2024 NBA Draft Thread – (June 26 & 27)

[playa-hater]

Walsh tied with 6 other players for 5th place in the college corner three point shooting drill by hitting 68 percent of his shots

https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/jordan-walsh-arkansas-basketball-nba-draft-handcuffs/

I guess maybe he already has that corner 3

From the article:

“Once I got out of Arkansas, I’m now in a position where I don’t have handcuffs on me. I’m able to shoot and make plays for people. I have that flexibility to show that I can do all those things. I was stuck in a role, but now they’ll see the real Jordan.”

Yes, let's now see the real Jordan.

I don't know if it is true with Walsh or just talk but I can guarantee you. There are college coaches who restrict their players much more than people realize..

But this kid needs to take a thousand shots a day and that can be done quite easy. Five hundred in the early morning hours and five hundred at night.. In my experience you can get up five hundred shots with a rebounder in about one hour. So shooting one thousand shots is really not even doing that much.

I'm still not sure about as mechanics. Most video i've seen was a bit far away. I wish I could zoom in just for the arm and hands part.

But good mechanics and tons of Repetition will go a long way.

[165bows]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2301270

UDFA list.

Liked Castelton and Porter Jr. not sure who else is any good. Or at least fun in summer league lol.

[djFan71]

I'm obviously all in on Walsh, but just looking at our roster as is, he almost has to play. Just actually develop the guy - Hauser too. And god forbid, PP if he's all we got for a 3rd guard.

Our top 7 is amazing but fragile as heck. Limit their minutes and play 2-3 of the youngsters consistently. Rest the top 7 and develop like MIA does. Lose some regular season games because of it, whatever. Just be better prepared and healthier for the playoffs. Maybe we get a top 8.

I'm assuming we add one or 2 more guys with experience so some of that goes out the window. But, ideallly we go 10-11 deep consistently this year with the goal of maximizing the playoffs at the cost of a few regular season wins.

[captain green]

I'm still not sure what happened. I think we just got walsh a four seconds one from Detroit should be good and the other three I'm not sure who they are from. But white, brown,Tatum, horford, unicorn as starters is fine. hurt Brogdon, disgruntled pp, oft injured timelord, regressing can't will, weak stats walsh , basic Hauser, nothing kornet is a weak ass bench we surely have to be adding more right?

[Dogen]

Many promising bigs in the second round. Shame we passed on all of them
Nnaji, Gueye, Leonard Miller even TJD with pick 57 (great move by GS to trade for him)
Brad should have added another Big project as Kabengele is leaving

Now sign some undrafted bigs - Tshiebwe, Osunniyi, Manny Bates whoever

Kabengele is gone?

Can't sign another two-way contract as he is too old or something
I can't see him on the main squad
So I guess he is gone

Hard to say, he hasn't really gotten a chance on the team. With Muscala gone, that leaves Kornet and maybe Griffin to back up KP, AH and RW? I thought Kabengele might be worth keeping around now that he's had time learning the system.

[Dogen]

Walsh tied with 6 other players for 5th place in the college corner three point shooting drill by hitting 68 percent of his shots

https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/jordan-walsh-arkansas-basketball-nba-draft-handcuffs/

I guess maybe he already has that corner 3

From the article:

“Once I got out of Arkansas, I’m now in a position where I don’t have handcuffs on me. I’m able to shoot and make plays for people. I have that flexibility to show that I can do all those things. I was stuck in a role, but now they’ll see the real Jordan.”

Yes, let's now see the real Jordan.

I don't know if it is true with Walsh or just talk but I can guarantee you. There are college coaches who restrict their players much more than people realize..

But this kid needs to take a thousand shots a day and that can be done quite easy. Five hundred in the early morning hours and five hundred at night.. In my experience you can get up five hundred shots with a rebounder in about one hour. So shooting one thousand shots is really not even doing that much.

I'm still not sure about as mechanics. Most video i've seen was a bit far away. I wish I could zoom in just for the arm and hands part.

But good mechanics and tons of Repetition will go a long way.

His release looks pretty good. Seems the issue is more with his base, the lower body. A fixable issue, especially if he is willing to work on it and take those 1K a day.

If he can focus on the corner three and get that shot consistent it could lead to minutes. Seems to be the thing now: hide the young guy in the corner on offense. If he can hit that shot and save energy for the defensive end that would be a win.

He does seem to have a decent handle. Maybe can play point forward in a few years, too.

[aim2please]

Celtics are valuing high character guys since Brad took over. My guess is they're gonna draft a guy that projects to be a good role player and could contribute in year 1 or 2. Don't think they're gonna draft high upside, long-term project.

