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2023 NBA Draft Megathread


Wonder where OKC is looking to move up. If they really do love Bilal, maybe they are trying to jump Orlando at 11 (also seems like a very Bilal team).

Could Utah deal with them? Get our 2024 pick back, trade back to 12 and grab JHS. OKC has so many assets you can probably add more, whether it be another pick in 2024 or a handful of 2nd rounders. Last year OKC traded 3 future 1st to New York for the 11th pick.

If Walker/Whitmore aren't there at 9, I would think about it

Good post.
 
Yep. Shooting in empty gyms is the most worthless thing ever.

I went to a jazz summer league scrimmage and they did a 3 point shooting competition. Rudy freaking Gobert made 8 out of 20 threes iirc. Now i know 8-20 isnt good when no one is guarding you but still better than most people think gobert could shoot.

I bet he could shoot 70% from three if he was stationary and had someone feeding him the ball perfectly and they only showed a highlight from when he was hot.

Tldr version: a highlight video in an empty gym could make gobert look like a great three point shooter.
I mean 8/20 is bad. If Gobert could consistently shoot game speed shots in practice at 70% he'd be allowed to take them in game.

Shooting in empty gyms is not useless. It's how you start to get better at shooting. Edited footage of shooting in a gym is mostly useless though
 
I mean 8/20 is bad. If Gobert could consistently shoot game speed shots in practice at 70% he'd be allowed to take them in game.

Shooting in empty gyms is not useless. It's how you start to get better at shooting. Edited footage of shooting in a gym is mostly useless though
shooting in open gyms isn't entirely useless - mostly useless, but not entirely. most players at this level can make shots, as fish mentioned, in an empty gym with somebody feeding them the ball. highlight videos (which is what we're seeing) of prospects shooting in open gyms is 100% useless. when gobert made 8 of 20, it's entirely possible he made 5 or 6 in a row - if that's what they showed us, it's going to look like he's a legit shooter - i mean, he didn't miss. nobody is going to show us the 3 for his next 14 or whatever.
 
Give them the Lakers pick and it is the same as if we had given away those guys at the beginning of the season to tank to the 5 spot. Except the season was enjoyable.

Nice
 
Doing some extra research into Cam:

65.5% at the rim
46.2% catch and shoot 3

Both are elite for his size and position.

Can anyone find anything to criticize about him? Any flaws or red flags? Im not seeing any
 
New big board from The Box and One:

1. Wemby
2. Scoot
3. B. Miller
4. Amen
5. Black
6. Whitmore
7. Wallace
8. Hendricks
9. Walker
10. Ausar
11. Dick
12. George
13. Bufkin
14. Lively
15. Cissoko
16. L. Miller
17. JHS
18. Whitehead
19. NSJ
20. GG

Walker at 9 would be awesome. Hawkins being available at 16 is cool but weird that hawkins didnt even go top 20.
 
Jazz have to view this draft as an opportunity to walk away with an athletic 2-way wing and a solid guard. The time seems right to key in on a couple guys and spend a few assets.

If the Jazz want to trade for a superstar player in the future, that player still needs to want to play in Utah. The Jazz need to build a solid team to put around that superstar. Guys like Lauri, Kessler, Whitmore, Bufkin, etc. start to do that.

Great post.

Get Cam and one of bufkin, wallace, black, dick, george, bilal and we good.
 
Great post.

Get Cam and one of bufkin, wallace, black, dick, george, bilal and we good.
its nice to plan about getting a plethora of highly buzzed up prospects, but kind of unreasonable to expect it works out that way. The reality is many of these options either won't be there when we pick, or we won't pick them because they showed no interest in being a Jazzman if they were. On top of that, few if any one and done's outside the top picks, are ever as impressive or successful as everyone expected based on hype icing.
we are not getting Cam without trading up imo, and if we did that we wont get any one of those others you have outside maybe Bilal if he comes back t earth and is their bpa at 28.
 
If there was a criticism it would probably be that once he gets the ball he has tunnel vision to the hoop and doesn't look to pass.

