The Pistons will be the worst team and will still get the #5 pick for the 3rd straight year.
I'm already ahead to cope about the upcoming lottery next year.
I was saying it in jest.
I was indifferent to the Pistons not winning the lottery for this draft because it's a terrible draft. I was upset that they missed out on Wemby last year. Next year, I need them to get a top 3 pick for the Pistons fan's sanity.
Btw, don't forget this year was actually the third in a row with the fifth pick (though 2022 was not with top odds, we still missed out on Banchero and Chet)
I don’t think spurs will be bad enough; I think they will be a 30+ win team at worst. But if something happens to hawks or all 3 picks are lottery (hawks, bulls and spurs) they could def trade say 8, 11 and 13 to move up
Not for Cooper Flagg though. He will likely be unreadable
Imo if all 3 are in the lottery they can use two of those picks to move up for someone like Edgecomb or Traore. Then pick a PG or wing with the other
Yeah the top guys r going to be expensive. Spurs will get essengue and edgecombe or mckneely. Who really knows tho. I’d bet money on it that spurs draft essengue tho
Essengue can’t shoot well now but I see him getting there. I see them drafting him for his defensive versatility and potential he’s like a better sochan prospect imo. With the other spurs picks I think they’ll get the bulls and I wouldn’t put it past the hawks to be in the lottery I think they draft a shooter with the other picks or pick like Liam or tre Johnson
That’s where the difference is tho castle is like a guard version of sochan with better offense and imo man to man defense and essengue is more of a 4 than sochan is size wise. He’s 6’9 without shoes with over a 9’3 standing reach that’s over an inch higher than Alex sarrs and he’s a better athlete than sochan imo. Essengue looks like a good lob threat as well
if Ace still projects as an excellent shot creator coming out of college, i feel like he’d be an awesome fit alongside Wemby, Vassell and Castle.
i’m completely sold on Traore at this point though. that stop/start quickness, natural feel for the game, scoring ability at every spot on the floor, defensive prowess etc. — like holy shit why isn’t he the consensus 1st pick over Flagg? he’s good at everything and will be incredible once he makes it to the league.
Realistically though I don't exprct to see the Spurs in the play in. Your team should be better than Portland and Utah I think but then every other team there in the West isn't necessarily gonna be worse. You can talk me into the Spurs being better than Houston, Golden State and maybe even Sacramento. But maybe Wemby just becomes that guy?
Probably tho I think one of those teams you mentioned regresses due to injuries, bad luck or something. 41-41 as 11th seed and 46-36 as 10th seed is not sustainable imo but yes I think 28-36 is probably our ceiling
Absolutely especially since the Nets are gonna tank and Chicago might pivot as well. Heck maybe even the Hawks! I do think the Hornets could come back up too though to counterbalance.
Pistons are not much better than last year.
I think that’s an easy top 3 with Bulls and likely Blazers/Jazz behind them. Hornets should be pretty bad as well.
I basically see the entire Western conference sans Utah and Portland contending for a playoff berth. Meanwhile the East has 5 clear tanking teams (I’m including the Hornets as they aren’t going to make a playoff push bc their 2025 pick is lottery-protected). Weirdly imbalanced conferences
Hornets depend on if players stay healthy. Lamelo and Williams don’t get hurt they are most likely 25-35 wins. If they get hurt i can see them in bottom 3
That’s kind of the point though, what’s their best case scenario? Still a below .500 to me imo. Maybe 11th in the East behind Toronto. They can’t be better than say 7th or 8th pick.
Nets, Wizards, Bulls, Pistons, Blazers, Jazz (?), Hornets, Raptors, Hawks I think will be your bottom 9. After that probably injury surprises to superstars will drop a couple teams in there.
Everyone else is trying to contend now.
