2025 NBA Draft

[Dejounte]

There should be a baseline of expectations from any prospect under consideration for the Spurs, and I think we can use the current roster to gauge that.

i think if 10-20 is where we expect at least one selection to be had. Normally this is where you find role players.

I think the bare minimum should be is that they reach Tre Jones or Champagnie’s level, which is ironic because they were 2nd round pick and undrafted respectively.

Meanwhile, branham and wesley are looking like a tier below those two, and they were selected 20 and 29.

The takeaway here should be that it’s no guarantee that these picks we have will be rotational players, and the players we think who are outside looking in shouldn’t be utterly dismissed from the spurs future. Minix, ingram, duke, cissoko, and any two way guys we plan to have on the roster every year all have a shot at being part of the spurs future no matter how many picks we have in our treasure chest.

[jesterbobman]

Good point.

I hope the Spurs change their drafting philosophy a bit (I still think youth should factor in quite strongly) more towards production over high risk swings on youth. Samanic, Primo, Blake and Malaki (and, to be fair, Parker and Dejounte in the past), were all swings on youth with moments that they thought could become something more, though the stats profile / projections on all of them were weak. That's fine whenever you're star hunting, but we definitely have the guy (s), so a bit of a shift towards young production would be good.

[Mr. Body]

Good point.

I hope the Spurs change their drafting philosophy a bit (I still think youth should factor in quite strongly) more towards production over high risk swings on youth. Samanic, Primo, Blake and Malaki (and, to be fair, Parker and Dejounte in the past), were all swings on youth with moments that they thought could become something more, though the stats profile / projections on all of them were weak. That's fine whenever you're star hunting, but we definitely have the guy (s), so a bit of a shift towards young production would be good.

The draft philosophy will be fun to see. As good as CP and Barnes have been, they won't be here forever and their impact will need to be replaced.

The thing about the 2022 draft was that it really got pretty bad pretty quickly. At #20, where Branham was picked, there haven't been a lot of players with much impact. Definitely misses on Walker Kessler and possibly players like Andrew Nembhard and Jaden Hardy, but even those two aren't huge losses. It's hard to say who they missed out on.

I'm less optimistic about Blake and Malaki than I was, but they still seem like NBA players, if maybe never really rotation players and possibly not for the Spurs. IMO the team did pretty well given the talent that was still there at the time.

This 2025 draft will be an interesting case of needing to fit certain types of players while matching team philosophy and chemistry. Then, as we lose our two great vets, somehow replacing them or hoping the existing players can take over.

[Dejounte]

Players immediately grabbing my attention because they look like they just know how to play: Hugo Gonzalez, Kasparas, Egor. Guys whom the ST racists will instantly pile on and also will have John B proclaiming them as the next Manu the minute they’re drafted by the Spurs.

[cutewizard]

[cutewizard]

[cutewizard]

[cutewizard]

https://247sports.com/player/mackenzie-mgbako-46109285/

Mackenzie Mgbako is a 6-8, 210-pound Power Forward from Gladstone, NJ.

His shot-making from behind the arc is his best asset. He can also make the types of shots that translate to the next level - pick-and-pop threes, slipping out of ball screens to make shots on the move, or creating space with a series of side-step or step-back shots. The mid-post has long been a staple of his individual offense, but now he’s getting some easy points by moving without the ball more freely. Physically, Mgbako appears to be in the best shape of his career to date and was also productive enough on the glass to hold his own at the four. His swing skills are his defensive versatility and shot-creation abilities, both of which are rooted in his mobility, footspeed, and ability to play low to the ground when necessary. If those two areas develop, both his versatility and overall projection will go to new levels.

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GUys, what do you think of Mackenzie Mgbako ??

[cutewizard]

[cutewizard]

He is a good shooter,.................I want him for our Spurs, ......im going to check out him and Egor Demin every now and then......

[onechance87]

https://247sports.com/player/mackenzie-mgbako-46109285/

Mackenzie Mgbako is a 6-8, 210-pound Power Forward from Gladstone, NJ.

His shot-making from behind the arc is his best asset. He can also make the types of shots that translate to the next level - pick-and-pop threes, slipping out of ball screens to make shots on the move, or creating space with a series of side-step or step-back shots. The mid-post has long been a staple of his individual offense, but now he’s getting some easy points by moving without the ball more freely. Physically, Mgbako appears to be in the best shape of his career to date and was also productive enough on the glass to hold his own at the four. His swing skills are his defensive versatility and shot-creation abilities, both of which are rooted in his mobility, footspeed, and ability to play low to the ground when necessary. If those two areas develop, both his versatility and overall projection will go to new levels.

