2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 9

[Clutch0z24]

Picking a player on potential rather than what the player can actually do and shown proof he could actually do it in games can lead to some very bad picks and cause you to pick a bust that sets your team back alot.....Not saying Carter Bryant will bust but i don't think he will have the impact alot of people here think....If his upside at his very best is OG.....We can all agree he prolly does not reach even OG level....And OG is not some all star guy....Great player but hes a high level role player in the NBA.....But he would also have to hit that peak which is also unlikely...

And if he does not hit that peak your looking at a Dorian Finney Smith type guy....Which sure can add to a team but at 9th pick....Id want a higher level of a player or hope for one at least...

The Raps select Suggs over Barnes then using this rational though. Suggs was the better and more accomplished college player.

Scottie Barnes also showed alot more than Carter Bryant in college....He gave you 10, 4, 4, with 2 Steals and 1 blk on 24 mins a game....Carter Bryant is no where near the passer Barnes was....Barnes had and has alot more dynamics in his game than what Bryant showed in college....Sure Suggs was a better college player than Barnes but lets not act like Barnes was a project type...He was going to go top 10 in that draft...

With Carter Bryant you could reach for him at 9 and look silly because he has not shown in college he could be a consistant player....Barnes at least showed that he could even on limited mins....Carter Bryant is certainly a project and it could either go well....Or goes terrible....I am more on the side Bryant at 9 does not bring back 9th pick value and a player that would be available at that spot will end up alot better of a player....For me if a player can't do certain things at the college level i believe its a huge uphill battle for them to develop it in the NBA....Especially something like shot creation, Ball handling, Sloppy passing, Basketball IQ/Feel...

[OakleyDokely]

Picking a player on potential rather than what the player can actually do and shown proof he could actually do it in games can lead to some very bad picks and cause you to pick a bust that sets your team back alot.....Not saying Carter Bryant will bust but i don't think he will have the impact alot of people here think....If his upside at his very best is OG.....We can all agree he prolly does not reach even OG level....And OG is not some all star guy....Great player but hes a high level role player in the NBA.....But he would also have to hit that peak which is also unlikely...viewforum.php?f=32

And if he does not hit that peak your looking at a Dorian Finney Smith type guy....Which sure can add to a team but at 9th pick....Id want a higher level of a player or hope for one at least...

The Raps select Suggs over Barnes then using this rational though. Suggs was the better and more accomplished college player.

The stats were close enough and when you factor in Suggs had the 4th highest obpm on a stacked team in a weak conference I don't think one can say with certainty that one player was better than the other in college.

Barnes was pretty much a defense only prospect with some passing ability coming out of college. He was the much riskier pick at the time.

[OakleyDokely]

Picking a player on potential rather than what the player can actually do and shown proof he could actually do it in games can lead to some very bad picks and cause you to pick a bust that sets your team back alot.....Not saying Carter Bryant will bust but i don't think he will have the impact alot of people here think....If his upside at his very best is OG.....We can all agree he prolly does not reach even OG level....And OG is not some all star guy....Great player but hes a high level role player in the NBA.....But he would also have to hit that peak which is also unlikely...

And if he does not hit that peak your looking at a Dorian Finney Smith type guy....Which sure can add to a team but at 9th pick....Id want a higher level of a player or hope for one at least...

The Raps select Suggs over Barnes then using this rational though. Suggs was the better and more accomplished college player.

Scottie Barnes also showed alot more than Carter Bryant in college....He gave you 10, 4, 4, with 2 Steals and 1 blk on 24 mins a game....Carter Bryant is no where near the passer Barnes was....Barnes had and has alot more dynamics in his game than what Bryant showed in college....Sure Suggs was a better college player than Barnes but lets not act like Barnes was a project type...He was going to go top 10 in that draft...

