I would love to get Jak or Tre but they will probably go in the top 7. At 9/10 I am liking Walter Clayton Jr. He looks like he will become a solid upgrade over FVV, and he has the killer instinct that Curry has. If the pick is in the top 4, I'm favoring Jakucionis.
More than anything, game 1 perhaps proves that we need to add a veteran guard that can shoot. Forget Jalen/Fred for a moment. If any of the young guys besides Alpi played well (especially in the 1st half), we probably would've won.
Thats just receny bias, every year some old vet guard delivers the championship and wins Finals MVP. Last year it was Tristan Newton what happened to that dude? Now its Walter Clayton, he looks ok but using a lotto pick for him is just a huge ass reach. I know FVV has been ass but thinking a rookie will beat him is just dumb. Remember everyone who said Reed Sheppard should start over FVV at the start of the season? lol
I understand your point but there are so many good guards in free agency why do we need to waste lotto picks on a guard? Just like with Reed Sheppard, what is the proof these guys will pan out immediately and help the team? They might end up as projects needing development, and if they are a project I would rather have a forward or big man then a guard project. Like, in the offseason we can go after James Harden and Quinton Grimes. These two guaranteed to be better than any guard we pick at 9. Jak and maybe Egor Demin are the only ones in that list of your that I think belongs in the top 10.
Just to clarify, I wasn't saying he would beat Fred out in his rookie year, just that he looks like he will become better than Fred. It's easy to fall victim to "group think" and just believe the mock drafts of others, but when you watch the tape, this guy looks legit. Some team will take him in the lottery.
Well think about it too this draft class is way deeper than last year if he is a lotto pick this year why didnt he declare last year? He could've gone top 3 last year if he was all that. Why Cooper Flagg can declare one year early but Walter had to wait till his senior year? Just to clarify Walter can def turn out to be a good player like Grimes. But if he was highly rated to be a lotto prospect IMO there should have been a lot of hype for him before he became finals MVP. Even if Stone thinks he is the no 1 talent in this draft we still shouldnt pick him in the top 10, we should trade down and then get him then. As for FVV dude was undrafted, man. As a prospect he wasnt well liked.
Wasn't among the players I looked at because none of the mock draft/board stuff I saw had him in the lottery range. I just looked up his scouting report and it seems he's at least the right type for me. But the fact that he's generally mocked in late 1st round probably means his physical tools are not as good as the others that are mocked in the late lottery.
Improvement is not guaranteed. If teams thought last year that he would be as good this year as he was, he probably would have declared. Not a big Florida fan, but I'm guessing he had a pretty decent jump in either passing or shooting (or some combination of the two) this past season. His size will keep him to the back of the 1st round, probably. Always risky drafting smaller guys.
Egor Demin is a fascinating prospect. Young, tall PG with a lotta potential. Looked nowhere near NBA-ready in the tournament-- showed flashes, yes, but didn't handle pressure at all. Maybe if he falls and we trade down...
agreed he’s intriguing, and there’s no doubt he’s a gifted play-maker with an excellent handle, but I can’t get passed him being a bad shooter and our huge need for good shooting in the backcourt. I also read that he spent most of his season playing against really poor competition and that boosted his stats. I feel like if we were at the beginning of a rebuild he’d be worth taking a flier on, but given where we are now, I’d want someone who can at least shoot and defend. I don’t see any nba-ready point guards in the draft. Kasperus Joakaconus (I know I spelled it wrong) is probably the closest thing. I was not impressed with his shooting over the course of the season as well as his tournament performance, but he can create his own shot and he’s probably the best shooter of the point guard prospects that could be available when we pick (which isn’t saying much). He doesn’t play defense and I don’t see him getting on the court anytime soon. To me the highest upside pg prospect is Fears. And since none of these guys are gonna make a big difference in the next 1-2 yrs, I’d rather go with the highest upside guy. But trading the pick would be my preference If NBA-ready shooters like Kon or Tre Johnson aren’t available.
Don't beat yourself up. Us fans can't control these outcomes plus the East was so weak this season. They might have made the play ins if we hadn't made the trade. Look at the bright side. Rockets made the playoffs and are about to get a top 10 pick in a loaded draft class
I like Fears, but put him one level below Jackucionis because of his slight build. I can't really see both him and Reed on the same court without major defensive issues. And just in general he would have trouble with a switching system that the rest of our roster is mostly well equipped for. Jackucionis may also not be a great defender, but when it's easier to cover him up due to his size.
Why? Who cares. It's impossible to know what the Nets would have done had we not traded them back their picks.
Exactly smaller guards esp if they are seniors already dont get picked top 10. Last year the Walter Clayton Jr were Terrence Shannon Jr and the 2024 NCAA Finals MVP Tristen Newton.
With the success of Cade I am becoming very optimistic of jumbo pgs like Dylan Harper and Jak. I think those 2 will def translate in the NBA. It seems like skill and their size and length more than make up for them not being athletic freaks.
