2023 NBA Draft watch

[Netaman]

I’d like to see 2 or 3 moves that culminate into a top 10 pick and wind up with Taylor Hendricks or Cam Whitmore and Fred VanVleet.

Maybe Orlando would bite on 21/Dinwiddie for the 11?

22/O’neale for the 10?

Something like Harris expiring, Cam Thomas and one of the lesser future picks for VanVleet?

11 and 10 for 5.

great minds think alike, just posted this on trade board. i dont see how toronto could get a better return than 3rd pick for siakam and i dont see how portland could get a better player to pair with dame than siakam. i gave fvv the brunson contract bc i think it will be in that ballpark.

at 10 if nets take a guard then they they can move dinwiddie otherwise roster gets balanced out with a wing or big to replace DFS.

Funny, right after I posted that I had some shower thoughts along the lines of the following:

Toronto trades: Spicy P

Portland trades: 3rd overall, ‘25 1st with some protections, Anfernee Simons



Then a big follow up looking something like:

Toronto trades:
FVV

Toronto receives:
22nd overall pick
Joe Harris
Cam Thomas
1st round pick(aforementioned future 1st)
2 future likely favorable 2nd’s


Brooklyn trades:
Spencer Dinwiddie
Dorian Finney-Smith
Joe Harris
Cam Thomas
21st overall pick
22nd overall pick
Future 1st(one of the least likely to be super high)
Multiple 2nds

Brooklyn receives:
7th overall pick
FVV

Indiana trades:
7th overall pick

Indiana receives:
11th overall pick
Dorian Finney-Smith
2nd round pick(future)


Orlando trades:
11th overall pick

Orlando receives:
Spencer Dinwiddie
21st overall pick



Great minds indeed!

i like that one too. i love the idea of adding both FVV and the first lotto pick since favors (yes, it's been that long since the nets made a lotto pick).

that is how you compete now and build for future at same time. especially if you can get the lotto pick cashing in some of the spare parts they added at deadline (specifically DFS).

[vincecarter4pres]

The more you look at this roster, the more it actually makes sense to take 2 shots in this draft, especially if you can wind up with 1 top 10 pick and another end of the lottery to 16 kind of pick.

We don’t really have any prospects to develop. Clax still has ceiling, but he’s technically a young vet now, and most of that development is on him personally.

Bridges same, even further along and more advanced though.

If we even retain him, Cam J is basically what he’s going to be, sans mental nuances from continued experience, game tape, etc.; hitting the weight room and getting up a million shots.

Cam T, idk, I feel like he’s ultimately shipped out in some kind of move up.

Everyone else are legit vets.

I know trade-ups are rarer then pontificated, but they happen.

I can easily see OKC at 12, or Pels at 14, Hawks at 15 trading their pick outright for DFS.

I can see any of those picks packaged with 21/22 getting us up to, or even 10, maybe with Harris. Maybe Cam T, 12, 21 for 8.

Can still see Dinwiddie/22 for the 11. O’Neale or DFS/21 for the 10.

Wind up with 10 and 11 and target 2 of the following:

Bilal Coulibaly
Taylor Hendricks
Nick Smith Jr
Cason Wallace
Jordan Hawkins

[Netaman]

The more you look at this roster, the more it actually makes sense to take 2 shots in this draft, especially if you can wind up with 1 top 10 pick and another end of the lottery to 16 kind of pick.

We don’t really have any prospects to develop. Clax still has ceiling, but he’s technically a young vet now, and most of that development is on him personally.

Bridges same, even further along and more advanced though.

If we even retain him, Cam J is basically what he’s going to be, sans mental nuances from continued experience, game tape, etc.; hitting the weight room and getting up a million shots.

Cam T, idk, I feel like he’s ultimately shipped out in some kind of move up.

Everyone else are legit vets.

I know trade-ups are rarer then pontificated, but they happen.

