2024 Draft Thread - Part II

[payitforward]

Kuzma & 26 for Allen & 20 would be a steal!

But, the thing is Detroit just hired a new President, Trajan Langdon, & he is a very intelligent guy.
He isn't going to do a deal of this description.

Allen plays for the Cavs not Detroit.

Yes, obviously... & there you have the proof that I can be an idiot when given a chance!

Though I still doubt this trade would fly, it's a lot more likely with Cleveland....

[gesa2]

Allen is way better than Kuzma. The #20 pick is better than the #25.

It takes a forward away from a team loaded with forwards. It provides a starting center that rebounds and is a borderline all-star. All the memories of being stuck in the 40-win range need to be purged.

Just draft well from here.

I’m with you CCJ. I don’t know why posters are so quick to reject the proposed trade involving Kuz and Allen.

I understand the need for young talent. But I’m not one of those who thinks draft picks and accumulating young talent are some sort of silver bullet for improvement and becoming competitive, especially when many draft picks turn out to be role players at best. And I don’t believe that rebuilding means you only want to add 19-22 year olds to your roster. The teams that compete for titles usually have at least 2-3 players in their late 20s and early 30s.

Allen is a 26 yr old borderline all-star who helps in areas of need—rebounding and rim protection. And you’re moving up 6 slots in the draft. That’s not a bad deal…even for a rebuilding team.

The proposed trade for Allen would be a good one, imo, if the Zards don’t draft Sarr.

Thanks, DCZ.

The Wizards had 19-22 year old Webber, Howard, and Wallace. They failed miserably to reap the benefits of the two best players of the three.

Nurturing players in a losing culture is a great way to make them yearn to become the next Daniel Gafford. They will pray to be traded.

Instead of tanking, don't be close-minded to making sensible, incremental improvement.

I think the bigger key is not to have a losing culture. If we can manage not to be a Mom and Pop amateurish organization by having great skill development, clear goals and standards other than salary rank for playing time I think we’ll be ok.

[nate33]

Allen is way better than Kuzma. The #20 pick is better than the #25.

It takes a forward away from a team loaded with forwards. It provides a starting center that rebounds and is a borderline all-star. All the memories of being stuck in the 40-win range need to be purged.

Just draft well from here.

You are right, the talent gain in that trade is a win for us. But I would immediately flip Allen elsewhere.

[nate33]

Allen is way better than Kuzma. The #20 pick is better than the #25.

It takes a forward away from a team loaded with forwards. It provides a starting center that rebounds and is a borderline all-star. All the memories of being stuck in the 40-win range need to be purged.

Just draft well from here.

I’m with you CCJ. I don’t know why posters are so quick to reject the proposed trade involving Kuz and Allen.

I understand the need for young talent. But I’m not one of those who thinks draft picks and accumulating young talent are some sort of silver bullet for improvement and becoming competitive, especially when many draft picks turn out to be role players at best. And I don’t believe that rebuilding means you only want to add 19-22 year olds to your roster. The teams that compete for titles usually have at least 2-3 players in their late 20s and early 30s.

Allen is a 26 yr old borderline all-star who helps in areas of need—rebounding and rim protection. And you’re moving up 6 slots in the draft. That’s not a bad deal…even for a rebuilding team.

The proposed trade for Allen would be a good one, imo, if the Zards don’t draft Sarr.

Yes, a team can spend too much time at the bottom of the standings and develop a losing mentality. But teams can also get impatient in a rebuild and trade for vets far too early, short-circuiting the talent acquisition process. The Wizards have done this literally EVERY SINGLE TIME in my entire lifetime. And that's why they haven't won 50 games in a season in 40 years. How many freaking times do we have to make the same mistake?

