2025 Draft Thread - Part 2

[AFM]

I think I'm leaning toward Maluach at #6 assuming Johnson is off the board. He is excellent in pick-and-roll defense with his ability to guard both the ball handler and roll-man with his huge frame and long arms. I figure his floor is a Donovan Clingan/Jakob Poeltl tier defensive stalwart drop big. That may not that great value at #6, but at least there's very little bust potential.

Then you have to factor the upside. He is a reliable FT shooter which might open up a Robert Parish type of midrange game (nod to CCJ). And he is so young with so much physical development and coordination improvement ahead of him, it's hard to project how agile he will become. He has Rudy Gobert potential defensively, and he has shown a few flashes of a turnaround jumper and perhaps some 3-point range. And by all accounts, he is a smart guy and a quick learner.

If it comes down to Maluach versus Fears or Knueppel, I think I'm going with Maluach. To me, the only other guy that has enough star upside to intrigue me is Essengue. I suck at evaluating guys from foreign leagues because I don't have a good sense of how the leagues compare, so I will defer to others on him. But if Dawkins and Co. like him, I'm open-minded about it.

I agree with your assessment, but I think there's a legitimate concern about his ability to stay in the country. TBH, I think he's a virtual lock to go to the Raptors at #9.

First player to have his jersey retired in El Salvador

[nate33]

I think I'm leaning toward Maluach at #6 assuming Johnson is off the board. He is excellent in pick-and-roll defense with his ability to guard both the ball handler and roll-man with his huge frame and long arms. I figure his floor is a Donovan Clingan/Jakob Poeltl tier defensive stalwart drop big. That may not that great value at #6, but at least there's very little bust potential.

Then you have to factor the upside. He is a reliable FT shooter which might open up a Robert Parish type of midrange game (nod to CCJ). And he is so young with so much physical development and coordination improvement ahead of him, it's hard to project how agile he will become. He has Rudy Gobert potential defensively, and he has shown a few flashes of a turnaround jumper and perhaps some 3-point range. And by all accounts, he is a smart guy and a quick learner.

If it comes down to Maluach versus Fears or Knueppel, I think I'm going with Maluach. To me, the only other guy that has enough star upside to intrigue me is Essengue. I suck at evaluating guys from foreign leagues because I don't have a good sense of how the leagues compare, so I will defer to others on him. But if Dawkins and Co. like him, I'm open-minded about it.

I agree with your assessment, but I think there's a legitimate concern about his ability to stay in the country. TBH, I think he's a virtual lock to go to the Raptors at #9.

I'm not too worried about the deportation issue*. It's a transitory political issue that won't last long. Either South Sudan is blatantly refusing to take back deportees, a stance that they will cave on sooner or later; or there are legitimate complications with a few specific deportees that will ultimately be cleared up in time.

* I mean this purely from a basketball scouting perspective. Obviously, it's a much bigger issue for Maluach and his quality of his life, so I'm sure he is worried about it.

[payitforward]

I think I'm leaning toward Maluach at #6 assuming Johnson is off the board. He is excellent in pick-and-roll defense with his ability to guard both the ball handler and roll-man with his huge frame and long arms. I figure his floor is a Donovan Clingan/Jakob Poeltl tier defensive stalwart drop big. That may not that great value at #6, but at least there's very little bust potential.

Then you have to factor the upside. He is a reliable FT shooter which might open up a Robert Parish type of midrange game (nod to CCJ). And he is so young with so much physical development and coordination improvement ahead of him, it's hard to project how agile he will become. He has Rudy Gobert potential defensively, and he has shown a few flashes of a turnaround jumper and perhaps some 3-point range. And by all accounts, he is a smart guy and a quick learner.

If it comes down to Maluach versus Fears or Knueppel, I think I'm going with Maluach. To me, the only other guy that has enough star upside to intrigue me is Essengue. I suck at evaluating guys from foreign leagues because I don't have a good sense of how the leagues compare, so I will defer to others on him. But if Dawkins and Co. like him, I'm open-minded about it.

I agree with your assessment, but I think there's a legitimate concern about his ability to stay in the country. TBH, I think he's a virtual lock to go to the Raptors at #9.

I assume there will be an exception for Maluach, but even if there isn't, if he can't leave the US and re-enter the country, why would he be drafted by Toronto? They can't even bring him in for a workout at this point....

So what? They can fly in & work him out in the US. As a Raptor, he could become a Canadian citizen

As he is Sudanese, the risk for him in the US is deportation. & why would the Fascists of this administration make an exception for him? He's taking away an American's job....

[closg00]

It would be GM malpractice (expect for Toronto) to draft Maluach without having his Visa issue resolved in-advance, hell no.

