2023 NBA Draft watch

[Papi_swav]

Clowney and Whitehead welcome to Brooklyn ! Don't know much about these guys but will definitely root for them. Lets gooooo !

[GTR11]

So Marks drafted another Nic Claxton and LeVert at guard position.

[Netaman]

14th and 15th players on hollinger's board.

14. Dariq Whitehead, 18, 6-6 Fr. SF, Duke
We’re getting into gamble territory, and the best gamble left on the board is with Whitehead. He missed the first half of the season with foot surgery and required another operation after the season, so this is another case where the medical report from the combine will be important. Nonetheless, there’s a hidden upside here too: It underscores that he wasn’t quite right physically all season.

Despite his physical condition, Whitehead showed some pro chops in his freshman season, particularly as a shooter. He shoots line drives but has a nice, compact release that should be easily repeatable; I’m not buying him as a 42.9 percent shooter from 3, which is what he shot at Duke, but he’ll be a threat.

Defensively, Whitehead was more uneven. He has a strong frame and was a real presence challenging shots, even if he rarely blocks them. That said, he could be a little slow sliding his feet — was the foot a problem here? — and his rebound rate (6.8 percent) was pretty sad for a player of this size.

Finally, he still needs to improve his processing inside the arc. Again, he may have been limited by injury, but Whitehead also shot 41 percent on 2s with a poor turnover rate. Most of his forays beyond catch-and-shoots quickly did not end well.

The other factor here is an August 2004 birthdate that makes Whitehead the second-youngest college prospect in this draft. Between that and his exalted pedigree entering the season — some had him as the No. 1 player in this class — Whitehead becomes a worthwhile gamble.

15. Noah Clowney, 18, 6-10 Fr. PF, Alabama
Another birth-certificate bet, Clowney was asked to play as a stretch four on one of the best teams in the country despite the fact that he’s not really ready to be a stretch four. At least yet. This is a classic case of a young, thin player still needing to grow into his body and refine some of his movement, but Clowney is long and fairly skilled.

There is a stretch five here several years down the road, but the question is what Clowney can be between now and then. It’s possible he becomes another Jalen Smith, where he doesn’t give you enough offense at the four but isn’t filled out enough physically to play the five.

It’s worth the risk at this point in the draft. Despite his youth and size, Alabama trusted Clowney to guard the perimeter a ton. He has high hips and his first slide isn’t always great, but he could make up ground late and has his size to fall back on. He also had a knack for taking charges, something that makes up for his middling shot-blocking rate (3.4 percent). Clowney also rebounded at a very high level (15.5 percent) despite ample competition for boards on a big Alabama front line and did not have a notably high foul rate.

Offensively, Clowney’s 3-point percentage (28.3 percent) didn’t line up with the eye test. His stroke is pretty fluid, and it seems only a matter of time before he finds the net more frequently. His 64.9 percent mark from the line is equally sobering. Nonetheless, given his youth and smooth release, I think he’s going to be a league-average shooter before long.

Again, at this point in the draft, it’s an upside risk on a player who might bomb. Clowney is extremely unlikely to play meaningful minutes as a rookie, but in a few years, he could be a starter

[Papi_swav]

So Marks drafted another Nic Claxton and LeVert at guard position.

I can live with this

[vincecarter4pres]

Both solid picks, have to trust them here. They could both be big time steals. Clowney is an under the radar guy with a great skill set to build on, could legit become Claxton with a mean 3 ball who can hit his free throws. Humble, well spoken kid, but he has a chip on his shoulder and a desire to keep getting better.

Good chance if Whitehead didn't have multiple foot injuries we're talking about him as a top 10 lock. Crazy good all around athlete, high level shooter, high bbiq, underrated passer, gets out in transition, can play on ball and off and has proper size for a wing, or as a robust 2 guard. Assuming he's healthy going forward, he's as can't miss a prospect floor-wise as they come as a legit 3&D guy who doesn't make many mistakes, yet he has quite the ceiling.

I'm still not expecting a ton, this is late in the draft and it's such a crapshoot here, but in Marks we trust.

[Hello Brooklyn]

I'm glad we kept both picks. But its hard to see them getting much playing time with our over abundance of role players.

We need to start trading some of these guys. Still pissed Marks got nothing for Curry at the deadline last year.

[Tha King]

GREAT draft

Two of the more high upside picks. Whitehead was considered one of the top picks going into the season but was set back by injuries while Clowney was very productive his first year at Bama and projects as a switchable big that could play next to Clax.

