2024 NBA Draft Thread

[Bornstellar]

I've heard the Spurs are eyeing Dilly and that his camp is putting out there that he would prefer to play with Wemby. His defense is questionable but assuming SA has no plans to trade for a PG I have to believe he is their #1 target given the need/fit/overall talent

[JustBuzzin]

I've heard the Spurs are eyeing Dilly and that his camp is putting out there that he would prefer to play with Wemby. His defense is questionable but assuming SA has no plans to trade for a PG I have to believe he is their #1 target given the need/fit/overall talent

I've heard this as well.

I just don't see the other prospects making a huge impact right away. Dillingham is probably the best bang for your buck player in this class.

[Hal14]

Bro you all over the place. Now you discussing Jimmer Fredette and Jimmy Butler.

Just admit you don't know Rob Dillingham. You see a small frail PG and you think he will crumble.


Talk to me after his rookie season we will see who really knows there stuff.

........................................... Yes, it's called a called an analogy.

Jimmer was an all-time great college scorer who failed out of the NBA because his defense was so bad. Jimmy Butler was projected to be a role player at best in the NBA because all he could do in college was pass, defend, and flop to the line and Butler managed to take those three skills into a Hall of Fame career.

Dillingham's defense is so bad that if he's only Bones Hyland good at scoring and passing, he will be out of the league almost instantly because Bones Hyland is pretty much out of the league already. Dillingham needs to be as good as Trae Young on offense to have much of a role in the NBA.

Ammo and Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor also were historically skilled prospects who failed out of the NBA, largely due to their defense.

All four of these guys had tools much better than Dillingham as well.

I mean, we'll see if Dillingham can be genuinely an elite scorer and passer, but if not, he doesn't have much value.

The one thing Dillingham has going for him over those four guys is those four were pretty stupid whereas Dillingham is pretty smart on offense, but again, his tools are just so bad that he's going to have very little shot on defense.

Not many pg's play defense in general. This is a different era of basketball players are mostly all offense. Curry wasn't a good defender how did that work out for him?

You can still be successful while be a poor defender. Lou Williams might go down as the best 6th man in NBA history and we all know he played no defense. Jamal Crawford another guy.

I can see Dillingham having that kind of career. In a weak draft getting a player like that would be a steal. Nobody saying he will be superstar. I just like his chances to have the most impact right away because the ball will be in his hands a lot and he's a gifted scorer.


Just curious who's top 5 on your draft board?

Don't waste your energy on that troll.

[Catchall]

Agree on Clingan.
I can see a path that Castle is worthy of a 4-6 pick

I see Castle as a defensive 2/3 who isn't skilled enough to be a lead initiator and is not just a poor shooter, but also a reluctant shooter. His ability to bully smaller guards and create for himself in the mid-range won't translate well to the NBA. Unless/until the shooting comes together for him, he's likely a backup on a playoff-competitive team.

A team can draft guys like Devin Carter or Kyshawn George and know they're getting a 2-way player with less risk.

2-way player? I take it you haven't seen Kyshawn George play defense..

He's a well-schooled positional defender. His length and ability to track defenders has an impact. He's not a point-of-attack guy, but he'll be able to contain pretty well on the perimeter.

[crows2]

I think the Spurs would be making a mistake drafting Dillingham over Topic, but that’s just me.

[Rustyman]

Your post seems to contradict itself.

You say the spurs biggest needs are shooting and playmaking. Risacher offers very little playmaking and the shooting is good but not great..so why would he be no. 1?

Sarr offers very little shooting or playmaking.

Buzelis has shooting and playmaking question marks, as does Holland.

The guy with the best combination of shooting and playmaking in this draft is Dillingham. YOu're reasoning for not including him in your top 5 seems a bit forced. I see no reason why Dillingham can't fit with Wemby. Does Maxey not fit with Embiid? Kemba was an all-star when he was on the same team with Tatum and Brown. Fox has played the best ball of his career on a team with another good scorer (Sabonis). Garland was an all-star after Cleveland added an elite scorer (Mitchell).

Was Steph not really good when the warriors had KD?

Was Kyrie not really good when he was LeBron's teammate?

