. They came back in afterwards and Harry's dad called mine to come pick me up.
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Harry's cousin never came to visit again, but I never forgot. I knew there was something wrong with making a snow angel, I just never knew WHAT.
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Harry and I never discussed it. We went back to sledding and snow forts and never said a word. We both knew that something big had just happened, but neither of us were old or mature enough to really take any meaning from it.
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Nearly a decade passed before we thought of it again.
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Harry and I were both pretty average looking kids. Neither of us had a whole lot going on to give us any kind of social edge, so dating in our very small high school- where the boys out populated the girls by something like seventy five percent- was pretty much a crap shoot, and neither of us was interested in the male half of the population.
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So when Harry formed a crush on Melissa, we both kind of knew it was doomed. I was his best friend, though! It was my job to be supportive- so I didn't say anything. Like. At all. I didn't know the first thing about being a wing man, but I did hesitantly suggest that Harry might get Melissa's attention by doing something 'cool'. Which, in teenage boy, translates to stupid and/or dangerous.
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Unfortunately, Harry took that advice to heart.
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God how I wish I could take those words back now.
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It was late-October and it was already snowing pretty regularly. Nothing bad yet, but more than just a light dusting. Halloween fell on a Wednesday that year, so the weekend before a few of us got together for a kind of preemptive party. We'd basically turned it into an excuse to party the whole week. We were out at Harry's new house- his dad had recently built a really nice new place outside of town. It was kind of isolated, but it also had a hot tub, so.
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And anyway, the isolation worked in our favor. Nobody was liable to file a noise complaint or a curfew violation on us way out here.
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The irony is, Harry's dad had actually given us permission to have a little get together as long as we promised to be responsible. I guess it was because Harry was kind of going through a hard time, what with his mom having left and all.
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It was a full moon that night. It wasn't snowing, but it had that morning. There was still a pretty thick carpet of it all across the lawn. There were eight of us. Four boys, four girls. Harry and myself, Melissa, her best friend Joan, her little sister Nicole, and their boyfriends, Travis, Hunter and Chad. Melissa and Nicole were in the hot tub with Chad and Travis, while Joan and Hunter and Harry and I were playing pong on the deck.
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Harry and I were losing. Pretty badly, actually. Travis was mocking us from the hot tub, his arm around Melissa.
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"Nice shot, asshole." He commented after one of Harry's swings had gone wild. The ball tapped impatiently across the deck, careening off into the snow beyond. Harry made an impatient sound. I could tell Travis' comments were starting to get under his skin. His jaw was clenched and I could visibly see him holding back his temper as he marched down the steps to collect the ball.
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"Come on." I hissed at Travis under my breath, "Quit being a douche-"
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Travis opened his mouth, most likely to say something nasty, but before he could get the words out I heard Harry call out-
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"Hey Melissa, want to see something cool?"
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We all turned expectantly just in time to see Harry pitch backwards into the snow with his arms splayed out.
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"Oh yeah, real cool, turd money." Travis jeered, "You fell down! Way to go. I bet your mom is real proud."
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"What did you just say?" Harry stopped mid-snow angel. We all kind of fell silent for a second. Even Melissa looked shocked. She pushed Travis' arm away and scooted to the other side of the tub, giving him a look of disgust.
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"Too far, Travis." She muttered. Maybe he knew it too. I'd like to think he was going to apologize, but Harry was already getting up and Melissa was leaning out of the tub- trying to change the subject, maybe- and asking Harry what he'd done and then we all heard it. None of us seemed to know what it was at first. It was... hard to recognize. A short, sharp sound as if someone had just been socked in the gut.
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You know that sound you make when you've gotten the breath knocked out of you? It was like that.
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"It's a snow angel." I said into the silence afterwards, trying to tell myself that it was just one of those weird sounds that came out of the woods sometimes.
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"Oh." Melissa furrowed her brow.
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"Hey, I think I've heard of those." Hunter put in, "One of the kids from Moore got arrested for making one in town square after the game. His parents had to come pick him up."
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"Let's google it! Inside-" I was quick to suggest, but then the second sob interrupted me before I could get further than a few steps toward the house.
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"What was that?" Joan asked. Harry finished climbing to his feet and stooped to pick up the ping pong ball.
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I didn't hear whatever Harry's response was. I was too busy looking. Frozen in place. Riveted by the sight of the single, pale hand draped across the edge of the snow angel's 'wing'. This time we all heard the wail. And knew exactly what it was. The identical looks of confusion and fear that flickered across all of our faces gave it away.
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"What the fuck?" Travis said.
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"Oh my god!" Joan shrieked.
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"Harry!" I yelped. I don't have any conscious memory of crossing the deck. I blinked and suddenly I was there, leaning over the railing and grabbing him by the shirt. Hauling him away from the snow and toward the steps. Meanwhile, an ethereal vision was rising out of the snow angel as if it were rising on a pedestal. Blonde hair coated in frost. Pale skin mottled with blackened spots. Blue lips bowed back in a grimace of misery.
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She was wearing a gray robe. It crackled brittlely as she climbed from her knees to her feet.
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"What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck-" Travis was wheezing a new mantra somewhere behind us.
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"GET IN THE HOUSE." Someone else yelled. I held Harry's arms, helping him climb over the railing. We raced into the house hand in hand, a frenzy of splashing and screaming going on around us. I sprinted as far as the couch. Before Harry dropped my hand and went back to lock the glass door. Nicole and Joan huddled against the far wall, sobbing softly. Melissa ran to the kitchen. Travis hovered near the window, staring in shock.
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"The fuck is that?" He squealed. I wanted to cover my eyes, but I couldn't help but look. I was drawn to that face. The look of terror and pain on it. I could still hear the sobbing through the glass as it tottered unsteadily to the steps and began to drag itself up onto the deck. It- she- moved so wrong. So stiffly!
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"Oh god." Harry muttered beside me. I managed to glance at him, only to see him looking back at the snow. Not the THING, but the place it had come from.
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There was another hand edging out of the snow angel. This one wrinkled and shriveled.
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"We have to get out of here," Melissa came out of the kitchen carrying a kitchen knife, "We have to get back to town and call the police." Harry's place was brand new. The landlines hadn't been hooked up yet.
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"Yeah." I agreed.
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"Just one problem." Harry put in, lifting a hand and singling out the keys and phones sitting out beside the hot tub. Travis' keys. Joan's and Nicole's too. We all shared a look, because that only left two cars. My beaten up suburban, which barely had heat- not normally a HUGE problem, since I was typically DRESSED while inside it, but given that half the party was still soaked from the hot tub and wearing only their bathing suits...
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And Melissa's coupe. Which would barely fit four people, even if they sat on each other's laps.
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"Fuck." Hunter yelled.
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"I don't think we have a choice." I ran my fingers through my hair, "Just grab some coats and blankets and let's go. Hypothermia has to be better than whatever is going to happen when she-"
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"They." Harry interrupted quietly.
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I didn't bother to respond to that. I just dug my keys out of my jacket and headed to the door. I heard the others scrambling to grab what they could and following.
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As soon as I was out the door I heard the howling. Not like wolves- like people. More than one, just... screaming. I sprinted down the driveway, half aware that I ought to have waited. I ought to have given the others more time to get ready, but some part of me just knew that every second we wasted was a step closer to death- and I wasn't kidding when I said our chances were probably better for recovering from hypothermia.
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Out of the corner of my eye I saw Melissa and Travis make it to her car, Nicole right behind them. Chad, Hunter, Harry and Joan were hot on my heels. I didn't have to bother to unlock the doors. My suburban predated electronic locks, and the town was so small that normally I didn't bother locking them all individually. We scrambled in so hard that it rocked. The old shocks squealed and squeaked in protest. I dove into the driver's seat and slammed my key into the ignition, ignoring the seat belt and everything else while the others dragged themselves in and hauled the doors shut behind them.
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I didn't do a head count before peeling out. That came back to me later. It was a miracle no one got left behind. If they had it would have been my fault.
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I still feel guilty about that.
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I saw them coming around the corner of the house in the rear view mirror. Not my friends, but the corpses. I was full on panicking. Each heartbeat felt like a punch to the ribs. My breath felt like razor blades. I was so, so sure that I was going to puke as swung onto the highway- already doing eighty before we'd done a half mile. Joan was still sobbing in the back seat- Hunter was crying too. I think I would have joined them if I hadn't been too busy shaking.
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"Does anyone have a phone?" Chad asked. It was a great idea- I glanced at him in the rear view mirror and saw him covered in the old blanket I kept in the truck bed. His hair was trying to frost. He had a cellphone in his palm. I started to ask what was wrong with it when Joan chimed in-
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"Yeah, but no bars."
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"I'm going straight to the police station." I said. Being that I was the one driving, nobody else had much say in it.
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"What if they don't believe us?" Joan whispered.
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"They're going to." Harry said woodenly, staring straight ahead, "They made them illegal for a reason."
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"Why didn't they TELL US?" Hunter demanded. Nobody answered. I guess nobody had an answer.
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It was a tense, long period of silence- during which I checked the rear view mirror a dozen times. Not just checking for weird, frozen zombies, but for headlights.
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Where was Melissa's car? My old Suburban couldn't have been that much faster.
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My palms were sweating and prickling on the steering wheel. I tried not to think about it- or draw attention to it- the last fifteen minutes into town. Part of me was HOPING to get pulled over by a cop, but as was typical, there was never one around when I wanted one to be.
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I kept looking for them, even as we barreled into town and into the safety of the slushy gray parking lot of the sheriff's department. I nearly drove right through the front doors. The whole car lurched from the force of that stop, but I hadn't even slammed it into park before the others were scrambling out the doors and pouring into the station like a biblical flood of half-frozen, half-dressed teenagers.
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Everyone was talking at once. I was the last in- keeping one eye on the window and the road while the others babbled at Olly, the receptionist. He was a nice old man in his fifties, at least, and I could tell he understood about zero of what was being said. Until Harry stepped forward and put his hands on the desk, anyway. Everyone else finally stopped talking.
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"I made a snow angel." He stated. Calmly. Factually. If it weren't for how pale his face were and how tight his bloodless lips had become, I would have thought he WAS calm.
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Olly's face fell. His chair clattered as it rolled back, allowing him to stand up.
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"I'll go get the sheriff." I knew then that it was every bit as serious as we thought it was. We hadn't imagined any of it. It wasn't some case of... mass hysteria or something.
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"There's something else." I added, pausing to look at the window- hoping to see Melissa's car pulling in at the last second. It never did.
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"I haven't seen Melissa, Travis or Nicole since we left the house."
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Olly's expression turned more grave, if that was possible. The Sheriff was Melissa and Nicole's father.
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He turned and hustled to the back faster than I've ever actually seen him move before. There was a tense moment. A hushed exchange of words and rising voices, and then Sheriff Basket came striding down the hallway, bigger than life. He was a massive wall of a man, and all of us had always been a little intimidated by him. He'd never been mean, exactly. He was just stern. Quiet. Had a direct, down to earth way of dealing with things and usually that involved as few words as possible.
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"How many where there." Case in point.
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I didn't understand what he was asking, at first, but Harry got it straightaway.
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"Two, but I think a third was climbing out when we left."
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I watched Olly getting some emergency blankets and jumpsuits out of the back for the others. For Chad, anyway. Hunter, Joan, Harry and I were all more or less dressed. Olly passed me a blanket anyway. I mumbled a thank you.
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"What did the first one look like?" The sheriff demanded.
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"It was a woman!" Joan shouted. Her voice sounded reedy and thin. I thought maybe she was on the verge of hyperventilating.
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"She had on this dress... thing." Chad added, more subdued, "And she was blonde, I think. It's hard to remember."
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"She was pretty." Hunter whispered, sinking into his blanket and the wall at the same time, "She looked so sad."
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The sheriff looked visibly relieved, but his face was still tight with stress and concern. He looked gray, actually. His skin, his hair, even his eyes. I didn't blame him. I was only a teenager myself at the time, but already I could sympathize- the terror he must have felt, knowing his kids were out there. In danger. Not knowing if he'd arrive in time, or what might have befallen them.
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"It could be worse." He muttered to himself- I don't think we were meant to hear.
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"You kids stay here. Olly, call their parents. You lot were at The Olsen place, right?" He pinned us with a severe look. I nodded. I'm pretty sure the others did too. I heard one or two meek 'yes sir's, "Your parents can explain when they get here." Those last few words were so clipped and bitten off that I could hear his teeth click on some of the syllables.
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I, for one, wasn't about to argue. I wanted to see my mom and dad more than anything in the world in that moment. I was still young enough that for me they represented the epitome of safety. Nothing bad could happen to me when my parents were there, in my adolescent mind. They were still invulnerable giants. The axis upon which the world turned.
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I watched in silence as he checked his revolver and then went to the munitions room and came back with a shotgun and a box of shells. He walked out into the night without even a nod in our direction. His eyes were already on the road. He looked to me like a man going to war. As if he weren't sure he was going to come back, and was prepared to accept that.