I can easily see OKC at 12, or Pels at 14, Hawks at 15 trading their pick outright for DFS.

I can see any of those picks packaged with 21/22 getting us up to, or even 10, maybe with Harris. Maybe Cam T, 12, 21 for 8.

Can still see Dinwiddie/22 for the 11. O’Neale or DFS/21 for the 10.

Wind up with 10 and 11 and target 2 of the following:

Bilal Coulibaly
Taylor Hendricks
Nick Smith Jr
Cason Wallace
Jordan Hawkins

i'd love that and id add black to the list above. probably lively too.

as a team with 4 starters currently penciled (bridges, cam, claxton, and a veteran pg of some sort whether it's fvv, din, or simmons) adding 2 high upside rookies to try to bring along off the bench is the best way to raise the ceiling.

i think it's more likely they get 1 lotto pick and keep 1 of the existing picks, but i think they can get 2 talents who fit that general blue print either way. hawkins or coulibaly (or leonard miller, or someone else they like comparably) could fall to #21.

[Netaman]

just kind of riffing off the prior 2 posts. the way the draft appears right now i see:

7 guys who they probably wont get a shot at (top 3, whitmore, thomsons, walker)

5-10 guys who i could see them loving but probably needing to trade up for:

in no particular order - hendricks, lively, black, wallace, miller, smith, coulibaly, hawkins, etc)

there's a big group behind that im sure the nets will find guys they like but it seems more like after those groups you are down to role players as opposed to guys who could realistically play well enough to eventually project as core starters.

[Tha King]

just kind of riffing off the prior 2 posts. the way the draft appears right now i see:

7 guys who they probably wont get a shot at (top 3, whitmore, thomsons, walker)

5-10 guys who i could see them loving but probably needing to trade up for:

in no particular order - hendricks, lively, black, wallace, miller, smith, coulibaly, hawkins, etc)

there's a big group behind that im sure the nets will find guys they like but it seems more like after those groups you are down to role players as opposed to guys who could realistically play well enough to eventually project as core starters.

So maybe it's because of where the team is picking but the prospects within our range I think have more potential. The one's I am referring to are Dariq Whitehead, GG Jackson, and Brice Sensabaugh with Rupert, JHS and Maxwell Lewis also there. Now they may not be as good as the 5-10 you listed and maybe have a lower floor but I think the team should be looking for upside and besides Coulibaly, I think Whitehead, Sensabaugh and Jackson have the most upside of the group.

Whitehead was considered a top 5 pick going into the season but injuries set him back
Jackson should actually be in next years draft and has a pretty extensive offensive skillset already.
Sensabaugh is basically a wing Cam Thomas and is probably the best scorer in the draft

If you want to go the ready to contribute/possible starter route then I also think Sasser, Colby Jones, and Kris Murray would be good picks and all within our range.

This is how I'd rank realistic targets (some would need a trade up), all things considered:

- Coulibaly
- GG Jackson
- Whitehead
- Black
- Sensabaugh
- Hendricks
- Sasser
- Wallace
- Rupert
- Sissoko
- Lively

I think a draft where the team comes away with one upside wing (GG Jackson/Sensabaugh/Whitehead) and Sasser would be good. I think Sasser is one of those underrated 'low ceiling' players like a Siakam, Bane, etc. that gets overlooked but looks like an obvious pick in retrospect down the line. He's a dynamic guard off the dribble that can make threes at a high volume and defends with a near 6'10 wingspan.

[Netaman]

i could definitely see them being high on guys like rupert, gg, whitehead, sasser, etc.

i could see them being high on jackson from uconn or the michigan guys.

i dont know who will be in which categories, but i think there's a real chance to get 1 rookie a cut above any other rookie they've been in position to select by moving up 10 spots or so, and then a 2nd rookie more on the levert/cam/allen/clax level.

[vincecarter4pres]

Whitehead could be a steal because of the injuries.