Good point. I have heard that before and that is a concern.
 
its nice to plan about getting a plethora of highly buzzed up prospects, but kind of unreasonable to expect it works out that way. The reality is many of these options either won't be there when we pick, or we won't pick them because they showed no interest in being a Jazzman if they were. On top of that, few if any one and done's outside the top picks, are ever as impressive or successful as everyone expected based on hype icing.
we are not getting Cam without trading up imo, and if we did that we wont get any one of those others you have outside maybe Bilal if he comes back t earth and is their bpa at 28.

Ya i was saying the jazz should trade up to get cam using #9 and future picks or sexton or something and then use 16 to get whoever drops out of wallace, bilal, bufkin, dick, hawkins, etc.
 
Can anyone find anything to criticize about him? Any flaws or red flags? Im not seeing any
the biggest red flag is just that he wasn't very good in college last year. wasn't efficient scoring, didn't score very much. average rebounder, didn't make plays for teammates, turned it over a lot, had poor hands (which makes sense because it turns out they are abnormally small), made a lot of dumb plays, etc. granted, some of that could be that he began the year injured and the wrist may have bothered him all year, his coach sucked, the offense sucked, he had selfish teammates, he was one of the youngest players in the country, etc. so there are some explanations, but the fact is, he just wasn't very good and i don't know how much of what i just said is explanation and how much of it is excuses.

fwiw, cam was my favorite prospect going in to the college season with how powerful and athletic he was and after dominating for team usa in the summer and all the spring HS all star games, so i never missed a game of his if it was on TV - probably saw him 20+ times this year - and while the power and the athleticism (iow, upside) was apparent, he just wasn't that good (though there were certainly flashes). it wasn't unusual for his coach to sit him down the stretch in close games because they were often better without him on the floor.
 
Wasserman just dropped his new mock (he’s the one reporting Bilal has a promise before 14):

1. Wemby
2. Scoot
3. B. Miller
4. Amen
5. Whitmore
6. Black
7. Walker
8. Ausar
9. Dick

Without an obvious star on the board, the Jazz could value Dick's sure-thing shooting and look to mirror the Miami Heat's success by loading up on shot-making. Utah could be drawn to the strategy of building with the firepower/spacing provided by Dick and Lauri Markkanen alongside Walker Kessler's offensive efficiency and rim protection.

10. Hendricks
11. George
12. Lively
13. Bilal
14. NSJ
15. Wallace
16. JHS

The Jazz could pass on guards at No. 9 with the idea that Hood-Schifino, Wallace or Kobe Bufkin could be there at No. 16. Hood-Schifino's positional size and length, prolific pull-up game and flashy passing have led to scouts picturing enticing upside for a prospect who'll be available in the late lottery to mid-first round.

17. Bufkin
18. Hawkins
19. Howard
20. Podz
22. L. Miller
28. Bailey
31. GG
Podz >>> JHS eight days a week.
 
every time i start to like jhs a little bit, i remind myself of that. just not sure what jhs gives you that podz doesn't give you at a higher level.
Right. Podz does almost all of the theoretical JHS stuff SO MUCH better. And it seems like every time he laces up he is on a mission to melt people’s faces and does it. Half-court lobs, deep threes of the dribble, that ****ing floater. Does it with ease and connects at a high rate.

The only thing that could make the draft better than a sudden hysteria for Bilal and JHS is if NSJ has a similar last minute glow up.
 
Right. Podz does almost all of the theoretical JHS stuff SO MUCH better. And it seems like every time he laces up he is on a mission to melt people’s faces and does it. Half-court lobs, deep threes of the dribble, that ****ing floater. Does it with ease and connects at a high rate.

The only thing that could make the draft better than a sudden hysteria for Bilal and JHS is if NSJ has a similar last minute glow up.
My concern on Podz is that he may not be quick enough laterally to survive. I like him. I'm okayish on JHS... like I see what his believers could see. I just don't think he realizes it and at 9 there will be way better bets... at 16 I think there are better bets too... but it starts to make more sense.
 
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