By pilonv1 Go To PostGood pick for DenverHe's sick, I probably would've taken him top 10 lol.
By masud Go To PostWe can't afford to pay two first round picks lmaoMaybe
edit: oh wait we're picking 26th now?
By Koko Go To PostMaybeisnt 26 wiz?
By unknown Go To Postisnt 26 wiz?We traded them 24 for it.
By pilonv1 Go To PostCollier might get drafted after Bronny at this rateThink Suns take him.
By masud Go To PostIf we get a first out of OKC when Chicago couldn't…
The Jae Crowder package.
I actually like this return a lot. Second round picks are more valuable now that you can sign them to contracts that don't go towards the aprons.
Five seconds in the next three years is incredibly valuable to the Knicks, why would the Thunder do this
By pilonv1 Go To PostFive seconds in the next three years is incredibly valuable to the Knicks, why would the Thunder do thisBecause they have more picks than they know what to do. Lol Chicago.
By pilonv1 Go To PostCollier well and truly lostHe honestly did fall way too far at this point, he has real star upside despite his terrible season.
Back, here are my takes on the picks.
1. Risacher
2. Sarr - Fine with it, I'm not excited about Sarr but you don't complain too much about getting Mobley lite in most drafts (though yes, he does have some worrying Wiseman tendencies, but so does Mobley TBF).
3. Isaiah Reed Sheppard - Rockets won the draft.
4. Castle - predictable because the Spurs suck ass at drafting. The more I dug into his numbers the less I believed in him. He absolutely tanked UConn's starting offense when he was out there (masked in on/off due to him playing with such great players most of the time, I saw someone call him an "on/off vampire" which is very appropriate). Needs a Kawhi type leap to justify this position. Free Wemby
5. Holland - decent upside swing. Like I said, he wasn't good by any means, but he at least did high draft pick stuff (be athletic, get to the rim at a high rate, draw fouls, get steals, etc.). And he actually looks the part. Can he shoot? No, but neither can any of the wings drafted top 15.
6. Salaün - again, decent upside swing. Legit center size in a wing body and he's super young. Way higher than I would have taken him, but it's not like the Hornets had really good options if they didn't want a center or guard.
7. Clingan - Home run pick at this slot, especially not having to trade up for him. Perfect fit for the roster (fuck Ayton, he can play forward like he always wanted). Like I said, I think he has serious two way upside as well as a high floor. Injuries are the only real concern.
8. Dillingham -- great pick for the Spurs at this slot considering they didn't get Sheppard. Then they traded him to the Wolves for whom it's even better--they desperately need both shooting and shot creation and are perfectly equipped to survive a zero defense tiny guard for extended minutes. Spurs are dumb as shit and traded him for elementary school students because they are really looking forward to contending in 2033 when Victor will have been gone for five years because of their roster mismanagement. Free Wemby.
9. Edey -- amazing pick, Grizzlies traded away their old Steve Adams, stayed put, and got their next Steve Adams but taller (but with additional upside). Based on how they draft, it would not surprise me at all if he was #1 or #2 on their big board. Perfect fit with Ja coming back next season.
10. Cody Williams -- honestly... I think this was kind of high, but I also would have had Risacher lower than this and there was that one nepo study, so I guess this is fine. Plus, Ainge is pretty good at figuring out which raw wings are actually good and which are going to stink.
11. Buzelis -- garbage pick for a garbage franchise.
12. Topic -- BPA, but a bit weird for the Thunder. People keep saying he's just Giddey but he really isn't. Chip Engelland will have an incredibly easy time teaching a damn near 90% free throw shooter to shot threes while he recovers from his ACL tear, he'll get the sophomore bump Chet did too. OKC keeps winning basically.
13. Devin Carter -- awesome upside swing at this slot. His shot that he only found at the end of his last season needs to translate for him to have real starpower, but even if it doesn't his athleticism and rebounding have a chance to keep him in the NBA for a long time. Also, Pelton's rankings liked him a lot more than most prospects who suddenly got good late, which is really promising for him.
14. Bub Carrington -- fine, I guess? There were better picks available but whatever, he's an upside swing and apparently the Wizards don't want any players who are currently good so this fits with that.
