2024 Draft Prospects

[yosemiteben]

How do you guys just not see scoring was not our issue when we just traded Rozier and Hayward. Scoring wasn't the problem. It's always been about defense and playing team ball.

If you ignore the fact that we scored worse than most NBA teams, I can understand how you could have the take that our offense has been playing at an acceptable level.

Pre-ASB, our offense was bottom 4 in the league. Post-ASB, that has dropped to bottom 2.

I'm very sure you're on an island if your argument is our offense doesn't require help.

[luciano-davidwesley]

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.

To say he's only had 3-4 good games in 31 is being intentionally misleading. Not the be-all but he's had at least 7 games where he's scored at least 20 points.

7/31 20+ games for a freshman in a blue blood program seems pretty impressive to me.

Also this does not take into account any of his significant intangible influence in a game which has been well discussed already.

[Liver_Pooty]

How do you guys just not see scoring was not our issue when we just traded Rozier and Hayward. Scoring wasn't the problem. It's always been about defense and playing team ball.

If you ignore the fact that we scored worse than most NBA teams, I can understand how you could have the take that our offense has been playing at an acceptable level.

Pre-ASB, our offense was bottom 4 in the league. Post-ASB, that has dropped to bottom 2.

I'm very sure you're on an island if your argument is our offense doesn't require help.

He wants Miller to get 45 shots a game.

[JustBuzzin]

Have you watched the games where we struggle to score 95 points? I have a hard time believing that you've watched us play all season and your big takeaway is "definitely don't need any more scoring".

Scoring is more than how many points you put on the board.

It's the way we run our offense. There is no flow, just Bridges iso most of the time. They run a screen for Miller every now and then. For the most part it's just guys doing there on thing.

We suck because not many players are playing defense. If you want a better offense you need to look at guys who play smart. Adding another scorer does nothing but take away shots from our main core of Melo/Bridges/Miller. That's plenty offense.

The game is played on both sides. You need other players who play their role and not try to jack up shots just because. I watch Castle and he's not going to come in here and play hero ball. He does the little things and makes the correct play. He's not my #1 player, but I do think he would be a great fit with our starters.

Really not tracking this take.

Scoring is literally the act of adding points to the board. You say it's something else, and then immediately say we don't need another scorer because Melo / Miles / Miller are enough points. Not sure what your operating definition is scoring / scorer is.

And I'll just repeat that we routinely struggle to break 100 points. We are not overrun with scorers / "people who score points".

I'm basically saying Melo being out our offensive system is broken. Our scoring is down because we got players not playing their role. The offense should clearly be running through Miller. Instead we got Miles playing iso ball and he's chucking more shots than usual because Melo is out. We basically traded Terry and asked Miles to take over the lead scoring role. That's not Miles. We struggle to score because players are not playing their normal roles. I see a lot of forced shots most of them are coming from Miles.

Once you get LaMelo back I promise you will see a major difference in our offense.

[JustBuzzin]

How do you guys just not see scoring was not our issue when we just traded Rozier and Hayward. Scoring wasn't the problem. It's always been about defense and playing team ball.

If you ignore the fact that we scored worse than most NBA teams, I can understand how you could have the take that our offense has been playing at an acceptable level.

Pre-ASB, our offense was bottom 4 in the league. Post-ASB, that has dropped to bottom 2.

I'm very sure you're on an island if your argument is our offense doesn't require help.

Melo is the key to our offense improving.

Kind of hard to improve when he's on the bench in street clothes. Melo puts everyone back to their normal role. The fact that we are running our offense through Miles Bridges should explain our record.

Miles is a 3rd option who's being forced to play the 1st option role. It's not hard to comprehend. Look at his shot attempts and the fact we don't have a real true pg. Micic is decent, but he's new and still doesn't know the strengths and weaknesses of the players on the roster.

Clifford is a major problem with our offense as well. He doesn't have a system which is why you have Miles playing iso ball 80% of the time.

[JustBuzzin]

How do you guys just not see scoring was not our issue when we just traded Rozier and Hayward. Scoring wasn't the problem. It's always been about defense and playing team ball.

If you ignore the fact that we scored worse than most NBA teams, I can understand how you could have the take that our offense has been playing at an acceptable level.

Pre-ASB, our offense was bottom 4 in the league. Post-ASB, that has dropped to bottom 2.

I'm very sure you're on an island if your argument is our offense doesn't require help.

He wants Miller to get 45 shots a game.

No I want the offense ran through Miller. The kid needs to develop. The crap we are running on offense is just bad for his development. Most of the time he's just standing in the corner waiting for the kickout 3. You can't grow if you don't put the ball in his hands and let him figure it out. I don't mind Miles taking the most shots. I just want the offense ran through Miller more. We aren't playing for anything right now. Why not let Miller grow? Miles stat padding is only going to lead to a bigger contract at the end of the season. We know what we have in Bridges. The rookie needs to grow!

