[3rd pick] Who do you want?

____________________

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5592159/2024/06/26/knicks-mikal-bridges-nba-draft-cooper-flagg/

So, yes, Cooper Flagg will loom over these proceedings, for at least a few other teams besides Brooklyn. (Hi, Wizards! Whatcha doing with Kyle Kuzma over there?)

But the other player I want to talk about is Nolan Traore, a French guard who is also not in this draft but is a likely lottery pick in 2025. I want to talk about him because I’ve been waiting for an aha moment from French League observers regarding the play of Traore versus the play of potential lottery picks Zaccharie Risacher and Tidjane Salaun in the same league, and it hasn’t happened.

Traore played nine fairly electrifying games in the French League at the end of the season for San Quentin, including two 25-point outings off the bench; he racked up an assist every 3.6 minutes with European scorers who don’t hand out dimes like Halloween candy the way they do in the NBA, and posted a PER of 15.7 despite not shooting particularly well.

Traore is also a year younger than Risacher and Salaun, and I wondered if anybody would see this performance and have a moment of clarity and think “Oh, THAT is what a high-lottery talent does to a mid-tier European League, even as an 18-year-old.” But as near as I can tell, it hasn’t happened.

And thus, we’re in the odd scenario where it seems Risacher might really be the top pick in the draft. Obviously, I’m going against consensus here, but like … what exactly is he, again? Should we maybe be a bit more concerned that he wasn’t more than a nice role player in France?

Risacher isn’t notably athletic (just a 25-inch no-step vertical at the combine), or notably strong, or unusually long (he measured with a relatively short wingspan for his height actually). He shot the ball better this year in the past, but nobody really thinks he’s a money shooter either. Neither is he some Luka-like high-IQ savant, not with 60 assists in 65 games.

Don’t get me wrong, I think he’ll have a career: I have him 13th on my board. He’s 6-8 and his shot isn’t broken, and he can move laterally and guard 2s and 3s. That almost automatically makes you something in today’s NBA. And, hey, maybe I’m just wildly wrong here and he has more untapped upside.

But when I see the Hawks contemplating him with the top pick, I can’t help but wonder … has a team ever used the top pick on wing depth before? What is the path to stardom here?

And the counterexample of Traore underscores it for me.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5591866/2024/06/26/houston-rockets-nba-draft-no-3-pick/

• Rival teams continue to believe the Rockets have an interest in Memphis’ Marcus Smart in potential trade-down instances, despite recent pushback from team sources. The Charlotte Hornets continue to express interest in acquiring the No. 3 pick, and one Western Conference executive identified center Mark Williams as someone Houston could have an interest in.

• I couldn’t let you good people leave without throwing a fake trade your way. We know the Rockets are open to moving back and both the Grizzliesand Hornets would entertain moving up. What if there was a way to satisfy all parties? (Assume team options on both Williams are picked up. Could also swap the pair of 2024 seconds for a future Grizzlies first.)

Spoiler

 

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/mock-draft

1. Hawks: Risacher (No one really knows what the Hawks will do on draft night. Maybe not even the Hawks. But other than Alex Sarr, who refused to work out for Atlanta, the franchise has reviewed and considered the top possible prospects. Risacher appears to be the favorite to be picked by the Hawks for now. But the team is also extremely high on UConn center Donovan Clingan, and G League forward Matas Buzelis also impressed Atlanta in his workout Sunday. The truth is that Atlanta might not know what choice it’ll make, whether it’s to stay put or trade down, until the draft officially begins.)

2. Wizards: Sarr
3. Rockets: Sheppard (Will the Rockets even keep this choice? On Tuesday, they made a surprising deal with the Nets that gave them control of Phoenix’s future choices. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that the Rockets made the deal because they want Kevin Durant and could incentivize the Suns to deal him by trading them back their own picks. But Woj said that they were also looking elsewhere on the trade market. Could Jimmy Butler be a target? Or maybe the Rockets will wait until the season to make a godfather offer for a star who becomes available? For now, we’ll assume that they’ll stay put and Sheppard will get the nod.)

4. Spurs: Buzelis (Everyone around the league keeps talking about how much the Spurs like Risacher while also wondering whether it’s all just misdirection since nothing usually leaks out of San Antonio’s front office. My gut says that the Spurs will look to trade up, possibly for Sheppard. Or if they stay put, they’ll make a surprising choice like Buzelis, who rarely gets talked about as a top-four pick. But Buzelis worked out for the Spurs last week, according to a league source.)

5. Pistons: Knecht
6. Hornets: Castle
7. Blazers: Clingan
8. Spurs: Carter
9. Grizzlies: Salaun (I just want to see Chris Vernon happy, so I told him on this week’s Mismatch that my sources said the Grizzlies will not trade Marcus Smart (and this pick) to the Rockets for the third pick. But those teams have certainly talked, so it wouldn’t be a shocker if a picks-based exchange that moves the Grizzlies up to third is made on draft night. If not, maybe they’ll end up trading down and get a big man later? )

10. Jazz: Holland
11. Bulls: C.Williams
12. Thunder: Edey
13. Kings: Ware
14. Blazers: Topić

 

As of Wednesday afternoon, signs are pointing toward the Rockets staying put on the No. 3 pick and selecting Sheppard, a player they have coveted throughout the pre-draft process.

Houston has been active in conversations surrounding this pick dating back to the draft lottery, with the Rockets eager to improve their roster and win in the short-term, but appear to be content to stand pat at this point. The Rockets acquired draft assets from the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, including future picks belonging to the Phoenix Suns that Houston will presumably look to deal in the interest of upgrading the roster, with Phoenix's Kevin Durant among the high-impact players that intrigue them, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

For the time being -- barring a surprise trade scenario emerging late in the process -- it appears the Rockets will continue to add young talent, and Sheppard has been the favorite here since draft lottery night on May 12. Houston's ownership group traveled to meet with Sheppard in Los Angeles fairly early in the process, and he visited the Rockets' facility to make his case as the best shooter in the draft. -- Woo