March Madness Preview + Early NBA Draft Talk with Dallin

Dallin joins the show as we dive into March Madness and break down the players we’re watching closest. We talk standout prospects, risers throughout the tournament, and what this all means for the upcoming NBA Draft. 

We also put together an early, fluid mock draft and discuss which players could see their stock change the most in the coming weeks. 

A great listen for anyone locked into college basketball and NBA draft conversations. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Welcome back to the warm-up, everybody. Joining us today is Dallin. Dallin, how are you doing? I'm good, man. How are you? I'm good, man. Can't complain. It's March. It's sunny outside. The weather's best month of the year. It's my father's birthday as well. Um, but yeah, we Dallin and I decided to just uh get on, talk about some players to watch going into March Madness. Um a lot all NBA prospects that we project going in the first round in this year's draft, a couple other players just to watch during the tournament. Um so yeah, let's get into it. Um so March Madness, you know, is a tournament that um it's been going on for centuries and centuries. So like when we start evaluating like these players, like it's not because they're the they have the best team, it's because they're the best player, right? And I think that's that's hard for like a lot of people to to like uh differentiate. So yeah, so Dall and I both made uh kind of like mock drafts of like where we think these players should be at, uh, if the draft were to be tonight. But this is fluid, all fluid. Um, stuff is gonna change during the tournament. These are just players and obvious players to watch during the tournament. So Dallin, who's the number one player we should be watching in this tournament?

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Um, my number one as far as NBA guys go right now is AJ DeBanza. Um it's it's changed a little bit back and forth. The thing that stands out to me is he just keeps improving. Uh since, I mean, even since December, he's improved drastically as a three-point shooter, improved as a creator for his teammates, and really stepped up to fill the role that Richie Saunders um was in. Richie Saunders was their second best player before he tore his ACL about halfway through the year. He's a high-level shot maker, he has positional size, and he is 100% uh what you want in an NBA draft prospect.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Yeah, yeah. No, I same. I got AJ right now going one. Um if the draft repeat tonight, he's my number one player to watch in the tournament. I think kind of for the same reasons that you alluded to. Um, they're they don't have the best team, but this guy, like, we knew he would be a great score uh coming into college. But for me, it's like the other things, it's like the defense and the playmaking ability, like that's really taken a step over the college season. I didn't, to be honest, think he would have that this early. Um, I think he floated with a couple triple doubles over the last like month of the year, and he's absolutely unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Um so he had an incredible Big 12 tournament scoring. I mean, set records that were set by Kevin Durant. He I've seen a lot of people say that he is the best wing scoring prospect since Kevin Durant. Uh, I think people are really excited about his potential shooting the ball at all three levels.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

So is it his like positional size for you that is like very eye-catching? Like, if you're if you have the number one pick um in the NBA draft, like is it because he's like the 6'9 rangy forward that Loki could probably play the shooting guard, um, but could also play and defend fours in the NBA? Like, what is it besides his obvious shot making, or maybe it is as an elite shot making that makes him decide for you?

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Uh there's no question he's an elite offensive prospect, and that's like the first thing that comes to mind. But the way that the NBA is going uh from a style standpoint, positional size is something that every team is wanting. Uh, it's something that everybody is copying the thunder with, to be honest. And you have to have the ability to hold your own defending multiple positions. And that's something that I think comes up with some of these other prospects as we go down the list is is this player uh an archetype that fits the direction that the league is going? And it certainly helps AJ stock that he can play two or three at his size and defend at his size. He can probably defend two through four. That's a big deal for NBA teams.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

I think for me too, um he like just has like a dog ass mentality where like he really wants it, like he wants to be the best player. He like you could tell he he knows how good he is and he shows it every night. Um, I'm with you. Like a lot of people saying, like, there's no generational player in this draft. Um, there's no Wembenyama, there's no LeBron. I agree to a certain point, but like I think AJ could be just as good as Kay Cunningham's, the Anthony Edwards, and there's and they're blossoming before our eyes this season. I just think, like you said, like where the NBA is going, this guy is a rangy forward to shoot. If he gets that three ball up to 37% in the NBA, I mean, to be honest with you, I really think he'll be unguardable because his mid-range jumper is elite. Um, and his like playmaking skills are kind of ahead of schedule.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

And improved, vastly improved over the course of the season.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Yeah, it's like super impressive to watch. So I'm just I'm sitting back, and um my number like I was going back and forth with him and Darren Peterson because coming into the year I thought it was Darren, and I think I if you're taking the number one overall pick, you take for like if it's this close, you take the safer, more reliable pick. But that's why there's March Madness, a lot can change. So, with that being said, do you have Darren Peterson too? I don't, I put Cam Boozer at two. Okay, so I have Darren Peterson. Let's talk about so Cam Boozer, because I'm a Duke fan, like I'm a huge Duke fan. So, like Cam Boozer, I think, is the most NBA ready player out of e including AJ Devanster. Like, I think we're gonna look at Cam Boozer in like summer league in the first like half of the season of the NBA, we're gonna be like, oh, that guy could play basketball, like his footwork's elite, his pass again, these kids and their playmaking skills, this young is just super impressive. Um, a lot of people, and then going to Darren Peterson, like his thing, like we all know he's skilled, an offensive guy, a two-way guy. His thing is just the health and the motor aspect and all these politics. Like, so tell me why you why why Cameron and and not Darren.

