2025 Draft Prospect Thread

[JustBuzzin]

My picks have changed. I still like my current picks but more than likely they are all returning to school. As of now my picks are
pick 1 Maxime Raynaud and pick 2 Walter Clayton JR. I think both are franchise players.

Other players I like *which I have named years ago* are Will Richard, and Zeke Mayo. One player I just found out about is Alijah
Martin. He seems solid.

Maxime Raynaud - I have know about him for years but recently became impressed

Watch on YouTube

Are you down on Flagg and Harper?

These dudes you naming I never even heard of.

Nah lmao, I can't pick the players suggested. Something about me HAS TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT PLAYER lol. Even if I tried it would be a half effort. Every once in a while someone who is a FAVORITE I happen to LOVE like Penny Hardaway, Brandon Roy, Grant Hill but for the most part if I don't like their style if play I can't get into the... So happy to see you are doing well on the boards... I truly appreciate your passion and knowledge

lol nothing wrong with picking the underdogs. I thought you were just ignoring Flagg and Harper as they are viewed as the top dawgs. No big deal I will keep an eye out for those names.

[MasterIchiro]

I understand your point, I'm just not thrilled with Lauri as our big trade. Once Ainge strips us for all our assets this is our core moving forward.

I don't do the trade if I can't walk away with Lauri, Miles and all 4 Hornets 1sts.

Ainge is getting his call 5-9 + Heat + Mavs 1st.

That's 3 firsts for Lauri, 1 is a lottery pick. That lead piece couldn't be beat, so we'd be bidding against ourselves if we were to include more and Ainge would be squandering the highest pick he could possibly get for Lauri from any bidder.

So, I disagree that Ainge will "strip us of all our assets". Using the pick as a centerpiece for Lauri preserves Miles + 4 firsts which can be used as assets to add a young star at the next deadline or in the following year after that prospect's rookie year.

I think you're underestimating Ainge as a GM. Bridges got 5 1st Rd picks. Ainge going to be looking for something similar.

Also who's to say they don't keep Lauri especially if they get Flagg or Harper. That team lacks talent you need to have some help for the rook.

Neither of us is expected to predict the future here.

Both of us are setting parameters of how we would proceed if Lauri were made available.

I'm telling you, if we could get him for 5-9 plus Heat 1st plus Mavs 1st, are you saying you prefer to draft Demin (or someone outside our desired prospects) over trading this hypothetical package for Lauri?

If you're saying the scenario is Lauri costs more, I'm saying I walk away.

I'm also saying if both Booker and Lauri are available, I prefer Booker.

All I'm trying to surmise is what you would do if:

a) Booker were not available at the draft
b) If Lauri were available what would be your price
c) If you don't want Lauri at any price, thus would make the pick outside (Flagg, Harper, Bailey, Jakucionis)

Basically, if Booker is not an option on draft night (he won't be) which prospect would you be willing to surrender for Lauri outside Flagg, Harper, Bailey, Jaku?

None?

God I hope not.

[Braggins]

I think hes one of the best wing/forward prospects Ive ever seen.

I wasn't joking

Read on Twitter

[GiggitySmalls]

I think hes one of the best wing/forward prospects Ive ever seen.

I wasn't joking

Read on Twitter

Might be the best wing prospect since lebron.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

[KingCat]

I think hes one of the best wing/forward prospects Ive ever seen.

I wasn't joking

Read on Twitter

Might be the best wing prospect since lebron.

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

With the hindsight bias of Ben Simmons having the mental strength of a fainting goat put aside, how do Flagg and Simmons compare to each other as prospects?

I definitely remember hearing Simmons could be generational on both ends of the court.

[Snidely FC]

btw if Harper and Jak are off the board when CHA picks and you want a PG look at

Jeremiah Fears
Nolan Traore
Labaron Philon
Ben Saraf

anybody but Egor Demin he is a stiff who will be a terrible fit alongside Melo imo

[Bassman]

Latest positioning of picks by ESPN+ has Flagg at a clear #1. His performance and intangibles top the chart IMO. He would be a huge difference maker on this Hornets team. Following Flagg in order are the rest of the “super 5”, any of which can be difference makers in the league: Harper, Bailey, Edgecombe and Jakucionis. I prefer Jaku over Edgecombe, perhaps over Bailey by year end, but a top 5 pick will deliver us a quality prospect.

