Post by Rog on Jun 29, 2024 17:52:51 GMT
Draft time is the best time. Teams who have had nothing to do all year finally get to open their prize they've so patiently waited for. Some will hit and alter their franchises courses, others will miss and set themselves back. All will be entertained. Let's look at what I like and don't like about this class.
1. Utah Jazz - Baba Oladotun PF 19 6'10'' 220 B- C+ C- C+ B A
Camp Suggestions: Handles, Post Defense, Jumpshot
The top pick was kind of a toss up this year with no obvious true number one pick. I thought there were about 4 candidates that I would have not been a hater on if they went. Baba was at the top of my list though. He is 19 years old, plays a position thats tough to find, and checks a ton of boxes. Offensively he is versatile. His best strength is probably his combination of strength, verticality, and quickness. He is a knock down three point shooter and improving at the line. Defensively he is gonna generate a ton of stocks. Plus he is an elite offensive rebounder and should be a league leader on the boards in no time. I love this pick for the Jazz. The only real question I have is the fit with Bryson Tiller, who until the Baba pick was their best young asset.
Grade: A
2. Milwaukee Bucks - Chris Paul II PG 20 6'1'' 192 C+ C+ B B- C- A
Camp Suggestions: Inside scoring, handling, three point shot
Chris Paul II was yet another player I thought had the chance to go number one. I did think someone would look at him not being top 5 in the class in potential and not having a scoring rating in the Bs would detract someone from taking him there and it did, but the fit in Milwaukee seems pretty great for the new GM. He is one of the quickest players in this class, distributes and defends well and has very little holes in his game. He does need to get better at the rim and that means getting more creative and being able to take shots while still putting in the net because he isn't all that impressive as an athlete and that part of his game will probably never come. Either way you can easily envision a career 20 point, 11 assist, 2.5 steal type player from Paul and if things break the way they sometimes do in FBB, maybe even more than that.
Grade: A-
3. Brooklyn Nets - Tyran Stokes PF 20 6'10'' 265 B B- C+ B- C A
Camp Suggestions: Offensive Rebounding, Defensive Rebounding, handles
Not gonna lie, there was a player or two that I liked better for the Nets here. Stokes has serious flaws and the Nets already employ a PF with serious flaws in Derrion Reid. They have a young center they picked up last year in Ismaila Diagne, but he doesn't project to be much of a rim protector. But instead of talking about what they should have done, let's talk about what they got in Stokes. Stokes was a contender for the number one pick a couple years ago, returned to school and his game is more developed but his flaws are more apparent. He is gonna struggle to rebound, potentially never realizing 10 rebounds a game. Offensively though he might just show up on the leaderboards. Stokes does good work with the ball in his hands, capable of taking anyone to the hoop, athletic enough combined with his size to poster anyone. He is also a capable and willing passer, he might get up in the upper 3s and 4s assist wise. But his decision making needs work immediately as he could average 3+ turnovers a game if you feature him. I like, but don't love the pick. I'm a big rebounding guy and Stokes is one of the worst big rebounders in the class. Nets needed help at PG and there was a guy there to take and they passed him up.
Grade: B
4. Denver Nuggets - Jason Richardson SG 19 6'6'' 220 B C C C+ C A
Camp Suggestions: Jump shot, 3 point shot, steals
Nuggets are an interesting case here. They need basically everything. They think they have their franchise player in Zaccharie Risacher but frankly his developed stalled a bit and you wonder at 24 what type of development he has left. They also picked JJ Andrews in the first last year, who had the highest potential in the class. But his first TC didn't inspire confidence so they went out and grabbed 19 year old, athletic freak Jason Richardson, also a SG. There is a bunch to like here. He is quick, will jump anyone out of the gym, and knows how to get to and score at the rim. Defensively he is solid but unspectacular. He is also VERY close to C+ outside so the C is a bit misleading. Plus he is solid on the boards. Combine that with a player oozing with potential, and the Nuggets potentially found their new franchise guy. High bustability brings the rating down a little bit though.
