2024 NBA DRAFT THREAD 2

[MEDIC]

I'm actually starting to like this draft. The two players that stand out to me are Sarr & Risacher. If the Raps got a top 3 pick, one of these 2 would be massive for them moving forward.

If they keep the pick at 6, I think they should take the best Guard/ Forward available (Castle, Topic, etc), then use the other two picks for big men.

Maybe Clingan, Edey or Filipowski with the Pacers pick.

I like the idea of drafting Ighodaro with the 31st pick (measurement dependent). He reminds me of a smaller/ more athletic Poeltl. He has a nice floater/ push shot within 10 feet & is supposed to be one of the best passing big men in the NCAA. He would fit Darko's system nicely.

I wouldn't be against them taking 3 bigs either..........see which one(s) pan out.

[mihaic]

Edey has a negative assist to turnover ratio. That isn't turning into a hub.

Yes, I know the college passing results are not great, but he is also facing double and triple teams and has like 30% usage which is going to go down in the NBA.

Overall, as a big guy he has nice touch and I think the passing will be better with NBA spacing and experience. I don't know how much college ball you watch, but these teams have 3 people in the paint all the time with Edey, so he has it tough. That said, he has to adapt to making faster decisions when he hits the NBA because the doubles will come fast and right now he seems a half beat slow to react.

Why would you want a 7'5" 300lb C to pass the ball out? That's an automatic and1 from 12 feet and in. He's shooting 63% from the field.

Because half of the times this happens 3 athletic NBA players might collapse on him. That is how NBA will adjust. An open 3 will have better % in this case.

[OakleyDokely]

I really have low expectations for the top of this draft. If we keep the pick, I'd probably lean towards one of the Kentucky guards, but I'm not convinced either has more potential than IQ.

[DG88]

I really have low expectations for the top of this draft. If we keep the pick, I'd probably lean towards one of the Kentucky guards, but I'm not convinced either has more potential than IQ.

I'm coming in thinking we give up the pick. If we do keep.it Stephon Castle is the guy I like the most there. For the other picks I'm hoping for a big and wing/guard.

[Landomar]

Steph Castle is a tough prospect for me to rank. The athleticism and ability to do a little bit of everything is really intriguing, and he just looks like a player. He also has could probably do well as a future POA defender on the perimeter, which is something we need. On the other hand, the jump shot is currently terrible, and the odds aren't great that he'll become a better shooter than Barrett or Barnes. Also, what is his elite NBA skill? Being a great rebounder and shot blocker for a guard? I don't know. There have been quite a few athleticism based guards like this who have been taken in the lottery, and not really panned out in the NBA. While you're never going to get a perfect comparable, I do get a bit of a Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, Josh Jackson type vibe that makes me a bit nervous.

[Mark_83]

Castle grabbing 11 rebounds in only 28 mins and his A/T of 2 as a freshman, makes me think he can be a triple-double threat.

Watching Dejounte Murray go for 44 and taking down the Celtics again makes me less concerned about his career 34.5% from deep. I see Castle being a stronger version of Murray.

I've not really been a fan of Castle since the season started (I liked him better coming out of HS when he looked like a 6'6 point guard, and less a shooting guard who can't shoot). Having said that, Dejounte is an excellent comp and a Dejounte with maybe a little less offense but better defense would be a very nice addition. I still have Holland ahead of him but wouldn't hate the pick.

[TimeForChange]

I really have low expectations for the top of this draft. If we keep the pick, I'd probably lean towards one of the Kentucky guards, but I'm not convinced either has more potential than IQ.

I'm coming in thinking we give up the pick. If we do keep.it Stephon Castle is the guy I like the most there. For the other picks I'm hoping for a big and wing/guard.

he's ochai with even worse shooting

[TimeForChange]

Watch on YouTube

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Read on Twitter

What does Matas do better than Holland? Be taller? Lol

[UnbelievablyRAW]

I really have low expectations for the top of this draft. If we keep the pick, I'd probably lean towards one of the Kentucky guards, but I'm not convinced either has more potential than IQ.

I'm coming in thinking we give up the pick. If we do keep.it Stephon Castle is the guy I like the most there. For the other picks I'm hoping for a big and wing/guard.

he's ochai with even worse shooting

He can handle the ball and is a way better passer and finisher?

