Draft 2024

[salamander]

On February 15, when the Gophers play the Purdue Boilermakers, every watch C Zach Edey.

The guy is an absolute monster at the college level. In the NBA he's probably too slow to ever break into a starting lineup but I think he'd be a nice 2nd Center to have off the bench. 7-4, over 300 lbs. He's pretty good on the offensive end. Don't know how he'd work out on the defensive side.

I think he'd be a 2nd round pick.

I don't watch college ball except for the tournament. If this kid has promise, it would be great for him to work with & against Rudy on a daily basis as he gets his conditioning and skill level to where it needs to be.

The conditioning thing is definitely something he needs to work on.

[somuchyummy]

On February 15, when the Gophers play the Purdue Boilermakers, every watch C Zach Edey.

The guy is an absolute monster at the college level. In the NBA he's probably too slow to ever break into a starting lineup but I think he'd be a nice 2nd Center to have off the bench. 7-4, over 300 lbs. He's pretty good on the offensive end. Don't know how he'd work out on the defensive side.

I think he'd be a 2nd round pick.

I don't watch college ball except for the tournament. If this kid has promise, it would be great for him to work with & against Rudy on a daily basis as he gets his conditioning and skill level to where it needs to be.

The conditioning thing is definitely something he needs to work on.

The cool thing about Edey is that he already has come a long way in making his body better. Appears to be fully aware of what needs to happen for him to become a legit NBA player.

[SO_MONEY]

Bal is the better shooter - but is he a better Point Forward prospect than Tousan Evbouman? TE has more legit F size (6-7 217) plus has been the much more productive and sure-handed playmaker. Three years at Princeton with a final season 15.1/6.3/4.9. In the G League this year for Detroit's farm club, he's basically the same - 15/9/4 on 58%/32%/83%. I believe he's not on a 2 way - so he'd be available for any team to sign. Bal's playmaking leaves something to be desired - if that's the reason to draft him. 3.1 apg to 2.3 TOVs. That's not ideal. Another low cost option - if Point Forward is important - would be Miye Oni. He's averaging 10/5/5 (with 2.5 TOVs) for Orlando's G club this year on 71%/40%/100%.

Bal also 6-7, two years younger, is a shooter, shot creator and has playmaking ability that needs to be cultivated.

I would have zero interest in a guy that can't shoot or a 10/5/5 g league guy.

I have no idea if a point forward comes out of nowhere but where we are picking it is the best I think we can do... Obviously I would prefer Williams.

[somuchyummy]

Bal is the better shooter - but is he a better Point Forward prospect than Tousan Evbouman? TE has more legit F size (6-7 217) plus has been the much more productive and sure-handed playmaker. Three years at Princeton with a final season 15.1/6.3/4.9. In the G League this year for Detroit's farm club, he's basically the same - 15/9/4 on 58%/32%/83%. I believe he's not on a 2 way - so he'd be available for any team to sign. Bal's playmaking leaves something to be desired - if that's the reason to draft him. 3.1 apg to 2.3 TOVs. That's not ideal. Another low cost option - if Point Forward is important - would be Miye Oni. He's averaging 10/5/5 (with 2.5 TOVs) for Orlando's G club this year on 71%/40%/100%.

Bal also 6-7, two years younger, is a shooter, shot creator and has playmaking ability that needs to be cultivated.

I would have zero interest in a guy that can't shoot or a 10/5/5 g league guy.

I have no idea if a point forward comes out of nowhere but where we are picking it is the best I think we can do... Obviously I would prefer Williams.

well, get him then because you think he'll be a shooter - projecting him to be a Point Forward is a leap. He's got 83 assists to 64 TOVs in three years of college ball - Evbouman in three years had 321 assists to 192 TOVs. He's the Kyle Anderson lite, not Bal.

[SO_MONEY]

Bal is the better shooter - but is he a better Point Forward prospect than Tousan Evbouman? TE has more legit F size (6-7 217) plus has been the much more productive and sure-handed playmaker. Three years at Princeton with a final season 15.1/6.3/4.9. In the G League this year for Detroit's farm club, he's basically the same - 15/9/4 on 58%/32%/83%. I believe he's not on a 2 way - so he'd be available for any team to sign. Bal's playmaking leaves something to be desired - if that's the reason to draft him. 3.1 apg to 2.3 TOVs. That's not ideal. Another low cost option - if Point Forward is important - would be Miye Oni. He's averaging 10/5/5 (with 2.5 TOVs) for Orlando's G club this year on 71%/40%/100%.

