2024 NBA Draft Prospect Discussion

[BDM22]

1. Sarr (ATL)
2. Topic (WAS)
3. Sheppard (HOU)
4. Risacher (SAS)

Who do you go for at 5 if that's the order?

Clingan. I'm not buying Duren getting there defensively, and I think that's practically a necessity with him not being a skilled offensive threat otherwise.

Assuming you're getting rid of Duren, do you trade Ausar as well since Clingan can't shoot?

[coordinator0]

1. Sarr (ATL)
2. Topic (WAS)
3. Sheppard (HOU)
4. Risacher (SAS)

Who do you go for at 5 if that's the order?

Clingan. I'm not buying Duren getting there defensively, and I think that's practically a necessity with him not being a skilled offensive threat otherwise.

Assuming you're getting rid of Duren, do you trade Ausar as well since Clingan can't shoot?

Ausar can actually defend though. That's the important part.

And no, that's what rotations are for. Leaving Ausar on the floor more with someone like Stewart when he slides to center is fine. I do think having two non-shooters is getting close to the limit for a rotation though.

[BDM22]

Clingan. I'm not buying Duren getting there defensively, and I think that's practically a necessity with him not being a skilled offensive threat otherwise.

Assuming you're getting rid of Duren, do you trade Ausar as well since Clingan can't shoot?

Ausar can actually defend though. That's the important part.

And no, that's what rotations are for. Leaving Ausar on the floor more with someone like Stewart when he slides to center is fine. I do think having two non-shooters is getting close to the limit for a rotation though.

Just seems like bad utilization of these players you're taking at #5 if you can't play them on the floor together in the long run.

I'm at the point where I'm just waiting for a big that can defend and stretch the floor and I'm unwilling to commit to anyone new there that can't do both so Clingan is a no for me. I'd still move Duren even if it means starting Stewart at C again though, if a team wants to give good value in return.

[GreekAlex]

Even though I’m against drafting a non-shooter, in the back of my mind, I was kind of hoping for Sarr for the dynamic upside.

Oh well, I guess I’ll have to put some new hope into the new Head of Basketball opps.

[Mr Peanut]

I'm a Holland and Risacher fan, and Buzelis to a lesser extent. if we walk away with one of them at 5 I can live with that.

[Canadafan]

Jesus lord. Cade is awesome. He can be paired with a 3+D SG or a pure PG. Wtf
Yall are losing your minds. Ausar is an amazing defender that completes that perimeter. Stew backing up Duren. Fontecchio backing up both forward spots. Grimes backing up SG.
Dear God. The world is ending
We need a guard and a forward. We got this yooooo lmao.
Copy and paste this.
We makin the playin next year.

[MotownMadness]

Starting to like Buzelis the more i watch

[A_dub06]

Assuming you're getting rid of Duren, do you trade Ausar as well since Clingan can't shoot?

Ausar can actually defend though. That's the important part.

And no, that's what rotations are for. Leaving Ausar on the floor more with someone like Stewart when he slides to center is fine. I do think having two non-shooters is getting close to the limit for a rotation though.

Just seems like bad utilization of these players you're taking at #5 if you can't play them on the floor together in the long run.

I'm at the point where I'm just waiting for a big that can defend and stretch the floor and I'm unwilling to commit to anyone new there that can't do both so Clingan is a no for me. I'd still move Duren even if it means starting Stewart at C again though, if a team wants to give good value in return.

Offer Washington Duren for pick #2, and hopefully Sarr is still there

[A_dub06]

Starting to like Buzelis the more i watch

His strength is supposed to be shooting but he can’t shoot. Seen this playbook too many times before

[MotownMadness]

Starting to like Buzelis the more i watch

His strength is supposed to be shooting but he can’t shoot. Seen this playbook too many times before

He has some skill and shot block though at 6'10 or whatever. From what i can see his shot looks good and he has the moves to create separation with it.

[vic]

Nothing wrong with Cade, there is no perfect player, but the job of the GM is to build a basketball team made up of good players. You have to know what you are looking at.

If you can’t build around Cade, you should be a tennis Gm.

