2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[Indeed]

Masai likes guys with freakish measurements - he desperately wanted Giannis and SGA at the draft.

Is Rasheer his next target?

Who else has freakishly good measurements in the first round?

Maluach

Better than Queen in lane agility and bottom 5 in leaping are not good measurement, let alone freakish.

[RoteSchroder]

Essengue has a 9’3 standing reach

I’m guessing he’s our pick at 9

That’s would be a Tidjane Salaun-level blunder of a lottery pick. Ppl complain about CMB’s lack of a 3pt shot but happily ignore Essengue’s poor shooting (and horrible defense).

How bad is his defense? From what I've seen, it seems he has both good and bad moments. In terms of 3 point shooting, we should look at year-to-year growth, shooting form and mid-range ability, to which I think Essengue is slightly better than CMB on all three fronts. Essengue also has the reach to finish over NBA defenders easier.

Comparing him to Saluan seems kind of lazy. Last year, I started off intrigued with Salaun, but started disliking him as I watched more game tape. With Essengue, I started off disliking him, but started to be intrigued as I dug deeper.

Here's the scouting report for both:

viewtopic.php?p=118680136#p118680136

Case for Essengue:

1. "Raw" and young 18 year old. 2nd youngest in the draft.
2. 9'3 standing reach
3. 12.4 PPG on 65.9 2FG% / 29.4 3PT% in Eurocup
4. 10.1 PPG on 61.9 2FG% / 23.9 3PT% in German-BBL
5. 3P% improved from 8.3% (U18) to ~20's%
6. Very high FT rate
7. Has some mid-range shooting ability and off-the-dribble mid-range shooting ability (though not used in volume and I'm guessing he's probably not efficient from there yet)
8. Strong off-ball IQ on O, excellent cutter and play finisher
9. Strong motor
10. >90th percentile in winshares, performance index rating and some defensive analytics

Downside: Still raw. Has shown flashes on defense and has versatility, but still needs to improve there. Not a good self-shot creator at the moment. Much better in transition than half court.

If you look at the stats from other international projects, guys like Salaun/Rayan Rupert were shooting like mid-30%'s from the field. Essengue is a project who already has strong on-court production.

viewtopic.php?f=32&p=113650399 (pre-2024 draft)

Saluan's scouting report:
- sucks at basketball, can't rebound, can't defend, can't finish, can't shot create, low efficiency, non-existent playmaker
- doesn't know how to move his feet, should probably stay out of sports

Seems like two very different players. We're talking about someone who knows how to play ball vs a chicken running around the court. There's a massive difference in their feel for the game.

Noa is slightly closer to Giannis pre-draft (Noa with worse handles, not a PG). He's a good/smooth finisher at the rim, has versatility on D, high motor, good rebounder, dangerous in transition, good feel for the game, raw but has on-court production. I don't think Noa has the same shot creation ability, but I think his shooting potential is better than Giannis's.

Giannis:
9.5 PPG, 5.0 REB, 1.4 AST, 1.0 BLK, 62.1 2P%, 31.3 3P%, 72.0 FT%, 22.5 min/game

Essengue:
12.4 PPG, 5.3 REB, 1.1 AST, 0.6 BLK, 65.9 2P%, 29.4 3P%, 73.0 FT%, 23.7 min/game

Saluan:
9.0 PPG, 4.0 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.2 BLK, 42.5 2P%, 32.9 3P%, 76.7 FT%, 22.7 min/game

Rupert:
6.6 PPG, 2.5 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.2 BLK, 43.2 2P%, 25.0 3P%, 70.3 FT%, 19.7 min/game

Coulibaly:
5.0 PPG, 3.1 REB, 0.8 AST, 0.2 BLK, 57.1 2P%, 45.2 3P%, 59.5 FT%, 18.1 min/game

Production is production. It's not a surprise that among these long/athletic international prospects, Saluan and Rupert are having a rough time in the NBA.

[Mark_83]

[ArthurVandelay]

I just looked this up, past ten years there are only two All-Star players who spent more than 2 seasons in college, Jalen Brunson and Jalen Williams, both were 3 year players. There hasn't been a senior college player become an All-Star since Damian Lillard in 2012. Not saying you can't draft an older player and have them be a star, but the odds are really stacked against it.

