Draft Day Shenanigans (IV)

[mjkvol]

Dixon signed with the Lakers.

Sixers signings:

Hunter Sallis G Wake Forest
Igor Milicic Jr. F Tennessee
Izan Almansa F Perth
Saint Thomas F USC

If nothing else we got some great names there.

Igor is theoretically a perfect stretch 4 who can play small ball 5 at 6'10" - he can shoot the 3, attack closeouts, good passer with high BBIQ and court vision, solid rebounder and shot blocker, makes hustle plays. The problem is that he was maddeningly inconsistent last season and he was being counted on as a big contributor coming in as a senior transfer. He went through a bad shooting slump for a chunk of the season, and was unselfish to a fault even though Barnes pushed him to look for his shot.

I thought he was destined for a long career in Europe, but I'd love to see him stick here.

Watch on YouTube

I love this kid based on that video! Wish we gave our 2-way to him instead of Sallis. Definitely see the potential.

1. Elite arm/hand/eye coordination - just watch that vid didn't matter if the ball was away or right on his chest kid had lightning reflexes to grab it.

2. Liked his ability to get low dribbling but also get into a squat on defense when against smaller guards.

3. Love his motor, vision and timing for rebounding.

4. Passing looks pretty legit.

5. Dear god, someone teach this kid some touch around the rim tho.

The most frustrating thing about Igor last season was that all the tools are there, and yet he was very passive offensively too often, letting Zeigler, Lanier, and Gainey carry the load. And then he would attack a closeout and throw down a dunk. Really good rebounder and not afraid to mix it up. Definitely needs work finishing. Great kid and a hard worker.

[M2J]

Dumb ass team keeping Drummond. So ineffective last year.

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They don't have a choice. He has a player option he'd be foolish not to exercise.

We're stuck with Drummond, Gordon, and Oubre this year unless they're traded.

Gotta try to ship Gordon to Orlando and Drummond to LA...Oubre a keeper.

But again cap situation only needs to be addressed by end of season in regards to aprons

[eyeatoma]

hahahaha, what a POS this guy turned out to be. So glad we didnt' get him, last bit of drama we needed.

Read on Twitter

[Black Mage]

Sixers tried desperately to trade down but found no takers! VJ should take it as DISRESPECT that no one felt he was worth trading up for!!!

The Philadelphia 76ers chose Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe at No. 3, when the story wasn’t the player selected but the team that did it. Philadelphia canvassed the league, searching for ways it could trade down from the third pick leading into the draft, league sources told The Athletic. Come Wednesday evening, it couldn’t find a worthwhile deal and chose the explosive 6-foot-4 guard. Edgecombe will join second-year scorer Jared McCain and All-Star spark plug Tyrese Maxey in the Philadelphia Sixers’ backcourt

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6452507/2025/06/26/nba-draft-2025-round-1-shocking-trades-hansen-yang-mark-williams/

So Morey valued VJ so much the price to move back was prohibitive even with a team that had 5 firsts this year to offer.

How come you aren't blasting out the Spurs entertaining offers for the 2nd overall pick?

It's not disrespect, it's making sure you can't secure the best outcome for your team. If the Mavs dialed up OKC and asked for SGA for Flagg, it's not disrespect to Flagg that he tried to trade out; it's respect that the only way they would trade out was for a Top 5 player.

[76ciology]

What we can take from the Boome and VJ picks is that Morey doesn’t rely much on guesswork. Both selections were strongly supported by the numbers.

When it comes to upside, he seems to focus on a player’s track record, likely mapping out their development trajectory from HS to College, while also weighing their work ethic and character, both of which probably gave him confidence in their long term potential.

[M2J]

What we can take from the Boome and VJ picks is that Morey doesn’t rely much on guesswork. Both selections were strongly supported by the numbers.

When it comes to upside, he seems to focus on a player’s track record, likely mapping out their development trajectory from HS to College, while also weighing their work ethic and character, both of which probably gave him confidence in their long term potential.

I agree he's done well banking on work ethic and character in drafting... With Rico helps to have good player development and there's different ways to do it. Out here Kerr fire instance seems to focus on development to play in a system and a role rather than individuals development to become a star. I think otherwise with Nurse and Hines... Both are a priority

[76ciology]

[x]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=bJcUtOCSwzTqqyZgysWpbQ[/x]

I thought this was a boring clip at first, until they brought up how we followed the Warriors’ 2 timeline approach. The difference, though, is that the guys we drafted can contribute right away and have long-term upside, unlike the Warriors’ picks in Wiseman and Kuminga.

