2024 Draft Thread - Part III

[J-Ves]

This makes me a bad GM and an even worse poker player but if I consider Sarr “my guy” and I have the ability to package 2 and 26 for 1 I’m taking that deal.

[dckingsfan]

Also, we're in no position to give up an additional FRP to move up 1 spot. I think Winger/Dawkins are content staying at 2 and picking up Risacher and figuring it out from there.

Or maybe our supposed interest in Risacher is a smokescreen in case Atlanta takes Sarr, in hopes of getting treasure in a trade down with SA

That would make a lot more sense to me... this FO has played it really close to the vest.

2 days left and I don't think they have tipped their collective hand.

[wewillnevertank]

Unless someone shocking drops, I'm leaning towards Nikola Djurisic at #26. His game just exploded once Topic left Mega. A legit 6-8 like Topic ... the difference is Djurisic is a wing with playmaking skill. I have Djurisic slightly higher than Topic due to his shooting ability while still having high level passing skill + the added benefit of being to play off the ball in a scaled down role.

YES!

I’m glad to hear this, Dat. Your draft eye is amazing.

I think he’s so so intriguing, and would be an amazing get for this team.

Maybe this is a bit reductive, but Djurisic calling himself a "less athletic, taller Anthony Edwards" is giving me Jordan Crawford vibes. No thanks.

If we want to go with a tall wing (who happens to be younger and would add to our French junior national team), we could go with Pacome Dadiet at 26.

[payitforward]

Unless someone shocking drops, I'm leaning towards Nikola Djurisic at #26. His game just exploded once Topic left Mega. A legit 6-8 like Topic ... the difference is Djurisic is a wing with playmaking skill. I have Djurisic slightly higher than Topic due to his shooting ability while still having high level passing skill + the added benefit of being to play off the ball in a scaled down role.

Obviously depends on who else is there, potential surprises, but this seems good to me.

[DCZards]

This makes me a bad GM and an even worse poker player but if I consider Sarr “my guy” and I have the ability to package 2 and 26 for 1 I’m taking that deal.

I wouldn’t give up 2 and 26 for Sarr. However, I don’t have the info and intel on Sarr that the Zards FO does and if they feel strongly enough to give up both picks I wouldn’t have a problem with it.

Ideally, we’d be able to trade Kuz for a FRP.

[doclinkin]

Edey was draining those 3's with ease, trust and believe that there are multiple teams that have him circled on Wednesday night.
I can't wait to see how he defends quicker opponents and how he reacts on help defense, he appears lumbering, but his actual strides will help him close the distance. I wish we could get him, I wouldn't want to play against him...

This part. He is the most dominant player in college basketball. Consistent. Huge. Smart and focused. Will he get beat sometimes from quicker athletes? Of course. But he will be unstoppable more often than he gets beat. I'm not worried about his defense when he gets 6 fouls and is allowed to bang instead of being forced to conserve his fouls to prevent his team from crumbling without him. But teams that face him will have to have a contingency plan to keep him from getting rolling on offense.

I still see the best player in the draft.

Not afraid to be bold. I like that. (I assume you were not being facetious)

In motorcycle racing (and other motor sports) there's a saying, there no replacement
for displacement. That Edey is huge is an indisputable fact. And he does have skills.
That kind of size brings to mind the old Wiz, actually Bullets fav Muresan who
had his uses, and limitations, but ultimately fell prey to injuries, possibly related to his extreme size.
Yao Ming also fell prey to injuries possibly related to his size. But I'm not a doctor
and have no idea how well Edey's body, particularly his feet, will hold up against
the rigors of an NBA career. There are C's in the league like Jonas Valanciunas or Brook
Lopez or even MVP Joker who will suddenly have to take a different approach against
someone as big as Edey. Of course Edey will be in new territory as well.

Not facetious. That's my read. That Edey will be part of a paradigm shift. He will instantly be the biggest player in the league. He sees eye to eye with Wemby, but has 100lbs over him. Whatever concerns about his defense, who will stop him on the other end? And how? Especially if he develops that shot he dialed up for the combine the past couple years. There's no reason why he won't use it if he needs it. High overhead, high arc, pretty shot, even if it is slow, who is going to stop him from taking it? He catches passed overhead one-handed and doesn't need to bring the ball down to get his shot off. Pretty much only Wemby will be able to bother his shot.

