Bucknuts Big Board 24

[bucknut]

6/18

future all star potential; first 2 safest, last 2 most potential
1 Reed Shephard
2 Zach edey
3 Alex sarr
4 Nikola topic

impactful starters
5 Donovan clingan
6 Devin carter
7 Dalton knecht
8 kj simpson
9 butelis

mid starters
10 Enrique freeman
11 tristan de silva
12 antonio reeves
13 zacharrie risacher
14 jalen bridges
15 jamal shead

rotational pieces
daron holmes
adem bona
dante
isiah crawford
stephon castle
terrance shannon
klingman
jeremy roach
jaylen wells


Shephard
-i believe shephard is a safe pick at top of draft even if he doesn't reach his ceiling - at worst he is a good shooter and passer who connects your team and really good bench player who provides a punch. At best he is mark price - and the modern version of a new age point guard - and one that aligns with him not necessating a great handle. Which is Reed doesn't over dribble. He doesn't excessively dance. There is no need to excessively dribble which often bogs the offense down. He makes quick passes which sparks flow....its the consumate smart bobby knight pop style of play..... he is constantly putting pressure on a defense through quick reactions in a different way then the ball dominant point. Reed does play with velocity in this way - and his ability to shoot which constrains and puts pressure on the defense. Reed does I believe have ability to get downhill in the lane, though he is may not be a contact seeker or deadly finisher he is as adept as guys like curry or lillard or many other small players who are able to drive the line. Reed has a good mid range pull up, and a deadly three. He makes a move and boom its there or he's passing -he is best suited for a multi dimensional roster similar to boston with other ballhandlers and playmakers to work off each other to reap the rewards of reeds connectivity and synergy creation and play style.
It is worth noting Reed is a defensive wizard in his own regard (only guards to avg 2.5 SPGs: Glove, CP3, Kidd, Stockton, and REED.
Reed is one of the best shot blockers in the draft as a guard. ELITE quick hands. And elite vertical to makeup for his height.

Edey
- there is no one more controversial - but to me it comes about someone with unique ELITE traits and skills and still has upside. Edey has good form on his foul shot and shot very well from 3 at the combine; I believe it is not out of the question to turn into a brook lopez type shooter from 3. Edey performed very well in the agility sessions and imo will be more adept defensively in nba then people give him credit for. His conditioning is elite. We saw what a boban did when he was on the floor putting up astronomical per numbers. With the current trend of twig centers barely weight 200 pounds, and the popularity of switching, edey could be the start of a trend back to dominant low post scorers. Durant and porzingis is no longer unicorns, zach edey is , and the nature of sports is cyclical. I believe he has a place and proven skills, enough to make a big mark. At worst, he is a highly productive guy off the bench that makes a big impact when he is in the game and teams must contend with.

Sarr
- The sequences vs overtime elite guarding ron holland full court and then in the half court - and then dribbling full court were simply giannis like. The ability to bend the knees at that size and that speed I have never seen before in nba history. How he develops that dribbling and off bounce game to become more like giannis will be his pathway to if he becomes a superstar. Right now he is not a great finisher. Without developing that or becoming a much better shooter - his defensive chops will still allow him to be a solid rotational piece. The upside from that is large.

Topic
- Giddey combined with goran dragic. He is not an elite athlete and never dunks the ball, but most of his pionts come at the rim - and i believe he will be able to score at rim in nba due to combining the tallest point guard size with lowest center of gravity in nba history. perhaps his neck plays a part; but topic can get lower then most 6-5 guys and taller at that position; hence giddy magic johnson and lonzo ball all being very upright - and thus takes them longer to get in and out of their breaks and accelerate. Topic seamlessly can navigate pick and roll situations and turn them into drives all in the same motion as if he were setting up the pass. I think float and mid range has been shown in flashes and is something he will be able to develop. The 3 ball, i don't know. A 5 out mike dantoni offense fits topic perfectly and he can be deadly in the pick and roll. He looks fun to watch just dribbling

clingan
- no doubt one of if not safest pick in draft but the high end offensive potential isn't there. IMO defensive anchors aren't super hard to find; in fact dante and some other guys can give you some of what clingan can. What edey can provide offensively has him as an easy choice above clingan.

devin carter
-defensive rebounding and ability to defend pick and roll transfers. A taller and longer jose alverado with better offense. An absolute pesk; a joakim noah at the guard position from the tape. he impacts the game. Not a star but a solid impact player.

knecht
- a tyler hero comp for me. A refreshing offensive refined game for a gm to take instead of 20 percent shooters from 3. Size, has some athletic traits in transition and can drive in addition to shooting.

