The Official 2020 NBA Draft Thread

[hawkman]

Who?????

[lethalweapon3]

Can we add Skylar Mays to our medical staff?

 

~lw3

[TheNorthCydeRises]

 

[terrell]

Damn. I wanted Riller or Stanley..

[skimaskway23]

Reminds me of the oregon sg we took a couple years back. Nothing special

[ATLHawks3]

2-way contract candidate.

[Marvin24Williams]

Just now, skimaskway23 said:

Reminds me of the oregon sg we took a couple years back. Nothing special

I still get nightmares of Dorsey hogging the ball in summer league

[NBASupes]

I like Grant Riller and Cassius Stanley a lot more but Skylar Mays was someone I had as a potential 1st rounder. His versatility, BBIQ, movement on and off the ball, and shooting potential made me think he could be a really good PDS SG down the road. He's the profile of an older prospect that I like. 

[NBASupes]

Skylar Mays is what LP wants Bembry to be. 

[mrhonline]

Dellavedova-ish?

[terrell]

5 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Skylar Mays is what LP wants Bembry to be. 

Looks like a pretty decent combo guard based off the video..I haven't really watched him much...

Edited November 19, 2020 by terrell

[NBASupes]

Spoiler

. Skylar Mays | G | LSU | Birthdate: Sep. 5, 1997 (Age: 23) | 6-4 | 204 LBS | Hometown: Baton Rouge, La.

BACKGROUND: Grew up in Baton Rouge and decided to attend LSU. Two-time first team all-state in Louisiana before transferring to prep hoops powerhouse Findlay Prep in Nevada for his senior season. Consensus three-star recruit in 2016, committed to LSU over Baylor, UNLV, Memphis and other high major schools. Comes from a big family with seven siblings. Entire family is academically inclined, which is something that has filtered down to Mays. Mays’ father is a doctor and mother is a nurse. Multiple other siblings have also entered either medical or nursing school. After his playing career, he plans to follow in their footsteps within the medical profession.

He majored in pre-med and kinesiology at LSU, where he had a near-4.0 grade-point-average and was named twice to the national Academic All-American team. Following his senior season, was named the Academic All-American of the Year in 2020 for Division I basketball. Considered an elite-level character kid with 59 remarkable work ethic and obvious intelligence. Four-year starter at LSU on the court, showcasing improvement every season. Was twice named to the All-SEC hoops team.

YEAR TEAM LEAGUE Age GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT% 2016-17 LSU NCAA (SEC) 19 31 8.3 2.2 3.6 2.2 0.1 1.3 41.1 32.8 81.2 2017-18 LSU NCAA (SEC) 20 33 11.3 4.0 2.9 1.7 0.2 1.6 44.3 35.1 83.7 2018-19 LSU NCAA (SEC) 21 35 13.4 3.3 2.1 1.2 0.2 1.9 42.1 31.3 86.0 2019-20 LSU NCAA (SEC) 22 31 16.7 5.0 3.2 2.3 0.2 1.8 49.1 39.4 85.4

STRENGTHS: Mays’ feel for the game is elite and he has the ability to play multiple roles. The name of the game with Mays is poise. If you need him to play as a point guard, he should be able to fill in as a backup point guard regularly. He can operate in pick-and-rolls and make smart reads to help his teammates and he can hit pullup shots off of screens. He’s a tough finisher inside and smart about the kind of shots that he takes. His shot IQ is very high. He knows what a good shot is and isn’t afraid to pass up good ones for great ones. I actually like him a bit better in an off-ball role, though, particularly next to a large wing creator. He’s terrific at playing off the catch.

