2024-2025 College Basketball / NBA Draft - Volume III

[Arsenal]

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I’d like to have this guy with the 35th pick. I wouldn’t mind burning one of those 2nd rounders we got from the Wiz to move up.

Sam Vecenie also said the same thing when asked who should we draft with the 35th pick

We have 5 years of evidence that Kalkbrenner can't shoot. One combine drill doesn't change that fact. Maybe he'll be the BPA at #35 but I'm definitely not moving up for him.

[OleSchool]

Taking Ace feels like "need" rather than "BPA"

Airous is both the BPA, AND fits a glaring need. The only thing better than taking him at #3 is fleecing extra assets out of another team and still getting him.

*****Warning long post*****

Here's what I don't understand about the Ace fans.

Now I'm speaking for me directly. When I look at the SF position I need the guy to do a few things. 1) able to shoot the 3. 2) be able to break his man down. 3) be my secondary ball handler and distributor. So basically be a point forward.

Ace doesn't have a broken shot. It needs to be a little quicker and higher. So some minor tweaks, which I'm confident that he'll be able to fix over time. Until that time the shot is going to be off. So his 3pt% will drop in the pros, SLIGHTLY until it's tweaked

To be able to break his man down and push the defense he'll need 2 things and he won't really need both (but it definitely helps) but he has to be EXCEPTIONAL at one of them IF he doesn't have both. The first is an ELITE first step, which Ace doesn't have. Now, are there training methods to increase his athletic ability? Sure, running backs and wide receivers train that. I'm not that certain BBALL players train like that.

Can Ace develop head fakes, head bobs, feet shuffle. SOMETHING to give himself space to blow past his defender? Maybe? Idk. Eventually other teams will get the book on him and say something like "don't buy the first head fake he's going left" or something to that effect. So, without an ELITE first step he'll need PG handles to be able to break his man down.

Now, to my knowledge, and I can definitely be wrong BUT there is only 1 player who came into the league with avg to below avg handles (who was a non PG) and developed his handles enough to actually be a secondary or even primary ball handler and that was Kobe. So, is Ace going to end up be a top 5 player in league history? Probably not.

In my opinion developing handles are the hardest thing to do. My God, Thad Young has been in the league 85 years and he still dribbles the ball off his foot when he goes baseline. I'm not saying Ace's handles are as bad as Thad's but hopefully you get the point.

Now, he needs to have the vision to, once he breaks his man down to pass to the open man when the D collapses. Which requires BBIQ. Ace doesn't have that. Could he develop a better awareness as time goes on. Sure but imo he's not going to be exceptional at that for a while if ever.

So, out of the 3 qualities that I look for in a SF, (which Ace will be) Ace only checks 1 box and that needs tweaking.

Ace, even if he grows will NEVER be a PF cause of his body type. He will always be slender, think KD BODY TYPE not skill level. Hes going to DESTROYED on the block.

So if Ace ain't going to be a point forward what EXACTLY is he? A poor mans Mikal Bridges? A SF version of Tobias?

[Covi_Marsh]

Airous is both the BPA, AND fits a glaring need. The only thing better than taking him at #3 is fleecing extra assets out of another team and still getting him.

*****Warning long post*****

Here's what I don't understand about the Ace fans.

Now I'm speaking for me directly. When I look at the SF position I need the guy to do a few things. 1) able to shoot the 3. 2) be able to break his man down. 3) be my secondary ball handler and distributor. So basically be a point forward.

Ace doesn't have a broken shot. It needs to be a little quicker and higher. So some minor tweaks, which I'm confident that he'll be able to fix over time. Until that time the shot is going to be off. So his 3pt% will drop in the pros, SLIGHTLY until it's tweaked

To be able to break his man down and push the defense he'll need 2 things and he won't really need both (but it definitely helps) but he has to be EXCEPTIONAL at one of them IF he doesn't have both. The first is an ELITE first step, which Ace doesn't have. Now, are there training methods to increase his athletic ability? Sure, running backs and wide receivers train that. I'm not that certain BBALL players train like that.

Can Ace develop head fakes, head bobs, feet shuffle. SOMETHING to give himself space to blow past his defender? Maybe? Idk. Eventually other teams will get the book on him and say something like "don't buy the first head fake he's going left" or something to that effect. So, without an ELITE first step he'll need PG handles to be able to break his man down.

Now, to my knowledge, and I can definitely be wrong BUT there is only 1 player who came into the league with avg to below avg handles (who was a non PG) and developed his handles enough to actually be a secondary or even primary ball handler and that was Kobe. So, is Ace going to end up be a top 5 player in league history? Probably not.

