2024 NBA Draft Thread - June 26/27

[ShootingtheJ]

My issue with drafting the Holmes types are they just have a tough time hitting in the league.

You’re drafting an undersized big in the hopes that he’ll be quick enough to be switchable defensively, because you know he’s not big enough or athletic enough to be a traditional anchor. My problem is unless they are emphatically switchable, and that’s super clear on film, then there’s a pretty good chance they won’t be, and if they aren’t, then they pretty much lose all their value.

They don’t have a fallback option, because they don’t have the physical tools.

I do want that switchable big, but I’d much rather trade for the ones who’ve actually proven they can do it in the league than draft one. Holmes best case scenario is probably Naz, but I don’t think he’s a lock to get there, and at that point that’s just not that high of upside.

Holmes is not undersized, he has a 9' standing reach. That makes him the same length as Meyers Leonard.

Holmes is not that similar to Naz. He's a more coordinated, skilled Beef Stew.

[bdpecore]

If Ware and Holmes are both available at 23, I'm taking Ware as his ceiling is a more athletic Brook. I also like the thought of drafting Oso if we can add another 2nd in the mid-40s. I think his floor is a high energy big who can give you 10-15 min of run every night. His ability to switch on the perimeter is worth taking a flyer on in the 2nd. If he can somehow add a midrange jumper he would be a great back up C/PF. Worst case, you can still play him in the playoffs as a high energy big who can operate out of the P&R and score on put backs be crashing the boards.

[emunney]

Watch on YouTube

[msiris]

We need more scorers. When one of the big three goes down we need more 0ptions. Guys like Shannon, Holems, or Ware could fit the bill at 23.

[Ron Swanson]

We need talent(s) that can develop into legit rotation and starting caliber players the next 2-3 years. The sooner people abandon this fantasy that any rookie is gonna come in here and be a key contributor towards a championship this season, the more clarity you'll have with this class in general, instead of just pigeonholing guys into archetypes and drafting for immediate need.

[emunney]

We need talent(s) that can develop into legit rotation and starting caliber players the next 2-3 years. The sooner people abandon this fantasy that any rookie is gonna come in here and be a key contributor towards a championship this season, the more clarity you'll have with this class in general, instead of just pigeonholing guys into archetypes and drafting for immediate need.

This is not really addressed directly to you, it's more 'inspired by'.

There's a distinction to be made between drafting for 'need' and drafting for 'fit' which I want to define because I think people think of and use these terms interchangeably.

I think you have to consider fit, which I think of as a fuzzier mix of culture and general traits of a player, and really I think that guys who don't fit for whatever reason (for me, this would be set of exclusionary characteristics: low-feel, physically inadequate, bad motor, is an ****) should not be considered at all. Take them off the board. You're always going to have a choice between a guy who fits and a guy who doesn't, so why would you ever take the guy who doesn't?

Need, on the other hand, would be some very specific player traits or type that you want to add to try to address some current deficit, things like: a rebounder, a shooter, a back-up pass-first point guard. You draft based on this stuff, and I think I make this point every year, you're drafting a tomorrow player for a today need. You're trying to thread the dual needles of future team needs with future player development, which is damn hard, and still doesn't fill the current need. Do not do this.

[msiris]

We need talent(s) that can develop into legit rotation and starting caliber players the next 2-3 years. The sooner people abandon this fantasy that any rookie is gonna come in here and be a key contributor towards a championship this season, the more clarity you'll have with this class in general, instead of just pigeonholing guys into archetypes and drafting for immediate need.

Maybe a need is the best BPA at that time.

[PG Graveyard]

That defensive tape on Dunn is amazing but he must be an absolute zero on offense to be in our range. I still think he’s my favorite pick at 23.

[M-C-G]

We need Uber athletic and Uber energy players if we are running it back. I think if there was a ranking of plodding or lethargicness we would be #1. I think high energy is one of the most underrated skills in basketball.

