2024 Draft Thread - Part II

[nate33]

From Jake Fischer:

The Wizards are likely to remain at No. 2 as well, where Washington has the league convinced its focused on selecting Alex Sarr from the Perth Wildcats. The Wizards, according to people familiar with the situation, invested the most time and resources of any NBA club sending various personnel to Australia to evaluate Sarr. This situation is also considered the preferred outcome from Sarr’s camp, as it’s become well known that Sarr has so far declined to work out for Atlanta. Washington does also hold the No. 26 pick and is a prime candidate to potentially move up from that slot, sources said, in addition to the Wizards trying to find a third first-round choice.

Only way we get an additional first is if we trade Kuzma. I'd trade Kuzma for Huerter and the 13th pick. Pick up Sarr at 2, Bub at 13 and BPA at 26.

I'd take Jared McCain over Bub. I'd also take Collier. Bub is interesting, but I think #13 is too high for him.

[payitforward]

...trade Kuzma for Huerter and the 13th pick. Pick up Sarr at 2, Bub at 13 and BPA at 26.

For sure -- tho I'd make that BPA at 13 as well. Might be Carrington, but there may well be a number of other candidates as well.

[dobrojim]

Who is Bub?

[nate33]

Who is Bub?

Carlton "Bub" Carrington out of Pittsburgh

[Dat2U]

When I read that 19 yr olds reportedly want to play a certain position in the NBA (PF for Sarr & PG for Castle) I take it with a grain of salt. I expect them to discover that their ability to play 2 or 3 positions will serve them (and their teams) well in today’s NBA.

Castle’s ability to play some PG, some SG and some SG in the league will be one of his strengths.

It ultimately comes down to skill development. Sarr is a far more willing shooter than Castle and that means alot. Sarr wanting to expand his game is fine because it's not just agent talk. He actually works to expand his perimeter game. He doesn't hesitate to shoot it or put the ball on the deck despite the percentages. He played PF this year so it's a position he's getting comfortable with. I believe he'll slide to the C position in time but I have no problem with Sarr fleshing out his perimeter skill to maximize his offensive upside.

With Castle its a bit different. First, the demands of the PG position. The standard is so high because that position is the engine of most offenses. You have to be able to not just occasionally make a jumper, you must be good at it. You have to force teams to guard you. Maybe you can look at Castle make a wide open three and credit him for stepping up and hitting them when it mattered most. I look at the fact he's only taking them when he has no other choice. That will not work in the NBA. It never has... if a PG isn't putting pressure on the defense, he's cratering the offense. That's why all these defensive minded PGs eventually slide to SG so teams can get a real advantage creator in the lineup. So his versatility will be as a 2/3, not as a PG or combo guard.

[Dat2U]

From Jake Fischer:

The Wizards are likely to remain at No. 2 as well, where Washington has the league convinced its focused on selecting Alex Sarr from the Perth Wildcats. The Wizards, according to people familiar with the situation, invested the most time and resources of any NBA club sending various personnel to Australia to evaluate Sarr. This situation is also considered the preferred outcome from Sarr’s camp, as it’s become well known that Sarr has so far declined to work out for Atlanta. Washington does also hold the No. 26 pick and is a prime candidate to potentially move up from that slot, sources said, in addition to the Wizards trying to find a third first-round choice.

Only way we get an additional first is if we trade Kuzma. I'd trade Kuzma for Huerter and the 13th pick. Pick up Sarr at 2, Bub at 13 and BPA at 26.

I'd take Jared McCain over Bub. I'd also take Collier. Bub is interesting, but I think #13 is too high for him.

Bub is like a better version of Jalen-Hood Schifino. I did not like JHS coming out because he not only struggled getting to the rim, he couldn't consistently make jumpers. Bub has the same concerns in terms off getting to the rim but his jumper looks much smoother. I like his instincts as well. 13th is a little high for me. I have him in the late teens.

[Frichuela]

Latest intel from Yahoo sports:

"The Wizards are likely to remain at No. 2 as well, where Washington has the league convinced its focused on selecting Alex Sarr from the Perth Wildcats. The Wizards, according to people familiar with the situation, invested the most time and resources of any NBA club sending various personnel to Australia to evaluate Sarr. This situation is also considered the preferred outcome from Sarr’s camp, as it’s become well known that Sarr has so far declined to work out for Atlanta. Washington does also hold the No. 26 pick and is a prime candidate to potentially move up from that slot, sources said, in addition to the Wizards trying to find a third first-round choice."

https://sports.yahoo.com/with-bulls-roster-shakeup-underway-is-zach-lavine-the-next-piece-on-the-move-150136313.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIDL2nxmIu_j9pWyf1vAclLggHWDsucfQq11QU13CDICwkyVeoCHRID4NdCYFK8PIGIGwhmKqj0QjQ2-iMLETJdRrT7O2Y_nXtbp1AejazNo0xyocRK3VM2naDNXCPBdggRmfvEnK30wmqqV__rg_905NqdBZHo6nxujFZpeyRIY

[NatP4]

Highly likely that there’s some kind of relationship/connection with Dawkins and Sarr, with his brother playing in OKC for the last 3 years.