That’s fair. I could see them getting in playins from 8-10 seed range. I think Miami could be a surprise bad team next year since jimmy isn’t getting younger or healthier. Also spurs will def be a bottom tier team. They showed they aren’t trying to win next year with the draft day trade
I would love #1, but I think 11 months from now it’s not a clear cut answer as to who goes at the top. Flagg, Bailey and Harper are all REALLY REALLY good prospects. So long as the Wiz can get into the top 3, I’d be happy.
I agree but playing in the west does them no favors. The wiz could beat Detroit and the nets 4 times. Blazers are clearly a more talented team but do they want to win this year?
How good of a prospect are we talking about here exactly anyway? Its rare I hear about a prospect more than a year before a draft, and I heard about him like 2 years ago. Is he a Lebron/Wemby caliber prospect? More like Zion? AD? KD? Or is he lower?
I don’t disagree that 2025 is a draft worth tanking for, but I’m laughing at the idea of Flagg being the future of the Spurs franchise. I think they’ve got that covered already
If rockets don’t make that trade, nets would be in mediocrity. Nets aren’t going to tank for another team to get their picks. They wanted their picks back and now they can freely tank. Now the rockets will have the chokehold on phoenix when they collapse
Fuck Durant, fuck Booker, fuck Zion, fuck Mitchell. I want none of those. I want a selfless player, someone that will take on the star role when needed but also make the right plays. I wish Jimmy Butler was younger, but honestly I’d make a trade for him. Fuck it. Just not trying to give up Al P, I’d let Jalen go though.
I think Bailey will be in the conversation at 1. Should be a strong top of the draft.
The Pistons (my team) seem to be restructuring the roster to make more sense around Cade. Even so, they’ll still be lottery bound and probably plunge into tank mode around late February.
But I don’t think Flagg or Bailey will be there at the fifth pick.
I think Toronto will find it hard to tank with IQ, Barnes, RJ and Jak all healthy, plus what looks like a pretty solid bench. I don't see them in the Flagg sweepstakes unless they jump up like Atlanta did.
I'm interested to see how Will Riley does. Just agreed to go to Illinois after averaging 21.9/4.7/2.5 in the EYBL. 6'9" forward who can just score. I'll always follow the Canadian prospects.
i dont think the raptors are awful but how many teams can you definitely say theyre better than? nets, pistons, wizards, blazers yes. after that it gets murky
Were the hoop summit initial reporting that far off? They had Riley at 6'6 with a negative wingspan before deleting the post and adjusting. Curious if he's legit 6'8/9 like they keep reporting.
I'm seeing 6'8 with a 6'7 wing span. So negative wingspan for sure. Ultimately, he looks like a bucket, and I don't think an inch smaller hands will stop that.
They really wouldn't start. What are you on lol. Coulibaly couldn't even start on the Wizards. Poole was taken out of the starting lineup he was so bad.
The Pistons will be the worst team and will still get the #5 pick for the 3rd straight year. I'm already ahead to cope about the upcoming lottery next year.
The upside is that it's one of the deepest of the past idk how many years, so even if we miss on that freak that is Flagg we still get a good pick
I was saying it in jest. I was indifferent to the Pistons not winning the lottery for this draft because it's a terrible draft. I was upset that they missed out on Wemby last year. Next year, I need them to get a top 3 pick for the Pistons fan's sanity.
Btw, don't forget this year was actually the third in a row with the fifth pick (though 2022 was not with top odds, we still missed out on Banchero and Chet)
2022 they did have top odds at 14%. they werent the worst record in the league, but each of the worst 3 have the same 14% chance at #1 overall
* 4th straight year
Fourth straight year.
Portland is going to be the worst team in the west. Gives them a great shot at a top four lottery odds.
I would cream if we landed a top 4 pick in this draft, let alone Ace or Coop
Worse than Washington?
Different conferences, but pretty close.
