Draft projects to watch besides Wembanyama & Henderson

[JPB]

Well look at you all sassy-like!
I'll go where I please, thank you.

Ofc you will, and try to play the lil boss, and everywhere people will tell you not to patronize them and move on if you don't have anything to bring to the table other than insults...

And eventually not to come in a thread dedicated to the draft just to say "Hey, I don't want to talk about that the draft, I'll just wait!!! M'kay, you anxious, know it alls?!! because believe or not, we'll keep on sharing our different views and impressions about those prospects until up to the draft, with or without your anger.

[JPB]

Kawhi ceiling, as a prospect, was nowhere near MVP. If it were, he never would have lasted to pick #15. He hit his 99.9% development point.

Oh, and the Spurs tanked this year for Wemby, not in the faint hope that one of the other players will go full Kawhi.

You're right in a vac about Kawhi, but I suppose spurs still imagined he could at least scratch that potential under their managment if they were ready to trade Hill for him... And not sure spurs just tanked for Wemby tbh. They did because they finally had to do it after refusing for years, and because they realized they weren't going anywhere with Murray... Sure Wemby might have definitely triggered them but I suppose they first of all wanted a potential game changer, be it Victor, Scoot or whoever could play the role. Wemby or not, I believe they would have tanked anyway. But for sure Wemby helped embracing the process.

[tonight...you]

Ofc you will, and try to play the lil boss, and everywhere people will tell you not to patronize them and move on if you don't have anything to bring to the table other than insults...

And eventually not to come in a thread dedicated to the draft just to say "Hey, I don't want to talk about that the draft, I'll just wait!!! M'kay, you anxious, know it alls?!! because believe or not, we'll keep on sharing our different views and impressions about those prospects until up to the draft, with or without your anger.

[BackHome]

Yeah Wemb makes it easier as far as tanking but we were heading that way eventually it might have pushed it up a year to some but most feel this should have been done right after Kawhi was traded. As far as this draft yeah Wemb the prize but if we can get someone who can develop up to there potential like Kawhi did I will be Very Happy. The next few years were going to have a lot of Lottery picks just hope we find Gold with one of them

[barakz21]

Yeah Wemb makes it easier as far as tanking but we were heading that way eventually it might have pushed it up a year to some but most feel this should have been done right after Kawhi was traded. As far as this draft yeah Wemb the prize but if we can get someone who can develop up to their potential like Kawhi did I will be Very Happy. The next few years were going to have a lot of Lottery picks just hope we find Gold with one of them

Interesting. If the Spurs went full rebuild after the nephew situation, I wonder who they might gotten in those years. I mean, we know who the lottery picks were in those years. But who would the Spurs have picked if they were in the lottery those years.

[Ariel]

Random thought: If the Spurs fall out of the top 4 and the Magic don't leapfrog them, I could see them trying to either consolidate their own pick plus the Bulls one or their own pick plus Suggs for the Spurs pick and maybe Wesley.

I wouldn't have interest in Suggs. Durability concerns, can't shoot or run an offense and relatively expensive, but by all accounts "Spurs material" and would somewhat fit a positional need.

I've posted about a trade down scenario with Orlando multiple times in order to turn 1 lottery pick into 2, but that has lost its appeal to me somewhat, given that the 2nd pick (Chicago's) would be at 11 at best (if it jumps into top 4 Chicago keeps the pick). Unless I was sure someone interesting was available at that position (say Hendricks or Black) then I wouldn't risk losing a better prospect for a Gradey or a Cason Wallace.

[BackHome]

Just for fun I sim the Lotto a dozen times and 80% Tankathon has us picking the Thompson twins - the others were either Wemb or Scoot - and only had us picking Miller in 1 of the 12.

[scott]

Just for fun I sim the Lotto a dozen times and 80% Tankathon has us picking the Thompson twins - the others were either Wemb or Scoot - and only had us picking Miller in 1 of the 12.

I will say, if the Spurs are really high on the Thompsons, it gives me less stress about potentially falling all the way down to 6. Picks 1-6, you are guaranteed one of Wemby, Scoot, Miller, Cam, Amen or Ausar. It's in that 3.5% chance of falling to 7 (50% chance we fall to the 3 slot, which results in a 7% chance of falling to 7) where things start to really suck.

[BackHome]

Watched the Kings and Warriors game pretty much if you can not his the three ball or take it to the rim your pretty much worthless on offense.

[Ariel]

A glimpse into Amen Thompson's future:

[JPB]

Watched the Kings and Warriors game pretty much if you can not his the three ball or take it to the rim your pretty much worthless on offense.

Blake Wesley isn't happy about that post.

[exstatic]

Blake Wesley isn't happy about that post.