simpson
-- i don't know why he is rated so low ? i guess defense ? well listen to this quote "KJ Simpson is the best defensive point guard in this league. And it's not even close,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. we always see the michael redds, the trace jackson davis's......simpson to me plays a better nba game then the jeremy roaches the tyus jones point guards that we see every year. Simpson is one of the best shot creators in the draft, taller and longer then his height and can absolutely score fluidly at all 3 levels.

butelis
- who knows if he will develop but his shot blocking skills and ability to make shots look so smooth shows me more potential then others in the draft

[bucknut]

big board changes 6/20

finally saw film of topic on defense and lets just say it pisses me off - hard to find that film and the film i saw showed a complete lack of awareness on off ball and pretty weak on ball d. As a GM I would prioritize defense, toughness, connectivity, and efficiency above pretty much everything - i really want to move topic back - actually he may even be a player i wouldn't touch as a gm even tho he is a player i think should be drafted high and still on my big board i may not myself if i was in that position. Imo as a gm sometimes there should only be like 10-15 guys you think are even draftable to help your team that fit your playing style , match your characteristics of what you believe in, etc,....even tho some guys will play in the league - it doesn't mean they are winning players and should be drafted by you - when by ever other metric they will be a successfull pick

Take example tim hardaway jr. That guy people will say was a good draft pick. I happen to think he was just lucky enough to fool people long enough. He's not a winning player.

A player like that for me this year will be - dillingham. I have no interest putting him on my big board - but he may put stats up in the league. I think his play style is just horrible.

Now , in my best efforts , i am going to attempt to put a fullfill 30 team mock from 1 to 30 for a first round - realizing i will have to mix in players based on potential , and qualities i may not draft for - as long as i can see some passable qualities. Dillingham is staying off.

i am also not putting schalan in as i don't know what i'm evaluating with him yet.



future all star potential; first 2 safest, last 2 most potential
1 Reed Shephard
2 Zach edey
3 Alex sarr
4 Nikola topic

impactful starters
5 enrique freeman
6 donovan clingan
7 Devin carter
8 kj simpson
9 ron holland
11 knecht
12 butelis
13 zacharrie risacher

role guys
14 yves missi
15 cody williams
16 jakobe walter
17 stephon castle
18 jalen bridges
19 jamal shead
20 tristan de silva
21 antonio reeves
22 terrance shannon
23 baylor scheirman
24 adem bona
25 cam christie
26 klingman
27 trey alexander
28 dante
29 jaylen wells
30 ryan dunn

just missing out
jared mcclain
kashad johnson
pj hall
daron holmes
isiah crawford
tyson
jeremy roach




Shephard
-i believe shephard is a safe pick at top of draft even if he doesn't reach his ceiling - at worst he is a good shooter and passer who connects your team and really good bench player who provides a punch. At best he is mark price - and the modern version of a new age point guard - and one that aligns with him not necessating a great handle. Which is Reed doesn't over dribble. He doesn't excessively dance. There is no need to excessively dribble which often bogs the offense down. He makes quick passes which sparks flow....its the consumate smart bobby knight pop style of play..... he is constantly putting pressure on a defense through quick reactions in a different way then the ball dominant point. Reed does play with velocity in this way - and his ability to shoot which constrains and puts pressure on the defense. Reed does I believe have ability to get downhill in the lane, though he is may not be a contact seeker or deadly finisher he is as adept as guys like curry or lillard or many other small players who are able to drive the line. Reed has a good mid range pull up, and a deadly three. He makes a move and boom its there or he's passing -he is best suited for a multi dimensional roster similar to boston with other ballhandlers and playmakers to work off each other to reap the rewards of reeds connectivity and synergy creation and play style.
It is worth noting Reed is a defensive wizard in his own regard (only guards to avg 2.5 SPGs: Glove, CP3, Kidd, Stockton, and REED.
Reed is one of the best shot blockers in the draft as a guard. ELITE quick hands. And elite vertical to makeup for his height.

Edey
- there is no one more controversial - but to me it comes about someone with unique ELITE traits and skills and still has upside. Edey has good form on his foul shot and shot very well from 3 at the combine; I believe it is not out of the question to turn into a brook lopez type shooter from 3. Edey performed very well in the agility sessions and imo will be more adept defensively in nba then people give him credit for. His conditioning is elite. We saw what a boban did when he was on the floor putting up astronomical per numbers. With the current trend of twig centers barely weight 200 pounds, and the popularity of switching, edey could be the start of a trend back to dominant low post scorers. Durant and porzingis is no longer unicorns, zach edey is , and the nature of sports is cyclical. I believe he has a place and proven skills, enough to make a big mark. At worst, he is a highly productive guy off the bench that makes a big impact when he is in the game and teams must contend with.