[JonHeist]

the thing about dunn is that he's been playing basketball since he was a little kid, and spent 2 years around great coaches in virginia

and is/was still a NEGATIVE on offense at a level of competition way below the NBA's

if you are drafting him you have to be at peace with his offensive ceiling being a young andre roberson -- I could do that at 33 myself, but not at 23

[Ron Swanson]

the thing about dunn is that he's been playing basketball since he was a little kid, and spent 2 years around great coaches in virginia

and is/was still a NEGATIVE on offense at a level way below the NBA's

if you are drafting him you have to be at peace with his offensive ceiling being a young andre roberson -- I could do that at 33 myself, but not at 23

I'm fine with the possibility that he's never not a zero on offense, but calling Roberson his "ceiling" on offense is a bit much. He's got better length and explosion to function as a true "big" screen-setter/rim-runner. And hey, that's exactly how we should find a way to use him.



And if I'm being honest, the shooting mechanics don't look "completely broken" like a Roberson or even Andre Jackson Jr. I don't believe he ever becomes a passable distance shooter either, but he's a 36% corner-3 shot away from being an every-situation-starter. There's still some hope there.

[JonHeist]

I'm not saying that's his actual ceiling

but you have to be okay with it being his ceiling otherwise it makes no sense to draft him when virtually every other player in this draft has proven to be a + offensively against college level opposition -- and the ones that haven't are newer to the sport than Dunn

[BUCKnation]

We did win a championship with PJ Tucker giving you basically nothing on offense not too long ago.

[ReasonablySober]

We did win a championship with PJ Tucker giving you basically nothing on offense not too long ago.

50% from the field, 50% from three in the Finals, though.

[RogerMurdock]

That defensive tape on Dunn is amazing but he must be an absolute zero on offense to be in our range. I still think he’s my favorite pick at 23.

He basically was a zero on offense. He is a fantastic rim-runner, lob catcher, and dunker, but other than that, he had no offensive game this past season. Couldn't shoot (like way worse than Giannis), had no touch close to the basket, and couldn't really put it on the floor in the half court. Could put it on the floor on the fast break, though.

Thing is, the previous year, he did show some ability in half the MPG. His 3P% was 31.3%, which isn't good, but also isn't total garbage for his position, either. And his shot didn't look bad. Coming out of high school, he was said to have had a good shooting stroke and was expected to be a three-level scorer. Must have gotten into his own head or something.

One thing I like is that reading some post-season stuff on him is that he said he is well aware that he needs to work on his offensive game. It's not like he thinks, "I'm fine, don't worry." So hopefully he's got a good coach and he's working hard.

As a Virginia/Bucks homer, it would be fun to see him in Milwaukee. You can see in his highlight reel that it isn't even all athleticism that makes him a good defender - you can see him being really attentive and focused when his man doesn't have the ball. I do worry about him never developing offense. If he improves to a mid-low 30's three-point shooter and someone who can drive to the basket when he has the ball, though, he could be a great addition.

[Ron Swanson]

We did win a championship with PJ Tucker giving you basically nothing on offense not too long ago.

And while I think this is far too often used as an excuse to champion the idea of terrible fit players around Giannis, it's a good point to remember when talking about a high IQ guy that can function within the confines of an offense, which Dunn certainly looks like. "Knowing his role" is his best offensive skill, and if he's really your only non-scorer on the floor, I don't really see the problem when you go to the Giannis-at-Center lineups that we finally need to start utilizing more.

[emunney]

We did win a championship with PJ Tucker giving you basically nothing on offense not too long ago.

50% from the field, 50% from three in the Finals, though.

Plus 2 offensive rebounds per game.

[bdpecore]

That defensive tape on Dunn is amazing but he must be an absolute zero on offense to be in our range. I still think he’s my favorite pick at 23.

Dunn = Thybulle with worse shooting

[BUCKnation]

We did win a championship with PJ Tucker giving you basically nothing on offense not too long ago.

And while I think this is far too often used as an excuse to champion the idea of terrible fit players around Giannis, it's a good point to remember when talking about a high IQ guy that can function within the confines of an offense, which Dunn certainly looks like. "Knowing his role" is his best offensive skill, and if he's really your only non-scorer on the floor, I don't really see the problem when you go to the Giannis-at-Center lineups that we finally need to start utilizing more.

In theory, it's also less of a problem with Dame as the 2nd/3rd offensive option instead of Jrue.

[emunney]

That defensive tape on Dunn is amazing but he must be an absolute zero on offense to be in our range. I still think he’s my favorite pick at 23.

Dunn = Thybulle with worse shooting

No. Dunn is a big who can defend down. Thybulle is guards and wings. We could use them both. I want a team full of menaces.