2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 5

[PhilBlackson]

All this talk about Maluach (understandably because I can see the potential/fit) BUT I really do think Queen would be a really fun player to have and bet his teammates would love him here, the way he competes and just his bball IQ. I can already picture him having great on court chemistry with pretty much all of our guards & BI.

The only clunky fit is ofc Scottie but I still think they could figure out a way to be effective and tbt I could see Queen being a better player offensively than Scottie that it really wouldn't matter. Adding him & Ingram, would be adding like 2 all-star calibre talents to a team that already seemed Playoff bound and a group that I could really see surprising people with how good we'd be already because we'd go from having almost nobody who can get their own bucket/manipulate a defence, to suddenly adding two in a single off-season.

While personally I'd love if they'd take the gamble on Fears because he may have the highest star potential of the bunch, I can see them taking DQ as a "compromise" to not only fulfill a roster need but a similar potential especially if we could continue to improve his body.

[Indeed]

Can we not?

But like really.. enough with the super raw projects

How would we see him running poeltls actions out of the high post. I just don't see it.

Yup, one of my concerns.

I'd imagine they'd make him do a lot of dribble hand offs where he rolls and has rim running gravity. The only problem is we lack the shooting to make teams not counter buy just packing the paint and leaving certain guys open. It could theoretically work though

I was about to say that, we don't have an elite guard.
Quickley might be alright, as teams will not go under with PnR, which allows Maluach to roll, but the passing and vision may need to be better. We are also unlikely to play him with Barnes.

But then, Maluach might be a g league player on his first season.

[Indeed]

Also, Khaman possibly being deported from the US makes it less likely he wants to be or can be drafted by a Canadian team.

I'd wager if he's eligible to stay in the US and be drafted he probably stays within the confines of the US and doesn't travel to games against the Raptors in Toronto to avoid immigration drama crossing the border.

Or we give him a Canadian visa ?

The volatility at the US border isn’t something to play with at the moment. He’d get a visa from Canada but there is a big chance he gets held up going back and forth at the US border. Green card holders are being denied entry back into the US atm.

I’d wager his representatives are probably trying to keep him within the US until all of this is resolved

I doubt Malauch will have trouble with his visa.
Two things they are looking for
1) Money - Maluach can be a rich man, there is no reason for countries not to give him visa (and get more tax)
2) Talent - the purpose of visa is to acquire better talent, unless Malauch does not have talent, otherwise, hardly see him not getting one

Malauch will have no issue playing for whoever they draft, money talks.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Or we give him a Canadian visa ?

The volatility at the US border isn’t something to play with at the moment. He’d get a visa from Canada but there is a big chance he gets held up going back and forth at the US border. Green card holders are being denied entry back into the US atm.

I’d wager his representatives are probably trying to keep him within the US until all of this is resolved

I doubt Malauch will have trouble with his visa.
Two things they are looking for
1) Money - Maluach can be a rich man, there is no reason for countries not to give him visa (and get more tax)
2) Talent - the purpose of visa is to acquire better talent, unless Malauch does not have talent, otherwise, hardly see him not getting one

Malauch will have no issue playing for whoever they draft, money talks.

I’d hope that’d be the case but it’s a clown show right now over there

[PoundTown]

All this talk about Maluach (understandably because I can see the potential/fit) BUT I really do think Queen would be a really fun player to have and bet his teammates would love him here, the way he competes and just his bball IQ. I can already picture him having great on court chemistry with pretty much all of our guards & BI.

The only clunky fit is ofc Scottie but I still think they could figure out a way to be effective and tbt I could see Queen being a better player offensively than Scottie that it really wouldn't matter. Adding him & Ingram, would be adding like 2 all-star calibre talents to a team that already seemed Playoff bound and a group that I could really see surprising people with how good we'd be already because we'd go from having almost nobody who can get their own bucket/manipulate a defence, to suddenly adding two in a single off-season.

While personally I'd love if they'd take the gamble on Fears because he may have the highest star potential of the bunch, I can see them taking DQ as a "compromise" to not only fulfill a roster need but a similar potential especially if we could continue to improve his body.

I like Queen as well. I don't watch enough to grade his defence, but if he can scrape by on that end, he's an amazing offensive talent, and very confident he is going to translate on that end. Would be a great fit on 2nd unit currently doing a lot of the things Kelly did for us, but that's not why you take him, you take him because you like him the best at pick 8 or 9 and think his offence is so good it'll offset the defensive short comings.

