2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 6

[Clutch0z24]

Can't wait for the lotto to see where we stand...As of now i have my 9 favs in the class and id be fine with any of them being drafted ....Obviously i have players higher than some but id be cool if we get any of the 9...

My 9 in order as of now
Flagg
Harper

Bailey
Edgecombe

Queen
Tre Johnson
Fears

Maluach
Jase

If we somehow fall to 10th an all above are off board
CMB
Bryant
Noa

This would be my final list of players and the order id pick them in...Pretty good class and we are in a good spot to at least get a productive player that has star potential if developed right.

[ciueli]

3 point shooting is largely what matters for shooting in this day and age, that's why it's the metric I shouldn't even have to go into this.

No. It is A metric which matters. And if the person is good at shooting the middie and at the FT line, then there's a reasonably good chance that they can at least learn how to smash from the corners. That does matter.

DeMar Derozan is fantastic at shooting the middle and the FT line and has never developed a consistent 3 point shot. I'm sure I could dig up tons of other players if I cared to, I mean I could just mention Michael Jordan, one of the greatest midrange scorers of all time who also never had a consistent 3 point shot. It's not the lock you think it is.

With respect to Tatum, I've already linked to an example of what was thought of him and his game coming out of college and didn't even mention his brutal 2.1 APG to 2.6 TOV in college, at some level you have to admit that there were skill issues when looking at him as a prospect, it wasn't clear he was going to a serious shot creator or shooter at the next level.

I mean, I watched him. He didn't magically develop that handle between college and the NBA.

What handle? The version of Tatum I've been watching for the better part of a decade still isn't fantastic at dribble drive shot creation, he's improved a lot of course but that's because he was really bad at it when he first came into the league, he didn't hit a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio until 2023-24 and there were years and years where every time he drove he used his off arm to push off and got away with it a ton. There's also a big difference between "a handle" and actually being great at passing and setting up other players for easy scores, it's taken him almost his entire career to get decent at that and I'd argue it's mostly because the Celtics are stacked and play 5 out so there's a huge amount of space around the basket for him to operate.

[Got Nuffin]

Here we go lol

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Like i've said before - if that 3 ball is a real thing, it is a game changer in terms of his potential upside.

A 7'2 defensive presence who is switchable, protects the rim at an elite level, elite as a roll man AND can hit the long ball?

Definitely narrows the gap if not eclipses it if we're deciding between Mal and 20 yr old Queen, who may be a defensive liability.


But would you still pass on the potential of Fears?

[tsherkin]

[
DeMar Derozan is fantastic at shooting the middle and the FT line and has never developed a consistent 3 point shot. I'm sure I could dig up tons of other players if I cared to, I mean I could just mention Michael Jordan, one of the greatest midrange scorers of all time who also never had a consistent 3 point shot. It's not the lock you think it is.

Demar is a 101 TS+ player. He is explicitly a bad first-option player, particularly because he's as useless as tits on a bull in the playoffs. But also doesn't have superstar physical tools. There is some ratio of physical tools to 3pt shooting which changes things, particularly with mid-range game attached on top. Same same with shot generation close to the basket, ability to draw fouls, etc.

What handle? The version of Tatum I've been watching for the better part of a decade still isn't fantastic at dribble drive shot creation, he's improved a lot of course but that's because he was really bad at it when he first came into the league

Shot creation for others or for himself? Because his handle wasn't a barrier to creating shots for himself literally from his first season forward. His PLAYMAKING, on the other hand, was a work in progress, I agree. So let's make sure we're actually speaking of the same thing here.

[WuTang_CMB]

leo on the draft - wants BPA like us , also likes Kon

https://youtu.be/vPtO2WZWpu0?t=1143

[Childs]

Here we go lol

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Is the Trump revoke of all South Sudanese visas going to affect his draft position?

[M3tro]

Here we go lol

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Masai creaming his pants.

I'll be the first to say it...welcome to Toronto, Khaman...

[TNRaps4life]

https://balldurham.com/isaiah-evans-enters-nba-draft-despite-decision-to-return-to-duke-basketball

Glad Isiah Evans stayed in the draft.

