2024 NBA DRAFT THREAD 3

[Thaddy]

Outside of Sarr, the guy near the top that makes the most sense alongside our core long-term is Topic.

Some will disagree because they'll argue Quickley is our PG. I love the progress IQ has made as a play maker but he isn't a true PG. Neither is Scottie. Neither is RJ. All three of those guys are good off ball players though.

Raptors could use an organizer to push their offense to the next level. Someone who actually creates good shots for others as appose to just making good reads. We haven't had a player like that since Kyle.

Long-term, Topic would likely push IQ to the bench where he's probably best suited as a high usage 6th man. I'd still like to re-sign Quickly because this process would take a couple years to play out (i.e. Topic starts out as back up PG and moves into the SL in year 2).

We also need another multi-dimensional forward though I don't see great options in the top 6.

Topic otoh is a good bet to work out and we could really use someone with his skillset.

He is a home run for us. Ditto Sarr and Castle. I cannot see Topic happening at 6 but I can see Reed Sheppard.

Topic's not going to be able to deal with the length and athleticism of the NBA. He can't shoot either. Why is he ranked so high?

[RoteSchroder]

You're talking about Reed Sheppard.

Not remotely the same quality of play maker though I like him too for other reasons. Edit: to put some numbers to it, Topic is averaging 11 assists per 100 in a pro league in Europe whereas Reed is averaging 8 assists per 100 in college.

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I'm not a huge Topic fan: poor defense, poor shooting, subpar athleticism

Of his two strengths (slashing and passing), I don't really see Nash/Jokic/Doncic level passing or shot creation and in order for you to maximize your passing, you need to be a dangerous scorer in the first place.

But to be fair, when he joined the EU-1, it seems like he just had a smaller role. A/TO of 4/1 and 3/1 with 4 and 2 FGA (50%) in his two games. Shooting is also something more easily developed among young players as long as they don't have a terrible form or hitch.

[Syd-TK3]

Who wants some potential draft day f*ckery? Now that the Spurs are 5th pre-lottery there's some potentially likely headaches that could arise depending on where the balls land.

If there's a Spurs pick from 7-9 now, we won't know whether it's ours or not until we hit the Top 4.

If it's 6 or 10 then we either jumped up or dropped down significantly and thus it conveyed.

Nah they will use our picture for our pick and then just say whether or not it's going to the spurs after

[Chpwags]

What is everyones opinion of Dalton Knecht? He looks NBA ready has good athelticism, good size/ length and NBA range. No one is really talking about him but he is a projected lottery pick on every mock. Is it a matter of being too old to be drafted with a top 6, but too good to slip to 16-20. I could see him fit in our offense with cutting, relocating and attacking close outs. I could see him fitting well beside 3 of Barnes, Barret Quickley and Dick and repalcing Trents production at a fraction of the cost.

[Yallbecrazy]

What is everyones opinion of Dalton Knecht? He looks NBA ready has good athelticism, good size/ length and NBA range. No one is really talking about him but he is a projected lottery pick on every mock. Is it a matter of being too old to be drafted with a top 6, but too good to slip to 16-20. I could see him fit in our offense with cutting, relocating and attacking close outs. I could see him fitting well beside 3 of Barnes, Barret Quickley and Dick and repalcing Trents production at a fraction of the cost.

Ceiling seems to be a 6th man bench scorer. Since he's old his ideal draft fit is a contender up against the tax as they can get 4 years of nice 6th man play out of him for really cheap if he pans out.

[TGM]

Don’t mean to poor water over the fire. But I think a lot of people don’t realize despite finishing 6th still a 40% chance the pick falls outside of top 6 and still conveys to Spurs. So let’s hope ping pong ball goes are good to us.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Don’t mean to poor water over the fire. But I think a lot of people don’t realize despite finishing 6th still a 40% chance the pick falls outside of top 6 and still conveys to Spurs. So let’s hope ping pong ball goes are good to us.

I’d say the majority of us in here are well aware of that possibility.

[Psubs]

What is everyones opinion of Dalton Knecht? He looks NBA ready has good athelticism, good size/ length and NBA range. No one is really talking about him but he is a projected lottery pick on every mock. Is it a matter of being too old to be drafted with a top 6, but too good to slip to 16-20. I could see him fit in our offense with cutting, relocating and attacking close outs. I could see him fitting well beside 3 of Barnes, Barret Quickley and Dick and repalcing Trents production at a fraction of the cost.

Ceiling seems to be a 6th man bench scorer. Since he's old his ideal draft fit is a contender up against the tax as they can get 4 years of nice 6th man play out of him for really cheap if he pans out.

Buddy Hield, TH Jr, Caleb Martin, start. He can start, on a good team. On a championship team, might be a 6th man.

Knecht to the Bulls at #11. Kings at #13, eventually moving Huerter into bench player with Monk.

[DG88]

We currently have the following picks:
6th - pending May 12 lottery results
17th
31st

I'm coming into the draft believing the pick conveys leaving us with the 17th and 31st pick.

