2023 NBA Draft Thread

[Snidely FC]

Andre Jackson is the only player who can dominate a game and have a stat line of

1-3 shooting, 3 pts / 3 reb / 6 ass / 2 stl

lmaooo

Reason why I stopped talking about him is just because of that. You forget how good he is until you see him again.

He is the swiss army knife kind of player that is great to have on a team and would be terrific alongside Lamelo. His playmaking and energy are infectious. His total lack of shooting is an issue, esp if the team is going to keep DSJ and Cody M. AJ Jr might be a terrific two way contract guy if the team hangs onto all its 2nd Rd picks

[UNCNYC]

Andre Jackson is the only player who can dominate a game and have a stat line of

1-3 shooting, 3 pts / 3 reb / 6 ass / 2 stl

lmaooo

Reason why I stopped talking about him is just because of that. You forget how good he is until you see him again.

He is the swiss army knife kind of player that is great to have on a team and would be terrific alongside Lamelo. His playmaking and energy are infectious. His total lack of shooting is an issue, esp if the team is going to keep DSJ and Cody M. AJ Jr might be a terrific two way contract guy if the team hangs onto all its 2nd Rd picks

Yeah this draft has such hidden gems. Another of my players Tristen Newton had a great game last night. He is a steal as well. Here is a player that you should keep an eye on. Hunter Maldonado. Hunter is 6'7 and basically runs the PG. Knows how to back the opponent down and knows how to play outside. And has a good jumper.

Watch on YouTube

[UNCNYC]

A player that I have had interest in all season is Yaanick Kraag. Great size and has a lot of potential. These highlights start out with his jumper then shows his inside game.

Watch on YouTube

[SWedd523]

Yannick Kraag. That's a great name. Sounds like a South African mercenary or Game of Thrones knight

[UNCNYC]

Yannick Kraag. That's a great name. Sounds like a South African mercenary or Game of Thrones knight

You're like me, a Yaanick Kraag, Joe Smith kinda guy lol

[Chapelchilla]

Levert is 6-6 meh athlete with meh shooting. Does a bit of everything in terms of playmaking, rebounding etc. Secondary ball handler who can play 1-3 in a pinch... what part of that isn't AB?

lol. I don't waste time arguing with you, but if you want some feedback on this comparison you can post it in the Draft forum and see what they think.

An Anthony Black versus the Thompson twins comparison thread would probably be a pretty good discussion.

The one last year between Duren and Mark was pretty good. I think I and one other poster were the only ones trying to plug Walker Kessler into the discussion. What a great class of big men though, damn good in fact.

I was on the Kessler train too. Knew he was good at UNC and should have been starting there.

[LofJ]

If I were Mitch I'd target Trayce Jackson-Davis with the Nuggets pick. If he could shoot the 3 he'd be the total package. He has amazing footwork and hands, is a beast in the open court, and goes up and jams it home whenever he can. LaMelo would love playing with him. He has a lot of Blake Griffin in his game.

Watch on YouTube

This is a stacked draft class all the way to the mid to late 2nd. This year has sucked, but we could really strike gold in this draft.

[UNCNYC]

The way Andre Jackson affects a game is unreal. Such a high b ball IQ

Read on Twitter

[Snidely FC]

If we keep the Denver pick the guy I want is Jaime Jaquez Jr. For those who didn't see his final game at UCLA he went down swinging:

Watch on YouTube

[JMAC3]

Andre Jackson is the only player who can dominate a game and have a stat line of

1-3 shooting, 3 pts / 3 reb / 6 ass / 2 stl

lmaooo

Reason why I stopped talking about him is just because of that. You forget how good he is until you see him again.

He is a great pick at the end of the first where he can give you that statline and be happy about it. If you take him 10th and he averages 7pg on below average shooting it doesn't matter what he does on the floor, he will be a poor choice. If you have a great team and he be Iguodala sure I will take him every day.

