2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 9

[Psubs]

Yang is better than Maluach and Wolf

This is what I'm saying. If can pull off #9 for 13 and 22, 22 would be a great spot to get Yang. On low amount of attempts, shot the international 3 at 33%. His combine showing validates using a late 1st on him. Of all the bigs, at 7'2 he has the most tools to be a jumbo creator like Nikola Jokic.

[raptor jesus]

how does asa newell compare to derek lively coming out of college?

I don't think there's much of a comparison there. Lively's bigger, much more of a lob threat and rim protector. Newell is a lot more skilled than Lively.

[DreamTeam09]

Pleas please please let us get Khaman / I'm almost willing to attach an unprotected 2027 pick for him / also I wouldn't mind trading down for 2 picks - 1 in the teens & 1 early 20 but Maluach is the guy we need & deserve / basketball gods gotta throw us one bone plz

Is he much better than Moustapha Thiam next year?

That's another year without a 5
That would also be a yr of Raptors development vs another yr in college for Thiam
We are also risking the possibility of not being a position to land Thiam next yr
I like both prospects tho but I'd take Maluach at 9 & be super ecstatic we get to trot out one of the biggest players in the NBA who isn't a slouch

[Psubs]

how does asa newell compare to derek lively coming out of college?

Poor man's Chris Bosh at best.

[Psubs]

Pleas please please let us get Khaman / I'm almost willing to attach an unprotected 2027 pick for him / also I wouldn't mind trading down for 2 picks - 1 in the teens & 1 early 20 but Maluach is the guy we need & deserve / basketball gods gotta throw us one bone plz

Is he much better than Moustapha Thiam next year?

That's another year without a 5
That would also be a yr of Raptors development vs another yr in college for Thiam
We are also risking the possibility of not being a position to land Thiam next yr
I like both prospects tho but I'd take Maluach at 9 & be super ecstatic we get to trot out one of the biggest players in the NBA who isn't a slouch

Trade Agbaji and #39 for a 1st pick as high as possible. Teams can now use their MLE as trade exemptions. With that pick, draft Yang or Fleming.

That amount of savings should free up our MLE to use on Luke Kornet. Problem solved.

[DreamTeam09]

Is he much better than Moustapha Thiam next year?

That's another year without a 5
That would also be a yr of Raptors development vs another yr in college for Thiam
We are also risking the possibility of not being a position to land Thiam next yr
I like both prospects tho but I'd take Maluach at 9 & be super ecstatic we get to trot out one of the biggest players in the NBA who isn't a slouch

Trade Agbaji and #39 for a 1st pick as high as possible. Teams can now use their MLE as trade exemptions. With that pick, draft Yang or Fleming.

That amount of savings should free up our MLE to use on Luke Kornet. Problem solved.

Who are 9 do you like? None of the players really impress me, outside the top 5 & Khaman / after that it's a few trade down candidates I like

[PushDaRock]

Is he much better than Moustapha Thiam next year?

That's another year without a 5
That would also be a yr of Raptors development vs another yr in college for Thiam
We are also risking the possibility of not being a position to land Thiam next yr
I like both prospects tho but I'd take Maluach at 9 & be super ecstatic we get to trot out one of the biggest players in the NBA who isn't a slouch

Trade Agbaji and #39 for a 1st pick as high as possible. Teams can now use their MLE as trade exemptions. With that pick, draft Yang or Fleming.

That amount of savings should free up our MLE to use on Luke Kornet. Problem solved.

lmao it's pretty funny how badly you want to get rid of Ochai

[BoyzNTheHood]

Yang is better than Maluach and Wolf

This is what I'm saying. If can pull off #9 for 13 and 22, 22 would be a great spot to get Yang. On low amount of attempts, shot the international 3 at 33%. His combine showing validates using a late 1st on him. Of all the bigs, at 7'2 he has the most tools to be a jumbo creator like Nikola Jokic.

Danny Wolf is closer to Sandro Mamukelashvili for me, so taking that at 9 or even in a trade down to 12-13 is too high for me.

It’s blasphemous because of how good the Joker is, but Yang is the closest prospect to Jokic in this draft.

