2024 NBA Draft Thread

[165bows]

Keith sees the vision.

Read on Twitter

I don’t get on twitter since forever, does Smitty talk prospects much on there?

[Hal14]

Keith sees the vision.

Read on Twitter

I don’t get on twitter since forever, does Smitty talk prospects much on there?

No, just on rare occasions. I think he does a little bit more during March Madness and when all the pre-draft stuff (combine, etc.) is going on..

[Hal14]

Yeah, Johni Broome (as of now) is my top target for us.

Today in the SEC tournament vs a 26-6 South Carolina team:

18 points, 10 rebs, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, only 2 fouls..2/5 from 3..now 6/17 from 3 over his last 6 games (a respectable 35.2%)

Dude has good size. He's strong, tough, physical. Can pass. Can defend. Old enough that he isn't raw, isn't a project, is far enough along in his development that he won't need to hold his hand and teach him tons of stuff..but also young enough that there's still some upside.

Watch on YouTube

2:32 Look at the way he goes hard after this offensive rebound. Gathers it in, surveys the floor and throws a bullet of a pass, on target to the open teammate
4:32 attacks the closeout, makes it look like he's gonna shoot it though so that fakes out the defender, giving himself an open driving lane, strong take to the rim, strong finish for the and-1
8:13 look how confident and badass he looks talking to his teammates/coaches on the sidelines as the buzzer sounds ending a game Auburn wins by 30. This dude is a dog

Also, the Celtics have shown a track record for drafting guys out of the SEC in recent years (Grant williams, robert williams, JD Davison, Jordan Walsh, Aaron Nesmith, etc.) plus acquired other former SEC players in recent years via trade (Kornet, Springer)

[165bows]

Yeah, Johni Broome (as of now) is my top target for us.

Today in the SEC tournament vs a 26-6 South Carolina team:

18 points, 10 rebs, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, only 2 fouls..2/5 from 3..now 6/17 from 3 over his last 6 games (a respectable 35.2%)

Dude has good size. He's strong, tough, physical. Can pass. Can defend. Old enough that he isn't raw, isn't a project, is far enough along in his development that he won't need to hold his hand and teach him tons of stuff..but also young enough that there's still some upside.

Watch on YouTube

2:32 Look at the way he goes hard after this offensive rebound. Gathers it in, surveys the floor and throws a bullet of a pass, on target to the open teammate
4:32 attacks the closeout, makes it look like he's gonna shoot it though so that fakes out the defender, giving himself an open driving lane, strong take to the rim, strong finish for the and-1
8:13 look how confident and badass he looks talking to his teammates/coaches on the sidelines as the buzzer sounds ending a game Auburn wins by 30. This dude is a dog

Also, the Celtics have shown a track record for drafting guys out of the SEC in recent years (Grant williams, robert williams, JD Davison, Jordan Walsh, Aaron Nesmith, etc.) plus acquired other former SEC players in recent years via trade (Kornet, Springer)

Hmm true 21 year old senior on draft night.

[Hal14]

Yup..it's nice plus that he is young for his grade. July birthday. So gets in 4 full seasons of college ball before turning 22. Lots of experience and development, relative to how old he is.

And his last name is Broome. Cause with him on the team, we'll be getting out the brooms a lot, sweeping teams in the playoffs.

Ok, I'll see myself out..

Oh and in today's game he did the kiss of death thing that JT and JB do, after hitting a 3. He's meant to be a Celtic

[165bows]

Somewhat exhaustive review of potential NBA guys in the NCAA tourney:

https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/the-ultimate-ncaa-tournament-prospect

[Hal14]

I'm starting to warm up to DaRon Holmes. Wouldn't hate it if we took him in the 2nd round..try to develop him into a solid backup big man. Has some potential as a shooter too. 

Also, saw a mock draft recently that had Kel'El Ware going 11th. So he will likely to go way too high for us to be able to get him.

