2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[WuTang_OG]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

[nowayguy]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

It's Yang time

[RoteSchroder]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

Hard to imagine Masai likes Queen. Poor athletic profile, poor perimeter shooter, no interior defense, specialty is slashing + bully ball.

Sorber seems a little slow footed, would be a mistake to draft him over BPA.

Yang has the most upside and actually has a good athletic profile despite in-game struggles (stamina + turning hips + secondary jump seem to be the biggest issue), but also doesn’t seem like a Masai pick and would be a pretty big risk. However, Yang fits the Darko profile and could have the floor of an Olynyk big off the bench.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Some of these moves are so elite. It’s weird to say but I just believe he’s a future anomaly. He’s going to be one of those guys people claim no one knew would be as good as he becomes.

Read on Twitter

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[djsunyc]

Some of these moves are so elite. It’s weird to say but I just believe he’s a future anomaly. He’s going to be one of those guys people claim no one knew would be as good as he becomes.

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

this reminds me of og right now.

[RoteSchroder]

You look at the playoffs and the Finals and it is just littered with power wing types who defend at a high clip and don't need any sets run for them.
Alex Caruso, Aaron Nesmith, Lu Dort are all this functional archetype and to me these types usually fall into the second round.

I am buying all the stock in Sion James and Jamir Watkins. Those guys are ones you can drop into a game tomorrow and can really guard 1-3 easily, and they will work in an offense. James is more like a Lu Dort type with an already developed outside shot, while Watkins is like Naji Marshall that is a pseudo point guard type in a SF body. Not sure if they will like them over Rhoden and Lawson, but they are both going to be NBA rotation players.

For the 9 pick I am settled on the bigger upside gamble.

1. Maluach - functional need for a big man, and the value at 9 is just something you can't pass up.
2. Fears - true star with lead guard potential based on his SEC play and his on-ball chaos.
3. Essengue - fits a Raptor's successful archetype and his simple productivity makes me think he can play sooner as a bench player. Kid is only 18 so you think he can grow into his game like Coulibaly.

On the fence types:

4. Nolan Traore - Similar to Fears based on his on-ball speed, but he seems a little more predictable and struggles at times in all areas.
5a. Hansen Yang 5b. Derik Queen 5c. Danny Wolf - I can't imagine taking either of these guys at 9 but these guys are bigs with a Kelly Olynyk type of floor game that is built for our system. I would just be happy to see more investment in this weird vision.

I’d skip the guards for now..I’m thinking the crafty/skilled archetype that are better able to control games (Nash, CP3, Kidd, Irving, Shai, Curry, Roy) are a better long-term solution than the explosive/speedy archetypes (RWB, Wall, Rose)

Derik Queen is just a no..hard to imagine his game translates to a high upside player in the NBA, maybe he’s a dangerous scorer off the bench that is match-up based.

That leaves Essengue, Kon, Maluach, Yang as my top selections

[Syd-TK3]

Some of these moves are so elite. It’s weird to say but I just believe he’s a future anomaly. He’s going to be one of those guys people claim no one knew would be as good as he becomes.

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

this reminds me of og right now.

Without the awkward robotic movement

[SpezNc]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

This screams Queen IMO or maybe it’s dropping down for Sorber or Wolf ?

[PhilBlackson]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

I would honestly hope they'd seriously consider Hansen Yang.

Of course they've shown a willingness to draft players well ahead of their supposed projections ie/ everyone thought Pascal was like a mid 2nd Rd when we took him in the 1st. Obv there's a lot more pressure to hit with a lottery pick but I just really do there's a fairly low chance with Hansen's bball IQ that he's a complete bust and if they're right which I really, really believe they could be...they look like geniuses.

I still have Bryant as the safer fallback if Khaman isn't there BUT personally I wouldn't be upset and in fact applaud their bravery for taking the risk because he could actually be the exact type of C offensively that makes sense in Darko's system as a hub even more than Queen considering Yang's height/size. If they could use Dick in a KD trade and Ochai to get back into the mid 1st ahead of BKN, I'd actually really like our team.

IQ
Ingram
Durant
Barnes
Yang

Watch on YouTube

The Hello & Welcome podcast about to go brazy lol

[Jerry Lucas]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

This screams Queen IMO or maybe it’s dropping down for Sorber or Wolf ?

Yeah IMO this absolutely screams Derik Queen.

Dark horse is CMB to me. His physical measurements are most similar to Draymond, a C in small ball lineups.

[Psubs]

Some of these moves are so elite. It’s weird to say but I just believe he’s a future anomaly. He’s going to be one of those guys people claim no one knew would be as good as he becomes.

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

I thought his ceiling is a mix of Tatum and OG. His shooting looks like Tatum and his defense looks like OG.