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Resigned, but also determined.
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"Come on, kids." Olly spread his arms and herded us all toward the back of the station, "Let's get you warmed up. If any of you have a working phone, now's the time to go ahead and call your parents- it'll be better coming from your number than the police station's. Those of you who don't- sorry." He joked and pointed an ominous finger at the payphone on the wall and the stack of quarters beside it.
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He was a nice old man- had kind of a beardless santa vibe- but it was hard to ignore the tightness in his voice. And around his eyes.
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Poor Olly. He had to be pushing sixty. He'd been working in the sheriff's department since I was a kid. Sometimes he came to help provide 'security' at events in town. He'd never been anything but cheerful and friendly. Seeing him so pale made me feel...
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Helpless.
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What we'd seen at Harry's house still hadn't completely sunk in yet. A part of me thought that I was going to wake up any second, and that it would all turn out to have been a bad dream. All around me the others were calling their parents. I heard phones ringing. A couple had already picked up. Voices were cracking. Muffled sobs and sniffles filled the open office space.
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I looked aimlessly between desks for a little while, my brain not quite having caught up to the idea I should be doing what they were all doing. Eventually my gaze drifted to Harry, only to find him looking back. It struck me then that he didn't have anybody TO call. His mom was... well, he couldn't call her, and his dad was probably still on the plane.
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Which meant he didn't have anybody but me.
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"I guess we should call mom and dad." I tried to smile, fumbling my cell out of my pocket, "They'll be pissed if they're the last ones to know." Internally I cringed. Why had I said that? Especially after literally just thinking he couldn't call HIS dad?
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Harry only nodded.
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My mom picked up on the second ring. I called her first because I figured she'd be the least likely to yank my ass through the phone to chew me a new one. I needn't have bothered, it turned out.
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"We're on our way." She said before I could even say hello, "Stay put." And then she hung up- but before she did I heard keys jingling in the background and the car starting up. Cellphones were notoriously unreliable in my town. A text could be sent and hang in limbo for a week before arriving at it's destination. Calls often just failed to connect.
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I glanced down at the phone in my hand and up at Harry, running my fingers over the glossy screen.
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"They're on their way." I reported. Harry just nodded again.
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My house was only twenty minutes away from the station on a bad day. My parents made it in seven. I guess that's where I got my lead foot from.
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Joan and Chad's parents made it first- but only by a few minutes. Both sets swarmed their respective offspring. There was a lot of scolding and fussing and anxious questions. I couldn't help but think they looked like pre-schoolers. Small and lost and wide-eyed despite their ages. Maybe it was because I was feeling like one myself. Just a small kid on a big playground.
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Woefully out of my league.
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And then my parents came rushing through the door. Mom's coat was barely on- unfastened and hanging off of her as she stormed in. Dad's boots were untied. They looked like they'd dropped everything and run to come get me, and I was so grateful for it. It was the most loved feeling I think a person could have. Dad rushed to me, but mom paused mid-step and diverted to Harry.
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I wasn't jealous. I was weak-kneed with gratitude. Trust my parents- the ADULTS- to know how to make right the things I didn't have the tools to fix myself. I learned a lot about empathy and maturity that day, watching my mom fuss over Harry as if he was her own. He'd been my best friend since childhood. He'd practically grown up in our house, and I in his. My parents were the closest thing he had to his own in that moment. Maybe better, knowing his parents like I did.
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She checked him over like the other parents were checking their kids. Hands and face, arms and neck.
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"Thank god you're okay." Dad said, catching me up and squeezing me like I was nine again. I squeezed him right back, fighting tears.
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"They didn't touch you? You're alright?" Mom was asking Harry. All he could do was nod, I assume. His eyes were suspiciously bright.
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"It's okay," Mom said, giving him the same kind of hug dad was giving me just then, "It's going to be okay."
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"Melissa and Nicole were in the other car." Chad half yelled. I know he was talking to his own parents, but all of them stopped and looked at one another- sharing the look of horror and tense gratitude. How awful, but thank god mine are alright.
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"Olly said you'd explain when you got here." I wiped my eyes on the back of my sleeve and looked up at my father's face. His blue eyes were haunted and unhappy, but he nodded once.
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"Yeah. I guess it's time. Normally we tell the graduating class after the ceremony..."
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Mom looked up. They met eyes for a little while. I imagine they were searching for the words- for a good place to begin.
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"Why didn't anyone explain BEFORE?" Joan demanded, "Why didn't anybody warn us?"
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"Let's just- let's start with the most immediate problem." My dad suggested when no one else spoke up, "Tackle one thing at a time. First of all, what did the first thing through look like?" I don't know if it occurred to the others, but it struck me that this was the second time we'd been asked- and both times it had been the first question, after asking if we were okay.
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"She was blonde, and pale. And wearing a weird dress. She looked like she was in pain." I supplied, anchored by the presence of my parents.
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It seemed to me that every adult in the room heaved a little sigh of relief.
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"That's good. I mean, it's not great, but it's better than it could be." Mom muttered, wandering over to the pile of blankets on the desk and absently gathering one. I watched her bring it over to Harry to drape around his shoulders, fussing with the way it hung until there were no wrinkles to smooth out anymore.
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"We'll start with that, then." Dad took a deep breath, "We call her the Angel. That's what our grandparents called her. I assume that's what THEIR grandparents called her. Of all the harbingers, she's the least violent. She'll lead the people behind her to the nearest, most easily accessible source of heat. Once they're all thawed they'll... go away again." As dad explained I absently rubbed my chest- it hurt, like I'd pulled a muscle.
​
Harry looked up, expression going from numb and distracted to suddenly upset.
​
"Melissa's car. Amy's heat doesn't work, I- they must have-"
​
Dad looked grim, but nodded.
​
"It's possible. Especially if the doors to the house were locked. The good news is they won't have hurt the others unless they tried to stop them. The bad news is, if the car stops running or the heat quits, they'll go back to trying to get into the house."
​
Everyone took a minute to digest that.
​
"So... all they want is to get warm?" I asked hesitantly.
​
"Yeah." Dad nodded, "But only if the harbinger is the Angel."
​
"O-kay-" Chad looked up at his parents, "But what ARE they?"
​
"As far as we can tell," Chad's mom was the school nurse- a petite blonde lady with a 'Can I speak to your manager' haircut, but as sweet as could be- answered this time, "They were people. People who used to live here at some point. People who... died. In the cold."
​
"Then there can't be that many, right?" Joan suggested hopefully. It was a hope I didn't realize I shared until that moment. Surely one or two frozen zombies were a lot better than a horde, though.
​
"Dozens, at least forty." My own mother put in. She gave Harry a little squeeze and looked at me apologetically.
​
"I'm sorry honey. There's other's... but they don't all come at the same time, usually. It all depends on the harbinger, like we said. Usually it's no more than eight or nine at a time, but sometimes, when the shepherd comes through-"
​
"The who? The WHAT?" Travis cried, his voice warbling a high, awkward note that I thought he'd left behind in middle school.
​
"Harbingers are-" Dad rubbed his fingers together, obviously searching for the words, "They're like the leaders. Only one comes through at a time. They're the first out through the gate when it's open- when a snow angel is made. Some of them, like the Angel, are mostly harmless. Mostly. There's four that we know of. Four that we were told about. Her, the Shepherd, the Prophet, and the Hermit."
​
He walked away from me while he spoke, folding his hands behind his back and pacing over to the desk and from there to the window.
​
"The Angel comes with eight or nine others, who are mostly peaceful. They'll smash doors and windows if they have to, but so long as they're left alone and you don't attempt to harm them they're harmless. They'll find the nearest source of heat and stay there until they're all... warm... again."
​
I didn't want to think about that too hard. I hoped it was more... supernatural than it sounded, because the way he put it made me think of a bunch of warming corpses in a room, and that made my stomach churn.
​
"The Shepherd is one of the worst. They- he, we think- comes through with all of the followers. And he's not content with just them, either. He hunts down anyone he can find when he comes through and will drag them out into the cold to die and join his herd. He sends the others, too. If he ever gets through the only thing to do is start the siren and get to the bunkers around town, and then pray that the barricades last until dawn."
​
I started to shake just thinking about it. Imagining it was... it made me feel cold from the inside out. I shared a look with Harry, knowing he felt the same way. How close we'd all come to THAT. What he had to be feeling knowing that he'd almost let THAT through.
​
"Then there's the Prophet. She won't outright hurt you, but if she finds you she'll... it's hard to explain. She puts people to sleep, in a way. Mesmerizes them with a song- and when you're under, apparently you have visions. Of the past. Of things that happened in this town." Compared to the Shepherd that sounded like a fuckin' cakewalk.
​
"But you're there until she's done with you. Which could be hours. And wherever she catches you, which might be out in the cold, or in the shower, or-" He left the rest up to imagination, "Her followers put out lights. They pull down electric lines and will smash lamps."
​
Okay. That sounded less ideal, but still a whole lot better than the zombie-murder Woodstock.
​
"The Hermit is the worst, though." My dad looked at Hunter's parents and then Joan's, and finally sighed like he didn't want to be the one to say the words.
​
"They come alone, and unlike the others they won't vanish at daylight. They keep hunting, keep killing, following the people of the town no matter where they run until a sacrifice is made. Our parents thought that might have been where the new harbingers come from. Sacrifices to make the Hermit go away."
​
"That's horrible!" Joan gasped. I cringed too. It was awful to think about. Deliberately selecting someone you knew, someone who you LIVED with to go die. And then making that happen! Killing them in the worst way I could imagine.
​
How did you even begin?
​
"But it's just the Angel this time." Hunter said, his voice shaking.
​
"Yeah," My dad nodded, "She should be gone by morning."
​
So that was it, then. We just had to make it to morning, and then everything would be okay. Right?
​
It wasn't, though. In fact, I can confidently say that was the beginning of the end- the slow roll into the destruction of the town, and the majority of the people who lived there.
​
For a time it was quiet. A few of us managed to fall asleep, either in the padded benches of the holding cells or in the chairs lined up against the walls. I was still wide awake, watching the windows with Harry and clutching a cup of hot cocoa for warmth. The hands of the clock barely seemed to move, and then-
​
With a pop and a crackle, the dispatch radio came to life.
​
It was the sheriff. I didn't understand the codes he was using, but I got the gist of it pretty good from everything that was said between.
​
Multiple 123s, more units required. Send medical and the blasters.
​
After that it was a flurry of voices and sirens. Orders were being shouted. Sirens blared. Olly sat behind his desk and closed his eyes. His lips moved silently, tracing the words of some prayer. I reached for Harry's hand, but the look in his eye- he was practically on the moon. So far away I couldn't reach him.
​
We both knew that it was going to be bad.
​
We didn't know HOW bad until one of the other officers started talking.
​
"We've got two injured juveniles in route to the hospital. Clear the roads, provide escort where possible."
​
Only two?
​
"We've got eyes on them. Eight. Angel is missing, repeat, the Angel is missing. One victim unaccounted for. All units respond." It went on like that for a while. The noise woke up everyone who'd managed to fall asleep. One by one we gathered at the window, watching for the flashing lights as they sped like shooting stars down the main road toward our tiny, provincial hospital.
​
Wondering who was inside. And if they'd make it.
​
Eventually the noise from the radios died down to chatter back and forth between officers sweeping the woods. I gathered bits and pieces, but no more. Something about a set of bare footprints heading into the woods. Something else about a second, fresher set of tracks behind. Both vanished near the pond. The search went on, but nothing else important was said.
​
Eventually the first blush of dawn touch the sky. We watched it rise, Harry and I, side by side, as the first of the officers returned to the station- muddy and disheartened. The adults gathered in a huddle with them. I wasn't meant to overhear, but my ears had always been sharp. Like the radio, now in person, I caught snatches that were just enough to paint a picture.
​
'Travis and Nicole'
​
'Broken arm. Severe frostbite. Should recover.'
​
'Melissa. Missing. Old lake. Angel.'
​
They told the rest of us a barely edited version of events a few hours later. Travis and Nicole had been found outside Harry's place. Travis had a broken arm. Both he and Nicole had pretty bad frostbite and were suffering from hypothermia, but were expected to mostly recover.
​
Melissa was still missing. They thought the Angel's flock had mobbed the car while Nicole was still getting in. Melissa had gotten it started, but hadn't driven away immediately because her sister wasn't fully inside yet. Travis had taken the passenger seat, and Nicole couldn't get in past him, he was too big-
​
Well, the delay was enough for the heater to get started. The dead had converged on the heat, and when Travis tried to fight back they'd tossed him aside like an old newspaper.
​
Melissa must have run. She didn't know what we'd just been told. She probably thought they were being attacked. I mean, that's what I would have thought- did think. But in the end, I guess it doesn't really matter why she ran into the woods. They never did find her. We all went home, one by one. Harry's dad came home on the next plane, but, understandably, Harry didn't want to stay in that house anymore.
​
They moved away a couple of months later. Not long after Nicole and Travis finally got out of the hospital. Travis ended up losing the arm- the frostbite combined with the break made it impossible to save. They tried, but in the end there was nothing to be done. Nicole recovered physically alright. She lost a few toes and a finger, but the real damage was psychological. Losing her older sister like that... the way it all went down.
​
She was never the same.
​
The rest of us got together after graduation. The same 'party' where the town's secrets would originally have been explained to us. It turned out there were a few things we still hadn't been told.
​
"I just don't understand why anyone lives here at all," Joan was saying to Mr. Harkman, our former math teacher- for pretty much our entire lives. The town wasn't big enough that we really needed more than one or two. There were rarely more than thirty kids per grade. I was standing by myself under a pennant banner, watching the flecks of light from the disco ball swim around the floor.
​
She was going off to college next spring. So was I. I think we all were, except Nicole and Travis- and Hunter, I think. He'd decided to stay behind. Or maybe he couldn't afford college. I don't know, I never thought to ask.
​
"Most people do leave." Mr. Harkman sighed, "I think we all tried to escape at one point or another."
​
"Escape?" Chad, who'd been over in the corner beside Hunter and a couple of other kids from our grade, lifted his head to ask. By then the story of that night had spread to every kid in our tiny high school, regardless of grade. I can't help but think that was a good thing.
​
"Well why'd they come back, then?" Joan demanded heatedly in the same moment. Her face was flushed, her eyes glittering.
​
"Your parents didn't tell you?" Mr. Harkman looked surprised, and then just sad, "I'm sorry. I guess I can see why. The thing is, you can leave the town just fine- until you have kids. And then... the town pulls you back. Things happen. You lose your job, you have an accident, your plane or bus gets rerouted. You black out and wake up back here, in town, with your kid. It's inevitable. If you try to leave, you end up here again."
​
A hush fell over the room. I don't know if they were thinking the same thing I was, but my very first thought was-
​
I'm never having kids.
​
Poor Harry. If only anyone had told HIM.

