2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 5

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

I've been digging into Jase Richardson a bit more lately, because I think I only saw about 4 of his full games during the season and in the tournament.

I realize that there might be questions about his size, and I'm not sure how he'd fit into the Raptors roster, but...

Is there a chance he's basically Donovan Mitchell? I'll be honest, I think there's a chance he's the same level of prospect as VJ Edgecomb, and I could actually see an argument to take him over VJ because he's got way more of a bag on the offensive end.

All of this is projection of course, because Mitchell is an anomaly in that guards his size aren't often as dominant as SGs at the NBA level. So Jase has some things stacked against him. But if there's a chance he really is that kind of talent, you figure out the roster construction later.

I don't think he is going to be Donovan Mitchell. To me Mitchell is a far superior athlete who is hard to control off the dribble. He also had a huge 6'10 wingspan to his 6'3 height.

Jase is slower and more like Jalen Brunson playing with craft rather than as a plus-athlete. His frame looks less bulky so I kind of see him as Gary Harris as a good outcome.

Overall, while I love Michigan State as its the main college team I follow, I kind of think their NBA draft guard prospects end up meh. Gary Harris, Bryn Forbes, Cassius Winston, Mateen Cleaves all were great college players that didn't translate well.

I worry that Jase isn't really a PG and is just a combo guard which limits his appeal.

Good observation. As for Brunson though, Jase doesn't have Brunson strength or bag.

[Psubs]

Has anyone done any scouting on Neoklis Avdalas? He looks like a solid second round option.

https://www.si.com/nba/draft/prospect-profiles/nba-draft-scouting-report-greece-neoklis-avdalas

[youtube]https://youtu.be/2HzDDPd-jbE?si=QIlu5T3wsfx2RsRs[/youtube]

I mentioned him before. He was at one point considered the Greek Luka and he even has a similar Luka lion/tiger tattoo on his arm. He can score from outside but is smaller than Luka and not nearly the playmaker, but he is basically a guard in a SF body. Overall, I trust the shot as he shoots it over 40% from three.

My only reservation with him is Greek players tend not to stick it out in the NBA. Overall, I think they find it hard to leave the language and culture behind. Giannis is the great success story, but there are many that just don't work out and you burn a pick to never see them play here.

He's only this year shot the 3 at an average % and he's shooting 36% in international comp.

https://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Neoklis-Avdalas/625686

I guess the 40% in league would be like Coulibaly. I trust de Larrea's shooting more on a Euro Cup level team. Looks like not much hops when dunking.

Maybe at best he's Deni Avdija 2.0 instead? He's on a role in Portland. The Wizards are so trash.

He might be a pick in the 50's as a stash but probably not this year. I just don't see him doing anything that Gradey doesn't.

[Grew]

I like Maluach, but the whole thing about how he has barely played basketball is mostly being viewed as a positive, when there is a good chance it's more of a negative.

When you're talking about being top 400 in the world at something, you're generally only going to get there if you start as a child and it's integrated into your being. Maluach is simply never going to be the most skilled or have a top end BBIQ. Him being a genetic freak is why he will be in the league.

As for the difference between him and Chomche. I was thinking earlier in the year, watching dukes backup big, that Chomche probably wouldn't even play on that team. He would be the third string.

Another thing about Chomche is, I didn't like his shot blocking instincts or timing when watching him in summer league. Yet somehow he was leading the gleague in blocks at some point. I have the same kind of feeling about Maluach as a shot blocker, maybe he will be more effective than expected like chomche has been.

I don't think that is fair to say someone won't develop BBIQ or skill. Pascal went from an energy big to a all-NBA type over the course of his career. He started out in seminary school in Africa. A lot of non-North Americans play soccer/football first and I see the benefit in the ability to run and have great footwork/coordination, which Maluach shows.

I think the guys who failed like James Wiseman, Hasheem Thabeet and Mo Bamba might have had motor or health issues and lacked the development support. If Maluach goes to the right program, and he already started well at Duke, then he has the make-up to succeed. By all accounts he is a hard worker, has a great family supporting him, and he looks focused on basketball.

I always felt that Chomche was the worse prospect because he seems much more raw and physically he isn't in the same class as Maluach. It would be pretty wild to have them both on Toronto after their BAL days.

