Matas Progress Tracker

[DuckIII]

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That list is gonna keep changing.

[Chi town]

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That list is gonna keep changing.

Yep. In three years I think it will be…

Castle
Buz
Risacher
Holland
Reed

[Jstock12]

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That list is gonna keep changing.

Yup, no doubt. Just thought I'd share. I really like Vecenie's draft analysis every year, so it's nice his view of Buzelis has improved a lot with a lot more data from actual NBA games.

[ShouldaPaidBG]

I still have a lot of belief in Sheppard, can't wait to see him with more run.

I think Buz is top 3 and will always be top 3.

[Jstock12]

I still have a lot of belief in Sheppard, can't wait to see him with more run.

I think Buz is top 3 and will always be top 3.

Yup. Pretty bad circumstance for him as a rookie to be drafted by such a good team. But he should get more playing time and a bigger role this season.

[kodo]

Interesting no Sarr in the top 10? That's rough for a #2 pick. He was 4th in ROY voting.

[DuckIII]

I still have a lot of belief in Sheppard, can't wait to see him with more run.

I think Buz is top 3 and will always be top 3.

I had Castle and Sarr as 1 and 2 in this draft before hand. After a year I project the top 3 as Castle, Buz and Reed. And as high as I have always been on Castle, Buzelis has things no one else in that class has. I think he might have the highest ceiling of them all.

[Hangtime84]

I still have a lot of belief in Sheppard, can't wait to see him with more run.

I think Buz is top 3 and will always be top 3.

He doesn’t believe in the handle which I was surprised by, but that’s about it. Just thinks he gonna be very good two-way piece for a team.

[Hangtime84]

Interesting no Sarr in the top 10? That's rough for a #2 pick. He was 4th in ROY voting.

His podcast is really good. He feels sarr finishing is extremely poor. 2nd worst in the league to Drummond

[Chi town]

https://youtu.be/pI1pRmbN-Sg?si=qyzkHTmWSG7LTdFV

I’m predicting he averages 20 per game post ASB and solidifies himself as our #1.

[dougthonus]

I don't now how Reed hasn't dropped like an anchor on this list. He was a "good role player" type prospect before the draft and did nothing at all his first year. If I were to have guessed where he'd land before the draft, I'd have guessed he ends up being like the 10th best guy in the draft, but you draft him 4th because you have no clue who the 9 guys ahead of him are going to be and he's really safe.

You definitely have more of a clue who some of those guys are now, and there is definitely some doubt now as to whether he's even that good role player.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

Reading this thread, this is the first time I've ever heard the name "Zaccharie Risacher".

Was 2024 the worst draft since 2013 (sans non-lottery pick Giannis and under-the-radar superstar Tony Snell) or 2000? Are any of those guys expected to be good (besides Matas who is obviously a future MVP)?

[MGB8]

Way too high on Jared McCain. Stats largely in losing games against bd teams. Granted, at beginning of year as opposed to end of season tank-a-thon. A legit NBA player? Sure. Take top 5 even in that draft. Naw.

[CROBulls]

Reading this thread, this is the first time I've ever heard the name "Zaccharie Risacher".

Was 2024 the worst draft since 2013 (sans non-lottery pick Giannis and under-the-radar superstar Tony Snell) or 2000? Are any of those guys expected to be good (besides Matas who is obviously a future MVP)?

2024 will always be weird because there was never consensus #1 pick. So whoever got picked as #1 will always be not worthy of value #1. Risacher will never be #1 worth draft pick player (compared to other classes) even if he ends up eventually being BPA, if that makes sense. He will always be simply first player taken out draft board and nothing else.

But I will say now that he seems maybe more talented than what I gave him credit for. Not much to be #1, but he could have easily end up being Anthony Bennett. And he avoided dropping into that hole.

I must pity Hawks because they finally got #1 pick, they only to end up getting it in one of worst classes ever in history of NBA. Their scouting could not have being easy. But they picked a guy who had tools and size and come from basketball family so they bet on at least being decent pro eventually.

And now for bolded, I dont think so. There is gonna be some suprises eventually, but this simply wasnt good class. Some guys gonna be end up being better than position where they went, like Matas. I think he was actually overscouted. And scouts and GM's simply went he cannot shoot and will never be able to shoot. Even by weak class standards, even with terrible shot, he should have gone top 5, my opinion.

Which is why it was so crazy that he went #11. Even if he doesnt end up being great player, I still think he should have went higher when you see guys who went above him.

[TheSuzerain]

Way too high on Jared McCain. Stats largely in losing games against bd teams. Granted, at beginning of year as opposed to end of season tank-a-thon. A legit NBA player? Sure. Take top 5 even in that draft. Naw.

McCain was the runaway rookie of the year before his injury.

[MGB8]

Way too high on Jared McCain. Stats largely in losing games against bd teams. Granted, at beginning of year as opposed to end of season tank-a-thon. A legit NBA player? Sure. Take top 5 even in that draft. Naw.

McCain was the runaway rookie of the year before his injury.

He is mid.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

Reading this thread, this is the first time I've ever heard the name "Zaccharie Risacher".

