Full First Round Mock Draft

The week before the NBA Draft is when every rumor sounds confident and almost none of it is safe to trust. We sit down with Chip Williams, Parker Fleming, and Rusty from Bluff City Media to build a full first-round mock draft and stress-test the logic behind every pick, from the top of the board to the “who says no?” swings at the end of the round.

We start where the pressure is highest: the No. 1 debate and the real-world forces that shape it. We break down Cam Boozer’s case as a rare hub creator with elite feel, rebounding, and connective passing, then weigh Darren Peterson’s scoring profile and what to do with the Kansas context that’s driving so much of the chatter. From there, AJ Dybansta becomes the ultimate upside conversation, including role fit, defensive buy-in, and how much teams should gamble on star traits versus day-one certainty.

As the mock rolls on, we hit the fun stuff that actually decides wins and losses: archetypes that play in the postseason, shooting that survives, bigs who defend without fouling, and guards who can run real offense under pressure. We argue about Mikel Brown’s risk, love Kingston Flemings as a stabilizer, dig into picks like Caleb Wilson and Morez Johnson, and call our shots on late-first value, including shooters and international upside plays.

If you care about NBA Draft scouting, prospect rankings, and team fits, this is the roadmap we’d want before draft night. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves the draft, and leave a review with your most confident prediction for the top three.

Transcript

Welcome And Draft Week Vibes

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome back to the Drafting Stash. It is June 16th. I'm your host, Andrew, and we are one week away from the draft. So it's that time of the year. I have to get in at least one month draft, and I'm gonna do a whole bunch so when I do one, it really has to come. But first, we gotta hit the entry.

SPEAKER_05 0:18

Victor Wimbling. Michael Jordan. One of the most exciting draps.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Okay, guys. Really big show today, and I'm gonna need a lot of help to do it. So I didn't want to mock alone, so I thought I'd bring on a few friends here. You've heard them before, Chip Williams, Parker Fleming, but I have a new friend, Mr. Rescue Wentton from Bluff City Media. Guys, how are we doing today? Good, man. Appreciate you doing this.

SPEAKER_04 1:00

Appreciate the invite. Excited to hang out with y'all and learn from y'all, pick y'all's brains, and and see where these teams land, man. I'm excited.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Yeah, yeah. We're we are fully in that like smoke screen part of the draft, you know, like that that that week before, and you're getting just crazy stuff here and there, and you really don't know what to trust.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, you know, I I was talking, I was reading all this stuff today, Tony Jones. You know, he reported about Utah being genuinely torn between AJ Peterson and Boozer. But I like read the article, and I don't know if anyone else said or not, but it's like it seemed more about AJ or Peterson rather than I think they kind of just glossed over Boozer in a sense, where it was kind of more of like, hey, here's the stuff that's out about Peterson. We're not worried about it. There are concerns, but we're not worried about it at all. So that's that's kind of where I landed on it. It was kind of weird, but again, it's it's smoke. I I wouldn't be surprised if it's just the same thing that we look at lottery night and or from lottery, and it's just like, okay, it's AJ Peterson and then Boozer at three.

SPEAKER_04 2:05

Yeah, I think a lot of this is just from camps and from agents at this point, just trying to posture a little bit to see who will bite on a trade. Boozer, I feel like some of that might have been just planting some seeds to see if Memphis would be willing to move up to come and chase him, but I think to Parker's point, I think it's kind of settling to where the most wiggle room is going to be a one-two. And it feels like it's between two guys. After that, it kind of settles itself.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

I would also be saying that I am taking Cam Boozer at two because I would love to be paid to move back a spot and end up with the guy I wanted anyway. So, you know, it just is what it is. You gotta take it all for what it's worth, and we're close. So we'll we'll find out the real thing here pretty soon.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Some little

Smoke Screens And Agent Posturing

SPEAKER_02 2:45

house rules here. So basically, each of us picked six teams, and when we were drafting, I was like, I didn't realize the teams I was getting, I guess. So, like, so like after the draft, I was like, man, like I feel like you guys have got a lot more fun teams than me. Uh so it's just like, oh, okay, because like like I don't think I have a pick in the first like six or something or whatever. I I was just like, I was like, oh crap. I I think my first one is the kings. So uh, but kind of how it's gonna work is we are gonna go based on the teams that we picked, we are gonna do our own predictive big boards. So basically the players that we think would be would be a really good fit on that team, and then we're gonna open it up and then kind of talk about what we assume that that that the actual team might

Pick No 1 Cam Boozer Debate

SPEAKER_02 3:29

do.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

I am Washington, I have the first pick, and with the first pick, I am going to select what I think who I think is the best player in the draft, Cam Boozer. I think he would make a lot of sense for Washington if you just look at kind of the roster construction with Anthony Davis, Trey Young, Trey Johnson, who they took very high, Kaisan George. They have a lot of interesting shot creators and shot makers. And so I think it'd be really cool to add this kind of hub creator type with Cam Boozer, who can not only get his own, but connect all of these interesting offensive pieces that they've added. So, you know, I fit is not something I'm considering a ton at the top of the draft, but he does make sense for the roster construction, and I think he's the best player. So we're taking Camboozer.

SPEAKER_04 4:29

You know, I think it's a great pick. I mean, I think he is the highest floor, one of the highest ceilings in this draft. He just does everything so well from a rebounding perspective, from a passing perspective. One of my favorite comps I've seen so far is that he's Jokic on the wing, just with how he sees the floor and can facilitate. I think he needs to lose about 15 or so, maybe 20 pounds to get back to some of that lighter weight that he was closer to high school to where he can be more of that wing presence shit. But I think like if Washington was smart, and I say this as a big boozer guy for the Grizzlies, if Washington was smart, that like they would sprint to the podium for Cam Boozer.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Yeah, I mean, for me, it's always take the best guy available. You know, it's unfortunate that they wouldn't got Jaron Jackson Jr. and then end up in the spot that they're in. But you take Cameron Boozer. You know, he for me, he's the you know top current player. I've got Darren Peterson a little bit behind, but you know, I think both are both are great, but you know, Cameron Boozer just he does everything except for block shots, right? So he could be on the wings, he can work on the ball, off the ball, pick and roll, he can work in all types of actions. He's great out of the nail. He shoots from three, he hits his free throws, he rebounds like crazy. So it's just he's an obvious player that can fill every role. So it feels silly to not even like entertain him at one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

No, no, no notes. Y'all, y'all took it all from me. Yeah, I'll just throw another comp out there. I I always describe him as if you put Halliburton's skill set and brain into Paulo Benquero's frame. So I just think he's a he's special. Yeah, I I don't know why. I I don't understand why he's not getting a lot of buzz at one. Maybe your Washington surprises everybody and takes him at one. But yeah, good pick.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

Yeah, uh, with that said, I'm pretty sure that they go AJ, even though there's some current smoke around like new DP. I I just to me, even if they kind of view one of them better, the amount of like backlash from fans that that they they would get for not taking AJ would just be awful. So I just fully assume that that's the like current guy for them.

SPEAKER_03 6:31

Yeah. I I I actually think like, real quick on that, Andrew, I think it's a good point where these these owners exist and fans exist, and they all look at these mox drafts. And like, if I'm a general manager, the easiest thing to do is just take AJ because everyone, all the consensus is they're gonna take AJ. And so if they take AJ and they're wrong, that's okay. Everyone else is gonna take AJ too. If you take Boozer and you're wrong, that's gonna cost you your job, you know, because you went against what everyone told you to do. So there are like factors that as fans maybe don't think about or consider, but like, yeah, these guys also have jobs, like they want to protect their jobs, and for job security, just take AJ Devonta, you know?

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Exactly. Are you also number two?

SPEAKER_03 7:17

I'm not number two, no.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Okay, who's Parker?

Pick No 2 Darren Peterson Case

SPEAKER_01 7:20

All right, I think, yeah. With number two, I'm gonna go with my number two player on the board, and that's Darren Peterson. I, you know, I know there's all that smoke about his desire to play in Utah, but I mean, at the end of the day, the dude was playing at like 70% and put together one of the best freshman seasons from a guard. I mean, like high high stock rate. He shot the belt ball belt, but also like on volume, like something like 14 threes per 100 possessions. I think the playmaking is better than you know what's listed here at this 1.6 assist. I think the team around him at Kansas was not good. And also, too, his priors, especially his development at prolific prep as a playmaker. I think he averaged like five or six assists a game there. I I just think, you know, I I just think that's too, it's too good to pass up. I know there's the whole stuff like about Keontae George and the fit there and then the extension coming up, but I'm not when it comes to Darren Peterson, I'm not factoring in Keontae. Like, I'm not worried about, oh, does he fit with Keontae George? I'm just going to pick him and live with it. I think there's a I think if he didn't have the season that he did at Kansas, I think there's a real world where he would have been like the unanimous number one pick.

SPEAKER_03 8:48

Yeah, I completely agree with Parker. I'm extremely boring in the fact that I think Darren Peterson's the second best player in this draft. So I would take him second in this draft. Like I there's no crazy hot take. I think he's the only one that you could make a real argument over Cam Boozer. I wouldn't do that, prefer Boozer. But coming into the season, I had Darren as on my preseason board as him number one. And despite all the narrative surrounding his season at Kansas, he still ended up with one of the best box plus minus seasons for a freshman in NCA history. So he he still was incredible despite everything that he went through. So this kid's gonna be great, and it's the right pick for Utah.

SPEAKER_04 9:28

Absolutely. You you get the like you're getting probably the best pure scorer in this draft, a guy that has scored all three levels, finish in from any angle on the floor, just a guy that's gonna be dynamic. And again, if you're Grizzlies fans and he's there at three, you're super excited. If you're Washington fans, you take him first overall, you should be stoked. Keontae George should not factor into this, as Parker said. You're taking a guy, again, who just has all of the offensive qualities that you could possibly look for, and he displays them night in and night out when he plays. I don't buy the creatine excuse, so I would be a I call at least the yellow flag some of that, but maybe that's the Ja TSD that I have, the PTSD that I have from what Ja gave me. But I do like Darren Peterson alongside all those big old lumbering giants in Utah.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Yeah, I mean, Darren Peterson for most of uh like of his grade in high school, you know, he was ranked number one for a reason. He looked like Derek Rose with like a jump shot, you know. He was he was crazy, crazy athletic in high school. Uh, so it's a little bit concerning that he he didn't have a lot of that pop, but it could be from you know certain certain injuries here and there, it could be uh been like in that system in Kansas. And some things, you know, kind of didn't go as well in terms of his you know playmaking. I I like I don't buy him as a pure on-ball guard, but that doesn't mean I don't think he can play on the ball like and not also be like really effective. You know, he if you watch a few of their games, I mean, like he makes a lot of great reads and drives correctly and does, but his teammates don't get out of the way sometimes, that they wouldn't move, they wouldn't cut, you know. So I think once he's in better space with people that that really understand the game, it's really gonna uh make him look much better at that next level. But he could easily be like a better version of Ray Allen or or another like Anthony Edwards, you know, he's just a whole bunch of potential as well.

