He’s a big time draft expert. I think he ran draftexpress before it got bought out by ESPN. Super knowledgeable on prospects.
From the Athletic draft guide: Hard to overemphasize how elite his physical frame is for the role he’ll play. Rupert is 6-foot-6 without shoes with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, a length measurement that dwarfs that of most wings. Has an 8-foot-10 standing reach that is closer to that of a four than a wing. Rupert also really knows how to use that length. He has long limbs, so he utilizes long strides and gets his hands involved in plays most players can’t. He also plays really hard. Has an aggressive mindset on the defensive end. You can trust him, as the Breakers already have. Outside of LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey, Rupert is probably the most impressive Next Star the NBL has seen in terms of readiness to play as a teenager in a professional league. He looks like he belongs on a good team.
No matter what his agent was telling other teams, seems really gutsy of the Blazers to wait on him and not try to trade up. Glad it worked out. Surprised Spurs didn't ruin it for us.
his combine physical measurements were really impressive, but the jumping and running/agility ones were not. He's supposed to have a good sense of how to play though especially on D, which are hard to quantify qualities. His stats from last year in New Zealand don't scream NBA rotation player any time soon, but hopefully he's still ascending. Him sticking probably hinges on developing a consistent 3pt shot https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/rayan-rupert-1.html STOMP
Matt Walsh, CEO of the New Zealand Breakers, says Rayan Rupert is the hardest worker they've ever had. He's seen LaMelo Ball, RJ Hampton, Josh Giddey, and Ousmane Dieng go to the NBA. Matt said, in terms of the players that they have had, "he is the most sure-fire NBA pro, because he's 6'7", 7'3" and defends his ass off." Matt compares him to Mikal Bridges as an eventual ceiling, expecting improvements over several years like Mikal. His floor is a premiere 3-and-D guy. Matt says although Rayan shot 30% on threes, his shot is not broken ("he's got a beautiful shot"). He will work hard to improve, and he's convinced that Rayan will become a 40% 3-point shooter. "He's a special kid, I think he's going to be a special player and I think whoever gets him is going to be shocked." Matt talks with Jeff Goodman here:
He expected him to be drafted in the lottery and said that down the road some GM would be saying "We were so lucky to get this guy at #12". I still can't believe he fell so far into Portland's lap. Do GM's actually rely so much on a guy's vertical leap and other combine results that they didn't look at how this guy plays defense? Did some GM's get so excited that their second round target was falling to them that they completely forgot that a first round talent was available?
I feel really good about the draft with Cronin and his team in charge. They seem to have a plan…high basketball IQ, that have a defensive bone in their body. Drafting length as well