[PaulinVA]

Muluach free throw shooting coordination tells me his hands are going to develop. His form is Very rare for a 7-2 guy. He shows really good bbiq.
His FT shooting.. it looks more coordinated than Shaqs, Dikembe.
Muluach free throw shooting reveals his unlicked potential. Very hard to get to where his with that form from a muscle memory perspective for a big.
Rare to find this trait in a young shot blocking big. So FT form of Muluach catapults him to top 5.

The only problem is that he actually doesn’t block many shots for a rim protector

That must be part of his "unlicked potential."

I thought I was the only one here who noticed that.

[tontoz]

Watch on YouTube

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

@ Bryant being "bad" on offense when most of his shots are 3s and he has a 59% TS. Just because he played only 19 minutes per game doesn't mean he is a self check.

He has the usage rate of a rim running / dunker's spot center as a wing. In the nba, wings like that are a liability.

I think "liability" is overstating it. But the likelihood is that he pans out as a Danny Green/Shane Battier type of 3&D wing. Those guys can certainly help a team, but do you draft them at #6?

I guess there's an argument. I believe Battier went #6 in the Kwame draft and turned out to be one of the better picks in that draft. At some point in a draft, the guys with star potential are gone and it's time to draft for reliable role players instead.

I guess what I'm saying is that drafting Bryant is probably only justified based on pessimism on the rest of this draft. I wouldn't draft Bryant with the expectation that he could be a star.

Shane Battier is exactly who I was thinking of as well, nate. Nice player. Not a world beater.

That draft had Kwame, Tyson, Chandler, another HS big named Diop, Shane Battier, Troy Murphy, and Zach Randolph.

I wanted MJ to trade the top pick in exchange for Battier and Murphy or Randolph.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

@ Bryant being "bad" on offense when most of his shots are 3s and he has a 59% TS. Just because he played only 19 minutes per game doesn't mean he is a self check.

He has the usage rate of a rim running / dunker's spot center as a wing. In the nba, wings like that are a liability.

Oh really? Here are the 3&D guys i see in the conference finals.

Dort
Naz
Caruso
McDaniels
Nesmith
OG

I am probably forgetting some guys. Are any of these guys a liability?

Arizona was 3rd in the NCAA in scoring. They didn't need him to score. Just because he played a limited role as a freshman behind upper classmen on a good team doesn't make him a self check.

Good post. I'm learning.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Khaman Maluach shoots with great form from the free throw line. His shot reminds me of that of Robert Parish.

His shooting form is better than Parish's form. Getting a Parish clone would be a god send for this team. Muluach doesn't match anything close to Parish body movement speed shifting your shoulders quickly and under control, parish could do finger rolls at the rim, and foot coordination speed. Maluach does have better shooting coordination than Parish on his jumpshot for sure.

Are you going to tell us who the possible engines are in this draft? Like who are the top 5 with engine potential?

Working on it.

[WizarDynasty]

Watch on YouTube

Bad knees and cant arch his back while he dribbles. Thats just off 5 second analysis.

[TGW]

Watch on YouTube

Bad knees and cant arch his back while he dribbles. Thats just off 5 second analysis.

Classic analysis.

[AFM]

Sometimes 5 seconds is all you need (that's what she said)

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

TOP ENGINES:

1) Derik Queen (5.0 V8 hard to stop once running)
2) Tre Johnson (N55 inline 6 surprising power from smaller size)

Everyone else is using a tandem bicycle

Those two are engines.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kam-jones-1.html

Kam Jones is an engine.

https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2025/5/24/24436440/marquette-golden-eagles-mens-basketball-kam-jones-nba-draft-mock-draft-espn-cbs-yahoo

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=egor-demin--jeremiah-fears--dylan-harper--kasparas-jakucionis--kam-jones--nolan-traore

Kam Jones is going to be highly effective, scoring, and playmaking.

Rod Strickland was highly effective without being a three-point shooter.

Kam Jones can run an offense without turning the ball over.

He's projected to go around #39, but I think he belongs in the teens.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The only problem is that he actually doesn’t block many shots for a rim protector

That must be part of his "unlicked potential."

I thought I was the only one here who noticed that.

Reminds me of what a college girl I hooked up with just once said to me...

How are you supposed to take, "We have good lovemaking potential," said AFTER the sex?

She turned out to be creepy. Called, and my GF answered. Another time came to my apartment uninvited and listened. She later told me she left when she heard me and my GF inside. That was our last conversation. Stalker vibes. Never found out about our potential.

P.S. i was raised thinking I wanted to be different from my Dad, not a player. HOWEVER, when I was briefly dating two girls, I felt like Denzel Washington's "I'M KING KONG!" (From,"Training Day.")