And Collin Murray-Boyles said he plans on returning for his sophomore season at South Carolina.

Those are my updates for today.

[165bows]

I'm starting to warm up to DaRon Holmes. Wouldn't hate it if we took him in the 2nd round..try to develop him into a solid backup big man. Has some potential as a shooter too. 

Also, saw a mock draft recently that had Kel'El Ware going 11th. So he will likely to go way too high for us to be able to get him.

And Collin Murray-Boyles said he plans on returning for his sophomore season at South Carolina.

Those are my updates for today.

Feels like the guys they've brought in for the bench lately have been real physical, high energy guys. Not sure if that extends to that draft but the high-motor strong dudes has been a bit of a theme lately.

[Celts17Pride]

Doesn't change the talk in this thread much but in my mind the Celtics are 99.99% certain to trade out of the first round again. Probably fall back again and pick in the 35-45 range and get a new two-way player.

[Hal14]

Doesn't change the talk in this thread much but in my mind the Celtics are 99.99% certain to trade out of the first round again. Probably fall back again and pick in the 35-45 range and get a new two-way player.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too.

[playa-hater]

Doesn't change the talk in this thread much but in my mind the Celtics are 99.99% certain to trade out of the first round again. Probably fall back again and pick in the 35-45 range and get a new two-way player.

then let me be the .01% .. If Edey is available Boston has to get him. I am now all in on him as a rule at 30... Now maybe the exception to the rule emerges before the draft. I now want that "monster" near the rim finishing when Boston spreads the shet out of defenses. It is hard to get someone that Big with his skills. and at 30?? It is now a No Brainer for me..

[shackles10]

Not an Edey in the NBA fan at all. Edey as an NCAA player and Edey as a person sign me up though. I will add though that while it's a team sport, how Purdue does this weekend will be impactful in his draft stock. He could solidify end of first/beginning of second round or slide into the 50's if Boilers are knocked out opening weekend again.

[165bows]

Doesn't change the talk in this thread much but in my mind the Celtics are 99.99% certain to trade out of the first round again. Probably fall back again and pick in the 35-45 range and get a new two-way player.

then let me be the .01% .. If Edey is available Boston has to get him. I am now all in on him as a rule at 30... Now maybe the exception to the rule emerges before the draft. I now want that "monster" near the rim finishing when Boston spreads the shet out of defenses. It is hard to get someone that Big with his skills. and at 30?? It is now a No Brainer for me..

I’m in on Edey even at 30, the upside is worth the gamble imo. Put him in for four minutes a quarter and consistently put teams into the bonus.

On the larger point, if they take someone in the first round have to assume they really like the player.

[playa-hater]

Not an Edey in the NBA fan at all. Edey as an NCAA player and Edey as a person sign me up though. I will add though that while it's a team sport, how Purdue does this weekend will be impactful in his draft stock. He could solidify end of first/beginning of second round or slide into the 50's if Boilers are knocked out opening weekend again.

I think even Just a couple of years ago a player like Edey would not even have been looked at.. But I think there was going to be a greater emphasis on offensive and defensive rebounding. If you factor in how well cornet does what he does at a much smaller size, Then imagine how big eddie will be when a defendant gets out of position to pick up on a tatum brown or white drive. Edey will be gathering up offensive rebound pullbacks with ease in relations to Kornet.. I will add more later but I am already sold on his potential.

[djFan71]

Doesn't change the talk in this thread much but in my mind the Celtics are 99.99% certain to trade out of the first round again. Probably fall back again and pick in the 35-45 range and get a new two-way player.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too.

I'd think if we trade 30, it'd be for future picks, not one in this draft (and a future). The argument for trading 30 is we have a pretty dang full roster, and already have another 2nd this year. So, why trade for a 2nd 2nd this year. Just grab 2 future 2nds instead.