[jars]

Starting to like Buzelis the more i watch

His strength is supposed to be shooting but he can’t shoot. Seen this playbook too many times before

How many rookies who play reasonably high minutes are great shooters in their first year on decent volume? The average NBA 3pt% was 36.6% this year. Only Brandon Miller (37.3% on 6.7 attempts), Chet (37.0% on 4.3 attempts), Podziemski (38.5 on 3.2 attempts), Sasser (37.5 on 3.4 attempts) and Wallace (41.9 on 2.9 attempts) were higher than the league average as rotation guys.

I get this feeling that people on our board think a rookie is going to come in and fix the shooting problems next year which impacts who they want to draft. We need to be projecting for 3-4 years down the line.

In this draft, all players have question marks, but Buzelis has good form on the shot and wasn't just standing in the corner waiting to shoot most of the time. His ignite percentages are somewhat worrisome, especially considering he was less than 70% from the free throw line. He looked comfortable with the ball in his hands and attacked the rim at the right time. He was an active defender at times and his length and size are good, if a bit skinny right now. Overall, he gives me Franz Wagner vibes in that I think he is going to be a solid all around guy who is comfortable doing most things, but is going to be a bit streaky with his shooting. I actually think he might be an ideal match offensively with Cade as he is a decent ball handler and passer if his shooting comes on.

[zeebneeb]

Find a team in the top 4 who is willing to make a deal, offer Duren+Ivey for it.

Pick Klingon, and Sheppard.

Cade
Sheppard
Ausar
Tek
Clingan

Sign Monk, and Claxton.

Sheppard is ideal next to Cade. Clingan and Claxton gives the team two legit shotblockers.

[A_dub06]

Starting to like Buzelis the more i watch

His strength is supposed to be shooting but he can’t shoot. Seen this playbook too many times before

How many rookies who play reasonably high minutes are great shooters in their first year on decent volume? The average NBA 3pt% was 36.6% this year. Only Brandon Miller (37.3% on 6.7 attempts), Chet (37.0% on 4.3 attempts), Podziemski (38.5 on 3.2 attempts), Sasser (37.5 on 3.4 attempts) and Wallace (41.9 on 2.9 attempts) were higher than the league average as rotation guys.

I get this feeling that people on our board think a rookie is going to come in and fix the shooting problems next year which impacts who they want to draft. We need to be projecting for 3-4 years down the line.

In this draft, all players have question marks, but Buzelis has good form on the shot and wasn't just standing in the corner waiting to shoot most of the time. His ignite percentages are somewhat worrisome, especially considering he was less than 70% from the free throw line. He looked comfortable with the ball in his hands and attacked the rim at the right time. He was an active defender at times and his length and size are good, if a bit skinny right now. Overall, he gives me Franz Wagner vibes in that I think he is going to be a solid all around guy who is comfortable doing most things, but is going to be a bit streaky with his shooting. I actually think he might be an ideal match offensively with Cade as he is a decent ball handler and passer if his shooting comes on.

Not looking for him to be a “saviour” like you claim, but if he’s not already shooting league average what’s he actually projecting as? His biggest strength is supposed to be shooting and I’ll admit his stroke looks really clean but looking at it whilst considering his free throw percentage is worrying. It’s the same thing With Zac, supposed to be able to shoot 3’s but shoots free throws poorly. I can’t think of a good 3pt shooter who’s bad at the line

[theBigLip]

Duren and Ivey would be top picks in this weak draft. Trading either of them for another pick is a mistake.

Jars makes a good point - it is extremely unlikely anyone we draft is going to make a significant difference next year. I’m fine getting someone that can shoot but that’s a long term play. Just like our expectations of our current under 23 roster isn’t making the playoffs without some help.

Next season is going to be about how well we use our cap space. Monk, Bridges and Claxton? Keep our young players and our sad #5 pick. I think that’s at least play-in in the East.

[Snakebites]

Duren and Ivey would be top picks in this weak draft. Trading either of them for another pick is a mistake.

Jars makes a good point - it is extremely unlikely anyone we draft is going to make a significant difference next year. I’m fine getting someone that can shoot but that’s a long term play. Just like our expectations of our current under 23 roster isn’t making the playoffs without some help.

Next season is going to be about how well we use our cap space. Monk, Bridges and Claxton? Keep our young players and our sad #5 pick. I think that’s at least play-in in the East.

Prospects at the level Duren and Ivey were considered at the their time of drafting would be high picks (though I think Sarr is a better prospect than Duren was).

