Bucknuts Big Board 25

[bucknut]

Tier one All Star
1 Cooper Flagg - Flag is Aaron Gordon mixed with Andre Kirilenko and scottie pippen
safest pick and floor in draft. Offensively elite scoring around basket due to athleticism and size ala aaron gordon. Will get a ton of lobs and putbacks near basket like gordon just based on frame strength and hops. Also has found away to use his frame to score out to the foul line ; has middie isolation game of using long stride and broad shoulders to find a crease and having a knack of shotputting the ball up and in. Is somewhat mechanical in his movements ala kirlienko, and is famous for slipping in high leverage moments when trying to cut to basket. Makes it tougher to get to basket on drives from the perimeter using speed and quickness - has to rely on his strength. Also can limit his ceiling as a creative off the bounce pull up jump shooter. Still has a J, can hit a fadewaway, and I'd say moreso then aaron gordon or kirilenko; but the extent of his package from the perimeter is not at your typical star wing. It may never need be, as he is a star and winner with his strengths. Defensively - we know what he is about.

Tier 2 All Star
2 Dylan Harper - tougher james harden with less smooth jumper
I am looking at the negatives with harper (not as smooth transitioning into the J, gets stuck when stopped on a drive and has to resort to an underneath flip shot, flat shot, lack of floaters indicating lack of touch, 29% off the dribble shooting inefficiency, and heavily reliant on his body to initiate instead of natural wiggle like harden.) All that said I can't deny he might be one of the best screen splitters in nba on day one. He fits the modern nba screen game that should enable him to get downhill. Good change of direction to split, ablity to get shoulders angled down, shows pace variants on drive, and has a little bit of craftiness. Does not have the natural initiation deception, handle package and flowy stutter and natural playground feel of harden but also better physical attributes. Personally do not see him reaching harden level - and some slight questions if his natural strides and girth aren't overpowerering and taking up space on tall nba defenders
3 Jeremiah Fears - A kyrie irving/paul george driving package as a point guard with seth curry body and steph curry handles and steve francis swiftness
….In top two most flowy prettiest players to watch move with noa essengue. I think Fears glides. He has some it quality to him. I also think his ability to get into the paint is repeatable and translatable. Has the athleticism, but he has a professional technical, natural art of craftiness to him that is going to carry over. When he gets to the paint he knows how to be shifty whether it be sidestep, when to hop step, stutter his pace and combine it with deceptive dribble packages to throw defenders off. He looks and hunts for contact on the high screen roll - very similar to george in his movements looking for contact on the screen; then crab and take a huge stride, etc. His behind the back I also think reminds me of George. I think its one of the top behind the backs in the league on day one. One of best handles in league day one. Has a nice underneath one handed layup that mimics curry.
The most overlooked thing is his baby face. The best prospects jump due to maturity. Look at giannis and look at SGA in the face younger. It's enough for me to overlook his finishing problems in college and think it improves. His jumper is going to improve - his mid range could become absolutely lethal as it's pretty good now and he can get there routinely. His three ball is going to improve to at least league average and I've already mentioned he has handles and movements resembling the curry brothers. I can see a world where fears outperforms Harper but hard take the small body and bad finishing vs the big body and good finisher right now.


