2024 NBA DRAFT THREAD 2

[ArthurVandelay]

The more I watch Jamir Watkins, the more I like what I see.

[grant101]

The more I watch Jamir Watkins, the more I like what I see.

He's super underrated considering his size, athleticism and ability to play off the bounce. The jumper aint broken either

[grimlock]

Salaun latest game March 6

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Don't know if its the short shorts.. or long legs, but I'm getting Scottie Vibes from him

[ArthurVandelay]

Salaun latest game March 6

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Don't know if its the short shorts.. or long legs, but I'm getting Scottie Vibes from him

I get what you mean. They are both athletic/genetic freaks.

Salaun is almost the inverse basketball wise.

While not a perfect analogy, Scottie had all the intangibles and feel for the game and had to develop his skills, especially shooting. Salaun has the shooting skills ready to go, but it’s the intangibles he needs which hopefully comes from playing more high level ball. He doesn’t have much experience playing professional ball before this year.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

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0:56 and 1:36 are sketchy af, not to take away from his D which has been good but I found those plays funny considering how small the guard is

[grimlock]

Salaun latest game March 6


Don't know if its the short shorts.. or long legs, but I'm getting Scottie Vibes from him

I get what you mean. They are both athletic/genetic freaks.

Salaun is almost the inverse basketball wise.

While not a perfect analogy, Scottie had all the intangibles and feel for the game and had to develop his skills, especially shooting. Salaun has the shooting skills ready to go, but it’s the intangibles he needs which hopefully comes from playing more high level ball. He doesn’t have much experience playing professional ball before this year.

Ya their skills aren't the same, but from a body maturity standpoint. Salaun looks like a man with freakishly long limbs.

[RoteSchroder]

Does anyone else think that Stephon Castle's NBA role could be that of RJ Barrett yet it's a difficult model to achieve success with at the NBA level? He's going to have to become a very good shooter to make it work and even if he does there will be a limitation to his efficiency as a starter even if his ball protection, secondary facilitating and defense all end up superior to Barrett's which they project to be.

There might be some small chance he could operate as a PG to justify taking him high but I don't see it. Still, he seems to have good basketball instincts and plays a mature game that starts with his defense which bodes well for him finding a way to stick in the NBA in some capacity.

If anyone can convince me that he's a PG in the NBA I'm willing to listen. His herky jerky movement and balance/body-control is very nice but he's a bit slow and doesn't have the best passing instincts, averaged 4.8 AST/G in HS and was heavily score-first as a guard. He's an interesting player but falls a bit flat in my mind right now.

Stephon is still a bit of a project. He needs a lot more polishing up (as compared to adding new facets to his game), especially his perimeter shooting. I would say he needs like 2-3 years.

A lot of Jimmy Butler comparisons, which is his upside. He plays slow, but sometimes gets these spurts of explosiveness. He's also a two-footed jumper, which I don't like as much. But yeah, probably too risky to take at top 6.

[Mark_83]

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[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Does anyone else think that Stephon Castle's NBA role could be that of RJ Barrett yet it's a difficult model to achieve success with at the NBA level? He's going to have to become a very good shooter to make it work and even if he does there will be a limitation to his efficiency as a starter even if his ball protection, secondary facilitating and defense all end up superior to Barrett's which they project to be.

There might be some small chance he could operate as a PG to justify taking him high but I don't see it. Still, he seems to have good basketball instincts and plays a mature game that starts with his defense which bodes well for him finding a way to stick in the NBA in some capacity.

If anyone can convince me that he's a PG in the NBA I'm willing to listen. His herky jerky movement and balance/body-control is very nice but he's a bit slow and doesn't have the best passing instincts, averaged 4.8 AST/G in HS and was heavily score-first as a guard. He's an interesting player but falls a bit flat in my mind right now.

Stephon is still a bit of a project. He needs a lot more polishing up (as compared to adding new facets to his game), especially his perimeter shooting. I would say he needs like 2-3 years.

A lot of Jimmy Butler comparisons, which is his upside. He plays slow, but sometimes gets these spurts of explosiveness. He's also a two-footed jumper, which I don't like as much. But yeah, probably too risky to take at top 6.

