2023 NBA Draft Prelude

[casimir]

Its taken a lot of hard work, but the Pistons are finally on top.

[RandyMarsh]

1 minute ago, casimir said:

Its taken a lot of hard work, but the Pistons are finally on top.

Atta boy Casey! 

[Deleterious]

Six first round picks in the last 3 years.  4 of those were lottery picks.  They still cant win 25% of their games.

[casimir]

Just now, Deleterious said:

Six first round picks in the last 3 years.  4 of those were lottery picks.  They still cant win 25% of their games.

Yeah, there are no excuses next season, save for a glut of injuries.  It should be playoffs or regime change.

[buddha]

i'd rather be us than houston...for what's that worth.

btw, the defensive ratings with two of bagley/wiseman/duren/stewart on the floor together are abysmal.  i dont see the games so i cant really comment if that passes the eye test.

[RandyMarsh]

Houston does have alot of draft capital atleast from the Harden trade right or is it just pick swaps that are left?

[buddha]

26 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

Houston does have alot of draft capital atleast from the Harden trade right or is it just pick swaps that are left?

they do have a lot of draft capital.  i forgot about that.

of course, they are talking about bringing harden back...

[Deleterious]

Silas makes Casey look like Pop when it comes to coaching.  A lot of talent in Houston that just needs some proper coaching to bring it out.  Trying to turn KPJ into a PG is dumb.  He, along with Green, would be great secondary facilitators but neither are #1 PG's.  As constructed, the offense should run through Sengun.  Or go out and get a real PG.

 

[buddha]

19 minutes ago, Deleterious said:

Silas makes Casey look like Pop when it comes to coaching.  A lot of talent in Houston that just needs some proper coaching to bring it out.  Trying to turn KPJ into a PG is dumb.  He, along with Green, would be great secondary facilitators but neither are #1 PG's.  As constructed, the offense should run through Sengun.  Or go out and get a real PG.

 

what do you think of jabari?

[Deleterious]

6 minutes ago, buddha said:

what do you think of jabari?

He is their Killian Hayes.  

[Deleterious]

Givony released a new mock.

Victor

Scoot

Miller

Amen Thompson

Ausar Thompson

Jarace Walker

Nick Smith Jr.

Cam Whitmore

Keyonte George

Anthony Black

 

[Deleterious]

Givony on Emoni Bates.

Quote

Bates wasn't able to get Eastern Michigan into the MAC tournament, as his team went 5-13 in conference play and 8-23 overall, meaning his season ended March 3. Bates had some moments, dropping a combined 66 points against South Carolina and Michigan, but was more or less a net negative in conference play He posted a paltry 49% true shooting percentage with far more turnovers than assists and while being a sieve defensively, often looking like he was barely trying while playing selfish basketball.

This probably wasn't what NBA scouts or Bates envisioned when he elected to transfer from Memphis last spring, and he has work ahead of him now to be a sure-fire draft pick if he enters. Standing 6-9 and having just turned 19 years old in late January, Bates' tough shot-making prowess and overall scoring instincts hold some appeal, but he plays such a losing brand of basketball on both ends of the floor, making him a relatively tough sell.

 

[Shinzaki]

Saw Emoni play against Bowling Green.  EMU was horrible and he was so sick he was throwing g up on the bench...so...tough to judge

[Deleterious]

Vecenie did a big board.  He said Victor and Scoot are tier 1.  His tier 2 goes down to #10 or #11.

https://theathletic.com/4282988/2023/03/09/nba-draft-big-board-2023-wembanyama-whitmore/

1	Victor Wembanyama	Metropolitans 92	C	19	7-4
2	Scoot Henderson	G League Ignite	G	19	6-2
3	Brandon Miller	Alabama	F	20	6-9
4	Amen Thompson	Overtime Elite	G	20	6-7
5	Cam Whitmore	Villanova	W	18	6-7
6	Ausar Thompson	Overtime Elite	W	20	6-7
7	Jarace Walker	Houston	F	19	6-8
8	Anthony Black	Arkansas	G/W	19	6-7
9	Gradey Dick	Kansas	W	19	6-7
10	Cason Wallace	Kentucky	G	19

[RandyMarsh]

Which means we will be picking 3rd. 

[NYLion]

18 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

Which means we will be picking 3rd. 

That's fine. This draft is a Big 3 as far as I'm concerned and Miller is a far better fit for the Pistons than Scoot anyway and I think he has a higher floor. It gets a little dicey after Miller but the Thompson twins (Ausar in particular), Walker and Whitmore are good fits for the Pistons. The positive of this draft is that the top prospects are almost all wings which is the biggest need so they're in a good spot.

Edited March 10, 2023 by NYLion

[Deleterious]

Yeah, three would be a huge disappointment.  

I think you consider trading back if you end up at #3.  You can get the same player at 9 or 10 that you can at 3.  Might as well get a pick or other assets out of it.

[1984Echoes]

If we end up at #2 and pick Scoot...

You start:

Scoot at PG, Ivey at SG, Cade at SF, and then see what happens...

IMO.

[Hongbit]

I’m curious to know who’s going to be coaching them.  