One of the following trio is my best guess: Andre Jackson Jr, Jackson-Davis, Jordan Walsh. Don't watch college basketball so no idea who is the sleeper. I just know drafting small guards is a no-no. So no to Sasser.

This was my comment on June 13th. Crazy that C's traded away Sasser, who I said was a no-no, and picked one of the 3 guys I liked in the early second.

Loved C's maneuvering in this draft. 3 out of 4 2nd rounders they've got have a legit chance of being in the 30s. Smart to spread them though 4 years.

My prediction is that kid drafted at #24 will be part of a sign and trade that gets Grant to Dallas.

[Hal14]

Walsh tied with 6 other players for 5th place in the college corner three point shooting drill by hitting 68 percent of his shots

https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/jordan-walsh-arkansas-basketball-nba-draft-handcuffs/

I guess maybe he already has that corner 3

From the article:

“Once I got out of Arkansas, I’m now in a position where I don’t have handcuffs on me. I’m able to shoot and make plays for people. I have that flexibility to show that I can do all those things. I was stuck in a role, but now they’ll see the real Jordan.”

Yes, let's now see the real Jordan.

I don't know if it is true with Walsh or just talk but I can guarantee you. There are college coaches who restrict their players much more than people realize..

But this kid needs to take a thousand shots a day and that can be done quite easy. Five hundred in the early morning hours and five hundred at night.. In my experience you can get up five hundred shots with a rebounder in about one hour. So shooting one thousand shots is really not even doing that much.

I'm still not sure about as mechanics. Most video i've seen was a bit far away. I wish I could zoom in just for the arm and hands part.

But good mechanics and tons of Repetition will go a long way.

Well, he was the go-to scorer on his prep school team 2 yrs ago, right before entering college. It wasn't just any team, either - they knocked off THREE teams in GEICO Nationals to advance to the national championship game (before losing to a team that had like 6 future NBA players on it, including Whitehead and Hood-Schifino).

Also, look at the arkansas team he played on. It's not like there were other guys who were able to showcase impressive scoring skills but not Walsh.

None of their guys were.

-Nick Smith Jr. He was a projected top 5 pick in the draft coming into the college season - and he was considered one of the best shooters in the freshman class coming into the season too. But he struggled offensively at Arkansas, did not meet the expectations that were put on him, his shooting was inconsistent. And he fell to 27th in the draft.

-Anthony Black was the 6th pick last night, but it wasn't because he was a good scorer or shooter at Arkansas. It was because he's a 6'7" PG with high IQ, good passing and really good defense.

-Ricky Council IV. Was projected to go 1st round early on in the season, but ended up going undrafted and struggled with his shooting

-Walsh. Projected top 20 pick by everyone before the season started. But was limited as a scorer/shooter at Arkansas, and as a result, fell to 38 in the draft

Injuries to Nick Smith (missed like a month or 2 with knee injury) and Trevon Brazile (season ending injury early in the season) hurt the team. Arkansas had bad spacing, but the spacing was even worse when these 2 guys were out of the lineup (or even when just Brazile was out of the lineup since both of these guys could shoot it pretty well.

Brazile is a stretch big - it helped having him out there to stretch the floor. But with him out, Arkansas often times played a double big lineup (3 bigs in the rotation, NONE of them could shoot a lick) which hurt spacing. Then you often times had Walsh out there with Council (who was struggling to shoot it from deep) and that hurt the spacing too. Plus, Black is a non-shooter and well, you get the idea..

Lastly, here's a video from right before the draft where we see a more close up view of his shooting form:

Watch on YouTube

[Dogen]

Celtics are valuing high character guys since Brad took over. My guess is they're gonna draft a guy that projects to be a good role player and could contribute in year 1 or 2. Don't think they're gonna draft high upside, long-term project.

One of the following trio is my best guess: Andre Jackson Jr, Jackson-Davis, Jordan Walsh. Don't watch college basketball so no idea who is the sleeper. I just know drafting small guards is a no-no. So no to Sasser.

This was my comment on June 13th. Crazy that C's traded away Sasser, who I said was a no-no, and picked one of the 3 guys I liked in the early second.

Loved C's maneuvering in this draft. 3 out of 4 2nd rounders they've got have a legit chance of being in the 30s. Smart to spread them though 4 years.

My prediction is that kid drafted at #24 will be part of a sign and trade that gets Grant to Dallas.

Interesting. Are you suggesting that Olivier-Maxence Prosper was Brad's guy at 25, but he arranged for Sacto to take him at 24 and then trade to Dallas so that the Celtics could get him back as part of the Grant S&T?