I don't mean he will never develop. Pascal is pretty much the highest level example for someone who has played that little basketball in their life. Pascal also has his limitations because of it, he's just doesn't have that natural fluid scoring capability that the top offensive players have. He has a feel for the game from playing other sports and I wouldn't call him low BBIQ, but there was something missing when his role scaled up. Pascal just doesn't quite have that basketball player aesthetic, he's effective to an extent, but as we know as raptor fans, he's not cut out to be the top guy.

Right now if we draft at 7, It's probably Fears, Queen then Maluach for me. I definitely like Maluach, I just don't know if he's ever going to be a guy who can go get you a bucket. I think his best outcome is something like the OG of centers, a very unique and valuable roll player.

My overall point was, it's just really hard to be the best at something starting so late in life. So he has room to improve of course, but I believe his ceiling is capped lower than it would have been if he started at 6 years old. If he becomes some type of dominant offensive player it will be because of his size, but I think it's highly unlikely.

[mtcan]

Said it before by KM’s labeled as a defensive prospect but his block and rebounding % rates are mediocre at best. I don’t see why you would take him top 10.

I think the mystery box effect applies. He started basketball late but already has a decent feel for the game and extremely impressive measurements which makes his defensive floor already very high. Question is...how much better can he get with more experience.

That "how much better..." question is very tantalizing, I'm sure.

The thing here...is how he is developed going forward. He's being used primarily as a rim runner on offence and obviously he can grab a rebound and block a shot. Can he add to that base skill set? Can he dribble? Can he shoot?

The mystery box is scary for such a high pick. I think that's where we can get into trouble. I can understand taking this type of player late lottery and beyond since you are now leaning on potential but it's difficult for me to see how Masai would take him top 10 since they have always been a conservative front office, outside of bruno - but even then it was at 20.

It's likely that Masai knows KM as a player better than anyone. If he does end up taking him, I will trust judgement but I can't see it happening today. Him only playing 5 years is definitely a pro for him, it will be interesting how teams measure that.

Watch on YouTube

If the clip I linked to above is any indication on how well KM can play against legit NBA competition...him holding his own against AD on defence, then running the floor for an easy dunk, drilling a long 2 in Embiid's face and also hitting the open 3...that's impressive for a 17 year old (at the time).

Can you get all of that on a consistent basis as a pro??? That is the question....

[OakleyDokely]

During the draft process, a lot of people were knocking Scottie's rebound and block totals, which were low when you just look at his overall numbers. As we've come to see with his NBA performance, most of that was due to how he was used at FSU. He was asked to defend a lot on the perimeter, which reduced his opportunities. I think we will see the same pattern with KM, whose been asked to defend away from the basket a lot more than your typical drop big.

Scottie actually produced like a Masai-type lottery pick in his draft year. Maluach didn't. If I had known about Barttorvik back in the 2021 draft cycle, Scottie would have been on the "Masai-type FRP" list (I wasn't made aware of Bart until the 2023 draft cycle, since then I'm 3/3 so far in identifying Gradey, Ja'Kobe, and Mogbo as Masai-type FRPs pre-draft).

I'm not saying he's a locked to be picked by Masai, but I definitely think he will be in the mix given his combination of size, defense and potential.

[Psubs]

What about Condon who started organized basketball 5 years ago too. He has an A/T of around 2. He's not the lob threat or rim protector as Maluach projects but he does all the other things. Maybe he's like Joakim Noah that can shoot 3's average?

Condon sometimes is just a facilitator kind of like what we see from Mogbo. I think with more experience, he will be more aggressive. I think with 6 fouls and not starting right away he'd be more aggressive on both ends crashing the boards. I like him because he's not a chucker with a high usage.

[WuTang_OG]

Watch on YouTube

[God Squad]

I like this discussion about Maluach, he's an extremely polarizing prospect IMO.

[God Squad]

Rank these bigs

Maluach
Queen
Sorber
Newell

Such an intriguing group of players IMO. They all have different archetypes which is funny. I guess it'll come down to advanced stats/archetype/projection.

[dballislife]

What about Condon who started organized basketball 5 years ago too. He has an A/T of around 2. He's not the lob threat or rim protector as Maluach projects but he does all the other things. Maybe he's like Joakim Noah that can shoot 3's average?

