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Following Potential 2025 Draftees

Watching Traore is bizarre because he's like an exact clone of Dante Exum.

Extreme burst and a good hesitation move, but literally no other ball handling or finishing moves. Just straight-line stuff always with no craft anywhere.
Aren't hesitation moves part of what people consider craft?

There are also plenty of cross overs, step throughs, pivots, etc. So not sure what you are watching.

He does play a lot of pnr, and will straight line drive (like he should) off of the pick. Maybe that's what you are seeing?

He's certainly not the most advanced ball handler/has the deepest bag of moves, but he's also only 18. I think he's perfectly fine for ball handling at his age.
 
Aren't hesitation moves part of what people consider craft?

There are also plenty of cross overs, step throughs, pivots, etc. So not sure what you are watching.

He does play a lot of pnr, and will straight line drive (like he should) off of the pick. Maybe that's what you are seeing?

He's certainly not the most advanced ball handler/has the deepest bag of moves, but he's also only 18. I think he's perfectly fine for ball handling at his age.

I mean, yeah, he has one hesitation move, but that's literally it. No other ball handling or finishing moves that seem even slightly effective.

Which was exactly how Exum played as well which is causing me deju vu.
 
Just watched a bit of Derik Queen... I just... can't... I won't even watch a full game. I just can't do this. I can't think of a reason a team should take him in the top 10 here. He looks like a back to the basket big ...with some skill... but with no great size or athleticism. The thing is... I cannot imagine in 2025-2035 NBA... I would want to give the ball to a player like him to create offense for me. I think ideally I would always have at least 2-3 other players I would prefer initiating my offense. Yes, he has some handle... but is he better handler than like 80% of guards and 50% of wings... No! Yes, he can pull up ... from 2.... but do I want Derik Queen pulling up from 2 for my team? Yes, he can post up a bit... but do I want to run offense through the post in this era of NBA? Hell no, unless you are a generationally skilled player... and he's not that.

Pretty much the only way I can see him being a plus starter is if he develops into offensive hub type of player in the mold of Sengun or Sabonis, but I just am not sure he has THAT type of playmaking and feel for the game.

I think I will have him outside the lottery range on my board.
 
Just watched a bit of Derik Queen... I just... can't... I won't even watch a full game. I just can't do this. I can't think of a reason a team should take him in the top 10 here. He looks like a back to the basket big ...with some skill... but with no great size or athleticism. The thing is... I cannot imagine in 2025-2035 NBA... I would want to give the ball to a player like him to create offense for me. I think ideally I would always have at least 2-3 other players I would prefer initiating my offense. Yes, he has some handle... but is he better handler than like 80% of guards and 50% of wings... No! Yes, he can pull up ... from 2.... but do I want Derik Queen pulling up from 2 for my team? Yes, he can post up a bit... but do I want to run offense through the post in this era of NBA? Hell no, unless you are a generationally skilled player... and he's not that.

Pretty much the only way I can see him being a plus starter is if he develops into offensive hub type of player in the mold of Sengun or Sabonis, but I just am not sure he has THAT type of playmaking and feel for the game.

I think I will have him outside the lottery range on my board.

Classic, polarizing, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type. I'm guessing teams have him all over the place.

I generally find myself "out" on about 80% of those guys, the exceptions being those with freakish measurements.
 
I can't believe I still see online chatter about anyone else at #5 besides Johnson, Edgecombe, or Bailey.

There's absolutely 0 chance at #5 the Jazz take an undersized Guard that can't shoot, an unathletic bigman, an injury prone bigman that can't shoot, or the below average athlete.

I'm actually really optimistic about Tre Johnson. I would take him at 3 if I were the Jazz. I'm optimistic he falls to 5 too because I don't think Philly passes on Bailey's potential, and Charlotte needs a 2 way all around player to pair with Ball, Miller, & Bridges, verses another shooter that just wants to score.
 
Just watched a bit of Derik Queen... I just... can't... I won't even watch a full game. I just can't do this. I can't think of a reason a team should take him in the top 10 here. He looks like a back to the basket big ...with some skill... but with no great size or athleticism. The thing is... I cannot imagine in 2025-2035 NBA... I would want to give the ball to a player like him to create offense for me. I think ideally I would always have at least 2-3 other players I would prefer initiating my offense. Yes, he has some handle... but is he better handler than like 80% of guards and 50% of wings... No! Yes, he can pull up ... from 2.... but do I want Derik Queen pulling up from 2 for my team? Yes, he can post up a bit... but do I want to run offense through the post in this era of NBA? Hell no, unless you are a generationally skilled player... and he's not that.

Pretty much the only way I can see him being a plus starter is if he develops into offensive hub type of player in the mold of Sengun or Sabonis, but I just am not sure he has THAT type of playmaking and feel for the game.

I think I will have him outside the lottery range on my board.

I think "big who is offensive hub" is kind of just the flavor of the month this draft cycle. I don't really feel as if it's taking over the NBA, but it's being talked about more than ever. I think it's important for all positions o be more skilled these days, but I also think it's kind of one of those trends that will fade away eventually. It's something that is more unique and fun than it is valuable. Not valuable enough to overlook the defense of big at least.
 
Don’t know where best to tuck this, but I’m pretty into the idea of selling high on Kessler, dodging the extension, then drafting Wolf and Beringer later in the draft.

Lakers offered so much for Kessler that the Jazz had to have agreed to an extension with Kessler before the trade deadline to avoid trading him.

And I doubt Kessler would have agreed to sit out those games without being compensated with a fat extension.
 
I will never understand the obsession with trading Kessler. We should want to pay him.

We're probably going to have to wildly overpay him to tank is the issue.

If we pay him 5/125, yeah, sure.

If we pay him 5/175, then not trading him was a massive mistake.

This guy has a very good chance of being unplayable in the postseason so I don't know how much money we should commit to him. 5/125 is close to my ceiling here.

Having good players sit out games to intentionally throw games is also just pretty gross.
 
I think now is a great time to hand out long term deals. Cap going up 10% every year, it will be hard to overpay. It’s not the same situation as the Jazz penny pinching Hayward, but you do want to be the team that’s locking in long term deals early when money is coming into the league.
 
I think now is a great time to hand out long term deals. Cap going up 10% every year, it will be hard to overpay. It’s not the same situation as the Jazz penny pinching Hayward, but you do want to be the team that’s locking in long term deals early when money is coming into the league.
It’s worth noting that there is a good chance we enter a recession in the next year or two which would change this outlook.

The basketball gods also demand real effort and sacrifice to grant their gifts.
 
It’s worth noting that there is a good chance we enter a recession in the next year or two which would change this outlook.

The basketball gods also demand real effort and sacrifice to grant their gifts.

I’m sort of out of my depth here, but I think the 10% increase is pretty solid because of the new TV deal. TV makes up the large portion of revenue, and that’s already agreed upon. It’s also consistent at 10% because of cap smoothing.

Either way, I think the Jazz should focus on two things with Kessler’s deal. 1) Descending and 2) 5th year team option. These two things really protect you from making major mistake if one can even be made at this time.
 
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