2024 Draft Thread - Part III

[FarBeyondDriven]

Read on Twitter

I'm so jealous. You guys got a real one. Back to back incredible drafts transforming you guys from irrelevant afterthoughts to having arguably the best collection of young talent in the entire league plus movable assets.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

What did he say beyond the banalities?

Did anyone get a real, honest, thoughtful, no-BS answer about the trade and why he did it and why he is certain that it will pay off and that we are adding a certifiable star?

And did anyone follow that up with: and if that player does not turn out to be a certifiable star, are you prepared to admit that this trade was a failure and that it calls into question a) your ability to do this job and b) the organizational vision?

The stooges didn’t ask about the trade…

Trade isn't official yet.

[wewillnevertank]

That story about Kolek may or may not be true. Even if he is, let's be honest. Basketball intelligence doesn't requiring reading ability. If his character is good and he's a verbal or visual learner he'll be fine.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

LMAO

You guys know "Simon Charles" is a parody account, right? The joke that Kolek can't read came from a disgruntled Providence fan who goes by "dangly sack" on Twitter. At one point last season, Marquette posted a graphic bragging about the high collective GPA of the team, but excluded Kolek for some reason. Mr. Dangly Sack trollingly pointed out that omission by writing "People forget Tyler Kolek is illiterate," and the internet did what the internet does from there.

[Rafael122]

I guess this is why they didn't draft a 23 year old Knecht.

Honestly I hate the way the NBA draft is set up, with them drafting 18 year olds and waiting four years for them to develop, and then if they're any good you can't afford them. In the NIL era I think you are better off using the draft to get cheap young 22, 23 year old players. There is zero moneyball payoff to taking a swing on a young prospect in the teens to twenties. Draft Knecht, when his rookie contract matures let him go.

I think someone on ESPN said it that sometimes it's not about the player, but the front office. Picking an 18 year old gives the GM more time.

[payitforward]

Who's been more right about this team? The grouthinkers or the people who never have anything bad to say while the Wizards get their asses handed to them year after year?

And goooooo

What happened “year after year” means absolutely nothing. That’s in the past.

It’s a new FO, with a new approach and they deserve the opportunity to put their stamp on the franchise.

I don't like that they traded Deni...he was my favorite Zards and he has a bright future. But I like that they drafted for youth, size, length, and upside, which is what this FO has shown it intends to do.

I think this is a solid point, Zards.
OTOH, the Deni trade came as a shock -- & we don't seem to have gotten much for him. I.e. it does seem fair to compare it to the Bridges trade.

Not that Deni should have brought that kind of haul, but the difference does seem kind of startling. At 23, he's clearly a far more valuable commodity than Kuz, yet we got only slightly more than we could have gotten for Kuz at the last trade deadline.

OTOH, Sarr was a straightforwardly good pick, & if Carrington & George both work out well, the whole evening will look good in retrospect.

[AFM]

That story about Kolek may or may not be true. Even if he is, let's be honest. Basketball intelligence doesn't requiring reading ability. If his character is good and he's a verbal or visual learner he'll be fine.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

Yeah until he gets on the wrong team bus.

[80sballboy]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=a4lJEbpuFtPRHuId24j_LA

I think that's a fake account.

[closg00]

I guess this is why they didn't draft a 23 year old Knecht.

Honestly I hate the way the NBA draft is set up, with them drafting 18 year olds and waiting four years for them to develop, and then if they're any good you can't afford them. In the NIL era I think you are better off using the draft to get cheap young 22, 23 year old players. There is zero moneyball payoff to taking a swing on a young prospect in the teens to twenties. Draft Knecht, when his rookie contract matures let him go.

This can’t be good for the owners, I wonder why they continue to follow this model? The NBA would be a lot more interesting and competitive if the raised the minimum age to 20.