Sarr
- The sequences vs overtime elite guarding ron holland full court and then in the half court - and then dribbling full court were simply giannis like. The ability to bend the knees at that size and that speed I have never seen before in nba history. How he develops that dribbling and off bounce game to become more like giannis will be his pathway to if he becomes a superstar. Right now he is not a great finisher. Without developing that or becoming a much better shooter - his defensive chops will still allow him to be a solid rotational piece. The upside from that is large. Edit: his gate will never be as powerful as giannis, but he doe shave the knee bend of more like siakem, or a supersized jaden mcdaniels, how he develops his finishing and off ball game will decide his ceiling. Much more potential off bounce then a claxton imo.

Topic
- Giddey combined with goran dragic. He is not an elite athlete and never dunks the ball, but most of his pionts come at the rim - and i believe he will be able to score at rim in nba due to combining the tallest point guard size with lowest center of gravity in nba history. perhaps his neck plays a part; but topic can get lower then most 6-5 guys and taller at that position; hence giddy magic johnson and lonzo ball all being very upright - and thus takes them longer to get in and out of their breaks and accelerate. Topic seamlessly can navigate pick and roll situations and turn them into drives all in the same motion as if he were setting up the pass. I think float and mid range has been shown in flashes and is something he will be able to develop. The 3 ball, i don't know. A 5 out mike dantoni offense fits topic perfectly and he can be deadly in the pick and roll. He looks fun to watch just dribbling. A


Enrique Freeman
- joakim noah at wing. baby derek lively with a post game and the peremter skills of pj washington. and my favorite - chevaun trautment (pitt jamie dixon days), chevaun trautment with wing skills and defense.
clingan
- no doubt one of if not safest pick in draft but the high end offensive potential isn't there. IMO defensive anchors aren't super hard to find; in fact dante and some other guys can give you some of what clingan can. What edey can provide offensively has him as an easy choice above clingan.
Have to watch combine scrimmage to get a feel for him on the perimeter. Looks like a freak wing and he can guard 1 through 5. A 7 2 wingspan from blocking kalkbrenner to moving his feet against an athletic 2.
23 years old but hit a 4 inch growth spurt and walked on at Akron. .....played as a center (2nd nationally in rebounding behind edey) so has major growth development left by transitioning to wing skills....realized he needed a 3 ball his last year for scouts and in 1 year developed a good 3 point shot. At the scrimmage it looked very very smooth. Only area lacking is his off dribble and handle and face up game which he never really was able to develop for what he was asked to do at Akron being in the paint.
Intangibles are 10/10. The biggest talker and communicator in every scrimmage ala noah. Is the guy dapping up every teammate with hand claps on the court. Going for an MBA currently. Has had rapid improvement since day 1 at Akron. It factor he has it.
I feel there is minimal risk in this pick. When I look at the mavericks roster he is like a baby lively with a post up game and pj Washington's perimeter shot and perimeter d
Literally everything the Celtics built their d on to stop Dallas by switching the pick and rolls because they couldn't get punished in the paint .....is what freeman solves. A pj and Derrick Jones jr with a way better post game combined with some lively.
This guy may have one of the best post packages for a wing day 1 in the league. Would be one of best rebounding wings in league. Best shot blocker wings in league. Best help defense in league.
These are the players you win championships with. I'm struggling not to put him above sarr on my big board who....he would back down and eat alive and already has a better 3 point shot in 1 year of practice.
Top 5 player for me in the draft.

devin carter
-defensive rebounding and ability to defend pick and roll transfers. A taller and longer jose alverado with better offense. An absolute pesk; a joakim noah at the guard position from the tape. he impacts the game. Not a star but a solid impact player.

simpson
-- i don't know why he is rated so low ? i guess defense ? well listen to this quote "KJ Simpson is the best defensive point guard in this league. And it's not even close,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. we always see the michael redds, the trace jackson davis's......simpson to me plays a better nba game then the jeremy roaches the tyus jones point guards that we see every year. Simpson is one of the best shot creators in the draft, taller and longer then his height and can absolutely score fluidly at all 3 levels.

Ron Holland
- i'm going to put holland at 9 due to his high upside and i don't think the guys right behind him will be stars. one of toughest evaluations in draft. Some people think he is top 3 potential - and i understand the reasoning - well if the thompson twins couldn't shoot and went high why not ron. It makes sense - some people don't think ron is super athletic and create space and some do - i happen to think he is athletic - and take a liking to this quote from his g league coach "a mix of latrell sprewell and eddie jones" as an old schooler that quote excites me and i can see it - the fact he improved so much from high school to 1 year in pro in his creation game as a wing is pretty massive. he has a nice little eddie jones cross step back that is clever. He is a bull to the rim like sprewell. and steals like sprewell. he plays with force. His dog in him, his ferociousness, might be able to overcome that shooting - and i am not sure he is super efficient at rim either. ....most likely scenario is just a ball of energy off the bench to get to the line and eject life as a defensive and energy punch or ; perhaps a 2nd option scorer if he turns into eddit jones light and becomes more efficient.