[PhilBlackson]

I honestly think Yang isn't as crazy of a reach as some think...he's shown he can compete against NBA level competition ie/ Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Mills, Ingles, Exum, Landale etc as a 18 year old.

Watch on YouTube

Had no problems keeping up with them on the defensive end and in fact was blocking multiple shots, rotating on defence and of course was able to pick them apart offensively. He would be fantastic as a hub for guys like BI...and KD.

[Grew]

Looking at the teams who have won championships basically throughout the course of NBA history... Obviously most have top end go to scorers. Another thing almost all of them have had is a big who anchors the defense. This is partly why Jokic can't make the nuggets more dominant, even with the league having more parity than ever before, his gaudy stat line might look impressive but he doesn't do something that is vitally important to his position. The nuggets are one of the only teams to win without a defensive anchor big, and they did it against an 8th seed who had a small ball center, in a time where there are no true dynasties.

Maluach stats might not look great, his skills might not seem all that impressive, but there is a reason teams are so intrigued by him, and he's going top 10 in a stacked draft. Having an anchor that big with that mobility is a championship piece.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Some of these moves are so elite. It’s weird to say but I just believe he’s a future anomaly. He’s going to be one of those guys people claim no one knew would be as good as he becomes.

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

I thought his ceiling is a mix of Tatum and OG. His shooting looks like Tatum and his defense looks like OG.

That would make him a top 5 player in the league. I’d probably reign in the comparison to poor man’s versions of those guys. Like yes, I can see where you’re going but that comparison puts him above both of them quite easily and a lot of other players who have proven a lot more.

For now I’d go with something like Terrence Ross offensively, and Toumani Camara defensively with the potential to become a lot more of an offensive threat in the future.

[WuTang_OG]

I honestly think Yang isn't as crazy of a reach as some think...he's shown he can compete against NBA level competition ie/ Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Mills, Ingles, Exum, Landale etc as a 18 year old.

Watch on YouTube

Had no problems keeping up with them on the defensive end and in fact was blocking multiple shots, rotating on defence and of course was able to pick them apart offensively. He would be fantastic as a hub for guys like BI...and KD.

Lots of good centres this draft but they likely all gone by 39
Would be nice to move back if they really like Yang

[Clutch0z24]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

Maluach
Queen
Sorber
Newell

That would be the most logical 4 big men around the 9th although Sorber you could prolly trade down to the late teens for him....Most likely off speculation its prolly Maluach/Queen considering Maluach and Masai prolly have a close bond, and Masai scouted Queens games alot in person...

Could be also cause Yak might be on the move for KD....Lots could go down on draft night though for Raps.

[Psubs]

I honestly think Yang isn't as crazy of a reach as some think...he's shown he can compete against NBA level competition ie/ Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Mills, Ingles, Exum, Landale etc as a 18 year old.

Watch on YouTube

Had no problems keeping up with them on the defensive end and in fact was blocking multiple shots, rotating on defence and of course was able to pick them apart offensively. He would be fantastic as a hub for guys like BI...and KD.

Give him 1-2 years of GLeague with conditioning and strength training, he might be better than Wolf.

Had Bryant not rose so much, I would've traded 9 for 13 and 22 and taken Yang at #22. I would be too to trade Dick or Agbaji for a 1st pick to take Yang and Fleming.

[Psubs]

Some of these moves are so elite. It’s weird to say but I just believe he’s a future anomaly. He’s going to be one of those guys people claim no one knew would be as good as he becomes.

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

I thought his ceiling is a mix of Tatum and OG. His shooting looks like Tatum and his defense looks like OG.

That would make him a top 5 player in the league. I’d probably reign in the comparison to poor man’s versions of those guys. Like yes, I can see where you’re going but that comparison puts him above both of them quite easily and a lot of other players who have proven a lot more.

For now I’d go with something like Terrence Ross offensively, and Toumani Camara defensively with the potential to become a lot more of an offensive threat in the future.

It's a ceiling. Likely he's Shane Battier with 40 inch hops.

[TNRaps4life]

Stein




Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

This screams Queen IMO or maybe it’s dropping down for Sorber or Wolf ?

Yeah IMO this absolutely screams Derik Queen.

Dark horse is CMB to me. His physical measurements are most similar to Draymond, a C in small ball lineups.

Derik Queen, Jase Richardson and Jakucionis worked out for Raptors this week.

[grant101]

Stein

One thing teams seem to agree on: Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class. And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics.


The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.

Wonder if this is smoke

But interesting nonetheless

Wonder if they would reach for Sorber

And who knows on Queen

It's Yang time

Masai might be the only GM with the guts to pull the trigger on Yang at 9