[doclinkin]

The Wizards drafted size at the position. They didn't pay attention to numbers that indicate efficiency

Or toughness. Statistically the guys they picked are soft as baby dumplings. I mean Carrington rebounds well for a PG. But he can't finish on the interior. Sarr is noted for being weak on the inside. Not great hands. No ferocity in rebounding. Poor % at the rim. And KGeorge is literally soft. Like doughy. In addition to rebounding poorly for a forward. And can't score at the rim. One thing consistent is that all of these guys tend to pass INSTEAD of attacking the interior. So it looks like they are team players who like to share the rock, when it's probably just that they're scared of contact. None of these guys rank high on FT attempts for their position.

Maybe they figure that these guys have significant upside if they can tune them up physically and develop that aspect, but it is almost as if they are designing the tank by intentionally remaining weak in the middle at both ends. Hire some dogs. Some meanspirited guys who hate to lose.

Otherwise it is all flash and finesse and pretty passing and motion and goes nowhere.

Man. I do not like it at all. To me the toughness, BBIQ, and competitive stats show up in: defensive rebounding, FT attempts, and free throw percentage.

Defensive boards indicate situational awareness: do you know where your man is when the ball goes up, where the relative position is of all players, can you calculate the angles and spacing and do you want to go get it. Do you feel like the ball is yours no matter who else is out there. You don't have to be the biggest or most athletic, you need leverage and smarts and anticipation.

FT attempts show offensive aggression. Especially a high ratio ratio of FTa/FGa. Players who are scared to attack will turn away before they can be fouled. Pass the ball instead of risking contact. Players who rank high in this metric will put pressure on defenses, and tend to be the sort of player who will put in extra work in the offseason both in the weight room and adding new wrinkles to their game.

FT% -- and especially improvement in this stat, is the one stat that shows pure mental strength and desire to put in work. You can only get better at FTs by putting in the boring ass work of practice and refinement. If you hate to lose you will focus and get better. Likewise on mental strength. Nobody is defending your FT attempt. It is you on an island with all eyes on you. Make the shot.

If you get a player who ranks highly in these stats against other guys at his position, you get a player who has the fire to compete. The only aspect that is hopeful on these cats is that they all score above 70% in FT shooting. Bub & KGeorge 78%, Sarr 70%. That and they are young (tho' George is 20). So hopefully they love the game and like to work to improve.

Maybe they all get stronger. Maybe they all improve in their aggression as they build muscle. I dunno. But the feisty players will have a head start on them, already working on it. So the only advantage they have is youth. Me, I appreciate John Thompson's maxim that it is harder to light a fire in a player than it is to rein in a competitive knucklehead. I don't see desire to win in the stat profile of these players. Not better than I dunno, Deni and Gafford for instance, to pick two random names out of a hat...

[Rafael122]

According to Aldridge, Bub came in for a workout this past weekend. I'm not trying to hype him up but how good was the workout that Dawkins went from talking about Deni's leadership a few weeks ago to trading him.

[J-Ves]

According to Aldridge, Bub came in for a workout this past weekend. I'm not trying to hype him up but how good was the workout that Dawkins went from talking about Deni's leadership a few weeks ago to trading him.

The only thing that makes sense is Deni asked for a trade

[FAH1223]

I guess this is why they didn't draft a 23 year old Knecht.

Honestly I hate the way the NBA draft is set up, with them drafting 18 year olds and waiting four years for them to develop, and then if they're any good you can't afford them. In the NIL era I think you are better off using the draft to get cheap young 22, 23 year old players. There is zero moneyball payoff to taking a swing on a young prospect in the teens to twenties. Draft Knecht, when his rookie contract matures let him go.

This can’t be good for the owners, I wonder why they continue to follow this model? The NBA would be a lot more interesting and competitive if the raised the minimum age to 20.

The owners are about to get a $76 billion TV deal through 2036.

They're eating fine.

[payitforward]

I need Winger and Dawkins to listen, and to hear these laments. They don’t have to apologize. But they do need to listen. And to try to understand.

