2025 NBA Draft Prospect Part 2

[mademan]

OKC getting 2 picks in the teens this year is just not fair. Presti must be stopped

[RomaniaLuvTR]

I am out of Demin train for the moment, and I don't know why but I don't like Harper that much as a fit for us..my top 3 Flagg Bailey and Jakucionis

[Syd-TK3]

OKC getting 2 picks in the teens this year is just not fair. Presti must be stopped

I'd kill for one of those

[ATLTimekeeper]

I think those vibes are just due to a Lithuanian name. They really have different games.

From what I can tell usually a ballhandling guard that busts has some kind of trouble shooting in the NBA that was somewhat evident at the lower level, or a freak thing (like Markelle Fultz changing his form and getting the yips." It's typically one of the safer pocks, but there's a 'athlete/speed demon' archetype that is more prone to busting.

I think Jak is one of the better bets in the lottery to be good. Intangibles seem excellent, too. I would be thrilled if he's a Raptor next year but I do see the obvious conflict with IQ.

lol nope. he is athletically limited. no one is casting doubt on cooper are they? that's the entire point. has nothing to do with his name or nationality/ethnicity. y'all nitpick ace but let jak slide, i see y'all for who you are.

Yeah it really has nothing to do with where he is from....I think he has obvious skills that can translate to the NBA but he also has the lowest "Superstar" potential in the top 5 for me....He could maybe be a really good starting PG one day for a team....But i think he will deff have his struggles in the NBA as a lead PG and will need to adjust to the athletic players in the NBA....In College hes bigger and stronger than most of the players hes going up against ....

Its like the Jimmer thing...Great college player who shot better than Curry in college....But in the NBA there were faster/stronger/more atheltic players he had to go against which limited his development...

Jak is also not the best defender....Like i said if we move to 7-9 and hes on the board take him and see how it plays out....But in the top 5 there are just higher upside players available still

So you think he has obvious skills that can translate to the NBA and would take him in the mid-lotto, but compare him to a clean bust like Jimmer Fredette? This is an unfair comparison. Fredette was a 6"2 4 year college player.

I actually agree that I don't see superstar potential with him, but I also don't really see it all that well anyway and I'm highly skeptical that it's something that can be easily seen. The draft would be way more efficient if it was, and it isn't.

As for defense, I think there's very few ball dominant guards that are even average defenders in the NBA. It does seem like he cares on that end, which goes a long way (for me).

[Clutch0z24]

lol nope. he is athletically limited. no one is casting doubt on cooper are they? that's the entire point. has nothing to do with his name or nationality/ethnicity. y'all nitpick ace but let jak slide, i see y'all for who you are.

Yeah it really has nothing to do with where he is from....I think he has obvious skills that can translate to the NBA but he also has the lowest "Superstar" potential in the top 5 for me....He could maybe be a really good starting PG one day for a team....But i think he will deff have his struggles in the NBA as a lead PG and will need to adjust to the athletic players in the NBA....In College hes bigger and stronger than most of the players hes going up against ....

Its like the Jimmer thing...Great college player who shot better than Curry in college....But in the NBA there were faster/stronger/more atheltic players he had to go against which limited his development...

Jak is also not the best defender....Like i said if we move to 7-9 and hes on the board take him and see how it plays out....But in the top 5 there are just higher upside players available still

So you think he has obvious skills that can translate to the NBA and would take him in the mid-lotto, but compare him to a clean bust like Jimmer Fredette? This is an unfair comparison. Fredette was a 6"2 4 year college player.

I actually agree that I don't see superstar potential with him, but I also don't really see it all that well anyway and I'm highly skeptical that it's something that can be easily seen. The draft would be way more efficient if it was, and it isn't.

As for defense, I think there's very few ball dominant guards that are even average defenders in the NBA. It does seem like he cares on that end, which goes a long way (for me).

