2025 Draft Thread - Part 3

[closg00]

I believe the Wizards really want either Bailey or Edgecombe. They want defense, length and athleticism first, and figure they can teach basketball skills over time.

My guess is that they are exploring all avenues to move up, but nothing is going to materialize until draft day. Teams that trade down always expect an absurdly high return and don't back off their asking price until the last minute.

Yeah I'm seeing enough scuttlebutt where there's a good chance Ace, VJ & Tre are gone despite the mocks. If Philly takes VJ at 3, maybe Charlotte does something stupid and take Kon but Utah seems to want Bailey with Tre as a fallback.

Speaking of stupid, Charlotte caught the French fever and over drafted Tidjan Salun, they could whiff again and draft Maluach since Mark Williams is on the trading block.

[BearlyBallin]

Read on Twitter

Standing reach decreased, but everything else increased

[9 and 20]

Looks like Essengue might be a top 5 or 6 pick now. Super young, productive, good size.

I'll also be surprised of Kon doesn't go to Utah. Kon reminds me of Dennis Scott or Tracy Murray. Maybe a bit more passing. Or maybe Bertans before he turned into an overfed turkey.

[NatP4]

Wow. Yeah Essengue is a top 6 lock IMO.

That’s legit C size with wing athleticism

[payitforward]

Here's a soboring list:

Andrea Bagnani, Tyrus Thomas, Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams, Michael Beasley,
OJ Mayo, Greg Oden, Yi Jianlian, hasheem Thabeet, tyreke evans, jonny flynn,
Evan turner, wes johnson, ekpe udoh, derrick williams, enes kanter, jan vesely, MK-G,
Dion Waiters, Thomas Robinson, Anthony Bennett, Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel,
Jabari Parker, Dante Exum, Jahlil Okafor, Mario Hezonja, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dragan Bender,
Buddy Hield, Kriss Dunn, Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, DeAndre Ayton,
Marvin Bagley, Mo Bamba, Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Jarred Culver, James Wiseman,
Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Jalen Green.

The list comprises 1/2 of all the players taken from 1 through 6 in the 15 drafts from 2007 to 2021.

[AFM]

You can add Kon Konnopel to that list however tf you spell it. I am from the future. DAWKINS!!! STAY AWAY!!!!

[AFM]

If we draft Konneupel I will livestream myself using a plumber's torch on my Andre Blatche bobblehead.

[payitforward]

...since Mark Williams is on the trading block.

How about Mark Williams & 4 for 6 & 18?

Nah. 18 is way too much to give in that context....

6 & Kispert for 4 & Williams?
Not enough....

[NatP4]

Read on Twitter

[9 and 20]

If Sarr and 6 is too much for 2, what about Sarr and 6 for 2 and 14? Would leave us with #2, #14, and #18. We could replace Sarr with #14 or #18. Or package those two up and try to get Maluach.

Maybe we'd have to toss in #18 to get #14 back.

Too much? Not enough? Still not over the lottery travesty. PTSD level emotional damage.

[TGW]

I want Essengue, just not at six. I also want Sorber and Richardson. If they could figure out how to get all three, that would be a helluva draft.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Here's a good video of AVC going through the latest Bleacher Report Mock...

Watch on YouTube

[SUPERBALLMAN]

This is an OUTSTANDING discussion with Sam Vecenie on The Ringer NBA Draft Show. The whole thing is worth a listen, but with around 19 minutes left they start discussing Essengue and Beringer and it is some excellent info.




https://player.fm/series/the-ringers-nba-draft-show/evaluation-process-draft-strategy-and-the-weak-link-theory-with-sam-vecenie

[nate33]

Looks like Essengue might be a top 5 or 6 pick now. Super young, productive, good size.

His measurements haven't changed much since the last time.

Last year, he measured 6'-9" barefoot with a 6'-11" wingspan and a 9'-3.25" standing reach. He was 198 pounds.

He has gained an inch in height an 1.75 inches in wingspan, but lost 1.5 inches in standing reach (probably because he tanked it to boost his vertical leap numbers). My guess is most of the wingspan improvement was his torso filling out a bit as he matured.

I think he's an interesting high upside gamble, but I don't really think these measurements place him firmly in the top 6. I think he could go anywhere between 6 and 20.

[closg00]

No to Essengue.

