Onl plaed 18 minutes and shot 3-7 (2-3 from 3). Hard to read too much into that statline in a blowout.
Dillingham is probably starting material after a year or two backing Tre up. Wesley doesn't enter into the equation of who the Spurs should draft any more than Mamu, Champagnie, or Branham does. You improve where you can, you don't just say screw it there's no Luka in this draft.
How Many TO's?
Would much rather have Topic than the KU guards. None of these PGs are coming in and turning around the team next season, so go with excellent bbiq and size for the position. And unlike Castle (who I also like), Topic’s FT% is good suggesting his shot potential is there.
The wings aren't any better than the point guards though. No shot Buzelis, no game just athleticism Holland, game fell of a cliff Risacher, no motor Williams, shooter who can't shoot Walters, draft a wing and you have no shortage of disappointing prospects to choose from. They're even higher risk since there is no Dillingham or Sheppard who have high quality bench player floors other than maybe Risacher.
Last edited by baseline bum; 05-03-2024 at 02:06 PM.
Ricky Rubio was an 84% free throw shooter. Tre Jones too. I'd probably take Topic fifth since he is a gifted passer with good size, might be able to talk me into fourth over Buzelis. No way I'd take him over Dillingham, Risahcer, or Sheppard though. Having no in between game and no three point shot means he will never get to the rim in the NBA as it stands now. He would be an enormous project.
My tiers are only used to compare players in a specific draft. It's not an 'all time' measurement. If it were we'd only have a Tier 1 every 15-20 years or so... I'm on record as this being a piss poor draft...
IDK I'd have considered at least Anthony Davis, Luka, and Zion Tier 1 prospects at the time they were picked.
I disagree. The wings I like (Buzelis, Holland, Risacher, in that order) don't have insurmountable flaws the way the top guards do (Dilly - too small/would prob get bullied by Caitlyn Clark; Sheppard - too slow/not actually a PG). The wings have flaws, but ones that are typical of of 19-year-olds who need to continue to develop. of PGs, Topic might have the least number of fatal flaws, it just looks like he's actually not that good. Collier is a project but might be best equipped for the next level. Castle and McCain I'm not sure are PGs, but I'd feel more comfortable with than the first 3.
Of course, I will add the disclaimer that I don't know wtf I'm talking about and am probably wrong.
I'd have no problem with Spurs starting Tre even drafting Dillingham or Sheppard (in fact, I'd fully expect that). But to assume he's probably a 2 year backup to Tre is just insane to me, there's such a big talent gap and such a need for what he provides, that something would have to go very wrong for that to be the case. I mean, Pop started Jeremy Freaking Sochan over Tre!!! how much worse can Dillingham be?
Also, Tre is expiring and if we can find a long term starter this season he might be included in whatever trade happens where he's regarded as positive value. Competent backup PGs aren't scarce in the NBA.
Man, id happily take Topic if the comp is Rubio. The NBA has also changed a lot since 2009, so unlike then, they’d have to draft him knowing the shot would be top priority for development.
I also would prioritize the wing first like Risacher, but would take Topic over the KU guards for many of the reasons (their serious limitations) described extensively in this thread already.
I mean we watched Tony Parker come in as a 6'2" in shoes 177 lb PG who looked like a kid on draft day and he turned out fine with the strength program the Spurs put him on so I don't think his size is the fatal flaw you're projecting.
What if it's Rubio minus the defense?
Sure, and Bob Cousy was once League MVP so maybe Sheppard can be too.
You think Parker wouldn't be a star today?
Interesting list. I like Matas but I’m surprised you have him 1, that said, I do think he will be one of the guys that will benefit most from the combine and 1-1 workouts. I forget he hasn’t been playing for a while now.
I struggle with Sarr, but as TIMVP notes, at some point you have to preserve the asset so there is that. I personally would move Salange into the top 6. Otherwise I see the world mostly the same.
