2025 Draft Thread - Part 2

[TGW]

I really want Essengue's updated measurements. No way is his wingspan only 6'11. He has pterodactyl arms.

[nate33]

Noa Essengue is a downright freak!

We knew about the height and standing reach, but I had no idea he had a 10.66 lane agility and a 35.5" max vertical! Those are extremely impressive for a guy with a 9'3" standing reach. That lane agility is right up there with the two athletic freaks of this draft class: Flagg (10.64) and Powell (10.71). The only other guys better are guards under 6'-5"

His max vertical ties Flagg and is exceeded mostly only by guards, Powell, and Carter Bryant.

He also has catcher's mitts for hands.

(The 3/4 sprint time is fairly slow, but all the times are slow so it makes me wonder if the test was off somehow. Maluach, for example, is now 10% faster than he was a year ago.)

If you are a team that wants to take a swing on the next Giannis - Noa is your guy.

It really depends on his mental makeup. Giannis is a psychopath in his work ethic. He is a killer on the court and in the weight room. If Noa is like that, then sign me up!

[TGW]

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[popper]

Dang. I want all of those guys.

[nate33]

I really want Essengue's updated measurements. No way is his wingspan only 6'11. He has pterodactyl arms.

It's because he has the torso of a teenage girl. Very narrow shoulders.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Haven't been here in a long time. But the draft stirs passions and old memories. Gotta say, right now, two guys who look like they have superpowers are Maluach and Fears. I'm an old guy. Fears reminds me a little bit of Rod Strickland; Maluach LOOKS like he could develop as a shooter. Geez, a 7 foot, impossible-reach, rim-running, defensive-player-of-the-year type. Sounds good.
But I also wanted to ask; why no love for Kneuppel. I know he's below the rim.
But gosh, last year a lot of this board was falling all over themselves in love with Reed Sheppard, who was small for a PG! Kneuppel is at least 6-5 and 219 pounds. Smart as hell, good passer and reallllly good shooter. We're pretty bad offensively.
What if he's Chris Mullins?
By the way, he's reminscent of an old 2 time allstar Bullet and Duke player--- Jack Marin.

Knueppel is better than Kispert, the player who's ruining the love.

I never associated him with Chris Mullin

I need to think of another white player--Donta Divencenzo. Would he be the pick at six?

ehhh. Knueppel has 20 pounds on Divencenzo. And even in college Donta was mainly a 6th man. Not denigrating him, just think Knueppel can be much better.

I have to respect the opinion of ANYONE who remembers Jack Marin.

Gig1, did you post under the name Greendale yesrs ago?

[TheBlackCzar]

No shti! In principle, 6 & 18 is too much to give for 2.

There’s principle and then there’s reality. If you’re convinced that the guy sitting at #2 has all-NBA potential then you might make that trade.

I have no problem "overpaying" for Harper. He has the size and physicality that you want at the point along with elite ball skills.

Early in the season before teams realized how good he was they weren't doubling him much and he was just shredding teams. His ability to get to the rim and finish while limiting turnovers was amazing.

I do think Harper is going to be special, but I just don't think we should give up 3 assets for 1.... I think a 2 for 1 is as far as we should go since he's only speculation at this point as a prospect..... I'd hate to do it but I'd give up 6 and 18 before I do 6 and Bilal..... Bilal is worth much more than 18 so I'm not overpaying like that.... You going to have to take KG as ya best bet or AJ.....

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think perhaps the best-case comp for a guy like Kneuppel would be Desmond Bane. Like Bane, Kneuppel is a lights out shooter with a stocky, strong frame but not really a lot of quick twitch athleticism.

Bane puts up ridiculous offensive numbers.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/banede01.html

That said, he must give up us much as he scores. His On/Off Per 100 Possessions is sketchy.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

There’s principle and then there’s reality. If you’re convinced that the guy sitting at #2 has all-NBA potential then you might make that trade.

I have no problem "overpaying" for Harper. He has the size and physicality that you want at the point along with elite ball skills.

Early in the season before teams realized how good he was they weren't doubling him much and he was just shredding teams. His ability to get to the rim and finish while limiting turnovers was amazing.

I do think Harper is going to be special, but I just don't think we should give up 3 assets for 1.... I think a 2 for 1 is as far as we should go since he's only speculation at this point as a prospect..... I'd hate to do it but I'd give up 6 and 18 before I do 6 and Bilal..... Bilal is worth much more than 18 so I'm not overpaying like that.... You going to have to take KG as ya best bet or AJ.....

I think each and every one of these three for #2 trade pick ideas are. RIDICULOUS.

it would be SO WIZARDS to trade Bilal and have Coulibaly blow up and become 1st Team All Defense and an All-Star with San Antonio. Bub would kill it playing with Castle and Wemby and Bilal.

Six and 18? San Antonio turned #4 pick, Castle, into ROTY this past draft. All they need to do is CLOWN THE WIZARDS and pick Queen 6th Clifford or another winner #18.

The Spurs don't need Harper. They have Fox and Castle with Paul backing at PG. They could use an inside presence. They can add Clifford with Vassell.

