2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[dozo]

https://www.nba.com/blazers/videos/jase-richardson-pre-draft-workout-may-29-2025

https://www.blazersedge.com/2025/5/29/24439451/portland-trail-blazers-draft-workouts-2025-schedule-newell-yang-richardson-mcneeley-fleming-riley

Here's the list of the prospects at the workout. Not bad imho.

Asa Newell—6’9 F/C, Georgia

Jase Richardson—6’3 Guard, Michigan State

Liam McNeeley—6’7 Forward, UConn

Hansen Yang—7’1 Center, Qingdao Eagles/China

Rasheer Fleming—6’9 Forward, St. Joseph’s

Will Riley—6’8 Forward, Illinois

[WuTang_CMB]

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=HardwoodHoopsCentral%27sNBADraftGreenRoom

2024–25 stats: 17.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.7 bpg, 55.7% FG, 40.0% 3P, 84.0% FT in 6 games

Los Angeles Clippers could look to add size, either a wing or a frontcourt player. They would like a center that can provide rim protection, and be a defensive specialist behind Ivica Zubac.

An NBA scout told HoopsHype: “He was basically a lock to go back to college until about a month ago. He only played six games last year, so he didn’t have much experience. But when he was on the court at Eastern Washington, he really stood out—he has a great build and is an excellent shooter. In fact, at Washington State, especially early in the season, they looked like a potentially dangerous team thanks to Cedric Coward’s strong play. He was impressive enough to be named a playmaker this year, even with such a small sample size.

Unfortunately, he got hurt, and the team’s season really struggled after that. With only those six games played, his upside isn’t as high as some other prospects. But if you want a guy who can come in right away and contribute, Cedric Coward will be that player. If you’re picking late in the first round, at the 20s he can help your team. I think he’s climbing into the top 20 picks at this point. I’ve heard he has a three-million-dollar offer from Duke, so if he’s forgoing that, it likely means he believes he has a strong chance of going in the Top 20 or at least the Top 22, which suggests he could be making the same or more in the NBA. Initially, I thought he would return to college, but he’s climbing up the draft boards, so it looks like he might not.”

[Clutch0z24]

I do wonder that if Jase played at a different, less restrictive, program, would we view him as having a higher ceiling? MSU isn't really the place to go to stand out as an NBA prospect. Is there more to his game that he didn't really get to showcase? Of course, it works both ways i.e. it's possible that MSU hid some flaws as well. I'd be curious to see how he looks in workouts.

If he played PG the whole year and gave you 5 Ast per game like he did in High school....And also got the green light like many of the prospects do....He would prolly be out of range for us at 9th and he would be in that 5-8th range....Thats one reason i am so high on him personally because he has top 5 talent in this draft and only height and his position are the "Red flags" Which he already said hes going to be a PG in the NBA and for a PG he will be fine...Hes 6'2" in shoes and has the athletic ability to handle his own....Also there is still a chance he grows more while in the NBA...

I get the people that want bigger players but none of them have the shot creation upside Jase has and Jase is also better at majority of on the court basketball things than all of them....Would be hard for me to pass on that kinda talent for a less talented more raw prospect....But we shall see how it goes

[Mark_83]

Let's talk about pick 39. Who ya'll got?

Realistic prospects I'm hoping make it there are:

Ryan Kalkbrenner, C
Drake Powell, SG
Jamir Watkins, SF
Noah Penda, SF
Bogoljub Marković, PF
Hansen Yang, C
Chaz Lanier, SG
Tyrese Proctor, PG
Adou Thiero, SF
Mark Sears, PG

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Every measure you look at puts Kon as an elite wing.

It’s funny thinking I made a post a while back saying we tanked just to get a guy named Knueppel but dude might be the most obvious “we all should have knew he’d be this good” in hindsight guy.

[Got Nuffin]

I don’t think we can pass up the potential on guys like Maluach and Bryant, even if they are very unproven offensively. Whichever one is there at 9 is probably who we take.

What is Maluach's potential exactly? He has stone hands, can't rebound and is slow... Strikes me as a bust / can't play in the 4th quarter kinda guy

Could be. I think he’s a switchable 7’2” rim deterrent with solid shooting mechanics. Okay, maybe Myles Turner/Gobert cross between the two so not huge potential but his size is really tough to pass up on.

A Myles Turner / Gobert cross would be pretty crazy honestly, and he has shown the ability to switch better than those two guys so there's no real reason that he would get run off the floor in the 4th? Duke had him guarding out on the perimeter quite a lot.