15. Kel'el Ware -- I think I said this half jokingly but it wouldn't shock me if he ends up better than Sarr. Insanely good pick by the Heatles.
16. Jared McCain -- like I said earlier, he's like the Temu version of Reed Sheppard. Likely projects as a decent backup if his three works out (which it probably will, but it's not guaranteed). If not, oh well... it's pick 16.
17. Dalton Knecht -- this was probably as far as he was realistically going to fall. Like I said, he kind of had bust written all over him if he was drafted with that high a pick, but he's a gamble worth taking at 17. Maybe not so much for the Lakers who probably assumed they are getting immediate ready to contribute help and not a boom or bust pick, but at least they didn't take someone like Jalen Hood Schifino this time.
18. Tristan da Silva -- he is probably bad from what I saw, but I didn't look too much into him pre-draft.
19. Ja'Kobe Walter -- Somewhere I kind of differ from a lot of the consensus... a lot of people think he has one of the highest three point upsides in the draft (various models said so). I think those models are flawed and don't agree. He wasn't very good in real life, so if you don't think his three will translate, he'll probably be bad. But we'll see.
20. Jaylon Tyson -- don't know enough about him, sorry.
21. Yves Missi -- again never bothered to learn much about him, he seems to be ranked all over the place. My impression is that he's a very typical meh rim running center, but I could be totally wrong.
22. Daron Holmes- - like I said, top 10 pick for me. Maybe even higher. He's basically a big who's good at everything--including, his last year, being able to stretch the floor. Getting a two way potential stretch five at pick 22 is absolutely incredible to me and really makes me feel like the league learned absolutely nothing from the finals this year, lol.
23. AJ Johnson -- know nothing about him... was this considered a reach?
24. Kyshawn George -- like I said earlier, think this might be the steal of the draft (though this might be cope). 6'10" one and done who played good defense and actually shot really well on high volume when on the floor... he ranked eighth overall in Pelton's stats only model (ninth blended). Again, seems wild that teams did not prioritize these guys more and instead chose guys like "Matas Buzelis" or "Dalton Knecht" but I guess it's not any of my business.
25. Pacome Dadiet -- it's fashionable to like him in draft circles right now, but I never really looked into him much. He didn't seem particularly special to me but I don't know enough to say.
26. Dillon Jones -- productive upperclassman, he might be good. It's pick 26.
27. Terrence Shannon Jr. -- about where he should have been taken... he was kind of like Knecht where he was super productive, but only when he was much older than his peers. Honestly probably should have gone around where Knecht did, lol (maybe he didn't because of residual dislike from his legal case, but it was apparently a case of mistaken identity which I feel better about than "oh it turns out it didnt' happen").
28. Ryan Dunn -- my guy! He is worse than offense than anyone you've seen in your life but I could still easily see him being in the NBA longer than half the guys drafted above him because his defense is truly like that. Special talent, and at this point in the draft I'd rather take a wild swing on someone with some genuinely elite skills than someone mediocre at everything.
29. Isaiah Collier -- about time. He was the #1 ranked recruit for a reason and (according to people who care) has genuinely special shot creation abilities like few others in this class. Probably should not have fallen this far, even though he had an awful college season. Like yeah there's a decent chance he busts but the same is true of like... Risacher.
30. Baylor Scheierman -- the fact that it's league policy that guys like this always fall to like, 30 or the second round, is so dumb to me. Good and productive four year college players turn into positive NBA contributors at a much higher rate than the "potential" guys turn into anything good when not taken with a high pick. But the whole league seems to just collectively agree that teams like Boston (that can't afford to have a pick bust because they can't add talent otherwise) are allowed to have as many of these guys as they want. Scheriman is 6'6.25" barefoot, and had a two year stretch where he hit more than 300 threes at 45.6%. He'll do exactly what the Celtics need/want.
1. Risacher
By Red Blaster Go To Post
2. Sarr - Fine with it, I'm not excited about Sarr but you don't complain too much about getting Mobley lite in most drafts (though yes, he does have some worrying Wiseman tendencies, but so does Mobley TBF).