[Clutch0z24]

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Lets please not fall in love with Open gym highlights where guy are shooting/dunking in an empty gym....Every NBA level player is going to look unreal in this scenario in all aspects of the game....Thats why they are at that level and yeah GMs do not draft based on these kind of workouts alone....Darko got drafted #2 because of a workout against a chair was the famous story and that turned out terrible.....Maluach looks good but he won't be doing these things in NBA games.

Look at Wiseman who looks insane in an open gym.

[Jadoogar]

I'm not saying it works 100% of the time, nothing does. I'm saying this is the type of player Masai prefers and this is the reason why, there's a lot of players who outperform expectations due to their physical advantages. Most of the players you listed actually had significant success in the NBA, Harrison Barnes, Ben Simmons, and Aaron Gordon have all had solid NBA careers. Joey Graham was not really a great physicals guy (didn't have the incredible wingspan), he was just a fantastic athlete in the combine results, so I wouldn't consider him a counterexample.

Sure. Sometimes it works. And Masai has pulled it off before, no doubt.

What I'm saying is that we have a need for some skill, and it wouldn't hurt to do something ELSE, rather than just going for project athletes with a long timeline ahead of them all the time.

Aaron Gordon reinvented himself with Jokic. Ben Simmons is a massive disappointment. Harrison Barnes was okay. If we're talking a pick in the 20s, then sure, I'd be THRILLED with a player of their caliber. If we're talking about this incoming lotto pick, though, I"d be really, really annoyed that we once again came up short on a high pick. We have to go back to Bosh to find a top pick we REALLY hit on. DeRozan, if you lower the bar a little, and I really don't want to wait most of a decade for a player to become worth our while again any time soon.

i agree with your overall point i don't agree with the Demar example. Most #9 picks would be extremely lucky to have a career like Demar. I'm not a big fan of his but 25,000 career points is a fantastic outcome.

I would also argue we hit on Scottie. He's not as good as Cade or Mobley but he was drafted after those guys. I like Suggs (and wanted him at the draft) but Scottie projects to be a better player.

[grant101]

leo on the draft - wants BPA like us , also likes Kon

https://youtu.be/vPtO2WZWpu0?t=1143

Kon is super underrated on this board given where we’re projected to pick. He’s a safe bet to be a positive player, and he has way more upside than he’s given credit for. Strong, great feel for the games, and incredible touch/shooting. We could do a lot worse

[earthtone]

leo on the draft - wants BPA like us , also likes Kon

https://youtu.be/vPtO2WZWpu0?t=1143

Kon is super underrated on this board given where we’re projected to pick. He’s a safe bet to be a positive player, and he has way more upside than he’s given credit for. Strong, great feel for the games, and incredible touch/shooting. We could do a lot worse

I like Kon as a player, just think he's a particularly poor fit for our roster. We have a ton of depth in his position, and I'm not sure his ceiling is high enough to displace any of RJ/Gradey/Ja'Kobe for minutes.

If we were late lottery and he fell I think he'd be too good to pass up, but there are quite a few guys I have in the same tier as him who would be better positional fits on the team IMO

[Basketball_Jones]

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Lets please not fall in love with Open gym highlights where guy are shooting/dunking in an empty gym....Every NBA level player is going to look unreal in this scenario in all aspects of the game....Thats why they are at that level and yeah GMs do not draft based on these kind of workouts alone....Darko got drafted #2 because of a workout against a chair was the famous story and that turned out terrible.....Maluach looks good but he won't be doing these things in NBA games.

Look at Wiseman who looks insane in an open gym.

Koloko had one too!

[Los_29]

I'm not saying it works 100% of the time, nothing does. I'm saying this is the type of player Masai prefers and this is the reason why, there's a lot of players who outperform expectations due to their physical advantages. Most of the players you listed actually had significant success in the NBA, Harrison Barnes, Ben Simmons, and Aaron Gordon have all had solid NBA careers. Joey Graham was not really a great physicals guy (didn't have the incredible wingspan), he was just a fantastic athlete in the combine results, so I wouldn't consider him a counterexample.

Sure. Sometimes it works. And Masai has pulled it off before, no doubt.

What I'm saying is that we have a need for some skill, and it wouldn't hurt to do something ELSE, rather than just going for project athletes with a long timeline ahead of them all the time.