SPEAKER_02 7:04

So my my take with Cam Boozer right now is that I think he has the how would I say this? I say that he has the highest floor out of these top three guys, where he's an incredibly skilled mismatch creator. Uh he finds a way to get the shots that he knows he can get at a high efficiency. Uh he's been shooting over 40% from three recently. Like he takes a very high IQ, like he has a high IQ shot diet and he's very mature for what he is. He's very built for his age. And I think that while I I mean, I would say that Darren Peterson certainly has a higher ceiling as a player long term, but it's more of a gamble where when you look at Cam Boozer, and if I was a team like the Pacers and I'm trying to compete next year, Cam Boozer is gonna have a bigger Cam Boozer is gonna have a bigger impact October than some of these other guys will. Not necessarily saying he's gonna be your 1A guy, but if he can be your third option scorer and have 10 boards a game, like we're talking about a really impactful player at the NBA level. And sometimes sometimes you're not looking for LeBron when you're drafting in the lottery, you're looking for somebody that's gonna help you win games. And Boozer wins basketball games, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Before we take it a little too far, I mean, a lot of people don't watch um college basketball, they're like strictly NBA. Um, we didn't give like a comp for AJ Devasta. Like, what would you say, like, not to put you on the spot, like what would you say his comp would be um like right now or right now and or his like ceiling could be well, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

Because I I actually think he can be a solid defender, yeah. So dang, put me on the spot. I didn't have one.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

I mean, no, you gotta, I mean, for me, like I could go because like for me, it's like it's you're getting TMAC with the offense, but I really think he could be like a Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant defender where like he's not your primary, but he's not no slouch at defense either. And that's kind of been my thought process with him from the beginning. But yeah, what's your thought?

SPEAKER_02 9:36

I one thing I would think is kind of a mixture of the two Celtic stars, maybe like uh like a Jason Tatum on offense, Jalen Brown on defense uh type of player. Yeah, um, that's a better conf, honestly. I mean, sometimes I think I think player confs are hard because you want him to be his own just AJ player. Um, I mean that's a pretty high ceiling. That's yeah, NBA All-Stars Finals MVPs, yeah. But uh that's like the type of player, the type of role I would put him in.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Okay, cool. And then yeah, I'm with you. Like Cam Boozer, like I mean, I've been going back and forth, him and Darren at two for the longest, and I really think um it's gonna be circumstantial. Like, I think it just depends on who has the number two pick. Um, for purposes just watching March Madness, Cam Boozer, I think, has been the best player in the country from the start. They've he's been on the best team, they're top four in defense, top what, four in offense as well, I think.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

Pretty pretty much everything, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Like, and he and he's the head of it. Um, if you look at his numbers compared to Cooper Flags last year and Duke, damn near identical. His efficiency is obviously gonna be higher because he's a better. But I mean, so what you're saying, like he is like a 40% shooter, his footwork is just absolutely insane. And I think I think what something to watch in the tournament was he's always found himself to take his game up another level in these high state games. Like, if you watch him in high school, they would be down a lot of the times at the second quarter, and like something just switched, and he would just demand the ball, and he'll come out of these games with like 30 and 20, and 30 and and 15, like he's really dominant inside, and then to be honest, I didn't see this three-point shooting to be this efficient this early. I always thought he would add like the Kevin Love-ish archetype where he's super gifted down low, but he could uh pop out and hit the three. But this is his form looks great, like you said, like and he's hit and he's knocking him down. So I agree.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

He's he's mature for sure. I'd say my my question with him is is he like he's not the high-level athlete, yeah, that like some of these guys around him are like we talk about Caleb Wilson, Darren Peterson. Those guys like make their money on just being incredibly explosive, and that's something that Cam Boozer isn't always. Uh, so that's something to watch, something that people might care about.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Yeah, I mean that that that is has been his thing. Like, is he that athlete for the NBA? I mean, what I'd say to that, I think if you're skill enough, you're gonna be on the court regardless. Um like he's not like you're not saying he's not athletic, but he's not like that. You know what I mean? He's not a freak of nature, he's not a yeah, he's not an Anthony Edwards, just one a men Thompson, just a SAR twin, you know what I mean? Yeah, type of thing.

SPEAKER_02 12:55

He's more of a bruiser, like really good footwork, like get it out the mud type of guy.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Yeah. All right. So I had Darren two. Um I had Darren three. Okay, so perfect. Okay, cool, cool. So Darren for me. Oh, actually, give me your thoughts on Darren. Give me your thoughts on Darren.

