The Official 2023 Draft Thread

[Frichuela]

Yep, not a big fan of Anthony Black. We need two-way players, particularly in the backcourt, and his shooting needs a lot of work.

Amongst available PGs, I much rather pick Wallace, who is as strong defensively and a much better shooter.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Yep, not a big fan of Anthony Black. We need two-way players, particularly in the backcourt, and his shooting needs a lot of work.

Amongst available PGs, I much rather pick Wallace, who is as strong defensively and a much better shooter.

I think Sidy Cissoko is gonna be better than either of them. He's going to rise up mock draft boards as we get closer.

[DCZards]

The player that Anthony Black is often compared to, Josh Giddey, had 30 pts, 10 assists and 9 rebs in OKC’s play-in game victory last night.

Both Giddey and Black are below average shooters, especially from 3.

Shooting is important and I understand the desire to see the Zards draft a good shooter. (Personally, I’d like to see them draft Justin Hawkins in a trade down)

But, while Black may not be able to impact the game as a shooter in the way that, say, Kispert can, he will almost certainly impact it with his passing, defense, smarts and great size for a PG. Much in the way that Giddey does. I’m good with that…especially given that shooting is the area where many young players often improve the most over time.

I’m not saying that Black is my first choice for the Zards at this point, but there’s a lot to like about Black and I’d seriously consider drafting him 7-9.

[FAH1223]

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[NatP4]

The player that Anthony Black is often compared to, Josh Giddey, had 30 pts, 10 assists and 9 rebs in OKC’s play-in game victory last night.

Both Giddey and Black are below average shooters, especially from 3.

Shooting is important and I understand the desire to see the Zards draft a good shooter. (Personally, I’d like to see them draft Justin Hawkins in a trade down)

But, while Black may not be able to impact the game as a shooter in the way that, say, Kispert can, he will almost certainly impact it with his passing, defense, smarts and great size for a PG. Much in the way that Giddey does. I’m good with that…especially given that shooting is the area where many young players often improve the most over time.

I’m not saying that Black is my first choice for the Zards at this point, but there’s a lot to like about Black and I’d seriously consider drafting him 7-9.

Josh Giddey was putting up triple doubles in a quality professional league at 18 years old. There is no comparison here.

Anthony Black did not even record one single double digit assist game at 19 years old playing college basketball. He’s not even a true lead guard, he’s more of a secondary playmaker and wing. His strength is his defense. Avdija might be a comparison to be honest.

The article linked above gives a great term for the Black archetype (Connector). Giddey was a proven lead guard in the NBL and now in the NBA. That’s why he was well worth a top 10 pick.

[nate33]

The player that Anthony Black is often compared to, Josh Giddey, had 30 pts, 10 assists and 9 rebs in OKC’s play-in game victory last night.

Both Giddey and Black are below average shooters, especially from 3.

Shooting is important and I understand the desire to see the Zards draft a good shooter. (Personally, I’d like to see them draft Justin Hawkins in a trade down)

But, while Black may not be able to impact the game as a shooter in the way that, say, Kispert can, he will almost certainly impact it with his passing, defense, smarts and great size for a PG. Much in the way that Giddey does. I’m good with that…especially given that shooting is the area where many young players often improve the most over time.

I’m not saying that Black is my first choice for the Zards at this point, but there’s a lot to like about Black and I’d seriously consider drafting him 7-9.

Josh Giddey was putting up triple doubles in a quality professional league at 18 years old. There is no comparison here.

Anthony Black did not even record one single double digit assist game at 19 years old playing college basketball. He’s not even a true lead guard, he’s more of a secondary playmaker and wing. His strength is his defense. Avdija might be a comparison to be honest.

The article linked above gives a great term for the Black archetype (Connector). Giddey was a proven lead guard in the NBL and now in the NBA. That’s why he was well worth a top 10 pick.

To be fair, almost nobody posts double-digit assists games in college basketball. An NBA game averages 25 total assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard will account for half of them, and he'll and get 13 assists. A college game averages 13.2 assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard who accounts for just over half of the assists will only post 7 assists.

Basically, a double-digit assist performance in college is like getting 20 assists in the NBA.

I'm not saying Black is as good as Giddey. I have no idea. I'm just saying that expecting double digit assist performances in college basketball is unrealistic. It's a fairly rare event.

[DCZards]

From the article/link above on Anthony Black:

The elevator pitch with Anthony Black is quite simple. The 19-year-old freshman is 6’7” and switchable, pressures the rim like a mug, can make any pass in the book, and ranks high AF on the guy-you’d-love-to-play-with-o-meter.

Black is not without some question marks, and we’ll touch on those later, but the things that he does bring to the table are what modern NBA teams are looking to find.

