Looking ahead to the 2023 Draft

[Ozymandias]

Interesting player for the Kings IMO.. lethal 3pt shooter Incoming Kansas Freshman Gradey Dick, who's going to be tasked with filling Christian Brauns shoes from day 1 on the defending national champs -- so we're going to get a good look at him.

First off - I dont think he's completely redundant with Huerter. He's more of a SF.. One of the reasons you see him projected in the first round already is he's not that bad of a defender on and off the ball.

Obviously when your talking the offseason - there's always Wings that can't really shoot the 3 who are overrated(I see a pretty substantial list this offseason), and there's always wings that leapfrog those non shooters as the season/draft process goes on(Like Johnny Davis just did).. The chances that Dick's value collapses is very, very low, even if for some strange reason he doesnt shoot it well in college I'd say he'd still be a pick high in the 2nd round like Max Christie just was.

The Kings would just have so much firepower from 3 with him, he's a proven high % on high volume guy, with a quick trigger and deep range... There's just so many crazy smallball lineups they could use. I believe the Kings will make a massive turnaround with the 3pt shooting this season, but I think there's a case for Grady Dick even if they do, and obviously much more so if they dont. He would serve as some insurance too when you look at contract lengths but I guess thats projecting too far out.

going thru these euro tournaments and seeing so many of these wings reminded me of how solid of a prospect Gradey really is.

 

[serbiangoat]

I've been meaning to go back and check more non-TeamUSA games from that tournament out.

Mara has solid looking legs, nice body composition for a player that height and he's got some fancy footwork too. I do wonder what kind of rebounding he'd be able to do without Almansa around. Mara looks like he's going to get drafted, though obviously his stock/potential playing time is going to be weighed down by not really being able to switch out on the perimeter.

Yeah I saw highlights of the Austrialian 7footer Rocco Zikarsky, looks good enough to keep an eye on, arms are extremely long.

I like what I saw from Serbian 6'6" combo guard Ognjen Stankovic whos signed with Partizan(they've assembled quite the roster). Obviously vs Team USA's defense, teams are going to have difficulty operating efficiently, and to make matters worse Serbia got nothing from the PG position. Given those circumstances I thought Stankovic looked pretty good. Just saw his highlights from the tourney and he's got some flair to his offensive game!

Honestly I thought it was bogus Ron Holland(USA) didnt make the all tournament team! haha(but seriously), I mean I didnt see enough games, but from what I saw he played great. looks like a future 1st rd pick to me. I'll take a forward like that on the Kings!

Yeap Stankovic ability to use his body was unreal (despite not being explosive) gets to any spot he wants, there is zero chance he gets serious playing time with Partizan for the big boy club sadly they have gone down the route of winning with foreigners at the expense of Serbian talent as has Red Star. If I was a a agent of these young talented guys I would keep them far away from these clubs and send them to the lower/middle tier teams in the ABA so they actually play and develop.

Another guy from that team to keep an eye on moving forward is Filip Jovic (2005) he didn't play well against the two elite teams in France/USA (I think he got injured) but he's 6'9 smart/athletic PF kind of reminded me of HS Nick Collison before his knees blew out. He was very dominate in the u19's ABA despite being a lot younger for the age group they have him playing as a undersized C atm but if he expands his shooting game he's a Euroleague/NBA player level type imo.

 

[Ozymandias]

Yeap Stankovic ability to use his body was unreal (despite not being explosive) gets to any spot he wants, there is zero chance he gets serious playing time with Partizan for the big boy club sadly they have gone down the route of winning with foreigners at the expense of Serbian talent as has Red Star. If I was a a agent of these young talented guys I would keep them far away from these clubs and send them to the lower/middle tier teams in the ABA so they actually play and develop.

Another guy from that team to keep an eye on moving forward is Filip Jovic (2005) he didn't play well against the two elite teams in France/USA (I think he got injured) but he's 6'9 smart/athletic PF kind of reminded me of HS Nick Collison before his knees blew out. He was very dominate in the u19's ABA despite being a lot younger for the age group they have him playing as a undersized C atm but if he expands his shooting game he's a Euroleague/NBA player level type imo.

You want to see the most underrated 4-star player born in 2005 here in the states, He plays for the same AAU team that Fox and Robert Williams did, Houston Hoops. 6'8" swingman Amier Ali. Remember the name!

