2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 6

[mademan]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=PSy3Ch7pvG4ybe2MpvWFcw

He has some real wiggle to his game and he's gonna be tough to keep out of the paint. If he can shoot, he'll be a top 5 player from this draft

[LoveMyRaps]

Draft talk is at 53:36 on the Zach Lowe Show

Watch on YouTube

I love Zach Lowe because he comes at everything from an NBA lens that is really plugged in. Out of all the great discussion, the Jonathan Mogbo slight from Zach Lowe was telling. It justifies my own beliefs on that pseudo-Draymond every draft dude indulges in. Zach referenced Mogbo as probably the next guy that gets traded a few times and is out of the league in a few years.

He also mentioned guys like Queen, CMB and Fleming as guys who are fringey NBA guys in the same way as Mogbo and I kind of agree, although I am higher on Queen.

Guys like Mogbo are high risk, high reward type of guys.
If they are drafted by the right team, their potential will be maximized and they’ll have long NBA careers as role players.
If they are drafted by the wrong team, they’ll be out of the league in a few years.

[JCP11]

[img]

More Khaman proproganda

Watch on YouTube

Every player looks good in an open gym lol....

I actually laughed at that one...but Thon didn't play at Duke and contributed to his team all the way to the final four or played vs Team USA and actually do well. Dude actually played high level basketball already which is awsome.

[PhilBlackson]

[img]

More Khaman proproganda

I'll repeat that I still have Queen and Fears ahead of Maluach on my board but I don't understand why there is this portion of this forum/fanbase that is so completely dismissive of everything Khaman does?!?

Why is it "propaganda"?! They're literally just reporting what he did lol

Propaganda would imply that someone is trying to inflate value for their own purposes. He's not Khaman's agent That's a Nets' fan page and Khaman is one of a dozen different players they can draft, literally basically same as us. When someone posts something about what Fears did (which has already happened) or Tre etc...it's just them "putting in work" and everyone is free to get excited by the highlights and discuss them as prospects.

Khaman does that and it's "propaganda", then followed a litany of posters talking about how "anyone can do that in an open gym" and people rushing to show highlights of previous busts training lol it's actually sad the odd hate some of you have for him (obv as a prospect, not person). No matter what he does, you guys just want to completely write him off as 19 year old that's already done so much in such a limited amount of time and like he couldn't get better which is even more bizarre given the supposed belief in our franchise to develop players. But it's whatever, I hate that I'm even defending a player this much who's not even the top of my list but the kneejerk hate he gets is dumbfounding. It actually makes me hope we draft him, develop tfo him just to silence the unwarranted shade.

[Clutch0z24]

In no way am I drafting Maluach in the top 10. Too much of an unknown, and not worth the risk of a high lottery pick after a painful year. And on top of that, what is his ceiling? I haven't seen even one write up where he's projected to be a star. More like productive starter, to backup big. No thanks.

Give me guys with star upside and actual skills today, like Queen, Johnson, even Fears etc at 7.

Yep thats where i am at as well.....So many things would have to go right for him to become even an all star level player....The other 3 at least shown the skills during college that can translate to the NBA where you could see them becoming All star + players....If you draft Maluach you are getting a great backup C to a average level starting C.....Is that worth the only top pick you will get for a long time that you tanked for? ....

Now if Maluach some how develops even a Derik Queen offensive bag thats a possible all star but it will take alot of things to go right for him to get there....Might be worth it if we move back and alot of the good players are off the board already ....But if you stay at 7 or jump up into top 4 for me Maluach would be off the table.....But if Masai picks him he better get it right because if we draft a Bust and have a bad year next season his job is on the line.

[KG1585]

Draft talk is at 53:36 on the Zach Lowe Show

Watch on YouTube

I love Zach Lowe because he comes at everything from an NBA lens that is really plugged in. Out of all the great discussion, the Jonathan Mogbo slight from Zach Lowe was telling. It justifies my own beliefs on that pseudo-Draymond every draft dude indulges in. Zach referenced Mogbo as probably the next guy that gets traded a few times and is out of the league in a few years.

He also mentioned guys like Queen, CMB and Fleming as guys who are fringey NBA guys in the same way as Mogbo and I kind of agree, although I am higher on Queen.