Every player in this draft has Skills that will translate to the NBA ....And i am using Jimmer as an example because i am highlighting a player that played out of his mind in college but struggled athletically in the NBA....Could give more examples of that but he is one who came to my mind first...

I am saying with Jak i see a good player but not a superstar potential player....I see superstar potential in a few other prospects in this Class that i would take ahead of him....No shame in that....If we fall to 7-9 like i said id be fine taking a swinger on him..

Problem is we have IQ already and we also have Dick/Barrett who are not the best defenders so you would be adding Jak to potentially have a backcourt of Jak/Dick? Would prolly be one of the worst defensive backcourts in the league...So will you draft a top 5 guy to be your backup PG? Because that also seems like a bad move...

Not hating on the guy just pointing out for me in the top parts of the Draft he would be the guy i do not draft for many reasons.

[Bruin]

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[PushDaRock]

Is Harper considered athletic?

This draft is deeper than most, but I just disagreed with Givony's early take on the quality at the top. There are a lot of really strong prospects that I think can contend for best players down the road.

Remember in 2009 when there was a legit tank for Rubio craze. Then it shifted to the "Blake Griffin" draft. Rubio still ended up with a top 7-8 career in that draft class but peaked at solid starter. Rookie of the year was Tyreke Evans. DeMar ends up a top 5 player from that draft class, and the best player went 7th. I don't have the confidence to really say who will be the best (I didn't want us to take Curry or DeMar, lol), but Blake was the best prospect and deserved to go first. That's how I see this one, Flagg is the best prospect and I can easily picture many prospects having better careers.

Makes you think how insane The Spurs luck has been to get the #1 pick 3 times in their history with each time being the no brainer generational #1 pick.

Flagg is not generational imo but if the Spurs manage to win the lottery, I reserve the right to change my mind on that.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

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Bro what are y'all talking about with this guy this last few pages? Dude is eating teams up at 19 and being compared to 22yo Jimmer who was undersized and couldn't get drafted until he damn near graduated college?

Jak is a guy, eye test and numbers back it up

[RoteSchroder]

lol nope. he is athletically limited. no one is casting doubt on cooper are they? that's the entire point. has nothing to do with his name or nationality/ethnicity. y'all nitpick ace but let jak slide, i see y'all for who you are.

I'm casting doubt on Cooper. Lack of foot speed is concerning. Albeit, Cade and Scottie aren't that explosive off the bounce and are still borderline all-star players, but I'm hoping for an explosive scorer with higher offensive potential in this draft.

Kasparas has no lift on his finishes near the basket, but the Staukas comparison makes no sense. Kasparas is averaging 5.6 REB for a guard and is much more of an on-ball player with 5.4 assists/game. Also has double the steals. Even the BPM numbers you quoted shows Staukas with poor defensive metrics compared to Kasp (4.7 DBPM).

Harper has a low release point on his jumpers, which may be nitpicking, but I'd be a bit worried about defenders altering his shot at the next level. Also would like to see better defense from him.

Ace isn't well-rounded on-ball and on-court production has been up and down.

I don't like Demin at all. Don't really care that much about good passing/playmaking by itself from a forward if it's not on Jokic/Doncic/Sengun/Sabonis level, which I don't think Demin is. Furthermore, passing is generally synergistic with scoring given the attention you draw. Demin's movements are a bit slow, which had me doubtful of his playing ability at higher speeds or under greater pressure even early on when he was doing well. If his only special attribute is above average passing for a forward, then count me out.

At the same time, aside from Demin, I'd probably be ok with drafting anyone in the top ~8 or so (including Fears, maybe CMB?). Edgecombe as a PoA defender is also interesting, but I'm not sure I want to wait 3-4 years for his offense to develop..if it ever does.

[PhilBlackson]

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Bro what are y'all talking about with this guy this last few pages? Dude is eating teams up at 19 and being compared to 22yo Jimmer who was undersized and couldn't get drafted until he damn near graduated college?

