2024 Draft Prospects

[SWedd523]

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.

This post gave me Forest Whitaker Eye

[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

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.

Clingan will get pushed around in the league by stronger players. He might be a good shot blocker but likely won't be a good rebounder.

His weight at 280 is an old number. I think I heard the announcers mention he has lost weight in an effort to be more mobile. Looks like he needs to gain weight to play in the league though.

He isn't really that mobile either. He looks like bambi on stilts when he matches up with a guard on the edge.

If he gains the weight he needs to be a good rebounder, he will no longer be as mobile.

You can't have it all at the center position. If you want mobility and rim defense you won't get rebounding. If you want mobility and rebounding you won't get shot blocking (draymond green, grant williams at center), if you want shot blocking and rebounding than you don't get mobility.

[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.

This post gave me Forest Whitaker Eye

here is a link to the writeup, scroll down and find Edey at number 20 if you are so inclined

https://deanondraft.com/

[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.

This post gave me Forest Whitaker Eye

Your jokes are low-key hilarious.

[KingCat]

Is Matas Buzelis pretty much just Poku?

[Liver_Pooty]

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.

This post gave me Forest Whitaker Eye

LOL.

[MasterIchiro]

Castle shut down a key Northwestern senior who had a miserable night because of him. So Castle was a factor. He looked good in transition as well. We need a culture setter on defense.

[MugzZo]

Is Matas Buzelis pretty much just Poku?

Poku meets Cooper Flagg lite

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

[GoBobs]

Castle shut down a key Northwestern senior who had a miserable night because of him. So Castle was a factor. He looked good in transition as well. We need a culture setter on defense.

So hard to be a good player at guard if you don’t shoot though. Just look at AB and the Thompson twins, all very predictably averaging less than 10 pts per game. What do you pay that guy at the end of his rookie deal? Not the max, and you might not keep a player you don’t want to max. This type of player is just very likely to bust or be a role player.

[yosemiteben]

Feels like we're in some real bizarre world stuff when MI is wanting us to draft MKG 2.0

[Liver_Pooty]

Were not drafting Castle. Best case he becomes Marcus Smart and I don't even think he'll become that.

He also can't shoot a basketball.

[JDR720]

I don't like Buzelis either.

Poor shooting from both 3pt and FT and he averages more TO's than assists too.

Feels like tweener to me.

[JustBuzzin]

It's hard to like any of these guys, but I keep coming back to who can be the best fit. Risacher and Castle are the top 2 for me.

[KingCat]

Eh I'm at the point where I think we just draft for upside and pray it actually works out. Opposite of what we did in the last noticeably weak draft (2013)

[Snidely FC]

For those who don't get ESPN+, Givony/Woo posted a mid-tourney update to their Mock Draft.

Sheppard, Cody Williams, Stephon Castle and Johnny Furphy dropped. Clingan and Edey gained. Tristan Da Silv was the biggest riser (from mid-2nd to #18).

1. Risacher
2. Sarr
3. Dillingham
4. Topic
5. Clingan
6. Buzelis
7. Sheppard
8. Knecht
9. Cody Williams
10. Collier
11. Walter
12. Holland
13. Salaun
14. Edey
15. Filipowski
16. Devin Carter
17. Castle
18. Da Silva
19. McCain
20. Missi
21. Tyler Smith
22. McCuller Jr
23. Klintman
24. Nunez
25. George
26. Ware
27. Carrington
28. Furphy
29. Kolek
30. J Edwards

[Snidely FC]

On Clingan and Da Silva

Donovan Clingan climbed to 5:

Clingan is moving like a different person compared to three months ago, covering ground exceptionally well comparatively and giving UConn a plethora of ways in which to guard ball screens. He was hedging well out beyond the 3-point line for much of the first half, having the agility to extinguish the ball handler at the level of the screen before recovering back to the paint and contesting shots at the rim, blocking eight shots in 27 minutes.

His much-improved conditioning is allowing him to make multiple efforts going up to protect the rim and then flipping his hips to go right back up again, blocking shots with both hands and showing impressive timing and instincts while usually keeping the ball in bounds so his team can retain possession. Clingan also crashed the boards, finishing with 14 rebounds to go with 14 points and doing a decent amount of facilitation as a hub for UConn's offense. Still, it was his work defensively that stood out most vividly and the skill set that gives him a chance to be a true difference-maker on that end of the floor in the NBA. -- Givony

Tristan Da Silva at 18.

One of the big winners of March thus far, da Silva finished his excellent senior season on a strong note. He scored 54 points and went 9-of-16 from 3 in three tournament games, playing an immensely important role for the Buffaloes on both ends of the floor and showcasing the versatility that makes him a pretty safe bet to find a spot in the NBA in relatively short order.

While not a high-volume scorer by nature, da Silva has the right array of skills to provide valuable connective tissue in different types of lineups, and he can do it on both ends of the floor. The knock on him long centered on his passive approach to scoring but he's taken a jump in that area, proving he can step up when called upon as a scorer, displaying a comfort level getting into his shot off the catch and off the dribble, as well as cutting and attacking closeouts. He's also a smart passer with solid positional size, making good decisions that should let him fit nicely alongside better talent.