3. Isaiah Reed Sheppard - Rockets won the draft.
4. Castle - predictable because the Spurs suck ass at drafting. The more I dug into his numbers the less I believed in him. He absolutely tanked UConn's starting offense when he was out there (masked in on/off due to him playing with such great players most of the time, I saw someone call him an "on/off vampire" which is very appropriate). Needs a Kawhi type leap to justify this position. Free Wemby
5. Holland - decent upside swing. Like I said, he wasn't good by any means, but he at least did high draft pick stuff (be athletic, get to the rim at a high rate, draw fouls, get steals, etc.). And he actually looks the part. Can he shoot? No, but neither can any of the wings drafted top 15.
6. Salaün - again, decent upside swing. Legit center size in a wing body and he's super young. Way higher than I would have taken him, but it's not like the Hornets had really good options if they didn't want a center or guard.
7. Clingan - Home run pick at this slot, especially not having to trade up for him. Perfect fit for the roster (fuck Ayton, he can play forward like he always wanted). Like I said, I think he has serious two way upside as well as a high floor. Injuries are the only real concern.
8. Dillingham -- great pick for the Spurs at this slot considering they didn't get Sheppard. Then they traded him to the Wolves for whom it's even better--they desperately need both shooting and shot creation and are perfectly equipped to survive a zero defense tiny guard for extended minutes. Spurs are dumb as shit and traded him for elementary school students because they are really looking forward to contending in 2033 when Victor will have been gone for five years because of their roster mismanagement. Free Wemby.
9. Edey -- amazing pick, Grizzlies traded away their old Steve Adams, stayed put, and got their next Steve Adams but taller (but with additional upside). Based on how they draft, it would not surprise me at all if he was #1 or #2 on their big board. Perfect fit with Ja coming back next season.
10. Cody Williams -- honestly... I think this was kind of high, but I also would have had Risacher lower than this and there was that one nepo study, so I guess this is fine. Plus, Ainge is pretty good at figuring out which raw wings are actually good and which are going to stink.
11. Buzelis -- garbage pick for a garbage franchise.
12. Topic -- BPA, but a bit weird for the Thunder. People keep saying he's just Giddey but he really isn't. Chip Engelland will have an incredibly easy time teaching a damn near 90% free throw shooter to shot threes while he recovers from his ACL tear, he'll get the sophomore bump Chet did too. OKC keeps winning basically.
13. Devin Carter -- awesome upside swing at this slot. His shot that he only found at the end of his last season needs to translate for him to have real starpower, but even if it doesn't his athleticism and rebounding have a chance to keep him in the NBA for a long time. Also, Pelton's rankings liked him a lot more than most prospects who suddenly got good late, which is really promising for him.
14. Bub Carrington -- fine, I guess? There were better picks available but whatever, he's an upside swing and apparently the Wizards don't want any players who are currently good so this fits with that.
15. Kel'el Ware -- I think I said this half jokingly but it wouldn't shock me if he ends up better than Sarr. Insanely good pick by the Heatles.
16. Jared McCain -- like I said earlier, he's like the Temu version of Reed Sheppard. Likely projects as a decent backup if his three works out (which it probably will, but it's not guaranteed). If not, oh well... it's pick 16.
17. Dalton Knecht -- this was probably as far as he was realistically going to fall. Like I said, he kind of had bust written all over him if he was drafted with that high a pick, but he's a gamble worth taking at 17. Maybe not so much for the Lakers who probably assumed they are getting immediate ready to contribute help and not a boom or bust pick, but at least they didn't take someone like Jalen Hood Schifino this time.
18. Tristan da Silva -- he is probably bad from what I saw, but I didn't look too much into him pre-draft.
19. Ja'Kobe Walter -- Somewhere I kind of differ from a lot of the consensus... a lot of people think he has one of the highest three point upsides in the draft (various models said so). I think those models are flawed and don't agree. He wasn't very good in real life, so if you don't think his three will translate, he'll probably be bad. But we'll see.
20. Jaylon Tyson -- don't know enough about him, sorry.
21. Yves Missi -- again never bothered to learn much about him, he seems to be ranked all over the place. My impression is that he's a very typical meh rim running center, but I could be totally wrong.
