2024-2025 College Basketball / NBA Draft

[Negrodamus]

DMC would’ve been a perfect fit on that squad, a Jrue-Iggy-DMC Big 3 could’ve been something special. We still had EB42 and Thad holding it down, both steady and reliable. And Lou Will coming off the bench as a microwave scorer? That’s a deep, well-balanced team.

Definitely. I remember one of the arguments being that Doug Collins and Cousins wouldn't be able to coexist which is very funny in retrospect since coaches get launched out of jobs in less than a year these days.

Smashing Turner into a Jrue, Iguodala, Thaddeus Young lineup functionally made no sense (which is probably why Iggy was traded) and was the absolute wrong move in terms of where the league was going. 4 mid to non-shooters and Spencer Hawes...

I totally forgot about the Doug and DMC fit issues, didn’t even cross my mind until you brought it up.

And yeah, thinking back to Evan Turner just standing in the corner as a spot-up option was wild. Everyone was confused at the time, but it made sense in hindsight, he just couldn’t cut it as a lead guard. I remember when he tweaked his shot in the offseason, it looked smoother, and there was some hope he’d turn a corner with his 3-point shooting. But eventually, he scrapped it and went back to his old form. I flew out to Philly once to watch him, and during shoot around, all the guys were confidently launching shots preparing for the game. Evan was just off to the side, dribbling by himself. You could tell even he didn’t trust his jumper.

And history repeated itself again (Simmons) and again (Fultz). I know Ace is quite confident in his shot, but that 69% FT burns my eyes like Fultz's 65% FT and Ben Simmon's 67% FT.

[Negrodamus]

Not to turn this into an Ace Bailey hate session, or more than it's already become, but did anyone notice how tiny Ace's hands were in comparison to the other guys his size?

Hand length: 8.50 (second smallest of SF or PF behind Neoklis Avdalas)
Hand width: 9.00 (second smallest of SF or PF behind Micah Peavy)

Not putting huge stock into it because I'm sure there are plenty of forwards who succeeded with small hands, but he certainly doesn't have the advantage of gigantic hands that someone like Kawhi has.

[76ciology]

I’ll tell you what though, if we take Maluach, that means Embiid is so completely deep fried and we’re bag holding that contract for a while.

I’ve been thinking this through, and I don’t agree with the idea that Maluach isn’t a fit with Embiid able to play. In the short term, using him in a role similar to what he had at Duke could be incredibly valuable for the team.

Among the prospects we’re considering, only Maluach has the physical tools to contribute immediately. VJ is undersized. Ace Bailey weighs only as much as Maxey +-200lbs. Tre Johnson weighs only as much as McCain +-190lbs. Maluach, on the other hand, already has elite length and weighs 250 pounds, the same as Embiid at Kansas.

Analytics also seem to favor him. Despite being raw on both ends, Maluach led the league with a 16% offensive rebounding rate, a metric that’s increasingly valued for its impact on possession generation. He shot 71% from the field, 75% from the line, with a 73% TS%. That all adds up to an elite 147 ORtg. Defensively, opponents’ FG% drops significantly with him on the floor. He’s mobile enough to switch or rotate, and posted a 94 DRtg, showing his team defends at an elite level when he’s out there. If everything lines up, he could provide a very good +/- guy off the bench for those non-Embiid minutes.

If you look at the playoffs, the trend is clear.. top teams can play double bigs. The final four teams are all capable of it Hartenstein-Chet, Naz-Gobert, Siakam-Turner, and KAT-Mitchell. Sure, we can try Bona or Drummond next to Embiid, but they can’t space the floor. We need someone with elite verticality to offset Embiid’s athletic decline and our guards’ lack of size. Maluach gives us that without clogging the paint.

He only needs to play 20 minutes per game at the very most, which is ideal for his development. He’s just 18. When Embiid sits or is not playing at all, a Yabu-Maluach frontcourt offers a stretch 4 plus lob threat dynamic that complements our guards. Yabu lacks verticality, and Maluach makes up for it.