[UnbelievablyRAW]

I think I like Holland more than Castle for the upside at this point. Castle probably ends the year highest in +/- but I think Holland in a 6th man roll next to a good point guard (which I hope we use one of our picks on) can help lift our **** bench. He’d fit great next to Gradey as well

One dream scenario would be to find a way to move Poeltl to the Grizz for their pick and get both Castle and Holland. Then use the Pacers pick on one of Clingon, Ware, Filipowski, or Missi

[Dalek]

Steph Castle is a tough prospect for me to rank. The athleticism and ability to do a little bit of everything is really intriguing, and he just looks like a player. He also has could probably do well as a future POA defender on the perimeter, which is something we need. On the other hand, the jump shot is currently terrible, and the odds aren't great that he'll become a better shooter than Barrett or Barnes. Also, what is his elite NBA skill? Being a great rebounder and shot blocker for a guard? I don't know. There have been quite a few athleticism based guards like this who have been taken in the lottery, and not really panned out in the NBA. While you're never going to get a perfect comparable, I do get a bit of a Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, Josh Jackson type vibe that makes me a bit nervous.

He isn't a great athlete but he has a solid handle and is just a smart player on both ends. I don't see a starting point unless his three becomes elite. Currently, I see Castle as a Josh Hart type of player. Knicks made him extremely valuable to their program.

[TimeForChange]

I'm coming in thinking we give up the pick. If we do keep.it Stephon Castle is the guy I like the most there. For the other picks I'm hoping for a big and wing/guard.

he's ochai with even worse shooting

He can handle the ball and is a way better passer and finisher?

i will give you he has a better handle.

so he's ochai with a better handle, but worse shooting.

still not worth a top-10 pick imo.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

he's ochai with even worse shooting

He can handle the ball and is a way better passer and finisher?

i will give you he has a better handle.

so he's ochai with a better handle, but worse shooting.

still not worth a top-10 pick imo.

I think he’s a great self creator off the dribble and is a good secondary playmaker. Right now he mostly only tries to finish around the rim but his finishing ability is already better than Ochai who can only move in straight lines. He’s a miles better POA and team defender than Ochai as well and always makes good reads and winning plays. He reminds me of Spurs Derrick White before he turned into a 3pt sniper in Boston.

At 6’6 with his wingspan and strength he play 1-3 and guard 1-3 as well so he can play in starter and bench lineups seamlessly. I think you’re downplaying his potential. He’s already a great rim runner, if he can get his shot down (and his FT% is decent) he’s all of a sudden a big 2 way playmaking scorer.


Ochai can’t dribble or make reads and his defense isn’t as good as advertised originally. He jumps high and occasionally has a jumper but that’s about it. He can’t get the ball and create for himself and relies on cutting and catching lobs to score. He’s not the same tier of prospect as Castle.

[tecumseh18]

Yes, I know the college passing results are not great, but he is also facing double and triple teams and has like 30% usage which is going to go down in the NBA.

Overall, as a big guy he has nice touch and I think the passing will be better with NBA spacing and experience. I don't know how much college ball you watch, but these teams have 3 people in the paint all the time with Edey, so he has it tough. That said, he has to adapt to making faster decisions when he hits the NBA because the doubles will come fast and right now he seems a half beat slow to react.

Why would you want a 7'5" 300lb C to pass the ball out? That's an automatic and1 from 12 feet and in. He's shooting 63% from the field.

Because half of the times this happens 3 athletic NBA players might collapse on him. That is how NBA will adjust. An open 3 will have better % in this case.

Zach's stock is rising on some boards to the mid to late teens, which is where the Pacers pick is going to be. Although the consensus is still around 24-25. If our scouts love him, maybe we can use the Detroit pick to move up a few spots. His highlights are amazing, but is it just Cosmo Kramer in the kids' karate class? Could he actually play like that against legit NBAers?

To me, the issue is can he be Brook Lopez? A drop defender who can hit the 3 at a good clip. We haven't really seen the way Darko wants the team to play defence. Jak isn't the most mobile big, but he doesn't embarrass himself on the perimeter. Would a pure drop defender off the bench be tolerable?