All this from unlicked potential...

[Benjammin]

I always try to take the road less licked and that makes all the difference.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

[WizarDynasty]

TOP ENGINES:

1) Derik Queen (5.0 V8 hard to stop once running)
2) Tre Johnson (N55 inline 6 surprising power from smaller size)

Everyone else is using a tandem bicycle

Those two are engines.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kam-jones-1.html

Kam Jones is an engine.

https://www.anonymouseagle.com/2025/5/24/24436440/marquette-golden-eagles-mens-basketball-kam-jones-nba-draft-mock-draft-espn-cbs-yahoo

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=egor-demin--jeremiah-fears--dylan-harper--kasparas-jakucionis--kam-jones--nolan-traore

Kam Jones is going to be highly effective, scoring, and playmaking.

Rod Strickland was highly effective without being a three-point shooter.

Kam Jones can run an offense without turning the ball over.

He's projected to go around #39, but I think he belongs in the teens.

or
Tre Johnson is not close to being an Engine. Dude shot 42% on volume. Even Shai was shooting 48% back in college which is alot closer to 50% with volume back in college.
224-525 42.7 89-224 39.7 121-139 87.1 11 92 103 90 10 31 69 60 658

That's an inefficient volume shooter. Dime a dozen. We already had that with Beal, Wall, and now Jordan Poole. Volume shooter that can't shoot close to .50 percent are liabilities, not assets.
High percentage three point shooter is nothing more than a support position for a true engine. A true engine can go out and shoot .50 percent on volume without being assisted.

2000 points/ 82 games equal 25 points per game shooting 50 percent or better. Rarely is a guard considered an engine. If a guard can score high volume above 2,000 points at .50 they are special. Only a handful of guards in the last 10 years have been able to achieve this .. normal.

Even harden is not a true engine, inefficient volume scorer. Luka is another inefficient volume scorer. Don't confused inefficient volume scorer with Engine. That is rule 101. .50 percent on volume is the key. Per/ minutes stats...or adjusted efficiency mean nothing if volume level is not considered. To be an engine, at least 1,800. Prefer over 2,000. 2,000/ 82 games is 24 points per game.
If a player can reach volume level, that means they aren't injury risk and dependable engine.
Who cares if a guy can maintain 24 points per game and 50 percent but can only play 40 games per season after suffering an injury.. Anthony Davis cough or Joel Embiid.
Once an injury sets on an Engine, the wear and tear from volume causes that injury to keep re-occur. So getting a healthy engine that can keep sustainable volume over multiple season like a Jokic or a Kevin Durant in his prime. Giannis. Curry back in 2014-2016. Jordan back when he was dropping 3,000 points at 50 percent. YOu can go back in history and easily identify the true engines. Kobe Bryant has never been an engine.

Kam Jones average 19 points in college. Could he average 25 points in the nba at shoot . 50 against much tougher defense? That's why a GM earns his paycheck.

Anthony Edwards is not an Engine. Brunson is pretty close to Engine stats but not there yet. Kyrie has never been an engine. So again, Wizards haven't had engine in the last 46 years.

Juwan Howard for year was close to an engine back 1996. He score 1789 at 48.9%. Just one season and then fell off.

[dckingsfan]

A true engine can go out and shoot .50 percent on volume without being assisted.

2000 points/ 82 games equal 25 points per game shooting 50 percent or better.

For evaluation purposes - do you look at per 36 minute stats? So, 50%, 25 point per game (36 minutes) to normalize the numbers?

[SUPERBALLMAN]

The draft I want for the Wizards ....

#6. Carter Bryant
#18 Drake Powell
#40 Yanic Konan Niederhauser...

I'm almost there with you on Bryant. Still intrigued though by the offensive upside of Fears and Johnson...one of which is almost certain to be there at 6. Maluach also remains an intriguing option at 6.

I still want Coward or Sorber at 18. But I like Powell's athleticism and defense. He'd be a nice consolation prize if the Zards don't draft Bryant...although he doesn't seem to have Bryant's 3pt shooting chops.

Let me give you a little nudge....


Goes into detail on Bryant starting at 58:00 and provides some GREAT info, goes until about 1:21:00...

Watch on YouTube

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/eric-dixon-1.html

He's not a world beater, but Eric Dixon is a three-level scorer at PF.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Timely vid dropped yesterday. Carter Bryant talk starting at the 29 minute mark.

One of these guys is an Arizona alum and had scouted Bryant before Arizona recruited him.

"high floor and high ceiling"

Watch on YouTube

At 1:13:00 they briefly discuss the Wizards and Bryant at 6...