2024 Draft Prospects

[amcoolio]

Ok doke. Been travelin' so just now catching up. At #6, Sarr is gone but there are a few mocks that don't have Topic in the top 6, so let's say Topic if he's available, Holland if he's not, but my new third option? Salaun. Yep - my reach. Just the swingiest of swing for the fences - I see really big upside. He's had a good french playoffs. I might - might - even prefer him to Holland due to his size and 3 point shot (but would still go Holland). If we go Topic or Wing/Forward, I like the idea of targeting Valuncianas in FA (think JMAC brought this up?). Don't want Sheppard, Knecht, Dillingham even if they all have a good chance of being contributing pros. Could be convinced on Clingan, Castle or Buz, but they aren't currently passing my gut test, whatever that is.

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I love Salaun. Wouldn't be a reach at 6, again the first 14 players or so are all the same level of prospect

Salaun has an great body, nice twitchiness, a smooth jumpshot, and works his ass off on D.

And he's only 18. He has as much upside as Sarr IMO. And he's better now than Ousmane Dieng was coming out.

He'll have a Coulibaly like jump leading up to the draft

[Liver_Pooty]

Are we really comparing a healthy 4 years younger Mark Williams to Nick Richards now? Come on guys.

Edit: I could do a player A vs player B ordeal and they be Paul George and Kyle Kuzma. Doesn't mean Kuzma is better.

[luciano-davidwesley]

If I had to bet 100 bucks whether he was the starting pg for Vermont Catamounts or a top 5 pick, I am putting my money down before you finish the sentence.

I'm struggling to find relevance for this comment

I am saying it's just a bunch of open shooting. There is a guy on Tiktok that can make 90/100 threes. Reed is moving at 30% game speed with no defender, he should be making shots.

I want to see him getting downhill, showing off a handle and finishing above the rim. Otherwise, this is just late lottery stuff from a small guard.

Fair enough but he's already shown he's lights out. So I'd be discounting the open gym/combine shooting of this draft classe's non-shooters before I'd be worrying about this video of Sheppard. He's got runs on the board when it comes to shooting.

[luciano-davidwesley]

I'm struggling to find relevance for this comment

I am saying it's just a bunch of open shooting. There is a guy on Tiktok that can make 90/100 threes. Reed is moving at 30% game speed with no defender, he should be making shots.

I want to see him getting downhill, showing off a handle and finishing above the rim. Otherwise, this is just late lottery stuff from a small guard.

Well, looking at it outside a vacuum, the jump shot holds up in real games. X isn't what it used to be but it's there if you need it.

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That Frankie Vision video also shows him finishing comfortably at the rim on numerous occasions through the trees.

I don't know how anyone can watch this guy play and have concerns he won't be a good pro.

[luciano-davidwesley]

I don’t necessarily have a problem with Reed but we already have undersized guards on the roster. We need length and athleticism.

You really think a 21 win team should be doing anything but taking BPA?

Imagine missing out on a stud because you were concerned with having too many Tre Mann's or NSJr's on the roster. If a rookie is that good you just move on from your fringe players.

Drafting for fit is a fools game. Someone in this group of players will pop and you'd feel regret not selecting them just because you had a few bench guys of a similar archetype.

Draft talent, trade for fit.

If it was 2017 again would you not draft Donovan Mitchell because we already have some good but not great combo guards already?

Going by your length and athleticism argument we should draft the next Kai Jones lol.

[MPM]

Not sure if we should have a separate thread for pick #42, but would target Adem Bona if he's there. Elite athletically, highly switchable, high energy/intensity. Seems custom built for Hornets style/needs. Would much prefer a Topic/Holland/Salaun + Bona type of draft to a Clingan + Karaban type of draft. (Basically selecting from top guards/wings/forwards first, mining for bigs in the second).

EDIT: FWIW, he measured out with a wingspan: 7’3.75” (third best at combine) and reach of 9’0”.

