2025 NBA Draft Prospect Part 3

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Honestly Stirtz has decent self-creation but if WS isnt great I'm worried about how a lot of what he's good at scales up to NBA considering the quality of comp. I also would have preferred his FT% to be well into 80s.

He might be good enough to carry Drake to a win or two in the tournament if their opponents don't have any lockdown perimeter defenders.

[Psubs]

Watch on YouTube

Is it good that others are coming around on Condon?

I want to trade down to give Maluach to San Antonio so can draft Condon first, then Fleming with the Atl pick.

[Dalek]

Watch on YouTube

Is it good that others are coming around on Condon?

I want to trade down to give Maluach to San Antonio so can draft Condon first, then Fleming with the Atl pick.

He is playing on one of the best teams in college so he cannot be hidden and March Madness will further showcase him.

The one little thing I didn't realize with him is draft age. Condon will be 21 in July so he is a bit older than I thought. Not a typical high lottery age because GMs tend to gamble on the 18 year-olds, so I still think he is in 15-20 range. He is a few months older than Derik Queen.

[Psubs]

Watch on YouTube

Is it good that others are coming around on Condon?

I want to trade down to give Maluach to San Antonio so can draft Condon first, then Fleming with the Atl pick.

He is playing on one of the best teams in college so he cannot be hidden and March Madness will further showcase him.

The one little thing I didn't realize with him is draft age. Condon will be 21 in July so he is a bit older than I thought. Not a typical high lottery age because GMs tend to gamble on the 18 year-olds, so I still think he is in 15-20 range. He is a few months older than Derik Queen.

Yes, Queen is sophomore aged.

[Dalek]

I know we are hesitant to take on another guard but I wonder if Drake Powell has untapped upside to him. He was a special athlete at the EYBL.

Watch on YouTube

He had a minute uptick during the big UNC run when they won 6 in a row. About 9 dunks and 69% at the rim he great for 6'5 ish guard. He can also shoot it at 39% from three on low volume. Maybe a future Jimmy Butler if developed in time.

[Psubs]

I know we are hesitant to take on another guard but I wonder if Drake Powell has untapped upside to him. He was a special athlete at the EYBL.

Watch on YouTube

He had a minute uptick during the big UNC run when they won 6 in a row. About 9 dunks and 69% at the rim he great for 6'5 ish guard. He can also shoot it at 39% from three on low volume. Maybe a future Jimmy Butler if developed in time.

I think that Carter Bryant would be the slightly better similar prospect and he's bigger at 6'8.

[DreamTeam09]

I'll take a Khaman Maluach Jamir Watkins draft

[BoyzNTheHood]

I know we are hesitant to take on another guard but I wonder if Drake Powell has untapped upside to him. He was a special athlete at the EYBL.

Watch on YouTube

He had a minute uptick during the big UNC run when they won 6 in a row. About 9 dunks and 69% at the rim he great for 6'5 ish guard. He can also shoot it at 39% from three on low volume. Maybe a future Jimmy Butler if developed in time.

Untapped potential is a slippery slope. Taking guys based on future projections can get you stars, but it can also get you busts versus actually productive players.

[Dalek]

I know we are hesitant to take on another guard but I wonder if Drake Powell has untapped upside to him. He was a special athlete at the EYBL.

Watch on YouTube

He had a minute uptick during the big UNC run when they won 6 in a row. About 9 dunks and 69% at the rim he great for 6'5 ish guard. He can also shoot it at 39% from three on low volume. Maybe a future Jimmy Butler if developed in time.

I think that Carter Bryant would be the slightly better similar prospect and he's bigger at 6'8.

I have him on the radar too but with Carter Bryant I haven't seen the same uptick in minutes/production to warrant further mention.

Powell has made some good strides, and I just forgot how crazy an athlete he is. I do wish he showed it more often.

I think why I have soured on the draft a bit is that I haven't seen the freak athletes too much. I can see Toronto investing in that since we like to get out and run and score in transition.

[dballislife]

if we stay around 5-7 tre, kasparas, and kon are all in that range, honestly how is their defensive potential because scouting reports have nothing good to say about their D...and we are in desperate need of big long D

[UnbelievablyRAW]

if we stay around 5-7 tre, kasparas, and kon are all in that range, honestly how is their defensive potential because scouting reports have nothing good to say about their D...and we are in desperate need of big long D

None of them are great. All 3 have floor spacing potential with Tre being the best shot creator.

Kasp is the most all around from those 3 given he can pass and has a great finishing ability (only rivaled by Dylan Harper among guards)

If we get those 3 at our pick I’d take KJ

[Jerry Lucas]

It's still a bit early in college season but I'm going to post my first "Masai-type FRP" list of the 2025 draft cycle as a reply to this post. This list is subject to change throughout the season as some guys rise and fall based on production inconsistency (list will most likely shrink). In brackets will be where they are currently ranked on ESPN's mock (generally Masai-types rise in mocks throughout the college season), and their school.