Will be interesting what the next 10 years looks like after NIL

[BoyzNTheHood]

Reddits starting to turn on Bryant....I do wonder if the hype is just hype and based on highlight package rather than his actual game/skills....I think hes still young but to me hes the ultimate role player pick....I think hes a career 9-12 PPG guy with solid defense....I do agree hes prolly not worth a top 10 pick since hes prolly not going to maintain that value but a late lotto or in the teens would be better value....I think better players are on the board than to take a swing on a guy with limitations on his offensive game...

Would have to take a really rare curve as a player in the NBA to reach the level we all hope for....Because we only seen him on low usage...He could look worse if he gets more touches we have no idea...

Reddit is way less regulated than RealGM. You can post anything on there as long as the other sheep buy in. You could also be completely right about something and they’ll downvote you into oblivion if it doesn’t follow the groupthink.

CB will need a steep development curve to find success in the NBA, but I don’t see why he can’t. I’ve said it many times, he was wrongfully buried at Zona and has ZERO desire to return because of it. He can go to the NBA next month, and is all but guaranteed to be picked in the first round. A team like us is ideal for him for a few reasons. First, we like to develop talent. Second, we have lots of competition at his position which allows him to compete against quality day in, day out. And finally, we have a young roster that fits in with him socially. I don’t know how he is personally, but I find it hard to believe that he won’t fit in with our guys. We have a young group, but a mature group.

[grant101]

Essengue has a 9’3 standing reach

I’m guessing he’s our pick at 9

That’s would be a Tidjane Salaun-level blunder of a lottery pick. Ppl complain about CMB’s lack of a 3pt shot but happily ignore Essengue’s poor shooting (and horrible defense).

How bad is his defense? From what I've seen, it seems he has both good and bad moments. In terms of 3 point shooting, we should look at year-to-year growth, shooting form and mid-range ability, to which I think Essengue is slightly better than CMB on all three fronts. Essengue also has the reach to finish over NBA defenders easier.

Comparing him to Saluan seems kind of lazy. Last year, I started off intrigued with Salaun, but started disliking him as I watched more game tape. With Essengue, I started off disliking him, but started to be intrigued as I dug deeper.

Here's the scouting report for both:

viewtopic.php?p=118680136#p118680136

Case for Essengue:

1. "Raw" and young 18 year old. 2nd youngest in the draft.
2. 9'3 standing reach
3. 12.4 PPG on 65.9 2FG% / 29.4 3PT% in Eurocup
4. 10.1 PPG on 61.9 2FG% / 23.9 3PT% in German-BBL
5. 3P% improved from 8.3% (U18) to ~20's%
6. Very high FT rate
7. Has some mid-range shooting ability and off-the-dribble mid-range shooting ability (though not used in volume and I'm guessing he's probably not efficient from there yet)
8. Strong off-ball IQ on O, excellent cutter and play finisher
9. Strong motor
10. >90th percentile in winshares, performance index rating and some defensive analytics

Downside: Still raw. Has shown flashes on defense and has versatility, but still needs to improve there. Not a good self-shot creator at the moment. Much better in transition than half court.

If you look at the stats from other international projects, guys like Salaun/Rayan Rupert were shooting like mid-30%'s from the field. Essengue is a project who already has strong on-court production.

viewtopic.php?f=32&p=113650399 (pre-2024 draft)

Saluan's scouting report:
- sucks at basketball, can't rebound, can't defend, can't finish, can't shot create, low efficiency, non-existent playmaker
- doesn't know how to move his feet, should probably stay out of sports

Seems like two very different players. We're talking about someone who knows how to play ball vs a chicken running around the court. There's a massive difference in their feel for the game.

Noa is slightly closer to Giannis pre-draft (Noa with worse handles, not a PG). He's a good/smooth finisher at the rim, has versatility on D, high motor, good rebounder, dangerous in transition, good feel for the game, raw but has on-court production. I don't think Noa has the same shot creation ability, but I think his shooting potential is better than Giannis's.

Giannis:
9.5 PPG, 5.0 REB, 1.4 AST, 1.0 BLK, 62.1 2P%, 31.3 3P%, 72.0 FT%, 22.5 min/game

Essengue:
12.4 PPG, 5.3 REB, 1.1 AST, 0.6 BLK, 65.9 2P%, 29.4 3P%, 73.0 FT%, 23.7 min/game

Saluan:
9.0 PPG, 4.0 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.2 BLK, 42.5 2P%, 32.9 3P%, 76.7 FT%, 22.7 min/game

Rupert:
6.6 PPG, 2.5 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.2 BLK, 43.2 2P%, 25.0 3P%, 70.3 FT%, 19.7 min/game

Coulibaly:
5.0 PPG, 3.1 REB, 0.8 AST, 0.2 BLK, 57.1 2P%, 45.2 3P%, 59.5 FT%, 18.1 min/game

Production is production. It's not a surprise that among these long/athletic international prospects, Saluan and Rupert are having a rough time in the NBA.