Jak is a guy, eye test and numbers back it up

I've often thought why isn't he in the conversation with Dylan Harper but when thinking about it I think it's mainly just his ability to create his own shot/his "bag" (pause).

Because his bball IQ is off the charts, great court awareness and understanding of how to manipulate defences. I think the only thing that separates Harper from him is that Dylan has a bit more "bag" and seems better able to create his own shot when needed. I think as a talent he should be considered top 3...but I feel like some GM won't be able to help themselves with the raw physical tools/shooting skill of Bailey. I'll be honest, even with some obvious things that I hate about Ace's game, it's very difficult to pass on a very athletic lights out shooter especially with a franchise as great at developing as ours but Kasp looks all but guaranteed to be a damn good NBA player.

Sidebar it just kinda sucks 2 of the best players are PG/SGs considering that's probably our deepest positions lol smh

[PhilBlackson]

lol nope. he is athletically limited. no one is casting doubt on cooper are they? that's the entire point. has nothing to do with his name or nationality/ethnicity. y'all nitpick ace but let jak slide, i see y'all for who you are.

I'm casting doubt on Cooper. Lack of foot speed is concerning. Albeit, Cade and Scottie aren't that explosive off the bounce and are still borderline all-star players, but I'm hoping for an explosive scorer with higher offensive potential in this draft.

Kasparas has no lift on his finishes near the basket, but the Staukas comparison makes no sense. Kasparas is averaging 5.6 REB for a guard and is much more of an on-ball player with 5.4 assists/game. Also has double the steals. Even the BPM numbers you quoted shows Staukas with poor defensive metrics compared to Kasp (4.7 DBPM).

Harper has a low release point on his jumpers, which may be nitpicking, but I'd be a bit worried about defenders altering his shot at the next level. Also would like to see better defense from him.

Ace isn't well-rounded on-ball and on-court production has been up and down.

I don't like Demin at all. Don't really care that much about good passing/playmaking by itself from a forward if it's not on Jokic/Doncic/Sengun/Sabonis level, which I don't think Demin is. Furthermore, passing is generally synergistic with scoring given the attention you draw. Demin's movements are a bit slow, which had me doubtful of his playing ability at higher speeds or under greater pressure even early on when he was doing well. If his only special attribute is above average passing for a forward, then count me out.

At the same time, aside from Demin, I'd probably be ok with drafting anyone in the top ~8 or so (including Fears, maybe CMB?). Edgecombe as a PoA defender is also interesting, but I'm not sure I want to wait 3-4 years for his offense to develop..if it ever does.

Having said all that, so who are your favorite 5 players for our team in this draft as of right now?!

[Brinbe]

lol nope. he is athletically limited. no one is casting doubt on cooper are they? that's the entire point. has nothing to do with his name or nationality/ethnicity. y'all nitpick ace but let jak slide, i see y'all for who you are.

I'm casting doubt on Cooper. Lack of foot speed is concerning. Albeit, Cade and Scottie aren't that explosive off the bounce and are still borderline all-star players, but I'm hoping for an explosive scorer with higher offensive potential in this draft.

Kasparas has no lift on his finishes near the basket, but the Staukas comparison makes no sense. Kasparas is averaging 5.6 REB for a guard and is much more of an on-ball player with 5.4 assists/game. Also has double the steals. Even the BPM numbers you quoted shows Staukas with poor defensive metrics compared to Kasp (4.7 DBPM).

Harper has a low release point on his jumpers, which may be nitpicking, but I'd be a bit worried about defenders altering his shot at the next level. Also would like to see better defense from him.

Ace isn't well-rounded on-ball and on-court production has been up and down.

I don't like Demin at all. Don't really care that much about good passing/playmaking by itself from a forward if it's not on Jokic/Doncic/Sengun/Sabonis level, which I don't think Demin is. Furthermore, passing is generally synergistic with scoring given the attention you draw. Demin's movements are a bit slow, which had me doubtful of his playing ability at higher speeds or under greater pressure even early on when he was doing well. If his only special attribute is above average passing for a forward, then count me out.