With Carter Bryant you could reach for him at 9 and look silly because he has not shown in college he could be a consistant player....Barnes at least showed that he could even on limited mins....Carter Bryant is certainly a project and it could either go well....Or goes terrible....I am more on the side Bryant at 9 does not bring back 9th pick value and a player that would be available at that spot will end up alot better of a player....For me if a player can't do certain things at the college level i believe its a huge uphill battle for them to develop it in the NBA....Especially something like shot creation, Ball handling, Sloppy passing, Basketball IQ/Feel...

I'm talking more about philosophy than specific players. Sometimes taking the higher risk player with more potential is right strategy.

[Clutch0z24]

The Raps select Suggs over Barnes then using this rational though. Suggs was the better and more accomplished college player.

Scottie Barnes also showed alot more than Carter Bryant in college....He gave you 10, 4, 4, with 2 Steals and 1 blk on 24 mins a game....Carter Bryant is no where near the passer Barnes was....Barnes had and has alot more dynamics in his game than what Bryant showed in college....Sure Suggs was a better college player than Barnes but lets not act like Barnes was a project type...He was going to go top 10 in that draft...

With Carter Bryant you could reach for him at 9 and look silly because he has not shown in college he could be a consistant player....Barnes at least showed that he could even on limited mins....Carter Bryant is certainly a project and it could either go well....Or goes terrible....I am more on the side Bryant at 9 does not bring back 9th pick value and a player that would be available at that spot will end up alot better of a player....For me if a player can't do certain things at the college level i believe its a huge uphill battle for them to develop it in the NBA....Especially something like shot creation, Ball handling, Sloppy passing, Basketball IQ/Feel...

I'm talking more about philosophy than specific players. Sometimes taking the higher risk player with more potential is right strategy.

Sure....But you also have to look at production at the lower level....If they struggle to produce at a lower level the chances of them performing really well at a higher level is a big risk....Because you could see the stats fall even more......Also a player who has low usage in college will rarely ever be a high usage player in the NBA....We have no idea how Carter Bryant would look if you up his usage....All the flaws in his game could show more...

Thing with Carter Bryant, He struggles to dribble the ball at a high level, Hes very turnover prone (Has more turnovers than assists) And can't really play make for himself or others....Thats at a college level....Can't get to the rim by himself, Doesn't draw many fouls....So at that point your drafting a player who defends and stands in the corner as a 3 point shooter at 9....He would have to hit a OG level of a defender for that to be a good pick....Even thats asking for alot...

Like i said he has some eye popping highlights but when you deep dive you can find alot of concerns...

[WuTang_CMB]

Why the draft could be the most important day of the offseason
One of the four picks coming to Memphis in the Bane trade was No. 16 in this month's NBA draft. With a Durant trade likely to happen before this year's draft, sources said, expect some 2025 draft capital to be included.

In a summer in which there is basically no cap space for teams -- the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, are the only one projected to have meaningful space with which to work. With a limited free agent class on top of it, several sources said the busiest day of the offseason is going to be June 25, the first round of the draft.

It's the one date on the calendar when all of these teams have the ability to maneuver their rosters and improve -- and possibly for the only time, given the constraints on the market in the weeks afterward. Between teams trying to shed money or just reshuffle their rosters after an eventful few months around the league, there's no shortage of teams searching for a splash. "It just feels like there is going to be more activity than even normally is," an executive said.

Coupled with a draft featuring two clear prospects at the top -- Cooper Flagg at No. 1 and Dylan Harper at No. 2 -- and a deep pool of strong prospects, it should make for a wildly entertaining night inside Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

[OakleyDokely]

Scottie Barnes also showed alot more than Carter Bryant in college....He gave you 10, 4, 4, with 2 Steals and 1 blk on 24 mins a game....Carter Bryant is no where near the passer Barnes was....Barnes had and has alot more dynamics in his game than what Bryant showed in college....Sure Suggs was a better college player than Barnes but lets not act like Barnes was a project type...He was going to go top 10 in that draft...

