2025 Draft Thread - Part 2

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Avoid the darned groupthink.

Pick Queen

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

With respect to both of you. I think the player we want will either have to come from FA or in another draft.

I think we are looking for our backup C in this draft (with one of our later two picks). Of course, who we draft could surprise us! So there is that...

I wonder if one of the insiders will take this on or not, because to me, what do we really have exactly?

Sarr-4/5
Bilal-3
George-2
Bub-1/2

Wildcard:
AJ Johnson 1/2

A player's position is who he can guard. George is a 3/4, not a 2.

We have:
Carrington - 1/2
AJ Johnson - 1/2
Bilal - 2/3
Champagne - 3
George - 3/4
Sarr - 4/5

I agree with you that fit is a much lower priority than talent. I don't really care what position we draft with any of our picks as I'm only convinced that one young player on the roster is sure to pan out as a starter on a playoff team (Bilal). Don't get me wrong, I think all of our young guys have a chance at panning out as starters, particularly Bub and Sarr, but I don't consider it a sure thing. Those guys might just pan out to be rotation players: 5th-8th men.

I do think that the middle of this draft is shaping up to be strong with big men: 4's, 5's and 4/5's. With that the case, and with our lack of any beefy bigs on the roster, I think it might be a great opportunity to add one.

Add two beefy guys.

Queen, Sorber, Wolf, Kalkbrenner

Two should be available at 6 or 18.

[closg00]

The player who has received the most pre-draft workouts to-date is.......RJ Felton, 4-year player with a scoring title and an NBA ready body

Watch on YouTube

[Dat2U]

Maluach and and Coward seems like very Dawkins-esque draft. Two very big swings. I'm good with it!

Long athletic guys that can dribble, pass & shoot.

Sarr, Carrington, Coulibaly & George all have these traits.

I guess Malauch is long & athletic and Coward is long and can shoot.

I honestly don't know enough about Coward to have a real opinion yet. I'm naturally skeptical about a guy who wasn't on anyone's radar until Duke signed him some weeks back but I will do a deep dive on him soon.

But who fits all 5 markers? Who in this draft is long, athletic, can shoot, pass & dribble?

I'll give y'all one. F Yaxel Lendeborg. Why is he not a lottery lock? He's solidly built, 6-9, can face up, post up, cut, attack of the dribble, shoot off the dribble, get an ISO bucket, run the offense, make high level decisions, crash the boards, finish strong at the rim. Seems like a legit two-way player who can do a little bit of everything... what is there not to like?

He reminds me ALOT of Derrick Williams physically but processes the floor much better. Maybe a little Michael Beasley without the extra gear but far more likely to reach his potential.

I can easily see him being a starting PF at next level.

[Dat2U]

Avoid the darned groupthink.

Pick Queen

At 18, yes pick Queen. Would have no problem with that.

[AFM]

Probably because he's old enough to post on this board. He'll be 23 in September...

[The Consiglieri]

Consig, I think most here would agree that talent and not positional fit or need should be the priority for the Zards.

Having said that, if, for example, Maluach is the #6 pick, I would not want the Zards to pick another big like Sorber with the 18th pick.

Be kinda hard to try to develop Sarr, Maluach and Sorber simultaneously. I would prefer to take a swing at a guard like Richardson or a SF/PF like Fleming or Coward or Riley with that 18th pick.

I'd view Sorber as an asset to be flipped. He's also injured, which makes it easier to baby his development.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Maluach and and Coward seems like very Dawkins-esque draft. Two very big swings. I'm good with it!

Long athletic guys that can dribble, pass & shoot.

Sarr, Carrington, Coulibaly & George all have these traits.

I guess Malauch is long & athletic and Coward is long and can shoot.

I honestly don't know enough about Coward to have a real opinion yet. I'm naturally skeptical about a guy who wasn't on anyone's radar until Duke signed him some weeks back but I will do a deep dive on him soon.

But who fits all 5 markers? Who in this draft is long, athletic, can shoot, pass & dribble?

I'll give y'all one. F Yaxel Lendeborg. Why is he not a lottery lock? He's solidly built, 6-9, can face up, post up, cut, attack of the dribble, shoot off the dribble, get an ISO bucket, run the offense, make high level decisions, crash the boards, finish strong at the rim. Seems like a legit two-way player who can do a little bit of everything... what is there not to like?

He reminds me ALOT of Derrick Williams physically but processes the floor much better. Maybe a little Michael Beasley without the extra gear but far more likely to reach his potential.

I can easily see him being a starting PF at next level.

I was very wrong about Derrick Williams.

He's one who I declared can't-miss who missed.by a mile.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Avoid the darned groupthink.

Pick Queen

At 18, yes pick Queen. Would have no problem with that.

