2024 NBA DRAFT THREAD 3

[Potential]

Sheppard should be the pick if he's there he looks like jrue holiday and stockton

[grant101]

Current dream draft:

#1-6: Sarr (Still working out who I'd prefer if Sarr is off the board)
#17: Collier/Carter/McCain (in that order. Dink Pate being eligible changes things, as does drafting someone like Reed or Dillingham earlier)
#31: Holmes/Jamir Watkins/Furphy/Karaban (in that order. Holmes, only if we don't pick up Sarr or another big in the Lottery)
UDFA: Mogbo/Isaiah Crawford/Tyon Grant-Foster/Nique Clifford (I'd be happy with any of them. This is a really deep draft for big wings)

[Spates]

Grab McCain ASAP and don't look back. Or Reed Sheppard if you're a believer, can't decide on this guy. Otherwise grab Nique Clifford with 31.

McCain reminds me of Brunson but with some sniping skills. Absolutely the Jamie Jaquez of this draft.

I really like McCain as well. But I don't see him as a Jaime Jaquez type draft pick because the thing is, he only plays like a college veteran - but he's only a freshman! Jaquez was 22 entering this past year. McCain will only be 20.

But that's exactly the thing that stands out to me when I watch McCain. He just always looks like he knows what he's doing on the court. He's not a pure point guard, but I have no doubts about his ability to develop enough of those skills to be an excellent backup in the league.

And his shooting stroke is just so good and consistent that it'll definitely be a weapon at the next level. He's also fairly scrappy as a defender and everywhere on the court in general.

I think he's the 1st round PG least likely to bust because all of his good skills seem transferable and his weaknesses aren't serious enough to be dealbreakers.

Haven't watched game tape of his defense, but it seems that McCain was a big negative factor on D. Team's defensive rating would drop any time McCain hit the floor under any combination of players.

https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/03/duke-mens-basketball-analytics-analysis-jared-mccain-tyrese-proctor-jeremy-roach-caleb-foster

Reed seems to be good at close outs, help defense, deflections/blocks, but is quite porous in terms of keeping his man in front of him. He also gets caught up on screens and gets caught ball-watching a lot. I think he has room for improvement though, whereas I don't see McCain improving much.

If their offense is good enough though, defense may not matter as much.

I haven't delved deep into any stats. But according to data on Bartorvik, McCain has been a solid defender according to DBPM and D-PRPG. Honestly, tape is valuable to assess defense within role and situational context. From tape I've seen, neither seem to be exceptional defenders. But McCain appears gritty with a solid compete level while Sheppard gets hidden off-ball.

I really want to love Sheppard but I might be working to hard to convince myself. I don't see much resiliency in his game. He plays at one speed and I'm not impressed with his in-between game. He thrives off of moving fast and the threat of his jumper. Which is fantastic but not if you're projecting as a lead ball handler. Maybe I'd feel different if Scottie could set solid screens and eat out of the short roll....

McCain has much more physicality and subtle manipulation. I have more comfort in his ability to navigate with a live dribble.

I dunno, man.

[WuTang_OG]

Current dream draft:

#1-6: Sarr (Still working out who I'd prefer if Sarr is off the board)
#17: Collier/Carter/McCain (in that order. Dink Pate being eligible changes things, as does drafting someone like Reed or Dillingham earlier)
#31: Holmes/Jamir Watkins/Furphy/Karaban (in that order. Holmes, only if we don't pick up Sarr or another big in the Lottery)
UDFA: Mogbo/Isaiah Crawford/Tyon Grant-Foster/Nique Clifford (I'd be happy with any of them. This is a really deep draft for big wings)

I think nba owes it to dink to allow him to enter , wheres he gonna go now

[Raptorfan2012]

Sheppard should be the pick if he's there he looks like jrue holiday and stockton

Problem with Sheppard is if you are drafting in the top 6, you want at least a starting calibre player, and you cannot run an IQ Sheppard back court; it will be too small.

[CazOnReal]

If Filipowski is available at the Pacers pick it would be stupid to not draft him. He's better on paper than Buzelis. The shooting, size, and passing are real. I see him being better than Aldama.

To me he's pretty much Jonas Valanciunas with PF handles. I'd rather just sign JV to the MLE.

I still want to gamble on Chomche at #17 and watch if he develops into Giannis that can shoot FT's and 3's. He can learn offense from Olynyk and defense from Poeltl. In 3-4 years Olynyk back for vet min will be old 3rd PF and 3rd C and maybe Chomche starts at C over Poetl who's brought back for the MLE.