Grade: B+
5. Dallas Mavericks - Darryn Peterson PG 21 6'11'' 188 C+ C+ B+ B+ C A
Camp Suggestions: Inside scoring, three point shot, handles
Anytime you can grab a 6'11 point guard you gotta take it right? Whoops. Either way the Mavericks really are starting over with this roster with Peterson being the only guy under 25 on the roster I feel they'll keep around long term. They do have Felix Okpara who is damn good and the big class dropped off hard after Stokes and Baba. Peterson walks into the room as a high level passer and defender at the PG spot. He is a terrific athlete, potentially the quickest player in the draft, and has great contorl of his body and a good mid range jump shot to pair with that to hit pull up jumpers. He does lack potentially in what the top end ceiling can be, which I have to imagine is why the Nuggets, and Nets passed on him despite all having PG needs. I love the pick for Dallas though, he is a great first piece on a rebuild that needs everything except a shot blocking rim protector.
Grade: A+
6. Detroit Pistons - Josh Leonard SF 19 6'9'' 225 B- C B- B- C A
Camp Suggestions: Jump shot, steals, rebounding
Despite having more ratings in the Bs than Richardson and being picked later in the draft I can't help but be a little underwhelmed by Josh Leonard being the pick here. That C outside and C rebounding are big red flags for me from a SF. He is like Richardson in that the C outside rating is fringe C+. I do like the base game being fairly inoffensive to allow for Cop to pretty much develop him into whatever archetype he desires. Defensively he is strong on the ball but not a great stock generator. And he will be a negative on the boards. At 19, A potential, and a nice canvas to work with Detroit does well here I just can't shake the feeling that these type of SFs just don't work out usually. Time will tell.
Grade: B+
7. Boston Celtics - Sarunas Jasikevicius.*** SG 19 6'4'' 195 B- B- B- C D+ A
Camp Suggestions: Handling, steals, perimeter defense
If you are the Celtics and you have picked high in the last EVERY draft what do you do with a pick here? I struggled wth this last couple seasons CPUing them because they don't technically have needs. They have youth everywhere they just need to develop it. They take Sarunas this year and I think that was a clever move to push some develop off until later and hope he spends the next three years blowing up and they get to see what they have in Hugo Gonzalez. Sarunas is super flawed. He is awful defensively, will turn it over a bunch, and won't contribute much of anything rebounding the ball. But he is an explosive scorer who can score at all three levels and is a capable and willing passer when his head is working. This has the potential to be a fantastic long term payoff. But given the flaws, the long wait, and the presence of a former lottery pick at the position, its not a total home run.
Grade: B
8. Utah Jazz - Nguyen Tran SF 6'6'' 200 21 B- C+ B B- C+ B
Camp Suggestions: Athletics, three point shot, perimeter defense
This is a tough one for me to grade, its probably my least favorite move so far this off season. The Jazz traded three picks to acquire 8 to draft Tran. He does it with a solid mentor for him on his roster. Those picks at this point in time have a high likelihood of being lottery picks. The Jazz are armed with a bunch of cap space and might have another move or two up their sleeves but I don't like the risk at this point in their rebuild. Joseph when engaged is a smart GM that works a couple moves ahead, so we'll see. As for Tran, he is uninspiring in similar ways to Josh Leonard in that he doesn't really excel in one spot. Great at the rim but not athletic enough to overpower anyone. He has a good mid range spot but not quick enough to get to the spot he wants. His best attribute is the fact that he is a monster on the boards and will likely lead the SF position in reounding one day if he gets the start. His ceiling is a bit of a question too given his 'B' potential. I like the pick, hate the move and therefore at this point in the draft its the worst pick. I do caveat that the whole picture isn't known yet. If the Jazz are a playoff team, this move is a luxury they can afford to take and that drastically changes the grade as I like Tran as a player a decent bit.
Grade: C
9. Memphis Grizzlies - Jermaine O'Neal Jr SF 20 6'8'' 200 B- C+ C B- C A
Camp Suggestions: inside scoring, three point shot, steals
You have to like a pick when you have to really think about what to camp. JOJr comes into the league with not a single notable flaw. He won't be a turnover machine. He has good enough quickness and strength and is solidly athletic, and he does pretty much everything well defensively. Obviously you want refinement and his weakest points are the things listed but none of those three things are a flaw. He does fail to jump off the board in most places but he is only 20 and potentially loaded with potential. The only reason I dislike this pick is the Grizzlies already have two pretty solid small forward prospects. But for BPA, this is the right pick.
