2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[gerrit4]

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Good video. If we end up drafting Jase Richardson, that will be the video that gets pumped up around here a lot.

[nivisi9]

I'm starting to wish it ends up being Kon, he could literally turn out to be our best offensive player on the team immediately.

If they're really shopping RJ that could allow Kon to start day 1 and function as elite shooting option + offensive hub.

C- Poeltl
PF- Barnes
SF- Ingram
SG - Kon
PG- Quickley

bench: Obaji, Walter, Dick, Mogbo, Lawson, 2nd round 2025, Return for RJ additional 1st pick?

I think we are underestimating how deadly that team could be in next yrs super weak East.
Crazy deep bench/depth as well

Young contender on the rise?

[Grew]

I'm starting to wish it ends up being Kon, he could literally turn out to be our best offensive player on the team immediately.

So the dude who took a backseat in college to the dude people are worried about being a good enough scorer to be a superstar, is going to be a better option on offense day 1 than Brandon Ingram? Insane expectation of a guy who is an eerily similar prospect to Gradey dick, who we already have.

Daily reminder that everything said about Kon in college was said about Gradey. Difference is Gradey didn't have cooper to play off of and Maluach to throw lobs to.

[Dalek]

I think Toronto is focused on a big and they obviously love defense and switchability. Asa Newell is going to be the best switch big who can swap between PF and C. He is projectable as a three point shooter. He isn't a passer, but he is young and high floor as an energy big. I think most people find him boring, a bit of the forgotten lotto guy, but he is a quality big given his athleticism and aggression. He's a bit like Chris Bosh being a lefty PF with good fluidity.

He doesn't really seem to fit the Raps typical profile though. Not a great rebounder or passer, only a 6'11 wingspan for someone who measured 6'9. I think there are more Raptor-y guys.

Also rumour is CMB punished him in a workout

I just think he is an under-the-radar guy that Toronto might like because he seems like a worker and a little on the quiet side which is typically who we like. To me, he doesn't have obvious uncorrectable flaws and he does good big man things even if he is only 220 lbs. I do agree his metrics don't equate to high level rebounding, but he looks like a high energy/effort guy who will add weight and get better. I think if he becomes a pick and pop back-up big with some starter potential I'd think the Toronto FO may bite. I had him lotto early on in the process and he ended his year pretty solidly.

I don't think you can take much out of workouts, but I did look at match-ups with CMB and Asa had 17/10 and 3 blocks in a win where he played CMB evenly and even played bigger than him at times, while while he had a bad game of 11/2 in another win against South Carolina. CMB went off in that game.

CMB to me has less chance of developing a jumper compared to Asa, and Asa is still in that 6'10 range which is fine as a PF and part time C. He is at least like a Nick Richards or Mason Plumlee type with more shooting upside. I personally like him better than Noa Essengue, CMB, Queen because I know what Asa is and he knows what he does well and needs to work on.

[nivisi9]

I'm starting to wish it ends up being Kon, he could literally turn out to be our best offensive player on the team immediately.

So the dude who took a backseat in college to the dude people are worried about being a good enough scorer to be a superstar, is going to be a better option on offense day 1 than Brandon Ingram? Insane expectation of a guy who is an eerily similar prospect to Gradey dick, who we already have.

Daily reminder that everything said about Kon in college was said about Gradey. Difference is Gradey didn't have cooper to play off of and Maluach to throw lobs to.

None of that is true. You are talking out of your ass because he's white ,can shoot, and that's all you know and basing your garbage assessment on

His game is not very similar to Dick besides both were known as elite shooters.

Dick was a pylon stick + terrible defender in college, wasn't a facilitator whatsoever, didn't score efficiently at the basket, didn't have a high FT rate like Kon, didn't have elite defensive metrics, didn't run Pick and roll offense whatsoever, doesn't have Kons handle or offensive skills off the dribble.

So no..

no one was saying that Dick and Kon were "eerily" the same lol whoever actually watched them play and accessed their performance and skills.

Kon was elite across the board as a freshman, especially as a facilitator. Historical elite efficiency everywhere on the floor. He is much more solid physically then Dick and had elite defensive analytics (not that he will likely be a plus defender but very high defensive IQ, can absorb contact, numbers indicate he was a positive in college).