I know we're not talking All-NBA talent etc here, but at 9? Yes of course you would take that and run.

[Yallbecrazy]

One thing when evaluating small school/conference prospects is that the discrepancy between smaller conferences and the power conferences has increased dramatically the last couple years and is much larger than it has ever been before thanks to both NIL money and not having to miss a season when transferring.

[Axe Dragon]

Given all of the recent NBA draft withdrawals, I'd like to announce that I'm officially entering the [emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]][emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]]] NBA draft.

I have PG size, but have a C style game. My range only extends to [emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]][emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]]ft but I'm a beast in transition until I get tired, which is usually after [emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]]] mins. I have no problem sitting on the bench and handing out towels and Gatorade. I prefer to play somewhere hot because I'm sick of the cold.

We have the exact same game. I’d be one of the older rookies at [emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]]]]]… not sure I line up either Scottie’s timeline.

Axe


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Indeed]

What is Maluach's potential exactly? He has stone hands, can't rebound and is slow... Strikes me as a bust / can't play in the 4th quarter kinda guy

Could be. I think he’s a switchable 7’2” rim deterrent with solid shooting mechanics. Okay, maybe Myles Turner/Gobert cross between the two so not huge potential but his size is really tough to pass up on.

A Myles Turner / Gobert cross would be pretty crazy honestly, and he has shown the ability to switch better than those two guys so there's no real reason that he would get run off the floor in the 4th? Duke had him guarding out on the perimeter quite a lot.

I know we're not talking All-NBA talent etc here, but at 9? Yes of course you would take that and run.

No he is not switchable, most draft scouting has him as drop coverage.
His lane agility and other quickness test are pretty much at the bottom.

Just hype.

[RoteSchroder]

Every measure you look at puts Kon as an elite wing.

It’s funny thinking I made a post a while back saying we tanked just to get a guy named Knueppel but dude might be the most obvious “we all should have knew he’d be this good” in hindsight guy.

To be nitpicky, I don't think it's EVERY measure (athletic profile, FTr doesn't seem that high, some defensive metrics aren't elite)

I'm uncertain on Kon's ceiling, although he should have a good floor.

[RoteSchroder]

Let's talk about pick 39. Who ya'll got?

Realistic prospects I'm hoping make it there are:

Ryan Kalkbrenner, C
Drake Powell, SG
Jamir Watkins, SF
Noah Penda, SF
Bogoljub Marković, PF
Hansen Yang, C
Chaz Lanier, SG
Tyrese Proctor, PG
Adou Thiero, SF
Mark Sears, PG

Tier 1
Yang, Kalk, Markovic

Tier 2
Watkins, Penda, Theiro

Tier 3
Sears, Powell

Don't know much about Lanier, Proctor.

[VanWest82]

Could be. I think he’s a switchable 7’2” rim deterrent with solid shooting mechanics. Okay, maybe Myles Turner/Gobert cross between the two so not huge potential but his size is really tough to pass up on.

A Myles Turner / Gobert cross would be pretty crazy honestly, and he has shown the ability to switch better than those two guys so there's no real reason that he would get run off the floor in the 4th? Duke had him guarding out on the perimeter quite a lot.

I know we're not talking All-NBA talent etc here, but at 9? Yes of course you would take that and run.

No he is not switchable, most draft scouting has him as drop coverage.
His lane agility and other quickness test are pretty much at the bottom.

Just hype.

I recall some of the same hype for Mo Bamba coming out. Raw but big defensive body, shows touch, looking to add the three ball, blank canvass, etc. More often than not these projects stay that way.

[Indeed]

I don’t think we can pass up the potential on guys like Maluach and Bryant, even if they are very unproven offensively. Whichever one is there at 9 is probably who we take.

What is Maluach's potential exactly? He has stone hands, can't rebound and is slow... Strikes me as a bust / can't play in the 4th quarter kinda guy

Where is this coming from? Slow? He's one of the only legit 7'+ big men with true NBA C size in college actually playing effective switch defence, almost all of the other lumbering bigs stand in the paint whole possessions which can't happen in the NBA. Can't play in the 4th quarter? He makes his free throws at a good rate unlike a ton of other big men in the league who get played off the floor in the 4th like our own current starting C Jakob Poeltl. Can't rebound? Merely has per 40 minute rebound numbers as good as some of the best rebounders in the NBA had in their freshman seasons in college when they were older. Stone hands? He's one of the most effective lob threats in college at the age of 18 and finishes around the rim at crazy percentages even on bad passes.

