2024-25 NBA Draft Talk

[Onus]

Anyone else feel like this draft class is somewhat disappointing considering it was pretty hyped up before the season started? Like there's good players, but there's not a lot that has star potential. I mean Cooper Flagg is basically a smaller Evan Mobley?

[Jester_]

Anyone else feel like this draft class is somewhat disappointing considering it was pretty hyped up before the season started? Like there's good players, but there's not a lot that has star potential. I mean Cooper Flagg is basically a smaller Evan Mobley?

Coop is like a more athletic Scottie Barnes with AK defense. Definitely the best college prospect of last few years. But obviously not on the AD/Wemby/Zion tier.

But I think this draft has 7 or 8 people who could be franchise players

like I don't see how Tre Johnson doesn't project as a #2 option at least and he's falling outta the top 10 in a lot of mocks

[EvanZ]

Anyone else feel like this draft class is somewhat disappointing considering it was pretty hyped up before the season started? Like there's good players, but there's not a lot that has star potential. I mean Cooper Flagg is basically a smaller Evan Mobley?

This draft class is incredible.

[Onus]

Anyone else feel like this draft class is somewhat disappointing considering it was pretty hyped up before the season started? Like there's good players, but there's not a lot that has star potential. I mean Cooper Flagg is basically a smaller Evan Mobley?

Coop is like a more athletic Scottie Barnes with AK defense. Definitely the best college prospect of last few years. But obviously not on the AD/Wemby/Zion tier.

But I think this draft has 7 or 8 people who could be franchise players

like I don't see how Tre Johnson doesn't project as a #2 option at least and he's falling outta the top 10 in a lot of mocks

I don't think he has the handles to be like Barnes as an no 1 initiator. Evan Mobley is a very good player, don't get me wrong but he's not a no 1 option and he's not even able to anchor a defense yet. If Coop is pigeonholed into being a 4 because he's not big enough to play the 5, it will seriously limit his upside. Still a great player but he's not franchise changing like Wemby, Luka.

7-8 franchise players? What's your definition of franchise players? Like there's good players but no franchise altering players here. TBH I'm not sure I see anyone with being in the perennial mvp conversations that includes Coop. I can see Coop being an all star, Harper can get a few, maybe Fears is an alternate, maybe Asa or Bailey is an alternate 1 year, but really not seeing anyone that's like a clear cut perennial all star outside of Coop and Harper. Like is Bailey better than Brandon Miller? I don't think so. Is Fears better than Suggs like maybe slightly more offensive focused but they're probably similar tiers.

[Onus]

Anyone else feel like this draft class is somewhat disappointing considering it was pretty hyped up before the season started? Like there's good players, but there's not a lot that has star potential. I mean Cooper Flagg is basically a smaller Evan Mobley?

This draft class is incredible.

Incredible? Who are you predicting will get multiple all stars outside of Harper and Coop?

[EvanZ]

Anyone else feel like this draft class is somewhat disappointing considering it was pretty hyped up before the season started? Like there's good players, but there's not a lot that has star potential. I mean Cooper Flagg is basically a smaller Evan Mobley?

This draft class is incredible.

Incredible? Who are you predicting will get multiple all stars outside of Harper and Coop?

This is the age old stupid question. It's stupid because if I knew the answer I'd be omniscient. I can only tell you on average this Draft has way more good Freshmen than it has since COVID and is one of the top Drafts going back to 2008.

[EvanZ]

As for potential stars they are numerous. Fears, Kasparas, Newell, Sorber, Demin, Tre Johnson, VJ...the list literally goes on and on in ways it hasn't in years. If you don't follow NCAA basketball, the Draft, etc I get it. You're a casual. But if you are following this, it's extremely obvious.

Edit: I mean FFS I rattled off half a dozen players and forgot about Ace.

[wco81]

Warriors are trending towards a late lottery pick, or between where they picked Kuminga and Moody.

Closer to where they picked Moody.

Not sure there will be stars that late. Not impossible but not likely.

[DevinVassell]

No more small players/guards.

Seven footer Danny Wolf pls.

[Onus]

Like I said I see good players but I don't see stars. I think this class is worst than the 21 draft class.

[wco81]

No more small players/guards.

Seven footer Danny Wolf pls.

Warriors could have drafted Vassell, who dunked over a 7-footer the other day, instead of Wiseman.

I recall the talk in that draft was that #2 would be too high for Vassell and some of the other wings in that draft. But at least you'd have a good starter, trending towards all-star level.