Aaron Gordon reinvented himself with Jokic. Ben Simmons is a massive disappointment. Harrison Barnes was okay. If we're talking a pick in the 20s, then sure, I'd be THRILLED with a player of their caliber. If we're talking about this incoming lotto pick, though, I"d be really, really annoyed that we once again came up short on a high pick. We have to go back to Bosh to find a top pick we REALLY hit on. DeRozan, if you lower the bar a little, and I really don't want to wait most of a decade for a player to become worth our while again any time soon.

Masai has done well with high picks. Scottie, despite his faults was a great pick at #4. Poeltl was a great pick at #9.

Derozan was a great pick by BC.

You have to look at who was drafted after them. Derozan was an excellent selection at that slot. Even Ross was a great selection. Unless you wanted Drummond. Team has traditionally done quite well in the lottery, even BC had some good moments.

Superstars are very hard to get. You can’t criticize teams for not drafting a superstar when there wasn’t one available. Key is to draft good players. Coming out of a draft with nothing can set a team back and cause tons of issues. It’s okay to keep hitting singles and doubles with the occasional triple. Teams that always try to hit that home run are the teams constantly find themselves in the lottery.

[DreamTeam09]

Here we go lol

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Masai creaming his pants.

I'll be the first to say it...welcome to Toronto, Khaman...

Can't wait until we draft this guy

[douggood]

One of the less-discussed but critical aspects of Maluach’s draft candidacy involves his immigration status. Presumably in the United States on a student visa, Maluach would need to transition to a different visa type or possibly pursue a green card once he signs with an NBA team. This situation presents unique challenges, particularly if he is drafted by a Canadian team such as the Toronto Raptors, where cross-border travel and residency requirements could complicate matters. While NBA teams are accustomed to managing international paperwork, the timing and logistics could factor into front-office evaluations.

[grant101]

leo on the draft - wants BPA like us , also likes Kon

https://youtu.be/vPtO2WZWpu0?t=1143

Kon is super underrated on this board given where we’re projected to pick. He’s a safe bet to be a positive player, and he has way more upside than he’s given credit for. Strong, great feel for the games, and incredible touch/shooting. We could do a lot worse

I like Kon as a player, just think he's a particularly poor fit for our roster. We have a ton of depth in his position, and I'm not sure his ceiling is high enough to displace any of RJ/Gradey/Ja'Kobe for minutes.

If we were late lottery and he fell I think he'd be too good to pass up, but there are quite a few guys I have in the same tier as him who would be better positional fits on the team IMO

That’s fair, I get the positional logjam, but I suspect we differ on his potential. I think many have him pegged squarely as a role player/shooter. I think he has a whole lot more to his game, maybe even a little point forward. For example, he’s bigger and has got way more game than Jakobe or Gradey. Players with his level of feel tend to exceed expectations.

There are a couple of guys I like a little more in his tier (Queen, Fears), but I would take him over many other guys I see talked about a lot more.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

I’m not gonna believe Khaman is a shooter until I see it. Those 1-2 3’s every few game guys won’t take 8 3PTs in a game if the other team game plans to leave them open there

[Psubs]

Watch on YouTube

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Lets please not fall in love with Open gym highlights where guy are shooting/dunking in an empty gym....Every NBA level player is going to look unreal in this scenario in all aspects of the game....Thats why they are at that level and yeah GMs do not draft based on these kind of workouts alone....Darko got drafted #2 because of a workout against a chair was the famous story and that turned out terrible.....Maluach looks good but he won't be doing these things in NBA games.

Look at Wiseman who looks insane in an open gym.

They even added some time slowing down effect Maluach's video.

Maybe he should scrimmage and risk getting exposed?

[Psubs]

Here we go lol

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Like i've said before - if that 3 ball is a real thing, it is a game changer in terms of his potential upside.

A 7'2 defensive presence who is switchable, protects the rim at an elite level, elite as a roll man AND can hit the long ball?

Definitely narrows the gap if not eclipses it if we're deciding between Mal and 20 yr old Queen, who may be a defensive liability.


But would you still pass on the potential of Fears?

Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley could shoot the 3.