2023 Draft Discussion Part III

[HumbleRen]

I’m reading some insanity in this thread lol.

Please don’t get too caught up in the regular season exploits man. Playoff and regular season basketball are completely different environments.

Grizzlies absolutely need Ja in the playoffs, he’s easily their best player in that setting lol.

[WuTang_CMB]

Not saying Colby is the pick but Raps love these type of dudes. Usually bodes well for a kid to keep coming back with added arsenal to his game. Good on him, hope he goes to a good development team who respects his game.

I pride myself on going to bat for upperclassmen that have simply gotten better each year throughout their collegiate careers. Over the years, being an “upperclassman” has been ruled as a negative in the draft space. It’s something that continues to shock me as an evaluator and, most importantly, a fan of the NBA.

Players will look at themselves in the mirror and say, “you know what, I could probably improve my game a lot with another year.” We should be applauding them for that type of self-realization. That’s just what Xavier junior guard Colby Jones did. Listed at 6’6”, Colby Jones will be a swiss-army-knife of production at the next level. Jones was buzzing in NBA Draft circles as a potential sleeper during the 2021-22 NCAA season. While Jones was filling up the box scores, there was a clear desire for him to add the outside shot to his game. That’s when Colby decided to return for his junior season.

Jones went back and did just what NBA scouts wanted to see. He developed a smooth-shooting stroke from outside that looks to be trending in the right direction rapidly. It’s not just the shot that makes Colby an intriguing talent moving forward, though. Jones is an intelligent player who understands patience and how to work to get to his spots. He’s going to have the potential to be an outstanding “connecting” piece at the next level. When players are entering the NBA, they are going to have to rely on their strengths in order to make an impact as a rookie. Jones offers the versatility on both sides of the floor to step up and contribute in a number of different areas.

Jones won’t be the “sexiest” pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. But he’s going to be in the running for “how did he go that late?” Some team will have a long conversation about passing him up much earlier than expected.

Jordan Miller may not cost a draft pick and has an A/T of 3 in the tourney. Being 23 gets him undrafted but a great backup SG/PG. I think he's like a Josh Hart, but with a little less rebounding and a little more play-making.

If we trade back somehow, Colby definitely high on our list.

[DreamTeam09]

It's looking like Siddy will be our pick as I think we'll be picking in the 15-18 range and I believe he's the most raptor like player to be available in the that range. Cason would obviously be the pick but I don't think he makes it to 15-18

[Dalek]

This logic would have taken Kemba over Kawhi. I don't want to pursue this awful line of thinking any longer.

And the opposing logic would likely draft Tyreke Evans over Steph Curry because he was a big PG who looked like he could defend at the next level. Or maybe Rubio who was an awesome two-way player in Spain.

Kawhi was a diamond in the rough but he was developed in the best place possible with the best shooting coach in the league. He was a good college player, but the Spurs developed him into a "superstar." He got to play with three hall-of-fame players to start his career. Not a bad group to learn from.

Scoot has scary raw materials: speed, power and PG vision, and he is a natural leader/star that makes him special. Back in Lamelo's draft year people were talking themselves out of him because of his defense and his character, but as soon as stepped on an NBA court he was a walking triple double. I see the same for Scoot assuming he can stay healty.

Drafting isn't a perfect science, but you go with the top tier talent when you see it.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Yeah that's why if Ausar Thompson ends up with a good organization you don't want to be dismissing him. If he ends up on a joke team like the Rockets he'll probably never amount to much. It's been hard to get a total read on them but I'm starting to lean more towards Ausar because his shooting looks a bit better and he seems to be the more mature twin. They both have a lot of growing up to do but damn there is real basketball talent there. We're not talking about Joey Graham here who is the definition of an athlete who wasn't much of a basketball player.

I wanted to write the Thompson twins off at first because they gave me Jabari Smith vibes in terms of maturity level but it would have been a big mistake. They are NBA talents and the only people that can get in the way of their success will be themselves and an organization that doesn't demand enough of them and doesn't guide them.

The way my big board is shaping up I have them in an area where the reward would outweigh the risk, right after the Wallace/Hendricks/Dick cluster of the draft.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Wow the quality of nbadraftnet has really gone down over the years.

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/taylor-hendricks/

NBA Comparison: Pascal Siakam?

Probably not the best comparison.

[Kevin Willis]

It's that time of the year where there are 20 players guaranteed to go in the top 10.

[BoyzNTheHood]

It's that time of the year where there are 20 players guaranteed to go in the top 10.

There are 3 guys you can guarantee as top 10 picks. Wemby, Scoot and B Miller. Everyone else is interchangeable up until around 12-15. Personally, I can see about 8 locks for my top 10, but I’m far from an NBA GM so I wouldn’t put too much weight into my list.

[BoyzNTheHood]

I don’t think there’s one person in here who doesn’t recognize his potential, but man, he needs to mature rapidly

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[HumbleRen]

I don’t think there’s one person in here who doesn’t recognize his potential, but man, he needs to mature rapidly

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I'm good on him. We have enough selfish hoopers with their own agendas on the team as it is.

[Kevin Willis]

It's that time of the year where there are 20 players guaranteed to go in the top 10.

There are 3 guys you can guarantee as top 10 picks. Wemby, Scoot and B Miller. Everyone else is interchangeable up until around 12-15. Personally, I can see about 8 locks for my top 10, but I’m far from an NBA GM so I wouldn’t put too much weight into my list.

Yep. That's what I mean, your top 8 lock is probably different from many others. Maybe even completely different from some, it's about that time where we speculate who rose and fell in March Madness and who is a sleeper destined to rise in workouts.