Guys like Mogbo are high risk, high reward type of guys.
If they are drafted by the right team, their potential will be maximized and they’ll have long NBA careers as role players.
If they are drafted by the wrong team, they’ll be out of the league in a few years.

I feel like I am higher on Mogbo than a lot of people. He will be a really good defender. He showed that he is working on his 3 ball this season. If he can become a shooter that teams will respect, with his defence, that will be amazing for a second round pick.

[Indeed]

Draft talk is at 53:36 on the Zach Lowe Show

Watch on YouTube

I love Zach Lowe because he comes at everything from an NBA lens that is really plugged in. Out of all the great discussion, the Jonathan Mogbo slight from Zach Lowe was telling. It justifies my own beliefs on that pseudo-Draymond every draft dude indulges in. Zach referenced Mogbo as probably the next guy that gets traded a few times and is out of the league in a few years.

He also mentioned guys like Queen, CMB and Fleming as guys who are fringey NBA guys in the same way as Mogbo and I kind of agree, although I am higher on Queen.

I am unsure I agree with the fringey NBA guys definition.
Fleming - 3&D big, I don't see that as a fringery, more a 3&D. I would not call Anunoby a fringery, more a high-end role player.
CMB - playing out of position, which I can see as a fringey NBA guy, as his skill set don't translate.
Queen - an offensive big, even he is fringey, he is among the top 10 on offense at his position, and teams need one at either PF or C, so I am unsure you call him fringery.

Mogbo is on a different level of bad. His positioning is bad to be a lock down defender, and he gambles, which makes him not elite on defense. As for his offense, his 3 is catching up, but his finishing is bad, not having any touches beyond dunking.

[Dalek]

I love Zach Lowe because he comes at everything from an NBA lens that is really plugged in. Out of all the great discussion, the Jonathan Mogbo slight from Zach Lowe was telling. It justifies my own beliefs on that pseudo-Draymond every draft dude indulges in. Zach referenced Mogbo as probably the next guy that gets traded a few times and is out of the league in a few years.

He also mentioned guys like Queen, CMB and Fleming as guys who are fringey NBA guys in the same way as Mogbo and I kind of agree, although I am higher on Queen.

Guys like Mogbo are high risk, high reward type of guys.
If they are drafted by the right team, their potential will be maximized and they’ll have long NBA careers as role players.
If they are drafted by the wrong team, they’ll be out of the league in a few years.

I feel like I am higher on Mogbo than a lot of people. He will be a really good defender. He showed that he is working on his 3 ball this season. If he can become a shooter that teams will respect, with his defence, that will be amazing for a second round pick.

I think Zach's point is that players like Mogbo can look nice at a few points in time where they have a huge game(s), but it doesn't stop the fact that they are essentially undersized centers that cannot play their ideal position given the size of NBA centers. Instead teams try to convert players like Mogbo into wannabe wings that likely won't make it because the NBA level is so high for that role that these types tend to flop out.

Every draft cycle I see the Draymond comps and I also see the Bam Adebayo comps and they hit rate on those types are so low it is laughable.

The guys I like are the Josh Hart types. Wings who can shoot it a bit, board and defend several positions. This draft has guys like Nique Clifford and Cedric Coward who I think are so plug and play. Even Kon Kneuppel has won me over in the lottery. Those are guys who built for the playoffs in 2025.

[Dalek]

Draft talk is at 53:36 on the Zach Lowe Show

Watch on YouTube

I love Zach Lowe because he comes at everything from an NBA lens that is really plugged in. Out of all the great discussion, the Jonathan Mogbo slight from Zach Lowe was telling. It justifies my own beliefs on that pseudo-Draymond every draft dude indulges in. Zach referenced Mogbo as probably the next guy that gets traded a few times and is out of the league in a few years.

He also mentioned guys like Queen, CMB and Fleming as guys who are fringey NBA guys in the same way as Mogbo and I kind of agree, although I am higher on Queen.

I am unsure I agree with the fringey NBA guys definition.
Fleming - 3&D big, I don't see that as a fringery, more a 3&D. I would not call Anunoby a fringery, more a high-end role player.
CMB - playing out of position, which I can see as a fringey NBA guy, as his skill set don't translate.
Queen - an offensive big, even he is fringey, he is among the top 10 on offense at his position, and teams need one at either PF or C, so I am unsure you call him fringery.

