2024 NBA Draft Thread - the hawks might be on the clock

[Vincent Van Goat]

Nate Duncan getting on more and more stuff

At this point it's weird getting used to seeing something this impressive every single game. Almost like it's not special anymore

Other than LeBron dude might be the best prospect ever

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Good *** passer

 

[アミーゴ]

Boozer twins are the goods

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Kinda resembles Kobe's game in Kareem's build

 

[VARNELL HILL]

These UNC wings got Brandon Miller looking like an awful lotta mid right now. Can’t turn the corner against anyone and can’t shoot over anyone.

 

[HOU$TON]

Big mid

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

If he's not an elite 2 level shooter then it's a wrap

 

[VARNELL HILL]

BIG YIKES

 

[pmatic]

That's a close block-goaltend.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Nah **** that I need this parlay that’s a goaltend

 

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HOU$TON



Watching Gonzaga-Xavier...Julian Strawther is probably my favorite upperclassman for the Lakers when the Pelicans inevitably swap picks.

 

[HOU$TON]

Probably wouldn’t take Miller in the lottery

 

[pums]

Probably wouldn’t take Miller in the lottery

this is a bit much

 

[pmatic]

Spoiler

Rookie of the Week: Jalen Williams, SF, Oklahoma City

(Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best rookie of the week. Just the one I’ve been watching.)

After a slow start due to an early eye injury, Jalen Williams has steadily gained traction in Oklahoma City, playing at least 25 minutes in six of the last seven Thunder games and scoring double-figures in all six.

The 12th pick in the draft, Williams’ efficiency stats are his most notable contribution. He’s shooting 57.9 percent on 2s and averaging nearly two assists for every turnover — not a big shock given that he played point guard in college. Williams has been good enough that his true shooting percentage remains solid (57.9 percent) despite his inability to get going from 3 (he’s just 11-for-39 on the season).

Williams is capable of some pretty sweet one-handed finishes when he gets a head of steam downhill to the rim, and this is the foundation of hope for him emerging as a higher-level shot creator at some point. Here’s one example with each hand:

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/11/28043420/Williams-Orlandofinish.mp4?_=1

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/11/28043426/Wililams-Orlandofinish.mp4?_=2

Williams still operates as a fairly low-usage offensive player right now, a tertiary weapon next to Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Even Tre Mann gets more time with the rock. He’ll have to develop more wiggle on the ball to complement his straight-line bursts and obviously get his 3s to go down.

Williams has the size and athleticism to be a plus defender, but he’s still figuring things out on that end. He had four steals in his first extended pro action but hasn’t profiled as a disruptive defender since, and the data with him on the floor is getting a bit concerning. While his weaknesses don’t seem overwhelming, Williams has played 16 NBA games so far and has failed to have a positive plus-minus in 15 of them. That can’t last.

The Thunder are outscored by 14.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the court and win by 8.5 points per 100 when he’s off. Yikes. Yes, this is colinear with two other regulars (Josh Giddey and Aleksej Pokuševski) who often share the court with Williams and have on-off numbers that are nearly as bad. And yes, it’s partly driven by 3-point noise. That said, a differential this large is significant enough to raise some red flags.

Even if the poor on-off numbers keep up all season, Williams wouldn’t be the first rookie to post awful plus-minus numbers; a lot of them still turn out to be valuable players. He’s already established himself as a playable rotation fixture — a lot of players in his range in the draft can’t say that yet — and has some clear pathways to being a plus wing player for the long term.

Spoiler

Prospect of the Week: Brandon Miller, 6-9, Fr., SF/PF, Alabama

(Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best prospect of the week. Just the one I’ve been watching.)

Brandon Miller was one of the most heavily scouted players at this weekend’s PK85 tournament in Portland, where 16 mostly high-profile teams played three games each over Thanksgiving weekend.

Miller’s Alabama team had a solid week, with wins over Michigan State and North Carolina bookending a loss to Connecticut. In it, the freshman sensation showed some of the skills that will make him a likely lottery pick in June. (Our Sam Vecenie has Miller sixth on his big board right now.)

A wiry, thin forward in the physical mold of Michael Porter Jr. or Trey Murphy, Miller looks every bit of 6-foot-9 on tape, and he has a smooth jump shot that he can release easily over smaller defenders. He’s made 24 of his 50 3-point attempts in his first seven games, and the second number is as notable as the first: he’s letting one rip every five minutes (about a dozen per 100 possessions). That combination of size and shooting ability is enough to make a valuable NBA player right now.

The question is how much else Miller can bring to the table. He’s a solid athlete who can glide to the rim with long strides and helps out on the boards. He also has a good handle for his size, albeit one without a ton of wiggle or explosiveness. Aside from deep shooting, he’s at his best when he can glide to the rim with long strides, especially off cuts.

However, on the ball, his game shrinks inside the arc. Miller made just two of his 13 2s in Sunday’s ugly four-overtime slog against UNC and for the season is just 18-of-55 (33 percent) inside the arc. His feel for finishing and getting to pull-ups appears to bog down too, as he gets his shot blocked unusually often for a tall wing. He had three shots blocked Sunday against UNC, and the same happened against Connecticut.

Defensively, one expects more from Miller as well. He’ll contribute secondary rim protection and chip in on the glass, but one wants to see more impact from him both on the ball and as a help defender. He also seems to play with his hands down a lot, minimizing his height and length.

In a crowded field of one-and-dones, Miller’s age may also hurt his stock a bit as an “old” player. He just turned only 20! Nonetheless, he’ll be compared to several rival one-and-dones who are as much as a full year younger, so he’ll need to outperform them on the court.

Thus far, Miller has mostly held up his end of the bargain; despite the warts above, few college freshmen have been this productive this early. To move into the top half of the lottery, however, he’ll have to keep ripping the nets from 3 while showing more three-level scoring ability than we’ve seen in the opening weeks of the season.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Probably wouldn’t take Miller in the lottery

All for bringing up criticisms but damb lol

Two of my favorites have had some stinkers too

Walker has 2 games where he didn't make any baskets. George was lost against UCLA and since he's on a more loaded team he tends to get lost without the ball. He's struggling with his efficiency

 

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[Vincent Van Goat]

 

[smedroc]

He ain't a lottery pick until he hoops in these like his pops.

 

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[Arthur Shelby]

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

I had just watched the same thing on ig and didn’t realize he was juwans son lol

 

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