Long term, centers who become elite scorers tend to have three traits.. freakish physical gifts (Zion, Giannis), shooting touch, and some shot creation skills. The great ones like Jokic, Wemby, Embiid, have all three. Maluach shows potential to be good in all 3 areas. He doesn’t need to master them now, just play a focused role for the next 2–3 years (until 2028 or 2029). Once Embiid era is over, Maluach can showcase his skills. If he is not good enough, then he can just compliment Mohammed Dabone in 2029 or someone. A big who is this mobile, this lengthy, can protect the rim, can shoot and be a lob threat is very useful in today’s NBA. More useful than a 3&D player.

He has good foundations to expand his skillset on offense as one scout put it regarding his pre-Duke performance:

“What immediately stands out about Maluach is his size. He’s simply massive. At 7-foot-1 with a big and strong frame, he’s almost impossible to move in the post and he has a pretty well developed low post game. He makes jump hooks, he finishes lobs, he has counter moves and he knows how to establish position, present a target for his guards and then finish once the ball is delivered.

What makes him even more special is that he has legitimate face-up ability. He is comfortable taking and making threes and while he needs to get more consistent with his shooting, it is already a legitimate weapon that he’ll only improve upon with time.”

https://247sports.com/player/khaman-maluach-46139532/

Yeah, the zero rebounds vs HOU is definitely concerning. There are games where he gets bullied by stronger, more experienced players. But that’s a risk with any young prospect.. VJ, Tre, and Ace will likely face the same challenges early on.

The difference is, from raw to playable, Maluach has a smaller bridge to cross.

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?s=46&t=bJcUtOCSwzTqqyZgysWpbQ[/x]

And upside wise? He probably has good upside as anyone in this draft except for Flagg.

[ProcessDoctor]

I really think Noa Essengue is the only player in this draft besides Cooper Flagg with MVP-level upside. He checks every single box and also happens to play a position of need. Contrary to Ace, I think his long-term position is at PF. We'll only see flashes the first two seasons, but by year 3 I expect him to be a major contributor in this league.

Trade down to anywhere between 5-10, take him and the extra assets/players.

[ivysixer2000]

I do think Maluach has the potential to be one of the best players in this draft. Hardly used in college but he has alot of upside.

Now I will say I like my big guys, so I'm for him for that reason. Right now, there are a number of teams playing 2 bigs, meanwhile we are playing PG at the 4.

I think he would not have to be a backup, and could play with Jojo if he actually shows up. Jojo's game has become more perimeter oriented anyway, cause of the shape he is in and getting up the court.

Bottomline, since its Morey, at least I have some comfort in the pick for a change.

[M2J]

I really think Noa Essengue is the only player in this draft besides Cooper Flagg with MVP-level upside. He checks every single box and also happens to play a position of need. Contrary to Ace, I think his long-term position is at PF. We'll only see flashes the first two seasons, but by year 3 I expect him to be a major contributor in this league.

Trade down to anywhere between 5-10, take him and the extra assets/players.

I really think he's going to be good too. And bet Morey is looking his way.

[Black Mage]

Everybody was psyched about Evan Turner back in the day, too.

Well yeah. He looked like a hybrid of Brandon Roy and Grant Hill. He was big, strong, could handle the ball, defend, he was going to be a walking triple double. I personally thought he was going to be a great player. Okafor was another one I died for.

Agree on Turner, I believed he was the real deal at the time. Okafor, just the opposite. That pick still annoys me because it seemed so clear his game didn't translate to where the league was moving, and was just "well, we're stuck because there's no one else we can pick at this spot", and seemed like more of a hedge against Embiid's health than anything else.

To me, it was pick Porzingas and dare him not to show up, or trade him at some point. But to throw away a #3 pick on a dinosaur of a player was such a complete waste, the worst move Hinkie ever made. I see Ace at #3 in somewhat the same way, just that he doesn't appear to have the upside to me that some are projecting. The difference is there are other options in this draft, plus there appears to be great interest in that pick around the league. A trade down that keeps us in the lottery and adds a pick or more picks would be a home run.

