The 2022 NBA Draft Thread

[CZ Eddie]

Stickbug is now the projected #1 pick?!?

[Knightro]

With Chet, you really have to look beyond what he is now. What will he be in 2-3 years?

Physically he's not there yet from a strength perspective, but I feel very good about what he's shown from a skill perspective.

What it boils down to for me - as Chet (hopefully) gains weight, will he still have the fluidity and athleticism he has now?

[thelead]

I am overly bored with draft, it has become a sole reason we follow the Magic. Always forward look to who we might draft and dream of what he might look like once he reaches NBA. A dream that withers and dies by January when we already have another dream on it's way. That does not make basketball team and is not basketball to me.

Just two years ago we were not worried about the draft, getting pummeled in the first round, and capped out… surely, you don’t want to go back to that.

What we’re going through now is the toughest part of rebuilding a team. I would be okay we trading the pick but for who? Which trade turns this ship around?

IMO, we need to stay the course and sign impact players when we can.

[drsd]

There’s a very good chance Smith could end up better than Okeke, yes. And Isaac hasn’t played in a year and a half.

But that isn’t the point. You don’t take existing players on the roster into consideration when you’re making picks with a few exceptions (if you have an all star center, you wouldn’t want to take a center when they can’t share the floor).

You take the best talent available and figure out how to balance the roster with trades as necessary.

My argument is not that Smith is or is not better than Okeke and Isaac. It is that Orlando might be able to gain more value by trading the rights of the 2022 Magic FRP (and other assets) for an established player, than taking the pick.


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[Knightro]

My argument is not that Smith is or is not better than Okeke and Isaac. It is that Orlando might be able to gain more value by trading the rights of the 2022 Magic FRP (and other assets) for an established player, than taking the pick.

And respectfully, I completely disagree with that thought process.

Is it *possible* the Magic could trade for a better player than they'd draft? Maybe. But you're also talking about potentially giving up additional assets on top of that.

I think you have to look at it more broadly than that.

The Magic are very bad right now. It's very unlikely that they could trade for a player who's sole presence would massively alter the ceiling of the team. A guy like Brandon Ingram is toiling away on a 5-16 team right now.

I do not believe the overall talent level of the Magic is as such where there's a great benefit to consolidating assets at this time.

The organization is comfortable being bad/not competitive for at least one more year after this one. They are still is accumulate assets mode, not increase wins mode.

[Bensational]

With Chet, you really have to look beyond what he is now. What will he be in 2-3 years?

Physically he's not there yet from a strength perspective, but I feel very good about what he's shown from a skill perspective.

What it boils down to for me - as Chet (hopefully) gains weight, will he still have the fluidity and athleticism he has now?

I think Poku is a reasonable reference point for Chet. Poku looks to have become a lot faster since he joined the league and now looks more like a SF than a C.

Chet seems to have better bbiq than Poku though. He’s probably a gem for Hammond’s dream of interchangeable longbois.

Edit - actually, Dirk with defence is probably a reasonable comp. Chet is more C than perimeter scorer right now, but that might change in the NBA. Still, he has the turnaround fadeaway which could be unstoppable if he perfects it like Dirk.

The potential combo of length, skill and defense between Chet and Franz is pretty tantalising. Add a healthy Isaac and WCJ, along with a seasoned backcourt of Suggs, Fultz, Cole and RJ and we could have a very nice looking team.

[KillMonger]

With Chet, you really have to look beyond what he is now. What will he be in 2-3 years?

Physically he's not there yet from a strength perspective, but I feel very good about what he's shown from a skill perspective.

What it boils down to for me - as Chet (hopefully) gains weight, will he still have the fluidity and athleticism he has now?

I think Poku is a reasonable reference point for Chet. Poku looks to have become a lot faster since he joined the league and now looks more like a SF than a C.

Chet seems to have better bbiq than Poku though. He’s probably a gem for Hammond’s dream of interchangeable longbois.

Edit - actually, Dirk with defence is probably a reasonable comp. Chet is more C than perimeter scorer right now, but that might change in the NBA. Still, he has the turnaround fadeaway which could be unstoppable if he perfects it like Dirk.

The potential combo of length, skill and defense between Chet and Franz is pretty tantalising. Add a healthy Isaac and WCJ, along with a seasoned backcourt of Suggs, Fultz, Cole and RJ and we could have a very nice looking team.

I guess this means, bamba hit the road jack....

[Bensational]

With Chet, you really have to look beyond what he is now. What will he be in 2-3 years?

Physically he's not there yet from a strength perspective, but I feel very good about what he's shown from a skill perspective.

What it boils down to for me - as Chet (hopefully) gains weight, will he still have the fluidity and athleticism he has now?

I think Poku is a reasonable reference point for Chet. Poku looks to have become a lot faster since he joined the league and now looks more like a SF than a C.

Chet seems to have better bbiq than Poku though. He’s probably a gem for Hammond’s dream of interchangeable longbois.

Edit - actually, Dirk with defence is probably a reasonable comp. Chet is more C than perimeter scorer right now, but that might change in the NBA. Still, he has the turnaround fadeaway which could be unstoppable if he perfects it like Dirk.

The potential combo of length, skill and defense between Chet and Franz is pretty tantalising. Add a healthy Isaac and WCJ, along with a seasoned backcourt of Suggs, Fultz, Cole and RJ and we could have a very nice looking team.

I guess this means, bamba hit the road jack....

I’m still on Bamba’s side, but I feel the tides turning on his position security if he continues at his recent level, and adding Chet would likely force a move.

Hopefully it’s addressed in advance and we’re able to move him and get a return rather than letting him walk.