knecht
- a tyler hero comp for me. A refreshing offensive refined game for a gm to take instead of 20 percent shooters from 3. Size, has some athletic traits in transition and can drive in addition to shooting and playmake off the dribble off screens. i question his defense, and somewhat question if his offense will translate against athletic wings.

butelis
- here is my thing with buzelis - i hate his percentages but he reminds me of hayward and wagner - the wide base, the fluidity of movement. Former swimmer - he has the natural movement man. He looks pretty dribbling. He can create space. Large drop steps on drives. Hayard and wagner also were not great shooters - here is the secret to a guy like this imo - he is good every where else - multidemensional solid - like a tatum if tatum couldn't shoot - can dribble, can defend, can block, can pass - i don't think he needs to be a great shooter - he has that all around game like hayward and wagner that lot of players lack. But his touch and that dog in him needs to come out. show me a guy with his body style archaetype that has failed. he has some potential and the hope is weightroom and strength benefits him a ton. I don't think i see him turning into an all star but solid contribution starter like wagner.

risacher
--looks pretty mid but tall 3 and ds valued and hes young. draft experts must like him for a reason huh. i like bridges alot too - bridges impressed me at west va and baylor; can get hot. good shooter.

missi -- one guy who could blow up and may have too low; not sure theres a ton separating him and sarr as far as dribbling - he is what holmes wishes he could do on the drive. just started playing organized basketball - siakim light on the dribble. the negative is lack of playmaking on that dribble.

cody williams - my comp right now is minnesota andrew wiggins - slasher without a mid range j

walter - confident he can get his shot off at next level. smooth movement. nba jumpshooter.

castle - all his points are within hurleys system plays off screens and wide open floaters. i can definately see a bust potential - don't see the natural self creation. his offensive game looks like his defense - just junky and dirty

[bucknut]

6/23
*all star potential*
1 Reed Shephard
2 Zach edey
3 Alex sarr
4 Nikola topic
5 ron holland

impactful starters/ winners
5 enrique freeman
6 Nikola durisic
7 Devin carter
8 donovan clingan

dudes who can make an impact
10 trey alexander
11 butelis
12 yves missi
13 knecht
14 jakobe walter
15 zacharrie risacher
16 kj simpson
17 antonio reeves
18 jamal shead
19 jalen bridges
20 aj mitchell
21 jared mcclain
22 adem bona
23 dante
24 cam christie
25 kyshawn george
26 jaylen wells
27 baylor scheirman
28 klingman
29 isaac jones
30 ryan dunn

[bucknut]

6/24

*all star potential*
1 Reed Shephard - mark price.
2 Zach edey - more mobile yao
3 Alex sarr - supersize jaden mcdaniels. swing skill: developing guard skills. don't ever seeing him being a physical big - even with added strength. doesn't have the power of giannis. Needs to shoot and get by for easy buckets since not a great finisher
4 Nikola topic - mix of goran dragic and josh giddey. Swing skill - shooting and finishing through contact and hard contests
5 matas buzelis - mix of gordon heyward, franz wagner, and detlef shrimp. Simply moves too well at 6-10, glides, with handles, huge vertical. Swing skill - strength. Has most upside from weight room in class.
6 ron holland - latrewell sprewell and eddie jones. Swing skill - shooting and developing outside eddie jones guard skills.

impactful starters/ winners
7 enrique freeman - chevaun trautment mixed with joakim noah mixed with pj washington
8 Nikola durisic - taller ginobili, will benefit from more space. like him in some ways more than topic.
9 Devin carter - more offensive and taller jose alvarado
10 donovan clingan - mark williamas

dudes who can make an impact
11 trey alexander - derek white with shai gilgeous midrange
12 yves missi - clint capela with siakam handle
13 dante - daniel gafford with nerlen noel steals
14 knecht - tyler herro
15 jakobe walter - rasual butler
16 kj simpson - less explosive jamal murray
17 antonio reeves - brent berry
18 jamal shead - kyle lowery
19 jalen bridges - mikal bridges
20 zacharrie risacher - michael porter jr
21 aj mitchell - cam payne
22 adem bona - tristan thompson
23 jared mcclain - poor mans malcolm brogdon and desmond bane shooting
24 stephon castle - justice winslow
25 cam christie - terrance ross
26 kyshawn george - james jones or less physical wilson chandler with magic johnson
27 quinten post - frank kaminsky
28 tristan de silva - matt barnes and doug christie without the defense
29 cody williams - poor mans andrew wiggins offense without the d
30 baylor scheirman - joe ingles
31 isaac jones - ryan hollins
32 keyshawn johnson - pj tucker
33 pj hall - bobby portis
35 jaelon tyson - devin carter mixed with cole anthony offensively
36 bub carrington - quinton richardson
37 klingman - carries body and feet of james posey without the mid and post offense
38 jaylen wells - klay thompson
39 ryan dunn - herb jones


busts - ware from indiana, isiah collier, tyler smith, mboko san francisco, cody williams. Mbokos hips are stiff and awful.