We clearly do not have the talent base to support sustained winning. We need more talent. The #2 pick in this draft will not be enough. We absolutely need to tank for one more year so we can get a crack at the real All-NBA caliber talents available in the 2025 draft. It would be a horrific mistake to acquire Jarrett Allen right now. He is a veteran win-now player at our position of greatest need, which means he would add more immediate wins then just about any other obtainable vet I can think of. He is the kind of guy that would have us picking 9th next draft instead of top 3.

[closg00]

Guy did a good job selling Zach.

Watch on YouTube

[willbcocks]

He is the kind of guy that would have us picking 9th next draft instead of top 3.

It's worse than that. He is the kind of guy that would have the knicks picking 9th instead of us picking top 3.

[nate33]

Guy did a good job selling Zach.

Watch on YouTube

Still not particularly impressed. He basically says that Risacher has a pretty high floor as a reliable role player. I don't really disagree. But you don't take reliable role players at the top of a draft. He makes no compelling argument why Risacher has much upside beyond that. There was a lot of fluff about how he was the son of a professional basketball player, but he just glossed over the fact that Risacher is a middling athlete without much ability to create shots off the bounce.

So far, I haven't seen much reason to believe he is anything more than the next Cam Johnson or Otto Porter. It's certainly plausible that landing an Otto Porter at #2 in this draft is a satisfactory outcome. (Otto, picked #3 in the 2013 draft, panned out to be perhaps the 4th best player in that draft behind Giannis, Gobert and McCollum.) But it's still a pretty underwhelming result.

[nate33]

He is the kind of guy that would have us picking 9th next draft instead of top 3.

It's worse than that. He is the kind of guy that would have the knicks picking 9th instead of us picking top 3.

That pick is top 10 protected in 2025, but your point is well-taken. With a the 9th-10th worst record, and with a little poor lottery luck, we might not be picking at all.

[Dat2U]

I’m with you CCJ. I don’t know why posters are so quick to reject the proposed trade involving Kuz and Allen.

I understand the need for young talent. But I’m not one of those who thinks draft picks and accumulating young talent are some sort of silver bullet for improvement and becoming competitive, especially when many draft picks turn out to be role players at best. And I don’t believe that rebuilding means you only want to add 19-22 year olds to your roster. The teams that compete for titles usually have at least 2-3 players in their late 20s and early 30s.

Allen is a 26 yr old borderline all-star who helps in areas of need—rebounding and rim protection. And you’re moving up 6 slots in the draft. That’s not a bad deal…even for a rebuilding team.

The proposed trade for Allen would be a good one, imo, if the Zards don’t draft Sarr.

Thanks, DCZ.

The Wizards had 19-22 year old Webber, Howard, and Wallace. They failed miserably to reap the benefits of the two best players of the three.

Nurturing players in a losing culture is a great way to make them yearn to become the next Daniel Gafford. They will pray to be traded.

Instead of tanking, don't be close-minded to making sensible, incremental improvement.

I think the bigger key is not to have a losing culture. If we can manage not to be a Mom and Pop amateurish organization by having great skill development, clear goals and standards other than salary rank for playing time I think we’ll be ok.

If your coach & potentially 16 out of your 18 players won't be here 2 years from now --- is the culture thing overstated?

Culture means zippo without the talent to keep things afloat.

Of course you can add some solid vets into the mix instead of waiting on the draft - which is what most teams do when the losing becomes unbearable.

The Wizards did this and hated tanking but still had what's considered a losing culture.

[Dat2U]

Guy did a good job selling Zach.

Watch on YouTube

Still not particularly impressed. He basically says that Risacher has a pretty high floor as a reliable role player. I don't really disagree. But you don't take reliable role players at the top of a draft. He makes no compelling argument why Risacher has much upside beyond that. There was a lot of fluff about how he was the son of a professional basketball player, but he just glossed over the fact that Risacher is a middling athlete without much ability to create shots off the bounce.

So far, I haven't seen much reason to believe he is anything more than the next Cam Johnson or Otto Porter. It's certainly plausible that landing an Otto Porter at #2 in this draft is a satisfactory outcome. (Otto, picked #3 in the 2013 draft, panned out to be perhaps the 4th best player in that draft behind Giannis, Gobert and McCollum.) But it's still a pretty underwhelming result.