SPEAKER_04 11:17

Yeah, no doubt.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

All right, and I guess the uh really, really big pick of the night so far for all the Grizzlies fans.

SPEAKER_04 11:25

Yeah. On you.

Pick No 3 AJ DeBanza Upside

SPEAKER_04 11:27

Yeah, so I said I wasn't afraid uh of any smoke. I'm not gonna duck any smoke as John Morance once said, I'm running up the chimney here. So the third pick for the Memphis Grizzlies, y'all made my life super easy, just like it's gonna be for Zach Kleiman on draft night. And I'm gonna proudly strut up to that podium and I'm gonna draft AJ DeBanster from BYU. I think AJ has one of, if not the highest ceiling in this year's draft from a pure athletic standpoint, a scoring standpoint, the ability to get to the rim, to create in the mid-range. Three three-point shot needs to develop a little bit, but I have faith that that's gonna develop with his mechanics being what they are. And I think he's got a great, great potential. Uh I mean, he can erupt athletically and get past just about anybody. Uh, I think that that's gonna help him tremendously. And obviously, some some defensive work needs to be done, but you've got guys like Cedric Coward around him, you've got Jalen Wells, you can play around him, you've got Zach Edy that can protect on the back end and kind of anchor the paint for him. So while he's developing on that side, I think this could be a home run pick for the Memphis Grizzlies. He's got a great fit with anybody in the top four, and I think we'd be very fortunate to get him at three. I don't think a week from tonight he's gonna be there at three, but if he is, it might be the quickest pick in NBA draft history. Grizzlies on the clock, the pick is in, and it should be AJ DeBanza, just a freako athlete that has tremendous upside.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah, I mean, you said it perfectly. And let's let's also it's one of those things, too, where the Grizzlies have chased his archetype for years, they wanted the big wing. I I do think, you know, if it's Booz or Peterson, some sort of combination one, two, you they they sprint to the board to go get DeBonsta at three. That's probably not gonna happen. I don't see him moving back to Utah again. This is a mock, and it's off something I would do, and in those shoes, but also like again, like what Chip had said, there's owners, there's fans. I'm sure that Ryan Smith he put a lot of effort into getting HJ DeBonsta to BYU and Utah prep. I think he would put the same pressure to get him to the Utah Jazz if he felt it too. But yeah, I mean, look, there's the concern where it's like, oh, is he gonna be one of the Jays or is he gonna be RJ Barrett or Andrew Wiggins? But at the end of the day, I I'm willing to bet that he's closer to being one of the J's than he is to being the latter. Yeah, I you know, I I think everybody would be playing that one gunna song if if uh they picked AJ.

SPEAKER_03 13:58

That's right. Hey, uh Parker, speaking of Ryan Smith, I think he wants to see you now because you passed on AJ, so he'd he'd like to have a word with you. I'm dumb.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

I'm out as the fake Utah GM. So you think to add?

SPEAKER_03 14:15

No, he's AJ. This is an easy pick. It's you take whichever of the three is still left, and you just congratulations. You did the hard part on lottery night, and you got the third pick, and you just whoever falls in your lap, you take, and you assume that this is probably the best prospect that is ever put on a Memphis Grizzlies jersey, no matter which one of the three it is. You could argue that to some degree, but I would argue that it probably is one of those three guys.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

So um yeah, so like I'll have a little bit of pushback, not for AJ and I'm saying not for AJ to the Grizzlies, but just uh, you know, all of us kind of had Cam Boozer, you know, higher in one. So people might be wondering why AJ fell to three. There are some concerns with if AJ will be able to fill a role. And people hear role and they think, like, you know, he's not a role player, you know, he's a star. And it's it's like, well, yeah, but you know, a star and a score, those are still roles, right? And his whole life so far, he's been playing like AJ ball. So I I think there is some concern on if he can fit in the system, especially going to Washington, where he's gonna be playing behind you know, Trey Young and Anthony Davis. So he'll might be just be relegated to like a guy on the wings because him and Trey both need the ball to be, you know, what they do. So that's that's a little concerning. His defense not being a little bit better, despite, you know, he's got really great, you know, his his arms are long, he's tall, he's athletic. So that's a little like you know, he should have been a little bit better in that area as well, but it's it's not too concerning. And then, you know, his his playmaking is is okay, but it it can be really forced at times. And he doesn't shoot in on threes. It's really weird. I feel like I'm watching at times, uh, it's like Rudy Gay or something, because he just he's he takes so many of these, you know, long twos and it just drives Coach crazy. You know, if you just take one step back, he's at like six a game. Uh so you know if he can pull up on just a couple of those things, he could easily go from maybe like an RJ Bear or something of that level up to like you know, maybe like a KD or something. But any of these guys will be absolutely killer if they you know fell to Memphis. I believe uh Chip has number four.

Pick No 4 Caleb Wilson To Chicago

SPEAKER_03 16:19

I do. And with the fourth pick, the Chicago Bulls are going to select Caleb Wilson from North Carolina. Uh, this is probably the most predictable pick in the entire draft up to this point, even including on real-life draft night. It just seems like Caleb is a lock to go forth, no matter how the top three goes. So yeah, he's he's a really interesting prospect where like some cool passing stuff, really impressive athletic would have touched like Zach Eady dunk numbers had he not gotten the upper body injuries towards the end of the season that shut him down. Real questions like is he a primary rim protector? Will he ever shoot threes? That's what to me, those two questions keep him out of those top three discussions. But this is a really grump fun prospect, and specifically for Chicago, now Matas Buzelis, Noah Singue, I'm gonna even throw Leonard Miller in there. Like you've got a lot of really interesting movers with size to build kind of a modern basketball team. So uh fun building block for a new regime in Chicago.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

Yeah, I I just kind of when looking at this pick, and I've seen all the stuff about the trade down and stuff, but it's like their new GM, Bryson Graham, he made a very emphatic and loud statement in his intro to getting the job. And it was about the acronym Slap, which, if anyone hasn't seen it, it's size, length, athleticism, and physicality. And frankly, if you're building a board based off of Slap, Caleb Wilson's number one guy. So, like, this is no-brainer.

SPEAKER_04 17:59

Yeah, and for me, Tiago Splitter is the perfect coach for him. He was a defensive anchor wherever he was. He was a defensive minded coach. He had Portland as one of the best, like I think it was a top 10 defensive team this past year. I don't know if y'all saw the video of where he had players who had the best defensive night, would write the name of the other team's player that they put in the box and they would put it in the box in the locker room. So if anybody can help develop uh Caleb Wilson's defensive mentality and his progression, I think Chiago Splitter would be your spiller would be a fantastic first coach for him. And no other notes, y'all y'all nailed it. He would be a perfect fit in Chicago.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

Man, I remember when Caleb Wilson and Kim Boozer played against each other in North Carolina, I believe the first time. I think this is before his hand broke. And I was just watching like the game, and Duke is just outplaying them, and Caleb was single-handedly keeping them in this game, and they just couldn't, they just couldn't keep him up scoring. He looked like the best guy in the draft, like on that night, because he was just doing things to Camboozer. It was, it was so great. And then he's got so much passion and and this and that, and he's just so explosive and fun. Like I was man, I was just blown away. I mean, me personally, I have a bias towards guys that you know play hard and and like are mean on the court and stuff and bump people and talk trash, like you know, so it's all that is cool. So, you know, if Caleb Gub comes to Memphis, I'll buy his jersey that night, you know. And if he doesn't, then you know, I still might buy his jersey. I don't know, but you know, he there there is some concerns about his shooting out out to the you know certain ranges and stuff, if he's gonna add weight, if he's more of a three or a four. He can play the ball in space. You know, he he's shown a lot in in college that he can take it off the rim and basically you know come down court and he can either score uh in transition or you know, he's really, really smart in terms of being able to like and pass it off. Uh, you know, his his uh his assist ratio I mean is is great. I think like him, Cameron Boozer, and Zuby Edgefor might be the best passing big men. Like you could maybe toss him Mara as well in there, but you know, it it's it's a very short list, and and Caleb just shows a lot of stuff where he can maybe be like a Pascal Siakam, and that would be just awesome for Chicago.

SPEAKER_03 20:09

Yeah. Absolutely.

Pick No 5 Mikel Brown Swing

SPEAKER_03 20:13

Uh the Clippers up number five. You're gonna be hearing a lot of me because I also have the Clippers. So this is not necessarily the player that is highest on my board, but for the Clippers, we were gifted this pick that we did not expect to have. And so we are just going to absolutely choke down on the bat and swing as hard as we can here, and we're gonna take Michael Brown from Louisville. I think the sell for Michael is really easy for me. Michael has the probably the best measurements of any of the lead guards. He's really big, should be able to guard ones and twos. He is maybe the the best three-point shooter of that group of guards, especially in terms of volume of and difficulty of shots, and then also with the free throw touch to back that up. Really good vertical athlete when he can get to the rim, tries a lot of really creative passes that a lot of other guys wouldn't try. It does cause some turnovers and he's got the back problem, and and he's certainly not a bulletproof prospect. But if he hits, I think he's gonna hit pretty big. And I also think that with the size he has, you could play him with Darius Garland some. You're not really gonna guard a whole lot of people, but you can at least have two guys who are gonna bomb a bunch of threes, and that's fun. So, Mikel Brown here for the the Clippers.