With Carter Bryant you could reach for him at 9 and look silly because he has not shown in college he could be a consistant player....Barnes at least showed that he could even on limited mins....Carter Bryant is certainly a project and it could either go well....Or goes terrible....I am more on the side Bryant at 9 does not bring back 9th pick value and a player that would be available at that spot will end up alot better of a player....For me if a player can't do certain things at the college level i believe its a huge uphill battle for them to develop it in the NBA....Especially something like shot creation, Ball handling, Sloppy passing, Basketball IQ/Feel...

I'm talking more about philosophy than specific players. Sometimes taking the higher risk player with more potential is right strategy.

Sure....But you also have to look at production at the lower level....If they struggle to produce at a lower level the chances of them performing really well at a higher level is a big risk....Because you could see the stats fall even more......Also a player who has low usage in college will rarely ever be a high usage player in the NBA....We have no idea how Carter Bryant would look if you up his usage....All the flaws in his game could show more...

Thing with Carter Bryant, He struggles to dribble the ball at a high level, Hes very turnover prone (Has more turnovers than assists) And can't really play make for himself or others....Thats at a college level....Can't get to the rim by himself, Doesn't draw many fouls....So at that point your drafting a player who defends and stands in the corner as a 3 point shooter at 9....He would have to hit a OG level of a defender for that to be a good pick....Even thats asking for alot...

Like i said he has some eye popping highlights but when you deep dive you can find alot of concerns...

Bryant looks good on the surface to me. Shooting splits were solid across the board (46/37/70), he was relatively efficient (59TS), his defensive metrics look good, he has a high BPM. His overall measurements are ideal for a modern forward in the NBA. His shooting form looks good and he has NBA level athleticism. There's no immediate real red flags on a surface level.

The problem is the sample size. He only did it over 1 season in 19-20 minutes of the bench in a smaller role. There's no guarantee of growth or that he can do it in a bigger role. But I can see the upside with him, especially if he has the right mentality and he's a hard worker, which is what is being reported.

[WuTang_CMB]

https://www.espn.com.au/nba/story/_/id/45506725/2025-nba-draft-superlatives-skills-traits-best-players-shooting-defense-more

[WuTang_CMB]

stein/fischer

The Raptors' No. 9 pick is also increasingly viewed as perhaps the most likely top-10 pick in the draft to be traded. My sense is that Toronto would prefer to simply trade down rather than trade out of the first-round completely. Perhaps there is some swap potential in a deal with Phoenix and the Suns' No. 29 overall selection.

[niQ]

lol 9 Parts (and counting) 2025 NBA Draft Discussion only to trade it away.

[WuTang_CMB]

lol 9 Parts (and counting) 2025 NBA Draft Discussion only to trade it away.

[Clutch0z24]

lol 9 Parts (and counting) 2025 NBA Draft Discussion only to trade it away.

As soon as that "Big fish" report came out i knew this pick for us was cooked....The 9th pick is our leverage to get the "Big fish" without trading away Barnes....

[DonDoolie]

I swear to god if we end up making some short term dog **** move like trading a ton of assets for a 38 year old I am going to be a Laker fan until the FO is fired.

[bboyskinnylegs]

stein/fischer

The Raptors' No. 9 pick is also increasingly viewed as perhaps the most likely top-10 pick in the draft to be traded. My sense is that Toronto would prefer to simply trade down rather than trade out of the first-round completely. Perhaps there is some swap potential in a deal with Phoenix and the Suns' No. 29 overall selection.

lol why would we trade down to 29 from 9 when we already have #39 to trade up with if we need to. Giving up our #9 pick for KD isn't a good idea, but if you're going to do it, just commit to it instead of pretending that another Thad+Koloko trade down is the genius move we had in mind all along that will salvage it if he flees after a year.

[Basketball_Jones]

lol 9 Parts (and counting) 2025 NBA Draft Discussion only to trade it away.

It does seem like we aren’t super high on anybody and extremely disappointed dropping down to 9th.

[Jtoneller1]

It's not a set data filter, it's class dependent. So it's different if you are a Fr/Soph/Jr/Sr.