The Chicago Bulls play an attacking style of defense when guarding the pick and roll that differs from much of the league. Is it terrible? Is it genius? Stay tuned to find out!
For those of you who may not remember, the Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team that played a whole 65 games this year. Kris Dunn played some phenomenal on ball defense and Zach Lavine got some slight all-star buzz. One can assume other things also happened.
However, what is interesting about Chicago is their hectic defensive identity, an identity which resulted in them being 13th in the league in defensive efficiency, and lead the league in opponent’s turnover percentage. Moreover, this aggressive mentality extends to their pick and roll scheme.

Pick and Roll Rotations

The primary tactic you will notice when watching Chicago defend the pick and roll is how high they bring up their big man who is guarding the screener, thereby pressuring the ball with two defenders and often attempting to trap the ball handler.
https://reddit.com/link/htmzbo/video/ertpmw5c3ob51/player
Here Christiano Felicio is guarding Nerlens Noel, the man setting the pick, and comes out past the point of the screen to pressure the ball handler, Chris Paul. In doing so this sets off Chicago’s defensive rotations on the back side.
Nerd Note: when a big man comes out this high on a screen defensively, it can be referred to as a ‘high show’ or ‘hard show’. These can lead to double teams and traps on ball, but not always.
Super Cool Photo #1
By putting two on ball, Chicago is then forced to guard the roller and the two weak side shooters with only two defenders. Chicago’s rotations call for the weak side corner defender to rotate over to the rolling big man and for the weak side wing defender to split the difference between his man and the corner shooter should a cross-court pass be made.
Super Cool Photo #2
As it turns out a cross-court pass is made! The defenders now must recover out to the open shooters on the perimeter. The weak side wing defender, Tomas Satoransky, closes out to the corner and the weak side corner defender who rotated to the roller, Adam Mokoka, closes out to the wing.
Basketball bigheads call this an “x-out”. Because obvious.
Unfortunately for Chicago, Paul’s pinpoint pass doomed this defensive possession, but by the time Danilo Gallinari shot the ball over Satoransky’s contest, the Bulls had recovered from their brief disadvantage through their rotations and were back in position.

Benefits

In essence this scheme that Chicago employs is attempting to force mistakes by the opposing offense. The most obvious of which are turnovers by the lead ball handler which generally consist of bad or inaccurate passes out of the attempted trap.
https://reddit.com/link/htmzbo/video/k9l336rj3ob51/player
Here James Harden reads the double team and attempts to make the correct play, a quick pass to P.J. Tucker who slips the screen into open space. However the pressure caused by Lauri Markkanen and Satoransky results in a deflection which leads to transition. Chicago leads the league in opposing pick and roll ball handler turnover percentage by a very large margin.
Should an opposing player attempt to make a long pass as Chris Paul did in the first clip, Chicago is betting they will be inaccurate or ill-advised due to the on-ball pressure.
https://reddit.com/link/htmzbo/video/49qm5von3ob51/player
Here Portland runs a pick and pop with C.J. McCollum and Carmelo Anthony. McCollum doesn’t deal with the double well, retreat dribbles toward half-court, and makes a bad pass attempt to Damian Lillard in the corner. Kris Dunn got the steal for this play, but Zach Lavine and Lauri Markkanen caused the turnover with active hands on ball.
The philosophy of this defensive strategy is to cede nothing, and force offensive mistakes by getting the ball out of primary creator’s hands, while maintaining constant pressure.

Drawbacks

Teams that pass well can really dice up this scheme. Ball handlers that can hit the weak side corner shooter or the rolling big man quickly can give this defensive strategy real problems. Moreover the backside rotations can be difficult for players to reliably execute, especially if they have minimal experience in the league.
https://reddit.com/link/htmzbo/video/nwswsbly3ob51/player
Portland runs a high pick and roll with Skal Labissiere and Lillard. Wendell Carter Jr. shows high enough to force Thaddeus Young to rotate over from the corner, and Lillard dimes up Anthony in the corner for three.
If you have been paying attention you would notice that Coby White doesn’t sink appropriately on this play, instead staying attached to his man and forcing Young to both rotate to the roller and close back out to the corner shooter, his original man.
Super Cool Photo #3
White(appropriately circled in White) needs to take a couple steps back here, in order to close out to the corner should the ball go there, he doesn’t, and Portland get themselves a wide open corner three. Rookies struggle on defense. It is known.
Another counter to doubling the ball as Chicago does is to quickly hit the big man in his roll, allowing the big to pressure the basket or hit shooters on the weak side.
https://reddit.com/link/htmzbo/video/iwen7lue4ob51/player
Brooklyn runs a high pick and roll in which Deandre Jordan slips the screen and Spencer Dinwiddie passes to him early. In getting rid of the ball so quickly, Dinwiddie effectively negates any advantage Chicago’s gains from having a second defender in his face and puts tremendous stress on Chicago’s rotating defenders.
Nerd Note: early passes to the rolling big man like in this clip are called a ‘short roll’. This is in contrast to Jordan rolling all the way to the basket as a lob threat.
Super Cool Photo #4
At this point in the play, Chicago’s goose is cooked. Satoransky has depth, but he is faced with guarding two three point shooters as Denzel Valentine has rotated over from the corner to Jordan. Satoransky chooses the closer of the two in Caris LeVert, and Joe Harris drills the wide open three after Jordan makes the simple pass.
Nerd Note : Harris moves from the left wing to the top of the key while Dinwiddie is passing to Jordan. This subtle movement made it basically impossible for Satoransky to split the difference between him and LeVert, ultimately resulting in a wide open look.
The greater point here is how the short roll and cross court corner pass are the built in flaws of this defensive scheme, ones which this strategy doesn’t really have adaptations for.

Final Thoughts

Something I have yet to mention is the role of personnel in the execution of this defensive style. Mobile big men that are comfortable guarding and pressuring on the perimeter is a must, as well as heady versatile wings that can rotate multiple times on the weak side and contest shots at the rim. The Bulls’ big men performed admirably in this capacity, as it was their backside rotations that often let them down.
Needless to say you don’t want giants like Brook Lopez or Joel Embiid in this strategy attempting to double ball handlers so far from the basket. Nor would you want undersized guards like Kemba Walker attempting to rotate over from the weakside to tag rolling big men.
In a perfect world, this scheme would want a very mobile big man pressuring the ball while all-world athletes roamed the weak side looking to contest everything at the rim, get steals off bad passes to the short roll, and turn turnovers into transition highlights. Maybe this team would play in a tropical climate, have a bad pun nickname, and win not one but two titles.
Thanks for reading.
And that’s all friends. I plan to compare Chicago’s aggressive strategy to Milwaukee’s drop scheme next week in order to emphasize how broad the spectrum of pick and roll defense in the NBA can be. See you then!