I'm pretty sure he's a lottery level talent. Silky shot and he's just long and athletic, skinny but broad shouldered, and does whatever he wants out there. Seems to me like he's a gem hiding in plain sight. Him being ranked 4 stars is completely absurd to me, and wont last, obviously one of the premier talents in the generation.

 

[Ozymandias]

Reserving this post. I intend to thoroughly roast ESPN's preseason top25 college basketball team rankings. I swear they write those articles for the most casual of observers. I also swear that with the higher overturn and more x-fers in college ball the quality of rankings is even lower than the low bar they set previously.

- In fact I'd go as far as to say they set the rankings up for "surprises" and "headlines" to goad tv ratings.. Of course there's the same old ACC bias, but they've got UNC as the #1 team, not Duke, which is absurd. I think the conversation for #1 begins and ends with Duke and Gonzaga.

- The Blurb on Oregon stopped me dead in my tracks "Oregon was quietly one of the bigger disappointments in college basketball last season" What was quiet about Oregons failures last season? I dont get it.. to me it was a total meltdown, huge disaster... like wut?

-I think overall how they've weighted the impact of some of these x-fers is the biggest flaw in the list... Like how is Texas Tech so low, and UNC #1? How is Illinois only #25?

- I think Creighton should safely be in the top-5, even having them at #7 is just way too low for my tastes..

-UConn is only #21? Alabama only #20? Texas only #11? Indiana only 15?

-Why are teams like UNC, Kentucky, Tennessee, TCU and Virginia so high?

(Ill add more to this. Just getting warmed up)

 

[serbiangoat]

The u18's Euros is looking good I have seen more talent in 2 games than I did in the entire u20's

 

[Ozymandias]

The u18's Euros is looking good I have seen more talent in 2 games than I did in the entire u20's

Samodurev on Greece with a most excellent start to the tournament, I'm going to try to catch all of his games. Very fluid for 6'10! Has to be the best Greek prospect since Antetokounmpo. Often I ask myself "how would this player stack up against the best from here in the states?" and Samodurev, to me, passes the eye test as one who'd stand out all the same.

Looks like another All-Tournament team is imminent for Izan Almansa. Looking around at todays games it seems there's very few teams who will have a chance to hold him under 15 rebounds per game.

France looks deep. Rupert seems quite raw, needs to tighten his handle and add lots of strength, looks like a solid development project, all arms and legs but he's fast.

I thought Cissoko and Houinsou looked very good out there. Obviously its in a big blowout.

Cissoko is really a most excellent prospect. He's strong, big legs, and alert on defense and shows some nice timing and athleticism and aggressiveness. I think he's gonna fit in well in the G-League next to Scoota Henderson.

Houinsou whos about 6'6" looked good at PG and handling the P'n'R and I liked what I saw from him as far as reading the defense and knowing when its time to drive, and he was moving fast in those situations. He obvioulsy isnt quite the pure PG and he's much more comfortable executing obvious reads, once it comes to making passes on the move you see he makes lots more mistakes.

Ajinca looks legit to me, I mean his shot is kind of ugly he sort of flings it to the rim and could use more arc. He sure is athletic long and active on defense though, he gets down in a stance and glides well.. I know he's gotta be one of the lesser heralded prospects on that team but I like what I see.

Doualla off the bench seems like he needs lots of skillwork polish but he shows nice acceleration and explosiveness for a player about 6'5 he really gets downhill. He threw down a nasty dunk in the first quarter right ontop of a defenders head.

Watching the Turkey game now.. The homecrowd is really into it. Seems that Turkey has a solid frontcourt with this 7footer and Buyuktuncel.

These players are young but you can tell there's a lot of nerves on the first day of competition. Was watching Italy and Croatia and it turned into a good game but the first few minutes they were both missing everything. Everygame I've seen so far the 3pt shooting has been such a struggle.

 

[serbiangoat]

Samodurev on Greece with a most excellent start to the tournament, I'm going to try to catch all of his games. Very fluid for 6'10! Has to be the best Greek prospect since Antetokounmpo. Often I ask myself "how would this player stack up against the best from here in the states?" and Samodurev, to me, passes the eye test as one who'd stand out all the same.

Looks like another All-Tournament team is imminent for Izan Almansa. Looking around at todays games it seems there's very few teams who will have a chance to hold him under 15 rebounds per game.