Take a backseat to a generational prospect some are claiming since LeBron? lol what does that even mean? because he didn't force more shots as a freshman but was elite at everything when he had usage? which was still high for a typical freshman

Obviously he probably wouldn't be 1# offensive player as a rookie, the point being he's that good and efficient that its atleast possible efficiency wise, but more so that he'd be instantly impactful is the main point. Most rookies are a net negative in impact. I thought we traded for Ingram and trying to win now? He's 28 yrs old the window has started


Here are some standout metrics that support Kon’s offensive profile and defensive performance as a freshman:


Per-possession defensive stats:
  • 27% FG allowed on drives (95 total)
  • 30% FG allowed on jumpers (26% off the dribble)
  • 33% FG at the rim
  • 27% FG in pick-and-roll (70 possessions)

- Offensive stats: 14.4 PPG, 63.8% TS, 2:1 AST:TO ratio over 38 games.

- Shooting splits: 40% from 3, 90% from FT line, with elite creation and passing flashes.

Here are some standout metrics that support Kon’s offensive profile:

- 1.169 PPP off screens (70th percentile) — smooth, balanced, quick release.
- 1.226 PPP as a cutter and 1.119 PPP in transition (95th percentile).
- 2.6 APG with a low turnover rate as a secondary creator.
- 1.114 PPP in pick-and-rolls (93rd percentile as a ball handler).
- Quick, compact release with advanced shot prep mechanics.
- Draws fouls and hits nearly 90% of FTs.
- Physical defender — boxes out, bumps cutters, contests shots inside the arc.
- Strong help defender — allows just 0.782 PPP on defense (85th percentile).

Having IQ and Kon both highly efficient + high volume 3PT shooters in the backcourt could actually unleash Ingram + Scottie offensive environment to scary potential..

thats kinda tantalizingly intriguing.

[DreamTeam09]

Pray for Maluach

[Psubs]

Pray for Maluach

... to be wanted by a team that wants to trade up to #9.

[Dalek]

Miles Byrd is a fascinating prospect. Incredible block/steal %, solid rebounder and passer, high BPM, great motor, hit 83% of his FTs, took almost 6 3s per game, but his shooting % was terrible.

He's interesting but his body looks on the weak side - 6’4 ¾" barefoot, 181.8 lbs with a 6’10” wingspan so he is a guard at the next level and still pretty light. Also, someone is going to call him Kilometre Byrd and that will be as annoying as when we had CJ Miles.

I do have Jamir Watkins as my top guy at 39. He is 6’5” barefoot, 214.6 lbs with a 6’11 ¼" wingspan and 8’6 ½" standing reach. These two were almost the same level of outside shooters: JW 53/165 vs MB 53/175.

[GLF]

Once again reminder:

Was this from today? I swore this was said last season. Things can change from the end of last season to now. And I’m not someone who wants Gradey traded. I’m just pretty sure this is old news

[WuTang_CMB]

updated bigboard

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/


cb now 7
egor 11

[Psubs]

updated bigboard

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/


cb now 7
egor 11

I guess take Bryant at #9 then. Trade Ochai for a pick to get Fleming.

Send Wolf and Nique back to the 20's and CMB at 25 back to teens.

Asa Newell at #31 yikes.

[Mark_83]

updated bigboard

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/


cb now 7
egor 11

I really hope Bryant makes it to us. Funilly enough, he'd be our new Carter and CB4.

With his defense CB4 would be even more appropriate a nickname, as he locks down the other team's most dangerous player.

[Psubs]

updated bigboard

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/


cb now 7
egor 11

I really hope Bryant makes it to us. Funilly enough, he'd be our new Carter and CB4.

With his defense CB4 would be even more appropriate a nickname, as he locks down the other team's most dangerous player.

Well Scotie is #4. He should take #3 and be CB3, or CB3D for 3&D.

[Mark_83]

updated bigboard

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/


cb now 7
egor 11

I really hope Bryant makes it to us. Funilly enough, he'd be our new Carter and CB4.

With his defense CB4 would be even more appropriate a nickname, as he locks down the other team's most dangerous player.

Well Scotie is #4. He should take #3 and be CB3, or CB3D for 3&D.

Crap, I forgot. He does kind of look like Terrence Howard, can we call him WAR Machine? Or "Spaceman" (Sunset Park reference)

[Dalek]

Interesting stats for Asa Newell compared to other similar players:

Asa Newell
51% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
73% at the rim
57 dunks
Decent 3P volume (26-89 - 29%)
58 EFG%

Rasheer Fleming
35% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
70% at the rim
43 dunks
Decent 3P volume (62-159 - 39% note only 3% unassisted)
62 EFG%

Collin Murray-Boyles
47% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
70% at the rim
26 dunks
Low 3P volume (9-34 - 26%)
60 EFG%

Derik Queen
57% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
68% at the rim
39 dunks
Low 3P volume (7-35 - 20%)
54 EFG%

Newell has a bit more creation ability then given credit for. He also tried to take a fair amount of threes and even despite missing kept a very good overall EFG. I didn’t put in Ast% as Queen and CMB are clearly better than Fleming and Newell, but as far as big men, Newell holds his own especially given it was his freshmen year and playing in the SEC.

