2024 NBA Draft Thread

[bxb]

That dude Clifford Omyuri is EXTREMELY high character btw.. He's like a charitable type of fellow who will probably make a bunch of money playing basketball n give it away to good causes.. Thats the type of energy Cliff has so I am extremely biased cuz he might have to make hay overseas..

But I'd almost expect him to return to play with Ace Bailey as a senior n they will certainly get rutgers back into the top25, but im getting ahead of myself/off-topic..

 

[bxb]

I agree with your take that Edey should definitely be slimming down, I just dont think this the clip that proves it. He rotates, the ball handler makes a nice pass and it is converted. I do not see anyone rotating that quick. Will happily concede if you can show me clips of someone rotating that quickly.

Well ur lookign for a reaction.. thats part of why Edey is so slow.. n why Clingan is so good.. Defense isnt always about reacting, its about sniffing out the offenses next move ahead of the time..

its called Obviating.. Sub-par defenders react like Edey, slowly, n then people stand around n make excuses --- and play the blamegame.. while great defenders like Anthony Davis was in college, see the play at a conceptual level early n then "sniff it out early"..

but thats part of what people dont wanna recognize.. they wanna make it all "athletecism" when often your reaction time can be altered bigtime if your able to ANTICIPATE..

To Someone like CLingan --- he's watching the offense telegraph their next move, so he's able to STIFLE it often.. Edey is more like a Lurch from The adams family type of Mechanical moving... N Edey needs to gather himself, he moves like Godzilla did in the 50's attached to strings..Where in the Era where Giannis and Wembanyama are euro-stepping from halfcourt!

Same reason Thon Maker was a bigtime bust --- Too mechanical..

its a matter of pallate and digestion..

n this is where edey and many other giants like him are not only slow of foot but slow of PROCESSING POWER..


N this conversation is completely IRRELEVANT TO THE BLAZERS... If u think discussing Zach Edey is worth our time ON A BLAZERS DRAFT FORUM in OCTOBER 2023 after the AYTON AND ROBERT WILLIAMS TRADE... ur probably LACKING CONTEXT imho..

If I was a die-hard Edey fan I'd sure be hoping he landed somewhere else, cuz he's destined for 3rd string Moses Brown duty..

 

[bxb]

n I mean im a masters ranked league of legends player at 36 years old... which is beyond ancient to be ranked that high.. n most of the 15-20 year old kids think u lose your reaction time at like 25 years old...

but reaction time can be highly altered if your able to anticipate ahead of the time n digest n process the actions n prioritize them..

n thats what allowed me to get to high rank (top 7% of the playerbase) without cheating, in my old age.. n its completely defys the "commonly held belief" that old people lose their reaction time...

n i got to that rank in 2 and a half years which is warp speed compared to how long it takes most of those kids to go from never played to leapfrogging 90% of the playerbase (while not cheating or abusing the many methods/avenues to skew ur results)..


Talent is overrated!!!! Look at TJ McConnell! He's not an "NBA Talent" but he fought his ass off n became tough enough to hold down an NBA job reliably, n word is the Suns want him bad..

 

[bxb]

when it comes to Edey, i hate to impose double-standards but thats the nature of the game when it comes to this draft stuff(n times 20 when ur talking backup C's), u gotta be good enough to help -- this isnt some popularity contest..

n he's a fatbody..





Cuz truly FROM THE BLAZERS POV --- this is how it is... Zach Edey at 306 lbs... He might as well be Gomer Pyle hiding jelly donuts in his footlocker --- they'd both be of equal use to this roster...

 

[Charcoal Filtered]

For someone preaching about talking about Edey in a Blazer's forum, you are the one that are talking alot. I am not talking about him at all. I am pointing out that I do not think it is fair to think anyone had a fair shot at defending that play. Again, I will happily concede if you show clips of defenders making the "poster" saving plays you claim could have been made.

 

[bxb]

For someone preaching about talking about Edey in a Blazer's forum, you are the one that are talking alot. I am not talking about him at all. I am pointing out that I do not think it is fair to think anyone had a fair shot at defending that play. Again, I will happily concede if you show clips of defenders making the "poster" saving plays you claim could have been made.

How about you show me more impressive clips of YOU dunking on 7'4" National players of the year! Can you even dunk at all? I'm 36 years old n can still dunk.. How bout you? or do you just sit on forums talking down about people who do dunk all over 7'4 national players of the year..



Are you the type of guy who would walk up to Clifford Omoyuri and tell him to his face that wasnt a legit poster because of all the excuses you made?

Buncha whiners on this forum who arent man enough to give credit to opponents for making the right play..