France looks deep. Rupert seems quite raw, needs to tighten his handle and add lots of strength, looks like a solid development project, all arms and legs but he's fast.

I thought Cissoko and Houinsou looked very good out there. Obviously its in a big blowout.

Cissoko is really a most excellent prospect. He's strong, big legs, and alert on defense and shows some nice timing and athleticism and aggressiveness. I think he's gonna fit in well in the G-League next to Scoota Henderson.

Houinsou whos about 6'6" looked good at PG and handling the P'n'R and I liked what I saw from him as far as reading the defense and knowing when its time to drive, and he was moving fast in those situations. He obvioulsy isnt quite the pure PG and he's much more comfortable executing obvious reads, once it comes to making passes on the move you see he makes lots more mistakes.

Ajinca looks legit to me, I mean his shot is kind of ugly he sort of flings it to the rim and could use more arc. He sure is athletic long and active on defense though, he gets down in a stance and glides well.. I know he's gotta be one of the lesser heralded prospects on that team but I like what I see.

Doualla off the bench seems like he needs lots of skillwork polish but he shows nice acceleration and explosiveness for a player about 6'5 he really gets downhill. He threw down a nasty dunk in the first quarter right ontop of a defenders head.

Watching the Turkey game now.. The homecrowd is really into it. Seems that Turkey has a solid frontcourt with this 7footer and Buyuktuncel.

These players are young but you can tell there's a lot of nerves on the first day of competition. Was watching Italy and Croatia and it turned into a good game but the first few minutes they were both missing everything. Everygame I've seen so far the 3pt shooting has been such a struggle.

Cissoko and Samodurev (has a lot of LaMarcus Alridge in terms of size/athletic ability and the way he moves,different games but) look like lottery picks to me, Cissoko looks like he's NBA ready right now to. For Serbia the most hyped prospect is Ilija Miljasevic a 6'3 guard who can score in every single way (best scoring PG since Nedovic (GSW)), but imo the best player from the first game was Filip Radakovic 6'7 guard with a awkward style (high level of trickery with the handle) but man does he get it done can't stop him from getting to his spot he had 21 and 10.

Murauskas #23 is massive and has great passing ability for Lithuania another one that really stood out.

 

[Ozymandias]

Cissoko and Samodurev (has a lot of LaMarcus Alridge in terms of size/athletic ability and the way he moves,different games but) look like lottery picks to me, Cissoko looks like he's NBA ready right now to. For Serbia the most hyped prospect is Ilija Miljasevic a 6'3 guard who can score in every single way (best scoring PG since Nedovic (GSW)), but imo the best player from the first game was Filip Radakovic 6'7 guard with a awkward style (high level of trickery with the handle) but man does he get it done can't stop him from getting to his spot he had 21 and 10.

Murauskas #23 is massive and has great passing ability for Lithuania another one that really stood out.

6'5" athletic guard from Italy Leonardo Marangon looks like he's the best prospect on Italy by a good margin. He's only 16 so I'm not sure if he's going to play that much but I hope so. Might be a real sleeper, he's got offensive and defensive potential.

 

[Ozymandias]

Another complete beatdown by France, 52 pt victory. Macedonia hasd 30 turnovers...

Everyone played great, except for Ajinca who was in a whole nother world out there.. His shot selection for a player who doesnt have much shooting touch is really bad. He's in a rush for no reason.

Bilal Coulibaly who's a babyfaced 6'6" wing played a perfect game. He obviously needs to improve his outside shot to really make it onto the radar, aside from that he seems pretty good though.

Daryl Doualla is impressive! He plays with a lot of force. Very athletic.

Watching Italy-Lithuania right now.. I've noticed an error on the FIBA website, which lists Riccardo Greppi at 6'3" but he's clearly about 6'10"..

Krivas is stuffing the stat sheet early in this one... Italy is playing them tough though. good game so far.

 

[serbiangoat]

Another complete beatdown by France, 52 pt victory. Macedonia hasd 30 turnovers...

Everyone played great, except for Ajinca who was in a whole nother world out there.. His shot selection for a player who doesnt have much shooting touch is really bad. He's in a rush for no reason.

Bilal Coulibaly who's a babyfaced 6'6" wing played a perfect game. He obviously needs to improve his outside shot to really make it onto the radar, aside from that he seems pretty good though.

Daryl Doualla is impressive! He plays with a lot of force. Very athletic.