I think whatever team takes Edey will be able to dictate terms to their opponents what line-ups they can play. When you have an unstoppable player you ride that player until the league puzzles out the antidote. Teams will look to get a Zach stopper to face the supersize teams that are starting to develop. You can't even play hack-a-Shaq on a guy who hits over 70% from the line.

The league has indicated it is tired of the gunning high scoring style that has been played up to now, cheapening scoring. They called the games tighter in the 2nd half of the season after a series of articles complaining about how many shootouts in the high 100's were being seen.

As for his health, I think Edey is built different. Yes the true giants require almost veterinary medicine to treat since humans are not really built to be this big, but unlike Muresan Edey is not a mutant. His mom is 6'10" tall. Both parents were athletes. He grew up playing hockey and baseball. Zach has increased his workload every year. Minutes. Games played. Usage. And never slacked, never tired, finishes games as strong as he starts them. Critique his lumbering stride or short steps, but I see a guy who has learned to conserve his energy and use his size well. Does not foul because he does not play outside his balance and space. For all that you see how easily he leaps in the workout videos, in games he is not really flying around. A guy like Edey has been big his whole life. Give him an NBA trainer to develop functional strength and safe mobility and I can see him defying odds on games played and length of career.

In a draft like this, I ride with the basketball gods and forgo the big swing (Production vs Projection).
Trade down and take Sheppard, Edey, Holmes, and Simpson... NO Williams, NO Sarr, NO Holland, NO Buzelis (And I like Sarr and Buzelis).
Take elite production top to bottom and dare the BBall Gods to burn you.

That's where I have been on Edey. Sometimes you stop trying to outsmart everybody and take the guy who has proven he can do the thing you are hiring him to do. Stop inflating guys for who you hope they will be, and trust that a proven player will be able to do what they do. Zach was able to succeed because he was the biggest guy on court in every game he played. And was skilled. And worked hard. Guess what, he will still be the biggest at the NBA level. And will still be skilled. And will still work hard. He will just have more space around him, won't be triple teamed, and will have actual NBA caliber athletes on his team.

[dckingsfan]

Spoiler:

Edey was draining those 3's with ease, trust and believe that there are multiple teams that have him circled on Wednesday night.
I can't wait to see how he defends quicker opponents and how he reacts on help defense, he appears lumbering, but his actual strides will help him close the distance. I wish we could get him, I wouldn't want to play against him...

This part. He is the most dominant player in college basketball. Consistent. Huge. Smart and focused. Will he get beat sometimes from quicker athletes? Of course. But he will be unstoppable more often than he gets beat. I'm not worried about his defense when he gets 6 fouls and is allowed to bang instead of being forced to conserve his fouls to prevent his team from crumbling without him. But teams that face him will have to have a contingency plan to keep him from getting rolling on offense.

I still see the best player in the draft.

Not afraid to be bold. I like that. (I assume you were not being facetious)

In motorcycle racing (and other motor sports) there's a saying, there no replacement
for displacement. That Edey is huge is an indisputable fact. And he does have skills.
That kind of size brings to mind the old Wiz, actually Bullets fav Muresan who
had his uses, and limitations, but ultimately fell prey to injuries, possibly related to his extreme size.
Yao Ming also fell prey to injuries possibly related to his size. But I'm not a doctor
and have no idea how well Edey's body, particularly his feet, will hold up against
the rigors of an NBA career. There are C's in the league like Jonas Valanciunas or Brook
Lopez or even MVP Joker who will suddenly have to take a different approach against
someone as big as Edey. Of course Edey will be in new territory as well.

