2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[VanWest82]

This Cedric Coward hype is out of control lol. Givony has him mocked 30th post combine. You guys want us to take a flier on him at 9??

Assuming top 8 go as expected, we're likely picking between CMB, Jakucionis, Demin, and maybe Queen imo. There's a drop after that tier with more questions re body of work, positional size, and/or projectable potential. Out of those four, I bet we take Jak. He checks the most boxes. There will be a mins crunch but he's going to need to time anyway. Raps have lots of ball handlers but they could use a connector long-term. Maybe Jak is that guy. Can't force a young two way big if it's not there.

Who cares what Givony has to say? He's only one guy, the rest of experts have him ways higher than that. Cowards measurables, shot and combine performance are worth way more than the 30th spot. He's a late riser like Coulibaly and Jalen Williams was. No matter what Givony says ain't no way he's getting drafted 30th.

Maybe he'll continue ascending - there's still lots of time before the draft - but the reason I trust Givony over other draft gurus is because he just reports what he hears from NBA front offices, so his rankings/mock are more like the latest draft intel buzzing around the league. Other guys tend to bake in their own analysis.

If Coward really is a threat to be taken in the top 10, we'll probably see that reflected in Givony's mocks as we get closer to the draft, but as it stands he's nowhere near that even with post combine hype.

[WuTang_CMB]

Interesting listening to the end of Samson Folk's Carter Bryant video/podcast. Apparently the Raptors really like Fears. If he's there they would take him.

Personally I'd be surprised if Fears even made it to us at 9.

how would these guys know? generally asking?
the closest they gave us something was to tell us they knew we worked out Dick and Bufkin twice

[WuTang_CMB]

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Per Josh Robbins of the Athletic, son of back-to-back NBA Dunk Contest winner Jason Richardson, Jase Richardson, met with Toronto at the combine. The 19-year-old plays a different type of game than his father did, however. For starters, Jase measured in just under 6-foot-1 barefoot, while his father was clocked at 6-foot-6. The son did jump a very respectable vertical leap at 38 inches (11th highest at the combine), though it didn’t quite reach Jason’s ridiculous 46.5-inch vertical. While he is undersized and hasn’t created consistently for himself or others, the shooting, the feel, and defensive activity are all big positives.

[djsunyc]

Interesting listening to the end of Samson Folk's Carter Bryant video/podcast. Apparently the Raptors really like Fears. If he's there they would take him.

Personally I'd be surprised if Fears even made it to us at 9.

does samson have any sources?

[Mark_83]

This Cedric Coward hype is out of control lol. Givony has him mocked 30th post combine. You guys want us to take a flier on him at 9??

Assuming top 8 go as expected, we're likely picking between CMB, Jakucionis, Demin, and maybe Queen imo. There's a drop after that tier with more questions re body of work, positional size, and/or projectable potential. Out of those four, I bet we take Jak. He checks the most boxes. There will be a mins crunch but he's going to need to time anyway. Raps have lots of ball handlers but they could use a connector long-term. Maybe Jak is that guy. Can't force a young two way big if it's not there.

Who cares what Givony has to say? He's only one guy, the rest of experts have him ways higher than that. Cowards measurables, shot and combine performance are worth way more than the 30th spot. He's a late riser like Coulibaly and Jalen Williams was. No matter what Givony says ain't no way he's getting drafted 30th.

Maybe he'll continue ascending - there's still lots of time before the draft - but the reason I trust Givony over other draft gurus is because he just reports what he hears from NBA front offices, so his rankings/mock are more like the latest draft intel buzzing around the league. Other guys tend to bake in their own analysis.

If Coward really is a threat to be taken in the top 10, we'll probably see that reflected in Givony's mocks as we get closer to the draft, but as it stands he's nowhere near that even with post combine hype.

Givony had Jalen Williams going in the 20s post-combine 2022. The problem with guys who base their analysis on what they hear rather than what they observe is that their info is often outdated or do not reflect facts on the ground.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/34011027/2022-nba-mock-draft-projecting-all-58-picks-nba-draft-combine

[raptor jesus]

I still think Queen has the highest ceiling in the Raps range. That combination of size, skill and movement is pretty rare. I also think he'll be high on the Raps board. I remember when he drafted Dewan Hernandez, Masai praised his skill and talked about how hard it is to find skilled bigs. Yes, he said that about DEWAN HERNANDEZ. Queen's obviously a much more skilled prospect, but Queen and Hernandez share very measurements, so I don't think the Raps will view Queen as undersized, like some posters seem to think.