I think the Okafor situation should be a cautionary tale of over-prioritizing BPA compared to fit. Outside of Porzingis (which had other issues), Okafor was the BPA regardless of the Sixers situation of putting 3 centers on the team. However, Hinkie had shown he was quick to determine if a guy was going to "make it" as he did with MCW trading him just after winning rookie of the year. There were reports Hinkie had a deal to ship Okafor to Boston for a 1st rnd pick and the deal was killed when the league interfered and put Colangelo in place.

BPA regardless of current roster/fit might work if your GM is a guy like HInkie who makes quick evaluations and looks to trade a guy a yr early than a year late. BPA fails if your GM can't admit a mistake and clings to a guy so long that the rest of the league catches on and that player's value drops.

I don't see Morey as a year too early GM. So to me, fit with current roster needs to be given more weight than a typical lottery team picking 3rd would normally give it.

[mjkvol]

Well yeah. He looked like a hybrid of Brandon Roy and Grant Hill. He was big, strong, could handle the ball, defend, he was going to be a walking triple double. I personally thought he was going to be a great player. Okafor was another one I died for.

Agree on Turner, I believed he was the real deal at the time. Okafor, just the opposite. That pick still annoys me because it seemed so clear his game didn't translate to where the league was moving, and was just "well, we're stuck because there's no one else we can pick at this spot", and seemed like more of a hedge against Embiid's health than anything else.

To me, it was pick Porzingas and dare him not to show up, or trade him at some point. But to throw away a #3 pick on a dinosaur of a player was such a complete waste, the worst move Hinkie ever made. I see Ace at #3 in somewhat the same way, just that he doesn't appear to have the upside to me that some are projecting. The difference is there are other options in this draft, plus there appears to be great interest in that pick around the league. A trade down that keeps us in the lottery and adds a pick or more picks would be a home run.

There were reports Hinkie had a deal to ship Okafor to Boston for a 1st rnd pick and the deal was killed when the league interfered and put Colangelo in place.

This is another one that just sticks in the craw. Think about the impact that would have had moving forward, getting a 1st and unloading a certain bust. There's a place in hell waiting for Adam Silver.

[Black Mage]

I’ll tell you what though, if we take Maluach, that means Embiid is so completely deep fried and we’re bag holding that contract for a while.

I’ve been thinking this through, and I don’t agree with the idea that Maluach isn’t a fit with Embiid able to play. In the short term, using him in a role similar to what he had at Duke could be incredibly valuable for the team.

Among the prospects we’re considering, only Maluach has the physical tools to contribute immediately. VJ is undersized. Ace Bailey weighs only as much as Maxey +-200lbs. Tre Johnson weighs only as much as McCain +-190lbs. Maluach, on the other hand, already has elite length and weighs 250 pounds, the same as Embiid at Kansas.

Analytics also seem to favor him. Despite being raw on both ends, Maluach led the league with a 16% offensive rebounding rate, a metric that’s increasingly valued for its impact on possession generation. He shot 71% from the field, 75% from the line, with a 73% TS%. That all adds up to an elite 147 ORtg. Defensively, opponents’ FG% drops significantly with him on the floor. He’s mobile enough to switch or rotate, and posted a 94 DRtg, showing his team defends at an elite level when he’s out there. If everything lines up, he could provide a very good +/- guy off the bench for those non-Embiid minutes.

If you look at the playoffs, the trend is clear.. top teams can play double bigs. The final four teams are all capable of it Hartenstein-Chet, Naz-Gobert, Siakam-Turner, and KAT-Mitchell. Sure, we can try Bona or Drummond next to Embiid, but they can’t space the floor. We need someone with elite verticality to offset Embiid’s athletic decline and our guards’ lack of size. Maluach gives us that without clogging the paint.