We're still a lot of moves away and clunky fits all over the place, so go and get yourself the best talent and figure the rest out later. I have Queen 6th on my board.

[PhilBlackson]

All this talk about Maluach (understandably because I can see the potential/fit) BUT I really do think Queen would be a really fun player to have and bet his teammates would love him here, the way he competes and just his bball IQ. I can already picture him having great on court chemistry with pretty much all of our guards & BI.

The only clunky fit is ofc Scottie but I still think they could figure out a way to be effective and tbt I could see Queen being a better player offensively than Scottie that it really wouldn't matter. Adding him & Ingram, would be adding like 2 all-star calibre talents to a team that already seemed Playoff bound and a group that I could really see surprising people with how good we'd be already because we'd go from having almost nobody who can get their own bucket/manipulate a defence, to suddenly adding two in a single off-season.

While personally I'd love if they'd take the gamble on Fears because he may have the highest star potential of the bunch, I can see them taking DQ as a "compromise" to not only fulfill a roster need but a similar potential especially if we could continue to improve his body.

I like Queen as well. I don't watch enough to grade his defence, but if he can scrape by on that end, he's an amazing offensive talent, and very confident he is going to translate on that end. Would be a great fit on 2nd unit currently doing a lot of the things Kelly did for us, but that's not why you take him, you take him because you like him the best at pick 8 or 9 and think his offence is so good it'll offset the defensive short comings.

We're still a lot of moves away and clunky fits all over the place, so go and get yourself the best talent and figure the rest out later. I have Queen 6th on my board.

Personally I think his defensive "woes" are overstated by many, he's actually excellent at getting deflections and his hands on the ball as a defender. He's also able to do a decent job sliding his feet as people seem to really underrate his quickness based on his appearance but he's really not that slow if you actually watch him. He's actually really good positionally BUT being that he lacks the length & leaping ability, he's not a great rim protector and because he still needs to continue to work his body there have been questions how much of his *consistent efforts on that end are due to conditioning. Hence why I also mentioned the importance of continuing to improve physically could help him reach some untapped potential on both ends of the court.

Also as long as he's sound positionally where he can use his hands to slow down opponent's drives and his body to bump guys around or to stay in front, that's where Scottie or Mogbo's weak side help could really shine and help make up for a main concern with DQ. I think Queen would be hella fun to add to this team and you can almost bet he'd make for a lot of memorable moments as a fan.

[WuTang_CMB]

pen blowing up carter bryant

https://youtu.be/HpZZNOfQ5kk?t=2677

[Basketball_Jones]

DQ is my pick as well if he’s somehow there. I do worry about his fitness though, he looks kind of heavy to me. He’s definitely more power forward though, but Scottie can easily shift around. He reminds me of Siakam a lot too, just a slower/heavier and taller version.

[Psubs]

pen blowing up carter bryant

https://youtu.be/HpZZNOfQ5kk?t=2677

I'd draft him. Maybe trade down a few spots.

[dohboy_24]

[aminiaturebuddha]

Any thoughts on Bogoljub Markovic as a possibility with the Raps' second round pick? There are some positive things coming out about him from the Nike Hoop Summit.

I've taken a quick look at some clips, and there are a lot of things I like - he's got great size, decent mobility for someone that big (but only if no one thinks of him as a 3), is a good and willing passer, and does most of his scoring in the two places you want (around the rim and 3-pt line).

But there's a big red flag for me in his shooting form. His numbers are good, but he's got a massive dip in his motion before he shoots. And I've even seen him doing it when he's in the paint before he puts the ball up. A decent NBA defender will strip that ball more often than not on that motion if they're within range.

So for me a big question would be how accepting he is of coaching, and if he'd be willing to partly re-build that shot to minimize the excess motion. If he is, he'd make an interesting target at #39, even if they kept him stashed in Europe for an extra year.

Thoughts?

[Thaddy]

Any thoughts on Bogoljub Markovic as a possibility with the Raps' second round pick? There are some positive things coming out about him from the Nike Hoop Summit.

I've taken a quick look at some clips, and there are a lot of things I like - he's got great size, decent mobility for someone that big (but only if no one thinks of him as a 3), is a good and willing passer, and does most of his scoring in the two places you want (around the rim and 3-pt line).

But there's a big red flag for me in his shooting form. His numbers are good, but he's got a massive dip in his motion before he shoots. And I've even seen him doing it when he's in the paint before he puts the ball up. A decent NBA defender will strip that ball more often than not on that motion if they're within range.