[Hal14]

Doesn't change the talk in this thread much but in my mind the Celtics are 99.99% certain to trade out of the first round again. Probably fall back again and pick in the 35-45 range and get a new two-way player.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too.

I'd think if we trade 30, it'd be for future picks, not one in this draft (and a future). The argument for trading 30 is we have a pretty dang full roster, and already have another 2nd this year. So, why trade for a 2nd 2nd this year. Just grab 2 future 2nds instead.

Yeah. Brad's blueprint for the draft seems to be:

a) trade any 1st rounders we have
b) draft 1 guy in the 2nd round (no more, no less)
c) Sign 1 or 2 guys as UDFA
d) stock up on future 2nd round picks, which can be used in future trades down the road to acquire guys like Tillman, Muscala, Springer, etc.

[shackles10]

I have no idea when, but I have to think some point in the next year or two Brad is going to pivot to start acquiring or at least keeping future firsts instead of so many 2nd rounders. The apron restrictions on trades limit trading in general so all the 2nds in the world as sweeteners won't matter if we can't make the trades legally as easily anyways. The 1sts will at least have higher salary value for trading if we can complete a trade and need the salary/prospect themselves if we draft then trade immediately after. Or we will very possibly need to start filling our increasingly expensive rosters with players more capable of playing right away then mid to late 2nds.

[Hal14]

Not an Edey in the NBA fan at all. Edey as an NCAA player and Edey as a person sign me up though. I will add though that while it's a team sport, how Purdue does this weekend will be impactful in his draft stock. He could solidify end of first/beginning of second round or slide into the 50's if Boilers are knocked out opening weekend again.

I think even Just a couple of years ago a player like Edey would not even have been looked at.. But I think there was going to be a greater emphasis on offensive and defensive rebounding. If you factor in how well cornet does what he does at a much smaller size, Then imagine how big eddie will be when a defendant gets out of position to pick up on a tatum brown or white drive. Edey will be gathering up offensive rebound pullbacks with ease in relations to Kornet.. I will add more later but I am already sold on his potential.

I'm just not as sold on this logic that "Oh, Kornet is doing good. Edey is bigger than Kornet so that automatically means Edey will be better on this Celtic team than Kornet"

The primary reasons why Kornet has been doing so well this season are:

1) He's developed into an extremely cerebral player. He reads, understands and processes the game at a high level, on both ends. He's always in the right spots, at the right time. Makes the right rotations on defense. The right passing (or screening or DHO) reads on offense. Doesn't hold onto the ball too long. Good at slipping screens. Setting screens without getting called for a moving screen, staying planted long enough for the screen to actually be effective. Knowing just the right time to go in to the paint for a lob - or to go and crash the offensive boards (if you go in too soon then you clog up the paint and kill our spacing).

He also has this ability to always keep his energy up. Like, if he makes a mistake or if a teammate makes a mistake, he doesn't let it bother him, *at all*. His body language is awesome, always looks upbeat out there. Some guys might take plays off here and there. Or they might hang their head or not sprint back on D after a play or call doesn't go there way. That stuff never happens with Kornet. It might happen with Edey once he reaches the NBA and starts being met with some adversity and is no longer twice the size of every other player on the floor which allows him to overpower guys, and is no longer the focalpoint of his team's offense.

Kornet is extremely unselfish. Is all about the team. Always just tries to put himself in the best position, do the little things, make winning plays..little things that can help move the needle out there.

In other words, so much of what has made him good this season is intangibles, basketball IQ..and also experience - the screening, the recognizing of defensive coverages, the stuff about knowing where to be on both ends of the floor - so much of that just comes down to experience, and being in the league long enough that you learn that stuff and it becomes second nature. Kornet is 28, he'll be 29 in July. He's been in the league for awhile now so he's learned all the tricks in the book.

So I don't really buy this "Oh, Edey is like Kornet but bigger so he'd be able to come in as a 22 year old rookie and be better than Kornet" stuff. When so much of what makes Kornet effective is just the fact that he's 28 and been in the league for 6 years.