[Born_Ready]

Diggin’ the Whitehead pick, especially with the staff BK has assembled. They are going to develop him and he is going to surprise a lot of people with his ability. Too early to say steal, but a great fuggin’ pick, imo.

[Netaman]

Sam Vecenie's writeups on both guys.

20. Dariq Whitehead
W | Duke | Birthdate: Aug. 1, 2004 (Age: 18) | 6-6 | 220 LBS | Hometown: Newark, N.J.
YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AGE GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT%
2022-23 Duke NCAA (ACC) 18 28 8.3 2.4 1.0 1.4 0.2 0.8 42.1 42.9 79.3

BACKGROUND
Parents are Derrick and Quadira. Has four siblings, including a brother, Tahir, who played in the NFL for eight years. Also had an uncle, Willie, who played in the NFL. Hard to overemphasize how impressive Whitehead’s prep career was. Arguably the most accomplished player in the country in his class. Was identified very early as a prospect. Was invited to the USA Basketball junior national team minicamp in 2018 before his freshman season at Montverde Academy, the prestigious high school he attended for all his high school career. Was invited to USA Basketball’s junior national team minicamp again after his freshman season. Was on the loaded high school teams with Cade Cunningham, Moses Moody, Precious Achiuwa, Caleb Houstan and Scottie Barnes as a freshman and a sophomore. As a junior, he emerged more while playing next to guys like Houstan, Jalen Duren, Jalen Hood-Schifino, DaRon Holmes II and Ryan Nembhard. With that team as a junior, he helped lead the team to the GEICO National Championship. As a senior, he became the best player on the team, averaging 16 points next to Reneau, Dillon Mitchell and Kwame Evans and more. Again, he led the team to the GEICO National Championship and was handsomely decorated for his results. Won the Naismith High School Player of the Year, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida, Sports Illustrated’s Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball USA awards. He was named to the McDonald’s All-American team, the Nike Hoop Summit USA roster and the Jordan Brand Classic. Also won the McDonald’s All-American Game MVP award, scoring 13 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Was a five-star recruit and a consensus top-three player in the class in rankings. Committed to Duke in August before his senior season, choosing the Blue Devils over Florida State, Kansas and professional options. Injured the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in August. Because of that, he missed a large portion of the preseason and the first three games of Duke’s season. He returned but didn’t quite look like himself athletically. In January, he suffered a lower leg strain that looked worse than it was and missed another four games. Just wasn’t as impactful as anticipated. In June, he had another surgery to repair that fifth metatarsal injury that did not heal properly the first time. Teams are desperate to find out more information about Whitehead’s injury and how much it held him back this past season – as well as the long-term projection on how it will heal. Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft with all this information and was invited to the 2023 NBA Draft Combine.

STRENGTHS
Whitehead has a great frame at nearly 6-foot-6 without shoes with a 6-foot-10 1/4 wingspan and a strong 220-pound body. Has a solid 6-foot-9 wingspan. Difficult to gauge his athleticism after the foot injury. In high school, he showed some real vertical pop off one foot. I thought he got off the ground quickly more than elite in terms of vertical height. Sometimes, that can be more valuable. Not a wild athlete, but a good one who looked about 20 pounds lighter but still combined some real power and force with that bit of pop. Was also extremely aggressive in high school. He looked like a different player at Duke than he was at Montverde in terms of burst and explosiveness. Was a legit isolation creator there, and he just didn’t have that pop this past season. Whitehead is a terrific shooter, and there’s every reason to buy him as a catch-and-shoot threat. Made nearly 43 percent from 3 this past season, including a 45.3 percent mark off the catch. Takes them directly off the hop with great shot prep. Always ready to fire. Looks a bit weird in that he has a bit of an extra loop in the motion between his ball dip and his shooter’s pocket and a very slight pause at the top but is excellent at getting the ball back into his perfect shooter’s pocket with great elbow alignment and has a very clean release and follow-through. In part, that’s because he has a very slight turn to the left in his hips as he fires. It’s not necessarily exactly how you would “teach” a shot, but it’s also a shot that has no real mechanical holes because of how good his balance is and how he gets himself into alignment. He’s also very good as a lateral mover into shots. Does a great job of sliding around the perimeter and keeping his shot prep in alignment. Relocates super well. Does a great job of drifting into places behind the 3-point line with his ballhandlers and drivers, opening easier passing angles for kickout 3s. Sees when his defenders turn their head and creates separation from them by sliding along the 3-point line. That he did this with a foot injury that didn’t heal properly throughout the season is even more impressive. I think Whitehead’s pull-up game is also effective. He made 36 percent of his pull-up 3s this past season, an exceedingly strong number for an 18-year-old. Showcased some ability to beat defenders who went under dribble handoffs and pick-and-rolls with
3s. Showcased some potential to hit side-step, stepback 3s. High release point and follow-through creates a high trajectory that allows him to shoot over the top of late closeouts. His balance really shows up on his pull-up drives. Made about 40 percent of his pull-up 2-pointers. Has the ability to stop and pop on drives as well as the ability to spin into them. In high school, he also elevated into little push shots and paint pull-ups, increasing an already high release point. Was more ground-bound this past season, so it all comes down to your evaluation on the foot and if you think you can get that athleticism back. The upside for him to be a very high-level two-level scorer as a shooter from 3 and from the midrange is there if you think he will recover well from the injury. Whitehead was a solid on-ball defender when matched up with guys who were a similar size on an island one-on-one. Great technique sliding to stay in front of guys in these circumstances. Very hard to blow through his core and chest. Very strong if he beats these guys to the spot. Good at keeping his hands high and making sure he contests shots and makes them tough. Has his defensive warts, and we’ll talk about some of his quickness issues below, but given that he was playing below 100 percent, he seems to have real potential at least on the ball against players where he can be physical.

