The 2025 Rookie Class

[closg00]

^They're completely correct, Wizards are really not putting him in a position to succeed. Why is he not getting open 3s? "He's taken 5 shots off of screens in 8 games." This is just ineptitude on our part, but we'll let anything fly under the guise of "we're tanking!!"

1:39 is the where the analysis of Tre begins on the video ^ peeps, Dawkins/Keefe are setting-up the team to fail.

[tontoz]

^They're completely correct, Wizards are really not putting him in a position to succeed. Why is he not getting open 3s? "He's taken 5 shots off of screens in 8 games." This is just ineptitude on our part, but we'll let anything fly under the guise of "we're tanking!!"

1:39 is the where the analysis of Tre begins on the video ^ peeps, Dawkins/Keefe are setting-up the team to fail.

To be fair that is what they should be doing. It's early but this draft looks really strong. Keeping our pick is priority #1.

If Tre has a frustrating rookie year he'll get over it.

[closg00]

The Joker’s dominance was mentioned in the NBA games thread, perfect segue to plug “Baby Jokic”, DQ, the kid that will turn the low-post into a scary scene as a man. Proud DQ Cult member.

Watch on YouTube

[penbeast0]

^They're completely correct, Wizards are really not putting him in a position to succeed. Why is he not getting open 3s? "He's taken 5 shots off of screens in 8 games." This is just ineptitude on our part, but we'll let anything fly under the guise of "we're tanking!!"

1:39 is the where the analysis of Tre begins on the video ^ peeps, Dawkins/Keefe are setting-up the team to fail.

To be fair that is what they should be doing. It's early but this draft looks really strong. Keeping our pick is priority #1.

If Tre has a frustrating rookie year he'll get over it.

With the skinny Sarr surrounded only by wings and guards that is our rotation, not a lot of strong screens being set. Even Jordan Poole mentioned how we never set good screens as one of his parting shots at the team.

Agree that we need to do this, if for not other reason than that our shooters as well as our screeners need to work on this aspect of the game.

[The Consiglieri]

To think that we were all hoping that Kon got drafted before our pick because nobody on this board wanted him and he is having the best start of all the rookies. Hah!

Doesn't surprise me. I'm not a fan and didn't want him, but it was always obvious he'd have a high floor, I just didn't see star potential. The easiest way to see what he was was to watch him in the ACC tournament when Flagg went down last spring. He was quite good and did a good/excellent job in that little run as the focal point of the Duke attack.

His game will work, he will be quite good, the concern wasn't that he would bust, it's that he would never be more than the 4th best player on a solid to good team, you couldn't see the great, in terms of upside, just a lot of solid and good.

Nothing has changed my opinion there, he's just hitting the high point of okay but not elite projections.

[payitforward]

To think that we were all hoping that Kon got drafted before our pick because nobody on this board wanted him and he is having the best start of all the rookies. Hah!

Doesn't surprise me. I'm not a fan and didn't want him, but it was always obvious he'd have a high floor, I just didn't see star potential. The easiest way to see what he was was to watch him in the ACC tournament when Flagg went down last spring. He was quite good and did a good/excellent job in that little run as the focal point of the Duke attack.

His game will work, he will be quite good, the concern wasn't that he would bust, it's that he would never be more than the 4th best player on a solid to good team, you couldn't see the great, in terms of upside, just a lot of solid and good.

Nothing has changed my opinion there, he's just hitting the high point of okay but not elite projections.

I guess this leaves me with one question -- given that Tre Johnson did one thing well, one thing only, namely hit the college 3-ball at a high clip, what would have given anyone the idea of potential "great"-ness for him (i.e. as opposed to Kon)?

[dckingsfan]

The Joker’s dominance was mentioned in the NBA games thread, perfect segue to plug “Baby Jokic”, DQ, the kid that will turn the low-post into a scary scene as a man. Proud DQ Cult member.

Watch on YouTube

Starting at 16:17 he talks about the part that has surprised me...

[The Consiglieri]

To think that we were all hoping that Kon got drafted before our pick because nobody on this board wanted him and he is having the best start of all the rookies. Hah!

Doesn't surprise me. I'm not a fan and didn't want him, but it was always obvious he'd have a high floor, I just didn't see star potential. The easiest way to see what he was was to watch him in the ACC tournament when Flagg went down last spring. He was quite good and did a good/excellent job in that little run as the focal point of the Duke attack.

His game will work, he will be quite good, the concern wasn't that he would bust, it's that he would never be more than the 4th best player on a solid to good team, you couldn't see the great, in terms of upside, just a lot of solid and good.

Nothing has changed my opinion there, he's just hitting the high point of okay but not elite projections.

I guess this leaves me with one question -- given that Tre Johnson did one thing well, one thing only, namely hit the college 3-ball at a high clip, what would have given anyone the idea of potential "great"-ness for him (i.e. as opposed to Kon)?

The Athletic gets at it: Ridiculous shooter/3 point weapon, alpha dog mentality, absolute first in/last out worker who eats and drinks it (so shooting, 3, and mental make up are all boxed checked and highlighted), measurements and mentality suggest he can be a good defender. Issue is athleticism, and willingness to go to the rim, for me, all of the boxes could be checked except hyper athleticism either with work, or already checked.

That's a pretty huge upside and that's why Vecennie, who I disagree with pretty consistently, and others pushed him as high as 3 in the last month when so many mental make up concerns began to pour in with Bailey.

Kon just doesn't have all of that, I'd argue he's a diet version of what Tre does well, with some things Tre needs to do better, and otherwise similar weaknesses.

