2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[tsherkin]

Now that it looks more and more like we're drafting a wing (Queen's measurements were awful and KM will probably be gone as an upside pick, and if he isnt, the red flags probably scare us away too), its gonna cause a real glut. Battle/Dick/RJ/Ingram/JKW/9th pick.....thats a lot of wings and not a lot of minutes. I dunno how you carry all of them into the RS

I'm hopeful that we don't... there are no minutes for a wing unless we then turn around and trade a bunch of guys. So I guess maybe there's that, but still. We need to focus less on these 6'6 - 6'9 dudes and try to bolster our backcourt and center position.

I think it's more likely than not that whoever we take at #9 is not in the rotation on day 1. I think that's likely the case regardless of position.

Sure, but then that becomes problematic for development, right? That's a high-ranked pick, which SHOULD spark some development. So if we're wasting that, it becomes a misuse of resources.

[WuTang_CMB]

I'm going to look back into Kasparas Jakucionis again. I loved him at the beginning of the college season but he wasn't the same after his injury. He's another guy I like in our range.

I have a sneaky feeling that will be our pick. With news of them liking Fears and going to see Traore a bunch of times, we may be targeting a PG
I think Jak would fit perfectly in Darko's system. He had good measurements also. 6'6" in shoes and 6'8" wingspan. He can flat out play

[DreamTeam09]

I'm going to look back into Kasparas Jakucionis again. I loved him at the beginning of the college season but he wasn't the same after his injury. He's another guy I like in our range.

I have a sneaky feeling that will be our pick. With news of them liking Fears and going to see Traore a bunch of times, we may be targeting a PG
I think Jak would fit perfectly in Darko's system. He had good measurements also. 6'6" in shoes and 6'8" wingspan. He can flat out play

I'd much rather Egor than Kasp. Kasp is gonna get hunted, and so will Egor, but at least Egor is 6'8

[Son Goku 25]

I'm going to look back into Kasparas Jakucionis again. I loved him at the beginning of the college season but he wasn't the same after his injury. He's another guy I like in our range.

I have a sneaky feeling that will be our pick. With news of them liking Fears and going to see Traore a bunch of times, we may be targeting a PG
I think Jak would fit perfectly in Darko's system. He had good measurements also. 6'6" in shoes and 6'8" wingspan. He can flat out play

I think so too, I think Jerry Lucas mentioned him as well and he'll be in our range.

[mademan]

I'm hopeful that we don't... there are no minutes for a wing unless we then turn around and trade a bunch of guys. So I guess maybe there's that, but still. We need to focus less on these 6'6 - 6'9 dudes and try to bolster our backcourt and center position.

It feels like the only guy in our range that isnt a wing is Kasp and maybe Jase? All the other prospects are 6'6-69 SG-PF

But we can move the pick, or maybe reach. Or perhaps take a wing with intent to package them with others to address the glut? There are some options.

Will be interesting to see the solution. I even forgot about Ochai, lol

[mademan]

Now that it looks more and more like we're drafting a wing (Queen's measurements were awful and KM will probably be gone as an upside pick, and if he isnt, the red flags probably scare us away too), its gonna cause a real glut. Battle/Dick/RJ/Ingram/JKW/9th pick.....thats a lot of wings and not a lot of minutes. I dunno how you carry all of them into the RS

There is no evidence that we are more likely to draft a wing....We have no idea what Masai is thinking....There are no reports of anything....This thread is all about people talking about their personal favs and their personal do not drafts.....Masai could actually be very very high on both Maluach & Queen....He scouted Queen multiple times in games which Queen had big games, Maluach and Masai obv have a personal connection....

There is no reason to rule them out as potential picks as of today considering there are no reports saying they are ruling them out...Just because a realgm board are not high on them doesn't mean Masai is agreeing .....Barnes wasn't the fav at 4 and yet Masai picked him...

Sure. Queen could be the pick (doubt it, but sure) but i dont see a way that KM drops that isnt due to red flags that we would just brush by. I think its far more likely we get a guard/wing than big

[tsherkin]

Will be interesting to see the solution. I even forgot about Ochai, lol

Indeed. We have a wide selection of players, but we need to tighten in a little.

[niQ]

I'm going to look back into Kasparas Jakucionis again. I loved him at the beginning of the college season but he wasn't the same after his injury. He's another guy I like in our range.

I have a sneaky feeling that will be our pick. With news of them liking Fears and going to see Traore a bunch of times, we may be targeting a PG
I think Jak would fit perfectly in Darko's system. He had good measurements also. 6'6" in shoes and 6'8" wingspan. He can flat out play

Yea, I think Kasp is even a bit underrated now. I feel like Maluach will be the pick if he's still on the board. If not, don't count out Kasparas. A jumbo creator that can shoot could be very interesting for our team.

[Son Goku 25]

at this point im starting to think about the next Haliburton tbh, who can be that guy who can run the offense and make plays like him that includes similar measurements etc.

