Draft Choice

Not gonna lie, pretty disapointed of the outcome of the lottery. Edgecomb measured very well, real star potential here.

Now draft history tells us that a player selected in the late lottery will probably ends up being better than at least one member of the top 3. It's time to identify him and it will be a real test for the new regime, it's the range in the lottery where you can see what the front office really value skills wise.

Derik Quenn has the size of an average PF and is too slow to guard on perimeter. Low post players are quite successful in the last few years in college, so it's hard to buy on his statistic production. Honestly he's far from a sure thing, if he improves his shooting and his passing there might be a path for him for becoming an impact player but there's also lot of red flags.

Richardson's measurements are also real concern, he's small for even be a starting lead guard. I was expecting Donovan Mitchell's type but he's clearly smaller.

It's say go for the upswing pick with one of Fears, Jakucioni or Demin, but Fleming is also quite enticing and may be overlooked just because of his three years in college. I'd like one of the 4, Knueppel and Maluach are more meh to me but there's some real upside here too so I won't be mad either.

I am predicting Maulach or Fears.

nbadraft.net has us getting Tre Johnson at #7 still. For me, that would be freaggin ideal at this juncture



could kon kneuppel be chris mullin? can he move laterally fast enough/

Can Jerimiah Fears shoot the three well enough to be your starting PG? His free throws kinda suggest so, but below 30% is terrible. How tall is he really?

I didn't see Jase's measurements yal are referring to.... is he at least 6'3"? I do know he's a savant of sorts with the ball reminding me of jamal Murray, but if he's tiny and all he will get abused

Kasparas Jakucionis is a better 3pt shooter than his stats last year, but his turnover rate was terrible, is he fast enough to get it done?
the austin reeves comparison on nbadraft.net is frightening

Is Khamanl Maluach better than Ives Missi ? Can he shoot?

despite Derek Queen's impressiveness, I can't buy pairing him with Zion?

thomas sorber= 6'10 and no three point shot= no thanks besides we got Ives Missi already taking the almost 7'0 spot who can't shoot


rasheer flemming..... i think he is a great fit, although 7 is kinda high

egor demin... i got no idea, i do think he will be good someday

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Originally Posted by Darkhorse985

I am predicting Maulach or Fears.

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I can see this.

what about Knueppel?

somebody good will be there

as of today, id probably pick

jeramiah fears (assuming tre johnson is gone) Personally im a believer in Jase despite his lack of height, he does have a better wingspan than fears, but barely

only because we need an above average ball handler/ lead guard

I think Kon knueppel and Maluach may be better prospects. knueppel is chris mullin 2.0
Maluach had the best plus minus around last year, higher than flagg at +15 per 100

AND my boy Rasheer Flemming's wingspan actually was 7' 5". Lethal 3pt shooter and shot blocker is what we have been looking for
but again, with Murray hurt we simply must find a PG.

how do yal feel about Egor Denim?



some recent draftees at or beyond #7
Halliburton 12
tyrese maxey 21
SGA 11
jalen williams 12
tyler herro 13
laurie markennen 7
donavan mitchell 13
franz wagner 8
trey murphy 17

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Originally Posted by fullcourtpress

I can see this.

what about Knueppel?

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Knueppel reminds me of Korey Kispert or Doug McDermott. A shooter who is limited athletically. I wouldn’t pick a player like that at 7. I would much rather a true big bodied rim protector that can still move or an athletic scorer with upside.

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Originally Posted by fullcourtpress

somebody good will be there

as of today, id probably pick

jeramiah fears (assuming tre johnson is gone) Personally im a believer in Jase despite his lack of height, he does have a better wingspan than fears, but barely

only because we need an above average ball handler/ lead guard

I think Kon knueppel and Maluach may be better prospects. knueppel is chris mullin 2.0
Maluach had the best plus minus around last year, higher than flagg at +15 per 100

AND my boy Rasheer Flemming's wingspan actually was 7' 5". Lethal 3pt shooter and shot blocker is what we have been looking for
but again, with Murray hurt we simply must find a PG.

how do yal feel about Egor Denim?



some recent draftees at or beyond #7
Halliburton 12
tyrese maxey 21
SGA 11
jalen williams 12
tyler herro 13
laurie markennen 7
donavan mitchell 13
franz wagner 8
trey murphy 17

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Chris Mullins was an elite shooter that could play in the frontcourt in his era. At 6’ 7” 210, Kneuppel is an athletically limited backcourt player.

Sorber intrigues me with his passing ability, he may not stretch the floor with 3pt but the passing could open the court in other ways.

Same with Yaxel Lendeborg. But at 7 he would be a huge reach. I wouldn't mind moving back to net an additionnal pick to have a chance to draft a combination of players like Saraf and Lendeborg.