Just posted, having 20% defensive rebounding rate is bad, and everyone know rebounding translate to the NBA.

His quickness and leaping are bottom 5 in this class, close to Queen, so I am unsure how he is not described as slow. He is described as drop big, not switch. And his stone hands are legitimate concern if you even watch full games. Many scouting reports have his hands as concern, though his measurement isn't bad for his hand, which seems more to be his basketball IQ.

[Rapsfan07]

Newell is an older Freshman, so he's only about a year younger than Fleming. Fleming will be 21 and Newell 20 by the start of the season.

That makes it more worrying to me. Fleming has been in college for 3 years and is still making mistakes playing in the A10. Newell was a frosh and playing in the much tougher SEC.

Different people have different growth curves. Fleming was a zero star recruit, that developed through hard work. He's humble but still seems confident that he belongs.

Amare Stoudemire was a turnover machine with an A/T of 0.5. He was a 6 time allstar because he was a great finisher who developed a reliable foul-line jumper.

Fleming is a great get in the late teens. Trade for someone that wants a more proven player. I think Miami sees who Davion Mitchell acclimated to Heat Culture, maybe Ochai Agbaji is someone that would covet. If Rasheer is still there at #20, I trade Ochai and #39 for #20 and Kevin Love.

Why not just trade #9 for #13 & #22? Pick Fleming at #13 and someone else at #22. That way, you can keep Agbaji and #39.

[earthtone]

A Myles Turner / Gobert cross would be pretty crazy honestly, and he has shown the ability to switch better than those two guys so there's no real reason that he would get run off the floor in the 4th? Duke had him guarding out on the perimeter quite a lot.

I know we're not talking All-NBA talent etc here, but at 9? Yes of course you would take that and run.

No he is not switchable, most draft scouting has him as drop coverage.
His lane agility and other quickness test are pretty much at the bottom.

Just hype.

I recall some of the same hype for Mo Bamba coming out. Raw but big defensive body, shows touch, looking to add the three ball, blank canvass, etc. More often than not these projects stay that way.

Why are people quick to compare big men prospects to busts like Thabeet/Bamba but no one ever compares guard prospects to Jarret Culver/Dennis Smith Jr/the many Top 10 guards and wings who also bust?

I don’t think the hit rate on bigs is the lottery is any lower than any other position

[PhilBlackson]

Let's talk about pick 39. Who ya'll got?

Realistic prospects I'm hoping make it there are:

Ryan Kalkbrenner, C
Drake Powell, SG
Jamir Watkins, SF
Noah Penda, SF
Bogoljub Marković, PF
Hansen Yang, C
Chaz Lanier, SG
Tyrese Proctor, PG
Adou Thiero, SF
Mark Sears, PG

No way Yang is still on the board and we should trade into the late 1st to grab him, if he’s even still there. I could see the Nets taking a flyer on him. They’ll likely take a couple of gambles. But really Hansen impressed and the 2nd rd is looking paper thin so I’m sure someone must see the obvious upside. Likewise I’m doubtful Penda will be available then either but I’d praying one of those 2 fall through.

I also think Powell who was initially projected in the lottery impressed at the combine so good chance those 3 are gone in the late first imo.

Realistically I think we’ll need to hope to grab one of Kalkbrenner, Markovic or Watkins. But the sounds of our early workouts it seemed like we were looking more at the wings with our 2nd so my early guess is Watkins although I know Masai was seen scouting Markovic before.

[VanWest82]

Every measure you look at puts Kon as an elite wing.

It’s funny thinking I made a post a while back saying we tanked just to get a guy named Knueppel but dude might be the most obvious “we all should have knew he’d be this good” in hindsight guy.

To be nitpicky, I don't think it's EVERY measure (athletic profile, FTr doesn't seem that high, some defensive metrics aren't elite)

I'm uncertain on Kon's ceiling, although he should have a good floor.

The thing I like about him is he competes defensively. He's never going to be a plus defender due to his length and average foot speed, but he's not going to suck either. Awareness is too good and he fights for position. It wouldn't be another Gradey situation.

[Rapsfan07]

Let's talk about pick 39. Who ya'll got?

Realistic prospects I'm hoping make it there are:

Ryan Kalkbrenner, C
Drake Powell, SG
Jamir Watkins, SF
Noah Penda, SF
Bogoljub Marković, PF
Hansen Yang, C
Chaz Lanier, SG
Tyrese Proctor, PG
Adou Thiero, SF
Mark Sears, PG

I was originally hoping for Condon with #39 but he's withdrawn. Unless we're able to acquire a C another way then I'd try to use #39 on one.

