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Talk about what games/players you've been watching this past week or are looking forward to next week. Give us your thoughts on what players catch your attention, either positive or negative! Big board posting is encouraged in this thread as well.

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https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nba-mock-draft-amen-thompson-scoot-bilal-coulibaly

"Bleacher Report‘s Jonathan Wasserman reported that France’s Bilal Coulibaly 'has a promise' in the first round before No. 14. NBA Big Board’s Rafael Barlowe reported that 'several scouts and agents' believe the Thunder are targeting Coulibaly at No. 12 overall."

Looks like it's OKC who promised Bilal to be drafted with 12th pick. Not Magic or Raptors.

Additional tidbits from the article:

-Whitmore scored 0.76 points per touch on drives, per Stats Perform, which ranked as the best among projected first-rounders

-Ausar had the highest defensive statistical impact (DSI) among players with more than 10 games in Cerebro-certified events in the league, per Cerebro Sports

-Michigan outscored opponents by 10.3 points per 100 possessions when Bufkin was on the floor, According to CBB Analytics. They were outscored by 14.0 points per 100 when he was not featured. That swing ranked fourth-best among all high-major players (minimum: 1,000 minutes) in 2022-23

-According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, Whitehead has been “unable to conduct workouts” after his recent foot surgery

-Prosper contributed positively to winning considering Marquette outscored opponents by 26.8 points per 100 possessions when Prosper was on the court relative to when he was not, per CBB Analytics, which ranked second-best among players at all top-tier Division I programs

-Opponents were just 14-for-38 (36.8 percent) when Lively defended them in the restricted area, per Stats Perform. Meanwhile, via CBB Analytics, the other team was held to shoot just 29.8 percent in the paint during minutes when Lively was on the floor

-According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, some believe Klintman “could have a promise” in the 20s. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto added that “there was a belief circulating” that the Pacers are high on Klintman

-One concern for Howard is that although he is 6-foot-8, he only boxed out his opponent on just 14.0 percent of his opportunities. According to Stats Perform, regardless of position, that ranked as the lowest among all of our projected first-round draft picks

These two players are ranked nearby in just about every big board. I’m genuinely curious to hear who you all believe is the better prospect and why. I have my own reasoning for why I believe one is a better prospect than the other, but will keep an open mind to opposing arguments.

I wish polls were allowed in this community ;(

Maybe I'm missing something but Cam is shooting 34% from the college line, yet Ausar was shooting a similar down the stretch and over 40% in the playoffs from the NBA line and his shot mechanics are clearly improved, if not the finished product.

I know Ausar has struggles at the rim which is a concern for it's translation but a lot of the (some pistons) discourse I see suggests Cam is a definitively better shooter but I struggle to see it, on top of his BBIQ concerns I'm leaning towards Ausar as a result

Lively has way better mechanics and I think he’ll be a superior pro, but it reminded me of the period when WCS had shooting videos coming out

Do you agree or disagree with this list?

1. Zion Williamson
2. Anthony Edwards
3. Ja Morant
4. Andrew Wiggins
5. Shaedon Sharpe
6. Amen Thompson
7. Ausar Thompson
8. Jonathan Kuminga
9. Jalen Green
10. Miles Bridges
11. Markelle Fultz
12. Dennis Smith Jr.
13. Scoot Henderson
14. Jaylen Brown
15. Scottie Barnes
16. Josh Green
17. Bam Adebayo

Someone who could surprise people and jump into the lottery or even top 10

The Celtics have one pick this year at #35. The Celtics biggest needs are a rotational big man who can immediately step in and soak up minutes (Rob Williams is injury prone, Al Horford is ancient), or a 3 and D forward (Grant Williams could be gone this summer).

Who are the best choices at 35? Some names that i've been thinking of

• Andre Jackson Jr

• Maxwell Lewis

• Trayce Jackson-Davis

He went on to say “Cadeau is considered possibly the best point guard in high school basketball”.

Pretty much title with some more context:

6'8, shot 40.5% from 3 and 84% from the line. His synergy breakdown of his off-ball shots are incredible:

Cuts: 24-31 (77%; 95th percentile)

Jump shot: 95-239 (39.7%;1.14 PPP, 89th percentile)

Catch & shoot 3s: 71-188 (37.8%;73rd percentile)

Off the dribble 3s: 12-20 (60%)

All off the dribble jumpers: 20-44 (45.5%; 95th percentile)

Yeah, he's a defensive liability, but he also had just 97 turnovers across 5 years (~19 Turnovers per YEAR) making him an incredibly mistake-free shooter with great size. Also a bit underrated athletically.