He has an ability to alter shots by closing out as well as around the basket and the agility to stay with smaller players. While not a stopper in one-on-one situations, he does project as a solid team defender out of the box, which coupled with his offensive game makes for a pretty attractive mix of skills. It's ultimately not too hard for coaches to find minutes for players who do the things da Silva does at a high level, and he would seem to be on very good footing headed into the pre-draft process. -- Woo

[Snidely FC]

Why Dillingham still at 3:

Dillingham played a poor game by his standards, looking unusually tentative -- he didn't attempt a field goal for the first 17 minutes of the game -- as Kentucky looked to pound the ball into the paint to capitalize on its size advantage. He moved the ball unselfishly for much of a cold shooting night before finally draining a 25-foot pull-up 3 in transition near the end of the first half. Dillingham was asked to make magic late in the game and had some chaotic moments trying to create frenetically with the game on the line, which resulted in some poor shots. He made a huge sidestep 3-pointer with a minute left to cut Oakland's lead to one, but generally didn't look like himself for much of the night.

Dillingham's defensive concerns, including poor technique, discipline and awareness, were on display in the loss, as he had a multitude of poor possessions leaking points throughout the game. He proved easy for Oakland's guards to rise over for jumpers, failed to get into any kind of defensive stance, and was directly responsible for the most important basket Oakland scored -- digging down aimlessly off the corner for a steal and allowing his man to step into a wide open 3 with 29 seconds left, putting his team down four.

This is a disappointing way for Dillingham's season to end but it doesn't change how well he played all year. He finished the season averaging 15.2 points and 3.9 assists over 23.3 minutes per game while shooting 44% from 3, including some incredibly memorable performances showing why he's the most talented ball handler and shot-creator in the draft. As Dillingham's career unfolds, Kentucky fans will wonder what would have happened if coach John Calipari had fully empowered and unleashed him as the starting point guard from Day 1, rather than coming off the bench and giving D.J. Wagner 26 minutes per game, for which they predictably saw no benefit in their most important game. Dillingham's speed, shot-making and star power look tailor-made for the NBA game, but the way his season ended will not help his cause for being a top draft pick. -- Jonathan Givony

On Sheppard:

Sheppard had his worst game of the season in possibly his final appearance for Kentucky, a disappointing outcome after an incredible freshman campaign. We've never seen Sheppard play such a tentative, anxious style as he did versus Oakland, passing on open 3s, playing with the brakes on, throwing the ball everywhere uncharacteristically and not scoring his first points until the 6:03 minute mark in the second half. He was nowhere close on an off-balance 25-foot pull-up 3 with 23 seconds that sealed the loss.

The concerns about Sheppard's poor defensive potential due to his limited physical tools were also on display. He struggled getting around screens all game with his thin frame and it proved easy for the 6-2 Gohlke to rise up and over for jumpers with poor contests due to Sheppard's 6-3 wingspan. He got lost off the ball on several occasions, beat off the bounce one-on-one, and didn't come up with a rebound in a game that Kentucky was outrebounded, 40-39.

NBA teams already had some concerns about Sheppard's defense and ability to ramp up his usage in a heavier on-ball role. At 6-2, there's little doubt that Sheppard will need to spend heavy minutes at point guard in the NBA, and his passive showing versus Oakland wasn't a great way to answer those questions.

Still, this is just one of 33 games Sheppard played in what was, ultimately, a remarkable season from a productivity and efficiency standpoint.

NBA teams are still quite high on Sheppard and it's very hard to see him not being a lottery -- if not a top-10 -- pick ultimately should he enter the draft. -- Givony

[MasterIchiro]

Feels like we're in some real bizarre world stuff when MI is wanting us to draft MKG 2.0

Castle has elite defense at wing size but handles like a combo guard, thus can create for himself and others. He can slash and finish on par with MKG.

[Snidely FC]

A guy I'm unfamiliar with but for those looking for shooters, Givony spotlighted potential 2nd rd pick, Dayton's Koby Brea

Koby Brea put his shot-making prowess on full display in the NCAA tournament, going 9-of-18 from 3 over two games, many of which came on deep, contested pull-up jumpers or running off screens. He finished the season shooting 50% for 3 on over six attempts per game, making him the No. 1 shooter in college basketball. There's certainly a market on the fringes for players who are nearly automatic with their feet set as Brea seemingly is with his perfect shooting stroke at 6-6. The senior has one more year of NCAA eligibility at his disposal -- he's young for his class, not turning 22 until November -- and will at worst get plenty of looks during the pre-draft process after finishing his season on a positive note. -- Givony

[JMAC3]

A guy I'm unfamiliar with but for those looking for shooters, Givony spotlighted potential 2nd rd pick, Dayton's Koby Brea

Koby Brea put his shot-making prowess on full display in the NCAA tournament, going 9-of-18 from 3 over two games, many of which came on deep, contested pull-up jumpers or running off screens. He finished the season shooting 50% for 3 on over six attempts per game, making him the No. 1 shooter in college basketball. There's certainly a market on the fringes for players who are nearly automatic with their feet set as Brea seemingly is with his perfect shooting stroke at 6-6. The senior has one more year of NCAA eligibility at his disposal -- he's young for his class, not turning 22 until November -- and will at worst get plenty of looks during the pre-draft process after finishing his season on a positive note. -- Givony

I would rather take him at 47 then Sheppard at 7.
At least at 6-6 he probably can play the 2 naturally while giving you elite shooting (Troy Daniels type).