The Spurs are taking Dillingham. Next question.
It’s an interesting question. Do you think he develops a reliable 3? Tony was a masterful midrange player, but not sure that would be enough today.
I think he’d still be good, don’t get it twisted.
That's where I disagree.
I don't believe you should pick a PG no matter what just because you need one, indepnedently of quailty, if that's another guy who may end up on your bench. That's precisely how spurs ended up with Wesley, who may have been a top 10 pick this year, lottery for sure, and many spurs fans had great expectations for... 2 years later, "he's not into the equation anymore". Not to mention Primo...
Let's not fantasize too much about these kids, specially this year. As Givony mentioned in his last mock draft Dilly is a very polarizing player and many throughout the league doubt he's a starter in a winning team
Wemby needs help and I personnally don't wanna see him spending the next two years with Tre and a developing rookie with uncertain potential as his PGs. Reason why I'm in the trade for Trae or Murray train. I'm with Scott here, might as well look somewhere else and pick SFs or frontcourt players in this draft (then use FA/trades to get your quality guards).
If Dilly turns out to be meh, that's would be 3 PGs picked in 4 years (4 in 5 years if you add Tre in the SR) picked wthout finding your starter... Tre, Primo, Wesley, Dilly... Maybe it's time to forget the draft to find it.
yeah, at this point it's really more about his appearing to be healthy than much of anything else at this point. i'm not saying anything, one way or another, about what i personally think of him though.
I think Dillingham is more likely to be a 6th man microwave offensive lead than a starter. Obviously Keldon can't make a second unit work around him, and Dilly is the kind of aggressive on ball attacker and shotmaker who could get his own and generate, but because of his other flaws should be a bench player.
I could see Shepperd better as a starter who would orbit Wemby and be a great connective player, hit ahead early offense, calming presence to run basic sets and pick and rolls worse whose shooting is so absurdly good he makes things work.
I would be fine with either. Shepperd does have some defensive pluses that could mitigate his minuses, and that makes him better short term.
Wesley was a very raw combo guard and a FLYER at 25 (as most late picks are). Tre was a SECOND ROUND pick, and Primo wasn't a PG, he was a SG who they tried to turn into a playmaking combo guard until he decided to go for "shorter shorts". To try to portray the Spurs as biased towards picking PGs is completely at odds with reality.
No offense but "game fell off a cliff" for a few months in 19 kid first pro season might be a tad exagerrated...
For the record, here's Risacher stats his last 4 games in front of an army of NBA scouts:
14.3pt, 6.5rb, 60% shooting, 40% on 3 (5/12), 82% FT (14/17) in 25min.
Not to bad for a kid whose game fell off a cliff (and that's in a compe ive pro league).
Last edited by JPB; 05-03-2024 at 04:11 PM.
I guess I'll have to copy/paste the European point guard post yet again.
Here's the most important bit.
Foreign* guards in recent drafts:
2022: #7 Dyson Daniels
2021: #6 Josh Giddey
2020: #7 Killian Hayes
2018: #3 Luka Doncic
2017: #8 Frank Ntilikina
2015: #5 Mario Hezonja, #7 Emmanuel Mudiay
2014: #27 Bogdan Bogdanovic (came over in 2017 at 25 years old)
2013: #17 Dennis Schroeder
*Foreign as in NBA being their first American basketball experience, I'm not counting foreign players that went to college.
You have to go all the way back to 2009 and Ricky Rubio to find another legit European point guard and he was the biggest Euro point guard prospect until Luka.
Comparing Topic to Rubio is insulting.
Anyhow, all these guys have way too high bust potential. While if you draft a wing with solid size, you can always turn him into KBD or similar.
I'm pretty sure a lot of franchises followed the same logic when they talked themselves out of Giannis, Jokic or Luka (yes, even he was passed for Ayton and Bagley). Any argument that starts with finding patterns based on where someone was born belongs in the garbage.
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