In my opinion developing handles are the hardest thing to do. My God, Thad Young has been in the league 85 years and he still dribbles the ball off his foot when he goes baseline. I'm not saying Ace's handles are as bad as Thad's but hopefully you get the point.

Now, he needs to have the vision to, once he breaks his man down to pass to the open man when the D collapses. Which requires BBIQ. Ace doesn't have that. Could he develop a better awareness as time goes on. Sure but imo he's not going to be exceptional at that for a while if ever.

So, out of the 3 qualities that I look for in a SF, (which Ace will be) Ace only checks 1 box and that needs tweaking.

Ace, even if he grows will NEVER be a PF cause of his body type. He will always be slender, think KD BODY TYPE not skill level. Hes going to DESTROYED on the block.

So if Ace ain't going to be a point forward what EXACTLY is he? A poor mans Mikal Bridges? A SF version of Tobias?

As an Ace fan I would say yes I do expect him to perfect his footwork where he could use jab steps, step backs, head fakes and push offs to create space for his elite mid range shot.

Also Ace is capable of getting his weight up to 225-230 which is the same as Tatum who runs the majority of his mins at PF. There’s not many post play PFs in the league. For those matchups you would hope to mix and match for certain teams like Banchero, Siakim, Randle, Bron.

[OleSchool]

*****Warning long post*****

Here's what I don't understand about the Ace fans.

Now I'm speaking for me directly. When I look at the SF position I need the guy to do a few things. 1) able to shoot the 3. 2) be able to break his man down. 3) be my secondary ball handler and distributor. So basically be a point forward.

Ace doesn't have a broken shot. It needs to be a little quicker and higher. So some minor tweaks, which I'm confident that he'll be able to fix over time. Until that time the shot is going to be off. So his 3pt% will drop in the pros, SLIGHTLY until it's tweaked

To be able to break his man down and push the defense he'll need 2 things and he won't really need both (but it definitely helps) but he has to be EXCEPTIONAL at one of them IF he doesn't have both. The first is an ELITE first step, which Ace doesn't have. Now, are there training methods to increase his athletic ability? Sure, running backs and wide receivers train that. I'm not that certain BBALL players train like that.

Can Ace develop head fakes, head bobs, feet shuffle. SOMETHING to give himself space to blow past his defender? Maybe? Idk. Eventually other teams will get the book on him and say something like "don't buy the first head fake he's going left" or something to that effect. So, without an ELITE first step he'll need PG handles to be able to break his man down.

Now, to my knowledge, and I can definitely be wrong BUT there is only 1 player who came into the league with avg to below avg handles (who was a non PG) and developed his handles enough to actually be a secondary or even primary ball handler and that was Kobe. So, is Ace going to end up be a top 5 player in league history? Probably not.

In my opinion developing handles are the hardest thing to do. My God, Thad Young has been in the league 85 years and he still dribbles the ball off his foot when he goes baseline. I'm not saying Ace's handles are as bad as Thad's but hopefully you get the point.

Now, he needs to have the vision to, once he breaks his man down to pass to the open man when the D collapses. Which requires BBIQ. Ace doesn't have that. Could he develop a better awareness as time goes on. Sure but imo he's not going to be exceptional at that for a while if ever.

So, out of the 3 qualities that I look for in a SF, (which Ace will be) Ace only checks 1 box and that needs tweaking.

Ace, even if he grows will NEVER be a PF cause of his body type. He will always be slender, think KD BODY TYPE not skill level. Hes going to DESTROYED on the block.

So if Ace ain't going to be a point forward what EXACTLY is he? A poor mans Mikal Bridges? A SF version of Tobias?

As an Ace fan I would say yes I do expect him to perfect his footwork where he could use jab steps, step backs, head fakes and push offs to create space for his elite mid range shot.

Also Ace is capable of getting his weight up to 225-230 which is the same as Tatum who runs the majority of his mins at PF. There’s not many post play PFs in the league. For those matchups you would hope to mix and match for certain teams like Banchero, Siakim, Randle, Bron.

So, you want Ace to be DDR or Rudy Gay with his midrange game.

Also, imo Tatum had a thicker body type and you could see he could bulk up. I don't think, outside of using roids Ace can get stronger but won't bulk up

[mjkvol]

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I’d like to have this guy with the 35th pick. I wouldn’t mind burning one of those 2nd rounders we got from the Wiz to move up.

