2025 Draft prospects - thread 2

[jump]

It feels to me like picks 10-20 are all about equal. Everyone with strengths and weaknesses, but I could talk myself into liking each of them, with evidence to back it up. If pro scouts feel the same way, I think we need to factor in need for our roster. Bryant, Fleming, Jakuciounis, Lendeborg -- feel like any of these guys could make a solid impact.

[HomoSapien]

I would be really interested in Carter Bryant if it weren't for Pat. I am a little hesitant to make such a similar gamble. We really can't blow this pick.

I will also mention my favorite scenario which is trading the pick for Walker Kessler. Ainge may not do it, but he does value picks.

[CROBulls]

I would be really interested in Carter Bryant if it weren't for Pat. I am a little hesitant to make such a similar gamble. We really can't blow this pick.

I will also mention my favorite scenario which is trading the pick for Walker Kessler. Ainge may not do it, but he does value picks.

What are you talking about? You can afford the risk. They are literally in NBA hell if they dont take risks. You should swing as swingers do on private island.

[HomoSapien]

I would be really interested in Carter Bryant if it weren't for Pat. I am a little hesitant to make such a similar gamble. We really can't blow this pick.

I will also mention my favorite scenario which is trading the pick for Walker Kessler. Ainge may not do it, but he does value picks.

What are you talking about? You can afford the risk. They are literally in NBA hell if they dont take risks. You should swing as swingers do on private island.

I'm not making the pick. I just meant from a personal standpoint, he would be super high on my list if it weren't for Pat who is clouding my opinion of Bryant. While I do think we need to shoot for the moon, I also think we can't blow it. We've lost years of progress by wasting picks on Pat and Terry. Giddey and Matas are promising blocks, and adding a good piece to that can help us move in the right direction.

[wolffy]

A home run is always welcome but the team needs assets.

[HomoSapien]

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[Am2626]

For me, the fans have it wrong about Maluach vs. Knueppel. They think that Maluach is the guy with a big NBA upside, while Knueppel is a classic caseof the the athletically limited college player who isn't well suited for the NBA. But I see the opposite. Maluach is an unskilled, low-motor player who excels against weak competition, but who is neutralized by strong, high-motor athletes. Meanwhile, Knueppel has the skill & insights to succeed (at least offensively) as the level of competition increases. No, I don't think Kon will be more than a good NBA role player. But that puts him ahead of Maluach's likely outcome.

The 2 biggest things that has always carried Maluach for scouts, is his size/length and his age.

That proceeds him FAR more than any play on the court.

Its the whole - he only started playing basketball 5 years ago. That is the biggest thing he has going for him. Which basically means he would be like a 3 year project. But even then, people are more hoping that something is there rather than seeing something there.

Cause like you said, zero offensive game, not a good rebounder or shotblocker. He is just big. Which will always work in college.

He could prove me wrong. But I will say this, if we did draft him, he would have 3 years in Windy City Bulls because Billy Donovan wont ever play him.

Assuming Vuc will be moved this offseason, if the Bulls are lucky enough to get Maluach at 12 who is starting ahead of him? This Bulls roster is in a developmental phase so why wouldn’t Maluach start? He started for the best team in college basketball this year. He’s not as raw as you may think and this is not a great Bulls roster to begin with so all the young players need to be playing to develop.

[sco]

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I'd be happy if he rose up and leaving someone else to move down.

[2weekswithpay]

I don't understand why some criticisms about Pat do not apply to Carter Bryant.

Bryant had 5 games with 10 or more points.

Pat had 13 games with 10 or more points.

Passive Pat had a usage of 22% compared to Bryant's 16%. Pat was almost a year younger than Bryant and showed more as a creator.

If we couldn't squeeze more offense out of Pat, I don't see us getting more out of Bryant.

They're both low usage 3&D players.

CB has a motor. Pat never has.

CB has a personality and IQ in spades. Pat has neither.

I can agree with the motor part, but is his motor going to turn him into a significantly better NBA player? He's shown less on offense than Pat did.

As for the IQ part, I don't think he's shown enough to confidently say his is better. Pat wasn't thought of as a low IQ player back in 2020 either. What has Bryant shown to support having a better IQ?

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/2020/

Does the little things like cutting, screening, and rebounding. With his size and skill, it’s projectable for a team to use him like a big as an on-ball screener who can pop for 3s or dive to the rim.
Smart, athletic team defender who communicates and disrupts actions with timely help defense.

They have similar roles and circumstances. Both were 3&D forwards that came off the bench. Similar measurements at 6'7 with a 6'11 wingspan. They had the same AST%, STL%, and BLK%. These two have more similarities than people want to admit.