Anthony Black is not the kind of player that is going to be a heliocentric creator, soaking up super high usage and dictating every single decision on every possession. That’s not a bug; it’s a feature.

Tyrese Haliburton was like that in college. Haliburton should have been making every decision as the lead guard at Iowa State. Even today as Haliburton cements himself as an elite NBA playmaker and sits second in the league in assists per game, his usage is shockingly low. He doesn’t let the ball stick, though, and that’s the secret sauce that makes Tyrese Halliburton such a joyous basketball watch.

Anthony Black shares a lot of that Haliburton passing DNA. To be clear (because I know you’re thinking woah, man, slow down), there are a lot of differences in their offensive games. Haliburton was and is a deadly shooter from everywhere on the floor, while Black gets it done by pressuring the rim, but I see similarities in the type of passes they make, the quick processing, the touch, the infectious energy, and how both guys can turn good into great.

Because Anthony Black isn’t nearly the shooter that Haliburton is, he is going to endure more challenges early on. In some ways, Black may have to follow the Lonzo Ball developmental path where it takes a bit longer for everything to fully click until the shot comes around. But Black’s jumper doesn’t need a complete overhaul, and what makes Black different than Lonzo is that he is a relentless attacker of the rim.

That’s Anthony Black: a dude who is going to impact winning even if he doesn’t reach his high-end outcome. I’m betting on a dude like that to return Top 10 value when I look back on this draft five years from now. Every team needs a player that connects the dots and makes their stars better. Every team needs an Anthony Black.

[doclinkin]

Okay so he's a slow John Wall. I still have my doubts if that works in the NBA, and even more skepticism how it would work on this team/with this organization.

[doclinkin]

The player that Anthony Black is often compared to, Josh Giddey, had 30 pts, 10 assists and 9 rebs in OKC’s play-in game victory last night.

Both Giddey and Black are below average shooters, especially from 3.

Shooting is important and I understand the desire to see the Zards draft a good shooter. (Personally, I’d like to see them draft Justin Hawkins in a trade down)

But, while Black may not be able to impact the game as a shooter in the way that, say, Kispert can, he will almost certainly impact it with his passing, defense, smarts and great size for a PG. Much in the way that Giddey does. I’m good with that…especially given that shooting is the area where many young players often improve the most over time.

I’m not saying that Black is my first choice for the Zards at this point, but there’s a lot to like about Black and I’d seriously consider drafting him 7-9.

Hawkins is exactly the sort of player I mean when I talk about trading down for a player who actually has NBA skills, while also gathering a future pick or a player with underdeveloped hypertalents.

I'm not against Black as a player or human being, it just seems to me he is the sort of player with 'potential' who in the history of this franchise has not developed well and proven worth the contract or pick. We don't do so well picking guys by evaluating them through the twin lenses of Hope and Potential.

And this from a guy who liked Giddey. And Sochan. Among others in that vein. If we pick Black I am sure I will find all kinds of reasons to appreciate him. Seems like a good guy with good BBIQ. Ball smarts are a talent. Aggression attacking the rim is a trait that is difficult to learn if it is not innate. He stays active and engaged on defense and clearly cares.

As of right now I see an older freshman, with good size but only okay athleticism, who lacks the one skill that would give him space to operate, entering a league that calls offensive fouls on dribble-drive players at an increasing rate, whose defense is often predicated on jumping passing lanes more than stopping the man in front of him. That is a liability against players who are able to fake you out of position or blow past you with a quick step.

If I am getting an incomplete player, I want him lower down is all I am saying. Unless the talents he does display have that pop that reads as star caliber. And even then. I'm not trying to be NatP Jr. but if I'm getting an incomplete guard, yeah I would lean towards trading back to get a guy like Cissoko or Coulibaly, as well as picking up a Trayce or Jordan Hawkins who I know already has a role waiting for him and will get PT based on what he already does, not based on what he might do in the future.

Coaches are offensively biased. If you score you get PT. I dunno. okay I'm done.

[NatP4]

The player that Anthony Black is often compared to, Josh Giddey, had 30 pts, 10 assists and 9 rebs in OKC’s play-in game victory last night.

Both Giddey and Black are below average shooters, especially from 3.

Shooting is important and I understand the desire to see the Zards draft a good shooter. (Personally, I’d like to see them draft Justin Hawkins in a trade down)

But, while Black may not be able to impact the game as a shooter in the way that, say, Kispert can, he will almost certainly impact it with his passing, defense, smarts and great size for a PG. Much in the way that Giddey does. I’m good with that…especially given that shooting is the area where many young players often improve the most over time.

I’m not saying that Black is my first choice for the Zards at this point, but there’s a lot to like about Black and I’d seriously consider drafting him 7-9.

