With the 7th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, The Portland Trailblazers select. . .

My thing is, if we go through the process of getting rid of guards in Ant and Brogdon, I don’t want to go through this process again in a couple years. If Reed is the conensus BPA, just take him and build around him. For the ones who love instant gratification, we are probably going to be a more young cohesive guard rotation right away.

Assuming any kind of internal shooting improvement from both of our guards, we shouldn’t see much drop-off inserting Reed for Ant. Scoot should come back as a better playmaker and defender, he is our future PG. Shae should come back as a better scorer and will need to be the guy to take the last shot every night (we NEED him to build the “want it” mentality), he is our starting SG unless we find a blue chip PF who can make up the size difference at the other forward position. I wouldn’t be surprised if Reed looks like a better overall player than Scoot and Shae right away, but he seems more like the perfect sixth man than a championship level starting guard.

I do admit, Scoot/Shae/Reed would be sweet. Adding Black from Orlando in a Ant trade or Tristen Newton in the 2nd round would just set it off. If Rupert’s first full season in the NBA does as much for his development as his season in the GL too, look out.

 

Maybe Sheppard turns out to be another Steph Curry and can play PG in the NBA, but right now I view him as the same type of player as Simons. In other words to be a championship-level starter he needs to be paired with a a big PG who defensively can cover SGs and allow Sheppard to cover PGs. Yes, I know he is supposed to be a good defender, but regardless I agree with you and believe he is best suited for the 6th man role unless he is matched with a bigger PG

 

Pass... let him slide to 9

 

If this dude is high on the talent level of this draft, I can’t wait to see his win prediction for us is all I said.

 

The good thing is, trading Ant out and adding Reed in as the sixth man is essentially is a one for one swap in terms of play-style, but we will have the benefit of having a rookie who likely will be more accepting of the sixth man role. I do think he’d be a really good one right away, possibly even year 1 where he’s averaging 12-15ppg on really good shooting splits and maybe averaging 4apg.

But I don’t see him as a better potential player than Castle, who would benefit this team way more. Castle’s playing would make him 1A to Scoot right away as the primary decision maker. His size is nearly identical to Shae and his play-style would be such a perfect compliment to either guy in the backcourt.

I’m drooling at the possibility of Castle and Shae at PG/SG with elite shooters and a dominant PnR/PnP big man in the middle. Camara seems like the perfect glue guy when he becomes a consistent 36% on 4 3PA kind of guy. Castle is such a great rebounder that Scoot/Shae/Castle really isn’t giving up much size, especially with another defender like Camara. Fill the big man with whoever name you want.

I want a team where any guy can bring the ball up the court and make a play. Sure, when everything slows down, there will be a hierarchy of who makes decisions, but I want all of our best guys to be able to take the ball up the court off a board and make the right play every time. On offense, elite big men back then needed to rebound and play in the post. Now they need to do that AND dribble, shoot, and make plays. Even if Reed became a 6rpg kind of guy his whole career, the whole “you can’t teach size” will still resonate.

 

With him saying he doesn't want hook up with a team that has pg locked up, he's probably signaling that to PDX with Scoot?

 

Every post you make is about next season. I don't know how many other languages I have to put it in that we aren't going to be good next season and yet you're obsessed with next season. It ain't happening. That's why I said "in the long run." The long run is NOT next season, but you keep repeating yourself like a parrot.

Seems you have less optimism for your employer than I do, which is totally fine. You've never pretended to actually know basketball or the NBA draft, so why start now?

 

Lmao you think he took the time to know any of the prospects?

Lower your expectations for him. He's merely the board's mascot.

 

define "high number"....are we talking double digits here?

 

I agree with your post. A Castle-Shae backcourt is pretty intriguing, But I don't think Castle and Scoot can be on the court together during crunch time. Castle wants to run the show and as you said needs to be surrounded by shooters. That also describes Scoot. If you get Castle, you need to move Scoot IMO. Actually, we should keep Ant in that scenario.

 

I wouldn’t care. With Castle, we’ve seen all the tape we need to make a decision on if we like him as a prospect. We have his measurements to gauge where we can realistically play him. Any team that works him out is trying to figure out if he can realistically be a lead guard. We would be drafting him for all of the other things he’s great at, being able to potentially be a full time decision maker would just be a bonus.

Kawhi, PG, DBook, KD, Giannis, Tatum, none of those guys are PGs and handle the ball more than anyone else on their team. This is the modern day NBA, the more ball handlers and decision makers on the floor at the same time, the better.

 

Disagree... BPA is always judged at a moment in time, the philosophy is to draft based on talent not fit at the time of the draft.

What player actually become the best is of course very unknown and imprecise,.but these are two completely separate dynamics.

 

Everything is going to be predicated on internal improvement, I’m saying all this under the assumption that Scoot and Shae become better shooters. This is also on Castle to improve, if Shae and Castle never improve as shooters and Scoot comes around with his shot (and still possessing that pure PG talent + athleticism), we would look majorly stupid.

At this point, I’ve come to realize a lot of this is agents posturing to get their agent in position to make the most money. Why are we all assuming 19 year olds don’t do this to get their way? Dame was this way all last summer. If Castle causes and issue and serves as a cautionary tale for all teams in the future, I’d be happy it happened in a draft with no sure things. But I doubt this is what happens.

We had no backup PG in some of the games down the stretch. Games where we play Hagan and Minaya 20mins—I can’t watch those games. There would’ve been plenty of chances for him to play PG on this squad even last season. If Ant is gone, I only see more opportunity, not less.

 

Bruh.

You’ve bought into this whole it not being a good draft and ran with it way too much.

You find good players in every draft. There absolutely will be contributors in this draft and probably multiple time all stars. Their might even be a Jokic in the 2nd round of this draft

 

And yet you keep going on about how nobody will make us a winner NEXT season. NO SHIT!! Keep banging that drum. Nobody here is saying or expecting this. You're harping on a lame straw man because people recognize the best way for us to build is through the draft, LONG TERM, and that every draft has good players, it's all about hoping to identify them.

 

HCP, shut your ho ass up and make some graphics, n****

METROOOO

 

New Salaun video. There's some hilarious moments in the "finishing improvement" section.

 

What does who I work for have anything to do with this? Does your employer impact how you feel about the team? Fine, nothing from the draft will help us long term either. Now the next 2 drafts are another story. The lack of talent is what I’m down on, not the future of the team. And it’s funny to me that because I think this draft sucks and I don’t predict us to win 55 games a season, “actually know basketball”. Check yourself on that kid.

 

Alright, you have convinced me. LFG!

 

This draft is a complete unknown shit-show. Our pick is #7 so it’s unlikely to earn any sort of moment of infamy. Go highest ceiling available. Like the 2013 draft. Find a Giannis.

And if you fail, well nobody will remember unless you draft a dude remembered for some crazy ish outside of basketball (like Crittenton or Ben McLemore or Eddie Griffin, etc.).