[JMAC3]

If I were Mitch I'd target Trayce Jackson-Davis with the Nuggets pick. If he could shoot the 3 he'd be the total package. He has amazing footwork and hands, is a beast in the open court, and goes up and jams it home whenever he can. LaMelo would love playing with him. He has a lot of Blake Griffin in his game.

Watch on YouTube

This is a stacked draft class all the way to the mid to late 2nd. This year has sucked, but we could really strike gold in this draft.

His wingspan is going to be critical in terms of where he is picked. He needs real NBA center winspan of 7-1 plus to be a first rounder, if he is 6-9 with a meh wingspan I could see him going nearly undrafted.

[LofJ]

If I were Mitch I'd target Trayce Jackson-Davis with the Nuggets pick. If he could shoot the 3 he'd be the total package. He has amazing footwork and hands, is a beast in the open court, and goes up and jams it home whenever he can. LaMelo would love playing with him. He has a lot of Blake Griffin in his game.

Watch on YouTube

This is a stacked draft class all the way to the mid to late 2nd. This year has sucked, but we could really strike gold in this draft.

His wingspan is going to be critical in terms of where he is picked. He needs real NBA center winspan of 7-1 plus to be a first rounder, if he is 6-9 with a meh wingspan I could see him going nearly undrafted.

Agreed, a lack of length coupled with his lack of an outside game will make it hard for him to find a role in the league. He's a great athlete, but he will struggle to defend at an adequate level if he's undersized. In that case he'd be a more athletic Tyler Hansbrough, an energy guy you bring off the bench but can't start because of their limitations

[Benjamin Linus]

Seems like a Marquese Chriss kind of player. 6'9 athlete that will get blocks and dunks but can't shoot or really do much on offense besides dunk. Probably would be best next to a shooting 5 like Turner or Porzingis although I think LaMelo would have fun setting this guy up

[LofJ]

Five picks in one draft is pretty wild, I'm fairly confident this team has never had so many picks in a single draft. According to tankathon the Hornets have the most draft value of any team in the league.

In other words it's wheeling and dealing time for the front office. That is made especially clear given that PJ and Miles will also need new contracts. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. The team has the assets to make moves, and that scares me. Hopefully the lottery will be kind and we'll land in the top 3. That will make it easier for everything else to fall into place.

[amcoolio]

If Denver loses in the first round, does that mean they move up in the draft?

[LofJ]

If Denver loses in the first round, does that mean they move up in the draft?

If they were in the play-in and lost then yeah. They're the 1st seed though, so where that pick lands at the end of the regular season is where it will stay.

[Hornet Mania]

Five picks in one draft is pretty wild, I'm fairly confident this team has never had so many picks in a single draft. According to tankathon the Hornets have the most draft value of any team in the league.

In other words it's wheeling and dealing time for the front office. That is made especially clear given that PJ and Miles will also need new contracts. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. The team has the assets to make moves, and that scares me. Hopefully the lottery will be kind and we'll land in the top 3. That will make it easier for everything else to fall into place.

I agree with you analysis of the situation, and it frightens me as well.

Trades are not Mitch's forte but this is the year he has to nail them. The only significant/good trade he pulled off that I can recall is Devonte Graham for a protected NOP 1st. And even that one relied on us getting lucky they made the playoffs otherwise that was a couple 2nds. We totally crapped our pants with the 13th pick this year and all sorts of leverage.

I just hope Mitch exceeds expectations and actually does his homework ahead of time this year. The team can improve quickly with just a few savvy tweaks, but is he the right man to recognize them and seek out trade partners? My read on Mitch has long been that he's an underrated drafter (2021 aside) and borderline comatose on the trade front. I want desperately to see him hit a trade or two out of the park this July.

[GoBobs]

If I were Mitch I'd target Trayce Jackson-Davis with the Nuggets pick. If he could shoot the 3 he'd be the total package. He has amazing footwork and hands, is a beast in the open court, and goes up and jams it home whenever he can. LaMelo would love playing with him. He has a lot of Blake Griffin in his game.

Watch on YouTube

This is a stacked draft class all the way to the mid to late 2nd. This year has sucked, but we could really strike gold in this draft.