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Originally Posted by fullcourtpress

somebody good will be there

as of today, id probably pick

jeramiah fears (assuming tre johnson is gone) Personally im a believer in Jase despite his lack of height, he does have a better wingspan than fears, but barely

only because we need an above average ball handler/ lead guard

I think Kon knueppel and Maluach may be better prospects. knueppel is chris mullin 2.0
Maluach had the best plus minus around last year, higher than flagg at +15 per 100

AND my boy Rasheer Flemming's wingspan actually was 7' 5". Lethal 3pt shooter and shot blocker is what we have been looking for
but again, with Murray hurt we simply must find a PG.

how do yal feel about Egor Denim?



some recent draftees at or beyond #7
Halliburton 12
tyrese maxey 21
SGA 11
jalen williams 12
tyler herro 13
laurie markennen 7
donavan mitchell 13
franz wagner 8
trey murphy 17

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The last thing on earth we should be doing is worrying about holes on the current team. Just draft the best player, it's not like anyone on the team now will even be there after whoever we draft finishes his rookie contract.

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Originally Posted by Darkhorse985

I am predicting Maulach or Fears.

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My annual dream is that we don't throw every available resource into a big that can't shoot. Still waiting for it to come true so....Maulach it is, I'm sure.

Why we would pick a center? We drafted Missi last year and is still a player in development, why we want two centers from two drafts in a row? No sense.

Johnson, Fears or Kueppel.



#1 option: Johnson, if we are gonna trade CJ MCcollum plus we don't have BI points anymore and we need 3pt shoot to continue with Zion game. Perfect fit. Type of player that scores 16-18ppp since the first year. Potential to be one of the best scorers in the league.

#2 option: Fears, our future pure PG, but rookie PG's needs more time to adapt plus he is not a capable 3pt shooter to fit with Zion. I've read he is great in the P&R, could be a better option definitely than MCcollum PG.

#3 option: Knueppel if we want to add more role key players as Herb or Trey, very good shooter to pair with Zion but I have doubts in the defense... a role player with the #7 pick?

Johnson seems the perfect fit, if not Fears or Knueppel could be good options as well. Honestly I think Johnson might be heading to Washinton, they need offense scorers.

I think it?s very unlikely Johnson makes it to 7 at this point. Some not sold on Missi?s defensive rebounding and rim protection. I guess the thought is you could keep both (if drafting Maluach) or trade Yves.

i think knuppel is an afterthought by many, as he is stocky, Caucasian, sorta unathletic like Doncic and Jokic, but if you watched Duke games this year, he enhances everything he does on court to winning,esp on the offensive side of the ball, similarly to Dyson Daniels effect on the defensive side of game. my favorite is Johnson, but won't be displeased with Knuppel

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Originally Posted by Spanish_pelican

Why we would pick a center? We drafted Missi last year and is still a player in development, why we want two centers from two drafts in a row? No sense.

Johnson, Fears or Kueppel.



#1 option: Johnson, if we are gonna trade CJ MCcollum plus we don't have BI points anymore and we need 3pt shoot to continue with Zion game. Perfect fit. Type of player that scores 16-18ppp since the first year. Potential to be one of the best scorers in the league.

#2 option: Fears, our future pure PG, but rookie PG's needs more time to adapt plus he is not a capable 3pt shooter to fit with Zion. I've read he is great in the P&R, could be a better option definitely than MCcollum PG.

#3 option: Knueppel if we want to add more role key players as Herb or Trey, very good shooter to pair with Zion but I have doubts in the defense... a role player with the #7 pick?

Johnson seems the perfect fit, if not Fears or Knueppel could be good options as well. Honestly I think Johnson might be heading to Washinton, they need offense scorers.

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At this point I'm in.complete agreement

No.way Tre makes it thougj

I think Fears might end up being the second best player in this draft. So if he's there at 7, I'm hoping the Pels pick him. He easily has the best handles in the draft. His free throw percentage suggests his shooting can be really good despite the low 3 point shooting percentage at this point. And his jump shot looks fine, unlike plenty of players that come into the league with a broken looking jumpshot that people always hope will be fixed, which never happens. He took a raggedy ****** team to the tournament even though they lost the first game.

The expected #2 & 3 pick teammates couldn't even do that. I don't care how bad the rest of your team is, how do you not make the tourney with 2 of the 3 supposed best players in the country. Even Chris Paul took a group of nobodies to the sweet 16 as a freshman. Basically it makes me consider both of them as eventual Kuminga level players. They'll get theirs but they don't make winning plays.

I think Fears can be a Tony Parker-esque type of player in the league. And another point about his three point shooting percent in college... it is remarkably similar to Tyrese Maxey. Reality is, the best players from this draft are all going to come down to work ethic once they get that NBA contract and to this point Fears might have one of the best work ethics in this class as well.

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Originally Posted by ml wave

My annual dream is that we don't throw every available resource into a big that can't shoot. Still waiting for it to come true so....Maulach it is, I'm sure.

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I actually agree. A decent non shooting defensive center can literally be drafted in the second round nearly every draft. I’d take the G or F with highest upside in the top 10 every time. A top 10 center needs to be able to shoot or be Shaq. But we have Joe Dumars running the show, and I highly suspect we will be trying to recreate the 90s.

