2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 5

[GLF]

You seriously watched the games? I think you only watched highlights
Look at the blowbys, and ended up with drop coverage? How do you call that "guards out on the perimeter"?

Watch on YouTube

Just from these clips he gets blocked so easily (esp at his height) i honestly hate those kind of bigs that dont know how to use their body and create space or be physical, he's gotta learn how to keep the ball up high which is something that can be learned.

That has been the problem in people claiming players will learn, and perhaps in no time.
However, our previous drafted players who have not even played much meaningful minutes (eg. Koloko).

The reason at this point we need a high draft pick is in need of a self creation player. We talked about it every year that we have enough role players with mid 1st. Yet, this draft we prefer to get a high end role player over anyone who can create, and assume they can get to that level. If that is true, we don't need to pray for a high draft pick and have the tank thread.

My preference is draft a self creation player at rookie contract, this has been what we discussed over the last few years, and our chance to do it.

I actually agree with this. I like Maluache but I do think the thing Raptors need the most is a player that can create for themselves and others from a stand still. It’s why I like Fears and even Queen. They can make **** happen on their own on offence. My only question is who outside of that to you can also create from a standstill? I mean guys who will be around the 7th-8th pick. I ask because I really don’t see either being available if we pick 7th or 8th. I think they go 5th and 6th. I hope I’m wrong but that’s what I see happening

[Clutch0z24]

Just from these clips he gets blocked so easily (esp at his height) i honestly hate those kind of bigs that dont know how to use their body and create space or be physical, he's gotta learn how to keep the ball up high which is something that can be learned.

That has been the problem in people claiming players will learn, and perhaps in no time.
However, our previous drafted players who have not even played much meaningful minutes (eg. Koloko).

The reason at this point we need a high draft pick is in need of a self creation player. We talked about it every year that we have enough role players with mid 1st. Yet, this draft we prefer to get a high end role player over anyone who can create, and assume they can get to that level. If that is true, we don't need to pray for a high draft pick and have the tank thread.

My preference is draft a self creation player at rookie contract, this has been what we discussed over the last few years, and our chance to do it.

I actually agree with this. I like Maluache but I do think the thing Raptors need the most is a player that can create for themselves and others from a stand still. It’s why I like Fears and even Queen. They can make **** happen on their own on offence. My only question is who outside of that to you can also create from a standstill? I mean guys who will be around the 7th-8th pick. I ask because I really don’t see either being available if we pick 7th or 8th. I think they go 5th and 6th. I hope I’m wrong but that’s what I see happening

The only other guy is Tre Johnson imo

Watch on YouTube

If we stay at 7 you are basically gonna get one of
Flagg
Harper
Edgecombe
Bailey
Queen
Fears
Tre

While Tre is not yet the playmaker Queen/Fears show flashes of being he deff shown he can pass still and is a willing passer....But that scoring self creation upside is on par with some of the Elite guys in the league....Esp at that age.

[LoveMyRaps]

Watch on YouTube

Soooo much upside. Raps will unlock that 3pt shot, like they did for Shead and Ochai. He's got good shooting mechanics.

I think he's got All-Star potential. Gonna have to be a lil patient with him as he gets stronger, develops his shot, etc. But he seems like the perfect RJ replacement once RJ's tenure here ends.

[grant101]

Any Hansen Yang believers still out there? If we don’t go center with our first pick, I’d be down with a swing on him with our second (assuming Broome continues to rise up draft boards, and Markovic is unavailable). He’s trimmed down a lot and you just don’t get that many players with his level of skill/iq at that size. He’s got so much potential

Second round picks being used on guys like Yang are exactly what I love. Take a shot in the dark and see if you hit anything. Obviously, this is a huge anomaly but Denver did that with Jokic and it worked out. You also have countless other examples of second round success stories whether it’s Marc Gasol, Monta Ellis, Ivica Zubac, or Lou Williams, and so on.

We have more options, and depends if we prefer NBA athlete, instead of a freshman.

We might use our 2nd round pick for a senior who showed enough skills and with much better athleticism. Our success has been looking for these players who reads the game well and developed enough skills. Such as Kalkbrenner being defensive player of the year (Shead was last year) maybe considered by us.

I don’t think Kalkbrenner he has the same upside as Yang given Yang’s age, touch, footwork and passing. He also gets bullied when playing decent comp way more than you would expect for someone his size and age. That said, I don’t mind Kalkbrenner, and wouldn’t be upset if he was the choice. Not as safe a bet to be a contributor as someone like Broome, but not a bad one either. Replacement level big IMO.

I think the swing on Yang is an upside play. If he hits, he’s a super valuable archetype.

