2023 draft picks you rue not picking

[Biggems]

I only have one.....not only because we didn't draft him, but also where he ended up.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

I feel he could have been a Boris Diaw type player for us.

[Mr. Body]

I liked TJD and wonder if he might have been on the menu if Sidy wasn't there, but really the team has a lot of PFs.

Now that I understand the thinking about the second round picks a bit better, I don't regret any misses. Cissoko has a lot of promise and could have easily been picked twenty spots previously.

I do wish they could have managed to get Bufkin or Wallace but clearly Wallace was hotly contested and they just couldn't get to Bufkin, assuming he was a target of interest at all.

I'm good, really.

[sfernald]

I kinda wished they had picked up one of the many guards available such as Wallace or Bufkin specifically, but hey I’m pretty sure it will work out. Maybe they are going for a vet such as FVV or perhaps a 2nd or 3rd year PG getting edged out by one of these rookies such as Suggs or Killian Hayes. We’ll see. I have faith in the front office.

[MultiTroll]

Drew Timme.

Not draft but wished they would have signed undrafted like the Bucks did.

I think he provides good muscle and is a very good all around player. Need to learn treys but so do lots of new NBA players.

I predict he sticks with the Bucks and does well with Greak Freak.

[EricB]

TJD would’ve been perfect. He was two spots from being undrafted

[ace3g]

Andre Jackson Jr.

[Ariel]

Well, in all honesty I would have liked to pick up a Jordan Walsh, Colby Jones, Amari Bailey or Julian Philips at 33, but if we were only going to take one player, then I'm fine with Sidy at 44.

The FO probably felt they needed some roster flexibility (for free agents, trades, etc) and taking on 3 rookies would be incompatible with developing the youngsters already on the roster (Wesley, Barlow, Champagnie, Bassey, etc.) and having room to sign free agents or pursue trades. So I don't think it's an unreasonable way to go about it.

That said, next year I'd fully expect a thorough evaluation of the youngsters still on the roster to weed out those who have shown improvements from those who haven't and letting go of the latter, because 2 years is time enough to get a fairly good read and avoid clogging the pipeline when those resources should be allocated to someone else.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

"You will rue the day you failed to draft [insert name here]!"


I like the word "rue". You have to say the above sentence in a heavy Scottish accent and then it sounds even better.

Good thread!

[mo7888]

It's hard to say when we didn't have picks in the range the players I really liked were selected. I would have liked to have traded up for Cam after he dropped out of the lottery or even moreso NSJ in the 20s, but without knowing what the cost would have been I can't say I "rue" not picking them.

[JPB]

I liked TJD and wonder if he might have been on the menu if Sidy wasn't there, but really the team has a lot of PFs.

Now that I understand the thinking about the second round picks a bit better, I don't regret any misses. Cissoko has a lot of promise and could have easily been picked twenty spots previously.

I do wish they could have managed to get Bufkin or Wallace but clearly Wallace was hotly contested and they just couldn't get to Bufkin, assuming he was a target of interest at all.

I'm good, really.

Sorry but no, Sidy couldn't have been picked in the mid 20s of the first round. Not even close and I'm nor sure what could make anyone believe that other than Spurs picking him... There's a reason he was still there at 44 and that's not because the 20 guys before him were also all first round talents.

I believe some people have to high of expectations with Sidy.

[Mr. Body]

Sorry but no, Sidy couldn't have been picked in the mid 20s of the first round. Not even close and I'm nor sure what could make anyone believe that other than Spurs picking him... There's a reason he was still there at 44 and that's not because the 20 guys before him were also all first round talents.

I believe some people have to high of expectations with Sidy.

You're just straight up ing wrong. He was often mocked in the 20s and often in the 30s. Just go sit in the corner and be wrong.

[Russ]

They passed on Leonard Miller and GG Jackson, both guys with NBA bodies of the kind the Spurs could use (if they had any additional attributes). But the Spurs know who they can develop and who they can't, I trust their judgment in that area.

Rayan Rupert might end up looking good at 33 but who knows.