If we are able to get a C then I'd probably just go with Proctor for no other reason than his size and shooting while hoping he can at least be passable on defense.

I'm thinking we should:

1. Trade #9 to ATL for #13 & #22. Take Fleming with #13, take Coward with #22.
2. Trade Dick for Kessler at the draft
3. In this case, take Proctor with #39

Quickley/Shead/Proctor
Barrett/Walter/Coward
Ingram/Agbaji/Coward
Barnes/Fleming/Mogbo
Poeltl/Kessler/Chomche

Super deep, plenty of youth and shooting. You'll have to make a decision on that SG spot next year with both Agbaji and Kessler being extension eligible but this season you can see what you got and go from there.

[VanWest82]

No he is not switchable, most draft scouting has him as drop coverage.
His lane agility and other quickness test are pretty much at the bottom.

Just hype.

I recall some of the same hype for Mo Bamba coming out. Raw but big defensive body, shows touch, looking to add the three ball, blank canvass, etc. More often than not these projects stay that way.

Why are people quick to compare big men prospects to busts like Thabeet/Bamba but no one ever compares guard prospects to Jarret Culver/Dennis Smith Jr/the many Top 10 guards and wings who also bust?

I don’t think the hit rate on bigs is the lottery is any lower than any other position

Well I just threw quite a bit of shade on Jase Richardson on the previous page so...

But generally speaking, i think it has to do with being tantalized by size and athletic profiles in lieu of actual skill and production which is more pronounced with bigger players. Even the guys you listed could at least dribble and shoot and little. Also, because we just don't see as many of those guys in general, the examples stick whereas guards and wings are a dime a dozen.

[dohboy_24]

For me you would have to do a deeper dive than just look at his size and write him off because of that....

He shot 69% at the rim in a pretty fair amount of attempts going 60-87 at attacking the rim which shows he can finish with the best of them in the paint in this class....Because he may not have the height but he has the craftyness, footwork, speed to blow by, ball handling to get to the rim and has the athletic ability to make shots because he can hang in the air with a 38 inch vert....

Yes, he did... but against whom?

If you look at Michigan State's opponents this year, what was his 2P% when playing against teams and/or opposing players who were elite, or at least above-average at protecting the paint (i.e. ranked top 100 in opp 2P% and blocks per game).

New Mexico:
5.0 blocks per game (18th)
48.4% 2P% (93rd)
Jase went 1-for-5 (20%) on 2PA

Florida Atlantic:
4.3 blocks per game (59th)
46.8% 2P% (41st)
Jase went 1-for-4 (25%) on 2PA

Wisconsin (2 games):
2.4 blocks per game (317th)
46.9% 2P% (46th)
Jase went 1-for-5 (20%) and 1-for-3 (33%) for a total of 2/8 (25%) on 2PA

Bryant:
6.0 blocks per game (2nd)
46.6% 2P% (35th)
Jase went 2-for-7 (28.6%) on 2PA

Illinois (2 games):
4.2 blocks per game (66th)
46.1% 2P% (24th)
Jase went 2-for-6 (33%) and 5-for-9 (55.6%) for a total of 7/17 (41.1%) on 2PA

Auburn:
5.9 blocks per game (3rd)
46.8% 2P% (40th)
Jase went 4-for-11 (36.4%) on 2PA

Minnesota:
4.7 blocks per game (26th)
49.2% 2P% (126th)
Jase went 2-for-4 (50.0%) on 2PA

Kansas:
4.7 blocks per game (29th)
46.3% 2P% (30th)
Jase went 2-for-4 (50.0%) on 2PA

Maryland:
4.5 blocks per game (44th)
47.8% 2P% (73rd)
Jase went 6-for-11 (54.5%) on 2PA

Michigan (2 games):
3.6 blocks per game (120th)
46.0% 2P% (23rd)
Jase went 5-for-8 (62.5%) and 4-for-5 (80%) for a total of 9/13 (69%) on 2PA

Memphis:
4.7 blocks per game (25th)
48.6% 2P% (97th)
Jase went 2-for-3 (66.7%) on 2PA

Colorado:
3.9 blocks per game (96th)
49.1% 2P% (120th)
Jase went 5-for-6 (83%) on 2PA

Against these 12 teams (15 games), Jase was 43/93 (46%) on 2PA.

Considering the NBA competition he'll face is going to be as tall, athletic, and long as these teams, if not taller, longer, and more athletic, how is he going to be able to finish at the rim at even an average, let alone elite rate?