Which is part of the reason why I'm looking at this draft for the Celtics and thinking "well if we get a big, I'd rather get a big who can shoot. So that way, he is bringing something unique to the table that guys like Kornet/Tillman/Queta don't bring - he could at least have a niche or be a specialist of some kind.

2) Mobility..being fairly nimble out there on the floor. Can change directions pretty quick. Is pretty light on his feet out there. Obviously not the fastest big man in the league but he does move pretty well out there.

Kornet is 250 lbs. Edey is 300 lbs. So if Kornet's mobility (relative to other bigs who actually get NBA rotation mins) is decent. Like it, pretty good. Not bad. If that is how Kornet's mobilty rates, well Zach Edey at 300 lbs, his mobility on an NBA floor is probably going to be much worse than Kornet's. And if Kornet's mobility is "decent" then what does that make Edey's mobility? Probably not good.

Not to mention that Kornet pretty much never gets injured. That's probably (at least in part) because again, he's pretty light on his feet out there, and isn't carrying around an extra 50 lbs. A guy like Edey is probably more likely to get injured, carrying around all that extra weight..when he falls down, it's a harder fall. One hard fall here, and then another hard fall there, and he could be out for a few weeks..

There isn't really any bigs in the league right now who are solid contributors who weigh 290+ lbs. And there's a reason for that. Because guys that big typically don't have the mobility, lateral quickness, ability to change directions quickly, get up and down the floor fast enough to keep up with the fast pace and exceptional athletes in the NBA.

Edit: Not trying to be combative here. Just offering a different viewpoint. Edey is an interesting prospect. I actually have him ranked 23rd on my big board right now so obviously that could be good value for a team who picks him at 30..just not sure about the fit here in Boston..and not sold on some of the points you made in favor of him, that's all.

I think a team like the Clippers could be a good fit. Since they already have Zubac (IMO Zubac and Poeltl are the 2 guys who are the closest comps for Edey)..The Clippers have already proven they have a system in place where Zubac is a pretty good fit. So Edey could give them a solid backup..and eventually (possibly a Zubac replacement. Plus, the Clippers don't rely on 3's as much as Boston does which means it's ok for them to take Edey..but Boston, IMO since we ake so many 3's, I really would prefer to draft a guy with more shooting upside..especially with all the guys we already have on the team who are non-shooters or have shooting concerns (Brissett, Springer, Queta, Kornet, Walsh, Tillman, Davison, etc.)

[playa-hater]

Edit!

[playa-hater]

Not an Edey in the NBA fan at all. Edey as an NCAA player and Edey as a person sign me up though. I will add though that while it's a team sport, how Purdue does this weekend will be impactful in his draft stock. He could solidify end of first/beginning of second round or slide into the 50's if Boilers are knocked out opening weekend again.

I think even Just a couple of years ago a player like Edey would not even have been looked at.. But I think there was going to be a greater emphasis on offensive and defensive rebounding. If you factor in how well cornet does what he does at a much smaller size, Then imagine how big eddie will be when a defendant gets out of position to pick up on a tatum brown or white drive. Edey will be gathering up offensive rebound pullbacks with ease in relations to Kornet.. I will add more later but I am already sold on his potential.

I'm just not as sold on this logic that "Oh, Kornet is doing good. Edey is bigger than Kornet so that automatically means Edey will be better on this Celtic team than Kornet"

The primary reasons why Kornet has been doing so well this season are:

1) He's developed into an extremely cerebral player. He reads, understands and processes the game at a high level, on both ends. He's always in the right spots, at the right time. Makes the right rotations on defense. The right passing (or screening or DHO) reads on offense. Doesn't hold onto the ball too long. Good at slipping screens. Setting screens without getting called for a moving screen, staying planted long enough for the screen to actually be effective. Knowing just the right time to go in to the paint for a lob - or to go and crash the offensive boards (if you go in too soon then you clog up the paint and kill our spacing).