[thelead]

We're now tied for the worst record in the league

[Knightro]

We're now tied for the worst record in the league

Is Chet the apple of your eye right now?

[thelead]

We're now tied for the worst record in the league

Is Chet the apple of your eye right now?

I'll be honest, I don't love this draft (for finding a star)... but beggars can't be choosers. We need talent and I always argue that you want the most prospects available to you when you make your pick. I would lean Chet right now but I'm very much keeping tabs on Paolo, Hardy, and Jabari Smith.

[Knightro]

I'll be honest, I don't love this draft (for finding a star)... but beggars can't be choosers. We need talent and I always argue that you want the most prospects available to you when you make your pick. I would lean Chet right now but I'm very much keeping tabs on Paolo, Hardy, and Jabari Smith.

It's early, but I have Jaden Ivey on the watch list too.

[drsd]

The Magic are very bad right now.

For me the Magic is very bad because it is unhealthy. About 5 games were winnable if the Magic's bench was not horrible for the given game. This team should be at something like 8-10 wins. Say an 8-13 record to this point; if healthy.

What I am not banking on is actual health moving forward. But management is.

Mediocrity could be right around the corner, if things play our well for this team.



p.s. the Cavs game is even more proof that this team needs shooters. It is exhausting watching brick after brick.


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[basketballRob]

I'll be honest, I don't love this draft (for finding a star)... but beggars can't be choosers. We need talent and I always argue that you want the most prospects available to you when you make your pick. I would lean Chet right now but I'm very much keeping tabs on Paolo, Hardy, and Jabari Smith.

It's early, but I have Jaden Ivey on the watch list too.

Ivey looks a lot bigger than his old measurements. He he has legit SG size. When those measurements were taking he weighed 165 lbs, now he's 200 lbs. So I assume that he grew.

He scored more in Fiba U19 than Cade and Green did in fewer minutes.

https://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19/2021/player/Jaden-Ivey

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[Bakomagic]

The Magic are very bad right now.

For me the Magic is very bad because it is unhealthy. About 5 games were winnable if the Magic's bench was not horrible for the given game. This team should be at something like 8-10 wins. Say an 8-13 record to this point; if healthy.

What I am not banking on is actual health moving forward. But management is.

Mediocrity could be right around the corner, if things play our well for this team.



p.s. the Cavs game is even more proof that this team needs shooters. It is exhausting watching brick after brick.


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Good shooters are useless if you don’t have the ability to get them good looks, you get good looks by having a team that has experienced ball handlers who execute a good offensive system and or an elite player who can draw attention and breakdown a defense.

Our coach and many of our players are new to each other and new to the league in general. They will improve and become more comfortable executing coach Moseley’s system (hopefully) and we are lotto bound and looking like we will have another shot at acquiring an elite player.

You have to look deeper at issues to fix them, having a bunch of Kyle Korvers and the like just get locked up and are rendered useless when there isn’t an offensive threat or system that creates open shots for them.

[drsd]

Good shooters are useless if you don’t have the ability to get them good looks, you get good looks by having a team that has experienced ball handlers who execute a good offensive system and or an elite player who can draw attention and breakdown a defense.

As this is the draft thread, name the player in the draft that will help shooters shoot?

For me, it is Suggs/Fultz or bust.


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[basketballRob]

Wade seems like a good comparison. He looks better than Hardy.

Read on Twitter

?t=nVl1tB00XPnakuEjASLB8g&s=19

[Bakomagic]

Good shooters are useless if you don’t have the ability to get them good looks, you get good looks by having a team that has experienced ball handlers who execute a good offensive system and or an elite player who can draw attention and breakdown a defense.

As this is the draft thread, name the player in the draft that will help shooters shoot?

For me, it is Suggs/Fultz or bust.

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Good question I preface this by saying I once thought Dennis Smith Jr would be a star playmaker/scorer in the mold of Dame Lillard, so what do I know haha.

I haven’t dug into the prospects so I’ll start with the known names.

I’d take someone who can potentially score at will at all three levels and is a willing passer. I put drawing shooting fouls as a secondary in value then shooting and then passing.

Banchero: I like is size/strength, handle and believe he will be able to get to his spots on the floor when he wants to and draw fouls at a high rate and is at least a willing passer. I worry about his perimeter shooting.

Jaden Ivey: Looks to be a potential 3 level scorer who is also able to make plays for others at an acceptable rate (4ast a game). I worry too that he doesn’t have elite measurables like Chet and Paolo.

Chet Holmgren: less of an ISO scorer but may be more impactful then the other two scorers with his help defense, Perimeter and vertical spacing ability. I worry about his body and ability to score at will in ISO situations

Either way I lean towards acquiring an elite scorer because we have a group of versatile ball handlers who are better than average passers and can share the playmaking duties in Fultz/Suggs/Franz. We need a guy who can flat out score and draw fouls/attention from the defense.

I’ll keep my eye out for prospects throughout the season considering we are a lotto lock this year.

[thelead]

I'll be honest, I don't love this draft (for finding a star)... but beggars can't be choosers. We need talent and I always argue that you want the most prospects available to you when you make your pick. I would lean Chet right now but I'm very much keeping tabs on Paolo, Hardy, and Jabari Smith.

It's early, but I have Jaden Ivey on the watch list too.

Yeah, I've should have listed him as well. I like him more than Hardy so far. If he continues to play like this, he may be my #1 pick. The only thing I'm not loving is his 32% 3pt% coming off of a 26% clip last year:

Watch on YouTube

;t=80

[drsd]

What is clear is that this is a very good and deep draft for SGs. Five of the top-10 players will probably be SGs.

If the Magic draft in the 6-7 range, Bennedict Mathurin might be the BPA SG at this slot. Should the Magic be looking to someone like him?

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