Tier 3 borderline all star
4 Ace bailey - rashard lewis
I'm going to say bailey is more like lewis then say michael porter jr or jabari smith jr. Even though all are similar archetypes, I think Bailey and Lewis move the most similar. Bailey when he gets in transition looks like a sick long fluid athlete. I don't think Jabari Smith ever did. Porter does a bit but also his biomechanics are always so vertical and devoid of any angular athleticism.
Ace Bailey simply has more athletic flare then those guys; as well as shooting flare. He lets it fly - it's a quicker smoother shot. He has a heater and a professional scorer mentality. The shots he does hit are more difficult. I think that’s a good thing when it comes to the nba. Jabari Smith was not pulling the crazy fadeaways Bailey was. He had to get to his spots. Bailey can score when nothing is there and he can do it effortlessly. He is going to have games where he gets streaky and his jumper is on and puts up numbers. Defensively he's 6-10 and shows some block ability. Is he a stupid player ? Does he make stupid passes ? Yes I saw him make bad passes a lot at rutgers. Maybe you take someone else here for that reasons, and I don't think he is a number one but can fill a role as a valuable 2/3 versatile mismatch at his size.
5 Kasparas jakucionis - haliburton.
This guy scream professional. With the importance of point guards who have height, that can create, but also shoot - this guy is the modern nba. Has a cadence to his game can get into a rhythm with the ball and control an offense. Good dribbling package and step backs; has ability to make difficult nba level 3 point stepbacks in isolation. Can get in paint probe and score. Has a good natural feel to his game. I think he has a safe floor of making some impact due to height feel and versatility on offense - athletic concerns and ability to dominate have some merit as to how good he will be but i believe safe floor of having solid contribution in the nba.
6 Walter clayton - jamal murray
I would choose clayton to shoot a high leverage shot more than anyone in this class. best ncaa tournament run, and clutch nba level of difficulty shot making I've ever seen. Has to matter a lot. I think his shooting is underrated. Has some dame in him and jamal murray. Does make some stupid passes like murray at times; if he is unable to make it work at point guard which might be possible could fill in as a cj mccollum combo guard. Has a toughness and clutch about him and willing to get into the lane more than say a tre johnson. Has elite stop and start and change of direction ability - former football safety with blue blood d1 football offers. His high school tape looks like Devin Hester on punt returns. This is also why he is still fairly green to basketball; did not dive 100% in to basketball and was a late bloomer who was severely underecruited and still learning the game.
7 Collin murray boyles - more athletic zach randolph post efficiency with paskal siakam slitherly feel attacking and finishing with thaddeus young stocks, draymonds chest to chest physical defense, and some boris diaw anticipation and whip passing
"feel" "feel" "feel". I dont' overlook feel. The more I look into his off the dribble game I believe extending and using it more is his path. He looks unstoppable when he initiates his drive from beyond the foul line. His handle package is severely underrated. Has instinctual deception movements when he drives to throw defenders off. Has The pascal siakam finishing feel and arms as well as his snaky drive ability.........Can see these powers also being used in running repeatable p n rolls as a hub to get him going downhill off the bounce or in position from the post; and using his whip passing and anticipation to create for others. 70% free throw shooter, believe he could develop the mid range but and maybe the 3 ball but it did not fare well at he nba combine. Defensively elite chest to chest and physical nature ability to not get pushed around, will make you feel him. On perimeter has capability to move his feet and be physical as well; but has to be activated and to many times is caught in lapses; is not a good recovery defender. A great charge and help defender. Is not clear to me his lapses can't be fixed as he gets used to being more comfortable and activated in stance on the perimeter and if so his defensive upside is elite.

Starter Tier
8 Cedric coward - kobe stopper ruebon patterson
7-2 wingspan. One of my favorite players was ruebon patterson. This guy looks like him facially, and plays like him. But with a longer wingspan. Athletically - he has the look of a ruebon too. He moves different. Nba level look in everything he does, obviously wingspan and defense but on offense he screams nba. way more advanced then most 3 and d guys. 40 percent 3 pointer. He has some drive and crossback into a jumper game.Very refined footwork and fadeaway bump knee hit and step back. Looks like an old school iso half court scorer. Has a postgame too. Even see a little ruebon in his offense.
On defense no one knows how elite he is - and it is doubtful he is Reubon. Some questions about his laterall quickness or first step D but due to film there is a lack of clarity. However you can see he is still an impactful defender. The activity rate is special. He utilizes that wingspan - high active hands, always active. Hands and feet active and aware on helpside. Never seen someone just reach his arm in and tip the ball away from an offensive player in a 3 point stance so much. When you go up to shoot he is tipping it for a theft before you get it up. If you do get it up he is blocking it. Amazing blocker. Amazing choppy feet and anticipation on full team closeouts. Sounds like a student of the game and a winner.
9 Tre Johnson - nick young
Translatable trait - off the bounce. a "professional scorer" - little risk here - he is gonna score at nba level; and I like that he can do it with small amount of dribbles and pull up if need be. You can always use scorers, there just aren't many as good as this guy as you would think in the league and you see it every playoffs when teams need more juice. The question is what else does he bring. He doesn't get to rim and turn corner; big pull up guy….defense isn't great. Is he more then nick young ? I don't see a ray allen here
10 Edgecomb - christian braun
My biggest question with edgecomb is bone structure. He looks like a track guy playing basketball. The bone structure issue shows up with his horrid finishing rate at the rim. I don't see a star, but he does have a decent three, and defense that should keep him on the floor. has some highlights of dribbling in, and maybe it can work with his body, but he something about him just doesn't add up.
11 Carter bryant - deveon george
This guy pops when you turn on arizona. 6-8 size; another 3 and d; and another great 3 point shot for that archaetype. I don't get the sense he is going to be quite as dynamic as a thiero or coward maybe offensively or defensively; don't know if he is attacking the rim; but I think he should be a solid player. The type that coaches love to play no matter what. The type that doesn't make mistakes, but is always in position, yet has great athleticism in a 6-8 frame and can shoot. Not a huge upside guy I don't think; a prototypical "other" but a great floor.