He only needs to play 20 minutes per game at the very most, which is ideal for his development. He’s just 18. When Embiid sits or is not playing at all, a Yabu-Maluach frontcourt offers a stretch 4 plus lob threat dynamic that complements our guards. Yabu lacks verticality, and Maluach makes up for it.

Long term, centers who become elite scorers tend to have three traits.. freakish physical gifts (Zion, Giannis), shooting touch, and some shot creation skills. The great ones like Jokic, Wemby, Embiid, have all three. Maluach shows potential to be good in all 3 areas. He doesn’t need to master them now, just play a focused role for the next 2–3 years (until 2028 or 2029). Once Embiid era is over, Maluach can showcase his skills. If he is not good enough, then he can just compliment Mohammed Dabone in 2029 or someone. A big who is this mobile, this lengthy, can protect the rim, can shoot and be a lob threat is very useful in today’s NBA. More useful than a 3&D player.

He has good foundations to expand his skillset on offense as one scout put it regarding his pre-Duke performance:

“What immediately stands out about Maluach is his size. He’s simply massive. At 7-foot-1 with a big and strong frame, he’s almost impossible to move in the post and he has a pretty well developed low post game. He makes jump hooks, he finishes lobs, he has counter moves and he knows how to establish position, present a target for his guards and then finish once the ball is delivered.

What makes him even more special is that he has legitimate face-up ability. He is comfortable taking and making threes and while he needs to get more consistent with his shooting, it is already a legitimate weapon that he’ll only improve upon with time.”

https://247sports.com/player/khaman-maluach-46139532/

Yeah, the zero rebounds vs HOU is definitely concerning. There are games where he gets bullied by stronger, more experienced players. But that’s a risk with any young prospect.. VJ, Tre, and Ace will likely face the same challenges early on.

The difference is, from raw to playable, Maluach has a smaller bridge to cross.

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And upside wise? He probably has good upside as anyone in this draft except for Flagg.

I like Maluach, just not at 3. You can say he's strong, but strong guys get at least 1 board in a final four game. We'd kill Tobias if he didn't get even a board in a game 7; now imagine how you'd feel if that was your 7-foot-1 center who didn't get ya a single defensive rebound.

[Black Mage]

Agree on Turner, I believed he was the real deal at the time. Okafor, just the opposite. That pick still annoys me because it seemed so clear his game didn't translate to where the league was moving, and was just "well, we're stuck because there's no one else we can pick at this spot", and seemed like more of a hedge against Embiid's health than anything else.

To me, it was pick Porzingas and dare him not to show up, or trade him at some point. But to throw away a #3 pick on a dinosaur of a player was such a complete waste, the worst move Hinkie ever made. I see Ace at #3 in somewhat the same way, just that he doesn't appear to have the upside to me that some are projecting. The difference is there are other options in this draft, plus there appears to be great interest in that pick around the league. A trade down that keeps us in the lottery and adds a pick or more picks would be a home run.

There were reports Hinkie had a deal to ship Okafor to Boston for a 1st rnd pick and the deal was killed when the league interfered and put Colangelo in place.

This is another one that just sticks in the craw. Think about the impact that would have had moving forward, getting a 1st and unloading a certain bust. There's a place in hell waiting for Adam Silver.

If I recall correctly, that pick would have become Tatum in the Fultz draft.

[the_process]

There were reports Hinkie had a deal to ship Okafor to Boston for a 1st rnd pick and the deal was killed when the league interfered and put Colangelo in place.

This is another one that just sticks in the craw. Think about the impact that would have had moving forward, getting a 1st and unloading a certain bust. There's a place in hell waiting for Adam Silver.

If I recall correctly, that pick would have become Tatum in the Fultz draft.

IIRC it was the BKN pick that became Jaylen Brown.

[Eyeamok]

I’ll tell you what though, if we take Maluach, that means Embiid is so completely deep fried and we’re bag holding that contract for a while.

I’ve been thinking this through, and I don’t agree with the idea that Maluach isn’t a fit with Embiid able to play. In the short term, using him in a role similar to what he had at Duke could be incredibly valuable for the team.