[tunit213]

I don't understand why some criticisms about Pat do not apply to Carter Bryant.

Bryant had 5 games with 10 or more points.

Pat had 13 games with 10 or more points.

Passive Pat had a usage of 22% compared to Bryant's 16%. Pat was almost a year younger than Bryant and showed more as a creator.

If we couldn't squeeze more offense out of Pat, I don't see us getting more out of Bryant.

They're both low usage 3&D players.

The issue is Pats mentality. I never heard Pat talk like Bryant.

[kodo]

KOC & Givony:

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

A couple questions relevant to guys we've been discussing:

- Lottery Pick w/ The Biggest Red Flag: Derik Queen
Doesn't take any of this too seriously, must get in better shape, life of the party, needs to figure out making this a full time job.
If he finds that extra gear with motor & conditioning...the guy's an all-star.

- Non Lotto Pick Who Could Be The Best Player of the Draft: Carter Bryant
Tools, defensive versatility, feel for the game, character, rate of improvement

- Who the Bulls should pick: Didn't really answer but said the Bulls need to trade everyone and tank hard for next year's draft class, it's 3x better than this year's.

[Jcool0]

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[Chi town]

Demin’s shot looks good. If he can develop into a movement shooter at his size he’s a strong asset as he can shoot over people. Would be a bigger Huerter with insane passing.

I’d prefer Demin go higher and push KJ to us. Like his mentality and full game much better.

I could see Demin going 11 to Blazers

[BullsSD]

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Watching these highlights is giving me major ISO Joe vibes.

Could Cedric Coward be a modern day Joe Johnson type SG?

Coward:
6’6.5, 213 lbs
Wingspan 7’2
Standing Reach 8’10”

Johnson:
6’7, 225 lbs
Wingspan 6’7.5”
Standing Reach: 8’5.5”

Interestingly enough, I think Johnson was the more refined player for sure, but he’s noted as not having a killer mentality.

Cedric has that. The more time that goes on, the more I like his sleeper potential. I wonder if not for combine success, if he played a year at duke, would this guy be a Top 5 pick next year?

[2weekswithpay]

I don't understand why some criticisms about Pat do not apply to Carter Bryant.

Bryant had 5 games with 10 or more points.

Pat had 13 games with 10 or more points.

Passive Pat had a usage of 22% compared to Bryant's 16%. Pat was almost a year younger than Bryant and showed more as a creator.

If we couldn't squeeze more offense out of Pat, I don't see us getting more out of Bryant.

They're both low usage 3&D players.

The issue is Pats mentality. I never heard Pat talk like Bryant.

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/carter-bryant/

Weaknesses: Still very raw in many aspects of his game … Averaged just 6.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.0 APG as a freshman, struggling to carve out consistent playing time … Sample size on his shooting numbers was limited—raises questions about whether his 3-point percentage is sustainable … Lacks consistency in his offensive approach, and can disappear for long stretches … Decision-making and shot selection need refinement … Not a natural playmaker and can force the action when trying to create off the dribble … Ball-handling in traffic is loose and will need to improve to maximize his upside as a shot creator … Free throw percentage (69.5%) is average and suggests there’s still development needed as a pure shooter … Despite his athletic tools, doesn’t always play with the level of intensity and focus needed to dominate … Scouts have noted questions about his toughness, effort, and motor in competitive settings … Needs to show he can impact the game even when not scoring … Some scouts have questioned the level of improvement over the past year or two …

From the exact same guy who said this about Pat

There are question marks about his want to as a scorer, and his ceiling as a scorer at the next level … Can he be a 15+ point scorer, does he have the desire to be a bucket getter? … Does not seem to have the instinct to be a high level scorer. So being a standout role player type could be his calling … Doesn’t have the most impressive body of work from a statistical standpoint … Only averaged 9.2 points per game as a freshman … Struggled for playing time in his freshman year, (22 mpg) despite relative effectiveness … Shot just 32% from three, on 16 makes throughout the year … Has a great reputation for being a nice kid, but at times has been called “too nice” and in need of more grit in order to maximize his abilities … Should look to utilize his physicality to his advantage more often … Needs to work on back to the basket skills … Improve his footwork and learn some post moves … Plays unselfish to a fault. Can learn to play with more sense of urgency and force the issue, considering his talent edge … Shows tons of untapped potential, but whether he will be able to tap that ability is the question mark. How badly does he “want it”? … He likely will be a player that really benefits from a good development situation at the next level, or may not make it with his first team if he lands in the wrong situation … Jump shot is a little slow and mechanical. Will need to work on speeding up his release some, specifically from deep … Appears to have better form when shooting pull ups than spot ups … Seems to shoot a jumpshot from mid-range and a set shot from deep. Perhaps learning to get more of a streamline form from deep would increase his shot release quickness and efficiency …

[Chi town]

Coward is def in play at 12. Kid looks like Kawhi at SG. Ball just sticks to his hands. Beautiful shot. Very aggressive and competitive. He’d be a great fit with glove like D between Giddey and Coby.