Watching Italy-Lithuania right now.. I've noticed an error on the FIBA website, which lists Riccardo Greppi at 6'3" but he's clearly about 6'10"..

Krivas is stuffing the stat sheet early in this one... Italy is playing them tough though. good game so far.

It's crazy how much small PG's struggle in all the age groups they are completely ineffective due to not being truly elite (nearly all) which if your under 6'3 you need to be. They just get annihilated on hard shows and switches and can't do anything. What do you think of the France big man Perrin looks like a nifty passer and lefty it's hard to judge because France is literally playing against two teams who should not even be in this comp realistically.

 

[Ozymandias]

It's crazy how much small PG's struggle in all the age groups they are completely ineffective due to not being truly elite (nearly all) which if your under 6'3 you need to be. They just get annihilated on hard shows and switches and can't do anything. What do you think of the France big man Perrin looks like a nifty passer and lefty it's hard to judge because France is literally playing against two teams who should not even be in this comp realistically.

Yep on the small PG's, the guard you mentioned on Serbia had another dud of a game just now vs Greece, Curcic was better. Radakovic looks like the best on their team again, he's an active rebounder too, just needs to keep working on his strength and defense. Serbia appears to have more depth than most of these teams. Was refreshing to see a team shoot the 3 well.

You can tell Perrin has some pro experience out there. He doesnt seem sped up and rushing like most of these players in the opening days of the tournament. I saw he was the MVP of the pro b league with Antibes and averaging 20 and 10.

He's a guy I'm interested much more of how he performs at Illinois than this tourney. Illinois has quite a mix of incoming freshman and x-fers, massive reinforcements on the way, they should be one of the more interesting and exciting teams to watch in college. They have a very shifty PG incoming who just got cleared for full contact after a torn ACL, Skyy Clark, who could become relevant to this thread if he shoots the 3 well. They truly have a lot of moving parts. Illinois is a team that should've been better the past decades, they exist in the middle of a hotspot of talent that gets poached too often, perhaps this season is when they really stake their claim and cement themselves as a perennial top25 team.

Illinios has another 6'10 big named Coleman Hawkins who I thought showed some possible NBA type flashes last season. Hawkins was displaced to the PF spot last season and whenever their C Cockburn was out he'd explode. So it's very interesting to me to see how Perrin is gonna work there. Can they play together? Is Perrin a 2-and-done? Will this be a sort of primer year for Perrin and then they unleash him the next season as the star of the frontcourt, then he goes pro? There's also another 6'10 player who X-ferred in from Baylor named Dain Dainja who could vie for playing time.

Perrin looks good and skilled though with a solid feel for the game, he's a guy who's gotta keep hitting the weight room, adding more strength and explosion will go a long way with what he's got already.

I can't wait to see France vs some of the better teams, one thing I'm pretty confident in is these teams dont have guards who can contain Doualla coming off their bench. I'm pretty sure it's a 'the only guard who can stop Doualla is Doualla' type of situation.

 

[serbiangoat]

Yep on the small PG's, the guard you mentioned on Serbia had another dud of a game just now vs Greece, Curcic was better. Radakovic looks like the best on their team again, he's an active rebounder too, just needs to keep working on his strength and defense. Serbia appears to have more depth than most of these teams. Was refreshing to see a team shoot the 3 well.

You can tell Perrin has some pro experience out there. He doesnt seem sped up and rushing like most of these players in the opening days of the tournament. I saw he was the MVP of the pro b league with Antibes and averaging 20 and 10.

He's a guy I'm interested much more of how he performs at Illinois than this tourney. Illinois has quite a mix of incoming freshman and x-fers, massive reinforcements on the way, they should be one of the more interesting and exciting teams to watch in college. They have a very shifty PG incoming who just got cleared for full contact after a torn ACL, Skyy Clark, who could become relevant to this thread if he shoots the 3 well. They truly have a lot of moving parts. Illinois is a team that should've been better the past decades, they exist in the middle of a hotspot of talent that gets poached too often, perhaps this season is when they really stake their claim and cement themselves as a perennial top25 team.

Illinios has another 6'10 big named Coleman Hawkins who I thought showed some possible NBA type flashes last season. Hawkins was displaced to the PF spot last season and whenever their C Cockburn was out he'd explode. So it's very interesting to me to see how Perrin is gonna work there. Can they play together? Is Perrin a 2-and-done? Will this be a sort of primer year for Perrin and then they unleash him the next season as the star of the frontcourt, then he goes pro? There's also another 6'10 player who X-ferred in from Baylor named Dain Dainja who could vie for playing time.

