2023 Draft Discussion Part 5

[HumbleRen]

I've done a complete 180 on Bilal Coulibaly. I think he's going to be a bust. Why do people think he'll be an OG level defender? Just because of size and speed? He doesn't have the tenacity or mental toughness it looks like to me. Only shoots when he's extremely wide open, with a slow release, doesn't handle it particularly well. He's all "tools" at this point, and the NBA is full of guys his size that are bad defenders and can't do much else.

I think the likelihood he ends up being a bench guy that hangs out in the corner is really high.

Sent from my LG-H873 using RealGM mobile app

I really don't see it with Coulibaly. Obviously we want the best for these guys but he looks like he could be another Bruno that's 1 year away from being 1 year away. I simply can't justify doing that again when there are every clearly better ready now or even just much closer to being ready now and still have substantial room left to grow.

Big massive almost infinite difference in competition level of the ball Bruno played and what Bilal playing.

Arguably Wimby and Bilal playing the toughest competition of any of this years picks.

NBL and the league Wemby and Bilal are in are probably the top 2.

[gbball]

I've done a complete 180 on Bilal Coulibaly. I think he's going to be a bust. Why do people think he'll be an OG level defender? Just because of size and speed? He doesn't have the tenacity or mental toughness it looks like to me. Only shoots when he's extremely wide open, with a slow release, doesn't handle it particularly well. He's all "tools" at this point, and the NBA is full of guys his size that are bad defenders and can't do much else.

I think the likelihood he ends up being a bench guy that hangs out in the corner is really high.

Sent from my LG-H873 using RealGM mobile app

I really don't see it with Coulibaly. Obviously we want the best for these guys but he looks like he could be another Bruno that's 1 year away from being 1 year away. I simply can't justify doing that again when there are every clearly better ready now or even just much closer to being ready now and still have substantial room left to grow.

Bruno was very timid and was a lot more raw. He played in a much worse league and he wasn't as quick as Bilal.

Masai did say a few years ago that in the future they might try a Bruno style pick again in the right situation. I can't think of a better situation.

[HSOB SIRHC]

Masai is not missing on another Giannis type build. We're drafting Bilal 100%

[Reeko]

I really don't see it with Coulibaly. Obviously we want the best for these guys but he looks like he could be another Bruno that's 1 year away from being 1 year away. I simply can't justify doing that again when there are every clearly better ready now or even just much closer to being ready now and still have substantial room left to grow.

Big massive almost infinite difference in competition level of the ball Bruno played and what Bilal playing.

Arguably Wimby and Bilal playing the toughest competition of any of this years picks.

NBL and the league Wemby and Bilal are in are probably the top 2.

ACB league in Spain I believe is the second best league after the NBA.

[bballsparkin]

Do we have a 2nd rounder this year?

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Draft this guy

Haha, that made my night!

[HumbleRen]

Big massive almost infinite difference in competition level of the ball Bruno played and what Bilal playing.

Arguably Wimby and Bilal playing the toughest competition of any of this years picks.

NBL and the league Wemby and Bilal are in are probably the top 2.

ACB league in Spain I believe is the second best league after the NBA.

Oh 100% but I don’t think there’s any real prospects in this draft that are playing in that league.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Masai is not missing on another Giannis type build. We're drafting Bilal 100%

We kind of got that with Scottie. But if Bilal is 6’8”-6’9” he’s closer to Giannis size wise than it would seem. To me he looks closer to 6’5”-6’6” and it also doesn’t help that Giannis has pretty much grown to a legit 7 footer since he was drafted. If Bilal is 6’8”ish and has another 2-3 inches of growth left he’d be a super nice pick.

We also have to remember that Giannis was played at point guard when Jason Kidd was the coach in Milwaukee. I’m not sure Bilal has that in his game either. Giannis is an anomaly. Calling him Freak is an understatement.

[PhilBlackson]

The more I watch the footage, I have to cheat a little and make my top 3, be a top 3a & 3b…

Bilal & Sidy are still 1 & 2 for me because im a sucker for upside and Keyonte has long been 3 for me BUT I gotta put Hawkins in there lol

Which is tough because just as a talent, I don’t see “star” player as I think the 3 others COULD (not saying likely) become if they reached the heights of their potential. TON of work for each guy in order to get to that point but possible imo…

I may not see a “star” with Hawkins but if his shooting at the NBA level remains fairly in line with what he looked like in college…he’s damn near perfect fit for a guy like Scottie and that type of shooting has gravity on a defence (always prefacing that not saying at the level) but at least at the college level, he was creating a gravity or a pull over a defence with his shooting that just eerily reminds me of Ray Allen (who to be clear was much better as a self creator early in his career in MIL than Hawkins is, so I’m NOT saying he’s Ray) with the way he runs and how teams desperately run to keep a tag on him or a help defender must come out. But that kind of shooting is always scary for a team that has a high IQ passer whether it was Rondo/Ray, LBJ/Ray, Dray/Klay…not saying Scottie/Hawk would be on that level but the basic principles would be the same - they fit together like hand in glove and it just changes things schematically for everyone.

