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2023 NBA Draft Megathread

I remember listening to an interview with Tony on ESPN700 probably 4 or 5 months ago and even clear back then he said the Jazz liked Jarace a lot and thought he would be a great fit next to Lauri and Kessler.


View: https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba/status/1667032166230814723


View: https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba/status/1667034476797390848

Tingis pengus wrote that comment? Sounds like philomena cunk or the score in a tennis match on the Tim & Eric Show. Both make Tingis the most qualified person to speak.

I am now all in on trading up for the #2 draft pick to grab Jarace Wallace. Thanka Tingis for your help!
 
My top 9 players are mostly based on athleticism. I’m pretty sure that any of them (outside of Wemby) are major projections on how that athleticism will develop. I’m also pretty sure that any of them (even the guys that I’m down on) will be an awesome pick at 9 (or higher), so I’m not stressing the first pick at all.

Walk away with one of Wemby, Cam, Miller, Scoot, Walker, Hendricks, Amen, Ausur or Black and I’m going to be happy with the result.

It’s after 9 that things get interesting to me. Do the Jazz sit tight and see who falls to their spot? Again, there’s a lot of guys that I’d love at 16, so I hope one of them gets picked there if that’s what they do.
At least one of B. Couliably, G. Dick, K. George, L. Miller, D. Lively, K. Bufkin and JHS would be guaranteed to be there.

Unless something strange happens and they just reach like crazy, I’m pretty sure I’m going to walk away happy with the results this year.
 
No, he is asking why dont the other G-League teams (not just the Elite) get these young recruits.
Well his words (“… OTE, the G-League team, is the only team recruiting high school players…”) clearly suggest that he thinks OTE is a team from the G-League. That’s understandable, because most draft sites talk about OTE the league as though it’s a team. I guess that might make a sliver of sense since the City Reapers were the Harlem Globetrotters of the league.
 
The thing that is strange to me is how so many people want the twins, Cam, and Black based on their athleticism and feel like they can teach the rest and yet are down on Walker. Walker is a stud athlete with size that already has all of the "feel of the game" attributes that are really hard to teach and has just as much if not more potential to improve his shot.

Also he loves to pass the ball which is why I rate him above Cam, who I would also take and be extremely happy. I also think that Walker's skillset and size makes him a safe pick. He's not going to completely bust. He may not reach his ultimate possibility, but he will be in the league a long, long time with a role he can play.
Cam has the best indicators (age, injury, experience level, good catch-and-shoot percentages, willingness to put up shots, great form) of everyone you just mentioned as a shooter. Plenty are skeptical of the twins because of their poor shooting. People are skeptical of Walker’s ability to play NBA basketball because he was a bad shooter last year (and then put out a clip of his great shooting as a ball handler from the mid-range which ignited a debate between two people and the rest of the board as to the mid-range shot and role).

TLDR; Walker doesn’t appear to be a good shooter is why. And if he isn’t a shooter he doesn’t figure to be a full-time center since he’s probably not big enough for that basically no one starts complete non-3pt-threats at any position but center.
 
So... is there a reason why OTE, the G-league team is the only team that's recruiting high school players/young talented players? Why not other G-league teams, is there a reason?
i think kids straight from HS are locked into g league ignite. ote is a high school league - you basically go there if you're a hs kid who wants good competition (ote is a step below the top 25 HS teams in the country), exposure and up and down style or if you are a college aged kid (like the thompson twins) and want it easy.
 
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I guess the question is... Can Cam self-create enough efficient shots at the rim and from 3? Because it's all good if he's actually a pull up 3 wizard and drains them at 35-36%+ or if he can get to the rim on a whim... the question is - can he actually do it? BTW his FTAs are not very high for someone who's supposed to be a great rim-attacker? Or is he primarily reliant on others to create for him? Again... his volumes are not high...

