2025 NBA Draft Prospect Part 2

[mtcan]

Illinois vs Michigan State coming up now. Kasparas live....

...and I was confused...thinking we'd also see Jeremiah Fears. Instead...there's Jeramy Fears Jr. Also a freshman...but not a lottery pick.

Jakucionis got a couple quick ticky tack fouls called on him, but Will Riley went full Kobe mode there. 16 points in 10 minutes.

How's Richardson look? Haven't seen him yet, not sure he's coming out, but his stats are kind of incredible? Like if you were trying to build the profile of someone playing off-ball who is actually an NBA starting PG just on a team with more experienced (Fears slightly, Holloman for sure) small guards and a freshman hating coach, he'd be like an 8/10. Probably more of a consideration for a team in the teens or 20s, but maybe we get another 1st or trade down or even fall to say #8 or so and the front office just likes him the most out of Fears/Traore/Demin/Philon/Fland.

Like if we get Orlando's 1st (Denver's originally) in a deadline deal and draft Flagg/Bailey and Richardson, makes some sense:

Poeltl-2026TOR
Barnes-
Flagg/Bailey-Agbaji
Dick-Walter
Quickley-Richardson

and maybe a Barrett + 2026 INDY + future firsts trade for a better wing if Agbaji/Dick/Walter are more quality bench wings than good starters, or upgrade on Poeltl in some big deal for a star center.

Jase Richardson is definitely not his father's son...athletically at least.

I'm seeing him more as a 2nd round pick. He should probably stay in school though.

[PoundTown]

Flagg has left Harper in the dust.

yeah it's officially Flagg or Bust now

I’d be pretty stoked with Harper, and a little bit stoked for ace too. Have VJ fourth, even if I don’t love his positional fit with current raps squad and shooting that might take a minute to develop, but I’m firm believer in best player available.

[DG88]

Jakucionis fouled out after helping narrow the lead

[Brinbe]

Jak fouls out, damn

Refs been all over this one.

Not the greatest showing for Tom or Riley in the 2nd half. I can see why people like Jase. Got good bball IQ, he's just tiny though and not really a standout athlete or scorer.

[DG88]

Man Riley cannot finish at all so weak at the basket

[DreamTeam09]

Edgecomb is my 4th. The guys in top 3 will probably all be better quicker, VJ I think could take a littler longer, but has a higher ceiling than the others behind him. I think he takes time to learn the nuances but that on a squad with a couple creators like Scottie and RJ he could develop enough with ball skills and point guard skills and mentality enough to be able to complement a duo like them. Not saying that’s a long term duo to keep or whatever but he’s got a lot of raw talent. Remember Westbrook out of college? Wasn’t the ball dominant player he’d later become and was more of a 7-10 pick than a 4th overall at rhe end of the ncaa tourney the year he was drafted.

VJ plays like a SF anyway. We would put him on the best offensive wing player, 2 or 3. I do see the upside in VJ, his summer highlights in FIBA leads me to hope there's more juice there for him

VJ plays like Marcus Smart, except Smart was a lot stronger.

Hes 6’3 without shoes. Since he’s not a PG, and is more of a SG or smallball SF, VJ really needs to put 20lbs of muscle.

Agreed, he's gonna have to put on weight to get his game off how he wants to in the NBA. I see the smart comp, he has more athletic abilities tho.

[Merit]

If the Raptors end up adding Flemming and both Ivisic brothers I wouldn't be mad.

Outside top 4, trade it with the Por 2nd for #10, #17(Atl), #40

#10 Flemming
#17 Tomislav Ivisic
#40 Zvonimir Ivisic

All the bigs that can shoot the 3.

PG IQ - Shead - Jakobe
SG Dick - Ochai - Jakobe
SF Barrett - Mogbo/Battle
PF Scottie - Flemming - Chomche
C Poeltl - Tomislav - Zvonimir

LOL I hope for your sake the raptors draft Ivisic brothers my guy has been posting about them every other post.

Last year I was all in on Chomche and would've even been okay had we drafted him at #19 (though wanted Tristan DaSilva). Then I was cool with him at #31 or #45, but happy they got him with #57.

You were that high on Chomche? Impressive.

[DG88]

Man the refs took over the game

[Syd-TK3]

I wish VJ was like 2 inches taller.

Him and Newell

[Reeko]

VJ plays like a SF anyway. We would put him on the best offensive wing player, 2 or 3. I do see the upside in VJ, his summer highlights in FIBA leads me to hope there's more juice there for him

VJ plays like Marcus Smart, except Smart was a lot stronger.

Hes 6’3 without shoes. Since he’s not a PG, and is more of a SG or smallball SF, VJ really needs to put 20lbs of muscle.