Someone at #6 can really help the Spurs.

[TheBlackCzar]

You know, another guy who --- I'll get killed for this, I know --- that could be a sneaky pick at 6 could be Egor Demin.
Think about the things this GM group has liked, size, youth, a superior skill, etc.
Demin has the chance to be 6'9" point guard. Everyone acknowledges that he sees the floor and can pass the rock.
AND, he supposedly opened up a lot of eyes with really good shooting at a pro day after the combine.
flame on

I could see the team being interested. Their MO is generally to draft guys that are big and long for their position and have very good ability to process the game in real time. I think they believe they can teach guys to shoot over time so poor shooting isn't a dealbreaker. Still, #6 seems too high for a guy who's only above-average skill is passing.

At some point you have to factor in simply can a guy play.... Being long limbed and tall is only got to be part of the equation.... We've been trying to swing for the fences on prospects who have good attributes but no designated skill that was elite, aside maybe from Bub's midrange game... All of our other guys haven't actually ever displayed that they can do the things they are being asked until they got to the NBA... Sarr, Bilal, KG and AJ, none where the guy on there team... Only Bub fits this designation...

I think at some point you gotta start adding guys who are ballers, not just athletic specimens..... You don't want to have to superdevelop every damn prospect, sometimes these guys need pedigree of being HIM.... Those are going to be your elite guys.... Prior to the lottery screw job I wanted Harper, but realized he was likely a pipe dream post lottery..... I looked at other guys and I came across Fears, who wasn't as developed as Harper, but he did have an elite skill (getting to the rim and drawing fouls)...... And he's been that dude on most of his teams since he began playing basketball per his father who trained and developed him after being a D1 player himself.... His brother actually plays on MSU with Jase Richardson who some of ya'll like.....

[TheBlackCzar]

I have no problem "overpaying" for Harper. He has the size and physicality that you want at the point along with elite ball skills.

Early in the season before teams realized how good he was they weren't doubling him much and he was just shredding teams. His ability to get to the rim and finish while limiting turnovers was amazing.

I do think Harper is going to be special, but I just don't think we should give up 3 assets for 1.... I think a 2 for 1 is as far as we should go since he's only speculation at this point as a prospect..... I'd hate to do it but I'd give up 6 and 18 before I do 6 and Bilal..... Bilal is worth much more than 18 so I'm not overpaying like that.... You going to have to take KG as ya best bet or AJ.....

I think each and every one of these three for #2 trade pick ideas are. RIDICULOUS.

it would be SO WIZARDS to trade Bilal and have Coulibaly blow up and become 1st Team All Defense and an All-Star with San Antonio. Bub would kill it playing with Castle and Wemby and Bilal.

Six and 18? San Antonio turned #4 pick, Castle, into ROTY this past draft. All they need to do is CLOWN THE WIZARDS and pick Queen 6th Clifford or another winner #18.

The Spurs don't need Harper. They have Fox and Castle with Paul backing at PG. They could use an inside presence. They can add Clifford with Vassell.

Someone at #6 can really help the Spurs.

You are right they are ridiculous which is why I really wouldn't want to do them,..... Bilal is going to blow up which is why I'm like Hell No.... Really don't want to trade any of our youngings yet since we're still finding out who they are going to be.....

I like Fears and Queen if we can swing that tandem... I think they'd both put pressure on the rim, and will develop better shots throughout there careers, but I think they both could make us one of the most FT shooting teams in the league.....

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Noa Essengue is a downright freak!

We knew about the height and standing reach, but I had no idea he had a 10.66 lane agility and a 35.5" max vertical! Those are extremely impressive for a guy with a 9'3" standing reach. That lane agility is right up there with the two athletic freaks of this draft class: Flagg (10.64) and Powell (10.71). The only other guys better are guards under 6'-5"

His max vertical ties Flagg and is exceeded mostly only by guards, Powell, and Carter Bryant.

He also has catcher's mitts for hands.

(The 3/4 sprint time is fairly slow, but all the times are slow so it makes me wonder if the test was off somehow. Maluach, for example, is now 10% faster than he was a year ago.)

If you are a team that wants to take a swing on the next Giannis - Noa is your guy.

It really depends on his mental makeup. Giannis is a psychopath in his work ethic. He is a killer on the court and in the weight room. If Noa is like that, then sign me up!

I think his comp is more Jared Jeffries. His interviews I've watched he actually comes across as aloof.

Watch on YouTube

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[SUPERBALLMAN]

Carter Bryant.


Reminds me of when I was pounding the table for Jalen Williams and the constant response was, 10 is too high to take him, maybe if we trade back he could be an option, but not at 10.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Watch on YouTube

He's seen the Wizards board....

[tontoz]

I don't see any Fears or Queen comps having success in the playoffs.

A big guard with elite handles would be very valuable though.

Fans of every team consistently overrated their young players, many of which turn out to be jags or busts.

[AFM]

Watch on YouTube

He's seen the Wizards board....