At the same time, aside from Demin, I'd probably be ok with drafting anyone in the top ~8 or so (including Fears, maybe CMB?). Edgecombe as a PoA defender is also interesting, but I'm not sure I want to wait 3-4 years for his offense to develop..if it ever does.

great post! This is exactly the sort of attitude I was saying we should have with all these players. Not that they're outright bad or perfect, but to be clear-eyed and realistic about all their positives/negatives. The stauskas thing wasn't meant to be a one for one comparison as they are different players, and he's obviously plenty smart/skilled, it's more about my concern that he'll potentially face similar difficulties acclimating/thriving at the next level when matched against bigger/faster/stronger defenders and that his current role may not necessarily be his role in the association when considering all that. It's not anything unique to him in the least.

We'll probably end up in the top 10 so we now which prospects will probably be in that range and none of them are really slam dunks from what I've seen.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

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Positives:
6'4.5" barefoot (measured at Basketball without Borders last year) so just under 6'6" in shoes
6'7.5" wingspan (at least +1.5 of his height so he's not exactly a trex)
Standing vert and max vert are both better than Devin Booker's who I like to compare where I'd like to see his game (27.5" and 34.5" for reference), which is funny because from this thread you'd think he was Jose Calderon level as an athlete
Elite shooter off the catch and off the dribble
Can create his own shot at high efficiency
Great paint finisher (62FG% on the year)
Willing passer with great vision
Can decently run an offense
Has thus far risen to the level of good comp as noted in the tweet
Decent rebounder for a guard
19 years old

Negatives
Turnover machine
Does not seem to be very quick
Average to poor defender (although he does try)

If we were to draft him I'd love to make him a combo guard in our flow, pass heavy offense. I think coming off of screens he is an excellent decision maker and his threat as a shooter off the dribble will open up things for guys. He can also act as the defacto bench pg and run that unit with Walter and Ochai. His size allows him to play next to IQ as well. I'd like to see him be more aggressive as a scorer given how good he is as a shooter but I also see some shades of Haliburton who also isn't the most athletic but his size and shooting + passing vision make him elite

The only thing keeping Harper ahead of him is Harper's elite first step and body frame along with his skill. I don't think many pgs can stay in front of him one on one and if/when his shot ever catches up, he will be unstoppable.

[RoteSchroder]

lol nope. he is athletically limited. no one is casting doubt on cooper are they? that's the entire point. has nothing to do with his name or nationality/ethnicity. y'all nitpick ace but let jak slide, i see y'all for who you are.

I'm casting doubt on Cooper. Lack of foot speed is concerning. Albeit, Cade and Scottie aren't that explosive off the bounce and are still borderline all-star players, but I'm hoping for an explosive scorer with higher offensive potential in this draft.

Kasparas has no lift on his finishes near the basket, but the Staukas comparison makes no sense. Kasparas is averaging 5.6 REB for a guard and is much more of an on-ball player with 5.4 assists/game. Also has double the steals. Even the BPM numbers you quoted shows Staukas with poor defensive metrics compared to Kasp (4.7 DBPM).

Harper has a low release point on his jumpers, which may be nitpicking, but I'd be a bit worried about defenders altering his shot at the next level. Also would like to see better defense from him.

Ace isn't well-rounded on-ball and on-court production has been up and down.

I don't like Demin at all. Don't really care that much about good passing/playmaking by itself from a forward if it's not on Jokic/Doncic/Sengun/Sabonis level, which I don't think Demin is. Furthermore, passing is generally synergistic with scoring given the attention you draw. Demin's movements are a bit slow, which had me doubtful of his playing ability at higher speeds or under greater pressure even early on when he was doing well. If his only special attribute is above average passing for a forward, then count me out.