So for me a big question would be how accepting he is of coaching, and if he'd be willing to partly re-build that shot to minimize the excess motion. If he is, he'd make an interesting target at #39, even if they kept him stashed in Europe for an extra year.

Thoughts?

He isn't exactly on the young side since he'll be 20 when he's drafted. He is really skinny and will have defensive issues in the NBA. I would steer clear and draft defense first.

[S.W.A.N]

pen blowing up carter bryant

https://youtu.be/HpZZNOfQ5kk?t=2677

I'd draft him. Maybe trade down a few spots.

I don't always agree with Pen, but I do on this one. If Kaman and Queen are off the board at 7-8 then trade down with Miami.

Get one of Carter/Noa/CMB at 11
and
one of Sorber/Wolf/Condon at 18

[earthtone]

The point of contention is if he’s actually BPA or if it’s a Tidjane type pick where the FO is really high on the guy even though he isn’t actually that great compared to comp.

That's not what PSubs was saying, he said if you're not getting a centre that's consensus Top 2/3, there's no point drafting one at all before the 20's. Regardless of what you think of Maluach specifically, I don't think that's a good overall draft philosophy.

Really BPA isn't an exact science either because there are busts. At #1 Cooper Flagg is BPA. Then is Harper really BPA at #2, probably. After that it's a crap shoot.

What I am saying after the top 3, you're just as likely going to get a similar big in the rest of the lottery as you are later in the draft. Also likely it's unlikely that he's a jumbo creator (except for Sabonis and Scottie but they can play PF). Like look a Zach Edey in the top 10 vs Quinten Post in the 2nd round.

BPA is far from an exact science, I'm just saying that if you have a Centre as the top player on your board when you're on the clock, there's no strategic value in passing on that centre to draft another position. You're saying there's no difference in the calibre of centre prospects from the lottery to the 2nd round, and I don't think that's accurate if you look through past selections.

There's obviously guys drafted in the 20's and 30s that pop and have successful careers, but that's true about every position not just Cs.
Way too soon to make any statements about the 2024 draft class, but Edey was a far superior prospect to Post and I think he'll have a much better NBA career when all it's all said and done. I think the difference in their skill level/projection is pretty accurately reflected in the difference in draft position

[Thaddy]

Bryant looks like the best project. I would be interested in his high school tape. If we can unlock his off dribble shooting at his 7 ft wingspan he'd be an all star. I can see him being a back up forward almost immediately.

In the 2nd round Byrd should be there. If we come into next season with a lot of forwards and look shallow at guard and big positions I'd be okay with it. Forwards are versatile and go along with the evolution in the league.

Poeltl / Mogbo
Barnes / Bryant
Ingram / Agbaji / Battle / Byrd
Barrett / Dick / Walter
Quickley / Shead

Let them compete internally and start making trades for future picks and bigs. I'd keep Walter, Gradey and the lottery pick this year for the full rookie deal term and trade on the 2nd contract once the potential has been reached.

[HumbleRen]

If we go for a wing, I like Rasheer Fleming a lot. Reminds me of OG Anunoby.

Watch on YouTube

[Duffman100]

If we go for a wing, I like Rasheer Fleming a lot. Reminds me of OG Anunoby.

Watch on YouTube

Yeah I wish we had a 13-18 pick as well. He looks good.

[Duffman100]

I can see the hype around Carter Bryant. Would be nice to add someone with that effortless athleticism.

[Jerry Lucas]

I can see the hype around Carter Bryant. Would be nice to add someone with that effortless athleticism.

Put your opinions on the record and post a big board.

[Yallbecrazy]

Tier 1. Flagg (Superstar)


Tier 3. (really tier 2, but I wanted to emphasize how good of a prospect Flagg is) Harper/CMB/Edgecombe (in that order, all have all star potential, but have some flaw)

Tier 4. (potential to be solid contributors or stars with higher bust risk)A number of guys I have opinions on that I don't really know how to rank them. As an example you would put Fears in here as does some things really well, but also has multiple flaws. Carter Bryant is a 3+D contributor, but shows nothing in terms of creation. Condon has great lateral quicks, and excellent instincts on the defensive end and instantly becomes a top 5 passing centre in the NBA, but is probably too small to be an elite defender and doesn't have the shooting and is only okay as a dribble drive or post scorer to be a true threat on offense.