Do some of you guys just love to shade Miller? It's very obvious he's the best player on the team even as a rookie. If Melo was playing that would be a different story. I love all the players, but yes Miller has become my favorite player. Doesn't mean I don't care about the rest of the team. I just want this kid to learn and grow. Put the ball in his hands more let him make plays off the dribble. That's all I ask.

[SWedd523]

Bro we get the vibe.

Miles scores 27 on 57% shooting, Micic 25 on 90%, and Grant 18 on 55% and you're dogging them out because Miller isn't getting Cam Thomas level usage despite clearly having an off night.

I don't think anybody minds you being a Miller Stan, just be real. We all are extremely happy with Miller and excited for his future. Acceptance is the first step

[GiggitySmalls]

Bro we get the vibe.

Miles scores 27 on 57% shooting, Micic 25 on 90%, and Grant 18 on 55% and you're dogging them out because Miller isn't getting Cam Thomas level usage despite clearly having an off night.

I don't think anybody minds you being a Miller Stan, just be real. We all are extremely happy with Miller and excited for his future. Acceptance is the first step

Offense should be ran through Miller though. Especially at the end of the season. We have nothing to play for. Let him get the reps in and the feel for being the number 1 scorer on the court. He's almost 60 games deep let the Offense run through him so he can develop into more usage for next year.

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[SWedd523]

Not when he's 4-12 and all his other teammates are shooting well.

[Liver_Pooty]

If you ignore the fact that we scored worse than most NBA teams, I can understand how you could have the take that our offense has been playing at an acceptable level.

Pre-ASB, our offense was bottom 4 in the league. Post-ASB, that has dropped to bottom 2.

I'm very sure you're on an island if your argument is our offense doesn't require help.

He wants Miller to get 45 shots a game.

No I want the offense ran through Miller. The kid needs to develop. The crap we are running on offense is just bad for his development. Most of the time he's just standing in the corner waiting for the kickout 3. You can't grow if you don't put the ball in his hands and let him figure it out. I don't mind Miles taking the most shots. I just want the offense ran through Miller more. We aren't playing for anything right now. Why not let Miller grow? Miles stat padding is only going to lead to a bigger contract at the end of the season. We know what we have in Bridges. The rookie needs to grow!

Do some of you guys just love to shade Miller? It's very obvious he's the best player on the team even as a rookie. If Melo was playing that would be a different story. I love all the players, but yes Miller has become my favorite player. Doesn't mean I don't care about the rest of the team. I just want this kid to learn and grow. Put the ball in his hands more let him make plays off the dribble. That's all I ask.

Shade on Miller. Lol. I advocated for him maybe even before you were on the board. He's also not the best player on the team, yet.

Just saying there are other players on the team other than Miller, and his development has been perfectly fine. And perfectly fine is an understatement.

[JustBuzzin]

Bro we get the vibe.

Miles scores 27 on 57% shooting, Micic 25 on 90%, and Grant 18 on 55% and you're dogging them out because Miller isn't getting Cam Thomas level usage despite clearly having an off night.

I don't think anybody minds you being a Miller Stan, just be real. We all are extremely happy with Miller and excited for his future. Acceptance is the first step

I apologize if im coming off as a jerk to some. Yes im a Miller stan mainly because I vouched for us to take this kid and so many of my other buddies desperately wanted us to take Scoot. So it is somewhat personal with me. I truly think this kid will be one of the best to ever lace em up for the Hornets.

I still care about the other players. I love the future of this team. Just frustrated we keep playing through Bridges and we keep losing. I just want to see what it would look like if the offense was in Miller's hands a bit more that's all.

I accept that im a Miller stan.

[yosemiteben]

There's just no intellectually honest take to be made that our team is too loaded with offensive talent to prioritize that. Teams that win 14 games in a season and have bottom 5 offenses don't have the luxury of saying we've got too many scorers.

I agree that a healthy Melo and different offensive system would likely change our efficiency, but for me that doesn't change the underlying fact that we're a dog **** team offensively and it would be a mistake to turn down offensive talent just because we like our current offensive potential.

[JustBuzzin]

There's just no intellectually honest take to be made that our team is too loaded with offensive talent to prioritize that. Teams that win 14 games in a season and have bottom 5 offenses don't have the luxury of saying we've got too many scorers.

I agree that a healthy Melo and different offensive system would likely change our efficiency, but for me that doesn't change the underlying fact that we're a dog **** team offensively and it would be a mistake to turn down offensive talent just because we like our current offensive potential.

Who are your top 3 prospects you would want us to draft if we land the #1 pick?

