2025 Draft Thread - Part 2

[dckingsfan]

On the subject of Bub versus AJ, I don't really know who has more upside as either a PG or SG of the future. It's too early to tell. All I really want is for both AJ and Bub to get plenty of reps at both guard roles and see how things shake out. I'll be much more excited about AJ if he comes back with significantly more strength while still being as athletic.

And with that said... I wouldn't be unhappy if they throw another young guard into the mix.

[doclinkin]

Had a 4.0 GPA at Duke which is not easy. With Flagg, Proctor, Maluach and Knueppel, all that talent,length and smarts, it's amazing they didn't even make the final game. I think if you're trying to tank again next season to make sure the Knicks don't get your first pick, you take Malauach. He's going to be very raw and have some difficulties with the speed and power of the game in his first season. But he'll learn. If Johnson is gone, I'm taking him or trading down to take him (if he's there). I haven't seen enough of Essengue to have an opinion, but he sounds a little like Vesely.

Yeah Khaman still has pretty bad hands, there is no way I would draft him over Rasheer Fleming.

Based on what. His 2 TO’s per 100 possessions? Compared to Fleming’s 3?

I want both of them. Both have good hands. Both score in traffic and with contact. Khaman is just better at it. But Sheer + Maluach would be a monster draft IMO.

[pcbothwel]

The Maluach thing is strange to me. I dont quite get the fascination. He is HUGE and moves well for his size, while showing great projection as a C&S stretch 5 in spots.
However, his instincts/reaction time is medicore at best (See low amount of rebounds & STOCKS), his hands are no better than Sarr's, and he isnt a high post creator/passer.
If you want the toolsy Center that could be a mismatch, take Wolf or Queen. If you want the upside of a cat-like defensive freak, take Beringer. If you want the lunch pale, tough, high IQ drop Center, take Sorber. All available outside the lotto.

[dobrojim]

His mediocre reaction time, assuming that is a correct observation, could be due in part to inexperience
compared to the players on the court with him. But he is reportedly really smart and motivated to learn.

I like the idea that he has already shown some 3 pt shooting skills at the combine. I'm not sure how many
people were thinking Wemby was going to be a distance threat in the NBA. It's possible Maluach might surprise
people in a similar way.

[doclinkin]

The Maluach thing is strange to me. I dont quite get the fascination. He is HUGE and moves well for his size, while showing great projection as a C&S stretch 5 in spots.
However, his instincts/reaction time is medicore at best (See low amount of rebounds & STOCKS), his hands are no better than Sarr's, and he isnt a high post creator/passer.
If you want the toolsy Center that could be a mismatch, take Wolf or Queen. If you want the upside of a cat-like defensive freak, take Beringer. If you want the lunch pale, tough, high IQ drop Center, take Sorber. All available outside the lotto.

I like all those guys. Maluach is bigger, younger (except Beringer) less experienced but therefore higher possible upside. Which of the above guys are physically capable of shutting down Embiid?

His instincts are behind the curve since he first touched a basketball 4 years ago. But the trainers in the NBA academy Africa say he’s ahead of where Embiid was at the same age. Highly intelligent, says everyone. High character. Work ethic so there’s a likelihood of consistent improvement. And shooting high % from the FT line. So there’s nothing wrong with his touch or vision. Or hands.

As for stocks. And rebounding. Agreed with Nate. His role was different at Duke. He was guarding the pick and roll at Duke. Like way outside the paint. But in BAL he was jumping at everything. Intimidating 30 year old pros. Chasing the ball. At Duke he was ground bound. Defending with position, verticality, playing the show and recover game on the perimeter. Clearly a coaching emphasis.

My enthusiasm dimmed a little when it turned out his reach was not the 2nd highest ever measured. But watching full games of him on the Uganda City Oilers I can see how the coaching staff limited his role at Duke. He can hit 3’s in game. Has a soccer player's balance and understanding of defensive angles.

And he hits 75% of his 2pt shots. Get him the ball in the inside and he will score.

In short: he’s bigger. Younger. So if the raw talent is equal, his upside is higher.

We are looking for stars. That means you take a risk on missing good players by reaching for dominant ones. I want those guys lower down too. But if you like Maluach he’s off the board by then.

