2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 9

[bboyskinnylegs]

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[Dalek]

The first round of invites to the Green Room is interesting:

1.Cooper Flagg (Duke)
2. Dylan Harper (Rutgers)
3. Ace Bailey (Rutgers)
4. V.J. Edgecombe (Baylor)
5. Tre Johnson (Texas)
6. Khaman Maluach (Duke)
7. Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma)
8. Kon Knueppel (Duke)
9. Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois)
10. Egor Demin (BYU)
11. Carter Bryant (Arizona)
12. Derik Queen (Maryland)
13. Asa Newell (Georgia)

I assume what would be the 14th option is Noa Essengue who likely is invited but is currently playing in Europe so they left him out.

I personally don't think Asa Newell ends up lottery. I really like the player but bigs like him usually get picked in the 20s mainly because he is not 7ft and not a floor spacer. For that same reason I am not as sure about Queen even being lottery, but someone might see him as the next Sabonis. A case can be made, but I think he is a short C who struggled against length in college and he takes a lot of plays off on defense so motor is a concern.

Carter Bryant in the lotto is off to me. I get it from a visual sense but from production side he was a 6 point 4 rebound guy and he doesn't have a long shooting history, so its a big swing on him. He should be considered more like Payton Watson rather OG Anonoby, but I guess people like what they saw from the sample size.

A reminder that these selections are all one and dones which I don't think has any precedence in the draft. Usually a few sophs or juniors end up lottery as well as players in Europe.

I'd bump out the last four and put in:
10. Colin Murray-Boyles - argument as best defender in the class
11. Rasheer Fleming - he's a junior but shooting near 40% and high stock numbers is basically an analytics dream for a PF/C
12. Cedric Coward - limited sample size like Bryant but way more obvious scoring skills and has the impressive physical traits.
13. Noa Essengue - Huge toolsy forward that is a pure upside selection
14. Jase Richardson (MState) - despite his smallish size he is just too good analytically to ignore. Plus he has the NBA pedigree.

Honourable mentions: Joan Beringer who I think may end up lotto if a team really likes his upside - leading the ABA in blocks is special for a guy who was 17 to start the year. Nique Clifford to me deserves a lotto thought given his productivity, but age is a factor. I would have had him Coward's spot, but I think Coward has passed him.

[WuTang_OG]

The first round of invites to the Green Room is interesting:

1.Cooper Flagg (Duke)
2. Dylan Harper (Rutgers)
3. Ace Bailey (Rutgers)
4. V.J. Edgecombe (Baylor)
5. Tre Johnson (Texas)
6. Khaman Maluach (Duke)
7. Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma)
8. Kon Knueppel (Duke)
9. Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois)
10. Egor Demin (BYU)
11. Carter Bryant (Arizona)
12. Derik Queen (Maryland)
13. Asa Newell (Georgia)

I assume what would be the 14th option is Noa Essengue who likely is invited but is currently playing in Europe so they left him out.

I personally don't think Asa Newell ends up lottery. I really like the player but bigs like him usually get picked in the 20s mainly because he is not 7ft and not a floor spacer. For that same reason I am not as sure about Queen even being lottery, but someone might see him as the next Sabonis. A case can be made, but I think he is a short C who struggled against length in college and he takes a lot of plays off on defense so motor is a concern.

Carter Bryant in the lotto is off to me. I get it from a visual sense but from production side he was a 6 point 4 rebound guy and he doesn't have a long shooting history, so its a big swing on him. He should be considered more like Payton Watson rather OG Anonoby, but I guess people like what they saw from the sample size.

A reminder that these selections are all one and dones which I don't think has any precedence in the draft. Usually a few sophs or juniors end up lottery as well as players in Europe.

I'd bump out the last four and put in:
10. Colin Murray-Boyles - argument as best defender in the class
11. Rasheer Fleming - he's a junior but shooting near 40% and high stock numbers is basically an analytics dream for a PF/C
12. Cedric Coward - limited sample size like Bryant but way more obvious scoring skills and has the impressive physical traits.
13. Noa Essengue - Huge toolsy forward that is a pure upside selection
14. Jase Richardson (MState) - despite his smallish size he is just too good analytically to ignore. Plus he has the NBA pedigree.

Honourable mentions: Joan Beringer who I think may end up lotto if a team really likes his upside - leading the ABA in blocks is special for a guy who was 17 to start the year. Nique Clifford to me deserves a lotto thought given his productivity, but age is a factor. I would have had him Coward's spot, but I think Coward has passed him.

The NBA Draft is just two weeks away, and the chatter is growing louder. Yesterday, the NBA reportedly issued the first wave of green room invitations for the 2025 NBA Draft — a list that includes 13 names: Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Khaman Maluach, Jeremiah Fears, Kon Knueppel, Kasparas Jakucionis, Egor Demin, Carter Bryant, Derik Queen, and Asa Newell.