[Mark_83]

Sorry if this has already been posted. Good stuff from DA here.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6435925/2025/06/20/nba-draft-confidential-bigs-centers-2025/

I’ve spent the last two-plus months talking with nearly three dozen college head and assistant coaches, NBA executives, scouts and other personnel types who’ve all either seen or coached against most of this year’s crop. (I try not to ask coaches about their own players, because it’s often hard for them to give me a real and objective evaluation of their own guys.)

In exchange for anonymity, they tell me the truth, both good and bad, about what they think about the players.

Khaman Maluach | 7-1 big | 18 years old | Duke
College head coach No. 1 (his team played Duke): I actually think he has the biggest upside of anybody in the draft. … He’s huge. And he’s long. He’s a good athlete. And I think he has natural defensive instincts. He shoots the ball better than I think, maybe, he was able to show this year. He’s a live body. He’s enthusiastic about playing. It seems he loves the process, is not afraid of it. He’s competitive. He’s not afraid. He’s ready to mix it up if he needs to. His length, size and athleticism, and then when you add those other things, I think the only thing that could stop him is injury.

Western Conference executive No. 1: Guys like him are only in one place for 11 to 13 years, and they’re starters. What’s the worst scenario he could be? Clint Capela? If you watched him in FIBA, offensively, it’s two completely different talents than he showed at Duke. In FIBA, he’s shooting 3s. At Duke … no. But there were a couple of times where he did do it and you’re like, ah, that’s what I saw at FIBA. He plays hard. He seems like a great kid. Rebounds. And Duke bigs — (Dereck) Lively was undervalued, and he’s turned out to be damned good. Mark Williams. The general manager who has enough (guts) to take him earlier than Tre, maybe even Edgecombe, I could see him being the under the radar (pick) that nobody’s really pinpointing to maybe screw up the (draft) order a little bit.

College assistant coach No. 1 (his team played Duke): I got up next to the kid. He’s huge. And he’s untapped. He’s got a world of potential. He goes after everything. He rebounds. And offensively, he’s untapped

Derik Queen | 6-9 big | 20 years old | Maryland
Eastern Conference executive No. 1: I’ve been telling our guys, you watch him before the games, and he (seems) lackadaisical. He doesn’t show a serious side. And that’s a turnoff to some people. I’m like, think of Naz Reid when he was at LSU. It was the same damn thing. The games never get too big for (Queen).

College assistant coach No. 2 (his team played Maryland): The skill is real. The knowledge of the game, and how to get to where he needs to go, crafty, is a real thing. He’s not jumping over a phone book. I worry about, can he guard? Who he’s going to guard is my question. I don’t worry about him at all on offense. But I don’t think he can guard fives. I don’t think he’s great in pick-and-roll defense, and I don’t think he can move well enough laterally to guard Giannis and Michael Porter Jr., these scorers. He tries on defense, I think. I just don’t think he moves well enough for it to be as good as it needs to be if he’s not going to be a guy who’s going to be super efficient on offense.

I like him a lot (though). He can pass. He’s a willing passer. He actually wants to pass. He can really see the floor. He can survey. He can get to his spot. He can make a shot off both feet. He can knock you off balance. He can get to the free-throw line. He’s a good rebounder. There’s a lot to like. The defensive part is where I have questions. Who’s he guarding? Can he guard (Mikal) Bridges? Can he guard Josh Hart? Can he guard Stew (Isaiah Stewart), the next tier of guys who aren’t the primary offensive option, but they know how to cut, how to go to the glass?

College assistant coach No. 3 (his team played Maryland): I am not a Derik Queen guy. He can’t shoot. Look at his 3-point percentage and number of attempts. I don’t know who he’s going to guard. Very skilled with the ball, because he’s got great hands. Good from 15 feet on in. Doesn’t run fast or hard. But he hardly took any 3s. And the way the NBA game is right now, what are you gonna do? But he’s a great rebounder.

Western Conference scout No. 1: Nice kid. Heavy emphasis on kid. We interviewed him, and he’s 19 going on 14. He can do one thing: he can score. But you don’t want to have to rely on a rookie scoring for you to contribute.