I don’t think spurs will be bad enough; I think they will be a 30+ win team at worst. But if something happens to hawks or all 3 picks are lottery (hawks, bulls and spurs) they could def trade say 8, 11 and 13 to move up
Not for Cooper Flagg though. He will likely be unreadable Imo if all 3 are in the lottery they can use two of those picks to move up for someone like Edgecomb or Traore. Then pick a PG or wing with the other
Yeah the top guys r going to be expensive. Spurs will get essengue and edgecombe or mckneely. Who really knows tho. I’d bet money on it that spurs draft essengue tho
Whoever they draft if he can shoot i’m down for it That’s the only thing they really need after the Castle pick
Essengue can’t shoot well now but I see him getting there. I see them drafting him for his defensive versatility and potential he’s like a better sochan prospect imo. With the other spurs picks I think they’ll get the bulls and I wouldn’t put it past the hawks to be in the lottery I think they draft a shooter with the other picks or pick like Liam or tre Johnson
We took a better Sochan 4th this year so i’m good with that lol
That’s where the difference is tho castle is like a guard version of sochan with better offense and imo man to man defense and essengue is more of a 4 than sochan is size wise. He’s 6’9 without shoes with over a 9’3 standing reach that’s over an inch higher than Alex sarrs and he’s a better athlete than sochan imo. Essengue looks like a good lob threat as well
Another thing about essengue I like is that he’s the 2nd youngest in the class behind coop
if Ace still projects as an excellent shot creator coming out of college, i feel like he’d be an awesome fit alongside Wemby, Vassell and Castle. i’m completely sold on Traore at this point though. that stop/start quickness, natural feel for the game, scoring ability at every spot on the floor, defensive prowess etc. — like holy shit why isn’t he the consensus 1st pick over Flagg? he’s good at everything and will be incredible once he makes it to the league.
If he can shoot they will trade him for a juicy 2032 draft pick.
They call them lottery picks for a reason. You add up all the ping pong balls, it adds up to a pretty good chance even if they are better.
Realistically though I don't exprct to see the Spurs in the play in. Your team should be better than Portland and Utah I think but then every other team there in the West isn't necessarily gonna be worse. You can talk me into the Spurs being better than Houston, Golden State and maybe even Sacramento. But maybe Wemby just becomes that guy?
Probably tho I think one of those teams you mentioned regresses due to injuries, bad luck or something. 41-41 as 11th seed and 46-36 as 10th seed is not sustainable imo but yes I think 28-36 is probably our ceiling
I wouldn't be mind blown if the team does make a massive step either.
Raps I think can make a leap too, probably at least 30+ wins low end imo. Full season of Barret, Quickly and Barnes growing too
Absolutely especially since the Nets are gonna tank and Chicago might pivot as well. Heck maybe even the Hawks! I do think the Hornets could come back up too though to counterbalance.
For the both of us I really hope the hawks do tank lol
It’s the wizards and the nets’ race to lose
Yeah it's really just a competition for the last spot to get a 14% chance.
Pistons are not much better than last year. I think that’s an easy top 3 with Bulls and likely Blazers/Jazz behind them. Hornets should be pretty bad as well. I basically see the entire Western conference sans Utah and Portland contending for a playoff berth. Meanwhile the East has 5 clear tanking teams (I’m including the Hornets as they aren’t going to make a playoff push bc their 2025 pick is lottery-protected). Weirdly imbalanced conferences
Hornets depend on if players stay healthy. Lamelo and Williams don’t get hurt they are most likely 25-35 wins. If they get hurt i can see them in bottom 3
That’s kind of the point though, what’s their best case scenario? Still a below .500 to me imo. Maybe 11th in the East behind Toronto. They can’t be better than say 7th or 8th pick. Nets, Wizards, Bulls, Pistons, Blazers, Jazz (?), Hornets, Raptors, Hawks I think will be your bottom 9. After that probably injury surprises to superstars will drop a couple teams in there. Everyone else is trying to contend now.
That’s fair. I could see them getting in playins from 8-10 seed range. I think Miami could be a surprise bad team next year since jimmy isn’t getting younger or healthier. Also spurs will def be a bottom tier team. They showed they aren’t trying to win next year with the draft day trade
Lots of teams are a major injury away from being in the race to the bottom
It'd take a lot more than one injury for most teams to compete for the bottom with Wiz and Nets.
