2024 NBA Draft - DA BULLS Edition Pick #11

[Ice Man]

Side note, but the GB bas a surprising thread about Zach Edey's performance in the combine's agility and speed tests. Previous rookies that he beat on both tests -

Gobert
Boogie
Brook
Portis

He also beat Bam on the agility test (!), although slightly lost to him on the speed test.

Seems to me, a non-draft expert, that between the guy's size, skills, BBIQ, and apparently decent speed (by big man standards), he's worth at least a flyer.

[Jvaughn]

Stephen Castle also scares me. Can't help but see a lot of Issac Okoro in him.

I love Castle, but I'm not going all "Bulls need to draft this guy" on him. So I'm not going to be that guy who defends him constantly in the draft thread. He has a serious flaw. But this is not a great comparison. Different players.

Okoro came out of Auburn projected as an elite perimeter defender with very little offensively. And not just in shooting. Castle comes out projected as a plus perimeter defender (especially after playing dominating perimeter D in the NCAA tourney) and an offensive player with everything except the long ball. He is shifty, drives left and right, has a pull-up mid-range game, goes hard downhill and is closer to a PG than a wing as a passer.

Also, regarding Okoro, if anything his example should offer some degree of hope regarding Castle's long ball. Okoro is one of the best example out there of a guy turning himself into a three point shooter in the NBA.

Not saying Castle is gonna hit. Just don't think the Okoro analogy is a good one.

The Okoro comparison isn't based on style of play. It's more off of impact. And while he's become respectable from 3, it's on low volume. Kind of Bogan-ish. I still have nightmares about Keith.

Don't know Klintman well enough to comment but I'd be totally fine with any of those other three for the exact reasons you state. Problem being they all project to be developmental players and I don't think AK has any intention at all to go that route. He's going to be looking for plug and play guys or will reach for size. If he keeps the pick, which I doubt he will.

Sadly I agree on the bolded. I disagree with the thought process in a crappy draft like this though. These are the times you should definitely swing for the fences and take a shot on a project.

[Jvaughn]

Side note, but the GB bas a surprising thread about Zach Edey's performance in the combine's agility and speed tests. Previous rookies that he beat on both tests -

Gobert
Boogie
Brook
Portis

He also beat Bam on the agility test (!), although slightly lost to him on the speed test.

Seems to me, a non-draft expert, that between the guy's size, skills, BBIQ, and apparently decent speed (by big man standards), he's worth at least a flyer.

Yeah, he's had a very surprising combine so far. Even saw a clip of him draining deep 3s. I always find it sketchy when players show up to the combine and workouts with new skills they've never shown before. I still remember Willie Cauley-Stine hitting Steph distance 3s in workouts, while also looking like Kyrie handling the ball. And we all know how that turned out.

[Jcool0]

Side note, but the GB bas a surprising thread about Zach Edey's performance in the combine's agility and speed tests. Previous rookies that he beat on both tests -

Gobert
Boogie
Brook
Portis

He also beat Bam on the agility test (!), although slightly lost to him on the speed test.

Seems to me, a non-draft expert, that between the guy's size, skills, BBIQ, and apparently decent speed (by big man standards), he's worth at least a flyer.

Either he was being used very specifically at Purdue and they never wanted him deviating from it. Or this is just his team trying to build hype to get him drafted higher. We'll see which it is soon.

[DuckIII]

I'll check him out a bit later, seems to be a bit of negative comments here though regarding him.

I assume those comments begin and end with his 3 ball. Which is legit. But he has all the other attributes you’d like to see.

[Ice Man]

Either he was being used very specifically at Purdue and they never wanted him deviating from it. Or this is just his team trying to build hype to get him drafted higher. We'll see which it is soon.

That stuff is from a fan trying to hype Edey. But the combine results are what the poster said.

[Jcool0]

Either he was being used very specifically at Purdue and they never wanted him deviating from it. Or this is just his team trying to build hype to get him drafted higher. We'll see which it is soon.

That stuff is from a fan trying to hype Edey. But the combine results are what the poster said.

Point is still the same. You can train for the combine, so are the numbers real and he was just in a real specific role at Purdue or is this something that is never going to translate to a real NBA game.

[moorhosj]

Point is still the same. You can train for the combine, so are the numbers real and he was just in a real specific role at Purdue or is this something that is never going to translate to a real NBA game.

I think the most encouraging thing is that he has improved all of his numbers from last year's combine (including losing a few lbs). That all matches the eye test of him being a more mobile and effective player this past year.