[JCP11]

This Cedric Coward hype is out of control lol. Givony has him mocked 30th post combine. You guys want us to take a flier on him at 9??

Assuming top 8 go as expected, we're likely picking between CMB, Jakucionis, Demin, and maybe Queen imo. There's a drop after that tier with more questions re body of work, positional size, and/or projectable potential. Out of those four, I bet we take Jak. He checks the most boxes. There will be a mins crunch but he's going to need to time anyway. Raps have lots of ball handlers but they could use a connector long-term. Maybe Jak is that guy. Can't force a young two way big if it's not there.

Who cares what Givony has to say? He's only one guy, the rest of experts have him ways higher than that. Cowards measurables, shot and combine performance are worth way more than the 30th spot. He's a late riser like Coulibaly and Jalen Williams was. No matter what Givony says ain't no way he's getting drafted 30th.

Maybe he'll continue ascending - there's still lots of time before the draft - but the reason I trust Givony over other draft gurus is because he just reports what he hears from NBA front offices, so his rankings/mock are more like the latest draft intel buzzing around the league. Other guys tend to bake in their own analysis.

If Coward really is a threat to be taken in the top 10, we'll probably see that reflected in Givony's mocks as we get closer to the draft, but as it stands he's nowhere near that even with post combine hype.

Don't get fooled by those insiders that get infos from front offices during draft season, this period we're in isn't called "Lying season" for nothing. If there's a guy teams like they will use insiders to muddy the field. Sometimes they get the truth sometimes not, you can't trust what only one person says. Mel Kiper for the NFL draft is the exact same, he gets used all the time and he knows it but it's good for TV.

Coward is 6'6 215, 7'2 wingspan, great shooter, strong as hell, good athlete (39 inch vert), hard worker, smart...you can't possibly believe he's really 30th in most teams boards. Just watch the tape if you don't think it's true, the proof is there. He fell through the cracks coming from Dlll and getting injured last season.

[WuTang_CMB]

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[Mr.Raptorsingh]

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You can see the upside there, toolsy player

[JCP11]

I still think Queen has the highest ceiling in the Raps range. That combination of size, skill and movement is pretty rare. I also think he'll be high on the Raps board. I remember when he drafted Dewan Hernandez, Masai praised his skill and talked about how hard it is to find skilled bigs. Yes, he said that about DEWAN HERNANDEZ. Queen's obviously a much more skilled prospect, but Queen and Hernandez share very measurements, so I don't think the Raps will view Queen as undersized, like some posters seem to think.

Queen is the first guy I wanted but he doesn't shoot the 3 well, he's not athletic, he doesn't have the longest wingspan and he's most effective at the 5. I'm not sure if fits this Raptors team the best. It's a shame cuz I absolutely love his game but he doesn't fit what Masai usually goes for measurable wise.

[VanWest82]

Who cares what Givony has to say? He's only one guy, the rest of experts have him ways higher than that. Cowards measurables, shot and combine performance are worth way more than the 30th spot. He's a late riser like Coulibaly and Jalen Williams was. No matter what Givony says ain't no way he's getting drafted 30th.

Maybe he'll continue ascending - there's still lots of time before the draft - but the reason I trust Givony over other draft gurus is because he just reports what he hears from NBA front offices, so his rankings/mock are more like the latest draft intel buzzing around the league. Other guys tend to bake in their own analysis.

If Coward really is a threat to be taken in the top 10, we'll probably see that reflected in Givony's mocks as we get closer to the draft, but as it stands he's nowhere near that even with post combine hype.

Givony had Jalen Williams going in the 20s post-combine 2022. The problem with guys who base their analysis on what they hear rather than what they observe is that their info is often outdated or do not reflect facts on the ground.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/34011027/2022-nba-mock-draft-projecting-all-58-picks-nba-draft-combine

He had Williams going 20th (went 12th). He had Coward going 30th (we pick 9th). It's certainly possible he moves up that much but a 21 spot jump is a little more dramatic than an 8 spot jump. Like I said, if it turns out the info is outdated, we'll start to see Coward move up in susbequent Givony mocks. If he's somewhere in the early teens closer to the draft then I'll believe we have a chance to take him.

