I've been watching the 2024 NBA Draft class and it's been... weaker than usual

[NBASupes]

Right now, no tiers, just raw rankings so far: 

1. Reed Sheppard - Combination of Tyler Ulis and Tyler Herro. By far the best player in this draft. Unlike Ulis, his size and athleticism will translate to the NBA. His scoring and shooting definitely will. 

2. Ja'Kobe Walter - Ray Allen like scorer but he can actually defend. He's definitely either #1 or #2 in this class. 

3. Cody Williams - He's like a 35-pound lighter De'Andre Hunter on defense but offensively, he gives you a lot of Paul George upside. He's probably two years away from being where he will be physically and ability-wise but his upside makes him #3 overall for me. 

4. Nikola Topic - I really see him as Ricky Rubio who can shoot within the mid-range and close to the basket. Maybe can't shoot 3s but he can shoot middys. I see a legit starting PG. 

5. Ron Holland - After 4, it becomes role player and situational players draft for me. Ron is a taller Latrell Speewell without the polish. Some will compare him to Tari Eason. He doesn't play winning ball at all but he is extremely productive. I think he's too productive to fall out of the lottery but Eason and recently, Cam Whitmore has so teams are really avoiding the prototype of wings who can't play within a scheme with a passion seeing as those players have been either busts or overpaid, and became busts at insane rates. 

6. Alex Sarr - Scouts love him for his what if. He can defend all 5 positions. He can shoot a bit. He moves effortlessly. He can create his own basket to a degree. He basically looks like a potential better JJJ with self-offensive creation skills but he isn't good at basketball. He's not good on defense. He's way too light. Doesn't really have a position. He's probably a 4 long-term. He's the player that could just be massively better in 3 years but he could also be the same and just rotten on a bench somewhere. He's not productive at all. JJJ was at this stage. I said avoid Wiseman and I was right. I would avoid Sarr but I do like Sarr chances a lot more than Wiseman. He's extremely talented but I been bit by the extremely talented, non-productive bug before in Cam Reddish. Buyer beware. That said, Sarr doesn't have anywhere near the flaws Cam had. He's just not any good right now. 

7. Zaccharie Risacher - Big fan of Risacher as a 3/D wing with NBA athleticism and size. He can be a 2 or 3. He's probably the one I want most on the Hawks. He doesn't really have star upside but he could be a 18ppg scorer in an off-ball role. He's probably the one kid that really fits what we are lacking. Clearly #1 on my Hawks big board but should be #1 on several teams big board. 

8. Kyle Filipowski - He was my top guy on the Hawks big board at 15 last year and he's probably #2 this year at their current spot. He's gotten 10-15 pounds bigger. He's a 5. He's can score with ease although struggles to get an easy basket. Man, this kid can pass his ass off. Sengun like as a passer but better. Superior defender to Sabonis and Sengun. Great basketball mind. Needs a rim protector next to him at the next level but not a liability at all. He's an excellent fit next to OO. Still doesn't give us an easy scoring big but he fits what Quin's offense is to a T. Best passing center since Jokic. I would be shocked if he fell out of the top 10. 

9. Donovan Clingan - What I like about D. Clingan is he's just athletic enough to do what he does in college in the NBA. You are talking about a better-than-Vuc-level offensive player. Shooting will take time but he can play the PnR. Just impossible to guard in the paint, will remind you of Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. He can protect the paint too. Not really the best rim protector though. I love this kid but stamina is an issue. Probably a 26 mpg max player. For a star player, that might not be enough which is why I can see him sliding to the late lottery but he's a sure thing to me. He's one of the best at scoring an easy basket since Zion and likely better as his motor is superior. Stamina is an issue and likely will always be especially in the modern NBA. 

10.  Ryan Dunn - Best player left on the board. I only seen clips and he's probably going to be in my top 3 when it's all said and done. His athleticism and metrics SCREAM, Shawn Marion. 

After 10, it becomes a crapshoot. 

11. Collier - He's a really good player but no real strength for now. Some will compare him to Smart but he was a way better defender. 

12. Buzelis - Another what if player who's not close. His talent is real like Collier so I'll keep him here. 

13. Wagner - I like Wagner more than Dillingham even though Dillingham is better because Wagner has a lot of athletic traits I like, just like Maxey has plus the size (192). Wagner isn't the same quality of shooter Maxey was and that's where his bread will be buttered but Wagner is already a better PG than Maxey was at that time. Maxey is a better defender than Wagner was so Maxey is a tad better as a prospect over Wagner. 