High End Impact bench men that provide unique skills and x factor values
12 Jace richardson- between gary payton jr and isiah thomas
Winning intangible player imo. Highly efficient; and rare player able to provide a spark within the confines of the offense and provide hidden offense movement. pace, poise, and playmaking…crafty -with a great "feel" makes stuff happen..41 % from 3…….scoring spark plug 6th man…….not an iso player or huge self creation guy - but can create with runners floaters, has go to bread and butter efficiency within a rotating offense - a little ginobili - how was ginobili scoring late in his career ? Really through runners and off pick movement which helped continue to greese the man and ball movement wheel of the team without excessive dribbles
13 Noah penda - point forward andre miller with john starks intangibles
6-7 tough and Elite help side anticipator and theft maker. Great sense of where all defenders on a string are in half court settings lends to a high leverage playoff performer. Physical defender - good on doubling on a screen. Great role player that defends, passes, and scores opportunistically. 6-8, barrel chested playstyle who I am not really concerned about a lack of step or athleticism for his offensive game. He's not going to be a big scorer, but he will back his guy down or go straight into him and bump him and score with physicality on the drive and doesn't need speed. Really plays at his own pace. 3 ball looks medicore and streaky. Defensively elite reaction to attack to get steals; has the 6th instinct of when to attack a nearby defender at random and go for the steal. Otherwise you can get a step on him. Passing is elite. He's out there to not dribble but be another ball mover. Looks like he has dawg and winning dna in him
14 Lachlan olbrich- boris diaw
Diaw has been everyones favorite comp - and yet I think this is the first guy who legitimately is super close in every sense. Playstyle of course matches diaw - point forward brings ball up, elite passing, and likes to operate out of the mid post to pass or score. But even the biomechanical movevement of diaws awkward lower half share a little bit of similarities. Penda is getting comps to diaw - olbrich is much more diaw imo. Very crafty game here.
15 Rasheer fleming - naz reid combined with dorrian finney smith
really active feet, energy; good defender and good 3 point shooter. 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks…….. I see him as a naz reid type impact from his 3 ball. Look how he pulls the trigger. I think that's Naz #1 trait. This guy has a quick confident trigger and can be a microwave and juice. Juice in his 3 ball, and also his genera active style of play. He doesn't do anything on offense but shoot; but he can attack a closeout and dribble for 2. Relocates well for 3. ……Has sloppy athleticism; can be utilized as great activity but also can look little spasy at times. Not on Naz playmaking/scoring level outside of the 3, but if defense is as advertized will be a better defender.