First, my track record so far (check the dates on these posts). I didn't know about Torvik until the 2023 draft cycle which is the site I use to filter for Masai-types:

Gradey:
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=105427438#p105427438
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=106576531#p106576531

Ja'Kobe (his 1st half of the season stood out big time, before his knee issues in the 2nd half caused a drop off in production):
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=110746921#p110746921
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=110829460#p110829460
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=110830588#p110830588

Mogbo (pick 31 I was tracking as a psuedo-FRP, considering it was a very early SRP):
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=112340825#p112340825

Tier 1 - Masai-type Lottery level Freshmen:
-6'6" G Dylan Harper (Rutgers, #2)
-6'9" G Egor Demin (BYU, #7)
-6'6" PG Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois, #8)
-6'4" PG Labaron Philon (Alabama, #19)
-6'10" PF/C Derik Queen (Maryland, #23)
-6'11" C Asa Newell (Georgia, #24)
-6'10" PF/C Thomas Sorber (Georgetown, unranked)

Tier 2 - Masai-type Lottery level Sophomores:
-6'8" F Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina, #18)
-7'1" PF/C Tomislav Ivisic (Illinois, #42)
-6'11" PF/C Alex Condon (Florida, unranked)
-6'6" F Devin Royal (Ohio State, unranked)
-6'3" PG Anthony Robinson II (Missouri, unranked)
-6'8" F Eric Dailey Jr. (UCLA, unranked)

Tier 3 - General Masai-type FRPs (Class added preceding their listed position):
-6'6" Jr. G Adou Thiero (Arkansas, #20)
-7'1" Sr. C Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton, #30)
-6'6" Jr. G Darrion Williams (Texas Tech, #59)
-6'4" So. PG Bennett Stirtz (Drake, unranked)
-6'7" So. F Andrew Meadow (Boise State, unranked)
-6'3" So. G Mason Falslev (Utah State, unranked)
-6'6" So. G Eian Elmer (Miami OH, unranked)
-6'7" So. G Miles Byrd (San Diego State, unranked)
-6'9" Jr. F Malik Reneau (Indiana, unranked)

With a new draft thread up, figure it's a good time to update my "Masai-type FRP" list as a reply to my previous post:

Tier 1 - Masai-type Lottery level Freshmen:
-6'9" F Cooper Flagg (Duke, #1)
-6'6" G Dylan Harper (Rutgers, #2)
-6'5" G VJ Edgecombe (Baylor, #4)
-6'6" G Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois, #5)
-6'7" G Kon Knueppel (Duke, #6)
-6'10" PF/C Derik Queen (Maryland, #14)
-6'11" PF/C Asa Newell (Georgia, #21)

Tier 2 - Masai-type Lottery level Sophomores:
-6'8" F Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina, #19)
-6'11" PF/C Alex Condon (Florida, #36)
-6'8" F Eric Dailey Jr. (UCLA, unranked)
-6'10" C Malique Ewin (Florida State, unranked)

Tier 3 - General Masai-type FRPs (Class added preceding their listed position):
-6'6" Jr. G Adou Thiero (Arkansas, #23)
-7'1" Sr. C Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton, #41)
-6'3" So. G PJ Haggerty (Memphis, #98)
-6'7" So. G Miles Byrd (San Diego State, unranked)
-6'0" Jr. PG Braden Smith (Purdue, unranked)
-6'4" Jr. PG Bennett Stirtz (Drake, unranked)
-6'8" Jr. F Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State, unranked)

Updated "Masai-type FRP" list now that the regular season is done, and before the start of major conference tournaments:

Tier 1 - Masai-type Lottery level Freshmen:
-6'9" F Cooper Flagg (Duke, #1)
-6'6" G Dylan Harper (Rutgers, #2)
-6'5" G VJ Edgecombe (Baylor, #4)
-6'6" G Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois, #6)
-6'7" G Kon Knueppel (Duke, #8)
-6'11" PF/C Asa Newell (Georgia, #20)
-6'3" G Jase Richardson (Michigan State, #24)

Tier 2 - Masai-type Lottery level Sophomores:
-6'8" F Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina, #18)
-6'11" PF/C Alex Condon (Florida, #28)
-6'9" F JT Toppin (Texas Tech, #59)
-6'8" F Eric Dailey Jr. (UCLA, unranked)

Tier 3 - General Masai-type FRPs (Class added preceding their listed position):
-6'7" So. G Miles Byrd (San Diego State, #38)
-6'3" So. G Mason Falslev (Utah State, unranked)
-6'9" So. F Alvaro Folgueiras (Robert Morris, unranked)
-6'4" Jr. PG Bennett Stirtz (Drake, unranked)

My guess is that the top 4 freshmen on this updated list (Flagg/Harper/Edgecombe/Jakucionis) is the top 4 on Masai's big board, and the next tier below is Knueppel/Newell/CMB/Condon/Jase.