Bal also 6-7, two years younger, is a shooter, shot creator and has playmaking ability that needs to be cultivated.

I would have zero interest in a guy that can't shoot or a 10/5/5 g league guy.

I have no idea if a point forward comes out of nowhere but where we are picking it is the best I think we can do... Obviously I would prefer Williams.

well, get him then because you think he'll be a shooter - projecting him to be a Point Forward is a leap. He's got 83 assists to 64 TOVs in three years of college ball - Evbouman in three years had 321 assists to 192 TOVs. He's the Kyle Anderson lite, not Bal.

Tousan Evbouman doesn't have the requisite skills to make an NBA team. Sure Bal is a projection... where we are picking you are only taking projections. You have a couple years of development to see if he can cut the turnovers and take on responsibilities if not you might just have a big guard or SF who has other skills. Moreover Evbouman is averaging like 4.4 apg in the g league... we don't need to set a high bar here.

[somuchyummy]

There's a nice piece out recently - maybe today - from Jonathon Wasserman/Bleacher Report for hardcore draft nerds like me. It's their Top 100 prospects - in order and with a dang writeup and analysis of each one. Brilliant. And, of course, it's not taking into account team need - so it's not a mock. Just their ranking of prospects. After going thru it - and knowing that we'll likely have a late first and a fairly early second - these are the guys who clicked my interest meter - and who could perhaps fall in this range.

Ulrich Chomche - 18 year old - 6-11 225 PF/C. Labeled the best Cameroonian prospect since Joel Embiid. A project.

KJ Simpson - 21 year old - 6-2 190 PG out of Colorado. 3 year player averaging 19/5/4 on 54%/46%/87%.

Devin Carter - 21 year old - 6-3 190 Combo out of Providence. 3 year player averaging 18/8/3 on 59%/37%/66%.

Jared McCain - 19 year old - 6-3 200 out of Duke. Freshman averaging 12/4/2 on 49%/42%/84%.

Ajay Mitchell - 21 year old - 6-5 190 Combo out of Santa Barbara. Third year player averaging 20/4/4 on 55%/39%/83%.


https://bleacherreport.com/articles/101 ... -prospects

[Style]

I like the guards with rebound and assist numbers both near 5. I think that’s a general indicator of high IQ. Well rounded games.

It’s a completely evidenced based take, of course.

[witljon]

Take Bronny James... get LeBron to sign here for the minimum.

Think Bronny will fall to 30th?

LeBron will probably have the Lakers draft him.

[Style]

Tamin Lipsey seems like a Connelly type. Watching him now vs Kansas.

[somuchyummy]

Tamin Lipsey seems like a Connelly type. Watching him now vs Kansas.

I'll have to check him out. NBA draft assessment is so fickle though. Case in point, PF Grant Nelson. Got in the draft radar last year as a small school sleeper - NDSU, great 6-11 235 size, very fluid mover with above average handles, great rim protection, able to take defenders off the dribble all the way to the hoop, and one of the best finishers in the country. Mocked late first, early second - but he decided to stay in college - transferred to Alabama and the chance to go against tougher competition. And he's done well. I think 12.3/6.5 along with 1.4 bpg. And this year, he's nowhere to be found on the mocks. Yesterday's news.

[mlhouse]

Tamin Lipsey seems like a Connelly type. Watching him now vs Kansas.

I'll have to check him out. NBA draft assessment is so fickle though. Case in point, PF Grant Nelson. Got in the draft radar last year as a small school sleeper - NDSU, great 6-11 235 size, very fluid mover with above average handles, great rim protection, able to take defenders off the dribble all the way to the hoop, and one of the best finishers in the country. Mocked late first, early second - but he decided to stay in college - transferred to Alabama and the chance to go against tougher competition. And he's done well. I think 12.3/6.5 along with 1.4 bpg. And this year, he's nowhere to be found on the mocks. Yesterday's news.

Being drafted by an NBA team is one of the toughest pyramids to achieve. Two rounds. 60 players out of the thousands of college and eligible international players. It is amazing how talented even the guys drafted at the bottom of the second round are, and yet they have very little chance of making a NBA roster.

One good thing for many of these guys is that the international professional basketball leagues are robust. You can play all over the globe and have relatively lucrative and successful careers. Look at a guy like former Gopher BB player Ariel McDonald. He was a good college player but not great He played in Europe, and then Israel were he became a national figure. He played at higher Euro level teams and I think he made a lot of money. Now I heard he is basketball coach in Minnesota.