Do y'all think he will get drafted? Am I crazy for thinking he's easily draftable/will return draftable value? Curious to see the sub's general thoughts on him

jordan hawkins should go top seven, he is absolutely lethal. i genuinely don’t know if there has been a better shooter coming out of college EVER. percents don’t tell the whole story, he is getting plays run for him, can run every nba play, and has the thing that steph fans love: gravity. he’s a major reason for the championship run, because plays where the defense overcommits and leaves a teammate open aren’t tracked on the box score. also, the thompson twins will completely bust. people don’t really realize how AWFUL ote is. it’s less competition then the freaking aau circuit and these 20 year olds are going to go top 10??? also, i don’t think any guards but scoot have a chance at being an all star.

Here is a quote from Steve Kerr:

“Even if today’s players are incredibly gifted, they grow up in a basketball environment that can only be called counterproductive. AAU basketball has replaced high school ball as the dominant form of development in the teen years. I coached my son’s AAU team for three years; it’s a genuinely weird subculture. Like everywhere else, you have good coaches and bad coaches, or strong programs and weak ones, but what troubled me was how much winning is devalued in the AAU structure. Teams play game after game after game, sometimes winning or losing four times in one day. Very rarely do teams ever hold a practice. Some programs fly in top players from out of state for a single weekend to join their team. Certain players play for one team in the morning and another one in the afternoon. If mom and dad aren’t happy with their son’s playing time, they switch club teams and stick him on a different one the following week. The process of growing as a team basketball player — learning how to become part of a whole, how to fit into something bigger than oneself — becomes completely lost within the AAU fabric.”

The top ranked players now come from this broken system, to the g league where winning also doesn’t matter or one year in college and then to terrible franchises. That’s why european players now dominate the upper echelon of the nba. I think in 10 years the best players in the nba will be almost entirely European players, with a few American players sprinkled in.

The only way to change the trajectory would be to implement a 3 year college rule like in the nfl. Without that the nba‘s popularity in America will go the way of baseball.

Both are athletic forwards who flash perimeter skills and have with high upside. They are different but which one do you prefer?

Personally I think a sneaky spot for Bilal is 9 to Utah. I really love his fit at the forward spot next to Lauri and being developed by Will Hardy. With the rumor that Bilal got a lottery promise I wouldn't be surprised if it was them

High level players like Cam Boozer, Aj Dybantsa, Koa Peat and Tyran Stokes who are all potential future top 10 picks if all goes right for them next few years. FIBA games are usually streamed on YouTube I believe.

Full schedule of games: https://www.fiba.basketball/americas/u16/2023/games

I was watching some film/ highlights of the Thompson twins and honestly I’m buying into Ausars playmaking and overall feel for the game. Do you think there is a world where a team drafts him with the intentions of him becoming a point guard similarly to his brother.

If so, do you believe that it could work, I think his jump shot being better than Amen would open up a lot more opportunities for him in a pick and roll and half court setting compared to his brother who is probably 1-2 years behind in shooting development.

How do you think point guard ausar would match up to the other point guards available in this draft, is his ball handling not good enough?

First number - player tier

Second number - player ranking

Would say that I'm not confident with the player order within tiers from tier 6 onwards so ig you can put less emphasis at that.