Not facetious. That's my read. That Edey will be part of a paradigm shift. He will instantly be the biggest player in the league. He sees eye to eye with Wemby, but has 100lbs over him. Whatever concerns about his defense, who will stop him on the other end? And how? Especially if he develops that shot he tools up for the combine the past couple years. There's no reason why he won't use it if he needs it. High overhead, high arc, pretty shot, even if it is slow, who is going to stop him from taking it? He catches passed overhead one-handed and doesn't need to bring the ball down to get his shot off. Pretty much only Wemby will be able to bother his shot. I think whatever team takes Edey will be able to dictate terms to their opponents on what line-ups they can play. When you have an unstoppable player you ride that player until the league puzzles out the antidote. Every team will have to get a Zach stopper. You can't even play hack-a-Shaq on a guy who hits over 70% from the line.

The league has indicated it is tired of the gunning high scoring style that has been played up to now, cheapening scoring. They called the games tighter in the 2nd half of the season after a series of articles complaining about how many shootouts in the high 100's were being seen.

As for his health, I think Edey is built different. Yes the true giants require almost veterinary medicine to treat since humans are not really built to be this big, but unlike Muresan Edey is not a mutant. His mom is 6'10" tall. Both parents were athletes. He grew up playing hockey and baseball. Zach has increased his workload every year. Minutes. Games played. Usage. And never slacked, never tired, finishes games as strong as he starts them. Critique his lumbering stride or short steps, but I see a guy who has learned to conserve his energy and use his size well. Does not foul because he does not play outside his balance and space. For all that you see how easily he leaps in the workout videos, in games he is not really flying around. A guy like Edey has been big his whole life. Give him an NBA trainer to develop functional strength and safe mobility and I can see him defying odds on games played and length of career.

In a draft like this, I ride with the basketball gods and forgo the big swing (Production vs Projection).
Trade down and take Sheppard, Edey, Holmes, and Simpson... NO Williams, NO Sarr, NO Holland, NO Buzelis (And I like Sarr and Buzelis).
Take elite production top to bottom and dare the BBall Gods to burn you.

That's where I have been on Edey. Sometimes you stop trying to outsmart everybody and take the guy who has proven he can do the thing you are hiring him to do. Stop inflating guys for who you hope they will be, and trust that a proven player will be able to do what they do. Zach was able to succeed because he was the biggest guy on court in every game he played. And was skilled. And worked hard. Guess what, he will still be the biggest at the NBA. And will still be skilled. And will still work hard. He will just have more space around him, won't be triple teamed, and will have actual NBA caliber athletes on his team.

If that is the take of the FO, look for the trade down. The Portland trade would look very good at that point.

[doclinkin]

I mean, positional size, IQ, work ethic. If those are the things they look for, there's nobody bigger at the position. But I dunno. I don't think they go that route. And even if so, I think Edey gets snatched way earlier than expected, like okay maybe he is there at Portland's #7, but if you want him I think you have to take him there, and surely before #14. He's been invited to the green room. I think he's a mid-lottery pick if the Spurs or Rockets don't pull a surprise.

[doclinkin]

Unless someone shocking drops, I'm leaning towards Nikola Djurisic at #26. His game just exploded once Topic left Mega. A legit 6-8 like Topic ... the difference is Djurisic is a wing with playmaking skill. I have Djurisic slightly higher than Topic due to his shooting ability while still having high level passing skill + the added benefit of being to play off the ball in a scaled down role.

Yeah I had him earlier in the thread. He's got a bit of craftiness to his game. Hesitations and fakes and crisp passes. I like that he tested quick in the drills. Good size and combo guard skills, Euro team play habits.

[badinage]

If Topic can play (I mean, actually play; I’m not referring to his sitting out part of the year with injury), then it would be amazing to come out of the draft with Edey and Topic at 7 and 14.

But I think a trade like that will be hard to come by in this draft.

Imagine, though: Edey, Topic, and, say, Shannon at 26.

[NatP4]

Yeah I had him earlier in the thread. He's got a bit of craftiness to his game. Hesitations and fakes and crisp passes. I like that he tested quick in the drills. Good size and combo guard skills, Euro team play habits.

He’s a nice upside swing at 51, but he can’t shoot at all, 30% from 3, rebounds like a small PG, posting a 4.1-3.8 A/TO, doesn’t get blocks or steals, doesn’t participate on the defensive end of the court. Probably the worst defender in the draft. His Synergy profile is all time bad.