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[wilson115]

Ok doke. Been travelin' so just now catching up. At #6, Sarr is gone but there are a few mocks that don't have Topic in the top 6, so let's say Topic if he's available, Holland if he's not, but my new third option? Salaun. Yep - my reach. Just the swingiest of swing for the fences - I see really big upside. He's had a good french playoffs. I might - might - even prefer him to Holland due to his size and 3 point shot (but would still go Holland). If we go Topic or Wing/Forward, I like the idea of targeting Valuncianas in FA (think JMAC brought this up?). Don't want Sheppard, Knecht, Dillingham even if they all have a good chance of being contributing pros. Could be convinced on Clingan, Castle or Buz, but they aren't currently passing my gut test, whatever that is.

Watch on YouTube

I love Salaun. Wouldn't be a reach at 6, again the first 14 players or so are all the same level of prospect

Salaun has an great body, nice twitchiness, a smooth jumpshot, and works his ass off on D.

And he's only 18. He has as much upside as Sarr IMO. And he's better now than Ousmane Dieng was coming out.

He'll have a Coulibaly like jump leading up to the draft

I'd call this kid my reach too. Looks like he could fill out like Giannis but for every clip that screams "phenom" there's another that says "project" or worse. Like you see him take and make a logo three in a playoff game then look at the box score and he somehow goes 1 of 5 on free throws. Then again, 18...

Spoiler:

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[Rays Pompadour]

I'd be in favor of a 2nd round thread, just to keep the dialogue sane.

[MPM]

I'd call this kid my reach too. Looks like he could fill out like Giannis but for every clip that screams "phenom" there's another that says "project" or worse. Like you see him take and make a logo three in a playoff game then look at the box score and he somehow goes 1 of 5 on free throws. Then again, 18...

He occasionally does something that looks awfully Kai-like which gives me the shudders, but I'm willfully ignoring those moments at present

[Heelsfan119]

I don’t necessarily have a problem with Reed but we already have undersized guards on the roster. We need length and athleticism.

You really think a 21 win team should be doing anything but taking BPA?

Imagine missing out on a stud because you were concerned with having too many Tre Mann's or NSJr's on the roster. If a rookie is that good you just move on from your fringe players.

Drafting for fit is a fools game. Someone in this group of players will pop and you'd feel regret not selecting them just because you had a few bench guys of a similar archetype.

Draft talent, trade for fit.

If it was 2017 again would you not draft Donovan Mitchell because we already have some good but not great combo guards already?

Going by your length and athleticism argument we should draft the next Kai Jones lol.

I don’t disagree with you, I just don’t see Reed as a “stud.” There’s not that guy in this draft like a Mitchell as you described. If we were in a draft and Steph Curry is there, absolutely, you take him. I just can’t see a realistic scenario where Reed is the best player available. Though I’d agree that you don’t necessarily draft for need when you’re a bad team, but ignoring the trends of successful teams is tough to do.

[JustBuzzin]

Ok doke. Been travelin' so just now catching up. At #6, Sarr is gone but there are a few mocks that don't have Topic in the top 6, so let's say Topic if he's available, Holland if he's not, but my new third option? Salaun. Yep - my reach. Just the swingiest of swing for the fences - I see really big upside. He's had a good french playoffs. I might - might - even prefer him to Holland due to his size and 3 point shot (but would still go Holland). If we go Topic or Wing/Forward, I like the idea of targeting Valuncianas in FA (think JMAC brought this up?). Don't want Sheppard, Knecht, Dillingham even if they all have a good chance of being contributing pros. Could be convinced on Clingan, Castle or Buz, but they aren't currently passing my gut test, whatever that is.

Watch on YouTube

I love Salaun. Wouldn't be a reach at 6, again the first 14 players or so are all the same level of prospect

Salaun has an great body, nice twitchiness, a smooth jumpshot, and works his ass off on D.

And he's only 18. He has as much upside as Sarr IMO. And he's better now than Ousmane Dieng was coming out.

He'll have a Coulibaly like jump leading up to the draft

Not gonna lie I'm getting sold on Salaun even at #6. We need a athletic pf. He has that Aaron Gordon type build. He has the skillset to be a all around type player.

My only thing if we take Salaun I don't like his fit with Bridges. I would explore a sign n trade for Bridges for wing player.

[MPM]

Assuming Melo and Mark play I think anyone we take at 6 will be coming off the bench, so don’t really see a problem with Salaun and Bridges. Even if he hits, he is probably at least a year away from starting. Plus if you run Melo and Miller in the backcourt, Miles and Salaun make a pretty swappable 3/4 combo. Both athletic and can stretch the court. FWIW, Salaun is arguably a better defender now than Miles - would allow us to do some interesting things on defense.

