He has more defensive upside than Marc Gasol. We have to deal with Chet and Wemby for a decade. Sengun can't defend them. Clingan can. He's also a lob threat for both Sengun, Amen and Green if he's still on the team. I like the though of Reed but I'm leaning Clingan here right now. Though defense wasn't our issue last year. It was shooting. And Reed Sheppard is the best college shooting prospect since a dude named Wardell.
We need two things badly...shooting and size. How can anyone be disappointed with who we can get at 3 with those clear needs?
Trade Green & 3rd pick for … if we keep it A) If Topic is there pick him B) if not, trade 3 to thePortland -> 7 & 14 Take Reed Sheppard @ 7 C) Trade 14 to the NYK -> 24 & 25 Take Tylor Kolek @ 24 Take best big available @ 25
I don't know that he can honestly. Both Chet and Wemby tend to prefer facing up bigger guys like Clingan. Can he actually move his feet to stay in front of them? Both are more athletic, and have step back 3's to fake him out. Maybe he can become that defensive presence in a few years, but I just don't see how he fits on offense. For all the failings of this team this year, they were still flirting with a top 10 defensive rating despite having Amen, Tari, and Brooks all out for long stretches who are all above average defenders. This team was below average with offensive rating, and the lack of shooting lost them so many games. Plus how will we actually evaluate what we have in Green, Sengun, etc, we don't have enough shooting threats to keep other teams honest. Gasol was a good player but he never advanced in the playoffs until that 1 season in Toronto when he shot 44% for them in regular season and 38% in the playoffs. Will Klingon ever be that good a 3 pt shooter? Goebert has been a playoff kryptonite because of his offensive struggles.
If they don't go shot blocking/size at #44, then Tyler Kolek or KJ Simpson could be an interesting lottery tickets if they fall to fill in for shooting.
If it hasn't been posted already, here's the lottery drawing. Rockets win 3rd with the 6-7-11-9 combo :
These early mocks have them taking Clingan https://theathletic.com/live-blogs/nba-draft-lottery-2024-live-updates-results/EniwckALxK7w/ Which teams nearly had the No. 1 pick? The draft comes with lots of uncertainty and so did the lottery drawing. Seven teams had a chance at the No. 1 pick heading into the final draw. It came up 14 for the Hawks. The other contenders a number away: Wizards (1) Blazers (2) Spurs (3) Raptors (4) Grizzlies (5) Rockets (9) https://theathletic.com/5483958/2024/05/12/nba-mock-draft-2024-lottery-hawks-vecenie/ This draft class is still seen as weak among NBA teams, particularly those at the top. I will not rank anyone in my Tier 1 or Tier 2, the first time that’s happened since I began using this system. Over the last two years, I’ve ranked nine players that highly, but this class doesn’t have anyone I’d consider a top-three pick in a normal draft. NBA teams believe a number of players in the top 10 can help fill out their rosters and round out their cores. This draft is light on shooting, especially within the top group of players, but it possesses solid wing depth near the top, a number of smaller guards who profile as potential starters and some bigs as far down as the late-first, early-second-round range who should be rotation players in the future. 1. Atlanta Hawks : Alex Sarr | 7-1 big | 19 years old | Perth Wildcats Sarr emerged early in this draft cycle as a potential No. 1 pick. His performance against the G League Ignite in early September had scouts coming away believing he was the best prospect on the court. Sarr is a difference-maker on defense who covers a ton of ground with his arms and quick feet, similar to bigs such as Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton. He flies around rotating off the ball and can handle himself in a variety of ball-screen coverages, ranging from switching to drop. If he’s waiting at the rim and opponents challenge him, odds are he’ll get contest the shot, if not outright block it. The other end is the question. Sarr has shown potential as a rim runner in ball screens, but for the most part, his offensive game involves pick-and-pops, and he doesn’t make great screen contact. He’s not a high-impact defensive rebounder, which has led to some questioning if he can consistently play center in the NBA. If Sarr indeed requires a more physical center alongside him, his limited offensive game may be exposed. He’s best served playing next to a floor-spacing five, or he’d need to become a dangerous perimeter shooter himself. There is not really a consensus among teams about what the Hawks will do at the top. I’ve given them Sarr here because they finished in the bottom four on defense last season and have Clint Capela entering the final year of his contract. Sarr makes the most sense, at least. 