2023 NBA Draft – Thurs, 8PM, June 22

[Curmudgeon]

What I like about Tshiebwe is his long arms and the way he gets out into passing lanes to disrupt the other team's offense. He's switchable. No doubt he has flaws, but so do most players.

[Hal14]

https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/uncommon-sensabaugh-the-prospect

Over the weekend, our Twitter account broke the news that Bobi Klintman has received an invite to the NBA Combine. While his overall production was quiet, scouting is about projecting forward, and there’s a lot to work with here. The 6’10” freshman from Wake Forest hit a late growth-spurt, has outstanding feel is a passer, and presents the mobility to guard up and down the line-up. From February onward, Klintman shot 38.1% from three on 4.2 attempts per game and blocked 1.4 shots per game. Three-and-D is always in, but when it’s a dude that big who can provide secondary rim protection and selflessly move the ball, it’s even more intriguing. I anticipate that he’ll be a late riser, particularly for teams willing to take on a longer-term project.

[Hal14]

We've talked a little bit about Camara. He's old (turns 23 later this month) but he could be worth a look.

He's kind of similar to Jordan Miller. Miller has a little bit better handle and is a little better at driving by his man to get to the rim. But Camara is a little bigger.

That might tip the scales in Camara's favor. The thing I don't like about Miller as much, is that since he is a little smaller (6'7", 200, compared to Camara at 6'8", 220 lbs with a 7'0" wingspan), Miler projects more as a wing and I feel like it's hard for this celtics team to develop wings. We've got Tatum and Brown, we've got Hauser. And we might have something in Champagnie/Begarin. I'd prefer a guy who can play the 4 and/or the 5 with this pick. Camara is more of a 4, he's bigger.

Watch on YouTube

Camara really seems like he plays hard. Shows good effort, tenacity. And I like his body language - really seems focused, engaged and into the game - like he truly gives a ****.

[Hal14]

Interesting mock draft:

Read on Twitter

He's got us taking DaRon Holmes at 35. Could be a decent pick, but Clowney was still on the board. I would definitely take Clowney if he's still there, over Holmes.

He's got Clowney going at 38 and Bona at 44. I would definitely take 1 of them over Holmes.

But this just goes to show you, there's a chance that Clowney and/or Bona is still there when we pick.

[Hal14]

Intriguing sleeper. Ousmane N'Diaye. Just turned 19.

6'11". Can handle the ball, shoot from 3, block shots.

Footage from this season, playing in Spain's 3rd division:

Watch on YouTube

And footage from last summer's FIBA tournament, playing for Senegal:

Read on Twitter

Last 9 games this season he shot 39% from 3 on 3.4 attempts per game.

[shackles10]

Oscar Tshiebwe is a poor man's Bam Adebayo. Not sure why he's projected so low in the draft, unless it's his age.

As a Kentucky fan I can tell you he’s a great rebounder, decent passer, but will get his shot blocked a lot in the NBA and is a terrible interior defender despite the occasional block he won’t get often against NBA athletes.

[Hal14]

Dude is a beast.

Read on Twitter

Gonna be very interesting to see what happens between now and draft night. IMO, he's a top 20 prospect in this draft class.

Checks every box you look for in a modern NBA big. Size (7'1"), good mobility, good athleticism, lob threat, rim protector, can shoot from 3 (off the catch or off the dribble), shows flashes of defensive switchability, shows flashes of good passing/play making, running DHO's out on the perimeter, can handle the ball, push it himself on the break, can set screens, etc. And he's only 19.

1 of these 3 things will happen:

1) He keeps having workouts like this one, he really impresses some NBA teams and ends up going 1st round, before our pick comes up

2) He slips to our pick (33 or 35) so we can snag him

3) Since he's such an unknown, under the radar guy (hasn't been listed in any mock drafts or big boards online and the draft is next month) who hasn't played college ball yet, the feedback that he gets from NBA teams is that he should go back to NC State next season, prove himself and go 1st round in 2024

4) He stays in the draft but either goes later in the 2nd round (after our pick) or goes undrafted. I'd be shocked if he goes undrafted - if the feedback from teams is that bad, he will return to NC State for next season.

Interestingly, the guy who posted that video (Miranda's agent) also posted something about a JD Davison autograph signing event. And Miranda is from Rhode Island, just like Joe Mazzulla.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Hal, I appreciate the work you do to bring us info about sleepers from around the world but I just don't see with this guy. It's not a great sign that his PR team has to cut his highlight video after every basket because he can't string together two makes in practice.

