2025 Draft Thread - Part 3

[nate33]

[*]

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The more I hear about Bailey the more concerned I'm getting. But maybe I'm just overthinking it at this point.

I don’t think about it. I just trust our management to make the right choice. The bottom line is that the decision on Bailey depends on information that we simply don’t have access to. I expect management is doing their due diligence. That’s all I can hope for.

[tontoz]

The only reason Bailey is "falling" is because that is what his camp wants. There was no talk about him falling until this month, 3 months after the season ended.

[doclinkin]

Yeah, this is looking like the Wiz are locked in with Ace.

Utah is not taking him. They are going Fears or Tre. NOP will take whichever one falls.

Dallas: Flagg
SAS: Harper
Philly: VJ
Charlotte: Kon
Utah: Tre/Fears
Washington: Ace
NOP: Fears/Tre

Both Utah&Washington have been smoke screening to try and get NOP or BKN (both have multiple 1sts) to move up for Fears.

I think this is about right except I think Charlotte is planting their interest in Kon. I think they really want Maluach.

I think Utah might take Bailey in this scenario because Ainge is a big swing type of guy, but maybe the Bailey camp has made it clear he would be unhappy in Utah.

Which Ainge though. It’s the younger one in the hot seat this time. No track record on what he will do.

[doclinkin]

As-of today, I believe we will end-up with Johnson, Fears and Bailey will be nabbed ahead of us. Also, I’ll be waiting to see if the player we selected is traded.

I will say this, if Bailey goes 5, I will be beyond pissed, and will underline times 10,000 that all the takes that 5 or 6 didn't matter were bull----, and I said as much non-stop the past six months (I can't count how many times I annoyed people referencing the weird drops of guys tiered out to go top 3-4 and slipping the past decade), the reality has always been, you don't want to slide 2 picks past where a weird reach can happen, and I've been arguing that for ages. Some kept insisting that the flat nature of this layout rendered tanking irrelevant, but if Bailey goes 5th, it will be I think the 6th time in 11 years a guy not projected to go top 3-4 went top 3-4 and pushed a guy a slot or two lower since '15 alone. The 20% risk of slipping to 6th ALWAYS meant we had to lock in the #1 worst record.

There’s also the bizarre fluke of the 5th pick generally being better than 2-4 from a HOF standpoint.

[doclinkin]

Redacted too late. Lol

[dckingsfan]

I don't want Essengue @18, I hope he is selected earlier.

He is my guy for sure if he goes at 18. We need to book mark this one for the two of us...

But yeah, he goes before 18.

What is his position in the NBA and where would he get minutes on this Wizard team? Essengue may be successful, but we have more pressing needs for the 18th pick.

Those are fair rhetorical questions. My thinking is we still shouldn't be drafting positionally rather strictly for talent.

In fact, roster imbalance is another way to justify losing (IMO).

[dckingsfan]

Now i'm starting to get nervous. It's possible I don't like any of these guys.

49+ hours until the draft. I don't know if I'm going to make it. I'm going insane, cooped up in this laboratory -- insane I tell you!

They say I'm mad -- but I have a plan! I can't reveal it, that is true!

I would run through the streets shouting out loud, but I can't find my shoes. & it's hot outside. What am I to do?

Given how terribly the lotto worked out maybe we SHOULDNT meet up for drinks on draft night.

THIS!

[NatP4]

My final list would be:

6: Knueppel, Ace

18: CMB, Essengue, Traore (try to trade up for CMB/Essengue)

Getting a true dynamic lead guard will come next year with Darryn Peterson.

[doclinkin]

My final list would be:

6: Knueppel, Ace

18: CMB, Essengue, Traore (try to trade up for CMB/Essengue)

Getting a true dynamic lead guard will come next year with Darryn Peterson.

Mine would be:

6: Ace falls to us.
Maluach.
Trade up for one of these two.
Sigh and resolve to like whomever we get.

18. Sorber is still on the board.
CMB falls to us.
Trade up for Sorber if we don’t go big at 6. Trade up for Carter Bryant if we did get Maluach.
Take the best French kid available.

[AFM]

I guess we should all lock ours in:

6) Johnson, or Bailey. Wouldn’t trade anything more than second rounders to move up to get Bailey. All things equal I think I prefer Johnson straight up.

18) I want to package 18 Kispert as many seconds as needed to move up for Queen. Short of that, I like Sorber here.

Well that’s it. I’m not changing my mind any more between now and Wednesday. I promise…

[gesa2]

Now i'm starting to get nervous.

I would run through the streets shouting out loud, but I can't find my shoes. & it's hot outside. What am I to do?

In this order;

1. A nice wheated bourbon, neat
2. Grey Goose Martini up with extra olives
3. A nice English or Scottish ale - from a widget can.
4. A Williamette Pinot Noir
5. A handful of Ritz crackers and some American cheese

Man that’d be a great draft night plan!!

[gesa2]

6: don’t trade up unless we can get all the way to 2. Draft first of VJ, Ace, Fears Kon
18: don’t trade up take first of CMB, Sorber, Berenger Wolf Queen

[AFM]

I'm 16 months sober. If they draft KK I fear that streak will be coming to a brutal end.

[NatP4]

Please do not trade up…

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[badinage]

Would Kispert + 6 enable them to move up to 4?

I really don’t love giving up 18.

But I really do want Bailey and no one else.

[PaulinVA]

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[gambitx777]

I can't wait for the collective implosion of this board when the Wizards take Kon Kneuppel.

Ernie and Tommy are gone, this isn’t happening

I think Kon should be the pick. I think he has a lot of klay in him. He's got decent defence. He moves well. He has good numbers and again reminds me of a better version of Gordon Hayward.

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[DCZards]

What if the experts—and NatP4—are right about Kon Knueppel? Yes, this Zards FO likes long, athletic defenders with the potential to become good offensive players…and Knueppel doesn’t seem to be their type at all.

The prevailing view here is that Kon is simply another Corey Kispert. An unathletic white guy who’s a great shooter. But based on the videos I’ve seen, he’s a much more versatile offensive player than Corey with bball smarts that jump off the screen. He’s also fairly shifty for a guy lacking great athleticism.

It wouldn’t totally surprise me if the Zards FO broke the mold and drafted Kon. There’s always a place in the NBA for a walking bucket like Kon Knupel.

Kon wouldn’t be my choice if Bailey, in particular, was still available. But if the Zards scouts and FO think Kon is their guy, I’m going to trust their scouting, intel, and judgment

[prime1time]

Don't overthink it. Take Ace.

[NatP4]

Absolutely no chance this team picks Kon Knueppel. None. It goes against everything they’ve built so far. They prioritize defense and length. They figure if they have good, smart, athletic players, they can teach them to be competent on offense. The only way they’ll accept a below average defender is if he is a #1 option on offense.

I don’t think that’s the case. The OKC+new Wizards mold seems to also value players that can dribble, pass, and shoot. Everyone is a decision maker. Tons of ball movement, no ball dominant players.

“It goes against everything they’ve built so far” is an overstatement. Knueppel doesn’t have above average positional size/length, but checks every other box. Still, he measured with the exact same standing reach as Edgecombe. He’s not undersized.

They’ve repeatedly cited “it’s about the person first and foremost”. By all accounts, Knueppel is a high character guy, coaches dream, relentless worker. His basketball IQ is 99 percentile. Add in the elite shooting, secondary playmaking, and solid defense, actually think he fits their mold perfectly.

Every draft analyst has him ranked top 5 for a reason.