[DCZards]

With Castle its a bit different. First, the demands of the PG position. The standard is so high because that position is the engine of most offenses. You have to be able to not just occasionally make a jumper, you must be good at it. You have to force teams to guard you. Maybe you can look at Castle make a wide open three and credit him for stepping up and hitting them when it mattered most. I look at the fact he's only taking them when he has no other choice. That will not work in the NBA. It never has... if a PG isn't putting pressure on the defense, he's cratering the offense. That's why all these defensive minded PGs eventually slide to SG so teams can get a real advantage creator in the lineup. So his versatility will be as a 2/3, not as a PG or combo guard.

I think you overstate Castle’s reluctance to shoot. What I see is a 19 yr old on an elite college team where he was the third or fourth option and thus didn’t feel or have the need to shoot. It was not his role to be a primary shooter or scorer. Nor was outside shooting his strength. What you see as reluctance I consider smarts and unselfishness.

Yet, there were 12 games where Castle took 10 or more shots and 7 games where he took 4-6 threes.

Does Castle need to become a better perimeter shooter? Absolutely. I don’t know that he will improve his shooting but I also don’t think that he can’t.

I do agree that Castle’s versatility is his strength…which is why I expect him to end up being more of a combo guard in the NBA…and I think Castle has the maturity to eventually recognize that. In fact, he may already realize that.

[closg00]

Let’s hope ATL doesn’t clown and take Sarr

[nate33]

With Castle its a bit different. First, the demands of the PG position. The standard is so high because that position is the engine of most offenses. You have to be able to not just occasionally make a jumper, you must be good at it. You have to force teams to guard you. Maybe you can look at Castle make a wide open three and credit him for stepping up and hitting them when it mattered most. I look at the fact he's only taking them when he has no other choice. That will not work in the NBA. It never has... if a PG isn't putting pressure on the defense, he's cratering the offense. That's why all these defensive minded PGs eventually slide to SG so teams can get a real advantage creator in the lineup. So his versatility will be as a 2/3, not as a PG or combo guard.

I think you overstate Castle’s reluctance to shoot. What I see is a 19 yr old on an elite college team where he was the third or fourth option and thus didn’t feel or have the need to shoot. It was not his role to be a primary shooter or scorer. Nor was outside shooting his strength. What you see as reluctance I consider smarts and unselfishness.

Yet, there were 12 games where Castle took 10 or more shots and 7 games where he took 4-6 threes.

Does Castle need to become a better perimeter shooter? Absolutely. I don’t know that he will improve his shooting but I also don’t think that he can’t.

I do agree that Castle’s versatility is his strength…which is why I expect him to end up being more of a combo guard in the NBA.

The bottom line is that Castle is not a defense bender. He cannot create a shot in isolation and he is not going to a primary operator of pick-and-roll actions. Therefore, he is not a point guard. Or, if you want to argue over semantics, he is not a primary option guard who drives an offense. The best case for him offensively is that he develops a shot and a willingness to shoot so that teams don't ignore him. And he'll likely be a good "connector" who knows how to make an extra pass and is generally a good decision-maker when attacking an off-balance defense. Offensively, that's basically what teams ask from their small forward, not from their PG or SG.

As I've said before, I think his impact will be like Marcus Smart. That's really a 5th starter type of player, maybe a 4th starter if things break right. There's nothing wrong with that, but at #2, I think the ceiling is too low. There's also a chance that he is merely a Kris Dunn tier defensive specialist at guard who is a virtual self-check on offense. I believe in his shooting a bit more than that, so I think he'll be better, but that low-end outcome is still on the table.

[bsilver]

It’s hard to predict Castle’s limitations based on his college ball. UConn ran a set offense with several really good designated shooters. I would think the Wizards would take his workout and other factors into account. At PG he would have a size advantage, and that could make him an offensive threat.

[J-Ves]

Let’s hope ATL doesn’t clown and take Sarr

They wont unless their fanbase does a hostile takeover

[payitforward]

As well, there is the distance from which we view a prospect -- as opposed to coaches, scouts, FOs, etc. It's easy to have both positive fantasies & negative ones. Sharife Cooper comes to mind.