Mogbo is on a different level of bad. His positioning is bad to be a lock down defender, and he gambles, which makes him not elite on defense. As for his offense, his 3 is catching up, but his finishing is bad, not having any touches beyond dunking.

The other guy on the show also contributed to the discussion and said a bit. He wasn't high on Fleming because he can't really dribble the ball so he can defend and shoot threes. I think he is a Junior so he is a little more defined as to the player who he is.

Queen raises red flags as far as his defense and shooting. He is a C and a small one for the NBA so he defends other like sized PFs?

He got toasted by NBA sized guys like the Danny Wolfe. The NBA will be tougher.

I really like Queen too because he had a great college year, but for him to be legit he has to add more shooting to his game. I don't think he will getaway with bullying people in the NBA. I do believe in him, but it will be interested if after workouts and testing people will still be high on him.

[Dalek]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=PSy3Ch7pvG4ybe2MpvWFcw

He has some real wiggle to his game and he's gonna be tough to keep out of the paint. If he can shoot, he'll be a top 5 player from this draft

He has been on a heater for a while now. Is this the legit Traore now with reliable outside shooting? He looks more like the player we saw in ANGT last year.

I have him, Philon and Fears in this very confusing bracket of playmaking guards.

[WuTang_CMB]

Looks like toronto will just stay at 7 or 8 and pick BPA based on history and masai's comments

would be fun if we cracked top 2 though

[DreamTeam09]

[img]

More Khaman proproganda

I'll repeat that I still have Queen and Fears ahead of Maluach on my board but I don't understand why there is this portion of this forum/fanbase that is so completely dismissive of everything Khaman does?!?

Why is it "propaganda"?! They're literally just reporting what he did lol

Propaganda would imply that someone is trying to inflate value for their own purposes. He's not Khaman's agent That's a Nets' fan page and Khaman is one of a dozen different players they can draft, literally basically same as us. When someone posts something about what Fears did (which has already happened) or Tre etc...it's just them "putting in work" and everyone is free to get excited by the highlights and discuss them as prospects.

Khaman does that and it's "propaganda", a litany of posts about how "anyone can do that in an open gym" and people rushing to show highlights of previous busts training lol it's actually sad the odd hate some of you have for him (obv as a prospect, not person). No matter what he does, you guys just want to completely write him off as 19 year old that's already done so much in such a limited amount of time and like he couldn't get better which is even more bizarre given the supposed belief in our franchise to develop players. But it's whatever, I hate that I'm even defending a player this much who's not even the top of my list but the kneejerk hate he gets is dumbfounding. It actually makes me hope we draft him, develop tfo him just to silence the unwarranted shade.

I used propaganda because I want the Raps to draft Khaman. Maybe poor choice of words on my part but I'm a fan lol, probably his #1 fan on here

[PhilBlackson]

Looks like toronto will just stay at 7 or 8 and pick BPA based on history and masai's comments

would be fun if we cracked top 2 though

I actually think the most interesting thing would be if we landed at 4 again.

That just screams history repeating itself and the Raps not taking whoever would end up being the presumptive 4th overall (whichever one of Ace or VJ is still there, my guess is it's VJ and I could especially see it happening if it is him) and I think them drafting one of Queen or Maluach at 4 would be the most on brand & fun/funny thing that could happen lol.

But yeah cracking the top 2 would be unbelievable and it's crazy how little hope we have for it despite some pretty solid odds & history of where the 7th has landed in recent memory. I guess we just don't even want to jinx our odds by even contemplating it as a reality lol but man how fun would it be if we do even get into the top 3?! If we crack top 3, I'd be confident we're a legit championship contender in about 3 years once the game started slowing down for that young player and the rest of the core is just hitting their primes (or right in the thick of it in BI's case).

[WuTang_CMB]

Draft talk is at 53:36 on the Zach Lowe Show

Watch on YouTube

I love Zach Lowe because he comes at everything from an NBA lens that is really plugged in. Out of all the great discussion, the Jonathan Mogbo slight from Zach Lowe was telling. It justifies my own beliefs on that pseudo-Draymond every draft dude indulges in. Zach referenced Mogbo as probably the next guy that gets traded a few times and is out of the league in a few years.

He also mentioned guys like Queen, CMB and Fleming as guys who are fringey NBA guys in the same way as Mogbo and I kind of agree, although I am higher on Queen.