Now, I’m not the best at math, but 13 players were invited — and if the invites were based on projected lottery range or simply the 14 players with the most executive votes, I’d bet that French prospect Noa Essengue, who’s still in the middle of a playoff run in Germany, would’ve been the 14th name — if he wasn’t still playing.

Still, a couple of names caught my attention. First: Asa Newell. I’ve consistently had him projected in the late teens, so for him to be among the first 13 invitees is a sign that his stock is trending up. The other surprise? Carter Bryant. For the Arizona wing to be among the initial wave, voted in by top executives across the league, is absolutely a positive signal — and could suggest he’s creeping closer to lottery range.

The green room, for context, is the staging area at the draft where players and their families sit at tables, waiting to hear their names called. It’s an honor — and an indicator — and with 11 more invites expected to go out in the coming weeks, it’s worth keeping tabs on who’s next.

Noa likely 14th
Demin getting first round of invites is prob most interesting to me

[WuTang_OG]

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[DG88]

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[WuTang_OG]

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[Yallbecrazy]

Is there a reason that CMB cant be a poor man's Randle offensively (or even rich mans)? Randle came in same size with the same shaky long range jumper, both ball handling small-ish 4's with great strength that allows them to play there (with CMB also having greater length).

I dunno. It's hard not to be enamoured with his impact numbers. I get the fit issues, but we might just look back and ask why we passed up on someone so dominant at his own level.

Randle had better rebounding numbers and a better free throw rate.

Randle had a very poor feel as evidenced by his assists vs turnovers despite playing on a good offensive team albeit with some spacing issues.

CMB carried a significantly higher usage with much better 2pt% (11%!) / efficiency.

Randle was terrible as a rookie, but developed really well which is hard to predict. CMB projects as a significantly better offensive player entering the league, albeit with worse aggression/athleticism indicators (rebounding and free throw rate, but still excellent numbers in those departments) and he has +bbiq as opposed to -IQ.

On defense there isn't a comparison.

Randle 5.5 months younger

[Tor_Raps]

Ace's size fits better with the Hornets doesnt it? They already got Ball/Miller in the backcourt.

Miller and Bailey are both ideally SFs.

VJ woulda been perfect slotting between Ball and Miller.

Makes me wonder if Tre Johnson is in play for 4?

Miller's too lean to go against the good SFs in the league. Think SG is his spot unless he goes on a crazy bulk.

[Spates]

Ace's size fits better with the Hornets doesnt it? They already got Ball/Miller in the backcourt.

Miller and Bailey are both ideally SFs.

VJ woulda been perfect slotting between Ball and Miller.

Makes me wonder if Tre Johnson is in play for 4?

A horrific defensive back court trio

[RoteSchroder]

i’m gonna be disgusted if we don’t come away with one of bryant, queen or fears. zero desire to see any of the other mocked prospects in a raptors jersey.

Queen/Bryant would be nightmare scenarios. Fireable offense.

[BoyzNTheHood]

i’m gonna be disgusted if we don’t come away with one of bryant, queen or fears. zero desire to see any of the other mocked prospects in a raptors jersey.

Queen/Bryant would be nightmare scenarios. Fireable offense.

[RoteSchroder]

i’m gonna be disgusted if we don’t come away with one of bryant, queen or fears. zero desire to see any of the other mocked prospects in a raptors jersey.

Queen/Bryant would be nightmare scenarios. Fireable offense.

Bryant is offensively limited, has no first step, has difficulty dribbling from the 3 point line to the foul line. On defense, he gets blown by by guards on the perimeter..he's a much better mid-range to paint defender. We also don't have a good gauge of his defensive rotations. He's basically a less developed, taller, stronger, better jumping Ochai but with slower foot speed.

Queen is worse on defense than Olynyk.

I don't see the point of taking either.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Queen/Bryant would be nightmare scenarios. Fireable offense.

Bryant is offensively limited, has no first step, has difficulty dribbling from the 3 point line to the foul line. On defense, he gets blown by by guards on the perimeter..he's a much better mid-range to paint defender. We also don't have a good gauge of his defensive rotations. He's basically a less developed, taller, stronger, better jumping Ochai but with slower foot speed.

Queen is worse on defense than Olynyk.

I don't see the point of taking either.

Meh, I’m not going to argue for either guy because Bryant is an either you see it or you don’t situation, and I’m not Queen’s biggest fan but I can see him being at least decent as an NBA player.

[RoteSchroder]

Bryant is offensively limited, has no first step, has difficulty dribbling from the 3 point line to the foul line. On defense, he gets blown by by guards on the perimeter..he's a much better mid-range to paint defender. We also don't have a good gauge of his defensive rotations. He's basically a less developed, taller, stronger, better jumping Ochai but with slower foot speed.

Queen is worse on defense than Olynyk.

I don't see the point of taking either.

Meh, I’m not going to argue for either guy because Bryant is an either you see it or you don’t situation, and I’m not Queen’s biggest fan but I can see him being at least decent as an NBA player.

