RealGM

Starting the thread since we have only a 2022 draft thread and not a 2023 one.

We could have up to 4 picks in the draft as of today.

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

First Round - up to 2, worst available first will go to Denver, next worst to Washington.

Second round - 1

Misc. Note

I can't imagine Houston will be in the bottom 4 again with Ime and the win-now players they've added, but I also don't think they make the playoffs. So that pick looks promising. Maybe in the 7-12 range.

Utah's pick will be close. They were 9th worst in the league last year. Perhaps they improve this coming season, but they didn't make any crazy moves so I'm not sure.

Thunder pick may or may not be lottery, we'll see. The Clippers pick looks like the one that will be pushed to Denver, unless things really fall apart in LA.

IMO we're looking at some thing like 8th (HOU), 12th (UTAH), 14th (OKC) or something like that, with the Clippers pick going to Denver.

Worst case, Rockets finish bottom 4, Utah finishes bottom 10, OKC just misses the playoffs, and Clippers make the playoffs.

Best case dream scenario is Clippers totally fall apart, we take a huge jump as a team we and get something like: 5th (HOU), 6th (UTAH), 7th (LAC) with our pick going to Denver. Let me dream.

That’s what this thread should be for . Tracking our dreams .

Good chance that bigs, especially forwards, will be the target with our guard rotations pretty solid as of one year before this occurs.*
*Unless we package and move up BPA for a target that is undeniably better.

Worst case scenario : HOU bad season and rolls 1-4, UTA has bad season and rolls 1-10, we miss Lottery and get 15, and LAC is average, but ends up at 16 which is sent to DEN, so keep that in mind. Going from lots of assets to 1 selection would be rough.

Best case HOU has a terrible season but rolls @ No.5 and UTAH isn't great but sticks @ No. 11, OKC goes nuclear and our pick is No. 30 and LAC can't stay healthy, rolls into a roulette nightmare of No. 1 for some real **** 'Lottery Luck'

I would put my expectation at 7 for HOU, 15 for Utah, 17 for OKC, and 21 for LAC (sent to DEN), target BPA and hedge forwards or centers as primary scouting. Seems to be some candidates across the board that are defensive centers and big athletic forwards or wings.

some picks gonna be traded

cant afford 3 picks like 8-12-20

I really like Kyle Filipowski for OKC - think he is going to be a Kelly O type and having a bench big that can stretch the floor would be huge to ensure the court is always open for SGA / Josh / Jalen.

Wont be a needle mover, but seems like a quality rotation guy whos just happens to really fit the OKC roster construction and has enough movement to not get PNR'd off the court in the playoffs.

FWIW - I am on team 'Kyle's 3PT shot is going to drastically improve % wise as a Sophmore' - his mechanics are too smooth to be a 28% guy from 3 - think he takes a huge leap there this season

From the looks of things early on, the Utah pick almost certainly won't convey in 2024. I think it's top 10 protected in 2025 and top 8 protected in 2026 so not having it materialize in 2024 might actually be beneficial.

Rockets pick looks ripe. If I had to guess, I'd say late lottery based on their performance so far.

Clippers pick is still a wildcard. I could see them completely falling apart and it being a top 5 pick, or them finishing with the best record in the west.

All three teams are in interesting places. I still think Clippers eventually figure things out and end up above .500 (hope I'm wrong LOL)

My list of guys I'm looking for OKC to be trying to pick up is Sarr, Almansa, Filipowski, Ware and Salaun. I really like Clingan, but he is a more traditional center that doesn't stretch the floor so I'm not sure Presti will be looking at him. If you were to pair Clingan and Chet you might not see anyone willing to go into the paint against that shot blocking duo.

Sam's going to lean in super hard to the ball handling thing and draft Bobi Klintman.

For OKC specifically I'd probably guess Cody Williams based on the obvious brotherly connection, the fact that we've drafted from Colorado before (Andre Roberson), and that we need warm bodies to play at forward.

If I had the number 1 pick in the draft I would take Ja'Kobe Walter. He's not a prototypical #1 pick but I think his shot making and size for position give him both a high floor and a high ceiling.

Trevor Brazile is starting to grow on me. Rebounding, shot block and efficient shooting at 6'10. I don't see him as a ballhandler or playmaker on the offensive end, but OKC doesn't need another playmaker. They need someone that can compete in the paint and stretch the floor.

Presti was at the UConn/Kansas game tonight but shouldn't mean much. I think basically every team had a rep in attendance.

It's hard to pinpoint right now what dude feels like a fit both stylistically and culturally. I don't want any more projects at this point because we can't afford the luxury of developing those guys. Ryan Dunn could be nice. Virginia guys tend to come in with NBA readiness. Ke'lel Ware starting to hit from beyond the arc but who knows how sustainable that is. I know we're deep at guard but Reed Sheppard is for sure going to be a good pro with a ton of connective tissue.

retrobro90 wrote:Presti was at the UConn/Kansas game tonight but shouldn't mean much. I think basically every team had a rep in attendance.

