Also heard Barlowe says on one of his live Q&A's that teams are liking Will Riley's strength progression and that he's eating an "insane" amount of calories daily to gain weight.
Following Potential 2025 Draftees
- Thread starter Elizah Huge
- Start date
Handlogten's Heros
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Riley supposedly did real well in his workout here and in other workouts.
Strongly on the side of not small (though not large either). He's fine for a PG. Certainly not as small like most of the guys he's comped with. His body will need development, but I don't see anything stopping that over the years.
Heard an interview where Riley said he's a mix of Lamelo, SGA, Tatum and KD.
Well now I love him.
My week of the draft big board...
1 Cooper Flagg
2 Dylan Harper
3 Tre Johnson
4 Ace Bailey
5 V.J. Edgecombe
6 Jeremiah Fears
7 Kon Knueppel
8 Collin Murray-Boyles
9 Khaman Maluach
10 Asa Newell
11 Kasparas Jakucionis
12 Cedric Coward
13 Nolan Traore
14 Rasheer Fleming
15 Nique Clifford
16 Derik Queen
17 Noa Essengue
18 Hansen Yang
19 Egor Demin
20 Carter Bryant
21 Drake Powell
22 Will Riley
23 Thomas Sorber
24 Maxime Raynaud
25 Jase Richardson
26 Danny Wolf
27 Adou Thiero
28 Johni Broome
29 Walter Clayton Jr.
30 Ryan Kalkbrenner
1 Cooper Flagg
2 Dylan Harper
3 Tre Johnson
4 Ace Bailey
5 V.J. Edgecombe
6 Jeremiah Fears
7 Kon Knueppel
8 Collin Murray-Boyles
9 Khaman Maluach
10 Asa Newell
11 Kasparas Jakucionis
12 Cedric Coward
13 Nolan Traore
14 Rasheer Fleming
15 Nique Clifford
16 Derik Queen
17 Noa Essengue
18 Hansen Yang
19 Egor Demin
20 Carter Bryant
21 Drake Powell
22 Will Riley
23 Thomas Sorber
24 Maxime Raynaud
25 Jase Richardson
26 Danny Wolf
27 Adou Thiero
28 Johni Broome
29 Walter Clayton Jr.
30 Ryan Kalkbrenner
Miggs
Well-Known Member
I’d rather this than the other way around. In fact, as far as pure stardom goes, the most common traits in the elite players in the league are the constant ability to get anywhere on the court they want, ala elite penetrator like you said, as well as the ability to get to the rim and/or draw fouls imo. His 28.4% from deep is certainly concerning but if he’s elite and we think his shot mechanics aren’t broken, this would be my guy. I think.
I quite like this - well done.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0wkPtyS3cM
This guy says some interesting things (especially at 21, doesn't really say much Utah specific stuff at 5, it's more about Kon)
Says he's told Utah is trying to move up from 21 because they think there is a tier break before 21 and that Austin Aigne isnt "beheld" to former draft picks.
IMO it’s kind of concerning that even for the high end comps/outcomes for both Tre and Fears you’re still looking a player whose value at the highest level is questionable.
Maybe it’s an actual overthinking situation, but I might have to consider circling back to Ace. If you believe you are a good franchise with a strong program, you take him. He’s not KD but he has a higher chance of being a two way player.
Maybe it’s an actual overthinking situation, but I might have to consider circling back to Ace. If you believe you are a good franchise with a strong program, you take him. He’s not KD but he has a higher chance of being a two way player.
I’m again coming back to this point: I think the ways that Indiana and OKC overlap says a lot about where the league is and where it’s heading. You can’t get by with a big 3 or a team with a couple of defensive specialists and be a viable team. You need a whole stable of primarily two-way players that are competitive.
Fears and Tre do not fit this bill at all. I think Kon can work since he plays hard and is smart, VJ is obvious, and Ace is competitive on both sides of the ball with eye-popping tools. I would rather roll dice on Bailey if he’s falling than shrug and pick up a chucker that plays no defense, even if they’re a really good chucker.
Fears and Tre do not fit this bill at all. I think Kon can work since he plays hard and is smart, VJ is obvious, and Ace is competitive on both sides of the ball with eye-popping tools. I would rather roll dice on Bailey if he’s falling than shrug and pick up a chucker that plays no defense, even if they’re a really good chucker.
uhh, what defensive specialist does Indy have?
And saying Tre Johnson doesnt fit when the Pacers won a game due to Bendecit Mathurn is kind of a wild thing to say.
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Seeing Ace as a wannabe KD does not move the needle for me. But if you start with him as a more advanced Jaden McDaniels, that's when it gets more interesting. I didn't agree with a lot of what Locke said, but I did agree with the notion that Ace is somewhat safe despite the high bust label. There's just so many ways he could contribute. Chances of him not improving at anything is low.
I actually think the Pacers are kind of a case study for why defense isnt that important more than the other way around.
What I do like about the Pacers is that they dont have any glaring defensive weak links (or at least their defensive weak links arent undersized enough to be severely exploited (mathurin/haliburton)). But they also dont have anyone who I would consider a plus defender.
What I do like about the Pacers is that they dont have any glaring defensive weak links (or at least their defensive weak links arent undersized enough to be severely exploited (mathurin/haliburton)). But they also dont have anyone who I would consider a plus defender.
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There's nothing to learn from the Pacers defensively other than playing fast and not turning the ball over is a good strategy.
Final Big Board
1) Flagg
2) Harper
3) Essengue
4) Kon
5) VJ
6) Ace
7) Fears
8) Tre
9) Fleming
10) CMB
11) Yang
12) Egor
13) Clifford
14) Beringer
15) Malauch
16) Penda
17) Clayton Jr
18) Thiero
19) Coward
20) Riley
21) Traore
22) Jace
23) Wolf
24) Raynaud
25) Hugo
This is far as I go. Yeah, I left some dudes off.....I don't believe in them enough to even throw them on for posterity sake.
1) Flagg
2) Harper
3) Essengue
4) Kon
5) VJ
6) Ace
7) Fears
8) Tre
9) Fleming
10) CMB
11) Yang
12) Egor
13) Clifford
14) Beringer
15) Malauch
16) Penda
17) Clayton Jr
18) Thiero
19) Coward
20) Riley
21) Traore
22) Jace
23) Wolf
24) Raynaud
25) Hugo
This is far as I go. Yeah, I left some dudes off.....I don't believe in them enough to even throw them on for posterity sake.
Basketball Novice
Active Member
A low IQ basketball player will be a detriment no matter the team construction.
Isn't that just recency bias? There was a time when centers couldn't be the driving player that wins championships, until that was proven false. Who's to say a smaller guard can't be the best player on a championship team. All it takes is 1 special talent.
I'm going to assume that the Jazz asking Ace to come in and workout a day or two before the draft shows a certain level of interest.