14. Dillingham - He's a way better player than Wagner but he's 174 and plays like Monta Ellis. I don't know if he's more than a high-end 6th man but that worked for Tyler Herro and Rob is better than Herro, just nowhere close to the same level of shooter. 

15. Kevin McCullar - Best player left on the board

16. Terrance Shannon Jr. - Best player left on the board

17. Kel'el Ware - 3/D 5 but not much of a paint or rim protector. Good passer. He's a unique prospect. 

18. Tyler Smith - Potential. Clear potential. Could move up the board. 

The rest are clear as day, G-Leaguers. Some could be a lot more, most won't. 

[NBASupes]

Let's go Hawks

Edited December 24, 2023 by NBASupes

[Mikey]

This is a pretty good list of players though I dont necessarily agree with the order. This draft is filled with big wings/bigs that are very versatile. Hawks have to be all over one of those guys to pair with Jalen and Onyeka. Flip fits this team really well imo and would also be atop my hawks board. Kinda hope they keep both 24 picks

[Diesel]

I was hoping to get a look at Zvonimir Ivisic but I think he may be sick or something.   It's not a good look.  Still, I hope to see him play in the Spring. 

UK is Big Man Walmart. 

[NBASupes]

31 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I was hoping to get a look at Zvonimir Ivisic but I think he may be sick or something.   It's not a good look.  Still, I hope to see him play in the Spring. 

UK is Big Man Walmart. 

I think it's eligibility reasons. @AHF

[Diesel]

3 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

I think it's eligibility reasons. @AHF

Big Z sick...

Quote

 

“I’d rather him be with me, stay with me. But for him, the best thing for him is to get home. He needs to be around his family,” said Coach Cal.

Calipari also pointed to Z dropping from 242 pounds to 219 pounds, saying, “He’s not sleeping, he’s not eating.”

 

 

Some of it maybe a compliance issue.. But I think he may be sick too.. maybe homesick??

 

[terrell]

7 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Right now, no tiers, just raw rankings so far: 

1. Reed Sheppard - Combination of Tyler Ulis and Tyler Herro. By far the best player in this draft. Unlike Ulis, his size and athleticism will translate to the NBA. His scoring and shooting definitely will. 

2. Ja'Kobe Walter - Ray Allen like scorer but he can actually defend. He's definitely either #1 or #2 in this class. 

3. Cody Williams - He's like a 35-pound lighter De'Andre Hunter on defense but offensively, he gives you a lot of Paul George upside. He's probably two years away from being where he will be physically and ability-wise but his upside makes him #3 overall for me. 

4. Nikola Topic - I really see him as Ricky Rubio who can shoot within the mid-range and close to the basket. Maybe can't shoot 3s but he can shoot middys. I see a legit starting PG. 

5. Ron Holland - After 4, it becomes role player and situational players draft for me. Ron is a taller Latrell Speewell without the polish. Some will compare him to Tari Eason. He doesn't play winning ball at all but he is extremely productive. I think he's too productive to fall out of the lottery but Eason and recently, Cam Whitmore has so teams are really avoiding the prototype of wings who can't play within a scheme with a passion seeing as those players have been either busts or overpaid, and became busts at insane rates. 

6. Alex Sarr - Scouts love him for his what if. He can defend all 5 positions. He can shoot a bit. He moves effortlessly. He can create his own basket to a degree. He basically looks like a potential better JJJ with self-offensive creation skills but he isn't good at basketball. He's not good on defense. He's way too light. Doesn't really have a position. He's probably a 4 long-term. He's the player that could just be massively better in 3 years but he could also be the same and just rotten on a bench somewhere. He's not productive at all. JJJ was at this stage. I said avoid Wiseman and I was right. I would avoid Sarr but I do like Sarr chances a lot more than Wiseman. He's extremely talented but I been bit by the extremely talented, non-productive bug before in Cam Reddish. Buyer beware. That said, Sarr doesn't have anywhere near the flaws Cam had. He's just not any good right now. 

7. Zaccharie Risacher - Big fan of Risacher as a 3/D wing with NBA athleticism and size. He can be a 2 or 3. He's probably the one I want most on the Hawks. He doesn't really have star upside but he could be a 18ppg scorer in an off-ball role. He's probably the one kid that really fits what we are lacking. Clearly #1 on my Hawks big board but should be #1 on several teams big board. 