[DevinVassell]

I'll admit I was on the Wiseman train with the 2nd pick. Don Nelson small-ball and our Bogut success had me craving another a decent big.

Would have happily traded down for Vassell and another 1st though.

[RUN-TJM]

No more small players/guards.

Seven footer Danny Wolf pls.

Warriors could have drafted Vassell, who dunked over a 7-footer the other day, instead of Wiseman.

I recall the talk in that draft was that #2 would be too high for Vassell and some of the other wings in that draft. But at least you'd have a good starter, trending towards all-star level.

I think most knew that wasn’t a great draft prior to the event. Turns out it was worse.
I only liked Edwards and was keen on trading pick 2 for 2 first rounders and getting Vassell and Nesmith.

I like this draft better. I am confident if we are picking in the 10-15 range (or better) we’ll get a useful asset. I am biased but check out Condon at Florida. Still newish to the sport, multi-skilled and plays his backside off. I’d like to have him at the Dubs.

[Jester_]

Anyone else feel like this draft class is somewhat disappointing considering it was pretty hyped up before the season started? Like there's good players, but there's not a lot that has star potential. I mean Cooper Flagg is basically a smaller Evan Mobley?

Coop is like a more athletic Scottie Barnes with AK defense. Definitely the best college prospect of last few years. But obviously not on the AD/Wemby/Zion tier.

But I think this draft has 7 or 8 people who could be franchise players

like I don't see how Tre Johnson doesn't project as a #2 option at least and he's falling outta the top 10 in a lot of mocks

I don't think he has the handles to be like Barnes as an no 1 initiator. Evan Mobley is a very good player, don't get me wrong but he's not a no 1 option and he's not even able to anchor a defense yet. If Coop is pigeonholed into being a 4 because he's not big enough to play the 5, it will seriously limit his upside. Still a great player but he's not franchise changing like Wemby, Luka.

7-8 franchise players? What's your definition of franchise players? Like there's good players but no franchise altering players here. TBH I'm not sure I see anyone with being in the perennial mvp conversations that includes Coop. I can see Coop being an all star, Harper can get a few, maybe Fears is an alternate, maybe Asa or Bailey is an alternate 1 year, but really not seeing anyone that's like a clear cut perennial all star outside of Coop and Harper. Like is Bailey better than Brandon Miller? I don't think so. Is Fears better than Suggs like maybe slightly more offensive focused but they're probably similar tiers.

Wemby is the potential GOAT there's a big difference between a franchise player and that

Mobley is obviously a franchise player. He is, at worst, the 1B on a team that's on track to win 70 games right now

[whatisacenter]

There are a lot of players to like in this draft.

I wonder if fans would rather have the Warriors make the playoffs and lose in the first round or miss the playoffs and have a top 10 pick?

[Onus]

Coop is like a more athletic Scottie Barnes with AK defense. Definitely the best college prospect of last few years. But obviously not on the AD/Wemby/Zion tier.

But I think this draft has 7 or 8 people who could be franchise players

like I don't see how Tre Johnson doesn't project as a #2 option at least and he's falling outta the top 10 in a lot of mocks

I don't think he has the handles to be like Barnes as an no 1 initiator. Evan Mobley is a very good player, don't get me wrong but he's not a no 1 option and he's not even able to anchor a defense yet. If Coop is pigeonholed into being a 4 because he's not big enough to play the 5, it will seriously limit his upside. Still a great player but he's not franchise changing like Wemby, Luka.

7-8 franchise players? What's your definition of franchise players? Like there's good players but no franchise altering players here. TBH I'm not sure I see anyone with being in the perennial mvp conversations that includes Coop. I can see Coop being an all star, Harper can get a few, maybe Fears is an alternate, maybe Asa or Bailey is an alternate 1 year, but really not seeing anyone that's like a clear cut perennial all star outside of Coop and Harper. Like is Bailey better than Brandon Miller? I don't think so. Is Fears better than Suggs like maybe slightly more offensive focused but they're probably similar tiers.

Wemby is the potential GOAT there's a big difference between a franchise player and that

Mobley is obviously a franchise player. He is, at worst, the 1B on a team that's on track to win 70 games right now

The only team to win without a top 20player of all time is the Celtics and Toronto. Before that it was Jokic, curry, Gianni’s, LeBron, kawhi, curry and then LeBron. So from the past 10 years there’s been 2 teams to win without a top 20 player of all time. Maybe I have a more stringent definition of franchise player.