He also has this ability to always keep his energy up. Like, if he makes a mistake or if a teammate makes a mistake, he doesn't let it bother him, *at all*. His body language is awesome, always looks upbeat out there. Some guys might take plays off here and there. Or they might hang their head or not sprint back on D after a play or call doesn't go there way. That stuff never happens with Kornet. It might happen with Edey once he reaches the NBA and starts being met with some adversity and is no longer twice the size of every other player on the floor which allows him to overpower guys, and is no longer the focalpoint of his team's offense.

Kornet is extremely unselfish. Is all about the team. Always just tries to put himself in the best position, do the little things, make winning plays..little things that can help move the needle out there.

In other words, so much of what has made him good this season is intangibles, basketball IQ..and also experience - the screening, the recognizing of defensive coverages, the stuff about knowing where to be on both ends of the floor - so much of that just comes down to experience, and being in the league long enough that you learn that stuff and it becomes second nature. Kornet is 28, he'll be 29 in July. He's been in the league for awhile now so he's learned all the tricks in the book.

So I don't really buy this "Oh, Edey is like Kornet but bigger so he'd be able to come in as a 22 year old rookie and be better than Kornet" stuff. When so much of what makes Kornet effective is just the fact that he's 28 and been in the league for 6 years.

Which is part of the reason why I'm looking at this draft for the Celtics and thinking "well if we get a big, I'd rather get a big who can shoot. So that way, he is bringing something unique to the table that guys like Kornet/Tillman/Queta don't bring - he could at least have a niche or be a specialist of some kind.

2) Mobility..being fairly nimble out there on the floor. Can change directions pretty quick. Is pretty light on his feet out there. Obviously not the fastest big man in the league but he does move pretty well out there.

Kornet is 250 lbs. Edey is 300 lbs. So if Kornet's mobility (relative to other bigs who actually get NBA rotation mins) is decent. Like it, pretty good. Not bad. If that is how Kornet's mobilty rates, well Zach Edey at 300 lbs, his mobility on an NBA floor is probably going to be much worse than Kornet's. And if Kornet's mobility is "decent" then what does that make Edey's mobility? Probably not good.

Not to mention that Kornet pretty much never gets injured. That's probably (at least in part) because again, he's pretty light on his feet out there, and isn't carrying around an extra 50 lbs. A guy like Edey is probably more likely to get injured, carrying around all that extra weight..when he falls down, it's a harder fall. One hard fall here, and then another hard fall there, and he could be out for a few weeks..

There isn't really any bigs in the league right now who are solid contributors who weigh 290+ lbs. And there's a reason for that. Because guys that big typically don't have the mobility, lateral quickness, ability to change directions quickly, get up and down the floor fast enough to keep up with the fast pace and exceptional athletes in the NBA.

Edit: Not trying to be combative here. Just offering a different viewpoint. Edey is an interesting prospect. I actually have him ranked 23rd on my big board right now so obviously that could be good value for a team who picks him at 30..just not sure about the fit here in Boston..and not sold on some of the points you made in favor of him, that's all.

I think a team like the Clippers could be a good fit. Since they already have Zubac (IMO Zubac and Poeltl are the 2 guys who are the closest comps for Edey)..The Clippers have already proven they have a system in place where Zubac is a pretty good fit. So Edey could give them a solid backup..and eventually (possibly a Zubac replacement. Plus, the Clippers don't rely on 3's as much as Boston does which means it's ok for them to take Edey..but Boston, IMO since we ake so many 3's, I really would prefer to draft a guy with more shooting upside..especially with all the guys we already have on the team who are non-shooters or have shooting concerns (Brissett, Springer, Queta, Kornet, Walsh, Tillman, Davison, etc.)

In have no problem with a good tactical debate. Not disagreeing with anything strongly. Jut remember to argue like above and not like before.