At the same time, aside from Demin, I'd probably be ok with drafting anyone in the top ~8 or so (including Fears, maybe CMB?). Edgecombe as a PoA defender is also interesting, but I'm not sure I want to wait 3-4 years for his offense to develop..if it ever does.

Having said all that, so who are your favorite 5 players for our team in this draft as of right now?!

I got like 20 favorite players throughout this draft

Considering I'm currently feeling the "draft for offense, develop defense" strategy this season (not sure if it's the right call, just feeling it), in no order:

Kasp

Dylan

Ace - if he keeps up the momentum. Ppl need to watch GTJr highlights from Portland (he was a bit more athletic back then imo) and go back to his peak season in Toronto. He was also a little polarizing, but remember the dude was playing good defense and going off for 40 point games. A rich man's GTJr at 6'10 is a dangerous player - even if he may have tunnel vision at times and things would look ugly if he's missing. Fit-wise on offense, he seems to make more sense than Cooper.

Fears - If we draft 6+. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm a little worried about Fear's body type. I also think he'd do better on a larger court with more room to work with. He has a tendency of trying to operate in heavy traffic. There are still a few things he needs to figure out.

Realistically, Flagg may be the right choice over all these guys.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

I'm casting doubt on Cooper. Lack of foot speed is concerning. Albeit, Cade and Scottie aren't that explosive off the bounce and are still borderline all-star players, but I'm hoping for an explosive scorer with higher offensive potential in this draft.

Kasparas has no lift on his finishes near the basket, but the Staukas comparison makes no sense. Kasparas is averaging 5.6 REB for a guard and is much more of an on-ball player with 5.4 assists/game. Also has double the steals. Even the BPM numbers you quoted shows Staukas with poor defensive metrics compared to Kasp (4.7 DBPM).

Harper has a low release point on his jumpers, which may be nitpicking, but I'd be a bit worried about defenders altering his shot at the next level. Also would like to see better defense from him.

Ace isn't well-rounded on-ball and on-court production has been up and down.

I don't like Demin at all. Don't really care that much about good passing/playmaking by itself from a forward if it's not on Jokic/Doncic/Sengun/Sabonis level, which I don't think Demin is. Furthermore, passing is generally synergistic with scoring given the attention you draw. Demin's movements are a bit slow, which had me doubtful of his playing ability at higher speeds or under greater pressure even early on when he was doing well. If his only special attribute is above average passing for a forward, then count me out.

At the same time, aside from Demin, I'd probably be ok with drafting anyone in the top ~8 or so (including Fears, maybe CMB?). Edgecombe as a PoA defender is also interesting, but I'm not sure I want to wait 3-4 years for his offense to develop..if it ever does.

Having said all that, so who are your favorite 5 players for our team in this draft as of right now?!

I got like 20 favorite players throughout this draft

Considering I'm currently feeling the "draft for offense, develop defense" strategy this season (not sure if it's the right call, just feeling it), in no order:

Kasp

Dylan

Ace - if he keeps up the momentum. Ppl need to watch GTJr highlights from Portland (he was a bit more athletic back then imo) and go back to his peak season in Toronto. He was also a little polarizing, but remember the dude was playing good defense and going off for 40 point games. A rich man's GTJr at 6'10 is a dangerous player - even if he may have tunnel vision at times and things would look ugly if he's missing. Fit-wise on offense, he seems to make more sense than Cooper.

Fears - If we draft 6+. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm a little worried about Fear's body type. I also think he'd do better on a larger court with more room to work with. He has a tendency of trying to operate in heavy traffic. There are still a few things he needs to figure out.

Realistically, Flagg may be the right choice over all these guys.

Same on bolded. For some reason he isn't doing it for me even though he's been playing decently well.