Then Brad trades the 25 pick into the second round, turning it into another guy that he liked, Walsh, and 4 future 2nds in those trade, and ends up with basically two firsts (if he would have taken Walsh at 25) and 4 2nds out of that pick.

That would be some 4-D chess kind of stuff!

[aim2please]

Spoiler:

Celtics are valuing high character guys since Brad took over. My guess is they're gonna draft a guy that projects to be a good role player and could contribute in year 1 or 2. Don't think they're gonna draft high upside, long-term project.

One of the following trio is my best guess: Andre Jackson Jr, Jackson-Davis, Jordan Walsh. Don't watch college basketball so no idea who is the sleeper. I just know drafting small guards is a no-no. So no to Sasser.

This was my comment on June 13th. Crazy that C's traded away Sasser, who I said was a no-no, and picked one of the 3 guys I liked in the early second.

Loved C's maneuvering in this draft. 3 out of 4 2nd rounders they've got have a legit chance of being in the 30s. Smart to spread them though 4 years.

My prediction is that kid drafted at #24 will be part of a sign and trade that gets Grant to Dallas.

Interesting. Are you suggesting that Olivier-Maxence Prosper was Brad's guy at 25, but he arranged for Sacto to take him at 24 and then trade to Dallas so that the Celtics could get him back as part of the Grant S&T?

Then Brad trades the 25 pick into the second round, turning it into another guy that he liked, Walsh, and 4 future 2nds in those trade, and ends up with basically two firsts (if he would have taken Walsh at 25) and 4 2nds out of that pick.

That would be some 4-D chess kind of stuff!

Just a hunch. Mavs interested in Grant, who shares an agent with Doncic. Celtics interested in Prosper according to Givony and Woo.

All the stuff that was reported in the days leading up to the draft implied Dallas tried to accomplish the following: trade down from #10, get a pick in the teens back while simultaneously swap Bertans for a big man. Then use the extra asset left to get a starting forward. Hence the Capela + 15 for Bertans + 10 rumor. Use 15 to get a forward.

They did even better, traded 10 for 12 + 24, while swapping Bertans for Holmes.

Maybe they just keep the kid and use mid-level to get a forward. But my version is more fun.

[cl2117]

yep. He got too cute. I didn't mind the trade backs but once we had two picks with some intriguing talent still on the board he should have drafted a couple of them. I'm not mad at the Walsh pick though there were other guys I'd have taken, but I am disappointed that we didn't use the 2nd pick.

Vukcevic
Jackson
Gueye
Lewis
Tyson
GG Jackson

all the above were worth drafting and would have made the roster. Some actual upside too with potential at being major contributors. But Brad didn't see that and chose to kick the can down the road. Oh well. Let's just hope we don't regret it like we do with the 2020 draft (Bane) and even more disastrous 2019 draft (passed on Poole, Claxton, Keldon Johnson multiple times)

Eh, there was no sense in making 2 draft picks. A veteran team that's a contender doesn't need 2 rookies. Hard enough for 1 rookie to try and make the team and somehow scratch and claw for some minutes.

And as for your list, Walsh is a better prospect than all of those guys imo, except GG. And I had GG ranked just barely ahead of Walsh, on the same tier. But that's just BPA. In terms of fit/need for this Celtics team, Walsh is by far a better fit than GG. Walsh is a much better defender, much better ball mover, higher motor, etc.

With all those 2nds pouring in, I thought maybe Brad would keep two, but for a contending team with a lot of contracts still to work out, and previous 2nd rounds waiting in the wings, it's better to keep those 2nds for future drafts and trades.

One rookie is enough this year, and Walsh fits a need. I'm more interested in what Brad has planned for that MLE. Is it used in a trade, to move a contract, or maybe some vet help in shooting, PG, or back up big?

I disagree slightly.

With the money we're presumably about to drop on a trio of JB, JT and KP, the Celtics are going to need a steady pipeline of cheap talent to fill out the roster. With late firsts/early seconds, if those players are ever going to be able to contribute they need to be developed which means you have to plant the seeds a couple years before you can actually harvest the production. We can't just grab a guy at #38/39 and expect them to make an impact early on.

That's why I was in favor of double dipping early in the 2nd since these guys are lottery tickets and you're likely needing multiple shots to get even one to work out. And with the addition of a third two-way contract it's easier to carry said players without it impacting your 15 man roster.

At the same time I do appreciate how useful a bundle 2nds were during the last trade deadline for competing teams trying to add veteran pieces, so I'm not mad at Brad because I get what he's doing and am also on board with that.

Still though I'd prefer to have Gueye to Atlanta's 2027 2nd right now, especially since you can usually straight buy a similar quality 2nd if you're willing to pony up the cash.

