Before the draft lottery, could Stone have been going to France to look at Salaun? He was on a flight back when the lottery occurred. Maybe he was considering Salaun at 9?
Honestly, it would be such a stupid pick that I kind of want it to happen. I'm ready for Stone to be shown the door and drafting a 3rd string center with the #3 pick on top of him drafting a bust #2 overall in a different draft, should be enough to do it.
“Some people have Salaun off the board by five, and others have him off the board by 20,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype
Anyone here think Dillingham has Kyrie Irving potential- their game is similar, physical measurements near identical, and college stats virtually the same. He would replace a lot of what KPJ did offensively. Pretty safe pick at three….?
I mean, it's an outside shot, but I think people REALLY need to stop comparing with former top picks. Nobody in this draft projects that way to scouts, if he projected to have Kyrie potential, he'd be the undisputed 1st pick in this draft.
You've got to look at it in context, which is why stats aren't everything in player evaluation. As much as people on here like to think we're experts, truth is we don't knock **** compared to real scouts. I tend to trust the professionals more than my own eyes if I'm honest, and looking at Kyrie and Dillingham in comparison. There's something there though that made Kyrie the #1 pick over players like Kawhi and Klay, whilst Dillingham isn't a consensus anything pick in a draft that's hyped as historically weak. That alone tells me a lot.
Kyrie was considerably more buff than Dillingham (20+ pounds heavier. ) he's more like Reed Sheppard size. Kyrie had like 2 more assists per 100 poss and only slightly more TOV, shot way better inside the paint and free throw line, and fouled a lot less. Kyrie was projected as a pretty solid defender in the draft, Dillingham is projected as a horrible one, being very light and the tape also showed some pretty terrible plays in general. he does ok off the ball jumping passing lanes but otherwise, he has some hilariously bad on-ball and in pick-and-roll plays where he not only isn't in position to do anything, gets run over easily, but also compounds the problem by fouling quite a bit. Dillingham's more median outcome is probably a slightly better Lou Williams, yes there's a chance he's better and he definitely shoots better (but the whole league is shooting better now.) . Sure, Lou Williams was a very good NBA player for a long time with 3 6th man of the year award, but that's kind of the archtype of player we're looking at. (Lou didn't play in college.) A lot of people have brought up that the Spurs might be uniquely suited to draft Dillingham though, given that Wemby probably can protect him defensively and the extremes on each end makes them very very hard to match up against.
If there was an amazing player or players in this draft, do you think scouts would reveal that information to f'ing bleacher report? I think scouts are licking their chops right now, and putting out all the bad information they can. Anyone who thinks they know what scouts think is a silly boy.
Sure, it's a consensus weak ass draft because some scout managed to hide a prospect in a world where these kids are tracked through middle school. Seems legit.
BR 1. Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher — With lottery teams paying close attention to the LNB Pro A playoffs, Zaccharie Risacher picked a good time to explode for a career-high 28 points on Saturday. The Atlanta Hawks' big decision-makers made the trip to France for JL Bourg's previous game. While scouts continue to debate the height of Risacher's ceiling, there is also perceived level of certainty tied to his positional size, athleticism, shotmaking and defensive tools/quickness. And in a draft where there isn't an obvious, sure-thing All-Star at the top, Risacher's floor and valued three-and-D archetype could give him an edge with a team that saw AJ Griffin struggle with injuries and Saddiq Bey go down late to an ACL tear. 2. Wizards: Alex Sarr — The Washington Wizards can ignore fit and needs at No. 2, though Alex Sarr could potentially check both the best-player-available box and give them the cornerstone big they've been missing. He measured well in Chicago, coming in at just under 7'0" in socks, 224 pounds with a 7'4" wingspan. At that size, the ability to slide defensively, handle in the open floor and shoot off the dribble really separates him from other centers. The Wizards will eventually need to find a point guard, but at No. 2, Sarr's physical talent, evolving skill versatility and defensive upside create visions of upside that could be difficult to resist. 3. Rockets: Donovan Clingan — The buzz and excitement around Donovan Clingan seems to be growing, even after he anchored Connecticut's national title run. Scouts and executives were impressed with the easy ball he shot during workouts at the combine, considering Clingan attempted just eight threes all season. He also measured just under 7'2" in socks with a near 7'7" wingspan and 9'7" standing reach. The Houston Rockets may debate whether adding Clingan would create a logjam with Alperen Sengun. But they may also be too drawn to his rim protection, which would be a nice complement to Sengun's offensive versatility. There is another idea that Houston could move the pick for a veteran, and Clingan would be a potential target for teams looking to move up and improve defensively. 4. Spurs: Nikola Topić 5. Pistons: Stephon Castle 6. Hornets: Reed Sheppard — Reed Sheppard's underwhelming measurements (6'1.75" in socks, 6'3" wingspan) were expected. His 42-inch max vertical and 32.5-inch standing vertical were bigger, pleasant surprises that may have alleviated some concern over Sheppard's physical tools and perceived athleticism. His offensive fit in Charlotte does seem strong. The Hornets can pair Sheppard with a 6'7" guard and playmaker in LaMelo Ball and a big scoring wing in Brandon Miller. Sheppard ultimately seems well-liked by executives, particularly after interviews in Chicago. The question is if teams in the top five see enough upside to consider him. 7. Blazers: Dalton Knecht 8. Spurs: Ron Holland 9. Grizzlies: Rob Dillingham — Not that anyone was expecting Rob Dillingham to surprise with strong measurements, but 164 pounds could be seen as a scary number. He height, length and weight (6'1", 6'3" wingspan) are actually identical to Trae Young's, only Young led the NBA in assists, and Dillingham doesn't offer that type of playmaking. Still, the offensive firepower he can generate with creation and shotmaking remains appealing. There isn't a guard in this class more shifty and effective at getting to spots. But he does feel like a candidate to slip a bit, depending on teams' level of concern with his shot diet and poor defense at his size. 10. Jazz: Cody Williams 11. Bulls: Matas Buzelis 12. Thunder: Tidjane Salaun 19. Raptors: Zach Edey
In what ways does Clingan compare positively and negatively to Mark Williams, Walker Kessler, and LIvely as prospects? Williams went 15th and Kessler 22nd in the 2022 draft, while Lively went 12th in the 2023 draft.
Does it though? I don't remember last year them saying it was the weakest draft in decades only for a scout to pull Wemby out of his back pocket. In fact, I don't remember that ever happening. Are you sure you're not just making stuff up in your head and then allowing your confirmation bias to convince you it's actual reality?
