2025 Draft Prospect Thread

[Bassman]

And that brings up another fatal mistake by Hornet’s people…BELIEVING THEY CAN FIX OR TEACH A SIGNIFICANT SKILL GAP IN A DRAFT PROSPECT! Of course every player has holes, but talent evaluators and coaches must be realistic about what they and a player can accomplish.

“We will make Cody Zeller into a stretch 5”. “We can convert a short SG into a PG!” On and on…

[Liver_Pooty]

The fatal mistake with picking MKG, other than being honest about how bad his shot was, boiled down to not factoring in his low self confidence and other issues that clearly impacted him as a player. Some things were out of Michael’s control, but this relates to my next point:

VJ Edgecomb is already a defender, crazy athletic, and can shoot. He’s young and not a finished product, like all these kids. So, Hornets have to decide via interviews, testing and workouts….HOW BADLY DOES HE WANT IT? How hard will he work to achieve it? How badly does he want to be a champion? I really liked the press interview Edgecombe had at the combine. He acknowledged his defensive rep, but made the point he will be a two way player. Tre’s was good too, straight up, knows he needs work in areas.

Must make this determination for anyone brought in. No cutesy fawning over them, no need. Be professional, straightforward and sincere. How do they respond? Gauge the level of their honesty…use a body language expert or shrink if necessary. Then fold all that into the cake you bake, and the decisions you make.

Dude was the 2nd best player on a loaded national title team and still questioned whether he belonged in the NBA even when he was a sure fire top 5 pick. Massive red flag that we ignored.

or we hoped we can fix. its so easy to bash draft picks in hindsight. Almost all prospects have red flags and are gambles. only the truly elite are cant miss.

I’m not bashing him. Hell I defended that dude with my life.

[Diop]

Dude was the 2nd best player on a loaded national title team and still questioned whether he belonged in the NBA even when he was a sure fire top 5 pick. Massive red flag that we ignored.

or we hoped we can fix. its so easy to bash draft picks in hindsight. Almost all prospects have red flags and are gambles. only the truly elite are cant miss.

I’m not bashing him. Hell I defended that dude with my life.

i meant bashing the front office for picking him, not MKG, its always easy in hindsight.

[Bassman]

Very interesting interview by Kevin O’Connor with Givony of ESPN. Link below. Key flashpoints relative to our situation (neither even mentioned the Hornets the entire time…just poor Utah or poor Washington on missing out on Flagg):

> Givony is very high on Ace Bailey. Has followed him since high school and saw a lot of him at practice, spent lots of time with the kid. Says he will be a star in the NBA. Has a determination to be great, works hard, will grow in gap areas, etc. Believes Sixers should take him without a doubt.

> He is also very high on Knipples. Spent lots of time at Duke, watched practices, time talking off the court, etc. Says Kon is the best shooter in this draft, can do many other things that will make him a good player. Reminds him of early Klay Thompson.

> He feels there is a drop off after top 2 or 3. Not as high on Tre as some other analysts..says he’s not very strong physically and lacks a number of tools. Says Queen is not in the best of shape, and in talking with him, just isn’t seeing the level of dedication towards viewing this opportunity as his job. Says he likes to have fun and be the “happy guy”.

https://youtu.be/7HXo7RyhPXE?si=oLb_miDw3QSOVKOM

[JMAC3]

or we hoped we can fix. its so easy to bash draft picks in hindsight. Almost all prospects have red flags and are gambles. only the truly elite are cant miss.

I’m not bashing him. Hell I defended that dude with my life.

i meant bashing the front office for picking him, not MKG, its always easy in hindsight.

MKG didn't develop and some of that is on him, but Charlotte made a pathetic effort in developing him and putting him in a good environment. We played him with Gerald Henderson on the wing as neither was a 3pt shooter, also paired him with Josh McRoberts, Cody Zeller, Al Jefferson and Biyombo in the front court the majority of his time in Charlotte. There was no spacing ever. A smart team would have played MKG as the only non-shooter, spread the floor around him and let him be more of a driver and develop his passing... or play him in the dunker spot as a pseudo center with a spacing big... maybe all that was before his time, but putting him in the corner as a non-shooter was pointless and he basically played full time defense the majority of his career.

The spacing didn't come until we moved Marvin, Batum, Courtney Lee into the starting lineup and by that time it was yr 5 when MKG returned from injury and the damage was already done.

