2025 Draft prospects - thread 3

[TheSuzerain]

I disagree - the combination of quick lateral movement off ball, herky jerk skill on ball, and bball IQ plus a shot that I believe in … means n likely to be better options there if he is available:

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At some point, you're just filling up too many lineup slots with guys who aren't hounds on the perimeter defensively.

You can overlook that if someone is an outlier offensive talent (by NBA standards), but I don't see that with KJ (more like he fits in).

He’s a feisty gamer on D and I think his offense will not only translate, but improve with the greater space in the NBA. I don’t see him as a PG - I see him as a SG who can play some (limited) point for you if you need it. Herro may be a good comp, but KJ slightly bigger (including over 3 inch wingspan advantage). A Coby White hedge, where Coby staying is not guaranteed, and KJ, being bigger but similarly laterally quick, may ultimately defend better on the perimeter.

Coby White isn't the standard.

Playoff teams are playing extreme pressure defense out there.

KJ is more likely to be food on the defensive end (8'2" standing reach) than he is to be a plus player there.

[Jcool0]

Jaku seems a much worse prospect than Haliburton.

There should be better options.

I disagree - the combination of quick lateral movement off ball, herky jerk skill on ball, and bball IQ plus a shot that I believe in … means n likely to be better options there if he is available:

Watch on YouTube

At some point, you're just filling up too many lineup slots with guys who aren't hounds on the perimeter defensively.

You can overlook that if someone is an outlier offensive talent (by NBA standards), but I don't see that with KJ (more like he fits in).

This was a consensus top 6 player a few months ago. Someone who is till most likely to go before 12. If he is around you have to take him.

[MGB8]

The Mavs let go of Lively only because they also have our previous rim runner and rim protector from 5 years ago in Daniel Gafford. I won't deny that the elite centers are two way guys who can shoot on offense, but defensively focused guys like Rudy Gobert and Ivica Zubac do a lot more than the sum of their parts for a team's ability to win. The game has evolved, yes, and guys like The Joker, Embiid, Wemby and AD can shoot it sweetly from all over the floor but defense is still at a premium considering that it's what's needed at least half the time people are on the floor.I would rather have Beringer or Maluach covering those guys than anyone else we have on our roster right now.

Gobert has historically been played off the floor in the playoffs so I don't think he's a good example of who to target at center. Spending the 12th pick purely for a defensive center is asking for a prolonged rebuild IMO. My whole point is that you can acquire defensive minded bigs just about every year. What you can't always acquire is a legitimate high ceiling so give me the highest one at 12.

I agree...I wouldn't spend the 12th pick on him. Maybe Sorber (for the reasons Ducks stated), but I think we can do better at 12.

If the Bulls can get a late pick, and he's available, then sure...draft Beringer.

I wouldn’t take Beringer at 12, but his defensive speed makes him very different than a Gobert or Drummond or even WCJ. He’s more like a taller, bouncier (young) Taj on D - at least potential wise. You squint and dream and think KG. But the non-existent offensive skillset (at least right now)….

[TheSuzerain]

I disagree - the combination of quick lateral movement off ball, herky jerk skill on ball, and bball IQ plus a shot that I believe in … means n likely to be better options there if he is available:

Watch on YouTube

At some point, you're just filling up too many lineup slots with guys who aren't hounds on the perimeter defensively.

You can overlook that if someone is an outlier offensive talent (by NBA standards), but I don't see that with KJ (more like he fits in).

This was a consensus top 6 player a few months ago. Someone who is till most likely to go before 12. If he is around you have to take him.

Yeah he was consensus top 6 by the moron draft dorks who do this as amateurs. means very little.

He's not really an analytics darling either just solid there.

[Jcool0]

At some point, you're just filling up too many lineup slots with guys who aren't hounds on the perimeter defensively.

You can overlook that if someone is an outlier offensive talent (by NBA standards), but I don't see that with KJ (more like he fits in).

This was a consensus top 6 player a few months ago. Someone who is till most likely to go before 12. If he is around you have to take him.

Yeah he was consensus top 6 by the moron draft dorks who do this as amateurs. means very little.

He's not really an analytics darling either just solid there.

lol funny that you disparage these guy who actually put in work like your opinion means anything. FWIW he isn't an "analytics darling" because he had a serious arm injury that detailed his 2nd half of the season. He went from 16.4 on 49/41/88 to 13.9 on 40/25/82.

[nomorezorro]

i like jakucionis, but him being a consensus top 6 guy in january doesn't matter at all unless you have hard evidence that his fall-off in january-march was because of injury

he's 9th on this consensus big board, and all reports indicate the league firmly has him outside of the top 8 prospects. it wouldn't be crazy at all to not have him as the bpa at 12

[boozapalooza]

KC says the names hes hearing most for us are now CMB and Noa…with Queen an option if both those guys are off the board. VERY interesting

[Jcool0]

i like jakucionis, but him being a consensus top 6 guy in january doesn't matter at all unless you have hard evidence that his fall-off in january-march was because of injury

he's 9th on this consensus big board, and all reports indicate the league firmly has him outside of the top 8 prospects. it wouldn't be crazy at all to not have him as the bpa at 12

FWIW it wasn't just in January. He kept that ranking most of the year and he still probably goes top 10 in this draft.

[MGB8]

At some point, you're just filling up too many lineup slots with guys who aren't hounds on the perimeter defensively.

You can overlook that if someone is an outlier offensive talent (by NBA standards), but I don't see that with KJ (more like he fits in).

