11 days out from the 2025 NBA draft...Who is your guy?

[ChettheJet]

ALL these guys played 30 college games if that, pretending you've seen enough YouTube videos on any of them to have a serious opinion is laughable. How many of the guys you love or hate have you seen play in person? I look at a a guy like Asa Newell and he gets credit for being 6-11 until the combine and he's suddenly 6-91/2. and he's not the only one.

All these blogging experts are full of gas, there are guys listed at #8 on one list and #26 on another because it's all just flapping their gums.

By tomorrow morning you'll have heard 10 times what you know now about the kid the Bulls picked he'll sound like a potential Hall of Famer, and it will be the same for 30 other kids in 24 cities.

[ghostinthepost1]

After weeks of youtube scouting here's where I'm at:

Pipedream: Khaman Maluach

I'm pumped: Collin Murray-Boyles, Derik Queen, Noa Essengue

Can easily talk myself into it: Kasparas Jakucionis, Thomas Sorber, Cedric Coward

I'm bummed: Demin, Wolf, Beringer, Newell

[drosestruts]

1. KJ
2. Clifford
3. Jase Richardson
4. Ryan Kalkbrenner
5. Ben Saraf

I think we should have a real opportunity to grab one of those top two guys and I'd be excited for either


Don't think we'll see any Bulls trades tonight, guessing if anything they happen during free agency, but you also never know.

Should be a fun draft

[League Circles]

On a trade down and picking Fleming and Kalkbrenner all of a sudden we have a good trio (with Matas) of rim protectors. Which could help us considering neither Coby nor Giddey are lock down defenders. But we'd have length and should be able to be very disruptive in the passing lanes and very versatile with Matas and Fleming able to guard 1-4.

I don't get why you'd trade down from 12 in almost any draft. If you like a guy you stay put and take him, not trade down and hope he falls to where he is "projected". The Kevin O'Conner's of the world aren't doing the drafting. If he was, you'd be picking guys like Killian Hayes first overall. If you like a guy, chances are some other team does too. It's not worth a second, a future second and/or a moderate to severe case of bad contract to hope your guy falls.

I completely agree. It's illogical in most cases to believe you're the only FO that loves a player more than the copycat media mock drafts project a guy to go.

Hell, I'd take Rocco Zikarsky in the top 5 or 10 guys in the whole draft for the Bulls, even though he's almost universally projected as a 2nd rounder.

[Almost Retired]

On a trade down and picking Fleming and Kalkbrenner all of a sudden we have a good trio (with Matas) of rim protectors. Which could help us considering neither Coby nor Giddey are lock down defenders. But we'd have length and should be able to be very disruptive in the passing lanes and very versatile with Matas and Fleming able to guard 1-4.

I don't get why you'd trade down from 12 in almost any draft. If you like a guy you stay put and take him, not trade down and hope he falls to where he is "projected". The Kevin O'Conner's of the world aren't doing the drafting. If he was, you'd be picking guys like Killian Hayes first overall. If you like a guy, chances are some other team does too. It's not worth a second, a future second and/or a moderate to severe case of bad contract to hope your guy falls.

Every draft is different. In this draft the prospects after #5 are all at roughly the same level down into the 20s. So this is the ideal draft to move down in. I'm just going by multiple mocks. Fleming should be available at #19. If not then I'd draft Kalkbrenner and BPA at #26. If the draft worked out according to the consensus mocks we should be able to get Fleming at #19 and Kalkbrenner at #26. Both would fill HUGE needs. They both fit the roster. They would both probably be able to contribute early. The combined talents of these two bigs are far superior than any single player that's going to be available at #12. Just about every guy after #2 is a crap shoot. I'd rather fill two positional needs if it can be done without sacrificing future draft capital. This is a unique draft in that Brooklyn has an unusually large number of first round picks and might want to consolidate and move. I agree that moving down isn't the best strategy in most drafts. But this draft is unique. It's still the best move.

[Almost Retired]

I'm very much a floor guy, but....I don't understand trading down from the lottery to draft lower ceiling players who don't impact the game at the level as players in our range do.

OK. So who at #12 do you think is going to have that much of an impact? That fits with the rest of our roster? Another wing? Another guard? Some uber athletic project that can's shoot and that won't fill a rotation spot until his 2nd contract?

[MGB8]

I'm very much a floor guy, but....I don't understand trading down from the lottery to draft lower ceiling players who don't impact the game at the level as players in our range do.