Go look at game tape, not highlights. Everyone looks good in highlights. Lowlights show you what they struggle with.

Queen can be a scoring back-up big..the problem is more so why would we go for 6th man upside with a top 10 pick.

Most people project Carter as a 3+D pick with upside, but you can't have much upside if you can't dribble drive. His first step is worse than Scottie's, which maybe explains him being bottom 10 in shuttle run, he just doesn't have that acceleration. On top of that, his defense isn't even as good as advertised, he has trouble with guards. It's not an OG situation. So again, taking a limited role player with a top 10 pick. Why.

It's not that they can't be NBA players, it's that they have limited potential. The things they struggle with are really hard to improve.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Bryant is offensively limited, has no first step, has difficulty dribbling from the 3 point line to the foul line. On defense, he gets blown by by guards on the perimeter..he's a much better mid-range to paint defender. We also don't have a good gauge of his defensive rotations. He's basically a less developed, taller, stronger, better jumping Ochai but with slower foot speed.

Queen is worse on defense than Olynyk.

I don't see the point of taking either.

Meh, I’m not going to argue for either guy because Bryant is an either you see it or you don’t situation, and I’m not Queen’s biggest fan but I can see him being at least decent as an NBA player.

Go look at game tape, not highlights. Everyone looks good in highlights. Lowlights show you what they struggle with.

Queen can be a scoring back-up big..the problem is more so why would we go for 6th man upside with a top 10 pick.

Most people project Carter as a 3+D pick with upside, but you can't have much upside if you can't dribble drive. His first step is worse than Scottie's, which maybe explains him being bottom 10 in shuttle run, he just doesn't have that acceleration. On top of that, his defense isn't even as good as advertised, he has trouble with guards. It's not an OG situation. So again, taking a limited role player with a top 10 pick. Why.

It's not that they can't be NBA players, it's that they have limited potential. The things they struggle with are really hard to improve.

Who said I’m looking at highlights? I’m watching actual games and game tape so try to be less condescending in your replies, especially when you’re lost.

[Psubs]

Carter Bryant comp Richard Jefferson with more blocks. RJ had a 38.5 vert compared to CB with 39.5. Same 7'0 wingpspan.

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[RoteSchroder]

Meh, I’m not going to argue for either guy because Bryant is an either you see it or you don’t situation, and I’m not Queen’s biggest fan but I can see him being at least decent as an NBA player.

Go look at game tape, not highlights. Everyone looks good in highlights. Lowlights show you what they struggle with.

Queen can be a scoring back-up big..the problem is more so why would we go for 6th man upside with a top 10 pick.

Most people project Carter as a 3+D pick with upside, but you can't have much upside if you can't dribble drive. His first step is worse than Scottie's, which maybe explains him being bottom 10 in shuttle run, he just doesn't have that acceleration. On top of that, his defense isn't even as good as advertised, he has trouble with guards. It's not an OG situation. So again, taking a limited role player with a top 10 pick. Why.

It's not that they can't be NBA players, it's that they have limited potential. The things they struggle with are really hard to improve.

Who said I’m looking at highlights? I’m watching actual games and game tape so try to be less condescending in your replies, especially when you’re lost.

I wasn't trying to be condescending, but I'm pretty sure the Skal lover is the one who's lost

[WuTang_OG]

CMB had a good workout for us according to rucker

https://youtu.be/2H6_wYfDFM8?t=3151



Heard Queen had a good workout also
https://youtu.be/2H6_wYfDFM8?t=3664

[BoyzNTheHood]

Go look at game tape, not highlights. Everyone looks good in highlights. Lowlights show you what they struggle with.

Queen can be a scoring back-up big..the problem is more so why would we go for 6th man upside with a top 10 pick.

Most people project Carter as a 3+D pick with upside, but you can't have much upside if you can't dribble drive. His first step is worse than Scottie's, which maybe explains him being bottom 10 in shuttle run, he just doesn't have that acceleration. On top of that, his defense isn't even as good as advertised, he has trouble with guards. It's not an OG situation. So again, taking a limited role player with a top 10 pick. Why.

It's not that they can't be NBA players, it's that they have limited potential. The things they struggle with are really hard to improve.

Who said I’m looking at highlights? I’m watching actual games and game tape so try to be less condescending in your replies, especially when you’re lost.

I wasn't trying to be condescending, but I'm pretty sure the Skal lover is the one who's lost

Touch grass kiddo. You have way too much time on your hands.

Skal isn’t the only one I’ve gotten wrong over the years and I’ll happily take my L’s because I have just as many W’s, which you’re welcome to go look up with all that free time you have.

[Yallbecrazy]

CMB had a good workout for us according to rucker

https://youtu.be/2H6_wYfDFM8?t=3151



Heard Queen had a good workout also
https://youtu.be/2H6_wYfDFM8?t=3664

Sounds sarcastic, like we want Suggs, but this Barnes guy had a good workout.