[76ciology]

What are the Nets doing? They’ve shifted from building around 3&D forwards to taking swings on 2 way guard projects. The old Nets would have drafted Carter Bryant or Cedric Coward over Demin.

[76ciology]

I can’t believe I just thought of this, but a really good comp for Dylan Harper is John Wall, similar size, ability to get to the rim, good defense, and a jumper that’s questionable but not broken.

[blargh]

I can’t believe I just thought of this, but a really good comp for Dylan Harper is John Wall, similar size, ability to get to the rim, good defense, and a jumper that’s questionable but not broken.

It’s hard to recall now, but Wall had absolute elite athleticism, which Harper doesn’t have.

[Arsenal]

I can’t believe I just thought of this, but a really good comp for Dylan Harper is John Wall, similar size, ability to get to the rim, good defense, and a jumper that’s questionable but not broken.

It’s hard to recall now, but Wall had absolute elite athleticism, which Harper doesn’t have.

Yeah Harper is bigger and more polished, while Wall was a better (hyper) athlete.

Harper is better compared to someone like Cade Cunningham. Basically a smaller and worse shooting, but better penetrating version of Cade.

[Phillybul]

I can’t believe I just thought of this, but a really good comp for Dylan Harper is John Wall, similar size, ability to get to the rim, good defense, and a jumper that’s questionable but not broken.

It’s hard to recall now, but Wall had absolute elite athleticism, which Harper doesn’t have.

Agreed. Thinking about Wall back then man he was a blur when he got the ball.

[76ciology]

I can’t believe I just thought of this, but a really good comp for Dylan Harper is John Wall, similar size, ability to get to the rim, good defense, and a jumper that’s questionable but not broken.

It’s hard to recall now, but Wall had absolute elite athleticism, which Harper doesn’t have.

Yeah Harper is bigger and more polished, while Wall was a better (hyper) athlete.

Harper is better compared to someone like Cade Cunningham. Basically a smaller and worse shooting, but better penetrating version of Cade.

Of course, no two players are exactly alike. Harper might not be as athletic as Wall, but he’s just as effective in some of the areas where Wall’s athleticism gave him an edge, like getting to the rim and defensive #s. Ultimately, it’s his inability to develop a reliable perimeter shot that has limited his ceiling.

On the other hand, Cade has a much better shooting profile. He shot 40% from 3 on 5 attempts per game and 85% from the FT, which gives him a much higher offensive upside.

[eyeatoma]

I can’t believe I just thought of this, but a really good comp for Dylan Harper is John Wall, similar size, ability to get to the rim, good defense, and a jumper that’s questionable but not broken.

John Wall was a freak athlete, not sure about that comp lol.

[Kobblehead]

I think Harper is closer to Evan Turner than he is John Wall ha.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=dylan-harper--evan-turner

[Kobblehead]

What are the Nets doing? They’ve shifted from building around 3&D forwards to taking swings on 2 way guard projects. The old Nets would have drafted Carter Bryant or Cedric Coward over Demin.

It's an interesting approach.

One thing is for certain. The Nets got the two best passers in the draft.

Egor Demin had a 7.1 assists per-36.
Nolan Traore had a 7.4 assists per-36

No one else really came close to those two, by way of playmaking numbers.

I guess there's something admirable about a team saying "let's prioritize assists" and then going and getting it.

And it's super goddamn intriguing that Egor Demin is 6'9" and Traore is 6'3", meaning that these guys might even be able to play TOGETHER in certain lineups!!! Our guy Cam Thomas might average 30 lol.

[eyeatoma]

I think Harper is closer to Evan Turner than he is John Wall ha.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=dylan-harper--evan-turner

Evan Turner is the comp that I think about the most with Harper. Unathletic, bad jumper. Nice moves, good driving.

[Kobblehead]

Evan Turner is the comp that I think about the most with Harper. Unathletic, bad jumper. Nice moves, good driving.

Agreed. I think Harper will likely have a better career than Ev because Harper has superior length and seems to have better intangibles.

Ugh, Harper would have been a good get for us. It's unfortunate that we were just 1 spot behind. I still like VJ, though.

[Jailblazers7]

Almansa is an intriguing development big too. I need to do a little more YouTube research on him but the scouting I’ve read make me want to invest in him as a two-way contract.

[76ciology]

I think Harper is closer to Evan Turner than he is John Wall ha.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=dylan-harper--evan-turner

How close are these two?

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=v-j-edgecombe--john-wall