SPEAKER_02 13:17

Um, I uh my thing with Darren, he is great range, uh, and he has positional size at his position, especially when you talk about his wingspan. So that's something that I think is very valuable. He uh makes his like his thing is he is incredibly explosive. Like he is at his best, he's uh rocking the changes changes pace sorry, change of pace in transition. Uh he can get to the rim incredibly well. He can dunk on people. I mean, he is super, super fun to watch. Uh the uh concerning thing is that he's had all these soft tissue injuries as an explosive athlete. So part of what makes him awesome is um like his uh his his explosiveness and his quickness. So is that gonna be affected by uh his injuries? And I don't just I just don't think we're gonna know until uh the the combine or until teams get to look at him. But uh I mean we can watch this weekend, we'll see how much he plays, see how he looks. If he uh makes like if he leaves Kansas on a run in this weekend, like we might be talking about him back at number one because he certainly has the talent to be there.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Yeah, I mean, for me, has nothing to do with what he does on the floor, it's how often he's on the floor, you know what I mean? Like he had he has everything, he has the shot, he has the motor to an extent, I would say. Um the athleticism, I wouldn't say he's in that one percent athlete, but he is a much better athlete than a camboozer, um, and and to his peers. But I think for me, like especially going into the tournament, when they had that game against uh BYU early on, BYU at the time didn't have the best roster, but it was viewed as oh, I think BYU should be winning this game. And the amount of control that Darren took in that game, it was felt off the screen from at home. It was seen on the court, like he made that game personal, and I think he had what 22 points in the first half, and I don't know, and then sat out um in the second half against BYU, but it was abundantly clear who the better player was on the court that night. And I think for me, when you get into March Manus one and done, I love that for a guy like Darren because his competitive nature is always gonna come out. So you're to the comment about like his the soft tissue injuries. I think comparing him to where he was just last year in high school, he's putting on a lot of weight, a lot of muscle. Like he looks way bigger. I think that might have something to do with it, kind of like Paulo Ben Caro has where he's just cramping all the time, hamstring injuries. So you get a little nervous, like projecting to the NBA, like, oh, will he figure it out? I would I would believe he figures it out for sure, but just talking about going into the tournament. I mean, if he's not feeling 100% right, he might just call it. That would just suck for all of us fans because we all know the type of player you know he is. So we just have to wait and see. Yeah, you got any anything else on Darren? I don't. I'm excited to watch him play. Yeah, me too. Oh, hopefully, just plays, right? Just on the court playing, like not on the last seat with the coaching chair. The street clothes, the street clothes. So at four, for me, this player's not in the tournament. Oh, because he's injured, yeah. And I just wanted to talk about him real quick. Yeah, and that and that's Caleb Wilson. So Caleb Wilson, North Carolina power forward. This guy was the most excited about to see coming into the draft. I just thought, or coming into the uh March Madness, and unfortunately he's sidelined with the what broken thumb. Broken right thumb, I believe. And he got that by coming back from an injury on his other hand. So it's just like he he's one of those players where like he didn't do anything, like he wasn't talked about in the top three, like uh previous three we talked about, but he's the type of player, oh, it's play, it's playoff time, let's go. Like, I'm showing you everything now. Like, here's everything I can do, and he's like, he has that mentality. So for me, I just wanted to say it's just super unfortunate we won't see Caleb Wilson in the tournament because I'm a huge fan of Caleb Wilson. And I mean as well. As you can see, I probably would pick him fourth going into the draft. All right, who do you got it? So, who do you got at your truth for?

SPEAKER_02 18:16

Well, I I had Caleb Wilson at four. Oh, okay. Um as well. And then at number five, I had Keaton Waggler.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

So now we're Keaton Waggler. Okay, so this is where we're gonna get different. And you've been high on Waggler for a minute now. In the chats, we I like Waggler a lot, so give it to me.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

So um Waggler's one of the best shooters here at the top. He's definitely uh has better range than some of these other guys. He's just an incredible shot maker. Like when you watch his tape, you're just like, how the hell did he make that? Like, how did he even get that shot off? Yeah, so he's incredible to watch for. I think that he has good footwork for what his position is. He has good size, he's like a sacred uh shooting guard, maybe some point guard potential. Um I like how mature he is with his decision making late in the game. Illinois had some like kind of up and down, but I've like Waggler. I do think um he needs to get a little bit bigger. Uh like he gets he can get a little, he can push around a little bit, but I think he has just incredible potential as a shooter, shooting 40% from three on really high volume right now. So I'm excited to see what he can do.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

Yeah, I mean, I love um like I think you hinted at it earlier, like his defensive upside, on how he can kind of disrupt the game on just the defensive end, and just he really uses the size a lot, which I love. Um, like you said, the shot making is absolutely crazy, and he's playing for an Illinois team that has not a lot of shot making, but he creates the like the majority of it.

SPEAKER_02 20:14

He's averaging 18, 5, and 4.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Yeah, like he's he's he's insane. Like, and I think that's why I'm excited about him going to the tournament. Like, can he take his game to another level? And if he can, I mean, like, I mean, there he is at five, right? Like, and I think that's just another gonna be circumstantial pick. Like, I think you've talked about it a lot, like Utah Jazz get the fifth pick, like and put that guy next to Keontae Source and have at it, like, there's your top five team next year in the West. Like, so yeah, no, I'm with you. I'm I'm with I'm with you. Like, I'm super excited to see what Wild does. Who did you have for five? I got the hottest show in town, baby. And I don't, I know what you're thinking. I'm I'm just going for the hype. No, no, no, no, no, no. I've been high on Acuff for a little bit before the hype um came around. But I mean, I think when we the first thing I feel like when people talk about Darius Acuff is his kind of his size. And a lot of people have Kingston Flemings, which we'll, I'm sure we'll get into him later, um, as like a better prospect, better player to watch. And they'll say because of his height, it's like a big difference. Well, Flemings is only an inch taller than Acuff. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 21:39

So for me, it's like how tall he actually is at the combine.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

I know some of these guys who knows.

unknown 21:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

But for me, like with A Cup, like to be the first player in college basketball history to go 44% from three, um, average six. Six or more assists and averaged 20 or more points. Like, that means something. And his coach, uh, Calipari, like, he this is a guy that's had Maxie, Booker, Shea Gilgis, Kasen Wallace. Like, he's had all these guards. And yet Acuff, I think, is the best guard he's ever had, to be honest with you, at the college level. Not projecting to the NBA, but like when I watch Acuff and in his first um uh conference play tournament, he drops 30 points and 12 assists. Like, he was wearing a boot for the last week and a half. Like, this is a guy who is probably the best playmaker in the top six, would you say?