[PhilBlackson]

I don’t think there’s one person in here who doesn’t recognize his potential, but man, he needs to mature rapidly

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He's not top of my list but if we drafted him I wouldn't be mad because obviously upside & development go hand in hand and everyone know's our franchise's reputation for developing players so at worst GG would have me watching to see what he & Scottie may (or may not) become lol

As a sidebar, something about their personalities and the passion they play with, makes me think they'd click as boys off the court too which would all make for entertaining Open Gyms & just daydreaming of the heights of their potentials lol. Of course I like a few other prospects that I believe have similar potential with less risk of downside that I prefer (Hendricks - doubtful he's still available or Cissiko who I think is much safer as he can defend & pass at a high level at bare minimum). But you can see with GG's combination of height, speed & coordination that there's some really good offensive upside with more refinement. At bare minimum I think he'd be really interesting & entertaining to watch develop here (w/ Scottie), like I said, I wouldn't be mad at that at all, I'm good with taking a flyer on potential, the team has to raise their ceiling somehow...

[Mark_83]

I don’t think there’s one person in here who doesn’t recognize his potential, but man, he needs to mature rapidly

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He reminds me of Amare in a lot of ways. I just don't see him as a player you win championships with.

[grant101]

I don’t think there’s one person in here who doesn’t recognize his potential, but man, he needs to mature rapidly

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He's not top of my list but if we drafted him I wouldn't be mad because obviously upside & development go hand in hand and everyone know's our franchise's reputation for developing players so at worst GG would have me watching to see what he & Scottie may (or may not) become lol

As a sidebar, something about their personalities and the passion they play with, makes me think they'd click as boys off the court too which would all make for entertaining Open Gyms & just daydreaming of the heights of their potentials lol. Of course I like a few other prospects that I believe have similar potential with less risk of downside that I prefer (Hendricks - doubtful he's still available or Cissiko who I think is much safer as he can defend & pass at a high level at bare minimum). But you can see with GG's combination of height, speed & coordination that there's some really good offensive upside with more refinement. At bare minimum I think he'd be really interesting & entertaining to watch develop here (w/ Scottie), like I said, I wouldn't be mad at that at all, I'm good with taking a flyer on potential, the team has to raise their ceiling somehow...

I think similarly - I'm all for taking a risk on raising this team's ceiling. Assuming some of the higher ranked prospects are drafted I like Coulibaly as the upside pick, Bufkin as a compromise, and Hawkins as the sure bet to contribute, but I'd understand the GG pick from a talent perspective and there's a non-zero chance he develops into the second best player in the draft... but I'd be absolutely terrified he carries over the many bad habits he displayed at SC.

[Mark_83]

We're at 16 and counting. Hopefully we stop there or move up into the teens, but here's my draft board for the Raps:

1) Wemb
2) Miller
3) Hendricks
4) Walker
5) Scoot
6) Amen
7) Kugel
8) Coulibaly
9) Wallace
10) Whitmore
11) Auser
12) Black
13) George
14) Bufkin
15) Dick
15) Cissoko
________________________________

16) Jones
17) Hawkins
18) Lively
19) Whitehead
20) Keyontae
21) Murray
22) Smith Jr.
23) Podziemski
24) TJD
25) Lewis

[WuTang_CMB]

I don’t think there’s one person in here who doesn’t recognize his potential, but man, he needs to mature rapidly

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total wild card. has the upside/skill/body. curious how he does in interviews. but he'll need a real dev. team to be patient with him. he could come back for his sophmore year and turn it up. weaker draft prob goes top 5

Gregory “G.G.” Jackson | 6-9 forward | 18 years old | South Carolina
G.G. Jackson’s range is about as wide as you’ll find for a prospect entering this process. Some evaluators are intrigued with his shot creation. Starting the season at just 17 years old, Jackson showcased some really intriguing tricks in his bag, using his advanced handle. He is a legitimate midrange weapon, and his jumper looks translatable long term. But everything else was all over the map. His defensive effort and intensity were not good enough and he was one of the worst playmakers for teammates among potential first-round picks of the last decade given how much he had the ball in his hands. There are some real questions about his maturity: his on-court body language was poor and he publicly questioned his coaching staff on Instagram Live earlier this season.

Jackson needs to land with a competent organization that has a strong G League program that can foster his development across the board. The Pacers will at least be patient and, with multiple picks, have the ability to take some chances.

[BoyzNTheHood]

He’s so innocent in this interview. You can see he’s just a child. There will be growing pains with him, but there’s no one near his natural talent level on our team. Our guys had to work for what he already has. If you get him a good vet he’ll be okay.

Watch on YouTube

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

GG Jackson sucks, total DND.

[Rodrickle]

GG should have went to a school with better players. He never learned to pass or really play winning basketball. If we drafted him I think he would be a 4 year project so doubt it would happen. He's got talent and was obviously productive even though the efficiency wans't there, but still too young and really should enter the transfer portal and go to a better program instead of declaring imo

[Psubs]

It's looking like Siddy will be our pick as I think we'll be picking in the 15-18 range and I believe he's the most raptor like player to be available in the that range. Cason would obviously be the pick but I don't think he makes it to 15-18

Agreed.

I think take Sidy, re-sign FVV (can trade him later) sign and trade Trent for a late 1st pick (that they are drafting for us) and filler.

Late 1st - TJD, Bufkin, Sasser, Leonard, Podziemski, Terquavion, Colby Jones, Max Lewis, Whitehead, Strawther.

If end up with one of those with a pick 25-30, I'm cool.