[Netaman]

Whitehead could be a steal because of the injuries.

same with nick smith. i dont know who it will be but i think marks is going to get someone in the top 8-10 on his board this year. first time he has had the assets, and a bunch of picks reportedly on the block that could get him there.

[Netaman]

vc4p your post sent me looking for one of vecenie's early 2023 mocks from last july, ironically enough nick smith #4 and whitehead #5. his entire mock actually held up damn good including the picks. had the nets at #19 taking kris murray and leonard miller going #18. he had andre jackson #22, also Terquavion Smith all the way up at #11 and he's someone the nets have talked to.

https://theathletic.com/3407947/2022/07/12/2023-nba-mock-draft-wembanyama/?source=twitterhq

[vincecarter4pres]

vc4p your post sent me looking for one of vecenie's early 2023 mocks from last july, ironically enough nick smith #4 and whitehead #5. his entire mock actually held up damn good including the picks. had the nets at #19 taking kris murray and leonard miller going #18. he had andre jackson #22, also Terquavion Smith all the way up at #11 and he's someone the nets have talked to.

https://theathletic.com/3407947/2022/07/12/2023-nba-mock-draft-wembanyama/?source=twitterhq

I do get the feeling we’re going to move up some and snag an exciting prospect. Fingers crossed.

[Netaman]

vc4p your post sent me looking for one of vecenie's early 2023 mocks from last july, ironically enough nick smith #4 and whitehead #5. his entire mock actually held up damn good including the picks. had the nets at #19 taking kris murray and leonard miller going #18. he had andre jackson #22, also Terquavion Smith all the way up at #11 and he's someone the nets have talked to.

https://theathletic.com/3407947/2022/07/12/2023-nba-mock-draft-wembanyama/?source=twitterhq

I do get the feeling we’re going to move up some and snag an exciting prospect. Fingers crossed.

yeah ive seen enough of about 15 guys to be excited about if they got any one of them so they may not have that many picks they need to move up. and if they can do that while keeping the 2nd pick i think they will get another good player even if it's more of a role player.

[ecuhus1981]

To discuss trading up, I think we need to look at the tiers of this draft.

IMO, I think you have Victor alone obviously, then Scoot and Brandon a ways below him. After that, I have 4-9 in a really tight group. Amen might be the highest ceiling of that bunch, but due to his extreme shooting limitations I won't be shocked if he drops a bit.

Beyond them, I see Cason and Gradey in kind of a mini-tier, then just below them 11 thru 25 is almost a plateau in terms of the quality of player. Having 2 bites of the apple at the back end of this tier could yield lottery level talents. Trading up costs more assets, and the talent level is the same. It doesn't make sense in our circumstance, IMO. If we could get up to 9, or if Hendricks/Black somehow slides to 11, then yeah, let's go get him. But that is almost assuredly not happening. Those Haliburton slides are rare. Usually, the guys that lose draft stock don't end up any good.

[ecuhus1981]

I have completely turned around my opinion on Kobe Bufkin, I'd live if he drops to us. I don't know that he and Cam T fit together, but I don't think that's a deal breaker. It seems Marks loves Rupert, so if we got those 2 at 21 and 22, I'm good with that. I've heard folks mock Leonard Miller to us, he intrigues me but those types of combo forwards don't always hit.

But I won't be surprised if we sacrifice one or both of the picks, to get under the luxury tax and maybe offload Simmons.

[JoseRizal]

Whitehead could be a steal because of the injuries.

If he drops to 21, we should definitely take him. Let's avoid what happened in 2005 when Danny Granger fell our laps but our FO elected to draft Antoine Wright instead due to the former's injury history.

[vincecarter4pres]

Whitehead could be a steal because of the injuries.

same with nick smith. i dont know who it will be but i think marks is going to get someone in the top 8-10 on his board this year. first time he has had the assets, and a bunch of picks reportedly on the block that could get him there.

