2023 Draft Discussion Part III

[ATLTimekeeper]

The point remains, he’s an outlier. People though he would be a solid NBA starter in a Swiss Army knife type role. No one pegged him as a scorer in the NBA.

He's an outlier as a scorer. Not sure what that has to do with Cissoko, though. If Cissoko is just a Swiss Army knife he could be worth it, as long as he's more Scottie than Bembry. Shane Battier was a better pick than Rudy Gay.

It’s quite obvious what it has to do with Cissoko. People are vouching for Cissoko based on Franz’s success, but a lot of Franz’s appeal comes from his ability to drop 20 on people while doing everything else.

Psubs literally said he was a Franz Wagner-like prospect with worse FT shooting. Franz was a top 10 prospect in that draft without the surprise of being able to drop 20s in the NBA. Another poster claimed he was a 3 level scorer, and that was just wrong at the time of the draft. This version of Franz might be the best player int he draft.

[Psubs]

He's an outlier as a scorer. Not sure what that has to do with Cissoko, though. If Cissoko is just a Swiss Army knife he could be worth it, as long as he's more Scottie than Bembry. Shane Battier was a better pick than Rudy Gay.

It’s quite obvious what it has to do with Cissoko. People are vouching for Cissoko based on Franz’s success, but a lot of Franz’s appeal comes from his ability to drop 20 on people while doing everything else.

Psubs literally said he was a Franz Wagner-like prospect with worse FT shooting. Franz was a top 10 prospect in that draft without the surprise of being able to drop 20s in the NBA. Another poster claimed he was a 3 level scorer, and that was just wrong at the time of the draft. This version of Franz might be the best player int he draft.

Exactly!

Also why can't Cissoko eventually be a scorer that drops near 20 ppg. OG is now pretty much a 20ppg scorer on good efficiency, if he got more shots. Franz at Michigan was a balanced attack. Cissoko put up over 20ppg for 5 straight games. I would say he'll at least be able to score like OG and make passes like Scottie. Cissoko may not shoot over 35% from 3 for a few years but he's already likely an upgrade from deep over Pascal, Boucher, Precious, etc. Use the MLE for a vet guard that shoots the 3 over 38%.

[Loso04]

For those who want to take him at #13

Watch on YouTube

[ATLTimekeeper]

Exactly!

Also why can't Cissoko eventually be a scorer that drops near 20 ppg. OG is now pretty much a 20ppg scorer on good efficiency, if he got more shots. Franz at Michigan was a balanced attack. Cissoko put up over 20ppg for 5 straight games. I would say he'll at least be able to score like OG and make passes like Scottie. Cissoko may not shoot over 35% from 3 for a few years but he's already likely an upgrade from deep over Pascal, Boucher, Precious, etc. Use the MLE for a vet guard that shoots the 3 over 38%.

Personally I don't like to give credit to players that haven't accomplished it at a lower level, like Scottie has never been a scorer. Anthony Black, never a scorer. You should assume their game will migrate, because scoring talent is harder to build in the NBA. Shooting talent is easy to build, but being able to get to your spots, counters and touch and all that can take time.

But, at least in Cissoko's corner he was a high usage player in Spain (18p/40), and we know that while his p/36 in the Gleague was low (14.4), his usage was something closer to 19. Compare that to like Whitmore who scored like 16.4/40 at 25 usage, and is being viewed as a scorer in the NBA. Cissoko is getting buckets without dominating the ball, and he does have some ballskills. So I can see your argument.

[Psubs]

For those who want to take him at #13

Watch on YouTube

I guess someone mentioned Thabo Sefolosha as a comp. I guess so.

At 6'8 is Bilal now Nicolas Batum without the playmaking?

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/31419-nuggets-draft-nicolas-batum-bet-on-it

Batum is 6-foot-9, 215 lbs and can play both SF and PF, but looks to have enough control to play shooting guard.

From what I've seen in highlights and in scouting reports is that Batum is aggressive, a good scorer, posses length and agility, and the athleticism to play in the NBA.

Watch on YouTube

If in 10 years, one said that these were Bilal's career highlights, I wouldn't bat an eye.