[BrunoSkull]

Maluach #1 fan reporting for duty

[ciueli]

You seriously watched the games? I think you only watched highlights
Look at the blowbys, and ended up with drop coverage? How do you call that "guards out on the perimeter"?

Watch on YouTube

Just from these clips he gets blocked so easily (esp at his height) i honestly hate those kind of bigs that dont know how to use their body and create space or be physical, he's gotta learn how to keep the ball up high which is something that can be learned.

That has been the problem in people claiming players will learn, and perhaps in no time.
However, our previous drafted players who have not even played much meaningful minutes (eg. Koloko).

The reason at this point we need a high draft pick is in need of a self creation player. We talked about it every year that we have enough role players with mid 1st. Yet, this draft we prefer to get a high end role player over anyone who can create, and assume they can get to that level. If that is true, we don't need to pray for a high draft pick and have the tank thread.

My preference is draft a self creation player at rookie contract, this has been what we discussed over the last few years, and our chance to do it.

I don't know what Koloko has to do with Maluach, Koloko was always second round talent and Maluach is a consensus top 10 pick. No comparison, one is 18 and the other was 22.

I'm not high on Fears because his 3 point shooting is suspect and he turns the ball over too much, he reminds me of guys like Scoot Henderson and Markelle Fultz, highly touted PG prospects who weren't worth their high draft pick at all. Maybe he figures out the shooting and the turnovers but this is another example of things a player needs to improve to be a valuable NBA player and that's what you were railing against with respect to Maluach.

Saying "we need shot creation with this pick" is just another version of "draft for need" to me, I don't see how it's any different. If we're drafting for need size and 3 point shooting are our biggest needs, not shot creation. We literally have one functional player above 6'8" on this roster and he has exactly one season left on his contract and is almost 30.

[LoveMyRaps]

Maluach #1 fan reporting for duty

Been on the Maluach train all season long as well. Still believe he's a lock to be drafted by us if he's available. Almost a guarantee.



Drafting Maluach benefits Masai in several ways - helps the Raptors, improves the credibility of the BAL program, brings more eyes to NBA Academy Africa, and helps grow the game in Africa.

[ArthurVandelay]

Maluach #1 fan reporting for duty

Been on the Maluach train all season long as well. Still believe he's a lock to be drafted by us if he's available. Almost a guarantee.



Drafting Maluach benefits Masai in several ways - helps the Raptors, improves the credibility of the BAL program, brings more eyes to NBA Academy Africa, and helps grow the game in Africa.

All that stuff is great.

Only thing that should matter is when the raptors are on the clock, is Maluach the BPA in the front office opinion? If he is draft him. If not, none of the other stuff matters.

[Psubs]

All that stuff is great.

Only thing that should matter is when the raptors are on the clock, is Maluach the BPA in the front office opinion? If he is draft him. If not, none of the other stuff matters.

Ya, trade for Giannis instead. Already have Chomche, that's enough.

[PhilBlackson]

Maluach #1 fan reporting for duty

Maluach or die trying ... Good to see u

I've been saying Queen but part of me wants Maluach for the collective shambles

[TNRaps4life]

Malauch upside is really high.

https://www.nba.com/watch/video/episode-5-destined-for-greatness

Read on Twitter

?s=08

[MainEvent]

Naz, Jaden, Gobert and Donte are all 11-13ppg guys. That’s quite a reach thinking they are all capable of getting you 20+ a night. Couldn’t you say that about any team?

Ant is an excellent player. Luka is too. These dynamic players are very hard to find. Luka’s teammate is still one of the better players in the league and yet he’s 40. These kinds of players are very hard to find.

Lively was drafted 12th. Cason was drafted 10th. These are defensive-minded, offensively limited players but they are certainly better than the players drafted after them. Would you have rather drafted Kobe Bufkin or Cam Whitmore instead?

Ant Man is the whole entire reason the Timberwolves are where they are and a playoff team without him that team is useless.....But they still have guys on the team who can get you 20+ on any given night to help Ant man out....They have a good team built around their Dynamic player which is why they are successful and beat a team with Luka/LeBron on it game 1.....Its just dumb arguments being made because majority of the winning teams in the playoffs have these kind of Dynamic guys (Ant man, Shai, Luka, Kawhi, Harden, Tatum, Mitchell Etc) .....We have who? Ingram? ...

Point is you do not use your high end draft pick trying to fill a role on the team you draft BPA ....Is Maluach BPA prolly not....Hes best project available.....There will def be a Dynamic player picked below Maluach if he gets picked as high as 7 ...Maluach has zero percent chance to being a Dynamic player....A player like Queen, Fears, Tre....Thy at least have a chance....Id take my gamble on the better offensive players than a guy who can only catch lob dunks on offense for you.

