What's new
By:
Filters

2023 NBA Draft Megathread


Bodhi said:
Yeah only if we on the message board would have listened........
Click to expand...
I think Danny tried but was late to the party. Not keeping score but there were a lot of anti-tankers... so not sure where you were on this. This is the time of year where folks might realize the "value" in losing a few extra games. The cost to trade up to 5 or 6 is a lot. So even if we had settled for less in trades earlier it yields an extra first or potentially much more if you can jump into the top 4.

During the season many **** on the tankers... well now the bill is due and some guys will be out of our range or we will have to pay a premium to move up.
 


stitches said:
In other words... is he Dante Exum or is he... I don't know... who is a good example of not having much of any role at high level of basketball even though young and then developing? After watching Dante in various Austalian national team games when he was still our big hope and him having close to zero role, I've come to really doubt that the offensive role is not to a HUGE degree a function of his actual ability and skill. IMO if they thought he can do more, he would be given the chance and responsibility to do more.

Now a second question might be - if he doesn't have the skill at the required level now, what's the chance he develops it?
Click to expand...
He might be Exum but he is super tantalizing. I dislike his lack of aggression and taking over and that is why he is not a top ten player but everything else he does is promising and if he hits then he can be an all-star in the league or he can fizzle due to his lack of confidence.
 
whatthe said:
He might be Exum but he is super tantalizing. I dislike his lack of aggression and taking over and that is why he is not a top ten player but everything else he does is promising and if he hits then he can be an all-star in the league or he can fizzle due to his lack of confidence.
Click to expand...
i assume we're talking about bilal here. i'm fine with taking bilal specifically or anybody we worry might be the next exum at 28. the risk is fine that late in the draft. if he exceeds the expectation great. if he's nothing more than exum, at 28, you can live with that.
 
stitches said:
In other words... is he Dante Exum or is he... I don't know... who is a good example of not having much of any role at high level of basketball even though young and then developing? After watching Dante in various Austalian national team games when he was still our big hope and him having close to zero role, I've come to really doubt that the offensive role is not to a HUGE degree a function of his actual ability and skill. IMO if they thought he can do more, he would be given the chance and responsibility to do more.

Now a second question might be - if he doesn't have the skill at the required level now, what's the chance he develops it?
Click to expand...

I have referred to Bilal as kind of an Exum-ish prospect before, for better or worse. Like I said, these are fair questions an concerns to have about Bilal. For this reason I've said his most likely outcome is something like McDaniels or Herb Jones. That's basically the role he plays now and it's what I would expect his role to be in the NBA as well. I still have high hopes for Bilal, however, because if I'm going to believe in anyone having that insane development trajectory it's him. He was a late bloomer and not even well known in France before this year. He's reportedly grown in 9 inches in the last couple years which is what started this huge upwards trajectory. I think going from relative unknown in his own country to starting and playing 30+ minutes for a senior team in a do or die game is a huge achievement for about a years worth of time.

Your point is well taken though. How much does his dominant offensive play matter at the Junior level? If it doesn't mean much to you I can't really blame you. But for me it means something, and I also think he's done well when given the chance on the senior team. He had good production when he was given the chance to play backup PG, for example. I also have a soft spot for Exum and think that if he wasn't constantly rehabbing he would be a much different player. I will never forget when he game Marcus Smart the business in summer league lol. Bilal is a much better physical specimen and also has a much tougher mentality on the court. For these reasons I think he is a relatively "safe" pick because he will likely be able to carve out a Derrick Jones Jr type career if the offense doesn't materialize. I like my chances with him from both a ceiling/floor standpoint.

I think most people are looking at him at #16 or #28, but even if we're talking about #9 that second question pops up for just about anyone in terms of the high ceiling. If guys like Hendricks and Dick can become stars in the NBA, why didn't they have a bigger role in college? Agree or disagree, the most simple explanation is that they can't. The NBA is difficult and being a big time offensive player may be the hardest thing to do. They obviously showed more, but it was a lower level of competition than the French league. It's a weird eval because you see Bilal play at both a higher and likely lower level of competition than NCAA guys.

The guys who have obvious high end offensive potential and have demonstrated this will all go much higher in the draft. Some of the guys who will be drafted higher haven't proven much more than Bilal tbh.
 
I posted this in the 2024, thread.....but I think this is relevant to the topic. Slightly out of date, but this compares Bilal Coulibaly to Zaccharie Risacher (DX has him #3 next year). Risacher is 8.5 months younger than Bilal. The French Senior league is not easy for a super young player. There's a reason why Wemby is Wemby.

Risacher does look quite intriguing. He is 8-9 months younger than Bilal, thought it would be interesting to compare their numbers as they've played in the same leagues. All numbers per36

Season - Player - Age - League

22/23: Risacher - 17 - French U21: 17/7/5/1 - 52% TS - 42/29/74

22/23: Risacher - 17 - French Senior: 7/4/2/1/1 - 41% TS - 33/29/57

21/22: Coulibaly - 17 - French U21: 16/6/2/2/1 - 52% TS - 45/20/68

22/23: Coulibaly - 18 - French U21: 25/7/3/3/1 - 63% TS - 53/32/77

22/23: Coulibaly - 18 - French Senior: 10/6/2/2 - 62%TS - 53/45/60
Click to expand...
 