[somuchyummy]

Tamin Lipsey seems like a Connelly type. Watching him now vs Kansas.

I'll have to check him out. NBA draft assessment is so fickle though. Case in point, PF Grant Nelson. Got in the draft radar last year as a small school sleeper - NDSU, great 6-11 235 size, very fluid mover with above average handles, great rim protection, able to take defenders off the dribble all the way to the hoop, and one of the best finishers in the country. Mocked late first, early second - but he decided to stay in college - transferred to Alabama and the chance to go against tougher competition. And he's done well. I think 12.3/6.5 along with 1.4 bpg. And this year, he's nowhere to be found on the mocks. Yesterday's news.

Being drafted by an NBA team is one of the toughest pyramids to achieve. Two rounds. 60 players out of the thousands of college and eligible international players. It is amazing how talented even the guys drafted at the bottom of the second round are, and yet they have very little chance of making a NBA roster.

One good thing for many of these guys is that the international professional basketball leagues are robust. You can play all over the globe and have relatively lucrative and successful careers. Look at a guy like former Gopher BB player Ariel McDonald. He was a good college player but not great He played in Europe, and then Israel were he became a national figure. He played at higher Euro level teams and I think he made a lot of money. Now I heard he is basketball coach in Minnesota.

Good points. I think what I was trying to point out is how the draft assessment process falls victim to the flavor of the day. Everyone loves to break the news about the hidden gem, but if that gem returns to school - like Nelson did - that gem loses its lustre and becomes yesterday's news. Even if that prospect is the same player this year that he was last year - and in Grant Nelsons case, he has likely become a better player by facing upgraded competition on a daily basis.

[somuchyummy]

The latest guy I'm hoping is available for us at the back end of the first round is Duke combo Guard Jared McCain. He's young - 19 - but has a great bbiq that serves him well. 3 pt sniper with a quick release, but also has the handles to put pressure on the rim and midrange - 52%/42%/85% so far in 19 college games. His three ball has translated from how he shot in HS - so that's always been a strength. Smallish at 6-3 195, but big enough these days - and he has a strong frame and aggressive motor that makes him a good defender. At this point, there's a good chance he might be sitting there for us at the end of the first round.



Here's highlights of a 21 point night against Baylor.


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[mlhouse]

The latest guy I'm hoping is available for us at the back end of the first round is Duke combo Guard Jared McCain. He's young - 19 - but has a great bbiq that serves him well. 3 pt sniper with a quick release, but also has the handles to put pressure on the rim and midrange - 52%/42%/85% so far in 19 college games. His three ball has translated from how he shot in HS - so that's always been a strength. Smallish at 6-3 195, but big enough these days - and he has a strong frame and aggressive motor that makes him a good defender. At this point, there's a good chance he might be sitting there for us at the end of the first round.



Here's highlights of a 21 point night against Baylor.


Click here to learn how to add YouTube Videos to your phpBB forum

Tyler Kolek is similar player that is rated a bit higher and in that draft range from what I can see. Both would be very good fits for the WOlves if they last to their spot.

[somuchyummy]

Another good one, yes. I think I prefer McCain for a couple reasons. First, Kolek will be 23 in a couple months. McCain is 19. Usually i am prone to give the advantage to the older player - but McCain's BBIQ is very good as well - so I think that mitigates Kolek's vet skills a bit. They are about the same size - but McCain looks more powerful - and I think he projects out to be a better NBA defender than Kolek, who may have some issues. Finally, McCain's release on his threes is so quick - I think it'll translate to getting them off in the bigs. Don't know how Kolek matches up in that regard. Kolek has the playmaking advantage - a reasonable career per 40 of 7.6 to 3.0. McCain's per 40 is just 2.2 to 1.5 - but we should remember that McCain as a freshman is sharing the ball with two other heavy rotation PGs, Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach. He's been playing more off ball this year.

[somuchyummy]

Some team is going to get a late second gem in Reece Beekman. He just continues to impress and is the main reason Virginia sits second in the ACC. They just decimated the Miami Hurricanes by holding them to 37 points - completely shutting down their backcourt.

Beekman doesn't have much of a three point shot, but he's 45% from the field overall, a terrific passer and floor general with a 3:1 asst to TOV ratio, and is one of the top defensive guards nationally. He's the reigning ACC DPOY, and likely to repeat, plus just got named to the 15 player shortlist of candidates for this year's Naismith National DPOY Award. If he goes undrafted, we could hardly find a better replacement for JMac should this be his last year with us. I see his pro impact as similar to Andrew Nembhard.