[Hornet Mania]

At this point give me Holland, I guess. Mystery box it is.

I really don't like any of them though. If a team offered an unprotected 1st, even one that was probably going to be in the teens next year, I'd probably go for it. This class looks like the 2013 group. Maybe someone will break out and surprise us, but I seriously doubt anyone gets a Giannis or even Gobert caliber of player out of these guys.

Even Sarr makes me think of Channing Frye and shudder.

[Bassman]

I think as long suffering Hornet’s fans, we hang our hopes on the draft to deliver one more essential piece of the “solution”. Last year Brandon Miller became a true beacon of hope. Yes this draft is a crapshoot of sorts. Love what Hornet Mania said…”Even Sarr makes me think of Channing Frye and shudder” !

But it’s all too true. None of these guys is a sure thing. But somebody…or a couple of them…will ultimately be really good players. It will be someone who clearly has talent, but even more so the character and work ethic to improve and excel. At 6 we can draft whomever we’re convinced has those traits, even if he’s projected to go 11th. Trading back to get him lower is a complete unknown since nothing is certain in this draft.

[Diop]

I’ve always been fond of giant players ever since watching Shawn Bradley, so I’m slightly biased but I am intrigued by Edey. Especially with the talk he was the hardest working college athlete and a dedicated professional. I can see his defensive stats would be lower than Clingan as edey was the absolute priority on offence and could not afford to get into foul trouble. His presence alone would have affected shots though.

If he’s advised he needs to be more aggressive defensively, I’m sure he would do it.

Basically if we’re going for a big man go for the tallest one who is also faster than the defensive specialist.

[Diop]

I'm struggling to find relevance for this comment

I am saying it's just a bunch of open shooting. There is a guy on Tiktok that can make 90/100 threes. Reed is moving at 30% game speed with no defender, he should be making shots.

I want to see him getting downhill, showing off a handle and finishing above the rim. Otherwise, this is just late lottery stuff from a small guard.

Fair enough but he's already shown he's lights out. So I'd be discounting the open gym/combine shooting of this draft classe's non-shooters before I'd be worrying about this video of Sheppard. He's got runs on the board when it comes to shooting.

On the flip side I can be convinced on taking Sheppard. If he can defend opponents point guards, he could be an improvement to rozier by being a more willing passer. And I was a terry fan

[GoBobs]

I’ve always been fond of giant players ever since watching Shawn Bradley, so I’m slightly biased but I am intrigued by Edey. Especially with the talk he was the hardest working college athlete and a dedicated professional. I can see his defensive stats would be lower than Clingan as edey was the absolute priority on offence and could not afford to get into foul trouble. His presence alone would have affected shots though.

If he’s advised he needs to be more aggressive defensively, I’m sure he would do it.

Basically if we’re going for a big man go for the tallest one who is also faster than the defensive specialist.

Sophomore Edey: 533 pts, 286 reb, 46 blk, 40 PER in 703 minutes played

Sophomore Clingan: 455 pts, 258 reb, 86 blk, 35 PER in 788 minutes played

Sophorme Edey was better than Sophomore Clingan, but it is close. Clingan had more blks, Edey more pts and rebounds.

Senior Edey: 983 pts, 474 reb, 84 blk, 40 PER, 1248 minutes played

Edey made a huge leap from sophomore to senior that most guys don't make. Clingan might do the same, who knows. Who cares when you can take the sure thing that has already done it.

A 7'4'' guy with touch around the basket is going to be able to score out of the pick and roll. Even somebody like Sarr guarding Edey is giving up 4 inches. It is the same difference as a 5'11'' guy trying to guard a 6'3'' guy, without even mentioning the weight difference.

[GoBobs]

I am saying it's just a bunch of open shooting. There is a guy on Tiktok that can make 90/100 threes. Reed is moving at 30% game speed with no defender, he should be making shots.

I want to see him getting downhill, showing off a handle and finishing above the rim. Otherwise, this is just late lottery stuff from a small guard.