SPEAKER_04 21:44

I mean, there's a lot to like with Mikel Brown. The film is not very robust because of the back injury, but what you see is a guy who sees the floor very well. You talk about some of the passes. Like I kind of got a throwback to some Jason Williams there with some of the unique and crazy passes he would try. But he just sees the floor so well. He's a guy that's going to give you effort on both ends. I think the vertical the verticality of his game will translate really well. Obviously, you know, we need to see if the back is going to be a long-term issue. But if not, man, you just absolutely you might have got the steal of the draft there, even at five, just with the upside from Mikhail Brown Jr. I know he's rocketing up a lot of boards right now, and rightfully so.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

Yeah, uh, it's gonna be unpopular. This this is my first fade. He's my big fade in the draft, to be honest. I have him like by I mean, I have him like 15. Like that's like a giant fade, but you know, I I just worry about like this, obviously the back, that's a concern. But really, you know, there's the turnovers, there's a shot selection. So I just think there needs to be a certain level of decision making, even with the creativity that needs to be harnessed a little bit. And then, you know, I I don't know what his defensive role is, you know, and grassroots, it it was always high level of shooting equity, poor finishing, and now it's like good finishing, and the shooting slipped as well. So I want to see what ends up kind of trending as the mean there as well. And yeah, I think also too, it's just maybe it sounds like a cop-out, too, but like in that top group of guards, you know, between him, Acuff, Waggler, Flemings, someone has to not be as good as the next group of guards down. And I just bet that it's Mikael Brown. So that that's just kind of where I land with that. I I see the whole thing of like the Lamello ball comps, and I'm like, okay, how much like how much leadway does a 6'3 Lamelo ball get? You know, Lamello Ball gets the lead weight that he gets because he's like 6'7, 6'8. That I mean, but hey, look, if you're the Clippers though, you're a team that's low on draft capital, and you need like what Chip said, choke up and take a swing. Shoot, I'd rather it be Michael Brown than any some of these other names of the board.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

I think that's like a really good point. I on my mock, I'm probably gonna have Brown here as well. I think I've got him number maybe seven or eight on my board. He a lot of the reasons that like Chip said and Russia's, you know, he's he's got really good size, around like six five in shoes, he's crazy athletic. I think from a guard profile stance, there's no reason why he couldn't at least be like an average defender. Like he has all of the right tools to do that. It's really just gonna be on him to actually do it. But I there is some real concern. I like you know, what you know Parker said, which is you know, he was kind of throwing the ball like all over the yard there, and you know, and sometimes it when he hits, it's really fun. But he also shows a crazy ability to hit at like a really high clip from outside, like like you know, he's the only person, maybe besides A Cup, that I like I buy as a guy that can maybe take like eight threes a game, you know, and there's something to be said about that, but then his all the shooting percentages are pretty pretty bad. So I don't know. He he's I don't say he's polarizing because I think there might be something there. But if if I was a clippers and if I was gonna keep that pick, I would I would fully you know be okay with this because you know it because if he hits, awesome. If he doesn't, nobody's gonna blame you.

SPEAKER_04 25:03

Yeah. I'm fading a different guard, which we'll get to here in a minute, but uh yeah, I mean I agree, Andrew.

SPEAKER_03 25:08

That's tough critics, man. We're we're at 15 threes per 100 possession and 85 from the free throw. We're fading that at six five. Come on, man. This guy's got a clip, and now he's a clipper.

Pick No 6 Kingston Flemings Fix

SPEAKER_02 25:23

Number six is the Brooklyn Nets. Who is that? Who is who is that? Oh, it's me.

SPEAKER_03 25:28

It's me. What do you know? I got the Brooklyn Nets.

SPEAKER_02 25:31

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 25:33

Um burning through here. Damn. Yeah. Don't worry, you're gonna get rid of me soon. I I I clearly stack teams at the top. So I am going to go with my preferred point guard this year, Kingston Flemings. I just think that Brooklyn needs an adult in the room, and Kingston Flemings is gonna provide immediate stability as a point guard. I think that the combination of athleticism and processing indicators for him are really special. Obviously, didn't have the best combine measurements. Some of the rim finishing fell off towards the end of the season. But like, speaking anecdotally, like this is a guy that Kelvin Sampson trusted to run his team, and he does not really hand the keys over to freshmen very often to do that. And he really acquitted himself very well. I think you could go look at what Houston was a rim finishing team with Michael on the floor, excuse me, with uh Kingston on the floor versus off the floor, and it's night and day. The way he's able to pressure the rim, get easy little dump offs for his bigs, it's it's really special stuff. I think the shooting indicators are really nice. He's got a fun in-between game that he can access as well. So I need him to shoot a few more threes, and then I need the rim finishing to come back up a little bit. But other than that, man, I really like this guy. I think that these playoffs really prove that point guards, you gotta have them. And I really buy Kingston Fleming's as a table setting point guard who can defend and get you into your stuff offensively.

SPEAKER_01 27:04

I'm gonna go first here because my last name is Fleming. I love Kingston's Fleming. Nothing to do with the last name, but really, I mean, the thing that gets me with him in measurements, measurements be Dan, because of what I saw in the Western Conference Finals, and specifically a team that has been a juggernaut for the past three years, Oklahoma City Thunder has a really a surplus of smaller guards, whether it's uh Jerry McCain, Kasen Wallace, Alex Caruso, like is even kind of general, especially to consider that he's more of a 3-4 for OKC. But all those dudes play bigger, bigger than they're listed, and I think Kingston Flemings is in that same realm. I just think that he's a guy that I could just see on the floor in the games in the playoffs. And I think there's also there's that and a star level outcome with him as well. Like he could I'm very interested to see what happens when the floor opens up for him because that spacing context, you know, Jojo Tugler, Chris Sanak, Milo Suzanne were all not great shooters. Emmanuel Sharp kind of had to do the heavy lifting there on three-point volume and three-point prowess. But the amount of rim influence that he has as a guard, freshman guard, is very special. And I just think he just has more high-end outcomes than a lot of the other guards in this class.

SPEAKER_04 28:29

Yeah, I mean, y'all nailed it. I think he's got uh his floor is a lot higher than some of the other point guards. He's the guy that I've kind of described as just being sticky, where he just like he just sticks in the lineup, he sticks to the basketball, he sticks to the guy he's defending. He's a guy that kind of plays with his chip on his shoulder, and and don't get alarmed, you know, John Moran had a chip on his shoulder. I get that as well, but he just plays bigger than his frame, and it didn't seem like the moments ever got too big for him. And for a freshman that's big, where a guy who's only going to mature, and I, you know, be brief, uh just ditto what Parker said. I can't wait to see what it looks like with actual NBA spacing.

SPEAKER_02 29:06

Yeah, I actually just listened to his interview with Kevin O'Connor, and he sounds like a very, you know, affable kid, super smart, just the way he talks about the game. And uh, you know, he he said a couple things. He said uh, you know, that he feels like everybody has cooled on him after his link stuff came out. And he said, well, you know, if if I was doing all that stuff and you thought that it had a great length and you found that I'm actually shorter, what wouldn't you think that like that just means that like I that like I process faster, like in this and this, you know. So so he was saying that, you know, so you know if he's doing all that without length, you know, wouldn't you still assume like certain things about him? But which is it's kind of a good point, but you know, the E MBA is a little bit bigger, obviously. So I don't know how much you know weight that actually carries it like in a bucket, but you know, and then he just talks about, you know, basically, you know, getting into the paint, you know, like a lot. You know, basically his shots and the paint weren't always shots because he would do a lot of like alley oops to Chris and Jojo, you know, he would just get in there, you know, toss up balls off the rim. You know, just he does a lot of already smart processing things, and I I think he'll be a very solid guard. I don't think Brooklyn would take him just because they don't like to like like you know draft actual good players. So, you know, I like I I fully expect them to probably take like a cup here or something. So uh, you know, that's just probably gonna happen.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

Yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_02 30:20

I think I found the pick. So you're next.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

Finally, I have I have it up on my phone now, so we're good. All right, cool.

Pick No 7 Keaton Waggler Love

SPEAKER_02 30:28

All right, the Sacramento Kings. Man, if there was any team that honestly really needed to move up, it was the Sacramento Kings. They were the only team that really tried to win this past year. They put together a terrible roster that was really expensive and they were awful, and their was moving back multiple spots. I think that they need somebody that can come in, score, do a few different roles for them. And with that in mind, I'm gonna go with Keaton Waggler here at number seven. Keaton Waggler, I believe I feel like he was, you know, the talk of the town for a long time. And then now people are like overrating him all of a sudden, you know, because we're in that current cycle. He's got great size at six foot five. He's got really good length. Well, he's got average length. Let me be a little more clear. He's able to play on the ball, off the ball. You know, he shows, you know, even though he's not crazy athletic, his footwork, his ability to balance, he really is able to get people on his hip and turn, you know, his shot is is real. You know, it's not going to be just like, you know, this weird flash in the pan. I think he could really have a pretty strong rate, maybe around like, you know, four to five a game, you know, if he wanted to. He is already a really good processor at his age. You know, he came in, supposed to be playing the the off guard. He wasn't like a really high-like RCI guy and ended up having to immediately take over the reins, basically. And and Boswell kind of like had a lackluster year because Keaton took all this shine. The Kings need more adults in the room, even if he's young. I think Keaton can come in from day one. He can start for them, and he might start to turn that franchise around to a certain degree here.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

My main thing with Wagler, like I just think he's a guy. I I actually feel like over the course, since we've been removed from basketball, he's gone underrated. Just because like that stretch that he played without Kylan Boswell when he was the point guard, he was special. He's so special. He plays at his own pace. There's just and then he has like a really smooth, buttery pull-up jumper. He has that herky jerky D sell game, and also, too, like for me, it's like for one, I can see like a real upside with him, or I think he's the guy that he can crash the top four as to in terms of redrafts. But I just think too that if he adds, and it sounds like from pre-draft stuff, he's very serious about adding weight, but like if he gets up to 200 pounds at six, what like six, six and choose, I think. Six five, yeah. He's six five. Like, you know, like if he can get up to 200 pounds at 6'5, you're talking about a guy now that can play like the two or the three without sacrificing much size, and I just think that opens up a wider band of outcomes um for Waggler.

SPEAKER_04 33:05

I mean, IQ, processing, versatility, uh, he plays intentional. Everybody says he plays slow. I think it's more intentional the way he handles the game, unless the game comes to him. He doesn't have you know, is he the most athletic guy? No, but if you're telling me I can get a Halliburton type archetype tier on a on a really good salary to start, I think Keaton Wagger will be special. He's my favorite of all the point guards. To your point, Parker, if he puts a little weight on, he could be a two or three very easily. He's a guy that you could play in two guard lineups, and you're not sacrificing size like you are with some of these other guys. Defense is better than than most of the other guards outside of maybe like a Kingston Flemings. A lot to like about Waggler. He's been my favorite point guard for a while now. And uh he of the guys to make it grizzly related, he's the only point guard. Him and Burries are the only two I would move up to Chase.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

Echo everything you guys said. I I think what's really fun is the space creation with Kingston or with uh Keaton, the way he's able to start stop, covers a ton of ground on his stepbacks. Really just like herky jerk movement patterns, like you mentioned, and really fun like handle too. Like really swooping moves where he's able to kind of freeze a defender, create space, get his shot off. He he just he's been this level of athlete his whole life, and he's been able to figure out how to be one of the most effective freshmen in NCAA history. And I just I think that's a good bet to continue in the NBA.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

Yeah, he's another one of these uh you know freshmen that has like a crazy, like his box plus minus, I think, is like an 11 or something. So like you know, he's just another guy that just adds to winning. Chip, are you back up?

SPEAKER_03 34:44

I'm back. You didn't get rid of me that long. Uh I'm back.