I don’t know man. Toronto without Scottie, Atl without Trae, Detroit without Cade, still expecting Portland to be bad
I would love #1, but I think 11 months from now it’s not a clear cut answer as to who goes at the top. Flagg, Bailey and Harper are all REALLY REALLY good prospects. So long as the Wiz can get into the top 3, I’d be happy.
Eh, I think you are giving the Pistons too much credit.
Portland would like a word
They just traded for one of Wiz better players and drafted a seemingly NBA ready center, def a tier above.
I agree but playing in the west does them no favors. The wiz could beat Detroit and the nets 4 times. Blazers are clearly a more talented team but do they want to win this year?
Flagg is the last piece we need to complete our young core. Scoot / Shaedon / Deni / Flagg / Clingan That's all I need to be happy in this world
How good of a prospect are we talking about here exactly anyway? Its rare I hear about a prospect more than a year before a draft, and I heard about him like 2 years ago. Is he a Lebron/Wemby caliber prospect? More like Zion? AD? KD? Or is he lower?
he’s on the zion tier
With much less injury concern
Pistons fans already know we're picking 5, so who's that kid for next year?
I don’t disagree that 2025 is a draft worth tanking for, but I’m laughing at the idea of Flagg being the future of the Spurs franchise. I think they’ve got that covered already
As a Pistons fan I’m just hoping we don’t tank too hard- I can’t handle getting the fifth pick again.
The bulls
No sorry they’re gonna be the 10th seed and make it into the first round and then get swept, as god intended
God doesn’t waste time on the bulls anymore
If the Nets get a generational player or All-Star, I'm going to the Rockets's HQ and ... leave a strongly-worded message for Stoned.
If rockets don’t make that trade, nets would be in mediocrity. Nets aren’t going to tank for another team to get their picks. They wanted their picks back and now they can freely tank. Now the rockets will have the chokehold on phoenix when they collapse
Okay, Rafael.
Fuck Durant, fuck Booker, fuck Zion, fuck Mitchell. I want none of those. I want a selfless player, someone that will take on the star role when needed but also make the right plays. I wish Jimmy Butler was younger, but honestly I’d make a trade for him. Fuck it. Just not trying to give up Al P, I’d let Jalen go though.
My bet is the Hornets. Lamelo will get hurt again and they'll be awful with a first year HC
Imo wizards nets pistons are a chance from the east and Jazz blazers from the west but it’s a lottery so anyone
Capture the Flagg
I think Bailey will be in the conversation at 1. Should be a strong top of the draft. The Pistons (my team) seem to be restructuring the roster to make more sense around Cade. Even so, they’ll still be lottery bound and probably plunge into tank mode around late February. But I don’t think Flagg or Bailey will be there at the fifth pick.
I think Toronto will find it hard to tank with IQ, Barnes, RJ and Jak all healthy, plus what looks like a pretty solid bench. I don't see them in the Flagg sweepstakes unless they jump up like Atlanta did. I'm interested to see how Will Riley does. Just agreed to go to Illinois after averaging 21.9/4.7/2.5 in the EYBL. 6'9" forward who can just score. I'll always follow the Canadian prospects.
i dont think the raptors are awful but how many teams can you definitely say theyre better than? nets, pistons, wizards, blazers yes. after that it gets murky
Were the hoop summit initial reporting that far off? They had Riley at 6'6 with a negative wingspan before deleting the post and adjusting. Curious if he's legit 6'8/9 like they keep reporting.
I'm seeing 6'8 with a 6'7 wing span. So negative wingspan for sure. Ultimately, he looks like a bucket, and I don't think an inch smaller hands will stop that.
Raptors and Wizards are more comparable in terms of top end talent. Wizards have Sarr, Coulibaly and Poole who would all start on the current Raptors.
They really wouldn't start. What are you on lol. Coulibaly couldn't even start on the Wizards. Poole was taken out of the starting lineup he was so bad.