Never replied to this post, but Nick Smith is very interesting too. He’s wild slim though.

[vincecarter4pres]

Whitehead could be a steal because of the injuries.

If he drops to 21, we should definitely take him. Let's avoid what happened in 2005 when Danny Granger fell our laps but our FO elected to draft Antoine Wright instead due to the former's injury history.

Straight tragic. Fr fr.

[Tha King]

There were 19 players that got green room invites, some notable one's that didn't which would presumably put them in our range:

Sensabaugh
Whitehead
GG Jackson
Rupert
Sissoko
Maxwell Lewis

I really think even at 21 and 22 the team could come away with two upside plays because even if some of the above go higher than expected that could leave the team with a Keyonte George or Nick Smith. These are mostly all wings as well.

[Netaman]

sam vecenie's draft guide is out. he's pretty high on kobe bufkin (#11) and he sounds like a really good fit for the type Marks has gone for in the past.
https://theathletic.com/4606741/2023/06/14/nba-draft-2023-top-100-prospects-guide/

BACKGROUND Parents are Kimberly and Michael. Michael played at Grand Rapids Community College. Bufkin has always played up a year in age and is very young for a sophomore. He’s younger than Jett Howard, Amen and Ausar Thompson, Brandon Miller and Jarace Walker. Played at Grand Rapids Christian High School and emerged immediately as a high-level player in the state of Michigan. As a sophomore, he made second-team All-State after averaging 20 points and seven rebounds. As a junior, he led his team to a 20-2 record and was in his section’s title game before COVID-19 canceled the tournament. In 2021, Bufkin played five games of the shortened season and was dominant before breaking his wrist and missing the rest of the season. Was named first-team allstate as a junior and senior despite that injury. Was also named a McDonald’s All-American that season, a somewhat surprising selection. Was also a Jordan Brand Classic honoree. Bufkin ended up as a consensus four-star and top-50 recruit by most recruiting services. Bufkin committed to Michigan the summer before his senior season as the first in-state recruit of the Juwan Howard era. He chose the Wolverines over Michigan State, Ohio State and LSU. Bufkin’s first season at Michigan was a bit hit or miss, averaging just 10 minutes and three points per game having just turned 18 years old in the fall before the season. But he broke out and lived up to his potential as a post-hype sophomore following the departure of both of Michigan’s starting guards. For the first part of the season, Bufkin was kind of in Jett Howard’s shadow as a draft prospect. But over the second half, he became the prospect scouts liked more at Michigan. Earned third team All-Big-Ten honors this past season. Declared for the draft and was considered a first-round pick entering the process. Impressed throughout and slid up the board. Was invited to the 2023 NBA Draft Combine.