The Celtics keep going up in this series, then look totally rattled when they lose the load. The Heat, on the other hand, stay chill. They go down by 20 at the half and just come out playing harder.
Last night it was very obvious. Tatum, Walker, and Smart combined for 14 turnovers, and I would bet most of that was in the second half. When the Heat started swarming and double teaming, Tatum felt the pressure. He would either throw a bad pass that got picked off or he would force his way to the basket and someone would draw a charge on him. Smart is always a "take the good with the bad" kind of player, but he doesnt play well from down. Going in to the locker room to yell at people when you had 5 turnovers as the 3rd or 4th ball handler isnt a good look.
Their team is very talented. If they had Hayward it would help, but he has been made of paper since he came to Boston. The Celtics still managed to beat the Raptors, so its not like they are under manned. They lose the big leads because they cant handle the pressure.
Meanwhile the Heat have guys like Iguadala, UD, Dragic, and Butler. Successful veterans who just dont seem to get shaken when things start going badly. Butler doesnt even seem to be trying until the 4th quarter. Dragic plays with patience and doesnt rush the offense when they are down. Iguadala and UD are both champions and can act as extra coaches on the sideline.
The Celtics are probably going to lose this series because of this. Brad Stevens, at least from what I can tell, isnt doing much to adjust to the zone defense.
What vets are going to be available that the Celtics could pick up? Is there anyone with playoff experience who would want to chase a ring with the Celtics?

*I have copied and pasted the description of player listed as Power Forwards and Centers among the top 60 players from this big board.*
3. James Wiseman, C, Memphis | Freshman
Height: 7' 1" | Weight: 245 | Age: 19 | Previous Rank: 3
As a seven-footer with plus physical tools, an ideal frame, and room for growth in the skill department, Wiseman checks some key boxes that still matter in the NBA, despite the fact all but the best centers have been somewhat devalued. Investing in him as a top-five pick, in essence, requires belief that he ends up in the upper echelon at his position. He played just three games at Memphis before an NCAA suspension led to his eventual exit. Wiseman’s size will almost certainly make him a defensive deterrent in the paint, he’ll run the floor and rebound, and should be competent finishing around the rim. He has potential to shoot but will need to take a huge leap in skill to be worth playing through on offense. Still, there’s an attractive production floor here, and Wiseman is probably going to be a productive, starting-caliber center, if not a franchise-altering star.
5. Obi Toppin, F/C, Dayton | Sophomore
Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 220 | Age: 22 | Previous Rank: 10
Toppin’s stock has risen to the point where he’s essentially a lock to go top-five, and he’s viewed as more of a sure thing in a relatively thin lottery class, with some teams willing to overlook his age and prioritize the here-and-now offensive contributions. Keeping perspective here is important—Toppin needs to add lower body strength and doesn’t move all that well laterally, which may eventually lead to him getting hunted on defense. He’s going to be more of a face-up big than low-post scorer, and his continued ability to hit corner threes and finish at a good clip is essential to his long-term success. Toppin is probably best off at power forward alongside a defensive-minded big. But there’s a good chance he’s ready to contribute immediately, and if everything translates, he could certainly justify an early pick.
8. Onyeka Okongwu, C, USC | Freshman
Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 245 | Age: 19 | Previous Rank: 8
Okongwu is ready to help an NBA team right now from a defensive standpoint, and teams generally view him as a winning player, thanks to a strong understanding of his role and willingness to do the dirty work inside. He runs the floor well, covers ground defensively, and was consistent all season for a USC team that sorely needed it. Okongwu lacks elite size and length for his position, but that should matter less as the league trends toward smaller lineups. Taking him early in the draft requires belief that he’ll continue to add to his offensive skill set, whether it’s as an interior playmaker or floor-spacer. Still, Okongwu’s productivity and the fact that he doesn’t need his number called to impact a game should make him a valuable supporting piece, particularly for teams that already feature ball-dominant scorers.
11. Patrick Williams, F, Florida State | Freshman
Height: 6' 8" | Weight: 225 | Age: 19 | Previous Rank: 12
Williams has as much upside as most of the other players in the lottery, with a great frame and base set of skills that should add versatility on both ends of the floor. He’s not ready for major minutes, and a lot of his value involves projection, but as the youngest college player in the draft, it’s easy to take an optimistic tack, so long as a team can afford him time to develop. He’ll hold up fine defensively with his body type and mobility and should be able to guard slower wings as well smaller bigs. Williams’ offensive future is a bit less clear and tied to how well his handle develops, but he’s shown encouraging signs as a shooter and has enough feel to fit in without issue. For a team that doesn’t need its first-round pick to play immediately, he looks like a worthy project and easy lottery option.
14. Precious Achiuwa, F/C, Memphis | Freshman
Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 225 | Age: 20 | Last Rank: 23
Achiuwa certainly looks the part in terms of tools and athletic ability, and while there are doubts about his overall feel, teams are enticed by his productivity, and there’s a pretty good chance he ends up in the lottery. He’s not a natural perimeter player, but the simple solution seems to be playing him in a lower-leverage role at center, at least to start, and asking him to run the floor, rebound, and cover the middle defensively. Achiuwa has always been a little too interested in moonlighting as a wing, but if he’s willing to buy in as a full-time big, it’s much easier to see him succeeding long-term. He’ll have to work hard on his jumper, but there’s a chance he shoots it effectively, which would add some versatility. Achiuwa is still mistake-prone on both ends, and he turns 21 this week. But with the NBA trending smaller, it isn’t hard to see him fitting in as a useful rotation player in the right situation.
21. Aleksej Pokusevski, F, Olympiacos
Height: 7' 0" | Weight: 200 | Age: 18 | Last Rank: 22
Oftentimes the “mystery man” designation feels cliché and unhelpful; Pokusevski wears it particularly well. He’s the youngest player in the draft and has unusual ball skills and shooting proficiency for someone his size, but he spent the past season in Greece’s second division, which was not a particularly challenging level. His upside is tied more to the splash plays than the productivity, and his physical frailty is a stumbling block for some scouts, as he’ll likely be ill-suited to playing on the interior. He has a clear knack for passing the ball, and there’s potential for his shot-blocking to translate if he adds enough strength, but he also takes a lot of bad shots and may need more time than most to adjust from a physical and competitive perspective. He’s likely to be drafted in the back half of the first round, and the expectation is that he’ll come to the NBA immediately and spend the year taking advantage of the weight room and other resources.
25. Isaiah Stewart, C, Washington | Freshman
Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 250 | Age: 19 | Last Rank: 25
Stewart was highly productive on a bad Washington team, which didn’t exactly help him from a draft perspective, but he remains appealing to teams due in large part to his motor, energy and work ethic. He has elite length in spite of not being particularly tall for a center and is willing to do the dirty work as a rebounder and defender, some of which was lost in the shuffle due to the Huskies’ 2-3 zone. Stewart sometimes struggles to finish plays and get off clean looks against guys who can counter his size, but there’s optimism that he’ll be able to shoot threes, and he’s not going to require tons of touches to be effective. There’s not star upside here, but the odds are good that Stewart keeps improving and carves out a solid career.
26. Xavier Tillman, C, Michigan State | Junior
Height: 6' 8" | Weight: 245 | Age: 21 | Last Rank: 28
There may not a better big in the draft than Tillman when it comes down to the small details, and his hard-nosed, smart approach to interior play is tailor-made for an NBA role. His strength and balance help compensate for his lack of height, and he should be able to give teams immediate help off the bench with his defensive chops, rebounding, playmaking and screen-setting. Tillman isn’t a great jump shooter, nor is he a particularly skilled scorer, but he does so many other things well that it may not matter a ton. His range starts around here and ends around No. 40, which makes him a strong bet to deliver value.
30. Tyler Bey, PF, Colorado | Junior
Height: 6' 7" | Weight: 215 | Age: 22 | Last Rank: 32
Bey offers some real role-player intrigue as a potentially useful big in small-ball lineups, as a high-energy rebounder and play finisher with some untapped ability. He’s not a great shooter, but also not a non-shooter, and he’s athletic enough to defend some wings as well as smaller bigs. Bey may enable his team to play small and fast without commanding touches, and if he’s able to eventually space the floor, it’s not hard to see him having utility off the bench. He’s one of the more unorthodox players in the draft, but it’s hard to see a team taking him without a plan to optimize him accordingly, which bodes well.
31. Jalen Smith, C, Maryland | Sophomore
Height: 6' 10" | Weight: 225 | Age: 20 | Last Rank: 39
Although Smith is likely to be selected in the first round at this point, he’s more of a situational fit on a team in particular need of a floor-spacing big. Optimistically, he fits a useful archetype as a center who can shoot threes and block shots, but his limited mobility and balance may be problematic and hamper his ability to play in traffic. Maryland played a slower pace that insulated Smith in the half-court defensively, but he’ll be asked to defend more in space moving forward, and he doesn’t read and recover all that well when pulled away from the basket. Given his lack of lift in tight spaces and rudimentary finishing skills, Smith will have to improve his shooting enough to make it work as a pick-and-pop five. If it clicks, he has a pathway to utility as a rotational big.
35. Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke | Freshman
Height: 6' 10" | Weight: 270 | Age: 19 | Last Rank: 33
Carey was highly productive as a freshman, and while he’s not where the NBA is headed, his size, strength and rebounding ability should work in his favor. He’s still pretty young, has room to improve his body and has potential to shoot the ball adequately from outside, which could make him a fairly useful player. Carey isn’t especially skilled as a finisher against bodies, and he relies heavily on going to his left hand and drawing contact, which probably limits some of his offensive utility for the time being. Carey blocks shots well within his area, but given his average lateral mobility and length, teams are skeptical as to how well he’ll actually defend in space when opponents inevitably try to make him hedge and recover. Still, there’s time for him to figure it out, and his Duke pedigree should keep him from free falling.
38. Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville | Junior
Height: 6' 7" | Weight: 220 | Age: 22 | Last Rank: 38
Although Nwora wasn’t as consistent as he probably should have been last season, he remains one of the best pure shooters in this draft, which shouldn’t be undersold. It’s easy to nitpick the flaws here, as he’s not an elite athlete or great defender, but he’s a solid rebounder with good size, and teams will primarily ask him to space the floor and make simple plays. Some of the issues at Louisville should be mitigated by the fact that defenses won’t be keying on him as much in the NBA. If a team has the framework to cover for Nwora on defense, he’s a strong value play in the early second round. His jumper is worth the gamble.
40. Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas | Senior
Height: 6' 11" | Weight: 275 | Age: 21 | Last Rank: 48
Thanks to his sheer enormity, Azubuike was extremely effective by the end of his Kansas career, and by simple dint of being huge, there may be a place for him as a situational center in the NBA. His strength and massive wingspan are effective deterrents to keep opponents out of the paint, and while he’ll never be able to switch onto guards or play creative coverages, it’s conceivable he could fill a 10-15 minute per-game role on a team that values his rebounding and ability to eat space. Azubuike is an abysmal free throw shooter and his jumper will probably never be a threat, so he kind of is what he is at this point. But with more teams starting to employ a center-by-committee approach, he’s a decent low-cost option and comes with some built-in role clarity.
44. Zeke Nnaji, C, Arizona | Freshman
Height: 6' 11" | Weight: 240 | Age: 19 | Last Rank: 31
A physical rebounder who was effective as a freshman relying primarily on his soft touch and opportunistic scoring in the paint, Nnaji brings energy and a little upside, but his physical stiffness, lack of length and limited ball skills are somewhat concerning. He’s a decent shooter who may be able to stretch the floor, but he doesn’t offer much else in terms of offensive growth potential right now, and he may not be able to live off putbacks in the same fashion. Nnaji also struggles to protect the rim and is a bit behind defensively, which may limit his ability to center competent lineups. There’s room for growth here if Nnaji can work himself into a legitimate stretch big, but it’ll take a lot of work to get there.
47. Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota | Sophomore
Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 240 | Age: 20 | Last Rank: 45
Oturu was highly productive this season, but also benefited greatly from being a high-minute, high-volume post player on a team with few consistent offensive options. Projecting forward, the question becomes how valuable he will against better competition if you were to limit his post-up touches and ask him to fill a rim-running role. Oturu is a powerful athlete but lacks the ideal size and skill level for an NBA five, and he can be somewhat of a black hole when catching the ball in the paint. He does have potential to shoot, and if he can space the floor, rebound and finish effectively, he could be a viable option. But the general replaceability of centers and his lack of an elite skill makes him a trickier sell.
48. Paul Reed, F/C, DePaul | Junior
Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 220 | Age: 21 | Last Rank: 46
Reed has an intriguing statistical profile and has some attractive traits as a prospect, but was a bit of mixed bag over the course of the season and played worse down the back stretch, as DePaul descended into mediocrity. Defensively, Reed has a lot to offer in terms of blocking shots, rebounding and impacting plays. But his motor comes and goes, and he can still be prone to fouls and mental mistakes. He’s toolsy, but a little awkward athletically, and he lacks the requisite feel to play much on the perimeter, making him a bit of a narrower lineup fit. Reed’s defensive impact and occasional flashes of brilliance should be enough to get him drafted, but he’s probably more of a project than advertised.
49. Killian Tillie, PF, Gonzaga | Senior
Height: 6' 10" | Weight: 220 | Age: 22 | Last Rank: 47
Tillie’s long list of lower-body injuries has created a level of medical concern that’s hampered his stock as a prospect over the years. But he was almost always effective when healthy, and he might be the most natural shooter of all the bigs in this draft. Granted, his slender body type is a negative, and at this point his frame won’t improve much. He’s not very long and may not be able to add a ton of strength, which will probably limit his contributions to the perimeter. But Tillie’s activity level is solid, his ability to space the floor is legit, and he’s a better athlete than he gets credit for. Tillie is worth a flier if his medical checks out, and in this part of the draft, the risk is mitigated.
53. Kaleb Wesson, C, Ohio State | Junior
Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 270 | Age: 21 | Last Rank: 50
Wesson put together a strong year after slimming down in the offseason. He anchored Ohio State’s offense admirably with his post play, perimeter shooting and above-average passing skills. While he’s still somewhat inconsistent and isn’t much of a rim protector given his size and limited verticality, his skill level and consistent jumper are still notable. He’s a high-level passer for his position, but there are very few bigs worth playing through at the NBA level, so he’s probably better suited as a short-roll and high ball-screen player. Ideally, Wesson will pair with a more mobile frontcourt player who can cover for him at the rim. But in the right system, he has a chance to stick.
55. Reggie Perry, F/C, Mississippi State | Sophomore
Height: 6' 10" | Weight: 250 | Age: 20 | Last Rank: 68
Perry has great physical tools and has been highly productive the past two seasons, but he lacks the level of feel and on-court awareness that would make him a surefire draftable player. He did earn a combine invite last season and has some fans around the league, but his shot selection and consistency have always left something to be desired, and his struggles also persist on the defensive end in terms of positioning and impact. He’s shown potential to shoot and has the type of frame teams like to gamble on. But he’s looking at a second-round selection as things stand.
58. Paul Eboua, F/C, Pesaro
Height: 6' 8" | Weight: 215 | Age: 20 | Last Rank: 64
Elite physical tools alone make Eboua a potential second-round stash candidate as a powerful, athletic frontcourt piece worth developing in case his skill set ever clicks. Scouts question how good his feel for the game is, and his ideal long-term role might be at center, where his athletic advantage might create mismatches against slower bigs. Eboua’s ability to rim-run and beat basically anyone up and down the floor is noteworthy. In an energy role, it’s possible he’ll eventually succeed, but his feel and ball skills aren’t great. His highlights tend to mask his overall poor efficiency, and he’s an inconsistent jump shooter who will need time to grow into a more confined role.