Chomche at 17 is an absurd reach. I could maybe be talked in to trading down for a mid-late 20s pick (New York has 2 picks in the 20s? There aren't a ton of teams who have multiple late 1sts in this draft aside from New York and the Pelicans) but that is way too early.

[RoteSchroder]

I'm not keen on taking overly raw players in this draft unless they have a stand out skill. E.g. Giannis was already a dangerous slasher and versatile defender before coming to the NBA. I'd also avoid players with subpar bball IQ.

Top 6:
I'm ok with Sarr/Castle - Castle's a much bigger risk as guards/wings need to be able to shoot. I would use Sarr as a defensive PF and develop his shooting.

Holland/Clingan/Reed are probably next in line with Clingan/Reed being much safer picks. Buzelis/Topic are still a bit of a question mark for me, although I'm not a huge fan of either. Risacher's at the bottom of the list due to lower upside and I wouldn't draft Cody in the top 6.

Indiana:
McCain, Devin Carter, Filipowski. Good chance all three are gone here, although I don't think most of the teams ahead of us take McCain. Atlanta, Bulls, OKC, SAC, Portland, Heat, Orlando/Philly/Lakers?

I wouldn't draft Chomche (need more info), KyShawn, Da Silva, Missi, Edey, Salaun here, although maybe someone can put together a case for Salaun. Maybe would consider Furphy, Collier, Ware.

Detroit
Plenty of players I'm ok with drafting here. Going with Jamir Watkins for now assuming he's a legit 6'7 + 7' wingspan.

- Improving every season, meaning he has the ability to get better
- Good at drawing FT's
- His perimeter shot distribution is mostly from off-the-dribble shots + contested catch and shoot with a low volume of unguarded 3's.
- Can handle the ball, drive and play make. Can be both an on-ball or off-ball guy.
- good defender
- decent athleticism and first step
- downside is a low release point on his jumper (reminds me a bit of Nwora)
- torn ACL in 2021-22


A Castle/McCain/Watkins draft leaves us with a 1/2/3 with complementary skill sets. Then we get bigs in free agency and through undrafted players.

Free Agency
Drop Trent/Brown. Trade Boucher/McDaniels for TPE's and renounce all TPE's.

Overpay both Jalen Smith + Patrick Williams on short term contracts

Training camp/G-league invites
Johni Broome, Jaedon LeDee

[Psubs]

If Filipowski is available at the Pacers pick it would be stupid to not draft him. He's better on paper than Buzelis. The shooting, size, and passing are real. I see him being better than Aldama.

To me he's pretty much Jonas Valanciunas with PF handles. I'd rather just sign JV to the MLE.

I still want to gamble on Chomche at #17 and watch if he develops into Giannis that can shoot FT's and 3's. He can learn offense from Olynyk and defense from Poeltl. In 3-4 years Olynyk back for vet min will be old 3rd PF and 3rd C and maybe Chomche starts at C over Poetl who's brought back for the MLE.

Chomche at 17 is an absurd reach. I could maybe be talked in to trading down for a mid-late 20s pick (New York has 2 picks in the 20s? There aren't a ton of teams who have multiple late 1sts in this draft aside from New York and the Pelicans) but that is way too early.

Kristaps Porzingis at #5 was an absurd reach. Pascal Siakam was an absurd reach at #27 when he was mocked in the middle of the 2nd round.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Been on this kid for a couple of years now. He’s waited long enough for his stock to drop because of his age, but he could/should be in consideration at 31.

[WetLikeWater]

I have a feeling we are drafting Lebron Jr with the 5th pick

[Psubs]

Not being able to hit the 3 at minimum 33% in the NBA for a guard pretty much means you won't make the league.

Last year I was really thinking Sidy Cissoko would be good, but just like Dyson Daniels, not being able to hit from downtown makes it hard to contribute as a guard.

Watch on YouTube

He looks good in every other aspect but 3pt shooting. Though GLeague also shooting FT's at 63%.

Which guards/SF's look like they won't be able to hit the 3 like an Evan Turner.

Ryan Dunn shoots 20% from 3 and only 53% FTs. He's a defensive specialist that may not be able to start. Maybe at best he's Ronnie Brewer?

Topic shoots poorly from 3 but really good FT's like almost 90%, he might eventually shoot decent from 3 like Jason Kidd and TJ McConnell after 5-10 years in the league.

Castle shoots 26.7% from 3 and 75.5% from 3. I think he's around the flip a coin whether he'll be able to shoot from 3 or become an Evan Turner with better handles.

