2024 NBA Draft Thread

[FarBeyondDriven]

this is just your, imo, wrong and subjective opinion. Knecht is basically Klay with the ability to put the ball on the floor and can play above the rim. I don't see how that's anyway shape or form a "modest ceiling"

the rest (outside of Williams) were all performing admirably in international tournaments and pro leagues. Holland had much better production that Scoot who was supposedly an elite prospect and one of the main reasons people felt the 2023 class was great (it's not btw).

I'm confident in many of these prospects becoming a good player. This draft is really going to separate the wheat from the chaff on here and with talent evaluators in general.

I'm a fan of Knecht, made mentions of him earlier in the season when he wasn't getting much top 10 hype, but he's not nearly as smooth as Klay is. Knecht is going to have a harder time separating in the NBA because his movements are stiff, I think he'll be more of a spot up shooter than shot creator at the NBA level so I think his upside is limited as a result.

That's my biggest issue with the top of this draft, who are the shot creators?
The reason why Scoot was so highly regarded is because he was a high end shot creator/playmaker, his long range shooting was the biggest question. I don't see a guy like that in this draft that looks like a potential lead player on an NBA team whereas in previous drafts there were several guys you could see with that potential. Doesn't mean there won't be good players and it doesn't mean that none of these can't develop into a #1 option but as we look at the draft right now, I don't see one that fits the mold.

we'll just have to disagree about Knecht. I think he's going to be able to score and playmaker off the PnR unlike Klay and he won't be relegated to action outside the 3 pt line like Klay is because he's a much better athlete that can finish at the rim and put the ball on the deck. He won't be a good defender like Klay though.

Day 1 Shot Creators

Holland
Knecht
Dillingham
McCain
Carter
Simpson
Carrington
Grant-Foster
Mitchell
Tyson
Scheierman
Watkins

Then there's potential for several more down the road like Buzelis, Williams, Castle, and Flowers once they develop

[SelfishPlayer]

KJ Simpson is a talented lead guard for sure, although not the beneficiary of being a hyped one and done. He's entering the draft as a junior and that tends to make people not value a prospect as heavily as they probably should. He doesn't have the size that people want, being 6'0" but he has speed and a 40" vertical that allows him to finish above the rim similar to explosive little guys like Iverson, Dame, and KJ. LOL, I just realized he shares his name with Kevin Johnson. KJ Simpson shot .434 from three in college. That should translate. That will make defenders have to guard his explosive first step in a NBA that has a defensive three second rule making the following combine highlight a potential regular occurrence:

[clyde21]

people need to stop acting like a 40" vert automatically means "you can finish above the rim", that's not how basketball works. dunking a basketball in a live game situation is completely different than jumping in an open gym. same nonsense when people say Edey can shoot 3s because he makes some in an open gym.

[SeattleJazzFan]

KJ Simpson is a talented lead guard for sure, although not the beneficiary of being a hyped one and done. He's entering the draft as a junior and that tends to make people not value a prospect as heavily as they probably should. He doesn't have the size that people want, being 6'0" but he has speed and a 40" vertical that allows him to finish above the rim similar to explosive little guys like Iverson, Dame, and KJ. LOL, I just realized he shares his name with Kevin Johnson. KJ Simpson shot .434 from three in college. That should translate. That will make defenders have to guard his explosive first step in a NBA that has a defensive three second rule making the following combine highlight a potential regular occurrence:

your misstatement in bold is one of the things that scares about him. he didn't shoot 43% from three in college. he shot 43% from three his junior year. his freshman season he shot 25% and his sophomore season he shot 27%. the question is, how much of the 43% his junior year was flukey and how much was improved shooting?

the shooter he was as a junior is who he is, i tend to agree that he could be a long time rotation guy in the league. but in the event it was more on the flukey side, it's pretty risky taking a guy that little in the first round.

[SelfishPlayer]

KJ Simpson is a talented lead guard for sure, although not the beneficiary of being a hyped one and done. He's entering the draft as a junior and that tends to make people not value a prospect as heavily as they probably should. He doesn't have the size that people want, being 6'0" but he has speed and a 40" vertical that allows him to finish above the rim similar to explosive little guys like Iverson, Dame, and KJ. LOL, I just realized he shares his name with Kevin Johnson. KJ Simpson shot .434 from three in college. That should translate. That will make defenders have to guard his explosive first step in a NBA that has a defensive three second rule making the following combine highlight a potential regular occurrence:

your misstatement in bold is one of the things that scares about him. he didn't shoot 43% from three in college. he shot 43% from three his junior year. his freshman season he shot 25% and his sophomore season he shot 27%. the question is, how much of the 43% his junior year was flukey and how much was improved shooting?

the shooter he was as a junior is who he is, i tend to agree that he could be a long time rotation guy in the league. but in the event it was more on the flukey side, it's pretty risky taking a guy that little in the first round.

I can see it being the pure result of improvement that will translate to the NBA due to him being a superior athlete. In lower levels of basketball he didn't have to have a great jump shot to excell. Tyrese Maxey had a monumental improvement in his three point shot in what would have been his junior season in college. Guys on the NBA level can have regression in three point shooting from season to season. A guy that shots over 40% from three as a reserve shouldn't surprise anyone if he doesn't shoot that high the next season as a starter. So I think KJ's jump shot improved because it had to in order to unlock his game moving forward.