[JustBuzzin]

Latest positioning of picks by ESPN+ has Flagg at a clear #1. His performance and intangibles top the chart IMO. He would be a huge difference maker on this Hornets team. Following Flagg in order are the rest of the “super 5”, any of which can be difference makers in the league: Harper, Bailey, Edgecombe and Jakucionis. I prefer Jaku over Edgecombe, perhaps over Bailey by year end, but a top 5 pick will deliver us a quality prospect.

Jaku currently has 0 points and 4 fouls and still almost a full half of basketball left.

[Bassman]

Latest positioning of picks by ESPN+ has Flagg at a clear #1. His performance and intangibles top the chart IMO. He would be a huge difference maker on this Hornets team. Following Flagg in order are the rest of the “super 5”, any of which can be difference makers in the league: Harper, Bailey, Edgecombe and Jakucionis. I prefer Jaku over Edgecombe, perhaps over Bailey by year end, but a top 5 pick will deliver us a quality prospect.

Jaku currently has 0 points and 4 fouls and still almost a full half of basketball left.

YIKES! Maybe I need to rethink my thoughts on that guy.

[Liver_Pooty]

BC fans cheering overrated 3 minutes into the game was a terrible decision. Be **** scorched them

[Braggins]

YIKES! Maybe I need to rethink my thoughts on that guy.

Looks like he might have been injured. He only played 9 minutes. Before this game he had scored double digits in 10 straight games and scored over 20 in 7/10 of those games.

[JustBuzzin]

YIKES! Maybe I need to rethink my thoughts on that guy.

Looks like he might have been injured. He only played 9 minutes. Before this game he had scored double digits in 10 straight games and scored over 20 in 7/10 of those games.

Foul trouble he finished with 3 points.

I see him as more of a role player at the next level. It's a must we get a top 2 pick. These guys below Flagg/Harper are going to be role players at best.

[Braggins]

Expanded the list of guys that could be in contention for the Hornets draft range (top 9) to 12 players. I will add some more as the season goes on (Queen/Saraf/Traore/McNeely). Bailey has probably been the biggest stat riser recently with Demin probably the biggest faller.

I listed Flagg/Bailey first because they seem pretty established as #1/#2 and then listed everyone else in order of their bpm from highest to lowest.

(box stats = per 70 possessions)

Cooper Flagg ~ F ~ 6'9" 205
Duke (ACC) ~ Fr ~ 18.5 yrs

Spoiler:

26.0 pts ~ 10.9 reb ~ 5.5 ast ~ 2.1 stl ~ 1.7 blk ~ 3.4 tov ~ 3.1 pf
54.0% 2pt (13.1 2pta) ~ 34.8% 3pt (5.0 3pta) ~ 80.9% ft (8.3 fta) ~ 59.2% ts
122.9 ORtg ~ 84.0 DRtg ~ +15.8 bpm (+8.2/+7.5) ~ 31.2% usg

Dylan Harper ~ G ~ 6'6" 215
Rutgers (B10) ~ Fr ~ 19.3 yrs

Spoiler:

23.9 pts ~ 6.3 reb ~ 5.3 ast ~ 1.3 stl ~ 0.7 blk ~ 2.8 tov ~ 2.1 pf
57.2% 2pt (10.9 2pta) ~ 34.1% 3pt (6.2 3pta) ~ 71.6% ft (7.0 fta) ~ 58.3% ts
119.3 ORtg ~ 108.1 DRtg ~ +8.6 bpm (+7.1/+1.4) ~ 29.1% usg

Kasparas Jakucionis ~ SG ~ 6'6" 205
Illinois (B10) ~ Fr ~ 19.1 yrs

Spoiler:

20.2 pts ~ 6.4 reb ~ 6.7 ast ~ 1.5 stl ~ 0.1 blk ~ 4.3 tov ~ 3.4 pf
59.2% 2pt (6.0 2pta) ~ 40.5% 3pt (6.3 3pta) ~ 87.2% ft (6.2 fta) ~ 66.1% ts
123.3 ORtg ~ 93.3 DRtg ~ +10.9 bpm (+6.1/+4.8) ~ 23.6% usg

Asa Newell ~ PF ~ 6'11" 220
Georgia (SEC) ~ Fr ~ 19.7 yrs

Spoiler:

22.2 pts ~ 9.9 reb ~ 1.5 ast ~ 1.5 stl ~ 1.6 blk ~ 1.5 tov ~ 3.2 pf
63.2% 2pt (12.5 2pta) ~ 31.6% 3pt (3.1 3pta) ~ 71.0% ft (5.0 fta) ~ 62.0% ts
134.7 ORtg ~ 96.2 DRtg ~ +10.9 bpm (+8.0/+2.9) ~ 23.4% usg

VJ Edgecombe ~ SG ~ 6'5" 180
Baylor (B12) ~ Fr ~ 19.9 yrs

Spoiler:

17.5 pts ~ 7.7 reb ~ 4.3 ast ~ 3.4 stl ~ 1.1 blk ~ 2.7 tov ~ 3.2 pf
46.8% 2pt (9.5 2pta) ~ 31.9% 3pt (5.9 3pta) ~ 74.5% ft (4.0 fta) ~ 50.7% ts
111.9 ORtg ~ 94.4 DRtg ~ +9.7 bpm (+4.8/+4.9) ~ 23.8% usg

Labaron Philon ~ G ~ 6'4" 177
Alabama (SEC) ~ Fr ~ 19.6 yrs

Spoiler:

17.6 pts ~ 5.7 reb ~ 5.8 ast ~ 1.9 stl ~ 0.4 blk ~ 2.5 tov ~ 2.6 pf
59.2% 2pt (8.7 2pta) ~ 29.5% 3pt (5.2 3pta) ~ 70.2% ft (4.0 fta) ~ 56.1% ts
121.9 ORtg ~ 105.1 DRtg ~ +8.9 bpm (+5.3/+3.6) ~ 21.9% usg

Thomas Sorber ~ PF/C ~ 6'10" 255
Georgetown (BEAST) ~ Fr ~ 19.5

Spoiler:

19.0 pts ~ 11.6 reb ~ 3.5 ast ~ 1.7 stl ~ 3.1 blk ~ 3.2 tov ~ 3.1 pf
57.8% 2pt (11.4 2pta) ~ 14.8% 3pt (2.0 3pta) ~ 75.9% ft (6.4 fta) ~ 57.6% ts
115.1 ORtg ~ 89.0 DRtg ~ +8.1 bpm (+3.1/+4.9) ~ 24.0% usg

Ian Jackson ~ G ~ 6'4" 190
North Carolina (ACC) ~ Fr ~ 20.3 yrs

Spoiler:

21.9 pts ~ 5.3 reb ~ 1.3 ast ~ 0.9 stl ~ 0.4 blk ~ 1.6 tov ~ 2.4 pf
57.3% 2pt (8.8 2pta) ~ 39.3% 3pt (6.7 3pta) ~ 76.2% ft (5.0 fta) ~ 61.0% ts
120.4 ORtg ~ 107.5 DRtg ~ +8.0 bpm (+6.0/+2.0) ~ 24.7% usg

Tre Johnson ~ SG ~ 6'6" 190
Texas (SEC) ~ Fr ~ 19.3 yrs

Spoiler:

23.5 pts ~ 3.4 reb ~ 2.5 ast ~ 1.2 stl ~ 0.5 blk ~ 2.2 tov ~ 2.5 pf
51.5% 2pt (10.8 2pta) ~ 40.0% 3pt (7.9 3pta) ~ 84.1% ft (3.5 fta) ~ 57.8% ts
115.2 ORtg ~ 103.1 DRtg ~ +7.1 bpm (+5.6/+1.5) ~ 28.3% usg

Ace Bailey ~ F ~ 6'10 200
Rutgers (B10) ~ Fr ~ 18.8 yrs

Spoiler:

23.9 pts ~ 9.5 reb ~ 1.1 ast ~ 1.3 stl ~ 1.6 blk ~ 2.5 tov ~ 3.2 pf
52.4% 2pt (13.4 2pta) ~ 39.3% 3pt (6.0 3pta) ~ 60.6% ft (4.6 fta) ~ 55.3% ts
109.0 ORtg ~ 104.4 DRtg ~ +6.1 bpm (+4.9/+1.2) ~ 29.7% usg

Egor Demin ~ PG ~ 6'9" 190
BYU (B12) ~ Fr ~ 19.3 yrs

Spoiler:

15.5 pts ~ 6.2 reb ~ 8.1 ast ~ 2.0 stl ~ 0.8 blk ~ 3.8 tov ~ 1.6 pf
54.5% 2pt (6.7 2pta) ~ 28.1% 3pt (6.5 3pta) ~ 63.4% ft (4.2 fta) ~ 50.8% ts
107.7 ORtg ~ 96.8 DRtg ~ +5.8 bpm (+2.8/+3.0) ~ 22.9% usg

Jeremiah Fears ~ G ~ 6'4" 182
Oklahoma (SEC) ~ Fr ~ 18.7 yrs

Spoiler:

23.1 pts ~ 5.5 reb ~ 6.1 ast ~ 2.7 stl ~ 0.1 blk ~ 5.2 tov ~ 2.4 pf
56.4% 2pt (10.8 2pta) ~ 26.5% 3pt (5.3 3pta) ~ 83.3% ft (8.3 fta) ~ 58.2% ts
109.6 ORtg ~ 101.5 DRtg ~ +5.5 bpm (+3.9/+1.6) ~ 31.8% usg

[wilson115]

Think it's only Jaku's second game back after hurting his wrist two weeks ago. Might've hurt it again or something, fluke game in any case.

[Walt Cronkite]

Think it's only Jaku's second game back after hurting his wrist two weeks ago. Might've hurt it again or something, fluke game in any case.

I was the jinx. wanted to see how Jaku looked against J-Rich's kid and the MSU guys, so of course he only manages 9 minutes and fouls out. Sorry everybody. College hoops is the worst.

[Walt Cronkite]

I am willing to weponize my curse to any college hoops fans willing to pay the price. Duke or State fan? Hire me to watch UNC games and watch the 'heels implode...

[UNCNYC]

My apologies but this just came to mind as to why I posted a lot of players...

Some might think I post a lot of players but to be honest the only ones that have ever done something were the ones I PREDICTED WOULD... The only one who I casually posted ONCE who did something was AUSTIN REEVES.

The players who I just CASUALLY POST "NEVER" make it. I just post them to show whats BEST AVAILABLE after the players I WANT
are gone... Kinda like what a GM would do...

All these guys I predicted would do something I posted a lot pre draft that were late or not on mocks...

PG - Ajay Mitchell, Craig Porter JR, Ayo Dosunmu, Jared Butler, Tre Mann, Scottie Pippen JR

SG - Dyson Daniels, Josh Primo, Shaedon Sharpe, Isiah Joe, Bub Carrington, Grady Dick, Dalton Knect,

SF - Aaron Wiggins, Trey Murphy, Andre Jackson, Ben Sheppard,

PF - YuTa Watanabe, Toumani Camara, Jalen McDaniels

C - Jericho Simms, Christian Wood, Branden Carlson - I didn't post Carlson much but imo he will be solid

[Walt Cronkite]

Some might think I post a lot of players but to be honest the only ones that have ever done something were the ones I PREDICTED WOULD... The only one who I casually posted ONCE who did something was AUSTIN REEVES.

The players who I just CASUALLY POST "NEVER" make it. I just post them to show whats BEST AVAILABLE after the players I WANT
are gone... Kinda like what a GM would do...

Who are you currently high on that could contribute for the Hornets as a backup pg or C? Switchability seems to be of the valued highly by the current FO.

[Braggins]

Asa Newell seems kind of interesting. Long athletic forward (maybe can play small center eventually) with high production and two-way potential.

[UNCNYC]

Some might think I post a lot of players but to be honest the only ones that have ever done something were the ones I PREDICTED WOULD... The only one who I casually posted ONCE who did something was AUSTIN REEVES.

The players who I just CASUALLY POST "NEVER" make it. I just post them to show whats BEST AVAILABLE after the players I WANT
are gone... Kinda like what a GM would do...

Who are you currently high on that could contribute for the Hornets as a backup pg or C? Switchability seems to be of the valued highly by the current FO.

Hey Walt Cronkite hope you are Blessed and well...

I think

PG - Kam Jones, Zeke Mayo, Chase Hunter, Walter Clayton Jr , Alijah Martin

CENTER - Clifford Omoruyi, Maxime Raynaud

I think alllllll those guys can be high contributors in those positions