2025 General Draft Discussion 2

Post #1301 » by **Walt Cronkite** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:10 pm

I know both Knueppel and McNeeley were used as examples of who the Hornets would draft in the lottery at various times to poke fun at the FO and drive the perpetual "wait til next year" narrative/joke/criticism, but would knowing we were going to end up with both of them take off some of the sting? I read many posts all year about how the Hornets wasted a pick on a guy that is literally a baby deer with no basketball skills, so at least now they have committed two roster spots to guys where the primary talent is basketball. Not surprised the general tone of the board is negative and I'm not doing backflips, but the team needed depth and shooting and seems to have possibly addressed that.

Doesn't seem super fair to evaluate the draft so negatively when it isn't even finished, but board is gonna board.

MPM · Post #1302 » by **MPM** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:19 pm

I'm going to have a hard time digesting Kon at 4 for quite a while - he has a lot of proving me wrong to do and I hope he does it. 29 is what it is. If we can pull two of Thiero, Raynaud, Kalkbrenner, Fleming out of 33/34, it will salvage our draft a bit for me. A bit.

KembaWalker · Post #1303 » by **KembaWalker** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:22 pm

"primary talent is basketball" seems like a stretch, maybe their secondary talent is basketball. seems like their primary talent is some weird intangibles Hornets DNA thing the FO is pushing, like they expect McNipple to babysit the actual talent on the team

diving on the floor for a loose ball once every few weeks doesn't win basketball games in the NBA. how much you want to win doesnt win basketball games in the NBA. you have to be able to consistently break down defenses on the floor. you have to be able to actually stop other teams from scoring. we didnt improve our chances of winning basketball games in any meaningful way last night. whos gonna be generating open shots for these two "movement shooters"? Miller can't operate in the half court, Melos game is pulling up for 28 footers nobody is sweating a Melo/Diabate pick and roll lol

JustBuzzin · Post #1304 » by **JustBuzzin** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:40 pm

This culture change doesn't make any sense when we got a roster full of guys who don't care anything about playing defense.

Look at OKC roster that's how you build culture. Not only do you need high IQ players, but those players also have to give effort on defense. We are so far away from that.

2nd year in a row I'm disappointed in our draft. Peterson is definitely not someone I trust moving forward. He has no vision if you ask me.

He's sold us Salaun/Knipple in back to back drafts smh

EmpireFalls · Post #1305 » by **EmpireFalls** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:46 pm

Jeff either has no eye for talent OR thinks we’re extremely far away and is quiet tanking and just openly lying to the fanbase about culture and **** like that

JustBuzzin · Post #1306 » by **JustBuzzin** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:02 pm

EmpireFalls wrote:Jeff either has no eye for talent OR thinks we’re extremely far away and is quiet tanking and just openly lying to the fanbase about culture and **** like that

Why would he tank the picks tho?

We should be drafting BPA in every draft if the plan is to tank. The tank doesn't work if you steady screwing up the picks.

He didn't even draft Miller that was MJ lol.

We are going in the wrong direction with this guy.

Bassman · Post #1307 » by **Bassman** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:05 pm

Second round, will be happy with Kalkbrenner or Raynaud. I hope the Wolves and Celtics go for Penda and some others than those guys or Fleming. Need both a C and PF from these spots.

countryboi · Post #1308 » by **countryboi** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:25 pm

In the second round, I just want to draft the best player available with an emphasis on length size and athleticism. Drake Powell would have been amazing

MPM · Post #1309 » by **MPM** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:30 pm

countryboi wrote:In the second round, I just want to draft the best player available with an emphasis on length size and athleticism. Drake Powell would have been amazing

Thiero could be that guy - would love him in teal - wrecking ball defensive athlete.

cornchip · Post #1310 » by **cornchip** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:39 pm

I don't get the culture thing at all. They're 19. Kon and McNeely aren't just going to walk and change the of culture in any real way.

Especially when LaMelo (and Miles to an extent) is still on the team. No knock on LaMelo but he's the best player and such a unique personality, the team is always going to follow him. Probably most importantly, he has just as much job security on this team as Lee or Peterson.

Job security is what this was about imo. After the top 3, Kon was the best bet to give immediate production and results. Tre may have put up numbers but the defense was going to be a disaster initially. The whole Ace thing with his shots could've been a mess. Kon is the prospect that we can say next year "man, Peterson nailed this pick". But in a few years, we may add passing on Tre or Ace in a long list of modern Hornets/Bobcats draft debacles.

