2025 NBA Draft Prospect Part 2

[TNRaps4life]

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2025/01/anonymous-coaches-not-shocked-rutgers-is-struggling-theyre-not-hard-to-guard.html

[HumbleRen]

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2025/01/anonymous-coaches-not-shocked-rutgers-is-struggling-theyre-not-hard-to-guard.html

Makes what Harper is doing playmaking wise that much more impressive to me. Truly making something out of nothing.

[ATLTimekeeper]

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2025/01/anonymous-coaches-not-shocked-rutgers-is-struggling-theyre-not-hard-to-guard.html

“Both draft potential and college impact. But Bailey is inconsistent. He’s an unwilling passer and a disinterested defender and his shot selection is so bad that if he isn’t making ridiculous shots, they are in trouble.

“Those two are incredibly talented young men with very bright futures in the NBA, but they don’t try hard defensively,” a high-major assistant who faced Rutgers this season told CBS Sports. “In college, any time any team is built around two freshmen and those freshmen don’t necessarily have the maturity or intangibles of what goes into winning yet, it’s going to impact your team. That’s not saying they’re bad young men, they just don’t have what it takes to win yet.”

Thanks for posting.

[RoteSchroder]

Random thought. A mid season draft lottery might counteract the tanking problem in the NBA. It could be done around the trade deadline. Then we'd see the trade deadline dynamics change with teams looking to finish strong. It'd also give teams ample time to scout the prospects in their range.

I would do a reverse draft. The best non-playoff team gets the higher pick and higher odds.

Except this is weighted or balanced between the previous two years. If you sucked in the prior two years, your odds also increase.

So a team that sucked for two years, but tried to put a winning team on the floor this year (e.g. Detroit) gets a top pick. You reward that team for trying.

A team blatantly tanking every year (Utah) gets a mid-lotto pick and about the same odds as a team that is mid every year.

Teams with the lowest odds would be like Cleveland having LBJ for his final two years there, then completely sucking after he left. I don’t think teams that have enjoyed 60+ wins for years should get gifted a top pick immediately afterwards.

[ArthurVandelay]

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2025/01/anonymous-coaches-not-shocked-rutgers-is-struggling-theyre-not-hard-to-guard.html

Nice to know a lot of the issues around Ace many of us have been highlighting here are also recognized by anonymous coaches, for both the pro- and anti-Ace camps.

[Psubs]

Random thought. A mid season draft lottery might counteract the tanking problem in the NBA. It could be done around the trade deadline. Then we'd see the trade deadline dynamics change with teams looking to finish strong. It'd also give teams ample time to scout the prospects in their range.

I would do a reverse draft. The best non-playoff team gets the higher pick and higher odds.

Except this is weighted or balanced between the previous two years. If you sucked in the prior two years, your odds also increase.

So a team that sucked for two years, but tried to put a winning team on the floor this year (e.g. Detroit) gets a top pick. You reward that team for trying.

A team blatantly tanking every year (Utah) gets a mid-lotto pick and about the same odds as a team that is mid every year.

Teams with the lowest odds would be like Cleveland having LBJ for his final two years there, then completely sucking after he left. I don’t think teams that have enjoyed 60+ wins for years should get gifted a top pick immediately afterwards.

What about just going to flat odds for non-playoff teams like when Orlando won Shaq? Then run the lottery for all 14 draft slots.

[HumbleRen]

New draft mock from Jonathan Givony is out.

1. Washington Wizards - Cooper Flagg
2. New Orleans Pelicans - Dylan Harper
3. Utah Jazz - Ace Bailey
4. Toronto Raptors - VJ Edgecombe

Freshman
Season averages: 12.2 points (41.3% FG), 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals

The Raptors appear destined for a high draft pick and could be in the market for a combo guard such as Edgecombe, who can play on or off the ball alongside franchise stalwart Scottie Barnes. Although Edgecombe has been up and down for Baylor, teams remain intrigued: His explosiveness, improving feel, and impressive defensive playmaking (5.1% steal rate, 4.6% block rate) are key attributes that point to his upside.

He might need to perform better offensively to secure a spot this high in the draft -- his shooting has been subpar -- but front offices will work to understand the on-court context of his season, as he has been playing away from the ball quite a bit on a guard-driven team. If Edgecombe can turn a corner through the thick of conference play, he'll strengthen his draft case here. -- Woo

5. Charlotte Hornets - Kasparas Jakuciunois
6. Brooklyn Nets - Nolan Traore
7. Portland Trailblazers - Kon Knueppel
8. Sacramento Kings - Egor Demin
9. Houston Rockets - Jeremiah Fears
10. San Antonio Spurs - Tre Johnson

[gha4life]

Don't know abt anyone else but doesn't Kasparas playstyle kind reminds me of calderon

[RoteSchroder]

Don't know abt anyone else but doesn't Kasparas playstyle kind reminds me of calderon

Not even close. Jose couldn’t dish difficult passes and had no offensive moves.

[WuTang_CMB]

Just realized how the rockets are set up nicely, got some nice future pieces.

PHX pick too

[Appostis]

Does it just seem like a massive drop after the first two(maybe 3 depending on your thoughts on Kasparas Jakucionis) in this draft?

[ATLTimekeeper]

Don't know abt anyone else but doesn't Kasparas playstyle kind reminds me of calderon

Not even close. Jose couldn’t dish difficult passes and had no offensive moves.

Kasparas is also more physical. Jose really didn't like to get touched.

