2024 Draft Prospects

[Snidely FC]

This will be a draft where I keep changing my #1 prospect.

I'm back to Cody Williams now. I just feel he can be developed into a nice 2 way player. I like his length with Miller but he seems more fluid than Miller was at this stage.

What does he actually do well, though?

There’s so much he has to improve on

positional size, unselfish style, efficiency, offensive versatility; defensive ability

examples:
65% TS
73% FG at the rim
12% assist rate
78% efg catch & shoot
1.52 ppp transition
1.14 ppp spot up
.91 ppp ball screen handler

[JMAC3]

This will be a draft where I keep changing my #1 prospect.

I'm back to Cody Williams now. I just feel he can be developed into a nice 2 way player. I like his length with Miller but he seems more fluid than Miller was at this stage.

What does he actually do well, though?

There’s so much he has to improve on

positional size, unselfish style, efficiency, offensive versatility; defensive ability

examples:
65% TS
73% FG at the rim
12% assist rate
78% efg catch & shoot
1.52 ppp transition
1.14 ppp spot up
.91 ppp ball screen handler

I have some concerns on Williams. His shooting numbers look great, but only 70% at the free throw line to go with only 1.9 threes attempted per game. Also, he has struggled staying healthy, believe he is in his third stint of season where he has missed games.

I view him much more as a slasher and spot up guy then a guy that handles the ball right now. Comp is Jaden McDaniels, with less defensive impact.

[EmpireFalls]

What does he actually do well, though?

There’s so much he has to improve on

positional size, unselfish style, efficiency, offensive versatility; defensive ability

examples:
65% TS
73% FG at the rim
12% assist rate
78% efg catch & shoot
1.52 ppp transition
1.14 ppp spot up
.91 ppp ball screen handler

What defensive ability? Seriously, what defensive ability? He gets absolutely roasted by screens, his screen navigation is like legitimately awful, he doesn’t rebound at all, he plays smaller than his size.

There is an intriguing offensive skillset but I feel like no one actually watches him play full games, he goes ghost mode regularly and then gets a layup from a cut or a wide open 3 and finishes with his efficient statline. Yeah that’s helpful but he’s not exactly a game changer. He can’t take a pull up jump shot btw. He literally doesn’t take them. And he has a <1 A/TO ratio so I’m questioning just how much of an unselfish playmaker he really is.

I have some concerns on Williams. His shooting numbers look great, but only 70% at the free throw line to go with only 1.9 threes attempted per game. Also, he has struggled staying healthy, believe he is in his third stint of season where he has missed games.

I view him much more as a slasher and spot up guy then a guy that handles the ball right now. Comp is Jaden McDaniels, with less defensive impact.

So the actual comp is Jalen McDaniels, who wad decent in 21-22 but ultimately pretty weak, who we then traded for nothing and currently is struggling for minutes on the tanking Raptors

[JMAC3]

What does he actually do well, though?

There’s so much he has to improve on

positional size, unselfish style, efficiency, offensive versatility; defensive ability

examples:
65% TS
73% FG at the rim
12% assist rate
78% efg catch & shoot
1.52 ppp transition
1.14 ppp spot up
.91 ppp ball screen handler

What defensive ability? Seriously, what defensive ability? He gets absolutely roasted by screens, his screen navigation is like legitimately awful, he doesn’t rebound at all, he plays smaller than his size.

There is an intriguing offensive skillset but I feel like no one actually watches him play full games, he goes ghost mode regularly and then gets a layup from a cut or a wide open 3 and finishes with his efficient statline. Yeah that’s helpful but he’s not exactly a game changer. He can’t take a pull up jump shot btw. He literally doesn’t take them. And he has a <1 A/TO ratio so I’m questioning just how much of an unselfish playmaker he really is.

I have some concerns on Williams. His shooting numbers look great, but only 70% at the free throw line to go with only 1.9 threes attempted per game. Also, he has struggled staying healthy, believe he is in his third stint of season where he has missed games.

I view him much more as a slasher and spot up guy then a guy that handles the ball right now. Comp is Jaden McDaniels, with less defensive impact.

So the actual comp is Jalen McDaniels, who wad decent in 21-22 but ultimately pretty weak, who we then traded for nothing and currently is struggling for minutes on the tanking Raptors

So you think he is basically not an NBA player? If you are saying he is Jalen McDaniels then he should go like 50th in the draft. Is that where you think he should go?