It seems like we've gone the opposite direction of most drafts - at least among the draft gurus and mocks. Usually we see teams draft with a focus on upside and what the player can eventually become. Pretty much what Dawkins has broadcasted - we want the best player 5 years from now.

However with this draft class, it appears to be the opposite ... the focus is on who has the highest floor. That's why we see draftexpress push guys like Risacher and we hear GMs in love with Clingan & Castle ... defensive guys who can contribute right away.

I think the Cam Johnson comparisons are legit for Zacc and GMs appear to want to safety of a good role player in this draft instead of taking any kind of risk.

[closg00]

If we can’t get Sarr, I do not want Zach as a backup, this guy made me feel a little better if we did take him as I would have to live with it..

[DCZards]

Folks we’re talking about adding one 26 year old so-called vet (Allen) who will be replacing a 28 yo vet (Kuzma). And moving up to 20th in the draft…where a McCain, Collier or Carrington might be available.

Sorry, I disagree with both the hand-wringing about winning too many games because of Allen’s presence (what 5-6 more wins maybe?) and the narrative that the trade would be consistent with the Wizards of old.

You want draft picks/assets AND young talent when you’re rebuilding. It’s not either/or. Allen is a young, proven talent who, like many bigs, will probably still be a productive player into his 30s.

[closg00]

It seems like we've gone the opposite direction of most drafts - at least among the draft gurus and mocks. Usually we see teams draft with a focus on upside and what the player can eventually become. Pretty much what Dawkins has broadcasted - we want the best player 5 years from now.

However with this draft class, it appears to be the opposite ... the focus is on who has the highest floor. That's why we see draftexpress push guys like Risacher and we hear GMs in love with Clingan & Castle ... defensive guys who can contribute right away.

I think the Cam Johnson comparisons are legit for Zacc and GMs appear to want to safety of a good role player in this draft instead of taking any kind of risk.

Could the hunt for the best ready now/ready to contribute players have to do with the number of teams that have achieved a sufficient level of competitiveness (for them) that they want to add inexpensive contributors now rather than draft and internally stash players in their development systems for later?

[payitforward]

Folks we’re talking about adding one 26 year old so-called vet (Allen) who will be replacing a 28 yo vet (Kuzma). And moving up to 20th in the draft…where a McCain, Collier or Carrington might be available.

Sorry, I disagree with both the hand-wringing about winning too many games because of Allen’s presence (what 5-6 more wins maybe?) and the narrative that the trade would be consistent with the Wizards of old.

You want draft picks/assets AND young talent when you’re rebuilding. It’s not either/or. Allen is a young, proven talent who, like many bigs, will probably still be a productive player into his 30s.

Agree entirely. After all, the proposed trade would make us younger not older!

Anyway, I have a hard time believing that Cleveland would exchange Allen for Kuzma straight up, let alone attach draft capital.

[payitforward]

The draft is on 2 different nights this year, which feels silly to me.

I'll be in Mexico City both evenings. I'm sure the draft will be televised there....

[AFM]

The draft is on 2 different nights this year, which feels silly to me.

I'll be in Mexico City both evenings. I'm sure the draft will be televised there....

I'll be in France...pretty sure it'll be at 2 or 3 AM there....

[dckingsfan]

The draft is on 2 different nights this year, which feels silly to me...

I kind of like it... it always seemed like the 2nd round got lost in the shuffle. I also think it gives FOs more time to prepare, in our case that seems like a good idea.

[prime1time]

Guy did a good job selling Zach.

Watch on YouTube

Still not particularly impressed. He basically says that Risacher has a pretty high floor as a reliable role player. I don't really disagree. But you don't take reliable role players at the top of a draft. He makes no compelling argument why Risacher has much upside beyond that. There was a lot of fluff about how he was the son of a professional basketball player, but he just glossed over the fact that Risacher is a middling athlete without much ability to create shots off the bounce.