After tonight's lottery, I figured I would post a two-round mock draft. I didn't make any trades. I tried to go based on what I thing teams will do, not necessarily what I think they should do, though my opinions obviously impact the decisions as well. I also included my personal grades and some undrafted fits that I liked. Let me know what you think!

1. MIN - LaMelo Ball PG (NBL) - LaMelo is the best player in the draft and is worth the gamble for the Timberwolves. It is reasonable to be concerned about his fit with their roster on both ends, but that concern would be fair regardless of who the Timberwolves select. Their defense would probably struggle with either LaMelo or Edwards. The fit with D'Lo would be clunky with either LaMelo or Edwards. LaMelo is a great passer and an underrated off-ball player. He played off-ball in high school and is a high IQ player on that end of the court. I expect him to be able to adjust to sharing time on ball with Russell. The offensive potential, particularly the two-man game with Towns, is far too enticing to pass up on at this spot.
2. GS - Anthony Edwards SG (UGA) - Edwards adds depth to their backcourt that is lacking in talent outside of Steph and Klay. He can also gives them another ball handler to take some pressure off Draymond. The Warriors’ closing lineup has Draymond at the 5, so having Edwards on the roster could allow for him to play important minutes in a lower-usage role where he plays next to both Steph and Klay. The Warriors are a well-run organization and I expect them to get him to buy in on the defensive end and be more of a team player on offense, where they can take advantage of his underrated cutting abilities.
3. CHA - James Wiseman C (MEM) - Wiseman will help anchor the Hornets’ defense for the foreseeable future. He fits well with Washington, who is big enough to provide weakside rim protection but also quick enough to guard the 4 and space the floor on offense. Wiseman can be a quality roll-man for Rozier and Graham and can help those guys get open by setting screens with his 7’1” frame.
4. CHI - Deni Avdija SF (BSL) - Deni is a great fit for a Chicago team that needs a wing who can help their pieces fit together. He is a competent defender who plays hard on every possession, though his lack of length may limit his upside on that end of the floor. Offensively, he is a very good cutter and a capable ball handler. Even though he is not a good shooter, he is an intelligent floor spacer and knows where to be on the court. He can do a little bit of everything, and if his skills coalesce, he should be able to provide the Bulls with their wing of the future.
5. CLE - Isaac Okoro SF (AUB) - Okoro is a great pick for the Cavaliers here at 5. They get one of the best defensive players in the class and fill a very substantial need in their roster, that being wing depth. Okoro is a good ball-handler and passer, which could help take some of the pressure off of Sexton and Garland, both of whom are probably undersized shooting guards, not true point guards. If Okoro is developed properly, he could turn into one of the best players in the class and could be an important building block for the Cavs in the future.
6. ATL - Tyrese Haliburton PG/SG (ISU) - Haliburton can be the secondary ball-handler the Hawks desperately need. He is a smart defender and can help make up for some of Trae’s shortcomings, particularly if he is able to add strength. He will keep the ball moving and help make their pieces fit together better. He can play both on and off the ball thanks to his shooting ability, which is a plus for his fit next to Trae offensively.
7. DET - Obi Toppin PF (DAY) - At the 7th pick, Obi will probably be viewed as the best available player. The fit with both Blake and Wood is less than ideal, but Obi has a bunch of avenues to being an effective offensive player. This is probably not a draft where you can get high level talent, particularly at pick 7, so it makes sense to go with a high floor player who can be an important piece of their multi-year rebuild. They can grab a star in next year's draft, and Obi will hopefully fit in with that player.
8. NY - Killian Hayes PG/SG (BBL) - Though the Knicks unfortunately fell, they will still have the ability to acquire a good player for their future. I view Hayes as a tier 1 prospect, and although the consensus is lower on him than I am, I expect Hayes to be the pick for New York as they continue with their rebuild. He can run their offense and create for himself and others in the PnR. He is a good defender both on and off the ball. Surrounding Hayes with shooters will be crucial to the success of the Knicks in the future. The two-man game with Robinson looks like it could be a great way for the Knicks to reliably generate offense.
9. WAS - Onyeka Okongwu PF/C (USC) - Okongwu is a great addition to the Wizards frontcourt and can be an anchor for the defense in the short and long term. Thomas Bryant has been relatively inconsistent and they lack depth outside of Bryant at the center position. Okongwu will be a good PnR partner with Wall and should be a solid paint presence for the Wizards.
10. PHX - Devin Vassell SG/SF (FSU) - Vassell and Mikal Bridges on the court at the same time will be hell for opposing wings. Both are such instinctual and smart defenders who can get in passing lanes and disrupt the flow of the offense. Vassell is a capable offensive player, particularly on the perimeter, and if his off-the-dribble shot-making flashes are real, he could be a valuable secondary creator for a team lacking in creation outside of Booker.
11. SA - Patrick Williams SF/PF (FSU) - I trust the Spurs development staff to mold Williams into the incredible player on both ends that he has the potential to become. They needed to improve their front court and Williams can provide value at the 4 spot with his elite weak-side rim protection. He has shown some ability to create off the dribble and his shot profile looks solid enough for me to believe in him as a capable floor spacer. Williams could turn into one of the better players in this class and his youth and athleticism would be great for a Spurs team in need of both.
12. SAC - Aaron Nesmith SG/SF (VAN) - Nesmith would add much needed wing depth for the Kings. He has a 6’10” wingspan and may be able to guard some bigger players because of it, particularly if he is able to add strength. His off-ball movement coupled with Fox’s ability to create advantages off the dribble would be a lethal combination. Nesmith will be able to find a nice role on the Kings and be productive from day 1 as a lethal shooter and valuable floor spacer.
13. NO - Cole Anthony PG (UNC) - Cole can provide a scoring punch off the bench for the Pelicans and give some clarity to their backcourt situation, as he can play both on and off the ball and should be successful with either Lonzo or Jrue as his backcourt partner. He would not be expected to be a big decision-maker for the Pelicans, which should help him integrate into the NBA more seamlessly and allow him to focus on his high-level shotmaking that should take the Pelicans’ offense to the next level.
14. BOS (via MEM) - Tyrese Maxey PG/SG (UK) - The Celtics need bench scoring (they finished 29th this year). Maxey isn't a point guard in the NBA, but he wouldn't have to be one in Boston. His 3-level scoring will be a great addition to their bench and his defensive abilities would bolster one of the best defenses in the league. He can play off of Smart, Hayward, and Tatum on the offensive end and benefit from the advantages that Tatum can create. Watching he and Smart terrorize the other team on the perimeter would be amazing.
15. ORL - Kira Lewis Jr. PG (ALA) - For a team that doesn’t have a ton of young offensive talent, Kira could be a very welcome addition and he fits reasonably well next to Fultz. His rim pressure could certainly help break defenses down and create open looks for shooters or dump-offs to their forwards. His small frame isn’t a huge concern when placing him on a team with such a deep and defensively versatile frontcourt.
16. POR - Saddiq Bey SF/PF (VILL) - The Blazers have needed wing depth for the entire season, but the bubble certainly helped bring his issue to light. Bey is a great fit with the Blazers as he should be able to play either the 3 or the 4 and he can knock down perimeter shots. He may not be the wing stopper that the Blazers desperately need to compete in the West due to his limited lateral mobility, but he is still a better option than most of the players they have on their roster currently. He is a polished player who will be ready to help the Blazers compete from day 1.
17. MIN (via BKN) - Precious Achiuwa PF/C (MEM) - Precious is a pretty good fit next to Towns if he can be a solid interior defender. He had a lot of moments where he was a good rim protector this season. He is also ostensibly switchable and should be able to bolster the Timberwolves’ defense. On offense, he fits well with Towns as well because Precious can play on the interior and Towns can space the floor.
18. DAL - Jalen Smith PF/C (MD) - After losing Dwight Powell to an Achilles injury that could keep him from being 100% for a good portion of next season, it makes sense to invest in the frontcourt. Smith will be able to space the floor and should be able to provide rim protection as well. It may be difficult to play Smith and Porzingis simultaneously because Smith doesn’t move particularly well, but Smith should be able to provide floor spacing with Porzingis off the court. A frontcourt of Kleber and Smith might be among the better shooting frontcourts in the league and will help open up the floor for Luka and the rest of their perimeter players.
19. BKN (via PHI) - Josh Green SG (ARIZ) - Brooklyn could definitely benefit from some wing depth, and with a backcourt of Kyrie and Dinwiddie, they are going to need some guys who can defend the other team’s guards. Green is very athletic and has great hips, making him one of the best on-ball wing defender in the class. If his shot comes around, Green will be a contributor for the Nets for a long time.
20. MIA - Théo Maledon PG (LNB) - Though Kendrick Nunn had a productive rookie year, he struggled in the bubble and it might make sense for the Heat to invest in a better long-term option at point guard, as Maledon is about 6 years younger. Maledon is a good fit for Miami to strengthen their backcourt, which could be pretty thin if they don’t hold onto Goran Dragic. If they can develop him, Maledon could turn into a very effective guard for the Heat with his potential to dribble, pass, and shoot at a high level.
21. PHI (via OKC) - Tyrell Terry PG (STAN) - Though I have soured a bit on Terry’s fit with the Sixers, particularly because I think he might be too weak to contribute in the short term, this is still a good pick for Philadelphia. Terry is one of the better shooters in the class and someone who can score from the outside both off the catch and off the dribble. Has some playmaking ability and fits very well next to Simmons. The Sixers’ size should be able to make up for his poor frame in the short term; as he develops physically, he should be able to be a competent finisher around the basket due to his high-level shooting touch.
22. DEN (via HOU) - Jaden McDaniels SF/PF (WASH) - McDaniels is a great addition to a Nuggets team that is deep enough to take a risk on a high-upside prospect. Though there may be some overlap between McDaniels and MPJ in terms of role, McDaniels is not the shot-creator that Porter is and would likely end up playing a more complementary role, without the ball in his hands. He has shown potential as a weakside rim protector, which is helpful next to Jokic, especially as Millsap ages. McDaniels could be a fantastic 4th option for the Nuggets in the future if he is able to develop properly.
23. UTAH - Aleksej Pokuševski PF (GBL A2) - Poku probably doesn’t fit the timeline that the Jazz are currently operating under, but he is worth the swing anyway. They desperately need athleticism in their frontcourt and although Poku isn’t a ridiculous athlete, he is still a very fluid mover and is highly coordinated for his size. If he is able to hit a high-end outcome, the Jazz should be a dangerous defensive team moving forward with Gobert in the middle and Poku providing weak-side rim protection. His floor-spacing potential should also open things up for Mitchell even more.
24. MIL (via IND) - RJ Hampton PG/SG (NBL) - Milwaukee can take a swing here because of how well their roster is already built. RJ can develop his shot and decision-making in the G-League as a rookie and can then slide into a bigger and bigger role as Bledsoe gets older and he gives them the option to move on from George Hill at the end of next season if RJ can develop as I think that he can.
25. OKC (via DEN) - Desmond Bane SG/SF (TCU) - With Gallinari potentially walking this summer and the Thunder being near the bottom of the league in terms of 3PT attempts, Bane makes a lot of sense as a 3&D player who may end up being the best shooter in the draft. Couple that with the playmaking flashes he has shown and you’re left with a really solid player who fills a clear need for the Thunder.
26. BOS - Xavier Tillman PF/C (MSU) - Tillman is the smartest player in the class and would greatly bolster the Celtics interior defense. He is very strong and had a lot of success against bigger centers in the Big 10 this year like Garza and Oturu. I expect him to be able to carve out a similarly valuable role in the NBA. He will be able to do a lot of the little things that Theis does well, such as helping to give Tatum cleaner driving looks by sealing off in the paint. He's also a good passer and ball-handler for a big and may be able to fill some of the void left by Horford's departure. The Celtics have done a good job teaching big men to shoot (Olynyk, Baynes, Horford), and if Tillman can be a respectable shooter, he should be an incredibly valuable role player.
27. NY (via LAC) - Robert Woodard II SF (MSST) - The Knicks could absolutely use a 3&D wing, and Woodard is one of the better ones available at this spot in the draft. He is a capable off-ball defender and is fairly athletic. Woodard shot 43% from three this year and has shown flashes of passing and ball-handling. He is exactly what the Knicks need and can be a valuable piece as they move forward.
28. LAL - Grant Riller PG (COFC) - The Lakers lack self-creation from any of their perimeter players outside of LeBron. Adding Riller, who can get to the basket and finish better than any player in the class, would be a great addition to their offense. Riller could take some of the creation load off LeBron as he ages and he will provide them with an entirely new avenue of offensive opportunities, particularly with LeBron on the bench. Riller is an older prospect and is ready to contribute right away for a team that will be competing for the title next year. He has been good on spot-ups (albeit on limited volume), and continued success in that regard will be crucial to his fit with the Lakers.
29. TOR - Zeke Nnaji C (ARIZ) - It is unlikely that the Raptors will be able to retain both Gasol and Ibaka barring one of them taking a massive pay cut. Adding Nnaji to their frontcourt would be a great move. He is mobile, can play on the interior on offense, and has shown some signs of being able to develop as a floor spacer, though there are better bets at this point in the draft if that is the desire. He is a smart big who can play a meaningful role for the Raptors long into the future.
30. BOS (via MIL) - Leandro Bolmaro PG/SG (ACB) - Bolmaro is another draft-and-stash prospect (possibly for multiple years, if he wants) and could end up as one of the best players in the class. He's a high level passer already and as he matures, he should only get better in that regard. He's a phenomenal on-ball defender and that skill should be able to translate to the NBA, especially as he gets older and stronger. If he is able to hone his scoring craft overseas, he would be a great addition to this team in a year or two to take care of some of the ball-handling duties, especially as Kemba ages.
    