[doclinkin]

Plus the nickname potential is through the roof. The Watchman. The Watchtower. Watch out! motherf—

[The Consiglieri]

I would bet my house that we're not drafting Knueppel, Corey would become even more dead weight than he is currently.

I used to live in a house.

Since my divorce and life/health struggles, the ex-wife got the house. I have experienced homelessness and living in a veterans homeless shelter. Now, I live in a group home.

Life's "Box of Chocolates" occasionally serves you a candy-coated marble.

(But it's all good in the hood. "God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.)...

It's a narrow aperture through which we know one another on this forum.
But we do get to know one another pretty well all the same.

Here's the most important thing I know about you, Ken, after more than a dozen years:
You are a high-quality human being.

I'm 82: I've lived a lot of different ways in a lot of different places.
I've been around. I know whereof I speak.

No doubt, I've posted in soccer, redskins (2), baseball, hockey, entertainment, and literary forums over the years, and the only thing that has really gotten me in here is the quality of people in here, including, of course, CCJ. There is no forum I'm a part of where I'm less informed than this one, it being the sport of least interest to me growing up, of the big 5 (Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Hockey), but I have kept coming back because of how much I learn from you guys, the entertainment, and the genuine quality of people who are both funny and kind, nearly always.

[WizarDynasty]

The Maluach thing is strange to me. I dont quite get the fascination. He is HUGE and moves well for his size, while showing great projection as a C&S stretch 5 in spots.
However, his instincts/reaction time is medicore at best (See low amount of rebounds & STOCKS), his hands are no better than Sarr's, and he isnt a high post creator/passer.
If you want the toolsy Center that could be a mismatch, take Wolf or Queen. If you want the upside of a cat-like defensive freak, take Beringer. If you want the lunch pale, tough, high IQ drop Center, take Sorber. All available outside the lotto.

I like all those guys. Maluach is bigger, younger (except Beringer) less experienced but therefore higher possible upside. Which of the above guys are physically capable of shutting down Embiid?

His instincts are behind the curve since he first touched a basketball for 4 years ago. But the trainers in the NBA academy Africa say he’s ahead of where Embiid was at the same age. Highly intelligent, says everyone. High character. Work ethic so there’s a likelihood of consistent improvement. And shooting high % from the FT line. So there’s nothing wrong with his touch or vision. Or hands.

As for stocks. And rebounding. Agreed with Nate. His role was different at Duke. He was guarding the pick and roll at Duke. Like way outside the paint. In BAL he was jumping at everything. Intimidating 30 year old pros. Chasing the ball. At Duke he was ground bound. defending with position. Clearly a coaching emphasis.

My enthusiasm dimmed a little when it turned out his reach was not the 2nd highest ever measured. But watching full games of him on the Uganda City Oilers I can see how the coaching staff limited his role. He can hit 3’s in game. Has a soccer players balance and understanding of defensive angles.

And he hits 75% of his 2pt shots. Get him the ball in the inside and he will score.

In short: he’s bigger. Younger. So if the raw talent is equal his upside is higher.

We are looking for stars. That means you take a risk on missing good players by reaching for dominant ones. I want those guys lower down too. But if you like Maluach he’s off the board by then.

Upon further analysis, Maluach ia going to need years, not months to develop hand finger coordination. He should be palming the ball aka jordan with his handsize. He is a great personality but their is no substitute for time and unfortunately he missed his window while his body was developing.

[The Consiglieri]

Seems possible that we pick Kon Knueppel, btw -- any comments?

He's probably at the top of my list of reasonable options

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Have to add, that is such an unusual collection of logo's down there? How'd you become a fan?

If I listed mine, they'd be similarly odd:

Commanders, Wizards, Capitals, Expos/Nationals, Indians/Guardians, DC United, Cal, Michigan, Florida State, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Miami of Ohio, etc.

Anyway, in terms of Kon, I would absolutely loathe it, but I think he's probably one of the most flippable assets in terms of high floor guys. There's just no chance I'd take him considering what we need to build with.

[dobrojim]

Re that Duke was a disappointment in the Tournament
I would say they did well. Their best player had a chance
to put them in the Final game and missed a shot he
probably makes 8/10 times. Nothing to be ashamed of.

