2024 NBA Draft (euro season, college season, scouting, prospects etc)

[BlazersBroncos]

Mays is like 27 and unlike Duop wasnt an archetype in scarcity (IE stretch C's are highly in demand, non-shooting PG's not so much).

Ya, maybe we should have kept him around this year but he certainly isnt a guy you want to sign long term. If anything we should be using that roster spot to try out G-League guys on 10-days. There are a few interesting names - TyTy, Sharife - I personally would steal Castleton from LAL by offering him a GTD deal but I am a Castleton stan)

[BlazersBroncos]

Ivisic produces again when given minutes. Kid is a Top-5 talent to me. Would be a dream to snag him w/ the GSW pick.

Taking him above guys like Filipowski, Clingan, Missi, Ware and not even thinking twice.

Sorta reminds me of a Santi Aldama situation where he was seen as a bubble late SRP but taken R1. Think the mocking of Ivisic in the middle to early SR is nuts and he ends up going Top-15 at minimum (Albeit I think he is a Top-5 guy in this meh draft).

Matas / Ivisic 2024 plz.

[tester551]

Ivisic produces again when given minutes. Kid is a Top-5 talent to me. Would be a dream to snag him w/ the GSW pick.

Taking him above guys like Filipowski, Clingan, Missi, Ware and not even thinking twice.

Sorta reminds me of a Santi Aldama situation where he was seen as a bubble late SRP but taken R1. Think the mocking of Ivisic in the middle to early SR is nuts and he ends up going Top-15 at minimum (Albeit I think he is a Top-5 guy in this meh draft).

Matas / Ivisic 2024 plz.

Agreed in Ivisic.
Id prefer Risacher or Williams over Matas - but agree on the concept

[BlazersBroncos]

Ivisic produces again when given minutes. Kid is a Top-5 talent to me. Would be a dream to snag him w/ the GSW pick.

Taking him above guys like Filipowski, Clingan, Missi, Ware and not even thinking twice.

Sorta reminds me of a Santi Aldama situation where he was seen as a bubble late SRP but taken R1. Think the mocking of Ivisic in the middle to early SR is nuts and he ends up going Top-15 at minimum (Albeit I think he is a Top-5 guy in this meh draft).

Matas / Ivisic 2024 plz.

Agreed in Ivisic.
Id prefer Risacher or Williams over Matas - but agree on the concept

Risacher is growing on me but I am not sure he has the ceiling of Matas. If we are targeting a pure SF, might be the guy over Matas - not sure Matas is foot quick enough at 6'11 to play SF exclusively. I think by draft time I would be OK with either. As I will say below Re Cody - I am not buying the Zaccharie 3PT shot when he is below 70% at the line. I do think his frame is ideal and his explosion athletically better than Matas or Cody.

Cody is overrated IMO. Nice size but I am not trusting that 3PT shot at all. Guys that shoot 70% at the line are not going to be 45% 3PT shooters. I know that may not be seen as fair, but there is too much variance in those %'s and I trust the lower one in this case. I think he is a 8-12 pick type due to that frame and a decently well rounded game - but he really doesnt flash a trait that pops IMO.

[The Sebastian Express]

I'm not a fan of Cody Williams after reading what the guys on the draft board have to say about him now that he's been scouted. I'm leaning towards Risacher with Sarr and Matas in the fold as well. I'm perfectly fine taking a flyer on Ivisic with the GSW pick. I want to stay away from Flip, Edey (I think we had a Blazer fan or two on the draft board saying they would go for Edey IIRC and I'm like 'nononononononononononononono').

I really wish Dunn could shoot.

[BlazersBroncos]

I'm not a fan of Cody Williams after reading what the guys on the draft board have to say about him now that he's been scouted. I'm leaning towards Risacher with Sarr and Matas in the fold as well. I'm perfectly fine taking a flyer on Ivisic with the GSW pick. I want to stay away from Flip, Edey (I think we had a Blazer fan or two on the draft board saying they would go for Edey IIRC and I'm like 'nononononononononononononono').

I really wish Dunn could shoot.

Edey with either of our FRP would be terrible.

I do think he could have a role in this league. Honestly - the idea of Pops snagging him up and using the length of Wemby + Sochan to minimize his defensive issues is pretty interesting. Also could see him as a nice backup to Joker.

Not seeing him as a fit here though.

[zzaj]

Man, the more I see Salaun the more I think he should be the Blazer pick for SF.

In terms of "Ifs", he may have the highest ceiling of anyone in this draft.