[WuTang_OG]

The 6-foot-3 Sheppard, named SEC Rookie of the Year, USBWA Freshman of the Year and NABC Freshman of the Year, led the SEC in steals and true shooting percentage and hit 52.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He’s the only high-major player in the last 30 years with at least 75 made 3s, 75 steals, 140 assists and 20 blocks.

He might’ve come to Kentucky envisioning a multi-year career — as did most of the fan base that adores him — but Sheppard simply played his way out of that reality. He created a new one, in which he ultimately had to make a head-over-heart decision.

“You gotta just keep in mind, every athlete is one wrong step from never playing again,” Chapman said Sunday. “And as much as you want to hang around and you want to be a kid, you gotta weigh that. I can say this: He’s got the two best people, in Jeff and Stacey, to advise him. They’re a family that’s very grounded. I have no doubt they’ll make the right decision. Reed will make the right decision.”

Jeff Sheppard, delighted to see his lifelong friend become head coach of his alma mater, said last week that he’d met with Pope about Reed’s future and there would be an opportunity for a recruiting pitch. After all, he said, Pope made the first in-home recruiting visit to Reed, as an assistant at Georgia, when the eventual McDonald’s All-American was only 7 years old. But in the end, that decision was likely already all but made, no matter who the coach was.

“There’s considerable interest right now, it seems, from the NBA, so we have to listen to that and we are listening to that,” Jeff said last week. “There’s also considerable interest, obviously, from the fans at Kentucky. So that makes it hard. That makes it very difficult. But that’s OK. We’re up for hard discussion and up for that decision. Pretty neat to be in a position to make a choice to play another year for the University of Kentucky and my old roommate or to play professional basketball. Not a bad spot for little Reed to be in, huh? Pretty cool.”

[grant101]

Not being able to hit the 3 at minimum 33% in the NBA for a guard pretty much means you won't make the league.

Last year I was really thinking Sidy Cissoko would be good, but just like Dyson Daniels, not being able to hit from downtown makes it hard to contribute as a guard.

Watch on YouTube

He looks good in every other aspect but 3pt shooting. Though GLeague also shooting FT's at 63%.

Which guards/SF's look like they won't be able to hit the 3 like an Evan Turner.

Ryan Dunn shoots 20% from 3 and only 53% FTs. He's a defensive specialist that may not be able to start. Maybe at best he's Ronnie Brewer?

Topic shoots poorly from 3 but really good FT's like almost 90%, he might eventually shoot decent from 3 like Jason Kidd and TJ McConnell after 5-10 years in the league.

Castle shoots 26.7% from 3 and 75.5% from 3. I think he's around the flip a coin whether he'll be able to shoot from 3 or become an Evan Turner with better handles.

The BIG difference is that Sissoko (who I was never sold on) and Dunn are not an on-ball players and are both unable to create for themselves if it's not straight-line drives attacking a closeout. Neither has a mid-range game as well. As a result, you can only play them as 3&D wings. Unfortunately Sissoko doesn't have a reliable jump shot and is only ok at defence.

Topic and Castle can both create for themselves and run an offence to varying degrees. Castle is also a lock-down defender (miles ahead of Evan Turner on this front) and has demonstrated great touch inside the three-point line.

[Psubs]

The 6-foot-3 Sheppard, named SEC Rookie of the Year, USBWA Freshman of the Year and NABC Freshman of the Year, led the SEC in steals and true shooting percentage and hit 52.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He’s the only high-major player in the last 30 years with at least 75 made 3s, 75 steals, 140 assists and 20 blocks.

He might’ve come to Kentucky envisioning a multi-year career — as did most of the fan base that adores him — but Sheppard simply played his way out of that reality. He created a new one, in which he ultimately had to make a head-over-heart decision.

“You gotta just keep in mind, every athlete is one wrong step from never playing again,” Chapman said Sunday. “And as much as you want to hang around and you want to be a kid, you gotta weigh that. I can say this: He’s got the two best people, in Jeff and Stacey, to advise him. They’re a family that’s very grounded. I have no doubt they’ll make the right decision. Reed will make the right decision.”

Jeff Sheppard, delighted to see his lifelong friend become head coach of his alma mater, said last week that he’d met with Pope about Reed’s future and there would be an opportunity for a recruiting pitch. After all, he said, Pope made the first in-home recruiting visit to Reed, as an assistant at Georgia, when the eventual McDonald’s All-American was only 7 years old. But in the end, that decision was likely already all but made, no matter who the coach was.

