oh so I'm a big DaRon Holmes II fan (Guarantee ya Toumani Camara wants the Blazers to draft him)... Dayton has massive roster overturn to deal with, Camara is a big loss.. Mongolian Mike dipped(this is really worthy of its own post, more on that later).. but they sure are lucky to have Holmes back... But I truly hope its for the best.. I kinda wonder if he shoulda been in the 2023 draft.. sort of how I was scratchign my head when Robert Williams returned to Texas A&M after completely dismantling Bam Adebayo in the matchup with UK.. Lets see if maybe this can work in the Blazers favor somehow.. Holmes will be one of the best bigs in the nation, easily, like he was last season, aint nothing changed about that.. and ya know he measured 6'9 without shoes at the combine! That was a great measurement for him, I thought he was like 6'9" in-shoes, he's 6'10 in-shoes.. Great measurement for the Blazers if we can get him! and lets see what kind of PF skill he's been working on.. lets see how that 3pt shot works.. DaRon has a younger brother named Cameron whos one of the top ranked players in the class of 2026, whos like 6'5 and a wing player.. So I'm kinda hoping they both make it! Kinda hoping Dayton can have a decent post season they keep coming up short..Thats I think in part why Holmes returned to school he wants to play in the big tournament.. Which kinda sucks cuz Holmes damn sure isnt the reason they didnt make it.. But also Dayton has some firepower reinforcements on the way in the form of 6'4" flamethrower (soft shooting touch) Marvel Allen. They have Malachi Smith returning whos not a draftable player but he's from around my way n he's a solid player n athlete.. Dayton should be fun and competitive... but honestly its not like they have some grueling out of conference schedule.. this team should actually cruise to being a single digit seed in the tourney if healthy..
So Mongolian Mike.. whos born name is Enkhiin-Od Mike Sharavjamts.. Didnt really play much for Dayton last season -- they should've been better and made the tournament, with players like Holmes II and Toumani Camara, so letting this stick figure of a freshman off the bench to turn the game upside down wasnt in the plans.. Sharavjamts is also about 6'8 or but he plays like a point-forward.. n sorta wants the ball in his hands a lot n he changes the game bigtime into something unorthodox.. N this player didnt play much at Dayton freshman year but still NBA teams were working him out this summer, hes got an uncommon set of skills for a 6'8 player. So at University of San Francisco this season.. I'm hoping they hand him the keys to the offense from day 1.. let him try and stuff the stat sheet n do everything high volume max speed.. Cuz he's actually a fun player to watch.. N he just needs to strengthen up and stuff.. One of the things thats appealing about him is he can shoot it off the dribble, or lets see what kind of %'s he can put up on high volume.. definitely seems like a much better setting for his game to grow, this kid needs reps not to sit on the bench..
oh I believe Silas Demary Jr. 6'4" PG committed to Georgia ranked 56th by Rivals is thoroughly underrated as well and tracks to be a draft pick.. maybe not a one-and-done but worth keeping an eye on..
While im posting some longshots might as well throw out a 3-star gem. Michael Nwoko 6'10" 245lb C from Ontario (7'3" wingspan).. This kid stole the show at the Nike Hoops Summit this summer vs a lot of much higher ranked opponents. He's definitely good, n 3-stars is a joke. This player is a surefire pro, he's got some skill and a good frame n athletic grade. Plus Miami has a heck of a team like last year (and they've got Jalil Bethea signed for next season) But 6'5" SG Wooga Poplar is gonna be a player to watch for the draft. They also have Matthew Cleveland who is a beast of a 6'7" SF thats actually a monstrous rebounder n built for putback dunks n defense, he x-ferred in from FSU and is draftable. Plus Norchad Omier is back n he is a bit of a swiss aremy knife at the college level and a really good defender who might not get drafted but will make it to summer league n play pro somewhere I'd assume. A.J. Casey is a sophomore now too interested to see his progress. Here in new york, I grew up surrounded by a lot of duke fans (not St. Johns fans but Duke fans).. n so i pretty much root for any team in the ACC that isnt UNC or Duke --- and so Miami is pretty reliable these days to put up a good fight n i hope they keep gaining ground.