They were a loaded team but the tourney is different.
The unexpected happens not infrequently.

[dobrojim]

When I was a kid, I rooted Baltimore >> DC

O's, Colts, Bullets.

[nate33]

Re that Duke was a disappointment in the Tournament
I would say they did well. Their best player had a chance
to put them in the Final game and missed a shot he
probably makes 8/10 times. Nothing to be ashamed of.

They were a loaded team but the tourney is different.
The unexpected happens not infrequently.

Yeah, calling Duke a disappointment is silly. Basketball has a high randomness factor. Sometimes, the worse team just makes more shots than the better team. In a sudden-death tournament format, it's unreasonable to expect the best team to always win.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Still my guy (*):

Watch on YouTube

Khaman showing mobility and skill at the combine
https://youtube.com/shorts/LGqXo878n1I?si=iqYQVxUk_zW9vuGV

Khaman hitting 14 consecutive 3's in his pro day workout
https://youtube.com/shorts/ShRbfZE-KEk?si=pRIqHd5UmvTmdxlh

Interesting, on the interwebs many Nets fans think he is going to them.

(*) Ha! He may be Bub's guy too. He 'liked' this Instagram vid of Khaman sinking shots:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ220mGxvBL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Look at the paws on this beast. Even as big as he is his hands look big on him.

Watch on YouTube

Really a genuine and personable guy. You have to like the kid.

Had a 4.0 GPA at Duke which is not easy. With Flagg, Proctor, Maluach and Knueppel, all that talent,length and smarts, it's amazing they didn't even make the final game. I think if you're trying to tank again next season to make sure the Knicks don't get your first pick, you take Malauach. He's going to be very raw and have some difficulties with the speed and power of the game in his first season. But he'll learn. If Johnson is gone, I'm taking him or trading down to take him (if he's there). I haven't seen enough of Essengue to have an opinion, but he sounds a little like Vesely.

Yeah Khaman still has pretty bad hands, there is no way I would draft him over Rasheer Fleming.

Ditto.

[machu46]

Seems possible that we pick Kon Knueppel, btw -- any comments?

He's probably at the top of my list of reasonable options

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Have to add, that is such an unusual collection of logo's down there? How'd you become a fan?

If I listed mine, they'd be similarly odd:

Commanders, Wizards, Capitals, Expos/Nationals, Indians/Guardians, DC United, Cal, Michigan, Florida State, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Miami of Ohio, etc.

Anyway, in terms of Kon, I would absolutely loathe it, but I think he's probably one of the most flippable assets in terms of high floor guys. There's just no chance I'd take him considering what we need to build with.

I grew up in Rochester NY so didn't really have local pro teams to root for (aside from kind of the Bills since they held their training camp in Rochester). Grew up going to Syracuse games and ended up going to school there. I have a lot of relatives in Chicago so I just kind of adopted the Cubs from that at an early age. And then I was a big Ray Allen fan as a kid and then when the Bucks traded him, they drafted TJ Ford who was my favorite non-Syracuse player so I just kind of stuck it out with the Bucks. And I ultimately moved out of Rochester down to DC and didn't have a soccer allegiance so I adopted DC United (and root for the other DC teams as well as long as they aren't playing my favorite team).

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Part of all this is luck. Do we luck into the #1 or #2 picks next year? Who will be the player we select? You would hate to draft Maluach if Chris Cenac ended up being the BPA (I HOPE THAT ISN'T THE CASE). But you see where I am going with this.

Early days but if you hope that it is going to be one of Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer or Ament then taking Maluach is fine (if you aren't worried about him being deported).

I like an approach that minimizes risks. If Sorber is medically cleared, he's a solid late lottery pick. Fleming is a solid top 10 pick who will be available later

If the Wizards draft Fleming, Sorber, Dixon, they will hit it out of the park.

Put guys around Sarr who have disparate skills. Those three are each superior to George and Coulibaly, but don't primarily take SF minutes away.

I don't think much luck is involved using a fill-in needs with the best approach.

[doclinkin]

Yeah Khaman still has pretty bad hands, there is no way I would draft him over Rasheer Fleming.

Ditto.