Sam Vecenie also said the same thing when asked who should we draft with the 35th pick

My thought all along when seeing silly posts about taking an almost certain bust like Johnni Broome is why do that instead of grabbing Kolkbrenner, a 7'2" defensive stud who spaces the floor? Sometimes it amazes me the level of "older" players who get bypassed in the draft by younger ones that never pan out. I'd be shocked if Kalkbrenner isn't an impactful rotation piece somewhere.

[Covi_Marsh]

*****Warning long post*****

Here's what I don't understand about the Ace fans.

Now I'm speaking for me directly. When I look at the SF position I need the guy to do a few things. 1) able to shoot the 3. 2) be able to break his man down. 3) be my secondary ball handler and distributor. So basically be a point forward.

Ace doesn't have a broken shot. It needs to be a little quicker and higher. So some minor tweaks, which I'm confident that he'll be able to fix over time. Until that time the shot is going to be off. So his 3pt% will drop in the pros, SLIGHTLY until it's tweaked

To be able to break his man down and push the defense he'll need 2 things and he won't really need both (but it definitely helps) but he has to be EXCEPTIONAL at one of them IF he doesn't have both. The first is an ELITE first step, which Ace doesn't have. Now, are there training methods to increase his athletic ability? Sure, running backs and wide receivers train that. I'm not that certain BBALL players train like that.

Can Ace develop head fakes, head bobs, feet shuffle. SOMETHING to give himself space to blow past his defender? Maybe? Idk. Eventually other teams will get the book on him and say something like "don't buy the first head fake he's going left" or something to that effect. So, without an ELITE first step he'll need PG handles to be able to break his man down.

Now, to my knowledge, and I can definitely be wrong BUT there is only 1 player who came into the league with avg to below avg handles (who was a non PG) and developed his handles enough to actually be a secondary or even primary ball handler and that was Kobe. So, is Ace going to end up be a top 5 player in league history? Probably not.

In my opinion developing handles are the hardest thing to do. My God, Thad Young has been in the league 85 years and he still dribbles the ball off his foot when he goes baseline. I'm not saying Ace's handles are as bad as Thad's but hopefully you get the point.

Now, he needs to have the vision to, once he breaks his man down to pass to the open man when the D collapses. Which requires BBIQ. Ace doesn't have that. Could he develop a better awareness as time goes on. Sure but imo he's not going to be exceptional at that for a while if ever.

So, out of the 3 qualities that I look for in a SF, (which Ace will be) Ace only checks 1 box and that needs tweaking.

Ace, even if he grows will NEVER be a PF cause of his body type. He will always be slender, think KD BODY TYPE not skill level. Hes going to DESTROYED on the block.

So if Ace ain't going to be a point forward what EXACTLY is he? A poor mans Mikal Bridges? A SF version of Tobias?

As an Ace fan I would say yes I do expect him to perfect his footwork where he could use jab steps, step backs, head fakes and push offs to create space for his elite mid range shot.

Also Ace is capable of getting his weight up to 225-230 which is the same as Tatum who runs the majority of his mins at PF. There’s not many post play PFs in the league. For those matchups you would hope to mix and match for certain teams like Banchero, Siakim, Randle, Bron.

So, you want Ace to be DDR or Rudy Gay with his midrange game.

Also, imo Tatum had a thicker body type and you could see he could bulk up. I don't think, outside of using roids Ace can get stronger but won't bulk up

Midrange game sure but I’d want him taking step back, and volume off ball 3s as well unlike Derozen and Rudy. Pair that with his defense, rebounding and weak side shot blocking.

And yes Tatum has more solid broader shoulders but I wouldn’t relate that to a thicker body type. Ace can get to 225-230. Idk where in his body type you see an inability to gain 20 lbs to an 18 yr old.

[stormi]

Been thinking about it more as I've been watching the finals.

Having multiple guys who can handle the ball & somewhat create their own shot & for others is a cheat code.

It's already what makes Kon underrated with this in mind but I've probably been a bit harsh on Kasparas. Easily a top 3 creator in the class and the load he burdened + FTr + finishing + shooting as an 18 yr old is commendable. He’s an atrocious athlete which prevents him from being a lead guard in the NBA but him scaled down could be intriguing. He's moved into the tier of guys I consider trade down worthy selections.

Flagg
Harper/KK/VJ
Essengue
Queen/Maluach/Kasparas/Tre

[stormi]

Take Ace.. this team literally keeps taking centers and guards in the lottery last time we took a wing Andre Iguadala panned out. . We pasted on Jaylen Brown and Ingram and they all are good to very good/ great players..

Taking Ace feels like "need" rather than "BPA"

The only thing attractive about him is the position he plays lmfao.

Garbage basketball player.

[M2J]

As an Ace fan I would say yes I do expect him to perfect his footwork where he could use jab steps, step backs, head fakes and push offs to create space for his elite mid range shot.

