2024 NBA Draft Thread

[HadAnEffectHere]

Ryan Dunn would be my #1 prospect if he shot 37% from three or if he was two inches taller.

But he shouldn't go in the top 35 as he is.

[babyjax13]

Ryan Dunn would be my #1 prospect if he shot 37% from three or if he was two inches taller.

But he shouldn't go in the top 35 as he is.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a team or two that feels like they can teach skill but not effort + athletecism and some raw prospects go a bit earlier than usual this year. I certainly wouldn't want to draft him in the first round, but I think ultimately he probably does go there.

[shangrila]

Ryan Dunn would be my #1 prospect if he shot 37% from three or if he was two inches taller.

But he shouldn't go in the top 35 as he is.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a team or two that feels like they can teach skill but not effort + athletecism and some raw prospects go a bit earlier than usual this year. I certainly wouldn't want to draft him in the first round, but I think ultimately he probably does go there.

Why not? Particularly in a draft like this one.

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player. I'd gamble on that given his incredible defensive skills.

[babyjax13]

Ryan Dunn would be my #1 prospect if he shot 37% from three or if he was two inches taller.

But he shouldn't go in the top 35 as he is.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a team or two that feels like they can teach skill but not effort + athletecism and some raw prospects go a bit earlier than usual this year. I certainly wouldn't want to draft him in the first round, but I think ultimately he probably does go there.

Why not? Particularly in a draft like this one.

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player. I'd gamble on that given his incredible defensive skills.

He can finish around the rim and run in transition, those are his only NBA-level skills on offense. He has the skillset of a center, but not the size. Outlier development could make him very good, but without it, I don't think he's much different than Jeremy Evans.

[CP War Hawks]

Dunn is likely going to Atl with the Sac pick. His offense would be mitigated with Trae and Quin. If he's a good lob threat and can move within the offense he should be playable as a rook.

[HadAnEffectHere]

Ryan Dunn would be my #1 prospect if he shot 37% from three or if he was two inches taller.

But he shouldn't go in the top 35 as he is.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a team or two that feels like they can teach skill but not effort + athletecism and some raw prospects go a bit earlier than usual this year. I certainly wouldn't want to draft him in the first round, but I think ultimately he probably does go there.

Why not? Particularly in a draft like this one.

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player. I'd gamble on that given his incredible defensive skills.

Pretty sure this is going to be ending within a couple years as every prospect knows by age 8 that they're going to struggle to make the NBA if they can't shoot 40% from three.

Ryan Dunn shoots 24% from three, 56% from the line, is 21 years old, and is terrified of shooting... It's not gonna happen.

[shangrila]

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a team or two that feels like they can teach skill but not effort + athletecism and some raw prospects go a bit earlier than usual this year. I certainly wouldn't want to draft him in the first round, but I think ultimately he probably does go there.

Why not? Particularly in a draft like this one.

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player. I'd gamble on that given his incredible defensive skills.

He can finish around the rim and run in transition, those are his only NBA-level skills on offense. He has the skillset of a center, but not the size. Outlier development could make him very good, but without it, I don't think he's much different than Jeremy Evans.

You're not drafting him for his offence, you're drafting him for his defence. Offensively all he'll need to add is an average shot and he becomes an important rotation piece on any good team.

[HadAnEffectHere]

Should Aaron Bradshaw stay at Kentucky or transfer?

Why not? Particularly in a draft like this one.

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player. I'd gamble on that given his incredible defensive skills.

He can finish around the rim and run in transition, those are his only NBA-level skills on offense. He has the skillset of a center, but not the size. Outlier development could make him very good, but without it, I don't think he's much different than Jeremy Evans.

You're not drafting him for his offence, you're drafting him for his defence. Offensively all he'll need to add is an average shot and he becomes an important rotation piece on any good team.

He's a 21 year old (who was a perimeter player in high school) shooting 56% from the line, he has a like 2% shot of becoming an average shooter.

[shangrila]

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a team or two that feels like they can teach skill but not effort + athletecism and some raw prospects go a bit earlier than usual this year. I certainly wouldn't want to draft him in the first round, but I think ultimately he probably does go there.

Why not? Particularly in a draft like this one.

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player. I'd gamble on that given his incredible defensive skills.

Pretty sure this is going to be ending within a couple years as every prospect knows by age 8 that they're going to struggle to make the NBA if they can't shoot 40% from three.

Ryan Dunn shoots 24% from three, 56% from the line, is 21 years old, and is terrified of shooting... It's not gonna happen.

I wasn't arguing that he's going to shoot 40% from 3. And if that's the bar you've set for prospects to cross then fine. Frankly I think that's absurd.

Per Basketball Reference, there are currently 60 (out of 254, according to NBA.com) players hitting over 39% from 3 (I rounded up to give your argument some extra weight). The league average from 3 has stayed roughly the same for the past 10 years and has only seen about a 1% uptick in the 10 years prior to that. Your expectation apparently involves the league as a whole taking a significant and unprecedented leap in 3pt%, while also expecting prospects to be in the roughly top 25% of league shooters. That doesn't seem realistic.