22. Daron Holmes- - like I said, top 10 pick for me. Maybe even higher. He's basically a big who's good at everything--including, his last year, being able to stretch the floor. Getting a two way potential stretch five at pick 22 is absolutely incredible to me and really makes me feel like the league learned absolutely nothing from the finals this year, lol.
23. AJ Johnson -- know nothing about him... was this considered a reach?
24. Kyshawn George -- like I said earlier, think this might be the steal of the draft (though this might be cope). 6'10" one and done who played good defense and actually shot really well on high volume when on the floor... he ranked eighth overall in Pelton's stats only model (ninth blended). Again, seems wild that teams did not prioritize these guys more and instead chose guys like "Matas Buzelis" or "Dalton Knecht" but I guess it's not any of my business.
25. Pacome Dadiet -- it's fashionable to like him in draft circles right now, but I never really looked into him much. He didn't seem particularly special to me but I don't know enough to say.
26. Dillon Jones -- productive upperclassman, he might be good. It's pick 26.
27. Terrence Shannon Jr. -- about where he should have been taken... he was kind of like Knecht where he was super productive, but only when he was much older than his peers. Honestly probably should have gone around where Knecht did, lol (maybe he didn't because of residual dislike from his legal case, but it was apparently a case of mistaken identity which I feel better about than "oh it turns out it didnt' happen").
28. Ryan Dunn -- my guy! He is worse than offense than anyone you've seen in your life but I could still easily see him being in the NBA longer than half the guys drafted above him because his defense is truly like that. Special talent, and at this point in the draft I'd rather take a wild swing on someone with some genuinely elite skills than someone mediocre at everything.
29. Isaiah Collier -- about time. He was the #1 ranked recruit for a reason and (according to people who care) has genuinely special shot creation abilities like few others in this class. Probably should not have fallen this far, even though he had an awful college season. Like yeah there's a decent chance he busts but the same is true of like... Risacher.
30. Baylor Scheierman -- the fact that it's league policy that guys like this always fall to like, 30 or the second round, is so dumb to me. Good and productive four year college players turn into positive NBA contributors at a much higher rate than the "potential" guys turn into anything good when not taken with a high pick. But the whole league seems to just collectively agree that teams like Boston (that can't afford to have a pick bust because they can't add talent otherwise) are allowed to have as many of these guys as they want. Scheriman is 6'6.25" barefoot, and had a two year stretch where he hit more than 300 threes at 45.6%. He'll do exactly what the Celtics need/want.
By Sharp Go To PostBack, here are my takes on the picks.spurs are good at drafting.
1. Risacher
2. Sarr - Fine with it, I'm not excited about Sarr but you don't complain too much about getting Mobley lite in most drafts (though yes, he does have some worrying Wiseman tendencies, but so does Mobley TBF).
3. Isaiah Reed Sheppard - Rockets won the draft.
4. Castle - predictable because the Spurs suck ass at drafting. The more I dug into his numbers the less I believed in him. He absolutely tanked UConn's starting offense when he was out there (masked in on/off due to him playing with such great players most of the time, I saw someone call him an "on/off vampire" which is very appropriate). Needs a Kawhi type leap to justify this position. Free Wemby
5. Holland - decent upside swing. Like I said, he wasn't good by any means, but he at least did high draft pick stuff (be athletic, get to the rim at a high rate, draw fouls, get steals, etc.). And he actually looks the part. Can he shoot? No, but neither can any of the wings drafted top 15.
6. Salaün - again, decent upside swing. Legit center size in a wing body and he's super young. Way higher than I would have taken him, but it's not like the Hornets had really good options if they didn't want a center or guard.
7. Clingan - Home run pick at this slot, especially not having to trade up for him. Perfect fit for the roster (fuck Ayton, he can play forward like he always wanted). Like I said, I think he has serious two way upside as well as a high floor. Injuries are the only real concern.
