Walker rising up there on a lot of lists! Glad to see it. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up going #3 after he impresses everyone at the combine. Dude is already built like some of the strongest forwards in the league and he's 19. What's he going to look like when he's 25?
Nick Smith is being super overrated if people are putting him Top-10 or even Top-5. I get that I have him lower (late teens/early 20s) than most but I really don't think he's shown much this year other than a few big scoring nights where he wasn't playing within the offense.
He shot the 3 in high school. Pretty decent stroke. He could tap into that over the next few seasons. DeAndre Jordan +
Yeah, but the 3 in high school is not even a 20-foot jump shot. I like Lively as a sneak pick, but with so many questionables in this draft, it seems like somebody may take a shot at Lively higher than our second pick.
Right now, if I were Stone I would move the LAC pick (19) to Indiana for their two late firsts (26 & 29). With those 2 picks I would solidify the Rockets future bench with: 26. Adem Bona: Robert Williams like rim runner and shot blocker who'd come off the bench. 29. Jordan Walsh: Floor is a bigger, longer Corey Brewer. Nice defensive chess piece in the future off the pine.
Can someone give me or link me to a comprehensive scouting report on Jarace Walker? He has an amazing body (@Jontro) but I'm not sure what position he projects to play on offense, nor what his NBA-level strengths are. I don't follow college ball at all so I only heard of him a few months ago.
This is a decent breakdown. Some of our UH alums may have a better report. I think he projects best at the 4 offensively, but he can guard 3,4 5 in the NBA IMO.
The latest No Ceilings big board has Walker at #4 and has us taking Lively with the Clippers pick, which should make Clutch happy https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/2023-nba-mock-draft-v5
Absolutely this team is young. But by the time the team is ready to compete with the big boys they'll have the advantage of cost controlled rotation players on the roster because they had some foresight.
Very Secksty. Got lots of picks to trade up with after the top-3 guy with the first eta: then we trade superfluous stuff, picks and players, for a proper PG. This Is The Way.
Would love this. Imagine a lineup with Wemby, Walker, and Jabari all playing together. Repaint Toyota Center to make the paint into a big stop sign, 'cause nobody's getting anything done in there. I'm a little worried Walker ends up going like 3-5 though and we only get him if the Rockets want him with their first pick. He's going to impress a lot of scouts at the combine and some analysts already have him at 4 or 5.