He can hit shots from spot situations and attack closeouts at a high level. Once he attacks, he’s great at drawing in the defense, keeping poised and making the right pass for a good shot. Generally, he’s unselfish and keeps things moving as a passer when it’s his turn to make the next pass, but he also had a great feel for when it was time to take over on his own. Defensively, Mays’ size and strength is also positive. He has the ability to defend both 1s and 2s and should be able to at least battle against 3s and smaller 4s. He knows when he can take gambles and go for steals either when digging down in help or when shooting passing lanes. He also knows when to stay home and he’s good in rotation when scrambling. He likely won’t be a high-end defensive difference-maker, but he should be able to operate well within a good defense, playing his role and keeping solid.

 

WEAKNESSES: The big one here is general athletic burst and playmaking ability. While Mays is unselfish and generally makes the right pass, I wouldn’t necessarily call him a creative live-dribble passer as a lead guard option. He makes the ones that are readily available, not the ones that are difficult. In part, that’s because he’s a good ballhandler, not a great one. He doesn’t have a crazy amount of shiftiness or first-step speed. He almost always needs an advantageous situation to get by his man, be it in a ball-screen situation or when attacking a closeout. That makes him a bit more of a situational player than one who will fit like a glove everywhere. It’s also possible that this questionable athleticism could hinder him a bit more as an on-ball defender despite his IQ and team defense being positives. It’s also worth noting that Mays does go through some shooting inconsistency bouts. While he clearly has great touch — as shown by his 3-point shooting this year, finishing at the rim and his consistent 85 percent marks at the line — his mechanics aren’t exactly perfect in terms of balance. He improved his release at the top this season dramatically, but it still is mostly a set shot that takes a bit of time to load into.

While he has good footwork and shot prep, he has a bit of a hunch of his back on his jumper that makes him a much bigger threat from a standstill as opposed to coming off of screening action. If the jumper doesn’t totally translate, it could blow up a lot of the versatility that makes Mays valuable on the offensive end. SUMMARY: Multi-skilled guards who can play both on and off ball next to stars are at a premium in today’s NBA. Especially ones with size to play both spots. Mays has potential to be a dribble-pass-shoot role player on the offensive end that can make great decisions and take advantage of what is given to him. As long as his athleticism doesn’t become a total deficit to his value on the defensive end, Mays profiles very well as a situational player for good teams to look at early in the second round. His ability to play both on and off the ball could make him the kind of guy who can run second units as a lead, in addition to filling in nicely with starting units. He’s never going to be a star, but I’d bet on Mays carving out a role as a rotation player. GRADE: Early-to-mid second round, should get guaranteed contract

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by NBASupes

[AHF]

I have followed Mays at all but second round picks are a crap shoot.  Saw him compared to Avery Bradley as an upside comp.  If that planned out, it would be a great result for this late in the draft.

[hawkman]

9 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Ok I'm honestly impressed. He has legit NBA offensive skills (PnR and shooting) that will translate. Not a bad get at 50. 

[skimaskway23]

Skylar mays is a 6'4 cory joseph. A shorter garrett temple. A poor mans dillon brooks

[NBASupes]

1 minute ago, mrhonline said:

Dellavedova-ish?

The player that comes to my mind is Wesley Matthews Jr. 

[terrell]

Just now, skimaskway23 said:

Skylar mays is a 6'4 cory joseph. A shorter garrett temple. A poor mans dillon brooks

Brogdan ceiling?

[Buzzard]

4 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Skylar Mays is what LP wants Bembry to be. 

I like that statement. The kid has toughness and is solid defender. Shoots the spot up three with ease. He lost his best friend and teammate when a drunk shot him in a fight at a party. Really sad and LSU dedicated their season to him.

Mays improved every season and I hope he makes it in the NBA.

[NBASupes]

3 pt shooting drill at Combine results

Jordan Nwora (82%)
Skylar Mays (76%)
Mason Jones (74%)
Cassius Winston (74%)
Robert Woodard (74%)
Markus Howard (74%)
Grant Riller (74%)
Immanuel Quickley (72%)

[bleachkit]

Ok, so now we need a sharp shooting wing and a capable guard either through trade or free agency, and we are ready to roll.