 

[bxb]

cuz THATS NOT A STRONG CONTEST BY EDEY!!!

If that looks like a strong defensive contest to you idk what to tell ya.. Go see footage of Ivica Zubac blocking the hell out of our blazers opening night --- Zubac is way better defensively..
HE's wildly swinging in a direction before he's tracking the play with his eyes... so why would u ever pick that play to argue on?


so u picked a terrible hill to die on.. welcome to the ignore list im not gonna get pedantic with someone who cant see basic stuff..

 

[bxb]

Zach Edey jumps 12" off the ground in that highlight! WEAK CONTEST!

ur point of "show me someone who makes that" is preposterously off base.... Wembanyama makes that block with his forearm! let alone at full extension.. shit wembanyama probably blocks thatg with his elbow!

This is AN NBA DRAFT THREAD...

not a college basketball thread!


U disrespect other players who are worthy of discussion... THATS NOT A STRONG CONTEST by Edey... he is very mechanical n barely jumps at all off the ground on the contest --- part of why he didnt get even close to the 1st rd evaluation he was hoping for last summer..

 

[bxb]

Do I need to conduct a blazers history lesson... about 7'3 and 305lb Ha Seung-Jin? the 46th pick of the 2004 draft?


Cuz we have Ayton and Robert Willams here...


My 2 favorite players on the roster are Moses Brown and Robert Williams!!! the 2nd and 3rd string C. n we have Ayton the highest paid player on the team.. so the C position is LOADED n we should focus our efforts elsehwere...

but I'll do a history lesson on Peter John Ramos, Satnam Singh Bahmarra, Ha Seung Jin, n many others... but its really all quite irrelevant for the blazers imo so id prefer to focus on the forwards

 

[bxb]

N for the record in the 2023 draft I thought the Blazers were a really good landing spot for James Nnaji.. but instead we traded for Robert Williams whos like Nnaji but ready-to-go..

but its just the state of the C position has changed...


THOUGH there are a few exceptions..



6'11" with a 7'4 wingspan Junior Jonas Aidoo would be a 5-man worth tracking for the Blazers to develop.. but he's a 3-and-d CENTER, who blocks shots n has a smooth looking J out to the 3pt line.. With Ayton and Williams here we can afford to develop players like that, which is why i mentioned Ivisic also who blocks shots n shoots 3's..

Aidoo apparently is relatively tik-tok famous n has like half a million followers..

 

[Charcoal Filtered]

Wow. Lot of fluff. Not sure why I am still seeing it if I am on ignore. Will just assume he could not find anyone defending someone after having to defend the ball handler that close to the basket then rotate again that close to the basket.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

How about you show me more impressive clips of YOU dunking on 7'4" National players of the year! Can you even dunk at all? I'm 36 years old n can still dunk.. How bout you? or do you just sit on forums talking down about people who do dunk all over 7'4 national players of the year..



Are you the type of guy who would walk up to Clifford Omoyuri and tell him to his face that wasnt a legit poster because of all the excuses you made?

Buncha whiners on this forum who arent man enough to give credit to opponents for making the right play..

I don't think anyone's saying it wasn't a great posterizing dunk; simply that Edey shouldn't be widely criticized for getting dunked on. And I don't disagree. After the pass is made, Edey has to quickly rotate 180 degrees, then jump off his right foot to attempt to contest, while Omoyuri is already moving towards the hoop before the ball even reaches him. Maybe JJJ blocks that dunk; I don't think anyone could/should expect Edey to get to it.

And I also cannot dunk, but I'm certainly capable of evaluating plays made by people who can do things I've never conceived of doing.

Wow. Lot of fluff. Not sure why I am still seeing it if I am on ignore. Will just assume he could not find anyone defending someone after having to defend the ball handler that close to the basket then rotate again that close to the basket.

You being on ignore just prevents him from seeing your posts, not you from seeing his.

 

[bxb]

wow akok akok collapsed on the court at WVU in a charity exhibition game n needed.. kid tore his achillies back at UConn.. some players just have horrible luck with injuries hope he's ok... what a shame..

n everything that happens with WVU has a horrible shadow cast over it due to bob huggins actions in the offseason and boom this happens before thing even kick off wow..

hope he recovers... man what a horrible story, my night is RUINED... blazers can win by 50 tonight im bummed out

 

[bxb]

So the G-League draft is live... and there it goes 13th pick Bryson Warren formerly of the OTE...

so thats a transition to the NBA from the OTE without getting drafted... n they dont even really mention this sorta stuff..

but theres lots of AVENUES and also back alleys to be checked in '23-'24..