[Jammer]

Jarred Vanderbilt isn't special lmao. He's got length, high motor, and decent lateral mobility. It's not a common combo but acting like that's some special unicorn player is just ridiculous.

Strongly disagree. I watched Vanderbilt play about 50 games with Utah this season, and another 5-10 with the Lakers.

I stand by my statements. And if you don't agree, it's not a difference of opinion, it's that simply you haven't watched him pick up Point Guards full court and drive Luka bananas by getting in his face without having fouls called. Off hand, I can't think of another player with that size who can stay with Point Guards full court and get in Small Forwards faces to the point of bothering their offense.

Yes, he is primarily played as a small ball center or PF, but situationally, his coaches realize his versatility and use it to advantage.

[BK_2020]

Jarred Vanderbilt isn't special lmao. He's got length, high motor, and decent lateral mobility. It's not a common combo but acting like that's some special unicorn player is just ridiculous.

Strongly disagree. I watched Vanderbilt play about 50 games with Utah this season, and another 5-10 with the Lakers.

I stand by my statements. And if you don't agree, it's not a difference of opinion, it's that simply you haven't watched him pick up Point Guards full court and drive Luka bananas by getting in his face without having fouls called. Off hand, I can't think of another player with that size who can stay with Point Guards full court and get in Small Forwards faces to the point of bothering their offense.

Yes, he is primarily played as a small ball center or PF, but situationally, his coaches realize his versatility and use it to advantage.

He was traded twice for peanuts. While each time he was in a larger package, it's pretty obvious that his market value as repeatedly proven by actual transactions is no more than one SRP.
That doesn't mean, of course, that a player like him isn't useful.

[fallguy]

Jarred Vanderbilt isn't special lmao. He's got length, high motor, and decent lateral mobility. It's not a common combo but acting like that's some special unicorn player is just ridiculous.

Strongly disagree. I watched Vanderbilt play about 50 games with Utah this season, and another 5-10 with the Lakers.

I stand by my statements. And if you don't agree, it's not a difference of opinion, it's that simply you haven't watched him pick up Point Guards full court and drive Luka bananas by getting in his face without having fouls called. Off hand, I can't think of another player with that size who can stay with Point Guards full court and get in Small Forwards faces to the point of bothering their offense.

Yes, he is primarily played as a small ball center or PF, but situationally, his coaches realize his versatility and use it to advantage.

You watched 50 Utah games?

[Jammer]

Jarred Vanderbilt isn't special lmao. He's got length, high motor, and decent lateral mobility. It's not a common combo but acting like that's some special unicorn player is just ridiculous.

Strongly disagree. I watched Vanderbilt play about 50 games with Utah this season, and another 5-10 with the Lakers.

I stand by my statements. And if you don't agree, it's not a difference of opinion, it's that simply you haven't watched him pick up Point Guards full court and drive Luka bananas by getting in his face without having fouls called. Off hand, I can't think of another player with that size who can stay with Point Guards full court and get in Small Forwards faces to the point of bothering their offense.

Yes, he is primarily played as a small ball center or PF, but situationally, his coaches realize his versatility and use it to advantage.

You watched 50 Utah games?

YES

[Hal14]

Jarred Vanderbilt isn't special lmao. He's got length, high motor, and decent lateral mobility. It's not a common combo but acting like that's some special unicorn player is just ridiculous.

Strongly disagree. I watched Vanderbilt play about 50 games with Utah this season, and another 5-10 with the Lakers.

I stand by my statements. And if you don't agree, it's not a difference of opinion, it's that simply you haven't watched him pick up Point Guards full court and drive Luka bananas by getting in his face without having fouls called. Off hand, I can't think of another player with that size who can stay with Point Guards full court and get in Small Forwards faces to the point of bothering their offense.

Yes, he is primarily played as a small ball center or PF, but situationally, his coaches realize his versatility and use it to advantage.

He was traded twice for peanuts. While each time he was in a larger package, it's pretty obvious that his market value as repeatedly proven by actual transactions is no more than one SRP.
That doesn't mean, of course, that a player like him isn't useful.

Agreed. Vando is a good player. Solid 9th/10th man in this league. But like BK said, he's bounced around a lot from team to team. Teams seem to have no problem moving him to a different team without getting much in return (except being traded for Gobert, but Utah got a TON of other stuff in that trade too).

If Walsh can be that level of player (a solid 9th/10th man who can hustle, play D, do the dirty work, bring energy) then it's a hell of a pick at 38 for us.