STRENGTHS Bufkin has an interesting build for a combo guard in the NBA. He’s over 6-foot-4 without shoes and came in with a 6-foot-7 1/4 wingspan and an awesome 8-foot-6 1/2 standing reach for a combo guard. Extremely fluid hips with real shiftiness both on the perimeter and at the rim. Also is a real vertical athlete. Not quite elite but gets up more than people think. Showed real growth throughout the season. Over his final 12 games, averaged 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 52 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3 and 89 percent from the line. Really started to figure out college basketball in terms of pace and spacing. His feel for the game is quite high. Has a very strong all-around offensive game. Knows how to make an impact on that end both on and off the ball. He’s a sharp cutter who finds open spaces on baseline and 45 cuts. Not a ton of wasted motion in his game. Makes quick decisions. If he has an open shot, he’ll take it. Attacks driving lanes quickly. Tries to quickly get downhill if he can both when he’s playing on and off ball. Plays in straight lines. Michigan ran a ton of dribble-handoff actions to try to get him the ball on the move toward his left, where he was allowed to quickly get into the paint. Wants to attack closeouts in a straight line to get to the rim. Out of ball screens, he will quickly try to split hedges and blitzes to get into the paint. Can hit a quick hesitation dribble to change speeds to stop a big defender in his tracks, then blow by. I love the pace at which he plays. Always under control. Very few turnovers for such a young player. Bufkin is an elite finisher for a guard. Made 67 percent of his shots at the rim in half-court settings this past season, including 64 percent of his layups. Has outstanding touch. It all starts with his sequencing in terms of his footwork around the basket. When he drives right, he loves the inside hand finish where he always seems to get all the way to the rim effectively. Can also go inside hand with his right when driving left. Avoids rim protectors and gets all the way to the rim with strong angles. Also good at initiating contact in smart ways despite his lack of frame. Uses his body to shield the ball away from rim protectors and creates that opening. Can adjust in midair to change the angle on rotating defenders and has an impressive array of little floaters. Bufkin can also make solid pick-and-roll reads. Played more as a combo this past season than as a true point guard, so the full-season numbers aren’t outstanding. And he’s still developing his overall craft in terms of drawing defenders by driving deep into the paint and holding his spot. But he sees the court well and does a good job of manipulating opposing players with his eyes to open passing lanes. He’s good already but has significant upside as he gets stronger. Technically, he’s very good in terms of his ability to throw live-dribble passes, and he throws them with either hand. Comfortable driving left or right and being a one-handed live-ball passer. Always seems to have his eyes on the help defender and low man who is supposed to be in position. As soon as that man makes his choice, he goes. Throws awesome cross-corner and cross-wing looks off whip passes with real velocity. Bufkin pairs all of this with real shooting potential both off the catch and the bounce. Made his pull-up 3s this past season at a 32.3 percent clip and showed real growth over the second half of the season. Most comfortable trying to get to his right to get to that stepback but showcased some ability going to his left as well. Has a nice high release point and really elevates into the jumper, making him useful in both the midrange and from 3. Good at stringing out his man in drop coverage and stopping him with those hesitation dribbles, then stepping back and firing on-balance. Real shot versatility. Can spin into them from the midrange or gather into them off a between-the-legs dribble. Won’t be a day one skill at the NBA level but will develop into being a good pull-up player. Bufkin also makes his jumper off the catch. Hit 37 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s this past season on about three per game, per Synergy. The high release point helps him here. Hard to contest his shot. Much more comfortable taking them off a onetwo step but has a strong shot prep in spot-up situations. Always aligned and ready to catch and fire. I think there is also some space for him to make shots off complex movement actions, even if it’s not quite there yet. Hit seven of his 20 attempts this past season from 3 off either screens or dribble handoffs. Michigan also ran a lot of curl actions for him into the midrange where he’d rise and fire, and he made 12 of those 19 attempts. Will note a couple things he needs to clean up below, but I buy Bufkin as a shooter. Bufkin is also a sharp defender. He’s one of only eight high-major draft prospects this year to average at least 1.2 steals and half of a block per game this past season. Has very good hand-eye coordination and uses his length well to be impactful. Consistently uses every bit of his length by keeping his arms outstretched. Creates steals. Good on the ball against guards due to his pressure. Have to always be aware of his hands. But he also uses his quickness well. Stays in front of his man and uses that length to contest jumpers. Blocks several jumpers that way. Plays down in his stance and is constantly engaged and active. Fights through screens at a reasonable level for someone still growing into his body because he understands angles and how to navigate around them. Solid in recovery because he uses every bit of that length. I also think he’s a sharp off-ball defender. Good in rotation. Always available. Was a big reason Michigan’s defense improved drastically in the second half of the season, as the Wolverines went from outside of the top 100 nationally to the second-best defense in Big Ten play, per KenPom. Great in scramble and in transition situations. Ridiculous shot blocker for a young guard, especially in recovery out on the break. 412023 NBA DRAFT GUIDE