SPEAKER_02 22:45

It's arguable. Uh yeah, I I have him at six right behind Keaton Waggler.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

So yeah, not far off where you have but but but like as a playmaker, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

He is certainly super high IQ. He does a really good job of creating shots for his teammates, creating high percentage shots. Yeah, so that's that's big for him.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Yeah, and then like I just think like when I watch him, I just think a dane, like step kind of combo, like with the shot making. Like he could come off a curl screen, he could come off horns, he could come off, um, he could play the pick and roll. Like he can he can score in every facet of the game, which is super exciting when uh when it's one and done elimination march madness um play. Like, I think he could just totally take a game over with his offense alone. So I'm super excited to watch Darius Acup in the time.

SPEAKER_02 23:40

He is certainly one that could increase his stock. My question is um with A Cup is kind of like his archetype, like is the 6-3 point guard that is not a good defender, um, at least right now, what we've seen so far. Yeah, like his defensive playmaking compared to other guys in the top 10 is just not there. Um is that a position that is at a premium at the NBA level? We just saw Trey Young get traded for pennies on the dollar, yeah. Where he's obviously an incredible offensive player, he can fill it up, he can average 12 assists per game, but our NBA teams just gonna hunt him down and create mismatches every time.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:31

So, I mean, that's something that you have to ask yourself. I mean, if you get to the playoffs and you have this type of player on the court at all times, uh, what's your what's your ceiling?

SPEAKER_00 24:42

Right. Especially like, I mean, when when when you're picking in the top six, seven, like, and in a deepest draft is this, you get that pick wrong. Like, that's your job on the line, like you said. That that that's a good point, because like he is I I'll just say it, he's a shitty ass defender. Like, he is not good at defense right now, and and it's it's not even like he's not even competent. So you're right, like, as we talked about with AJ and Darren, and even Cam, like all these guys play defense, all these players have positional size. So, oh, and even Caleb Wilson is not in the tournament, like, these are all big forward guards, and then you can look at Darius, it's like, yeah, like like you said, Trey Young, who could do everything Darius could do, just got traded for nothing. Like, look around Cam Thomas, who the Brooklyn Nets don't have anything, he got waived, like like these small guards that aren't super fast and aren't athletic, like they they're struggling right now in the league. So that I'm with you 100%. So who do you have is what we on six? I had a cuff six, I have Kingston Flemings seven. Cool, so same. So we both have Flemings at seven, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:04

Flemings, I think so. He doesn't have the shooting range that A Cuff has, but he has the IQ that Acuff has with better defense. Yes. Um, especially a lot better. Like he has some problem. I'm not saying he's locked down right now, but I think he has the promise defensively, and part of that may be because he plays for Houston. Um, which that helps a lot. I mean, yeah, that's a big part of their culture and a big part of what they've done for a really long time. So I his assist to turnover ratio is awesome. His like his scoring is there, his three-point shot has been good. He shoots 39%. So I think kind of the question is he's he's a less flashy guy than Acuff is. Is the offensive ceiling as high? Probably not, but he will hold his own defensively. And so that's something where I think his archetype as a player may be a little more valuable than some other guys.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Yeah, I mean, just the echo, like I agree with everything you said, just to add on a little bit. Um, I feel like when I watch him, like his defensive playmaking kind of like surprised me a little bit. Like he'll get switched on to a big, and instead of like just conceding the shot, like he'll try to front them, which a lot of guards don't do anymore. And or like a lot of bigs just bring the ball down low. He is swiping down at the ball. He gets, I think, a skill a game just from that, or a deflection. So like he fights on defense, and I feel like a lot of these other guards they they just concede a lot on defense by oh, I'm just superstar on offense, I don't need to do anything to your point. Like, he's trying at least on defense, which a lot of these guards are trying to do. It's true, yeah. So who you got? Um, who you got next? I have Nate Ament at Okay, same. Cool. So we're we're in a line a lot here.

SPEAKER_02 28:03

Pretty close.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:05

The I I like Nate Ament a lot. He has struggled, he had an ankle injury recently. He's kind of struggled to get his feet back under him. Um but when we talk about archetypes, he is a six foot ten, three-level scorer, which is like maybe the most valuable piece in the league right now. When you think about a guy that can get his own bucket, can hold his own, defending multiple positions. He does a really good job at getting to his spots and drawing fouls. Uh I really like him drawing fouls. The question that I have is his three-point shot isn't like when you look at a guy that you want to be the three-level scorer, three and D type of player, he only shoots at 33% from three. That's something that would mitigate probably a little bit better. But he rebounds it solid. It's almost seven a game, 17 and a half points per game. So I'm excited about the type of player that he is and like who he could be become.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

What's so interesting about Nate is like coming into the year, I think a lot of people had him in their top five, um, just like right before the season started. And a lot of people just thought like he had injuries coming in and he didn't play quite well at the beginning. But I feel like ever since conference play, like you said, he's picked it up tremendously. And it's like, whoa, like, let's not overthink this, you know, 6'10 guy that can shoot the ball. And he's honestly pretty like athletic for like a 6'10 guy, like he's not this clunky, like you know, kind of clumsy type of 6'10 uh forward. And I'm like, oh, like this guy could is an NBA player. Like when I watch him, like I can only imagine him with some spacing and some uh dribble drives to the rim. Like, I think he'll be super crucial in like closed out possessions where he can has the thrust issue and he could just put the ball on the ground and dunk that shit. Like, I I like Nate a lot. Um, I think he Loki kind of has the highest upside going into the tournament. Like, like we like we like A Cup. We know A Cup will score, like A Cup scored 40. We it wouldn't change his stuff, probably, right? But I think if Nate were to go out and have a couple 25, 30 point games, I think people will start looking at him a little bit diff different and put him in that you know top seven.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

The way that uh Coach Barnes like puts him in the system, it's given him a position to do it. He definitely puts the ball in his hands a lot, yeah. He's their main guy down the stretch. Um, and like drawing the fouls, he does a really good job of controlling the game. Like he can he controls pace. Um, this is the question of is his shooting 100%? Can his defense be elite? But he's the size and the tools is all there, which is something that he kind of can't teach.