Also Ace is capable of getting his weight up to 225-230 which is the same as Tatum who runs the majority of his mins at PF. There’s not many post play PFs in the league. For those matchups you would hope to mix and match for certain teams like Banchero, Siakim, Randle, Bron.

So, you want Ace to be DDR or Rudy Gay with his midrange game.

Also, imo Tatum had a thicker body type and you could see he could bulk up. I don't think, outside of using roids Ace can get stronger but won't bulk up

Midrange game sure but I’d want him taking step back, and volume off ball 3s as well unlike Derozen and Rudy. Pair that with his defense, rebounding and weak side shot blocking.

And yes Tatum has more solid broader shoulders but I wouldn’t relate that to a thicker body type. Ace can get to 225-230. Idk where in his body type you see an inability to gain 20 lbs to an 18 yr old.

He's already in college a quality movement 3pt shooter with his catch and shoot numbers. His shooting form is fine... Doesn't need to touch it... It's high and quick enough...I saw makes where he doesn't even bring it down like Batum. Footwork is excellent

As for position, he can easily fill out to play pf comfortably. His length and athleticism will help with that 7.5 feet wingspan is longer than a Tatum or Brown and judging by his ability to deflect balls... He knows how to use it

[stormi]

not sure where I heard it from and it is probably bull

but there is hubbub that Ace's camp doesn't want to come here. Perhaps they want him in an immediate featured role which even if Jo is donzo wont be here....or they have seen the horror show that most of our lottery picks go through lol.

Just came across the clip (starts around 36:00)

Watch on YouTube

The person speaking is @TrillBroDude on twitter. I wouldn't classify him as an insider, but he's definitely not a grifter either. He's been around the scene for a long time and is a dedicated Philadelphia sports fan. Has a decent platform as well that's he's built organically over the years. He's really not one to speak for the sake of it, so I'd reckon this is at least one to monitor.

We should find out whether there's any substance in the coming days as the Ace workout was supposedly scheduled right after the team met with VJ.

2017 is repeating itself, we trade up for the 'new Harden' and the primadonna bust wing handpicks his destination.

Read on Twitter

[CPops57]

Every once in a while I shut the curtains, put my phone on Do Not Disturb, turn off the lights and light some candles to set the mood, and watch this video.

Watch on YouTube

It is absolutely beautiful basketball, that sadly as Sixers fans we rarely seen glimpses of even when we're winning.

Just saying...this is the kind of basketball I'd hope that the Sixers are aspiring to work towards. I want smart players. Coachable players. High IQ guys. Unselfish. Good passers. Sacrificing for team success.

What players from this draft would be at home with those Spurs teams? These are the players in the draft I'd want to select from.

[Black Mage]

Watch on YouTube

It's because blue chip recruits are anointed their 5 star status during their skill-less AAU sessions, they go to college and do enough to keep their image alluring to teams, then they get drafted.

Guys who have clawed their way to the league from relative obscurity in Europe or 3 year college players find ways to be relevant and outplay their draft position, sometimes substantially. But it certainly is harder.

Not that big a mystery and you kind of hinted at it. There's just more variables left on the table come draft day with 1 and done players than there was drafting a player who played 3 or 4 years in college and polished up their game or didn't.

Sample size of 30 games, give or take versus 90-120 games.

[CPops57]

The only thing attractive about him is the position he plays lmfao.

Garbage basketball player.

I don't particularly like Ace as the selection as I think Kon (or VJ) are likely far better picks for many previously described reasons, but describing Ace as a "garbage basketball player" is just way over the top. Despite flaws, he still has some positive traits as a player and has a (IMO smaller, but not zero) chance of being a really good player. Nobody knows for certain how any of these prospects will pan out. We shouldn't get in the habit of being overly critical of a prospect just because he's not our personal choice.

[M2J]

not sure where I heard it from and it is probably bull

but there is hubbub that Ace's camp doesn't want to come here. Perhaps they want him in an immediate featured role which even if Jo is donzo wont be here....or they have seen the horror show that most of our lottery picks go through lol.

Just came across the clip (starts around 36:00)

Watch on YouTube

The person speaking is @TrillBroDude on twitter. I wouldn't classify him as an insider, but he's definitely not a grifter either. He's been around the scene for a long time and is a dedicated Philadelphia sports fan. Has a decent platform as well that's he's built organically over the years. He's really not one to speak for the sake of it, so I'd reckon this is at least one to monitor.

We should find out whether there's any substance in the coming days as the Ace workout was supposedly scheduled right after the team met with VJ.