“There’s considerable interest right now, it seems, from the NBA, so we have to listen to that and we are listening to that,” Jeff said last week. “There’s also considerable interest, obviously, from the fans at Kentucky. So that makes it hard. That makes it very difficult. But that’s OK. We’re up for hard discussion and up for that decision. Pretty neat to be in a position to make a choice to play another year for the University of Kentucky and my old roommate or to play professional basketball. Not a bad spot for little Reed to be in, huh? Pretty cool.”

I would say that he's at least a mix of JJ Redick and FVV.

Watch on YouTube

After I can see Sarr, Holland, Risacher and Topic being drafted before Sheppard. Castle might go #5 because of UConn's success.

[Psubs]

The BIG difference is that Sissoko (who I was never sold on) and Dunn are not an on-ball players and are both unable to create for themselves if it's not straight-line drives attacking a closeout. Neither has a mid-range game as well. As a result, you can only play them as 3&D wings. Unfortunately Sissoko doesn't have a reliable jump shot and is only ok at defence.

Topic and Castle can both create for themselves and run an offence to varying degrees. Castle is also a lock-down defender (miles ahead of Evan Turner on this front) and has demonstrated great touch inside the three-point line.

Ya, Castle is probably like a Dyson Daniels who was drafted #8 overall in 2022.

[grant101]

The BIG difference is that Sissoko (who I was never sold on) and Dunn are not an on-ball players and are both unable to create for themselves if it's not straight-line drives attacking a closeout. Neither has a mid-range game as well. As a result, you can only play them as 3&D wings. Unfortunately Sissoko doesn't have a reliable jump shot and is only ok at defence.

Topic and Castle can both create for themselves and run an offence to varying degrees. Castle is also a lock-down defender (miles ahead of Evan Turner on this front) and has demonstrated great touch inside the three-point line.

Ya, Castle is probably like a Dyson Daniels who was drafted #8 overall in 2022.

Much better comp! Castle is a little better creating for himself, but Dyson is the better passer. I'm still high on Dyson - not as a star, but as a high level contributor

[WuTang_OG]

Watch on YouTube

[HangTime]

If you were Masai/Bobby, and won the draft lottery, how far would you be willing to move down? And how many times?
Since this draft is somewhat flat what would expect?

Something like
#1 for #4 and future lotto protected 1st
Then
#4 for #7 and future top-10 protected 1st
Then
#7 for #8 and two second rounders

[OAKLEY_2]

Current dream draft:

#1-6: Sarr (Still working out who I'd prefer if Sarr is off the board)
#17: Collier/Carter/McCain (in that order. Dink Pate being eligible changes things, as does drafting someone like Reed or Dillingham earlier)
#31: Holmes/Jamir Watkins/Furphy/Karaban (in that order. Holmes, only if we don't pick up Sarr or another big in the Lottery)
UDFA: Mogbo/Isaiah Crawford/Tyon Grant-Foster/Nique Clifford (I'd be happy with any of them. This is a really deep draft for big wings)

Pretty much.

This what I cobbled together.

Roster

1. Scottie (Scottie timeline*)
2. IQ*
3. RJ*
4. Jak
5. Pick (Alex Sarr)*
6. Brown
7. Kelly
8. Gradey*
9. Agbaji*

10. Nwora
11. JLF
12. Hood-Schifino*
13. Pick Pacers (Isaiah Collier)*
14. Pick 31 (Trevon Brazile)*
15. Gabe Vincent
16. Garrett Temple

Sarr’s two-way versatility and upside would fit the profile of players Masai Ujiri has historically chosen, such as Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam.

Someone will drop, might as well be Collier because of how up-and-down his freshman season was. Toronto can afford to take a risk here.

Brazile gives Raptors the ability to play with two bigs. Brazile is one of the draft’s best athletes. A Chris Boucher and Jalen McDaniels replacement.

Bobby's 5-10 moves
1. GTjr gone
2. Trey Boucher/McD's traded for Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schiffino
3. Lotto Pick sign
4. Pacers pick sign
5. Pistons pick sign
6. Re-up Temple
7. Re-up Nwora
8. Pick up Brown option

If there were no lotto pick Sarr etc. I would still do this to revisit the draft lotto next year. If we get 40 wins that's progress. If we have a second painful year we likely move on from Poetl. This also sets us up for a pick at the next deadline with Brown. I think Poetl is the key to being competitive as seen from the crash and burn after he went on the shelf.

[ArthurVandelay]

If you were Masai/Bobby, and won the draft lottery, how far would you be willing to move down? And how many times?
Since this draft is somewhat flat what would expect?

Something like
#1 for #4 and future lotto protected 1st
Then
#4 for #7 and future top-10 protected 1st
Then
#7 for #8 and two second rounders

I wouldn't be trading. Sarr is the guy for this draft.