2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 6

[Clutch0z24]

Really like the fact that Maluach is likely going to be the pick now, really interested in seeing this team with a 7ft lob threat

If we were at 8th i could see a world where Maluach is there....But i don't think 8 teams pass on him....Unless he has a bad showing in workouts....Queen might have the better chance to slide down or Kon...

I don't know who is drafting Maluach in the top 8 though.

Wizards have Sarr, they have other needs and won't use the 6th pick in the draft on a guy who is probably just a solid starting C 4 years from now they are desperate for a player who could become a star even if it's a fringe chance. Look for them to take Fears or Knueppel, maybe Queen if they fall for the "local guy" angle and think he can be a PF, might even be a dark horse for CMB as they are desperate for defence and some think CMB has star potential.

Pelicans could take him, but they just used a first on Yves Missi, some are saying they really want a PG of the future out of this draft, Fears or Jak would make a lot of sense for them.

Nets already have Claxton plus Sharpe and Clowney as developing young bigs, they have a desperate need for PGs, they only have Melton as Russell was only acquired to get draft picks off the Lakers and is probably not in their long term plans.

Teams that are picking do not think with this kind of Logic when picking players on potential in the top parts of the draft....If you like a player in your range and they are available you take them no matter "Fit" or who you have on your team....These teams picking in the 5-6-7-8 area are not good enough to pick players based on needs or fits....Its to get the best player with the highest upside....And Khaman just like Masai would have taken him over a few players in that range....Other teams will as well....When you are a bad team like the majority of these teams you pick BPA because every player on your roster is replaceable.

[PushDaRock]

Friendly reminder that Gary Trent Jr. had a 39.5 max vert

Does Trent Jr actually know this? Never seen him try to use his vertical loll

probably only knew for that 1 day

[BoyzNTheHood]

I still am in awe of Jaku's numbers:
6’4 ¾ barefoot, 205.2 lbs with a 6’7 ¾" wingspan and 8’4" standing reach

Dylan's Harper by comparison:
6’4 1/2 barefoot, 213.2 lbs with a 6’10 ½" wingspan and 8’6" standing reach

Considering he shot similarly on threes and is likely a better passer it isn't a terrible fallback at 9.

My guy Will Riley gained weight since last year. Riley at 6’8 ¼ barefoot, 185.6 lbs with a 6’8 ¾" wingspan and 8’8” standing reach is gaining momentum for me. He has star upside if he can add the weight to his frame. If we trade out of 9 he is a worthy pick.

This guy is a baby Luka. The 3pt % are a bit deceiving, because he also had to take a lot of forced shots and was consistently the focal point of the offense. Key thing is he can create and break down defenses. Something IQ is not good at. As much as we have paid big money for IQ last off season, the dude needs to be traded. People will realize in two years that he is the bottleneck for this team.

Who’s baby Luka?

[Clutch0z24]

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Fears

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Egor

[WuTang_CMB]

Fears is not getting past BRK at 8
They would love to draft him
They have zero guards with upside

[Psubs]

If we were at 8th i could see a world where Maluach is there....But i don't think 8 teams pass on him....Unless he has a bad showing in workouts....Queen might have the better chance to slide down or Kon...

I don't know who is drafting Maluach in the top 8 though.

Wizards have Sarr, they have other needs and won't use the 6th pick in the draft on a guy who is probably just a solid starting C 4 years from now they are desperate for a player who could become a star even if it's a fringe chance. Look for them to take Fears or Knueppel, maybe Queen if they fall for the "local guy" angle and think he can be a PF, might even be a dark horse for CMB as they are desperate for defence and some think CMB has star potential.

Pelicans could take him, but they just used a first on Yves Missi, some are saying they really want a PG of the future out of this draft, Fears or Jak would make a lot of sense for them.

Nets already have Claxton plus Sharpe and Clowney as developing young bigs, they have a desperate need for PGs, they only have Melton as Russell was only acquired to get draft picks off the Lakers and is probably not in their long term plans.