Josh Giddey was putting up triple doubles in a quality professional league at 18 years old. There is no comparison here.

Anthony Black did not even record one single double digit assist game at 19 years old playing college basketball. He’s not even a true lead guard, he’s more of a secondary playmaker and wing. His strength is his defense. Avdija might be a comparison to be honest.

The article linked above gives a great term for the Black archetype (Connector). Giddey was a proven lead guard in the NBL and now in the NBA. That’s why he was well worth a top 10 pick.

To be fair, almost nobody posts double-digit assists games in college basketball. An NBA game averages 25 total assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard will account for half of them, and he'll and get 13 assists. A college game averages 13.2 assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard who accounts for just over half of the assists will only post 7 assists.

Basically, a double-digit assist performance in college is like getting 20 assists in the NBA.

I'm not saying Black is as good as Giddey. I have no idea. I'm just saying that expecting double digit assist performances in college basketball is unrealistic. It's a fairly rare event.

That’s true, I don’t know why I chose the double digit assists benchmark. The overall point is very obvious though:

Giddey averaged 8.4 assists per 36 minutes as an 18 year old in the 2nd or 3rd best professional league in the world.

Black averaged 4.0 assists per 36 minutes as a 19 year old playing college basketball.

They are not similar at all, don’t even play the same position/role. I compared him to a discount Lonzo Ball the other day, looks like that article made the same comparison, minus the discount part. Is that worth a top 10 pick?? Not sure about that.

[FAH1223]

Josh Giddey was putting up triple doubles in a quality professional league at 18 years old. There is no comparison here.

Anthony Black did not even record one single double digit assist game at 19 years old playing college basketball. He’s not even a true lead guard, he’s more of a secondary playmaker and wing. His strength is his defense. Avdija might be a comparison to be honest.

The article linked above gives a great term for the Black archetype (Connector). Giddey was a proven lead guard in the NBL and now in the NBA. That’s why he was well worth a top 10 pick.

To be fair, almost nobody posts double-digit assists games in college basketball. An NBA game averages 25 total assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard will account for half of them, and he'll and get 13 assists. A college game averages 13.2 assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard who accounts for just over half of the assists will only post 7 assists.

Basically, a double-digit assist performance in college is like getting 20 assists in the NBA.

I'm not saying Black is as good as Giddey. I have no idea. I'm just saying that expecting double digit assist performances in college basketball is unrealistic. It's a fairly rare event.

That’s true, I don’t know why I chose the double digit assists benchmark. The overall point is very obvious though:

Giddey averaged 8.4 assists per 36 minutes as an 18 year old in the 2nd or 3rd best professional league in the world.

Black averaged 4.0 assists per 36 minutes as a 19 year old playing college basketball.

They are not similar at all, don’t even play the same position/role. I compared him to a discount Lonzo Ball the other day, looks like that article made the same comparison, minus the discount part. Is that worth a top 10 pick?? Not sure about that.

Would you take Cason Wallace instead?

[NatP4]

Hendricks just reminds me of Harrison Barnes. Passes the eye test, can shoot it, can make some highlight reel blocks and dunks. Isn’t really very good defensively, has a wing skillset in a big man body, like a Rui. Never going to be a true perimeter player or an off the dribble guy/playmaker. Never going to naturally match up and guard wings, but doesn’t have big man instincts or rebounding ability.

On the highlight reel, you really wanna see Jaren Jackson Jr or Evan Mobley, or maybe a Mikal Bridges 3&D wing type, but he’s just not that. Tweener.

Reminds me of the PF version of Benedict Mathurin. Gained a bunch of late in the cycle hype because he has a great highlight reel. Shoots it really well, isn’t very good at anything else. Meh.

[NatP4]

To be fair, almost nobody posts double-digit assists games in college basketball. An NBA game averages 25 total assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard will account for half of them, and he'll and get 13 assists. A college game averages 13.2 assists. On a real good night, a pass-first point guard who accounts for just over half of the assists will only post 7 assists.

Basically, a double-digit assist performance in college is like getting 20 assists in the NBA.

I'm not saying Black is as good as Giddey. I have no idea. I'm just saying that expecting double digit assist performances in college basketball is unrealistic. It's a fairly rare event.

That’s true, I don’t know why I chose the double digit assists benchmark. The overall point is very obvious though:

Giddey averaged 8.4 assists per 36 minutes as an 18 year old in the 2nd or 3rd best professional league in the world.

Black averaged 4.0 assists per 36 minutes as a 19 year old playing college basketball.

They are not similar at all, don’t even play the same position/role. I compared him to a discount Lonzo Ball the other day, looks like that article made the same comparison, minus the discount part. Is that worth a top 10 pick?? Not sure about that.

