What's new

2023 NBA Draft Megathread

Hendricks falls to what -- 9? I think the Jazz are going to want to get a player they love at 9 -- whether that's Walker, Bufkin or Coulibaly. The other issue is that Washington may take Bufkin at 8, unless that's all just smoke.
They can take one of those guys at 12… and get their pick back. I think the Bilal smoke is only somewhat true. I think OKC is sweet on Taylor and will give up some stuff and we still get a guy we really like. I think Washington goes with Black.
 
That's my point. If that is his biggest flaw, that's a good bet to get fixed. The counter is that AK47 could never put on the weight he needed to dominate.
That was merely a symptom down the list of more important causes. All problems lead back to he didn’t love basketball and had an ego/fragile psyche on top of that. From there, he doesn’t believe he needs to improve and didn’t have the work ethic to improve even if he did.
 
That was not even one of his top-3 problems. All problems lead back to he didn’t love basketball and had an ego/fragile psyche on top of that. From there, he doesn’t believe he needs to improve and didn’t have the work ethic to improve even if he did.
He was a normal dude who was an excellent basketball player. He was not obsessed or consumed by it… I don’t blame him but that was the thing that held him back most imo… may have made him a better human though… balance… yada yada.
 
The combination of BOTH Bilal and Bufkin sneaking towards the top-10 range is problematic. Jazz won't be able to reach one of them by trading up from 16, unless they can do a deal with Dallas at 10.

Trading up from 16 is more likely to yield George, Wallace or Hood-Schifino.
 
The combination of BOTH Bilal and Bufkin sneaking towards the top-10 range is problematic. Jazz won't be able to reach one of them by trading up from 16, unless they can do a deal with Dallas at 10.
Not everyone can go top 10… if Bufkin, Bilal, JHS go between picks 10-15 other guys will fall… Dick, Miller, Wallace might unexpectedly be there.
 
I don't think Bilal is done growing or filling out. He turns 19 this summer.
The new thing this summer is guys growing 2”. It’s the new 15 lbs of muscle. Reports are Shaedon Sharpe and Alpy Sengun have grown 2”+… not even to summer league… more will come.
 
Is this how people felt about Giannis?
Giannis is from Greece and the last players taken from Greece were all busts so, giannis was clearly a bad pick.

Look, Bilal is intriguing but it's all based on measurables and can you develop him or not. He is 18, super long, very athletic, and not a great player. So, he is a gamble.

At 9, I think there are guys with higher upsides and much lower floors. So, Bilal for me is a fantastic pick at 16 but a big gamble at 9. If we absolutely love him then we can grab him after 9 and pick up assets doing it.
 
I don't think Bilal is done growing or filling out. He turns 19 this summer.
That would also be another Frankie Smokes comparison point… I think one summer he grew two inches supposedly… just saying.
 
Just caught up on 30 pages of this thread.

I don't get the love of this board on going with a PG with the 9th pick. Wings are hard to acquire and harder to trade for. PGs and combo guards are a dime a dozen.

Bufkin and Cason Wallace types are good but at the end of the day wings are drafted and retained while combo guards and pgs are available as free agents every year.

I would prefer 2 wings and picking up an undervalued vet pg as a FA who can be a calming influence than going with a PG and a combo guard in the draft.
 
If Bilal were 6'10" and 19, would he be worth a top 10 pick? Maybe. His floor is very low. So, again, its a teens gamble IMHO.

If the Jazz decide that Bilal is their guy, they'll have to pay whatever price the market sets for him. I think originally they looked at him as a candidate for the #16 pick, but it seems as though he won't last that long.

Maybe the Jazz have moved on from him, or maybe he's now in the discussion for #9 along with guys like Black, Hendricks and Ausar.
 
Back
Top