I think we need a PG and stretch 5, then we can look for bigger sg/sf that can guard multiple positions and shoot.

[Clutch0z24]

Now that it looks more and more like we're drafting a wing (Queen's measurements were awful and KM will probably be gone as an upside pick, and if he isnt, the red flags probably scare us away too), its gonna cause a real glut. Battle/Dick/RJ/Ingram/JKW/9th pick.....thats a lot of wings and not a lot of minutes. I dunno how you carry all of them into the RS

There is no evidence that we are more likely to draft a wing....We have no idea what Masai is thinking....There are no reports of anything....This thread is all about people talking about their personal favs and their personal do not drafts.....Masai could actually be very very high on both Maluach & Queen....He scouted Queen multiple times in games which Queen had big games, Maluach and Masai obv have a personal connection....

There is no reason to rule them out as potential picks as of today considering there are no reports saying they are ruling them out...Just because a realgm board are not high on them doesn't mean Masai is agreeing .....Barnes wasn't the fav at 4 and yet Masai picked him...

Sure. Queen could be the pick (doubt it, but sure) but i dont see a way that KM drops that isnt due to red flags that we would just brush by. I think its far more likely we get a guard/wing than big

Yep but again thats just your opinion not really based on anything.....Masai may actually like both of them and feels they will fill a perfect need at the backup C spot for next year...And may pick either one...Depending on which one falls to him on draft night....That could be the way Masai is thinking we never know....Just saying can't really rule it out cause us realgmers know nothing at the end of the day....I think Maluach/Queen have just as much of a chance to get drafted by us than any wing or guard in this class...Even if its the unpopular choice....

[JCP11]

I looked at both the film you posted, but I cannot claim Leonard can create his own shot on his first year. Second year he can get to his spot, but that was a low percentage shot (I am unsure if back in the day that would be acceptable, but certainly not making a lot of it). He might showed some flashes getting into his spot, but I can't say he created his shot.

Meanwhile, Leonard wasn't even a 3&D in his first year, only shooting 20% from 3.

I guess what im saying is on film you can clearly see a player who is much more than just a 3&D guy....Hes a player who showed flashes of being a good player at 3 levels....Bryant for example has not shown he can put the ball on the floor and create for himself, He also is very poor at getting to the rim....Hes athletic sure ....But he lacks alot of basketball skills to be anything more than a corner 3 point shooter/defender....OG even had more ability to attack the rim in his college season...

I just think at 9 there will be better players to choose from than a utility player....I think there are a few players avail that have much more skills all around.

I disagree, I do not see more from Leonard, mainly just D on his first year, while his second year was not a good player with only 51% TS, more or less just project to be a 3&D. Furthermore, I never compare Bryant to Leonard.

Bryant to me is Michael Porter Jr., or maybe Klay Thompson lite, said it many times. I think he is better than Anunoby on offense, while not as elite on defense.

As for Leonard comparison, that would be Adou Thiero or Mackenzie Mgbako, but they are unlikely to reach the level or Leonard, and Leonard is a bit of outlier as well, particularly, with his measurement being better.

Michael Porter, Klay and better than OG...that's some lofty comparisons for a guy that was never an offensive force even in highschool. Porter was once the best prospect in the US, Klay was an offensive dynamo in college and could shoot it from anywhere and OG was always a supreme athlete with ridiculous measurables... Bryant is nowhere near these guys. The OG comparisons could be the closest but even there, OG was the better athlete, stronger and his offensive game was more advanced so OG lite maybe?

[gerrit4]

I'd argue our biggest issues right now with our "core" is a lack of depth with size, and a lack of creation. So I could definitely see our FO trying to address one of those in the draft (unless there's a guy who is a tier above).

So to me, that means there's a good chance of going for size (Khaman, Essengue, Fleming) or creation (Jakucionis, Fears), or both (Demin). I could also see us wanting Carter if they believe in his defensive versatility.

In other words, we need guys who can come in and play the 4 or 5 for us, and we need the type of guys that can feed those type of players easy buckets. I realized guys like Essengue are pretty skinny to play the 4 right now, but that would be more for the future.

Considering we have a lot of B level players/prospects at the 2 (Gradey, RJ, Ochai, Walter), I see less of a fit for Edgecombe, Knueppel, and Johnson, but it looks like those guys are probably gone by our pick anyways. Don't get me wrong, I like those raptors and draft picks well enough, but I'm not so crazy about any of them that I'd also want to move on from our own guys to clear space.

[OakleyDokely]

I guess what im saying is on film you can clearly see a player who is much more than just a 3&D guy....Hes a player who showed flashes of being a good player at 3 levels....Bryant for example has not shown he can put the ball on the floor and create for himself, He also is very poor at getting to the rim....Hes athletic sure ....But he lacks alot of basketball skills to be anything more than a corner 3 point shooter/defender....OG even had more ability to attack the rim in his college season...

I just think at 9 there will be better players to choose from than a utility player....I think there are a few players avail that have much more skills all around.