So I was a tad dismissive, but I honestly don't understand the hype with Noa given the limitations in his game and troubling frame. The scouting report on Tidjane you posted is a little disingenuous. There were a ton of ppl, including several on this board saying very similar things as they're now saying about Noa. That said, I agree that Essengue is the better prospect. He's good in the open court and I think his passing has a chance to become a positive, but I fail to see the upside that warrants a top #10 pick. In fact, I see a lot of factors working against him ever sticking in the league: poor shooter, high hips that prevent him from keeping ppl in front of him, narrow shoulders that suggest he'll have trouble putting on weight, neutral wingspan, poor shooting numbers, weak handles, spacey off-ball defence. Who does he guard in the league? Guards will blow by him and forwards will body him. I don't see the type of toughness that lets skinny forwards like Boucher or Chet stick. He reminds me of Dalano Banton with none of his pg skills and a worse shooter.

Could he grow his game and carve out a niche in the league? sure. Would I bet on it? not really. Should he be in consideration at #9? absolutely not.

For me he's late first round at best.

I'm old enough to remember watching a lot of grainy Giannis highlights back when he was in Greece. The only similarities I see with Giannis is that they're both skinny (though Giannis has broad shoulders), solid athletes in the open cart and have long legs which allow them to cover a lot of ground when in stride. But even as a teenager Giannis popped for his speed on the ball and his ability to weave through traffic.

[WuTang_CMB]

highest upside CB or Cedric

Vecenie thinks Cedric

https://youtu.be/QFIyunZwJ6Y?t=3213

[Mark_83]

Kalkbrenner at 39 is my hope right now. He's got the size and tools to be a drop coverage stretch 5, with some latent passing ability. Having him learn under a savvy vet like Yak can only help his development.

[grant101]

highest upside CB or Cedric

Vecenie thinks Cedric

https://youtu.be/QFIyunZwJ6Y?t=3213

I prefer picking for potential in the lottery, but would understand going with Coward. A solid double who will almost certainly become a positive player and possible starter.

[dohboy_24]

Who is taking him above us?
I still don't get the hype. He was measured one of the worst outside of wingspan and standing reach.

I unno who's above is taking him, I'm hoping he falls to 9 and if he is there at 9 the Raptors will select him for a myriad of reasons

No one is taking him above 9th, and again, why is the Raptors taking him when Kalkbrenner in the later draft would measure similarly.
What exactly is Maluach better than Kalkbrenner? Do you know?

Many of the teams drafting before the Raptors could use him.

Just depends on where he ranks on their big boards and/or which opportunities there are to trade down a few spots to pick him before the Raptors are on the board at #9...

Spurs (trade down) - super-sized double big lineup with Wemby at the PF and Khaman at the C. Start a bidding war for Harper to acquire more draft capital or assets in exchange for the consensus #2 prospect who happens to play the same position as their ROY (Castle) and most recent trade acquisition (Fox)

Sixers (pick at #3 or trade down) - protégé and eventual replacement for Embiid who can also be slotted in at C for the 20 games Joel misses due to injury each season

Hornets (pick at #4 or trade down) - not committed to Mark Williams long-term after he who was traded to the Lakers, failied his medical, and was sent back to Charlotte. Could see Khaman as his successor/replacement before MW's rookie deal expires

Jazz (pick at #5 or trade down) - already have Walker Kessler and Kyle Filipowski, but could take Khaman if they value him over Walker Kessler or want to trade KW for other players/assets before his rookie deal expires

Wizards (pick at #6) - super-sized double big lineup with Alex Sarr at PF and Khaman at C

Nets (pick at #8) - draft him as a better backup than Day'Ron Sharpe. Otherwise, they could value Khaman over Nic Claxton and/or want to save $$ over the long-term by trading Claxton and his $20+ million per year contract

[WuTang_CMB]

highest upside CB or Cedric

Vecenie thinks Cedric

https://youtu.be/QFIyunZwJ6Y?t=3213

I prefer picking for potential in the lottery, but would understand going with Coward. A solid double who will almost certainly become a positive player and possible starter.