I'm trying to see what elite offensive players you want, because honestly this draft doesn't have many of those players besides Knecht.

[SWedd523]

You have nothing to prove here with Miller my man. I don't think there's a single person on this board who currently has Scoot as the better pick. Rest easy.

I'm personally fine force feeding Miller when he's either having a hot night or the other guys aren't playing well.

But last night there were multiple dudes on a burner en route to a win. Roll with the good times.

Take solace in that Miller realized that and deferred to his teammates instead of Kobe-ing things to a loss. That shows a level of emotional intelligence by a rookie that should be appreciated.

[SWedd523]

There's just no intellectually honest take to be made that our team is too loaded with offensive talent to prioritize that. Teams that win 14 games in a season and have bottom 5 offenses don't have the luxury of saying we've got too many scorers.

I agree that a healthy Melo and different offensive system would likely change our efficiency, but for me that doesn't change the underlying fact that we're a dog **** team offensively and it would be a mistake to turn down offensive talent just because we like our current offensive potential.

Who are your top 3 prospects you would want us to draft if we land the #1 pick?

I'm trying to see what elite offensive players you want, because honestly this draft doesn't have many of those players besides Knecht.

That's an entirely different argument than your initial premise

[JDR720]

Our offense, on paper, should be solid if we ever get healthy.

But I'm not sure what the point of this discussion is. There aren't any top scorers at the top of this draft. But there is no compelling argument that we shouldn't draft offensive players anyway.

Sarr may be the exception, who is also coincidently the only defensive minded top pick in this draft as far as I can tell. So unless we pick him, whoever else we get will be offensive minded.

[JustBuzzin]

There's just no intellectually honest take to be made that our team is too loaded with offensive talent to prioritize that. Teams that win 14 games in a season and have bottom 5 offenses don't have the luxury of saying we've got too many scorers.

I agree that a healthy Melo and different offensive system would likely change our efficiency, but for me that doesn't change the underlying fact that we're a dog **** team offensively and it would be a mistake to turn down offensive talent just because we like our current offensive potential.

Who are your top 3 prospects you would want us to draft if we land the #1 pick?

I'm trying to see what elite offensive players you want, because honestly this draft doesn't have many of those players besides Knecht.

That's an entirely different argument than your initial premise

It was meant to get back on topic about the draft prospects.

I said what I had to say about not needing another scorer. I think we have 3 potential 20+ ppg guys in Melo/Bridges/Miller. If we can't score enough points with 3 players giving us a potential 60+ in points then that means we have failed to put talent around them.


My thing is this is not exactly a draft where you will find a elite scorer. Just trying to figure out who that player is...

[JustBuzzin]

Our offense, on paper, should be solid if we ever get healthy.

But I'm not sure what the point of this discussion is. There aren't any top scorers at the top of this draft. But there is no compelling argument that we shouldn't draft offensive players anyway.

Sarr may be the exception, who is also coincidently the only defensive minded top pick in this draft as far as I can tell. So unless we pick him, whoever else we get will be offensive minded.

Which is why im cool with drafting any of the top wings. All of them have potential to be 2 way players with their length and athleticism.

Castle is just a player who has stuck out to me that is not a wing. I basically like Risacher/Buzelis/Cody, but the non wing that has caught my attention is Castle. I like his fit on this team as a potential 2 way guard. He looks pro ready and he's really not being asked to score a lot. He came out of high school as a scorer. He has adjusted his game for the better of the team. That is a mature high IQ kind of player we are lacking. Scoring is a plus, but those other attributes is really what we lack imo.

Once again the offense is bad, because the head of the show is on the bench. Put Melo back on the floor with these guys and you will see a totally different offense. No more force feeding Miles. You got Melo who is a star in his own right. Now that opens up the offense for much easier baskets for Miles. I miss Miles in transition with Melo. Miller catch n shoot for the open 3. This offense has a ton of potential, but Melo has to stay on the floor.

[GiggitySmalls]

Not when he's 4-12 and all his other teammates are shooting well.

Hes the type of player that even on a bad bight should be 8 for 20 when he's off. He should get about 15 to 17 shots a game. Not 20 yet but around that number. Miller had an off night. He needs to shoot through them because shooters shoot. He has to learn how to get over the hump to get to that next level.

Draft wise. There are a bunch of guys I'm ok with. I'm in a 3 way tie between buzelis/Holland/Williams. I guess after that Sheppard or castle. I expect us to pick one if those 5. If we end up 1 or 2 in saying

1. Sarr
2. Risacher

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[JustBuzzin]

For those who don't have to work in the morning Cody Williams returns from injury later tonight. I will probably watch him I haven't really watched any of these top prospects until now. I really start looking at these players more closely. I like what I saw from Castle earlier today.