WEAKNESSES Bufkin is a good athlete but not a great one. He’s much more functional and fluid as opposed to truly explosive. Doesn’t have an elite first step. Also, his strength is a bit of a concern right now. Doesn’t have that real intersection of power and explosiveness that you like to see from a potential top-half-of-the-first-round pick. That lack of strength kind of permeates his game. His handle is OK for a teenage combo guard but needs to take a few steps forward. Has to get stronger on the ball and be able to keep his dribble alive. Can get bothered by teams that really try to get into his body with aggressive, physical on-ball defense. For instance, Rutgers gave him some problems with how it blitzes and really plays with intensity on the ball. While he’s good against drop coverage, Bufkin can struggle to string guys out and force mismatches against more aggressive schemes. Because of this, he can sometimes pre-ordain his reads as a passer, which is when he gets in trouble, or he can sometimes keep his head down and take a contested midrange pull-up while focusing on his dribble. I think continuing to get stronger within his frame will help him in this respect, but this is probably the thing that would stop him from being a true instant impact player as a combo guard. I like that Bufkin consistently plays in straight lines and with real decisiveness, but I worry about his ability to create his own shot at times without that primary advantage. Sometimes you want a guy who can dance to create his own shot. Bufkin doesn’t have that right now. I love his pace out of ball screens, and he showcases some real shiftiness through his hips there. But I wouldn’t say Bufkin is a player who has a “bag” in the traditional sense that you expect to see out of a combo guard. Doesn’t string together a ton of moves to be able to get his man off-balance to attack. Might not be the late-shot-clock creator you want out of a potential starter at the combo guard spot. This is probably the swing skill for his true upside outcomes. If Bufkin can become a legitimate shot creator who can get players off-balance with a wider variety of tricks, then he could really be impactful on both ends. Bufkin’s defense also is not immune when it comes to these strength-based issues. While I think he does a good job of navigating screens, he struggles when he gets clipped now. Tough for him to get unstuck from those moments because of that lack of strength. He also can be a little too hoppy on that end. Instead of staying grounded and sliding, he will jump into closeouts or into ice actions. If a guy can time his drive with one of Bufkin’s hops, he can really beat him in a straight line, which occasionally forced issues for Michigan. Overall, he’s a good defender for a teenager but will need to clean up some mechanical issues like that one.

SUMMARY Bufkin is one of the guys on whom I will be highest compared to consensus this year. I love how well-rounded his game is and how many of his attributes figure to translate. I buy him as a shooter, and I really buy his feel for the game on offense. His passing is improving as he continues to gain experience. He knows how to play direct basketball off quick decisions. There isn’t a ton of fluff there. And while sometimes you would like to see a bit of fluff in terms of his ability to dance and create a shot, I think his ability to play a different cadence and his hip flexibility gives him some upside to develop those gifts once he gets stronger and can hold his ground on the ball against aggressive defenders a bit. With his long arms and stronger shoulders, he has the kind of frame that should be able to add some weight and improve some of the strength-based issues that cause him problems now. Mix that with his touch, his elite finishing, the high release point on his pull-up and his willingness to be an aggressive defender, and I think he profiles nicely as a difference-making guard long term. He has the size to not be hunted if the strength comes along defensively. And his ability to play both on and off the ball will allow him to play with stars at a high level. Bufkin has starter upside long term. And if he can develop a bit more game off the bounce to separate from his man, there is even a bit more upside beyond that in the highest-end potential outcomes. I’m comfortable putting my chips in on Bufkin as one of my guys.

[TheNetsFan]

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[Netaman]

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I like it. Would still prefer to keep 2 picks if possible and move into the lotto with 1 of them packaged with a wing (dfs).

would be great to move up for a real lotto starter level talent, then still add a role player for bench like hawkins or jackson.

with cam j and bridges locked into the starting lineup hopefully for the next 4 years they should cash in dfs/oneale now. move up with 1, maybe get a protected 2024 pick for the other? clears some room to bring back yuta cheaper too.