He has great potential. I think the NBA game suits him more than a lot of guys in the draft

[Spates]

Given that the team intends to compete next season, if it comes down to it I wonder whether they'd draft for upside or team needs?

[grant101]

highest upside CB or Cedric

Vecenie thinks Cedric

https://youtu.be/QFIyunZwJ6Y?t=3213

I prefer picking for potential in the lottery, but would understand going with Coward. A solid double who will almost certainly become a positive player and possible starter.

He has great potential. I think the NBA game suits him more than a lot of guys in the draft

I agree with the last part and admit that I could be wrong on my assessment of his potential to be more than a solid role player. I didnt see much creativity when he was on-ball, though admittedly havent seen much of his DIII stuff and his handle seems functional enough. From what I have seen, it doesn't scream potential to me, but I was wrong about Devin Booker as well, so who knows. In any case, his shooting and defence (on and off-ball) and hustle are all things I'd want on my team, so I'd be fine with the pick even if he doesn't hit that next level.

[PhilBlackson]

That’s would be a Tidjane Salaun-level blunder of a lottery pick. Ppl complain about CMB’s lack of a 3pt shot but happily ignore Essengue’s poor shooting (and horrible defense).

How bad is his defense? From what I've seen, it seems he has both good and bad moments. In terms of 3 point shooting, we should look at year-to-year growth, shooting form and mid-range ability, to which I think Essengue is slightly better than CMB on all three fronts. Essengue also has the reach to finish over NBA defenders easier.

Comparing him to Saluan seems kind of lazy. Last year, I started off intrigued with Salaun, but started disliking him as I watched more game tape. With Essengue, I started off disliking him, but started to be intrigued as I dug deeper.

Here's the scouting report for both:

viewtopic.php?p=118680136#p118680136

Case for Essengue:

1. "Raw" and young 18 year old. 2nd youngest in the draft.
2. 9'3 standing reach
3. 12.4 PPG on 65.9 2FG% / 29.4 3PT% in Eurocup
4. 10.1 PPG on 61.9 2FG% / 23.9 3PT% in German-BBL
5. 3P% improved from 8.3% (U18) to ~20's%
6. Very high FT rate
7. Has some mid-range shooting ability and off-the-dribble mid-range shooting ability (though not used in volume and I'm guessing he's probably not efficient from there yet)
8. Strong off-ball IQ on O, excellent cutter and play finisher
9. Strong motor
10. >90th percentile in winshares, performance index rating and some defensive analytics

Downside: Still raw. Has shown flashes on defense and has versatility, but still needs to improve there. Not a good self-shot creator at the moment. Much better in transition than half court.

If you look at the stats from other international projects, guys like Salaun/Rayan Rupert were shooting like mid-30%'s from the field. Essengue is a project who already has strong on-court production.

viewtopic.php?f=32&p=113650399 (pre-2024 draft)

Saluan's scouting report:
- sucks at basketball, can't rebound, can't defend, can't finish, can't shot create, low efficiency, non-existent playmaker
- doesn't know how to move his feet, should probably stay out of sports

Seems like two very different players. We're talking about someone who knows how to play ball vs a chicken running around the court. There's a massive difference in their feel for the game.

Noa is slightly closer to Giannis pre-draft (Noa with worse handles, not a PG). He's a good/smooth finisher at the rim, has versatility on D, high motor, good rebounder, dangerous in transition, good feel for the game, raw but has on-court production. I don't think Noa has the same shot creation ability, but I think his shooting potential is better than Giannis's.

Giannis:
9.5 PPG, 5.0 REB, 1.4 AST, 1.0 BLK, 62.1 2P%, 31.3 3P%, 72.0 FT%, 22.5 min/game

Essengue:
12.4 PPG, 5.3 REB, 1.1 AST, 0.6 BLK, 65.9 2P%, 29.4 3P%, 73.0 FT%, 23.7 min/game

Saluan:
9.0 PPG, 4.0 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.2 BLK, 42.5 2P%, 32.9 3P%, 76.7 FT%, 22.7 min/game

Rupert:
6.6 PPG, 2.5 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.2 BLK, 43.2 2P%, 25.0 3P%, 70.3 FT%, 19.7 min/game

Coulibaly:
5.0 PPG, 3.1 REB, 0.8 AST, 0.2 BLK, 57.1 2P%, 45.2 3P%, 59.5 FT%, 18.1 min/game

Production is production. It's not a surprise that among these long/athletic international prospects, Saluan and Rupert are having a rough time in the NBA.