Elite size and length at 7-foot-2 with quick mobility, making him a disruptive force as a shot-blocker and rebounder.

* Efficient interior scorer with Excellent efficiency on 1.324 PPP overall and 75.6% on two-point attempts.

* Terrific in the pick-and-roll as a finisher – 1.759 PPP as roll man (84th percentile, Excellent), and 1.493 PPP on cuts (95th percentile).

* Finishes everything around the rim: shot 72.3% FG overall, 88.9% on layups/dunks/tips, and 1.45 PPP on all attempts at the rim.

* Dominates second-chance opportunities with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game and 1.381 PPP on putbacks (91st percentile).

* International experience includes playing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and leading the BAL in rebounds and blocks.

* Shows soft touch around the basket, flashes of face-up game, and excellent hands on lobs.

* Defensive instincts are strong – averages 1.3 blocks in under 21 minutes, with timing and verticality to anchor a defense long-term.

* Capable of switching briefly onto guards and recovering thanks to lateral mobility and length.

* High motor on both ends, good floor-runner in transition, and developing feel in ATO situations (1.311 PPP, 97th percentile)

.

Well I mean sure. Why be satisfied with the 97th percentile. He should strive for more. 100% or nothing at all.

[dckingsfan]

Part of all this is luck. Do we luck into the #1 or #2 picks next year? Who will be the player we select? You would hate to draft Maluach if Chris Cenac ended up being the BPA (I HOPE THAT ISN'T THE CASE). But you see where I am going with this.

Early days but if you hope that it is going to be one of Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer or Ament then taking Maluach is fine (if you aren't worried about him being deported).

I like an approach that minimizes risks. If Sorber is medically cleared, he's a solid late lottery pick. Fleming is a solid top 10 pick who will be available later

If the Wizards draft Fleming, Sorber, Dixon, they will hit it out of the park.

Put guys around Sarr who have disparate skills. Those three are each superior to George and Coulibaly, but don't primarily take SF minutes away.

I don't think .much luck is involved using a fill-in needs with the best approach.

Interesting... ceiling vs. minimizing risks. Also, you are drafting for need (propping up Sarr). I am not sure I am onboard with either of those strategies.

But maybe this FO sees it the same way...

[80sballboy]

Take it with a grain of salt, but Maluach at 3, Johnson at 4, Bailey at 5, Edgecombe or Bailey available at 6 ain't bad.

Read on Twitter

[DCZards]

His mediocre reaction time, assuming that is a correct observation, could be due in part to inexperience
compared to the players on the court with him. But he is reportedly really smart and motivated to learn.

This is my take on Maluach as well. His lack of bball experience compared to his peers could have a lot to do with his shortcomings in areas such as reaction time and rebounding. I’m encouraged by his upside once he gains experience.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Yeah Khaman still has pretty bad hands, there is no way I would draft him over Rasheer Fleming.

Ditto.

Elite size and length at 7-foot-2 with quick mobility, making him a disruptive force as a shot-blocker and rebounder.

* Efficient interior scorer with Excellent efficiency on 1.324 PPP overall and 75.6% on two-point attempts.

* Terrific in the pick-and-roll as a finisher – 1.759 PPP as roll man (84th percentile, Excellent), and 1.493 PPP on cuts (95th percentile).

* Finishes everything around the rim: shot 72.3% FG overall, 88.9% on layups/dunks/tips, and 1.45 PPP on all attempts at the rim.

* Dominates second-chance opportunities with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game and 1.381 PPP on putbacks (91st percentile).

* International experience includes playing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and leading the BAL in rebounds and blocks.

* Shows soft touch around the basket, flashes of face-up game, and excellent hands on lobs.

* Defensive instincts are strong – averages 1.3 blocks in under 21 minutes, with timing and verticality to anchor a defense long-term.

* Capable of switching briefly onto guards and recovering thanks to lateral mobility and length.

* High motor on both ends, good floor-runner in transition, and developing feel in ATO situations (1.311 PPP, 97th percentile)

.

Well I mean sure. Why be satisfied with the 97th percentile. He should strive for more. 100% or nothing at all.

Khaman Maluach is not my pick.

I'll be quite satisfied if he becomes the Wizards' pick.