Grade: A-
10. Toronto Raptors - Korie Corbett. SG 6'5'' 185 21 B- C+ C+ C+ C B
Camp Suggestions: Three point shot, inside scoring, steals
Not gonna lie, this is not a player I had on my radar as a lottery pick. His game lacks a major flaw but it also lacks much inspiration that he can become much given his B potential. I don't like taking guards with C+ outside without a note or the potential to get it to B+ or A-. Defensively he is solid, might be his biggest strength. Offensively I'm curious how he develops with camps but I just don't see much upside there. The draft has a pretty large drop off point at guard and its here, I just wonder if the Raptors were better suited to look at some of the bigs in the class that seem to have a better chance of being contributors.
Grade: C+
11. Memphis Grizzlies - Oscar Wembanyama* SF 20 6'9'' 215 B- C+ C+ B- C A
Camp Suggestions: Inside scoring, defensive rebounding, three point shot, jump shot
There is certainly something to say about utilizing an overseas contract to spread out salary hits and camp cost. There is even something to be said about using those contracts to load up with two prospects at a position. But the Grizzlies now have four small forward prospects. I just don't see the fit, the logic, or a reason. They just won a title, they don't have many needs but they do have needs. Biggest among them is having a backup plan and/or replacement to Jarrett Allen and there are a couple really solid center prospects right there in the class. I do like Oscar as a prospect but JO went first for a reason. Oscar is more reliant on his elite athletics and struggles a bit more on the boards. Plus you can't camp him when his potential is at its highest, which I consider a negative to an extent. I don't like the pick, but UC is the best among us when considering previous versions of the league(Sorry Carlos!) so I can't question him too harshly.
Grade: C+
12. Miami Heat - Alex Constanza SF 6'9'' 216 20 C+ C+ C+ B- C A
Camp Suggestions: Inside scoring, three point shot, handles
This concluded the run on small forwards we saw in the late lottery with 7 picks generating 5 small forwards. Its a premium position for a reason and this class had some lottery tickets among them. And despite going last among them, I don't think Constanza is the worst among the five. He admittedly has the most work to do offensively but he isn't lost on that end. To me he is the best defender of the bunch and I'm a big fan of his defensive makeup. There isn't much to truly love like the other 4 otherwise one of them would have gone much higher, but Constanza has a chance to prove he is the best.
Grade: A-
13. Brooklyn Nets - Brad Miller C 6'11'' 244 21 C+ C B- C+ B- A
Camp Suggestions: Inside scoring, strength, shot blocking
I criticized the Tyran Stokes pick due to fit with Derrion Reid and his lack of rebounding and Brooklyn goes out and grabs one of the best rebounders in the class to potentially be their future at center. I still think they need to find a new home for Reid and figure out a shot blocking 25+ minute third big, but Miller helps alleviate some of my concerns about how Stokes and Reid will play together when neither are going to be great rebounders. Miller has a shot to be a great rebounder. He needs to put on some strength if you can figure that through camps and he needs to get better at traditional big skills. But there is real potential offensively if he can develop his outside game and can add the strength. I really like this pick.
Grade: A
14. Oklahoma City Thunder - Miikka Muurinen C 7'0'' 220 22 C+ D+ C B- C+ A
Camp Suggestions: Shot Blocking, defensive rebounding, handling
I feel like there was a pretty substantial drop off from the top 11 picks of my rankings(the top 13 picks minus Corbett and Tran) to the next 6-8 prospects, which include Tran, Corbett and Muurinen. The 7 footer from BYU, Muurinen has the looks of a rim protecting defensive big that most of us need and want on our team. His flaw here, and why I separate him from the top 11, is that he actually isn't that great of a shot blocker. Hes gonna get stocks and he could well develop into a shot blocking champion with camps and his A potential, but its not there really yet. He is a better, more skilled offensive rebounder but gets outclassed on the defensive boards on occasion. And I truly worry about him getting the ball too much in the paint with not a lot of offensive skill and some poor decision making could lead to bad FG% and too many turnovers. But there is a solid game there to develop and if his potential pays off, I don't feel like any of his flaws are going to remain flaws.
Grade: B+
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