It's a mistake to assume they still carry the same value they did when they were drafted though. Duren might still have the value of an 11th pick in a normal draft, but Ivey's value is certainly not that of a 5th pick in a normal draft.

[GreekAlex]

I liked Cody Williams before he got injured and his stock tanked. I’m interested to hear what scouts think of him. I think that he’s at worst a decent 3D wing with upside to be way more.

[theBigLip]

Duren and Ivey would be top picks in this weak draft. Trading either of them for another pick is a mistake.

Jars makes a good point - it is extremely unlikely anyone we draft is going to make a significant difference next year. I’m fine getting someone that can shoot but that’s a long term play. Just like our expectations of our current under 23 roster isn’t making the playoffs without some help.

Next season is going to be about how well we use our cap space. Monk, Bridges and Claxton? Keep our young players and our sad #5 pick. I think that’s at least play-in in the East.

Prospects at the level Duren and Ivey were considered at the their time of drafting would be high picks (though I think Sarr is a better prospect than Duren was).

It's a mistake to assume they still carry the same value they did when they were drafted though. Duren might still have the value of an 11th pick in a normal draft, but Ivey's value is certainly not that of a 5th pick in a normal draft.

For this draft they might go 1 and 2. Certainly both top 5. It’s just not smart to trade either of them to get picks in this draft.

I don’t think any of our guys have plateaued. Hopefully both Duren and Ivey are working hard this offseason and look better next year. And if they are playing w a few legit starters that we add, they will look much better in their reduced roles.

[GreekAlex]

I hope that no one in the “trade Ivey” camp was still on the “Killian bandwagon” after his 2nd season.

Ivey has shown approximately 2100% more potential than Killian ever did.

The bottom line is that the Pistons wouldn’t get nearly his value on the open market. His potential is worth way more to the Piston than any other team that would offer pennies on the dollar.

[jars]

His strength is supposed to be shooting but he can’t shoot. Seen this playbook too many times before

How many rookies who play reasonably high minutes are great shooters in their first year on decent volume? The average NBA 3pt% was 36.6% this year. Only Brandon Miller (37.3% on 6.7 attempts), Chet (37.0% on 4.3 attempts), Podziemski (38.5 on 3.2 attempts), Sasser (37.5 on 3.4 attempts) and Wallace (41.9 on 2.9 attempts) were higher than the league average as rotation guys.

I get this feeling that people on our board think a rookie is going to come in and fix the shooting problems next year which impacts who they want to draft. We need to be projecting for 3-4 years down the line.

In this draft, all players have question marks, but Buzelis has good form on the shot and wasn't just standing in the corner waiting to shoot most of the time. His ignite percentages are somewhat worrisome, especially considering he was less than 70% from the free throw line. He looked comfortable with the ball in his hands and attacked the rim at the right time. He was an active defender at times and his length and size are good, if a bit skinny right now. Overall, he gives me Franz Wagner vibes in that I think he is going to be a solid all around guy who is comfortable doing most things, but is going to be a bit streaky with his shooting. I actually think he might be an ideal match offensively with Cade as he is a decent ball handler and passer if his shooting comes on.

Not looking for him to be a “saviour” like you claim, but if he’s not already shooting league average what’s he actually projecting as? His biggest strength is supposed to be shooting and I’ll admit his stroke looks really clean but looking at it whilst considering his free throw percentage is worrying. It’s the same thing With Zac, supposed to be able to shoot 3’s but shoots free throws poorly. I can’t think of a good 3pt shooter who’s bad at the line

I think my point wasn't clear. I'm not claiming that people think our pick needs to be our saviour, nor do I think Buzelis is going to be a knockdown shooter. I'm saying that I think our need for good shooters is clouding the perception of players and how they fit with our team long term. I'm just out on drafting a guy for need (shooting in our case) in the top 10 unless they are pretty close to BPA, especially when 3pt shooting is not something that traditionally translates well in the NBA over their first few years.

Yes, the player we take needs to project as an above average shooter regardless of roster because thats how the NBA works now. I think Buzelis can be a slightly above average 3pt shooter, but I doubt he becomes a knockdown shooter. I think his actual strength isn't shooting, its his all around game and versatility. Most years I wouldn't want to draft him at 5 either, but I don't see more than 5 guys in this draft that I like more than him right now. I hope that changes...