Pick No 8 Adai Mara Questions

SPEAKER_03 34:48

All right, the eighth pick. This is this is a really interesting spot, I think, for Atlanta. And we're gonna go with a dai Mara from Michigan. I kind of think this is somewhat predictive and a little bit of what I would possibly do too. I don't necessarily like you you could talk yourself into them taking a point guard here and fitting with the roster, but I just think that Mara is someone you can kind of build a defense around. And it's really interesting with some of the other pieces that they already have on that roster. He he had probably as good a bet as anyone in this class to be on an all-defense team at some point in his career, just with that level of size, movement, the way he protects the rim. It's all really special stuff. And then you combine that with some of his passing ability on the offensive end. You know, Dusty May asked a lot of his bigs, and a dai Mara was a guy they ran quite a bit of actions through at the high post. And then he was just a walking bucket if you got near the rim, too. So, I mean, the guy finishes, I think, over 80% of his shots at the rim. Like, this is just an easy sell to me with a guy like Adai Mara, and you can only let him slip for so long. I think he fits with a lot of what Atlanta's wanting to do.

SPEAKER_04 35:55

Adara A Dai Mara makes me nervous in the top 10. I like him to your point. He's a great defender, protects the rim at a high level. I think a lot of people see him and see like a Zach Eady type clone where he could be a guy that could come in and immediately impact uh accomplice Mark Gasal, which is super lofty. I mean, there's a Spanish connection there for sure. I just wonder how much he was propped up by how good Yaxel and Morez were because they could take a lot of pressure off of him on offense. So it was super easy for him to finish at the rim. I like Mara. He's a guy that I would kind of, if I was a GM, I'd be a little hesitant about, but I can see it. I think he's going to be good. I think the all-defensive team is definitely in his future. I just think the offensive game might need a little translation. It might take a little time to get to the NBA standard. I think he'll be good. I just don't know that it'll be like an immediate impact, like some of his teammates will be.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

Yeah, that's a good thought that I've actually never really considered. I just I kind of just lean on the rim influence. He puts a lid on the basket when he's on defense, and like Chip said, he's an automatic bucket as well. Also, too, just keep in mind, I like they I feel like there's a lot of influence that Quinn Snyder does have and personnel decisions. And I think he was very vocal about winning Donovan Klingon in 2024. So ruin the point for me riding a wrong here and getting a Domara. I think his passing can be very fun in Atlanta's system that doesn't really have point guards.

SPEAKER_04 37:18

I think you got a guy like that with Jalen Johnson on the floor and gnaw defensively, like that's an elite team pretty quickly. I think if he if it translate quickly, translates quickly. It gives Atlanta an identity, you're sure. Yeah, 100% defensive identity, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

I think also, you know, it's worth noting, like, you know, he is seven foot three. He had uh, I think like 69 dunks on the year, you know, he I think his rebound rate was around like a 22%, you know, his block rate is around like 13%. And he's a guy that didn't play a lot of minutes. So he he gets a lot of work in in short stints. That would be like one of my bigger concerns. Is he a guy that's only going to give you like 25 minutes a game, or can he actually get up to like 30, you know? So he you might have his own personal ceiling just based on he's so damn big and it takes so much energy to like you know constantly go between that and his free throw percentage, you know, sub 60, you know, it I get some feeling of like maybe like a hack a shack or something, like late. And then you know, he you know, he's getting taken out of the game or something, but you know, everything else is so killer with him. That there is no perfect prospect, but in terms of like a defensive guy, like man, he would be annoying as hell for anybody playing playing against the Hawks with him, like a Jalen Johnson, just like all those guys, yeah, for sure. No, no doubt.

SPEAKER_03 38:30

I think I just to get the last word in, I I do think that the free throw percentage and the lack of minutes throughout his career really are are serious red flags to consider. And really, like if if one of those two things didn't exist, I'd probably take this guy top five. But they do exist, and so I have to tax him a little bit and bump it down. So yeah, good good points.

Pick No 9 Braden Burries Fit

SPEAKER_02 38:50

I think uh number nine is uh Dallas, Mr. Rusty, right?

SPEAKER_04 38:53

It is, and y'all are trying to make me pick my least favorite point guard, and I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna pick one of my favorite players. I'm gonna pick one of my favorite players in this draft. And so with the ninth pick as a GM the Dallas Mavericks, we're taking Braden Burries from Arizona. I think the writing is on the wall for this pick. They love this kid. I think this is what they do if he's there, and exactly what I would do. If I'm Zach Kleiman for the Grizzlies to make it Grizzly Connected, I'm chasing this dude as well. I think he could be a guy that is a three-level scorer in the NBA. He is tough. He plays on both ends like his hair is on fire. He's a big body. I mean, he's 6'5 ⁇ 215 already, which by the way is heavier than Caleb Wilson coming into this draft, and he's about six inches shorter than Caleb Wilson, but he's a guy that can plug and play immediately with his grit, with his toughness. I told y'all in the green room before this, I was watching Koa Pete to talk myself into him for the Grizzlies in the in the late lottery, and fell in love with Braden Burries. There's some things that need to be worked on for sure, but this guy is a competitor again on both ends of the floor, the antithesis of the one-point guard who I will not take in this draft, especially on the defensive end, and Darius Aycuff. Like this guy gives you effort every single play. To me, as a true floor general, and I think can learn a lot from Klay Thompson, can learn a lot from Kyrie Irving out in Dallas, and I think could be a fun pairing with Cooper Flag.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

Yeah, but there you go. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 40:22

I was just gonna say, I think Burry's I think Burries is actually the perfect point guard or guard for Dallas. Because if I'm Dallas, I don't want the ball out of Coop's hands. And Burries has that size. I also like Burries is actually someone like one thing I like to do with a lot of the top guys, especially as I'm ironing out my board, is I usually try to wrap that up before the lottery, like wrap up my scout on those guys before the lottery and just spend the next month just contextualizing. And with Burries, there's like rebounding size, solid playmaking. I think there's a little bit of false ceiling to him as well. Almost 54 effective field goal percentage on triple jumpers. He averaged like 30 a game, multiple stints in high school. I just think maybe there's more to his game than what was tapped into at Arizona. But again, I I alluded to it with Kingston Flemings, just a guy that I'm very comfortable playing in high-leverage situations. Like he looks like a guard that would play on Oklahoma City or San Antonio, or New York for that matter. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:27

Yeah, I I think Burry's is he just does a lot. It's just the like the ancillary stuff, he's really good at. I love watching him grab defensive rebounds because it'll be like two seven-footers battling for a rebound, and then all of a sudden, here comes Braden Burries flying in to grab it over both of them. And it's funny too, because he's not like some crazy vertical athlete ever. He just he's got this like Josh Hart instincts for the ball, and I love that. So I you know, he was asked to essentially play a role on a really good Arizona team, and when they gave him the keys and let him cook, then it looked really fun. And so I'm hoping that he goes to a situation where he can be a little more higher usage and explore some more elements to his game that maybe were suppressed a little bit playing a role at Arizona.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

Yeah, I I've been a huge, you know, Burries guy for a while now. And I, you know, he just I feel like he can maybe be a bigger version of like an Eric Gordon. You know, he has like a certain like, you know, like his frame is really thick. He he's able to, you know, play play through people, his ability to turn back towards the basket off of like you know, screens and rolls and stuff is is just really, really like, you know, that he's gonna need that going forward, and that like really brings in a really strong, you know, like scoring like gravity around him. You know, his usage was only 21%. So to Russy's point, I think that that that would really, you know, work well with Cooper, who's probably gonna be around like a 29, 30 for you know, most of his you know, entire you know, stint and you know, with Dallas and beyond that. So having a guy that can play off the ball with him and also be able to actually take take spots on the ball so Cooper can actually like it work, you know, around, I think would also be just super, super killer for them. I I I feel like Dallas fans won't be too happy about this because you know that they're you know that they're probably seeing like a cups there or something. And but I I think I think you know to me, if you can add a guard that could maybe get you 20 night and play really good defense and rebound for you and be on the break, you know, I would take that over like an A cuff who might get you 25, but he's gonna give up 30, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 43:30

And he stuffed A cup in a locker the second half of that game. He did. That was great. Little brother to him for the last half.

SPEAKER_02 43:36

So right. Who is number 10?

Pick No 10 Nate Ament Chaos

SPEAKER_01 43:40

The Bucks. The Bucks is let's see. Oh, it's me. Oh, goodness. Okay, I'm gonna add a little chaos here.

SPEAKER_04 43:50

Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 43:53

I wouldn't pick this guy at this spot, and also it just brings another faller because. Because somebody's gonna fall on draft night. However, with the tenth pick, the Milwaukee Bucks slut Nate Amit out of Tennessee. And I I'm looking at I'm just looking at the track record that Milwaukee has. I I am looking at their draft history right now on Tankathon, and there's just a theme I notice. Alright, so 47th page, who cares? But Bogo, Markovich, 24th, uh 2024, AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith at 23 and 33. Just again, I'm just going off generalization here. 2017 DJ Wilson as that was, and then also too, just if you send bam back, the the Bucks have generally gone after tools. And Nate Ammont has a lot of those tools. I would love for them to be actualized a little bit more. And also I would like to add that the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks is none other than famous Tennessee alum, Jimmy Hazlan. I I just think if Nate Amit is on the board at 10, I don't think this is much. And also, too, if they trade Giannis, they're in for a rebuild. I could see them swinging on Nate Amit. So let's cause a little chaos. Nate Amit at 10.

SPEAKER_04 45:24

You make me nerve more nervous than Nate Amit because there's a world where he hits and he's a serviceable, great-sized NBA wing. But boy, that floor seems really low. And in big moments for Tennessee this year, he folded. He was not a great tournament player. I just that pick makes me nervous. But the upside is there. He's kind of like again, the talent level is not the same, but in the same realm of a Caleb Wilson where his ceiling and floor might be further apart than anybody else in the draft. But if you land somewhere in the middle, you're still gonna have a pretty good NBA player.

SPEAKER_03 45:56

Yeah, I this is too high for me for Amit. And I think that Parker's probably right that this seems like a potential landing spot for him. I just I wouldn't go that high. This is a 6'10 guy who couldn't barely finish half of his shots at the rim. There's a great I was doing some research on him earlier. There are eight players sit listed 6'10 or taller that have at least 100 rim attempts and finish less than 55% of them. Nate Mint is one of those eight players, and the other seven did not play in the NBA. So, like, this is pretty unprecedented for a guy this size to be this bad at scoring two pointers. He did draw a ton of fouls. He did, he does have a good shot. Like, if he just embraced the three and D gigantic role, then like, sure, that's fine, good for him. But the upside, I think, like we're talking outlier development, leaps and bounds, body work, functional core strength, balance, all that stuff has got to improve for him to have any sort of star upside.

SPEAKER_01 46:56

Also be clear, I wouldn't do this. I just think that this will happen.

SPEAKER_03 47:03

Big neat guy. Jimmy Haslam is very proud of you for this one. As much as the jazz owner was frustrated, Jimmy is happy. So you did something good. That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 47:15

Man, it's crazy because like I was literally gonna say what Parker said. I was gonna be like, yeah, like the the owner has ties here, and we had talked at the very beginning about owners, you know, trying to like make picks. It's happened here in Memphis. My mom told me if you have nothing nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all. So we're just gonna move on. Number like if it was me uh for the Bucks, I assume that they want one of these guards based on that. But I don't think ACUF fits here either. You know, I I think at this point, maybe Yaxel would be awesome for them if they're gonna you'd actually use this pick. I think that you know, him and Giannis would be crazy together. I just don't know if they're gonna, you know, it's so up in the air with them and the heat and everybody else. Like, like who knows what the hell's gonna happen with them?

