2023 NBA Draft Thread

[Petre1978]

I like George, he isn't as high as Whitmore

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What is the obsession with Whitmore?

yeah, im not seeing Whitemore. bad shooter, not good with the ball, not seeing him as the spacing SG we need.

Absolutely

[Petre1978]

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I take Gradey Dick, Jett Howard over Lewis.

[eyriq]

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Magic get:
5. Ausar Thompson
10. Jett Howard

Interesting, I could get stoked about a Thompson twin and talk myself into another wolverine. Tankathon has us taking NSJ & Keyonte.

I just simmed some mock drafts at tankathon and my favorite was Scoot & Keyonte.

My gut is we trade one of these picks in a consolidation move.

Why trade a pick when you have a chance to add 2 good prospects to your core?

A consolidation trade would speed up the timeline. We are building a core and a winning identity this year and next and as that happens open roles become more narrowly defined and lottery picks lose value vs proven talent/fit.

[Petre1978]

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[basketballRob]

I like George, he isn't as high as Whitmore

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What is the obsession with Whitmore?

I agree with the experts that he's a better prospect than George and Dick.

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[thelead]

Keyonte is pretty high on my board:

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even at 6'3? that is pretty much cole size....i'm high on him as well but not so much if he's cole size....i hope he measures bigger

He's not in my top 5 (right now) but we may not get a top 5 pick with the way things are looking. I'm not the biggest fan of undersized guards either but there is no doubt that we need bench scoring so he could easily fill that need. He's shown flashes of playmaking which is what he'll need to continue to do if he wants to be a good starter in the league. He's kind of in the Simons/CJ mold at the moment. Maybe not ideal but definitely valuable to have.

[basketballRob]

I like George, he isn't as high as Whitmore

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What is the obsession with Whitmore?

yeah, im not seeing Whitemore. bad shooter, not good with the ball, not seeing him as the spacing SG we need.

Lol. He's not a bad shooter

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[tiderulz]

What is the obsession with Whitmore?

yeah, im not seeing Whitemore. bad shooter, not good with the ball, not seeing him as the spacing SG we need.

Lol. He's not a bad shooter

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29% from college distance 3 doesnt scream dead-eye

[jezzerinho]

Great lead guard class, imo, which suits us down to the ground.

Scoot
Amen
George
Wallace
Black

Then Hunter Proctor and others.

[basketballRob]

yeah, im not seeing Whitemore. bad shooter, not good with the ball, not seeing him as the spacing SG we need.

Lol. He's not a bad shooter

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29% from college distance 3 doesnt scream dead-eye

He hasn't had enough shots to evaluate. No one was calling Franz a bad shooter after his freshman season.

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[JTG_92940618]

Yeah, I think the thing with Whitmore is that he had that thumb surgery 2.5 months ago so he was always going to start slow. If he ends the season shooting 27% from three, that's a problem, but the expectation is that his numbers will increase as the season goes on.

[tiderulz]

Lol. He's not a bad shooter

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29% from college distance 3 doesnt scream dead-eye

He hasn't had enough shots to evaluate. No one was calling Franz a bad shooter after his freshman season.

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no one was calling him a good shooter after his freshman year either

[Husky1]

Is Lively or Ware worthy of a first round pick? I’m not convinced on WCJ going forward.

[drsd]

A consolidation trade would speed up the timeline. We are building a core and a winning identity this year and next and as that happens open roles become more narrowly defined and lottery picks lose value vs proven talent/fit.

Agreed that a consolidation trade accelerates. And the Magic grows no matter what. For example, if management does literally nothing this in-season and next off-season, Orlando is:


Fultz/Anthony
Suggs/Harris
F-Wagner/Bol/Houstan
Banchero/Isaac/Okeke
Carter/Bamba

These 12 players are under a contract (*) that requires no action from management.

Add the FRP, another likely FRP and the SRP, and Orlando has a 15 man roster with no action from management, beyond selecting BPAs in the draft. This is almost odd that Orlando can roll-back this years tea for next year.



* = Fultz, Bamba, Bol, and Harris all have non-guaranteed contracts for 2023.24. But if management is asleep, they become guaranteed by inaction.

..

[Rainwater]

George’s first step seems average at best. Also, athleticism seems average. He doesn’t seem like a player who can drive and kick or apply rim pressure. Shooting looks great and the control he plays with. Who are his NBA comparables?

Eric Gordon?

I see more CJ McCollum

[Rainwater]

This kid is gonna be good (if you don’t watch the whole thing, please watch what he does starting at 0:38):

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That winning streak killed the magic's chance at this kid.

[thelead]

This kid is gonna be good (if you don’t watch the whole thing, please watch what he does starting at 0:38):

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That winning streak killed the magic's chance at this kid.

Eh, we still have a 21% shot at a top 2 pick. Detroit has 27.4% chance. We’re not dead in the water. And SAS can still catch us which would up our chances to 24.7%.

[Rainwater]

I like George, he isn't as high as Whitmore

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What is the obsession with Whitmore?

yeah, im not seeing Whitemore. bad shooter, not good with the ball, not seeing him as the spacing SG we need.

Yeah, I want no part of Whitemore. I don't get the obsession.

[Rainwater]

This kid is gonna be good (if you don’t watch the whole thing, please watch what he does starting at 0:38):

Watch on YouTube

That winning streak killed the magic's chance at this kid.

Eh, we still have a 21% shot at a top 2 pick. Detroit has 27.4% chance. We’re not dead in the water. And SAS can still catch us which would up our chances to 24.7%.

I should have said the winning streak may have killed the magic's chance. I just feel like the magic will fall in the 5th or 6th spot but we will see. A George and Scoot draft would be a dream.

[JTG_92940618]

Bleacher Report has us taking Whitmore and George at 5 and 6. They have us passing up Brandon Miller (7), Jett Howard (9), Cason Wallace (10), all of whom I like.

5. Orlando Magic: Cam Whitmore (Villanova, SF, Freshman)

Occasional flashes of pull-up shooting and drives have been encouraging for Whitmore's scoring development, but his physical tools and athleticism (for transition, cutting and putbacks) still fuel most of his production and value. While he could stand to improve his pick-and-roll play and decision-making (14 turnovers, five assists), Whitmore has still showcased promising shot-making to complement the pressure he can put on the rim.

6. Orlando Magic (via Bulls): Keyonte George (Baylor, PG/SG, Freshman)

The eye test, production and some unexpected passing from George have kept scouts from nitpicking at inefficient percentages. They see a surefire scorer with dangerous shot-making versatility and range, attacking burst and enough passing feel for coaches to use him for playmaking.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10060509-2023-nba-mock-draft-full-2-round-projections-at-the-new-year