2024 Draft Prospects

[Bassman]

That should be fun to see! Clingan has a lot to offer but there are concerns about his injury history. Apparently he’s had problems with his lower half, including foot problems. That is a warning flag for big men, and especially anyone jointing this team.

Haven’t seen LaDee play..will need to research. Looks to be STRONG.

[SWedd523]

isn't that SDSU dude like 32 years old or something

[JDR720]

He'll be 25 in July.

[SWedd523]

Pass

[dmutombo321]

Okay… even if you think he’s agile enough to be in the NBA, which i very much disagree, why would you even want him on this team? He doesn’t shoot and we already have two centers who don’t shoot, and isn’t a rim runner which is what would work best for LaMelo?

If this was 2005, then yes. The comparisons could be made to Yao Ming. I just don’t see how you think he could work on either side of the floor in todays NBA

He should be one of the best big guys to run the pick and roll with. He already sets great screens. If his man helps, on a guard taking it to the hole, he is a great offensive rebounder. He is a great lob target at 7'4'' with a 7'10'' wingspan. The defender will have to time his jump perfectly to break up the lob. He hits free throws at to good a clip to foul him. If a pick and roll totally breaks down, he has the post up skills to turn it into a post up possession.

I've previously advocated taking Edey in the 20s and it being a no-brainer if he lasts until the second round.

After his recent slate of increasingly dominant performances, I'm even higher on him now.

As you and others have noted, he'll get exploited in the p/r but so do other big plodders like Lopez and Nurk. Yes, he'll struggle to guard stretch 5's on the perimeter but those same players will have to contend with him down low on the opposite end where he's nearly unstoppable.

Even if you're in the uber-bullish camp on him that views him as a top 5 player though, I think you still have to acknowledge that given how polarizing he is and his being an upperclassmen makes it likely his draft stock ascent tops out somewhere in the mid first round at best and we can just snag him there if we want him..

With the lack of consensus top selections in this weak draft, I like the suggestion of trading down to parlay our pick into two. Whether it's 5/13 (Portland) or 10/18 (atl) take BPA with the first pick and then go Edey or Clingon with the later one.

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

[JMAC3]

Covid pretty much ruined college basketball if you want to view it from the lense of the NBA draft.

The vast majority of teams left in the dance are playing seniors and juniors. Most of which are transfers and sometimes in their 5th or 6th college season. It just isn't the right atmosphere for a freshman or sophomore to really dominate due to the amount of older players on rosters.

Tons of top 50 recruits this year barely sniffed the floor for their respective schools.

So yeah guys like Castle, Furphy, Williams aren't dominating it is probably just impressive they are playing huge roles alone.

[JMAC3]

Yao Ming was 10x more skilled, 3x more mobile than Edey and even he would struggle in the modern NBA with its pace and space.

Yao was also very average on defense for his era despite his size. Now imagine him trying to guard AD, Jokic, KAT and Porzingis instead of Dwight, Camby, Duncan and Tyson Chandler.

Yao footwork, pump fakes, shimmys were actual real offesive skill. Edey has 1 move 4 years into his college career.

[GoBobs]

juniors/seniors to go in the top 10 picks since 2014
Davion Mitchell
Rui Hachimura
Mikal Bridges
Kris Dunn
Buddy Hield
Willy Cauley Stein
Frank Kaminsky
Elfrid Payton

Zero Allstars

Well you have Trace Jackson Davis and Jamie Jaquez Jr that likely go a lot higher in a redraft of last year.

Then you have Lillard who just missed your 2014 cutoff but is probably the best example of somebody coming out as a senior and being an allstar.

Also Jalen Williams (brother of Cody) of the OKC thunder came out as a JR.

[JMAC3]

Zero Allstars

Well you have Trace Jackson Davis and Jamie Jaquez Jr that likely go a lot higher in a redraft of last year.

Then you have Lillard who just missed your 2014 cutoff but is probably the best example of somebody coming out as a senior and being an allstar.

Also Jalen Williams (brother of Cody) of the OKC thunder came out as a JR.

Yeah all those guys were drafted later.
Jackson Davis would also have been an awful pick inside the top 15 just like Edey will be.

I am not saying there are never ever good upperclassmen, but top 10 has historically not been the place you want to draft them.

[GoBobs]

Yao Ming was 10x more skilled, 3x more mobile than Edey and even he would struggle in the modern NBA with its pace and space.

Yao was also very average on defense for his era despite his size. Now imagine him trying to guard AD, Jokic, KAT and Porzingis instead of Dwight, Camby, Duncan and Tyson Chandler.

Yao footwork, pump fakes, shimmys were actual real offesive skill. Edey has 1 move 4 years into his college career.

Again, 3x more mobile, 10x more skilled, this is just making stuff up.

Wally Z on the Dan Patrick show this morning said Edey is much more mobile than Yao and he played with Yao.

Watch on YouTube

3:45 if you don't want to watch the whole thing

[Bassman]

So Clingan should be the big of interest to anyone desiring size with skills. A 20 year old sophomore who is performing as well as Edey in relative terms, 7’2” 280lbs, moves better but not quite the tree trunk bulk of Purdue’s C. Donovan isn’t a great shooter; 58% FT average betrays his 64% FG percentage. He cleans the glass well, finishes strong, blocks and contests shots. I wouldn’t take him top 5, maybe not even top 10, BUT the way he’s playing his stock is climbing into upper lottery. Analysts say his lower body injury history is a concern, but I’m not real familiar with that. If he has bad feet that is a yellow flag for sure.

