2024 Draft Thread - Part II

[NatP4]

I would’ve picked Sengun it looks like:

This is how I would rank the first round:

1. Jalen Suggs
2, Evan Mobley
3. Cade Cunningham
4. Josh Giddey
5. Jalen Green
6. Franz Wagner
7. Jonathan Kuminga
8. Alperen Sengun
9. Scottie Barnes
10. Davion Mitchell
11. Usman Garuba
12. Jared Butler

[DCsOwn]

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[NatP4]

I don’t really buy any of this, but:

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[tontoz]

If the Wizards wanted to trade down then it would certainly make sense to feign interest in Sarr/Risacher.

If they actually are interested in those two i don't see the upside in telegraphing that now.

[closg00]

Sometimes the conventional wisdom is correct Re: Sarr/Zach going 1/2, not too-many other guys can be justified taking 1/2, although I would bet that a couple of stars will be drafted later.

[Dat2U]

The best shot creator in the draft is Rob Dillingham but no one seems to care because he's too small like Trae Young (164 lbs) and Ja Morant (174 lbs) and the idea of a PG that's a better scorer than defender repulses the Stephon Castle supporters.

The Trae Young example is exactly why I don't want Dillingham. Young puts up spectacular numbers and made the All-Star game in 3 of his last 5 seasons, but he gives up on defense as much as he provides on offense. Here are Atlanta's win totals in his 6 NBA seasons:

29
24*
47*
43
41
36

He has won only two playoff series (both in the same season during their improbable 2021 ECF run). The first playoff series win, they beat a horrible NY team who started the shell of Derrick Rose, Reggie Bullock, 20-year-old RJ Barrett, Randle, and Taj Gibson. There one reasonably impressive playoff win was beating Philly in the year that Simmons imploded.

What I find problematic about Trae is that, after some early success, they've been totally unable to build a winning team around him. Even when they add more talent, he is a gaping hole in the defense. And you can't really offset that liability with more offense because any additional offensive players merely take the ball out of Trae's hands so there's no cumulative benefit.

I just think that type of player puts a ceiling on how good you can be. Yeah, he'll raise the floor quickly (perhaps too quickly), but so what? He condemns your team to a ceiling of 47-win No Man's Land.

*projected over 82 games

If Rob is really the next Trae Young, then the Wizards should be all over it because that's arguably going to be the best player in this draft.

Young has little to do with the Hawks struggles since they made the conference finals. Bad drafting and bad roster construction were a bigger issue. His contributions offensively far outweigh his defensive limitations. He's actually had playoff success.

[Dat2U]

If Risacher goes #1, I take Sarr.

If Sarr goes #1, I look for a trade down or take Rob Dillingham (Holland is right there too).

Dillingham, Holland, Collier, McCain & Ware are my favorite trade down candidates. I really want to acquire another pick for Holland if he slips past San Antonio.

Dadiet, Djurisic, Holmes II & Tyson are potential steals. I hope one drops to 26.

[Dat2U]

I think this is a good point, but it's also why I rank Holland above Buzelis. Holland has the same shooting concerns, but scores more on better efficiency and more FT attempts, is roughly equivalent across the rest of the box score, yet is almost a full year younger.

Both guys look like they can be above-average starting combo forwards and plus defenders if they become better shooters. I think the advantage Holland has over Buzelis is that he can probably still be a halfway decent player even if the shot doesn't come around because of his slashing ability. Buzelis is an offensive liability until his shot starts dropping.

On the other hand, I think Buzelis' shooting form looks better than Holland and I give him better odds of becoming a good shooter.

There is a major difference between the two on the defensive end. The 1:56:00 mark of this video paints the picture:

Watch on YouTube

Shocking! An 18-yr old needs to improve against defending grown men.

The physical attributes and motor indicates he should be a good defender in time. Maybe not next year tho so I guess that should disqualify him?

[SUPERBALLMAN]

If Risacher goes #1, I take Sarr.

If Sarr goes #1, I look for a trade down or take Rob Dillingham (Holland is right there too).

Dillingham, Holland, Collier, McCain & Ware are my favorite trade down candidates. I really want to acquire another pick for Holland if he slips past San Antonio.

Dadiet, Djurisic, Holmes II & Tyson are potential steals. I hope one drops to 26.

The talk about Portland wanting to move up...

Would you deal 2 for 7 & 14 ??

[payitforward]

I would’ve picked Sengun it looks like:

This is how I would rank the first round:

1. Jalen Suggs
2, Evan Mobley
3. Cade Cunningham
4. Josh Giddey
5. Jalen Green
6. Franz Wagner
7. Jonathan Kuminga
8. Alperen Sengun
9. Scottie Barnes
10. Davion Mitchell
11. Usman Garuba
12. Jared Butler

We didn't have the #8 pick in the 2021 draft -- we snuck into the playoffs & were brushed aside by Philly in 5 games.

We picked at 15, just outside the lottery, & took Kispert.

We also had the #22 pick from the Lakers (part of the mammoth trade), but we traded it to Indy for Aaron Holiday & the #31 pick (with which we took Todd). Indy took Isaiah Jackson.

Note that the Knicks traded the #32 pick that year to OKC in return for the #34 & 36 picks. Obviously, OKC would have been just as happy to make that deal with us. In fact, since we had 31 not 32, they'd have had to throw in #55 to make the deal work.

At that point, we take Herb Jones & Ayo Dosunmu, who went in those 2 spots. Or, maybe, instead, we do take Jones, but we trade the #36 to Toronto for 46 & 47. Then we trade 46 to Philly for 50 & 53.