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Originally Posted by Spanish_pelican

Why we would pick a center? We drafted Missi last year and is still a player in development, why we want two centers from two drafts in a row? No sense.

Johnson, Fears or Kueppel.



#1 option: Johnson, if we are gonna trade CJ MCcollum plus we don't have BI points anymore and we need 3pt shoot to continue with Zion game. Perfect fit. Type of player that scores 16-18ppp since the first year. Potential to be one of the best scorers in the league.

#2 option: Fears, our future pure PG, but rookie PG's needs more time to adapt plus he is not a capable 3pt shooter to fit with Zion. I've read he is great in the P&R, could be a better option definitely than MCcollum PG.

#3 option: Knueppel if we want to add more role key players as Herb or Trey, very good shooter to pair with Zion but I have doubts in the defense... a role player with the #7 pick?

Johnson seems the perfect fit, if not Fears or Knueppel could be good options as well. Honestly I think Johnson might be heading to Washinton, they need offense scorers.

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Dumars didn't draft Missi. He'll have no allegiance to him.

Egor Demin has height and creation you can't teach. Shot looked good at the combine. I'm intrigued.

Sixers Expected To Listen To Offers For No. 3 Overall Pick


https://basketball.realgm.com/wireta...3-Overall-Pick

That article lays out a good argument for staying put at seven. Flagg is on his own tier...then Harper is beneath him but also on his own tier....and since Ace didn't measure out as well as hoped he joins the third tier which is like six players deep.

I'd say that the top 3 picks are available.
Harrison needs Dallas to win now, and no matter the number 1 pick it's incredibly hard to do in year 1, especially with unreliable stars like Davis or Irving.
The Spurs will find themselves with a logjam in the backcourt and they seem to focus on winning asap with Wemby. Maybe they would prefer to move Castle or Fox, but for the right player they might move the 2.
And for the sixers Paul George and Joel Embiid will not get any younger so they need players that contribues to winning next year, so not rookies.

Now for the pelicans in order to trade for one of this pick they'd have at least to include Zion or Murphy in the package. So basically to pivot to a full rebuilding so I'd be surprised if one of this pick ends up in NO.

No way Dallas trades 1.

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Originally Posted by donato

Egor Demin has height and creation you can't teach. Shot looked good at the combine. I'm intrigued.

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im impressed as well. rewatched his highlights. im a fan

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Originally Posted by donato

Sixers Expected To Listen To Offers For No. 3 Overall Pick


https://basketball.realgm.com/wireta...3-Overall-Pick

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Not really surprised. I imagine they end up picking and keeping a player though because the offers probably won't be good enough. I'm not really impressed with the options that are expected to go 3-5. And analytically (remember their GM is huge on analytics), they probably aren't either. Perhaps they're even looking at a minimum of flipping picks with Utah and getting other assets. Let's say for example if Ace Bailey is the assumed #3 pick, but they think Tre Johnson will be just as good, if not better, then try to get something in return rather than just taking Tre Johnson at #3. The #5 pick also makes almost $2m less per year, which helps keep them out of the tax penalty.

Not saying they would do this, but flipping Paul George for Lauri works also works. So if they really regret Paul George's contract and are less concerned about Lauri's due to his age, they could be hoping for #3 and Paul George for #5 and Lauri and maybe even additional assets.

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Originally Posted by donato

No way Dallas trades 1.

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If half of the nonsense he spew after trading away Luka i.e. envisionning to win the title in the next couple of years, he has to trade the pick away for a veteran star player.

Now he's half as smart as he thinks he's, he should keep it.

My draft preferences are to trade up for Harper or stay put at 7 and take either Fears or Knuppel.

I don't think it's possible for a Pelicans basketball fan to watch this player's tournament highlights and, coupled with his combine, and not consider him as our pick.

https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervie...711D&FORM=VIRE


He wasn't on my list of candidates, but after watching this closely he is, he may be the one i want. There are several plays/passes he makes that the other prospects dont (ex 2:39)

His season highlights didnt do it for me, He looked timid...... he doesn't any longer. He took over when it mattered; Plus that a nice amount of plays for a two game tournament run

his size, build and handles were on display as well. He's better than Giddey

De'Aaron Fox has only a year left on his contract, right?

If so, I could totally see the Spurs keeping the pick, taking Harper, and going through this season with Fox, Castle, Harper, and CP3 before determining who pairs best with Wemby. At the least I think they'll let it go until the trade deadline. I don't think the #2 pick is up for sale at all.

It sounds like this is a two guy draft and Philly hearing offers for the #3 kinda proves that. I hope we stay put.

I don't think the franchise is stuck, though
It's all about Giannis. If he leaves Milwaukee and they don't get another superstar in return for him we are cooking.

I would be thrilled with Egor Demin, yes we are filled at wings but we really need smart player and creator on the team and he looks like he will be one. Reminds me a lot of Franz Wagner, he is tall and strong and also plays very smart. He is not great shooter right now but im reading that he was scorching hot on the workouts last couple of days, hit 16 3s in a row in 30 seconds yesterday in Chicago.