[Kalela]

Weird shooting form by Miranda. Really low. He looks like a project.I think the Celtics will go for older more ready players if they actually keep the pick.

[Hal14]

Hal, I appreciate the work you do to bring us info about sleepers from around the world but I just don't see with this guy. It's not a great sign that his PR team has to cut his highlight video after every basket because he can't string together two makes in practice.

It's not some scam that his PR team is doing. Pre-draft workout vids are like that for pretty much every player.

What impresses me in this vid isn't that he makes every shot, it's the moves he's able to execute with the ball, how smooth he looks making them. The sheer ability to hit that many 3's with smooth mechanics at 7'1" and only 19 yrs old, the athleticism, etc. You just don't see 7'1" dudes who are only 19 with this type of skill level, handle, fluidity and shot making ability.

What I see from Miranda in this vid, confirms what I have seen from him in game film - and vice versa.

He's not some random guy. He was a top 30 recruit in America coming out of HS.

If this was a pre-draft workout of Dereck Lively, I guarantee you he wouldn't look as smooth handling the rock, making moves and hitting turnaround shots out of the mid-post area, draining 3's off the bounce as Miranda does. Now, I'm not saying Miranda is a better prospect than Lively. Lively is more proven (played a full season at Duke, whereas with Miranda, we only have seen him play vs HS and AAU competition). Lively appears to be a better defender and rim protector as well. Lively has a better catch radius for finishing lobs. But they're both 7'1", both similar bodies, similar explosiveness, they're about the same age. For reasons I just stated, I do have Lively ranked higher. But Miranda does appear to be more skilled offensively - based on the video I posted above, as well as the many other Miranda vids I've watched (combination of highlights and raw game footage).

He misses some shots and even has some turnovers in these vids..

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[Hal14]

Weird shooting form by Miranda. Really low. He looks like a project.I think the Celtics will go for older more ready players if they actually keep the pick.

He dips the ball pretty low, near his waist before going up for the shot. But that's pretty common. It's also less of an issue for bigs, who typically have more time/space to get their shot off.

Over time, he can try to bring that dip up higher. But I wouldn't mess with it too much, at least for now - since he can make them in so frequently. Very rare for a 7'1" dude who's only 19 to make them in from 3 so often and make it look this effortless.

Also, while he dips it low before going up for the shot - he actually releases the ball up above his head (you can see if you pause the vid at :02). And his follow through after the shot is even higher than that - way up above his head.

[Hal14]

I don't know too much about Powell. But from what I have seen/researched on him, he's kind of like a taller Pritchard / shorter Hauser.

Very good, knock down shooter. Not sure about the rest of his game. Decent size at 6'6".

Read on Twitter

I would think they're looking at him as a possible UDFA (probably a reach at pick 33 or 35). But then again, Powell is only a junior so if it looks like he's not gonna get drafted - I would think he would return to college and withdraw from the draft. So who knows, maybe we're just just bringing him in to do some due diligence - either for this year or next year..

[TheMartian]

Love the quick release from this kid. If the Warriors are looking at him as well, there might be something to him.

[Hal14]

Love the quick release from this kid. If the Warriors are looking at him as well, there might be something to him.

Between the shooting percentages Powell has and how smooth his stroke is, seems like he is automatic hitting those shots.

If he can hold his own on D, why not? He'd be a good floor spacer. It would open the floor up for tatum/brown/smart/brogdon to have driving lanes.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Love the quick release from this kid. If the Warriors are looking at him as well, there might be something to him.

Between the shooting percentages he has and how smooth his stroke is, seems like he is automatic hitting those shots.

If he can hold his own on D, why not? He'd be a good floor spacer. It would open the floor up for tatum/brown/smart/brogdon to have driving lanes.

The two teams that league the lead in attempts (and makes) from distance this year were in the finals last year and are still in the running to get back this year. So I always laugh when people say the Celtics take too many threes, it seems to me that it's the rest of the league that doesn't take enough.

It's a shooter's league. I'm never going to be mad about picking a shooter as long as he has NBA size so he can actually get his shoot off (which seems to be the case with Powell). He looks like a perfect candidate to throw a two way at to see if he can figure out pro level defense like Hauser did.

