2024 NBA Draft Thread (Early)

[Rose2Boozer]

Didn't Kyle Flipowski have hip replacement surgery? I'll take Hansen Yang over him all day, Edey too for that matter.

[ChiTownHero1992]

Love me some Duke basketball but please no to Filipowski, has had some injuries and is quite slow. If we're picking around 10 or so (that would be a major reach to pick him) he will likely fall to late 1st rounder, pending how their post season goes I can see him dropping further too.

[Guru]

Didn't Kyle Flipowski have hip replacement surgery? I'll take Hansen Yang over him all day, Edey too for that matter.

It was elective to help with his movement. Not replacement.

[Guru]

I understand the takes on Flipowski and on the second review I can see what you are talking about. However, he does have a good shot, runs the floor well and can rebound. He is a better athlete than the Uconn center that people are ranking highly

[Guru]

Here is Flipowski's bio from the ringer.

PLUSES
Fluid ball handler capable of running actions like a guard or a wing, whether it’s pick-and-rolls or handoffs as the receiving player. He can attack out of actions in a straight line or fluidly use crossovers and spin moves.

He has glue-guy skills on offense, often keeping the ball moving, relocating, screening, and cutting.

NBA coaches will love to use him in different actions because of his playmaking ability crossed with his quick decision-making. He can run the pick-and-roll or set hard screens then pop or roll. He is also already adept at running handoffs, so he could really thrive if surrounded by shooters. And as a hard-nosed defensive rebounder, he can start offensive possessions by bringing the ball up on his own.

Reliable post threat. He won’t get fed the ball in the NBA, but he can seal off a defender inside and score using drop steps and hook shots. Against switching defenses, his handle allows him to dribble from the perimeter into the post.

Projects as a reliable 3-point shooter because of his soft touch. The better his shot is, the more it’ll unlock his playmaking.

Plays hard on defense. He’ll take a charge, box out, and put his body on the line.

Coordinated defender who uses his hands to poke at the ball or disrupt actions on the perimeter. As a sophomore, he has more than doubled his blocks per game compared to his freshman year. Duke uses him in different pick-and-roll coverages, serving as the team’s defensive anchor.

MINUSES
Subpar scorer at the rim when faced with contact or length, largely due to his lack of strength. But he has the frame to handle much more muscle, so this skill should develop in time.

He needs to cut down on careless turnovers. Sometimes he gets too loose with his handle in the open floor, or he’ll force passes through windows that are shut.

[2weekswithpay]

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[Muzbar]

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I'll take him or Tyler Smith please.

[MrSparkle]

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He’s been looking better in the last month. Wonder if he shoots back into the top-3.

[2weekswithpay]

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Hawkins is my favorite 2nd round pick at the moment. Great size at 6'10, one of the best defenders in the country, switchable on defense, and he's improved his shooting.

[2weekswithpay]

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He’s been looking better in the last month. Wonder if he shoots back into the top-3.

His shooting struggles will scare a few teams off. I don't see a path for him back into the top 3 unless he catches fire from 3.

[Jahensle]

This draft feels very deep. Seems like a 10 - 14 pick will land us a solid talent. Will be fun leading up to draft day this year.

[othawhitemeat]

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Hawkins is my favorite 2nd round pick at the moment. Great size at 6'10, one of the best defenders in the country, switchable on defense, and he's improved his shooting.

Kind of reminds me of Big Shot Bob (don't know about the clutch gene) but the versatility but in today's era.

[Chi town]

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I'll take him or Tyler Smith please.

Matas is Franz.

Smith is a lot like Chris Bosh.

[2weekswithpay]

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[ChettheJet]

It's early, heck once the draft camp is done it's still early. Every mock draft site can rank the players but with so many picks in the hands of so few teams you just figure some are going to change hands and need is going to win out over ranking.

What I have done is print out 4 or 5 of these mock drafts as close to draft day as possible. You should try it. Then see after the 1st 12 or so picks just how uninformed and wrong so many of these sites are. I've seen players projected in the 20-30 range who don't get picked and guys not listed on any of 4 mocks that go in that end of the 1st range. The 2nd round ends up being like a dartboard after the 1st 10-14.

I really wouldn't expend a lot of energy predicting who is going to go where or move up or down, your sources that might not know many facts are making projections based on other websites that don't know any more than they do. Mos of these experts are acting like they're insiders and you don't look all that smart acting either.

[2weekswithpay]

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[Repeat 3-peat]

Ryan Dunn is a special defensive talent, just brings nothing on offense. Easy comp to Andre Roberson.


Just finding out about Yang but intrigued. Next Sengun?

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[Rose2Boozer]

Yang's footwork and feel for the game is next level. Sadly, I think the Chinese government might be looking to hide him from the NBA draft process.