Perrin looks good and skilled though with a solid feel for the game, he's a guy who's gotta keep hitting the weight room, adding more strength and explosion will go a long way with what he's got already.

I can't wait to see France vs some of the better teams, one thing I'm pretty confident in is these teams dont have guards who can contain Doualla coming off their bench. I'm pretty sure it's a 'the only guard who can stop Doualla is Doualla' type of situation.

Yeap Curic went ballistic from 3 and Radakovic is just TOUGH and smart I really like what I see from him at worst he looks like he will be a starter for Red Star in a few seasons. I thought Lazar Djokovic looked great on defense his lateral movement for a 6'10 guy with a solid frame was excellent both in terms of fluidity and technique plus he showed off a jumper a interesting 4/5 stretch player who can defend the perimeter,

 

[serbiangoat]

Paulius Murauskas #23 is the Lithuanian Kyle Anderson except his shot looks way better (form wise) and he has a way better frame to add weight and be super strong. He's 6'8 elite passing despite being slow has a insane hesitation high dribble which allows him to get to where he wants. Has all the post moves as well and finishes under the rim from a standing position very well. I would say after Cissoko has been the most impressive talent.

If Lithuania can actually hit some 3's in the knockout stages they have the biggest team by far in the comp and can be super physical they will really trouble France/Spain despite not being anywhere near as talented.

 

[Ozymandias]

Just saw a mock draft that has the Kings picking Wembanyama first due to the order being set by reverse championship odds from a sportsbook site

https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nba-mock-draft-august-1-victor-wembanyama/

Not a very good mock overall IMO though. It says Rayan Rupert has been "dazzling" in the U18 tourney which makes me think they havent really watched the games, Rupert's show flashes for sure but dazzling? cmon now..


they have Julian Phillips in the 1st round which is an interesting call.. They say he projects as a 3'n'D --- If he does end up shooting the 3 well he will quickly make his way into a lot more first rounds of mocks.. 6'8" forward whos very athletic and has the NBA build.

I like the Thompson twins, but to put them both over Dariq Whitehead.... I dont see it.. If its the Kings, I feel like they'd take Whitehead 99/100 times..

I also think them putting the biggest X-fer from the pool, Texas' PG Tyrese Hunter at #24 in the mock is interesting, I'm a big fan of his he was underrated in HS and always looked like a future NBA'er to me, as he's extremely explosive and shifty. They have his teammate Dillon Mitchell at #15 which i think is probably more realistic than many mocks where you see him projected near the top-5.

Not crazy about Brandon Miller falling to 18... I dont see that.. I think Filipkowski down at #23 is too low as well..

 

[Ozymandias]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1462491854448955392

Oregon's 7-footer had 15 points 21 rebounds and 18 blocks in this game from the highlights.. Hahaha what a stat line

 

[Ozymandias]

Paulius Murauskas #23 is the Lithuanian Kyle Anderson except his shot looks way better (form wise) and he has a way better frame to add weight and be super strong. He's 6'8 elite passing despite being slow has a insane hesitation high dribble which allows him to get to where he wants. Has all the post moves as well and finishes under the rim from a standing position very well. I would say after Cissoko has been the most impressive talent.

If Lithuania can actually hit some 3's in the knockout stages they have the biggest team by far in the comp and can be super physical they will really trouble France/Spain despite not being anywhere near as talented.

The Youtube link for Greece v Slovenia's busted for me I wanted to see what happened to Samodurev to only play 1 minute..

Murauskas and Krivas showed well in the group stages interested to see what they can do vs the better competition as well.

I just realized that Mael Hamon on France is committed to Washington State... verrryyy interesting... the WSU frontcourt is low-key stacked with international talent.. Can't wait to see how they perform, especially Mo Gueye who figures to be most relevant to this thread.

 

[Ozymandias]

This draft like last year will also not have 60 picks. The Bulls were forced to forfeit their 2nd rd pick after the leagues investigation on early contact with Lonzo Ball in free agency.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I like the Thompson twins, but to put them both over Dariq Whitehead....

We should not draft The Thompson Twins because they would only be King For A Day.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

We should not draft The Thompson Twins because they would only be King For A Day.