There's no way DQ slips to 18. Pillsbury Doughboy or not, he's going by early teens

[DCZards]

Consig, I think most here would agree that talent and not positional fit or need should be the priority for the Zards.

Having said that, if, for example, Maluach is the #6 pick, I would not want the Zards to pick another big like Sorber with the 18th pick.

Be kinda hard to try to develop Sarr, Maluach and Sorber simultaneously. I would prefer to take a swing at a guard like Richardson or a SF/PF like Fleming or Coward or Riley with that 18th pick.

I'd view Sorber as an asset to be flipped. He's also injured, which makes it easier to baby his development.

I’d rather have a player to be developed rather than flipped. At pick 18, I believe this FO can come away with an important piece of the rebuild.

[dobrojim]

Avoid the darned groupthink.

Pick Queen

I wonder if all teams have a scout team to develop
the best case AGAINST the players high on their own board.
To really try to find reasons that a particular prospect
might flame out. With so much on the line, if I were
making the final decision, I'd want a really smart
person on my team that I trust and with no agenda
to explain to me their reasoning that a given player
Will crash and burn. Maybe many/all teams do this now.

PS watching the Pensare BB mock.
I kinda like this guy. Forget who posted about him.
He's got Carter Bryant at 3.

[dckingsfan]

I'll give y'all one. F Yaxel Lendeborg. Why is he not a lottery lock? He's solidly built, 6-9, can face up, post up, cut, attack of the dribble, shoot off the dribble, get an ISO bucket, run the offense, make high level decisions, crash the boards, finish strong at the rim. Seems like a legit two-way player who can do a little bit of everything... what is there not to like?

He reminds me ALOT of Derrick Williams physically but processes the floor much better. Maybe a little Michael Beasley without the extra gear but far more likely to reach his potential.

I can easily see him being a starting PF at next level.

Yep, I don't get it. He is being mocked late first round. I think he can easily be a rotational forward on a really good team.

His 3PT% went from .333 to .357. If he even sniffs .380 (which I think is well within his reach), he will be fine as a 3&D rotational player and possible starter.

And that is the problem with this year's draft. He could end up on the Celtics - rich get richer. Or he falls to the Suns (not good for our draft pick, potentially).

What a weird draft...

[Hidden Eye]

Avoid the darned groupthink.

Pick Queen

At 18, yes pick Queen. Would have no problem with that.

There's no way DQ slips to 18. Pillsbury Doughboy or not, he's going by early teens

100% sure Queen is gone before #15.

Wolf might be gone at 17.

[TheBlackCzar]

Dream scenario is Tre Johnson at #6, Danny Wolf at #18, and absorb a bad contract or something to move up from #40 to the late 20's and grab Yaxel.

PG Carrington/AJ
SG Tre Johnson/Poole
SF Bilal/Champagnie
PF Kyshawn/Yaxel
C Sarr/Wolf

(And our veterans: Smart, Kispert, Middleton)

That's a team with length and athleticism at every position. There's no superstar, but there's a bunch of good young guys who could become quality two-way players. I suppose Sarr, Tre, and Bilal have at least a remote chance of becoming true stars.

Yeah, I'd very happy with that as well. I think Wolf returns top 10 value if he shoots it well enough. He's a 'straw that stirs the drink' type that is offensive ceiling raiser at C.

Tre is just a rock solid prospect for me. The best and most complete shooter in the draft (C&S, off the dribble & movement shooting - coming off screens & curls) has a 6-11 wingspan and solid handle. I'm in, I'm not going to over think it. The defensive concerns can be addressed with effort. The role and shot selection concerns can be managed by coaching and better teammates. I'm not concerned. As he gets stronger, he can even improve as a finisher.

As much as I like Queen, Johnson really is a rock sold prospect.

He killed it as a scorer in the SEC as a freshman. He killed it at the NBA combine.

I guess the Wizards will just have 8 guards. Poole can be invisible. Bub and AJ can fuse into the same player. Ideas like Coulibaly and George being primary ball handlers at PG and SG can be shelved in infancy.

Johnson is BPA. Fit be damned. Queen fits, but to heck with that.

This is for doc, CCJ, dat, pif, whoever really wanna chime in but for ya'll in particular....

Why doesn't Johnson extremely subpar rim attack rate not alarm you, especially since it's more a result of him lacking the necessary quickness and footspeed... I understand that he can shoot very well, but that is not the most important facet of basketball.... Rim pressure makes all this outside shooting significantly easier, so why do you think so lowly of Fears? I honestly believe none of these dudes ya'll mentioning have a chance at being a star... Johnson could be like KLAY, but that's a helluva expectation, but his handles lead all the way back to a jumper time and again.... All his dancing moves leads to mostly jumpers..... You prefer that over a guy who would start the year at 18yrs old, shot 60% at the rim, shot 3 at about 35% from spotup, most of his poor 3point percentage is from off the dribble, but has exceptional (30'+) range, get our offense moving, and is still growing... Why is he never mentioned until it's if we have to choose between Malauch, Queen and Johnson....