[Appostis]

Does it just seem like a massive drop after the first two(maybe 3 depending on your thoughts on Kasparas Jakucionis) in this draft?

( Not really an original thought I know but seems to be more and more obvious)

[HumbleRen]

Does it just seem like a massive drop after the first two(maybe 3 depending on your thoughts on Kasparas Jakucionis) in this draft?

Yes. 2021 draft was much deeper than this draft.

It’s a 2 person draft imo. Ace is the wild card, he could have 2nd highest ceiling or just end up being a very solid starter for a playoff team. Everyone else is TBA.

[TNRaps4life]

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2025/01/anonymous-coaches-not-shocked-rutgers-is-struggling-theyre-not-hard-to-guard.html

Nice to know a lot of the issues around Ace many of us have been highlighting here are also recognized by anonymous coaches, for both the pro- and anti-Ace camps.

Kid is 18. Most scrutinized player in college for a reason.

Question I have for Raptors fans, how many players in our current roster has more potential than Ace?


Our players can't even make buckets on open look.

I hope we get the #1 pick and select Cooper. If we get the #3 pick, it is Ace.. period.

All the freshmen are not finished products. Folks are seeing how most are struggling now with Conference games. Cooper is lucky because Duke is stacked with talents. That said, he is the best in the draft. He is Scottie with mamba drive.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Does it just seem like a massive drop after the first two(maybe 3 depending on your thoughts on Kasparas Jakucionis) in this draft?

( Not really an original thought I know but seems to be more and more obvious)

Personally, I think it's really deep with great prospects. I've ignored Givony's rankings all year because he just won't budge much from his initial bold claims, and a lot of mocks are reacting off his early work.

Even if you look at Tankathon, their big board has like one sophomore in the top 20. That's just unreasonable to think the draft will actually work that way.

When it was the Scottie draft, people said there was a shelf after the 3rd pick. This happens in every draft and it's always wrong. The top of the draft is more efficient than the rest of the draft but it's still really inefficient overall.

[HumbleRen]

Does it just seem like a massive drop after the first two(maybe 3 depending on your thoughts on Kasparas Jakucionis) in this draft?

( Not really an original thought I know but seems to be more and more obvious)

Personally, I think it's really deep with great prospects. I've ignored Givony's rankings all year because he just won't budge much from his initial bold claims, and a lot of mocks are reacting off his early work.

Even if you look at Tankathon, their big board has like one sophomore in the top 20. That's just unreasonable to think the draft will actually work that way.

When it was the Scottie draft, people said there was a shelf after the 3rd pick. This happens in every draft and it's always wrong. The top of the draft is more efficient than the rest of the draft but it's still really inefficient overall.

I disagree to an extent. 2021 was always regarded as a deep draft. They called it a 3 person draft in terms of potential franchise changing prospects, not the quality of prospects.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Does it just seem like a massive drop after the first two(maybe 3 depending on your thoughts on Kasparas Jakucionis) in this draft?

( Not really an original thought I know but seems to be more and more obvious)

Personally, I think it's really deep with great prospects. I've ignored Givony's rankings all year because he just won't budge much from his initial bold claims, and a lot of mocks are reacting off his early work.

Even if you look at Tankathon, their big board has like one sophomore in the top 20. That's just unreasonable to think the draft will actually work that way.

When it was the Scottie draft, people said there was a shelf after the 3rd pick. This happens in every draft and it's always wrong. The top of the draft is more efficient than the rest of the draft but it's still really inefficient overall.

I disagree to an extent. 2021 was always regarded as a deep draft. They called it a 3 person draft in terms of potential franchise changing prospects, not the quality of prospects.

That's true, but what is also true is that those caps or tiers are almost always wrong. This is also considered a deep draft. To bring my point back to Givony, he claimed that there were 5 potential 1st overall picks in Flagg, Harper, Bailey, Traore and Edgecombe. Through the first few months Bailey, Traore and Edgecombe haven't warranted that hype and now there appears to be an artificial 2 horse race for the #1 overall pick. There's still a lot of guys, imo, that can translate to franchise changing talents beyond those prospects.

[HumbleRen]

Personally, I think it's really deep with great prospects. I've ignored Givony's rankings all year because he just won't budge much from his initial bold claims, and a lot of mocks are reacting off his early work.

Even if you look at Tankathon, their big board has like one sophomore in the top 20. That's just unreasonable to think the draft will actually work that way.

When it was the Scottie draft, people said there was a shelf after the 3rd pick. This happens in every draft and it's always wrong. The top of the draft is more efficient than the rest of the draft but it's still really inefficient overall.

I disagree to an extent. 2021 was always regarded as a deep draft. They called it a 3 person draft in terms of potential franchise changing prospects, not the quality of prospects.

That's true, but what is also true is that those caps or tiers are almost always wrong. This is also considered a deep draft. To bring my point back to Givony, he claimed that there were 5 potential 1st overall picks in Flagg, Harper, Bailey, Traore and Edgecombe. Through the first few months Bailey, Traore and Edgecombe haven't warranted that hype and now there appears to be an artificial 2 horse race for the #1 overall pick. There's still a lot of guys, imo, that can translate to franchise changing talents beyond those prospects.

Yeah, nobody ever has a crystal ball but objectively, the prospects at this point into the college/overseas have been worse than the 2021 draft. I think it’s very fair to say that. How they pan out in the NBA? Nobody really knows.

[TorontoBarneys]

Ace is not a good prospect. I would be furious if we took him top 5.