Among the prospects we’re considering, only Maluach has the physical tools to contribute immediately. VJ is undersized. Ace Bailey weighs only as much as Maxey +-200lbs. Tre Johnson weighs only as much as McCain +-190lbs. Maluach, on the other hand, already has elite length and weighs 250 pounds, the same as Embiid at Kansas.

Analytics also seem to favor him. Despite being raw on both ends, Maluach led the league with a 16% offensive rebounding rate, a metric that’s increasingly valued for its impact on possession generation. He shot 71% from the field, 75% from the line, with a 73% TS%. That all adds up to an elite 147 ORtg. Defensively, opponents’ FG% drops significantly with him on the floor. He’s mobile enough to switch or rotate, and posted a 94 DRtg, showing his team defends at an elite level when he’s out there. If everything lines up, he could provide a very good +/- guy off the bench for those non-Embiid minutes.

If you look at the playoffs, the trend is clear.. top teams can play double bigs. The final four teams are all capable of it Hartenstein-Chet, Naz-Gobert, Siakam-Turner, and KAT-Mitchell. Sure, we can try Bona or Drummond next to Embiid, but they can’t space the floor. We need someone with elite verticality to offset Embiid’s athletic decline and our guards’ lack of size. Maluach gives us that without clogging the paint.

He only needs to play 20 minutes per game at the very most, which is ideal for his development. He’s just 18. When Embiid sits or is not playing at all, a Yabu-Maluach frontcourt offers a stretch 4 plus lob threat dynamic that complements our guards. Yabu lacks verticality, and Maluach makes up for it.

Long term, centers who become elite scorers tend to have three traits.. freakish physical gifts (Zion, Giannis), shooting touch, and some shot creation skills. The great ones like Jokic, Wemby, Embiid, have all three. Maluach shows potential to be good in all 3 areas. He doesn’t need to master them now, just play a focused role for the next 2–3 years (until 2028 or 2029). Once Embiid era is over, Maluach can showcase his skills. If he is not good enough, then he can just compliment Mohammed Dabone in 2029 or someone. A big who is this mobile, this lengthy, can protect the rim, can shoot and be a lob threat is very useful in today’s NBA. More useful than a 3&D player.

He has good foundations to expand his skillset on offense as one scout put it regarding his pre-Duke performance:

“What immediately stands out about Maluach is his size. He’s simply massive. At 7-foot-1 with a big and strong frame, he’s almost impossible to move in the post and he has a pretty well developed low post game. He makes jump hooks, he finishes lobs, he has counter moves and he knows how to establish position, present a target for his guards and then finish once the ball is delivered.

What makes him even more special is that he has legitimate face-up ability. He is comfortable taking and making threes and while he needs to get more consistent with his shooting, it is already a legitimate weapon that he’ll only improve upon with time.”

https://247sports.com/player/khaman-maluach-46139532/

Yeah, the zero rebounds vs HOU is definitely concerning. There are games where he gets bullied by stronger, more experienced players. But that’s a risk with any young prospect.. VJ, Tre, and Ace will likely face the same challenges early on.

The difference is, from raw to playable, Maluach has a smaller bridge to cross.

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?s=46&t=bJcUtOCSwzTqqyZgysWpbQ[/x]

And upside wise? He probably has good upside as anyone in this draft except for Flagg.

I like Maluach, just not at 3. You can say he's strong, but strong guys get at least 1 board in a final four game. We'd kill Tobias if he didn't get even a board in a game 7; now imagine how you'd feel if that was your 7-foot-1 center who didn't get ya a single defensive rebound.

He's raw and young players should be allowed to have a bad game or two, even if it is on national TV! Making mistakes is how you learn and get better. I like the potential in this kid and he's only going to get better. Morey knows better than most. If he can trade down and get this guy and another pick I would not be upset at all.

[KramerDSP]

If I recall, Malauch’s zero rebound game came 24 hours after he learned he might be deported.

