2023 NBA Draft Thread 3

[tiderulz]

There are plenty of red flags all over this draft but some teams got luckier than others.

For example, Charlotte would probably jump on Miller over Scoot if it wasn't for Miller's off-court issues and this recent "in bad shape" situation but now they have to do all sorts of gymnastics to convince themselves that Scoot and Ball are a good fit. At least Scoot seems to have a good head on his shoulders.

Portland is like a guy who has given up on the relationship with his girlfriend and hasn't been putting in effort for 3 years. He's just waiting for her to break up with him but for some reason she never does. Now he's thinking "How does she deal with so much abuse?". They're halfway through a rebuild and Dame is still there... I wonder if the new CBA means his contract is low-key harder to move than everyone thinks?

Next, the Rockets are slated to take Amen Thompson. Just what a young, wild team needs, a guy who hasn't seen a half-court set in his life.

At least Detroit can take a hand in glove selection in Whitmore and, of course, the Spurs win the big prize.

As for us, we probably have to take Ausar at 6 and just ignore the red flags. The good news is that he's a nice fit and we could use a bit more athleticism.

how exactly is he a "nice fit"?

[pepe1991]

There are plenty of red flags all over this draft but some teams got luckier than others.

For example, Charlotte would probably jump on Miller over Scoot if it wasn't for Miller's off-court issues and this recent "in bad shape" situation but now they have to do all sorts of gymnastics to convince themselves that Scoot and Ball are a good fit. At least Scoot seems to have a good head on his shoulders.

Portland is like a guy who has given up on the relationship with his girlfriend and hasn't been putting in effort for 3 years. He's just waiting for her to break up with him but for some reason she never does. Now he's thinking "How does she deal with so much abuse?". They're halfway through a rebuild and Dame is still there... I wonder if the new CBA means his contract is low-key harder to move than everyone thinks?

Next, the Rockets are slated to take Amen Thompson. Just what a young, wild team needs, a guy who hasn't seen a half-court set in his life.

At least Detroit can take a hand in glove selection in Whitmore and, of course, the Spurs win the big prize.

As for us, we probably have to take Ausar at 6 and just ignore the red flags. The good news is that he's a nice fit and we could use a bit more athleticism.

how exactly is he a "nice fit"?

Because he can't shoot

[shadrock]

Why is everyone overthinking this? We need exactly what Gradey Dick gives us, yet we are somehow hooked on the fact hes projected to be in the late lottery range rather than at 6. Just freaking take him at 6! Hes perfect in every way alongside Franz and Paolo. We dont need some worse creator than both Franz and Paolo who also cant shoot. We pass on Dick at 6 and he gets picked at 9 or 10 and we are kicking ourselves.

[zaymon]

Why is everyone overthinking this? We need exactly what Gradey Dick gives us, yet we are somehow hooked on the fact hes projected to be in the late lottery range rather than at 6. Just freaking take him at 6! Hes perfect in every way alongside Franz and Paolo. We dont need some worse creator than both Franz and Paolo who also cant shoot. We pass on Dick at 6 and he gets picked at 9 or 10 and we are kicking ourselves.

He is not perfect in every way. He is not starter level defender. Another thing is that what is the reason to start a shooter when your ball handlers doeasnt pass to him ? We had 43% shooter last year, who could shoot off screens, spot ups and we rarely passed the ball to him.

[VFX]

I still don’t believe this front office passes on Hendricks at #6.

They’ll just end up taking the best shooter at #11 whether it’s Gradey or George or whoever.

[orlando_joe]

has there been any real measurement on scoot ..is he even 6'2? or is he 6 flat and cant shoot?

[MAGICian619]

There are plenty of red flags all over this draft but some teams got luckier than others.

For example, Charlotte would probably jump on Miller over Scoot if it wasn't for Miller's off-court issues and this recent "in bad shape" situation but now they have to do all sorts of gymnastics to convince themselves that Scoot and Ball are a good fit. At least Scoot seems to have a good head on his shoulders.

Portland is like a guy who has given up on the relationship with his girlfriend and hasn't been putting in effort for 3 years. He's just waiting for her to break up with him but for some reason she never does. Now he's thinking "How does she deal with so much abuse?". They're halfway through a rebuild and Dame is still there... I wonder if the new CBA means his contract is low-key harder to move than everyone thinks?

Next, the Rockets are slated to take Amen Thompson. Just what a young, wild team needs, a guy who hasn't seen a half-court set in his life.

At least Detroit can take a hand in glove selection in Whitmore and, of course, the Spurs win the big prize.

As for us, we probably have to take Ausar at 6 and just ignore the red flags. The good news is that he's a nice fit and we could use a bit more athleticism.

how exactly is he a "nice fit"?

I believe he actually would be a great fit especially with Franz and Paolo. Elite wing defender who's best abilities are off the ball. He is an excellent cutter which again would play very well with ball dominant Franz and Paolo. Shooting although not great, is much better than his brother Amen.

[tiderulz]

There are plenty of red flags all over this draft but some teams got luckier than others.

For example, Charlotte would probably jump on Miller over Scoot if it wasn't for Miller's off-court issues and this recent "in bad shape" situation but now they have to do all sorts of gymnastics to convince themselves that Scoot and Ball are a good fit. At least Scoot seems to have a good head on his shoulders.

Portland is like a guy who has given up on the relationship with his girlfriend and hasn't been putting in effort for 3 years. He's just waiting for her to break up with him but for some reason she never does. Now he's thinking "How does she deal with so much abuse?". They're halfway through a rebuild and Dame is still there... I wonder if the new CBA means his contract is low-key harder to move than everyone thinks?

