2023 NBA Draft Megathread

[KqWIN]

The timing of Taylor's rise just isn't comparable imo. Draft boards are pretty fluid before the season... so big moves are common. Whether he is new or not matters but getting exposure later in the process matters with how quickly or high he will rise.

Primo is a good example... So Giannis and Primo are the only real examples I can think of now... they went 12 and 14. Primo also had the advantage of playing college ball so its a league you know more about.

I do think its an aberration if it happens... if some is wild enough to take him before #16 I'm totally cool. I'm not sold on him. He's interesting... I'd risk him not being there. Taking him at #9 is a reach and I would avoid reaching on guys.

I just don't think its a given his stock continues to rise. He has a meh showing or two in his final games and I think #16 is a smallish reach. It only takes one ******* though... I will err on the side of not being that *******.

"At this point in the process" just isn't the same for Bilal. He has like half the process still to go with his season, which could go through June. The first time people are even considering him is now. It's not like he's been on everyone's radar and suddenly changed their opinion, there's just wasn't much of an opinion on him until now. The amount of time people have put into analyzing him and the amount of stuff to analyze is not much and nothing compared to guys who have already finished their college season.

I won't deny that he is more likely to be available at #16 than not, but with a good chuck of the season left for him (especially relative to the amount of senior minutes he's played) there is a lot of potential to rise.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Yeah, I will admit nothing is coming to my mind right away and it's a bit tough to research this stuff in retrospect. We can certainly say there are foreign prospects who should have jumped up and probably didnt because they were foreign (aka Jokic, a 41st overall pick who was immediately pretty damn good for a rookie). Maybe our grasp of foreign prospects is just improving to the point where we can now identify these guys even when they aren't the pre-determined top guys.

IDK... I think he has a bunch of stuff that is uncertain... and most front offices avoid that ****. I think maybe Orlando, OKC, or Toronto would take him in the 10-15 range. Orlando because they have another high pick and Toronto cuz of Massai. Otherwise I am really certain he is there #16... and honestly... I'd have a hard time taking him over Bufkin, George, or Hawkins. If anything the foreign guys seem to drop in the draft.. maybe this year that changes but I doubt it.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

"At this point in the process" just isn't the same for Bilal. He has like half the process still to go with his season, which could go through June. The first time people are even considering him is now. It's not like he's been on everyone's radar and suddenly changed their opinion, there's just wasn't much of an opinion on him until now. The amount of time people have put into analyzing him and the amount of stuff to analyze is not much and nothing compared to guys who have already finished their college season.

I won't deny that he is more likely to be available at #16 than not, but with a good chuck of the season left for him (especially relative to the amount of senior minutes he's played) there is a lot of potential to rise.

It is the same for Bilal... it just is. The process is the teams evaluating players and the draft boards are much more firm than they were 6 months ago. There is still time but the process is further along and I think teams anchor themselves to their boards a bit. He is just as likely to have a meh showing now that he's on the radar and have a few scouts/teams say "told ya he was a youtube darling" and have his stock tumble a bit. I would guess he's in the 20s if you did a consensus nba draft board right now. If he comes into the combine and looks too skinny or just doesn't play well rest of the year I could see him going late first. If he has a big game or shows out at the combine I will change my mind. I just think how that we overreact more than nba gms/scouts.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I do think there will be a lot of wild picks in this draft. None of the experts will have accurate mock drafts.

 

[The Jazz Wonderbra]

Damian Lillard was a reasonably unknown player coming in to the workouts and he rose like a rocket from an early second rounder at best to a first rounder and then to a lottery pick and then to a top 6 pick falling just out of reach for the Jazz. I remember being really bummed when he went 6th.

 

[KqWIN]

It is the same for Bilal... it just is. The process is the teams evaluating players and the draft boards are much more firm than they were 6 months ago. There is still time but the process is further along and I think teams anchor themselves to their boards a bit. He is just as likely to have a meh showing now that he's on the radar and have a few scouts/teams say "told ya he was a youtube darling" and have his stock tumble a bit. I would guess he's in the 20s if you did a consensus nba draft board right now. If he comes into the combine and looks too skinny or just doesn't play well rest of the year I could see him going late first. If he has a big game or shows out at the combine I will change my mind. I just think how that we overreact more than nba gms/scouts.

There's a lot more basketball to be played for Bilal and that's what makes this different for him. I can't sit here and say that if there was two months left in the college season those two months wouldn't matter. Maybe you're right about teams/draft boards being anchored in their order, but IMO that's more to do with teams being anchored to their opinion on the individual players rather than their order. We do not have a wealth of footage of Bilal against senior competition. If the remainder of the season does not impact his evaluation, I think that's a **** job of evaluating if I'm being honest. You have 100% of the minutes that college prospects will ever play, but like 50% of the senior team minutes that Bilal will play.

If he doesn't play well, of course that changes things too. I don't see how you can see that his stock could drop but also not see how his stock could rise. The rest of the season, combine, interviews etc matter or they don't....pick one. I have never said it is a guarantee his stock will rise, only that he has the potential to rise. Right now he is probably consensous in the 20's like you said with some people creeping him up to the middle of the first. If things keep going well for him I don't see why the rising trend would not continue.

 

[Elizah Huge]

I do think there will be a lot of wild picks in this draft. None of the experts will have accurate mock drafts.

The funny thing is if you compared this boards consensus big board to any other teams they would be extremely different. Other fanbases are extremely high on Black for example.

 

[NUMBERICA]

The funny thing is if you compared this boards consensus big board to any other teams they would be extremely different. Other fanbases are extremely high on Black for example.

I sure hope so. The Lonzo comp isn’t even good because Black’s passing highlights are really not very impressive to me. I know you can be a floor general without flashy passing, but flashy passing opens up a lot of scoring opportunities that solid reads and ho-hum passes just don’t. For his pretty dog **** shooting prospects, I’m gonna need more than him being tall and working hard to salivate.

 

[Shad]

SAY YES TO HENDRICKS

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I sure hope so. The Lonzo comp isn’t even good because Black’s passing highlights are really not very impressive to me. I know you can be a floor general without flashy passing, but flashy passing opens up a lot of scoring opportunities that solid reads and ho-hum passes just don’t. For his pretty dog **** shooting prospects, I’m gonna need more than him being tall and working hard to salivate.

The driving/foul drawing is his calling card. Arkansas also had some of the worst spacing possible and his shot isnt completely broken. He's also one of the leading candidates for "look out when this guy's body develops"

 

[Bodhi]

We lead the league in insanely dumb arguments that dont mean anything, on this board.

 

[Elizah Huge]

I sure hope so. The Lonzo comp isn’t even good because Black’s passing highlights are really not very impressive to me. I know you can be a floor general without flashy passing, but flashy passing opens up a lot of scoring opportunities that solid reads and ho-hum passes just don’t. For his pretty dog **** shooting prospects, I’m gonna need more than him being tall and working hard to salivate.

Black’s feel for the game and his defense are his biggest calling cards. Might have the highest basketball IQ in the draft.