2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 7

[DreamTeam09]

These guys have nothing to do with him and his career. I remember in college football Jeff Tedford had the reputation that all his QBs flamed in the NFL and then Aaron Rodgers came along. CMB is his own man and his future is not tied to these guys and he'll probably be the one who breaks that streak.

It's an absolutely ridiculous comment, and actually goes against what he is trying to prove. If a player goes to a crap program with crap coaching and players and is incredibly impactful shouldn't that be worth more than doing it at Duke?
He went to USC because he's from Columbus and his dad was a huge Gamecock fan. GG Jackson had a negative BPM while on USC. CMB had one of the highest in all of college basketball and nearly 3x his closest teammate.

Im starting to come around on CMB Atm....Because looking at his package game overall hes better than the majority of the players in the 9th area at just about everything besides shooting....At 9 if someone really good doesn't fall to us i think CMB would be prolly the best pick available....But how much do you believe his shot getting better? Because his jumpshot is the key for him....Hes going to have to start to learn some wing skills imo due to his size as well...

That's a lot of ifs and buts

[OakleyDokely]

I have a feeling Morey's going to do something unpredictable, like taking Maluach.

Given the uncertainty and availability from game to game with Embiid, Maluach would be a great insurance policy for them, with future upside once Embiid is long gone.

[WuTang_CMB]

I have a feeling Morey's going to do something unpredictable, like taking Maluach.

Given the uncertainty and availability from game to game with Embiid, Maluach would be a great insurance policy for them, with future upside once Embiid is long gone.

Knowing Morey he likes to gamble so I dont see it, although that would be a smart thing to do. I think he goes highest upside pick at 3 and takes Bailey

I bet a lot of these GM's feel they can get a centre later on especially since Maluach is likely 2-3 years away anyway , so it might be better value for them from their POV

[Clutch0z24]

If CMB could shoot he would be better than the majority of the players being discussed here.....CMB is a better defender and a better all around player than majority of the players in the 9th area....Problem is he can't shoot atm.....If we draft him its because Masai thinks his shot will be good one day....Because if he can shoot i like him alot more than Rasheer/Noa/Bryant because hes a better defender/playmaker/offensive versitility than them all....Just that shot man....Idk how it would fit with this current team...

I said in a previous draft thread that CMB could be a sleeper pick for us. He does everything you want and falls into that Masai type, but it's his shot that holds the rest of his game back.

Yeah he deff has everything else in his game to be a really impactfull player....It just sucks our team fit is so bad with him.....I think we would have to get more 3 point shooters because CMB needs to be surrounded by shooters....But if his shot ever comes around....He has the post up game, Aggressive attacking game, Gets to the FT Line a ton, Can shoot the mid range on occasion, Has the footwork and can get by defenders by using his body....

Just yeah that shot needs to be improved for it to fit esp in our starting lineup....He doesn't fit but i think at 9 you just take the best player there....I personally like Jase/CMB at 9 both impactfull players...But this all depends on if someone doesn't falls to us.

[Tripod]

I honestly don't want someone who can't shoot at 9 even if they are good defensively.

We were able to grab Mogbo who is just that as a 2nd rounder...we need to strive for a much better player at 9.

I said before, most stars come from guys who are already used to having the ball in their hands a lot. If rolling the dice on a hopeful star, gotta grab a guy with a handle.

I say that even if I like guys like Bryant or Maluach who would plug into what we already have. But they don't SUPPLANT any of our top guys in their 1st contracts.

Something about Jase where he could be that "guy" who just knows how to be great. Yes his size....but he was the same size this year, and it didn't matter.

[Clutch0z24]

It's an absolutely ridiculous comment, and actually goes against what he is trying to prove. If a player goes to a crap program with crap coaching and players and is incredibly impactful shouldn't that be worth more than doing it at Duke?
He went to USC because he's from Columbus and his dad was a huge Gamecock fan. GG Jackson had a negative BPM while on USC. CMB had one of the highest in all of college basketball and nearly 3x his closest teammate.

Im starting to come around on CMB Atm....Because looking at his package game overall hes better than the majority of the players in the 9th area at just about everything besides shooting....At 9 if someone really good doesn't fall to us i think CMB would be prolly the best pick available....But how much do you believe his shot getting better? Because his jumpshot is the key for him....Hes going to have to start to learn some wing skills imo due to his size as well...

