Anthony Black is every bit the project that Amen Thompson, only with a lower ceiling. Black shot almost the exact same from long distance as Thompson - they shot similar from the free throw line as well. Giddey was a better prospect than Black and Amen Thompson is as well. There are teams that don’t think Black can run an offense. Im not picking on you - I just happened to see your post about Black. These players are now coming out after a single year in college- or no college - some even reclassifying. As a result almost none of these guys are good shooters at this point… Wemby shot around 30% from 3 - Henderson around 32%… Thompson and Black … almost all of them outside of Millet struggled.
Wallace is one of my favorite players in the draft. Doubt he makes it to 20 but if we traded 4 and 20 for 6 and 11 I'd consider him at 11. For those saying he makes TyTy obsolete, I don't think that's necessarily the case. They could in theory work well together. I like the fit with the Rockets roster very much.
But the thing is why Orlando trade 6 and 11 for 4? Unless they really like Amen but they already have a buttload of PGs like Fultz, Cole Anthony. Oth they need an SG and that's where Ausar or Whitmore fits perfectly.
This. I wouldn't take Wallace at 4, but in the Orlando scenario I keep seeing proposed, Wallace is the guy I would want at 11. Even moreso than Lively.
Does Martin & Christopher along with the 20th pick get the Dallas pick at 10? One of the three Wallace, Black or Hood-Schifino will be available with the 10th pick. All three are point / combo guards that play both offense & defense. Each brings a different aspect to the game. Grooming will take some time for the lot but all are worth the wait.
I wouldn't do that if I were Dallas. I'll bet they ask for Tari and it's probably hard to move them off that demand. The other possibility I could see is that we eat some salary for them using our cap space. Getting Wallace at 10 would be great if we somehow end up with Brandon Miller at #4. Phew... Cason Wallace/Jalen Green/Brandon Miller/Jabari Smith Jr/Alperen Sengun. Interesting lineup to say the least. Not sure if I see any of those guys as franchise players, but that's a lot of guys who clearly have all-star upside, so you never know... just need one of them to exceed expectations.
They don't need to trade up to 3 just to get Whitmore lol. Rox are sure to get either Amen or Miller, Pistons are the only one who can steal Whitmore from them. Magic also have Wagner and Banchero at forward they will be taking a wing.
Dream on Orem, Miller going second. The more I watch this board the more I’m convinced it will deservedly be Cam at four. He is the new round mound of rebound at 18 years old.
If we pick Miller at 4 then trading Eason to get our lead guard of the future that makes a lot sense to me; BUT we keep #20 because Eason is going to be a beastly. Eason is Dallas is a good fit. That is a fair trade both ways.
Dream on Orem, Miller going second. The more I watch this board the more I’m convinced it will deservedly be Cam at four. He is the new round mound of rebound at 18 years old. Only pg to consider is Nick Smith. He was ranked much higher than Wallace and every other player that’s been mentioned including Cam. Top high school player in nation and has superstar potential. Amen was 32 spots behind him in the rankings just one year ago. Would be a risk, but there’s our pg of the future.
Two things: 1. It's pretty arrogant/naive to say "the only PG to consider." There's a lot of players in this draft, and many of them are worth considering. You have no more a crystal ball to see the progression of these athletes than anyone else. 2. I'm unimpressed by his 1.7 assists per game in college, and I haven't seen him listed as a true point guard or being talked about as a lead playmaker in any draft analysis of him. The Rockets don't need more score first guards. If they take a guard, they need someone who can make plays for others.
I'm just telling you the rumor. The rumor is that they are trying to get in the 3-5 range to take Whitmore. You can easily look it up. Whitmore is a good fit with Wagner and Banchero. It's 2023 and people are still thinking in terms of position in an era of positionless basketball. As if Whitmore isn't listed as guard by some scouts. As if Wagner doesn't already project as an elite defender on the perimeter or that fact he's listed as a guard. No credence given to the rarity of skillset between Banchero and to a lesser extent Wagner at their size. It's just lazy. You aren't even considering the gluttony of talent at guard between Cole Anthony, Fultz and Suggs who they have a lot invested in. If they were to take a Thompson twin or Anthony Black the fit would be atrocious with the lack of shooting on their roster. But Whitmore doesn't fit because some people list him at forward and even that is debatable. Come on man lol
I'm just saying from a value perspective doesn't seem worth it for Orlando to lose 11th pick when they can still end up with Whitmore at 6th. It's the same reasoning why Rockets didn't trade up to 1 even if they like Banchero. Whitmore isn't exactly a 3 pt sniper either he only shot 34% from 3 and 70% ft line so I dunno why you think he would be a great fit. Even if Pistons take him there's comparable wing talent on the board the Magic can take. If you say Wagner has no issue sliding to sg then they can just take Taylor Hendrix at 6 and run with 6'10 PF, 6'10 sg and 6'9 sf. Hendrix is much better sf than Whitmore cuz he is a lock down defender and shot 39% from 3.
In this draft with so many oversized guards it seems hella dumb to get a shorty like Nick Smith. Also Smith is a guy who relies on quickness and he just came back from a knee injury. His teammate AB is so much better as a prospect imo.
I don’t disagree with anything you are saying. I do think Orlando could use more athleticism around Banchero. I’m not in love with Whitmore but he’d be a good fit if he hit his ceiling imo. I wouldn’t trade up for Whitmore if I was Orlando. It has definitely been rumored though.