Quick explainer on Jase being so high on this list despite never being on it in my previous updates. His role has been increasing as the season has went along, and since becoming a starter, his starter vs bench splits are very interesting.

Bench (from start of the season to Feb 4):
https://barttorvik.com/playerstat.php?link=y&minGP=1&year=2025&kw=jase%20richardson&start=20241101&end=20250204

Starter (since Feb 5):
https://barttorvik.com/playerstat.php?link=y&minGP=1&year=2025&kw=jase%20richardson&start=20250205&end=20250501

[RoteSchroder]

I'll take a Khaman Maluach Jamir Watkins draft

That may turn out disastrous

[DreamTeam09]

I'll take a Khaman Maluach Jamir Watkins draft

That may turn out disastrous

Best defensive big in the draft and a 6'7 3pt shooter with some gumption, that would be solid

[dballislife]

khaman has gobert and clingan like measurements and he moves better...hes playing college ball at 18 with decent numbers flashing 75% FTs...and americans start being placed in advanced program at 10-12, meanwhile this kid only started playing for a few years

theres too much untapped potential

honestly i start thinking about him at 5

[Psubs]

khaman has gobert and clingan like measurements and he moves better...hes playing college ball at 18 with decent numbers flashing 75% FTs...and americans start being placed in advanced program at 10-12, meanwhile this kid only started playing for a few years

theres too much untapped potential

honestly i start thinking about him at 5

We say untapped potential with Maluach but not with Condon who started serious basketball at maybe even an older age than Maluach.

If we talk about raw Moustapha Thiam has shown a more variety of tools than Maluach and is blocking shots already.

Thiam vs West Virginia 2 days ago:

13 pts (5/8, 2/5 - 3pt), 7 rebs and 1 block.

Watch on YouTube

[RoteSchroder]

I'll take a Khaman Maluach Jamir Watkins draft

That may turn out disastrous

Best defensive big in the draft and a 6'7 3pt shooter with some gumption, that would be solid

Watkins is shooting 32.5% from the college 3...and he's a 23 year old senior

Duke's defense is good even without Maluach. Duke's wing defense is really good. Maliq Brown and Ngongba, on the same team, have better defensive metrics than him. A lot of misses he forces comes with help from his teammates, especially Cooper, who takes on the role as a defensive roamer.

On top of that, he's shown no offensive versatility so far aside from being a rim finisher. He's a project on both sides of the court and any team that drafts him is basically going for pure upside with his height/length/mobility.

[RoteSchroder]

khaman has gobert and clingan like measurements and he moves better...hes playing college ball at 18 with decent numbers flashing 75% FTs...and americans start being placed in advanced program at 10-12, meanwhile this kid only started playing for a few years

theres too much untapped potential

honestly i start thinking about him at 5

We say untapped potential with Maluach but not with Condon who started serious basketball at maybe even an older age than Maluach.

If we talk about raw Moustapha Thiam has shown a more variety of tools than Maluach and is blocking shots already.

Thiam vs West Virginia 2 days ago:

13 pts (5/8, 2/5 - 3pt), 7 rebs and 1 block.

Watch on YouTube

I can't get a gauge on his defense due to lack of a balanced game tape, but he has the best defensive metrics on his team. His teammates are horrendous..many with negative DBPM's and defensive ratings >115. I read that UCF's defensive rating drops by 10+ with Thiam off the court.

Thiam's a bit skinny, which affects his rebounding. The worry is a Mo Bamba situation with his defense, but I don't think there's the same concern offensively. Bamba's college highlights were limited to at the rim dunks/lay-ups, spot up 3 point shooting and nothing else (Malauch is mainly just dunks/lay-ups).

Thiam has the hook shot down and has been shooting long 2's or 3's every game. He's also capable of some post moves and a turn around shot.

Thiam seems to be a better project than Maluach to me.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

khaman has gobert and clingan like measurements and he moves better...hes playing college ball at 18 with decent numbers flashing 75% FTs...and americans start being placed in advanced program at 10-12, meanwhile this kid only started playing for a few years

theres too much untapped potential

honestly i start thinking about him at 5

Go ahead and look at the last 10 years of drafts and the C’s who were taken top 10, and then the names taken after them

[PhilBlackson]

We'll be LUCKY to draft Khaman at this point.

They need to basically stop playing all starters by the time the 4th quarter starts or we're going to be picking between players like Queen, Hardy, Fears or Fleming and that's pretty depressing considering that we spent the vast majority of the season in the bottom 5.