Kon or Khaman.

So far my board go like this :
First tier : let's hope two teams fall in love with other players (Maluach, Fears or Demin with their upside for exemple)
VJ Edgecomb
Tre Johnson
One man can dream, right ?

Second tier : I really like them but let's pray the 3pt shot improved
Demin
Jakucionis
Fears

Demin FT% worry me way more than the other two regarding shooting accuracy, but I value highly the fact that he was able to get out of his mid year slump and to deliver in the tourney, that's a useful in the NBA.
I appreciate Jaku choice to still play while injured instead of shutting down to protect his draft stock like many prospect before him did in recent years. In my opinion his floor is the PG version of Valanciunas, reliable pro with good IQ.
Fears is the only of the 3 that I don't envision to be able to share the court with McCollum or Murray if/when he returns and maybe even an issue alongside Zion, given the amount of money tied, it might cost a lot to select him. If you add that he's smaller and a worse passer, I think that's why I'm lower on him.

Third tier : it feels like a reach but I really feel he's underrated
Rasheer Fleming

Fourth tier: not a fan, but seem fair value
Maluach
Queen
Knueppel

While I currently probably prefer Jeremiah Fears at #7 (assuming Utah/Washington don't snag him), I do find Thomas Sorber a bit interesting.

His height/wingspan of 6'9.25"/7'6" is pretty rare. That size with his passing ability (2.4 assists per game) is even more uniquely rare. If you go back to 2010, I couldn't find a single other player with a wingspan of 7'5"+ and 2+ assists per game as a freshman. Evan Mobley didn't attend the NBA combine but I think the assumption is he has a 7'4" wingspan. If it was 7'5" he'd be the only other player I could find. And Wendell Carter has a 7'4.5" wingspan while Greg Monroe had a 7'4" wingspan, so they're both close.

But here's the list of players drafted with a wingspan of at least 7'5" AND averaged at least 1 assist per game (10 game minimum - Bol Bol only played 9 games otherwise he makes the list with a total of 9 assists in 9 games) as freshmen:

DeMarcus Cousins
Anthony Davis
Thomas Bryant
Jaren Jackson
Chet Holmgren
Jalen Duren
DeAndre Ayton
Jahlil Okafor
Joel Embiid

Most of that list is pretty darn good. Only Chet Holmgren and DeAndre Ayton on that list above averaged at least 1.5 assists per game. If you filter it further to include only players with also 6+ rebounds per game (Sorber was 8.5 per game), then Thomas Bryant and Jaren Jackson are excluded.

And here's the list I could find of first round PF/Cs since 2010 that averaged at least 2 assists per game as college freshmen before getting drafted:

Paolo Banchero
Jabari Smith
Evan Mobley
Alperen Sengun (international stats as what would have been his freshman year)
Zion Williamson
Wendell Carter
Aaron Gordon
Dario Saric (international stats in what would have been his freshman year)
Greg Monroe

Also for the most part a very solid list. However he's coming off of a season ending foot injury/surgery. I don't know the severity of that or how doctors might estimate it's long term affects on his NBA career.

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Demin had a positive week at the combine in Chicago, measuring bigger than expected at 6-9? in shoes and then putting on one of the most impressive pro day performances we've seen in some time, causing even the most skeptical of NBA evaluators to acknowledge his undeniable talent.

Demin has made significant gains with his body and will continue to fill out with his youthful appearance, while making a barrage of 3-pointers with picture-perfect mechanics and a lightning-quick release that offered significant room for optimism despite hitting 27% of his 3-pointers in his lone season at BYU. Also, NBA teams raved about his interviews in Chicago, where he came off as serious.

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msn


He's got to be our pick

Depends what you think of demin's shooting.

Seems like a Josh Giddey prospect

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Originally Posted by RaisingTheBar

Kon or Khaman.

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That's mostly where I am. I do think there are other possible options, maybe if someone slides for example, but assuming that we keep the pick and the names everyone expects are already gone, I feel like Kon or Khaman are the shouts.

I see a lot of people who are interested in Demin, but for me, Demin is more of a 20th pick than a 7th pick - someone else suggested he's kinda like Giddey and honestly that's not a bad comparison. Obviously he's splashed a bit of shooting in the workouts and such but I'm always a bit hesitant to put that on a pedestal, especially when I didn't see it all myself. If the shooting hits I get him being more valuable but it's been so rough up to now I'm sceptical.

Seen some others talking about Jeremiah Fears; again, just can't get with it. Maybe I'm just feeling stung by Kira, but the idea of drafting an undersized PG with very little defensive versatility and questionable efficacy at the rim based on the fact that he's fast and a solid passer at a very young age puts a sour taste in my mouth. Especially given that Fears is a much worse shooter than Kira was at the time.