WEAKNESSES
Whitehead looked like a below-average athlete this past season. He looked much heavier in college than he did in high school, on top of having the foot injury. There are real contextual factors as to why that is. But the tape is the tape at Duke, and he struggled to vertically explode this past season. Had zero first step or burst and not shake. Everything was in a straight line. He also wasn’t an impactful rebounder despite size and strength. He has genuine excuses for that being the case, but that doesn’t change that these issues existed. Teams will need to figure out how realistic it is following this injury that he can get back to the levels we saw in high school, where Whitehead was a good athlete but far from an elite one by NBA standards. Whitehead really struggled to finish in the paint at Duke. He smoked a lot of layups in a way that makes you think he was adjusting to not having as much lift off the ground, especially given that he is a player who has real touch. Also, he had no upward explosion, which meant that everything was a layup. Was a significant load leaper too. Didn’t see an impressive onefoot finish with strong footwork sequencing to create an open angle. Almost always tried to load up off two feet. Needs to really work on his footwork around the rim. Creates some moments where it seems like he’s out of control. Made for a lot of difficult attempts at the basket because he couldn’t separate or create strong angles to the basket around rim protectors. Attempted just one shot at the basket per game in the half court this past season. The numbers were dreadful. Made just 43.8 percent of his shots at the rim, per Synergy. Only got to the line once per game and had 29 free-throw attempts in 577 minutes. He also was generally too focused on scoring. Seemed to never have his eyes up on drives looking to make passing reads for his teammates. Had a couple of decent cross-court skips and threw a couple of interesting pocket passes, but I wouldn’t say there was much impressive in this respect. Due to his lack of burst, he was very rarely collapsing defenders. Didn’t feel like any of his assists came from him manipulating defenders in help. Had 27 assists versus 39 turnovers this past season. Was a bit better in high school but wouldn’t say passing and making reads was a strength for him when creating in isolation and forcing help. While I buy Whitehead as a shooter and see no reason he won’t be a strong NBA shooter off the catch, he did make just five of 20 shots from behind NBA 3-point line distance. Also, we didn’t see him coming off many screening actions at Duke to prove that he can be a movement shooter in any other circumstance beyond relocations behind the 3-point line. He went 3-of-13 off screens this past season, per Synergy. He probably has the skill to do it, but again, he wasn’t all that shifty and struggled to separate from defenders with any sort of speed. I didn’t love his overall defensive impact at Duke. While he was solid on-ball against wings and fours, guards could really blow by him. Anything that needed some twitch, Whitehead really struggled. Guys with quick first steps could blow by him before he could get his first stride off or open his hips to cut off the player. I thought his closeouts were very poor because of the change of direction required. He also really struggled to get through screens. It felt like he got clipped on nearly every on-ball screen. Was the king of the peel switch where he got beat and had to call out for the big to take over responsibility for his man entirely. His team defense left a lot to be desired as well. Really struggled a lot to chase in off-ball screening actions. That was probably the worst part of his defensive tape. He was kind of a magnet for contact on these screens. This results in a lot of scramble closeouts that are difficult to recover from. Or, he simply wouldn’t get around them and it would lead to a wide-open shot. How much of this had to do with reduced twitch due to the foot injury? Again, an impossible question for teams to answer based off the information that they currently possess. Also felt like he was a bit late rotationally at Duke, and there seemed to be a lot of defensive breakdowns when Whitehead and a teammate had to communicate through an action. I’m a little more willing to chalk that issue up to being a freshman who also didn’t get a full preseason not necessarily having a lot of synergy or defensive chemistry with teammates.