IMO shephard edey freeman durisic carter clingan are the safest of my lottery picks. The biggest upside but biggest risks of my lottery are sarr butelis topic and holland - missi same boat.

I think its a very underrated draft. Biggest take is if spurs want to get back to the "beautiful way of playing basketball" they need to get shephard and pair him with durisic. would be epic free flowing basketball.

[FarBeyondDriven]

6/24

*all star potential*
1 Reed Shephard - mark price.
2 Zach edey - more mobile yao
3 Alex sarr - supersize jaden mcdaniels. swing skill: developing guard skills. don't ever seeing him being a physical big - even with added strength. doesn't have the power of giannis. Needs to shoot and get by for easy buckets since not a great finisher
4 Nikola topic - mix of goran dragic and josh giddey. Swing skill - shooting and finishing through contact and hard contests
5 matas buzelis - mix of gordon heyward, franz wagner, and detlef shrimp. Simply moves too well at 6-10, glides, with handles, huge vertical. Swing skill - strength. Has most upside from weight room in class.
6 ron holland - latrewell sprewell and eddie jones. Swing skill - shooting and developing outside eddie jones guard skills.

impactful starters/ winners
7 enrique freeman - chevaun trautment mixed with joakim noah mixed with pj washington
8 Nikola durisic - taller ginobili, will benefit from more space. like him in some ways more than topic.
9 Devin carter - more offensive and taller jose alvarado
10 donovan clingan - mark williamas

dudes who can make an impact
11 trey alexander - derek white with shai gilgeous midrange
12 yves missi - clint capela with siakam handle
13 dante - daniel gafford with nerlen noel steals
14 knecht - tyler herro
15 jakobe walter
16 kj simpson - less explosive jamal murray
17 antonio reeves -
18 jamal shead - kyle lowery
19 jalen bridges - taller terrance ross
20 zacharrie risacher - michael porter jr
21 aj mitchell - cam payne
22 stephon castle - justice winslow
23 jared mcclain - poor mans malcolm brogdon and desmond bane shooting
24 adem bona - tristan thompson
25 cam christie
26 kyshawn george - james jones or less physical wilson chandler with magic johnson
27 quinten post
28 tristan de silva - matt barnes and doug christie without the defense
29 cody williams - poor mans andrew wiggins offense without the d
30 baylor scheirman - joe ingles
31 isaac jones - ryan hollins
32 keyshawn johnson - pj tucker
33 pj hall - bobby portis
35 jaelon tyson - devin carter mixed with cole anthony offensively
36 bub carrington - quinton richardson
37 klingman - carries body and feet of james posey without the mid and post offense
38 jaylen wells
39 ryan dunn


busts - ware from indiana, isiah collier, tyler smith, mboko san francisco, cody williams. Mbokos hips are stiff and awful.

IMO shephard edey freeman durisic carter clingan are the safest of my lottery picks. The biggest upside but biggest risks of my lottery are sarr butelis topic and holland - missi same boat.

I think its a very underrated draft. Biggest take is if spurs want to get back to the "beautiful way of playing basketball" they need to get shephard and pair him with durisic. would be epic free flowing basketball.

so what Tier would you project this draft class to fall into? Sounds like you're in the middle so Tier 4 (good), Tier 5 (average), Tier 6 (bad)

[bucknut]

6/24

*all star potential*
1 Reed Shephard - mark price.
2 Zach edey - more mobile yao
3 Alex sarr - supersize jaden mcdaniels. swing skill: developing guard skills. don't ever seeing him being a physical big - even with added strength. doesn't have the power of giannis. Needs to shoot and get by for easy buckets since not a great finisher
4 Nikola topic - mix of goran dragic and josh giddey. Swing skill - shooting and finishing through contact and hard contests
5 matas buzelis - mix of gordon heyward, franz wagner, and detlef shrimp. Simply moves too well at 6-10, glides, with handles, huge vertical. Swing skill - strength. Has most upside from weight room in class.
6 ron holland - latrewell sprewell and eddie jones. Swing skill - shooting and developing outside eddie jones guard skills.