That Ace/Gary point is interesting. I guess if Gary was 6" taller it would be easier to play him lol. Ace at least looks to be a great help defender and has quite a few multiple block games

Flagg is definitely better than everyone we're talking about. The size, defense, and already great level of offensive production separates him completely. Especially for the Raptors as we need another wing/forward with size that can shoot and Flagg checks all the boxes and happens to also be the best prospect. I don't even think you need to think about another option unless Harper carries Rutgers through to a championship miraculously lol.

[mademan]

If we do end up getting a 2nd pick in the late teens or early 20's in a Poeltl trade or something (maybe Bruce Brown and eating bad money), we need to grab Labaron. Man's a baller

[RoteSchroder]

If we do end up getting a 2nd pick in the late teens or early 20's in a Poeltl trade or something (maybe Bruce Brown and eating bad money), we need to grab Labaron. Man's a baller

said this before, but he gives me a bit of SGA vibes..minus the jumper

[RoteSchroder]

Yeah it really has nothing to do with where he is from....I think he has obvious skills that can translate to the NBA but he also has the lowest "Superstar" potential in the top 5 for me....He could maybe be a really good starting PG one day for a team....But i think he will deff have his struggles in the NBA as a lead PG and will need to adjust to the athletic players in the NBA....In College hes bigger and stronger than most of the players hes going up against ....

Its like the Jimmer thing...Great college player who shot better than Curry in college....But in the NBA there were faster/stronger/more atheltic players he had to go against which limited his development...

Jak is also not the best defender....Like i said if we move to 7-9 and hes on the board take him and see how it plays out....But in the top 5 there are just higher upside players available still

So you think he has obvious skills that can translate to the NBA and would take him in the mid-lotto, but compare him to a clean bust like Jimmer Fredette? This is an unfair comparison. Fredette was a 6"2 4 year college player.

I actually agree that I don't see superstar potential with him, but I also don't really see it all that well anyway and I'm highly skeptical that it's something that can be easily seen. The draft would be way more efficient if it was, and it isn't.

As for defense, I think there's very few ball dominant guards that are even average defenders in the NBA. It does seem like he cares on that end, which goes a long way (for me).

Every player in this draft has Skills that will translate to the NBA ....And i am using Jimmer as an example because i am highlighting a player that played out of his mind in college but struggled athletically in the NBA....Could give more examples of that but he is one who came to my mind first...

I am saying with Jak i see a good player but not a superstar potential player....I see superstar potential in a few other prospects in this Class that i would take ahead of him....No shame in that....If we fall to 7-9 like i said id be fine taking a swinger on him..

Problem is we have IQ already and we also have Dick/Barrett who are not the best defenders so you would be adding Jak to potentially have a backcourt of Jak/Dick? Would prolly be one of the worst defensive backcourts in the league...So will you draft a top 5 guy to be your backup PG? Because that also seems like a bad move...

Not hating on the guy just pointing out for me in the top parts of the Draft he would be the guy i do not draft for many reasons.

Fredette had a DBPM of 0.8 in his fourth year in college..which is horrendous. His shooting percentages did actually translate to the NBA, but his bad defense did too and he couldn't log in heavy minutes. On top of that, he had a big ego and the offense wasn't catered to him. I'm not so sure athleticism was the major limiting factor, but rather his defense, mindset and playstyle (i.e. being a scorer rather than a play maker)

Comparatively, Redick, another athletically limited guy, had a strong career as a 6th man. Both of them were more scorers with PG size. Whereas Kasp has SG size and plays more like a PG. Kasp's non-scoring game (defense, passing, rebounding) and athletic ability also outclasses both players in their senior years.

[mademan]

If we do end up getting a 2nd pick in the late teens or early 20's in a Poeltl trade or something (maybe Bruce Brown and eating bad money), we need to grab Labaron. Man's a baller

said this before, but he gives me a bit of SGA vibes..minus the jumper

If we finish outside the top 2, i would trade down with a team with multiple 1sts. Labaron might be a star

[TorontoBarneys]

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This guy looks impressive.