I totally understand that they're different players and I do think Fears has some advantages over Kira (his handle is better, for example) but the similarities are clear enough that without Fears having like, one clear standout skill (can't finish, can't shoot, etc) I'm once-bitten twice-shy on that. Maybe if we were picking 15th and he was still there, but not at 7.

Kon was someone I wasn't super hot on early but he has grown on me. Reality is that despite my misgivings about his mediocre defense and only functional secondary passing, the guy can shoot. High volume, high efficiency, 90%+ at the FT line, good form. It's all there, and this team really does still need that, especially as mentioned with Hawk not really showing out yet and CJ aging. Defensively, he's fine as a team defender which can work and he can do a little off the dribble. He's a real option. Blistering shooter.

Khaman right now is a simple prospect but what he can do is both very obvious and valuable. Dude's huge, finishes incredibly well at the rim (76.9% at the rim; in the NBA, even 70% is wildly efficient on volume. It's where Jokic, Duren, Mobley, Gobert, and Lebron are, roughly), blocks shots, moves fairly well in space, and absolutely devours offensive rebounds. In non-college play he showed some signs of a handle, kinda, but it was only in fast break type situations and who knows if that will ever advance. All of those things are valuable. Maybe one day he develops more as a passer, because he's functionally not one right now, and adds some wrinkles to his offensive game because right now he's a rim runner and lob threat and not much else, but those are major tools in modern NBA offenses. Even if he never develops anything else, he's got what he needs to play the NBA game now and those things project out at a pretty high level which says a lot for upside. And again, super young.

If Khaman can be 80% of Rudy Gobert, which I think is a semi-realistic high end outcome, that's worth a 7th pick for sure.

Ever since the Boogie/AD combo ruptured I've been salivating for a biggie big combo. It's like I know that's not modern NBA but big men have to get a revolution eventually and it feels like it's kind of starting to happen. Zion, Khaman, Missi, TMIII, and Herb would be a pretty killer front court rotation if Khaman and Missi develop well.








And everyone stays healthy.

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Originally Posted by msusousaphone

Ever since the Boogie/AD combo ruptured I've been salivating for a biggie big combo. It's like I know that's not modern NBA but big men have to get a revolution eventually and it feels like it's kind of starting to happen. Zion, Khaman, Missi, TMIII, and Herb would be a pretty killer front court rotation if Khaman and Missi develop well.

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I will say, the problem with that is the shooting. That's probably what might push me to pick Kon over Khaman if they were both there, since we already have Missi and he had a positive rookie year. On the other hand, the new FO might just think 'yeah well, we didn't draft Missi, so we're gonna pick our guy' and take Khaman.

Zion/Khaman/Missi/TM3/Herb is just a group with so much difficulty spacing it's incredible. Only TM3 is a reliable 3pt shooter there (I know Herb was good last year but he was not good this year for the short time he played). Obviously you wouldn''t play them all at once, you'd be hoping for it to be a Khaman/Missi rotation at the C spot but with Hawk not really showing up, DJM being out and who knows what he'll look like when he gets back, and CJ aging, this team would be in desperate, desperate need for shooting in that situation.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

That's mostly where I am. I do think there are other possible options, maybe if someone slides for example, but assuming that we keep the pick and the names everyone expects are already gone, I feel like Kon or Khaman are the shouts.

I see a lot of people who are interested in Demin, but for me, Demin is more of a 20th pick than a 7th pick - someone else suggested he's kinda like Giddey and honestly that's not a bad comparison. Obviously he's splashed a bit of shooting in the workouts and such but I'm always a bit hesitant to put that on a pedestal, especially when I didn't see it all myself. If the shooting hits I get him being more valuable but it's been so rough up to now I'm sceptical.

Seen some others talking about Jeremiah Fears; again, just can't get with it. Maybe I'm just feeling stung by Kira, but the idea of drafting an undersized PG with very little defensive versatility and questionable efficacy at the rim based on the fact that he's fast and a solid passer at a very young age puts a sour taste in my mouth. Especially given that Fears is a much worse shooter than Kira was at the time.

I totally understand that they're different players and I do think Fears has some advantages over Kira (his handle is better, for example) but the similarities are clear enough that without Fears having like, one clear standout skill (can't finish, can't shoot, etc) I'm once-bitten twice-shy on that. Maybe if we were picking 15th and he was still there, but not at 7.

Kon was someone I wasn't super hot on early but he has grown on me. Reality is that despite my misgivings about his mediocre defense and only functional secondary passing, the guy can shoot. High volume, high efficiency, 90%+ at the FT line, good form. It's all there, and this team really does still need that, especially as mentioned with Hawk not really showing out yet and CJ aging. Defensively, he's fine as a team defender which can work and he can do a little off the dribble. He's a real option. Blistering shooter.