If really 6'8, I'd probably rank Bilal over GG Jackson based on attitude.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Bilal looks like a special athlete. Batum kinda meh. Same agent, though. I'm not seeing Inglis at all, who was closer to a Malcolm Brogdan level below the rim heavy body player. Coulibaly looks lively. His Jeep League stats aren't warty at all, but not playing much tells you he's a project.

imo the French league busts are usually point guards that aren't all that athletic and struggled to shoot in the NBA. You get a ballhandler that can't shoot and it wrecks your offense. Coulibaly, Cissoko and Rupert are all going to start in off ball 3&D roles. And then you just see where work ethic and strength training take you.

[Psubs]

Bilal looks like a special athlete. Batum kinda meh. Same agent, though. I'm not seeing Inglis at all, who was closer to a Malcolm Brogdan level below the rim heavy body player. Coulibaly looks lively. His Jeep League stats aren't warty at all, but not playing much tells you he's a project.

imo the French league busts are usually point guards that aren't all that athletic and struggled to shoot in the NBA. You get a ballhandler that can't shoot and it wrecks your offense. Coulibaly, Cissoko and Rupert are all going to start in off ball 3&D roles. And then you just see where work ethic and strength training take you.

I think they weren't tall enough. Things have changed since Tony Parker's era. TP was probably the greatest finisher at the rim under 6'2 after AI during that time. The speed and size of NBA guards is increasing and players like Theo Maledon and Frank Ntilikina weren't able to cut it. Killian Hayes at 6'5 still can't get to 30% from 3 but at least his A/T is over 2.5.

[dozo]

Read on Twitter

13. Keyonte George
Corey and Albert: The Raptors had a tumultuous season and after failing to make the playoffs have left much of the future direction of the team up in the air as they head into their off-season. When it comes to the draft, Masai typically has a type that he targets—you know: 6’8”, long, switchable, with a shaky jumper – but he opts to go in a different direction by taking the value and selecting a buckety combo guard in Keyonte George. George was streaky and struggled with efficiency throughout his freshman campaign but when the flashes were flashing he was one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in college basketball. If the Raptors decide to rip the band-aid off and rebuild this off-season, Keyonte George and Scottie Barnes form a solid starting point as complimentary pieces for the Great White North.

14.Bilal Coulibaly
Nathan and Maxwell: Standing 6’8” with a 7’2” wingspan, Bilal Coulibaly is a defensive playmaker with potent athleticism. He darts into passing lanes and meets opponents at the rim. His driving game is nasty, with great downhill burst, wiggle, and explosive one-footed leaping ability. Coulibaly has converted 70% of his shots at the rim playing in France’s top pro league. His shot and mid-range game are both works in progress, but he’s hit 35.3% of his threes across various pro leagues this season, which is a great starting point. Coulibaly comes in as an NBA athlete who can play a role at the professional level, as he’s shown in France. But for the Pelicans, who face an uncertain future, he also offers tantalizing upside, with the potential to be a high-end defender who can attack, make good decisions, and shoot. Even if he doesn’t reach his ceiling, he gives them another long, athletic wing alongside Trey Murphy and Herb Jones.

[PoundTown]

Two guys I'm zeroed in on are Coulibaly and Bufkin.

If you take into account that Bufkin is still a teenager and think of him more like a freshman that can play both ways, and how much he had improved from day 1 to end of season, he's quite the good all around prospect. Ceiling is like a McCollum with better D.

[Psubs]

Two guys I'm zeroed in on are Coulibaly and Bufkin.

If you take into account that Bufkin is still a teenager and think of him more like a freshman that can play both ways, and how much he had improved from day 1 to end of season, he's quite the good all around prospect. Ceiling is like a McCollum with better D.

I know you state that is the ceiling but I see more like Tre Mann, who was drafted 18th.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kobe-bufkin-1.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/tre-mann-1.html?utm_medium=sr_xsite&utm_source=bbr&utm_campaign=2023_02_tbl_player_college_stats&utm_content=lnk_mcbb&utm_id=manntr01

[Rapsfan07]

Two guys I'm zeroed in on are Coulibaly and Bufkin.