High upside guys and best value on board guys
16 Thomas sorber - more mobile roy hibbert
Not a big vertical jumper; plays below the basket like Roy, and has a similar offensive game I think. Good face up J game, some post moves; blocks, and 7-4 wingspan. Underrated perimeter D. Maybe 3 develops. I see a functional rotation guy here - I just don't see huge impact. But a solid, sound, all around game.
17 Adou thiero - og anuonoby
Very hard to look away from someone who is comparable to OG; and one of best athletes in draft. In results with Zion for two most high usage players at rim. Great driver, rugged, elite defense. Scores in same areas as OG; two foot jump stop in paint for a float or bank shot. Even has a left handed hook, and shows promise of some middle J. But has major problems finishing and shooting - and to me he is almost too athletic - too much wavy athleticism. Would benefit from more mechanical form shooting. The off the bounce game combined with the defense has him here.
18 Noa essengue - moves like jaden mcdaniels but plays like nic batum
…. 9-3 standing reach…6-10 player with mobility. "prettiest" player to watch move award. More fluid then a nick batum comp could ever be. …..This guy moves so incredible that if feels like any improvement and you have something. And it feels like the odds are he is going to improve. 2nd youngest player behind flag. Dad is reportedly a coach. His jumper does not look broken. He's attempted some turn around fadeaways with solid footwork that don't look horrible. The big question is how much does he improve - I don't think he is going to get hulk strength and explosion like giannis. My sense is most likely outcome is similar to his style of game now - an off ball cutter and overall athlete with length. As someone whos biggest attribute is paint scores I think his narrow shoulder is going to limit his ceiling.…but has nice touch around basket some underneath stuff to offset it some. A guy that moves like mcdaniels still has some promise.
19 Drake powell
I think his individual man 2 man d could be in argument for best of draft. His athleticism and rawness has big upside. Could be a very good 3 and d player. Claims hubert didn't allow him to shine and has more in the bag.Very good potential.
20 Joan beringer - jeremy sochan feet and hips mixed with derek lively blocks
only true center that can guard one through 5; ..he moves different.…….who are the centers today who actually can guard 1-5
This guy is only in his 3rd year playing the sport maybe after coming over from soccer. Doesn't look as natural or tenacious on 3 point closeouts as I would like. Has major timing issues of when to jump and looks like chicken witih head cut off at times. Still learning the game but instinct is keeping him out of the lottery.
21 Chaz lanier - allen houston
Acutely professional at his niche, mid range scorer off screens. Could end up being one of biggest sleepers in the draft.
22 Kon kneuppal - smaller doug mcdermott.
I like the fundamentals knueppal brings, and his two foot jumpstops but I just don't think he looks like he has nba athleticism.
23 Maulach mo bamba
Really long body who's only real elite trait is taradactel length ..…insane length, and decent agility vs pick and roll but not super coordinated and doesn't pop with strength or explosion. Did not test well athletically. Think his versatility is overrated and he isn't as intimidating as past centers projected high in draft.
24 Hansen yang - portland sabonis
Best post moves in the class. Strong shoulder gate into defender to power through moves and footwork down low. Amazing passes - not sure how he plays with his defense
25 Derek Queen - Looks like fat middle school kid.
Ball dominant; horrible d; no 3; the mid range or 2 pointers wasn't super efficient either.
26 Noalan traore - dante exum.
elite translatable ability to get in paint and great speed to get to rack.-Knows how to use his arms and elbows for creative finishes even if he isn't jumping high. the problem' is he has some of the worst misses on shots I've seen and does not look comfortable shooting the ball - huge miss variance. Some of the balls are hitting the backboard past the hoop every game. I don't believe in his shot ability to improve. He shows sign of center of gravity head and balance, but yet lacks touch. One of the biggest upside potentials in draft tho and probably ranked too low.
27 Danny wolf - keith van horn
Theres talk of what wolf can't do; but this is still a near 7 footer that has versatility. Used to be a post player and good at using his body to shield defenders to score around the basket. Has great footwork around basket too. Lacks the explosion that wagner had at michigan, dribbling not great, and not great defensively. Looks kind of fat and slow at times.
28 Nique Clifford - fat keegan murray
Good rebounding wing and has some really unique powerful long stride movements to generate looks and nice step throughs in post. I think he is chunky and slow for a wing; some of his shots are hitting the backboard on middies. Wasn't a great scorer until late in career.
29 Lamont butler - mcconnell
might be top 3 defensive dawg from pg position in last 10 years with mcconnel and aaron craft. Believe butler does have a middie pull game off the bounce like mcconnell; and his three percentage rose this year to an eye popping 40 percent from 30% at san diego state. A flat out winner.
30 Jaxon robinson baby shea gilgeous at kentucky
looked like a pro at BYU. Feels like a great off ball game, cutter, and overall guy that can fit in and bring wining traits.