impactful starters/ winners
7 enrique freeman - chevaun trautment mixed with joakim noah mixed with pj washington
8 Nikola durisic - taller ginobili, will benefit from more space. like him in some ways more than topic.
9 Devin carter - more offensive and taller jose alvarado
10 donovan clingan - mark williamas

dudes who can make an impact
11 trey alexander - derek white with shai gilgeous midrange
12 yves missi - clint capela with siakam handle
13 dante - daniel gafford with nerlen noel steals
14 knecht - tyler herro
15 jakobe walter
16 kj simpson - less explosive jamal murray
17 antonio reeves -
18 jamal shead - kyle lowery
19 jalen bridges - taller terrance ross
20 zacharrie risacher - michael porter jr
21 aj mitchell - cam payne
22 stephon castle - justice winslow
23 jared mcclain - poor mans malcolm brogdon and desmond bane shooting
24 adem bona - tristan thompson
25 cam christie
26 kyshawn george - james jones or less physical wilson chandler with magic johnson
27 quinten post
28 tristan de silva - matt barnes and doug christie without the defense
29 cody williams - poor mans andrew wiggins offense without the d
30 baylor scheirman - joe ingles
31 isaac jones - ryan hollins
32 keyshawn johnson - pj tucker
33 pj hall - bobby portis
35 jaelon tyson - devin carter mixed with cole anthony offensively
36 bub carrington - quinton richardson
37 klingman - carries body and feet of james posey without the mid and post offense
38 jaylen wells
39 ryan dunn


busts - ware from indiana, isiah collier, tyler smith, mboko san francisco, cody williams. Mbokos hips are stiff and awful.

IMO shephard edey freeman durisic carter clingan are the safest of my lottery picks. The biggest upside but biggest risks of my lottery are sarr butelis topic and holland - missi same boat.

I think its a very underrated draft. Biggest take is if spurs want to get back to the "beautiful way of playing basketball" they need to get shephard and pair him with durisic. would be epic free flowing basketball.

so what Tier would you project this draft class to fall into? Sounds like you're in the middle so Tier 4 (good), Tier 5 (average), Tier 6 (bad)

Good class. Better then last 2 draft classes for me.

[bucknut]

6/25

*all star potential*
1 Reed Shephard - mark price.
2 Zach edey - more mobile yao
3 Alex sarr - supersize jaden mcdaniels. swing skill: developing guard skills. don't ever seeing him being a physical big - even with added strength. doesn't have the power of giannis. Needs to shoot and get by for easy buckets since not a great finisher
4 Nikola topic - mix of goran dragic and josh giddey. Swing skill - shooting and finishing through contact and hard contests
5 matas buzelis - mix of gordon heyward, franz wagner, and detlef shrimp. Simply moves too well at 6-10, glides, with handles, huge vertical. Swing skill - strength. Has most upside from weight room in class.
6 ron holland - latrewell sprewell and eddie jones. Swing skill - shooting and developing outside eddie jones guard skills.

impactful starters/ winners
7 enrique freeman - chevaun trautment mixed with joakim noah mixed with pj washington
8 Nikola durisic - taller ginobili, will benefit from more space. like him in some ways more than topic.
9 Devin carter - more offensive and taller jose alvarado
10 donovan clingan - mark williamas

dudes who can make an impact
11 trey alexander - derek white with shai gilgeous midrange
12 yves missi - clint capela with siakam handle
13 dante - daniel gafford with nerlen noel steals
14 knecht - tyler herro
15 antonio reeves - brent berry
16 kj simpson - less explosive jamal murray
17 jakobe walter - rasual butler
18 jamal shead - kyle lowery
19 adem bona - tristan thompson
20 zacharrie risacher - michael porter jr
21 aj mitchell - cam payne
22 jalen bridges - mikal bridges
23 jared mcclain - poor mans malcolm brogdon and desmond bane shooting
24 tristan de silva - matt barnes and doug christie without the defense
25 terrance shannon - erick bledsoe mixed with derrick jones jr

26 stephon castle - justice winslow
27 cam christie - terrance ross
28 kyshawn george - james jones or less physical wilson chandler with magic johnson
29 quinten post - frank kaminsky
30 daron holmes - slithering iso scorer like siakem but no handles slow reactions b2b hub player like jokic. Bad fit outside denver
31 cody williams - poor mans andrew wiggins offense without the d
32 baylor scheirman - joe ingles
33 isaac jones - ryan hollins
34 keyshawn johnson - pj tucker
35 pj hall - bobby portis
36 jaelon tyson - devin carter mixed with cole anthony offensively
37 bub carrington - quinton richardson
38 klingman - carries body and feet of james posey without the mid and post offense
39 jaylen wells - klay thompson
40 ryan dunn - herb jones

[bucknut]

MOCK Draft - what i think will happen

call me stupid but i think shephard is meant for the spurs and pop. Spurs cannot be drafting a non shooter like castle - they need shooters - this spurs draft is absolutely massive to get back to the top. udoka loves defense; maybe he takes clingan

