NBA DRAFT TOP 5

[whitehops]

i know the draft is in two months but my big board for the pistons keeps changing. miller vs. walker is my biggest dilemma right now.

VW
walker
miller
hendricks
scoot*

* 99% of the time i'm a BPA guy but even though i think scoot is a better prospect than anyone but VW i think there would just be diminishing returns on drafting a third top-5 guard in 3 years when we have massive holes at both forward spots. scoot vs. hendricks is still a pretty big dilemma for me as well to be honest.

[mattao313]

i know the draft is in two months but my big board for the pistons keeps changing. miller vs. walker is my biggest dilemma right now.

VW
walker
miller
hendricks
scoot*

* 99% of the time i'm a BPA guy but even though i think scoot is a better prospect than anyone but VW i think there would just be diminishing returns on drafting a third top-5 guard in 3 years when we have massive holes at both forward spots. scoot vs. hendricks is still a pretty big dilemma for me as well to be honest.

Why so high on walker? He looks like a really nice role-player type like a og type but I just don't see the potential to be better then that. Heard he had more on ball skills in HS but not sure it'll resurface in the nba.

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[whitehops]

i know the draft is in two months but my big board for the pistons keeps changing. miller vs. walker is my biggest dilemma right now.

VW
walker
miller
hendricks
scoot*

* 99% of the time i'm a BPA guy but even though i think scoot is a better prospect than anyone but VW i think there would just be diminishing returns on drafting a third top-5 guard in 3 years when we have massive holes at both forward spots. scoot vs. hendricks is still a pretty big dilemma for me as well to be honest.

Why so high on walker? He looks like a really nice role-player type like a og type but I just don't see the potential to be better then that. Heard he had more on ball skills in HS but not sure it'll resurface in the nba.

i think he could be an all-defense type player with the speed he processes things combined with his effort/functional athleticism. offensively he would probably just be a connector and average floor spacer but that whole package just screams winning player.

if we didn't have cade and ivey i'd definitely bump scoot and miller up higher for their offensive ability but right now i think we need to add defense more.

[Kalamazoo317]

Durant is a solid rebounder, playmaker, and defender, and has been healthy enough over his career to win some big games (obviously he's had his own injury issues, but not at all to the same level as Zion).

OK so what about prime harden, luka, curry? None of those guys are top 10 because of defense that's my point sure zion isn't better then them. That's why I said healthy he's top 15 which is more than fair.

You honestly think healthy zion isn't in the same realm as morant, Lillard, Booker?

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Never said Zion wasn't a top 15 player. When he's healthy (which is rare) he's certainly in the running for it. He simply isn't anywhere close to on Durant's level as an overall player.

Health is a big thing, though, so there are certainly 15+ other players I'd take *over* Zion, including several on our current roster.

[tmorgan]

Yeah, not gonna engage in any “when healthy” Zion debate. It’s not all bad luck, either — it’s genetics and bad habits. He walks like a duck, can’t keep his weight down when he’s hurt or in the off-season, and has mostly failed as a team leader by being self-absorbed.

Hard pass on that guy. Yea, I’d take him into cap space for free (reward outweighs risk), but not for our pick.

[mattao313]

Durant is a solid rebounder, playmaker, and defender, and has been healthy enough over his career to win some big games (obviously he's had his own injury issues, but not at all to the same level as Zion).

OK so what about prime harden, luka, curry? None of those guys are top 10 because of defense that's my point sure zion isn't better then them. That's why I said healthy he's top 15 which is more than fair.

You honestly think healthy zion isn't in the same realm as morant, Lillard, Booker?

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Never said Zion wasn't a top 15 player. When he's healthy (which is rare) he's certainly in the running for it. He simply isn't anywhere close to on Durant's level as an overall player.

Health is a big thing, though, so there are certainly 15+ other players I'd take *over* Zion, including several on our current roster.

Yeah cool I can live with that I'll definitely take Durant over him any day too.

On the point of our team I assume you mean Cade and Ivey/Duren? I honestly think Cade is most likely an Allstar and I really love ivey probably my favorite guy on the team right now but I probably take Zion over both of them.

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[Kalamazoo317]

Contract, age, health, all reasons I'd take Cade, Ivey, Duren over Zion, yeah. I guess if I were being cutthroat, I'd trade Ivey or Duren for him and then flip Zion for better assets if I thought that were available. But I like rooting for players we drafted, so ....

[Manocad]

Yeah, not gonna engage in any “when healthy” Zion debate. It’s not all bad luck, either — it’s genetics and bad habits. He walks like a duck, can’t keep his weight down when he’s hurt or in the off-season, and has mostly failed as a team leader by being self-absorbed.

Hard pass on that guy. Yea, I’d take him into cap space for free (reward outweighs risk), but not for our pick.

Nobody with half a brain would push aside Zion's health issues, as if they're going to magically go away if he goes to a new team.

[Invictus88]

3rd or 4th overall
Bogs
Stewart

For

Zion

https://pistonpowered.com/2023/04/26/detroit-pistons-risk-draft-day-trade/2/

I don't think the Pels even consider it.

Pistons shouldn’t, either.

It’s one of two things: he’s either chronically injured and/or out of shape, or he’s sandbagging the Pelicans. There’s no reason to think he’d be happier here, so we’re stuck with the first thing.