That's a lot of ifs and buts

Yeah true....Thing is he has literally everything but a trusted Jumpshot....If he got a jumpshot hes the best prospect at 9 imo....Depending ofc if someone like Fears/Maluach or something falls to us.....But he has a pretty all around package if we develop his jumper...

[JCP11]

If CMB could shoot he would be better than the majority of the players being discussed here.....CMB is a better defender and a better all around player than majority of the players in the 9th area....Problem is he can't shoot atm.....If we draft him its because Masai thinks his shot will be good one day....Because if he can shoot i like him alot more than Rasheer/Noa/Bryant because hes a better defender/playmaker/offensive versitility than them all....Just that shot man....Idk how it would fit with this current team...

If you draft him and believe in him eventually improving his shot, you don't worry about the fit right now. He elevates the team pretty much everywhere but shooting. Him and Scottie would make life difficult for a lot of teams, you live transition, with turnovers and crashing the boards for the time being. Someone posted it, his impact on and of the floor is the best in the draft, he's simply just a good basketball player.

[JCP11]

It's an absolutely ridiculous comment, and actually goes against what he is trying to prove. If a player goes to a crap program with crap coaching and players and is incredibly impactful shouldn't that be worth more than doing it at Duke?
He went to USC because he's from Columbus and his dad was a huge Gamecock fan. GG Jackson had a negative BPM while on USC. CMB had one of the highest in all of college basketball and nearly 3x his closest teammate.

Im starting to come around on CMB Atm....Because looking at his package game overall hes better than the majority of the players in the 9th area at just about everything besides shooting....At 9 if someone really good doesn't fall to us i think CMB would be prolly the best pick available....But how much do you believe his shot getting better? Because his jumpshot is the key for him....Hes going to have to start to learn some wing skills imo due to his size as well...

That's a lot of ifs and buts

Ain't that what we're looking at at 9 anyways with any of these prospects? CMB has actually more impact on the game right now than most of the guys were looking at at 9. Tough to overlook that.

[Clutch0z24]

If CMB could shoot he would be better than the majority of the players being discussed here.....CMB is a better defender and a better all around player than majority of the players in the 9th area....Problem is he can't shoot atm.....If we draft him its because Masai thinks his shot will be good one day....Because if he can shoot i like him alot more than Rasheer/Noa/Bryant because hes a better defender/playmaker/offensive versitility than them all....Just that shot man....Idk how it would fit with this current team...

If you draft him and believe in him eventually improving his shot, you don't worry about the fit right now. He elevates the team pretty much everywhere but shooting. Him and Scottie would make life difficult for a lot of teams, you live transition, with turnovers and crashing the boards for the time being. Someone posted it, his impact on and of the floor is the best in the draft, he's simply just a good basketball player.

Yeah i agree hes good but his impact is going to be so dependent on that jumper coming along.....Because his height also worried me...People were freaking out about Queens height and hes 6'10" .....I think we would have to develop CMB into a SF in the future and develop his jumper and you have a really good player...

[WuTang_CMB]

I understand the logic in getting a supreme defender/high bpm guy and then hoping they could shoot but man that's tough for this team. How are you going to play Scottie, Ingram, CMB, Poeltl together?

I don't know about you guys but for me I'm hoping #9 is at least a starter within 2-3 years. It's fine if its a super role player ceiling but I at least want a starter here.

And I get the premise of BPA, but I dont know how to measure CMB. The lack of size and shot is worrisome when you think long term for this club.

If you guys think Mogbo had trouble scoring last year, CMB will be right there with him and we just drafted Mogbo.

[dohboy_24]

To that I say don't scout the jersey scout the player. I would rather you telling me that you just don't believe in him ever developing his shot than linking his future to his college program but hey it's your opinion and I respect it.

It's an absolutely ridiculous comment, and actually goes against what he is trying to prove. If a player goes to a crap program with crap coaching and players and is incredibly impactful shouldn't that be worth more than doing it at Duke?
He went to USC because he's from Columbus and his dad was a huge Gamecock fan. GG Jackson had a negative BPM while on USC. CMB had one of the highest in all of college basketball and nearly 3x his closest teammate.

To be clear...

As a player, I'm not convinced he will ever develop his shot. As a player, I think there is too much overlap between his skill set and others already playing for the Raptors. Even if he went to another school like Duke or North Carolina, I'm still not a CMB fan and wouldn't risk a top 10 pick on him.