KqWIN said:
I have referred to Bilal as kind of an Exum-ish prospect before, for better or worse. Like I said, these are fair questions an concerns to have about Bilal. For this reason I've said his most likely outcome is something like McDaniels or Herb Jones. That's basically the role he plays now and it's what I would expect his role to be in the NBA as well. I still have high hopes for Bilal, however, because if I'm going to believe in anyone having that insane development trajectory it's him. He was a late bloomer and not even well known in France before this year. He's reportedly grown in 9 inches in the last couple years which is what started this huge upwards trajectory. I think going from relative unknown in his own country to starting and playing 30+ minutes for a senior team in a do or die game is a huge achievement for about a years worth of time.
Click to expand...
That's interesting. I didn't know about his growth spurt. Might have some hidden potential...

KqWIN said:
Your point is well taken though. How much does his dominant offensive play matter at the Junior level? If it doesn't mean much to you I can't really blame you. But for me it means something, and I also think he's done well when given the chance on the senior team. He had good production when he was given the chance to play backup PG, for example. I also have a soft spot for Exum and think that if he wasn't constantly rehabbing he would be a much different player. I will never forget when he game Marcus Smart the business in summer league lol. Bilal is a much better physical specimen and also has a much tougher mentality on the court. For these reasons I think he is a relatively "safe" pick because he will likely be able to carve out a Derrick Jones Jr type career if the offense doesn't materialize. I like my chances with him from both a ceiling/floor standpoint.
Click to expand...
At what junior level? His stats with France's U18 are worse than Dante's were for Australia. Or do you mean in the French U18 or whatever they call it league? Yeah, I don't think I would even look at those. Keep in mind what the level of competition is there. On Dante... yep... I have a soft spot for him too(still have his Jazz jersey) and I feel like he had some of the most horrible luck I've seen for a prospect. But still... even in the beginning, before the injuries I was watching Australia's games during the summer and he was given practically zero on-ball responsibilities. And this was what was we hoped to be our PG. His injuries just stunted his development and whatever hopes we had for him were gone.
KqWIN said:
I think most people are looking at him at #16 or #28, but even if we're talking about #9 that second question pops up for just about anyone in terms of the high ceiling. If guys like Hendricks and Dick can become stars in the NBA, why didn't they have a bigger role in college? Agree or disagree, the most simple explanation is that they can't. The NBA is difficult and being a big time offensive player may be the hardest thing to do. They obviously showed more, but it was a lower level of competition than the French league. It's a weird eval because you see Bilal play at both a higher and likely lower level of competition than NCAA guys.

The guys who have obvious high end offensive potential and have demonstrated this will all go much higher in the draft. Some of the guys who will be drafted higher haven't proven much more than Bilal tbh.
Click to expand...
I think at 9 we can have better prospect. Hendricks or Dick actually have legitimate NBA skills that will let them play immediately and would give them opportunity to work on their skills in in-game situations. I'm not sure if Bilal will be able to play at all right now. At 28 absolutely... go get him and take a shot on him.
 
stitches said:
That's interesting. I didn't know about his growth spurt. Might have some hidden potential...


At what junior level? His stats with France's U18 are worse than Dante's were for Australia. Or do you mean in the French U18 or whatever they call it league? Yeah, I don't think I would even look at those. Keep in mind what the level of competition is there. On Dante... yep... I have a soft spot for him too(still have his Jazz jersey) and I feel like he had some of the most horrible luck I've seen for a prospect. But still... even in the beginning, before the injuries I was watching Australia's games during the summer and he was given practically zero on-ball responsibilities. And this was what was we hoped to be our PG. His injuries just stunted his development and whatever hopes we had for him were gone.

I think at 9 we can have better prospect. Hendricks or Dick actually have legitimate NBA skills that will let them play immediately and would give them opportunity to work on their skills in in-game situations. I'm not sure if Bilal will be able to play at all right now. At 28 absolutely... go get him and take a shot on him.
Click to expand...

Here's a link to the DX article that talks about his rise. His trajectory is kind of insane and so much has changed in the last year or two for him. Hell, so much has changed for him just in the last couple of months.

www.espn.com

Coulibaly joins teammate Wembanyama in draft

Bilal Coulibaly, a projected first-round pick who has broken out playing alongside Victor Wembanyama for Metropolitans 92 in Paris, has submitted paperwork to make himself eligible for the 2023 NBA draft.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Yeah I'm talking about the U21 league in France. I posted some numbers above with a comparison to an elite 2024 prospect. Like I said, I can see why you might just throw that out....but I would say also understand the level of competition that the French Senior League is. It's not a cakewalk unless you're Wemby. You toss most prospects in the French League and they're also in the Bilal role so I don't really hold it against him. His unique development trajectory as a late bloomer also creates a lot of hope for me in terms of high end potential. His YOY development is massive and I think he's only scratching the surface. If I'm going to take a bet on which player is going to make an insane development his trajectory is the type that I would bet on. Having said that, I think it's fair to question the sky high potential but that isn't the only reason why I like him. His defense is super impressive and I think he could step into the NBA today and contribute on that end. His path to getting on the court is quite clear which gives him a chance to develop.

I'm the founder of Bilal island so I'm biased, I'll admit that. I understand hesitation to draft him at #9...but IMO he would be a home run pick #16 but I'm skeptical he will be there. I do see him as Exum-ish and would hesitate to take him top 5 like Exum was, but I also think he has proven more, has better raw physical tools, has a much better mentality, and is not expected to be a PG. At #9 it gets interesting IMO and at #16 that's an awesome bet to make.
 
KqWIN said:
For his draft stock, maybe. Mystery is often king when it comes to the draft. But it's really good for his development to be playing minutes at a high level of competition.
Click to expand...
It’s great if he’s there at 28. I still feel queasy about drafting him at 16, but enough invisible performances and I might not have to worry too much.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page


Top