31. DAL (via GS) - Jahmi'us Ramsey SG (TTU) - Ramsey can provide the Mavs with his perimeter shotmaking, particularly off the catch, and is a fairly dynamic athlete, which would be a great boost for a Mavs team that lacks traditional athleticism in their backcourt. Ramsey struggles to get to the basket, but Luka is good enough to create advantages and open looks for Ramsey. He still has a fair amount of room to grow as an off-the-dribble shotmaker, but he should be a valuable scorer for the Mavs. There are question-marks about his defensive awareness, but he is a good enough athlete to where he should be able to improve on that end of the floor.
    
32. CHA (via CLE) - Elijah Hughes SG/SF (CUSE) - Hughes outside shot-making will be great for the Hornets. He can operate effectively as a catch-and-shoot player, but he may be given an opportunity to show off his off-the-dribble shotmaking as well. He probably needs to improve as a movement shooter and show that he can consistently defend outside of a zone in order to be a meaningful contributor on the Hornets, but Hughes is a great selection to add some wing depth in Charlotte.
    
33. MIN - Tyler Bey SF/PF (COLO) - Tyler Bey is a smart and athletic forward who can complement Towns very well. He consistently makes great rotations and has a 40-inch vertical, making him a guy who can be a solid weakside rim protector next to Towns. The fit with Achiuwa is sub-optimal, but with a core of LaMelo, D'Lo, & Towns, the Timberwolves have to find impactful defenders wherever they can get them.
    
34. PHI (via ATL) - Malachi Flynn PG (SDSU) - Though it may look strange to double dip at PG, especially when the two guards are broadly similar players, Flynn is too good of a fit with the Sixers to pass up. He is one of the best PnR players in the class and provides a lot of abilities that the Sixers are otherwise lacking. Flynn can be the Sixers answer at PG in the short term while Terry takes the time to develop his body and decision-making.
    
35. SAC (via DET) - Daniel Oturu C (MINN) - With Harry Giles hitting free agency, Dwayne Dedmond getting traded earlier this year, and some reasons to be concerned about the durability of Richaun Holmes/Marvin Bagley, it makes sense for the Kings to invest in a big man who can grab rebounds, potentially space the floor, and add some depth. Though I am skeptical of Oturu’s defensive IQ and his offensive projection at the next level, he can slide into a fairly comfortable role with Sacramento where he doesn’t have a ton of responsibility.
    
36. PHI (via NY) - Paul Reed PF/C (DEP) - Reed is among the better 2nd round bigs for the Sixers to select. This might be a bit of a reach considering his draft stock at the moment, but Reed is athletic and fairly coordinated. He should be able to hold things down on the defensive end when Embiid is not on the floor and has shown some ball-handling ability that makes me cautiously optimistic about his ability to develop some sort of perimeter game that would allow him to play some minutes with Embiid.
    
37. WAS (via CHI) - Tre Jones PG (DUKE) - Though the Wizards might opt for a wing at this point in the draft, Jones is a borderline first round talent and a guy who can provide value for the Wizards as a backup point guard right away. He can defend on the ball and has improved greatly as a shooter. He also provides some assurance should John Wall be less that 100% after his injury. This is good value at this point in the draft.
    
38. NY (via CHA) - Devon Dotson PG (KU) - Grabbing Dotson at 38 is a steal for the Knicks. With a bevy of point guards and relatively small number of teams in need of one, it makes sense that some might fall. Dotson can provide rim pressure that the Knicks do not have on their roster outside of Barrett and can be a menacing defender despite his small size. The fit next to Hayes is probably better than one would think at first glance because they add value in different ways; Hayes will succeed in a PnR-heavy offense, while Dotson will probably be maximized being able to drive to the basket and finish, which Hayes can struggle with at times.
    
39. NO (via WAS) - Cassius Stanley SG/SF (DUKE) - The Pelicans could use added wing depth and Stanley has the ability to provide that for them. There are reasons to be concerned about how he adapts to the pros given how raw he is for his age, but he is at least a decent 3PT shooter and is a ridiculous vertical athlete. If he can put his tools together, he and Zion would make for an incredibly athletically impressive frontcourt.
    
40. MEM (via PHX) - Isaiah Stewart PF/C (WASH) - Stewart may be viewed as one of the best players available at this spot and he fits reasonably well into the Grizzlies’ long-term plans. He is a solid rebounder, which they need next to Jaren Jackson, and has flashed some ability to space the floor, which could create space for Ja to drive. It may be hard to get him minutes in the short term with Valanciunas and Dieng ahead of him, but it is reasonable to assume they will move on from Dieng when his contract is up and Stewart can then get more minutes. JJJ and Clarke should be able to cover for some of his mobility issues, and Stewart should be able to provide a hard-nosed edge to their frontcourt that has defined Memphis basketball for a long time.
    
41. SA - Vernon Carey Jr. C (DUKE) - Carey may be viewed as one of the best players available at this spot, and although his playstyle does not fit seamlessly within the modern NBA, he is certainly talented enough to carve out a role for himself. Compared to other bigs such as Stewart & Oturu, Carey is a much more willing passer and may be able to conduct some offense out of the post if his awareness improves. There are reasons to be concerned about his defensive IQ, but he is fairly nimble for someone his size and may have more success than one might think on the defensive end after the Spurs coach him up.
    