Beyond those doubts, I'm also not very confident in South Carolina's ability to produce quality, rotational players, let alone NBA caliber starters or all-stars.

As a result, CMB is on my DND (Do No Draft) list and I wouldn't draft him in the lottery or at any draft spot in the first round.

[earthtone]

KJ Simpson should be a consideration when determining what to do with Nick Smith Jr. Comparing bench players to all stars is silly.

Battle shot the 3 at an elite rate. Dick has been average at best. If that trend continues, Battle should definitely eat into Dicks minutes.

Should FVV been prioritized over Delon Wright? Of course. Production matters, not draft pedigree.

Battle has the ability to knock down open shots, which is valuable and will get him a long career in the league if he keeps that up. Dick has the ability to generate open shots for others, which is a much more valuable skill. He can run around a stagger screen, draw multiple defenders out past the 3pt line, hit a pump fake and create a paint touch. He can attack off the catch and get to the rim. He can grab a defensive rebound and hit a pull-up three in transition. He can also, like Jamison, hit open shots others have created.

Dick's role is so much harder and he's been very good at it for his age. If he was only asked to stand and hit open corner threes like Battle is, I'm sure their percentages would look very similar. I like Jamison and hope he carves out a long term role on this team/in the league, but him and Gradey aren't the same caliber of prospect at all.

I don't think Dick has been that good at it tbh.

In the context of this team, Ingram and RJ are flat out better at all the things you listed, and will be better defensively.

Can Dick be a great movement shooter one day. Sure, that's possible. Is he more likely to be Kevin Huerter? I would say so.

Who is more valuable Kevin Huerter (mediocre /inconsistent movement shooter with bad D) or Aaron Nesmith (elite standstill shooter with passable D)?

If Dick becomes Rip Hamilton or JJ Reddick, well that's a different discussion.

He's also competing with RJ, Ochai & Ja'kobe, so he's up against 3 lottery talent SG prospects.

If he's the bench gunner/situational shooter, he's directly competing with Battle. I know who I'd draw up a play for between those two.

Nesmith is on a different level of athlete and defender than Jamison, so that’s not really a great comp imo.

I think people are really undervaluing Gradey’s scoring ability for some reason. There’s not a lot of 21 year olds who average 14 ppg. I looked back 10 years and there’s only one player who averaged 14ppg at 21 or younger and didn’t go on to have at least one 20+ ppg season (Jahlil Okafor).

Gradey is levels above Battle in scoring, shot-creation, playmaking, and athleticism (excluding strength). You can see it on tape, you can see it in their pedigree, you can see it in the stats. I don’t understand how this is a conversation tbh

[OakleyDokely]

As of right now, here is where I am at:

1. C Flagg
2. D Harper
3. T Johnson
4. J Fears
5. K Maluach
6. VJ Edgecombe
7. A Bailey
8. N Essengue
9. R Fleming
10. C Coward
11. C Bryant
12. K Jackucionis
13. K Knueppel
14. J Richardson
15. CM Boyles
16. D Queen
17. T Lendeborg
18. A Thiero
19. T Sorber
20. A Newell

[ciueli]

I have a feeling Morey's going to do something unpredictable, like taking Maluach.

Given the uncertainty and availability from game to game with Embiid, Maluach would be a great insurance policy for them, with future upside once Embiid is long gone.

Knowing Morey he likes to gamble so I dont see it, although that would be a smart thing to do. I think he goes highest upside pick at 3 and takes Bailey

I bet a lot of these GM's feel they can get a centre later on especially since Maluach is likely 2-3 years away anyway , so it might be better value for them from their POV

I just don't see it, they pass up a lot of higher quality players at 3, Morey is not the GM who will do something like that. If the 76ers really don't like the players available at 3 they will trade the pick, they will probably try to get Kevin Durant for Paul George. Phoenix is desperate since they've committed to trading Durant in the offseason so I wouldn't be surprised if they do it, they could take Edgecombe at 3 who would fit well with Booker in the backcourt as he projects to be a solid defender.

[dohboy_24]

Even if they were it dont matter. These are all hype videos. All these pro days have camera ppl likely from agency.

Agreed. They are all hype videos, but Draft Express and Jonathan Givony are the hype men, not the agencies. If the agencies posted these videos to their twitter accounts, would they get the same reach and exposure as they did when DX and JG post them?

