2022 NBA Draft Thread

[Dadouv47]

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Sad because I badly wanted Mobley but happy that Presti knew who was the right target. He made probably a good offer to the Cavs (I think maybe a way bigger one that could have worked if he knew Shai would develop into the player he's now).

[Xatticus]

All of my opinions come from YouTube scouting and a brief stop by their sports reference page. That said, I have zero desire for Kobe bufkin or any guard who isn’t a high volume, high percentage 3 point shooter. Aside from Jordan Hawkins, I’m not seeing any gettable guard who wouldn’t annoy me at 12. Free Wiggins/Joe.

Obviously future trades could open up minutes, but as it is, you’re either not going to have developmental minutes for a guard or you waste the value that should go into joe/Wiggins. I’m going to be annoyed at coach diagonal again next year, aren’t I?

I think Bufkin can shoot. The rest of his offensive game is much better than is Hawkins'. I think there is a decent chance Bufkin goes 11 to Orlando. Hawkins is a dynamic shooter, but he can't hurt you if you force him to put the ball on the floor. I think Hawkins will be alright defensively within a team system, but I think there is a good chance that he ends up as a guy that gets targeted on switches. I'd probably take Dick over him just for the added size.

I like Anthony Black a lot. He really can't shoot at all, but the shot looks pretty messed up, which gives you hope that you can fix it. He looks like a plus defender with some versatility. He has active hands and he gets big to make passes difficult. At the offensive end, he keeps his dribble alive and he is good at making decisions while on the move. I'm a sucker for guys that are making their reads before they ever receive the ball. I just think he is going to be a good player that will find ways to help the team.

I really feel meh about most of these guys. I think Bufkin is fine but agree with jake-Free Wiggins/Joe. Those are two guys that seemed underutilized all year.

I like black as a prospect as well but really struggle to see hit fit on this team without knowing some other key players are on the way out. If the front office believes Black or Bufkin are cornerstone pieces and see a world where Giddey or Wiggins/Joe/Dort are gone sooner than later, so be it.

Most of the time I’m a best player available guy but our situation is unique with so many prospects. I don’t necessarily want a shooter that has limited upside but I really struggle to see how this roster isn’t going to have some major issues if we bring in another key player that doesn’t shoot well. I think trading up for Hendricks is preferred semi-realistic option. I expect to be underwhelmed on draft night. That’s not so much a reflection of the pick, himself but rather a feeling or knowing that we’re at a point where we’re likely to start moving/losing some guys that will be good.

I'm not advocating for Bufkin. I don't see what his plus skill is right now. I was just pushing back on the notion that he can't shoot. Orlando has a fetish for Michigan products (Wagner, Wagner, Houstan), so I think there is a decent chance he is taken at 11. The owners are from Michigan and the GM is a tool that is eager to appease for the benefit of his own job security.

I get that Black doesn't exactly fit with our roster right now, but I don't think that much matters in the overarching strategy of roster-building. Ideally, you should only be drafting for future needs and not using the draft to plug holes. It's pretty easy to miss at 12, so I'd go with a guy that I have confidence will find a way to be a positive player in the league. In a perfect world, Hendricks is still on the board at 12, because he looks tailor-made for the modern NBA, but he also very much fills a need for us.

I like Wiggins and I like Joe, but I have a different take on how they are utilized. You pay for per-game statistics. That's not how the process should work, but it's how it does work. We know that these guys are good players, regardless of whether or not they are averaging 15 ppg. I don't need that validation to form my opinion. I'm not really eager to throw them out there for 30+ minutes a night just so that you can end up having to give them $20M per year on their second contracts. That's why Lu Dort got paid. I believe that the deeper your rotation is, the easier it is to hang onto your valuable players for no other reason than that they aren't putting up per-game stat lines that echo their per-36-minute stat lines. In an environment with limited resources (salary cap), a player's value is relative to his compensation. Joe definitely helped us this year, but he isn't the same player for us if he is on Gary Trent Jr. money. I really don't have an issue with our current strategy of prioritizing development.

[jake_swivel]

I'm not advocating for Bufkin. I don't see what his plus skill is right now. I was just pushing back on the notion that he can't shoot.

To be clear, I didn’t say he couldn’t shoot. But he’s not a high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter.