42. NO - Abdoulaye N’Doye PG/SG (LNB) - N’Doye is among the better 2nd round stash prospects, and although he is relatively old, he has many avenues to becoming an impactful NBA player in the future because of his combination of size, length, and ball-handling. Because the have 3 2nd round picks, adding a stash prospect makes sense for the Pelicans, even if he is only stashed for one year. If N’Doye’s jumper can improve, he may end up as a steal for the Pelicans.
    
43. SAC - Nico Mannion PG (ARIZ) - Mannion is a very capable decision-maker and will benefit from being in NBA offenses with more spacing. Yogi Ferrell’s contract expires after this year and Cory Joseph’s contract isn’t guaranteed after next year. Nico could easily slide into the backup point guard role and fill that role perfectly. If his shooting can develop, he may be able to play off-ball next to Fox due to his ability to move without the ball.
    
44. CHI (via MEM) - Isaiah Joe SG (ARK) - The Bulls struggled to make 3s last year, but Joe should help to solve that problem off their bench. He will probably have fewer opportunities to create with the ball in his hands, which he was pretty good at in college, but he is a very good off-ball player as well, which should be great for the Bulls offense. Defensively, Joe can hold his own with his 6’5” frame and plus wingspan, though he may have to take fewer gambles in order to be successful on that end of the floor. The Bulls get a first round talent in the second round and begin to shape up their roster nicely.
    
45. ORL - Cassius Winston PG (MSU) - Double dipping at PG might not look like the best decision, but Winston and Lewis fill different roles. Winston’s outside shooting is something the Magic are in need of, particularly if Fournier doesn’t re-sign. Winston also proved to be a great PnR playmaker with Tillman this year, and I expect him to have similar levels of success at the NBA level off the bench with Gordon, Vucevic, or even Bamba. Though they probably won’t ever play together, Winston and Lewis could be a very interesting contrast of offensive styles.
    
46. POR - Skylar Mays SG/SF (LSU) - Mays is another solid addition to the Blazers roster to add to their wing depth. While Bey is ostensibly a 3/4 tweener, Mays should be able to play the 2 or the 3. He is another mature, smart player who produce in a relatively small role. He can hit open 3s, defend both on and off the ball, and take advantage of his craftiness to make a play with the ball in his hands. He is not a high ceiling player, but he is what the Blazers need for their roster.
    
47. BOS (via BKN) - Udoka Azubuike C (KU) - The Celtics tend to struggle against big men who dominate in the paint (as we have seen with Embiid this week). Azubuike is not a high-minutes player, but he can play a necessary role in the NBA and fills a void on the Celtics roster as a rim protector, post defender, and lob catcher. He's much better than Tacko and could easily be given a 2-way and contribute meaningfully in small minutes.
    
48. GS (via DAL) - Killian Tillie PF/C (GONZ) - If Tillie is fully healthy, he is a first-round talent. He can provide floor spacing, is a capable passer, particularly in the post, and is one of the more mobile bigs in the class. I really like the fit next to Draymond and if he is able to be the passer that I think he can be, Steph and Klay should be able to use their off-ball movement abilities to get open, where Tillie will easily find them. This pick has the potential to be a steal for the Warriors.
    
49. PHI - Jordan Nwora SF (LOU) - Nwora is 6’7” and will probably shoot 40% from 3 in the NBA. That alone makes him worth taking a look at, though his ancillary skills are lacking. The Sixers could use a sharpshooter, and Nwora could be that player for them. He is not the best defender, but the Sixers have a number of high-level defenders who could make up for some of his deficiencies.
    
50. SAC (via MIA) - Boriša Simanić PF (KLS) - With their 4th pick in the draft, the Kings will probably take a draft-and-stash candidate. Simanić is a solid stretch big with really high level shotmaking instincts. He could potentially fill a role similar to Bjelica should the Kings move on from him in the future, and if Simanić can be more aggressive offensively and improve defensively, he could be a welcome addition to their frontcourt.
    
51. GS (via UTAH) - Yam Madar PG/SG (BSL) - Looking forward, the Warriors could greatly benefit from adding another ball-handler. Madar is one of the better 2nd round stash prospects and should be able to be a capable 3rd guard once he comes over. If the Warriors can improve upon his shot, he would have the potential to be a very productive player as a solid 3-level scorer and aggressive defender at the NBA level.
    
52. OKC - Reggie Perry PF (MSST) - Perry could add depth to OKC’s frontcourt and give them another dimension on offense. Perry showed some ball-handling and passing abilities with team USA and if those abilities can translate, he should be a valuable piece for the Thunder moving forward, particularly because their frontcourt depth is lacking. Perry should also be able to bang in the post a bit and provide value off the bench.
    
53. ATL (via HOU) - Payton Pritchard PG (ORE) - The Hawks are very thin at PG after Trae, particularly because there are concerns about whether or not Haliburton can be a full-time point guard and because Teague is unlikely to be in their long-term plans. Adding Pritchard, who can dribble, pass, and shoot at a high level will be a good addition to their backcourt. He doesn’t defend all that well, but the Hawks are accustomed to having a poor defender at the PG position.
    
54. IND - Immanuel Quickley SG (UK) - Quickley may be viewed as one of the better players available at this spot due to his shooting ability and the defensive upside he showcases thanks to his wingspan. The Pacers could use another guard/wing, particularly if Oladipo continues to have injury issues, and Quickley may be able to be that player. He can find a role on the team as a sharpshooter and floor spacer.
    
55. BKN (via DEN) - Mamadi Diakite PF/C (UVA) - Diakite is one of the better shot-blockers in the class and should be able to provide value for the Nets in that regard. Though he lacks the size to play full time center, the Nets already have Allen & Jordan, and Diakite's mobility is pretty good for a big, making me think he could play a bit at the 4. He showed some ability to stretch the floor this season and knows what it takes to win a championship, meaning he should be able to be a valuable role player for the Nets as they aspire towards a championship.
    
56. CHA (via BOS) - Mason Jones SF (ARK) - Rozier and Graham had FTr’s of .202 and .242 respectively, which are not good. Enter Mason Jones, who, although limited athletically, was an exceptional off-the-dribble creator at Arkansas, leading him to an absurd .668 FTr. He can provide another avenue for offensive creation for the Hornets and is a great pick at the end of the 2nd round, despite the obvious defensive concerns.
    
57. LAC - Nick Richards C (UK) - The Clippers could greatly benefit from a rim protector and paint presence, and Richards should be able to provide that for them in a low-minutes role. I have some concerns about how his game translates to the NBA, but he posted relatively good block rates during his time at Kentucky. Richards should be able to be a solid role player for the Clippers when they need to guard 7 footers.
    
58. PHI (via LAL) - Georgios Kalaitzakis SF (LKL) - With a total of 5 picks in the draft, it makes sense for the Sixers to go with a draft-and-stash. Kalaitzakis doesn’t shoot the ball very well, which is particularly concerning with this Sixers team, but he is good ball handler and defender. If he can learn to shoot, he should be a solid bench contributor.
    
59. TOR - Ty-Shon Alexander SG (CREI) - Ty-Shon is a great fit for the Raptors, regardless of whether or not VanVleet leaves in free agency. Ty-Shon has shown some ball handling ability but can also play off ball and spot up on the perimeter. He is a good 3&D prospect and will add another quality perimeter defender to a team that is already loaded with them.
    
60. NO (via MIL) - Naji Marshall SF (XAV) - The Pelicans struggled defensively this year, so adding a versatile defensive wing in Marshall should help them in that regard. He will probably have to improve as a shooter in order to get real minutes in their rotation, but if he can, he will be a great addition. Given the success they have had with Ingram as a ball-handler, it may make sense for the Pelicans to take one of the better wing ball-handlers in the draft in Marshall, as he can slide into that role with Ingram on the bench or if he misses time due to injury.
    

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Mock Draft Results by team (& my personal grades)
Atlantic
Celtics - Tyrese Maxey (14), Xavier Tillman (26), Leandro Bolmaro (30), Udoka Azubuike (47); GRADE: A
Nets - Josh Green (19), Mamadi Diakite (55); GRADE: B
Knicks - Killian Hayes (8), Robert Woodard II (27), Devon Dotson (38); GRADE: B+
76ers - Tyrell Terry (22), Malachi Flynn (34), Paul Reed (36), Jordan Nwora (49), Georgios Kalaitzakis (58); GRADE: B+
Raptors - Zeke Nnaji (29), Ty-Shon Alexander (59); GRADE: A-
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Central
Bulls - Deni Avdjia (4), Isaiah Joe (44); GRADE: B+
Cavaliers - Isaac Okoro (5); GRADE: B
Pistons - Obi Toppin (7); GRADE: B-
Pacers - Immanuel Quickley (54); GRADE: B
Bucks - RJ Hampton (24); GRADE: A
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Southeast
Hawks - Tyrese Haliburton (7), Payton Pritchard (53); GRADE: B-
Hornets - James Wiseman (3), Elijah Hughes (32), Mason Jones (56); GRADE: B-
Heat - Théo Maledon (20); GRADE: B+
Magic - Kira Lewis Jr. (15), Cassius Winston (45); GRADE: B+
Wizards - Onyeka Okongwu (9), Tre Jones (37); GRADE: B
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Northwest
Nuggets - Jaden McDaniels (21); GRADE: B
Timberwolves - LaMelo Ball (1), Precious Achiuwa (17), Tyler Bey (33); GRADE: B
Thunder - Desmond Bane (25), Reggie Perry (52); GRADE: B
Trail Blazers - Saddiq Bey (16), Skylar Mays (46); GRADE: B+
Jazz - Aleksej Pokuševski (23); GRADE: A
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Southwest
Mavericks - Jalen Smith (18), Jahmi’us Ramsey (31); GRADE: B-
Rockets - N/A; GRADE: N/A
Grizzlies - Isaiah Stewart (40); GRADE: C+
Pelicans - Cole Anthony (13), Cassius Stanley (39), Abdoulaye N’Doye (42), Naji Marshall (60); GRADE: A-
Spurs - Patrick Williams (11), Vernon Carey Jr. (41); GRADE: B+
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Pacific
Warriors - Anthony Edwards (2), Killian Tillie (48), Yam Madar (51); GRADE: A-
Clippers - Nick Richards (57); GRADE: C-
Lakers - Grant Riller (28); GRADE: A-
Suns - Devin Vassell (10); GRADE: A-
Kings - Aaron Nesmith (12), Daniel Oturu (35), Nico Mannion (43), Boriša Simanić (50); GRADE: B-
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Undrafted fits that I like (Only NCAA players were counted for the undrafted pool; no international players were counted; I assumed every player who has declared but was not drafted was eligible):
Bucks: Anthony Lamb; Bulls: Lamar Stevens; Cavaliers: Kaleb Wesson, Kristian Doolittle; Celtics: Justinian Jessup; Clippers: Jordan Ford; Grizzlies: Nate Hinton; Hawks: Ashton Hagans; Heat: Caleb Homesley; Hornets: Kahlil Whitney, Nathan Knight; Jazz: Yoeli Childs; Kings: Jay Scrubb; Knicks: Jalen Harris, Jake Toolson; Lakers: Malik Fitts; Magic: CJ Elleby, Nate Darling; Mavericks: Trent Forrest; Nets: Rayshaun Hammonds; Nuggets: Trevelin Queen; Pacers: Dwayne Sutton; Pelicans: TJ Holyfield; Pistons: Markus Howard, KJ Martin; Raptors: Lamine Diane; Rockets: Emmitt Williams; 76ers: Jon Teske; Spurs: Tres Tinkle; Suns: Saben Lee, Freddie Gillespie; Thunder: Myles Powell; Timberwolves: Josh Hall; Trail Blazers: Sam Merrill; Warriors: De’Riante Jenkins; Wizards: Christian Vital