Think of all the crazy hats they could sell though.

 

[Ozymandias]

There's 2 talented guards coming off of ACL tears (and x-ferring teams) that will hopefully prove to be relevant to this thread. really hope they both can play clean injury free seasons.


6'3" SG Nimari Burnett who's now at Alabama, a long armed defender with obvious 3-and-d potential who also gets downhill.


and 6'2" CG Adam Miller who's now back in his hometown at Illinois, who's an explosive scorer and projects more as a 6th man but has the firepower to be maybe a high pick in the 2nd rd. He'd be completely redundant with Malik Monk, it sucks he got injured for a lot of reasons, probably would've been drafted already. Wondering how his PG skills have come along. He'll be playing alongside Skyy Clarke, who's got exceptional ballhandling skills but also is kind of a combo guard more than a pure PG(he's also coming off a torn ACL..)

(You will see Burnett listed at 6'4" and Miller at 6'3, but I'm pretty sure they are 6'3 and 6'2, Burnett has like a 6'10 wingspan though so he plays/defends bigger than his height)

Alabama's backcourt has dealt with big injuries, Burnett is fully recovered and back doing everything for a while. They have 6'3" PG McDonalds All-American Jaden Bradley incoming as a freshman but he had offseason foot surgery and is still working his way back into shape. Bradley is a player who if he shoots the 3 well, could leapfrog quickly into the bottom of the first round in mocks, very solid PG skills, he's a pure PG.

Bama's playing against the Spain Select team in Barcelona on monday, then their headed to Paris to play against Lithuania's B team and then they're scheduled to play China's national team the day after. So it's going to be interesting to see what kind of shape these players are in.. They also have former 5-star Jahvon Quinerly but he's out after tearing his ACL in last years NCAA Tournament, and of course they have Brandon Miller who's a player im still surprised even went to college (I guess NIL changed things though) and he's projected in the 1st rd in every mock you see and rightfully so.

 

[Ozymandias]

French team loses to Slovenia in the quarter finals!

They cant shoot the 3!

I think the coach made a bad decision not playing Doualla more. If you aren't going to shoot the 3 well, why not play that kid?

Cissoko 0 assists. He looked much more like a player who'd be in the 20 and higher range than in the teens in this one. His defense is outstanding, there's no debating that. He is going to benefit quite a bit playing next to Scoota Henderson.

Raypert had 5 steals and he cant shoot but he's got very obvious upside, projecting him in the first round seems ambitious to me, seems more like a player you'd see selected in the early 2nd. I am a big beliver that wings who cant shoot get overrated at this time of year, and the real shooters climb the board as you get further down the process - can't help but wonder if Rupert and Cissoko are in this category.

Ajinca was a player I wanted to see at the start of the tournament but the more games I watched, I wanted to see less of him and more Coulibay and Doualla. He's talent but needs too much refinement, I'm confident he's not really relevant to this thread.

Perrin only 4 rebounds in 34 minutes...

Houinsou needs to improve his shooting as well. He looks like at best a low 2nd rd pick which means he should wait.

 

[Ozymandias]

One player who I think is being overlooked on mocks right now is Overtime Elite's Bryce Griggs.. He's a 6'2 shotmaking PG who isnt an elite athlete by any stretch, he does have elite skill level though, shifty and strong with exceptional balance, he's a bigtime shotmaker with a lethal step-back J, really good handle and has all the fancy crossovers in his repitoire.

Always been one of my favorites to watch. He was a player who scouting services hesitated to give a 5th star because he's not a 5star athelete, but eventually they were forced to give him that 5th star because he was so consistently dropping 30 on everyones head, and making it look too easy.

He'd fit in well with the Kings IMO. He's a player who's gotten plenty of coaching from James Harden, and it shows. I'm sure if he landed here he'd remind some fans of Isiaiah Thomas, not that caliber of an athlete, but he's half a foot taler and that kind of dynamic scorer.

No one in this draft has a better step-back jumper than Griggs. He's probably not a first round guy, doesnt really project as a starter, but the Kings dont need a starter. An instant offense off the bench type.

He's headed to the NBA but if you dropped this player in some lesser talented overseas league, he would TORCH opposing PG's

 

[Ozymandias]

One of the more underrated upperclassmen should be 6'2" PG Eric Gaines who transferred from LSU to UAB. He's skinny but has a 6'7" wingspan and is extremely athletic. Quick first step.