SUMMARY
In every single regard, Whitehead is a bet. What he put on tape this past season in totality does not resemble that of a firstround pick. He was a great shooter but was largely deficient in every other aspect of the game. He was a below-average defender, rebounder and passer. He struggled to separate from his man. However, you can point to his foot injury and the late season lower leg injury as contextual factors that hindered him from having any chance to succeed. There is a legitimate case for throwing out the entire 2022-23 season and going back to dive into the high school tape to try to better determine who Whitehead is as a player, even though he was facing worse competition. Whitehead is a player for whom scouts will be working with incomplete information. There isn’t really any way to know for sure exactly how much athleticism Whitehead will be able to regain following this second foot surgery. On top of that, I’m not sure we know for sure what Whitehead looks like as a player even if you do add his previous levels of athleticism. The team that selects Whitehead will be betting on his foot getting back to 100 percent, allowing him to get back to his high school levels of twitch. Medical staffs and team trainers will undeniably be involved in the process, letting decision-makers know how they feel about him. The best you can do is gather all the information and make an informed decision. The good news for Whitehead is that teams always need shooting and size on the wing. And a big input into that informed bet that teams make will be, “If Whitehead hits, what can he become?” And in his case, the value of the role he’d play will always be high if he can get to a reasonable level athletically on defense. I think that’s worth a latefirst-round flier. But I am working with less information on his medicals than teams are. And that means the range of potential outcomes for Whitehead both on draft night and as a long-term NBA player is about as wide as possible.

21. Noah Clowney
F/C | Alabama | Birthdate: July 14, 2004 (Age: 18) | 6-10 | 210 LBS |
Hometown: Spartanburg, S.C.

BACKGROUND
Parents are Sonya Clowney and Larry Byrd. Noah was consistently under the radar throughout high school, in large part because
of the team he played on. Went to Dorman High School in Spartanburg, a power within the state. The school won four straight state titles, and Clowney was on those teams earlier in his high school career. But he was often stuck behind high-level older players such as Clemson big P.J. Hall and James Madison three-year starter Justin Amadi. Another teammate, Myles Tate, went to Butler, and multiple other teammates went to USC Upstate. He didn’t really break out until his junior season, but he was always seen as a high-upside player. Went to the NBPA Top 100 Camp in the summer of 2021 and was recognized as one of the best players in attendance. Started to get high-major offers during his junior year but really started to get that kind of notice after that season. Was not ranked on recruiting rankings until that summer. As a senior, he averaged 17.5 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks and was named the top recruit in the state of South Carolina. Eventually was considered a solid four-star recruit, ranked in the top 80 of his class. Decided to commit to Alabama over schools such as Indiana, Florida and Virginia Tech. Was considered more of a longer-term project but immediately emerged as a clear difference-maker as a young player. Was terrific on Alabama’s trip to Europe and stood out as a potential starter. Started every game for Alabama this past season and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Intel is that Clowney has a very professional mindset in terms of knowing the scouting report and thinking intelligently about the game. Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft following the season. Was invited to the 2023 NBA Draft Combine.
YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AGE GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT%
2022-23 Alabama NCAA (SEC) 18 36 9.8 7.9 0.8 1.3 0.9 0.6 48.6 28.3 64.9