Someone always has to tag him & he’s running full tilt around screens that it looked like most guys couldn’t keep up and he knows where to find the openings in the defence and they know they can’t give him airspace which just opens up the court a ton for everybody else for various cuts aetc. or easier matchup hunting on the blocks ie/ OG & Scottie. I just like the fit so much that it even gives me the slight edge over Bufkin who can shoot to but he’s not a movement shooter like Hawk, he more so needs a couple dribbles or so and I don’t like the movement of the offence the same way and Bufkin isn’t at a high enough level as a ball handler that I see a star there either but the fit just works way better for me personally. I’d still be happy with Bufkin but I just like what I think the overall effect would be more with JH if he panned out.

[LoveMyRaps]

It's gotta be us or OKC that made the promise to Bilal.

[LoveMyRaps]

Masai is not missing on another Giannis type build. We're drafting Bilal 100%

OKC is gonna break our hearts.

[bboyskinnylegs]

It's gotta be us or OKC that made the promise to Bilal.

I think Utah could be another team that might like him enough to do it. Though risky at 9, where there is a good chance someone unexpected is still there. But I could see Ainge doing it.

[WetLikeWater]

Avoid Bilal Coulibaly at all cost!!

[HumbleRen]

Y’all be setting these kids up for failure when you use the Giannis comp lol.

Desperately tried to make Scottie out to something he isn’t, now y’all doing the same with Bilal lol.

My hope is that he’s just able to give us rotation caliber minutes, let alone having any semblance of hope that he turns into a star.

Scottie isn’t even half the athlete that Giannis was when he was 21. Bilal isn’t even 6’8 lol. There’s no major growth spurt coming to make him 6’11.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Y’all be setting these kids up for failure when you use the Giannis comp lol.

Desperately tried to make Scottie out to something he isn’t, now y’all doing the same with Bilal lol.

My hope is that he’s just able to give us rotation caliber minutes, let alone having any semblance of hope that he turns into a star.

Scottie isn’t even half the athlete that Giannis was when he was 21. Bilal isn’t even 6’8 lol. There’s no major growth spurt coming to make him 6’11.

Who said Bilal’s the next Giannis?

[DonDoolie]

I ain't going to lie I don't know **** about this draft outside of maybe 6 players but I will say one thing. I don't understand the obsession people have with labeling these kids as stars or busts before they ever step foot in an NBA game. People need to chill the **** out. It's okay not to be high on a prospect but calling them busts or trash before they ever play a game is crazy. Same goes for calling them stars. Just relax.

[Mark_83]

Remember that poster "NoLillard" a few years ago. He was so convinced Lillard would be a bust and we should avoid him at all costs that he literally made that his identity. I wonder what he ended up changing his name to. lol

[Mark_83]

Y’all be setting these kids up for failure when you use the Giannis comp lol.

Desperately tried to make Scottie out to something he isn’t, now y’all doing the same with Bilal lol.

My hope is that he’s just able to give us rotation caliber minutes, let alone having any semblance of hope that he turns into a star.

Scottie isn’t even half the athlete that Giannis was when he was 21. Bilal isn’t even 6’8 lol. There’s no major growth spurt coming to make him 6’11.

Who said Bilal’s the next Giannis?

Gotta love a strawman argument haha. The best player I've seen Coulibaly compared to is either OG or Bridges, and that's really just in terms of size and tools.

[C_Money]

Remember that poster "NoLillard" a few years ago. He was so convinced Lillard would be a bust and we should avoid him at all costs that he literally made that his identity. I wonder what he ended up changing his name to. lol

I remember being on the board back then. Half of us wanted Lillard and the other half wanted Kendall Marshall. Just goes to show none of us really know wtf we’re talking about and even the scouts get it dead wrong.

[Grew]

Remember that poster "NoLillard" a few years ago. He was so convinced Lillard would be a bust and we should avoid him at all costs that he literally made that his identity. I wonder what he ended up changing his name to. lol

I remember being on the board back then. Half of us wanted Lillard and the other half wanted Kendall Marshall. Just goes to show none of us really know wtf we’re talking about and even the scouts get it dead wrong.

The half that wanted Lillard knew a little more than the Kendall Marshall half though

[ATLTimekeeper]

I've done a complete 180 on Bilal Coulibaly. I think he's going to be a bust. Why do people think he'll be an OG level defender? Just because of size and speed? He doesn't have the tenacity or mental toughness it looks like to me. Only shoots when he's extremely wide open, with a slow release, doesn't handle it particularly well. He's all "tools" at this point, and the NBA is full of guys his size that are bad defenders and can't do much else.

I think the likelihood he ends up being a bench guy that hangs out in the corner is really high.

Sent from my LG-H873 using RealGM mobile app

I really don't see it with Coulibaly. Obviously we want the best for these guys but he looks like he could be another Bruno that's 1 year away from being 1 year away. I simply can't justify doing that again when there are every clearly better ready now or even just much closer to being ready now and still have substantial room left to grow.

Bruno was very timid and was a lot more raw. He played in a much worse league and he wasn't as quick as Bilal.

Masai did say a few years ago that in the future they might try a Bruno style pick again in the right situation. I can't think of a better situation.

Bruno was barely playing in Brazil. Coulibaly at least dominated the lower French level, which is above the level Bruno was playing at. It's a good sign that he's getting minutes in the playoffs. Maybe he's 3&D, but I've seen enough where I don't think he'll bust. Besides, the biggest problem with Bruno was maturity.