At 47, we take the guy Dat wanted us to take at 15 that year, Sharife Cooper.
At 50, we take Filip Petrusev (who's finally come over from Europe this year)
At 53, we take Aaron Wiggins
At 55, we take Jericho Sims

Of course, at 15 we took Trey Murphy.

So, let's see... what did we get?

Trey Murphy
Herb Jones
Sharife Cooper (to make Dat happy)
Filip Petrusev
Jericho Sims
Aaron Wiggins

5 of those 6 guys have played over 17,000 minutes in the league so far, btw.

Rebuild in a bottle!
Easy, huh?
When you're looking in the rearview mirror, that is!

[jangles86]

This board is severely underrating Rissachers shooting potential.

[NatP4]

We didn't have the #8 pick in the 2021 draft -- we snuck into the playoffs & were brushed aside by Philly in 5 games.

We picked at 15, just outside the lottery, & took Kispert.

Yes, I am aware. Sengun would’ve been the highest available player on my list when we were picking at #15.

Did not at all remember that being the case until looking up the post history just now.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Here's a good discussion on Stephon Castle with former Wizard Shelvin Mack.

Watch on YouTube

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Newest mock draft from Bleacher Report:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10122747-2024-nba-mock-draft-bronny-james-makes-the-cut-in-our-full-2-round-predictions

[NatP4]

This board is severely underrating Rissachers shooting potential.

How? Most have compared him to MPJ who is a career 20PPG per36 scorer on 62% TS and 41% from 3.

[nate33]

The best shot creator in the draft is Rob Dillingham but no one seems to care because he's too small like Trae Young (164 lbs) and Ja Morant (174 lbs) and the idea of a PG that's a better scorer than defender repulses the Stephon Castle supporters.

The Trae Young example is exactly why I don't want Dillingham. Young puts up spectacular numbers and made the All-Star game in 3 of his last 5 seasons, but he gives up on defense as much as he provides on offense. Here are Atlanta's win totals in his 6 NBA seasons:

29
24*
47*
43
41
36

He has won only two playoff series (both in the same season during their improbable 2021 ECF run). The first playoff series win, they beat a horrible NY team who started the shell of Derrick Rose, Reggie Bullock, 20-year-old RJ Barrett, Randle, and Taj Gibson. There one reasonably impressive playoff win was beating Philly in the year that Simmons imploded.

What I find problematic about Trae is that, after some early success, they've been totally unable to build a winning team around him. Even when they add more talent, he is a gaping hole in the defense. And you can't really offset that liability with more offense because any additional offensive players merely take the ball out of Trae's hands so there's no cumulative benefit.

I just think that type of player puts a ceiling on how good you can be. Yeah, he'll raise the floor quickly (perhaps too quickly), but so what? He condemns your team to a ceiling of 47-win No Man's Land.

*projected over 82 games

If Rob is really the next Trae Young, then the Wizards should be all over it because that's arguably going to be the best player in this draft.

Young has little to do with the Hawks struggles since they made the conference finals. Bad drafting and bad roster construction were a bigger issue. His contributions offensively far outweigh his defensive limitations. He's actually had playoff success.

I don't think he is as good as Trae Young because he doesn't have Young's vision and passing ability. So he's a poor man's Trae Young on offense (or more of a Darius Garland, actually), but with all the defensive problems.

[DCZards]

This is from Bleacher Report, which has Richaser being drafted #1 by ATL. It pretty much sums up why I’m taking Richaser with the second pick if ATL takes Sarr.

While scouts continue to debate the height of Risacher's ceiling, there is also a perceived level of certainty tied to his positional size, shooting and defensive tools/quickness.

[TGW]

I'm personally not overly impressed with Rissacher's measurements. A 6'10 wingspan is not that great compared to his height, and I'm assuming his standing reach isn't impressive either. I also noticed that he isn't particularly athletic in the open court, and doesn't get great elevation on his jumpshot. He also gets those struggle dunks where the ball grazes the rim, which I counted way too many times for a player his height.

I'm just not seeing what the scouts are seeing. WizardsKev basically said the same thing. Such a stark contrast from Bilal, who's freakish physical tools stood out immediately.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

I'm personally not overly impressed with Rissacher's measurements. A 6'10 wingspan is not that great compared to his height, and I'm assuming his standing reach isn't impressive either. I also noticed that he isn't particularly athletic in the open court, and doesn't get great elevation on his jumpshot. He also gets those struggle dunks where the ball grazes the rim, which I counted way too many times for a player his height.

I'm just not seeing what the scouts are seeing. WizardsKev basically said the same thing. Such a stark contrast from Bilal, who's freakish physical tools stood out immediately.

I would do the trade down with Portland.

At 7, Castle, Holland, Salaun could still be available. And at 14, could be looking at Ware, Missi, Tyler Smith, Filipowski.

We'd have 3 bites at the apple. We could come away with something like Castle, Ware, Dunn. Or Salaun, Missi, Carrington. Or Holland, T.Smith, Christie. Or Cody Williams, Filipowski, Dadiet. Or Buzelis, Collier, George...

[payitforward]

If Risacher goes #1, I take Sarr.

If Sarr goes #1, I look for a trade down or take Rob Dillingham (Holland is right there too).

Dillingham, Holland, Collier, McCain & Ware are my favorite trade down candidates. I really want to acquire another pick for Holland if he slips past San Antonio.

Dadiet, Djurisic, Holmes II & Tyson are potential steals. I hope one drops to 26.

The talk about Portland wanting to move up...

Would you deal 2 for 7 & 14 ??

I think you're asking Dat this question. I'd be shocked if he said no -- I sure wouldn't!