[Rapsfan07]

I wonder if we can create a bidding war among competing teams after drafting Coward. Orlando could really use him. Sell him like he’s prime Klay Thompson.

I'd rather just keep him and sell Orlando on Dick instead.

I’m guessing Dick would have little value to them, they’d probably like Ochai.

If we could wipe them of all their 2025 picks and a future 2026 pick, would you do it

Depends on what the deal is.

I want #16 and I'd only be willing to give up either Dick or Agbaji so if they don't like that then there's no deal to be made.

[Mark_83]

Maybe he'll continue ascending - there's still lots of time before the draft - but the reason I trust Givony over other draft gurus is because he just reports what he hears from NBA front offices, so his rankings/mock are more like the latest draft intel buzzing around the league. Other guys tend to bake in their own analysis.

If Coward really is a threat to be taken in the top 10, we'll probably see that reflected in Givony's mocks as we get closer to the draft, but as it stands he's nowhere near that even with post combine hype.

Givony had Jalen Williams going in the 20s post-combine 2022. The problem with guys who base their analysis on what they hear rather than what they observe is that their info is often outdated or do not reflect facts on the ground.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/34011027/2022-nba-mock-draft-projecting-all-58-picks-nba-draft-combine

He had Williams going 20th (went 12th). He had Coward going 30th (we pick 9th). It's certainly possible he moves up that much but a 21 spot jump is a little more dramatic than an 8 spot jump. Like I said, if it turns out the info is outdated, we'll start to see Coward move up in susbequent Givony mocks. If he's somewhere in the early teens closer to the draft then I'll believe we have a chance to take him.

I just don't see why we should give Givony's opinion more weight than other respected draft analysts.

Veccenie from the Athletic had him at 22.
Chau and and Mann from the Ringer have him at 16.
Kevin O'Connor has him at 11.

If you average them out he's ranked about 19-20. And these are rankings from almost 2 weeks ago so they don't even include recent pro days and individual workouts or interviews which may have occurred since then.

[bballsparkin]

The Spurs don't need more picks. They have zero reason to move off pick 2 unless they get an established NBA player back imo.

Curious what is your opinion on Harper? I know you follow the draft more than me. My limited watching has me thinking I'd trade up for him. But not that much. Do you think he's a foundational piece for a team like Spurs at a level more than current day Fox?

[Clutch0z24]

I still think Queen has the highest ceiling in the Raps range. That combination of size, skill and movement is pretty rare. I also think he'll be high on the Raps board. I remember when he drafted Dewan Hernandez, Masai praised his skill and talked about how hard it is to find skilled bigs. Yes, he said that about DEWAN HERNANDEZ. Queen's obviously a much more skilled prospect, but Queen and Hernandez share very measurements, so I don't think the Raps will view Queen as undersized, like some posters seem to think.

Yeah its not the most popular pick but if hes available at 9th i would not be shocked if he is the pick....Same with CMB its not the popular choice but won't be shocked if Masai picked either of them....Masai scouted Queen lots over the season so there is prolly interest there....The scouts and Masai himself prolly scouted alot of these players for a long time before the draft combine so i doubt the combine would sway that much in terms of interest....

[CazOnReal]

A reminder for those who want to trade Dick: The front office considers him untouchable.


He's not getting moved for the 16th pick in this draft.

[LoveMyRaps]

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[mademan]

As if Orlando would give up the 16th for Dick, lol.

[bballsparkin]

Interesting listening to the end of Samson Folk's Carter Bryant video/podcast. Apparently the Raptors really like Fears. If he's there they would take him.

Personally I'd be surprised if Fears even made it to us at 9.

I guess it makes sense. Fault Fears for many things but he looks like he can get anywhere he wants on the court. And the team could use that.

[Indeed]

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Per Josh Robbins of the Athletic, son of back-to-back NBA Dunk Contest winner Jason Richardson, Jase Richardson, met with Toronto at the combine. The 19-year-old plays a different type of game than his father did, however. For starters, Jase measured in just under 6-foot-1 barefoot, while his father was clocked at 6-foot-6. The son did jump a very respectable vertical leap at 38 inches (11th highest at the combine), though it didn’t quite reach Jason’s ridiculous 46.5-inch vertical. While he is undersized and hasn’t created consistently for himself or others, the shooting, the feel, and defensive activity are all big positives.

Didn't someone say those interviews were arranged by NBA, not by team?
I only buy them when they get a workout.