[driveandkick]

Very interesting interview by Kevin O’Connor with Givony of ESPN. Link below. Key flashpoints relative to our situation (neither even mentioned the Hornets the entire time…just poor Utah or poor Washington on missing out on Flagg):

> Givony is very high on Ace Bailey. Has followed him since high school and saw a lot of him at practice, spent lots of time with the kid. Says he will be a star in the NBA. Has a determination to be great, works hard, will grow in gap areas, etc. Believes Sixers should take him without a doubt.

> He is also very high on Knipples. Spent lots of time at Duke, watched practices, time talking off the court, etc. Says Kon is the best shooter in this draft, can do many other things that will make him a good player. Reminds him of early Klay Thompson.

> He feels there is a drop off after top 2 or 3. Not as high on Tre as some other analysts..says he’s not very strong physically and lacks a number of tools. Says Queen is not in the best of shape, and in talking with him, just isn’t seeing the level of dedication towards viewing this opportunity as his job. Says he likes to have fun and be the “happy guy”.

https://youtu.be/7HXo7RyhPXE?si=oLb_miDw3QSOVKOM

VJ or Knueppel for me no matter what.

[Braggins]

This is a 100% vibes based take, but I'm Yang Gang in round 2. They had a chance to to draft the Australian Furphy with an Amish haircut and they blew it. Now they need to make up for it by taking a giant Chinese guy named Yang.

[fatlever]

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roster building > prospects according to chatter in chicago

[Braggins]

roster building > prospects according to chatter in chicago

I wonder if this is an effect of the new CBA?

[fatlever]

roster building > prospects according to chatter in chicago

I wonder if this is an effect of the new CBA?

yeah, less runway to stash a 18yo in hopes they are ready in 2-3 years?
or maybe, gms have shorter leash?
upside < culture?
or this year 3 thru 10 is more team fit, since not much separates this group.

[Diop]

This is a 100% vibes based take, but I'm Yang Gang in round 2. They had a chance to to draft the Australian Furphy with an Amish haircut and they blew it. Now they need to make up for it by taking a giant Chinese guy named Yang.

Yeah I don't mind the look of Yang either

[cornchip]

I’m not bashing him. Hell I defended that dude with my life.

i meant bashing the front office for picking him, not MKG, its always easy in hindsight.

MKG didn't develop and some of that is on him, but Charlotte made a pathetic effort in developing him and putting him in a good environment. We played him with Gerald Henderson on the wing as neither was a 3pt shooter, also paired him with Josh McRoberts, Cody Zeller, Al Jefferson and Biyombo in the front court the majority of his time in Charlotte. There was no spacing ever. A smart team would have played MKG as the only non-shooter, spread the floor around him and let him be more of a driver and develop his passing... or play him in the dunker spot as a pseudo center with a spacing big... maybe all that was before his time, but putting him in the corner as a non-shooter was pointless and he basically played full time defense the majority of his career.

The spacing didn't come until we moved Marvin, Batum, Courtney Lee into the starting lineup and by that time it was yr 5 when MKG returned from injury and the damage was already done.

I vaguely remember I think Rick Bonnell saying that he could take the sports room at the Observer and most of them had a better jumper than MKG as a prospect.

What would a wing with an objectively awful jumper and little shooting potential go today? Late lotto? Late 1st?

I think we can blame whomever but he was drafted at a time when the league was rapidly changing to where most wings needed to have a respectable shot. That made MKG completely overdrafted.

I think he was truly a mid-late 1st rd pick and his performance was around there. He was a decently productive player.

[Diop]

i meant bashing the front office for picking him, not MKG, its always easy in hindsight.

MKG didn't develop and some of that is on him, but Charlotte made a pathetic effort in developing him and putting him in a good environment. We played him with Gerald Henderson on the wing as neither was a 3pt shooter, also paired him with Josh McRoberts, Cody Zeller, Al Jefferson and Biyombo in the front court the majority of his time in Charlotte. There was no spacing ever. A smart team would have played MKG as the only non-shooter, spread the floor around him and let him be more of a driver and develop his passing... or play him in the dunker spot as a pseudo center with a spacing big... maybe all that was before his time, but putting him in the corner as a non-shooter was pointless and he basically played full time defense the majority of his career.

The spacing didn't come until we moved Marvin, Batum, Courtney Lee into the starting lineup and by that time it was yr 5 when MKG returned from injury and the damage was already done.