SPEAKER_00 30:59

I would love to see his like rim protecting just take a as a help side defender, just take a little bit of an uptick just in the in the tournament play, like, but other than that, I think it'll be great. So I'm with you. All right. Who'd you have at nine? At nine, I got Mikel Brown.

unknown 31:20

Same.

SPEAKER_00 31:20

Is that who you got? Okay, cool. Yep, yeah. So I got Mikhail Brown. Um, this is another guy that like God, you just like you look at this draft and it's like Mikkel Brown. Oh god, like this guy, I think in last year's draft probably goes top five easily. And um, he's I I think you know, as we get farther down the list, like there's a after the first four, there's a lot of like guards. And it's like the NBA right now, there's not a lot of teams that need guards, but I I think just projecting outwards like after the tournament to the draft, like this is a sneaky good Memphis Grizzlies pick right here. Like, if he can if the Grizzlies could pick him here, I think I love that for him. Um, just from organization, probably moving on from draw. But like just to go back to the tournament, like it's just another guy that could put the ball on the ground. His vision, like he'll make amazing plays, but he's kind of risky, which kind of scares me a little bit. Like, he'll make some questionable decisions. So, like his decision making is kind of where I'm like, okay, as a point guard, like you're not the best decision maker, but I think you're I think I think we'll be fine.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Um what's your thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 32:33

Give me more thoughts on the kill.

SPEAKER_02 32:35

He's pretty like I like how fluid he is. Like when you watch him, he's pretty confident, he's pretty fluid. The I he's just streaky, like he has these random dud games, like you'll have 30 and 8 one game, and then the next game, like he's hard to find. Um part of that might be just his shot is streaky right now. He's only shooting at 34% from three. That's something that uh if he was playing at the NBA level, would have to get better. But um like the base is there, the fluidity is there, he understands the game. So I in it's just a question of comparing him to some of these other guards who their IQ is a little like their basketball IQ right now, I'd say is a little bit higher. Um, but if Mikhail Brown can increase his shooting, he could be right there with them.

SPEAKER_00 33:31

Do you know what he's shooting at or shooting right now?

SPEAKER_02 33:34

Uh 41% from the field, 34% from three.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

And I think I think his shot looks fine. So I think it's just a matter of like getting his like just feet kind of just set when he shoots, because he he's kind of one of those guards that take kind of some of those off-balance shots, like his speed up shot all the time.

SPEAKER_02 33:52

Shot selection for sure.

SPEAKER_00 33:53

Yeah, but I'm with you. Like, I think it'll be great. So what do you like? What do you think his like upside for the tournament is? So like Louisville's not really getting talked about a lot, so like if like if he just explodes and like carries them, like he could be another high riser.

SPEAKER_02 34:11

Yeah, I don't know if he would be like, I don't know if he passed guys like Keaton Waggler. No, but no, he definitely has this scoring skill uh to go up. It's just a question of like the consistency. Like, so if you if Louisville won three in a row and he was consistent in all of them, we'd be having a different conversation.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:36

Um I think he I I just I really like his rhythm, like from uh watching these players' standpoint, when you watch a game, he's very confident, uh, he moves well. The kind of like I'll do a player comp, I think Anthony Simons, I've heard before. Okay. Um where like he can be a microwave scorer at time. Yeah, he moves, he moves well. Um he's not necessarily an awesome defender. The question is just the consistency.

SPEAKER_00 35:16

So we'll see. Yeah, I'm excited to watch him play because I haven't I'll admit it's I haven't watched him like too much. I've only watched him probably like this last month. So but I've been impressed by what I've seen so far. So who you got at um we on 10? Yeah, 10. So I think I think from here on out we might be a lot different, which is perfectly fine. It's all preference on who you want to watch.

SPEAKER_02 35:44

But go ahead. I put Braden Burry's.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Oh, same.

SPEAKER_02 35:48

Okay, perfect. Cool. Um Braden Burry's another guard. Uh, when you compare him to these uh guys that are above him, he doesn't have as high of a ceiling necessarily. I think he's a lot less flashy, but where he's at his best is attacking the closeout and in transition. Um he's not the top-of-the-line playmaker that a lot of these guys are. He doesn't average a lot of assists, um, but he does really well as a play finisher for Arizona and end of the shot clock. Um so he's he's definitely one where uh he plays on one of the best teams in the nation right now. He is incredibly uh uh consistent, and that is something that I I think I would value. Uh he's not not the flashiest guy you're ever gonna see, but he just gets it done. He's a winning player.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

Yeah. I mean, for me, like I love what he does defensively, especially with that team. Like, I mean that that's like damn, it's not an NBA team, but like they're they're coached and they run plays like NBA team, and like to your point, like he is this play finisher, he is just super boring, but he's super productive, which is like very important to have, like going into the tournament. Like, it's okay to be boring as long as you win, and I think he's just been one these players have truly benefited from the tournament, or not from the tournament from being like a number one seed. Like, I'm always I feel like every time I watch it, I'm like, oh, like look up, he has 17 points. I'm like, oh great, like and coming into the year, that probably wouldn't be the case. Like, a lot of people had Koa Pete just being like way better than him, and to his credit, he's outshine Koa. Like, I love Koet Pete, and he's one of my players to watch, but he he's not talked about really anymore.