[Psubs]

I really hope Bryant makes it to us. Funilly enough, he'd be our new Carter and CB4.

With his defense CB4 would be even more appropriate a nickname, as he locks down the other team's most dangerous player.

Well Scotie is #4. He should take #3 and be CB3, or CB3D for 3&D.

Crap, I forgot. He does kind of look like Terrence Howard, can we call him WAR Machine?

Isn't WAR just baseball? Basketbal uses WinShares. VORP Machine?

[Psubs]

Interesting stats for Asa Newell compared to other similar players:

Asa Newell
51% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
73% at the rim
57 dunks
Decent 3P volume (26-89 - 29%)
58 EFG%

Rasheer Fleming
35% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
70% at the rim
43 dunks
Decent 3P volume (62-159 - 39% note only 3% unassisted)
62 EFG%

Collin Murray-Boyles
47% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
70% at the rim
26 dunks
Low 3P volume (9-34 - 26%)
60 EFG%

Derik Queen
57% of his rim attempts are unassisted/self-created
68% at the rim
39 dunks
Low 3P volume (7-35 - 20%)
54 EFG%

Newell has a bit more creation ability then given credit for. He also tried to take a fair amount of threes and even despite missing kept a very good overall EFG. I didn’t put in Ast% as Queen and CMB are clearly better than Fleming and Newell, but as far as big men, Newell holds his own especially given it was his freshmen year and playing in the SEC.

So Newell shoots a lot of 3's and is under 30% at college distance so he's actually hurting the team. Moving back in distance is likely going to be worse. Unlikely he can make the leap like a Noah Clowney.

[Brinbe]

The Coward stuff is sort of funny to me because without the draft hype and sheen all I see is an Alan Anderson sort of scoring guard. Not to say he won't be vastly better or is more athletic but people always sort of overhype scoring guards to a degree. The stuff he was doing against that quality of competition looked good aesthetic-wise but most 2guards in the league can score and are athletic so those things won't be anywhere near pronounced. So what are you left with once reality hits and he's just a 21-year-old rookie who isn't really doing anything that special?

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[WuTang_CMB]

Fears’ floor is brk for me

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[WuTang_CMB]

jak

I love players who can rapidly “stack” actions. Players who know, instinctively, how to respond to whatever the defense is doing with rapid-fire decisions. Jakucionis, the Lithuanian guard who left FC Barcelona to star for Illinois this season, might be the best at it of anyone in this draft. He’s the type of role-malleable triple threat that every team in the league could use.

Jakucionis fits a flattering Euro stereotype for guards in that he has an almost joyous bobbing rhythm in the way he moves with the ball—a command for starting and stopping that really puts defenders in a less joyous place. Jakucionis, despite having credible size for his position, isn’t exceptionally long or blazingly fast. He does, however, have a low center of gravity and can be very quick from side to side or in situations when he suddenly bursts to attack after lulling his man into a spot.

Jakucionis is also a fantastic passer. In fact, I’d put him just a step or so behind BYU’s Egor Demin in terms of pure creativity. He’s able to consistently survey where his open teammate is or is about to be, where in the defense he needs to sell a fake, what type of fake that should be, and finally, what type of pass should be the solution. I don’t penalize a prospect for experimentation (I love it, actually), and that’s why I don’t really grind my teeth over Jakucionis’s ugly turnover percentage (second highest among the 164 players who posted 150 or more pick-and-roll reps). For one, he was battling a nagging forearm injury for nearly half the season while playing in a physically demanding conference, and for another, the best problem-solvers break eggs when they’re making omelets. Jakucionis definitely has stints of letting his guard down while protecting the ball, but he tries things, and at this stage, I am all for that.

Ultimately, Jakucionis’s success at the next level will live or die with his credibility as a scorer, and while I don’t think he is an “If it’s in the air, jog the other way” type of marksman, I’m optimistic he’ll be a consistent threat as a shooter. Through January 1 (so, pre-injury), Jakucionis was hitting 41.4 of his 3s, and the types of attempts varied—a blend of stepbacks in isolation and dribble pull-ups in the pick-and-roll and catch-and-shoot looks. Post-injury, his self-created 3s dried up almost entirely, which I suspect was a result of that injury to his nonshooting forearm. Beyond that, the craft in his middle game could definitely stand to progress and evolve, but he’s great when he gets to the rim. When he isn’t finishing at the basket (71.7 percent there), he relishes contact, which allows him to be a foul-generating machine. I expect his broad-shouldered frame to become a useful hammer in the paint by his mid-20s.