Don't understand how how teammate SF Ryan Dunn is always mocked in the first round, while Beekman is neglected. Nbadraft.net for example has him going to us at 29. But Dunn, while also a great defender (and another Naismith finalist) is much more a D only guy than Beekman. I believe 54% from the FT line this year and 23% from three. Beekman has the much more well rounded game of the two.

[somuchyummy]

Other than Duke's Jared McCain, another Combo G I am following is Stanford's Kanaan Carlyle. Anyone have a take on him? McCain has a steadier approach - great outside shooter with some potential to create, more muscular, very good rebounder for his size. Carlyle is a big fan of Allen Iverson and Ja Morant's games - so you get the idea. Supposedly a high character kid, so worries about that dissipated somewhat. Also an aggressive positive hard-working defender, quick - and a blur up and down the court. 6-3 185 but apparently with good length.

Unless either or both of those two blow up in the remainder of the college season, they should be available around where we'd pick. McCain likely steadier and higher floor (22 college games, 13 in double figures, high of 24) - Carlyle the riskier high ceiling player (just 13 college games, double figures 9 times, with highs of 31 and 28 - vs ARZ and WSU). Both are 19 year old Freshman - and both are plus 40% shooters from three so far. And the youth shows - maybe especially with Carlyle. A couple weeks after his 31 pointer, he had two games in a row where he scored 2 and 3.

[somuchyummy]

Arggh. I was hoping Dukes Jared McCain wouldn't have a statement game that highlights his great shooting - but so much for that hope. 35 points and a Duke freshman record 8 made threes yesterday in a win over Florida State. He's always been mocked right around our late first round slot - and his shooting is the real deal and would be perfect for us - but I have a feeling his stock is rising.

[Hoop Dreams]

K.J. Simpson with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists yesterday.

[somuchyummy]

We're getting on into the college hoops season - so mocks are shaping up. Here's a look at some of the most common mocks and what they most recently have us taking. This would be Tankathon, draft.net, BR, Ringer, draftroom, Ysports!, CBS, sportsnaut, mynbadraft, no ceilings, yardbarker, fansided and Walter. Didn't include Espn or the Athletic - because I'm not a subscriber. If someone wants to add what they've got for us, please do.

1st Round - Duke G Jared McCain (4 mocks), Purdue C Zach Edey (2 mocks), C Ulrich Chomche (Intl/Cameroon), UConn G Stephon Castle, Weber St SF Dillon Jones, PG Juan Nunez (Intl/Germany), Kansas G/F Johnny Furphy, Colorado F Tristan de Silva, Colorado PG KJ Simpson and UCLA C/PF Adam Mara.

2nd Round - Kentucky G DJ Wagner (two mocks), Duke G Jared McCain, UConn SF Alex Karaban, Colorado PG KJ Simpson, and Clemson PF/C PJ Hall.

Lots of time left, but these might be some guys to get familiar with.

[SO_MONEY]

K.J. Simpson with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists yesterday.

This was who I was going to bring up as a under the radar PG, didn't even see that game. He has been playing well and has a trajectory of improvement which is something you want to see.

[somuchyummy]

the only thing that is a lil scary about him is to not fall in love with his three point pct. he's currently at .445 on about 4,7 attempts per game this year. FABULOUS! except he also shot a LOT of them his first two years in school - and was frankly crap at it. 54 of 201 (.268). So this streak he's on may be more mirage and at some point he'll come back to earth. There are other things to like about his game (6-2 guard averaging 5.3 rpg???), but i'd tap the brakes on thinking he's for sure a deep ball threat. that's why i'm still higher on McCain. 41.1 pct from deep at Duke - but he was also 40+% his senior year in HS.

[somuchyummy]

K.J. Simpson with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists yesterday.

This was who I was going to bring up as a under the radar PG, didn't even see that game. He has been playing well and has a trajectory of improvement which is something you want to see.

not sure if you noticed, but one of the mocks i mentioned for TWolves picks has us taking Simpson in the second.

[SO_MONEY]

K.J. Simpson with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists yesterday.

This was who I was going to bring up as a under the radar PG, didn't even see that game. He has been playing well and has a trajectory of improvement which is something you want to see.

not sure if you noticed, but one of the mocks i mentioned for TWolves picks has us taking Simpson in the second.

I saw that. Haven't come across that mock, but it is a PG target I would look at in the 2nd if we don't take one in the 1st.

[somuchyummy]

Fansided just put one out that has us going with Simpson in the first round.