So I was a tad dismissive, but I honestly don't understand the hype with Noa given the limitations in his game and troubling frame. The scouting report on Tidjane you posted is a little disingenuous. There were a ton of ppl, including several on this board saying very similar things as they're now saying about Noa. That said, I agree that Essengue is the better prospect. He's good in the open court and I think his passing has a chance to become a positive, but I fail to see the upside that warrants a top #10 pick. In fact, I see a lot of factors working against him ever sticking in the league: poor shooter, high hips that prevent him from keeping ppl in front of him, narrow shoulders that suggest he'll have trouble putting on weight, neutral wingspan, poor shooting numbers, weak handles, spacey off-ball defence. Who does he guard in the league? Guards will blow by him and forwards will body him. I don't see the type of toughness that lets skinny forwards like Boucher or Chet stick. He reminds me of Dalano Banton with none of his pg skills and a worse shooter.

Could he grow his game and carve out a niche in the league? sure. Would I bet on it? not really. Should he be in consideration at #9? absolutely not.

For me he's late first round at best.

I'm old enough to remember watching a lot of grainy Giannis highlights back when he was in Greece. The only similarities I see with Giannis is that they're both skinny (though Giannis has broad shoulders), solid athletes in the open cart and have long legs which allow them to cover a lot of ground when in stride. But even as a teenager Giannis popped for his speed on the ball and his ability to weave through traffic.

Forget the long legs, Giannis also has a ridiculous wingspan (7'4+ - Noa doesn't even crack 7ft, he has a poulty 6'11 wingspan in comparison).

Giannis was always/is MUCH faster than Noa and let's be honest, if Giannis stayed the same size he was when he came in, he wouldn't be the player he is today. But he just kept growing and added an INSANE amount of MUSCLE and strength. Giannis is gigantic in comparison with is 5+ inch longer wingspan, how many pounds of muscle?! 40+pds?! And just an absolute freight train running through and over dudes, that's not Essengue.

I get that the list of names was to dispel the notion that he's another "Saluan" and I would agree because their games don't even resemble each other. But likening him to Giannis is arguably even more egregious and it doesn't dispel the concern of his poor shooting because again he won't have those freakish (pun intended) physical advantages Giannis does so he has to clean that up and it's not just safe to assume that he's going to be shooting Scottie Barnes' like percentages and suddenly figure it out in the NBA when Scottie actually measures out probably even longer than him. I'm not saying Noa can't/won't be a solid player. I think he has a solid enough bball IQ that he does seem to know where to cut to, when to take his shot etc that he should be a solid contributor.

But thinking he'd become a star you'd basically be banking on the unforeseen ie/ Giannis' growth spurt/unbelievable development of his muscle or a massive oddity like Kawhi going from a poor shooter to an elite one and that's like banking your retirement on buying the winning lotto ticket lol. The odds are just so slim that happens. It's far more likely he makes a fairly moderate improvement, maybe if we're fortunate (like again with Scottie) maybe one day we can get him to be a 35% or so shooter but even if he were hitting 3s at that clip, is that really a "star" like player?! Personally I don't think so. Again I think they might turn out to be a really solid player but with a 6'11 wingspan, not an explosive athlete, lacking real size/strength he's not gonna get to the rim anywhere near what someone like Giannis does and he's going to have to become a much better shooter if he wants to be effective in the NBA. He seems like an OK prospect to me but leaves a bit to be desired.

[WuTang_CMB]

I prefer picking for potential in the lottery, but would understand going with Coward. A solid double who will almost certainly become a positive player and possible starter.

He has great potential. I think the NBA game suits him more than a lot of guys in the draft

I agree with the last part and admit that I could be wrong on my assessment of his potential to be more than a solid role player. I didnt see much creativity when he was on-ball, though admittedly havent seen much of his DIII stuff and his handle seems functional enough. From what I have seen, it doesn't scream potential to me, but I was wrong about Devin Booker as well, so who knows. In any case, his shooting and defence (on and off-ball) and hustle are all things I'd want on my team, so I'd be fine with the pick even if he doesn't hit that next level.

yeah im hoping for a starter potential / super role player at 9
anything more than that is extra

[DreamTeam09]

We would've taken Edey at 9 last year, we would've taken Ware if Indy didn't lose the coin flip or if he was in the board at 19. Some of y'all seem to believe we wouldn't take a C at 9 this year, that doesn't add up to me

[Indeed]

I unno who's above is taking him, I'm hoping he falls to 9 and if he is there at 9 the Raptors will select him for a myriad of reasons

No one is taking him above 9th, and again, why is the Raptors taking him when Kalkbrenner in the later draft would measure similarly.
What exactly is Maluach better than Kalkbrenner? Do you know?