[The Sebastian Express]

Man, the more I see Salaun the more I think he should be the Blazer pick for SF.

In terms of "Ifs", he may have the highest ceiling of anyone in this draft.

Would you breakdown why you feel that way? I liked your breakdowns last year.

[zzaj]

Man, the more I see Salaun the more I think he should be the Blazer pick for SF.

In terms of "Ifs", he may have the highest ceiling of anyone in this draft.

Would you breakdown why you feel that way? I liked your breakdowns last year.

Well, caveat—I admittedly I’ve only gotten to watch the youtube vids…and I seem to be pretty bad at assessing overseas basketball players…

Salaun wasn’t even on my radar until I heard Rafael Barlow mention him. He said he has first hand knowledge of how Salaun works—true morning to night gym rat type.

So then I started watching what I could:
1) He’s bigger than Risarcher and at least to my eye has the frame to put on more weight.
2) He has off the dribble game, which Risacher lacks. Good in midrang and at the rim, while still shooting respectably from deep.
3) He is HIGHLY mobile w/open hips for his size. Meaning he has potential to be a very switchable, 3 or 4 position defender.
4) He’s not as savvy a defender or as consistent a shooter right now as Risacher. But Salaun is uber young. He’ll be 18 on draft day.
5) To my eye at least he has that “it” factor.

When I say he could be the best player in this draft, basically EVERYTHING would have to pan out for him. I say Risacher as probably more ready day 1, but Salaun has the higher ceiling, IMO. If you ask me, he already shows two-way skill flashes and a competitiveness above Murray, Rupert and even Camara. Just a very, very high ceiling player…which in a draft full of role players, the Blazers may as well take a flyer on.

Now before I annoint him the second coming…I’ll need to watch more.

[Norm2953]

Given the reports of the Blazers flying down to scout Sarr, I'm wondering if they are
targeting him for the 2024 draft.

Detroit with the top pick doesn't need another non shooter to add to Duren and Ausar.
If Portland ends up with the third or fourth pick, they could offer up the GSW pick to
the Pistons to get the player they want. Adds a 7-1 player who will be a plus defender
to next year's roster

[The Sebastian Express]

Man, the more I see Salaun the more I think he should be the Blazer pick for SF.

In terms of "Ifs", he may have the highest ceiling of anyone in this draft.

Would you breakdown why you feel that way? I liked your breakdowns last year.

Well, caveat—I admittedly I’ve only gotten to watch the youtube vids…and I seem to be pretty bad at assessing overseas basketball players…

Salaun wasn’t even on my radar until I heard Rafael Barlow mention him. He said he has first hand knowledge of how Salaun works—true morning to night gym rat type.

So then I started watching what I could:
1) He’s bigger than Risarcher and at least to my eye has the frame to put on more weight.
2) He has off the dribble game, which Risacher lacks. Good in midrang and at the rim, while still shooting respectably from deep.
3) He is HIGHLY mobile w/open hips for his size. Meaning he has potential to be a very switchable, 3 or 4 position defender.
4) He’s not as savvy a defender or as consistent a shooter right now as Risacher. But Salaun is uber young. He’ll be 18 on draft day.
5) To my eye at least he has that “it” factor.

When I say he could be the best player in this draft, basically EVERYTHING would have to pan out for him. I say Risacher as probably more ready day 1, but Salaun has the higher ceiling, IMO. If you ask me, he already shows two-way skill flashes and a competitiveness above Murray, Rupert and even Camara. Just a very, very high ceiling player…which in a draft full of role players, the Blazers may as well take a flyer on.

Now before I annoint him the second coming…I’ll need to watch more.

Thank you, I really appreciate that.

[zzaj]

Would you breakdown why you feel that way? I liked your breakdowns last year.

Well, caveat—I admittedly I’ve only gotten to watch the youtube vids…and I seem to be pretty bad at assessing overseas basketball players…

Salaun wasn’t even on my radar until I heard Rafael Barlow mention him. He said he has first hand knowledge of how Salaun works—true morning to night gym rat type.

So then I started watching what I could:
1) He’s bigger than Risarcher and at least to my eye has the frame to put on more weight.
2) He has off the dribble game, which Risacher lacks. Good in midrang and at the rim, while still shooting respectably from deep.
3) He is HIGHLY mobile w/open hips for his size. Meaning he has potential to be a very switchable, 3 or 4 position defender.
4) He’s not as savvy a defender or as consistent a shooter right now as Risacher. But Salaun is uber young. He’ll be 18 on draft day.
5) To my eye at least he has that “it” factor.