SPEAKER_02 37:48

That's different. I think the Burries is just more conf more consistent right now. Um and he does really he does a really good job in space, which the team, the way that Arizona plays right now, has definitely helped that.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

So he kind of he kind of reminds me in like not a play style way at all, but just in like a boring factor, kind of how like Jalen Brunson was at Nova. Or like this guy doesn't do anything like you've never seen before, but he's super consistent all the time, and I think that's just super important when we talk about potentially winning the tournament and like projecting on into the NBA. It's like, hey, this guy might not, you know, windmill dunk every play or you know, be this super octane defender, but this guy's just good, just good basketball players.

SPEAKER_01 38:41

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:43

Boom. All right, now I think we might get different. Uh 11.

SPEAKER_02 38:49

I have I have Hans Steinbach, whose team actually didn't make the tournament.

SPEAKER_00 38:54

Okay, I have him at 12, so okay. We could talk about him a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 39:00

Um my thing with Steinbaugh, he's uh he has the high upside as a playmaker at like the center position. He's 6'11, he gets a lot of boards, he's averaging 19-12 right now, shooting 57% from the field. So he's the questions that I've seen with him a lot is he's not a great floor spacer. He doesn't shoot the three ball very well, even though I think he did better towards the end of the season. And he's not an elite rim protector. Like when you talk about center uh center prospects, like this the rim protection isn't quite there. But yeah, the when we've seen some of these center playmaking centers be so productive at the NBA level, I mean Sabonis Shengun type guys, like obviously he's probably not quite to that level yet, but it's that it's that type of player that you're projecting out. Uh, I think he has the potential to really improve his offensive playmaking. And the question is the defense. Like, can you win at the highest level without uh an elite rim protector? It's like it's an archetype question of how you want to build your team at the highest level.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

Yeah, I mean, in my notes on my phone, like I had like reminds me of Sabonis' year Gonzaga, like where I'm not like like in awe with his defense, but like his offense is just through the screen, and I think it's to be so high. Um, to your point, like the rim protection is kind of concerning. His switchability scares the life out of me, his lateral quickness. But I think I think that's where he might be different. Like, he doesn't give me the type of player where I don't think he he can't improve on that. Like Sabonis just never worked on it. I I think he could have, right? Uh, maybe not the rim protecting part, but I think he's a little bit lengthier than a Sabonis. Where I think if he can tap into at least a rim protecting part and not be because I mean I don't think his lateral quickness could get improved too much and like his switch ability.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

But if he improves just on that rim protecting part, I think I mean could extend his career for five, six more years behind uh what he's wanted to watch at the combine, see how well he shoots it, um, see how quick he is, see how he matches up with better players playing with him. He didn't have a lot of very good guard play uh with him while he was at Washington. So I think better better teammates around him could certainly help him.

SPEAKER_00 41:44

Yeah, and with like NBA space. Like I mean, I mean, like, let's talk about like him with some NBA spacing and his connect connectivity. Like he goes on the Warriors, he probably looks like a star. You have Steph Curry, you have all these shooters around, and you have him just I mean, I just picture now, like it's a dribble handoff with Curry, and then he's throwing a lob to Gary Payton. You know what I mean? Like, I just see that for him. Like, he's just that.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

Situation is a big deal, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:14

But I'm excited to watch him play school. Could you have an 11th? I have Morez Johnson Jr. from I don't have Philos. And this is completely just off field, and like just when I watch him, like he's one of he's the player that I had no idea who he was like coming into the year, and as the year went on, I'm like, oh, got a triple double. Okay, that's that's interesting. Like, people just don't have triple doubles in the in college, and then he had another one, and then so I started watching like his defense too, like, oh, this guy could play probably two through five and switch everything. Um, his shots a little suspect for sure, but like he's super physical, you know what I mean? And I'm like, I like this guy, like not to the extent, but he kind of reminded me like just Patrick Queen, like he just knows how to play basketball, like he's a very connected guy, and he just knows how to like I was running a pickup game, like I would love to watch that. So I'm just curious to see like how his game adapts into tournament play where it's like, oh, like we need something right now. Like, I feel like he would put his head down and let's play that basketball.

SPEAKER_02 43:28

So the Michigan um three through five are definitely all players to watch. I have Yaxel at the end of my list, uh Day Mara is another one that people have brought up. Uh so they're big guys, they're certainly players to watch.

SPEAKER_00 43:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:47

Okay, cool. So who who do do you have? Uh 12. I I have Thomas Howe, or Huck, however you say it. Howe Hawk. Oh. Okay. So I've heard Different announcers say it different. Um he is like similar to where these guys were. I think he's a plug-and-play big wing where the archetype is valuable. Uh he's been shooting it pretty well, uh, not necessarily from three, 33% from three, but he is a high IQ guy that is a hustler. And he's just kind of a do-it-all guy for Florida, where yes, he's scoring 17 points a game, but when they need anything, he's he's just always kind of around. Um, so I think he has upside as like a plug-and-play type guy where you just need somebody to hold their own, you need production. Um I would like to see like he averages a lot of steals and blocks. He's over two over two point something. Uh steals and blocks. Uh so he's got a little bit of defensive playmaking upside, he's got uh plug and play upside. He's just not a like I don't think he has this one thing that he does better than everybody else.

SPEAKER_01 45:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:09

So that's where I'm at with him. Oh, who you got a so what are we on?