And a bit of clarification, I think the mock that had us going Adam Mara in the first came out over a month ago, and he has since dropped off the radar. Not sure, at this point, if the 7-3 PF/C mostly known for his playmaking potential will even get drafted.

[somuchyummy]

I like McCain, Simpson and Carlyle - who, even with the unknown of Jaylen Clark, would still be good to add. All three with much better O than Clark, whose main draw is that he's a defensive ace - but we can certainly use that offensive firepower off the bench. PG is our iffiest spot next year - with Mike, Monte and JMac all at the end of their contracts, and Clark a complete unknown. Kylan Boswell is another PG i like a lot - especially his attitude, work ethic, smarts and tough 6-2 205 lb build.

[somuchyummy]

A guy who could be slipping under the radar because of his age is Creighton's Baylor Scheierman. He's one of those COVID era five year seniors, and will be 24 for most of his rookie season. Defensively, he will struggle - but he has nice 6-7 205 size for a lefty marksman with a quick release. He was someone mocked last year as a possible late first/likely mid second rounder - and now this year, you can hardly find him mentioned in the mocks. Even though he is still filling up the stat sheet like he's prone to do. Last ten games, he's gone 19.6/ 9.8/ 4.0. His three point shooting has taken a hit since transferring from South Dakota State to Creighton (down from the crazy mid to upper 40s he had there to mid to upper 30s now) - but he's still hit 39% over his college career (325 of 836) and the form is great. Consistently has been a great rebounder for a G as well. Pro comps have been Luke Kennard, Sam Hauser, Dylan Windler and Doug McDermott. So you get the picture - an athletically challenged guy who IS, however, basically a baller. If he goes undrafted, he's absolutely a UDFA target. He's actually older than SEVEN players currently on the Timberwolves squad, so he might be a nice high floor/low ceiling guy ready to contribute right away - a Wendell Moore Jr. replacement perhaps.

[somuchyummy]

Saw this 2 round layout the other day - it's from this week, so of course will change - but it gives a fairly rough sketch of where teams will be picking this year - and perhaps who might be open to moving their first round pick (low 20s) for our two picks (highlighted).

Pistons - 1 and 52
Wizards - 2 and 51
Spurs - 3, 7, 33 and 44
Hornets - 4 and 58
Blazers - 5, 13, 34 and 40
Grizzlies - 6, 38 and 54
Rockets - 8 and 43
Thunder - 9, 12, 26 and 39
Hawks - 10 and 19
Bulls - 11
Pelicans - 14 and 21
Heat - 15 and 45
Magic - 16 and 46
Raptors - 17 and 31
Knicks - 18, 23 and 42
Suns - 20
Sixers - 22 and 37
Bucks - 24 and 35
Nuggets - 25 and 57
Jazz - 27 and 32
Cavs - 28
Timberwolves - 29 and 36
Celtics - 30, 41 and 48
Clippers - 47
Kings - 49
Pacers - 50, 53 and 55
Lakers - 56

[Beef Supreme]

Saw this 2 round layout the other day - it's from this week, so of course will change - but it gives a fairly rough sketch of where teams will be picking this year - and perhaps who might be open to moving their first round pick (low 20s) for our two picks (highlighted).

Pistons - 1 and 52
Wizards - 2 and 51
Spurs - 3, 7, 33 and 44
Hornets - 4 and 58
Blazers - 5, 13, 34 and 40
Grizzlies - 6, 38 and 54
Rockets - 8 and 43
Thunder - 9, 12, 26 and 39
Hawks - 10 and 19
Bulls - 11
Pelicans - 14 and 21
Heat - 15 and 45
Magic - 16 and 46
Raptors - 17 and 31
Knicks - 18, 23 and 42
Suns - 20
Sixers - 22 and 37
Bucks - 24 and 35
Nuggets - 25 and 57
Jazz - 27 and 32
Cavs - 28
Timberwolves - 29 and 36
Celtics - 30, 41 and 48
Clippers - 47
Kings - 49
Pacers - 50, 53 and 55
Lakers - 56

Thanks. Good info.

Maybe Suns make the most sense?

[somuchyummy]

that would be nice to get up to 20. probably would be high enough to avoid missing a guy we'd want. And it feels like the Suns might be open to having more cheap draft talent for their back bench, considering all the money they've got going for their top guys. Another one i wonder about is just swapping both of our picks with the Knicks two. They'd get 29 and 36 - we'd get 23 and 42. Especially as they'd still have their 18.