It's hard to pinpoint right now what dude feels like a fit both stylistically and culturally. I don't want any more projects at this point because we can't afford the luxury of developing those guys. Ryan Dunn could be nice. Virginia guys tend to come in with NBA readiness. Ke'lel Ware starting to hit from beyond the arc but who knows how sustainable that is. I know we're deep at guard but Reed Sheppard is for sure going to be a good pro with a ton of connective tissue.

Ware is one of the bigs with legitimate range. I wouldn't expect him to keep shooting 55% from 3, but he projects to be a solid NBA 3pt shooter.

I have no interest in Dunn. OKC too many wings already and I don't believe his 3pt shooting will ever be good enough to justify regular playing time at the position. At best, he is a bigger version of Dort and seems closer to Roberson in the complete lack of shooting. OKC does not any one-way defensive wings. Dort at least pretends to play offense.

Kizz Fastfists wrote:

retrobro90 wrote:Presti was at the UConn/Kansas game tonight but shouldn't mean much. I think basically every team had a rep in attendance.

It's hard to pinpoint right now what dude feels like a fit both stylistically and culturally. I don't want any more projects at this point because we can't afford the luxury of developing those guys. Ryan Dunn could be nice. Virginia guys tend to come in with NBA readiness. Ke'lel Ware starting to hit from beyond the arc but who knows how sustainable that is. I know we're deep at guard but Reed Sheppard is for sure going to be a good pro with a ton of connective tissue.

Ware is one of the bigs with legitimate range. I wouldn't expect him to keep shooting 55% from 3, but he projects to be a solid NBA 3pt shooter.

I have no interest in Dunn. OKC too many wings already and I don't believe his 3pt shooting will ever be good enough to justify regular playing time at the position. At best, he is a bigger version of Dort and seems closer to Roberson in the complete lack of shooting. OKC does not any one-way defensive wings. Dort at least pretends to play offense.

I’m interested when you say big with range .

For wings itself, I’m not sure how many draft picks we are making this upcoming draft.

I can see us picking up a big with range or just a forward with range . Don’t see us picking a center . Think that’s vet min or MLE big. Just cause center take longer time to learn and we have smallball option and backup option already in Kenrich and Jaylin .

Devilanche wrote:I’m interested when you say big with range .

When I say a big with range I'm referring to someone 6'9+ that is capable of playing in the paint and has shooting range that should be solid from 3. A PF/C type who can defend in the post and fight for rebounds with the big boys.

Kizz Fastfists wrote:

Devilanche wrote:I’m interested when you say big with range .

When I say a big with range I'm referring to someone 6'9+ that is capable of playing in the paint and has shooting range that should be solid from 3. A PF/C type who can defend in the post and fight for rebounds with the big boys.

That’s exactly the type we need .

Im hearing a lot about fit now, and it puzzles me a bit. I think, with whatever pick we get, Presti goes BPA.

If I recall, in a post-season interview he said that the teams strategy is talent through the draft and fit through free agency.

Not that fit doesn’t matter, but I don’t think it should be the priority for us with picks.

cjmcallist wrote:Im hearing a lot about fit now, and it puzzles me a bit. I think, with whatever pick we get, Presti goes BPA.

If I recall, in a post-season interview he said that the teams strategy is talent through the draft and fit through free agency.

Not that fit doesn’t matter, but I don’t think it should be the priority for us with picks.

I don't recall that post-season presser quote but I don't necessarily disagree with that philosophy. I do think however that as the team becomes better that there is less flexibility to develop a raw player who has a perceived high level of upside.

It's only tangentially related but I frequently get reminded of this bit of wisdom JVG shared on the Lowe Post a few years back. I'm paraphrasing here but essentially he said "All teams are capable of messing up the draft, messing up a trade, or messing up a free agency signing-- but the hallmark of a good front office is having a complete and sound understanding of all the personnel that goes in and out of your building every day." I think about that a lot when I'm trying to judge the decisions made our FO and others'.

cjmcallist wrote:Im hearing a lot about fit now, and it puzzles me a bit. I think, with whatever pick we get, Presti goes BPA.

If I recall, in a post-season interview he said that the teams strategy is talent through the draft and fit through free agency.

Not that fit doesn’t matter, but I don’t think it should be the priority for us with picks.

Really? That is shocking to hear. Outside of KD and Chet when has he ever gone BPA? He has drafted a lot of players with no NBA skill like Diallo, Roberson, etc. based on size and athleticism and some myth that them playing defense made up for their inability to shoot, pass and play the game of basketball.

There is a reason that everyone expects Presti to draft garbage players that can't shoot, but are long and play defense. He had a type for a long time that negates winning basketball games and that cost OKC championship opportunities. You can make a lot of arguments about who the BPA is, but you can not argue against drafting players with the skills your team needs that play positions your team lacks. When your team lacks everything and you are picking second you take KD like everyone else on the planet would have. The same goes for Chet. A lot of people would have taken him #1 and a few #3, but the skill was clearly there for him to be the #2 pick. Outside of those two picks you would be very hard pressed to find people who would ever claim Presti drafted the BPA on draft night. You could make an argument for Ferguson, although he didn't pan out. Maybe you can argue Mitch McGary who had to declare because chose marijuana over college basketball and then again chose it over the NBA, but that was someone who fell in the draft because he didn't have a future in the NBA no matter the talent level.