STRENGTHS
Great size and length for a combo big man at about 6-foot-10 in shoes with a reported 7-foot-3 wingspan. We didn’t get official measurements at the combine, but he’s clearly very tall and very long. Pairs that with strong athletic tools for a big. Good leaper. Gets off the ground quickly. Light on his feet and quick. Runs the floor and covers ground very quickly because of how fluid he is. Also seems to have great hand-eye coordination for his size. Plays with a strong motor. Very aggressive on the glass and tends to find the ball. Hits the offensive glass at a strong level for someone who also spent a reasonable amount of time spotting from 3. Played the entire season at 18 years old, so he’s quite good for his age. The defensive end is where Clowney figures to provide most of his value long term. He has some twitch and is fluid enough to play in space sometimes. I think Clowney is most impressive as a potential switch defender right now. Has real potential to be switchable in ball screens, which could make him incredibly valuable in high-leverage situations. Uses his length to really impact plays. Contests shots at a very high level on the perimeter. Has some mechanical and potential hip flexibility issues that we’ll get into later but is impactful. Scrambles around and uses his length to cover a lot of ground. Gets around screens well. As a help-side defender, he showcases some upside as a rim protector. Not necessarily a great shot blocker yet but rotates and uses his length to impact the play. Seems to have solid defensive anticipation. Offensively, the idea is that Clowney can be a potential floor spacer and rim runner. But while his jumper looks very clean visually and could be fine long term, it has not been consistent yet as we’ll explain below. However, the rim-running piece is very strong already. In transition, he can attack the rim and put the ball on the court a couple of times when he has some space. He’s good in the dunker spot and as a cutter. When spacing from beyond the 3-point line, he seems to be a good 45-cutter who hits the gaps hard and explodes to the rim. Really good at timing his cuts and opening himself up toward his ballhandlers in the dunker spot. Clowney makes his shots at the rim. Hit 69 percent at the basket overall this past season, including making 65 percent of his layups, which showcases good touch. Really good leaper off two feet. Also a strong pick-and-roll player. Tends to use his quickness to his advantage in these circumstances. Slips a ton of screens and can put the ball on the floor once to get to the rim. Made 70 percent of his rim runs out of screens. Because of that hand-eye coordination, I think he catches the ball very well, especially above his head, but also is fine below his waist. Can also play well in dribble handoffs because of how fluid he is in terms of his mobility. I really buy him in these settings as someone who can be impactful if he improves as a screener.

WEAKNESSES
Clowney has a great long-term potential frame but doesn’t have a ton of strength right now. Hinders him in terms of reaching his ceiling as a rim protector. Guys can kind of go through him at the rim. He had four or five fouls in 10 games, in part because guys can go into his body, where he’ll then bring his arms down a bit. He also has a few lateral issues in terms of hip flexibility. He has kind of high hips that allow him to get leveraged more often than you’d hope. Very fluid athlete but has some deficiencies to work on. The lateral issues with his hips can hinder him on the perimeter on defense. Very hoppy. Dancing guards can get him to overcommit one way and push him out of position. Struggles to open his hips a bit when trying to contain dribble penetration. Kind of opens up his body and doesn’t turn well. Can get the corner turned on him a bit more regularly than you’d hope for from someone who is ostensibly a switchable defense-first prospect. His overall closeout technique sees him on his front foot a bit too often, allowing him to get driven. He gets blown by more than his reputation would have you believe. He also can get powered through on drives by guys willing to put their shoulder into him. Has a lot to clean up technically but really needs to work through some hip flexibility concerns. Clowney has potential as a 3-and-D forward, but it’s only potential right now. Has a clean shot at the top with good alignment. Form is projectable. Confident shooter. Can have a release without a real ball dip. But only shot 29.1 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s this past season. Went just 6-of-22 from behind the NBA 3-point line. Better from the corners than from above the break, where he only made 25 percent from 3. Still, only made 33 percent from corners, per Synergy. Needs to have his feet set and have things balanced. Requires some real time to get his body in alignment. Because of this, he does not have a ton of shot versatility now. Only made four pick-and-pop 3s. Sometimes, his rhythm gets a bit out of whack when trying to speed things up. A lot of bad left/right misses. Bit of a body twist at times. Not at all a shot creator. Can put the ball on the deck as a roller and in transition, which could give him some upside in this respect. But right now, he’s not effective doing it. Can’t attack closeouts. Very wild and sometimes gets out of control, plus doesn’t seem to use his potential stride length to its fullest extent. Can get knocked off his driving line. Also not a particularly strong passer or playmaker. Didn’t throw many successful passes to teammates this past season, and I’m not sure I saw any that came while he was on the move. Dished out only 0.8 assists per game versus 1.3 turnovers. He’s a very limited offensive player right now, and it’s kind of hard to figure out what exactly his role would look like on that end given the lack of shooting, passing and ballhandling. Plays much more like a big than a potential perimeter player.