Getting lots of JDub comps.

[Jcool0]

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Watching these highlights is giving me major ISO Joe vibes.

Could Cedric Coward be a modern day Joe Johnson type SG?

Coward:
6’6.5, 213 lbs
Wingspan 7’2
Standing Reach 8’10”

Johnson:
6’7, 225 lbs
Wingspan 6’7.5”
Standing Reach: 8’5.5”

Interestingly enough, I think Johnson was the more refined player for sure, but he’s noted as not having a killer mentality.

Cedric has that. The more time that goes on, the more I like his sleeper potential. I wonder if not for combine success, if he played a year at duke, would this guy be a Top 5 pick next year?

Downside is he will be 22 during his rookie year and he has defensive concerns.

[Chi town]

Read on Twitter

Watching these highlights is giving me major ISO Joe vibes.

Could Cedric Coward be a modern day Joe Johnson type SG?

Coward:
6’6.5, 213 lbs
Wingspan 7’2
Standing Reach 8’10”

Johnson:
6’7, 225 lbs
Wingspan 6’7.5”
Standing Reach: 8’5.5”

Interestingly enough, I think Johnson was the more refined player for sure, but he’s noted as not having a killer mentality.

Cedric has that. The more time that goes on, the more I like his sleeper potential. I wonder if not for combine success, if he played a year at duke, would this guy be a Top 5 pick next year?

Agreed. No way top 5 in next year class but this year he’d probably be right there with VJ.

[Chi town]

At 12…

KJ
Noa
Coward


Trade Ayo or POR pick for Beringer.

[tunit213]

I don't understand why some criticisms about Pat do not apply to Carter Bryant.

Bryant had 5 games with 10 or more points.

Pat had 13 games with 10 or more points.

Passive Pat had a usage of 22% compared to Bryant's 16%. Pat was almost a year younger than Bryant and showed more as a creator.

If we couldn't squeeze more offense out of Pat, I don't see us getting more out of Bryant.

They're both low usage 3&D players.

The issue is Pats mentality. I never heard Pat talk like Bryant.

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/carter-bryant/

Weaknesses: Still very raw in many aspects of his game … Averaged just 6.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.0 APG as a freshman, struggling to carve out consistent playing time … Sample size on his shooting numbers was limited—raises questions about whether his 3-point percentage is sustainable … Lacks consistency in his offensive approach, and can disappear for long stretches … Decision-making and shot selection need refinement … Not a natural playmaker and can force the action when trying to create off the dribble … Ball-handling in traffic is loose and will need to improve to maximize his upside as a shot creator … Free throw percentage (69.5%) is average and suggests there’s still development needed as a pure shooter … Despite his athletic tools, doesn’t always play with the level of intensity and focus needed to dominate … Scouts have noted questions about his toughness, effort, and motor in competitive settings … Needs to show he can impact the game even when not scoring … Some scouts have questioned the level of improvement over the past year or two …

From the exact same guy who said this about Pat

There are question marks about his want to as a scorer, and his ceiling as a scorer at the next level … Can he be a 15+ point scorer, does he have the desire to be a bucket getter? … Does not seem to have the instinct to be a high level scorer. So being a standout role player type could be his calling … Doesn’t have the most impressive body of work from a statistical standpoint … Only averaged 9.2 points per game as a freshman … Struggled for playing time in his freshman year, (22 mpg) despite relative effectiveness … Shot just 32% from three, on 16 makes throughout the year … Has a great reputation for being a nice kid, but at times has been called “too nice” and in need of more grit in order to maximize his abilities … Should look to utilize his physicality to his advantage more often … Needs to work on back to the basket skills … Improve his footwork and learn some post moves … Plays unselfish to a fault. Can learn to play with more sense of urgency and force the issue, considering his talent edge … Shows tons of untapped potential, but whether he will be able to tap that ability is the question mark. How badly does he “want it”? … He likely will be a player that really benefits from a good development situation at the next level, or may not make it with his first team if he lands in the wrong situation … Jump shot is a little slow and mechanical. Will need to work on speeding up his release some, specifically from deep … Appears to have better form when shooting pull ups than spot ups … Seems to shoot a jumpshot from mid-range and a set shot from deep. Perhaps learning to get more of a streamline form from deep would increase his shot release quickness and efficiency …

My point was Pat will never talk like this. Pat acts like he doesnt even care about basketball.

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