When I say he could be the best player in this draft, basically EVERYTHING would have to pan out for him. I say Risacher as probably more ready day 1, but Salaun has the higher ceiling, IMO. If you ask me, he already shows two-way skill flashes and a competitiveness above Murray, Rupert and even Camara. Just a very, very high ceiling player…which in a draft full of role players, the Blazers may as well take a flyer on.

Now before I annoint him the second coming…I’ll need to watch more.

Thank you, I really appreciate that.

He seems to be moving up draft boards pretty rapidly. My hope is that there will be more and more footage available before draft day.

[Case2012]

Just curious why Edey is getting crapped on so badly? His numbers and body look great on paper? Certainly worth a second rounder right? Just for the size?

Could Sarr play next to Ayton? This draft seems like the weakest one in years. I do like Matas a lot, as well as that *Serbian pg but not a great shooter, I would love to see a euro movement in Portland.

Reed Shepard is interesting. Lights out shooter and great defense but not athletic enough for a starting pg so I don't think I'd take him in the lottery.

[zzaj]

Just curious why Edey is getting crapped on so badly? His numbers and body look great on paper? Certainly worth a second rounder right? Just for the size?

Could Sarr play next to Ayton? This draft seems like the weakest one in years. I do like Matas a lot, as well as that Italian pg. I would love to see a euro movement in Portland.

I've watched some Purdue games...Edey is interesting. He'd be a top 5 pick 15 years ago.

What I saw was that he's pretty dang slow in the open court, so he'll be getting beat there. He's REALLY slow defending on the perimeter...like he can't do it. So in the era where Cs shoot 3s that's a massive problem. Speaking of which, the jury is out on whether he can shoot from the perimeter. Purdue doesn't use him that way. If he fills it up from 3 in workouts, I'm sure his stock will rise a little bit.

The other thing that's hard to gauge is his screening/rolling ability. I literally didn't see him set a single high screen in the 2 games I watched--it was all feed the post. So that's another issue since modern NBA offenses rely so much on extended screen action.

On the other hand, he was completely dominant in the post...like Shaq level dominant. In the Michigan game the other day it seemed like he didn't miss a shot. He has great feel around the basket.

I'm guessing teams are seeing him as a situational backup. But again, Purdue sets their offense around feeding the post, so if Edey shows out in modern sets during workouts I think his stock will rise again.

EDIT: as for Sarr next to Ayton? That wouldn't seem to be an ideal pairing, no. At his best it'd probably look a lot like Jerami Grant minus the 3pt shot and with better passing and above the rim play. But any team that drafts Sarr is drafting for 4 years from now--they'll be hoping he is only scratching the surface right now at 18 years old. Personally? I have a problem with bigs that don't shoot well in today's NBA. And Sarr's shot looks...funky.

[Jsun947]

If a big can’t space the floor or switch on defense then there’s a 99% chance he’s going to be riding the bench when games matter the most unless he’s so dominant down low he’s be considered a generational talent.

You don’t draft a player who can’t close games in the 1st round, end of story

[BlazersBroncos]

I really like the idea of taking 'fallers' with our high SRP - a guy like Justin Edwards w/ that CHA SRP would be a great gamble.

Kyshawn George is another guy with some stuff to like - nice shooting splits for a 6'8 freshman swing, albeit old for a FR at 20. He came in as a guy touted as a tall PG but seems to already have transitioned into a shooter w/ + passing - which is the best route he could take. I think he could be a nice pick w/ the CHA SRP. Think he is more of a SF in the NBA as his footspeed wont hold up against the athleticism of NBA guards.

Right now I am hoping for -

5 - Matas Buzelis F
14 - Zvonimir Ivisic C
34 - Kyshawn George GF
41 - Kwame Evans F

See Matas and Ivisic as excellent long terms fits in a starting lineup w/ Scoot and Sharpe - both are floor spacers and connectors (Matas more than Ivisic, but Ivisic showed nice passing prior to KU). A guy like Clingan is gettign more hype than Ivisic, but I take the spacer who can block over the bruiser who can block. George as a flyer who offensively flashes a great shot and passing - could be a nice SF fit long terms. Evans is a bit like Greg Brown - big time athlete who is rough around the edges. Highly touted recruit that has fallen but is absolutely worth a development flyer.

[tester551]

I really like the idea of taking 'fallers' with our high SRP - a guy like Justin Edwards w/ that CHA SRP would be a great gamble.