1 hawks - risacher
2 wizards - sarr
3 rockets - clingan
4 spurs - shephard
5 pistons - buzelis
6 hornets - knecht
7 blazers - williams
8 spurs - castle
9 memphis - saulan
10 jazz - ron holland
11 bulls- carter
12 okc - carrington
13 sac jakobe walter
14 blazers - mcclain
15 miami - de silva
16 philly - collier
19 toronto - edey
20 cavs - cam christie
21 pelicans - nikola topic
nuggets - daron holmes

[bucknut]

draft bets
jakobe walter u 15.5 -105
buzelis u 5.5 -130
topic o 11.5 -145
de silva 16.5 -112
carrington u 18.5 -300
knect u 8.5 -130
1st to be drafted clingan ahead of shephard +211
1st to be drafted ron holland ahead of topic -120
1st to be drafted holland ahead of dillinsham -170
1st to be drafted edey ahead of ware -400
missi u 20.5 +146

[bucknut]

Couple other guys I can see some potential I will add to end of my big board

41 Kevin mccallar
42 Jones
43 dadiet
44 Collier
45 filipowski
47 juan Nunez
Last bronny James

[bucknut]

post draft rankings - 6/28

love the fit for messi - he legit is the only other guy i can see being an all star potentially so moving him into that category. Love fit for edey. Don't like fit for topic behind shai and being a complimentary piece- felt like he needed a place to be the centerpiece and have the offense built 4 out around him as the hub.....great fit for daron holmes, moving up.

I like the fit for ron holland but i also don't - he looks like a detroit dude. Looks like a bad boy piston. Ron interviews well….something tells me he will pan out.

wish reed got on spurs but i think he will be alright on houston.

adjusting a few other guys rankings based on fit.

tier 1
*all star potential*
1 Reed Shephard - mark price.
2 Zach edey - more mobile yao
3 Alex sarr - supersize jaden mcdaniels. swing skill: developing guard skills. don't ever seeing him being a physical big - even with added strength. doesn't have the power of giannis. Needs to shoot and get by for easy buckets since not a great finisher
4 ron holland - latrewell sprewell and eddie jones. Swing skill - shooting and developing outside eddie jones guard skills
5 matas buzelis - mix of gordon heyward, franz wagner, and detlef shrimp. Simply moves too well at 6-10, glides, with handles, huge vertical. Swing skill - strength. Has most upside from weight room in class.
6 Nikola topic - mix of goran dragic and josh giddey. Swing skill - shooting and finishing through contact and hard contests
7 yves missi - clint capela with siakam handle

tier 2
impactful starters/ winners
8 donovan clingan - mark williams
9 enrique freeman - chevaun trautment mixed with joakim noah mixed with pj washington
10 Nikola durisic - taller ginobili, will benefit from more space. like him in some ways more than topic.
11 Devin carter - more offensive and taller jose alvarado
(shead is also a winner, carter freeman shead my top 3 winners in this class. gritty winner traits)

tier 3
dudes who can make an impact
12 trey alexander - derek white with shai gilgeous midrange
13 kj simpson - less explosive jamal murray
14 jamal shead - kyle lowery
15 knecht - tyler herro
16 antonio reeves - brent berry
17 jakobe walter - rasual butler
18 cody williams - poor mans andrew wiggins offense without the d
19 adem bona - tristan thompson
20 dante - daniel gafford with nerlen noel steals
21 zacharrie risacher - michael porter jr
21 aj mitchell - cam payne
22 jalen bridges - mikal bridges
23 jared mcclain - poor mans malcolm brogdon and desmond bane shooting
24 stephon castle - justice winslow
26 jaelon tyson - devin carter mixed with cole anthony offensively
27 daron holmes - slithering iso scorer like siakem but no handles slow reactions b2b hub player like jokic. Bad fit outside denver
28 terrance shannon - erick bledsoe mixed with derrick jones jr
29 tristan de silva - matt barnes and doug christie without the defense
30 rob dillingham - lou williams/bones hylanad

Tier 4
31 cam christie - terrance ross
32 baylor scheirman - joe ingles
33 kyshawn george - james jones or less physical wilson chandler with magic johnson
34 quinten post - frank kaminsky
35 isaac jones - ryan hollins
36 keyshawn johnson - pj tucker
37 Kevin mccallar - devincinzo
38 dillon Jones - more guardlike kyle anderson
39 bub carrington - quinton richardson
40 jaylen wells - klay thompson
41 klingman - carries body and feet of james posey without the mid and post offense
42 ryan dunn - herb jones
43 pj hall - bobby portis
44 antone watson - christiana wood
45 hukporti - kwame brown
46 crawford - jerami grant
47 filipowski - al horford

salaun , tyler smith, ware bust.