I like Wiggins and I like Joe, but I have a different take on how they are utilized. You pay for per-game statistics. That's not how the process should work, but it's how it does work. We know that these guys are good players, regardless of whether or not they are averaging 15 ppg. I don't need that validation to form my opinion. I'm not really eager to throw them out there for 30+ minutes a night just so that you can end up having to give them $20M per year on their second contracts. That's why Lu Dort got paid. I believe that the deeper your rotation is, the easier it is to hang onto your valuable players for no other reason than that they aren't putting up per-game stat lines that echo their per-36-minute stat lines. In an environment with limited resources (salary cap), a player's value is relative to his compensation. Joe definitely helped us this year, but he isn't the same player for us if he is on Gary Trent Jr. money. I really don't have an issue with our current strategy of prioritizing development.

This is a good point. You’re really going to piss off the players who are good enough to get paid and can’t get paid, though. Wiggins seems to have kept a good attitude, but eventually he has the right to get peeved if you’re essentially stealing millions of dollars from him. And the other players should get peeved if the team isn’t trying its best to win games in order to pay Wiggins/joe less money. Your point stands, though. The team will end up losing good players if they pay the dorts of the world 20 million per.

[mr570]

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[mr570]

All of my opinions come from YouTube scouting and a brief stop by their sports reference page. That said, I have zero desire for Kobe bufkin or any guard who isn’t a high volume, high percentage 3 point shooter. Aside from Jordan Hawkins, I’m not seeing any gettable guard who wouldn’t annoy me at 12. Free Wiggins/Joe.

Obviously future trades could open up minutes, but as it is, you’re either not going to have developmental minutes for a guard or you waste the value that should go into joe/Wiggins. I’m going to be annoyed at coach diagonal again next year, aren’t I?

I think Bufkin can shoot. The rest of his offensive game is much better than is Hawkins'. I think there is a decent chance Bufkin goes 11 to Orlando. Hawkins is a dynamic shooter, but he can't hurt you if you force him to put the ball on the floor. I think Hawkins will be alright defensively within a team system, but I think there is a good chance that he ends up as a guy that gets targeted on switches. I'd probably take Dick over him just for the added size.

I like Anthony Black a lot. He really can't shoot at all, but the shot looks pretty messed up, which gives you hope that you can fix it. He looks like a plus defender with some versatility. He has active hands and he gets big to make passes difficult. At the offensive end, he keeps his dribble alive and he is good at making decisions while on the move. I'm a sucker for guys that are making their reads before they ever receive the ball. I just think he is going to be a good player that will find ways to help the team.

I like Bufkin. But what is the utility of adding him to this team in this draft? I just don't see what he does for OKC right now. It feels more like a "finishing touch" move to me if they drafted him there rather than get some PF like Hendricks or Walker or Lively or Miller - which is an actual NEED.

[Xatticus]

I'm not advocating for Bufkin. I don't see what his plus skill is right now. I was just pushing back on the notion that he can't shoot.

To be clear, I didn’t say he couldn’t shoot. But he’s not a high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter.

I like Wiggins and I like Joe, but I have a different take on how they are utilized. You pay for per-game statistics. That's not how the process should work, but it's how it does work. We know that these guys are good players, regardless of whether or not they are averaging 15 ppg. I don't need that validation to form my opinion. I'm not really eager to throw them out there for 30+ minutes a night just so that you can end up having to give them $20M per year on their second contracts. That's why Lu Dort got paid. I believe that the deeper your rotation is, the easier it is to hang onto your valuable players for no other reason than that they aren't putting up per-game stat lines that echo their per-36-minute stat lines. In an environment with limited resources (salary cap), a player's value is relative to his compensation. Joe definitely helped us this year, but he isn't the same player for us if he is on Gary Trent Jr. money. I really don't have an issue with our current strategy of prioritizing development.

This is a good point. You’re really going to piss off the players who are good enough to get paid and can’t get paid, though. Wiggins seems to have kept a good attitude, but eventually he has the right to get peeved if you’re essentially stealing millions of dollars from him. And the other players should get peeved if the team isn’t trying its best to win games in order to pay Wiggins/joe less money. Your point stands, though. The team will end up losing good players if they pay the dorts of the world 20 million per.

I'm not actually talking about suppressing their value for the sake of doing so. These are players with limitations and there isn't much benefit to giving them outsized roles until they actually earn those roles. Handing over those roles simply for a lack of other options is how you inflate value. That's what I want to avoid. I mentioned Gary Trent Jr. specifically for that reason. His stat line ballooned and he got a fat extension and now his cost far exceeds his utility.