Jakucionis doesn’t have the kind of length or explosiveness that would give him a margin for error on defense, and he’s not particularly disruptive with his hands, so he’ll always have to work to hold up within a greater team scheme. That said, I don’t think his frame and physical tools put him in a terrible position. He’s shown that his low center of gravity, balance, and quickness can be effective in working through screens. It’ll be a challenge, but the net result should be positive.

fears

ears presents a strong case against nominative determinism. The young Sooner, in defiance of his name, plays with determination and audacity. He invites physicality on drives, using the force of his downhill velocity to shield him from the contact that awaits him near the basket. If you factor in both ball and body control, there might not be another prospect with a better first step and handle in the class. The ability to consistently pressure the rim is one of the most sought-after skills in basketball, and Fears has a natural blend of top-end speed, slithery pacing, and relentless attitude. He has some of the hard parts down pat. The rest is a work in progress.

Although one of the youngest prospects in the draft, not turning 19 until mid-October, Fears had the highest usage rate of any freshman in the nation. There are a few things that come with that territory. For starters, he turns the ball over a ton. And while he can be an effective playmaker, he often finds openings for his teammates as a by-product of his physical skills rather than creatively processing several frames ahead. He confidently takes deep, NBA-range pull-up jumpers, but his accuracy has been brutal outside of a few streaky performances. He gets into the paint with ease and draws fouls at an excellent rate for a player his size—even better than either Ja Morant or Damian Lillard in their final college seasons—but he’s not a particularly nuanced finisher once he gets to the rim, hampered by a lack of strength and unremarkable vertical explosiveness. He expertly shifts gears and changes speeds with the ball moving downhill, but it’s when he’s set his mind on scoring around the basket that he runs into the young man’s tendency of playing too fast. He hasn’t acquired the full decelerative tool kit yet, and it occasionally shows in the lack of control he has going up with the ball.

That’s a lot of buts! But—when it all clicks? When the controlled handle couples with the speed as he turns the corner, when the pull-up game is aligned just so, he has the look of a top-five prospect with clear pathways to stardom. With refinement of his jumper and some time spent building his core and lower body strength, Fears has the makings of a potent lead guard. Without them, Fears’s glaringly obvious gifts could get obscured at the next level.

cb

The counting stats won’t make a very compelling case for Bryant as a first-round talent. He has one of the lowest usage rates of any player projected to go in the top 30, comparable to those of fellow freshman Khaman Maluach, who started playing basketball only five years ago. But Bryant would pass even the most rudimentary of eye tests: His Vitruvian frame, agility, and explosiveness would stand out in just about any game he’s in. The clincher? He’s only a freshman.

Bryant’s standout trait at this stage is his defensive playmaking. He lifts off the ground quickly and hangs in the air for as long as necessary. His leaping ability, coupled with his quick reaction speed, makes his blocks seem like acts of precognition. He can swat away shots before the apex of the shooter’s jump because he arrives earlier than you’d expect. That mind-body sync grants him complete shot-blocking versatility: He’s equally adept at chase-downs, weakside help, blocking 3-pointers from a standstill, and getting an angle on a shot when defending on the low block. Of course, there’s a thin line between reading a situation more quickly than your opponent and getting caught in a compromising position. Bryant’s foul rate is staggeringly high for his position, more akin to a true center’s numbers than a roving, switchable combo forward’s. Teams will have to weigh their desire for ceiling-raising defensive playmaking against their appetite for foul trouble.

The rest of Bryant’s game is far less volatile. He’s mostly a play finisher on offense, spotting up from 3 or scoring at the rim. The shooting indicators are legitimate: Bryant shot nearly 40 percent from 3 in Big 12 conference play and has shown promise from deep dating back to his high school stats. While flashes of self-creation have been practically nonexistent, Bryant finds ways to impact the offense. He’s a shrewd off-ball mover with a deep understanding of when to cut into daylight; he’s a smart passer, trusted to make the right read when the ball finds him. At this stage in his offensive development, he’s mostly a human fiber supplement (that’s a compliment).

It will be hard for teams to pass up Bryant’s baseline skill set. He offers the full vision of a versatile role player without major compromises in size, shooting ability, or defensive acumen. The lack of meaningful on-ball reps could cap Bryant’s ceiling at the next level, but honest-to-goodness 3-and-D starters are hard to come by. Carter has all the tools to be next in line.