If you take into account that Bufkin is still a teenager and think of him more like a freshman that can play both ways, and how much he had improved from day 1 to end of season, he's quite the good all around prospect. Ceiling is like a McCollum with better D.

We'd need to acquire another pick somehow but these two are on my short list. Bufkin, Jones, Coulibaly and Podz are my main targets in the 16-30 range.

[BoyzNTheHood]

We traded our pick next season and fired our coach. This makes no sense. We have no direction.

[Kevin Willis]

We traded our pick next season and fired our coach. This makes no sense. We have no direction.

It sounds like the firing of NIck became an issue in the last month or so. Then he had to pivot. Who he chooses as next coach will tell us if we rebuild or retool. That would help us determine our next pick.

Based of the presser I have an idea who they might be targeting but you never know.

[ATLTimekeeper]

We traded our pick next season and fired our coach. This makes no sense. We have no direction.

It sounds like the firing of NIck became an issue in the last month or so. Then he had to pivot. Who he chooses as next coach will tell us if we rebuild or retool. That would help us determine our next pick.

Based of the presser I have an idea who they might be targeting but you never know.

Doubt it has any influence on the pick. They wouldn't even let Casey know they were scouting Bruno.

[Kevin Willis]

We traded our pick next season and fired our coach. This makes no sense. We have no direction.

It sounds like the firing of NIck became an issue in the last month or so. Then he had to pivot. Who he chooses as next coach will tell us if we rebuild or retool. That would help us determine our next pick.

Based of the presser I have an idea who they might be targeting but you never know.

Doubt it has any influence on the pick. They wouldn't even let Casey know they were scouting Bruno.

Really?? I didn't know that. That's great news considering there's a good chance Nurse goes to a team with a higher pick.

[ATLTimekeeper]

It sounds like the firing of NIck became an issue in the last month or so. Then he had to pivot. Who he chooses as next coach will tell us if we rebuild or retool. That would help us determine our next pick.

Based of the presser I have an idea who they might be targeting but you never know.

Doubt it has any influence on the pick. They wouldn't even let Casey know they were scouting Bruno.

Really?? I didn't know that. That's great news considering there's a good chance Nurse goes to a team with a higher pick.

Sounds like the coaches weigh in their two cents, but are hardly influential. It would be difficult to believe that they'd allow a new coach to interrupt their year's work. Moving on from Nick when maybe he'd feel even more pressure to ride vets was the right decision. The new guy will get a chance to create new relationships.

[Jadoogar]

I don't want anymore "we can teach him to shoot" type prospects. It's very rare for guys to develop into great shooters after getting in the league. People just remember the extreme exceptions. For ever Kawhi, there's 20 Michael Kidd Gilchrists

I haven't dove into the draft very much yet, are there any elite shooters in our range?

[PoundTown]

Two guys I'm zeroed in on are Coulibaly and Bufkin.

If you take into account that Bufkin is still a teenager and think of him more like a freshman that can play both ways, and how much he had improved from day 1 to end of season, he's quite the good all around prospect. Ceiling is like a McCollum with better D.

We'd need to acquire another pick somehow but these two are on my short list. Bufkin, Jones, Coulibaly and Podz are my main targets in the 16-30 range.

I'm talking at 13 I'm highly considering those two.

Also, while I'm high on Coulibaly's all around upside, I don't see it with Rupert. Do not need Thybulle or Sefolosha 2.0.

[mademan]

Ya im a big fan of Kobe Bufkin. Guards who are elite finishers always seem to translate well to the league. He has great 3 level scorer potential

[BoyzNTheHood]

I might shoot for the stars and take Dariq Whitehead if no one drops. A classic case of being misused. And although I can’t argue with Duke’s results I don’t think they did Dariq any favours this season. The only thing I’m worried about is his injury history but I’ll vouch for the actual player that he is.

There’s a lot of developmental time available to him. He’s only a month older than GG with miles more maturity. He’s younger than Coulibaly, Wemby, Scoot, Sidy, George, etc