I vaguely remember I think Rick Bonnell saying that he could take the sports room at the Observer and most of them had a better jumper than MKG as a prospect.

What would a wing with an objectively awful jumper and little shooting potential go today? Late lotto? Late 1st?

I think we can blame whomever but he was drafted at a time when the league was rapidly changing to where most wings needed to have a respectable shot. That made MKG completely overdrafted.

I think he was truly a mid-late 1st rd pick and his performance was around there. He was a decently productive player.

like i said in the other thread, Bonnell also reported he spoke to several scouts who said that MKG was the right pick at 2 and Bonnell didn't right many positives things about Bobcats. with confidence he could do anything, he showed that in the summer league when he completely took over and iced it with a pull up 3.

Kawhi Leonard couldn't shoot in college, his draft comparison was a ceiling of crash wallace. I wonder how MKG's career might have gone if Spurs got him.

[fatlever]

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[MPM]

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None of these guys (including Kon) deserves a thought at 4, but Nique Clifford (older at 23) is the type of guy you wish would fall to us in the 2nd (he won't). One of those high floor, smart, do-it-all players that would be in the bench rotation from day 1.

I'm already a fan of both Fleming and Bryant but those two are likely end of lotto a this point - nothing our two seconds could acquire.

[Snidely FC]

I don’t understand the obsession with trading up for Fleming.

Drake Powell, for instance, is 19 tested as maybe the best athlete at the combine with way more upside if you’re gonna trade up in the draft why would you hone in on someone like Fleming who put up his gaudy numbers in his third yr of college against Fordham Duquesne and St. Bonaventure over someone with the upside of Powell.

Just sayin’ there are plenty of interesting guys gonna go in the 20s, I am not on the home-in-on-Fleming bus

[MPM]

I don’t understand the obsession with trading up for Fleming.

Drake Powell, for instance, is 19 tested as maybe the best athlete at the combine with way more upside if you’re gonna trade up in the draft why would you hone in on someone like Fleming who put up his gaudy numbers in his third yr of college against Fordham Duquesne and St. Bonaventure over someone with the upside of Powell.

Just sayin’ there are plenty of interesting guys gonna go in the 20s, I am not on the home-in-on-Fleming bus

Agree - no way I’m trading up for him. EDIT - to clarify - I'm not trading up to do what it would take to to snag him late lottery (a future 1st). If he falls to the back of the first round, I would definitely swap our two seconds for him.

[Bassman]

Read on Twitter

“Just Get One of Them”

— Kon Knueppel
— Nique Clifford
— Rasheer Fleming
— Labaron Philon
— Carter Bryant

Guys that might have a weakness, but at the end of the day…

they can flat out play, do a lot of good things on the court & will be ready to go to war. #NBADraft

I see value in all of these guys, but not at pick 4. Doubt any of these slip past #20.

[Braggins]

I don’t understand the obsession with trading up for Fleming.

Drake Powell, for instance, is 19 tested as maybe the best athlete at the combine with way more upside if you’re gonna trade up in the draft why would you hone in on someone like Fleming who put up his gaudy numbers in his third yr of college against Fordham Duquesne and St. Bonaventure over someone with the upside of Powell.

Just sayin’ there are plenty of interesting guys gonna go in the 20s, I am not on the home-in-on-Fleming bus

Fleming at least produced against the competition he played. Drake Powell just didn't produce at all (7 ppg) and is a pure projection at this point. Hes also only like a year younger than Fleming (harping on Fleming being a Jr. is misleading). Fleming has +6.5 inches of standing reach on Powell and plays at a position of greater need than Powell. Fleming also had a good combine in many ways. He had great measurements and was 2nd in the shuttle run (also did well in lane agility).

I don't know how its such a myster at this point why people would be interested in Fleming for this team.

edit: The teams current PF depth is...

Miles ~ scumbag who most fans hate
Grant ~ just destroyed his entire knee
Salaun ~ unplayable

[fatlever]

Read on Twitter

“Just Get One of Them”

— Kon Knueppel
— Nique Clifford
— Rasheer Fleming
— Labaron Philon
— Carter Bryant

Guys that might have a weakness, but at the end of the day…

they can flat out play, do a lot of good things on the court & will be ready to go to war. #NBADraft

I see value in all of these guys, but not at pick 4. Doubt any of these slip past #20.

That wasn't hornets specific draft content. Just one of the many draft nerds I follow with a general take on those guys. Obviously kon is only one in conversation at 4.

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