------------ lane---shuttle---sprint---vert---max vert
23 Zach Edey - 11.37--- n/a----- 3.45--- 26.0--- 29.5
24 Zach Edey - 11.19--- 3.01---- 3.42--- 26.0--- 31.5

https://www.nba.com/stats/draft/combine-strength-agility?dir=A&sort=POSITION&SeasonYear=2024-25

[kodo]

FYI, here are Cody Zeller's combine tests:

Lane agility: 10.82
Sprint: 3.15
No step vert: 35.5"
Max vert: 37.5"

And he was just a roleplayer in the NBA. Being able to activate that athleticism reflexively in game situations is a different thing.
But still, huge news for Edey and I would imagine he's going at least mid-round now instead of bottom 1st. Will he move up to top 10?

[sco]

FYI, here are Cody Zeller's combine tests:

Lane agility: 10.82
Sprint: 3.15
No step vert: 35.5"
Max vert: 37.5"

And he was just a roleplayer in the NBA. Being able to activate that athleticism reflexively in game situations is a different thing.
But still, huge news for Edey and I would imagine he's going at least mid-round now instead of bottom 1st. Will he move up to top 10?

Nice comparison. To me it is 100% about whether he has a 3pt shot for the NBA. Brolo without the 3 ball would be JAG.

[moorhosj]

FYI, here are Cody Zeller's combine tests:

Lane agility: 10.82
Sprint: 3.15
No step vert: 35.5"
Max vert: 37.5"

And he was just a roleplayer in the NBA. Being able to activate that athleticism reflexively in game situations is a different thing.
But still, huge news for Edey and I would imagine he's going at least mid-round now instead of bottom 1st. Will he move up to top 10?

Cody Zeller also has a "negative" wingspan of 6'11" while being 7' tall. He's stayed in the league because of his elite athleticism for a 5, entirely different players.

[Ice Man]

FYI, here are Cody Zeller's combine tests:

Lane agility: 10.82
Sprint: 3.15
No step vert: 35.5"
Max vert: 37.5"

And he was just a roleplayer in the NBA. Being able to activate that athleticism reflexively in game situations is a different thing.
But still, huge news for Edey and I would imagine he's going at least mid-round now instead of bottom 1st. Will he move up to top 10?

While I understand the general point, Cody was drafted as an athlete who would run the floor and work hard ... his pre-draft report called him a poor finisher in the paint with a "limited jump shot." There were also concerns about his physical strength. Pretty different than Edey's profile.

But yeah, the combine results are just one data point among many.

[The Box Office]

If he falls to #11 you better start asking yourself, "WTF is wrong with him" because he is a consensus Top 5 in nearly every mock draft.


Top 8 is almost certainly in some order:
Sarr - Top 5 lock likely
Risacher - Top 5 lock likely
Topic - Top 5 lock likely
Sheppard - Top 5 lock likely
Clignan - Top 10 lock likely
Castle - Top 10 lock likely
Buzelis - Top 10 lock likely
Knect - Top 10 lock likely

This is the group we should be "focusing" on:
Holland
Dillingham
Williams
Collier
Walter
Salaun
McCain

Nah there is NOTHING wrong. Remember when Tyrese Haliburton fell to us and we passed on him? Remember when I was all over RealGM Bulls Board claiming that Tyrese Haliburton is the number one pick?

I was right.

If Reed Sheppard fell to us, we better NOT pass on him. He's a great player.

Haliburton never 'fell' to the Bulls, he was never projected to be a top 5 pick by any of the experts.

Haliburton wasn't and still isn't the number 1 pick of that draft, that was and is Anthony Edwards.

Haliburton should have been the pick at 4 that year though (although I thought it was a stretch, I really wanted him if we stayed at 7).

Haliburton was there for the taking for us. Don't try to be a revisionist. He was right there for us as we all witnessed. We didn't have to do anything to get Hali. He was right there waiting. Hali was NEVER projected Top 5. People were dissing Hali left and right. Definitely here at Bulls Board.

Anthony Edwards is a stud, but we need more time. Ant doesn't play good defense. He's nowhere near Kobe and LeBron on that end. Those Jordan comparisons are ridiculous and stupid.

Anyways, I think Reed Sheppard is the true NUMBER ONE pick of this draft. Seriously. He should be number one.

[League Circles]

FYI, here are Cody Zeller's combine tests:

Lane agility: 10.82
Sprint: 3.15
No step vert: 35.5"
Max vert: 37.5"

And he was just a roleplayer in the NBA. Being able to activate that athleticism reflexively in game situations is a different thing.
But still, huge news for Edey and I would imagine he's going at least mid-round now instead of bottom 1st. Will he move up to top 10?

Well yeah, Cody Zeller didn't absolutely dominate the NCAA though. Nowhere close to Edey in game impact.

[League Circles]

FYI, here are Cody Zeller's combine tests:

Lane agility: 10.82
Sprint: 3.15
No step vert: 35.5"
Max vert: 37.5"

And he was just a roleplayer in the NBA. Being able to activate that athleticism reflexively in game situations is a different thing.
But still, huge news for Edey and I would imagine he's going at least mid-round now instead of bottom 1st. Will he move up to top 10?