To answer your questions one by one:
1. Risacher, because I think he is potentially the best shooter in this draft and from all reports can and does defend. If his worse case is an elite 3&D prospect, I will take that. Drafting Risacher, I am not looking for significant playmaking from him.

2. Sarr, because he simply has the best combination of athletic talents in this draft and I think he may be able to play with Wemby as Duncan played with Robinson as the second big has high quality defense and is agile and versatile enough that won't be contending with Wemby for space in the paint. A contrast to Collins who is either in the paint or hanging around the 3 point line and most egregious, has poor defense.

3. Buzelis, for exactly the same reasons as Risacher but at a lower level.

4. In my mind Holland and Castle are tweeners and their floor is likely lower than an elite 3&D player

5. With Dillingham, I think that his style of play might clash with Wemby like Keldon Johnstone's play style is not a great fit with Wemby. With Dillingham however, I feel that he might have elite skill as a scorer and that is something which can work off the bench.

The Maxey comparison does not work as Vassell is already the second scorer with Wemby. He might move to third with the emergence of an elite wing or PG but I don't see that happening in the next year or two, barring trades. Kemba, Fox and Garland are all good players but unless they bring elite playmaking, I am not interested.

If the Spurs draft a PG this year, he might not bring elite playmaking this year but we have a fall back in Tre. I want someone who plays like Tre but is a better shooter and defender if possible.

[FarBeyondDriven]

I see Castle as a defensive 2/3 who isn't skilled enough to be a lead initiator and is not just a poor shooter, but also a reluctant shooter. His ability to bully smaller guards and create for himself in the mid-range won't translate well to the NBA. Unless/until the shooting comes together for him, he's likely a backup on a playoff-competitive team.

A team can draft guys like Devin Carter or Kyshawn George and know they're getting a 2-way player with less risk.

2-way player? I take it you haven't seen Kyshawn George play defense..

He's a well-schooled positional defender. His length and ability to track defenders has an impact. He's not a point-of-attack guy, but he'll be able to contain pretty well on the perimeter.

yeah, it should be a well-established narrative about George at this point. I can't imagine many thinking otherwise. I think he's a similar prospect to Mikal Bridges with his size, shooting, defensive versatility and secondary playmaking.

[FarBeyondDriven]

I think if we're talking about the Spurs in general, they're sitting really pretty because this is a ridiculously deep PG draft and any of the guards would work for them so it doesn't really matter where they're picking. They're guaranteed to get one of them. Because of this I think they could even afford to trade back (maybe package a player to get a star or just to get a future pick) and still get their man should they get a top 3 pick and there are bidders to move up. But I could also see the appeal of Sarr, Holland and Risarcher too for various reason.

[FarBeyondDriven]

When I came to the realization that I needed to evaluate prospects completely different since teams don't care about defense, and looked at this draft with fresh perspective, Dillingham jumped up to a #1 overall pick contender. The reluctance from most (and I shared this) is that he's too small and he's a massive liability on defense so he might never see the floor enough. But teams just don't care man. Maxey, Brunson, Luka, Trae, Lillard, Steph, etc. are all stars in this league and they're among the worst defenders. Teams want buckets and guys that have the BBIQ to find open shooters when their penetration is stymied or off the PnR. Dillingham is as good as any in this class. They seemingly would rather deal with needing to hide or scheme away the defensive liability than be without that scoring, especially a shooter. Maybe because he pretends better, but I actually think Dillingham showed some pest ability on-ball at least and he's no worse than any of the guys I mentioned above and if defense isn't preventing them from getting on the floor than it shouldn't with Dillingham.

I'd understand why someone would prefer the size of Collier, Carrington or Topic over him and wouldn't blame a team liking them more. But he's a much better shooter and nobody is going to be able to keep up with him. Calipari laughably started Wagner over Dillingham and Sheppard and it has clouded things. Had Dillingham been starting his numbers would have been College Player of the Year worthy. I have no doubt he would have put up similar numbers to Fultz and Trae and going #1 wouldn't seem silly. Even without all the benefits reaped from starting, his PER 40 are impressive and comparable