[Dat2U]

If Sarr and 6 is too much for 2, what about Sarr and 6 for 2 and 14? Would leave us with #2, #14, and #18. We could replace Sarr with #14 or #18. Or package those two up and try to get Maluach.

Maybe we'd have to toss in #18 to get #14 back.

Too much? Not enough? Still not over the lottery travesty. PTSD level emotional damage.

Sarr would potentially go as high #3 in this draft. I want to trade up but anything involving Sarr should be off the table.

[Dat2U]

Looks like Essengue might be a top 5 or 6 pick now. Super young, productive, good size.

His measurements haven't changed much since the last time.

Last year, he measured 6'-9" barefoot with a 6'-11" wingspan and a 9'-3.25" standing reach. He was 198 pounds.

He has gained an inch in height an 1.75 inches in wingspan, but lost 1.5 inches in standing reach (probably because he tanked it to boost his vertical leap numbers). My guess is most of the wingspan improvement was his torso filling out a bit as he matured.

I think he's an interesting high upside gamble, but I don't really think these measurements place him firmly in the top 6. I think he could go anywhere between 6 and 20.

The production at his age is impressive. He seems to have good feel. An event creator defensively and a monster in transition. He scores on timely cuts to the rim to the dunker's spot, the ocassional open 3, putbacks on offensive rebounds & of course, on the break. Apparently his combination of length & athleticism make him tougb to stop on the move leading to a jaw dropping foul rate.

So he excels and has mastered the 'edges' of the game to be productive at a young age in his league. The C length & wing mobility give you hope as a switchable big capable of guarding all 5 positions.

The 'meat' of his game is light on substance however. The handle is basic and he doesn't look comfortable with it. He can attack some closeouts although alot of his limited forays to the basket are mostly of him backing people down. The shooting is built around his willingness to shoot them despite low %s. The form looks slow but he's not really being guarded so its not an issue yet. His passing is interesting and he does offer some promise to eventually provide connective passing. Defensively, he can be disruptive but consistency & attention to detail has been an issue but at 18 those things can improve. I just think he's an underskilled F or a wispy C project that must refine his skill or be destined to be a backup energy big stuck b/w positions.

[NatP4]

Have a feeling CMB is going to develop as a shooter and become the steal of the draft.

Watch on YouTube

[closg00]

...since Mark Williams is on the trading block.

How about Mark Williams & 4 for 6 & 18?

Nah. 18 is way too much to give in that context....

6 & Kispert for 4 & Williams?
Not enough....

Nah, we will certainly pick-up a Center in this draft.

[nate33]

...since Mark Williams is on the trading block.

How about Mark Williams & 4 for 6 & 18?

Nah. 18 is way too much to give in that context....

6 & Kispert for 4 & Williams?
Not enough....

I have no interest at all in Williams. He is too injury prone. Also, his rookie deal is about to expire anyhow.

I would offer #6 plus or 2026 OKC pick (presumably #30) to each of Philly, Charlotte and Utah in an effort to move up for either VJ or Bailey.

I'm not confident enough that picks #3-5 are so much better than pick #6 that I would offer any more than that. My hope is that one of those teams secretly wants either Fears or Knueppel so they would just need a little incentive to move down a couple of spots and still land the guy they want. But if those teams are hell-bent on landing VJ, Ace and Tre, then I'd be unwilling to offer enough to change their minds.

The other trade I would try is one I mentioned before involving Middleton + Kispert + #6 for Paul George + #3, and then flip Paul George for Beal, and then buy Beal out. If Beal is willing to give up roughly MLE money in the buyout (money he would recoup on his new contract with a contender), then the total cost for us would be minimal. Basically it would be paying the same money for Beal's phantom contract rather than for Middleton and Kispert's actual production.

If we did manage to pull off that Sixers trade and end up with #3, without having to trade away any future picks as well, I would then explore trading up from #3 to #2. I would not include Bilal, Sarr or any of our own future firsts in the transaction, but I would consider some combination of our other available incentives (#18, 2026 OKC pick, Carrington, George, AJ).

My dream scenario is that we do the Philly trade, then trade the #3 plus Carrington for #2. Then draft Harper. Then draft Wolf. (Sorber would work too.) This is a good team when everyone is done developing:

PG Harper/Smart
SG Poole/AJ
SF Bilal/Champagnie
PF George/Sarr
C Sarr/Wolf