Speaking of duke.. (and this is one of those posts im anticipating ill be eating these words n thinking i was stupid, n talking about an unlikely scenario, but ima say it anyway) if Kyle Filipowski goes beserker mode n just destroys college basketball this season... Thats probably a pretty good outcome for the Blazers, especially if he's making his 3's, n looks ready to play decent defense.. he could actually work his way into consideration of the top10... Cuz Filipowski IMO could function as a bit of a playmaker for this blazers team at PF if he's really on his game.. Plus with Filipowski on the roster slotted at mostly PF, the Blazers wouldnt need to hold a 3rd C on the roster the depth chart could just be Ayton - Williams - Filipowski.. So theres some merit in tracking him, though Im sure not a very exciting idea for some.. He had hip surgery in the off season lets see how he bounces back.
oh also we're finally gonna get to see what Hunter Sallis can do after 2 seasons of being burid ont he bench for Gonzaga... Hopefully he's able to generate some hype like Bobi Klintmann did last season.. 6'5 combo guard, bit of a late bloomer too.
Jarin Stevenson can average 2ppg and 1.5 rebounds in his freshman season(Alabama) -- and NBA teams are still gonna work him out next summer.. and far as I can tell he plays a position of need for our Blazers (PF) so I hope we're one of them.. and he's grown to like 6'11, this kid was 6'8" not too long ago... I hate to keep throwing Rayan Rupert under the bus.. .but this kid Stevenson is a better longterm project than Rupert if you ask me.. Very different players ofc, but look at him grab a dreb and dribble up the court, very fluid, glides around, he shoots the ball too n shows some faceup game..
Consider me a fan of Lucas Ugolin, 21 years old frenchman whos a 6'5 swingman and shooting 55% from 3 to start the season for LIMOGES CSP in the French ProB league.. Player looks like he can dribble it, looks like he's pretty explosive, and fluid, looks lik ehe defends decently, long arms, and he can shoot the 3.. ill keep an eye on him.. the footage looks good from what ive seen.. seems like a player the Blazers should be monitoring
I'm sure hoping Samson Johnson goes from 4mpg and 5mpg played as a freshman n sophomore (had some injuries too) to like 20 as a junior n breaks out for UConn... Cuz he's got plenty of talent.. just had some bad luck.. One of the funnier things people dont realize about UConn's national championship team last year is they have this PF whos quite talented named Samson Johnson from Togo, who didnt really contribute much.. This season UConn will need Johnson to backup Clingan though.. N he's 6'10 with long arms and athletic n blocks shots and can shoot a jumper.. Long strides too n he's pretty damn athletic so type of player who could go from no name to relevant cuz of his athletic grade, nba size and skill level. He's got some Kai Jones type of qualities to him.. Though were probably tlaking a 2rp not a 1st like Kai..
N far more relevant to the Blazers at PF will be the progress and return from injury of Trevon Brazile, a possible 1st rd pick.. at 6'10 with a ~7'3 wingspan, ultra athletic hops and he blocks shots and shoots 3's.... Long as that 3pt shot is dropping n hes got a clean bill of health he makes a TON of sense for the Blazers IMO. If the Blazers could get Buzelis in the lottery then a healthy Brazile with the GSW 1st rder that is a major athleticism boost to our wings n PF and those 2 can shoot 3's as well n run like the wind. I think thats a pretty good outlook moving forward, n that doesnt even include the 2 second round picks. Brazile actually reminds me of the 29th pick in the 2015 draft -- Chris McCollough, similar type of athletes except Brazille is like 10x better at playing the game of basketball, its not even close, however raw people say Brazile is(even though hes like 20 or 21), McCollough was 10x more raw when he was selected in the 1st rd-- NOT EVEN CLOSE, n McCollough wasnt as vertically explosive as Brazile either he could just run like a much smaller player at 6'10.