I dunno if people can remember when Vince Carter was at UNC with Antawn Jamison and was ousted in the tournament. VC was just a dunker and slasher, with some handles. A better prospect than say Derozan though. Jamison had a steady and great career too. I view Carter Bryant like that same prospect as VC that didn't show all that he could do in college.

When you see his HS stuff he looks better than Ron Holland with more guard skills. Maybe he's a taller Stephon Castle?

Watch on YouTube

I don't see the point in comparing him to slashers that are continuously attacking the rim when he basically never does that.

Please link me the HS vids where he is slashing and doing this guard stuff because I have watched almost all the vids that are out there and haven't seen it at all. maybe i missed it

I like Carter Bryant and was hoping to find some hidden HS skills that he didn't show in college but his game looks the same, def an off ball guy

[Indeed]

Because a PG who can't shoot and turns the ball over like crazy and a C who can't protect the paint or shoot could never bust in the NBA... right?

So they should be 2nd round picks? What makes them in the top is due to what they already shown. Maluach has not shown he can do the minimum yet.

Every mock I've seen has Maluach as a top 10 pick, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Some mocks have him above Queen and Fears too, I don't get where this hate is coming from. I'd rather get a player with size and defence in this draft than a PG who will spend the next 2 years in the G-League (Fears) or a C who people are talking about being lazy on defence and out of shape.

Top 10 does not mean they are not raw. Mock draft does not mean they are being seen the same by teams.

There are reasons why Dick was available lower, even mocks have him being an average defender, but in reality, it is not. And look at how many starters or better are in each draft, there may only be 5 in each draft. Drafting at 7 does not mean you have a starter to select by default.

[Indeed]

Just from these clips he gets blocked so easily (esp at his height) i honestly hate those kind of bigs that dont know how to use their body and create space or be physical, he's gotta learn how to keep the ball up high which is something that can be learned.

That has been the problem in people claiming players will learn, and perhaps in no time.
However, our previous drafted players who have not even played much meaningful minutes (eg. Koloko).

The reason at this point we need a high draft pick is in need of a self creation player. We talked about it every year that we have enough role players with mid 1st. Yet, this draft we prefer to get a high end role player over anyone who can create, and assume they can get to that level. If that is true, we don't need to pray for a high draft pick and have the tank thread.

My preference is draft a self creation player at rookie contract, this has been what we discussed over the last few years, and our chance to do it.

I don't know what Koloko has to do with Maluach, Koloko was always second round talent and Maluach is a consensus top 10 pick. No comparison, one is 18 and the other was 22.

I'm not high on Fears because his 3 point shooting is suspect and he turns the ball over too much, he reminds me of guys like Scoot Henderson and Markelle Fultz, highly touted PG prospects who weren't worth their high draft pick at all. Maybe he figures out the shooting and the turnovers but this is another example of things a player needs to improve to be a valuable NBA player and that's what you were railing against with respect to Maluach.

Saying "we need shot creation with this pick" is just another version of "draft for need" to me, I don't see how it's any different. If we're drafting for need size and 3 point shooting are our biggest needs, not shot creation. We literally have one functional player above 6'8" on this roster and he has exactly one season left on his contract and is almost 30.

Koloko was 2nd round because he was older. Siakam was late 1st because he was older.

As for us, Ujiri never said we will draft for need on our 1st pick. We basically draft for BPA on the 1st pick, while our need and comes from our 2nd pick.

As for Fears, you dont base on someone shooting just on the stats. Same as Maluach who is only shooting 25% from 3 with low volume, and people claim he can, that would not be enough. You have to look at when he is shooting it and how he is shooting it. A standstill 3 and a pullup 3 with no assist is a totally different story.

[Indeed]

Second round picks being used on guys like Yang are exactly what I love. Take a shot in the dark and see if you hit anything. Obviously, this is a huge anomaly but Denver did that with Jokic and it worked out. You also have countless other examples of second round success stories whether it’s Marc Gasol, Monta Ellis, Ivica Zubac, or Lou Williams, and so on.

We have more options, and depends if we prefer NBA athlete, instead of a freshman.

We might use our 2nd round pick for a senior who showed enough skills and with much better athleticism. Our success has been looking for these players who reads the game well and developed enough skills. Such as Kalkbrenner being defensive player of the year (Shead was last year) maybe considered by us.

I don’t think Kalkbrenner he has the same upside as Yang given Yang’s age, touch, footwork and passing. He also gets bullied when playing decent comp way more than you would expect for someone his size and age. That said, I don’t mind Kalkbrenner, and wouldn’t be upset if he was the choice. Not as safe a bet to be a contributor as someone like Broome, but not a bad one either. Replacement level big IMO.

I think the swing on Yang is an upside play. If he hits, he’s a super valuable archetype.