Winning counts, yes. (Not that we’re going to be seeing any for 3-4 years). But when we watch a young kid develop, and exceed expectations — that’s joy. That’s one of the glories of fandom. We invest in a player, and that player rewards our investment.

When that player is shipped out without cause — and is still only 23, and is still ascending, and is incredibly likable, and is the face of the franchise — then that’s a severing, and an accounting is in order.

The FO needs to listen, and to hear. And it needs to explain itself. And it needs to acknowledge this severing. It needs to know that this hurts. And not try to move on and reframe. This hurts. And I, for one, am not ready to move on and won’t be for a long while.

It needs to hear: this was the most likable player in this city since John Wall. Over the past 20 years, there are three: Arenas, Wall, Deni. And Dawkins shipped him out for … not much of anything.

Again, I’m not looking for an apology. But I do want an explanation and a legit one. A reasoned and detailed one.

And I do want them to sit with the knowledge that they have severed something. And that winning doesn’t paper over everything.

Great stuff, amigo. On the money.

[Gig18]

According to Aldridge, Bub came in for a workout this past weekend. I'm not trying to hype him up but how good was the workout that Dawkins went from talking about Deni's leadership a few weeks ago to trading him.

The only thing that makes sense is Deni asked for a trade

I think it's more likely that the new guys were dead set on getting another "high" number one---and they couldn't get it done by dangling Kuz. soooo, Deni was next up.
Still don't like it. I know there are picks involved, but from the fan's eye it's trading Deni --- who was finally hitting it --- for Bub.
I hope Bub is worth it. Like what I see. BUT it looks like he could be a long-2, mid-range Rip Hamilton type trapped in the modern "what 3 have you shot for me lately" world. He is interesting.

[NatP4]

Do they have #44 overall today?

[pancakes3]

Bub having playing on Melo's AAU team is kind of a kiss of death for me, but what do I know.

[DCZards]

Or toughness. Statistically the guys they picked are soft as baby dumplings. I mean Carrington rebounds well for a PG. But he can't finish on the interior. Sarr is noted for being weak on the inside. Not great hands. No ferocity in rebounding. Poor % at the rim. And KGeorge is literally soft. Like doughy. In addition to rebounding poorly for a forward. And can't score at the rim. One thing consistent is that all of these guys tend to pass INSTEAD of attacking the interior. So it looks like they are team players who like to share the rock, when it's probably just that they're scared of contact. None of these guys rank high on FT attempts for their position.

I disagree with you about Bub. He's a baby faced 18 yr old...but he's B'More tough. Those rebounding numbers show that he's not afraid to battle with bigger men...as I'm sure he did on the playgrounds of Charm City.

Carrington grew something like 6 or 7 inches in the last couple of years. Once he realizes that his new superpower is his height and length--and he gets physically stronger--Bub will have no problem using his crafty ballhandling to get to the rim and FT line.

[Benjammin]

Do they have #44 overall today?

No picks today unless they acquire one. I doubt they will given they drafted three guys yesterday.

[prime1time]

That story about Kolek may or may not be true. Even if he is, let's be honest. Basketball intelligence doesn't requiring reading ability. If his character is good and he's a verbal or visual learner he'll be fine.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

LMAO

You guys know "Simon Charles" is a parody account, right? The joke that Kolek can't read came from a disgruntled Providence fan who goes by "dangly sack" on Twitter. At one point last season, Marquette posted a graphic bragging about the high collective GPA of the team, but excluded Kolek for some reason. Mr. Dangly Sack trollingly pointed out that omission by writing "People forget Tyler Kolek is illiterate," and the internet did what the internet does from there.

Not relevant at all to the post, but you might want to change your username lol

[NatP4]

Do they have #44 overall today?

No picks today unless they acquire one. I doubt they will given they drafted three guys yesterday.

They acquired two 2nds from Portland. Tankathon is showing Washington at 44.