Guys like Mogbo are high risk, high reward type of guys.
If they are drafted by the right team, their potential will be maximized and they’ll have long NBA careers as role players.
If they are drafted by the wrong team, they’ll be out of the league in a few years.

pretty much this. Mogbo would be labeled a tweener years ago and not have much of a chance due to his lack of size at the 5 and zero permiter game as a big wing. But since small ball has come around, it kind of opened the door for these tweeners since guys like draymond have showcased that it could work with their passing, defense, high iq, and hitting timely open shots. Mogbo has a good foundation and I think Toronto is the right situation for him since they will be patient but ya lots to work on. If he can become a 6/7/8 rotation slot guy on a winning that's a success IMO

[DreamTeam09]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=PSy3Ch7pvG4ybe2MpvWFcw

As a Mavs fan on the side I want the Mavs to draft him at 11. Egor Kasp and Noal are probably high on their big board

[PhilBlackson]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=PSy3Ch7pvG4ybe2MpvWFcw

As a Mavs fan on the side I want the Mavs to draft him at 11. Egor Kasp and Noal are probably high on their big board

I just don't see the Raps legitimately considering Traore with our pick with likely one or both of Fears, Kasp or heck maybe even Jase, if they're gonna bother going with a guard (which I'm highly doubtful of considering they just paid IQ and Shead has clearly solidified himself as the backup). Of course I think they address the obvious gap in the lineup (backup C which the Vice Chairman has poorly hid his intention to FIND (which means he doesn't think we have that yet even with Chomche) a "young big to develop"). But anyways I just don't see Nolan being in real consideration for our pick personally when there is likely still a better guard available.

[WuTang_CMB]

Watch on YouTube

;t=302s

[PhilBlackson]

Watch on YouTube

;t=302s

Although I love Tre Johnson, I gotta say if we drafted him (or Kon) that would be the most stunning to me just considering the sheer amount of SGs we already have on the roster. I understand Tre (I'm not as sold on Kon) could end up better than all of them but in the off chance he wasn't a substantial upgrade over JaKobe - will his offensive abilities be so much greater than JaKobe's that it makes up for what he gives up defensively?! Idk how you would validate using your last 3 draft picks all on a single position that is by far & wide the deepest point of our roster that also still has RJ as well. If we take a SG, we gotta not just hope but be convinced he's gonna be a top 5 player at his position.

Not saying he can't be but that would be a pretty bold/risky move because that's what we will be needed to validate taking him with other options available at easily greater positions of need with arguably similar upside.

[DonDoolie]

Praying to the lord above that we do not draft Maluach. That dude looks like an absolute bum.

[PhilBlackson]

I'll just say if it were my call, I'd take the gamble on Fears... but I still love Queen as a safer bet especially in our lineup.

But Fears to me presents the greatest upside of the non-top 4 prospects. I said it before but there is something about his live dribble ability that allows him to get to any area on the court he wants to that reminds me of SGA (like/lite). I'm obv not saying he'll be the same level of player because no matter what a woman may tell you, those couple inches matter lol and yes that would help to make Shai all that much better overall. But still if you can have a lead guard with some high level creation ability and like Shai, just needs to continue to hone in on his jumper when he is already an ELITE free throw shooter (84%), there's strong reason to believe that he's going to eventually hit his jumpers with pretty darn good efficiency. But especially if he were developed the right way *ahem here. I know it's very unlikely to happen that the FO is willing to potentially "shake up" things with IQ & Shead. But I think we could make him into one of the best guards in the league (period)...I just don't think the FO will be willing to risk stirring anything up in the lockerroom.

Having said all that, I think Queen is obv the easier fit into the lineup/lockerroom as an eventual/possibly quick replacement to Yak as he has pretty much the strengths but arguably better at everything offensively. Obv not the rim protector Yak is but still I see a pretty clear pathway to make him an all-star caliber player in his own right. In the end though I just genuinely have a gut feeling we're taking Maluach (if he's still available), there's obvious potential there that scouts have repeatedly stated throughout his time as a top prospect, the added overload of team chemistry by reuniting him & Chomche, if you watch him you can all but guarantee he will be loved by his teammates in general and of course if they develop him to an elite level what could possibly be better for Masai's vision for GOA than to turn one of those prospects into something great to market to the league and to the kids back there looking for inspiration?!