He’s a feisty gamer on D and I think his offense will not only translate, but improve with the greater space in the NBA. I don’t see him as a PG - I see him as a SG who can play some (limited) point for you if you need it. Herro may be a good comp, but KJ slightly bigger (including over 3 inch wingspan advantage). A Coby White hedge, where Coby staying is not guaranteed, and KJ, being bigger but similarly laterally quick, may ultimately defend better on the perimeter.

Coby White isn't the standard.

Playoff teams are playing extreme pressure defense out there.

KJ is more likely to be food on the defensive end (8'2" standing reach) than he is to be a plus player there.

8’3.5 standing reach, with 35 inch max vert. Three inch standing reach advantage on Ayo Dosumnu… guess Ayo is toast and should pretty much be cut under your logic…

[Muzbar]

KC says the names hes hearing most for us are now CMB and Noa…with Queen an option if both those guys are off the board. VERY interesting

Oof. Noa is the only name that interests me there. This could be a rough draft for me.

[nomorezorro]

noa with cmb as a fallback is a-ok with me

queen...let's hope it doesn't come to that

[Dan Z]

This was a consensus top 6 player a few months ago. Someone who is till most likely to go before 12. If he is around you have to take him.

Yeah he was consensus top 6 by the moron draft dorks who do this as amateurs. means very little.

He's not really an analytics darling either just solid there.

lol funny that you disparage these guy who actually put in work like your opinion means anything. FWIW he isn't an "analytics darling" because he had a serious arm injury that detailed his 2nd half of the season. He went from 16.4 on 49/41/88 to 13.9 on 40/25/82.

The Bulls aren't going to get a perfect player at #12. If they get a player like KJ, who is overlooked due to the injury he had, then that could turn out quite well.

I can't remember specifics, but didn't Matas drop in the draft due to his poor three point shooting in the G League? Look how he turned out.

[nomorezorro]

can anyone think of a longer list of prospects we've been rumored about being interested in in recent memory? i think i've seen explicit links to demin, essengue, cmb, newell, coward, maluach, beringer, wolf, queen, sorber and bailey. and drake powell, lol. plus jakucionis just got mocked to us by giovany, we've apparently worked out carter bryant...

[Dominator83]

Trade up? You dont trade up in draft like this lol

He projects to be a franchise starting center

7”2 and exactly what we need with pass first guys like Giddey and Ball

I’d trade up for him or Ace Bailey, without hesitation

I feel like Maluach will be the new Bamba on this board. There’s actually still a few here that are STILL obsessed with Bamba and want him to become a Bull lol.

He wasn't my top choice (that was MPJ), but i wanted Bamba moreso than WCJ. WCJ is what i always thought he would be: High floor, low ceiling JAG. You can get a WCJ every summer with the MLE. Bamba was atleast a swing for upside. I was much more disappointed though in not rolling the dice on MPJ than i was Bamba being sniped 1 pick ahead of us.

[Red Larrivee]

can anyone think of a longer list of prospects we've been rumored about being interested in in recent memory? i think i've seen explicit links to demin, essengue, cmb, newell, coward, maluach, beringer, wolf, queen, sorber and bailey. and drake powell, lol. plus jakucionis just got mocked to us by giovany, we've apparently worked out carter bryant...

Honestly, it doesn't even sound like our primary interest in players is that deep. Demin, Essengue, CMB and Queen seem like the Top 4 in no order. Drake Powell seems contingent on if we acquire additional capital. The ESPN mock right now seems more like speculation based on need rather than a direct pipeline of we are actually interested in.

Also, thought it was interesting that KC made it sound like Queen is sliding down draft boards. There could easily be a scenario where both CMB and Essengue are gone though.

[Muzbar]

I'd really like for the Bulls to move up into the 30s in the second round to nab Rocco Zikarsky, I don't think he'll be available when the Bulls pick at 45.

[nomorezorro]

i honestly don't think they're interested in queen, personally! the kc report from today just sounded like him speculating "he was once thought to be a mid-lotto guy who's sliding now; maybe the bulls couldn't pass on him if he was still on the board and their top few choices were gone?", and i think every other person connecting us to him is just going "they like offensively skilled centers and vucevic is on his way out."

the strongest throughline of reporting on the front office's thought process right now is that they really, really want someone who jibes with the uptempo style they played post-deadline, and getting an unathletic c who's a question mark on defense doesn't fit that direction at all.

i'm not saying they definitely won't pick queen, but there are probably 10+ guys in our range who would be less surprising picks to me based on how i understand the front office to be operating

[kodo]

KC really made it sound like the only reason Queen is in the conversation is because he's a center, And the Bulls are concerned about after Vuc and they might possibly just let Zach Collins go. Maluach is the first center and almost certainly gone by the time we pick, Queen is the 2nd ranked center.

This is a classic case of why a team should draft BPA, but KC is saying Bulls are going to 100% prioritize fit & need here.

I feel like Queen is super unlikely because that would mean both CMB & Noa go early at #10/#11 or even earlier. If both are going that early, that means someone is slipping like KJ and I assume we would still take someone like KJ if available.

[Senor Chang]

Here is Sam Vecenie of the Athletic mock draft. I would be fine with Beringer. He fits AK’s timeline in that he can develop while Vuc plays out his contract. Maybe he can develop into a Tyson Chandler type defensive anchor for us down the line. At this point i really don’t want Egor Demin with our pick. In this draft scenario i would take Coward but taking Joan Beringer is palatable to me.


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[nomorezorro]

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kinda think CMB goes to phoenix if they stick at 10. hope they trade down to accumulate assets