Khaman right now is a simple prospect but what he can do is both very obvious and valuable. Dude's huge, finishes incredibly well at the rim (76.9% at the rim; in the NBA, even 70% is wildly efficient on volume. It's where Jokic, Duren, Mobley, Gobert, and Lebron are, roughly), blocks shots, moves fairly well in space, and absolutely devours offensive rebounds. In non-college play he showed some signs of a handle, kinda, but it was only in fast break type situations and who knows if that will ever advance. All of those things are valuable. Maybe one day he develops more as a passer, because he's functionally not one right now, and adds some wrinkles to his offensive game because right now he's a rim runner and lob threat and not much else, but those are major tools in modern NBA offenses. Even if he never develops anything else, he's got what he needs to play the NBA game now and those things project out at a pretty high level which says a lot for upside. And again, super young.

If Khaman can be 80% of Rudy Gobert, which I think is a semi-realistic high end outcome, that's worth a 7th pick for sure.

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khaman is undoubtedly the safest pick. I would even say it's a position of need. Missi looked good last year for two reasons:
1. we all thought he wouldn't be able to contribute at all in year
2 the extended minutes he was getting cause we sucked and weren't competitive

By years end, he finished like 4th amongst rookie bigs when one looks at his efficiency, right behind the three taken before him in the draft and i believe even Matkovic.


If our GM doesn't want to gamble with this selection at all, Maluach would be the selection. And it makes sense.

Personally i just don't want to see us start the season with only Zion and Jose as ball handlers; hence, i want a PG. I'd take Denim or Fears in that order

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Originally Posted by fullcourtpress

Personally i just don't want to see us start the season with only Zion and Jose as ball handlers; hence, i want a PG. I'd take Denim or Fears in that order

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Drafting for immediate need is usually a pretty bad idea imo, you should be drafting the people who you think either have the highest upside or who at least have the most obvious paths to NBA success. In this draft, there aren't really any obvious choices for ballhandler success outside of Cooper or Harper - everyone after that has big question marks.

I just don't think the upside for Fears or Demin is there (unless either of them really can shoot, which obviously is a big difference maker for anyone).

If I were going to get super hype over Demin and try for ballhandling, I'd be trying to move back in the draft. Trade #7 for something like #10 or #11 and try to grab a second asset, and then just draft either Demin there (he's currently 11th in ESPN's most recent mock) or Kasparas Jakucionis who is, imo, equally as good as a prospect in a lot of fairly similar ways.

Frankly I feel like moving back, if possible, might be a good idea. It's only one spot, but if Brooklyn would take #7 and maybe something minor like a 2nd rounder or something in exchange for #8 and #28 (they would still have #27 as well, so they'd still have two picks in this draft) then I'd do that. Draft either Kon or Khaman at #8, whoever is available, and then draft someone like Rasheer Fleming (27th on ESPN) or Nique Clifford (23rd on ESPN) in the latter position.

Just trying to get multiple bites at the cherry.

funny,I was just thinking the same scenario for trade

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Drafting for immediate need is usually a pretty bad idea imo, you should be drafting the people who you think either have the highest upside or who at least have the most obvious paths to NBA success. In this draft, there aren't really any obvious choices for ballhandler success outside of Cooper or Harper - everyone after that has big question marks.

I just don't think the upside for Fears or Demin is there (unless either of them really can shoot, which obviously is a big difference maker for anyone).

If I were going to get super hype over Demin and try for ballhandling, I'd be trying to move back in the draft. Trade #7 for something like #10 or #11 and try to grab a second asset, and then just draft either Demin there (he's currently 11th in ESPN's most recent mock) or Kasparas Jakucionis who is, imo, equally as good as a prospect in a lot of fairly similar ways.

Frankly I feel like moving back, if possible, might be a good idea. It's only one spot, but if Brooklyn would take #7 and maybe something minor like a 2nd rounder or something in exchange for #8 and #28 (they would still have #27 as well, so they'd still have two picks in this draft) then I'd do that. Draft either Kon or Khaman at #8, whoever is available, and then draft someone like Rasheer Fleming (27th on ESPN) or Nique Clifford (23rd on ESPN) in the latter position.

Just trying to get multiple bites at the cherry.

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I hear ya, and agree on trading back a bit if the right deal came along.
Like one where we could net a Cedric Coward type.

But when i watch Maluach I see him playing slow, and i see him being moved with his high hips and upright stance. Although ive seen him switch defensively pretty well... he wont be a switch defender. Nor does he go north south fast enough for many lobs.

that being said, he's amazing as a rim protector and undoubtedly a NBA starter.

maybe im wrong but at 7 im still shooting for a possible future all-star, and seemingly the guards have a better chance of that. they also have a better chance of being a bust as well i presume. but i think the PG's will be good. Neither of their 3 pt shots were impressive during the season, but Fears was elite getting to the line and converted at 85%, and Denim's shot and confidence really took off in the tournament and id bet on him shooting above 35% as well

Is Fears even a bad shooter? I believe he shot 44% on jump shots from mid range (Brandon Ingram was at about 47% from mid range and he's one of the best in the league at that. KD is on another level at about 55%). Not elite, but pretty solid, especially as the main focal point of the offense. And he was 36-37% on catch and shoot 3s. It was the pull up 3s that was the problem. I'm not going to pretend to assume he's just going to improve from 3 overall in the NBA like Maxey (29% in college) or Fox (25%), but his jump shot doesn't look broken like some guys that come into the league as poor shooters, like maybe the most obnoxious example being MKG. Dyson being a more relevant and recent example for the Pels.