“ But the day of Duke's Final Four game against Houston, the US announced they were revoking all visas of South Sudanese passport holders. That meant Maluach could be deported, despite going to school and earning a living in the U.S. Naturally, he had his worst game of the year in Duke's 3-point loss to the Cougars.Apr 11, 2025”

[ivysixer2000]

I’ll tell you what though, if we take Maluach, that means Embiid is so completely deep fried and we’re bag holding that contract for a while.

I’ve been thinking this through, and I don’t agree with the idea that Maluach isn’t a fit with Embiid able to play. In the short term, using him in a role similar to what he had at Duke could be incredibly valuable for the team.

Among the prospects we’re considering, only Maluach has the physical tools to contribute immediately. VJ is undersized. Ace Bailey weighs only as much as Maxey +-200lbs. Tre Johnson weighs only as much as McCain +-190lbs. Maluach, on the other hand, already has elite length and weighs 250 pounds, the same as Embiid at Kansas.

Analytics also seem to favor him. Despite being raw on both ends, Maluach led the league with a 16% offensive rebounding rate, a metric that’s increasingly valued for its impact on possession generation. He shot 71% from the field, 75% from the line, with a 73% TS%. That all adds up to an elite 147 ORtg. Defensively, opponents’ FG% drops significantly with him on the floor. He’s mobile enough to switch or rotate, and posted a 94 DRtg, showing his team defends at an elite level when he’s out there. If everything lines up, he could provide a very good +/- guy off the bench for those non-Embiid minutes.

If you look at the playoffs, the trend is clear.. top teams can play double bigs. The final four teams are all capable of it Hartenstein-Chet, Naz-Gobert, Siakam-Turner, and KAT-Mitchell. Sure, we can try Bona or Drummond next to Embiid, but they can’t space the floor. We need someone with elite verticality to offset Embiid’s athletic decline and our guards’ lack of size. Maluach gives us that without clogging the paint.

He only needs to play 20 minutes per game at the very most, which is ideal for his development. He’s just 18. When Embiid sits or is not playing at all, a Yabu-Maluach frontcourt offers a stretch 4 plus lob threat dynamic that complements our guards. Yabu lacks verticality, and Maluach makes up for it.

Long term, centers who become elite scorers tend to have three traits.. freakish physical gifts (Zion, Giannis), shooting touch, and some shot creation skills. The great ones like Jokic, Wemby, Embiid, have all three. Maluach shows potential to be good in all 3 areas. He doesn’t need to master them now, just play a focused role for the next 2–3 years (until 2028 or 2029). Once Embiid era is over, Maluach can showcase his skills. If he is not good enough, then he can just compliment Mohammed Dabone in 2029 or someone. A big who is this mobile, this lengthy, can protect the rim, can shoot and be a lob threat is very useful in today’s NBA. More useful than a 3&D player.

He has good foundations to expand his skillset on offense as one scout put it regarding his pre-Duke performance:

“What immediately stands out about Maluach is his size. He’s simply massive. At 7-foot-1 with a big and strong frame, he’s almost impossible to move in the post and he has a pretty well developed low post game. He makes jump hooks, he finishes lobs, he has counter moves and he knows how to establish position, present a target for his guards and then finish once the ball is delivered.

What makes him even more special is that he has legitimate face-up ability. He is comfortable taking and making threes and while he needs to get more consistent with his shooting, it is already a legitimate weapon that he’ll only improve upon with time.”

Yeah, the zero rebounds vs HOU is definitely concerning. There are games where he gets bullied by stronger, more experienced players. But that’s a risk with any young prospect.. VJ, Tre, and Ace will likely face the same challenges early on.

The difference is, from raw to playable, Maluach has a smaller bridge to cross.

And upside wise? He probably has good upside as anyone in this draft except for Flagg.

Well with this team's mistakes in the past, I hope they look at need along with BPA. I do think Duke was a horrible fit for Maluach since all they cared about was showcasing Flagg.