Fair enough but he's already shown he's lights out. So I'd be discounting the open gym/combine shooting of this draft classe's non-shooters before I'd be worrying about this video of Sheppard. He's got runs on the board when it comes to shooting.

On the flip side I can be convinced on taking Sheppard. If he can defend opponents point guards, he could be an improvement to rozier by being a more willing passer. And I was a terry fan

Yeah, I like the size of Knecht, but not his 1:1 assist to turnover ratio. Reed, Dillingham and Castle are all in the 2:1 or better range.

Brandon Miller had a 1:1 ratio so it doesn't worry me that much, just a question of what you can live with. Do you want an older player with less passing ability, a guy with poor size or a guy that can't shoot.

[JustBuzzin]

I’ve always been fond of giant players ever since watching Shawn Bradley, so I’m slightly biased but I am intrigued by Edey. Especially with the talk he was the hardest working college athlete and a dedicated professional. I can see his defensive stats would be lower than Clingan as edey was the absolute priority on offence and could not afford to get into foul trouble. His presence alone would have affected shots though.

If he’s advised he needs to be more aggressive defensively, I’m sure he would do it.

Basically if we’re going for a big man go for the tallest one who is also faster than the defensive specialist.

Sophomore Edey: 533 pts, 286 reb, 46 blk, 40 PER in 703 minutes played

Sophomore Clingan: 455 pts, 258 reb, 86 blk, 35 PER in 788 minutes played

Sophorme Edey was better than Sophomore Clingan, but it is close. Clingan had more blks, Edey more pts and rebounds.

Senior Edey: 983 pts, 474 reb, 84 blk, 40 PER, 1248 minutes played

Edey made a huge leap from sophomore to senior that most guys don't make. Clingan might do the same, who knows. Who cares when you can take the sure thing that has already done it.

A 7'4'' guy with touch around the basket is going to be able to score out of the pick and roll. Even somebody like Sarr guarding Edey is giving up 4 inches. It is the same difference as a 5'11'' guy trying to guard a 6'3'' guy, without even mentioning the weight difference.

Just curious who are you top 5 prospects you would take in this draft if everyone was available?

[Snidely FC]

The Timberwolves would not still be in the playoffs without Gobert so a couple of bigs is necessary to win. Dallas has Lively, Gafford and PJ, Minn has Reid, KAT AND Gobert, Indy has Turner and Siakim. Boston has 4 great players around Horford so is an outlier size wise.
We need NBA quality Bigs to even make the playoffs. We have none when Mark is hurt.

This 1000%. And I would argue that while Ant, Halifraud, Luka/Kyrie get all of the attention in these playoffs from the media, there is NO WAY their teams would be positioned to get this far without their size. Especially MN who has a front court rotation of Naz Reid, KAT, Gobert and Jayden McDaniels. That is why they are tops in defense and why Ant even has the opportunity to get this exposure.

It's roster construction and it turns out that being bigger / taller than everyone else is still an advantage in basketball.

It's not the ONLY way to do it. You can win without size, but you need elite shooting then. What elite shooters are in this draft? Reed Sheppard?

A year ago the narrative was that the Gobert trade was the worst in league history. He and KAT looked irreconcilable.

Then Ant exploded

Ant was a #1 pick and already looks like one of the best young players in the league

Who is giving who "the opportunity to get this exposure?"

The idea that Luka Kyrie Tatum Brown are products of media hype and not All-World talents, some of them even future Hall of Famers, who lead their teams to victories, doesn't hold water with me

The NBA is a star driven league because the team with the best player usually wins. That's because the best player takes and makes the winning shots

(we've now seen Edwards underperform and MIN go down 0-2)

I am not saying I don't want size on the team. I am saying big men are fungible whereas impactful wings are typically found in the Top of the draft.

To me your argument on team construction confirms that the team shouldn't take a center at 6 because all the guys you cite by way of adding size were drafted out of the Top 10 or brought to their team via trade.

The #6 pick will add one guy to the Hornets roster. The rest of the team building will take place via later picks and in the market, just like how PJ Gafford Reid Lively McDaniels and even Gobert (#27 pick, traded) arrived at their current teams

That's why I think the team needs to swing for upside at #6 and pick the best guard or wing, not the best big man.