Post #1311 » by **yosemiteben** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 3:52 pm

From a scheme perspective, love having multiple high level C&S perimeter guys with connection skills and solid size and strength. Kon shot 47% on open C&S threes, and McNeely shot 41% (which appears to have been deflated because of a combo of injury and on-ball responsibilities). Neither are plus creators or shooters off the dribble, but both suggest a shift away from ISO-heavy, off the dribble creation to quick ball movement / motion style offense.

Love the idea of more ball movement, getting Melo more off ball and surrounding him with elite C&S, high IQ, plus connective passing types.

Hornet Mania · Post #1312 » by **Hornet Mania** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 3:52 pm

Kon just seems like a Cody Zeller type pick to me. Not even because they're white, but because both are 4th overall picks by this franchise who were low-ceiling players that attracted the FO's attention because they'll surely be in an NBA rotation for a decade.

As players I didn't even necessarily dislike them, the problem is selecting prospects like that with the 4th pick.

amcoolio · Post #1313 » by **amcoolio** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 5:32 pm

If we pass on centers tonight it means we have a deal lined up for Horford, Lopez, Capela, or (gulp) Kornet or Mo Wagner. Or maybe I can dream and we have a really nice sign and trade for Reid, or even a trade for Gobert if Minny goes a different direction.

JMAC3 · Post #1314 » by **JMAC3** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 5:34 pm

amcoolio wrote:If we pass on centers tonight it means we have a deal lined up for Horford, Lopez, Capela, or (gulp) Kornet or Mo Wagner. Or maybe I can dream and we have a really nice sign and trade for Reid, or even a trade for Gobert if Minny goes a different direction.

Those options are all terrible.

JustBuzzin · Post #1315 » by **JustBuzzin** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 5:59 pm

I still can't believe they passed on a chance to pair Ace/Miller wing tandem. This selection would have opened up so many opportunities mainly trading Miles for a legit pf.

We could have had a Melo/Miller/Ace trio that's when you start putting role players around them.

We took a step back taking the lower ceiling Kon. Now the core is still the same Melo/Miller and a bunch of guys who don't necessarily make sense together.

JustBuzzin · Post #1316 » by **JustBuzzin** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 5:59 pm

Ainge will look like a genius when all is said and done.

MasterIchiro · Post #1317 » by **MasterIchiro** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 6:03 pm

cornchip wrote:I don't get the culture thing at all. They're 19. Kon and McNeely aren't just going to walk and change the of culture in any real way.

Especially when LaMelo (and Miles to an extent) is still on the team. No knock on LaMelo but he's the best player and such a unique personality, the team is always going to follow him. Probably most importantly, he has just as much job security on this team as Lee or Peterson.

Job security is what this was about imo. After the top 3, Kon was the best bet to give immediate production and results. Tre may have put up numbers but the defense was going to be a disaster initially. The whole Ace thing with his shots could've been a mess. Kon is the prospect that we can say next year "man, Peterson nailed this pick". But in a few years, we may add passing on Tre or Ace in a long list of modern Hornets/Bobcats draft debacles.

Bingo.

Rookies are not expected to move the needle and change trajectory.

Same applies to rookie coaches and rookie managers / new executives.

The players will get beat up by vets, but so will the coaches and front offices.

We tend to think of older adults as incompetent, but it's the opposite.

The owners took on a huge debt they will have to service. So they will freeze spending and service debt at strict profit margins.

We have flatlined, which was the risk of not winning Flagg or Harper.

Post #1318 » by **fatlever** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 6:03 pm

JMAC3 wrote:
amcoolio wrote:If we pass on centers tonight it means we have a deal lined up for Horford, Lopez, Capela, or (gulp) Kornet or Mo Wagner. Or maybe I can dream and we have a really nice sign and trade for Reid, or even a trade for Gobert if Minny goes a different direction.

Those options are all terrible.

kornet the hornet. come on. that's perfect.

Post #1319 » by **fatlever** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 6:04 pm

so... are you guys fans of what the pelicans did yesterday? huge gamble.

MasterIchiro · Post #1320 » by **MasterIchiro** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 6:05 pm

amcoolio wrote:If we pass on centers tonight it means we have a deal lined up for Horford, Lopez, Capela, or (gulp) Kornet or Mo Wagner. Or maybe I can dream and we have a really nice sign and trade for Reid, or even a trade for Gobert if Minny goes a different direction.

Really?

You should already know the answer to this. It's no hypothetical.

We are tanking.