Weird flex. Blake shot 38.5% from long.

[JPB]

Weird flex. Blake shot 38.5% from long.

A bit more than 0.5 3PTs made per game on 1.4 attempts (37 games played this season) and with a 32.1% total shooting percentage, going several games not knocking one 3. He basically made half a 3 pointer a game on half a season.
Very small sample, def not telling for Blake who can't rely on that to find a spot in the rotation giving how awful he is at finishing at the rim.

[Dejounte]

Tbh you don’t need to be the fastest, the most explosive, or the best shooter… as long as you can slow the game down, make reads, and process the game quickly, you can be a winning point guard. Jrue wasn’t always this good, I think he elevated his game in his late 20’s. But this is what a real point guard looks like, provided you don’t have godly shooting like Curry (probably will never be another player like him in a decade or two).

[exstatic]

A bit more than 0.5 3PTs made per game on 1.4 attempts (37 games played this season) and with a 32.1% total shooting percentage, going several games not knocking one 3. He basically made half a 3 pointer a game on half a season.
Very small sample, def not telling for Blake who can't rely on that to find a spot in the rotation giving how awful he is at finishing at the rim.

I’ll give you the TS% and the rim finishing, but the original post was about 3 point shooting, and even with the small sample size, he shoots 38.5%, and all the backpedaling in the world won’t change that.

[BackHome]

You know I am still really high on Blake I think people forget he was drafted as a project meaning he had high potential but his current floor was low due to unrefined ball skills. To be honest I was shocked that he got so much playing time with the big club I thought for sure he was G Laague bound for at least his first year. But I guess Pop and company figured out he had the personality to handle failures and not let it impact his game that is a good sign that he doesn’t have that fear factor he definitely has the shooter at ude which bodes well for his future.

Going into next year it will be interesting to see what they want from him and how they going to develop him meaning stay with big boy club or be the Man on the G League club. Either way I think this summer will give him time to gain some weight/strength and work on his craft and hopefully get his mind to slow down and just let the game come to him which is easier said then done. One thing from scouting him up to when he was drafted he is all about the game and will easily put in the work to get better each year can not ask more then that.

I will predict that bar us not getting a top 2 pick I believe Blake will take either being the starter or getting the majority of minutes at PG - He will still have ty games but he will also have games where he will completely dominate all part of growth - Enjoy

[rascal]

You know I am still really high on Blake I think people forget he was drafted as a project meaning he had high potential but his current floor was low due to unrefined ball skills. To be honest I was shocked that he got so much playing time with the big club I thought for sure he was G Laague bound for at least his first year. But I guess Pop and company figured out he had the personality to handle failures and not let it impact his game that is a good sign that he doesn’t have that fear factor he definitely has the shooter at ude which bodes well for his future.

Going into next year it will be interesting to see what they want from him and how they going to develop him meaning stay with big boy club or be the Man on the G League club. Either way I think this summer will give him time to gain some weight/strength and work on his craft and hopefully get his mind to slow down and just let the game come to him which is easier said then done. One thing from scouting him up to when he was drafted he is all about the game and will easily put in the work to get better each year can not ask more then that.

I will predict that bar us not getting a top 2 pick I believe Blake will take either being the starter or getting the majority of minutes at PG - He will still have ty games but he will also have games where he will completely dominate all part of growth - Enjoy

Blake is no where ready to be a stating pg. He was rated the worst player in the NBA last year. I don't think the Spurs should give up on him but he isn't ready to be a starter.

[JPB]

I’ll give you the TS% and the rim finishing, but the original post was about 3 point shooting, and even with the small sample size, he shoots 38.5%, and all the backpedaling in the world won’t change that.

Well yeah, statistically he shot that. But all the backpedaling in the world won't change that you can't really make anything out of it giving the small sample, both in attempts and games, as far as knowing if he's already a reliable 3PT shooter.

I can play only one NBA game in the season and go 1/1 on 3, for a 100% 3PT season percentage.

[BackHome]

This is the Summary from an article from the “Athletic”

Summary

You’re drafting Wesley for what he could be, not what he is right now. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to come into the NBA next season and be a positive player, simply because of his shooting and efficiency or decision-making. But his ability to create a shot from nothing, his potential in isolation and his defense present such an intriguing combination of skills. On top of that, the flashy passing ability he showcases portends some real upside on the ball if teams must respect his shot at all three levels. This is essentially a boom or bust swing. If it works, Wesley has a chance to work out in a big way and become a legitimate starting guard in the NBA. There is also a real chance Wesley ends up not being much of anything if the shooting never comes around. There are signs he could shoot, but it’s going to take some work, and the touch indicators aren’t incredible. He’ll be relatively polarizing for NBA teams because of that, like many prospects in this class. — Vecenie