So you agree he's a scoring/slashing wing at the NBA level

A lot of people are still talking about whether or not he can play PG but I think he's a scorer and his history suggests so, imagine having the audacity to jack up 11.6 3's per 36 in high school.

Some people are also comparing Castle to

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I think the pre-draft process and trying to pick Castle's brain will be important.

[Psubs]

https://stats.gleague.nba.com/player/1629633/traditional/

Culver is now shooting 35% from NBA range. He'd be a decent SF slasher off the bench.

[RoteSchroder]

So you agree he's a scoring/slashing wing at the NBA level

A lot of people are still talking about whether or not he can play PG but I think he's a scorer and his history suggests so, imagine having the audacity to jack up 11.6 3's per 36 in high school.

Yeah, I see him as more of a scorer/SG in the long run rather than playing full time PG

I'm not overly high on Sarr either, not so sure either Detroit/Washington take him #1. I guess that's why they say it's a weak draft.

In terms of the Culver comparison, I was on a b-ball hiatus for a few years and haven't followed the draft for like 8 years, so I don't even know who he is. But looking back at his scouting report and some highlights, it seems like Culver was pretty slow footed, didn't have a strong frame, had weak jumping ability and had a slow release on his jumper. Not sure if any of these are actual problems with Stephon. When I looked at Culver highlights, I don't see a single one where he's driving by his defender. On the other hand, Stephon is seemingly limited by his lack of perimeter shooting, defenders are going under screens and giving him space.

[Psubs]

So you agree he's a scoring/slashing wing at the NBA level

A lot of people are still talking about whether or not he can play PG but I think he's a scorer and his history suggests so, imagine having the audacity to jack up 11.6 3's per 36 in high school.

Yeah, I see him as more of a scorer/SG in the long run rather than playing full time PG

I'm not overly high on Sarr either, not so sure either Detroit/Washington take him #1. I guess that's why they say it's a weak draft.

There's not prize like Wemby, Chet or even Banchero but maybe the rest are comparable in terms of level?

Sarr - Lively
Topic- Scoot
Risacher - Brandon Miller
Cody Wiliams - Gradey Dick
Tidjane Salaun - Jarace Walker
Ron Holland - GG Jackson
Reed Sheppard - Cason Wallace
Johnny Furphy - Bilal Coulibaly
Rob Dillingham - Anthony Black
JaKobe Walter - Jordan Hawkins
Stephon Castle - Keyonte George

[RoteSchroder]

There's not prize like Wemby, Chet or even Banchero but maybe the rest are comparable in terms of level?

Sarr - Lively
Topic- Scoot
Risacher - Brandon Miller
Cody Wiliams - Gradey Dick
Tidjane Salaun - Jarace Walker
Ron Holland - GG Jackson
Reed Sheppard - Cason Wallace
Johnny Furphy - Bilal Coulibaly
Rob Dillingham - Anthony Black
JaKobe Walter - Jordan Hawkins
Stephon Castle - Keyonte George

Yeah, I think there's still depth, but a lot of question marks for a consensus top 1-3.

Technically it's kind of the same situation with the 2023 draft minus Wemby and in a lot of drafts, there are plenty of busts in the consensus top picks anyways.

[Psubs]

There's not prize like Wemby, Chet or even Banchero but maybe the rest are comparable in terms of level?

Sarr - Lively
Topic- Scoot
Risacher - Brandon Miller
Cody Wiliams - Gradey Dick
Tidjane Salaun - Jarace Walker
Ron Holland - GG Jackson
Reed Sheppard - Cason Wallace
Johnny Furphy - Bilal Coulibaly
Rob Dillingham - Anthony Black
JaKobe Walter - Jordan Hawkins
Stephon Castle - Keyonte George

Yeah, I think there's still depth, but a lot of question marks for a consensus top 1-3.

Technically it's kind of the same situation with the 2023 draft minus Wemby and in a lot of drafts, there are plenty of busts in the consensus top picks anyways.

Gotta find the Podz and Jacquez in the draft. To me those would be bigs in this draft, like a Ware, Tyler Smith or Ivisic.

Soooo the Thompson twins really can't shoot the 3 at all like Ben Simmons. So really in today's game, they'll be energy bench players, that might be rotational players. So to me Ryan Dunn is likely going to be like Ausar Thompson, and wouldn't draft him earlier than the 2nd pick. I think that Ochai Agbaji with his wingspan is already primed for that sort of role and can hit the corner 3.