If we are healthy, we need rebounding, steals, and blocks. I like Tre, seen him play alot but he is more a luxury unless he can play the 3 and defend (not sure he can do either one of those in the NBA). If Jojo gets out of his wheelchair, we have seen him struggle to get rebounds as he just doesn't move fast enough anymore. Heck, even if playing, his minutes will have to be limited just because of his movement. We do need someone active that will provide that, or we will not win a damn thing.

I don't care who we draft really, but there is more to the game than just points.

[M2J]

We've never seen Daryl draft this early, but his past in the later sections of the first round certainly point to this being his mindset.

Drafted Tyrese who was small shooting guard that couldn't shoot or play point guard, but could score. But drafted him to a team with Ben, Danny Green, Curry #2, thybulle, Shake playing guard spots. Plus obviously Jared and Tyrese wouldn't seem ideal.

[sixers hoops]

Well yeah. He looked like a hybrid of Brandon Roy and Grant Hill. He was big, strong, could handle the ball, defend, he was going to be a walking triple double. I personally thought he was going to be a great player. Okafor was another one I died for.

Agree on Turner, I believed he was the real deal at the time. Okafor, just the opposite. That pick still annoys me because it seemed so clear his game didn't translate to where the league was moving, and was just "well, we're stuck because there's no one else we can pick at this spot", and seemed like more of a hedge against Embiid's health than anything else.

To me, it was pick Porzingas and dare him not to show up, or trade him at some point. But to throw away a #3 pick on a dinosaur of a player was such a complete waste, the worst move Hinkie ever made. I see Ace at #3 in somewhat the same way, just that he doesn't appear to have the upside to me that some are projecting. The difference is there are other options in this draft, plus there appears to be great interest in that pick around the league. A trade down that keeps us in the lottery and adds a pick or more picks would be a home run.

I think the Okafor situation should be a cautionary tale of over-prioritizing BPA compared to fit. Outside of Porzingis (which had other issues), Okafor was the BPA regardless of the Sixers situation of putting 3 centers on the team. However, Hinkie had shown he was quick to determine if a guy was going to "make it" as he did with MCW trading him just after winning rookie of the year. There were reports Hinkie had a deal to ship Okafor to Boston for a 1st rnd pick and the deal was killed when the league interfered and put Colangelo in place.

BPA regardless of current roster/fit might work if your GM is a guy like HInkie who makes quick evaluations and looks to trade a guy a yr early than a year late. BPA fails if your GM can't admit a mistake and clings to a guy so long that the rest of the league catches on and that player's value drops.

I don't see Morey as a year too early GM. So to me, fit with current roster needs to be given more weight than a typical lottery team picking 3rd would normally give it.

I think the real lesson is that you have to accurately judge the BPA. If Okafor turned into an all-league player, then it would have been a great pick. The real issue was that the scouts got it wrong and Okafor couldn’t play.

I think you need a better example where the BPA was as good as expected but there was a fit issue. Your point is that Okafor stunk and they couldn’t move him before everybody realized it. The cautionary tale with Okafor is that you need your scouts to get it right, especially with top 5 picks.

[ivysixer2000]

We've never seen Daryl draft this early, but his past in the later sections of the first round certainly point to this being his mindset.

Drafted Tyrese who was small shooting guard that couldn't shoot or play point guard, but could score. But drafted him to a team with Ben, Danny Green, Curry #2, thybulle, Shake playing guard spots. Plus obviously Jared and Tyrese wouldn't seem ideal.

This early, need has to be accounted for is all I'm saying.

Later in the draft, as he has done, you just go BPA and don't worry about it unless its a 2nd rounder. Tyrese doesn't count as Ben was useless on the offensive end, along with the rest of those old useless guys. I'm not a mind reader of Morey, but 3s are very important to him, so Tre definitely has a chance even if he can't guard me. He does make big and difficult shots, although we still wouldn't have a real PG while adding to the backcourt again.

[sixers hoops]

We've never seen Daryl draft this early, but his past in the later sections of the first round certainly point to this being his mindset.