2. Washington Wizards : Nikola Topić | 6-6 lead guard | 18 years old | Crvena zvezda 3. Houston Rockets : Donovan Clingan | 7-2 center | 20 years old | Connecticut Clingan had a monster finish to his season, helping to lead Connecticut to the national title while averaging 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks over his last 18 games, including 16 points, 9.4 rebounds and three blocks per game in his last seven. After returning from ankle and foot injuries and getting back up to speed, he was one of the most dominant players in college basketball. Using his enormous frame, Clingan shuts down the paint when he’s in the game. He moves well for his size and is elite in drop coverage defensively, stopping ballhandlers from turning the corner on him and getting to the rim. His ability to backpedal on-balance is rare for his size. When not defending the ball, he makes his presence felt when necessary. The other part of Clingan’s game that impressed evaluators was his passing. In the back half of the season, he became an excellent dribble-handoff big, as well as a playmaker for cutters and shooters off kickouts. He’s a sharp screener and knows how to play in a modern offense. Clingan is firmly in the mix, along with all of the players above him, to go No. 1. He was within the NBA’s top-six prospects in the memo to teams outlining who will be allowed access to his medical information. The Rockets traded for Steven Adams in the spring, but the veteran center only has one year left on his deal. That trade could be taken as a sign that Rockets coach Ime Udoka wants to find a defensive difference-maker on the interior even with Alperen Şengün in the fold. The Rockets are extremely well-stocked with young players across the board, so this pick is a luxury with which they can take the highest impact player available. 4. San Antonio Spurs : Zaccharie Risacher | 6-8 wing/forward | 19 years old | JL Bourg The French wing has produced at a high level in EuroCup competition. Through May 10, he’s averaging 10.7 points across EuroCup and French League games while shooting 46 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3 and 71.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’s rebounding at a reasonable rate for a wing and has shown some passing and decision-making chops, but he’s in the middle of a serious downturn, having made just 22 percent of his 3s since Jan. 31. He has struggled to consistently make an impact in games since then. The opinions NBA team and scouting personnel have shared with me on Risacher are all over the map. Some still view him as a contender for the No. 1 pick and attribute his downturn to fatigue from playing nearly 60 professional games already this season as a teenager. Others rank him closer to the middle of the top 10, while others view him more in the Nos. 8-12 range. The worry is Risacher might not have enough on-ball upside to warrant a top-five pick, even in this class. Big wings with ball skills, shooting ability and off-ball defensive coverage, however, are hard to find. If you believe in Risacher’s jumper translating despite its recent downturn, his future has a pretty high floor. The Spurs now have two top-10 picks and can easily look to bolster their depth across the wings and backcourt around Victor Wembanyama. Here, I have them taking Risacher, another Frenchman whose feel for the game, shooting and length would make a lot of sense. 5. Detroit Pistons : Matas Buzelis | 6-10 wing/forward | 19 years old | G League Ignite 6. Charlotte Hornets : Stephon Castle | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Connecticut 7. Portland Trail Blazers : Dalton Knecht | 6-6 wing | 23 years old | Tennessee 8. San Antonio Spurs (via Raptors) : Reed Sheppard | 6-3 guard | 20 years old | Kentucky Evaluators who work for NBA teams remain all over the map with Sheppard. Some see him as a legitimate top-five prospect, while others peg him more in the later lottery. The good stuff: Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting an absurd 53.6 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from 3. He also blocked nearly a shot per game and grabbed 2.5 steals. Offensively, Sheppard is potent leading the fast break or delivering hit-ahead passes to his teammates. Those attributes, when combined with his elite shooting, make Sheppard one of the best connective players in this class. His games against Mississippi State (32 points, seven assists and five rebounds on Feb. 27) and Tennessee (27 points, five rebounds and five assists on March 9) were eye-openers for NBA personnel who wanted to see him play more of a primary point guard role. Questions certainly remain. Sheppard is listed at just 6-3, and scouts are skeptical he’s that tall. He lacks the length or athleticism typical of a top-10 pick, and he left a bad final impression by struggling mightily in Kentucky’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland. His defense can be hit or miss; he’s disruptive and reads plays incredibly early but also suffers off-ball lapses and can be targeted for mismatches against switches. Teams must decide if they believe in his production, shooting and basketball IQ or worry that his tools won’t translate? I believe in Sheppard, but I’m not the one making the picks. The Spurs can get a guard of the future here to pair with Wembanyama. Sheppard would tick multiple boxes for the Spurs, and it would be a home run for them to end up with one of the bigger wings in the lottery. 9. Memphis Grizzlies : Ron Holland | 6-8 wing | 18 years old | G League Ignite 10. Utah Jazz : Rob Dillingham | 6-3 guard | 19 years old | Kentucky 11. Chicago Bulls : Isaiah Collier | 6-5 guard | 19 years old | USC 12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Rockets) : Cody Williams | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Colorado 13. Sacramento Kings : Jared McCain | 6-3 guard | 20 years old | Duke 14. Portland Trail Blazers (via Warriors) : Tidjane Salaun | 6-9 wing/forward | 18 years old | Cholet
This looks like it was put together by a Spurs fan, it hurts the Rockets, but really boosts the Spurs.
Depending on the market/offers, if you're going to draft, draft BPA regardless of position with a third pick.
Tough spot to be in. Neither of these players are difference makes. It Sarr or bust.....Trade the pick
No excuses for not being successful. I would move one of the drafted 6 already on the roster and #3 for a star level player.