Joan Beringer | 6-11 big | 18 years old | Cedevita
Eastern Conference executive No. 3: Very, very new to the game. Big (kid). Light on his feet. Shot blocker. High motor. The offensive part is gonna be a wait. Right now, he’s a vertical spacer, lob catcher. Just dunks everything around the rim. He’s only been competitively playing the last five years. …It’s been good for him to leave France and get away from that sort of thing, and now he’s in Slovenia. Perfect work conditions. Lives two or three blocks from the gym. Someone might (take) him in the teens. Really, his talent level, he’s supposed to be a late 20s guy, maybe mid-20s guy, just with his inexperience. But a big body, live body. You’re going to hear from him. Offensively, he’s a ways away. But he does have decent instincts.

Eastern Conference executive No. 2: Saw him last year at the Under-18s in Finland. Still very raw. But he’s come a long way from where he was last year. If you think about Jarrett Allen in college, and just how raw he was, that’s what he reminds me of. If you’re a fan of his, that’s how you have to project him. Just started playing two or three years ago. Good pick and roll defense. There’s not a lot there (offensively). You throw it at the rim and he catches it.

Western Conference executive No. 2: Raw, young, rim protector and rebounding will keep him around. Solid motor. That kid is a dog, man. He’s a horse. He just works all the time. He’s just starting to play. Whoever gets him is going to have rim protection, rebounder. And he asks questions. Very smart kid. His hands aren’t really the greatest, but he can catch the ball in the dunker’s spot

There's lots more in there, it's all worth the time to read. Think they really should explore moving down for Beringer if they can. I'm a full-on believer.

I've watched a lot of Beringer and he's going to be an elite defensive big. He reminds me of Nic Claxton. He can legit stay with guards on switches. Unfortunately, he has virtually no offensive game other than rim running and put back dunks. But he is very young so you can hope for some skill development.

[DG88]

https://hoopshype.com/lists/2025-nba-draft-predictor-the-most-likely-pick-for-each-team/

[Sandman88]

Yang is better than Maluach and Wolf

Wolf would dangle Yang outta his shoes

[Dalek]

That's a fun Athletic article. They also had CMB as a C and they made quite a case for him. He offers everything that Queen does albeit not at the exact same height, but he is a lethal at rim scorer and playmaker from inside while being an elite defender which Queen is not.

I just think the maturity level of CMB versus Queen is different. Queen is really naturally gifted but is lazy because he has always been a top guy, while CMB is focused and is training hard because he wasn't the highest rated highschool kid.

Personally, the stuff in the article about Yang Hansen seemed like damning praise. If Yang had Beringer's motor he would be top five. But, they think he is a trailing big like Embiid which I am not sure if that works for Toronto. If conditioning is a concern maybe he will be around at 39.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Yang is better than Maluach and Wolf

Wolf would dangle Yang outta his shoes

Why does this sound like some sort of twisted sexual fantasy you have? What exactly are we dangling?

[Sandman88]

Yang is better than Maluach and Wolf

Wolf would dangle Yang outta his shoes

Why does this sound like some sort of twisted sexual fantasy you have? What exactly are we dangling?

Shake n bake n put em on skates

[Pointgod]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41662748/2025-nba-draft-big-board-rankings-top-100-prospects-players

Givony top 100 big board

I trust Givony more than almost any draft analyst or pundit. Interesting that he has this to say about Ace Bailey.

Strengths: Bailey is a dynamic shotmaker with great size. He can score from all over the floor, and he puts points on the board in bunches when he finds an offensive rhythm. He also brings a high level of intensity defensively while making an impact in transition with his strong physical tools.

I think people are overthinking Ace and the discourse has gone too far negative.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Those Queen quotes are rough. Easy pass. We already saw the damage done by taking on a talented but immature Scottie Barnes. You have to live with someone else taking on the growing pains. Hopefully Masai has learned his lesson.

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

[BoyzNTheHood]

Wolf would dangle Yang outta his shoes

Why does this sound like some sort of twisted sexual fantasy you have? What exactly are we dangling?

Shake n bake n put em on skates

Yang from the top rope!

[WuTang_CMB]

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=DerekParker

[dkb964]

They should draft Cedric Coward at #9 if he is still on the board. Great story and apparantly is doing well in interviews in terms of maturity and likability. He has great size at 6 foot 6 with a 7 foot 2 wingspan and a broad frame. He shot 56/40/84 and 41% on catch and shoot threes last season. He did do play many games though. I am not going to act like I know much about college ball or anything but man this guy sure looks like he has a chance to be special.