SUMMARY
I think I’m probably going to end up a bit lower than the consensus on Clowney in large part because I’m worried about the offensive role as well as some of the specific athletic movement-based issues that could plague his best role. Offensively, Clowney needs to iron out his jumper, become a better passer and playmaker and improve his ballhandling if he wants to legitimately play as a four. He also needs to be able to improve his hip flexibility and lateral quickness to be able to consistently guard the perimeter. All these issues make me believe that he is more likely to play as a five than a four long term. But he also needs to really improve his overall strength level to handle significant minutes at that position. Right now, he’s something of a classic four/five tweener in the modern NBA. Having said that, Clowney is 18 years old and one of the younger players in the draft. I think he’s probably entering a year early and will be a significant project to undertake, but his length, fluidity athletically and potential make him worthy of a late-first-round grade.

[TheNetsFan]

I believe Dr. O'Malley (Nets' doc) was the one that did Whitehead's surgery, so there is some inside information there. Both of these guys are longer term, developmental prospects. They'll be G-League fixtures for at least a year.

[Marvin Martian]

I don't know why we went for 2 upside picks. Was hoping for at least one these guys to be NBA ready

[Netaman]

I believe Dr. O'Malley (Nets' doc) was the one that did Whitehead's surgery, so there is some inside information there. Both of these guys are longer term, developmental prospects. They'll be G-League fixtures for at least a year.

he did. the best thing we can say about this draft is it went almost exactly like previous marks drafts. whitehead is a younger/higher upside version of levert, clowney is a lot like claxton.

there were a lot less trades overall than expected and it's a little disappointing all the trade up stuff was hot air, but realistically the guys they got fit and have just as much upside as guys that would have been more exciting names. a year ago nobody was choosing hendricks or bufkin over whitehead as examples of players we'd have all been excited to move up and get this year.

[vincecarter4pres]

I don't know why we went for 2 upside picks. Was hoping for at least one these guys to be NBA ready

Why?

[TheNetsFan]

I don't know why we went for 2 upside picks. Was hoping for at least one these guys to be NBA ready

Barring trades, we have a full roster this year & an empty roster next year. We can afford to let guys develop for a year.

[Netaman]

especially if 1 of royce/dfs is back, as now seems likely since neither was moved at the draft.

i assume nets are holding a lot of powder for lillard trade but would have obviously been willing to move one of them for a good return of draft picks.

im really interested to see what happens with cam thomas. it would be surprising if they bring him back.

[Marvin Martian]

I don't know why we went for 2 upside picks. Was hoping for at least one these guys to be NBA ready

Why?

1. We are not tanking

2. Upside picks do not always have the highest upside. Would have liked to grab someone with a higher BBIQ that could help the team now and in the future. Instead we drafted another Claxton (Why?), and a project wing which makes no sense since we already have Cam Thomas who will very likely be better than Whitehead.

[Marvin Martian]

I don't know why we went for 2 upside picks. Was hoping for at least one these guys to be NBA ready

Barring trades, we have a full roster this year & an empty roster next year. We can afford to let guys develop for a year.

Of players no one wants outside of Claxton and Bridges

[Papi_swav]

I don't know why we went for 2 upside picks. Was hoping for at least one these guys to be NBA ready

Why?

1. We are not tanking

2. Upside picks do not always have the highest upside. Would have liked to grab someone with a higher BBIQ that could help the team now and in the future. Instead we drafted another Claxton (Why?), and a project wing which makes no sense since we already have Cam Thomas who will very likely be better than Whitehead.

We're not contending this year so we can afford for those kids to develop. At this point in the draft they had the best potential out of the players left. Cam Thomas is a small guard that can score, Whitehead is a legit 6'7 wing with size. I think we did alright with the picks. I don't see anybody that was left that I'm mad we missed out on.

[GTR11]

I believe Dr. O'Malley (Nets' doc) was the one that did Whitehead's surgery, so there is some inside information there. Both of these guys are longer term, developmental prospects. They'll be G-League fixtures for at least a year.

Dariq pick tells me Joe is expendable now. I'd love to move him to NOP or Orlando where they need shooting desperately. He also more of a LeVert type player with deadly step back 3. After foot surgeries though his quick first step went out the window. If he can regain that speed back. We either got legit high IQ 6th man or legit spot up shooter who can play D.

This Clowny guy is a back hole to me. But his scouting report scream Nic Claxton 2.0. I can actually see him get legit pt this year. Sharpe is a 3rd string big if we being 100.

[KL78192020]

So Marks drafted another Nic Claxton and LeVert at guard position.

Clowney can shoot the 3 a bit. He should continue to work on it, attempted 120 threes in his 1 year of college.