Obviously, Zach's not a shooter. His baskets tend to come within 10 ft of the basket, often on push shots or skyhooks. Could he become one? He averaged a respectable .707 from the FT line in four years at Purdue, without much improvement (.714 this current season). But that's only a little more than the .689 Jak averaged in his last year in Utah. Brook spent two years at Stanford, and averaged .764, .789 in his out year. Sabonis averaged .769 in his out year. Brook is averaging ~80% from the line for his career, and 82% this season. So Brook always had the makings of a shooter. BTW, Myles Turner averaged .839 from the line in his one year at Texas. OTOH, Embiid averaged .685 in his one year at Kansas - lower than Jak's! But that was just one year, and Joel had plenty of time to practice his first two years in the league.

So as a FT shooter, Zach is closer to Jak than Brook. That's a pretty scary thought. There's really no particular reason to believe he could become a great 3-baller in the Brook mould. I mean, maybe. Maybe he'll come to the try-outs flashing a new skill that he didn't have to use in college.

I have to ask, would Zach be a good match with Kelly O. as the bench PF? KO's not a C at all, and his awful defence is primarily responsible for the Raps losing streak. I really would like the Raps to pick up a cheap compatible - i.e. rim protecting, rebounding - C this offseason to pair with Kelly off the bench next season. Claxton would be too expensive, and probably expect to start.

[ItsDanger]

Is Dalton Knect a more athletic Austin Reaves?

I recall the head to head battle of Reaves vs Cade and Brandon Miller vs GG Jackson; Reaves and Jackson held their own.

Has Knect faced UConn this season vs Castle? Edit: No they haven't met.... yet.

I can see Knect drop to #16 Philadelphia, who would be good with a plug n play wing for a team that would be back in the top 5 in the east next season.

PG Maxey
SG Knect
SF Paul George
PF Reed
C Embiid

Knecht and Reaves have completely different games.

From the one game I saw, Reed Sheppard looked like Reaves with his shot not falling. Am I wrong?

It's similar in that they're better off ball in the offense at times. I give Sheppard the edge on defense and shooting, Reaves is a better ball handler.

[Dalek]

I think the more I research Edey the more upside I think there is.

1. The mobility leap from last year to this year is significant as it looks like his conditioning and court speed showed a huge difference.

2. The fact that he has hit on 70% FT is very promising as far as shooting touch. His Pro Day also showed the shooting potential from range.

Watch on YouTube

3. The last point is 6 years. Edey has only played basketball for 6 years and 4 in college. His growth to be a dominant force over such a small time is unprecedented. I see more potential for his game to grow as he focuses on it.

Other factors like being Chinese-Canadian and the target of defenses and fans shows his mental make-up. He can tune out noise well, has a great family, and Toronto would support him better than any other team.

[Psubs]

I think I like Holland more than Castle for the upside at this point. Castle probably ends the year highest in +/- but I think Holland in a 6th man roll next to a good point guard (which I hope we use one of our picks on) can help lift our **** bench. He’d fit great next to Gradey as well

One dream scenario would be to find a way to move Poeltl to the Grizz for their pick and get both Castle and Holland. Then use the Pacers pick on one of Clingon, Ware, Filipowski, or Missi

I'd say that Castle's playmaking compliments Gradey's shooting more. Holland seems more like a SF to me.

[Psubs]

he's ochai with even worse shooting

He can handle the ball and is a way better passer and finisher?

i will give you he has a better handle.

so he's ochai with a better handle, but worse shooting.

still not worth a top-10 pick imo.

Castle is Dwyane Wade with less hops. Wade was the comp I used for Anthony Edward but he's developed a 37% deep shot and may surpass Wade.

[mihaic]

I think the more I research Edey the more upside I think there is.

1. The mobility leap from last year to this year is significant as it looks like his conditioning and court speed showed a huge difference.

2. The fact that he has hit on 70% FT is very promising as far as shooting touch. His Pro Day also showed the shooting potential from range.

Watch on YouTube

3. The last point is 6 years. Edey has only played basketball for 6 years and 4 in college. His growth to be a dominant force over such a small time is unprecedented. I see more potential for his game to grow as he focuses on it.

Other factors like being Chinese-Canadian and the target of defenses and fans shows his mental make-up. He can tune out noise well, has a great family, and Toronto would support him better than any other team.

Worth taking a flyer IMHO

I think if we get a top 6, AND we dont get a big, we may consider getting him at 16-17 especially if no other good prospect is falling.