Per 40

Dillingham - 26-5-7 with 44% from three

Young - 31-4-10 with 36% from three

Fultz - 26-6-7 with 41% from three

Pay close attention to who coaches are letting run the show in these combine scrimmages and who is playing strictly off-ball. The point guards running the show whether full-time or in spurts, will go higher than guys strictly off-ball. I see several guards in this class potentially capable of being lead guards (Dillingham, Collier, Topic, McCain, Carrington, Carter, Castle, George) but not all of them will be in that roll at the combine. The ones who aren't will have to change perception like Keyonte George had to and is still trying to. Those guys that have that uphill battle to prove themselves tend to go lower. Like, if you see Castle parked in the corner you should probably move him down in your mocks. It doesn't mean move him down on your Big Boards if you think he'll develop into a lead guard but he'll be going much lower if teams are viewing him as a SG playing off-ball than if they thought he could play PG right away.

[Rustyman]

I think if we're talking about the Spurs in general, they're sitting really pretty because this is a ridiculously deep PG draft and any of the guards would work for them so it doesn't really matter where they're picking. They're guaranteed to get one of them. Because of this I think they could even afford to trade back (maybe package a player to get a star or just to get a future pick) and still get their man should they get a top 3 pick and there are bidders to move up. But I could also see the appeal of Sarr, Holland and Risarcher too for various reason.

My problem for the Spurs is that I think they need a PG with 3-point shooting ability. That discounts most of the PG prospects. I am not looking for a driver as the Spurs has enough of that with Keldon, Blake, Graham. Unfortunately the best match with this is Sheppard and he is undersized meaning the guard defense will remain poor which is an issue for the Spurs. That is why I want shooting first and then playmaking.

[Rustyman]

Dillingham - 26-5-7 with 44% from three

Young - 31-4-10 with 36% from three

Fultz - 26-6-7 with 41% from three

On what volume was Dillingham's 3 point shooting. I just don't trust those numbers.

Also, PG defense may not be great but they at least have to make an attempt. Sheppard does but I am not sure if Dillingham does and if you don't make an effort on defense, you don't play for Pop.

[FarBeyondDriven]

Dillingham - 26-5-7 with 44% from three

Young - 31-4-10 with 36% from three

Fultz - 26-6-7 with 41% from three

On what volume was Dillingham's 3 point shooting. I just don't trust those numbers.

Also, PG defense may not be great but they at least have to make an attempt. Sheppard does but I am not sure if Dillingham does and if you don't make an effort on defense, you don't play for Pop.

4.5 attempts for Dillingham 5 attempts for Fultz. That's not PER 40 either. Had Dillingham started he would have likely approached Trae's 10 attempts per game.

There's enough length and defense around him with the Spurs imo. There's nothing Dillingham can do about his size but effort, focus, experience and coaching might make him just good enough

[FarBeyondDriven]

I think if we're talking about the Spurs in general, they're sitting really pretty because this is a ridiculously deep PG draft and any of the guards would work for them so it doesn't really matter where they're picking. They're guaranteed to get one of them. Because of this I think they could even afford to trade back (maybe package a player to get a star or just to get a future pick) and still get their man should they get a top 3 pick and there are bidders to move up. But I could also see the appeal of Sarr, Holland and Risarcher too for various reason.

My problem for the Spurs is that I think they need a PG with 3-point shooting ability. That discounts most of the PG prospects. I am not looking for a driver as the Spurs has enough of that with Keldon, Blake, Graham. Unfortunately the best match with this is Sheppard and he is undersized meaning the guard defense will remain poor which is an issue for the Spurs. That is why I want shooting first and then playmaking.

I don't think anyone except Vassell, Sochan and Wembanyama should be even factored into the decision making process as far as the draft goes and who they choose because nobody else really matters and would have no bearing on whether a certain type of point guard is taken or not. If Pop wants a playmaker that can defend he's got Carrington and Castle. If he wants a shooter he's got Dillingham, Sheppard and McCain. If he wants an attacker that is decent in other areas he has Collier and Carter. Point is, Spurs have options and should have their pick of the litter whichever direction they choose. It's a great place to be.