Now that the Celtics have officially settled into the 14th pick for the second year in a row (thank you once again to a young western conference team overachieving) we find ourselves once again asking who the team should target. While the old adage of “best player available” should always apply, the Celtics’ roster construction denotes that they are at the forefront of where the NBA is heading as they employ lineups allowing them to switch 2 through 5. The thing they seem to be missing to achieve the end goal of an all wing sized lineup is a tall do-everything point guard. Luckily for the Celtics, two such candidates have presented themselves in this year’s indefinite draft class.
Despite the constant clamoring from fans to condense Boston’s youth into established stars, Danny Ainge has indicated a willingness to prioritize long-term roster construction with small safer bets that improve the team gradually as opposed to taking a home run swing at every star that is up for grabs. It’s doubtful things will be any different this year and I see Ainge making the most of the picks he has available by using them to pile up more rookie contracts rather than trading them. With that said, there’s ammunition for the Celtics’ FO to get frisky towards the middle of the draft and move around to get the guy they need. Two such prospects that I believe fit the mold of tall do-everything guards that will be in range with the Celtics’ draft capital are RJ Hampton and Killian Hayes.
Conceptual Fit:
Both guards possess near perfect measurables for what you’d like out of a modern PG that fits the mold of a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander type. Despite not sporting the monster 7’0” wingspan of SGA, both guys offer ideal size and length for a point guard with Hayes standing at 6’5” with a 6’8” wingspan and Hampton measuring out just one inch shorter in each category. Their near equal measurables serve as a reason for Boston’s pursuit of Medium-Ball? Wing-Ball? Whatever you want to call their future of the switchable all wing line-up, I think the measurables play a big part in that. However, either one of these players represent a huge shift in playstyle from the so called “little guys” we’ve grown accustomed to the past few years. Not only does their size change Boston’s team dynamic but each of their relative strengths indicate a fit for where Boston’s offensive hierarchy is going.
Soon, the responsibility of flying off Brad Stevens’ high screens into pull up threes will fall squarely on the shoulders of Jayson Tatum. The need to sure up the defense at the PG spot will take precedence over the water-bug type of PG that Brad Stevens has utilized every year. Boston won’t need a point guard that takes 20 shots per game that keeps the ball out of the hands of Tatum and Brown. While I don’t want to put a cap on either of these guys, if they were seen as potential number one scoring options on a title team, they’d both be mocked in the top 3. The reason they should interest the Celtics is that either one fits next to the Tatum-Brown combo perfectly and could one day fit with the tandem keas their main distributor and primary guard defender.
Hayes Strengths:
Diving into Hayes first, it’s not hard to key in on one of his many strengths but the first thing that jumps out is his passing vision and ability to find holes in a defense. Right out of the gate, he’s gonna have the footwork and craftiness required for an NBA guard as a rookie and have I mentioned HE’S ONLY 19?! But seriously, it’s rare to see guards with this kind of polish so early as he already seems to possess that intangible quality that I can only describe as: you feel better when the ball is in his hands because you know he’ll do something good with it. It’s like if someone boiled down Brad Wanamaker to a basic element, let’s call it Wanamakium, and then developed an antiserum that has the opposite effect of whatever you’re feeling when Brad Wanamaker is holding the basketball on a meaningful possession.
Hayes is in control at all times and seems to have the rare trait of being able to make or change a decision on a moments notice. One of his major knocks is that he can turn the ball over when he thinks too far ahead of his teammates but that should be remedied when playing next to more experience in the NBA. Paired with his craftiness and great balance, is his left-handedness which also adds a different dimension to his ability to dribble into tight spaces. With the polish and floor general nature Hayes possesses, you’d expect a major flaw like a broken jump shot to be the thing to keep him out of the top 5 but that honestly doesn’t seem to be the case. In his one season in the Euro Cup, Hayes had shooting splits of .455/.390/.909. Knowing that FT% is our best indicator of whether or not a player will continue to improve his shot at the NBA level, it really is a mystery to me why Hayes isn’t a consensus lock for the top 5 of this year’s draft class.
On top of that, Hayes is a solid on-ball defender. While he doesn’t have elite passing-lane instincts that you see in Hampton, his length and ability to stay in front of his man should be more than enough for the Celtics to work with. A lot of off-ball defensive ability as a product of scheme and knowledge of the opposition so that should come down to coaching and intelligence. Hayes isn’t hurting for the latter and in Boston they should be able to bolster his defensive capabilities with the measurables he has into a solid defensive point guard.
Hampton Strengths:
Like Hayes, Hampton has demonstrated the ballhandling and passing expertise you’d want out of your starting Point Guard but differs a bit in terms of his polish and raw athleticism. Whereas Hayes is constantly prodding and making decisions, Hampton seems to operate well as a player who makes one decision and blows through it with conviction. If a defender gets in front of him for a moment on one of his drives, Hampton doesn’t seem to be deterred and often gets by his man even if it takes him more than one quick blow-by from the perimeter. Though I wouldn’t describe his passing as flashy or two steps ahead the way I would with Hayes, Hampton clearly excels in a slash and kick role that we’ve seen a number of athletic guards have success in recently.
Offensively, the thing that sets him apart is his athleticism and finishing. The fit next to Brown and Tatum here would be huge as somebody with the capability to collapse a defense and kick out to open shooters. It’s his finishing that sets this up, however. Think of Gordon Hayward’s 2018-2019 season. His driving was there, his passing was there… his finishing was not. Because teams knew he wanted to kick out on his drives it made him extremely one-dimensional and turnover prone when he got downhill because teams knew he wasn’t a threat to finish over or around any semblance of interior defense. When looking at Hampton, there’s serious potential as someone who can cause problems in the paint that will draw the defense in and create open shots at the perimeter which is where the Celtics really want to be with the shooting they have.
Defensively, Hampton has high upside which makes him a safer pick. At worst, his instincts for passing lanes and quick hands means that he can be a demon defensively if he is utilized properly in his first few seasons. With his strength and off-ball instincts, Hampton is much more ready to guard the many talented point guards in today’s NBA than Hayes at least right now. His offense may have more of a way to go but I’m confident in saying that Hampton will be able to cause turnovers and impact winning on a Celtics team that values deflections so highly.
Hayes Weaknesses:
The thing deterring a lot of people from locking in Hayes as the best guard in this draft is his first step and right hand. He’s not going to overwhelm you with athleticism, but my counter argument is this: has any point guard other than Russell Westbrook made an All-NBA team whose athleticism is their standout trait? John Wall squeaked onto the third team one time, but the point is that it is safer to draft the proven polished prospect over the one that blows you away with athleticism. That said, for it being his major knock, I was impressed with Hayes’ footspeed when he really needs to turn it up in transition. To me, the knock on his athleticism has been overstated anyway as this lack of first step appears to be more of an unexpected tendency to stay patient and in control at a young age. As for learning to use his right hand, that will come. He’s already shown the ability to know where to go and when to attack using his left. It’s just a matter of time before he develops the dexterity to match his know-how we’ve seen already.
Another major knock is how ball dominant he is to the point that his shooting off the catch is a concern. My rebuttal would be that I can’t think of a good off the dribble shooter that didn’t figure out how to do the same thing off the catch with increased necessity. Once again, FT% is our safest metric for measuring if a player’s shooting will translate to the next level and in that facet, Hayes is elite. I hate to put all of my eggs in any one basket but I honestly think Hayes is the most sure thing in this draft and I don’t see a team that could derail the track he’s on other than the Knicks who should probably be afraid of French Point Guards now anyway. In an effort to figure out what I seem to be missing, I’ve looked for every injury report I can find on him but there’s nothing notable that would scare me away from him. The only reason for him not to go higher than he will is that teams aren’t impressed by his counting stats and are looking for somebody who plays the role of a volume scorer instead. If Hayes is available anywhere near the 14th pick, the Celtics must make whatever trades necessary to get him in green.
Hampton Weaknesses:
This is a much easier section to write than Hayes’ weaknesses but that just ensures Hampton will probably be there for the Celtics to pull the trigger on should they want him at 14. Offensively, his jump shot is not where you want it to be for a guard you’d take in the lottery. That sentence alone is going to scare a lot of Celtics fans as there’s only so much room alongside Romeo Langford in Boston’s jump shot rehabilitation center. I think it’s vital to note, however, that Boston has yet to be completely burned by an elite prospect whose main concern was shooting. Jaylen Brown was thought of as a non-shooter in the draft but now leads the NBA in spot-up points per game. Scouts were concerned about Tatum’s three- point shooting before his rookie season which seems laughable now. Hell, Marcus Smart owns the Celtic record for 3PM in a game which is borderline hilarious. Boston’s coaching staff can help Hampton and it’s one of the reasons I believe Boston to be the best place for him to land.
Alternatively, Hampton’s fire and confidence mean he’s not going to be afraid to take the shots that perhaps he shouldn’t be taking yet. He shoots far more often than Hayes despite percentages that tell you he shouldn’t. In his one year with the New Zealand Breakers he finished with ugly shooting splits of .407/.295/.679. Obviously, those splits across a season are enough to scare any team away from using their lottery pick on him but these totals are across only 15 games and roughly 300 minutes. Watching the games, it seems that Hampton was on a bit of a short leash in his time with the Breakers and felt it necessary to get shots up when he could as he only played 20 minutes per game. There aren’t any abhorrent flaws in his form or a Simmons-like fear of shooting for Hampton so there’s nothing that tells me these shooting splits in a 15- game sample size are going to keep him from being an effective NBA player. If shooting and efficiency are the reason a prospect like Hampton falls into the Celtics lap, they should feel lucky they’ve been able to prove they can fix these issues for young players in the last few years.
Availability:
Having kept an eye on 2020 mock drafts all year, only one thing seems certain among draft experts: nobody has any idea where anyone is getting drafted and there is no consensus top 1, top 5 or top 10 players in this year’s draft. So, here’s what we know: the potential for a top prospect to slip into the middle of the first round is higher than usual and the Celtics have the most darts to throw at the draft board. Killian Hayes in particular has seen a sharp climb up the boards from where he was mocked initially during the 2020 season but most have him landing anywhere from 5 to 12. Meanwhile Hampton has been straight up omitted from many mock drafts and the ones where he is included mock him right in the Celtics’ range from 14-20. I have a hard time believing that no team in the top 10 will fall in love with Hayes though. The Celtics should condense all three of their first-round draft picks if they can into moving up to grab a guy that seems like top 3 level talent at 19 years old. If things don’t shake out that way and the sure thing is off the board by the time the C’s can get a deal done however, Hampton will almost certainly be there at 14 barring some pre-draft hype bumping him up for his athleticism.
Conclusion:
The Celtics have a plethora of guards they should be looking at to fill out their wing-ball lineup to completion in this year’s draft but the two that are most intriguing are Killian Hayes and RJ Hampton. Hayes is the safe bet and who I’d pick if I had the first pick overall this year. The Celtics are gonna have to get creative if they want to pull in the least flawed prospect in the draft though. On the other hand, we see Hayes’ unpolished counterpart that plays with enough fire that I’d like to take a chance on him despite the concerns that go along with his shooting. Hampton may have work to do but neither of these incoming rookies are going to come in and take Kemba Walker’s job in their first season. Hampton has time to become the player he needs to be to fit next to Boston’s wing tandem when it’s time to seriously contend. All things considered, Boston fans can look forward to taking advantage of a very even draft class that could allow them to snag one of the best players around 14th.