[WuTang_CMB]

Even if they were it dont matter. These are all hype videos. All these pro days have camera ppl likely from agency.

Agreed. They are all hype videos, but Draft Express and Jonathan Givony are the hype men, not the agencies. If the agencies posted these videos to their twitter accounts, would they get the same reach and exposure as they did when DX and JG post them?

Givony has it in with all the agencies and they float all this stuff
its for everyones benefit

[Clutch0z24]

I honestly don't want someone who can't shoot at 9 even if they are good defensively.

We were able to grab Mogbo who is just that as a 2nd rounder...we need to strive for a much better player at 9.

I said before, most stars come from guys who are already used to having the ball in their hands a lot. If rolling the dice on a hopeful star, gotta grab a guy with a handle.

I say that even if I like guys like Bryant or Maluach who would plug into what we already have. But they don't SUPPLANT any of our top guys in their 1st contracts.

Something about Jase where he could be that "guy" who just knows how to be great. Yes his size....but he was the same size this year, and it didn't matter.

Yep i did alot of scouting on Jase....He is just a legit dog...Can score in the most ways outside of Tre/Bailey/Flagg....Dude is just a shot taker and a shot maker....His handle as well is insane....He had some crazy snatch back ankle breakers....His size means NOTHING btw when you have a 38 inch vert with the ability to finish at the rim in a verity of ways it means nothing....I mean Lowry was 5'11" without shoes....Jase is Same size as Brunson....Certain small guys play bigger than their size and Jase is one of them guys...Also Jase is a natural PG he played PG in highschool and had 4 Ast per game he can deff play that position due to his handle alone...

When do you see a PG do this....His height won't matter in the NBA...I feel he will be better than both Mal/Bryant ...I think Mal/Bryant will both be utility players where as Jase could be a go to scoring guard like Brunson...

[dohboy_24]

If CMB could shoot he would be better than the majority of the players being discussed here.....CMB is a better defender and a better all around player than majority of the players in the 9th area....Problem is he can't shoot atm.....If we draft him its because Masai thinks his shot will be good one day....Because if he can shoot i like him alot more than Rasheer/Noa/Bryant because hes a better defender/playmaker/offensive versitility than them all....Just that shot man....Idk how it would fit with this current team...

Even if CMB shot 35% from 3, I still wouldn't pick him at #9. There's just too much overlap skill-wise between him and Scottie to make the two of them work together in the same lineup.

[Clutch0z24]

I understand the logic in getting a supreme defender/high bpm guy and then hoping they could shoot but man that's tough for this team. How are you going to play Scottie, Ingram, CMB, Poeltl together?

I don't know about you guys but for me I'm hoping #9 is at least a starter within 2-3 years. It's fine if its a super role player ceiling but I at least want a starter here.

And I get the premise of BPA, but I dont know how to measure CMB. The lack of size and shot is worrisome when you think long term for this club.

If you guys think Mogbo had trouble scoring last year, CMB will be right there with him and we just drafted Mogbo.

I agree with everything you are saying and i said it before as well...But looking at film and looking at all his advanced stats and his impact on the court overall....Its just hard to pass up on that....But yeah that shot is bad atm....And the fit isn't the best...But CMB is deff more impactfull to the game overall than most of the players that would be available....

[Clutch0z24]

If CMB could shoot he would be better than the majority of the players being discussed here.....CMB is a better defender and a better all around player than majority of the players in the 9th area....Problem is he can't shoot atm.....If we draft him its because Masai thinks his shot will be good one day....Because if he can shoot i like him alot more than Rasheer/Noa/Bryant because hes a better defender/playmaker/offensive versitility than them all....Just that shot man....Idk how it would fit with this current team...

Even if CMB shot 35% from 3, I still wouldn't pick him at #9. There's just too much overlap skill-wise between him and Scottie to make the two of them work together in the same lineup.

Yeah i totally said the same things....Its just if that jumpshot does come around and he can play more of a wing role...Like backup SF for Ingram incase he goes down ever....He is more impactfull than all the guys being talked about...Flem/Carter/Noa....CMB is better at everything on the court than these guys besides shooting...

But i do get the shooting is very important...But if Masai picks CMB its because he believes his shot will be good one day and i won't be as mad at it as i might have been...