Stands to reason he's going to have a monster junior season and is finally going to be the star of the show. He makes spectacular blocks in transition. He's a guy who will fly up these mocks if he shoots the 3 decently, also will be interesting to see how much weight he's added.

 

[serbiangoat]

French team loses to Slovenia in the quarter finals!

They cant shoot the 3!

I think the coach made a bad decision not playing Doualla more. If you aren't going to shoot the 3 well, why not play that kid?

Cissoko 0 assists. He looked much more like a player who'd be in the 20 and higher range than in the teens in this one. His defense is outstanding, there's no debating that. He is going to benefit quite a bit playing next to Scoota Henderson.

Raypert had 5 steals and he cant shoot but he's got very obvious upside, projecting him in the first round seems ambitious to me, seems more like a player you'd see selected in the early 2nd. I am a big beliver that wings who cant shoot get overrated at this time of year, and the real shooters climb the board as you get further down the process - can't help but wonder if Rupert and Cissoko are in this category.

Ajinca was a player I wanted to see at the start of the tournament but the more games I watched, I wanted to see less of him and more Coulibay and Doualla. He's talent but needs too much refinement, I'm confident he's not really relevant to this thread.

Perrin only 4 rebounds in 34 minutes...

Houinsou needs to improve his shooting as well. He looks like at best a low 2nd rd pick which means he should wait.

FIBA type ball is insanely physical, the amount of contact on drives when compared to NBA/other pro leagues is insane, it really makes games more ugly and gives underdogs a big chance to win (3 pointers) unless you have USA level talent.

The more I watch Lazar Djokovic the more I like him as a role player, he's not elite athletically for a big but he's so fluid sliding his feet and has a relentless motor, the Israel PG was causing havoc unless Djokovic was switched onto him. He's still somewhat raw but the ingredients are all there to be like a good defending Mike Muscala maybe. Huge comeback down by like 20 if Radakovic and Miljasevic (if he can actually have a single good game) can step it up they can win it all.

 

[nunob8]

I've had a few games on but wasnt watching too closely. The Peach Jam has my focus rn, kinda sucks they run at the same time. There's some players I like but I'm not sure if they are relevant to a thread like this.

Adem Bona on Turkey is a player I like quite a bit but thats because he's tough and plays with maximum effort, at 6'9" his upside seems kind of limited to the 2nd round. He will have a lot of scouts eyes on him at UCLA because of Amari Bailey, so I think him coming to the states to prove himself was a good idea for him regardless of how it turns out.

I wanted to see the Spanish 7-foot brothers Diaz Graham who are headed to Pittsburgh, but that's really just because I wanted to see if they would be nice complimentary pieces for incoming freshman Dior Johnson who could be relevant here and has to be handed the keys to the team from day1, 6'7 William Jeffress and once hearalded canadian guard Cashius McNeily are also at Pitt. I hope they can all outperform, that is a team that could be flying way under the radar.

It seems that Juan Nunez is playing well. Though I'm not crazy about him, think he's probably just a 2nd rd pick. He seems like a worse version of Ricky Rubio.

I like Strazel on France but he's just 6'. Adema Bal on France is interesting to me but we'll really see what progress he's made this season at Arizona. the 6'5" CG they have Tchiamboud im not much of a fan of.

The kid Rubstavicius who dropped the performance of the tourney so far and 38 to knock france out looked great in that game but he's pretty skinny and also looking at his shooting on his clubs seems like maybe he was just hot that night.. Is he really better than Liutauras Lelevicius? I think probably not.

I've heard Lithuania has a promising 7-footer named Krivas Motiejus and he's not on that roster either. So given they are pushing thru this feild, and France's team looks pretty weak, maybe im being presumptuous but it doesnt seem like this is really a prime crop of players in a tournament such as this.

Fedor Zugic who you've brought up before has a good looking shot but is only converting 29% from 3 this tournament, teams winning though, maybe he can close this out with a bang? He's a solid shooter though for sure, which means as we get closer to the next draft there will be many SG's currently projected ahead of him who fall because they lack the consistent 3 ball. I think it's pretty safe to say he's the prospect in this tournament thats most relevant to this thread. If he has a really good year he can safely make the first round.