[TripleA1]

Bit sad that Sheppard didn't get over the 20% usage mark hard to find an All NBA guard that had that little usage. Deron Williams and Chris Paul are the only ones I can find.

[SelfishPlayer]

Jalen Bridges is an advanced age wing that shot 41% from three and 82% at the FT line. He has good length and doesn't lack athleticism but isn't explosive. Baylor even had him running around screens shooting on the move. This draft has a bunch of guys that shoot like pros already. I'm glad the NCAA extended the three point line so that there is no longer the struggle to project shooting to the next level. The guys in this draft can really shoot. Dalton Knecht (connect) is a cool name for a shooter.

[FarBeyondDriven]

people need to stop acting like a 40" vert automatically means "you can finish above the rim", that's not how basketball works. dunking a basketball in a live game situation is completely different than jumping in an open gym. same nonsense when people say Edey can shoot 3s because he makes some in an open gym.

agreed, especially with the shooting part. But it certainly helps and Simpson has caught bodies. Backdoor alley oops or when he gets open lanes he has the hops to play above the rim and dunk on people which imho is the definition of fulfilling the at or above the rim aspect of "three level scorer" I'm not envisioning him playing like Morant or Mitchell but the threat is there and help will come which will lead to easy assists.

Watch on YouTube

[FarBeyondDriven]

Bit sad that Sheppard didn't get over the 20% usage mark hard to find an All NBA guard that had that little usage. Deron Williams and Chris Paul are the only ones I can find.

this is Calipari's failing not Sheppard's

[clyde21]

people need to stop acting like a 40" vert automatically means "you can finish above the rim", that's not how basketball works. dunking a basketball in a live game situation is completely different than jumping in an open gym. same nonsense when people say Edey can shoot 3s because he makes some in an open gym.

agreed, especially with the shooting part. But it certainly helps and Simpson has caught bodies. Backdoor alley oops or when he gets open lanes he has the hops to play above the rim and dunk on people which imho is the definition of fulfilling the at or above the rim aspect of "three level scorer" I'm not envisioning him playing like Morant or Mitchell but the threat is there and help will come which will lead to easy assists.

Watch on YouTube

that's fine, open one hand dunks is one thing, "playing above the rim" is something completely different

[FarBeyondDriven]

Baye Ndongo returning. Another first-round talent gone. This draft class just got worse.

[EmpireFalls]

I swear that Pacome Dadiet is better offensively than Risacher I will actually die on that hill.

[JustBuzzin]

I swear that Pacome Dadiet is better offensively than Risacher I will actually die on that hill.

There are plenty of prospects who are better than Risacher in this draft. But he's a 3&D prospect who can fit in any system. In a weak draft it's not hard to see why he's a top 3 prospect even in a weak class.

[clyde21]

Baye Ndongo returning. Another first-round talent gone. This draft class just got worse.

he's most likely returning because he didn't get a 1st round grade.

[SelfishPlayer]

Jaylon Tyson is the sort of NBA role player prospect I expect to see more frequently. If you are a NBA role play then surely you were the man at lower levels of competition, right? Well he is a junior that just had a 30% usage rate on the season. He was used as a primary scorer and can he seen running the pick and role, isolation, and post ups. He has good size for a SG and passable size for a SF. He's an ordinary athlete, but he's very very crafty. He shot 36% from three with a superstar green light, after shooting 40% from three the previous season on a 18% usage rate. He says that Josh Hart and Caleb Martin are the players that he models his game after. That's a very realistic goal for his NBA career, although he just had a higher usage rate than both of those guys ever had in college. Buddy Hield had a 30% usage rate his final year in college.

[BigGargamel]

Someone convince me why a team should spend a first round pick on Isaiah Collier. He isn't good enough to go in the lottery and he would be utterly useless to a playoff team, who's better off picking someone like Kolek or Simpson. What does he provide?

[SelfishPlayer]

Someone convince me why a team should spend a first round pick on Isaiah Collier. He isn't good enough to go in the lottery and he would be utterly useless to a playoff team, who's better off picking someone like Kolek or Simpson. What does he provide?

Baron Davis.

[165bows]

Just occurred to me that Harrison Ingram is such a Brad Stevens player. Stronger thicker framed guy, kind of versatile on both sides of the ball, has some solid ball skills, can kind of score a little bit but not too well or in an exciting way.

It’s a little depressing that that makes so much sense.

[HadAnEffectHere]

Someone convince me why a team should spend a first round pick on Isaiah Collier. He isn't good enough to go in the lottery and he would be utterly useless to a playoff team, who's better off picking someone like Kolek or Simpson. What does he provide?

He has the court vision to be a star PG if he bombs threes at a high volume and starts caring about winning.

[EmpireFalls]

Someone convince me why a team should spend a first round pick on Isaiah Collier. He isn't good enough to go in the lottery and he would be utterly useless to a playoff team, who's better off picking someone like Kolek or Simpson. What does he provide?

Guaranteed paint touch.

And paint touches are the most valuable in the NBA by far. That’s why. He’s got lots and lots of warts but his ability to get to the rim is enough to take him top 20 no questions asked.