Totally aggree. This is the guy that is going to be top 5 in redrafts. Number 16 in NCAA in pts, number 7 in rebounds, and tied for number 4 in blocks is very impressive.

A good defender who rebounds, blocks shots, and scores efficiently is going to find his way on to the floor. He doesn't need to ever shoot the 3 to be a good player. I think we would need to move up to the 15 range to snag him though. Somebody is going to like him before the Denver pick.

[LofJ]

Five picks in one draft is pretty wild, I'm fairly confident this team has never had so many picks in a single draft. According to tankathon the Hornets have the most draft value of any team in the league.

In other words it's wheeling and dealing time for the front office. That is made especially clear given that PJ and Miles will also need new contracts. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. The team has the assets to make moves, and that scares me. Hopefully the lottery will be kind and we'll land in the top 3. That will make it easier for everything else to fall into place.

I agree with you analysis of the situation, and it frightens me as well.

Trades are not Mitch's forte but this is the year he has to nail them. The only significant/good trade he pulled off that I can recall is Devonte Graham for a protected NOP 1st. And even that one relied on us getting lucky they made the playoffs otherwise that was a couple 2nds. We totally crapped our pants with the 13th pick this year and all sorts of leverage.

I just hope Mitch exceeds expectations and actually does his homework ahead of time this year. The team can improve quickly with just a few savvy tweaks, but is he the right man to recognize them and seek out trade partners? My read on Mitch has long been that he's an underrated drafter (2021 aside) and borderline comatose on the trade front. I want desperately to see him hit a trade or two out of the park this July.

Mitch did well with the McDaniels trade, getting a high 2nd for a bench guy you aren't going to sign is a good return. It's a huge improvement over the Cho days where we didn't even draft in the 2nd round, much less trade for picks we actually used to draft players.

Mitch hasn't done much on the veteran trade front though, and that's what will be crucial this summer. We have to consolidate, Mitch needs to be working the phones to make it happen.

[Hornet Mania]

Five picks in one draft is pretty wild, I'm fairly confident this team has never had so many picks in a single draft. According to tankathon the Hornets have the most draft value of any team in the league.

In other words it's wheeling and dealing time for the front office. That is made especially clear given that PJ and Miles will also need new contracts. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. The team has the assets to make moves, and that scares me. Hopefully the lottery will be kind and we'll land in the top 3. That will make it easier for everything else to fall into place.

I agree with you analysis of the situation, and it frightens me as well.

Trades are not Mitch's forte but this is the year he has to nail them. The only significant/good trade he pulled off that I can recall is Devonte Graham for a protected NOP 1st. And even that one relied on us getting lucky they made the playoffs otherwise that was a couple 2nds. We totally crapped our pants with the 13th pick this year and all sorts of leverage.

I just hope Mitch exceeds expectations and actually does his homework ahead of time this year. The team can improve quickly with just a few savvy tweaks, but is he the right man to recognize them and seek out trade partners? My read on Mitch has long been that he's an underrated drafter (2021 aside) and borderline comatose on the trade front. I want desperately to see him hit a trade or two out of the park this July.

Mitch did well with the McDaniels trade, getting a high 2nd for a bench guy you aren't going to sign is a good return. It's a huge improvement over the Cho days where we didn't even draft in the 2nd round, much less trade for picks we actually used to draft players.

Mitch hasn't done much on the veteran trade front though, and that's what will be crucial this summer. We have to consolidate, Mitch needs to be working the phones to make it happen.

The McDaniels trade was solid but not much of a needle mover, just decent business. I'm thinking more about major shakeup trades, which he really hasn't even really attempted while here.

Maybe he's got it in him, but his methodical approach hasn't given me the impression he's a man who is prepared to stick his neck out on a big move. The whole Duren situation made it seem like he's flat-footed if things go outside his expectations so it makes me worried.

I'm ready to see him work some magic though, let's get it done. Ideally send out Terry and picks for a two-guard who has size for the position and plays D.