18y/o Pacome Dadiet is off to a good start in the German leagues!! very good!! I'm a big believer in Pacome Dadiet! Passes the eye test if u ask me. Another Frenchman, appears Dadiet's grown to about 6'8" with intriguing tools. He's very fast and fluid and young n his shot looks good.. so far hes 6/13 from 3 early this season.. He'll turn 19 around the draft so he's pretty young, considerably younger thna most of the top freshman. Seems like exactly the type of player the Blazers should be monitoring if ya ask me..
bunch of them but honestly some of these players have all the talent to move up the board quickly, which is why I laugh at the notion people have about the overall talent in this draft like its some easy-read -- seems like a much more volatile situation than some r making it out to be.. just a lot to unpack, lotta moving parts, just like every year... some are shooting the lights out from 3 early this season so their outlook will change if they stay hitting 40% 3s, thats why Im trying to post a handful ahead of time, to establish a baseline.. N THE GAMES HAVE BEGUN, just cuz the NBA and NCAA havent tipped off, doesnt mean the season isnt underway!!! N like for example that player Lucas Ugolin a few posts above, I saw him projected at the bottom of the 2nd rd in some mock -- but that footage the way the player looks, he seems more like a player who could be selected in the 40's to me. That player looks like he could almost be assimilated to a playoff roster n vie for a role off the bench imo.. but lets see if he cools off.. I'm new around here but If u knew me I usually am able to sniff out some of this draft stuff kinda early, im in my mid 30's n been a hardcore draft nerd for 20 years(i can still dunk tho! even tho i got gray hairs!), i remember when mike schmitz started making those videos for Draftexpress... I like the NBA draft its my favorite sporting event. I fancy myself a bit of a storyteller so I like seeing all these cool stories all take a breather n sit in a room one night n have chance redirect their paths across the franchises/cities, though I do wish ESPN would keep the broadcast more about basketball, i watch on mute. . n like so last season I was a huge advocate of Brandin Podziemski and Olivier Maxence Prosper (was super early on the Taylor Hendricks bandwagon too)-- when they were projected outside of the 2nd rd for a good chunk of the season, remember pointing them out often on another forum for being ranked in the 70's on ESPN's best available list --- both of them ended up being selected int he first round.. (N Podziemski was like the most entertaining player in the nation n couldnt get any draft respect til way late in the process FWIW) n honestly I called coulibaly being better than rupert 2 summers ago, which dates back to when coulibaly was much more unknown, he was coming off the bench behind rupert... n espn/givony were way overhyping Rupert like he was a lotto pick, even tho he looked like bambi on ice... I was a big kobe bufkin advocate early last season too, well really i know Bufkin as a recruit, he always seemed like the 4-star type that makes it to the 1st rd, n he did.. it played out just like that -- selected 1 pick outside the lotto.. so i do sorta like to do a "throw shit at the wall n see what sticks" cuz honestly thats what the Blazers should be doing too.. Especially at Wing n PF.. For me personally I just wanted to go over some of these prospects n look at em thru the eyes of a blazers fan with my current read on our roster, just to get a feel for who I think is a good match.. but basically I look at it in tiers top1/3/5/10// lotto pick// top20// fringe first rd// top45// fringe draftable// not draftable but still summer league and g-league worthy.. n so ofc the blazers are likely to have a lotto pick but we have 3 other picks, one could be closer to top20, maybe if the warriros do good more like fringe 1st.. well probaby have 2 picks in the mid or late 2nd.. ---Makes sense to me to cast a wide net.. Im that guy who'd much rather talk about the fringe 1st rd players n the 2nd rd picks, n the lotto picks get boring to me cuz i've been tracking all those dudes for years mostly, n also the lotto picks are what the more casual fans wanna obsess over, gets repetitive... N i mean the Blazers really can do so much heavy lifting thru these lesser picks if they nail em.. It's worth being hopeful over.. might be our path of least resistance to playing .500 ball, gotta get these picks right..
I’m curious to know this as well. Currently, projected with 1 high lotto pick, a pick in the early 20’s, and 2 2nds, with presumably more picks coming in by the deadline. I’m guessing only 1-2, maybe 3 guys we draft will actually make the main roster. But a lot of the guys you’ve mentioned, mainly the guards who we have so many of, might be good pieces to fill out the GL roster with. I’m really only interested in the guys between 1-5 and the early 20’s at the moment tbh.