[Rich4114]

Sarr showed some excellent perimeter defence when isolated against a guard.

Edit:

Read on Twitter

You can tell the difference between the NBA and that league in the first 3 seconds of that clip. In the NBA, once Sarr leaves his feet the shooter is going up into him and drawing that foul.

Yeah, this clip tells us very little for that reason exactly. One of the many reasons we're bad is because our entire roster fouls constantly and doesn't draw fouls nearly enough. This is going to be just as bad with more young players getting big mins. Of course if we are picking top 3, then Sarr has to be considered because he could develop into someone really good. But just sayin'.

[Chapelchilla]

I did not mean to imply that Reed should be the number one pick or 1st target for the Hornets BUT if we are picking 5th or thereabouts, he is definitely worth looking at.
He is nothing like Bouk though. He is amongst the best high-volume shooters of all time and works hard on D. He also sees the court really well and creates for others. Take a look at his long outlet passes over the top of the D. Bouk and Terry would never make those plays and neither can shoot at Reeds level. He may or may not make it to the 5th pick but if he does, we could do a lot worse than landing a very creative sharpshooter with play making and a high 2way motor.

[Chapelchilla]

And his recent game against the then #4 team in the country shows why he may be special -

Watch on YouTube

His shooting is repeatable and not of the streaky, lucky big game Terry sort. More Stephon-ish in his consistency.
He is a “dawg” who can shoot lights out.

[JustBuzzin]

This will be a draft where I keep changing my #1 prospect.

I'm back to Cody Williams now. I just feel he can be developed into a nice 2 way player. I like his length with Miller but he seems more fluid than Miller was at this stage.

What does he actually do well, though?

There’s so much he has to improve on

He doesn't do anything well, but he just does a little bit of everything which tells me he can develop his skills if he puts in the work. I see him eventually developing into a all-around wing player but I don't think he will ever be a star. Just a high level complimentary piece of a 3&D wing who can also play the point forward role.

[EmpireFalls]

positional size, unselfish style, efficiency, offensive versatility; defensive ability

examples:
65% TS
73% FG at the rim
12% assist rate
78% efg catch & shoot
1.52 ppp transition
1.14 ppp spot up
.91 ppp ball screen handler

What defensive ability? Seriously, what defensive ability? He gets absolutely roasted by screens, his screen navigation is like legitimately awful, he doesn’t rebound at all, he plays smaller than his size.

There is an intriguing offensive skillset but I feel like no one actually watches him play full games, he goes ghost mode regularly and then gets a layup from a cut or a wide open 3 and finishes with his efficient statline. Yeah that’s helpful but he’s not exactly a game changer. He can’t take a pull up jump shot btw. He literally doesn’t take them. And he has a <1 A/TO ratio so I’m questioning just how much of an unselfish playmaker he really is.

I have some concerns on Williams. His shooting numbers look great, but only 70% at the free throw line to go with only 1.9 threes attempted per game. Also, he has struggled staying healthy, believe he is in his third stint of season where he has missed games.

I view him much more as a slasher and spot up guy then a guy that handles the ball right now. Comp is Jaden McDaniels, with less defensive impact.

So the actual comp is Jalen McDaniels, who wad decent in 21-22 but ultimately pretty weak, who we then traded for nothing and currently is struggling for minutes on the tanking Raptors

So you think he is basically not an NBA player? If you are saying he is Jalen McDaniels then he should go like 50th in the draft. Is that where you think he should go?

You were the one who made the Jaden McDaniels without defense comp, is that not Jalen McDaniels?

[EmpireFalls]

I did not mean to imply that Reed should be the number one pick or 1st target for the Hornets BUT if we are picking 5th or thereabouts, he is definitely worth looking at.
He is nothing like Bouk though. He is amongst the best high-volume shooters of all time and works hard on D. He also sees the court really well and creates for others. Take a look at his long outlet passes over the top of the D. Bouk and Terry would never make those plays and neither can shoot at Reeds level. He may or may not make it to the 5th pick but if he does, we could do a lot worse than landing a very creative sharpshooter with play making and a high 2way motor.