I don't believe you run the risk of rankling the players in question considering one was a late-second-round pick and the other was claimed off of waivers. I'm not arguing that we should reduce the roles of other players in an orchestrated effort to suppress their market values. The goal right now should be development, even if it comes at the expense of the occasional additional win over the course of the regular season.

[jake_swivel]

I'm not actually talking about suppressing their value for the sake of doing so. These are players with limitations and there isn't much benefit to giving them outsized roles until they actually earn those roles. Handing over those roles simply for a lack of other options is how you inflate value. That's what I want to avoid. I mentioned Gary Trent Jr. specifically for that reason. His stat line ballooned and he got a fat extension and now his cost far exceeds his utility.

I don't believe you run the risk of rankling the players in question considering one was a late-second-round pick and the other was claimed off of waivers. I'm not arguing that we should reduce the roles of other players in an orchestrated effort to suppress their market values. The goal right now should be development, even if it comes at the expense of the occasional additional win over the course of the regular season.

They’ve earned more playing time than lindy waters and omoruyi. Is it artificially raising their value to play them more than the players who are worse than them? If so, artificially raise their value and trade them before their team friendly contracts are up with draft picks for better fits or to move up in the draft. You don’t have to dort out their contract.

Do you think that 5 minutes a game for both wiggs/joe at the expense of the lindys and Eugenes of the world would be bad for their development? Or that lindy and Eugene were worthy of development?

[Xatticus]

I'm not actually talking about suppressing their value for the sake of doing so. These are players with limitations and there isn't much benefit to giving them outsized roles until they actually earn those roles. Handing over those roles simply for a lack of other options is how you inflate value. That's what I want to avoid. I mentioned Gary Trent Jr. specifically for that reason. His stat line ballooned and he got a fat extension and now his cost far exceeds his utility.

I don't believe you run the risk of rankling the players in question considering one was a late-second-round pick and the other was claimed off of waivers. I'm not arguing that we should reduce the roles of other players in an orchestrated effort to suppress their market values. The goal right now should be development, even if it comes at the expense of the occasional additional win over the course of the regular season.

They’ve earned more playing time than lindy waters and omoruyi. Is it artificially raising their value to play them more than the players who are worse than them? If so, artificially raise their value and trade them before their team friendly contracts are up with draft picks for better fits or to move up in the draft. You don’t have to dort out their contract.

Do you think that 5 minutes a game for both wiggs/joe at the expense of the lindys and Eugenes of the world would be bad for their development? Or that lindy and Eugene were worthy of development?

Every player has a role and their performance has to be evaluated within the context of that role. You can't simply take minutes away from one player and give them to another when those players aren't really performing the same roles. Omoruyi played a grand total of 272 minutes before he was cut loose. If a player is on the roster, then... yes. You absolutely owe it to yourself to give said player enough of a run to know what they can and can't do. Presti added him to the roster for a reason. In the end, he cut him. That's fine. But this is the process that lead to the discovery of Wiggins and Joe as prospects. Every team in the league passed over Wiggins in the draft. Isaiah Joe spent more than two full seasons in Philadelphia without ever getting enough run to demonstrate what he could do.

Lindy Waters is a different case. He has actually been pretty good. You can have your preferences. That's fine. Daigneault and/or the front office has clearly prioritized Wiggins and Joe over Waters. They both played a lot more. The team had a much better net rating when Waters was on the floor though, so he clearly isn't hurting the team. He is an asset.

Neither of these players played much though, so I wasn't really considering them as the alternatives. I actually had Dieng and the number 12 pick in the upcoming draft in mind. And... yes. I believe that they are worthy of development, even if that comes at the expense of additional playing time for Wiggins and/or Joe.

[ThunderBolt]

Am I the only one that hates highlight videos for draft prospects? Of course a player looks great when you only profile his best moments.

[jake_swivel]

Am I the only one that hates highlight videos for draft prospects? Of course a player looks great when you only profile his best moments.

Yeah, there are scouting report videos as well which are a bit better.

[retrobro90]

Already said as much but I just can't get into Bilal. My earlier point a while back was mostly about his necessary development path and how OKC could not provide what he needs for him to reach his ceiling.