Let's underline that I would not have picked Tre anyway, my target was the Bailey or VJ trade up period, and I would have done it, or traded down for Maluach and futures, or Fears and futures (I liked Fears, but he scared me more than Maluach, so I would likely not have taken him). I was never taking Tre, particularly knowing we've already invested a ton in 2's and 3's already, and the top of next year's class is like 6 or 7/10 Wings and 2's, but I still liked Tre better than Kon.

[closg00]

The Joker’s dominance was mentioned in the NBA games thread, perfect segue to plug “Baby Jokic”, DQ, the kid that will turn the low-post into a scary scene as a man. Proud DQ Cult member.

Watch on YouTube

Starting at 16:17 he talks about the part that has surprised me...

Yeah, completely counterintuitive from the narrative, but the sample size is small, he is going get worked by the more nimble Centers/PF until grows into his body, the Joker is not the best defender either.

[Kanyewest]

To think that we were all hoping that Kon got drafted before our pick because nobody on this board wanted him and he is having the best start of all the rookies. Hah!

I think I was one of like two people who were hoping Kon slipped to the Wizards. Admittedly, I had a "do not draft" grade on Tre Johnson.

I think a coupleof the draft experts had Kon higher IIRC- Sam Vecceinie and the Ringer.

[tontoz]

To think that we were all hoping that Kon got drafted before our pick because nobody on this board wanted him and he is having the best start of all the rookies. Hah!

I think I was one of like two people who were hoping Kon slipped to the Wizards. Admittedly, I had a "do not draft" grade on Tre Johnson.

I think most of the draft experts had Kon higher IIRC.

I can't think of one mock anywhere that had Kon top 5 prior to the lottery.

It was only after the lottery that word got out that the Hornets liked him and then he started showing up top 5 in mocks. He was typically 7-9 prior to that.

Kon couldn't shoot off the dribble at all in college and that is a pretty big problem for someone seen as a shooter. It was something like 20%, really bad.

[Kanyewest]

I think I was one of like two people who were hoping Kon slipped to the Wizards. Admittedly, I had a "do not draft" grade on Tre Johnson.

I think most of the draft experts had Kon higher IIRC.

No they actually didn't, not prior to the lottery. I can't think of one mock or pundit anywhere that had Kon top 5 prior to the lottery.

It was only after the lottery that word got out that the Hornets liked him and then he started showing up top 5 in mocks. He was typically 7-9 prior to that.

Kon couldn't shoot off the dribble at all in college and that is a pretty big problem for someone seen as a shooter. It was something like 20%, really bad.

Yeah, I realized that and edited my response (while you were typing this)

[tontoz]

I stopped paying attention to sam vecenie awhile back. I can't remember what it was specifically but he was saying something that was so far off base that i just stopped listening to him altogether.

[Kanyewest]

Also Kevin O'Connner (Ringer adjacent but now with Yahoo) had Kon at #3.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/draft/pre-draft-board/?view=default&board=0&filter=

Hoop Intellect as well but with Kon at #4.

Watch on YouTube

[tontoz]

Also Kevin O'Connner (Ringer adjacent but now with Yahoo) had Kon at #3.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/draft/pre-draft-board/?view=default&board=0&filter=

Hoop Intellect as well but with Kon at #4.

That Hoop Intellect vid was from June. The lottery was in May.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Reed Sheppard is starting to figure things out. His per 36 numbers this season are:

18.6 points
5.3 assist
3.5 rebounds
2.2 steals
0.6 blocks'
2.2 turnovers
.611 TS%
.479 3P%

And that's with a bit of a slow start. In his last 5 games, he is shooting 57.7% from 3-point range on 8.8 attempts per 36 minutes.

Watch on YouTube

Trust the hard pre draft numbers.

Another guy who, for similar reasons, will break out is Jase Richardson.

We can count on Tre to be a prolific scorer. He's taller and longer than Trey Burke and Shawn Respect. He's a better athlete than Buddy Hield. No, Tre is not an explosive finisher like VJ Edgecombe. I do think he has a lot of wiggle and a quick release with range like Steph Curry.

I expect a huge jump for Tre Johnson between now and year four for him.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The Joker’s dominance was mentioned in the NBA games thread, perfect segue to plug “Baby Jokic”, DQ, the kid that will turn the low-post into a scary scene as a man. Proud DQ Cult member.

Watch on YouTube

Starting at 16:17 he talks about the part that has surprised me...

The Joker’s dominance was mentioned in the NBA games thread, perfect segue to plug “Baby Jokic”, DQ, the kid that will turn the low-post into a scary scene as a man. Proud DQ Cult member.

Watch on YouTube

Starting at 16:17 he talks about the part that has surprised me...

Yeah, completely counterintuitive from the narrative, but the sample size is small, he is going get worked by the more nimble Centers/PF until grows into his body, the Joker is not the best defender either.

The Wizards should have drafted Queen.

I said it then. I will say it now. He has unicorn skills. They have no one besides Sarr and Bagley up front. Just think of Queen lob passes to Sarr and Queen blocking shots alongside Sarr.

Two ball-handling bigs would be pretty formidable.

[dckingsfan]

The Wizards should have drafted Queen.

I said it then. I will say it now. He has unicorn skills. They have no one besides Sarr and Bagley up front. Just think of Queen lob passes to Sarr and Queen blocking shots alongside Sarr.

Two ball-handling bigs would be pretty formidable.

Maybe. Or maybe a Cedric Coward/Ryan Kalkbrenner combo would have been better?

Just think of Cedric knocking down those shots at a ridiculous rate and a serious C that doesn't eat all the shots behind Sarr?!?

[tontoz]

Queen has 6 blocks on the season same number as Tre.

[AFM]

pockets = fatter than dairy queen
low post = scary scene

nothing more needs to be said.