And he’s 20 years old. Played 4 full seasons in the ABA and didn’t come close to Topic’s age 18 production. He did start to come on end of the year/playoffs, once the ball was in his hands, but he seems more like a career Euroleague guy.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

[Rafael122]

I just don't see how Winger/Dawkins would say no at 13 and either Barnes or Huerter for Kuzma. It's a slam dunk deal. I'm sure they both know no team is trading a 2025 draft pick until February at the earliest.

[NatP4]

I just don't see how Winger/Dawkins would say no at 13 and either Barnes or Huerter for Kuzma. It's a slam dunk deal. I'm sure they both know no team is trading a 2025 draft pick until February at the earliest.

Have to make that trade, but apparently SAC offered the pick for Caruso and were turned down. Kuzma might not be at the top of their list.

[Rafael122]

I just don't see how Winger/Dawkins would say no at 13 and either Barnes or Huerter for Kuzma. It's a slam dunk deal. I'm sure they both know no team is trading a 2025 draft pick until February at the earliest.

Have to make that trade, but apparently SAC offered the pick for Caruso and were turned down. Kuzma might not be at the top of their list.

Bulls traded Caruso at like 20 cents on the dollar. If teams were offering multiple FRPs at the deadline, they should have pulled the trigger then.

[9 and 20]

Can Risacher play shooting guard? If they draft him, I trust Winger and Dawkins know what they're doing. If he can play guard, having him, Bilal, and Deni at 2-4 seems like it would work. With Kispert off the bench and Mitchell Robinson at center, that could be a fun team. Still probably garbage in terms of won-lost, with Robinson's injuries and having two 20 year olds in the starting lineup. Plus you still have Poole, so the tank remains strong for '25.

All of this is assuming Risacher is not a bust, which everyone seems to think is a forgone conclusion (except apparently NBA teams).

[NatP4]

On the Lowe Post, Givony says basically every team has Risacher #1, and that “it would be a shock if Risacher doesn’t go #1”

Also reiterated that it’s nothing against the Hawks, but Sarr prefers to play for Washington, sees more opportunity to play early/bigger role.

[doclinkin]

Can Risacher play shooting guard? If they draft him, I trust Winger and Dawkins know what they're doing. If he can play guard, having him, Bilal, and Deni at 2-4 seems like it would work. With Kispert off the bench and Mitchell Robinson at center, that could be a fun team. Still probably garbage in terms of won-lost, with Robinson's injuries and having two 20 year olds in the starting lineup. Plus you still have Poole, so the tank remains strong for '25.

All of this is assuming Risacher is not a bust, which everyone seems to think is a forgone conclusion (except apparently NBA teams).

I don't see ZR as a bust. I do think he'll play 2-guard. And especially on this team he's a fit next to Deni. If the knock is his playmaking, some of those duties defer to Avdija. But we haven't had a reliable catch and shoot off-ball option at 2-guard. Zacc shoots a reliable and quick 3-ball. Zero time wasted dribbling. Smart motion off ball. Good skills to pass then re-position himself to get open when tightly guarded. He played timid the month or so after he took a concussion, but came back stronger in playoff games. As far as fit is concerned I think he's what the team needs, except that he is not a playmaker to get his own offense on-ball. No matter, because like you said for tank purposes we can rely on Poole in that role.

I see Zacc as a dollar store Klay Thompson. A taller Corey Kispert with better team defense. A good fit next to other ball-dominant players (whomever we get in 2025 say).

I'm just less high on him than I was earlier since you can probably get much of the same from Johnny Furphy with a later pick. If he's the guy at #2 I don't hate it. His height and shooting gravity will be a useful tool with smart coaching and good passers around him.

[payitforward]

This is a weird draft, for sure. But, it's exciting!

[dckingsfan]

I just don't see how Winger/Dawkins would say no at 13 and either Barnes or Huerter for Kuzma. It's a slam dunk deal. I'm sure they both know no team is trading a 2025 draft pick until February at the earliest.

I mean, if we came out with Sarr and Topic, I wouldn't be sad