Want a big and either a guard or wing with those picks

Tristan Da Silva is my clear favourite with the 17th pick with Devin Carter and Jared McCain as other players I'd take there.

The 31st pick has a lot of flexibility because someone could drop.

[Thaddy]

I doubt Carter lasts to the second round. We should be looking at a sturdy guard that has clear defensive upside. I would go with Collier. He reminds me a lot of Brunson.

[deeps6x]

What is everyones opinion of Dalton Knecht? He looks NBA ready has good athelticism, good size/ length and NBA range. No one is really talking about him but he is a projected lottery pick on every mock. Is it a matter of being too old to be drafted with a top 6, but too good to slip to 16-20. I could see him fit in our offense with cutting, relocating and attacking close outs. I could see him fitting well beside 3 of Barnes, Barret Quickley and Dick and repalcing Trents production at a fraction of the cost.

Ceiling seems to be a 6th man bench scorer. Since he's old his ideal draft fit is a contender up against the tax as they can get 4 years of nice 6th man play out of him for really cheap if he pans out.

WE could also get 4 years of nice 6th man play out of him for really cheap. At #6. Which isn't too bad of an outcome in this draft. I don't think there is a chance he makes it to the Indy pick. His first two years in college he was statistically a good defender. This year, all of his energy seems to have gone into the O side of the game. We need good 3 point shooting. He has that.

We also need a decent SF/PF to help cover the loss of OG/Siakam. (even though statistically, RJ has been giving us the same as Siakam has been giving Indiana since his trade). I'm hoping for a good SF pick up with the Indy pick, and hopefully we can steal Jalen Smith or Toppin from Indy. Then we need a good backup C. Steal Hartenstein from the Knicks? Or just draft one with the Detroit pick.

FWIW, we also need a back up PG who can shoot the 3, so while I like Dalton in the 6-10 range, I think we are much more likely to take Sheppard or Dillingham, who can also shoot the 3 well and be a backup PG for us.

[deeps6x]

Its still early in the process and I haven't looked too deep yet, but this would be my ranking for the Raptors picks. Draft the highest remaining player on the list at each pick, and I'll be happy. I kind of wanted to lay it out like this to show that there are groups of players that, as attractive as they might be, just won't be available in the range of the Indy or Detroit picks. As far as who to take in each draft group range, I'll leave that up to Masai and his expert scouts. (and Boyz)

1. Alexandre Sarr PF/C, 7'1", 216 lbs, 18 yrs old

2-7. I like this group of players, in no particular order. Why 2-7 instead of 2-6? Because I just couldn't decide who to move down from this group. Hopefully we keep #6 or move up. Any of these six players (or Sarr) would probably be good additions to the core.
Nikola Topić PG, 6'6", 198 lbs, 18 yrs old
Zaccharie Risacher SG/SF, 6'8", 204 lbs, 19 yrs old
Reed Sheppard PG/SG, 6'3", 187 lbs, 19 yrs old
Ron Holland SF, 6'6", 204 lbs, 18 yrs old
Stephon Castle SG, 6'6", 215 lbs, 19 yrs old
Dalton Knecht SG/SF, 6'6", 204 lbs, 22 yrs old

8-15. I like this group of players, in no particular order. Gone before the Indy pick.
Matas Buzelis SF, 6'8", 209 lbs, 19 yrs old
Devin Carter PG/SG, 6'3", 195 lbs, 22 yrs old
Donovan Clingan C, 7'2", 280 lbs, 20 yrs old
Jared McCain PG/SG, 6'3", 197 lbs, 20 yrs old
Rob Dillingham PG/SG, 6'1", 176 lbs, 19 yrs old
Tristan da Silva SF/PF, 6'9", 220 lbs, 22 yrs old
Kyle Filipowski PF/C, 7'0", 248 lbs, 20 yrs old
Johnny Furphy SF, 6'9", 202 lbs, 19 yrs old

16-22. I like this group of players, in no particular order. # 19 Indy pick range.
Tyler Smith PF, 6'11", 224 lbs, 19 yrs old
Isaiah Collier PG, 6'4", 205 lbs, 19 yrs old
Ke'lel Ware , 7'0", 242 lbs, 19 yrs old
Ja'Kobe Walter SG/SF, 6'5", 195 lbs, 19 yrs old
Kyshawn George SG/SF, 6'8", 205 lbs, 20 yrs old
Cody Williams SF/PF, 6'9", 190 lbs, 19 yrs old
Zach Edey 7'4", C, 300 lbs, 21 yrs old

23-28. I like this group of players, in no particular order. Gone before the Detroit pick.
Ulrich Chomche C, 6'11", 225 lbs, 18 yrs old
Tidjane Salaun PF, 6'9", 212 lbs, 18 yrs old
Yves Missi C, 7'0", 235 lbs, 19 yrs old
Kevin McCullar Jr. SG/SF, 6'7", 214 lbs, 23 yrs old
Tyler Kolek PG, 6'3", 195 lbs, , 23 yrs old
Bobi Klintman SF/PF, 6'8", 215 lbs, 21 yrs old