Johnson - hasn't displayed an ability to be good on defense, and doesn't consistently get to the rim. (2 or 3 prospects next year are better than him or any G prospect in this draft and they are all SG, none of them are PG)
Malauch - very raw, not that agile for his size, but he's gigantic, has some promising moves in his bag but no sustained performance to support he's a surefire developer.
Queen - Needs to get in much better shape, isn't a good outside shooter, doesn't even try on defense for the most part, and is a moody player, who strives to score above everything else....
Fears - can get to the rim at an elite level, can get to the line at an elite level, is still growing, can already initiate offense when he was supposed to be a HS Sr., and his two biggest concerns are his jumper which is not poor form, moreso shot selection, and his size, when he's not even going to be 19 until the end of the season, almost 2months into his rookie year, even younger than Bub was, and just like Bub grew late.....

I just don't understand from a nonbiased view how you look at these options and think Johnson is the best prospect, with the most bang for our buck... Please enlighten me, how Tre replicating what Bub does, so that neither of our guards go to the rim, how does this really help this team out?

[dobrojim]

If you just can't get enough draft talk,I like this guy, does a good breakdown of the prospects...

Watch on YouTube

And 1

He's got me convinced I should be super excited if
we end up with Bryant because of his D. That probably
has Dawkin's attention.

Maybe I'm just excited about whoever the last guy
I listened to being hyped up is.

He's (CB) being mocked @ 3 here.

Assuming things at the top go as expected 1-2,
I can see things working out with whoever is left
between VJ, Bryant, Maluach or Tre. Or for that
matter Fears, Ace (some warning flags on Ace).
Even KK.

[Dat2U]

Avoid the darned groupthink.

Pick Queen

At 18, yes pick Queen. Would have no problem with that.

There's no way DQ slips to 18. Pillsbury Doughboy or not, he's going by early teens

Yeah. I think there's a good chance his floor is probably Minnesota. Maybe Wolf falls.

[gambitx777]

Avoid the darned groupthink.

Pick Queen

At 18, yes pick Queen. Would have no problem with that.

There's no way DQ slips to 18. Pillsbury Doughboy or not, he's going by early teens

His work out numbers do not look great he might slip for some of the more athletic freaks

Sent from my SM-S926U1 using RealGM mobile app

[FarBeyondDriven]

I think you're going to draft Essengue/Carter at #6 because they're elite glue guy types and will rub off on the other young guys. They can defend multiple positions and are willing passers who can finish on the break. They'd be protection in case the other young wings don't develop or could allow them to be packaged in a trade if necessary. I think you'll get your center at #18, likely Sorber, Yang, or Raynaud which will allow Sarr to play his preferred 4

Carrington-Johnson-Smart
George-Poole
Coulibaly-Middleton-Kispert
Sarr-Essengue/Carter
Sorber/Yang/Raynaud

I think they'll play the vets but just enough to prove they're healthy so they can try to flip them at the deadline. They can't play them too much or else you might win and jeopardize your protected 1-8 pick. So a steady diet of minutes to the kids and hope that some cream will rise to the top. A top 5 pick in the loaded 2026 draft is where you'll find your #1 franchise player and from then on it's go time. A real and genuine problem I see is that you'll simply have too much talent to tank successfully. All these kids are going to make substantial jumps and I know your fanbase doesn't seem nearly as high on them as I am, it's possible you'll already have a starting five plus depth of your contending core going forward. That plus high BBIQ and better vets on the team than last season just might be enough in a weak east to prevent losing even if you try. 2026 is going to have a lot of teams tanking so you're going to have competition.

[nate33]

I'd view Sorber as an asset to be flipped. He's also injured, which makes it easier to baby his development.

Please explain. If you don't think he is a good fit here, why pick him and trade him? Why not just pick a guy you think will be a good fit?

[doclinkin]

This is for doc,
...
Rim pressure makes all this outside shooting significantly easier, so why do you think so lowly of Fears?
...
Please enlighten me, how Tre replicating what Bub does, so that neither of our guards go to the rim, how does this really help this team out?