I think you vastly overrate CMB. I get the defensive basketball IQ but when looking at the long video, there were a lot of bad plays there. I don’t view him as generational on defense, and aim not sure that he will even be playable on offense - his handle and offensive decision making aren’t good enough for him to basically ever be given the ball, he will have a size disadvantage, so he becomes an opportunity guy and connection passer.

That said, I think he is a similar prospect in terms of overall value to about 15 guys. I have no way of being at all expecting that he will be better or worse than Sorber, Beringer, Esengue, Newell, Fleming, Coward, Queen (who is so much more naturally skilled on offense and notably bigger), Reynaud, Kalkbrenner, Demin, maybe even Saraf and Carter and Clayton and Clifford. A bit less sold on Wolf and a couple others.

Only guy who I view as “heads above” as a prospect that may be there at 12 is KJ, though waver back and forth on Maluach. If no KJ, trading down 4 or 5 spots, if I can also get another pick 10-12 or so spots away from 12, maybe a bit more, is kind of a no brainer. 2 guys who have similar “draft ratings / scores” (in my personal, non-professional assessment) is twice as good as 1 guy who has a marginally better score but say a 38% chance of being a flop rather than, say, a 42% chance.

[Red Larrivee]

I think you vastly overrate CMB. I get the defensive basketball IQ but when looking at the long video, there were a lot of bad plays there. I don’t view him as generational on defense, and aim not sure that he will even be playable on offense - his handle and offensive decision making aren’t good enough for him to basically ever be given the ball, he will have a size disadvantage, so he becomes an opportunity guy and connection passer.

Even though I am an alumni, I think my evaluation is very fair and in line with the two seasons of games I've watched from him. I'm not declaring him a superstar or even a future all-star. I simply believe that he's one of the best two-way players in college basketball, was one of the most impactful players in the sport last season despite having arguably the worst supporting cast of a lottery prospect in this class and that he is tremendous value at 12 in a draft. Anything I've said about him I can back up statistically or visually.

I have no issues with people who are not high on him. Yes, a player available at 12 in a draft has flaws. I just have issue with criticism that's not rooted in fact or is lazy. That's all.

Overall, there are a number of players I'd be fine with at 12. Especially, if we're comparing them to moving down to the mid to late first.

[Jello Biafra]

On a trade down and picking Fleming and Kalkbrenner all of a sudden we have a good trio (with Matas) of rim protectors. Which could help us considering neither Coby nor Giddey are lock down defenders. But we'd have length and should be able to be very disruptive in the passing lanes and very versatile with Matas and Fleming able to guard 1-4.

I don't get why you'd trade down from 12 in almost any draft. If you like a guy you stay put and take him, not trade down and hope he falls to where he is "projected". The Kevin O'Conner's of the world aren't doing the drafting. If he was, you'd be picking guys like Killian Hayes first overall. If you like a guy, chances are some other team does too. It's not worth a second, a future second and/or a moderate to severe case of bad contract to hope your guy falls.

I completely agree. It's illogical in most cases to believe you're the only FO that loves a player more than the copycat media mock drafts project a guy to go.

Hell, I'd take Rocco Zikarsky in the top 5 or 10 guys in the whole draft for the Bulls, even though he's almost universally projected as a 2nd rounder.

You can't teach 7'4" 260. Latest mocks have the Bulls taking Jakucionis at 12. Maybe the Bulls take Zikarsky at 45. A Lithuanian for AK and Buzelis and an Aussie for Giddey. Do you re-sign Giddey if you draft Jakucionis tho?

[MGB8]

I don't get why you'd trade down from 12 in almost any draft. If you like a guy you stay put and take him, not trade down and hope he falls to where he is "projected". The Kevin O'Conner's of the world aren't doing the drafting. If he was, you'd be picking guys like Killian Hayes first overall. If you like a guy, chances are some other team does too. It's not worth a second, a future second and/or a moderate to severe case of bad contract to hope your guy falls.

I completely agree. It's illogical in most cases to believe you're the only FO that loves a player more than the copycat media mock drafts project a guy to go.

Hell, I'd take Rocco Zikarsky in the top 5 or 10 guys in the whole draft for the Bulls, even though he's almost universally projected as a 2nd rounder.

You can't teach 7'4" 260. Latest mocks have the Bulls taking Jakucionis at 12. Maybe the Bulls take Zikarsky at 45. A Lithuanian for AK and Buzelis and an Aussie for Giddey. Do you re-sign Giddey if you draft Jakucionis tho?

KJ and Giddey not the issue. KJ and Coby might be. KJ a combo in the mold of Coby, Herro, not a more pure point (on offense) like Giddey.

[Salo23]

Coward is my guy @12.

Maluach will be a bust. Raynaud will be much better than him and is being slept on.