8. Dillingham – great pick for the Spurs at this slot considering they didn't get Sheppard. Then they traded him to the Wolves for whom it's even better–they desperately need both shooting and shot creation and are perfectly equipped to survive a zero defense tiny guard for extended minutes. Spurs are dumb as shit and traded him for elementary school students because they are really looking forward to contending in 2033 when Victor will have been gone for five years because of their roster mismanagement. Free Wemby.
9. Edey – amazing pick, Grizzlies traded away their old Steve Adams, stayed put, and got their next Steve Adams but taller (but with additional upside). Based on how they draft, it would not surprise me at all if he was #1 or #2 on their big board. Perfect fit with Ja coming back next season.
10. Cody Williams – honestly… I think this was kind of high, but I also would have had Risacher lower than this and there was that one nepo study, so I guess this is fine. Plus, Ainge is pretty good at figuring out which raw wings are actually good and which are going to stink.
11. Buzelis – garbage pick for a garbage franchise.
12. Topic – BPA, but a bit weird for the Thunder. People keep saying he's just Giddey but he really isn't. Chip Engelland will have an incredibly easy time teaching a damn near 90% free throw shooter to shot threes while he recovers from his ACL tear, he'll get the sophomore bump Chet did too. OKC keeps winning basically.
13. Devin Carter – awesome upside swing at this slot. His shot that he only found at the end of his last season needs to translate for him to have real starpower, but even if it doesn't his athleticism and rebounding have a chance to keep him in the NBA for a long time. Also, Pelton's rankings liked him a lot more than most prospects who suddenly got good late, which is really promising for him.
14. Bub Carrington – fine, I guess? There were better picks available but whatever, he's an upside swing and apparently the Wizards don't want any players who are currently good so this fits with that.
15. Kel'el Ware – I think I said this half jokingly but it wouldn't shock me if he ends up better than Sarr. Insanely good pick by the Heatles.
16. Jared McCain – like I said earlier, he's like the Temu version of Reed Sheppard. Likely projects as a decent backup if his three works out (which it probably will, but it's not guaranteed). If not, oh well… it's pick 16.
17. Dalton Knecht – this was probably as far as he was realistically going to fall. Like I said, he kind of had bust written all over him if he was drafted with that high a pick, but he's a gamble worth taking at 17. Maybe not so much for the Lakers who probably assumed they are getting immediate ready to contribute help and not a boom or bust pick, but at least they didn't take someone like Jalen Hood Schifino this time.
18. Tristan da Silva – he is probably bad from what I saw, but I didn't look too much into him pre-draft.
19. Ja'Kobe Walter – Somewhere I kind of differ from a lot of the consensus… a lot of people think he has one of the highest three point upsides in the draft (various models said so). I think those models are flawed and don't agree. He wasn't very good in real life, so if you don't think his three will translate, he'll probably be bad. But we'll see.
20. Jaylon Tyson – don't know enough about him, sorry.
21. Yves Missi – again never bothered to learn much about him, he seems to be ranked all over the place. My impression is that he's a very typical meh rim running center, but I could be totally wrong.
22. Daron Holmes- - like I said, top 10 pick for me. Maybe even higher. He's basically a big who's good at everything–including, his last year, being able to stretch the floor. Getting a two way potential stretch five at pick 22 is absolutely incredible to me and really makes me feel like the league learned absolutely nothing from the finals this year, lol.
23. AJ Johnson – know nothing about him… was this considered a reach?
24. Kyshawn George – like I said earlier, think this might be the steal of the draft (though this might be cope). 6'10" one and done who played good defense and actually shot really well on high volume when on the floor… he ranked eighth overall in Pelton's stats only model (ninth blended). Again, seems wild that teams did not prioritize these guys more and instead chose guys like "Matas Buzelis" or "Dalton Knecht" but I guess it's not any of my business.
25. Pacome Dadiet – it's fashionable to like him in draft circles right now, but I never really looked into him much. He didn't seem particularly special to me but I don't know enough to say.
26. Dillon Jones – productive upperclassman, he might be good. It's pick 26.
27. Terrence Shannon Jr. – about where he should have been taken… he was kind of like Knecht where he was super productive, but only when he was much older than his peers. Honestly probably should have gone around where Knecht did, lol (maybe he didn't because of residual dislike from his legal case, but it was apparently a case of mistaken identity which I feel better about than "oh it turns out it didnt' happen").
