I’m off the Eason bandwagon. Rockets need to move, up even if only a few slots, for a better prospect.
Unstoppable as a roller. Just too much length. And not adverse to contact at all, initiates it actually.
I'd draft this guy or EJ Liddell before drafting Dieng at #17. And everyone knows I don't want anymore 6'6 or under players.
Murray should be included as well. He shot .442 from three over his last 23 games of the season, and as I've shared here before, he shot .543 on deep threes -- significantly higher than anyone else I've found.
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/06/06/n...smith-chet-holmgren-paolo-banchero-jaden-ivey 1. Magic: Jabari Smith Jr., F, Auburn Height: 6' 10" | Weight: 220 | Age: 19 | Freshman As I wrote a couple weeks ago following the lottery, the general expectation around the NBA has been that Orlando will go with Smith at No. 1. And while I’d caution that it’s never a great idea to operate with absolute certainty regarding the Magic, who are one of the more buttoned-up organizations when it comes to leaks, there are plenty of people around the NBA who consider Smith the big prize of this draft, myself included. This next statement isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but Orlando will do its due diligence and is expected to bring in as many of the top prospects as possible for workouts in the coming weeks. My gut feeling remains that they’ll land on Smith, who is both an excellent fit with the roster and a potential culture-setting player for a Magic team still establishing its identity. Smith is the youngest of the top prospects by a meaningful margin and brings a rare collection of plus attributes to the table: great positional size, elite jump shooting, modern defensive versatility and a competitive mindset. Smith will have to expand his array of moves off the dribble and work on getting to the rim more often—skills that will determine what type of ceiling he eventually hits. Still, there’s so much to like about a prospect who is polished in so many ways, yet still at a highly nascent stage of his basketball development. 2. Thunder: Paolo Banchero, F, Duke Height: 6' 10" | Weight: 250 | Age: 19 | Freshman History has shown it’s not a great idea to make assumptions about what the Thunder are going to do on draft night. And while a lot of the early buzz around this pick has centered on Chet Holmgren, expect Oklahoma City to also take a long look at Banchero, who fits their ethos with his size and skill but brings a very different set of strengths. While he doesn’t solve the Thunder’s defensive issues, he’s the most polished offensive player in the draft, with a unique mix of power, skill and passing chops that lets him operate all over the floor as a playmaking fulcrum. He’s not a rim protector, but some of the defensive concerns with him are otherwise a tad bit oversold. Banchero’s jumper comes and goes at times, but he had a strong freshman season on the whole and should be prepared to help contribute on a rebuilding team immediately. His feel for scoring and finding teammates should take him a long way, and if his shot-making and defense trend up, there should be All-Star caliber seasons in his future. When splitting hairs, his offensive versatility and creative upside might be what earn him the nod over Holmgren in the end. Having said all that, I could see either player being the selection. Weighing the various factors, I slightly lean Banchero for now. 3. Rockets: Chet Holmgren, F/C, Gonzaga Height: 7' 0" | Weight: 190 | Age: 20 | Freshman It feels fairly safe to assume that the Rockets are going to grab whichever of the top three bigs falls to them here, which in this scenario is Holmgren. Houston needs frontcourt help, and Jaden Ivey isn’t a great fit with the roster. It’s easy enough to connect those dots. Holmgren is a unique prospect in so many ways, which also makes him polarizing around the league, but the Rockets are in the middle of a long-term process and can afford him time to get comfortable. Winding up with Holmgren, who has consistently driven winning and doesn’t require a ton of offensive touches to add value, would be a pretty nice outcome. Holmgren’s foot speed defending in space and covering ground will be immediately tested in the NBA, but if he proves he can battle on switches and bother drivers as a roving rim protector, whatever else he gives you as a scorer will be gravy. He’ll face a pretty steep adjustment to the physicality of the league, but he has succeeded in spite of his slender build at each stop. Holmgren is a capable jump shooter and has great touch around the rim, but isn’t likely to be a true offensive focal point early in his career, if at all. It may take some patience, but bigs with Holmgren’s skill and instincts are few and far between. His future team will want to try and alleviate early pressure on him while optimizing his strengths as a shot-blocker and offensive cog. 17. Rockets (from Nets): Ochai Agbaji, SG, Kansas Height: 6' 5" | Weight: 215 | Age: 22 | Senior The Rockets should have some flexibility here at 17, and presuming they grab a forward at No. 3, this could be a spot to add a perimeter player. While Agbaji would be a more conservative choice here, he’s likely to come off the board in the teens and should supply reliable shooting and defense early in his career. There’s some skepticism as to how much upside he really offers considering he doesn’t create much off the dribble, but he’s turned himself into a reliable player, and his low-maintenance game and floor-spacing skills could add some stability in Houston alongside Jalen Green and whoever they take at No. 3.
Why? I trust the thunder brain trust infinitely more than Stone even tho Stone done well. If the thunder takes Paolo (or Chet), chances are they are not letting the better player slide to us.
As someone who views the top 3 as roughly equal, it’s hard not to consider Chet a better fit with the current roster. So in that regard it could be good for us fans if Paolo is off the board.
After last year, I’m not trusting consensus anymore. I HOPE they are roughly equal, then the rockets can’t lose. Last year the top 4 was consensus lock, until Barnes got picked 4th. I’m hoping we are not Orlando in that scenario. I trust Presti and Masai, best of the best.
Walking away with Holmgren and Agbaji would be an A+ draft imo. Ochai is a late lottery talent who is ready to immediately step into EG’s role. Plus in this scenario we maintain all our vets to trade later in the offseason or at the deadline for future assets.
What, no they haven’t? The highest one recently was Giddey, viewed by most at the time as a reach, turning out to be a great pick. Their prior top 5 picks before that are Harden (3), Westbrook (4), Kd (2). And only kd was a consensus no brainer pick.