For the LUL

3rd or 4th overall
Bogs
Stewart

For

Zion

Hayes + 31 + 2nds for Royce O'Neale

Jalen Duren / James Wiseman / Marvin Bagley
Zion Williamson / Grant Williams /
Royce O'Neale / Isaiah Livers / Eugene Omoruyi
Bruce Brown Jr / Jaden Ivey /
Cade Cunningham / veteran /

Zion Williamson $33,500,000
Marvin Bagley III $12,500,000
Grant Williams $18,000,000ish
Bruce Brown Jr $18,000,000ish
James Wiseman $12,119,440
Cade Cunningham $11,055,360
Royce O'Neale $ 9,500,000
Jaden Ivey $ 7,614,480
Jalen Duren $ 4,330,680
Eugene Omoruyi $ 1,927,896
Isaiah Livers $ 1,836,096
veteran for the mid-level exception

I think most people would think that signing Zion is effectively making the Blake Griffin mistake all over again.

I'm actually more surprised that no one has called you out on wanting to spend 18 million per year on Bruce Brown. Folks get angry about Bagley's overpay. But paying Brown 18 million is an overpay of like 8 million per year. And you have him starting over Jaden Ivey.

Such a terrible post . Hurray for the offseason...

[vege]

I'm actually more surprised that no one has called you out on wanting to spend 18 million per year on Bruce Brown. Folks get angry about Bagley's overpay. But paying Brown 18 million is an overpay of like 8 million per year. And you have him starting over Jaden Ivey.

Such a terrible post . Hurray for the offseason...

Ivey doesn't defend and is a below average 3 point shooter who needs the ball on his hands. If you have Zion and Cade, you stagger Ivey minutes and make him lead the 2nd unit and still play him 30+ minutes.

Bruce Brown is a very good player. You'll need to overpay to get him. 14-18 mil maybe. Denver have his bird rights and have no other avenue to replace him, so if needed, they'll overpay to keep him, even tho he is an ufa, and make no mistake, if it's close, he is going back to Denver, he's playing plenty of minutes there and is in a contender. First thing our current GM did was to dump Bruce Brown.

But I have made other posts that I believe Ivey should come off the bench, untill he deserves to start, and he will earn that starting spot playing defense.

This was not a serious post tho. Zion is not available. It was just to laugh a little bit while thinking about some NBA2k ideas like that.

[Manocad]

I'm actually more surprised that no one has called you out on wanting to spend 18 million per year on Bruce Brown. Folks get angry about Bagley's overpay. But paying Brown 18 million is an overpay of like 8 million per year. And you have him starting over Jaden Ivey.

Such a terrible post . Hurray for the offseason...

Ivey doesn't defend and is a below average 3 point shooter who needs the ball on his hands. If you have Zion and Cade, you stagger Ivey minutes and make him lead the 2nd unit and still play him 30+ minutes.

Bruce Brown is a very good player. You'll need to overpay to get him. 14-18 mil maybe. Denver have his bird rights and have no other avenue to replace him, so if needed, they'll overpay to keep him, even tho he is an ufa, and make no mistake, if it's close, he is going back to Denver, he's playing plenty of minutes there and is in a contender. First thing our current GM did was to dump Bruce Brown.

But I have made other posts that I believe Ivey should come off the bench, untill he deserves to start, and he will earn that starting spot playing defense.

This was not a serious post tho. Zion is not available. It was just to laugh a little bit while thinking about some NBA2k ideas like that.

Trust me, anyone with half a brain didn't take it seriously whether it was meant that way or not.

[vege]

Watch on YouTube

[Laimbeer]

I've read good things about Ivey from national writers. Take it for whatever it's worth.

The grades I assign to these rookies will not solely revolve around their first-year performance, but rather will focus on the level of optimism they’ve earned in regards to their future outcome relative to draft position.

Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons: A+
Fifth Overall Pick

Prior to the draft, many regarded Ivey as a top-three prospect. He slipped a little bit to pick five, but he’s given his believers vindication with his rookie campaign, averaging a stat line of 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

All year, the 6-foot-4 Pistons guard displayed his incredible explosiveness, crafty finishing, and savvy passing chops all year. In his best games, he truly looked like a budding star. The former Purdue Boilermaker notched three games with at least 30 points and five games with at least 10 assists. Not only was Ivey one of the best rookies this season, but flashed legitimate upside arguably only matched by the Rookie Of The Year favorite, Paolo Banchero.

This earns him one of the few A+ grades in this series.

https://www.si.com/nba/draft/rookie-tracker/nba-rookie-report-cards-picks-four-through-six



https://www.si.com/nba/draft/rookie-tracker/nba-rookie-report-cards-picks-four-through-six

[tmorgan]

Yeah, Ivey was better than expected offensively, particularly after the first couple of months.

That defense, tho. Superior athletes that can’t stay in front of people annoy the hell out of me.

[bstein14]

Ivey had a really solid rookie year. In some ways, better than Cade. His upside is still super high IMO with his elite athleticism and speed. Watching Fox blow by people with ease and now after a few years in the league understand how to finish at the basket gives me hope that Ivey will do the same. I'm super excited to see where both Ivey and Duren are by the end of next season. Hopefully they both take a decent step forward that we didn't really get to see from our other Sophomores of late.... Cade(injured), Livers, Stew, Bey, Hayes all didn't really take the step forward in year two you'd hope to see so hopefully its different for Ivey and Duren.

[Kalamazoo317]

Ivey was a much better shooter than I expected by the end of the season, which gives me hope in the Ivey/Cade pairing.

But crafty finisher? Nah. He was a pretty terrible finisher, which is confusing given how great he is at getting to the rim. If he improves his at rim finishing (and his free throw shooting) and cuts down on the sloppy turnovers, he can become a really complete offensive player. But right now his finishing is possibly his biggest offensive weakness.