I disagree, I do not see more from Leonard, mainly just D on his first year, while his second year was not a good player with only 51% TS, more or less just project to be a 3&D. Furthermore, I never compare Bryant to Leonard.

Bryant to me is Michael Porter Jr., or maybe Klay Thompson lite, said it many times. I think he is better than Anunoby on offense, while not as elite on defense.

As for Leonard comparison, that would be Adou Thiero or Mackenzie Mgbako, but they are unlikely to reach the level or Leonard, and Leonard is a bit of outlier as well, particularly, with his measurement being better.

Michael Porter, Klay and better than OG...that's some lofty comparisons for a guy that was never an offensive force even in highschool. Porter was once the best prospect in the US, Klay was an offensive dynamo in college and could shoot it from anywhere and OG was always a supreme athlete with ridiculous measurables... Bryant is nowhere near these guys. The OG comparisons could be the closest but even there, OG was the better athlete, stronger and his offensive game was more advanced so OG lite maybe?

OG is a lot bigger than Bryant. OG has a 7'2+ wingspan and he was 230+ in his rookie year. What makes OG OG is the size/mobility which allows him to defend every position on the court. Bryant's wingspan is under 7 and he weighs 214, he's a smaller dude who will primarily guard wings/guards.

[WuTang_CMB]

I'm going to look back into Kasparas Jakucionis again. I loved him at the beginning of the college season but he wasn't the same after his injury. He's another guy I like in our range.

I have a sneaky feeling that will be our pick. With news of them liking Fears and going to see Traore a bunch of times, we may be targeting a PG
I think Jak would fit perfectly in Darko's system. He had good measurements also. 6'6" in shoes and 6'8" wingspan. He can flat out play

I'd much rather Egor than Kasp. Kasp is gonna get hunted, and so will Egor, but at least Egor is 6'8

Jak is more talented and a better shot. Both have good measurements but I'm leaning on talent

[JCP11]

I have a sneaky feeling that will be our pick. With news of them liking Fears and going to see Traore a bunch of times, we may be targeting a PG
I think Jak would fit perfectly in Darko's system. He had good measurements also. 6'6" in shoes and 6'8" wingspan. He can flat out play

I'd much rather Egor than Kasp. Kasp is gonna get hunted, and so will Egor, but at least Egor is 6'8

Jak is more talented and a better shot. Both have good measurements but I'm leaning on talent

I like Jak but do you think he could be someone able to get rim pressure? He's not a vertical athlete so he would need to be a better shooter to get there. We need talented ball handlers so I wouldn't be mad at that.

[OakleyDokely]

Age, youngest to oldest:

Flagg: 18.5
Essengue: 18.5
Fears: 18.7
Richardson: 18.7
Maluach: 18.8
Bailey: 18.9
Traore: 19.1
Jakucionis: 19.1
Harper: 19.3
Demin: 19.3
Johnson: 19.3
Riley: 19.4
Sorber: 19.5
Philon: 19.6
Bryant: 19.6
Newell: 19.7
McNeeley: 19.7
Knueppel: 19.9
Edgecombe: 19.9
Yang: 19.9
Murray-Boyles: 20.0
Queen: 20.5
Fleming: 20.9
Wolf: 21.1
Thiero: 21.1
Coward: 21.8
Clayton Jr.: 22.3
Lendeborg: 22.7
Kalkbrenner: 23.4
Clifford: 23.4

[God Squad]

Noa Essengue.

[ATLTimekeeper]

I'm going to look back into Kasparas Jakucionis again. I loved him at the beginning of the college season but he wasn't the same after his injury. He's another guy I like in our range.

I have a sneaky feeling that will be our pick. With news of them liking Fears and going to see Traore a bunch of times, we may be targeting a PG
I think Jak would fit perfectly in Darko's system. He had good measurements also. 6'6" in shoes and 6'8" wingspan. He can flat out play

I'd much rather Egor than Kasp. Kasp is gonna get hunted, and so will Egor, but at least Egor is 6'8

On the other hand Jak has 6 lbs on Demin already.

[WuTang_CMB]

I'd much rather Egor than Kasp. Kasp is gonna get hunted, and so will Egor, but at least Egor is 6'8

Jak is more talented and a better shot. Both have good measurements but I'm leaning on talent

I like Jak but do you think he could be someone able to get rim pressure? He's not a vertical athlete so he would need to be a better shooter to get there. We need talented ball handlers so I wouldn't be mad at that.

I’ve been watching a lot on him. He has a steady head and can really manipulate ball screens in order to generate action. Solid passer. I think the rim pressure is valid but i think the less clogging of the lanes at the nba level will benefit him. I think IQ produced 4 layups for teammates when he got in the lane also. That’s not going to cut it especially with how we struggled in half court.

[OakleyDokely]

Beyond the shooting, Demin didn't get to the line much either. An inconsistent shooter who doesn't shoot many FTs usually isn't a winning combo for a guard in the NBA.