2017 is repeating itself, we trade up for the 'new Harden' and the primadonna bust wing handpicks his destination.

Read on Twitter

If true.... Can't say Ace isn't smart... Should want to play for Spurs j/k

But it's not surprising that a prospect may have a preferred destination.... How he handles it matters though, and him scheduling the meeting has to matter... And how he handles it.

But sounds to me like he and the Spurs want each other and Spurs are just trying to sucker Morey. If the Spurs want him.... Philly definitely should. Still think Philly should stand still and just draft Ace or Dylan at 3. Use assets to clean up some of the other messes.

[Covi_Marsh]

not sure where I heard it from and it is probably bull

but there is hubbub that Ace's camp doesn't want to come here. Perhaps they want him in an immediate featured role which even if Jo is donzo wont be here....or they have seen the horror show that most of our lottery picks go through lol.

Just came across the clip (starts around 36:00)

Watch on YouTube

The person speaking is @TrillBroDude on twitter. I wouldn't classify him as an insider, but he's definitely not a grifter either. He's been around the scene for a long time and is a dedicated Philadelphia sports fan. Has a decent platform as well that's he's built organically over the years. He's really not one to speak for the sake of it, so I'd reckon this is at least one to monitor.

We should find out whether there's any substance in the coming days as the Ace workout was supposedly scheduled right after the team met with VJ.

2017 is repeating itself, we trade up for the 'new Harden' and the primadonna bust wing handpicks his destination.

Read on Twitter

Did many listen to it since I’m in a restaurant for fathers Day but Sixers content creator has a responsibility to speak on reported rumors. Scotto said we inquired about moving up. Spurs have only worked out Harper as a top prospect so it’s appears they will draft him unless we blow them away with an offer.

[stormi]

The only thing attractive about him is the position he plays lmfao.

Garbage basketball player.

I don't particularly like Ace as the selection as I think Kon (or VJ) are likely far better picks for many previously described reasons, but describing Ace as a "garbage basketball player" is just way over the top. Despite flaws, he still has some positive traits as a player and has a (IMO smaller, but not zero) chance of being a really good player. Nobody knows for certain how any of these prospects will pan out. We shouldn't get in the habit of being overly critical of a prospect just because he's not our personal choice.

As currently constructed, Bailey's only pathway to providing value for a winning team is if he fixes that jumper and becomes a high volume 3P spacer, which will probably take years (69% ft).

Essentially the Wiggins 2022 role. The longer the ball is in his hands, the more detrimental it is to your chance of generating high value basketball. He has some of the worst vision and processing I've ever seen of a wing prospect rated this highly and that handle is stiff.

Extremely skeptical of what else he brings on O outside of the least valuable shot in basketball -> contested mid-range jumpers.

He was the most athletic guy every time he stepped onto the court this past season for Rutgers and wasn't able to leverage that into any sort of rim pressure or generate steals (negative awareness).

If he measured out a little bit taller and abandoned the jump shot altogether he might be able to pull me back in as a project-Siakam.

[Black Mage]

Kon Kneuppel on ball scoring.

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Kon is gonna get called for a lot of offensive fouls. Watch how many times he two arm shoves his defender before making his break to get the pass. He also loves that chicken wing.

[okboomer]

My issue is with Ace is that his followers ADD (Ace Delusional Desirers) is keep coming back to he can make tough shots! Well think about it, maybe the reason he can is that cant beat his defender off the dribble. You want someone who has the ability to be able to beat their defender. He basically lead the nation on 2 point attempts outside the paint, definitely not a Morey type of player. Not difficult to see if you pay attention. Ive tried to find ways where I can talk myself into the 76ers drafting him, I dont see it.

[Black Mage]

Kon Kneuppel on ball scoring.

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I know this is supposed to be a highlight vid but there's a few plays in there I didn't like.

The first one in particular. Kon is on the opposite side, back his man down spins to his left and has a wide open lane to the net. Instead of him taking it strong to the rim he stops, does a double pump and then goes up for the layin. WHY?? You already beat you man, no one is at the rim. Take that **** up STRONG.

There's a few plays like that scattered throughout the vid that shouldn't be "highlights" it shows his lack of athletic ability

I noticed it as well; don't think he has any explosiveness to his jump when in motion and so he trying to make sure he gets a defender into the air to clear it out. Bigs in the NBA won't need to do that given his short stature and T-rex arms.

[CPops57]

@stormi I don't particularly disagree with any part of your Ace analysis. I also have a lot of problems with the idea of drafting Ace for these and other reasons. But using phrases like "garbage basketball player" doesn't seem right. My $0.02.