SPEAKER_04 47:53

It feels like a really good landing spot for LeBaire and Falon, too.

SPEAKER_02 47:57

Fair. Who's number 11?

SPEAKER_04 47:59

Golden State. That's me.

Pick No 11 Yaxel Lendeborg Plug

SPEAKER_04 48:02

So Golden State is a unique team, and uh, it was fun to kind of do some digging this week on them as I was kind of prepping for this and seeing what their future looks like and what they need. And so I think I mean there's a world where Draymond's time is running short there. Obviously, Steph is on the back half of his career, and so with the 11th pick, Golden State Warriors select Yaxel Lindenborg, Michigan. I think he has the attitude and the edge that could kind of pair with Draymond. Obviously, an older player. It feels like Golden State's MO as they have a team full of older players right now, but I think he's a guy that could be an immediate plug-and-play impact for this team. You know, I know they're they're still fairly high on pods, but you know, a Steph, Butler, Lindenborg, Draymond, KP kind of lineup might be a thing we could see that would be big, physical, and pretty athletic. Lindenborg, I think he was an absolute bucket. He got better as his college career went on. Obviously, coming up from UAB to Michigan was a big step, but he was a huge reason why they won a national championship. Again, I think his play kind of elevated Mara, and I think Mara owes him at least a portion of his rookie contract for how well he kind of propped him up this year. But I like Lindenborg. Listen, he's a goober and says some weird things on the mic, but a guy that can give you 18 and 8 on the best team in college basketball, just bullying people for an entire season. I like Lindenborg a lot. I think he has a higher floor than most older players, and I think this is a good landing spot for him in Golden State.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

Yeah, one of my favorite fits in the draft. So I'm with you. No notes.

unknown 49:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:41

For me, Yak spent a lot of time at number five on my board. I bumped him down a couple spots, but yeah, I just think that this is like the guy who's gonna overcome the age stuff because there's a lot of special stuff in his profile. So I'm a huge fan.

SPEAKER_02 49:56

And also, I would much rather him land here at 11 than at 12. Uh because the Thunder don't don't need more guys, but at least here, like Yaks, you know, could play and maybe help them maybe add another year on like a curry's career. But you know, I I if they keep the pick, I think that this is like a home run.

SPEAKER_04 50:12

Yeah.

Pick No 12 Morez Johnson Dawg

SPEAKER_02 50:14

Number 12. Who's who's got the thunder? Me.

SPEAKER_01 50:22

I'm going strictly off my board here, but I'm gonna go more as Johnson. I'm gonna go more as I think he fits everything they want. The versatile defense, uh defense, the pressure that he provides defensively. Some of the stuff that I saw him defending in space, literally switching on to pick and roll ball handlers from damn near half court. I love that. And I actually think one thing too that I've actually kind of evaluated, try to evaluate a little bit with you know, this group with, you know, Yaxel, Morez, and Mara, but also too, like I was looking at Florida with Alex Condon and Ruben Shineloo and Thomas Hawk is rebound suppression. You know, some players just aren't gonna get rebounds because you're playing three bigs, and one of and at least one of those are just it's just an absolute elite rebounder. So I think more is might actually be a better rebounder than what's let on. I think he can play with any of the guys in the front court for OKC, whether it's Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren. I think he played with him four or five. I think he can play with Thomas Sorber. God, they're gonna have Mores Johnson and Thomas Sorber next year. Good luck, everybody. But no, I think the shooting actually I think it actually has strong indicators. I mean, look, only 34% from three shot 78% from the free throw line. I actually have him ranked ahead of Jaxel. I think he's a top, he's top 10 player on my board. I I would very easy, I I think I he's a guy that you can drop into the playoffs tomorrow. Honestly, kind of like how Toronto did Colin Murray Boyles. Colin Murray Boyles just blew up so much stuff defensively. I think Morris Johnson would do the same thing next year.

SPEAKER_04 52:08

I hate how good of a pick that is for Oklahoma City because everything, like everything you said is exactly right about Morris. He's a top 10 player in this league. He's one of the guys that actually relishes Guardi one through five and will pick up smaller guys at the three-point line and defend them well. He's a guy that'll get down and bang with bigs in the post. I love everything about his game. I he is aggressive. He's like a to me, he's like a Julius Randall kind of archetype that you can give the ball to. And I think he could be better than that. I just I hate I hate how good of a fit that is. If I'm Zach Kleiman, I'm calling Milwaukee, I'm calling Atlanta, I'm calling any of them to see what it would take to move up to get this guy because a boozer Mores pairing in Memphis would be just diabolical for other teams. Like Mores Johnson is uh him and Burries might be my two favorite players in this draft. Just there's so many things to like about his game. Things to work on, but so many things to like.

SPEAKER_03 53:00

Yeah, he's a dog flat out. He's awesome. He he just with the screening, the rebounding, the defensive activity, that's gonna get him on the floor a lot early and often his NBA career. And then I'm really interested to see like what can expand in his game as well. Like, can the shooting really pop? Can some of the interesting passes that he made really pop? Like, what else is there to this guy? Because he's gonna get minutes just because he's going to embrace the role early on. And I think Parker's point about the rebound suppression is really good. Go back and look at what he did at Illinois the season before. He was one of the best rebounders in the country. So this is this is a tremendous player. To me, one of the easiest scouts of the whole cycle. Like this guy's going to play in the playoffs for sure.

SPEAKER_02 53:41

Next man, what's what's not to like here, man? I have been beating the you know Morez Johnson drum for like four to five months now. I remember like when I when I told Chip that I was gonna start really getting into like, you know, actually back on tape and stuff in college and da-da-da-da. Like I fell in love with Morez. I was like, when I first watched, I was like, oh, is is that Morez or is that Yaxel? Because like Morez was just doing everything, he was guarding everybody, he was in the post, he was he's just a straight bully. I I love his entire play style. You know, you talk about you know his his rebounding. I think at I think he was at like 18% offensive rebound rate at Illinois, like a 24% or 23% in terms of defensive rebound rate. I would have to pull that up, but I think that sounds right. You know, he does that, you know, he he guards you know by himself, you know, full court. He he switches on everybody. His his length, you know, he causes mass play disruption. He just he does literally everything you want, except you know, he doesn't shoot threes, and it's like okay. So, you know, he he should scale to be an okay catch and shoot guy. I never expect him to be able to like you know put it on the floor or anything, you know. That and as long as he is a playmaker in the sense of he realizes when to pass out and like you know, actually reading the actions correctly, to me, that is good enough. You know, you could drop him in, you know, as you as you guys said, he rebounds, he processes fast, he's incredibly athletic, he's long, he's 19 years old, you know, and he's got a great attitude, awesome character. He's number seven for me. So, like, you know, I think he's an absolute monster. But I did want to ask Chip. So when I was looking at him and Colin Murray Boyles, their numbers are pretty similar, man. How how close do you think they are, you know, outside of you know the the obvious stuff in terms of their of their look and their and their playstyle? Like, because you know that last last drive cycle, you were a huge, you know, Boyles guy. How much is there do you think that it look like is the same?

SPEAKER_03 55:34

Yeah, I I think that CMB is a better defender overall. I just think the way like I just think that CMB processes the game at a different level from Merez. And that that's not a knock on Merez. I just think Kyle Murray Boyles is a special processor, or really on both ends, pretty special passer. But like, I he's just a detonator blowing up actions. Like he you saw it, uh, what he did in Toronto in the playoffs. Like they are somewhat similar in that way. I still prefer the overall processing though from Kyle Murray Boyles.

SPEAKER_02 56:07

Gotcha. I think I'm number 13, right?

Picks 13 To 16 Miami To Memphis

SPEAKER_02 56:10

Oh my gosh, he might have a pick again. Uh the Miami Heat, I feel like they have been trying for this pick for a while now, but they they can't find any like real suitors. If they're stuck just taking this, it's you know, I'm not a big you know proponent of take what you need, you know, so to speak, but it's pretty obvious that this team needs guard play. There are a few left on the board here as I bring this up. I have the guys that I like. I I think you know, at this point, like we're just really hurting Darius Acuff's you know, feelings. I'm I'm I'm not gonna go that way again, unfortunately, for him. So I'm gonna go a little bit different. And you guys might think I'm a little a little too high on this guy, but I'm gonna go with Abuko Corey here at number 13. I I kind of just I watch him play. He's got incredible reach. He probably has the best handles in the entire you know draft. He's able to keep the ball really, really low. You know, he never has to like turn his body or anything. He gets to all the spots, he can score at all three levels. You know, he doesn't have a lot of explosion, but I think his his on-ball juice as like a pure score is really, really real. Uh, you know, he could come into Miami right now, he could start for them, and he could give them real, you know, like niche damage on the wings there. His playmaking, I don't want to say like needs work because Stanford they weren't the highest talented group. So there could be some concern there, but I think you know he could very much be a guy that gets you like five to six just really smart assists. I I don't think he can be a guy like a Kingston Flemings that can come in and actually create action off of his actual play, but I think he's capable of playing that role and then be able to actually get the ball to the right people while also being like a really crazy threat as well.

SPEAKER_01 57:58

Dog, I I know, I know we're like I know there's this fade right now going on and in uh this mock draft, but Darius up to Miami's the aura pick for sure. Like for sure, yeah. He would be a freaking star there. I think he would I think that would be a very good play from Miami or more Milwaukee. But no, Cory's actually been a very fun, challenging guy for me to try to assess because he has the age-based production, he can get to the rim at will, but also he's not a great finisher. How much is that is context? How much is that is the fact that he's an undersized guard living in the paint? 34% from three, but does take a lot of a lot of threes, but also a lot of difficult threes. So it's like okay, maybe there's a little bit of a better production there. I would like to just see more activity from him in general. I felt like he kind of stood around a little bit off the ball, and also I felt like defensively left a little bit on the table. But I mean again, age-based production carried a heavy load at Stanford. And again, I I also kind of look at development trajectory. This was a guy that I I want to say, I don't want to be wrong. I I may be wrong, but like he was originally a Harvard commit before going to Stanford. He was I almost just want to bet on the I almost just want to bet on him because he's a young freshman, he's he's an intelligent player, obviously on and off the floor. I kind of want to bet on him to figure it out. So I think I can figure that out. I think you would honestly, I I if I were to reboard after figured out landing spots, if a corey landed in Miami, I might move him to like top ten.