He’s the guy I want the most just because I think he’s a great player, but how do you feel about a LaMelo-Reed defensive backcourt? Even though he gets steals, I’m not exactly sold…

[Chapelchilla]

I did not mean to imply that Reed should be the number one pick or 1st target for the Hornets BUT if we are picking 5th or thereabouts, he is definitely worth looking at.
He is nothing like Bouk though. He is amongst the best high-volume shooters of all time and works hard on D. He also sees the court really well and creates for others. Take a look at his long outlet passes over the top of the D. Bouk and Terry would never make those plays and neither can shoot at Reeds level. He may or may not make it to the 5th pick but if he does, we could do a lot worse than landing a very creative sharpshooter with play making and a high 2way motor.

He’s the guy I want the most just because I think he’s a great player, but how do you feel about a LaMelo-Reed defensive backcourt? Even though he gets steals, I’m not exactly sold…

That is a good point, OTOH -
1. I am not sure if Lamelo is going to be healthy enough to defer to going forward. Maybe they split court time up so that they operate as PG at different times and only play together when it's advantageous.
2. Or maybe Reed is the main point man and you trade Melo for picks and a better fitting 2 guard.
3. IF he can reach the near Stephon level you just take him and not worry about the fit.

He might not be all that BUT he does look like he can just flat out play basketball and he helps his team win. That approach worked with Brandon Miller. I hope we won't look past him just because lamelo sucks on D. If he continues to play well in the tourney and his measurables are OK he deserves strong consideration at least.

[Diop]

Sarr showed some excellent perimeter defence when isolated against a guard.

Edit:

Read on Twitter

You can tell the difference between the NBA and that league in the first 3 seconds of that clip. In the NBA, once Sarr leaves his feet the shooter is going up into him and drawing that foul.

Yeah, this clip tells us very little for that reason exactly. One of the many reasons we're bad is because our entire roster fouls constantly and doesn't draw fouls nearly enough. This is going to be just as bad with more young players getting big mins. Of course if we are picking top 3, then Sarr has to be considered because he could develop into someone really good. But just sayin'.

I was more referring to the 2nd part where he moved his feet well. The jump is a dumb error,

[GoBobs]

I wanna see where some of y'all are ranking Sheppard relative to the other draftees

I am still pretty early in the process and haven't watched most of these guys, but these are my thoughts just looking at the stats.

Zach Edey is my number 1 and he is somebody I have watched a lot because I looked at him last year. He has all the things I want including experience in a major role in a big program. When you have a guy who is averaging a double double with over 20 pts and 2 blks and shooting over 70% from the ft line with a PER close to 40, don't over think it. When trying to figure out how a player will translate to the league most of the time you are not going to outsmart the evidence. Also has an A+ personality which is super important if he turns out to be one of the stars of your team.

Risacher good 3pt %, decent ft % and good size - likely has a higher ceiling so I have him ahead.

Cody Williams decent ft %, good 3pt % but low volume - likely ahead

Sarr - decent ft %, 3pt % needs work, good size - likely ahead

Topic - amazing 2pt%, amazing ft%, terrible 3pt % but on a low sample size. If you believe the 3pt% is going to come along at some point based on his 87% from the ft line and his knee is ok then he is likely ahead

Buzelis - pretty mid numbers in both volume and efficiency in the G-league, he isn't really on my board

Dillingham - the other freshman guard from KY I have slightly behind Reed at the moment but it is close. I might change my mind about this one if I feel he has more PG potential after watching their games more closely. If you look at the totals on the 3pt shooting Reed is 71/135 and Dillingham is 57/128 so both are very good. I believe the number more with Reed because his ft percentage is also elite, and I think his steal numbers reflect good bbiq on defense even if he doesn't have all the physical tools.

Also I really want somebody that is mature. Any sports team only has room for one knucklehead at most. You surround that guy with a bunch of mature teammates and he can maybe hold it together long enough for you to win something.

We already have Miles Bridges. Not saying LaMelo is one, but he is most likely to show up for training camp looking like an island boy with some new tattoos, so the suspicion level is high.

Edey is the other end of the stereotypical bias, would you use a top 5 pick to sign a 7'4 white guy?

I think he is consensus top 5 if he was black, and he is probably ranked higher if he was white (which by the way his dad is white so he is actually half white, but everybody just sees the Asian)

We haven't seen a lot of Asian people in the NBA in general.

But the part of his game that we need is just the physical play and bruising style. We have suffered from to many guys that don't box out for years. Nice to have Grant Williams who is willing to put a body on somebody every trip down the floor. Edey is the same but bigger and stronger and not undersized in the height department.

We got bodied when we played the Pistons because we didn't have enough physical guys. Edey and G Williams could be the real bruise brothers.

