One thing to watch with DA. He has successfully understood which teams were doing what in the draft... so if there was ever someone that could nail this dance its DA.
Examples - Fultz/Tatum dance he did. He snatched up Matisse because he knew Philly loved him... then got a couple picks because of it. There was also the Winslow thing... now he didn't get it done and Hornets actually took the wrong guy... but he knew where he had to get to select his dude. I'm ready for the masterclass he displays on draft night. He's good at gathering reliable intel.
I'm not sold on Bilal... I haven't tried to be sold on him either so I just don't know on him. I probably would not take him with the Minny or Utah picks.
It's a good point. IMO, the thing I take most from Ainge's draft record is that he's inclined to draft guys "who look the part" which often overlaps with guys who are bluechips. If a guy didn't perform super well in college it doesn't seem to bother him as much as long as they look the part or have high pedigree. He definitely has a type. Jaylen Brown is an example of where this worked out, Langford/James Young examples where it didn't hit. I think the ones to look out for this year are Whitehead, GG, Dillon Mitchell, Julian Phillips etc.
Another thing to consider especially when we're talking about wink wink deals....Rupert and Coulibaly both have Rudy's agent. I know there's been a lot of FO overhaul with the Jazz, but Zanik is still here and I think Rudy left on great terms and still has a high opinion of the franchise. It should not be surprise to see an agent want to place his player with a franchise they trust. If there's one thing I've picked up on in recent years it's that agents dictate a ton of player movement in the NBA.