if we didnt get a big....id be stoked if we could somehow land Devin Carter. I think he'll be another tyrese maxey.
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if we didnt get a big....id be stoked if we could somehow land Devin Carter. I think he'll be another tyrese maxey.
The motor concerns are massively overrated. Everyone I've spoken to has said that that's improved, and watching him the last season, almost all signs of it have gone. People who harp on the motor are using problems from multiple years ago as if it applies today.
Besides, unless they're truly dire, motor style concerns really don't bother me. I still remember people debating whether Jaylen Brown should be drafted where he was because they questioned his commitment to hoops. Anthony Edwards too.
Basketball.
Paul George compared Bronny to Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. I think we need to consider it if he is there at our 1st pick. He will like it here. Just like Zion.
I don't think that's entirely accurate. I can see where PG is coming from, but I think it vastly overstates the projection for Bronny, largely because of size.
Bronny is good. I think he deserves to be drafted and it's not all just name value. But he is much smaller than both of those guys, and while his pre-college sample projects him well as a shooter, I don't necessarily think we can pencil him in for the explosive shooting that would be needed to overcome the size and strength gap there is between someone like him and Jrue offensively.
And White happens to be massive compared to both Jrue and Bronny, so he's got a different set of demands placed on him that can allow him to have a worse handle; Bronny doesn't get that luxury at 6'1.
I wouldn't take Bronny first round, probably. Maybe if there's some bizarro-draft where nobody drops and everyone else is gone before it gets to our pick, sure, but there are probably better bets available by the time it gets to us.
Since the draft is basically here, here's my rough tier list of players in this draft.
It's a flat draft with no true superstars, so it's honestly a bit of a mixed bag. Keep in mind that this tier list is not Pelicans specific, but is just my general thoughts about the players. In some cases, I have people higher or lower when it comes to the Pelicans. In bold are players that, if they're available at 21, I think the Pels should absolutely go for.
Tier 1 (Mega-star prospects):
- Nobody
Tier 2 (Complimentary all-star level guys, secondary tier stars):
- Alex Sarr
- Ron Holland
Tier 3 (Starter tier upside, outside shot at being a star)
- Isaiah Collier
- Nikola Topic
- Rob Dillingham
- Reed Sheppard
- Kel'el Ware
- Matas Buzelis
Tier 4 (Decent, solid mid tier prospects. Some star chances but very small, roleplayer upside is there though)
- Stephon Castle
- Zaccharie Risacher
- Devin Carter
- DaRon Holmes
- Yves Missi
- Bub Carrington
- Cody Williams
- Tidjane Salaun
- Donovan Clingan
- Zach Edey
- Dalton Knecht
- Ajay Williams
- Tyler Smith
- Jared McCain
Everyone after that is just kind of a sludge of interchangeability depending on team confidence and stuff. But that's 22 names, so there should be at least one of them still there when we pick.
Last edited by Pelicanidae; 06-24-2024 at 04:44 PM.
I hope the pelicans stay away from Missi.
I hardly see what he has over Chomche. They basically have the same measurements, both have limited feel for the game due to lack of experience, Ulrich has a better upside with his shooting ability and is 2 years younger.
Missi screens well making contact from both sides, with elite recovery skills, fantastic hip mobility, and got to the line at a frankly insane rate. His decision making skills are also pretty excellent, albeit not exactly diverse.
Chomche has basically no NBA ready skills right this minute. He's flashed some intriguing passing upside, and shot a good percentage from 3, but he also shot 42% from the floor as a big man against terrible competition, has been extremely inconsistent, and has extremely under-developed decision making skills.
While it's true that his ultimate ceiling is certainly higher than Missi's, his floor is also comfortably lower I think and he has a lot further to go before he's at a level where you can assume a median outcome. If he goes somewhere with great development that can afford to basically burn a year or two on him getting up to speed, it'll work out well, but I'm not sure how many teams are looking to take on projects like that.
It's not like Missi floor is so high. He may struggle to even be able to stay on court in his rookie campaign. So give me the high ceiling over the dubious floor.
It's true that Missi's floor isn't giant - that's why he's in the tier marked roleplayer upside. Obviously if your upside looks like a decent roleplayer, your floor is worse than that, and worse than a role player is a fringe NBA player or worse.
It's not a great draft. That's kinda the entire point.
The problem is that Missi right now, to me, looks like someone who has a realistic pathway to being on an NBA roster and still contributing by the end of his rookie contract. Chomche may accomplish the same thing, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he went the Smailagic way.
Whatever happened to Liam Robbins, the Sec defensive player of the year, the Pels signed last year as an UDFA.
He was supposed to be a rim protecting C.
It's that the Hornets unashamedly quit so quickly in Game 4 after fans in New Orleans showed up this season with greater regularity than the team could have ever dreamed, shaming misinformed know-it-alls like me who kept telling you that local residents couldn't possibly invest their time and money into something as trivial as rooting for the local basketball team while still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. - Mark Stien ESPN
Robbins had a season ending injury in G-league in january.
Most mocks project Missi to be the pick for the pelicans. I hope they are wrong or that out FO saw something in him that I missed because I'd be so salty if NO chose him over someone like Ware or Collier.
It's 21. The likelihood of getting a difference maker there, especially in such a weak draft, is pretty slim.
Eh, I think in pretty much every draft theres someone available at 21 that ends up being good. It's just a question of whether or not you're locked into the right things, have a good developmental process, and get a little lucky.
The likelihood is slim, but it's not zero. Someone's gotta be the lucky one, why not us?
Most people consider 2000 the worst draft ever, and even that still had Eddie House and Michael Redd available at 21.
2013, too, most people consider pretty awful and that still had Gobert and Reggie Bullock on the board at 21.
The odds do decrease, but they're always there because teams regularly pass on good players for baffling reasons. Brandon Clarke and Desmond Bane come to mind as fairly recent examples of players who most ''draft guys'' had as lottery players, who dropped for frankly silly reasons, and who ended up being picked past #21 and both were good.
For all we know, this year's ''wait, what?'' drops will be like, I don't know, Ron Holland and Kel'el ware, in which case taking them both at #21 is a no-brainer for upside.
I’m thinking we’ll move 21 in a BI deal, so all these prospect takes might be moot, but if we do make the pick I hope we don’t shoehorn a big at 21. If a guy like Dillingham is still available you take him that kid gets buckets. He’s not Trae Young but he can develop into an exciting player.
Last edited by DroopyDawg; 06-26-2024 at 05:55 AM.
It's a fair concern, he's very small and the skill level demanded on such small players is high.
I will say though, he's a better prospect than Kira. The thing about Kira was that he was all ''wow, he's SUPER young and super fast, the potential is crazy!''.
That's not Dillingham. Dillingham's pitch is that he is just legitimately very good at basketball, super polished offensively, a good pull-up shooter, decent passer, etc. That's all right now, not a developmental hope based on age and agility.
Who is our top pick if they fall to our spot (realistically speaking)?
Being semi-realistic (that is, not assuming anyone popularly mocked top 10 is just going to drop, even though that does sometimes happen) here are my thoughts.
Bleacher Report's most recent mock has Ware going 19th - if he fell to 21, I'd take him instantly.
They also have Isaiah Collier 26th. If he was there at 21, he's an absolute steal - I have him top 8.
They have DaRon Holmes at 28th - I'd love him at 21st as well, he's good.
Wasserman posting that Missi might be a late riser on the boards, may not be there at 21.
Dillingham, Holland names I’ve heard in jeopardy of sliding
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) June 26, 2024
Missi potentially going higher, Dillingham and Holland sliding? Intriguing.
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