SPEAKER_00 45:16

13 or 14?

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Uh 13. 13. I have LeBairon Phylon. Okay. Out of Alabama.

SPEAKER_00 45:23

Yeah. Uh I'm 14, so yeah, talk about it.

SPEAKER_02 45:27

Phylon is a guy where he's scoring 22 on 40% from from three, 50% from the field. He just continues to improve. He's a very natural playmaker. He's a guy that I really like to watch, actually. Um, who does a little bit of everything for one of the highest scoring offenses in college basketball? Um, and his playmaking is like intriguing. Uh, he's only I think he's only 20 years old. He was one guy who kind of tested the draft orders last year and just wasn't quite there yet. But he's definitely proved that uh he can be a high producer on a really, really good STC team. So I'm excited to watch him, excited to watch his defense, uh see how he can do defensively. Alabama is not historically an awesome college basketball defensive team. They kind of like to run up the score and beat teams 110 to 109. But the playmaking is there, the shot has been much improved, and he's super fun to watch.

SPEAKER_00 46:42

I think for me too, I think you you hit it in the nail on the head. Like for me, like he doesn't shoot better than like A cuff, and he doesn't do this better than Wilder, but every time I watch him play, he's just super exciting to watch. And especially in a tournament like March Madness, where you need eye-catching plays, like I think when you watch him, like you'll you'll just be like, Oh, I didn't know he could do that. Like, I feel like every time I watch him score the ball, it's like, well, that seemed like really difficult. Like, he makes difficult shots, he's a connective passer, and his true shooting numbers are absolutely, I feel like, underrated at this point. Um, but I'm I'm I'm excited for him. He's another guy I think can have a huge stock rise and into the draft. I've seen him as high as Mach like 10, but I I think like if you're really convinced on all these guards, like I think he's he could work his way into like the Waggler Fleming Acuff realm where it's like, oh, this is a great guard as well. So um, I think I think he has some upside too. Because Bama, Bama's gonna put some points up and and they run too, you know what I mean? Like they get out and run, and they would you see him in the open court, you might be like, Wow, that's great. He might he's super eye-catching, like you said. Cool. I agree.

SPEAKER_02 48:02

And then did you have Yaxel 13 or did you have Yaxel 14?

SPEAKER_00 48:06

Yaxel 14. Okay, yeah. So I got Yaxel 13, and who do you have? 13. 13 was Liberophyllon for me. Oh, okay. I have Yaxel 14. Okay, cool. Cool, cool. Yeah, so I'm just like, so Yaxel, like, for me, like just a he's kind of Brayden Burries of Michigan, super boring, but every time I watch him, I feel like he is the he's like the most important player on the court. Um, I feel like every time he makes a shot, he's like the energy guy, he's the connected passer guy. And when he gets a steal and they get on the break, he gets a block. Like, you feel that. You know what I mean? Like, especially in a tournament like this where um like they kind of have something to prove. Like, Purdue stomped on them and controlled that game pretty convincingly the entire game. Like, I didn't I didn't think it Purdue was ever gonna lose the lead. I don't know how you felt, but I was just like, hey, like, show me why you you stayed another year, like show me why you got beefed with Cam Boozer in the middle of January, like show me why all these things that when we talk about you, like, let's see it. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, what's your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02 49:28

Uh, Yaxal is definitely an older prospect, which doesn't always was he 21, 22? I'm not sure. Let's see if I can find out real quick. But um either way, he is definitely very versatile. Yeah, when you watch Michigan, he's doing everything, a little bit everything. He's made good strides in his defensive decision making uh from his time before. He is just a very high impact player. Um, both sides of the ball, he's averaging two and a half steals and blocks per game. Yeah, uh, shoots it 50% from the floor. He uh does a little bit of everything, and he is uh one of these guys where he's just a winning player um and he's definitely a vocal leader. So this he's a guy where if you're picking at the end of the lottery towards maybe 15 through 18, and you're a team that's trying to win next year and needs productivity, yeah. Uh this is a guy where the ceiling isn't a second option. He's more of a like really vital role player uh that'll do a little bit of everything for you, do the dirty work with good decision making, good IQ as well.

SPEAKER_00 50:50

He's the exact player, he's like the exact player where I when I look at it, like maybe we're high on him at like 14, 15, 16 range, but he's the exact archetype player where he just falls in the draft and he gets drafted to like a Boston Celtic, Miami Heat, you know, San Antonio Spur. And it's just like, oh great, they just got their starting, you know, four for the future, and he's productive, and he's productive year one. So I like kind of like what you said, like his energy is super contagious, and he's a vocal leader. And I think that that means something for a lot of these like tournament games where it's like, hey, we're playing every other day and we gotta win, like get up for this shit, you know what I mean? So um, yeah, cool. Uh let's talk about just some other players, like just quick um other players to watch during the tournament.

SPEAKER_02 51:42

Who you're at um co-opete is right there for me for sure. Um other than that, I mean Utah State guy, Maheson False Love, MJ Collins, like the Mountain West kind of got disrespected, but they're good.

SPEAKER_00 52:00

Um was that the fifth year in a row that Utah State won the Mountain West? Or fourth year?

SPEAKER_02 52:07

They had they haven't won the Mountain West the last couple years. They're always I believe it's the fifth or sixth year in a row that they've made the tournament, though.

SPEAKER_00 52:14

Oh, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_02 52:15

Um, I knew it was one of those. This is the first time that they've won the regular season title outright and the tournament title in in a while. So nine seeds kind of disrespectful, but we'll see.

