The rookies should be playing all 48 mins. No exceptions. This draft class warrants it. Bench the vets and send them off to Cabo. HAVE to be in the top 5.
Demin's slipped since the first month of the season and I think if someone gets him outside the top four or five they should be absolutely thrilled because he's got superstar potential. There are a lot of guys in this draft that I think will be very, very good NBA players, exceptional role players, but, if you're drafting in the top five, you want a difference-maker, not just a piece, and I see him as a potential difference-maker along with Flagg, Harper and Bailey.
I think the kid Jakuconius from Illinois should go 3rd. Bailey reminds me of Jabari Smith Jr. Raw and all the tools. Can dominate the college game but not sure about the NBA game.
I think Bailey's upside is parsecs ahead of Jabari Smith. And I liked Jabari Smith coming out, because Smith had a great shot. Bailey has shots in his repertoire, though, that are for all intents and purposes undefendable. He can make tough shots and make them look normal more than anyone I've seen in the draft in a while. It's Kobe-esque. I'm not saying he's Kobe. Kobe was honing that since he was practically a toddler and grew up around the game and got all the intangibles and Bailey doesn't have that kind of consistency. He's a scorer that can take over a game and score at all three levels, Flagg's better all around. Harper's so sound and consistent. But, if you asked me who could have a 40-point game as a rookie in 2025-26, it'd be Bailey. There are going to be some nights where he's just on and the only defense is to keep the ball away from him to throw hard double-teams at him immediately every time he touches the ball. He might drive you crazy with his off-nights, though.
I think pretty much everyone in the universe wonders what Joe is doing. But it's not like Ayton/Simons/Grant actually do help us win...
After about halfway thru the season, here's a quick 'cheat sheet' I put together to look at some of the top prospects (not a mock draft): As we've seen in previous years, multiple players come on strong at the end of the season and make a big name for themselves in the tournament. If the Blazers land in the 5-8 range, who is a realistic target?
My pick for bust potential (or, at best, Jalen Green flash-but-no-substance) is Ace Bailey. No thank you. Meanwhile, if Edgecombe falls the team that ends up with him will be very happy, a la Donovan Mitchell.
I actually like the idea of trading down and get 2 targets. Assume Portland gets #7 -> and trade that to the Spurs for #10 and #16. I'd target Fears at 10 and Flemming at 16. I also really like Noa Essengue, Broome, Byrd, and Sergio de Larrea.
Nbadraft.net is a joke these days They have Jakunious as the 16th pick. There’s no way he goes outside top 5. The guy is the real deal. Confident, smart, size, athleticism. If no Flagg or Harper I like him the most in the draft.
So OKC has a a shot at Flagg. Nice. If you are presti do you make an all in trade this year and blow some of those frp?
Suddenly everyone's using the phrase "ethical basketball" - when did this become a thing and what the fuck does it mean?