29-33. I feel just ok about this group of players, in no particular order. Detroit pick range. Hopefully someone falls from above.
Pacome Dadiet SF/PF, 6'8", 210 lbs, 18 yrs old
Jamir Watkins SF, 6' 7", 210 lbs, 23 yrs old (in July)
Harrison Ingram SF/PF, 6'7", 235 lbs, 21 yrs old
Jaylon Tyson SF/PF, 6'7", 215 lbs, 21 yrs old
Carlton Carrington PG/SG, 6'5", 190 lbs, 18 yrs old
DaRon Holmes PF/C, 6'10", 235 lbs, 21 yrs old

34-50 is a decent group of players. Hell, if the Pacers would do it, I'd trade #31 for #36 and #49. Or better yet, for any 2025 FRP.

I don't know if they've all declared for the draft or not. I'm probably missing a few players that Masai might draft in the Detroit pick range. Kobe Johnson, Justin Edwards, Alex Karaban, Kam Jones, Sears, Ryan Dunn, McCullar, Terrence Shannon Jr., Ighodaro, Mogbo, Adem Bona, Cam Spencer, Melvin Ajinica, Hunter Sallis, but this is already 14 names here. That would take it into the 40s. Since we don't have a pick past 31, it's kind of irrelevant. Glancing at this list of 14 now, I'd probably only add another 3 names to the #31 pick group.

I think Ivisic and Collin Murray-Boyle are going back, but I'm not sure.

If you think someone should move up to a higher group, tell me who you think should move down from that group.

Who do I hope for? Any of my top seven with our pick, maybe Furphy or Edey with the Indy pick, and anyone who Masai likes that falls with the Detroit pick (or trade it on day two for anyone's 2025 FRP - which should net you a better player).

[bballsparkin]

Topic's not going to be able to deal with the length and athleticism of the NBA. He can't shoot either. Why is he ranked so high?

He's 6 foot 6 and has great ball control. If he gets his shot down he's a star. If not, maybe a Rubio.

[bballsparkin]

Watch on YouTube

The guy proceeds to rip into a teenager playing with men and criticizes his shot but shows a video of him making what looked like every shot. I mean at least show me some of his ugly misses. I would like to see them and clips of his bad defence if that is a problem. Also, it makes sense his numbers would go down while making the jump to a better league. Too bad he got injured.

[RoteSchroder]

Some potentially undrafted or lower end prospects that I find interesting:

Jaedon DeLee: 6'9 PF

Very old prospect, built like a tank, late bloomer. Not much of a passer or shot blocker, but immovable on defense and strong af. High energy, bully ball player with a recently developed mid-range shot.

21.4 PTS / 8.4 REB / 1.3 AST / 0.5 BLK / 2.4 TO

Shooting splits of 56/44.4/73.4 (low volume on 3's)

Johni Broome: 6'10 PF, good defender and rebounder with a developing perimeter shot

Tamin Lipsey: 6'1 PG with pesky defense and decent all-round offense

[TheRaptor!]

Don’t mean to poor water over the fire. But I think a lot of people don’t realize despite finishing 6th still a 40% chance the pick falls outside of top 6 and still conveys to Spurs. So let’s hope ping pong ball goes are good to us.

I am almost 100% sure we are keeping the pick

[DG88]

Don’t mean to poor water over the fire. But I think a lot of people don’t realize despite finishing 6th still a 40% chance the pick falls outside of top 6 and still conveys to Spurs. So let’s hope ping pong ball goes are good to us.

I am almost 100% sure we are keeping the pick

I think we just need to be prepared for both scenarios honestly. If we keep the pick great we get a chance at picking at the top of the draft. If we convey, we still have two picks along with our commitment to the Spurs over and we control all our future picks.

[6ixpessant]

Don’t mean to poor water over the fire. But I think a lot of people don’t realize despite finishing 6th still a 40% chance the pick falls outside of top 6 and still conveys to Spurs. So let’s hope ping pong ball goes are good to us.

I genuinely hope that we give this pick to the Spurs.

[mtcan]

Don’t mean to poor water over the fire. But I think a lot of people don’t realize despite finishing 6th still a 40% chance the pick falls outside of top 6 and still conveys to Spurs. So let’s hope ping pong ball goes are good to us.

I genuinely hope that we give this pick to the Spurs.

I hope to keep this pick, keep next year's pick then give the pick to the Spurs when we are a playoff team. There is a scenario where we are bad next season as well, after all.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Watch on YouTube

The guy proceeds to rip into a teenager playing with men and criticizes his shot but shows a video of him making what looked like every shot. I mean at least show me some of his ugly misses. I would like to see them and clips of his bad defence if that is a problem. Also, it makes sense his numbers would go down while making the jump to a better league. Too bad he got injured.

His shot does look a little flat to me, but I'm willing to bet on an 18 year old that played that well against men. I don't see him being a bust, but he may end up as a Rubio-level solid, underrated starter.