[bucknut]

7/21/24
end of summer league

- not overeacting to summer league but using the extra data point since i haven't watched full games for some of these guys.
standing strong on liking enrique freeman and not believeing in kelel ware - liking keshan johnson much better then ware. Sad seeing freeman on pacers chickens with heads cut of summer league team and just putting him in the corner and it doesn't play to his strengths at all.

Johnson at 6-8 has 3 inches on pj tucker; and is more athletic. And elite defender at that size would be priceless. Surprised his
steals numbers in college did not surpass 1 per game. .....castle i still do not believe becomes a jimmy butler star; but i'm not sure the fact he only scored in p n roll through hurley sets in college will matter in nba when he can just run pick n roll in nba as well all day - and he is Elite at the mid range p n roll floater. He's a dog.


- moving keshawn johnson and castle into dog winner tier 2
- moving isaac jones into top 20. Think he has a 3 point shot. The jerami grant comp feels very strong.
- moving sarr down considerably - has none of those winner traits and don't see him realizing that offensive potential + no boards.
- moving missi down considerably - his potential is based on handles but is never in position to use them, and high turnover %
- moving jared mcclain down. don't think he is athletic. guys thighs are thickest nba has ever seen for a guard which isn't good.
-most other spots remain similar; did add aj johnson - still not much data but dude has smoothest athleticism and handles in the class, kind of dillinghamish but would take aj and has sneaky playmaking ability. Maybe one of few guys with tier 1 potential.


tier 1
*all star potential*
1 Reed Shephard - mark price.
2 Zach edey - more mobile yao
3 ron holland - latrewell sprewell and eddie jones. Swing skill - shooting and developing outside eddie jones guard skills
4 matas buzelis - mix of gordon heyward, franz wagner, and detlef shrimp. Simply moves too well at 6-10, glides, with handles, huge vertical. Swing skill - strength. Has most upside from weight room in class.
5 Nikola topic - mix of goran dragic and josh giddey. Swing skill - shooting and finishing through contact and hard contests

tier 2
impactful starters/ winning role players
6 enrique freeman - chevaun trautment mixed with joakim noah mixed with pj washington
7 Nikola durisic - taller ginobili, will benefit from more space. like him in some ways more than topic.
8 Devin carter - more offensive and taller jose alvarado
9 donovan clingan - mark williams
10 stephon castle - marcus smart - elite p n r offense; don't think he becomes a star tho like butler
11 keshad johnson - taller pj tucker with better athleticism. aaron gordon
12 jamal shead - kyle lowery
(keshod johnson, carter freeman castle shead my top 5 winners in this class. gritty winner traits)

tier 3
dudes who can make an impact
13 trey alexander - derek white with shai gilgeous midrange
14 kj simpson - less explosive jamal murray
15 zacharrie risacher - better connector and bend michael porter jr
16 aj mitchell - cam payne
17 isaac jones - jerami grant
18 Alex sarr - supersize jaden mcdaniels. swing skill: developing guard skills. don't ever seeing him being a physical big - even with added strength. doesn't have the power of giannis. Needs to shoot and get by for easy buckets since not a great finisher
19 cody williams - poor mans andrew wiggins offense without the d
20 antonio reeves - brent berry
21 terrance shannon - erick bledsoe mixed with derrick jones jr\
22 jakobe walter - rasual butler
23 knecht - less athletic not as good tyler herro
24 yves missi - clint capela with siakam handle
25 adem bona - tristan thompson
26 dante - daniel gafford with nerlen noel steals
27 tristan de silva - matt barnes and doug christie without the defense
28 jaelon tyson - devin carter mixed with cole anthony offensively
29 aj johnson - jamal crawford
30 rob dillingham - lou williams/bones hylanad
31 bub carrington - quinton richardson
32 klingman - carries body and feet of james posey without the mid and post offense
33 daron holmes - slithering iso scorer like siakem but no handles slow reactions b2b hub player like jokic. Bad fit outside denver
34 jalen bridges - mikal bridges
35 jaylen wells - klay thompson
36 cam christie - terrance ross

Tier 4
37 ke'lel ware
38 jared mcclain - poor mans malcolm brogdon and desmond bane shooting
39 Kevin mccallar - devincinzo
40 dillon Jones - more guardlike kyle anderson
41 salaun
42 tyler kolek - john stockton top 15 pick 20 years ago
43 baylor scheirman - joe ingles
44 kyshawn george - james jones or less physical wilson chandler with magic johnson
45 quinten post - frank kaminsky

46 ryan dunn - herb jones
47 pj hall - bobby portis
48 antone watson - christian wood
49 hukporti - kwame brown
50 crawford - jerami grant
47 filipowski - al horford