2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 9

[ATLTimekeeper]

I think i prefer nikola topic, 15 and 26 for raps number 9 if okc willing to do that

Topic was going to go top 5 last year if not for the injuries right? I doubt OKC throws him away like that... youre trading with the best franchise in the nba here

Wasn't he under contract? I think he might be gettable because 1) it'd be tough for him to outplay any of the OKC guards, especially the way they use their guards and 2) he hasn't played, so no one actually knows if he's good or not and 3) he's coming off a big injury, so he'll be rusty and 4) they will be in cap hell sooner than later and it's an extra 5 million they can use as cushioning. That trade doesn't seem fair to OKC, though.

[grant101]

The last 8 man deep draft (2016)

1. B Simmons
2. B Ingram
3. J Brown
4. D Bender
5. K Dunn
6. B Hield
7. J Murray
8. M Chriss

The Raptors ended up with Poeltl/Siakam/VV, their greatest draft haul.

Sabonis, D Murray, Zubac, Lavert also came from the draft, and the ROY of the year was Brogdan selected 36th.

Draft tiers are only a thing before a draft.

What really matters is what your internal tiers say. You strike it rich when your tiers don't align with consensus, meaning you can get value from deeper in the draft. 2016 was the perfect example. I remember when Masai introduced Pascal. You could tell how giddy he was to be able to pick him. It was obvious they had Siakam much higher on their board.

I can see a very similar scenario playing out this year as well. It's a very deep draft, and a lot of ppl seem to be sold on names that I just don't see it with.

[TheRealDeal]

The last 8 man deep draft (2016)

1. B Simmons
2. B Ingram
3. J Brown
4. D Bender
5. K Dunn
6. B Hield
7. J Murray
8. M Chriss

The Raptors ended up with Poeltl/Siakam/VV, their greatest draft haul.

Sabonis, D Murray, Zubac, Lavert also came from the draft, and the ROY of the year was Brogdan selected 36th.

Draft tiers are only a thing before a draft.

5/8 became good players. That’s a solid hit rate. I’m sure our FO will still be able to find a guy at 9, but the odds of picking the right one definitely decrease once you’re outside of the consensus.

[Double Helix]

Tolzman said any big man prospect (and CMB qualifies as a small ball version) is long term investment so he’d work his way up to backing up Yak and also simultaneously backing up Scottie at times and they’d see how he looks in different lineups and situations. Eventually, assuming he can become Draymond 2.0 he would become the next Raptors C. They’d get another 7 footer for matchup issues but with his wingspan and 240lb frame he is going to find ways to play against all but the most elite high usage scoring 7 footers in that role.

[PushDaRock]

I think i prefer nikola topic, 15 and 26 for raps number 9 if okc willing to do that

Topic was going to go top 5 last year if not for the injuries right? I doubt OKC throws him away like that... youre trading with the best franchise in the nba here

Wasn't he under contract? I think he might be gettable because 1) it'd be tough for him to outplay any of the OKC guards, especially the way they use their guards and 2) he hasn't played, so no one actually knows if he's good or not and 3) he's coming off a big injury, so he'll be rusty and 4) they will be in cap hell sooner than later and it's an extra 5 million they can use as cushioning. That trade doesn't seem fair to OKC, though.

They still obviously like him a lot as a player, they picked him anyways knowing he was out for the year. If they didn't like anyone at that spot, they would have traded the pick for later ones like they love to do.

[OakleyDokely]

The last 8 man deep draft (2016)

1. B Simmons
2. B Ingram
3. J Brown
4. D Bender
5. K Dunn
6. B Hield
7. J Murray
8. M Chriss

The Raptors ended up with Poeltl/Siakam/VV, their greatest draft haul.

Sabonis, D Murray, Zubac, Lavert also came from the draft, and the ROY of the year was Brogdan selected 36th.

Draft tiers are only a thing before a draft.

What really matters is what your internal tiers say. You strike it rich when your tiers don't align with consensus, meaning you can get value from deeper in the draft. 2016 was the perfect example. I remember when Masai introduced Pascal. You could tell how giddy he was to be able to pick him. It was obvious they had Siakam much higher on their board.

I can see a very similar scenario playing out this year as well. It's a very deep draft, and a lot of ppl seem to be sold on names that I just don't see it with.

Teams picking high have a lot of pressure to go with consensus.

If a team like Charlotte has Essengue #4 on their board and their top 3 are all gone, I still don't think they' take him there. Maybe they try to move down, but the most likely scenario is they go with the safe pick at that spot. You'd need an exec very safe in his role with a lot of job security to go way off board that high in the draft. That's why most of the top 5-10 play out pretty close to consensus. If you're a team in the Raps spot or lower, there's a lot more freedom to just pick the guy you like regardless of what the mocks say.

[aminiaturebuddha]

I can definitely see the talent with CMB, but my main issue is that it's one thing to draft for BPA, it's another thing to draft for a roster that's totally different from the one you have.

I just don't see which lineups he would fit into that would be remotely successful. I mean, sure, he could work in lineups with IQ, Gradey, and Ja'Kobe, but how many minutes a game are you going to see that? Are we prepping for a future team without Scottie, Poeltl, BI, and RJ?

If they end up drafting him, I'll just have to hope that they have a better sense of what the vision would be for him on the roster and in various lineups. But for right now, he's the guy I think would be the most awkward fit with the team, which would minimize what you'd get out of his talents.