Many of the teams drafting before the Raptors could use him.

Just depends on where he ranks on their big boards and/or which opportunities there are to trade down a few spots to pick him before the Raptors are on the board at #9...

Spurs (trade down) - super-sized double big lineup with Wemby at the PF and Khaman at the C. Start a bidding war for Harper to acquire more draft capital or assets in exchange for the consensus #2 prospect who happens to play the same position as their ROY (Castle) and most recent trade acquisition (Fox)

Sixers (pick at #3 or trade down) - protégé and eventual replacement for Embiid who can also be slotted in at C for the 20 games Joel misses due to injury each season

Hornets (pick at #4 or trade down) - not committed to Mark Williams long-term after he who was traded to the Lakers, failied his medical, and was sent back to Charlotte. Could see Khaman as his successor/replacement before MW's rookie deal expires

Jazz (pick at #5 or trade down) - already have Walker Kessler and Kyle Filipowski, but could take Khaman if they value him over Walker Kessler or want to trade KW for other players/assets before his rookie deal expires

Wizards (pick at #6) - super-sized double big lineup with Alex Sarr at PF and Khaman at C

Nets (pick at #8) - draft him as a better backup than Day'Ron Sharpe. Otherwise, they could value Khaman over Nic Claxton and/or want to save $$ over the long-term by trading Claxton and his $20+ million per year contract

Nets already look to move up for Fears, they are not taking Maluach, they are drafting a PG, that hinted Pelicans may also look to draft Fears.
Wizards are set for Queen, they are looking for a scoring big, and might trade down with Nets.
Top 5 are pretty much set.

Workout list:
https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/rookie/2025/05/23/2025-nba-draft-workout-tracker/83487942007/

[XTC]

Reddits starting to turn on Bryant....I do wonder if the hype is just hype and based on highlight package rather than his actual game/skills....I think hes still young but to me hes the ultimate role player pick....I think hes a career 9-12 PPG guy with solid defense....I do agree hes prolly not worth a top 10 pick since hes prolly not going to maintain that value but a late lotto or in the teens would be better value....I think better players are on the board than to take a swing on a guy with limitations on his offensive game...

Would have to take a really rare curve as a player in the NBA to reach the level we all hope for....Because we only seen him on low usage...He could look worse if he gets more touches we have no idea...

Reddit is way less regulated than RealGM. You can post anything on there as long as the other sheep buy in. You could also be completely right about something and they’ll downvote you into oblivion if it doesn’t follow the groupthink.

CB will need a steep development curve to find success in the NBA, but I don’t see why he can’t. I’ve said it many times, he was wrongfully buried at Zona and has ZERO desire to return because of it. He can go to the NBA next month, and is all but guaranteed to be picked in the first round. A team like us is ideal for him for a few reasons. First, we like to develop talent. Second, we have lots of competition at his position which allows him to compete against quality day in, day out. And finally, we have a young roster that fits in with him socially. I don’t know how he is personally, but I find it hard to believe that he won’t fit in with our guys. We have a young group, but a mature group.

You can really tell who was watching the games vs who is watching YouTube highlights, and pulling up stats (this isn't directed at anyone). When Reddit is asking where the hype is coming from, it's so easy to see who is watching YouTube scouting videos

The Bryant hype came up during the tourney, when he was legitimately playing impressive defense. He is a legitimately good defender, and its easy to project his role at the next level. Hes already a high end defender, and he's a good catch and shoot player. I don't see some underlying potential in him, but I see him for what he is, a defender and a shooter. I could see him coming in right now and filling in a role similar to Bruce Bowen on any team, with potential to grow into more.

[PhilBlackson]

No one is taking him above 9th, and again, why is the Raptors taking him when Kalkbrenner in the later draft would measure similarly.
What exactly is Maluach better than Kalkbrenner? Do you know?

Many of the teams drafting before the Raptors could use him.

Just depends on where he ranks on their big boards and/or which opportunities there are to trade down a few spots to pick him before the Raptors are on the board at #9...