[Jammer]

Jarred Vanderbilt isn't special lmao. He's got length, high motor, and decent lateral mobility. It's not a common combo but acting like that's some special unicorn player is just ridiculous.

Strongly disagree. I watched Vanderbilt play about 50 games with Utah this season, and another 5-10 with the Lakers.

I stand by my statements. And if you don't agree, it's not a difference of opinion, it's that simply you haven't watched him pick up Point Guards full court and drive Luka bananas by getting in his face without having fouls called. Off hand, I can't think of another player with that size who can stay with Point Guards full court and get in Small Forwards faces to the point of bothering their offense.

Yes, he is primarily played as a small ball center or PF, but situationally, his coaches realize his versatility and use it to advantage.

He was traded twice for peanuts. While each time he was in a larger package, it's pretty obvious that his market value as repeatedly proven by actual transactions is no more than one SRP.
That doesn't mean, of course, that a player like him isn't useful.

Well, the Lakers had the Jazz by the balls in the trade before the deadline.

The Jazz wanted to get off Conley's 24.6M for this coming season, and the minutes he'd consume. The Jazz also sent out Nickel Alexander-Walker, who they weren't planning on re-signing since his Qualifying Offer was like $6M. And, the Jazz wanted to tank to drop from the #15 to #17 pick down to #9 (which they successfully did, but injuries helped in that regard as well). So, for the cost of two second round picks to Minnesota, they shipped Conley & NAW off to Minnesota, who didn't want to re-sign DeAngelo Russell, so they shipped him to the Lakers for a 2nd Round Pick from the Lakers.

For the numbers to work under the CBA, the Lakers had to ship out Russell Westbrook (who the Jazz bought out), plus Damian Jones, who the Jazz could actually use and he exercised his player option, and Juan Toscano, who the Jazz also played but are not bringing back. The Jazz shipped the Lakers Beasley, who they did not plan on re-signing, and had to include Vanderbilt for the numbers to work. The Lakers knew how badly the Jazz wanted to unload Conley's 24.6M next season, and they played hardball saying Westball was pretty good in his own right, so they only sent a 2027 Top 4 Protected Pick that converts to a 2027 2nd Rounder if it's in the Top 4 (which it probably will be knowing the Lakers). But Vanderbilt by himself would probably have commanded more. But yes, he has been traded twice, neither time apparently for much value.

The Lakers record DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED AFTER VANDERBILT JOINED THEM. And the Jazz's record dropped dramatically after Vanderbilt (and Conley) left them.

[return2glory]

Not sure if this was posted yet.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/tracking-top-undrafted-free-agents-2023-nba-draft-signed

Adama Sanogo- NBA Destination: Chicago Bulls (Two-way)

Oscar Tshiebwe- NBA Destination: Indiana Pacers (Two-way)

Drew Timme- NBA Destination: Milwaukee Bucks (Exhibit-10)

Colin Castleton- NBA Destination: Los Angeles Lakers (Two-way)

Tosan Evbuomwan- NBA Destination: Detroit Pistons (Exhibit-10)

Drew Peterson- NBA Destination: Miami Heat (Exhibit-10)

Jacob Toppin- NBA Destination: New York Knicks (Two-way)

The Heat scouts must have been reading my posts. The selected 3 of my top 7 picks that I wanted for us last week when we had the 35th. Jaime Jaquez Jr, Jordan Miller and Drew Peterson.

[return2glory]

Vincent Valerio-Bodon- NBA Destination: Celtics (Summer League).

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Wing | Hungary
Height: 6'10” | Weight: 210 lbs
2023 Draft Age: 22.14

Prospect Profile
Although he’s the size of a big at 6-foot-10, Valerio-Bodon is a pure wing that plays with a combination of positional size, length, shooting, and fluidity. He possesses intriguing tools and strong frame for a wing. The 22-year-old has developed physically quite a bit in recent years and now uses his body and broad shoulders well on both ends. He’s never truly lifted weights or been a part of a strength program. He has long arms and legs and is able to cover a ton of ground.

Valerio-Bodon cleans the glass well and can also grab and go. Again, Valerio-Bodon is primarily a perimeter threat offensively. He has a quick release on his jump shot and is more than just a catch-and-shoot guy. He can make jumpers in rhythm, but also on the move. He shoots a quick, consistent jumper with minimal movement and a high release point.

On the defensive end, Valerio-Bodon is pretty versatile with his length and mobility. He’s overall disruptive and seems to have a high IQ when evaluating his rotations within a scheme.

[ParticleMan]

intriguing. unlike a lot of euros whose highlight films are them raining open 3's or overpowering smaller guys Valerio seems like athletically and skillset wise he could actually play in the NBA.