Kyshawn George is another guy with some stuff to like - nice shooting splits for a 6'8 freshman swing, albeit old for a FR at 20. He came in as a guy touted as a tall PG but seems to already have transitioned into a shooter w/ + passing - which is the best route he could take. I think he could be a nice pick w/ the CHA SRP. Think he is more of a SF in the NBA as his footspeed wont hold up against the athleticism of NBA guards.

Right now I am hoping for -

5 - Matas Buzelis F
14 - Zvonimir Ivisic C
34 - Kyshawn George GF
41 - Kwame Evans F

See Matas and Ivisic as excellent long terms fits in a starting lineup w/ Scoot and Sharpe - both are floor spacers and connectors (Matas more than Ivisic, but Ivisic showed nice passing prior to KU). A guy like Clingan is gettign more hype than Ivisic, but I take the spacer who can block over the bruiser who can block. George as a flyer who offensively flashes a great shot and passing - could be a nice SF fit long terms. Evans is a bit like Greg Brown - big time athlete who is rough around the edges. Highly touted recruit that has fallen but is absolutely worth a development flyer.

I like your ideas here. This would be my picks:

5 - Matas Buzelis F
14 - Trade 14 + 34 for #15 + 20
15 - DaRon Holmes PF
20 - Zvonimir Ivisic C
41 - Ulrich Comche PF

[BlazersBroncos]

I really like the idea of taking 'fallers' with our high SRP - a guy like Justin Edwards w/ that CHA SRP would be a great gamble.

Kyshawn George is another guy with some stuff to like - nice shooting splits for a 6'8 freshman swing, albeit old for a FR at 20. He came in as a guy touted as a tall PG but seems to already have transitioned into a shooter w/ + passing - which is the best route he could take. I think he could be a nice pick w/ the CHA SRP. Think he is more of a SF in the NBA as his footspeed wont hold up against the athleticism of NBA guards.

Right now I am hoping for -

5 - Matas Buzelis F
14 - Zvonimir Ivisic C
34 - Kyshawn George GF
41 - Kwame Evans F

See Matas and Ivisic as excellent long terms fits in a starting lineup w/ Scoot and Sharpe - both are floor spacers and connectors (Matas more than Ivisic, but Ivisic showed nice passing prior to KU). A guy like Clingan is gettign more hype than Ivisic, but I take the spacer who can block over the bruiser who can block. George as a flyer who offensively flashes a great shot and passing - could be a nice SF fit long terms. Evans is a bit like Greg Brown - big time athlete who is rough around the edges. Highly touted recruit that has fallen but is absolutely worth a development flyer.

I like your ideas here. This would be my picks:

5 - Matas Buzelis F
14 - Trade 14 + 34 for #15 + 20
15 - DaRon Holmes PF
20 - Zvonimir Ivisic C
41 - Ulrich Comche PF

I could live with that - not as high on Holmes (See him as a Orlando Robinson / Thomas Bryant caliber big). But he does have a ton of skill. Cant say anything on Comche - have not seen him his stats sure do flash modern C. I read that Joakim Noah is his mentor which is pretty great - would love a Noah with a 3PT shot, hell who in the league wouldnt.

[zzaj]

I'm actually REALLY curious how many of these picks are going to be kept this year...and it's a bad year for ditching picks. I don't really see the second rounders getting a roster spot over any of the current young players. Rupert seems like a project the Blazers are committed to. I'm not sure any of these rookies is going to provide more than Murray, Jabari, or Camara...I suppose drafting another switchable SG/SF so that Thybulle can be replaced shouldn't be too hard. No rookie is going to defend as well as him, but there probably are some that will contribute more offensively--so tradeoffs.

The Blazers have a glut right now of similar players with "potential" at the SF/PF switchable position, I'm not sure if they are going to add to that glut in this draft, seeing as there are unlikely any players that are going to overtake what the Blazer already have.

Basically, I'm just curious to see who the Blazers identify as "keepers" going into next season.

Players I'm intrigued by right now:

Salaun
Buzelis
Filipowski
Holmes
Ivisic

I really am intrigued by Comche, but there isn't that much footage of him. What I've seen, he looks shorter than 6'11" to me. He looks slow on offense, and his shooting form is a bit wonky with a slow release (it actually reminds me a little bit of Meyers') but that won't be as big a deal if he's a PF. There is obviously a ton of potential there though on both sides of the ball. He shows great defensive awareness as a help defender.

[The Sebastian Express]

I like Zach and Salaun. I'm worried about Sarr longterm. I alsoa gree re: Ivisic and Holmes.