Spurs (trade down) - super-sized double big lineup with Wemby at the PF and Khaman at the C. Start a bidding war for Harper to acquire more draft capital or assets in exchange for the consensus #2 prospect who happens to play the same position as their ROY (Castle) and most recent trade acquisition (Fox)

Sixers (pick at #3 or trade down) - protégé and eventual replacement for Embiid who can also be slotted in at C for the 20 games Joel misses due to injury each season

Hornets (pick at #4 or trade down) - not committed to Mark Williams long-term after he who was traded to the Lakers, failied his medical, and was sent back to Charlotte. Could see Khaman as his successor/replacement before MW's rookie deal expires

Jazz (pick at #5 or trade down) - already have Walker Kessler and Kyle Filipowski, but could take Khaman if they value him over Walker Kessler or want to trade KW for other players/assets before his rookie deal expires

Wizards (pick at #6) - super-sized double big lineup with Alex Sarr at PF and Khaman at C

Nets (pick at #8) - draft him as a better backup than Day'Ron Sharpe. Otherwise, they could value Khaman over Nic Claxton and/or want to save $$ over the long-term by trading Claxton and his $20+ million per year contract

Nets already look to move up for Fears, they are not taking Maluach, they are drafting a PG, that hinted Pelicans may also look to draft Fears.
Wizards are set for Queen, they are looking for a scoring big, and might trade down with Nets.
Top 5 are pretty much set.

Workout list:
https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/rookie/2025/05/23/2025-nba-draft-workout-tracker/83487942007/

Man I hope you're right....because I want Maluach lol.

But you're sorta lumping together the Nets & Pels that they both want Fears and that's great but only one can take him lol so it does leave the door open for the team that misses out to go with KM. I'm not saying they will but that news only potentially eliminates NOP but who's to say Utah doesn't love Fears or that it isn't a smokescreen/ploy to tempt someone to trade up etc?! Either way only one team is drafting Fears and the other will be forced to take someone else. Of course I'd hope they stay in that line of thinking of wanting a "lead guard" and maybe going with one of Jak or Jase instead. But I just can't completely rule it out especially when Sean Marks in particular has been clearly spotted at each of Maluach's workouts. Again hope you are in fact right but just saying...

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Reddits starting to turn on Bryant....I do wonder if the hype is just hype and based on highlight package rather than his actual game/skills....I think hes still young but to me hes the ultimate role player pick....I think hes a career 9-12 PPG guy with solid defense....I do agree hes prolly not worth a top 10 pick since hes prolly not going to maintain that value but a late lotto or in the teens would be better value....I think better players are on the board than to take a swing on a guy with limitations on his offensive game...

Would have to take a really rare curve as a player in the NBA to reach the level we all hope for....Because we only seen him on low usage...He could look worse if he gets more touches we have no idea...

Reddit is way less regulated than RealGM. You can post anything on there as long as the other sheep buy in. You could also be completely right about something and they’ll downvote you into oblivion if it doesn’t follow the groupthink.

CB will need a steep development curve to find success in the NBA, but I don’t see why he can’t. I’ve said it many times, he was wrongfully buried at Zona and has ZERO desire to return because of it. He can go to the NBA next month, and is all but guaranteed to be picked in the first round. A team like us is ideal for him for a few reasons. First, we like to develop talent. Second, we have lots of competition at his position which allows him to compete against quality day in, day out. And finally, we have a young roster that fits in with him socially. I don’t know how he is personally, but I find it hard to believe that he won’t fit in with our guys. We have a young group, but a mature group.

You can really tell who was watching the games vs who is watching YouTube highlights, and pulling up stats (this isn't directed at anyone). When Reddit is asking where the hype is coming from, it's so easy to see who is watching YouTube scouting videos

The Bryant hype came up during the tourney, when he was legitimately playing impressive defense. He is a legitimately good defender, and its easy to project his role at the next level. Hes already a high end defender, and he's a good catch and shoot player. I don't see some underlying potential in him, but I see him for what he is, a defender and a shooter. I could see him coming in right now and filling in a role similar to Bruce Bowen on any team, with potential to grow into more.

Bryant looks like he has good later movement and can guard the POA and is tall and strong enough to guard the post against PF's. Also shooting 37% 3pt shooting should get him in the the teens.

I think he's like a Trey Murphy level prospect. Murphy put up 11ppg in his Junior season, though put up 50/43/92.