Would you take Cason Wallace instead?

It’s a good question. Similar level prospects. Wallace is more of a natural shooter and guard, Black is more of an unpolished physical talent that draws free throws but is completely unnatural as a shooter/perimeter player.

If I’m picking 7th overall, and had to take one or the other, I would actually probably roll with the upside of Black. I think he has a way better chance of being able to break down NBA defenses and force help.

I would never pick either of them at 7 if it was up to me though. Trade down or trade up. Go completely off the board. Something else.

I’ll keep saying it. The level of defense and secondary playmaking that Black showcased this year, Cissoko has been showcasing all year at a younger age, playing professional basketball. It’s just silly to me that one guy is mocked top 10, the other is late 1st early 2nd.

[Dat2U]

Black is intriguing because at least against college kids, he got into the lane at will and he's a high IQ kid who makes good decisions. If I had a comparison, its a quick twitch Troy Brown Jr who's a better decision maker and I also see an attacking version of Delon Wright with an extra gear. I get the 'connector' aspect but to get the most out of this kid, the ball needs to be in his hands and he MUST become a threat from the perimeter or he'll just hurt spacing and mute his potential impact. He has high floor however and coaches generally like that.

My gripe is his fairly low usage for the position and ability to quietly slide into the background if he's not the hub of the offense. I think you could do ALOT worse than Anthony Black at #8 but I certainly align with those who are tired of these jack of all trade wings who master absolutely nothing especially when it comes to shooting.

[NatP4]

If you forced me to pick at 7/8, I’m going off the board and taking Bilal Coulibaly. He’s the best physical talent in the entire draft after Wembanyama. There’s legit superstar upside there.

On the “Scottie Barnes to Kevin Durant/Giannis” spectrum, he’s significantly closer to KD/Giannis.

[Dat2U]

I got Wemby at PF. Why not?

Taylor Hendricks is my #2 PF. Jarace Walker should carve out a nice career but I see him as a low usage role player.

Amen Thompson is an alien athlete and is just an incredible passer. Elite court vision IMO. If he just becomes a passable shooter he is a superstar.

Ausur Thompson doesn't have the 1st step of Amen but he's a special athlete & passer in his own right. A more developed and confident shooter and better fit off the ball.

Jordan Hawkins is above Keyonte George on my board. Just more polished as a scorer.

Still a huge Gradey Dick fan. Super high floor. I think he can do more on the ball and is not just a 3pt shooter. Not a great defender but held his own despite being targeted alot early on.

I'm the most mixed on Cam Whitmore. I still see a bigger Lance Stephenson but with a better mental makeup that might be a good player.

[Dat2U]

If you forced me to pick at 7/8, I’m going off the board and taking Bilal Coulibaly. He’s the best physical talent in the entire draft after Wembanyama. There’s legit superstar upside there.

On the “Scottie Barnes to Kevin Durant/Giannis” spectrum, he’s significantly closer to KD/Giannis.

Amen is the best physical talent outside of Wemby and I don't think its particularly close.

[doclinkin]

Hendricks ... Passes the eye test, can shoot it, can make some highlight reel blocks and dunks.... has a wing skillset in a big man body, ... has a great highlight reel. Shoots it really well...

Sounds good to me. Our biggest deficit this year was the hole dug by a tweener who did not shoot it well but did shoot too often. And another tweener who preferred to defer and was ineffective and unaggressive because he can't shoot.

Give me a guy who can shoot, has a wing skill set, can finish, has highlight reel athleticism.

I agree he has no feel for defense though. Will steal and block shots on athleticism alone, without really putting his body in front of the action.

Still we've been starved for shooting, so I get suckered by the offense. Able to finish outside and in. Nice handle for his size.
LOL. so much for a complete game. But hey, at least he can shoot.

[NatP4]

If you forced me to pick at 7/8, I’m going off the board and taking Bilal Coulibaly. He’s the best physical talent in the entire draft after Wembanyama. There’s legit superstar upside there.

On the “Scottie Barnes to Kevin Durant/Giannis” spectrum, he’s significantly closer to KD/Giannis.

Amen is the best physical talent outside of Wemby and I don't think its particularly close.

Not sure about “not particularly close”. Coulibaly has a 7’3 wingspan. I’d like to see him play in what essentially is a high school basketball league. Instead he’s playing for Metro 92 in professional league.

I do think Amen/Ausar both have superstar physical traits, I just have no idea how to evaluate that league. It’s a total joke. Best player to ever play in OTE before this year is Jean Montero. He went undrafted and is currently a really terrible backup guard playing in Europe.

On one hand, Amen looks like prime Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, he shot 23% from 3 in a high school AAU level league. How does that even happen?

[FAH1223]