Drafted Tyrese who was small shooting guard that couldn't shoot or play point guard, but could score. But drafted him to a team with Ben, Danny Green, Curry #2, thybulle, Shake playing guard spots. Plus obviously Jared and Tyrese wouldn't seem ideal.

This early, need has to be accounted for is all I'm saying.

Later in the draft, as he has done, you just go BPA and don't worry about it unless its a 2nd rounder. Tyrese doesn't count as Ben was useless on the offensive end, along with the rest of those old useless guys. I'm not a mind reader of Morey, but 3s are very important to him, so Tre definitely has a chance even if he can't guard me. He does make big and difficult shots, although we still wouldn't have a real PG while adding to the backcourt again.

I think it is more important to go BPA this early in the draft. In the top 5, you are drafting the players statistically most likely to become future stars. You are trying to identify the best player available to add to your roster, not looking for a complementary player to add to a roster that landed you a top 5 pick. If there is a situation where the best player available doesn’t fit with your star, then trade back.

If you are identifying two players on the same tier and scouts are split, then taking the player who fits best with the roster makes the most sense. You are trying to put your player in the best position to succeed. However, if your scouts have a clear BPA in with a top 5 pick, it would be foolish to pass because you are worried about fit.

[M2J]

If all things are equal and I typically don't believe they can be, sure take the position you need if you feel like your roster is just missing that position and both players could be on the same level.

An example is Detroit in 03 wanted a big man with offense. Disregard darko, but Wade and Bosh were on the same draft level of upside. Bosh was a perennial all star, but even still Detroit would've been better off with Wade than Bosh.

[Black Mage]

Agree on Turner, I believed he was the real deal at the time. Okafor, just the opposite. That pick still annoys me because it seemed so clear his game didn't translate to where the league was moving, and was just "well, we're stuck because there's no one else we can pick at this spot", and seemed like more of a hedge against Embiid's health than anything else.

To me, it was pick Porzingas and dare him not to show up, or trade him at some point. But to throw away a #3 pick on a dinosaur of a player was such a complete waste, the worst move Hinkie ever made. I see Ace at #3 in somewhat the same way, just that he doesn't appear to have the upside to me that some are projecting. The difference is there are other options in this draft, plus there appears to be great interest in that pick around the league. A trade down that keeps us in the lottery and adds a pick or more picks would be a home run.

I think the Okafor situation should be a cautionary tale of over-prioritizing BPA compared to fit. Outside of Porzingis (which had other issues), Okafor was the BPA regardless of the Sixers situation of putting 3 centers on the team. However, Hinkie had shown he was quick to determine if a guy was going to "make it" as he did with MCW trading him just after winning rookie of the year. There were reports Hinkie had a deal to ship Okafor to Boston for a 1st rnd pick and the deal was killed when the league interfered and put Colangelo in place.

BPA regardless of current roster/fit might work if your GM is a guy like HInkie who makes quick evaluations and looks to trade a guy a yr early than a year late. BPA fails if your GM can't admit a mistake and clings to a guy so long that the rest of the league catches on and that player's value drops.

I don't see Morey as a year too early GM. So to me, fit with current roster needs to be given more weight than a typical lottery team picking 3rd would normally give it.

I think the real lesson is that you have to accurately judge the BPA. If Okafor turned into an all-league player, then it would have been a great pick. The real issue was that the scouts got it wrong and Okafor couldn’t play.

I think you need a better example where the BPA was as good as expected but there was a fit issue. Your point is that Okafor stunk and they couldn’t move him before everybody realized it. The cautionary tale with Okafor is that you need your scouts to get it right, especially with top 5 picks.

I think you missed the point. Of course you hope to correctly evaluate BPA; but many times that is not the case. The argument for BPA over fit is that if the new piece is better than the ones you already have you just make moves. But what if the new piece turns out not to be better? Now the piece to be moved is the new guy and again the natural expectation is to hold on too long.

So yes, BPA is important, but if two players are being debated and one fits a hole while the other is redundant to what you already have; then I think fit needs to be weighted a bit more. You can't just say BPA and be done with it.