8. Kyle Filipowski - He was my top guy on the Hawks big board at 15 last year and he's probably #2 this year at their current spot. He's gotten 10-15 pounds bigger. He's a 5. He's can score with ease although struggles to get an easy basket. Man, this kid can pass his ass off. Sengun like as a passer but better. Superior defender to Sabonis and Sengun. Great basketball mind. Needs a rim protector next to him at the next level but not a liability at all. He's an excellent fit next to OO. Still doesn't give us an easy scoring big but he fits what Quin's offense is to a T. Best passing center since Jokic. I would be shocked if he fell out of the top 10. 

9. Donovan Clingan - What I like about D. Clingan is he's just athletic enough to do what he does in college in the NBA. You are talking about a better-than-Vuc-level offensive player. Shooting will take time but he can play the PnR. Just impossible to guard in the paint, will remind you of Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. He can protect the paint too. Not really the best rim protector though. I love this kid but stamina is an issue. Probably a 26 mpg max player. For a star player, that might not be enough which is why I can see him sliding to the late lottery but he's a sure thing to me. He's one of the best at scoring an easy basket since Zion and likely better as his motor is superior. Stamina is an issue and likely will always be especially in the modern NBA. 

10.  Ryan Dunn - Best player left on the board. I only seen clips and he's probably going to be in my top 3 when it's all said and done. His athleticism and metrics SCREAM, Shawn Marion. 

After 10, it becomes a crapshoot. 

11. Collier - He's a really good player but no real strength for now. Some will compare him to Smart but he was a way better defender. 

12. Buzelis - Another what if player who's not close. His talent is real like Collier so I'll keep him here. 

13. Wagner - I like Wagner more than Dillingham even though Dillingham is better because Wagner has a lot of athletic traits I like, just like Maxey has plus the size (192). Wagner isn't the same quality of shooter Maxey was and that's where his bread will be buttered but Wagner is already a better PG than Maxey was at that time. Maxey is a better defender than Wagner was so Maxey is a tad better as a prospect over Wagner. 

14. Dillingham - He's a way better player than Wagner but he's 174 and plays like Monta Ellis. I don't know if he's more than a high-end 6th man but that worked for Tyler Herro and Rob is better than Herro, just nowhere close to the same level of shooter. 

15. Kevin McCullar - Best player left on the board

16. Terrance Shannon Jr. - Best player left on the board

17. Kel'el Ware - 3/D 5 but not much of a paint or rim protector. Good passer. He's a unique prospect. 

18. Tyler Smith - Potential. Clear potential. Could move up the board. 

The rest are clear as day, G-Leaguers. Some could be a lot more, most won't. 

Clingan has a foot injury.. I Wont be able to watch him for a while.. I know you mentioned him a while ago. I ever got a chance to watch him much.. Hawks have to find a BIG this draft..

Filipowski been strugglin from 3, but he has a nice stroke and pretty good FT shooter..

And definitely a good passer..

You know his Wingspan? 

He looks like he has JC/Kevin Willis arms.. lol

[NBASupes]

3 hours ago, terrell said:

Clingan has a foot injury.. I Wont be able to watch him for a while.. I know you mentioned him a while ago. I ever got a chance to watch him much.. Hawks have to find a BIG this draft..

Filipowski been strugglin from 3, but he has a nice stroke and pretty good FT shooter..

And definitely a good passer..

You know his Wingspan? 

He looks like he has JC/Kevin Willis arms.. lol

I am not sure what's his wingspan. 

Yep, Donovan will be out for a minute. 

[NBASupes]

If I am the Hawks

9. I'll take Reed Sheppard. If he's on the board, I'm taking him at 1 or anywhere. 

If you ask me who's the superstar in this class in 4-5 years, it's easy. It's Reed. He's gonna need some time. I don't think he's someone you just throw into the starting 5 day 1 but he will be a starter sooner than later and he can fit our scheme with Quin. https://tankathon.com/players/compare?players=reed-sheppard--stephen-curry--trae-young--tyler-herro

24. Terrance Shannon Jr. - Highly productive, good player, comparable with Josh Hart https://tankathon.com/players/compare?players=terrence-shannon-jr--josh-hart--quentin-grimes

51. Zvonimir Ivisic - Diesel's guy. 

I don't see guys who are perfect fits for us. I like Zaccharie Risacher a lot. I think he might be a great fit for us. Especially at the 2 long term. I'll probably go the best player available with upside like we did last year for this scheme. Reed is just special long-term. 