[King Ken]

Ryan Dunn would be my #1 prospect if he shot 37% from three or if he was two inches taller.

But he shouldn't go in the top 35 as he is.

Defensively, he's like if Brandon Clarke and Shawn Marion had a baby

[babyjax13]

Why not? Particularly in a draft like this one.

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player. I'd gamble on that given his incredible defensive skills.

He can finish around the rim and run in transition, those are his only NBA-level skills on offense. He has the skillset of a center, but not the size. Outlier development could make him very good, but without it, I don't think he's much different than Jeremy Evans.

You're not drafting him for his offence, you're drafting him for his defence. Offensively all he'll need to add is an average shot and he becomes an important rotation piece on any good team.

He is going to be such a liability on offense he's not going to be able to play unless you have an elite stretch 5 next to him, and I'm not sure the defense is worth it. If Thybulle shot 25% from 3 would he be getting more than 10 minutes? Sure, maybe he can develop into a passable shooter, but to me his form looks fundamentally broken and I don't think he has the kind of touch needed to do that. Could be wrong, and I think it is worth it to make the gamble early in the second round and MAYBE late in the first. I wouldn't do it then, though, and I think I'd have guys early in the 2nd I prefer because I am really skeptical of the form coming around.

[King Ken]

Dunn is likely going to Atl with the Sac pick. His offense would be mitigated with Trae and Quin. If he's a good lob threat and can move within the offense he should be playable as a rook.

There is no chance his offensive issue can be mitigated. He's a worse shooter than Capela. He would need to be a 5 and we can't have someone like him playing the 5 on offense or defense. His best chance of success is with a team like the Pacers where they have shooting everywhere and even then, that might not be enough. Dunn is so damn good defensively, everyone wants to see him workout.

[King Ken]

He can finish around the rim and run in transition, those are his only NBA-level skills on offense. He has the skillset of a center, but not the size. Outlier development could make him very good, but without it, I don't think he's much different than Jeremy Evans.

You're not drafting him for his offence, you're drafting him for his defence. Offensively all he'll need to add is an average shot and he becomes an important rotation piece on any good team.

He is going to be such a liability on offense he's not going to be able to play unless you have an elite stretch 5 next to him, and I'm not sure the defense is worth it. If Thybulle shot 25% from 3 would he be getting more than 10 minutes? Sure, maybe he can develop into a passable shooter, but to me his form looks fundamentally broken and I don't think he has the kind of touch needed to do that. Could be wrong, and I think it is worth it to make the gamble early in the second round and MAYBE late in the first. I wouldn't do it then, though, and I think I'd have guys early in the 2nd I prefer because I am really skeptical of the form coming around.

Look at Matisse's college shooting, it's worlds better than Dunn. Dunn is a world-class, elite defensive prospect and he's the best I've seen as a perimeter player but his shooting is criminal.

[FarBeyondDriven]

lots of really good tape put out there by many of the top guys. This was my first time catching Ighodaro live and he's taller than I thought I saw on tape. He looks at or around 6'10". Has a really good feel for the game. He can pass and he moves around very well with good athleticism. I could see him towards the end of the 1st.

Not just because of this huge game but I think it's time to consider Hinson as a draft prospect, likely in the 2nd. He's a cross between Melo and the Morris twins. He's a chucker like Melo and an average at best defender too but he's a bucket on all three levels. He's got a shot to play in the NBA.

I think it's a foregone conclusion that NIL has dramatically changed the landscape and kids aren't bothered by losing playing time by all choosing the same school or by sitting behind vets they're better than. I don't know if it's a generational thing but I hate it. There are a dozen future NBA players seemingly okay with barely playing and it's likely because of NIL. It makes me think that half of these guys are perfectly fine returning next season which is mind-boggling to me. Where's the killer instinct? The pride? No way NIL is that much is it? wtf does Wagner start over Sheppard btw? And Calipari takes Wagner out after three minutes anyway. I think these schools had to make promises to their higher rated commits because Wagner should have been benched long ago and it shouldn't have taken more than a few games to realize Elmarko Jackson shouldn't be starting over Furphy.

The ball is not coming off Walter's hands right. His shot is broken. I know this is very fixable. You can tell they're trying to get him to shoot himself out of it but unless he figures out his mechanics he'll just continue to hurt his %. I'm not too concerned but I am concerned. His stock has taken a hit imo

[King Ken]

lots of really good tape put out there by many of the top guys. This was my first time catching Ighodaro live and he's taller than I thought I saw on tape. He looks at or around 6'10". Has a really good feel for the game. He can pass and he moves around very well with good athleticism. I could see him towards the end of the 1st.

Not just because of this huge game but I think it's time to consider Hinson as a draft prospect, likely in the 2nd. He's a cross between Melo and the Morris twins. He's a chucker like Melo and an average at best defender too but he's a bucket on all three levels. He's got a shot to play in the NBA.