Teams that are picking do not think with this kind of Logic when picking players on potential in the top parts of the draft....If you like a player in your range and they are available you take them no matter "Fit" or who you have on your team....These teams picking in the 5-6-7-8 area are not good enough to pick players based on needs or fits....Its to get the best player with the highest upside....And Khaman just like Masai would have taken him over a few players in that range....Other teams will as well....When you are a bad team like the majority of these teams you pick BPA because every player on your roster is replaceable.

I can see New Orleans taking Maluach and maybe trade Olynyk to the Lakers for Jarred Vanderbilt and cash.

[ciueli]

If we were at 8th i could see a world where Maluach is there....But i don't think 8 teams pass on him....Unless he has a bad showing in workouts....Queen might have the better chance to slide down or Kon...

I don't know who is drafting Maluach in the top 8 though.

Wizards have Sarr, they have other needs and won't use the 6th pick in the draft on a guy who is probably just a solid starting C 4 years from now they are desperate for a player who could become a star even if it's a fringe chance. Look for them to take Fears or Knueppel, maybe Queen if they fall for the "local guy" angle and think he can be a PF, might even be a dark horse for CMB as they are desperate for defence and some think CMB has star potential.

Pelicans could take him, but they just used a first on Yves Missi, some are saying they really want a PG of the future out of this draft, Fears or Jak would make a lot of sense for them.

Nets already have Claxton plus Sharpe and Clowney as developing young bigs, they have a desperate need for PGs, they only have Melton as Russell was only acquired to get draft picks off the Lakers and is probably not in their long term plans.

Teams that are picking do not think with this kind of Logic when picking players on potential in the top parts of the draft....If you like a player in your range and they are available you take them no matter "Fit" or who you have on your team....These teams picking in the 5-6-7-8 area are not good enough to pick players based on needs or fits....Its to get the best player with the highest upside....And Khaman just like Masai would have taken him over a few players in that range....Other teams will as well....

So from your perspective Maluach is BPA for a team above us, but not for us at pick 9? Do I have that right? I'm not sure how both things can be true. In any case, Wizards aside, I definitely expect some teams to factor in team need for who they draft, there are lots of teams that draft for need and not just BPA. The Wizards will draft BPA, but I don't see that being Maluach at 6.

[Dennis 37]

Blake Griffin will be forever linked to that rigged dunk contest where he won because he jumped over the sponsor's car.

I know it won't happen, but I wonder if Flagg is considering dropping out of the draft and returning to college. Does he really want the narrative that his draft will be forever looked on as rigged? This is worse that Knicks getting Ewing or Cleveland getting LeBron. None of those teams had a narrative that it looked like they dumped a superstar for a peanut butter and jam sandwich, due to league direction, and were rewarded.

Counter: Does Flagg want to be the one that screwed over Dallas and messed up an entire draft?

The NBA screwed over Dallas by gifting their superstar to LA.

[Clutch0z24]

I don't know who is drafting Maluach in the top 8 though.

Wizards have Sarr, they have other needs and won't use the 6th pick in the draft on a guy who is probably just a solid starting C 4 years from now they are desperate for a player who could become a star even if it's a fringe chance. Look for them to take Fears or Knueppel, maybe Queen if they fall for the "local guy" angle and think he can be a PF, might even be a dark horse for CMB as they are desperate for defence and some think CMB has star potential.

Pelicans could take him, but they just used a first on Yves Missi, some are saying they really want a PG of the future out of this draft, Fears or Jak would make a lot of sense for them.

Nets already have Claxton plus Sharpe and Clowney as developing young bigs, they have a desperate need for PGs, they only have Melton as Russell was only acquired to get draft picks off the Lakers and is probably not in their long term plans.

Teams that are picking do not think with this kind of Logic when picking players on potential in the top parts of the draft....If you like a player in your range and they are available you take them no matter "Fit" or who you have on your team....These teams picking in the 5-6-7-8 area are not good enough to pick players based on needs or fits....Its to get the best player with the highest upside....And Khaman just like Masai would have taken him over a few players in that range....Other teams will as well....

So from your perspective Maluach is BPA for a team above us, but not for us at pick 9? Do I have that right? I'm not sure how both things can be true. In any case, Wizards aside, I definitely expect some teams to factor in team need for who they draft, there are lots of teams that draft for need and not just BPA. The Wizards will draft BPA, but I don't see that being Maluach at 6.