 

I'll probably shoot a flyer to Ryan Kalkbrenner

 

[bird_dirt]

15 hours ago, NBASupes said:

If I am the Hawks

9. I'll take Reed Sheppard. If he's on the board, I'm taking him at 1 or anywhere. 

If you ask me who's the superstar in this class in 4-5 years, it's easy. It's Reed. He's gonna need some time. I don't think he's someone you just throw into the starting 5 day 1 but he will be a starter sooner than later and he can fit our scheme with Quin. https://tankathon.com/players/compare?players=reed-sheppard--stephen-curry--trae-young--tyler-herro

24. Terrance Shannon Jr. - Highly productive, good player, comparable with Josh Hart https://tankathon.com/players/compare?players=terrence-shannon-jr--josh-hart--quentin-grimes

51. Zvonimir Ivisic - Diesel's guy. 

I don't see guys who are perfect fits for us. I like Zaccharie Risacher a lot. I think he might be a great fit for us. Especially at the 2 long term. I'll probably go the best player available with upside like we did last year for this scheme. Reed is just special long-term. 

 

I'll probably shoot a flyer to Ryan Kalkbrenner

 

I think you’re overselling Reed big time. 
I really like him, but I don’t think he’s even a top ten pick. He won’t even be the first PG from UK selected. 
 

UK is stacked, and there won’t be enough room for him to shine bright enough to work his way into the top 10 of the draft. 

 

On 12/24/2023 at 6:37 PM, NBASupes said:

I think it's eligibility reasons. @AHF

It is. Hoping to get an answer from NCAA in January. Given UK’s history with this, I’m not holding my breath. 

[terrell]

On 12/24/2023 at 11:58 AM, NBASupes said:

Right now, no tiers, just raw rankings so far: 

1. Reed Sheppard - Combination of Tyler Ulis and Tyler Herro. By far the best player in this draft. Unlike Ulis, his size and athleticism will translate to the NBA. His scoring and shooting definitely will. 

2. Ja'Kobe Walter - Ray Allen like scorer but he can actually defend. He's definitely either #1 or #2 in this class. 

3. Cody Williams - He's like a 35-pound lighter De'Andre Hunter on defense but offensively, he gives you a lot of Paul George upside. He's probably two years away from being where he will be physically and ability-wise but his upside makes him #3 overall for me. 

4. Nikola Topic - I really see him as Ricky Rubio who can shoot within the mid-range and close to the basket. Maybe can't shoot 3s but he can shoot middys. I see a legit starting PG. 

5. Ron Holland - After 4, it becomes role player and situational players draft for me. Ron is a taller Latrell Speewell without the polish. Some will compare him to Tari Eason. He doesn't play winning ball at all but he is extremely productive. I think he's too productive to fall out of the lottery but Eason and recently, Cam Whitmore has so teams are really avoiding the prototype of wings who can't play within a scheme with a passion seeing as those players have been either busts or overpaid, and became busts at insane rates. 

6. Alex Sarr - Scouts love him for his what if. He can defend all 5 positions. He can shoot a bit. He moves effortlessly. He can create his own basket to a degree. He basically looks like a potential better JJJ with self-offensive creation skills but he isn't good at basketball. He's not good on defense. He's way too light. Doesn't really have a position. He's probably a 4 long-term. He's the player that could just be massively better in 3 years but he could also be the same and just rotten on a bench somewhere. He's not productive at all. JJJ was at this stage. I said avoid Wiseman and I was right. I would avoid Sarr but I do like Sarr chances a lot more than Wiseman. He's extremely talented but I been bit by the extremely talented, non-productive bug before in Cam Reddish. Buyer beware. That said, Sarr doesn't have anywhere near the flaws Cam had. He's just not any good right now. 

7. Zaccharie Risacher - Big fan of Risacher as a 3/D wing with NBA athleticism and size. He can be a 2 or 3. He's probably the one I want most on the Hawks. He doesn't really have star upside but he could be a 18ppg scorer in an off-ball role. He's probably the one kid that really fits what we are lacking. Clearly #1 on my Hawks big board but should be #1 on several teams big board. 

