Value pick = having the lowest possible pick for the highest possible gain.
The reason for the first 2 are in-part due to the Butler/Kawhi model of – defense first offense later – approach with highlights in discipline, motor, character, who with help/time on their offensive game can be incredibly valuable considering where they are being projected at the moment. Consider the reservations about those 2 guys and PG that allowed them to fall out of the top 10 in much weaker drafts and how that was attempted to be rectified later on with picks like MKG, PJ3 and Otto Porter to no avail only to be resurrected in the slightly smaller/modern versions in the classic 2 guard mold in Justise Winslow and Stanley Johnson, indicating that going smaller with those defense first combo swingmen will be much more valuable for the future.
Kostja Mushidi – Scoring Tony Allen.
Kostja Mushidi has a chance to turn into a strong two-way player in the NBA.
Ridiculous wingspan and large hands add to his length despite his 6-5 listed height. Those few inches less make him quicker than he appears and with his weight at close to 220 he is able to guard up, so we’re talking about elite versatility.
– PG defense
Kostja could specialize in defending bigger crop of PG’s and the slower/older vets like Paul, Teague, Conley, Dragic, Lowry, Rondo etc but will struggle against the smarts of those wily vets at first but could definitely defend them physically.
Obviously, he is quick but will struggle with quicker players Russ, Wall, Rose, IT etc, but the new crop of larger PG’s Russell, Mudiay, Exum, Ntilikina, Ball and Fultz will be perfect for him to defend.
-SG defense – length and larger hands
Defend Booker, Murray, CJ Mccollum, Bradley, Clarkson naturally, will struggle with Oladipo, Middleton, Beale, Derozan initially but after a few years in the league and ultimately Curry and Harden as he has the perfect inside/outside defender potential.
SF- Defense
Potential Winslow, Brown, Stanley Johnson mold, as his body is still maturing and he could guard some undersized 3’s like Butler, Bazemore, Joe Johnson.
The real test and the big question if he turns into this sort of athlete is whether he will be able to guard 1-3 and whether he can suitably guard 3’s like PG, Kawhi and Lebron.
Toying with the idea of smaller 4’s like Mirotic, Saric, Crowder and would love to see him go up against someone like Gordon or Randle.
Offense.
Confident shooter but streaky — went 3-4 in his last game for Mega Leks but 1-8 from deep in the game before that. The confidence that Mega Leks has given him to let fly will surely be curtailed in the NBA but he still has a sneaky ability as a cutter and slasher of a higher NBA caliber than Mega Leks last draftee TLC who is undersized and under skilled to be productive around the rim anytime soon.
Capable passer and team conscious ball mover who understands his limitations and that he probably is not the best scorer on his team. He is interested in being a PNR playmaker with an eye to pull up but this skill is in its infancy and will likely be exploited by defenders in meaningful minutes/games in the league.
Enjoys floaters and makeshift shots on slashes in the lane, somewhat unorthodox but not wildly unteachable.
Case and point – Lithuania group stage game under 20’s, playing up 2 years having just turned 18 (similarly to Yurtseven), given the ball in last possessions, penultimate possession slashes and gets the and 1, last possession given the ball to create from the perimeter gets fouled on the 3 and wins the game by draining 3 FT’s with the clock off. Lithuania went on to win silver.
Thanks to B Hoops for putting this video together of Mushidi’s strengths. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HarYG2O3cUA
Ones To Watch in this category are Mustapha Heron, De’Riante Jenkins and Hamidou Diallo all + size guards with the quickness to guard the larger 1’s and the size and length to guard 3 and smaller 4’s. These players are still out to pasture in terms of 3pt range to significantly be labeled as D-AND-3 guys and only really show potential as D stoppers at the moment but the raw materials are there.
OG Anunoby – Winslow and Stanley Johnson had a baby (+ a few inches on the wingspan)
PG Defense
Another valuable defender in covering the new batch of 6’5+ pg’s where their court vision will be less of a factor with a capable cover with height and wings like OG’s to narrow their view of passing lanes.
The hyperbole of Mushidi guarding the 4 extends to OG’s ability to guard an NBA 1 but the difference with Mushidi is OG also has the potential ability to guard the 5! Of course these projections have to be taken with a pinch of salt as they are always conditional to the league average and now that there are a bundle of larger PG’s entering the league, at the same time as teams having a tendency to play small, this is the perfect time for players like Anunoby to enter the league.
SG Defence
It will be a joy to watch him smoother the Devon Booker’s of this league, which will demand more of coaches to work out sets to get them open. Guys like Booker are going to have to develop Reggie Miller-like off the ball work rate to get open if OG can move off a 3 down to guard a score heavy 2 guard. Players like Derozan with a myriad of offensive skills to take advantage of minute gaps in Anunoby’s D will be a struggle for him but something he has the potential to add to his game over time. Harden and Klay will be the real tests but their skill overshadows their speed so he should be able to stay in front of them to cause them problems. His ex-Hoosier Oldapio will really struggle against him and I think he will eventually become a more valuable player than the OKC 2.
SF Defence
This will be his bread and butter, I don’t really think there will be a better defender at the 3 apart from Kawhi.
PF Defense
OG will excel at guarding stretch 4’s and the Millsap old school tweener. Of course craft and guile will leave him out of position when being asked to cover such a variation of assignments but within a system and program that drips down responsibility to him when he is ready, there is no reason why he could not become a competent 4 on the defensive end.
C Defense
If he is playing the likes of Chris Anderson and the bevy of undersized 5’s in the league then we could be looking at a full 1-5 defender but it is a huge proposition to ask him to cover AD, KAT or Embiid so I think that is a little bit of a push.
His true position is of a super swingman, which is valuable, but if you multiply that by his ability to switch 1-5, I think his defensive versatility is why he is my top 2 value pick in the draft.
Offensively
I think OG surpassed everyone expectations in terms of his offensive production. When you go from next to no shot, clumsy in traffic and no mid range game, to a comfortable shooter from the catch, euro stepping in the lane and eye for a floater or pull-up jumper.
Like Mushidi, and as mentioned in the intro, these are 2 of my favorite players due to their D first in the same vein as Kawhi but they definitely show the offensive fundamentals to be confident to leave this side of their game to shoot a rounds and practices while they lockdown their role as a defense-first machine.
DE highlight a lot of the same points;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9GKWJxKaOI
3s who fit the OG angle but slightly less D and slightly more 3 are Devin Robinson and Dedric Lawson. They rate amongst the best established 3’s in the east with 7′ wingspan. Dedric is slight heavier so may not be able to defend lower but emerge as a competent 4. Devin is a classic 3 out of Ingram/Isaac mold but with slightly higher defensive sensibilities.
Ones To Watch – in terms of wing versatility; KJ Lawson and Justin Jackson (Maryland)