Next, the Rockets are slated to take Amen Thompson. Just what a young, wild team needs, a guy who hasn't seen a half-court set in his life.

At least Detroit can take a hand in glove selection in Whitmore and, of course, the Spurs win the big prize.

As for us, we probably have to take Ausar at 6 and just ignore the red flags. The good news is that he's a nice fit and we could use a bit more athleticism.

how exactly is he a "nice fit"?

I believe he actually would be a great fit especially with Franz and Paolo. Elite wing defender who's best abilities are off the ball. He is an excellent cutter which again would play very well with ball dominant Franz and Paolo. Shooting although not great, is much better than his brother Amen.

his shooting is bad. just because it is better than Amen doesnt make it good. and what position does he play? Shooting guard that cant shoot? guess it all depends on whether you believe he can improve his shooting. history shows, Orlando does not have good shooting coaches and we continually draft players that dont shoot well and never end up shooting well

[MAGICian619]

how exactly is he a "nice fit"?

I believe he actually would be a great fit especially with Franz and Paolo. Elite wing defender who's best abilities are off the ball. He is an excellent cutter which again would play very well with ball dominant Franz and Paolo. Shooting although not great, is much better than his brother Amen.

his shooting is bad. just because it is better than Amen doesnt make it good. and what position does he play? Shooting guard that cant shoot? guess it all depends on whether you believe he can improve his shooting. history shows, Orlando does not have good shooting coaches and we continually draft players that dont shoot well and never end up shooting well

I hear you however his shooting improved pretty drastically over the last year and he actually shot over 40% from 3 in the playoffs of his last season. His shot is not broken like his brothers.

[tiderulz]

I believe he actually would be a great fit especially with Franz and Paolo. Elite wing defender who's best abilities are off the ball. He is an excellent cutter which again would play very well with ball dominant Franz and Paolo. Shooting although not great, is much better than his brother Amen.

his shooting is bad. just because it is better than Amen doesnt make it good. and what position does he play? Shooting guard that cant shoot? guess it all depends on whether you believe he can improve his shooting. history shows, Orlando does not have good shooting coaches and we continually draft players that dont shoot well and never end up shooting well

I hear you however his shooting improved pretty drastically over the last year and he actually shot over 40% from 3 in the playoffs of his last season. His shot is not broken like his brothers.

last season of what? high school?

[MAGICian619]

his shooting is bad. just because it is better than Amen doesnt make it good. and what position does he play? Shooting guard that cant shoot? guess it all depends on whether you believe he can improve his shooting. history shows, Orlando does not have good shooting coaches and we continually draft players that dont shoot well and never end up shooting well

I hear you however his shooting improved pretty drastically over the last year and he actually shot over 40% from 3 in the playoffs of his last season. His shot is not broken like his brothers.

last season of what? high school?

They are both 2 full years removed from high school and have played pro for two seasons.

[MAGICian619]

Ausar Thompson playoff numbers (5 games - 2/21/23 - 3/7/23):

Per 40

24.4 points
5.6 assists
6.0 rebounds
2.3 steals
0.9 blocks

50% from 2
38.5% from 3 (on 9.1 attempts per game!)
82.4% from FT line

This is the most current Ausar Thompson

[Petre1978]

Watch on YouTube

[VFX]

Ausar Thompson playoff numbers (5 games - 2/21/23 - 3/7/23):

Per 40

24.4 points
5.6 assists
6.0 rebounds
2.3 steals
0.9 blocks

50% from 2
38.5% from 3 (on 9.1 attempts per game!)
82.4% from FT line

This is the most current Ausar Thompson

“Playoffs” against 18 year old nobodies.

[CptCrunch]

I hear you however his shooting improved pretty drastically over the last year and he actually shot over 40% from 3 in the playoffs of his last season. His shot is not broken like his brothers.

last season of what? high school?

They are both 2 full years removed from high school and have played pro for two seasons.

They sat an extra year in high school. Both were draft eligible with a reclassify last year.

[mattdelray1220]

As of today I am Ausar & George

[Nyce_1]

I still don’t believe this front office passes on Hendricks at #6.

They’ll just end up taking the best shooter at #11 whether it’s Gradey or George or whoever.

Hendricks #6
Whitehead #11

[eyriq]

As of today I am Ausar & George

Love it. Keyonte is an Isaiah Thomas/ Anthony Edwards hybrid.

[MAGICian619]

Ausar Thompson playoff numbers (5 games - 2/21/23 - 3/7/23):

Per 40

24.4 points
5.6 assists
6.0 rebounds
2.3 steals
0.9 blocks

50% from 2
38.5% from 3 (on 9.1 attempts per game!)
82.4% from FT line

This is the most current Ausar Thompson

“Playoffs” against 18 year old nobodies.

That's fine. He also was the only lottery pick to practice against another lottery pick every day.

[mattdelray1220]

As of today I am Ausar & George

Love it. Keyonte is an Isaiah Thomas/ Anthony Edwards hybrid.

I totally get the infatuation with Dick or Hawkins for us. We need shooting. I know our FO is aware of this. BUT George brings so much more than spot up shooting. He may be a future 20ppg+ guard. It is hard because we should be focused on Paolo and Franz and surrounding them with shooters but George is going to be too good to pass up on. I'm fairly certain he is our pick at 11. He is mine.