And every time I watch him play, he directly reminds me of Tony Parker. Tony Parker notoriously wasn't a 3 point shooter. But he attacked the paint at will and constantly drew fouls and was at the top of the league at points in the paint. The driving in the paint while low to the ground, the spin moves, the fake spin moves into fadeaway jumpers, the floaters, etc. It's literally like watching the same player.

He has all those moves in his repertoire already at 18 as well which is the scary part for how good he can become. Their build is also almost the exact same from height to wingspan to weight. But maybe too many people are looking at lead guards to be more like Curry than someone like Parker in today's NBA. I think that's a massive mistake. No one can replicate Curry.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

I will say, the problem with that is the shooting. That's probably what might push me to pick Kon over Khaman if they were both there, since we already have Missi and he had a positive rookie year. On the other hand, the new FO might just think 'yeah well, we didn't draft Missi, so we're gonna pick our guy' and take Khaman.

Zion/Khaman/Missi/TM3/Herb is just a group with so much difficulty spacing it's incredible. Only TM3 is a reliable 3pt shooter there (I know Herb was good last year but he was not good this year for the short time he played). Obviously you wouldn''t play them all at once, you'd be hoping for it to be a Khaman/Missi rotation at the C spot but with Hawk not really showing up, DJM being out and who knows what he'll look like when he gets back, and CJ aging, this team would be in desperate, desperate need for shooting in that situation.

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Yep. I agree with everything you've said so far.

I'm not expecting much from this coming season especially if we're relying on this pick and DJM to slot in as starters. Just fun and promising development is on my wishlist unless we can manipulate a Giannis trade to get better players.

I am seeing Herb as being able to get back to his last healthy season's 3 numbers and if we make that front court our core, we're really just two to three great 3 point shooting guards from being back into contention. The guards wouldn't even need to be stellar at D with that front court.

I also agree that Kon would give us a promising outlook, too. I think we'd still need a pretty good big to pair with Zion and Missi but the team would feel much more complete with Kon and a healthy DJM.

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Originally Posted by bradael

Is Fears even a bad shooter? I believe he shot 44% on jump shots from mid range (Brandon Ingram was at about 47% from mid range and he's one of the best in the league at that. KD is on another level at about 55%). Not elite, but pretty solid, especially as the main focal point of the offense. And he was 36-37% on catch and shoot 3s. It was the pull up 3s that was the problem. I'm not going to pretend to assume he's just going to improve from 3 overall in the NBA like Maxey (29% in college) or Fox (25%), but his jump shot doesn't look broken like some guys that come into the league as poor shooters, like maybe the most obnoxious example being MKG. Dyson being a more relevant and recent example for the Pels.

And every time I watch him play, he directly reminds me of Tony Parker. Tony Parker notoriously wasn't a 3 point shooter. But he attacked the paint at will and constantly drew fouls and was at the top of the league at points in the paint. The driving in the paint while low to the ground, the spin moves, the fake spin moves into fadeaway jumpers, the floaters, etc. It's literally like watching the same player.

He has all those moves in his repertoire already at 18 as well which is the scary part for how good he can become. Their build is also almost the exact same from height to wingspan to weight. But maybe too many people are looking at lead guards to be more like Curry than someone like Parker in today's NBA. I think that's a massive mistake. No one can replicate Curry.

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I'm talking about his 3pt %age, yeah. I don't really care about his midrange stats because not only do you need to be truly electric from midrange for it to matter (and he's not) but nobody is drafting a rookie to come in and revolutionise their offense through the innovative use of contested 16 footers.

Could he improve in the NBA? Sure, no question about it. He's super young and he's a good FT shooter, which are both promising. I'm just not betting on it when he has so many other obvious issues.

Edit: For context, I actually would say that I like the idea of Maluach as a shooter at the 5. I know that sounds a bit weird because he didn't really take them at Duke, and when he did he only shot a very disappointing 25%, but he shot a very respectable 77% from the FT line and his pre-college sample shows a reasonable willingness and capability at taking 3s. At the BAL level, he shot 4 3s per 36, which is quite a lot when you consider how little time he actually spent on the perimeter, and he shot about 33% on those. Obviously things change, he's a bit taller now than then, he didn't take many at Duke, et cetera, but I think there's room for some belief there. Not huge guarantees, but a sneaking suspicion.

Just saw this while checking something and somehow I had missed it. It's an interview with Khaman.



There's a great section where he's talking about why he chose Duke over other offers he had, and in particular, the influence of Zion Williamson on him.

Quoting here:

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To me, honestly, I've known Duke a couple of years after I started basketball. So I started basketball around 2019 and then around 2021 that's when I know about Duke because I saw videos of Zion dominating and dunking, that was in high school, and when I found out that this guy went to Duke that's how I got to know Duke. Then I researched more and found out that Duke had a lot of NBA players and I was like, wow.