[God Squad]

1 more day until the draft. We're going to see the next future Raptors (9, 39) soon!

I'm hoping Masai moves RJ +39 for assets +draft capital. I'm looking at Portland specifically.

[WuTang_OG]

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[WuTang_OG]

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[TheDunc]

Carter Bryant who is I want but I doubt the raptors take a wing. I've got my money on CMB or KM being our pick.

Between the two im pretty split on, I think both have clear weaknesses but both have a shot at being the best defenders in the draft

[grant101]

The last 8 man deep draft (2016)

1. B Simmons
2. B Ingram
3. J Brown
4. D Bender
5. K Dunn
6. B Hield
7. J Murray
8. M Chriss

The Raptors ended up with Poeltl/Siakam/VV, their greatest draft haul.

Sabonis, D Murray, Zubac, Lavert also came from the draft, and the ROY of the year was Brogdan selected 36th.

Draft tiers are only a thing before a draft.

What really matters is what your internal tiers say. You strike it rich when your tiers don't align with consensus, meaning you can get value from deeper in the draft. 2016 was the perfect example. I remember when Masai introduced Pascal. You could tell how giddy he was to be able to pick him. It was obvious they had Siakam much higher on their board.

I can see a very similar scenario playing out this year as well. It's a very deep draft, and a lot of ppl seem to be sold on names that I just don't see it with.

Teams picking high have a lot of pressure to go with consensus.

If a team like Charlotte has Essengue #4 on their board and their top 3 are all gone, I still don't think they' take him there. Maybe they try to move down, but the most likely scenario is they go with the safe pick at that spot. You'd need an exec very safe in his role with a lot of job security to go way off board that high in the draft. That's why most of the top 5-10 play out pretty close to consensus. If you're a team in the Raps spot or lower, there's a lot more freedom to just pick the guy you like regardless of what the mocks say.

I think that's a reasonable approach (just picking a guy we like at 9), but if there are a number of guys we like (and I have a feeling there may be in this case), and we think we can get them later, I'd love to see us be a little creative/daring and maximize the value of the position.

[Double Helix]

If CMB could already hit 3s he’d he a consensus top 6 pick. He is that level of defensive prospect.

[WuTang_OG]

stein

The overwhelming sentiment in league circles is that Phoenix continues to target a big man with the 10th pick it now happily holds.

We've been writing for days now about the Suns' desire to find a starting-level center and generally upgrade their frontcourt ever since they failed to even reach the Play-In Tournament. Phoenix is known to be eager to add to its frontline even after the midseason acquisition of Nick Richards.

In the No. 10 range, it remains to be seen which players will be available after Toronto selects at No. 9 ... or the Raptors trade that selection elsewhere. Two names I've been told to monitor for the Suns on NBA Draft Eve at No. 10: Maryland's Derik Queen and Michigan's Danny Wolf.

[grant101]

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This is exactly what I've been saying. I think teams are selling themselves on KM. If we don't have the same opinion (I'm personally not entirely sold), then why not squeeze these teams for additional value?

This all rests on the premise that we aren't locked in on a particular player that might not be available later on

[ArthurVandelay]

Raptors trading for Zinger would really blow up everyone's draft board. It would really change options and opportunities.

[OakleyDokely]

If CMB could already hit 3s he’d he a consensus top 6 pick. He is that level of defensive prospect.

I think he'd probably go 2nd if he had a 3, but most likely 3rd.

If you think he's going to be able to shoot it at some point, he will be a steal where he's drafted.

[OakleyDokely]

What really matters is what your internal tiers say. You strike it rich when your tiers don't align with consensus, meaning you can get value from deeper in the draft. 2016 was the perfect example. I remember when Masai introduced Pascal. You could tell how giddy he was to be able to pick him. It was obvious they had Siakam much higher on their board.

I can see a very similar scenario playing out this year as well. It's a very deep draft, and a lot of ppl seem to be sold on names that I just don't see it with.

Teams picking high have a lot of pressure to go with consensus.

If a team like Charlotte has Essengue #4 on their board and their top 3 are all gone, I still don't think they' take him there. Maybe they try to move down, but the most likely scenario is they go with the safe pick at that spot. You'd need an exec very safe in his role with a lot of job security to go way off board that high in the draft. That's why most of the top 5-10 play out pretty close to consensus. If you're a team in the Raps spot or lower, there's a lot more freedom to just pick the guy you like regardless of what the mocks say.

I think that's a reasonable approach (just picking a guy we like at 9), but if there are a number of guys we like (and I have a feeling there may be in this case), and we think we can get them later, I'd love to see us be a little creative/daring and maximize the value of the position.

It depends on their tier breaks and if they think they think they can get the player they want lower. Most teams don't like to risk it and just take the guy they like. If they have a bunch of guys rated equally, it makes sense to move down.

A lot of the trade downs or trade outs we see now are money related, especially in the mid to late 1st round.

[TheRealDeal]

Tanking all year just to end up with Danny Wolf would be kind of funny

[Double Helix]

If he adds a 3 he suddenly has SF versatility like Scottie does which is huge and then you’re talking about versatility to play 3-5 as needed which would make him Unicorn-ish and highly sought after as an asset.

He's at 27% so far. It’s not great but it’s also not like Giannis or Simmons bad either.