Agreed, he's gonna have to put on weight to get his game off how he wants to in the NBA. I see the smart comp, he has more athletic abilities tho.

The comp I heard for him before he played at Baylor was Avery Bradley.

[Psubs]

LOL I hope for your sake the raptors draft Ivisic brothers my guy has been posting about them every other post.

Last year I was all in on Chomche and would've even been okay had we drafted him at #19 (though wanted Tristan DaSilva). Then I was cool with him at #31 or #45, but happy they got him with #57.

You were that high on Chomche? Impressive.

I was high on Franz Wagner, Jalen Johnson, Walker Kessler, Desmond Ban, Cason Wallace (over Scoot),Bub Carrington, Tristan Da'Silva, Paul Reed.

Ones that fizzled were Reed Sheppard (too soon), Sidy Cissoko (maybe turns things around by his prime?), Isaiah Todd, Cassius Stanley and Luka Garza.

[MessiahUjiri]

VJ plays like Marcus Smart, except Smart was a lot stronger.

Hes 6’3 without shoes. Since he’s not a PG, and is more of a SG or smallball SF, VJ really needs to put 20lbs of muscle.

Agreed, he's gonna have to put on weight to get his game off how he wants to in the NBA. I see the smart comp, he has more athletic abilities tho.

The comp I heard for him before he played at Baylor was Avery Bradley.

Good comp, actually.

VJ is clearly bigger and more athletic than Bradley…he’s closer to Oladipo in athleticism. Remember, Oladipo was actually the NBA steals leader one year.

So he’s somewhere between Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and an upside of Victor Oladipo.

[Psubs]

I would take Rasheer Flemming over Derik Queen. I think Flemming is what we think Adou Thiero could be but isn't yet, so taking him before Thiero too naturally.

[Nature]

Flagg is so much better than everyone else in this class. Huge gap between him and whoever gets drafted second.

[mtcan]

Agreed, he's gonna have to put on weight to get his game off how he wants to in the NBA. I see the smart comp, he has more athletic abilities tho.

The comp I heard for him before he played at Baylor was Avery Bradley.

Good comp, actually.

VJ is clearly bigger and more athletic than Bradley…he’s closer to Oladipo in athleticism. Remember, Oladipo was actually the NBA steals leader one year.

So he’s somewhere between Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and an upside of Victor Oladipo.

I can appreciate the Oladipo comps.

There is some Jalen Suggs as well given how hard both guys go. Both go hard defensively, play the passing lanes and are challenging shots.

The motor is undeniable. However...I'm not sure if it's going to be nearly as easy to get to the basket in the NBA as it currently is for him...and when that is taken away...he doesn't have much in terms of counters. The shooting is still very suspect and so I have him in the 6-10 range.

Johnny Davis is an example of someone with shaky shooting drafted in the mid lottery with defensive upside...and now he can't get off the bench of a blatantly tanking Wizards team. Davis was able to get to the basket at will when at Wisconsin and the offence just never came along. He was a draft bust as soon as his first summer league.

My top 5 right now is:
Cooper Flagg
Dylan Harper
Kasparas Jakucionus
Ace Bailey
Tre Johnson

Maluach
Edgecombe
Demin
Newell
Traore
Fears

...that next group could go in any order in the top 10 and it wouldn't egregious at all.

[HumbleRen]

Oladipo was a truck at like 6’5.

Edgecomb is a slighter version of Marcus Smart imo but with less POA defence.

[Syd-TK3]

Aside from Donovan Mitchell i can't really think of many 6'3 shooting guard star players

[mtcan]

Aside from Donovan Mitchell i can't really think of many 6'3 shooting guard star players

Ya...that's working against VJ for sure.

I'm watching him play and I'm trying hard to even see some Donovan Mitchell in him. To be fair...no one saw Mitchell as a big time scorer when he was drafted to Utah as well. Defence was Donovan's calling card coming out of college.

As prospects...I'm liking what I see from Jakobe Walter more than VJ. While he may not have the athleticism and twitch that VJ has...Jakobe is a much more dynamic scorer and, to his credit...is able to stay in front of his man on-ball and doesn't get smoked on D.

[RoteSchroder]

Has anyone seen any games from Neoklis Avdalas? In my top 5 choice for the 2nd round pick atm.

[S.W.A.N]

Oladipo was a truck at like 6’5.

Edgecomb is a slighter version of Marcus Smart imo but with less POA defense.

Probably taller then Smart who was 6'2 barefoot. Tony Allen might be the better comp for his floor. Very similar college production and measurements (Allen had extra years in college so VJ definitely higher upside.)

The selling point for VJ is definitely his athleticism and defensive potential.

He's somewhere between a Tony Allen floor and a Victor Oladipo Ceiling... (Victor also has similar size and college production, except far better shooting)