Well Im like a big optimist... n its very early in the season, 60 picks will get selected but within a few weeks ill be tracking more like 180 players for those picks.. N ya gotta remember, I'm just filtering down specifically to the 2024 draft. I'm exactly that poster who shows up to whatever draft thread it is, n starts to talk about the players projected in the next years draft who might be able to sneak into this years... cuz often it works like that.. I wanna believe some of these players are gonna make big progress.. n we're still in october, so ill be hilariously wrong if i really get specific but whatever, ill learn from it, not afraid of missing a few i usually get a few dead on.... But for example, Samson Johnson (and really Vincent Ikuchukwu from pages back), these guys have been slowed by injuries so i wanna give em the benefit of the doubt, but they have A TON of work to do... Johnson is very much limited to the 2nd rd I'd think, he wont have even a starters opportunity/minutes to make his case.. He's almost certainly way more relevant in 2025 and I posted him too early but again he got injured n im rooting for em.. N he just hasnt really played much so I'm excited to see UConn's frontcourt a bit lacking depth where he's gonna be forced to play a lot. In the event Clingan got injured he'd actually have a massive showcase tho, which would be interesting, tho i hope clingan stays healthy.. but thats why I posted Trevon Brazile after Johnson cuz he represents same type of player but more in that 1st rd pick range.. he's also returning from injury.. Pacome Dadiet ---- This is a player.. ya know.. I cant rule out that he doesnt have 1st rd talent.. he's made a lot of progress since I first took a look at him.. But he's probably more of a player who gets tons of hype n then pulls out of the draft n vies for a 1st rd pick in 2025 -- but we'll see. passes my eye test. Jarin Stevenson is a possible 1st rd pick.. To call him a 2nd rd pick at this particular stage would be a novice mistake. He grew from like 6'8 to 6'11 not that long ago n could continue to improve very fast. Filipkowski is a 1st rd lock, he woulda been a 1st rd pick in 2023, n he returned n had hip surgery n will try n show off more defense n vie for a lotto selection. Mongolian Mike is almost certainly a 2nd rd type of pick(if hes lucky), but if he puts it all together itll be hilarious... I can actually dribble a basketball pretty well n do all sorts of streetball crossovers for fun. so Mongolian Mikes game is amusing to me.. Those players I mentioned on Miami -- Poplar, Cleveland and Nwoko.. Those are players who can start in the 2nd rd range, Nwoko and Poplar could probably end up close to the first in BESTCASE SCENARIOS, while Cleveland is more limited to the 2nd rd -- but Cleveland has a sort of unique set of skills, actual monstrosity on the offensive boards at 6'7 so I like pointing him out.. Silas Demary Jr is more of like a "take a flyer" he'll more likely be ready in a few years, but i'm interested to see how he does in college cuz hes pretty advanced n he's 6'4. Hunter Sallis at Wake Forest is gonna be interesting, certainly he'd be starting off more in the 2nd rd range.. I wanna get a closer look at him before I really say much more.. N DaRon Holmes is a top-45 guy whos gonna try his damndest to make it to the late 1st rd at dayton.. (i can keep going n do the previous pages if u want just lmk ccuz i dont wanna drop too many walls of text, im already spamming the thread enough as is)
Way I look at it is the Blazers have Ibou Dianko Badji and Rayan Rupert 2 projects with long arms and athleticism who lack skill.. they have john butler whos tall n long n shoots 3's but is a total stick figure at 7'1 looks like he might blow away in the wind.... N so I'm unimpressed with those players compared to some of these youngins who have more complete n less flawed skillsets n athletic profiles.. N so the search continues.. I keep a "everyone is replaceable" attitude n its why I hopped on the Blazers bandwagon this summer, cuz I like watching the rebuilds. n so I dont mind posting about the 2nd rders and even the undrafted free agents... Fred Van Vleet just signed a 3 year 130MM contract.. he was an undrafted free agent..I cant wait to see Jabari Walker's progress for example. Well theres sorta players who seem to have a very wide range, n those are exactly the types of players im trying to point out, blazers have a young roster already and a ton of picks so we gotta swing for the fences... The idea of even pinpointing their ranges down here in october doesnt make too much sense to me... Like Isaiah Miranda at Oklahoma State the kid is 7'1 and moves like a PF and he can shoot it n block shots.. Freddie Dillone who i mentioned pages back, 6'5" scoring guard, he's one where u can say his range is near that other 1st rd pick.. Cuz Dillone wouldnt