[Curmudgeon]

How many Hausers does one team need? And (for the record) I'm in favor of keeping Pritchard and giving him Hauser's minutes.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

How many Hausers does one team need? And (for the record) I'm in favor of keeping Pritchard and giving him Hauser's minutes.

Best case scenario for Powell would something like this:
Year 1 G-League
Year 2 Fringe rotation guy in the regular season
Year 3 Situational match up player in the playoffs

By the time he's ready to contribute meaningfully Hauser will be on his next contract and there's no guarantee he will still be in Boston. There's not going to be much overlap. Even if Hauser is still there and Powell develops into a NBA player and for some reason the Celtics can't keep both they'll have no problem turning a wing shooting 40% from three into another asset.

Powell is a 39.3% from 2 in his college career (which is lower than his 41.9% from 3 and that's absolutely hilarious) so realistically he's not athletic enough to finish inside in the NBA and he'll bust. But he can shoot and he plays smart (2.8 assists vs 0.9 turnovers this season) so I would understand giving him a chance.

[Hal14]

I could see grabbing a big man with our 2nd round pick (someone like Bona, Nnaji, Clowney, Jackson-Davis, Miranda) and then snagging a wing like Powell as an UDFA.

That would be a solid draft, imo.

[165bows]

I could see grabbing a big man with our 2nd round pick (someone like Bona, Nnaji, Clowney, Jackson-Davis, Miranda) and then snagging a wing like Powell as an UDFA.

That would be a solid draft, imo.

Yeah quick look around seems like he is more of an UDFA kind of guy. Played at 3 college teams in three years (hardly played his first two years), and according to this piece below he's played at seven schools in seven years. Weird statistical profile as noted above, and apparently he was criticized for his defensive effort at Tennessee.

Still, 6'6" that shoots 42% from three with a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio guess it's worth a look.

Powell was outstanding for Auburn as a true freshman in limited time. Concussions ended up costing him most of his season, but the sharpshooter connected on 44 percent of his three-point attempts during the 2020-21 season.

Moving on to Tennessee, Powell was expected to fill a big role for Tennessee, but that never happened. Powell started slow and saw his playing time dwindle as the season went on. Rick Barnes spoke out a few times about his effort on the defensive end, something that Barnes values greatly.

Still, the 6-6 guard hit 38 percent from deep. However, freshman guard Zakai Zeigler came in a stole the show, and Barnes couldn’t keep him off of the floor. Also stuck behind Kennedy Chandler, Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi and even Victor Bailey Jr. at times, the minutes just weren’t available to Powell.

Tennessee returns Zeigler, Vescovi and James this season, while adding transfer Tyreke Key and four-star point guard B.J. Edwards to the backcourt. Five-star wing Julian Phillips and four-star wing DJ Jefferson are also in the mix, and it should be interesting to see how all of these pieces mesh together.

For Powell, this will be his seventh school in seven years, dating back to high school.

https://www.rockytoptalk.com/2022/6/7/23158439/tennessee-vols-basketball-guard-justin-powell-commits-to-washington-state

Sounds a little like a Joe Mazzulla history - maybe they are looking at him for the next head coach

[165bows]

How many Hausers does one team need? And (for the record) I'm in favor of keeping Pritchard and giving him Hauser's minutes.

Best case scenario for Powell would something like this:
Year 1 G-League
Year 2 Fringe rotation guy in the regular season
Year 3 Situational match up player in the playoffs

By the time he's ready to contribute meaningfully Hauser will be on his next contract and there's no guarantee he will still be in Boston. There's not going to be much overlap. Even if Hauser is still there and Powell develops into a NBA player and for some reason the Celtics can't keep both they'll have no problem turning a wing shooting 40% from three into another asset.

Powell is a 39.3% from 2 in his college career (which is lower than his 41.9% from 3 and that's absolutely hilarious) so realistically he's not athletic enough to finish inside in the NBA and he'll bust. But he can shoot and he plays smart (2.8 assists vs 0.9 turnovers this season) so I would understand giving him a chance.

Seems like these guys kind of come and go pretty quickly. Duncan Robinson, Bertans etc a few guys like that that have had a great year or two shooting then sort of fizzle out.

I've seen it suggested that shooting is the most variable skill over time so it's best to target guys with a broad effective skillset rather than bank to heavily on shooter-only guys. Maybe they are a little like middle relievers in baseball where they catch fire for a stretch but don't have a ton of longevity perhaps.