8. Kyle Filipowski - He was my top guy on the Hawks big board at 15 last year and he's probably #2 this year at their current spot. He's gotten 10-15 pounds bigger. He's a 5. He's can score with ease although struggles to get an easy basket. Man, this kid can pass his ass off. Sengun like as a passer but better. Superior defender to Sabonis and Sengun. Great basketball mind. Needs a rim protector next to him at the next level but not a liability at all. He's an excellent fit next to OO. Still doesn't give us an easy scoring big but he fits what Quin's offense is to a T. Best passing center since Jokic. I would be shocked if he fell out of the top 10. 

9. Donovan Clingan - What I like about D. Clingan is he's just athletic enough to do what he does in college in the NBA. You are talking about a better-than-Vuc-level offensive player. Shooting will take time but he can play the PnR. Just impossible to guard in the paint, will remind you of Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. He can protect the paint too. Not really the best rim protector though. I love this kid but stamina is an issue. Probably a 26 mpg max player. For a star player, that might not be enough which is why I can see him sliding to the late lottery but he's a sure thing to me. He's one of the best at scoring an easy basket since Zion and likely better as his motor is superior. Stamina is an issue and likely will always be especially in the modern NBA. 

10.  Ryan Dunn - Best player left on the board. I only seen clips and he's probably going to be in my top 3 when it's all said and done. His athleticism and metrics SCREAM, Shawn Marion. 

After 10, it becomes a crapshoot. 

11. Collier - He's a really good player but no real strength for now. Some will compare him to Smart but he was a way better defender. 

12. Buzelis - Another what if player who's not close. His talent is real like Collier so I'll keep him here. 

13. Wagner - I like Wagner more than Dillingham even though Dillingham is better because Wagner has a lot of athletic traits I like, just like Maxey has plus the size (192). Wagner isn't the same quality of shooter Maxey was and that's where his bread will be buttered but Wagner is already a better PG than Maxey was at that time. Maxey is a better defender than Wagner was so Maxey is a tad better as a prospect over Wagner. 

14. Dillingham - He's a way better player than Wagner but he's 174 and plays like Monta Ellis. I don't know if he's more than a high-end 6th man but that worked for Tyler Herro and Rob is better than Herro, just nowhere close to the same level of shooter. 

15. Kevin McCullar - Best player left on the board

16. Terrance Shannon Jr. - Best player left on the board

17. Kel'el Ware - 3/D 5 but not much of a paint or rim protector. Good passer. He's a unique prospect. 

18. Tyler Smith - Potential. Clear potential. Could move up the board. 

The rest are clear as day, G-Leaguers. Some could be a lot more, most won't. 

You can take Terrance Shannon Jr off this list.. smh

 

[NBASupes]

 

[terrell]

1 hour ago, NBASupes said:

 

Hawks are picking 7th right now.. Crazy

Tankathon has this guy going 7th.. lol

Edited December 31, 2023 by terrell

[terrell]

1 hour ago, NBASupes said:

 

All Kentucky draft?

This guy and Aaron Bradshaw? lol

 

[NBASupes]

8 minutes ago, terrell said:

Hawks are picking 7th right now.. Crazy

Tankathon has this guy going 7th.. lol

He's insane. Just wait till his year 4. He might one of the best in the NBA. He's the great white hope. His daddy was the king of Fayette County hoops in the 90s. 

 

I haven't seen anything like him. He's generational. 

Edited December 31, 2023 by NBASupes

[NBASupes]

While Bobi doesn't have a role in the NBA. He's kinda promising as a developmental big wing. 

 

 

[shakes]

This might be the worst draft class in history.   The fact that people are talking about Collier going #1 solidifies that.

[AHF]

Reed Sheppard has been a delight for UK but I can’t see him getting near the top pick.  

[Sothron]

So in my head and not using google the worst drafts in talent (not talking about drug use ruining careers) was 2000 and whichever draft had Anthony Bennett as #1 in it. 

This 2024 draft class looks very weak. That white kid from Kentucky looks like a shorter Alex Caruso, a fun kid no doubt to watch play, but the fact he's now a 6-10 projected pick speaks VOLUMES about this draft.

[RedDawg#8]

Doesn’t matter how weak the draft looks some of yall will still be loosing your minds come draft night that we didn’t trade up in to the top 5 to select your fave prospect.