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and then in another source, lifted from this Sports Illustrated article (https://www.si.com/nba/draft/newsfee...ion-williamson) he mentions this:

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When I tried to explain to my cousins that I am at Duke they don't get it, but when I tell them that I am a Zion Williamson it is cool, they get it."

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That's it then, we must draft Khaman Maluach. Let the guy play with Zion.

It's so funny that one of the most prestigious colleges in the world let's in a guy who barley even knows what the place is because he plays a game well.

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Originally Posted by msusousaphone

It's so funny that one of the most prestigious colleges in the world let's in a guy who barley even knows what the place is because he plays a game well.

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I think outside of the top handful of universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, University of Tokyo, et cetera, most people from outside a given country don't know anything about the colleges and universities in other places. Duke's ranked lower than the Technical University of Munich, but I have a feeling that most Americans barely know that place exists, for example.

And of course, it's not just because he plays the game well. It's because him playing the game well stands to make them lots of money. And Goddamn, do universities like money.

Ill be okay with Maluach in a sense cause he probably has the lowest floor of anyone we could take. We do need rim protection and he is huge and young.
. But in regards to what our team needs to win a championship it seems to me like you need someone who can dribble, pass and shoot the three. Denim, Fears and Tre johnson all seem like they have potential to be on the list below


With Curry and Doncic losing in the last round we still have left:

SGA
Jalen Brunson
Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Haliburton

On top of that my previous post, spending our #7 pick on a big that doesn't stretch the floor seems wasteful to me.

Porzingis, Myles Turner, Karl Anthony Towns, Chet Holmgren, Horford... the only team who had a big man that can't shoot is Minn (but he's a DPOY and they have Naz Reid)




It's almost standard for them to be shooters, especially with Zion Williams as the man. If we covet a big, we should try and move back a few spots and take a Maxime Raynaud. People are sleeping on him despite much like they did Bezellis last year, he's at least like a young Kelly Olynyk


or even Rasheer Flemming seems like a better fit really.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

I'm talking about his 3pt %age, yeah. I don't really care about his midrange stats because not only do you need to be truly electric from midrange for it to matter (and he's not) but nobody is drafting a rookie to come in and revolutionise their offense through the innovative use of contested 16 footers.

Could he improve in the NBA? Sure, no question about it. He's super young and he's a good FT shooter, which are both promising. I'm just not betting on it when he has so many other obvious issues.

Edit: For context, I actually would say that I like the idea of Maluach as a shooter at the 5. I know that sounds a bit weird because he didn't really take them at Duke, and when he did he only shot a very disappointing 25%, but he shot a very respectable 77% from the FT line and his pre-college sample shows a reasonable willingness and capability at taking 3s. At the BAL level, he shot 4 3s per 36, which is quite a lot when you consider how little time he actually spent on the perimeter, and he shot about 33% on those. Obviously things change, he's a bit taller now than then, he didn't take many at Duke, et cetera, but I think there's room for some belief there. Not huge guarantees, but a sneaking suspicion.

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These seem a bit contradictory to argue against one player because of a poor 3 point percentage, but then pull for another who had an even lower 3 point percentage because of his free throw shooting, when the first guy had a significantly better free throw percentage.

Fears' midrange ability isn't his best part of his game, but that ability is pretty solid already. He attacks the paint and draws fouls better than most guards that have come out the last few years. That's the strength. The ability to play off of that and get good shots from midrange and defenders are trying not to foul or are expecting him to get into the paint is the counterplay that strengthens his game. And that's the point. This part of his game is already developed. It shows he works tirelessly at his game, which in reality is what's going to make or break the 7th pick. The best player at that pick, barring injury, will be the one who has the best work ethic.

People here that don't like Fears clearly don't because they have Kira Lewis PTSD yet those two players have nothing in common in their game outside of their speed in the open court. Kira played too scared to attack the paint. His ACL injury early in his second season didn't do him any favors, but he was purely a developmental prospect. He even shot under 31% from midrange in college. And maybe most importantly of all, his handle wasn't anywhere close to Fears. So we're talking about someone who needed to improve his handles, improve his jump shooting, and improve his confidence to get into the paint. Add an ACL injury on top of that and no wonder he failed.

Likewise, Khaman is a massive developmental prospect. He has a poor understanding of the game at this stage and his hands are atrocious. Compare his hands to Sorber and it's night and day. Sorber catches even the worst passes with ease and turns those bad passes into decent positioning to get easy shots at the basket. The only concern I have for Sorber is his foot.

That being said, I doubt Fears is going to be there at 7. Assuming 3-5 Are some combination of VJ, Bailey, and Tre Johnson, then I'm expecting Washington to take Fears and flip him to Brooklyn, who badly needs a point guard. Washington can then get the guy they want at 8 as I don't think the guys they're looking at are necessarily overlapping with New Orleans.