Was 2024 the worst draft since 2013 (sans non-lottery pick Giannis and under-the-radar superstar Tony Snell) or 2000? Are any of those guys expected to be good (besides Matas who is obviously a future MVP)?

2024 will always be weird because there was never consensus #1 pick. So whoever got picked as #1 will always be not worthy of value #1. Risacher will never be #1 worth draft pick player (compared to other classes) even if he ends up eventually being BPA, if that makes sense. He will always be simply first player taken out draft board and nothing else.

But I will say now that he seems maybe more talented than what I gave him credit for. Not much to be #1, but he could have easily end up being Anthony Bennett. And he avoided dropping into that hole.

I must pity Hawks because they finally got #1 pick, they only to end up getting it in one of worst classes ever in history of NBA. Their scouting could not have being easy. But they picked a guy who had tools and size and come from basketball family so they bet on at least being decent pro eventually.

And now for bolded, I dont think so. There is gonna be some suprises eventually, but this simply wasnt good class. Some guys gonna be end up being better than position where they went, like Matas. I think he was actually overscouted. And scouts and GM's simply went he cannot shoot and will never be able to shoot. Even by weak class standards, even with terrible shot, he should have gone top 5, my opinion.

Which is why it was so crazy that he went #11. Even if he doesnt end up being great player, I still think he should have went higher when you see guys who went above him.

Thanks for the insight. I'm just looking at the draft class's basketball-reference page and it seems like the second rounders produced nearly as much as the first rounders. I was wondering if that's mainly because they're older, 4 years at college sort of players and don't project as well, or if the level of talent was just pretty even all the way down. Makes me wonder how the value of a first round pick will compare to a second rounder as a trade asset going forward. We've seen some pretty wild trades involving multiple draft picks in recent years, right? Maybe that's not such a silly idea as previously thought. I'm thinking about the Bane trade specifically although that still seems a little wacky.

Unrelated, but I am sooo out of the loop. KD plays for Houston now?? Planning on watching more bball next season.

[Hangtime84]

Reading this thread, this is the first time I've ever heard the name "Zaccharie Risacher".

Was 2024 the worst draft since 2013 (sans non-lottery pick Giannis and under-the-radar superstar Tony Snell) or 2000? Are any of those guys expected to be good (besides Matas who is obviously a future MVP)?

2024 will always be weird because there was never consensus #1 pick. So whoever got picked as #1 will always be not worthy of value #1. Risacher will never be #1 worth draft pick player (compared to other classes) even if he ends up eventually being BPA, if that makes sense. He will always be simply first player taken out draft board and nothing else.

But I will say now that he seems maybe more talented than what I gave him credit for. Not much to be #1, but he could have easily end up being Anthony Bennett. And he avoided dropping into that hole.

I must pity Hawks because they finally got #1 pick, they only to end up getting it in one of worst classes ever in history of NBA. Their scouting could not have being easy. But they picked a guy who had tools and size and come from basketball family so they bet on at least being decent pro eventually.

And now for bolded, I dont think so. There is gonna be some suprises eventually, but this simply wasnt good class. Some guys gonna be end up being better than position where they went, like Matas. I think he was actually overscouted. And scouts and GM's simply went he cannot shoot and will never be able to shoot. Even by weak class standards, even with terrible shot, he should have gone top 5, my opinion.

Which is why it was so crazy that he went #11. Even if he doesnt end up being great player, I still think he should have went higher when you see guys who went above him.

Lot of guys who came out the the Ignite hasn't been very good either. IMO one of the biggest reasons why he fell.

[Chi town]

Yeah the ignite suck but Holland is going to blow up this year just like Buz.

[kodo]

Thanks for the insight. I'm just looking at the draft class's basketball-reference page and it seems like the second rounders produced nearly as much as the first rounders. I was wondering if that's mainly because they're older, 4 years at college sort of players and don't project as well, or if the level of talent was just pretty even all the way down. Makes me wonder how the value of a first round pick will compare to a second rounder as a trade asset going forward. We've seen some pretty wild trades involving multiple draft picks in recent years, right? Maybe that's not such a silly idea as previously thought. I'm thinking about the Bane trade specifically although that still seems a little wacky.

Unrelated, but I am sooo out of the loop. KD plays for Houston now?? Planning on watching more bball next season.

I do think there's a general feeling that non-high picks are about the same. The odds of a draft pick generating an all-star flatten starting at #12, so #12 to #30 all have the same rough odds of a star. Top 10 picks are where they actually start being meaningfully different, which is why we see "top 10 protected" being such a common protection because teams have the data and know the value prop is completely different.

This is why it was crazy for Chicago to refuse NO's offer of #23 plus their unprotected pick next year for our #12. Heck, Asa Newell might be better than Noa even without the extra pick.

Not sure about 2nd round, but I doubt there some big difference between #30 and #31. Lots of scouts said the number 30 is artificial, that the 2nd round isn't different than the lower 1st round. And we do see multiple 2nd rounder picks having good value. Part of the Kevin Durant trade package was 2 second round picks. Which is why it sucks the Bulls are pretty loose with burning 2nd rounders for nothing, like using two 2nd rounders for Phillips and just selling this year's for cash.