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GUys, what do you think of Mackenzie Mgbako ??

can maybe be our naz reid....Dont mind taking him late first round or early second round.Alot of young freshmen pf
doing very well.Will see who continues to be consistent.

[cutewizard]

can maybe be our naz reid....Dont mind taking him late first round or early second round.Alot of young freshmen pf
doing very well.Will see who continues to be consistent.

Thanks Man.....

Hope he continues his development....that shooting form is good....

[RobinsontoDuncan]

I am really starting to like Adou Thiero at Arkansas, and think he would be the perfect piece to add to the Spurs core. I would not be surprised if he ends up being a top 10 pick in this draft, but given his age and the strength of the rest of the class, I think he'll probably end up going in the 10-15 range. So, Thiero is a third year player who spent two years at Kentucky and then followed Calipari to Arkansas. Originally recruited as a true PG, Thiero has had a huge growth spurt in college and now is officially listed at 6'8". He also added some 35 lbs to his frame between his freshman and sop re season at Kentucky, and as of now looks like he's probably 6'7.5 w/o shoes and around 230. Big time compe or and hard working kid, he contributes in all facets of the game, and is putting up big numbers on insane efficiency. Lock down defender who stuffs the stat sheet on defensive and offensive. I would put him in the upper tier of all draft eligible players in last year's draft (2024). Explosive above the rim finisher with excellent lateral and straight line finisher. Potential to be a good shooter is there, but this is essentially his first year getting big minutes so we'll have to wait to get more data as the year progresses. Most importantly, he has consistently drawn praise for his compe iveness, motor, and drive and Calipari has been signing his praises so far -- even calling him a lottery pick.

Highlights

Vs. #8 Baylor


Vs. Little Rock Trojans



2023-2024 Pre-Season Draft Evaluation (UK) -- Sop re Year

[RobinsontoDuncan]

I also see Johni Broome rising up some draft boards. As far as play style, he definitely has a throwback game that is heavy on low post fundamentals, footwork and timing. This is not a direct player comparison, but his game reminds me of mid-career Tim Duncan's play style . I'm not sure if Broome has the lateral quickness, length and/or functional athleticism of Timmy (who was the archetype for most bigs during his era of the NBA) but his analytics and efficiency stats are really really good.

That said, I don't watch a lot of Auburn -- is there anyone out there that has seen Broome play? Curious what others feel about his physical profile

[SpursBills]

If he stays anonymous, use an early second on JoJo Tugler out of Houston. I thought he was decent as a freshman last year for Houston but this year he's been even better. Don't care that he can't shoot yet, his defensive impact is elite. 6'8" with a 7'6" wingspan and I don't think he's on a majority of draft boards. 25th percentile outcome is probably Xavier Tillman (currently 12th in VORP in his draft class right behind...Devin Vassell) but can be way more if developed properly.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Will Riley’s my guy. Semi realistic, depending on where our picks land.

[heyheymymy]

Damn our friend scott is getting a instant classic in Maui

4-0 MEM vs #2 4-0 UCONN went into OT

game is on ESPN right now 4pm CST

[scott]

Thanks for the shoutout heyheymymy!

Just got back from the MEM v UCONN game, got to put in a few hours of work before I head back out for the UNC game. I'll be courtside for tomorrow's round 2 game (most likely featuring UNC), but today was GA. Still had a great view.



Some thoughts from that game, as I had a keen eye on McNeely.

• Penny Hardaway and all his assistants wear Penny Hardaway Air Foamposite Ones. I found this amusing
• Dan Hurley seems built for the NCAA game. The way he is into every single play, all over the refs, teaching the kids, etc... you just don't see that in the pro game. I'm not sure this dude has a whole lot of interest in being anything other than UCONNs head coach for the foreseeable future.
• Both team's crowds were electric. Awesome stuff.
• On to McNeely:
  