Assuming he's not lying, I take all of that to mean they won't take Tre. Either Fears or Maluach probably.

[DCZards]

I don't see any Fears or Queen comps having success in the playoffs.

A big guard with elite handles would be very valuable though.

Fans of every team consistently overrated their young players, many of which turn out to be jags or busts.

I’d argue that it’s kind of a mixed bag…with some of a team’s fans overrating their youngins and some of them underrating those same young players.

[TheBlackCzar]

I don't see any Fears or Queen comps having success in the playoffs.

A big guard with elite handles would be very valuable though.

Fans of every team consistently overrated their young players, many of which turn out to be jags or busts.

Queens main comp is Sengun.... He had success but was unusually inaccurate for him from close up... He missed alot of layups, but got to the line a ton... Houston overachieved this year..... Sengun played well though, so I think they can win a ring with some roster tinkering.... One thing they don't have is a Sarr though to back up there below rim center....

As far as Fears, most of the best guards are around his size.... For every Luka, Halli, SGA, you have Ja, Steph, Kyrie, Brunson....... So I dunno what he'll project to.....

Having Bilal, KG, Bub and AJ, makes us a pretty long team between 2-3 positions....

[tontoz]

I don't see any Fears or Queen comps having success in the playoffs.

A big guard with elite handles would be very valuable though.

Fans of every team consistently overrated their young players, many of which turn out to be jags or busts.

Queens main comp is Sengun.... He had success but was unusually inaccurate for him from close up... He missed alot of layups, but got to the line a ton... Houston overachieved this year..... Sengun played well though, so I think they can win a ring with some roster tinkering.... One thing they don't have is a Sarr though to back up there below rim center....

As far as Fears, most of the best guards are around his size.... For every Luka, Halli, SGA, you have Ja, Steph, Kyrie, Brunson....... So I dunno what he'll project to.....

Having Bilal, KG, Bub and AJ, makes us a pretty long team between 2-3 positions....

Sengun had a 49% TS in the first round and got bounced. I wouldn't call that playoff success.

Kyrie and brunson were good shooters and finishers from the start. Fears is neither. Steph is the best shooter ever so that isn't a realistic comp.

The only playoff success Kyrie's had is when he was playing with Luka or LeBron.

Ja still can't shoot. Can't stay healthy either because he is small and so reliant on attacking the rim. He's won only one playoff series in his career.

[TheBlackCzar]

I don't see any Fears or Queen comps having success in the playoffs.

A big guard with elite handles would be very valuable though.

Fans of every team consistently overrated their young players, many of which turn out to be jags or busts.

Queens main comp is Sengun.... He had success but was unusually inaccurate for him from close up... He missed alot of layups, but got to the line a ton... Houston overachieved this year..... Sengun played well though, so I think they can win a ring with some roster tinkering.... One thing they don't have is a Sarr though to back up there below rim center....

As far as Fears, most of the best guards are around his size.... For every Luka, Halli, SGA, you have Ja, Steph, Kyrie, Brunson....... So I dunno what he'll project to.....

Having Bilal, KG, Bub and AJ, makes us a pretty long team between 2-3 positions....

Sengun had a 49% TS in the first round and got bounced. I wouldn't call that playoff success success.

Kyrie and brunson were good shooters and finishers from the start. Fears is neither. Steph is the best shooter ever so that isn't a realistic comp.

The only playoff success Kyrie's had is when he was playing with Luka or LeBron.

Ja still can't shoot. Can't stay healthy either because he is small and so reliant on attacking the rim. He's won only one playoff series in his career.

Sengun missed a lot of easy shots he usually makes... Probably missed 10-12 layups.... He makes even 60% of those and his numbers look much different.....


Kyrie has been hurt most years not with Luka or LeBron.... So there's that.... He's had maybe 1 or 2 playoff's outside of those seasons which he played....

The mistake you're making is thinking I envision how Fears would play vs. how those guys play..... Ja gets injured because he weighs like 150lbs soaking wet.... Fears isn''t going to jump himself into an ankle sprain.... He's also built bigger than Ja and doesn't have a history of being injured...

Brunson can't blow by his guy which is why he has to rely on taking so many contested fadeaway shots.... It's his lack of foot speed that is why he had to develop something else, but he's a much bigger defensive liability than Fears will be, and I expect going forward they are going to hunt Brunson in future series...... Kyrie is definitely a better player at this point, but Fears is a lil faster than him as well and will be less reliant on so many dribble moves as he'll just beat his man to the spot......

Fears see's the court well, and while people keep saying 28% from 3, most of which was poor from shooting off the dribble so much, he can shoot.... He's going to get better, and he's also not done growing.... So he may get even better physically in speed and quickness along with size...... If we're swinging big, go big.... I know he's not a perfect prospect but he's so damn young doing very well for a team that didn't even know he was coming until the last minute and yet still did his thing... I think getting into school later than his peers isn't factored in by his late committment... The fact that he ended the season stepping up tremendously to me shows his upward progression....


I'm not opposed to Maluach though because he can do a lot of things I didn't realize he could before digging deeper into his pre-Duke games....