If he doesnt have enough quickness, I am unsure he has that big of potential. And as a Chinese myself, I do not believe to be enough to be a NBA player. Watanabe was a surprised to me already being Asian who makes to the league

[Clutch0z24]

Because a PG who can't shoot and turns the ball over like crazy and a C who can't protect the paint or shoot could never bust in the NBA... right?

So they should be 2nd round picks? What makes them in the top is due to what they already shown. Maluach has not shown he can do the minimum yet.

Every mock I've seen has Maluach as a top 10 pick, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Some mocks have him above Queen and Fears too, I don't get where this hate is coming from. I'd rather get a player with size and defence in this draft than a PG who will spend the next 2 years in the G-League (Fears) or a C who people are talking about being lazy on defence and out of shape.

Derik Queen is not Lazy on defence and he was out of shape going into college....He was 262 pounds and since going to the gym and working with coaching staff and trainers he slimmed down to 239.....Hes still working on his body and with NBA trainers he could completely transform his body which will help on the defensive end....

Hes not a bad defender he has 39 blocks and 39 steals in 36 games....That is far from "Bad" Numbers....Like i said he was out of shape but hes taking his body more serious and working on it which will help his foot speed, and quickness to defend at a higher level....He has great defensive instincts and great hand eye coordination....Just yes he needs to continue to work on his body so he can be quicker on his feet....He also is a better rebounder than all of the bigs in the top parts of this draft.

[mtcan]

Malauch upside is really high.

https://www.nba.com/watch/video/episode-5-destined-for-greatness

Read on Twitter

?s=08

I think there is a lot that Maluach has that he hasn't been able to show at Duke. Some people put too much on that one Final 4 game when he barely registered a rebound. Those other prospects like Flagg and Knueppel have played a lot of basketball in their lives and have played on some big stages like All-American game, etc. How many of those kinds of games has Khaman played seeing where he came up in Uganda and NBA Africa Academy?

I think scouts will drool when they see him shooting. The question to me...can he dribble? That between the legs dribble into a jump shot in Givony's tweet looked good.

Duke did him a disservice by limiting his minutes and role. He will show out at the combine.

[DreamTeam09]

So they should be 2nd round picks? What makes them in the top is due to what they already shown. Maluach has not shown he can do the minimum yet.

Every mock I've seen has Maluach as a top 10 pick, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Some mocks have him above Queen and Fears too, I don't get where this hate is coming from. I'd rather get a player with size and defence in this draft than a PG who will spend the next 2 years in the G-League (Fears) or a C who people are talking about being lazy on defence and out of shape.

Derik Queen is not Lazy on defence and he was out of shape going into college....He was 262 pounds and since going to the gym and working with coaching staff and trainers he slimmed down to 239.....Hes still working on his body and with NBA trainers he could completely transform his body which will help on the defensive end....

Hes not a bad defender he has 39 blocks and 39 steals in 36 games....That is far from "Bad" Numbers....Like i said he was out of shape but hes taking his body more serious and working on it which will help his foot speed, and quickness to defend at a higher level....He has great defensive instincts and great hand eye coordination....Just yes he needs to continue to work on his body so he can be quicker on his feet....He also is a better rebounder than all of the bigs in the top parts of this draft.

Definitely has some motor concerns, doesn't like boxing out either, it's in his scouting report

[Clutch0z24]

Every mock I've seen has Maluach as a top 10 pick, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Some mocks have him above Queen and Fears too, I don't get where this hate is coming from. I'd rather get a player with size and defence in this draft than a PG who will spend the next 2 years in the G-League (Fears) or a C who people are talking about being lazy on defence and out of shape.

Derik Queen is not Lazy on defence and he was out of shape going into college....He was 262 pounds and since going to the gym and working with coaching staff and trainers he slimmed down to 239.....Hes still working on his body and with NBA trainers he could completely transform his body which will help on the defensive end....

Hes not a bad defender he has 39 blocks and 39 steals in 36 games....That is far from "Bad" Numbers....Like i said he was out of shape but hes taking his body more serious and working on it which will help his foot speed, and quickness to defend at a higher level....He has great defensive instincts and great hand eye coordination....Just yes he needs to continue to work on his body so he can be quicker on his feet....He also is a better rebounder than all of the bigs in the top parts of this draft.

Definitely has some motor concerns, doesn't like boxing out either, it's in his scouting report

He has 323 rebounds in 36 games....You have to box out to average 9 rebounds a game lol....Hes getting more rebounds than a 7'2 C ....What does that say about Maluach not boxing out?

[Jcity08]

At this point I hope Adam Silver blesses us with the first overall pick, if for nothing else than to move on from all this Maluach talk, Flagg who?