Nice comparison. To me it is 100% about whether he has a 3pt shot for the NBA. Brolo without the 3 ball would be JAG.

I don't see much point in drafting a guy like Edey and asking him to shoot threes. Could he? And should he have it as a minor feature of his game? Sure. But IMO, you draft Edey to try to get him to lead the league in scoring, and from close to the basket. Not saying it will work, but I don't see him as any kind of balanced, well rounded player that you want to fit into some team framework. You draft him to see if he can score 25 ppg on 65% TS%, and if he can, that's your #1 option for 10-15 years.

[2weekswithpay]

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[jnrjr79]

FYI, here are Cody Zeller's combine tests:

Lane agility: 10.82
Sprint: 3.15
No step vert: 35.5"
Max vert: 37.5"

And he was just a roleplayer in the NBA. Being able to activate that athleticism reflexively in game situations is a different thing.
But still, huge news for Edey and I would imagine he's going at least mid-round now instead of bottom 1st. Will he move up to top 10?

Nice comparison. To me it is 100% about whether he has a 3pt shot for the NBA. Brolo without the 3 ball would be JAG.

I don't see much point in drafting a guy like Edey and asking him to shoot threes. Could he? And should he have it as a minor feature of his game? Sure. But IMO, you draft Edey to try to get him to lead the league in scoring, and from close to the basket. Not saying it will work, but I don't see him as any kind of balanced, well rounded player that you want to fit into some team framework. You draft him to see if he can score 25 ppg on 65% TS%, and if he can, that's your #1 option for 10-15 years.

I think in the current NBA, if you are proficient 3-point shooter, you are going to be shooting threes. I can't think of any player that has the skill who a team would tell not to do it. That's not to say he also won't play around the hoop a lot, too.

Whether the little clip from yesterday indicates Edey can actually shoot threes in the NBA when defended is obviously an open question.

[Almost Retired]

I still have a gut feeling that AKME will choose Filipowski to play as a PF, not as a Center. He's not outstanding at any one thing. He's a good passer. Adequate defensively. Average shooter. Cody Williams is another possibility. I just don't see them Drafting another guard unless they trade one of ours. Knecht will probably be gone. Collier is probably not an adequate shooter. Devin Carter is, but again we have enough guards. I don't care at this point whether we keep Patrick. He'll just sleepwalk through half the next seasons. And he doesn't want to play the "4" anyway. In his mind he's a "3".

[Muzbar]

Nah there is NOTHING wrong. Remember when Tyrese Haliburton fell to us and we passed on him? Remember when I was all over RealGM Bulls Board claiming that Tyrese Haliburton is the number one pick?

I was right.

If Reed Sheppard fell to us, we better NOT pass on him. He's a great player.

Haliburton never 'fell' to the Bulls, he was never projected to be a top 5 pick by any of the experts.

Haliburton wasn't and still isn't the number 1 pick of that draft, that was and is Anthony Edwards.

Haliburton should have been the pick at 4 that year though (although I thought it was a stretch, I really wanted him if we stayed at 7).

Haliburton was there for the taking for us. Don't try to be a revisionist. He was right there for us as we all witnessed. We didn't have to do anything to get Hali. He was right there waiting. Hali was NEVER projected Top 5. People were dissing Hali left and right. Definitely here at Bulls Board.

Anthony Edwards is a stud, but we need more time. Ant doesn't play good defense. He's nowhere near Kobe and LeBron on that end. Those Jordan comparisons are ridiculous and stupid.

Anyways, I think Reed Sheppard is the true NUMBER ONE pick of this draft. Seriously. He should be number one.

I never said he wasn't there. I'm not being a revisionist, he was 100% not touted as a top 5 pick by ANY of the experts. There were legitimate concerns with his shot etc, he's obviously proved them wrong.

So your knock on Ant is that he's not good defensively, Hali isn't exactly Jrue Holiday either.

I disagree Reed Sheppard being no. 1 in this draft, even with as mediocre as it is. Time will tell, I could obviously be wrong, but I don't see him going top 5, he's definitely a darn good player though. I do like players that get after it defensively, but his lack of wingspan may impact his defense at the NBA stage.

[Dan Z]

I still have a gut feeling that AKME will choose Filipowski to play as a PF, not as a Center. He's not outstanding at any one thing. He's a good passer. Adequate defensively. Average shooter. Cody Williams is another possibility. I just don't see them Drafting another guard unless they trade one of ours. Knecht will probably be gone. Collier is probably not an adequate shooter. Devin Carter is, but again we have enough guards. I don't care at this point whether we keep Patrick. He'll just sleepwalk through half the next seasons. And he doesn't want to play the "4" anyway. In his mind he's a "3".

Filipowski seems like he's an okay player, but at #11 I think the Bulls will pass on a few players who will end up with better NBA careers.