I think it's a foregone conclusion that NIL has dramatically changed the landscape and kids aren't bothered by losing playing time by all choosing the same school or by sitting behind vets they're better than. I don't know if it's a generational thing but I hate it. There are a dozen future NBA players seemingly okay with barely playing and it's likely because of NIL. It makes me think that half of these guys are perfectly fine returning next season which is mind-boggling to me. Where's the killer instinct? The pride? No way NIL is that much is it? wtf does Wagner start over Sheppard btw? And Calipari takes Wagner out after three minutes anyway. I think these schools had to make promises to their higher rated commits because Wagner should have been benched long ago and it shouldn't have taken more than a few games to realize Elmarko Jackson shouldn't be starting over Furphy.

The ball is not coming off Walter's hands right. His shot is broken. I know this is very fixable. You can tell they're trying to get him to shoot himself out of it but unless he figures out his mechanics he'll just continue to hurt his %. I'm not too concerned but I am concerned. His stock has taken a hit imo

I'm indifferent. This might be the first time in ages I've seen seniors significantly improve. I don't remember seeing this since NBA prospects used to stay 4 years. This is strange. My most improved players this year are Edey, Shannon Jr., and Dalton K. This year is different. It's like the good Ole days. I think college men's is finally infusing with the NBA in terms of the ask of players.

Women's college is still far behind but the men's is somewhat having an evolution

[BigGargamel]

Didn't put two and two together, but that makes sense with Wagner. He STILL starts over both Sheppard and Dillingham. He should be getting basically no playing time at this point, especially over those guys, he sucks.

[shangrila]

He can finish around the rim and run in transition, those are his only NBA-level skills on offense. He has the skillset of a center, but not the size. Outlier development could make him very good, but without it, I don't think he's much different than Jeremy Evans.

You're not drafting him for his offence, you're drafting him for his defence. Offensively all he'll need to add is an average shot and he becomes an important rotation piece on any good team.

He is going to be such a liability on offense he's not going to be able to play unless you have an elite stretch 5 next to him, and I'm not sure the defense is worth it. If Thybulle shot 25% from 3 would he be getting more than 10 minutes? Sure, maybe he can develop into a passable shooter, but to me his form looks fundamentally broken and I don't think he has the kind of touch needed to do that. Could be wrong, and I think it is worth it to make the gamble early in the second round and MAYBE late in the first. I wouldn't do it then, though, and I think I'd have guys early in the 2nd I prefer because I am really skeptical of the form coming around.

Don't get me wrong, his shot form needs to be rebuilt. I guess where we differ is I have more faith in that occurring once he gets to the NBA.

At the end of the day almost everyone in this draft, particularly from the mid/late first onwards, has massive holes in their games (and the ones that don't are older with less "upside" per traditional thinking). I think you get to a point, especially after say pick 20, where you look around and say "Who has an NBA level skill?" Dunn answers that question definitively with his defence

[babyjax13]

You're not drafting him for his offence, you're drafting him for his defence. Offensively all he'll need to add is an average shot and he becomes an important rotation piece on any good team.

He is going to be such a liability on offense he's not going to be able to play unless you have an elite stretch 5 next to him, and I'm not sure the defense is worth it. If Thybulle shot 25% from 3 would he be getting more than 10 minutes? Sure, maybe he can develop into a passable shooter, but to me his form looks fundamentally broken and I don't think he has the kind of touch needed to do that. Could be wrong, and I think it is worth it to make the gamble early in the second round and MAYBE late in the first. I wouldn't do it then, though, and I think I'd have guys early in the 2nd I prefer because I am really skeptical of the form coming around.

Don't get me wrong, his shot form needs to be rebuilt. I guess where we differ is I have more faith in that occurring once he gets to the NBA.

At the end of the day almost everyone in this draft, particularly from the mid/late first onwards, has massive holes in their games (and the ones that don't are older with less "upside" per traditional thinking). I think you get to a point, especially after say pick 20, where you look around and say "Who has an NBA level skill?" Dunn answers that question definitively with his defence

Completely fair, and would not surprise me to see him drafted there.

[BigGargamel]

I'd be okay with the Nuggets taking Ryan Dunn. I don't care if he averages 1 ppg. Just block some shots and rebound. Can't be any worse than Nnaji.

[The-Power]

Shooting is historically the easiest skill to improve for a player.

This is based on what evidence? How common is it for virtual non-shooters to become passable shooters in the NBA? And big men who could shoot in the midrange and only later developed a 3pt shot obviously don't count.

Offensively all he'll need to add is an average shot

And he'll never get there. ‘Just needs an average shot’ is one of the most overused platitudes around the draft. Coming into the league he'll be pretty close to the bottom as a shooter. How do you envision him becoming average? That's a gigantic leap. And if you truly believe that shooting is the easiest skill to improve, it's virtually impossible because the other NBA players – who on average start from a much higher baseline – are going to improve as well.

I actually really like Dunn. I'd have no issues drafting him in the 1st round. But he's absolutely not going to be an average NBA shooter. Let's not kid ourselves. You draft him because you believe that he can be effectively used without having to shoot. If you're lucky you can turn him into someone who can hit wide open shots at a rate that is not catastrophic. That should be considered a win.