Its sort of like like back in the 70's when Robert Altmans films like nashville started using tons of audio layers back when most were using like 4or 8, lots of
layers to keep track of these days!


and Tefale Leonard Jr went 2nd overall... Im guessing he's still gonna be draft eligible? He was only a Sophomore at Middle Tennessee State.. Was gonna be a big x-fer for Penny Hardaway at Memphis but he's g-league bound n some say hes grown to 6'8" good defender.. fun to watch..


n Kok Yat just went in the 1st rd as well so 2 players directly from the OTE..


Interested to see the progress of the 3rd pick David Muoka, liked what I saw from him at UNLV.

 

[bxb]

JD Tsasa

just went 1st pick of the 2nd rd!!!

thats a namedrop right there damn.. gotta check in on him..

He is like 6'8 with a 7'3" wingspan and young relative to most of the names being selected here .


Tsasa was a kid who left highschool to train at a program called "Chameleon (something im forgetting"

but thats where Marjon Beauchamp was at, who was selected in the 1st by the bucks...


so its cool to see these stories sorta recalibrate back to the g-league... there's really solid n healthy systems in place these days --- its such a stark contrast from 2 decades ago, night n day.

 

[bxb]

It really speaks to the health of the g-league's talent pool that so many youngins and so many 24 year olds could sorta be drafted in quick procession like that.. got a good mix of talent, n hats off to the young players being so ready to compete at the age of like 20..

 

[bxb]

Robert Covingtons title of "best #1 pick from the G-League" looks plenty safe if ya ask me



What a crazy thing this G-League draft is! Kyree Walker just got selected int he 3rd round!

 

[bxb]

so the Blazers affiliate the Rip City Remix took 24-year old 6'6" combo guard Brandon Rachal, with the 22nd pick in the 1st rd of the g-league draft.

I remember Rachal from LSU.. He's a player whos built like a wing but actually has lots of combo-guard game, bit of a do-it-all type of guard... n hes tough

sorta like a poormans Brogdon.. I've seen his name for many many years, he was always decently highly ranked n like 4 stars, he was probably 6'4" when i first saw him play n now hes like 6'6..

will keep an eye on him he's got the ability to put up those 15-5-5 type of statlines

 

[bxb]

oh so they literally wanted to reunite Duop Reath and Brandon Rachal... they were teammates at LSU... and now the Blazers are building the g-league team around those 2 sorta...

thats Reath on the left in purple playing defense and Rachal on the right


I see now!

 

[BankTeller]

Man, is looking at prospects more fun after a win like last night. It gives us glimpses of what any of these guys can look like next to a prime Scoot and Shae one day. I saw a lot of good things between Scoot, Shae, and DA last night in the 3rd quarter.

Imagine having 6’10 Buzelis, who is as fluid as KD for a guy that size, as our starting SF. Buzelis looks like he can be a top tier playmaker one day, and Shae is getting a chance to do that right now and is developing wonderfully in that aspect.

 

[bxb]

Classically whenever Tom Izzo gets a highly rated bigman --- HE BURIES THEM ON THE BENCH for a few seasons (see Marcus Bingham Jr and Mady Sissoko) I'd argue if he does this with Xavier Booker this season, its not a particularly good outcome for us Blazers fans.




So 6'11" PF/C Xavier Booker is right in line with all that... He's long been perceived to be one of the highest upside players in the class -- just he's very raw.. but for us as Blazers fans, I say we should be hoping he gets big reps -- cuz if he does good he's got all the tools to rise up boards, very athletic and he's got the right build n long arms n he's got soft touch n shows a bit of everything. he's like 6'11 with a 7'4 wingspan, something like that.

He just turned 19 too.. so for all the "young and high upside" mystery..

I mean IDK bout you guys but I graduated highschool at 17 years old.. Those whole "super young and full of upside" sales pitch --- watching Josh Jackson who was like a 20 year old HS kid n also Marvin Bagley become busts here, I dont like to give these old dudes all that benefit of the doubt like that anymore --- and I sure dont wanna see Izzo hide this kid.. Especially now that I'm a blazers fan..

Cuz he'd be cool to take with like the late 1st or early 2nd, u stash this player in the G-League these days, if Izzo has him riding the bench for MSU im not even gonna watch MSU..

Called it!!!!!


and I called that UConn was preposterously underrated for no reason in the coaches poll.. what did they do to deserve to have 5 teams ranked ahead of them!

#4MSU loses to James Madison while shooting 5% from 3! 5% from 3, this is the team they had ahead of UConn preseason?!?!! HOW ?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!

Mady Sissoko 2/3 from the field in the loss... Xavier Booker plays 5 minutes!!!! The Izzo Special!!! Land a bunch of top ranked bigmen recuits and bury them on the bench!