[Onus]

Ok so where does coop fall in the prospect tiers? He’s not in tier 1 which is actual generational prospects like wemby, lebron etc. he’s probably on the bottom half tier 2? Like is he a better prospect than banchero, Chet, Jabari? Maybe you can argue someone is picking coop above Jabari but I think banchero and Chet clear him. So let’s say coop is like 2-2.5. We’ll be generous and say Dylan is on this tier since this is really a 2 person draft now. I think almost everyone has coop and Dylan going 1 and 2. That means 3-whatever are tier 3 prospects. You’re trying to tell me there are multiple perennial all stars coming from these tier 3 prospects? I don’t see it. Maybe 1 or 2 surprise me and become perennial all stars unlikely but whatever but more than that? I don’t see it. Like I’m not sure there’s anyone in this draft outside of the top 2 that are better than Franz as a prospect. Hell I’m not sure there’s a prospect with upside like Trey Murphy. I haven’t looked into the just pure shooters yet but it’s doubtful. There may be depth in this draft in that there’s just multiple players in this tier 3 at such a young age but the fact that they’re all almost under 6’6” or positional locked at center their upside is just limited.

[Jester_]

Ok so where does coop fall in the prospect tiers? He’s not in tier 1 which is actual generational prospects like wemby, lebron etc. he’s probably on the bottom half tier 2? Like is he a better prospect than banchero, Chet, Jabari? Maybe you can argue someone is picking coop above Jabari but I think banchero and Chet clear him. So let’s say coop is like 2-2.5. We’ll be generous and say Dylan is on this tier since this is really a 2 person draft now. I think almost everyone has coop and Dylan going 1 and 2. That means 3-whatever are tier 3 prospects. You’re trying to tell me there are multiple perennial all stars coming from these tier 3 prospects? I don’t see it. Maybe 1 or 2 surprise me and become perennial all stars unlikely but whatever but more than that? I don’t see it. Like I’m not sure there’s anyone in this draft outside of the top 2 that are better than Franz as a prospect. Hell I’m not sure there’s a prospect with upside like Trey Murphy. I haven’t looked into the just pure shooters yet but it’s doubtful. There may be depth in this draft in that there’s just multiple players in this tier 3 at such a young age but the fact that they’re all almost under 6’6” or positional locked at center their upside is just limited.

He's easily Chet-tier and there's at least 3 or 4 others in that bucket as prospects

[Onus]

Ok so where does coop fall in the prospect tiers? He’s not in tier 1 which is actual generational prospects like wemby, lebron etc. he’s probably on the bottom half tier 2? Like is he a better prospect than banchero, Chet, Jabari? Maybe you can argue someone is picking coop above Jabari but I think banchero and Chet clear him. So let’s say coop is like 2-2.5. We’ll be generous and say Dylan is on this tier since this is really a 2 person draft now. I think almost everyone has coop and Dylan going 1 and 2. That means 3-whatever are tier 3 prospects. You’re trying to tell me there are multiple perennial all stars coming from these tier 3 prospects? I don’t see it. Maybe 1 or 2 surprise me and become perennial all stars unlikely but whatever but more than that? I don’t see it. Like I’m not sure there’s anyone in this draft outside of the top 2 that are better than Franz as a prospect. Hell I’m not sure there’s a prospect with upside like Trey Murphy. I haven’t looked into the just pure shooters yet but it’s doubtful. There may be depth in this draft in that there’s just multiple players in this tier 3 at such a young age but the fact that they’re all almost under 6’6” or positional locked at center their upside is just limited.

He's easily Chet-tier and there's at least 3 or 4 others in that bucket as prospects

You think he's in the Chet's tier? Chet is a 7' unicorn who can dribble pass and shoot, while anchoring a defense as a 5. Coop is a 6'9 pf who is more of a roamer than an anchor on defense, who can also dribble pass and shoot, but I'm not sure he's going to be a high 25+ ppg scorer to make up for not being as tall as Chet on defense. I would easily take Chet before Coop without much thought. I did say he was in Chet's tier but on the lower end of that tier. I even put Dylan Harper in that tier as well, but 3-4 more people in that tier. No way! There's already a clear tier between Coop and Dylan. Those are the top 2 prospects in this draft and then there's a clear drop off making it clear that there's a tier here.

Tre Johnson is maybe the closest to join that tier, but I think he tops out as a solid no 2 option.

Kasparas is nice, but he's not a real no 1 option. He's going to have a lot of struggles similar to Podz. Maybe he's a more willing shooter than Podz but he's going to struggle against athletic defenders especially if he's the no 1 option.