SPEAKER_00 52:32

Yeah, so I got um Gongba as a guy that watched a lot of Duke. I just think like we missed them um in the ACC. Like it's apparently very clear, like him next to Boozer is what made this defense a top um by uh top four defense, and it's like they don't have Caleb Foster. They might not be with he might be out of the year, like we don't know yet. And I think because he was a good defender as well, and I think when you put Boozer and Gangba together, that's a tandem where it's like, whoa, like I think a lot of people underestimate how tall and big Gongba is. Um, his hands are very good. Um, I think that's just so he has a lot of defensive upside. Yeah, you know what I mean? I think when we look at like a lot of bigs, like they just don't have good catchability. I think he has great catchability. Like, I watch a lot of bigs now, like they're kind of like brick hands, and he has very soft hands. Um, I think his switchability onto smaller guards is super underrated. Um, he he can switch onto the best of them and hold his own for at least a couple seconds until the double comes if they decide to. And I think that's super important when you got game on the line, they force a switch and he's up there at the line. So I'm a big gangbo guy. For sure. For sure. Who you got? You got anybody else?

SPEAKER_02 53:59

Um, I don't. I have a couple other guys that um so like Jaden Quaintance and JT Toppin, where they have both been super good in college. Quaintance had uh just a crazy defensive blocks per game, like defensive advanced statistics, but we're not gonna know uh questions about their health until the NBA combine. I believe they're they both have a torn ACL right now. Um, so those are guys to watch where when they get to the combine, and Cadence was top of these guys, I think six going into the year. Quite Jaden Quentin's was projected very high. Um just an incredible defensive athletic prospect, super athletic. We don't just don't know about the health, yeah. I mean, just uh those are those are guys that I would be looking at.

SPEAKER_00 54:53

The only other guys I had, so you said co-op heat, um Abuka Kore is one of my favorite lefties to watch. Um, at Stanford, he's a guard, um a little undersized, but like Stanford doesn't have no shot creation at all. He's like the team's entire offense, and every time I watch him, I'm like, you know, if I was the other team, I'd probably just sell out on him, which I think they are. Like they they coach these teams, they're smarter than I am, and for some reason he still gets his numbers. Like, I feel like that's something, you know what I mean? Like, I think he's a guy that he could be to an extent like the Carson Edwards of a tournament where like he just gets fired and the team just rallies behind him. You know what I mean? So, but it's Stanford, they're not they're not known known for basketball, but we'll see. And then um last guy got um Joshua Jefferson out of Iowa State, where I this this kid is just his defense every time I watch him is completely suffocating, and and he's hitting his wide open three three-pointers, like he's the prototypical three and D wing in this in the draft, I would say right now, or in this tournament. Where well, it's not like the AJs and the yeah, and the man Braden Burry's colour because Koa P and him like they were compared a lot coming in.

SPEAKER_02 56:21

Koa Pete's three three-point shot has taken a dip, so I mean him and his Iowa State teammate Milan Mosilovich, he is an incredible shooter. Uh, definitely players to watch. Iowa State is a really good team coming into this. Uh, lots of three. Final four.

SPEAKER_00 56:40

I got them in my final four.

SPEAKER_02 56:42

All right, we'll see.

SPEAKER_00 56:44

I might too. I haven't filled my bracket out yet. I need to. I gotta finish my outset. I only did that uh division.

SPEAKER_02 56:51

So but yeah, I'm excited. I'm excited to watch.

SPEAKER_00 56:55

Yeah, you got changed a lot. Yeah, no, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_02 57:00

I mean, the like, don't I don't know. When I'm looking at like draft prospects, kind of what comes to mind is you don't always need to be picking a guy to be your LeBron, your first option. Like sometimes when you're looking at these guys between 15 and 30, that like you just need good, solid NBA players to fill out your roster. So don't don't sleep on the guys that do all the little things, are really good locker room guys, um, rebound and playmake at a high level, yeah, even if they're not as flashy.

SPEAKER_00 57:37

I think, I think to your point, too, like there's guys like um a Hugo Gonzalez, like a Peyton Watson that average like, well, Peyton Watson's case, he averaged less than a point in college. Now you look back forward to him his sixth or fourth, fourth or fifth year in the NBA, and you're starting to see that offensive upside. It's like, whoa, like, where was this? It's like a lot of teams are betting now. If you could play defense, I could teach you a jumper, I could teach you how to do this. So it's like, yeah, look for those players that could switch one through three, two through four, and it's like, oh, you could do all the dirty work if you could just hit an open shot. Every NBA team is gonna love you.

SPEAKER_02 58:19

So, yeah, I agree. Yeah, I'm excited.

SPEAKER_00 58:22

Yeah, I'm excited. It's March, I love it. The madness begins. When does it start? Thursday, right? Thursday, Thursday morning, 10 a.m.

SPEAKER_02 58:30

or 10 a.m. mountain time, I suppose.

SPEAKER_00 58:33

So were you an hour ahead? An hour ahead of you, uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. So nine. Cool. Yeah, so um, thank you guys for listening. Drop a comment below on who you guys are excited to look forward to in the tournament this year. Um, comment who you guys got in your top three. Is it AJ? Is it Darren? Is it Cam? Is it somebody else? What order would you go with them? And then yeah, uh, thank you, Dallin, for joining us today. It was super fun. Of course. Uh, it's been a minute. Uh, we're gonna try to get back to a more consistent schedule. But yeah, thank you guys. Uh, comment, like, subscribe, turn on that notification bell so you guys never miss an episode of the warm up. And thanks. Later,