On the other side of the coin, bullets dodged, glad they passed on Jordan Walsh and Amari Bailey (not bad players but probably won't move the needle much on a crowded roster).

[HankChinaski]

I think he meant to say "Shouldn't be picked in the 20s".
He has flaws but those flaws can be lessened to a potential serviceable player off the bench

[Mr. Peabody]

Leonard Miller - he was first round talent. Second round picks are not guaranteed contracts. Why not bring him in to compete with Bassey and the rest? Keep the best ones.

[sfernald]

Leonard Miller - he was first round talent. Second round picks are not guaranteed contracts. Why not bring him in to compete with Bassey and the rest? Keep the best ones.

This. Okc Thunder deals with this every single year. They bring in at least two usually three rookies every year. The secret is they just let them all fight for roster spots and the best man wins. It’s almost as if it was designed to work that way!

[Mr. Body]

Drafting over developing players is not a good strategy and it's kind of biting OKC in the ass. Although it looks like their cache of picks will last forever, it won't. They drafted Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who took the place of Isaiah Roby and now Jaylin Williams (the PF) is taking the place of Jaremiah Robinson-Earl. Unless you're really excelling with the new picks, you're just wasting them. Same thing with Ousmane Dieng, who could take the place of Pokusevski. This isn't the NCAA where your scholarships replenish.

OKC is starting to go .500 not because of exceptional drafting, although they have a couple of guards who look very good (Giddey, J. Williams) and should be even better with Holmgren coming in, but because they fell into crazy luck where Kawhi forced the Clippers to trade SGA to the Thunder for Paul George.

As for Leonard Miller, he's a bit of a tweener so far in abilities, not quite good enough at some things to be a 5, not quite at other things to be a 4. He does look like a good prospect. But what starts appearing as you read into people who have followed him is that he does not appear to have a very strong BBIQ.

[rankingtear]

Leonard Miller - he was first round talent. Second round picks are not guaranteed contracts. Why not bring him in to compete with Bassey and the rest? Keep the best ones.

I did not know we traded the pick and was confused when we picked Miller. This guy did not know how to play basketball a year before. I thought this guy is another the "game is slowing down for him" type player.

[rankingtear]

You're just straight up ing wrong. He was often mocked in the 20s and often in the 30s. Just go sit in the corner and be wrong.

ESPN had him 45. Athletic has him 43. WTF.

[Mr. Body]

ESPN had him 45. Athletic has him 43. WTF.

Other mocks had him higher. Point?

[rankingtear]

Other mocks had him higher. Point?

What mocks? Bleacher has him 44 spot on.

[Mr. Body]

What mocks? Bleacher has him 44 spot on.

My brother in Christ, the dude above said that Cissoko was ignored by everyone and was always a deep SRP pick. He was not. Gallavant through final mocks all you want, but he did get a lot of attention in many mocks throughout the process higher than he was picked. If he settled in Givony's final mock -- a mock that was wrong about many things, too, btw -- that's not what the discussion is about.

[exstatic]

What mocks? Bleacher has him 44 spot on.

The fact that you find him in the second round in mocks doesn't negate the fact that he was mocked in the first round in others. No one said he was a consensus first rounder, just that he had been mocked there.

[Uriel]

Rayan Rupert at 33 feels like Alperen Sengun at 12 in 2021.

I’m consoled a bit knowing that his agent told teams not to pick him (which could be why we didn’t pick him). But if it turns out he was there for the taking and we just decided to go in a different direction (and he turns out to be a good player), oh man.

[rankingtear]

My brother in Christ, the dude above said that Cissoko was ignored by everyone and was always a deep SRP pick. He was not. Gallavant through final mocks all you want, but he did get a lot of attention in many mocks throughout the process higher than he was picked. If he settled in Givony's final mock -- a mock that was wrong about many things, too, btw -- that's not what the discussion is about.

He never said that. Sidy couldn't have been picked in the mid 20s of the first round. Not even close.

[rankingtear]

The fact that you find him in the second round in mocks doesn't negate the fact that he was mocked in the first round in others. No one said he was a consensus first rounder, just that he had been mocked there.

Where?