Ace doesn't have the handle to create real separation, let alone the burst from a standstill to be a no 1 creator. He should be fine as a 3 + D player though but he really needs to clean up his shot.

Fears is a 6'4'' pg. Like whatever, he's not some super athlete that is going to be able to blow by people at will. Like he'll be fine but he's not Ja, Rose, or Westbrook or anything like that. He should be solid.

VJ can't dribble as a guard.

Asa is a 6'10'' center that doesn't really rebound.

I'm really struggling to see who else you're putting in the same tier as Chet and Banchero, basically 7' unicorns that can dribble pass and shoot. Banchero is by far the most likely to be a no 1 option outside of maybe Harper but Banchero is 6'11'' and is a built like a truck. Chet is an amazing 2nd option that can anchor a defense. There's no one in this draft outside of Coop and Harper that are even close to these guys as prospects and again Coop and Harper are at the lower end of that tier. Sorry none of these prospects belong in that tier 2.

[Jester_]

Ok so where does coop fall in the prospect tiers? He’s not in tier 1 which is actual generational prospects like wemby, lebron etc. he’s probably on the bottom half tier 2? Like is he a better prospect than banchero, Chet, Jabari? Maybe you can argue someone is picking coop above Jabari but I think banchero and Chet clear him. So let’s say coop is like 2-2.5. We’ll be generous and say Dylan is on this tier since this is really a 2 person draft now. I think almost everyone has coop and Dylan going 1 and 2. That means 3-whatever are tier 3 prospects. You’re trying to tell me there are multiple perennial all stars coming from these tier 3 prospects? I don’t see it. Maybe 1 or 2 surprise me and become perennial all stars unlikely but whatever but more than that? I don’t see it. Like I’m not sure there’s anyone in this draft outside of the top 2 that are better than Franz as a prospect. Hell I’m not sure there’s a prospect with upside like Trey Murphy. I haven’t looked into the just pure shooters yet but it’s doubtful. There may be depth in this draft in that there’s just multiple players in this tier 3 at such a young age but the fact that they’re all almost under 6’6” or positional locked at center their upside is just limited.

He's easily Chet-tier and there's at least 3 or 4 others in that bucket as prospects

You think he's in the Chet's tier? Chet is a 7' unicorn who can dribble pass and shoot, while anchoring a defense as a 5. Coop is a 6'9 pf who is more of a roamer than an anchor on defense, who can also dribble pass and shoot, but I'm not sure he's going to be a high 25+ ppg scorer to make up for not being as tall as Chet on defense. I would easily take Chet before Coop without much thought. I did say he was in Chet's tier but on the lower end of that tier. I even put Dylan Harper in that tier as well, but 3-4 more people in that tier. No way! There's already a clear tier between Coop and Dylan. Those are the top 2 prospects in this draft and then there's a clear drop off making it clear that there's a tier here.

Tre Johnson is maybe the closest to join that tier, but I think he tops out as a solid no 2 option.

Kasparas is nice, but he's not a real no 1 option. He's going to have a lot of struggles similar to Podz. Maybe he's a more willing shooter than Podz but he's going to struggle against athletic defenders especially if he's the no 1 option.

Ace doesn't have the handle to create real separation, let alone the burst from a standstill to be a no 1 creator. He should be fine as a 3 + D player though but he really needs to clean up his shot.

Fears is a 6'4'' pg. Like whatever, he's not some super athlete that is going to be able to blow by people at will. Like he'll be fine but he's not Ja, Rose, or Westbrook or anything like that. He should be solid.

VJ can't dribble as a guard.

Asa is a 6'10'' center that doesn't really rebound.

I'm really struggling to see who else you're putting in the same tier as Chet and Banchero, basically 7' unicorns that can dribble pass and shoot. Banchero is by far the most likely to be a no 1 option outside of maybe Harper but Banchero is 6'11'' and is a built like a truck. Chet is an amazing 2nd option that can anchor a defense. There's no one in this draft outside of Coop and Harper that are even close to these guys as prospects and again Coop and Harper are at the lower end of that tier. Sorry none of these prospects belong in that tier 2.

first, it's a wild take to say Banchero is a #1 option and Chet is not. Banchero is nothing special yet. Coop is significantly outproducing Banchero's freshman year despite being a year younger - and unlike Paolo, can guard all 5 positions

second, as a prospect Jabari Smith was ranked by many as higher than both Banchero and Chet. in this draft, Ace Bailey is basically a more athletic Jabari Smith and he's potentially not even going top 10

i'm not gonna go player by player and if you disagree that's fine, but it's not arbitrary reasons that people are excited about this class