At the rim, yes I think so. From 3 it remains to be seen. But I like that he shoots pullup 3's instead of pullup 2's. He would have to be elite at mid range shots to be efficient and just average from 3 to be efficient. I don't want to give off the impression that I think his 3 ball (especially off the dribble), is a for sure thing. I never thought that....but if it is, yeah he's gonna be tough to handle. The appeal of Cam is that if answer to can he shoot turns out to be "yes" he's likely a star. If he can't shoot at all he might end up like Okoro, but I think he will at least be able to be a good spot up threat (his #'s were very good) which makes him a dynamite off the ball player. With Cam you're really drafting him for that special speed+power combo which is special an unique IMO.

There are similar questions about the other players in the same draft range. If you could tell which one of Cam/Scoot/Twins/Jarace/Black it would be easy to tell who the star will be :) You have to go down to Hendricks to get a guy who you are fairly confident can shoot, and that's why he'll likely go ahead of some in that group.
 
So OKC now owns Denver’s 2027 and 2029 firsts.
And Denver will be looking for more Braun types to fill in their roster on the cheap. Honestly not a bad idea but OKC is setting up their future flexibility. I wonder if the 2027 pick protections were loosened up. Its top 5 protected.
 
At the rim, yes I think so. From 3 it remains to be seen. But I like that he shoots pullup 3's instead of pullup 2's. He would have to be elite at mid range shots to be efficient and just average from 3 to be efficient. I don't want to give off the impression that I think his 3 ball (especially off the dribble), is a for sure thing. I never thought that....but if it is, yeah he's gonna be tough to handle. The appeal of Cam is that if answer to can he shoot turns out to be "yes" he's likely a star. If he can't shoot at all he might end up like Okoro, but I think he will at least be able to be a good spot up threat (his #'s were very good) which makes him a dynamite off the ball player. With Cam you're really drafting him for that special speed+power combo which is special an unique IMO.

There are similar questions about the other players in the same draft range. If you could tell which one of Cam/Scoot/Twins/Jarace/Black it would be easy to tell who the star will be :) You have to go down to Hendricks to get a guy who you are fairly confident can shoot, and that's why he'll likely go ahead of some in that group.
Yeah, definitely prefer him to take the 3s over pull up 2s... but the pullup 2s he takes do serve as somewhat of a sign about how comfortable he is taking not just pullup 2s but any pull ups. I think my biggest worry with Whitmore is actually his playmaking and passing/vision. I think this is what actually might be the differnce between him being a star or not. Who's the last perimeter player star who had like... 1 assist per 40 in college? Is there ANY such player... EVER?
 
Yeah, definitely prefer him to take the 3s over pull up 2s... but the pullup 2s he takes do serve as somewhat of a sign about how comfortable he is taking not just pullup 2s but any pull ups. I think my biggest worry with Whitmore is actually his playmaking and passing/vision. I think this is what actually might be the differnce between him being a star or not. Who's the last perimeter player star who had like... 1 assist per 40 in college? Is there ANY such player?

Agreed, the playmaking is the biggest question mark. It's not just playmaking but maybe a lack of feel as well? He's kinda like the football player at a pick up game who doesn't know how to play but is still better than everyone because he's so athletic.
 
I think the Jazz need a guy that can playmake from the forward position. Having a front court of three non passers puts a lot of pressure on who we need to have as guards. That guy doesn't need to be an all-star but it allows us more freedom to find a guard who is and who fits seamlessly.

Can the French kid pass the rock?
 
I think the Jazz need a guy that can playmake from the forward position. Having a front court of three non passers puts a lot of pressure on who we need to have as guards. That guy doesn't need to be an all-star but it allows us more freedom to find a guard who is and who fits seamlessly.

Can the French kid pass the rock?
Bilal... nah... Sidy... yeah.
 
I think the Jazz need a guy that can playmake from the forward position. Having a front court of three non passers puts a lot of pressure on who we need to have as guards. That guy doesn't need to be an all-star but it allows us more freedom to find a guard who is and who fits seamlessly.

Can the French kid pass the rock?
Unknown. But there are lots of highlights of him passing to Wemby and others on a pick on roll. He was a guard a year and half ago. But he loves to drive to the hole hard.
 
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