Hate to say I told ya so. after just opening night ---- but i told ya so!

 

[MrDraftGuy]

Imagine having 6’10 Buzelis, who is as fluid as KD for a guy that size, as our starting SF. Buzelis looks like he can be a top tier playmaker one day, and Shae is getting a chance to do that right now and is developing wonderfully in that aspect.

Drafting Scoot pretty much means Matas Buzelis. You need shooters to open the floor up, at this point, and to serve as players Scoot can kick the ball out to if he attacks the rim.

Versatile, two-way wing/forward with playmaking.

Can shoot, make plays, handle the ball, drive inside, defend, has fluid movement and good mechanics. A slightly more offensive but less defensive Batum with potential to be a Gordon Hayward that plays above average to good defense.

Looking at the other prospects within Portland's range (#4-7), Holland can't shoot like Buzelis and Edwards doesn't look as talented as either of them.

You also have Risacher, who isn't as fluid as Buzelis and can't drive in as well.

 

[Cugel]

1-3 baby

 

[BankTeller]

Drafting Scoot pretty much means Matas Buzelis. You need shooters to open the floor up, at this point, and to serve as players Scoot can kick the ball out to if he attacks the rim.

Versatile, two-way wing/forward with playmaking.

Can shoot, make plays, handle the ball, drive inside, defend, has fluid movement and good mechanics. A slightly more offensive but less defensive Batum with potential to be a Gordon Hayward that plays above average to good defense.

Looking at the other prospects within Portland's range (#4-7), Holland can't shoot like Buzelis and Edwards doesn't look as talented as either of them.

You also have Risacher, who isn't as fluid as Buzelis and can't drive in as well.

If Sarr is there, I think he’s the clear favorite with our pick, even if Buzelis is as also available. The west now has to find answers for Holmgren and Wemby, and Sarr might only be slightly below Holmgren.

You’re saying all the right things about Buzelis, but it sounds like I’m more optimistic on him than you are if your comparison for him is a better offense and less defense version of Batum or Gordon Harward at most. Hayward has had one season where he averaged 20+ppg. I think Buzelis will eventually get to 20 easily, and that won’t even be the most impressive part of his game. I think that at his peak, he could average 20-23/8/6 on really efficient shooting splits (he might average in the higher range if he’s drafted to an offensively depleted team, and would ideally be between 18-20ppg, but also be really good in the other parts of the game like rebounding, making plays, playing defense, etc.

Those are the only two prospects with high upsides that I like so far. I agree with you, Holland hasn’t impressed me, and we just haven’t been able to see Edwards for me to make any judgement. I like guys like Almansa too, but I don’t think he has superstar potential. I’d almost like trading down to grab a fit and get more draft capital. But we’ll see how it all shakes out by next June.

 

[STOMP]

Would Sarr and Ayton work as twin towers? I really like what I’ve seen via YouTube from that kid. I know it’s early but I like the shot and the finishing around the rim.

Absolutely. Both have solid jumpers, so the D can't pack the paint. Defensively both can switch off along the frontline. Ayton is athletic, Sarr even more so.

STOMP

 

[Predator]

Holland: 56%, 44% (3), 80% (FT - 20 attempts) 5.5rpg, 1.5apg, 4 steals, 28ppg

Buzelis: 50%, 43% (3), 100% (FT - 4 attempts), 4.5rpg, 2apg, 1 steals, 16.5ppg

 

[Predator]

I’d take Holland or Sarr #1, but I don’t think they’ll be available by the time we draft.

They are looking like the clear top 2 thus far. Huge drop off at #3.

 

[PCmor7]

oh so they literally wanted to reunite Duop Reath and Brandon Rachal... they were teammates at LSU... and now the Blazers are building the g-league team around those 2 sorta...

thats Reath on the left in purple playing defense and Rachal on the right


I see now!

Skyler Mays ... Trendon Watford ... Blazers love those LSU products.

 

[SharpeScooterShooter]

cuz THATS NOT A STRONG CONTEST BY EDEY!!!

If that looks like a strong defensive contest to you idk what to tell ya.. Go see footage of Ivica Zubac blocking the hell out of our blazers opening night --- Zubac is way better defensively..
HE's wildly swinging in a direction before he's tracking the play with his eyes... so why would u ever pick that play to argue on?


so u picked a terrible hill to die on.. welcome to the ignore list im not gonna get pedantic with someone who cant see basic stuff..

He was just trying to have a conversation…

 

[Rastapopoulos]

According to Sam Vecenie, the 2024 draft SUCKS:
https://theathletic.com/5009208/2023/11/13/nba-mock-draft-2024-alexandre-sarr/