[RandyMarsh]

https://theathletic.com/4280151/2023/03/07/pistons-nba-draft-future/

Lengthy article with Vecenie talking to Edwards. Brings up a number of different things including what the Pistons should do with 2. He says just draft Scoot and worry about things after. Also said he likes the Pistons future more than the other bottom 4 teams(tallest little person I guess). But he closed with this, which is very encouraging. 

"If the Pistons get lucky and end up with another top-two pick, they’re going to be incredibly well-positioned long-term to potentially be a title contender. But even with a pick in the No. 3 to No. 6 range, the Cunningham-Ivey backcourt combo along with the other younger players should allow the Pistons to have the kind of ceiling that you tear it all down like this for."

Edited March 10, 2023 by RandyMarsh

[1984Echoes]

If it's the #3 pick and the Pistons are fine with Miller after doing a full investigation on his character...

I'll take his deadeye shooting which is a major, major area of need for the Pistons... and he's also a SF, which fits with Cade & Ivey...

And hope he both shoots the lights out as well as keeps his nose clean...

Just my 2 cents.

[Deleterious]

20 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

https://theathletic.com/4280151/2023/03/07/pistons-nba-draft-future/

Lengthy article with Vecenie talking to Edwards. Brings up a number of different things including what the Pistons should do with 2. He says just draft Scoot and worry about things after. Also said he likes the Pistons future more than the other bottom 4 teams(tallest little person I guess). But he closed with this, which is very encouraging. 

"If the Pistons get lucky and end up with another top-two pick, they’re going to be incredibly well-positioned long-term to potentially be a title contender. But even with a pick in the No. 3 to No. 6 range, the Cunningham-Ivey backcourt combo along with the other younger players should allow the Pistons to have the kind of ceiling that you tear it all down like this for."

Scoot ends up as the best player in this class when its said and done.  

Although, we probably shouldn't listen to Vecenie when it comes to Ivey or Scoot.  As much as I like Sam, he is infatuated with athletic guards.  He had Suggs as the #2 player on his board that year.

Quote

Vecenie: This is a no-brainer to me. I draft Scoot and play it out for a year. Miller is terrific, and I see him as a genuine No. 3 in this class. But Henderson is special. He went toe-to-toe with Wembanyama earlier this year and came out on top, with the Ignite winning the game against Metropolitans 92 behind Henderson’s 28 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Henderson was talking the whole game, on a mission to prove himself as the best player in the class. He’s a competitor, the kind of guy who lifts your level night-in, night-out. Wembanyama is going to go to No. 1 because you can’t pass on the 7-foot-4 guy who can block shots, shoot 3s and break players down off the bounce. But I completely buy Henderson coming into whatever organization he’s a part of and setting the tone for everyone in a positive way.

And all of this is on top of the fact Henderson’s built like a strong safety and has the body control and balance of a running back. He separates from his man with ease and can break defenders in isolation. He’s outstanding in ball screens. He’s a terrific passer and playmaker. He’s a great finisher at the rim and a strong midrange scorer. I would expect he’ll have an impact similar to what Morant had as a rookie in Memphis. I don’t think you pass a guy like this up due to “concerns about fit.” The Pistons aren’t good enough to be making concessions like that at this point. They need to find superstars. They might have one or two in Ivey and Cunningham depending on how those two develop moving forward. But there is enough uncertainty about how good exactly the two of them are that you have to take the most talented player and give yourself more outs and find the true franchise-changer the Pistons need.

 

[RandyMarsh]

1 hour ago, Deleterious said:

Scoot ends up as the best player in this class when its said and done.  

Although, we probably shouldn't listen to Vecenie when it comes to Ivey or Scoot.  As much as I like Sam, he is infatuated with athletic guards.  He had Suggs as the #2 player on his board that year.

 

No concern with his outside shot? I mean I have to take the scouts word that he is not only in the top tier this class but likely would be a number 1 pick in almost any other class but I just see 6'2 with a below average jump shot(as of now) and I just wonder how that translate to the current NBA. Morant has made it work as did prime Westbrook and Rose but they seem to be outliers and does Scoot have the explosion that either of them 2 have/had? 

Those comparisons are moot of course if there is belief that his jumper will be just fine which is why I'm asking.

[NYLion]

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

If it's the #3 pick and the Pistons are fine with Miller after doing a full investigation on his character...

I'll take his deadeye shooting which is a major, major area of need for the Pistons... and he's also a SF, which fits with Cade & Ivey...

And hope he both shoots the lights out as well as keeps his nose clean...

Just my 2 cents.

Yeah, it's all about the off the court stuff with Miller. If all his off the court issues check out then I think he's pretty clearly the #3 player in this draft and fits seamlessly into what the Pistons need.

[Deleterious]

9 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

No concern with his outside shot? I mean I have to take the scouts word that he is not only in the top tier this class but likely would be a number 1 pick in almost any other class but I just see 6'2 with a below average jump shot(as of now) and I just wonder how that translate to the current NBA. Morant has made it work as did prime Westbrook and Rose but they seem to be outliers and does Scoot have the explosion that either of them 2 have/had? 

Those comparisons are moot of course if there is belief that his jumper will be just fine which is why I'm asking.

A lot of concern about his jump shot, especially with that lower FT%.  But he possesses elite skills you cant teach and most think you can teach shooting.  Fox is another guy who is making it work without shooting, but lets see how he does in the playoffs first.