I never said that....If Maluach ends up to you at 9 you take him as well....At 7 it would be a little rich for my liking personally but if he is the one to fall to you at 9 you take it....I just have my doubts he is going to be there....Again you might be thinking of this with a bias hat on because you want Maluach to be a Raptor really badly....Think of it from a logical perspective....The potential will be too high for teams to pass up on him even if he becomes a bust or does not reach his ceiling....Teams are still going to take the chance on him....Again teams this high in the lotto pick the highest potential picks....And Khaman outside of the top 5 has one of the highest upside if it hits....These teams are not good enough to make a pick based on what they need if there is a player at a position they don't need but they are blown away by.

[WuTang_CMB]

question is where is masai sitting

[dozo]

https://www.nba.com/stats/draft/combine

Finally updated.

Standing Vertical Leap

1.Yanic Konan Niederhauser33.502.Chaz Lanier33.003.Jeremiah Fears32.504.Tre Johnson32.005.Dylan Harper30.50

Max Vertical Leap

1.Chaz Lanier39.002.VJ Edgecombe38.503.Jase Richardson38.004.Tre Johnson37.505.Walter Clayton Jr.37.00

Shuttle Run

1.Ace Bailey2.782.Walter Clayton Jr.2.813.Yanic Konan Niederhauser2.844.Ryan Nembhard2.885.Cooper Flagg2.92

Lane Agility

1.Tre Johnson10.492.Walter Clayton Jr.10.523.Chaz Lanier10.534.Cooper Flagg10.645.Tyrese Proctor10.75

Three Quarter Sprint

1.Jeremiah Fears3.052.Chaz Lanier3.122.Ace Bailey3.124.Walter Clayton Jr.3.145.Dylan Harper3.16

[WuTang_CMB]

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[Basketball_Jones]

Maluach looks HEAVY hope he can keep the weight off a bit more

[WuTang_CMB]

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[WuTang_CMB]

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[PushDaRock]

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Potential target at #39. Came in with a lot of hype but didn't produce as much as expected. That UNC team had a lot of guards though which took away some playing time and touches for him. 38% from three is encouraging but that was only on 1 make per game.

[Basketball_Jones]

I would like Vince Carter Bryant if the big names are off the board

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At 6'8 in shoes and 225 lbs, Carter Bryant has a 39.5" max vert!

[Clutch0z24]

I don't know who is drafting Maluach in the top 8 though.

Wizards have Sarr, they have other needs and won't use the 6th pick in the draft on a guy who is probably just a solid starting C 4 years from now they are desperate for a player who could become a star even if it's a fringe chance. Look for them to take Fears or Knueppel, maybe Queen if they fall for the "local guy" angle and think he can be a PF, might even be a dark horse for CMB as they are desperate for defence and some think CMB has star potential.

Pelicans could take him, but they just used a first on Yves Missi, some are saying they really want a PG of the future out of this draft, Fears or Jak would make a lot of sense for them.

Nets already have Claxton plus Sharpe and Clowney as developing young bigs, they have a desperate need for PGs, they only have Melton as Russell was only acquired to get draft picks off the Lakers and is probably not in their long term plans.

Teams that are picking do not think with this kind of Logic when picking players on potential in the top parts of the draft....If you like a player in your range and they are available you take them no matter "Fit" or who you have on your team....These teams picking in the 5-6-7-8 area are not good enough to pick players based on needs or fits....Its to get the best player with the highest upside....And Khaman just like Masai would have taken him over a few players in that range....Other teams will as well....When you are a bad team like the majority of these teams you pick BPA because every player on your roster is replaceable.

I can see New Orleans taking Maluach and maybe trade Olynyk to the Lakers for Jarred Vanderbilt and cash.

Yep that makes a ton of sense ...

They have Murray, McCollum, Trey Murph, Zion....They could use Maluach...If i had to guess where he ends up its prolly Pelicans....They will not pass up on him because they have Yves Missi lol....They also have no back up bigs as well so if Queen is also Off the board at 6 could easily see them go with Maluach since they have a good amount of Guards and wings already.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Fears seemed a little casual in that shooting drill. I think his value is really just making trouble with the ball in his hands. I don't expect him to be a spot up guy, even though his percentages were decent there.