stay in this draft to be selected in the 2nd.. Same for Caleb Foster and Jared McCain at Duke n I mean the Blazers can use another guard who can really shoot it from 3 off the dribble IMO so these players I'm gonna be watching closely. Taison Chatman at Ohio St too (though I think Dillone is better from what ive seen) Trevon Brazille only played like 10 or 13 games last season before he got injured but he was rapidly ascending draft boards from the late 1st to the teens, so it'll be interesting to see what form he returns to n if hes still making 3's.. Nikola Durjisic if he makes those 3's and if he misses those 3's, gonna make a significant impact on his draft range.. Xavier Booker headed to Michigan State.. he's got a wide range.. Aaron Bradshaw is coming off an injury, he's currently projected very high in some mocks in the 1st rd and in the 20's in others... wide range.. that kid Ulrich Chomche from Cameroon.. I have no way of determining his range at this point but i'm still keeping an eye on him.. Nikola Topic is like leading the Adriatic league in points in the paint like he's Tony Parker or something.. He appears to have a pretty wide range too.. Tyler Smith in the G-League.. He's very talented on offense n so if his defense n rebounding come along n he gets used to playing vs g-league competition n does well, hes got a wide range too. Terrence Arceneaux is gonna have a really wide range, depending on his 3's.. Same for incoming freshman at Ohio State Scotty Middleton if he makes those 3's he's gonna skyrocket up boards.. Zvonimir Ivisic's range could be affected by his eligibility.. Is he cleared to play? Robert Dillingham's range seems to be, if he plays great he can sneak into the back of the 1st rd.. but who knows.. lets see first.. I do like his chances tho, hes very tough to defend. Riley Kugels range appears to be in the late 1st..
the FINAL pick in the 2023 draft signed a 4 year $7.7MM contract btw ($3MM guaranteed)... times sure have changed and so these 1st rd picks in 2024 their first options after 2 seasons will be the same summer(2026) Ayton expires unrestricted, Simons expires unrestricted, Robert Williams expires unrestricted... if thybulle picks up his player option for 25/26 he'd expire that summer too.. AND Shaedon's rookie deal finishes that summer n so he's restricted.. so the draft picks we take here in 2024 are gonna still be under rookie deals for 2 more years when the Blazers might be really strapped for capspace.. so for me I really do think its quite logical to take a much longer term approach to this draft even though its understandable most fans are gonna be looking for whatever it takes to make us competitive short term..
Jonathan Lawson is at Creighton now! How bout that.. I think UConn and Creighton are underrated in the preseason poll, which is kind of absurd after UConns performance last szn.. So many of these top ranked teams from out here on the east coast have these Super-Seniors who are sure to do heavy lifting so Im kinda hoping a young upstart wins the chip not one of these old teams.. I'd have Tennessee and Miami higher.. I'd have Arizona higher.. Baylors underrated.. USC's underrated even with the loss of Bronny.. UCLA should easily be in the top25 if all those international recruits are cleared n ready to play.. I think Indiana looks like a top25 team n they barely got any votes.. Ivisic has cleared all his academic hurdles but is waiting on NCAA clearance according to coach cal, with him thats a top10 team not 16.. even with the Onyenso/Bradshaw injuries.. I cant wait for this season... It wont get said on the national college broadcasts, but they are completely tailoring college basketball to the draftwatching communities whims.. N the cat is just out of the bag now that NIL $$$ is involved.. Plus there's all these international recruits flooding college basketball more than ever.. the x-fer rules for the most part help more than they harm.. and they arent gonna let the agents hide tehse kids from measuring at the NBA combine anymore.. should be a great season for draft watching..
I think Oregon is gonna surprise bigtime in college too.. I mean that team was gonna be solid if Dante didnt return, but he's back.. N i have an excuse to post this dunk which is SICK..I sure wish I had C's who made plays like that on my teams when i played hahahahha... the Pac12 should be rough though.. All these teams are sorta getting better at the same time far as i can tell so its gonna be brutal.. n to me not only is Kwame Evans on draftwatch but so is Jackson Sheltstad --- best PG Oregon's had since Peyton Pritchard IMO, the underwhelming Will Richardson era is finally over... I get sleepy even thinking of the name "Will Richardson", oregon fans who were forced to watch Will Richardson for the past 10 years are gonna look at Jackson Sheltstad like he got launched out of a cannon..