Moreover, I just don't see enough from his offensive foundation that would lead me to believe he has star potential. It's legitimately all measurements and athletic testing and to be frank I don't see the true outlier athleticism that would categorize him in the tippy top of guys in the nba. When it comes to his actual ball skills I wanna see more than just a guy who can finish in transition and hit wide open c&s 3s at a mediocre rate.

[Devilanche]

Bilal allure is that he can improve a lot more. And I don’t believe he can approach Mikal bridge current level . But at where we are picking there are no superstar unless we can give them handling and shots to develop.

[Devilanche]

I'm not actually talking about suppressing their value for the sake of doing so. These are players with limitations and there isn't much benefit to giving them outsized roles until they actually earn those roles. Handing over those roles simply for a lack of other options is how you inflate value. That's what I want to avoid. I mentioned Gary Trent Jr. specifically for that reason. His stat line ballooned and he got a fat extension and now his cost far exceeds his utility.

I don't believe you run the risk of rankling the players in question considering one was a late-second-round pick and the other was claimed off of waivers. I'm not arguing that we should reduce the roles of other players in an orchestrated effort to suppress their market values. The goal right now should be development, even if it comes at the expense of the occasional additional win over the course of the regular season.

They’ve earned more playing time than lindy waters and omoruyi. Is it artificially raising their value to play them more than the players who are worse than them? If so, artificially raise their value and trade them before their team friendly contracts are up with draft picks for better fits or to move up in the draft. You don’t have to dort out their contract.

Do you think that 5 minutes a game for both wiggs/joe at the expense of the lindys and Eugenes of the world would be bad for their development? Or that lindy and Eugene were worthy of development?

Every player has a role and their performance has to be evaluated within the context of that role. You can't simply take minutes away from one player and give them to another when those players aren't really performing the same roles. Omoruyi played a grand total of 272 minutes before he was cut loose. If a player is on the roster, then... yes. You absolutely owe it to yourself to give said player enough of a run to know what they can and can't do. Presti added him to the roster for a reason. In the end, he cut him. That's fine. But this is the process that lead to the discovery of Wiggins and Joe as prospects. Every team in the league passed over Wiggins in the draft. Isaiah Joe spent more than two full seasons in Philadelphia without ever getting enough run to demonstrate what he could do.

Lindy Waters is a different case. He has actually been pretty good. You can have your preferences. That's fine. Daigneault and/or the front office has clearly prioritized Wiggins and Joe over Waters. They both played a lot more. The team had a much better net rating when Waters was on the floor though, so he clearly isn't hurting the team. He is an asset.

Neither of these players played much though, so I wasn't really considering them as the alternatives. I actually had Dieng and the number 12 pick in the upcoming draft in mind. And... yes. I believe that they are worthy of development, even if that comes at the expense of additional playing time for Wiggins and/or Joe.

I think it depends where the team are at as well. We had minutes to see what we got in those players when we are tanking but if we are going for playoff, naturally there will be lesser of such minutes .

[Dadouv47]

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Very impressive, even more for his age. I really think he will end up being drafted in the 8-11 range. I still have no clue if I want us to draft him at 12 but I won't be as pissed as the Dieng pick.

[Big nick]

I agree wouldn't mind drafting Bilal but couldn't see dieng. Hoping dieng will show great improvement and surprise me. I just hope someone else make a big leap this year and we get like a 6 seed or so in the playoffs. Boy I can't wait until draft night I really enjoy it.

[Dadouv47]

I agree wouldn't mind drafting Bilal but couldn't see dieng. Hoping dieng will show great improvement and surprise me. I just hope someone else make a big leap this year and we get like a 6 seed or so in the playoffs. Boy I can't wait until draft night I really enjoy it.

same but it's gonna be as exciting as last year with 2 + 12 (and getting another lottery guy). That was just an unique situation.

[OKC2008]

I can’t understand why OKC should draft the identical player they drafted 12 months ago in Dieng..

It’s a total nonsense

[ThunderBolt]

I want Hendricks. He’s the only prospect that we might have a semi realistic chance of trading up for that excites me. I don’t think I’ll be too upset about anyone else but no promises.

[mr570]

I prefer a trade down at this point with Utah or possibly Brooklyn. I guess a lot of this depends on who falls where. 12 can potentially be very valuable.

[Big nick]

I just don't want to trade down with all the good wings that can shoot that we could get.