Every FRP Masai has made post-Bruno mistake (including both Koloko pick 33 and Mogbo pick 31 which I considered pseudo-FRPs as top 5 SRPs, so very early 2nds) is on the list retroactively, including OG.

This is because the creation of these queries in 2023 was aided by the pre-existing dataset of all 7 FRP selections Masai has made since the Bruno mistake in 2014, up until 2022 (Delon/Poeltl/Siakam/OG/Malachi/Scottie/Koloko).

Was wondering about Sorber, Fleming and Drake Powell, particularly, trading down.

Sorber, Fleming and Powell all are not Masai-type FRPs. I find it unfortunate in Sorber's case, because I personally really like him as a prospect.

Hey Jerry. In what ways was Koloko a Masai-type pick that Maluach isn't?

Maluach draft year (Fr):
AST%: 4.3
AST/TO: 0.7
USG: 16.8
STL%: 0.6

Koloko draft year (Jr):
AST%: 9.8
AST/TO: 0.9
USG: 20.6
STL%: 1.6

Thanks. That's very interesting. I guess those betting on Maluach are banking on improvements related to feel and IQ. I wonder how he would stack up to Koloko if he were to stay in college for two more years.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using RealGM mobile app

[Clutch0z24]

lol 9 Parts (and counting) 2025 NBA Draft Discussion only to trade it away.

It does seem like we aren’t super high on anybody and extremely disappointed dropping down to 9th.

To be fair we are prolly only offering the 9th pick for a star level player. We are prolly using this 9th pick as a way to get the foot in the door with these trade talks....Since it prolly is our most valuable asset atm since we are not trading Barnes.

[Basketball_Jones]

lol 9 Parts (and counting) 2025 NBA Draft Discussion only to trade it away.

It does seem like we aren’t super high on anybody and extremely disappointed dropping down to 9th.

To be fair we are prolly only offering the 9th pick for a star level player. We are prolly using this 9th pick as a way to get the foot in the door with these trade talks....Since it prolly is our most valuable asset atm since we are not trading Barnes.

I’d rather trade Barnes lol

[God Squad]

Read on Twitter

?s=46

The lack of self creation for Bryant is concerning

Thats exactly why i am very very cold on him as a prospect compared to everyone who wants him so bad....The biggest red flags for me....His stats for one....His lack of rim finishing or getting to the rim off the dribble....Lack of FT attempts....And his shot creation is one of the worst as well....

With the 9th pick you can't be picking a player who has that limited shot creation skills ....3&D role players are fine to get but not this high in the draft ....you can get these kind of players late first round....You need to draft a player with more upside and more dynamics all around as a player.

I'm also colder on Bryant than most, but I'm also very much sold on Essengue. I'm locked in on Noa.

I think we all value different aspects in players and see potential differently.

[LarSiN]

It does seem like we aren’t super high on anybody and extremely disappointed dropping down to 9th.

To be fair we are prolly only offering the 9th pick for a star level player. We are prolly using this 9th pick as a way to get the foot in the door with these trade talks....Since it prolly is our most valuable asset atm since we are not trading Barnes.

I’d rather trade Barnes lol

You'd rather trade Scottie Barnes than the #9 pick in a crapshoot draft?? I wouldn't

[Pericles]

I have Maluach and Queen as the top guys possibly available in our range. The fact that we need a big makes the fit all the better. I have Maluach ranked higher, mostly due to his immense size and potential to be a game changing rim protector. On the other hand, most reviews of Queen focus on his lack of ideal size and defensive stats. Critics claim he'll need to be an offensive star - I believe just that. His footwork and ability to finish at the rim are elite. I think he could be an even better version of Alperan Sengun.

I have most of the other prospects in our range - Kon Knueppel, Carter Bryant, Collin Murray Boyles, Noa Essengue, Egor Demin, Kasparas Jakucionus, ranked a tier below Queen and Maluach. If we cannot get Maluach or Queen I would prefer to trade the pick or move down.