So far, I haven't seen much reason to believe he is anything more than the next Cam Johnson or Otto Porter. It's certainly plausible that landing an Otto Porter at #2 in this draft is a satisfactory outcome. (Otto, picked #3 in the 2013 draft, panned out to be perhaps the 4th best player in that draft behind Giannis, Gobert and McCollum.) But it's still a pretty underwhelming result.

Compare 18/19 year old Risacher to 18/19 year old Otto Porter or Cam Johnson. He's way better. Freshman Otto Porter shot 22.6% from 3. Freshman Cam Johnson averaged 4.5 ppg. The difference between these players is massive. At 18/19 those guys were working on their jumpshot. At 18/19 Risacher already has a jumper and is trying to add more to his game. For the next 3/4 years before his second contract Risacher will be working on his ball handling and playmaking. Those guys were working on their jump shot. If Risacher never improves ever again, then he's Cam Johnson or Otto Porter.

[prime1time]

Guy did a good job selling Zach.

Watch on YouTube

Still not particularly impressed. He basically says that Risacher has a pretty high floor as a reliable role player. I don't really disagree. But you don't take reliable role players at the top of a draft. He makes no compelling argument why Risacher has much upside beyond that. There was a lot of fluff about how he was the son of a professional basketball player, but he just glossed over the fact that Risacher is a middling athlete without much ability to create shots off the bounce.

So far, I haven't seen much reason to believe he is anything more than the next Cam Johnson or Otto Porter. It's certainly plausible that landing an Otto Porter at #2 in this draft is a satisfactory outcome. (Otto, picked #3 in the 2013 draft, panned out to be perhaps the 4th best player in that draft behind Giannis, Gobert and McCollum.) But it's still a pretty underwhelming result.

It seems like we've gone the opposite direction of most drafts - at least among the draft gurus and mocks. Usually we see teams draft with a focus on upside and what the player can eventually become. Pretty much what Dawkins has broadcasted - we want the best player 5 years from now.

However with this draft class, it appears to be the opposite ... the focus is on who has the highest floor. That's why we see draftexpress push guys like Risacher and we hear GMs in love with Clingan & Castle ... defensive guys who can contribute right away.

I think the Cam Johnson comparisons are legit for Zacc and GMs appear to want to safety of a good role player in this draft instead of taking any kind of risk.

The Cam Johnson comps make no sense. As a Freshman Johnson struggled to get on the floor for Pittsburgh. Risacher was playing big minutes for professional team in a harder league. Risacher at 18 already has 3 years of playing professional basketball compared to Cam Johnson.

[prime1time]

We need to put Risacher in context. He's a basketball phenom who's been playing professional since the 2021-2022 season. He has 3 seasons of professional basketball under his belt. Last year was underwhelming and he got moved to a different team. That team looked at his set of skills and said, we need you to play this role. Risacher says yes, and plays that role exceptionally well.

Because he plays for a professional team who's main goal is trying to win games and not develop Risacher, we get a very limited view of Risacher's game. At 18/19 Risacher is already Cam Johnson/Otto Porter. So we look at hm and say, "that's all he can be." Ignoring the fact that he's way superior to these guys at the same age. Cam Johnson and Otto Porter couldn't do at 18/19 what they were doing in their prime. Risacher can already do that and is now focusing on other aspects of his game.

This might shock some people, but Risacher's game will continue to improve. And he's not working on what Cam Johnson or Otto Porter were working on. In his prime he will be a different and superior player to both of these guys. With that being said, my concern for Risacher is his inability to put on weight, 195 is very skinny. Even if he adds weight I don't think he'll ever get to the place where he's 225/230 at least. Other players will be able to move him and this will significantly impact his ability to get to his spots/get to the hole.

For my money it's either Sarr or Risacher.