[Mr. Body]

This is the Summary from an article from the “Athletic”

Summary

You’re drafting Wesley for what he could be, not what he is right now. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to come into the NBA next season and be a positive player, simply because of his shooting and efficiency or decision-making. But his ability to create a shot from nothing, his potential in isolation and his defense present such an intriguing combination of skills. On top of that, the flashy passing ability he showcases portends some real upside on the ball if teams must respect his shot at all three levels. This is essentially a boom or bust swing. If it works, Wesley has a chance to work out in a big way and become a legitimate starting guard in the NBA. There is also a real chance Wesley ends up not being much of anything if the shooting never comes around. There are signs he could shoot, but it’s going to take some work, and the touch indicators aren’t incredible. He’ll be relatively polarizing for NBA teams because of that, like many prospects in this class. — Vecenie

Good stuff, this seems pretty accurate.

I don't think Blake is that far away from at least a rotation player, a guy you want to keep working with. He's a good defender already. Needs some seasoning, but already has the quickness and activity to be a pest. He's a good spot-up shooter. And he's fast.

Those are good pieces to work with. Just being a good defender is a great start. He also seems to have a beneficial at ude. He doesn't get down and knows he has work to do.

What will make him is everything between the three-point line and the rim. Cut out those wild drives into trees. He's never getting over or around them. At the end of the year, it seemed like he was thinking way too much about just not getting blocked and he had no touch at the rim. He also needs to learn the mid-range. Slow the game down, realize he doesn't need to punch it through, because it's not going to work, and start seeing the game's options otherwise.

I think it will take a lot of work, getting floaters, stop-and-pop midranges, keeping his dribble and probing. He's on the right team and I think the staff is dedicated to bringing it out. To me he doesn't have a bad platform and he can do it.

[Ariel]

This is the Summary from an article from the “Athletic”

Summary

You’re drafting Wesley for what he could be, not what he is right now. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to come into the NBA next season and be a positive player, simply because of his shooting and efficiency or decision-making. But his ability to create a shot from nothing, his potential in isolation and his defense present such an intriguing combination of skills. On top of that, the flashy passing ability he showcases portends some real upside on the ball if teams must respect his shot at all three levels. This is essentially a boom or bust swing. If it works, Wesley has a chance to work out in a big way and become a legitimate starting guard in the NBA. There is also a real chance Wesley ends up not being much of anything if the shooting never comes around. There are signs he could shoot, but it’s going to take some work, and the touch indicators aren’t incredible. He’ll be relatively polarizing for NBA teams because of that, like many prospects in this class. — Vecenie

Yeah, basically what we all knew before the draft, and some of us wanted him still. I'll say this: he's even more raw than I expected. I knew he had trouble finishing at the rim, but jeez, he's just on another level. The physical tools are there, his shot needs work but isn't too bad, he seems coaching and resilient, he's a willing passer, he tries hard on defense... all those things warrant giving him a chance.
Also, last year's draft wasn't filled with home runs at the spot we picked him (25) or later. The only guy who's a significantly better player now is Nembhard who was taken at 31, but he's more than 3 years older than Wesley. Other than that, the rest of the board doesn't leave much room for regrets. I was ecstatic with our results that draft day, and I'm very happy right now with our choices still.

[ace3g]

[offset formation]

I posted this on another thread the yesterday. Give me Bilal if we don't get Wembanyama.

[JPB]

Bilal is really fast with long strides on fast break. Would taking a flyer on him at 7 make sense? Probably not gonna happen but would the spurs trade down, I'd def consider making him one of the 2 picks.

[Ariel]

Bilal is really fast with long strides on fast break. Would taking a flyer on him at 7 make sense? Probably not gonna happen but would the spurs trade down, I'd def consider making him one of the 2 picks.

At 7? No way. You have at least Wemby, Scoot, Miller, Cam Whitmore, Taylor Hendricks, Jarace Walker, Anthony Black, Keyonte George, Gradey , the Thompsons, plus many others... there's no evidence to support taking him in the lottery, much less on the top half of it. With that said, I think he's a fine prospect who's super young, has good size, explosive athlete, some nice moves, but he still has ways to go. I'd be fine taking a flyer on him in the 20s if we get a second pick there (say by trading up from 32/33, or landing a new pick using Charlotte's pick), but there are at least 10 players I have higher than him, easy. He's a gamble that could make sense if the price is low, but for reference we got Malaki at 20, Dejounte at 29, Derrick White at 29, Keldon at 29, Tre at 41... there's value to be had later on, and Coulibaly isn't a sure thing or a superstar project to warrant a super high investment.