[Rustyman]

I don't think anyone except Vassell, Sochan and Wembanyama should be even factored into the decision making process as far as the draft goes and who they choose because nobody else really matters and would have no bearing on whether a certain type of point guard is taken or not. If Pop wants a playmaker that can defend he's got Carrington and Castle. If he wants a shooter he's got Dillingham, Sheppard and McCain. If he wants an attacker that is decent in other areas he has Collier and Carter. Point is, Spurs have options and should have their pick of the litter whichever direction they choose. It's a great place to be.

You have a point. For me, I am still choosing Sheppard over Dillingham in the first. With a second round pick, no problems with a flyer. Tre as a second rounder is doing a passable impression of a PG and who knows, if he improves his 3 point percentage and willingness to shoot, he is going to be difficult to dislodge from the starting position. He has improved his 3 point percentage from 20% to 33% over the past 3 years. If he can lift that into the high 30's and increase his volume, he may be worth more than his current $10m per year contract.

[EmpireFalls]

I’m a degenerate so I found some LNB streams for Cholet (Salaun) and JL Bourg (Risacher). Believe it’s the final week of the French League season.

Both have been completely anonymous. Risacher has the Tony Snell line - 0 pts 0 rebs 0 assists, 3 fouls, and Salaun (I’ve mainly been watching Cholet) looks super lost and out of any rhythm.

[G R E Y]

I've heard the Spurs are eyeing Dilly and that his camp is putting out there that he would prefer to play with Wemby. His defense is questionable but assuming SA has no plans to trade for a PG I have to believe he is their #1 target given the need/fit/overall talent

Curious where you heard that. It's on Twitter how he's telling teams not to draft him as he wants Spurs to but have not heard it's mutual. We've scouted Topic enough to know what each guy brings/each guy's deficiencies.

I like RD's scoring potential but his size, D, and ok athleticism are big question marks. Two of the three he can't really do anything about...

[MotownMadness]

I’m a degenerate so I found some LNB streams for Cholet (Salaun) and JL Bourg (Risacher). Believe it’s the final week of the French League season.

Both have been completely anonymous. Risacher has the Tony Snell line - 0 pts 0 rebs 0 assists, 3 fouls, and Salaun (I’ve mainly been watching Cholet) looks super lost and out of any rhythm.

Sad to hear

[Pattycakes]

I’m a degenerate so I found some LNB streams for Cholet (Salaun) and JL Bourg (Risacher). Believe it’s the final week of the French League season.

Both have been completely anonymous. Risacher has the Tony Snell line - 0 pts 0 rebs 0 assists, 3 fouls, and Salaun (I’ve mainly been watching Cholet) looks super lost and out of any rhythm.

Sad to hear

Meh. Modern nba lacks any real attention to detail like that, most athletic and 3 pt ability usually goes far. As in, these days I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone stink it up in a fundamental league and come here and be playable.

[FarBeyondDriven]

I’m a degenerate so I found some LNB streams for Cholet (Salaun) and JL Bourg (Risacher). Believe it’s the final week of the French League season.

Both have been completely anonymous. Risacher has the Tony Snell line - 0 pts 0 rebs 0 assists, 3 fouls, and Salaun (I’ve mainly been watching Cholet) looks super lost and out of any rhythm.

huh, seems like Salaun had a good game despite reports to the contrary

Read on Twitter

with his team moving on he'll miss the combine like Coulibaly last year. We'll still get "official" measurements though

[Bornstellar]

I've heard the Spurs are eyeing Dilly and that his camp is putting out there that he would prefer to play with Wemby. His defense is questionable but assuming SA has no plans to trade for a PG I have to believe he is their #1 target given the need/fit/overall talent

Curious where you heard that. It's on Twitter how he's telling teams not to draft him as he wants Spurs to but have not heard it's mutual. We've scouted Topic enough to know what each guy brings/each guy's deficiencies.

I like RD's scoring potential but his size, D, and ok athleticism are big question marks. Two of the three he can't really do anything about...

LJ Ellis from SpursTalk wrote about it awhile back although going back and reading it again he is moreso saying that scouts around the league he has spoken with say they will be surprised if SA doesn't pick him if he's on the board when they pick and that Dillingham's camp is putting it out there their preferred destination is SA.

So not exactly the same as Spurs eyeing him specifically but it makes sense and it sounds like he wants to be here