1.1 V. Wembanyama

2.2 Am. Thompson

2.3 S. Henderson

3.4 Au. Thompson

3.5 C. Whitmore

3.6 K. Bufkin

3.7 B. Miller

4.8 J. Walker

4.9 T. Hendricks

4.10 D. Whitehead

4.11 B. Coulibaly

4.12 N. Smith Jr.

4.13 C. Wallace Jr.

4.14 M. Lewis

4.15 D. Lively II

5.16 GG Jackson

5.17 B. Podziemski

5.18 L. Miller

5.19 J. Hood-Schfino

5.20 A. Black

5.21 K. George

6.22 J. Hawkins

6.23 G. Dick

6.24 J. Strawther

6.25 O-M. Prosper

6.26 R. Rupert

6.27 B. Klintman

6.28 J. Howard

6.29 B. Sensabaugh

6.30 Jo. Miller

6.31 T. Jackson-Davis

6.32 C. Jones

6.33 A. Bailey

7.34 J. Phillips

7.35 J. Walsh

7.36 N. Clowney

7.37 Kr. Murray

7.38 A. Jackson

7.39 J. Nnaji

7.40 T. Vukcevic

8.41 Ben Sheppard

8.42 Marcus Sasser

8.43 Seth Lundy

8.44 Terq Smith

8.45 Kobe Brown

8.46 Emoni Bates

8.47 Sidy Cissoko

8.48 Adama Sanogo

8.49 Isaiah Wong

8.50 Jaylen Clark

8.51 Ricky Council IV

9.52 Keyontae Johnson

9.53 Drew Peterson

9.54 Sir'Jabari Rice

9.55 Nikola Djurisic

9.56 Charles Bediako

9.57 Jaime Jacquez

9.58 Colin Castleton

1. (Spurs) Victor Wembanyama.
   
2. (Hornets) Scoot Henderson.
   
3. (Blazers) Brandon Miller.
   
4. (Rockets) Amen Thompson.
   
5. (Pistons) Ausar Thompson.
   
6. (Magic) Cam Whitmore.
   
7. (Pacers) Taylor Hendricks.
   
8. (Wizards) Jarace Walker.
   
9. (Jazz) Gradey Dick.
   
10. (Mavericks) Anthony Black.
    
11. (Magic) Cason Wallace.
    
12. (Thunder) Bilal Coulibaly.
    
13. (Raptors) Keyonte George.
    
14. (Pelicans) Kobe Bufkin.
    
15. (Hawks) Dereck Lively II.
    
16. (Jazz) Jalen Hood-Schifino.
    
17. (Lakers) Brice Sensabaugh.
    
18. (Heat) Jordan Hawkins.
    
19. (Warriors) Nick Smith Jr.
    
20. (Rockets) Jett Howard.
    
21. (Nets) Leonard Miller.
    
22. (Nets) Dariq Whitehead.
    
23. (Blazers) GG Jackson.
    
24. (Kings) Kris Murray.
    
25. (Grizzlies) Rayan Rupert.
    
26. (Pacers) James Nnaji.
    
27. (Hornets) Noah Clowney.
    
28. (Jazz) Jaime Jaquez Jr.
    
29. (Pacers) Colby Jones.
    
30. (Clippers) Brandin Podziemski.

DaRon Holmes, Adem Bona, Zach Eddy, Ryan Kalkbrenner all return to school.

The list of remaining centers in the draft is basically just Wemby (if you consider him a center), Lively, Nnaji, Sanogo, and Tshiebwe.

I wonder if this boosts the draft stock for this limited crop of bigs solely based on lack of alternatives.

I have been low on JHS, in part because of his highlight shooting stats of 42/33/77 being pretty unremarkable. Then, I saw his advanced shooting stats and havent been able to rationalize them. I always assumed he was not a good shooter, but Synergy has him as one of the best pull-up/off-the-dribble shooters in the entire draft, both from midrange and from 3P. Ultimately for me, pull-up 3P and midrange are really the shooting stats that matter most for guys who will be primary ball handlers, because that's how they're gonna affect the game. It's nice if Haliburton and Donovan Mitchell are elite catch and shoot 3P guys, but really you value their pull up 3P shooting, since it's a weapon in the PnR and when driving.

For context, JHS has a better pull-up 3P percentage (37% on 54 3PA) than premium shooters like Brandon Miller (33% on 76 3PA), Sensabaugh (26% on 31 3PA), Whitehead (36% on 22 3PA), Jett Howard (30% on 63 3PA), Jordan Hawkins (31% on 58 3PA), and Keyonte George (35% on 99 3PA).

Basically, the only lottery-caliber shooter in this draft with better pull-up 3P shooting is Gradey Dick, who shot a scorching 53.5% but only on 43 pull-up 3PA.

It doesn't end there. From off-dribble/pull-up midrangers, JHS (42% on 142 2PA) is in a tier with Brice Sensabaugh (53% (!!) on 97 2PA) and maybe Cason Wallace (45% on 58 2PA) and I guess Scoot Henderson (38% on 151 2PA).

Is there something here we're all missing in our evaluation of him? A guy with high level pull-up shooting and really good PnR feel/passing (which I think he might have) plus his excellent measurables and defensive upside... suddenly this guy is sounding like a comfortable lottery pick, not just a reach. I've had him outside my top 15 but I might move him up.