I had Fears on my list of players with the potential to be the best in the draft. Like not surprised if he's better than Harper, long term. 4th youngest in the draft since he re-classed to jump early. Carried his team in a tough conference. The fact that he is still growing helps eliminate the concern about size. And I think his frame will take muscle when his growth spurt slows. I see him as a potential Brunson 2.0. His game with the ball is too savvy, and his key weakness is the outside shot -- but with a 85% FT rate, that will even out over time. Same deal with his assist/TO issues. He's been the best player on the floor, trying to prove himself, so who is he going to pass to? Some of the passes he did try were creative and surprising so his teammates weren't ready for them. Yeah he forced the action at times but you like that kind of aggression. He's so young, so skilled already, he is going to get better.

I'm fine if they take him. And due to all that ^^^ and the fact that the Wiz have already worked him out, I don't doubt that this front office could go that way.

I also think the point is moot. Intel suggests Ainge takes him at 5 and sells him to Brooklyn for a haul. He's a perfect fit for the NY market. Brooklyn will sell a ton of merchandise on the Fearless kid. And they have the assets to drop a huge bribe to Ainge who never passes up a 4-for-1 deal. Even if some of those picks aren't this year.

As for here. I want to trade up for Ace. I think he's an ideal fit for what this team needs, and despite the fact that we fell we kinda sorta lucked out, in that the teams who might pick him are also not necessarily great landing spots for what he does best. So we could potentially end up with a top 3 pick anyway, if we shift some resources around.

If Fears falls to us it's because someone took Tre, so a comparison between the two is also pointless to me. If you like one or like the other, cool, but you won't have to choose between the two. Maybe a dark horse candidate leaps into the top 5, like Carter Bryant who is suddenly everybody's princess in various mocks. Shrug. If so, okay.

(I think teams will be scared away from Maluach because of the volatile political situation, so I don't think he jumps to the top 5. I think the kid from Sudan is more likely to fall to 18 than jump to 5. Sudan has nothing to entice the administration with. This admin can score press coverage and stir up outrage if they look tough by sending the kid overseas. That's fine if we take him, he can season then come back with fundamentals under his belt when we are ready to win).

If Fears falls to us I would have to listen if Brooklyn came knocking. We have too many needs, and a long way to go before 'good'. Dropping a spot or two while collecting future assets plus one or more late 1RPs this year probably helps us more than adding another ball-dominant guard next to Bub and AJJ. The fact that he does not yet have off-ball skills stunts Fears' development, Bub's development as floor general, and siphons all of AJJ's minutes. Especially until we can sell Poole to a high bidder. So asset management wise I'd rather drop to 8, snatch Maluach or Carter Bryant or whomever the front office likes, plus get someone at 19/26/27 later in the draft. Yaxel, Rasheer Fleming, Wolf, Derik Queen, CMB, somebody who slips to late. I don't think Brooklyn or anyone offers as much for Tre as Brooklyn could for Fears.

So ok, it's not a debate to me between Tre and Fears but I could have that talk. Not about 'fit' but asset management wise: I like the potential synergy between Bub and Tre. I think Bub is seriously underrated in his potential. I think his skillset tops out as a high efficient floor general, stirring the drink and filling everyone's cups. His stats show he is better as a starter than off the bench, better with the ball in his hands than trying to play sidekick to Poole. I think his game will take off when he has a front court finisher/pick and roll partner, and a reliable catch and finish guy in the back court to open up the court. I like Ace in both roles, but if Tre fell to us instead at least we have that one option. A catch and shoot guy who moves well off ball and can hit despite being heavily guarded. We don't have that guy. A me-first scorer who can be effective without the ball in his hands. That both replaces Poole in the line-up, puts the ball in Bub's hands, and opens the inside for us so that other players can score down low.

We'd still need our interior finisher, so I'd look for that player in a Big lower down with the extra picks, instead of relying on the smallest player on the court. Front court finishing guards are generally a risk for injury. Especially if that is their main game. Wall, Arenas, this franchise has seen that movie play out. People knock Bub for finding the gaps between players and not diving into the middle to steal cheap points for And-1, but Bub played 82 games. If you saw the playoffs you see the trend that teams are allowed rougher play nowadays. Seems it is trending in that direction. You know the NBA has been taking note at the quality of play in the post season. Ratings are up. Not just gunning from outside. I appreciate that there are ball-handling attack guards who have been carrying their teams. But you probably know me, my rant is that the Big Man game is due for a renaissance. Not just with Jokic and the unicorns playing outside in, but with high efficient scoring in the paint. Not penetrate and dish, but a resurgence in post-entry passing. That includes big to big passing, lanky outside playmakers, and also a skilled set-up man. I want front court muscle before it starts becoming too expensive to find playable 2-way bigs. Get in before the inflation happens.

So. That's my read on the Fears deal. He is the most talented ballhandler in the draft. With high end growth potential. That counts for a lot. I don't hate it if he falls and that's the way they go. If he lands here though I would have to think if it was more worth it to get a haul of other assets, while slipping a notch to get a player I also want. Makes sense?