SPEAKER_04 59:39

I I like a corey, the size makes me nervous. The IQ is there. I get it. The size makes me nervous. He's long, he plays super well. Like Parker said, he does struggle finishing at the rim a little bit. Three three-point shot needs to come along for the NBA. Not as high as everybody else. I wanted to just sandwich me in here so we can finish on a positive with Chip because I know Chip's massive lap on this guy. I like Accori, but I don't know that I like him as much as others.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:08

This is goat, man. Like, this is the best. Thank you, Chip. My guy, yeah. I mean, this is like Kyle Smith did it again. Look at all the guys he found at Washington State. He found uh Jalen Wells for all you Grizzlies fans. He goes out and he finds uh Abuka Accori out of Harvard, you know, and and steals his commitment away. Like that Kyle Smith is one of the best evaluators of talent in college basketball, and he's done it again with Abuka Okori, and he let that guy cook. And it was I had a great time watching Abuka Kore cook all season long. So great pick, Andrew. Huge fan.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:44

Thank you, Chip. I think I'm also number 14, right? You are. Oh my gosh. Parker's got to get really mad at me.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:52

No, I I get it. I get it.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:54

Don't worry. I mean, like, only because you know, I don't think Acuff and Ball, like I would, I would not wish that on Pon like any like I would feel so bad for I mean him, Conka Nipple, and Ball together would just be it would just get just entirely roughed up. I'm I'm gonna go with a guy that I think Parker does really like though. And you know, because like I don't I don't know if if you know Koch Brenner is gonna be there. I'm sorry, yeah, because he he was really good as a rookie, but I kind of want a little bit more size there as well. You unfortunately took uh uh you know Marez, who I thought would fall here. Unfortunately, he doesn't. So I'm gonna go with if I can find him on my board, with Hannes Steinbach. He is uh a guy that has been dominant at every single level that he's played from under 16 to under 18 to under 19 to under 20. Uh, he killed it in Germany and then he went to Washington and you know and murdered it there. But unfortunately, his team was not good, so nobody really paid attention to him. Unfortunately, he is athletic, he can he grabs every damn rebound. He has awesome touch, you know, in the paint. He I think he has real indicators that he's gonna be able to stretch beyond, you know, 15 feet or so. You know, he could I I kind of view him almost as maybe like a more aggressive Santa Aldama to you know a certain degree. You know, his ability to also take it off the rim at his size and go, you know, the the entire length and then like Euro on people is next level impressive. And in the NBA, you know, size matters, and having a player that can do this is very, very important. Now, he does have some issues on defense, and we don't really know if he's a four or five. You know, he is size-wise, he should be a five, but his rim protection wasn't good despite his his really good size at six foot eleven, not in shoes. And I think his wingspan was like seven, two or something. I kind of just think he'll figure it out, man. Like, you know, he he's shown the aptitude his entire career so far. I have no doubt that him on that team with with Lamello and and everybody else would be so damn fun. He would be so dangerous in that entire like fast break system. So Hannes Steinbach, number 14.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:01

So, since you called me out specifically, I I do think this is the a home run pick for Charlotte. Yeah. Um, because for one, I kind of just look at how they build their roster, and obviously they have a lean towards the analytics, and I think Hannes Staubach just kind of crushes a lot. He's at Daddy Matt to his priors to Washington, but obviously it'd be very fascinating, lose the rebounding advantage that they have with Musa Diavate on the floor whenever he has to get a rest. I think it's very under discussed, not only just how awesome his freshman year was, but his measurements at the combine. I was afraid he was gonna be an undersized five, but he's 6'10 barefoot. You're telling me this guy's a near seven-footer, like now. I feel a lot more comfortable with him playing the five. I I have him 11 on my board, so like this is about the spot for me for him, but yeah, he rocks. So let's go Hannah Steinbach.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:58

Yeah. I don't mind it. He's he is a bit of a tweener, he's bigger, like taller than I anticipated. He struggles defending in space. He's gonna be a great rim protector, good rim protector. He's gonna be good in paint. I won't say great, I think he'll be good in the paint. You get him in space, you can tie him up a little bit. I'm not as big on Steinbach. I think he's kind of you know, around 20, 22, somewhere right in there, it was good value. I was actually eyeing him for the 20th pick. So as I'm saying this, I was gonna take him at 20 if he was still there. I I just I don't know that he's going, he's again, he's gonna be a project as he comes to the pros, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:38

Yeah, Stephex is cool, man. Really fun player, like been on radars for a really long time. I I just don't think he can be your primary rim protector. I think that it's gonna be a layup line if if if that's what you're gonna do. So I think you're going to have to pair him with someone. I actually think that him and Ryan Kaufprinter is an awesome pairing. So I think that'd be a ton of fun for Charlotte.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:00

Who's number 15? I think it's Chip is finally back up. The Bulls.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:04

Yeah. I mean, I'll just do it. I I guess you guys are gonna make me do it. I'll just take Darius Acuff. We already got Caleb Wilson, so now we're gonna get uh the only guy since Pete Merovich to lead the SEC in points and assists. So uh wooping Suey and shout out to the Darius Acuff five, because we're going to Chicago, baby.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:27

Frankly, as whatever concern you have about Darius Acuff, I don't care. Getting Caleb Wilson and Darius Acuff at four and fifteen that wins the draft. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:39

I mean, yeah, 15 is it's a must pick. The defensive concerns are there. He's an offensive bucket, can go on generational heaters, like he's the guy offensively. You're gonna have to pair some guys around him to help hide some of that because there's gonna be some nights where the Carusos and Knolls and Dyson Daniels of the world cut his water off and he'll be unplayable defensively. But at 15 to pair with Caleb. Wilson with the new regime, you need a shot in the arm. Acuff is the pick here at 15.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:05

Hey, that's that like Caleb Wilson will just guard two guys. We're good. Like we figured we fixed that already. It's great. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:12

Yeah, like I mean, that would be now like I just kind of want this to happen because like Acuff and Caleb and you know and Giddy, like Amantes Mozellas, and God no Es and gay would be awesome together, man.

unknown 1:06:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:24

Thanks for watching the vote. Es and gay. Number 16. I believe it's the Grizzlies are back up.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:30

The Grizzlies are back up. And so this might be a bit redundant, but I'm gonna do it because I really like this guy and I like his upside. I got AJ DeBansta at small forward coming in at the third overall pick. Uh at 16, the Memphis Grizzlies are gonna select Dalen Swain from Texas. I love this guy's upside. Uber athlete. Was a better scorer, Xavier, than he was at Texas, but his his usage went up at Texas. I think it was a product of the team kind of around him. Dude is an absolute menace defensively. And I think, I mean, shot 82% from the free throw line. I think there's some room there for it to prove his mechanics are not good, but with NBA coaching, it can improve. But you talk about a guy that starts defending you when you get off the bus, that is an effort, hustle, true two-way player. Uh, you're getting two Uber athletes in this draft, and Memphis would have potentially two of the best wings they've ever had in both AJ and Dalen Swain. I love this pick. I would pair him with Boozer, with Peterson, whoever. If he's there at 16 and I'm Zach Kleinman, I'm sprinting to the podium for Dalen Swain.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:30

Yeah, backflips on Beale Street if they get Dalen Swain. Like everyone keeps talking about getting an upside, like swinging a little bit at 16, and never mentioned Swain. I'm like, dude, this is the creation. This is it. That's the swing right there. I mean, hey, guess who we all? I mean, I'm not saying this guy's his player, but guess who else people probably said the same thing about? Jalen Williams.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:51

Like, so yeah, let's go. I feel like this is like you know, Chip's guy right here.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:57

I what is there to say? I mean, this is a perfect basketball player. What are we talking about? He's in Memphis with Cam Boozer, man. So, no, this is incredible. I I've been on Swain for a long time. Like, I think Rusty, when I was on your show, I said I wasn't gonna do the hipster thing where I was like, Yeah, I like Swain before everyone else did. And yeah when he was at Xavier, I thought he was a prospect, but I did. That's all true. I've loved this guy for years. I just think he's awesome. I think he can play scaled up or scaled down. I think the shooting improvements this year were great. Like, just yeah, it's great. It's not perfect. It's not perfect. Don't let me lie to you. He's not a perfect basketball player. There's a downside, but this is a good bet and honestly a great bet to take at 16.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:37

Yeah, Swain's cool. He's really awesome on the ball. Uh, you know, he can get to all the spots. He's got great footwork to actually get around people in the paint. His link for the world to actually finish around people at the rim. Um, he shows the ability to really, you know, pass at like a certain clip, but it still needs work. His shot, you know. Uh he's actually better off the dribble than he is in the catch and shoots. That's kind of like I'm wondering his role exactly. But I think him and Coward would be and Bouger would be a lot of fun together. Number 17, I think, is uh Parker with the Thunder again, right?

Picks 17 To 20 Thunder And Spurs

SPEAKER_01 1:09:07

Yep. Yes, sir, it is. I gotta look at my board real quick to see who is not gone yet. We're gonna go. We're gonna go feel FC, touch FC. And I'm just gonna go against the green here compared to the mocks. I'm gonna go Bennett Sturts. You know, I would just love to see this guy play off of Shea and relieve some creation off of Shay. You know, I man, I just got I got chills thinking about it. But look, this team, this is also a let's think two years from now when AJ Mitchell is gonna be more expensive, Jared McCain's gonna be on his neck next contract. You need dudes that can handle, and I think this series, uh, this playoff showed you need guys who can handle the ball with sturts. I don't like, yeah, I'm worried about defensively and how he looks when the ball's not in his hands all the time, and how he creates advantages for himself against physical perimeter defense uh defenses, but I'm just gonna rattle off some numbers that really make me love the idea of him in in Ocoma City. Let's see, 69.4% in the rim in half court situations on 108 attempts, so about two and a half attempts per game at the half court in the rim. Pretty good. Dribble jumper effective field goal percentage 49% on 261 attempts, and shot 49% on catch and shoot threes. It it really felt like when J. Lee Williams and AJ Mitchell went down, uh, there was a huge creation hit, and I felt like some players weren't for it. Jamie McKay obviously got it. Why not just go down to get some more? We're gonna go bigger.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:20

Deserve this guy. This is tough, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:22

Okay, a walking bucket. I mean, just pairs on this team beautifully. Cerebral player bucket feels like a freaking thunder. I hate again, two for two. I hate how good these thunder picks are.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:34

Yeah, so like I had a person ask me like yesterday, so you know, as you're scouting and stuff, you know, what do you do if somebody else brings you new like information? And I was like, well, you know, you like try to stick to tiger process, but if you trust the person, you you actually like and could go back and look again, right? So I was very out on Bennett about four months ago. And and like I like, I text Chip. I was like, man, like, like I don't see it, and then Chip starts like telling me this and that. And so like I've like, I went back, I was like, shit, man, this guy is pretty good. And then, like, you know, so and he's just super smart. He's got, you know, he's he can play on the ball, off the ball, he's he's got great endurance. I think he could definitely play next to you know Shea and everybody else, and or Jalen. I I think this was a very you know obvious thunder pick here, and two just really good picks, you know, by Parker, man. I think I am number nine or uh 18, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:12:25