For that matter, those "experts" have their own problems of the same kind -- Desmond Bane went at 30 in 2021; he's clearly one of the ten top players out of that draft. The examples are too numerous to list....

Obviously, this one of the benefits of trading down for multiple picks -- flip the coint more often, & you are more likely to get the result you want....

[closg00]

Read on Twitter

[J-Ves]

Latest intel from Yahoo sports:

"The Wizards are likely to remain at No. 2 as well, where Washington has the league convinced its focused on selecting Alex Sarr from the Perth Wildcats. The Wizards, according to people familiar with the situation, invested the most time and resources of any NBA club sending various personnel to Australia to evaluate Sarr. This situation is also considered the preferred outcome from Sarr’s camp, as it’s become well known that Sarr has so far declined to work out for Atlanta. Washington does also hold the No. 26 pick and is a prime candidate to potentially move up from that slot, sources said, in addition to the Wizards trying to find a third first-round choice."

https://sports.yahoo.com/with-bulls-roster-shakeup-underway-is-zach-lavine-the-next-piece-on-the-move-150136313.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIDL2nxmIu_j9pWyf1vAclLggHWDsucfQq11QU13CDICwkyVeoCHRID4NdCYFK8PIGIGwhmKqj0QjQ2-iMLETJdRrT7O2Y_nXtbp1AejazNo0xyocRK3VM2naDNXCPBdggRmfvEnK30wmqqV__rg_905NqdBZHo6nxujFZpeyRIY

At 13(Sac’s pick seems the most obtainable) I want a faller. That’s Holland, Dillingham, Topic or even Cody Willams

[nate33]

It’s hard to predict Castle’s limitations based on his college ball. UConn ran a set offense with several really good designated shooters. I would think the Wizards would take his workout and other factors into account. At PG he would have a size advantage, and that could make him an offensive threat.

It's not about the statistical production. It's just an observation of his offensive repertoire. Castle rarely attacked an off-balance defense to finish at the rim. There were virtually no "wow moments" where he showed exceptional quickness, explosion or shiftiness. Whenever he attacked a closeout, he usually had to settle for a bully-ball bump-and-shoot pull-up or turnaround jumper.

[DCZards]

It’s hard to predict Castle’s limitations based on his college ball. UConn ran a set offense with several really good designated shooters. I would think the Wizards would take his workout and other factors into account. At PG he would have a size advantage, and that could make him an offensive threat.

It's not about the statistical production. It's just an observation of his offensive repertoire. Castle rarely attacked an off-balance defense to finish at the rim. There were virtually no "wow moments" where he showed exceptional quickness, explosion or shiftiness. Whenever he attacked a closeout, he usually had to settle for a bully-ball bump-and-shoot pull-up or turnaround jumper.

Castle is not a great athlete and you’re not likely to get a lot of “wow moments” from him. But the same can be said for Jrue Holiday.

On the other hand, guys like Colin Sexton can give you plenty of “wow moments” if that’s what you’re looking for.

[Rafael122]

Highly likely that there’s some kind of relationship/connection with Dawkins and Sarr, with his brother playing in OKC for the last 3 years.

Agent who reps Sarr reps Jalen Williams and I believe Dawkins was still there when Jalen got drafted. He also reps Cody Williams, so there's probably already a built in relationship there.

[nate33]

It’s hard to predict Castle’s limitations based on his college ball. UConn ran a set offense with several really good designated shooters. I would think the Wizards would take his workout and other factors into account. At PG he would have a size advantage, and that could make him an offensive threat.

It's not about the statistical production. It's just an observation of his offensive repertoire. Castle rarely attacked an off-balance defense to finish at the rim. There were virtually no "wow moments" where he showed exceptional quickness, explosion or shiftiness. Whenever he attacked a closeout, he usually had to settle for a bully-ball bump-and-shoot pull-up or turnaround jumper.

Castle is not a great athlete and you’re not likely to get a lot of “wow moments” from him. But the same can be said for Jrue Holiday.

On the other hand, guys like Colin Sexton can give you plenty of “wow moments” if that’s what you’re looking for.

I'm so tired of this Jrue Holiday comparison. He's literally the lone example of a guy with such mediocre offensive stats in college to pan out to be an All-Star caliber NBA PG. I can think of no other comps in the last 20 years to do this. Assuming Castle can do the same thing would make him a monumental outlier.

I'll also point out that Jrue was a pretty terrible offensive player for the first 8 years of his career. He didn't crack a .540 TS% until his 9th season. So the "two-way" part of his description didn't apply until long after he was traded away from the team who drafted him.