[PushDaRock]

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This is not a guy with as limited and problematic of an offensive game as many would have you believe. Able to put the ball on the floor quickly and attack with power and hangtime, reverse finish and shows touch near the rim.

Is he like a Rui Hachermera type ? That's the vibes i got

I see Herb Jones who struggled quite a bit with his shot. The problem is having Jak and Scottie with this kid. He is not likely ever going to be a great shooter so you have to live with the bad floor spacing. It could crater the offense.

I'd advocate for drafting a 3/4 who can shoot and defend if we cannot get a stretch five. Trent is on the small side and not super versatile, and I don't think Gradey will ever start given his defensive issues.

I don't think there's a single legit 3 & D guy in the draft. If there were, they probably would be shooting up the draft boards. In a draft like this, players with high floors get picked earlier than a typical draft.

Dunn could be a guy they really like if they think the shot can be fixed. We are really lacking positional size after Masai has started putting a real premium on skill to fit the new play style.

[Psubs]

Is he like a Rui Hachermera type ? That's the vibes i got

I see Herb Jones who struggled quite a bit with his shot. The problem is having Jak and Scottie with this kid. He is not likely ever going to be a great shooter so you have to live with the bad floor spacing. It could crater the offense.

I'd advocate for drafting a 3/4 who can shoot and defend if we cannot get a stretch five. Trent is on the small side and not super versatile, and I don't think Gradey will ever start given his defensive issues.

I don't think there's a single legit 3 & D guy in the draft. If there were, they probably would be shooting up the draft boards. In a draft like this, players with high floors get picked earlier than a typical draft.

Dunn could be a guy they really like if they think the shot can be fixed. We are really lacking positional size after Masai has started putting a real premium on skill to fit the new play style.

Watch on YouTube

[Psubs]

Doesn't Ware look like a more mobile Brook Lopez?

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kelel-ware-1.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/brook-lopez-1.html

Both played 2 years. Wow Brook didn't shoot over 50% in either year. For Ware an A/T of 1 and Blk / Fl near 1 is good.

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[Psubs]

I feel like Dillon Jones' playmaking would really solidify the bench being able to play 1-3 and compliment Agbaji. Denzel Valentine 6'4 (while Jones is 6'6) was drafted #14 and had great numbers at Michigan State but I guess not fit enough to translate to the NBA. If Dillon measures a legit 6'5 without shoes, that would be promising.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/denzel-valentine-1.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dillon-jones-1.html

The low 3pt shooting is slightly concerning but doesn't seem broken and maybe gets to 35% from NBA range.

Someone posted this earlier but doesn't he look like a 6'6 Kyle Lowry?!?!?! Got the clutch bucket in the lane to tie the game and then immediately drew a last second charge to send the game into OT for the win.

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[PushDaRock]

I see Herb Jones who struggled quite a bit with his shot. The problem is having Jak and Scottie with this kid. He is not likely ever going to be a great shooter so you have to live with the bad floor spacing. It could crater the offense.

I'd advocate for drafting a 3/4 who can shoot and defend if we cannot get a stretch five. Trent is on the small side and not super versatile, and I don't think Gradey will ever start given his defensive issues.

I don't think there's a single legit 3 & D guy in the draft. If there were, they probably would be shooting up the draft boards. In a draft like this, players with high floors get picked earlier than a typical draft.

Dunn could be a guy they really like if they think the shot can be fixed. We are really lacking positional size after Masai has started putting a real premium on skill to fit the new play style.

Watch on YouTube

I actually still really like the Thompson twins as prospects. They're both still extremely raw but there's a lot of talent there and they are absolute top tier athletes even in the NBA. I don't think their jumpers are hopeless like Simmons. They're at least willing to take them, Simmons refused to ever shoot 3's.

[billy_hoyle]

Doesn't Ware look like a more mobile Brook Lopez?

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kelel-ware-1.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/brook-lopez-1.html

Both played 2 years. Wow Brook didn't shoot over 50% in either year. For Ware an A/T of 1 and Blk / Fl near 1 is good.

Watch on YouTube

That was my comp too. The movements are similiar, and the general game.

He could suck, but I would definitely consider him at the Pacers pick