Mm-hmm.

unknown 1:12:26

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:27

I might make Chip mad here, as I'm gonna go double big. As I took Hannes Danbag for the Hornets earlier, I'm gonna take another big here as well. This is not somebody that I am you know super, super high on, but at 18, I think you can totally swing now. And I'm gonna take Jaden Quaitens for the Hornets. Like, so I basically took one for the offense, I'm gonna take one for the defense here. Uh Jaden Quaitens, you know, a year or so ago before his injury, you know, looked like just like he looked almost like a a you know 2K player in terms of just how fast he was moving and this and and how he's just able to just react everything. He's got crazy length, very athletic, you know. He looks like a next level Dennich Rodman-esque, you know, guy on that end. And, you know, unfortunately, you know, he wasn't able to get back at Kentucky. But man, like I think you pair him next to Hannes and Lamello and stuff, you know, you let him just roam and do things. They they have enough runway with how well that they've drafted that they can let him just kind of like sit and chill and learn. But if he hits, he could easily be a guy that could challenge, you know, Wimbenyama, you know, going forward in terms of like of like in certain like you know, wins in hardware and everything.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:42

Please be healthy. That's it. The medicals, like everything else is awesome. Just please be healthy, Jaden Quaintens, because I love this guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:49

Same. He's a monster in own film, but is that knee going to be healthy?

unknown 1:13:55

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:55

Number 19?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:58

Oh, hold on. I think that's me again, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:14:00

Yeah, wait. I've got the raptors. Yeah, I got the raptors. I'm just I got 19 and 20. So y'all gonna hear from me for a few minutes. And uh, the world is my oyster because I got a couple guys that I really like here for Toronto because they need scoring and they need a big. And there's two here that I really like. You know, phylon has failed. I don't know that he's gonna fall this far. Cameron Carr is still hanging out out there. And so for the Toronto Raptors at pick number 19, I'm gonna go LeBair and Felon, Alabama. I think he is a guy that would be really fun with RJ Barrett, Scotty Barnes. He is an offensive dynamo who I but I will never forget the my favorite thing about LeBair and Felon was they were playing Tennessee late in the year, and they did a couple screens, and he just he got a big on him at the end of the game where he scored the final like eight or 12 points for Alabama, and he just shook his head and laughed and barbecued this kid at the free throw line for a middle to ice the game. He's a killer, he's a bucket. There are some things that could be a little bit better from a shooting mechanic standpoint, but again, with NBA coaching, that's going to get a whole lot better. I I just think he's gonna be a really good steal. As you you tell me the Toronto Raptors can get LeBaron Phyllon at 19, this might be another record for the quickest pick in NBA draft history. I uh they would sprint to the podium for this kid.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:22

Love phylon. Great pick. Like, love it. Can't believe he lasted this long. Great pick.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:28

Creation equity. There's another thing. Hold on. Yeah, creation equity, skill development trajectory, aura moments. No notes.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:39

Yeah. The only uh concern is his size. Yeah, like you know, I think he came in at like 176 pounds, which is you know, pretty light, but they have so much size on the wings there as well. I think him playing with you know Barnes behind him and Boyles and everybody else, I think he'll be fine. You know, quickly actually had a pretty good gear last year. So, you know, maybe Fallon can be that guy off the bench for them and actually like you know, because they really needed help once quickly got hurt. And yeah, I agree. The the Raptors would love to get Fowl on here.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:09

So, I mean, next up, San Antonio Spurs. You talk about the rich getting richer. I'm gonna rock this. I think I'm gonna rock this boat a little bit. I'm gonna reach really far here because San Antonio has a way of finding guys that can be diamonds in the rough that may not be the biggest or the best, but you think back to all those years where they had Ginobili and they found these just diamonds out there. I'm gonna I'm really gonna reach here, and maybe this is how much I've liked him since from hearing from some of y'all about this kid. But with the 20th pick, the San Antonio Spurs are taking Zubie Edge of four, St. John's forward. He is a bigger, more aggressive Carter Bryant. He's a guy that can be the yen to Wimby's Yang. He can be a guy that clears up Wimby to do what he wants. And you talk about a physical presence in a in a series where the Knicks outphysical the Spurs, especially late in games, nobody is outphysicling Zuby Edgefore. And when you have a plethora of guards and wings like the Spurs do, this feels like a natural fit alongside Wimby. He's a guy that can come in and will bloody some noses early in games and kind of help set the tone. I love Zuby Edgefor. He like ever since Bill Self basically was like, You're not good enough here in Kansas, all he did was go to the Big East and dominate. Love this kid, love what he's about. He's made of the right stuff. There's some things to work on, not a perfect prospect, but tell me I'm wrong that he doesn't just feel like a Spurs player.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:36

Yeah, he's gonna play early and affect winning quickly. So yeah, this is like a plug-and-play role guy. Yeah, big time. Uh I this is not where I expected you to go, and I think it's really cool. I'm a fan.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:48

Yeah, I am very sad because I love ZB Edge 4 and I was hoping for him to actually fall to me. I'm gonna show everybody the current draft board here just to get everybody next with the Pistons, right?

Picks 21 To 24 Pistons To Knicks

unknown 1:18:05

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:06

I I think how things have fallen. This is exactly what the Pistons probably fan base also wants to happen here. I know that not everybody is a big fan of this guy just based on things, but I they have obvious need. I was hoping maybe Phylon would fall here. He didn't. Bennett didn't fall here either. So I'm gonna go with the next player that I think that could maybe fill some holes here, and that is Cameron Carr with Baylor. The Pissons have been searching for a player on the wing that could actually, you know, like try to like help out Thompson and help out Ron Holland and help out Cade. And one of the best gunners in this class uh is Cameron Carr, you know, six foot six. He's a little older, but he man, he's very long, he's athletic. I think he had like a seven-foot wingspan, maybe very bouncy. I think he had 46 dunks. He'll be able to run in transition with those guys. He has a really good block rate. Um his defense isn't you know locked down or anything, but you know, he's he's good enough to guard his yard. I think with how strong that team is, with you know, if they keep Tobias Harris and Thompson and everybody else, you know, they can really help him out. He can come in and give them what they kind of lost with, you know, Tim Hardway Jr. And, you know, so a guy that can just take six or seven threes, you know, they they they have Duncan Robinson, he's older at this point. Cameron, you know, is bigger than him, he's faster. I think he fits in really well there. He could easily come in and be a really good weapon off the bench.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:29

Yeah, I love Cameron Carr. Love his game, uber athletics, smart, high IQ, tough, hard-nosed kid. What's not to like about him fits the Detroit mantra, and I think him and Cade Cunningham would be a phenomenal pairing.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:43

Yeah, I I agree. I agree with Rusty there, and I agree with you, Andrew, as well.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:48

Run, jump, shoot. That's Cameron Carr, man. Sounds good to me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:53

All right. Pick 24. Wait, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:57

22. 22. I'm sorry, my bad. Just skipping people, it's fine. It is all good. All right. I am gonna I'm between two guys here. They're really actually like 21 and 22 on my board. But I want to go Alan Graves, Santa Clara. Uh there's concerns, you know. Why did why was he a six man at Santa Clare as a at a mid-major? I think he he can be in danger of being a tweener in the worst way if he doesn't work on his body. He's kind of small to be an undersize, uh to be a five. Really kind of interested to see how much he could really be like a four. Like, shoot, I think if he can even lose a little bit of weight, like to get down to like 215, maybe try to become the three three, but really it all hands on him becoming a four. But here's the thing like he had one of the best. I mean, he probably had the best season by the numbers, analytically, since alongside Cam Boozer. Like, nobody influences the possessions game like him. Monster Rebounder takes care of the ball, generates steals, blocks shots, hit threes at a respectable clip, like 41% from three on six at six attempts per 100 possessions. I think he would be an awesome fit next Tyrese Maxie and BJ Edgecombe, you know, as they kind of look into the next era. Yeah. Alan Graves, Philadelphia 76er. I'm here for it.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:27

Yeah, big, big fan, really good at a lot of things. I've jokingly called him like discount boozer. Like, oh, okay, you don't have a top three pick, no problem. Just wait till the mid-first round, and you can just take Alan Graves because he does some similar stuff. Yeah, just like everything other than the athleticism and the fouling, he's really good at. So this is a fun pick and a great swing in the 20s.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:49

I did some research. The only game that he had zero fouls in this year, he only played four minutes. Like every other game, he's out there fouling everybody. Like too much Jaron Jackson Jr. in that. And he knows his weaknesses too. He's talked about that a lot in postseason interviews where he's talking about getting stronger, getting more athletic, getting to the gym. The guy's got a great head on his shoulders. I think this is a good pick.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:10

Kind of funny that we are, you know, uh talking about Graves. Uh like I was talking to, you know, Carl Berman here recently. He said that they've been looking at at Graves, actually, you know, to scout and everything. Uh, he said that he's a really hard scout because you look at his numbers and he's like an analytic, you know, darling. Everything looks great. But then when you start to dig deeper, his defense doesn't really look as good as it does on paper, you know, that he he has problems, you know, trying to like you know, like his ability to move side to side is not very quick. So he was saying that he's worried about that in the future going forward. But, you know, he does good with you know causing turnovers and things. And then he was saying that like then he shoots really well, but but in terms of how he shoots, is is like he's not able to, you know, create his own shot. So he was saying that he it's very mixed and that he can see a world where he becomes like this awesome steel, and then he sees a world where maybe he just doesn't work out. I I I like Alan Graves as well. I think him going to the 20s is it's a great, you know, you know, like like area for him. It's very safe. I don't think any team gets in trouble for you taking him here because there's a higher chance here for him to return your, you know, like pick equity. I think uh Chip's next, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:23:14

Chip is next. That is true. We have the Atlanta Hawks, and the Atlanta Hawks are going to select the highest available player on my board, and that is Christian Anderson from Texas Tech. Yep, yep, yep. Breaking Hearts. Gonna pair him with a dai Mara. That's fine. You know, the Hawks don't want a point guard, no problem. We'll give you a point guard-size shooting guard in Christian Anderson. Has an argument for the best shooter in this draft, like just pretty Teflon shooting profile and uh all of the variety of shots that he can make off the dribble, unassisted rate, super high. You know, pretty, pretty decent passer, had a really good one-two game with JT Toppin before he went down with his injury this year. He's tiny, he's he makes up for it some with his wingspan. He doesn't weigh very much. Like, there's a reason he's available now, but he also almost was a 60 effective field goal percentage as a guard, which is just like Jalen Brunson level bonkers. So he's fun. He's a fun bet to make with the defensive infrastructure that's already there in Atlanta.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:24

Man, I was like, there's no way he takes Christian Anderson here with Atlanta because I was, man, the Knicks would love to have him there. But he's like he was the last guy still on my board in the top 20. So I was really hoping that he would fall there. Awesome pick, man. All right, uh, I think am I next? 24? The Knicks, right? Uh all right. I might just do what Parker and Chip did and just go with the top guy on my board that's still around. So, with that in mind, you know, they kind of had some issues when Robinson was a little banged up, you know, and they have to go to their bench. They don't have a ton of size here and there. So I'm gonna give them somebody that I think plays the way that they play, and then also, you know, has pretty good game, man. And I'm gonna go with Terish Reed from UConn, you know, senior, unfortunately, didn't win a didn't win a ring, even though he played for two teams that actually won championships. Uh, he's gotten better every single year. He is just a big man through and through, great at the rim, athletic, super bouncy. He can play in the dunker spot. He can like he's really great at those like dives in the like pick and roll game. You know, he just he's not really dangerous outside of the paint, unfortunately. But you know, if you have him come in for Robinson, he doesn't have to be. He can sit there and just catch lobs and just block shots. And I think that you know, going forward, it would be nice to have another strong big man around 6'10, 6'11. And I, you know, he's I think of awesome floor.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:56

I stole my pick. I love Taurus Reed. I actually I have him top 20. I think he just does everything at a very high level, and he's just also like absolutely massive as well. Yeah, great pick. He barely fits New York.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:13

So he's a guy that I hope Zach Kleinman chases late in the first. Because could you imagine him spelling Edie at the center and having some lineups with that guy out there? Just a tremendous athlete, tremendous motor. I yeah, I love Taurus Reed.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:27

Monster. Nothing else to be said. He's a monster. Great pick.