28. Ryan Dunn – my guy! He is worse than offense than anyone you've seen in your life but I could still easily see him being in the NBA longer than half the guys drafted above him because his defense is truly like that. Special talent, and at this point in the draft I'd rather take a wild swing on someone with some genuinely elite skills than someone mediocre at everything.
29. Isaiah Collier – about time. He was the #1 ranked recruit for a reason and (according to people who care) has genuinely special shot creation abilities like few others in this class. Probably should not have fallen this far, even though he had an awful college season. Like yeah there's a decent chance he busts but the same is true of like… Risacher.
30. Baylor Scheierman – the fact that it's league policy that guys like this always fall to like, 30 or the second round, is so dumb to me. Good and productive four year college players turn into positive NBA contributors at a much higher rate than the "potential" guys turn into anything good when not taken with a high pick. But the whole league seems to just collectively agree that teams like Boston (that can't afford to have a pick bust because they can't add talent otherwise) are allowed to have as many of these guys as they want. Scheriman is 6'6.25" barefoot, and had a two year stretch where he hit more than 300 threes at 45.6%. He'll do exactly what the Celtics need/want.
By unknown Go To Postspurs are good at drafting.Okay correction--they suck ass at drafting for "upside" in the lottery, they are better at drafting later when those types of picks are gone. Like I said a few days ago, for seven years they have almost exclusively taken mid "raw" freshmen who aren't that productive and are usually bad at shooting in the first round. And these picks have mostly sucked (except for Wemby who has nothing to do with their scouting department and also was super productive and not mid or raw). The only non freshman they took was Vassell, who was still 19 on draft night and also their best first round pick by far since Derrick White. If they just drafted early in the lottery like they do in the second round (or how they used to with late first picks), they would probably be good at drafting, but they refuse to and follow this dumbass philosophy that never works for them. I thought maybe they might change with how spectacularly all these players failed and them already having a generational guy and not needing to draft for potential, but nope! They're running it back but with the addition of another fake PG who was a big black hole in the UConn offense.
By reilo Go To PostYou'd rank Vassell over Dejounte?Dejounte was actually drafted the year before Derrick White, lol. I am not even a big fan of Vassell, he's just very clearly better than any of their other non Wemby first rounders.
By Sharp Go To PostDejounte was actually drafted the year before Derrick White, lol.Jesus thought he's been in the league less than that wtf
By reilo Go To PostJesus thought he's been in the league less than that wtfThey have truly been garbage at drafting for an incredibly long time, their "core guys" are only still young because they only draft super young guys and then stick with them long after it becomes clear that they're not good.
By knux-future Go To Postyeah the Spurs drafting has been pretty shoddy for a bit nowThey had two top 8 picks in a draft full of guys who project to be at least good role players, while having one of the worst starting lineups and worst benches in the league and needing talent at literally every position... and decided they really didn't need to get anyone at all (except a shooting guard who can't shoot). Warped behavior. Pretty sure they're going to try to hard tank again in 2025, they can use point Castle as their new gimmick to tank their starting lineup since they already burned point Sochan.
How highly did Rockets rate Reed Sheppard? If he wasn't available at No. 3 they would have traded
I think he was really close to going #1. KOC vindicated lol.
“I don’t want to put down anybody in this draft,” Stone said. “I do think it’s a talented draft. I think there are a lot of guys who can and will have really productive NBA careers. But in this case, at the end of our process, we ended up with Reed as the best player in the draft by quite a bit, the best prospect we thought … and kind of the only guy we were really focused on."
I think he was really close to going #1. KOC vindicated lol.
By unknown Go To Postspurs are good at drafting.Spurs are good at surefire number 1 picks and late 20s
By reilo Go To PostJesus thought he's been in the league less than that wtfhe had two poor years and an ACL injury before he learned how to play
By Sharp Go To PostI am cool with it. Gonna be sad when his generational whistle he got in college doesn’t translate to the NBA though.
Thought so lol. Be happy jasper.