Condon sometimes is just a facilitator kind of like what we see from Mogbo. I think with more experience, he will be more aggressive. I think with 6 fouls and not starting right away he'd be more aggressive on both ends crashing the boards. I like him because he's not a chucker with a high usage.

i only started watching condon during the tourney, and while he is useful out there, hes extremely limited to me and i dont see anything special...looks like he has weak wingspan too, and masai loves his length

[WuTang_OG]

what does dean on the draft think about Maluach

[Jcity08]

I'd rather not use this years lottery draft to grab a project.

[mtcan]

Watch on YouTube

This piece is very revealing about the African prospects. Khaman's been working on that 3 pointer with Kyle Korver...and that's when he was 16 years old. Which other 16 year olds are mentored by a great 3 point shooter?

Very good interview with KM. I think KM's stock is going to rise when you see him shooting. He's got a 3 pointer I'm almost 100% certain.

NB...Ruben Chinyelu is a sophomore with the Florida Gators...

[dohboy_24]

Rank these bigs

Maluach
Queen
Sorber
Newell

Such an intriguing group of players IMO. They all have different archetypes which is funny. I guess it'll come down to advanced stats/archetype/projection.

Rankings with per 36 min stats:

Khaman Malauch - 14.7 pts, 11.5 reb, 0.8 ast, 2.2 blk, 0.4 stl
Thomas Sorber - 16.7 pts, 9.7 reb, 2.8 ast, 2.3 blk, 1.7 stl
Alex Condon - 15.6 pts, 11.1 reb, 3.3 ast, 2.0 blk, 1.2 stl
Derik Queen - 19.6 pts, 10.6 reb, 2.2 ast, 1.3 blk, 1.3 stl
Asa Newell - 19.1 pts, 8.5 reb, 1.1 ast, 1.2 blk, 1.2 stl

[Indeed]

I have my concerns about Maluach as well, but the more I watch some of the other guys who are projected top 10, the more I warm up to the idea of drafting Maluach. He has his flaws, but I think he's got a decently high floor as a lob threat with good mobility defensively, even if he doesn't develop offensively. There are other lottery-projected wings/guards, who, if they don't find their jumpshot at the NBA level, they will wind up as unexceptional depth guys. Those are the guys who scare me the most, because aside from the odd exception, you pretty much are who you are as a jump shooter the moment you enter the league.

It is the opposite, he has a high floor.
He is not going to create for you, unlikely to become Embiid / Gasol type of offensive hub. Therefore, his ceiling is at most high end role player like Ibaka with better defense.

He is high floor is that he will at least protect the paint, get you rebounds.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Dion Waiters is VJ bust comp

[mademan]

Top 10 as of Apr

1.Cooper
2.Harper
3.CMB
4.VJ
5.Queen
6.Fears
7.Jase/Kon
8.Kon/Jase
9.Ace
10.Maluach

HM to Noa

[Yallbecrazy]

Top 10 as of Apr

1.Cooper
2.Harper
3.CMB
4.VJ
5.Queen
6.Fears
7.Jase/Kon
8.Kon/Jase
9.Ace
10.Maluach

HM to Noa

This is very similar to mine except I probably drop Fears, Queen, and Malauch down a few slots each.

[Yallbecrazy]

What about Condon who started organized basketball 5 years ago too. He has an A/T of around 2. He's not the lob threat or rim protector as Maluach projects but he does all the other things. Maybe he's like Joakim Noah that can shoot 3's average?

Condon sometimes is just a facilitator kind of like what we see from Mogbo. I think with more experience, he will be more aggressive. I think with 6 fouls and not starting right away he'd be more aggressive on both ends crashing the boards. I like him because he's not a chucker with a high usage.

I watched Condon operate out of the high post and I'm not sure why Florida doesn't use him in that role more often. Give him the ball inside the top of the key and just have guys cut. He's such an incredible passer and when I've seen UF do it the few times it always seems to end up in a layup or dunk.

[grant101]

Dion Waiters is VJ bust comp

I don’t see Waiters. Dion was much more dynamic on ball. I see a Zhaire Smith with slightly better defence and a shot I trust will translate a little more.

I’m bummed that we didn’t get a chance to see him as the primary ball handler. really wanted to see if those Bahamas flashes were real. Risky pick