[JustBuzzin]

Edey is slow he would be a traffic cone in the pick n roll. Race has nothing to do with it. Hibbert was black and he didn't last very long in the league. Sure he had his short run, but eventually the game passed him by. Those type of centers are no longer in the NBA.

I feel sorry for whoever takes Edey in the lottery.

[dmutombo321]

If this were 1999, Edey would be consensus #1 selection in this draft.

He'll fall because, as others have accurately pointed out, he'll be exploited on switches and the p/r and will struggle stepping out to guard shooters in the modern NBA.

What gets overlooked though is how utterly offensively dominant he is on the block and on the boards. It's not an exaggeration to say he might be the most physically imposing and efficient post threat since Shaq. When he touches the ball down low, 3 times out of 4, the opposition is forced to double team or foul..

I wouldn't touch him top 10 in this era but in a draft this weak, if I'm selecting in the teens or later, he should be in consideration. And if he's still on the board in the late 30s when we make the Houston pick, it should be a no brainer.

Edey would be a great Ying to Mark's Yang. Additionally, he's proven to be durable.

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

[Rich4114]

That highlight clip against Tennesse with Reed Sheppard was pretty impressive. But obviously, it is more than being able to shoot lights out in the NBA. Like can he play passable defense. Can he distribute. Can he take contact on his way to the rim. But what he's able to do with the ball on the perimeter both with and without the ball is impressive.

[Chapelchilla]

Here is another highlight reel where Reed displays an even more versatile game including - Steals, a nice block where he really shows his hops, several driving lay ups, 7 assists, more exceptional shot making and demands the ball before he hits a tough shot game winner on the road against another good team.

Watch on YouTube

He looks like a high impact winner to me. Can he do that in the NBA? He has some Stephon in his game.

[JMAC3]

Here is another highlight reel where Reed displays an even more versatile game including - Steals, a nice block where he really shows his hops, several driving lay ups, 7 assists, more exceptional shot making and demands the ball before he hits a tough shot game winner on the road against another good team.

Watch on YouTube

He looks like a high impact winner to me. Can he do that in the NBA? He has some Stephon in his game.

Watching his 2 best games of the year will probably have you a fan of him, but that is probably the case with every prospect.

Clinging to the 3-4 games out of 31 he has played where he looks like a potential top pick seems like a bad process to me. Too many games where he does nothing inside the 3pt line, doesn't get to the free throw line and just doesn't put the ball in the hoop.

I would be shocked if he averages more than 10 ppg next year as a rookie and that is assuming he is the #1 pick, he just has way too many flaws, gaps in his game right now.

[GoBobs]

If this were 1999, Edey would be consensus #1 selection in this draft.

He'll fall because, as others have accurately pointed out, he'll be exploited on switches and the p/r and will struggle stepping out to guard shooters in the modern NBA.

What gets overlooked though is how utterly offensively dominant he is on the block and on the boards. It's not an exaggeration to say he might be the most physically imposing and efficient post threat since Shaq. When he touches the ball down low, 3 times out of 4, the opposition is forced to double team or foul..

I wouldn't touch him top 10 in this era but in a draft this weak, if I'm selecting in the teens or later, he should be in consideration. And if he's still on the board in the late 30s when we make the Houston pick, it should be a no brainer.

Edey would be a great Ying to Mark's Yang. Additionally, he's proven to be durable.

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

There are a lot of successful NBA bigs that can't guard the pick and roll. Mark Williams for one only plays drop coverage. Rudy Gobert only plays drop coverage.

Read on Twitter

Edey: 11.37 lane agility, 3.45 three quarter court sprint, 26 standing vert, 29.5 max vert

Gobert: 12.85 lane agility, 3.57 sprint, 25 standing, 29 max vert

Brook Lopez: 12.77 lane agility, 3.57 sprint, 27.5 standing, 30.5 max vert

Deandre Jordan: 12.30 lane agility, 3.27 sprint, 26 standing, 30.5 max vert

Taj Gibson: 11.56 lane agility, 3.41 sprint, 25.5 standing, 30 max vert

[LofJ]

We need to start drafting upperclassmen with our 2nd round picks again. All of our successful 2nd round picks spent at least 3 years in college. Devonte Graham, Jalen McDaniels, Cody Martin, and Nick Richards were all juniors or seniors.

It's obviously not a set in stone recipe for success, but it's clear that the more experienced players we have drafted in the 2nd round have performed better.