[Bassman]

Yao Ming was 10x more skilled, 3x more mobile than Edey and even he would struggle in the modern NBA with its pace and space.

Yao was also very average on defense for his era despite his size. Now imagine him trying to guard AD, Jokic, KAT and Porzingis instead of Dwight, Camby, Duncan and Tyson Chandler.

Yao footwork, pump fakes, shimmys were actual real offesive skill. Edey has 1 move 4 years into his college career.

Again, 3x more mobile, 10x more skilled, this is just making stuff up.

Wally Z on the Dan Patrick show this morning said Edey is much more mobile than Yao and he played with Yao.

Watch on YouTube

3:45 if you don't want to watch the whole thing

Note that Wally speaks of Clingan as being more mobile than Edey, and considers him defensive POY. Believes Clingan can continue that role in the NBA because he can guard the P&R, with mobility to shift and block cutters.

[JMAC3]

Yao Ming was 10x more skilled, 3x more mobile than Edey and even he would struggle in the modern NBA with its pace and space.

Yao was also very average on defense for his era despite his size. Now imagine him trying to guard AD, Jokic, KAT and Porzingis instead of Dwight, Camby, Duncan and Tyson Chandler.

Yao footwork, pump fakes, shimmys were actual real offesive skill. Edey has 1 move 4 years into his college career.

Again, 3x more mobile, 10x more skilled, this is just making stuff up.

Wally Z on the Dan Patrick show this morning said Edey is much more mobile than Yao and he played with Yao.

Watch on YouTube

3:45 if you don't want to watch the whole thing

It isn't watch the tape. Yao Ming actually incorporated quick spins, show and gos and drive bys, could shoot a fadeaway jumper from 15 feet. Zach Edey doesn't have any of that in his bag.

[SWedd523]

Assuming Mark hasn't turned into an amorphous puddle of goop (to which I'm not convinced one way or the other), his presence dictates that any big we look at needs to be able to space the floor a little bit.

[JMAC3]

30% of Yao Ming shot attempts in the NBA came outside 10 feet. I bet Edey hasn't taken more than 10 shots from outside 10 feet this year.

[GoBobs]

30% of Yao Ming shot attempts in the NBA came outside 10 feet. I bet Edey hasn't taken more than 10 shots from outside 10 feet this year.

Well he has no reason to do that. What he does is helping his team win. That doesn't mean he can't do something else.

But he doesn't have a deep bag you are right. Edey started playing basketball late in life. His first year of college basketball was only his third year of basketball overall.

So it isn't a guy where he has been playing ball his whole life and if he could have learned to shoot he would have. Also he free throw percentage is very encouraging that he can shoot some set shots at least off catch and shoot.

His skills are exactly the things you want a big to do. Score around the basket where you also have a chance to get rebounds. His baby hook is unstoppable and his ft% is great for a big.

Do you really want a big dribbling around on the edge and shooting jumpers we he won't get any rebounds.

[GoBobs]

Yao Ming is a bad comparison also. Edey is more like Shaq. Read the dean on draft write up from last year. He calls him a more skilled version of shaq with better ft shooting.

[JMAC3]

30% of Yao Ming shot attempts in the NBA came outside 10 feet. I bet Edey hasn't taken more than 10 shots from outside 10 feet this year.

Well he has no reason to do that. What he does is helping his team win. That doesn't mean he can't do something else.

But he doesn't have a deep bag you are right. Edey started playing basketball late in life. His first year of college basketball was only his third year of basketball overall.

So it isn't a guy where he has been playing ball his whole life and if he could have learned to shoot he would have. Also he free throw percentage is very encouraging that he can shoot some set shots at least off catch and shoot.

His skills are exactly the things you want a big to do. Score around the basket where you also have a chance to get rebounds. His baby hook is unstoppable and his ft% is great for a big.

Do you really want a big dribbling around on the edge and shooting jumpers we he won't get any rebounds.

So if you were the Hornets, you would take him #1 in the draft. Use him just like he is in college. Give him 30%+ usage and run the offense through him? You think that is a recipe for success?

[JustBuzzin]

Yao Ming is a bad comparison also. Edey is more like Shaq. Read the dean on draft write up from last year. He calls him a more skilled version of shaq with better ft shooting.

LMAO bro just compared Edey to Shaq.

Wild comment. Shaq was much more athletic especially young Shaq. And obviously his strength was on another level.


If you mean playstyle then I agree. He's basically a pure post guy who gets great position under the basket. He's like Shaq in that regard, but the talent is not even comparable. Shaq was just a different beast.

[luciano-davidwesley]

Johni Broome of Auburn might be worth a look as a late second or UDFA. 6'10 junior that can space the floor. He might translate as a stretch 5 at the next level.

It also looks like there might be some potential Corey Kispert clones available in Tucker Devries, Payton Sandfort, Baylor Scheierman. Upperclassman that should be able to play a spot role immediately as tall snipers off the bench and probably could be signed as undrafted free agents. Maybe not quite as good shooters yet as Kispert but you aren't wasting a late lotto pick on them like Washington did with Kispert.