  • he hit two big threes to bring UCONN back in regulation, but honestly other than that was kind of invisible out there. On defense, has some lateral quickness that helps him be a compliant defender, but Memphis's athletes still turned the corner on him fairly easily
  • three point stroke looks sweet though. really nice form, gets up and down with it quickly. he had one attempt right in front of me in the first half from the corner where he did a nice pump fake, one dribble to his right, got the shot up. Wasn't a make, but it looked like good form, good activity, good rotation.
  • I think there are some tools there, and his length is nice, but unless he's going to be a 40%+ shooter right out of the gates, it might be a slow development path for him. It's not going to be like plugging Knecht into the NBA and watching him go. Right now, I'd say he doesn't really give you anything more than what we are getting from Champagnie, but this was only one game and the dude is still a freshman. Lots of room yet for him to grow and impress. That's just my one game thoughts. I went in hoping to really be wowed, because he's an archetype that really fits... but it was just kind of a "meh" performance. Until he hit those two 3s, he was easy to forget about.
  • McNeely also committed a crucial over the back call which led to a Tech (on Hurley I think? It was on the opposite end of the court) which pretty much gave Memphis the win.
  • TLDR version: If this was the only tape you watched of McNeely ahead of the draft, you wouldn't take him in the lottery. Thankfully for him, he'll have lots of other opportunities to shine.
  
  
• For UCONN, Tarris Reed Jr. was a BEAST. Don't know that this guy translates to the NBA other than a late SRP, third string C, but in this game he was awesome
• Memphis's athleticism was just too much for UCONN at times. There was a pretty decent stretch where Tyrese Hunter looked like an absolute star... and then they just wen away from him. PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers both also have some swag. None of these guys have first round grades on them, but they each just have basketball swag. Could be an interesting flier for some team to take in the second round for a bench scorer sparkplug in the Cam Thomas like mold.
• Memphis's D was smothering. UCONN overcame that with some big shots, but it was a struggle for them. Was impressed with that, because I thought the knock on Penny's team when Jalen Duren was there was that they were undisciplined. That wasn't the case with them today.

Looking forward to seeing Drake Powell and Ian Jackson for UNC tonight. Tankathon currently has them mocked at #13 and #22.

[Mr. Body]

Getting Corey Kispert vibes from McNeeley. Not a bad thing, but maybe not what we want.

[scott]

Also... watching on ESPN makes the Lahaina Civic Center look a lot more impressive than it actually is. This is a high school gym

[Mr. Body]

Chicago looking to move LaVine and Vucevic in order to slide down the rankings.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2...ed-draft-class

I doubt they can move LaVine, Vic might even be hard. But indication of the expected desire to tank, as well they should. We'll see if the Hornets also will want to drop. At some point they may pull the plug.

[spurraider21]

Chicago looking to move LaVine and Vucevic in order to slide down the rankings.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2...ed-draft-class

I doubt they can move LaVine, Vic might even be hard. But indication of the expected desire to tank, as well they should. We'll see if the Hornets also will want to drop. At some point they may pull the plug.

LaVine has been playing well and hasn't missed a game this year. i dont think he'd be difficult to move because of his play,.. really just comes down to what team both has the need to make such a move and the requisite salary to make a deal work. i think the latter point is going to be as big a hurdle as the former

as every time a player is on the market, the lakers are thrown as a rumor (probably by the selling team trying to drive up interest)... you can see them being able to match salaries with Russell/Hachimura/Vanderbilt. but thats not a very interesting return for chicago and lakers draft capital is poor

orlando could get there with KCP and Cole Anthony alone... but not sure why the Bulls would care for that either

otherwise Houston could be looking to make a consolidation move. and they could even use lavine as a chip to try to trade for Booker later if those long-play rumors are true

[Mr. Body]

LaVine has been playing well and hasn't missed a game this year. i dont think he'd be difficult to move because of his play,.. really just comes down to what team both has the need to make such a move and the requisite salary to make a deal work. i think the latter point is going to be as big a hurdle as the former

as every time a player is on the market, the lakers are thrown as a rumor (probably by the selling team trying to drive up interest)... you can see them being able to match salaries with Russell/Hachimura/Vanderbilt. but thats not a very interesting return for chicago and lakers draft capital is poor

orlando could get there with KCP and Cole Anthony alone... but not sure why the Bulls would care for that either

otherwise Houston could be looking to make a consolidation move. and they could even use lavine as a chip to try to trade for Booker later if those long-play rumors are true

LaVine's salary is just so nasty, $46 million and then $49 million for the next two years. I just don't know if any team will do it, not to mention being injury prone.

[Knoxxx]

What about packaging the ATL and SAS picks to move up? Assuming that both are not lotto picks?

[CGD]

Chicago looking to move LaVine and Vucevic in order to slide down the rankings.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2...ed-draft-class

I doubt they can move LaVine, Vic might even be hard. But indication of the expected desire to tank, as well they should. We'll see if the Hornets also will want to drop. At some point they may pull the plug.

Not sure what Chicago thinks they’d get back for him, but I’d swap Collins and Vuc to beef up the bench. Given them back their SRP.