Picks 25 To 30 Flyers And Shooters

SPEAKER_01 1:26:31

Who's got the Lakers? Ah, the Lakers. All right, shoot. Now I gotta look at my board because you took who I wanted. Goodness gracious. I I'm gonna go. You know what? I'm just gonna do it because he's pretty much next available on my board, and I think he can do some really fun stuff playing off of playing in JJ Reddick's system off of Luca. It can get clunky because he can't shoot, but I'm gonna go co-opete. I I I just they uh I I I I feel like the thing that's really been missing in the Lakers system has been like that front court, and really it's like been LeBron. It's just that we're not used to LeBron taking this role, but like I just want to see more like playmakers outside of Luca Reeves LeBron. Obviously, like Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart did that in really strong pinches in the playoffs as well. They're just on the smaller side for for Smart, it's height, for Kennard, it's weight. La Ravia is a consistent in that role, you know, and then DeAndre Aiton and Jackson Hayes is probably the worst front court in terms of playmaking equity or as center rotations in terms of playmaking equity. I think. Coa Pete might be better than a season suggested at Arizona. He just has a huge impact on winning. I was actually gonna, I was very close to going Chris Snack here, but I feel like JJ Reddick would probably throw his clipboard and hit Jack Nicholson in the head if he had to deal with some of the lapses that he would have. Not the perfect player, but the dude always finds a way to win, and I think he's a smart basketball player. Let's go, Koa Pete.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:32

They need help in the post. And I mean, I think at this point it's worth the flyer on Koa Pete.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:37

Him catching lobs from Luca is gonna be fun too. Like really fun pick. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:41

Yeah. I mean, I think that that's a really great range. You know, it's not too high, so there's not high like expectations for him. He can come in and just learn from everybody. You know, getting learned behind Luca and Braun and everything is probably like a dream come true for him. So I agree. Who is 26?

SPEAKER_04 1:28:56

Yeah, it's the Nuggets. I got the Nuggets, and I got an interesting pick here because the Nuggets just they're a half-court team. They stalled offensively in the playoffs. Everything kind of runs through Nikola Jokic. They're fixed to like they got a decision to make between Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. Like those dudes are going to get paid. And so why not muddy the water a little bit more with an absolute sharpshooter? I'm really glad this pick fell to me because I'm going to reach again here. And these are guys that I really like. And I mean, I feel like Edgefor was a Spurs guy. And I think that the Nuggets at 26 are taking Richie Saunders from BYU. Absolute sharpshooter, lethal, lethal shooter, lethal player, just a guy that can go on a generational type heater from beyond the arc. And I think it is built to play with Nikola Jokic. Him coming off screens and Jokic finding this guy all over the floor would be a ton of fun. Give me Richie Saunders to the Nuggets. Nice. No notes. Let's go. I'd be bold, man. Fortune favors the bold here.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:01

Love it. Love it. I think he's older than me, but I love it. Listen. Again, fit's Denver, what they need. I know. I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:09

Hey, no, no ageism towards those that had a mission to fulfill after high school. I get it.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:14

I get it. Yeah. I'm very old too.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:18

Same thing happened with Sam Merrill. So I'm just gonna love it.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:24

All right. I think I am up with Boston, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:30:27

I am up with Boston.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:28

Oh man, I don't know any teams that I have, so that's okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:31

That's okay. We're gonna go Isaiah Evans from Duke, and we are just going to stick with the Boston theme of bombing as many threes as possible per game. I think Isaiah Evans was like 18 threes per 100 possessions as a freshman, and he came back down to earth at like 15 or 16 threes per 100 possessions as a sophomore. So we're just gonna continue to shoot a ridiculous amount of threes, and that we're going with Isaiah Evans here.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:08

Isaiah Evans, you know, is another guy that could be like a high super shooter rate type of guy. I just worry about him carrying on defense and being able to actually pass the ball. But you know, you know, he might not need to, you know, there or whatever.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:20

No pushback. Yep. This is all shooting, baby. We're just gonna spray threes to another title.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:27

All right.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:28

Uh let's see. Uh who's 28? Minnesota. That's me. Let's see. Let's let's go with another board pick. You know what? Off cuff. Let's go Sergio de la Reya. I was waiting for that. Yeah. Yeah, he's coming at some point. Yeah, he's he's so underrated. High assist rate. He's also huge. I think he measured in at like 6'6 barefoot. Can shoot the lights out. So like I feel like he can play on the ball or off the ball. He could I I think the defensive infrastructure is good enough for him to survive defensively, even though I have concerns on that. But yeah, the the Timberwolves do you just need a little bit of creation equity and a little small upside swing? Why not go get a guy that's played at a very high level in Eurobasket or in the Europe Euro Euro League? Yeah, I think he's a cool player. So yeah, uh, I'm gonna go with Sergio De La Reya.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:30

Yeah, his measurables were freaking awesome. Like, I think I had him like a few inches shorter and his reach a little bit shorter. Man, he's just like 6'6, his reach is huge, he's got good weight to him. I think that that really like opened up a lot as well. He looks like a really capable scorer and passer. It's always hard because I don't get to watch a lot of those guys' games, but you know, coming from that team and that club, I know I have good faith that he'll be like a really solid pro pretty early on.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:55

I like cool pick. Yeah, I did too.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:56

I like that a lot.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:57

It's a good pick.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:58

That's right. And who's uh uh 29 is that the Cavs? Cavs. Who's the Cavs? I think it's me.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:06

It's you, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:07

Yeah, man, Cavs had a really weird year. They you know traded way Garland, got back Harden. Now I don't know if they're gonna trade away Jared Allen or Evan. I kind of just want to go with the person I think will add the most value and be able to play a bunch of roles for them. I'm gonna add Joshua Jefferson, out of like Iowa State. Super smart, great size, uh, really like fast processor. I think he can come in, play the three, the four, the five. His shooting's not great, but he might not even be asked to do that there. I think you know he can spell uh you know most of the players off the bench from day one. He can be probably like in their top eight rotation, and he might give them a little bit of you know, of like you know, uh team equity that they you know maybe could move off of like you know, other players here and there because they're getting really up there like in the cab. But I think he's a cheap contract and could play for like you know, easy, like you know, five to six years for him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:59

Yeah, I like that pick. He's the guy that looks the part, like he just looks like a basketball player. You watch him move in space, he's an athlete on a court with other athletes, not real polished, got a few things he's got to figure out, but if he can figure those out, man, that guy will be he'll be tough, man. Tough.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:15

T U F F Tough.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:17

Tough yeah, dog, smart dog. I'll take smart dogs all day.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:23

Yeah, all right. Who's got the last pick?

SPEAKER_03 1:34:25

That'd be me.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:28

And I've I kind of got a couple guys that I'm kind of back and forth on. The Mavericks are an interesting one. I've been doing a lot of research about the Mavs because they're not they're not huge on uh Daniel Gafford. I don't they don't know that he's gonna be around long term. Lively can't stay healthy, so they need help in the post. They also just need buckets, like guys who can go get points and go get you buckets. I was actually gonna take Joshua Jefferson, so that's a bummer that you stole him from me. So I'm gonna go with a guy that I'm higher on than I think everybody else on this call. I didn't or on this show, I didn't think he would make it this far. I I don't think he'll make it out of the top 20. I think somebody's gonna take him. He's young, he's unpolished. He's a guy that's got a lot of upside that's playing professional basketball overseas. Zach Kleiman himself flew down there and watched him. And I think the value at 30 for Karim Lopez, the Dallas Mavericks to like Karim Lopez at 30 is too good to pass up here. Another intentional basketball player who can finish at the rim, needs some help defensively. The three ball is a bit inconsistent, but the kid is 19 years old, rebounds at a super high level. And again, Cooper Flag, Karim Lopez would be a fun pairing of just some big buckets. Karm Lopez also sees the floor well. His assist numbers weren't super great, but I think part of that is also the breakers. Like they won the league, but they didn't have a lot of guys that finished super well. They had a lot of like just like jump shoot kind of guys. I like Karim Lopez, I think he's a good value pick here. So Karim Lopez is Mr. Irrelevant at the end of the first round.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:58

Man, if they can leave with you know Braden Burries and Lopez, and they've got Kyrie Cooper, you know, Daniel Gallery, Derek Ively. That's fun, man. Very fun mock, guys. Sorry that it took so long. People, you know, we were trying to get you know things going there. Man, if this is anything like the actual draft, a lot of talent has fallen. So, like, you know, it's like like round two looks really exciting and everything.

Final Thoughts And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_02 1:36:19

But I'd like to thank everybody for coming on. I know it's a little late, and you know, we need to get back because you know we're all old. So, guys, go if you liked anybody here in terms of what they're talking about. You can follow them. Parker at at Placca, at Paka underscore Flocca, also at his subscalitis, and he has a big draft guide Bible coming out. You should definitely be on the lookout. He's been working for months on that, and it's got a lot of really good stuff, I'm sure. Uh, you can also follow uh Chip at Swing Skill. He's also on everybody else's podcast and radio and stuff, so it's easy to catch his voice somewhere else. And you can catch Mr. Rusty at buckets underscore BCM. Um, he's involved with everything with you know Bluff City Media and the Grizzlies. So uh if you're in that neighborhood of of stuff, man, you can find all these guys. Thank you so much. As always, watch more basketball.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:09

I've been doing this for 10 years. This is he's two years away from being two years away, and then we'll see.