**though to me personally the whole cutoff of "1st rd" is really a line that gets more grey every year, seeing as players at the top of the 2nd are signing 4 year deals worth more than 8mil like Nembhard did this year.. That was like late lottery $$ just a decade back, maybe im just getting old and stuck in the past

Ruben Prey looks solid 6'10 skinny bigman for Portugal.. Seems like he'll be playing next to Neemias Queta for a long time on the national team. He's my favorite player from this tourney I've never heard of before. He's surprisingly agile and appears to have good upside. He's born in 2005 though so not relevant to this thread.

Ruben Prey is going to be a monster, playing against guys 2 and 3 years older at 17 and averaging 16ppg 8rbg and 1.5bkls... Mike Schmitz has been scouting him for a while already and theres NBA teams interested in his growth for sure.

I've had a few games on but wasnt watching too closely. The Peach Jam has my focus rn, kinda sucks they run at the same time. There's some players I like but I'm not sure if they are relevant to a thread like this.

Adem Bona on Turkey is a player I like quite a bit but thats because he's tough and plays with maximum effort, at 6'9" his upside seems kind of limited to the 2nd round. He will have a lot of scouts eyes on him at UCLA because of Amari Bailey, so I think him coming to the states to prove himself was a good idea for him regardless of how it turns out.

I wanted to see the Spanish 7-foot brothers Diaz Graham who are headed to Pittsburgh, but that's really just because I wanted to see if they would be nice complimentary pieces for incoming freshman Dior Johnson who could be relevant here and has to be handed the keys to the team from day1, 6'7 William Jeffress and once hearalded canadian guard Cashius McNeily are also at Pitt. I hope they can all outperform, that is a team that could be flying way under the radar.

It seems that Juan Nunez is playing well. Though I'm not crazy about him, think he's probably just a 2nd rd pick. He seems like a worse version of Ricky Rubio.

I like Strazel on France but he's just 6'. Adema Bal on France is interesting to me but we'll really see what progress he's made this season at Arizona. the 6'5" CG they have Tchiamboud im not much of a fan of.

The kid Rubstavicius who dropped the performance of the tourney so far and 38 to knock france out looked great in that game but he's pretty skinny and also looking at his shooting on his clubs seems like maybe he was just hot that night.. Is he really better than Liutauras Lelevicius? I think probably not.

I've heard Lithuania has a promising 7-footer named Krivas Motiejus and he's not on that roster either. So given they are pushing thru this feild, and France's team looks pretty weak, maybe im being presumptuous but it doesnt seem like this is really a prime crop of players in a tournament such as this.

Fedor Zugic who you've brought up before has a good looking shot but is only converting 29% from 3 this tournament, teams winning though, maybe he can close this out with a bang? He's a solid shooter though for sure, which means as we get closer to the next draft there will be many SG's currently projected ahead of him who fall because they lack the consistent 3 ball. I think it's pretty safe to say he's the prospect in this tournament thats most relevant to this thread. If he has a really good year he can safely make the first round.

**though to me personally the whole cutoff of "1st rd" is really a line that gets more grey every year, seeing as players at the top of the 2nd are signing 4 year deals worth more than 8mil like Nembhard did this year.. That was like late lottery $$ just a decade back, maybe im just getting old and stuck in the past

Ruben Prey looks solid 6'10 skinny bigman for Portugal.. Seems like he'll be playing next to Neemias Queta for a long time on the national team. He's my favorite player from this tourney I've never heard of before. He's surprisingly agile and appears to have good upside. He's born in 2005 though so not relevant to this thread.

One player I do like from the B Division is Yannick Kraag of the Netherlands, who put his name in the last draft then withdrew, though he's more in this "what if" category of what if he can shoot the ball better. Former Kings 2nd rd pick Kyle Guy just signed to play on the same team as him (the aforementioned Ruben Prey is with Joventut aswell)

Ruben Prey is going to be a monster, playing against guys 2 and 3 years older at 17 and averaging 16ppg 8rbg and 1.5bkls... Mike Schmitz has been scouting him for a while already and theres NBA teams interested in his growth for sure.

 

[Ozymandias]

FIBA type ball is insanely physical, the amount of contact on drives when compared to NBA/other pro leagues is insane, it really makes games more ugly and gives underdogs a big chance to win (3 pointers) unless you have USA level talent.

The more I watch Lazar Djokovic the more I like him as a role player, he's not elite athletically for a big but he's so fluid sliding his feet and has a relentless motor, the Israel PG was causing havoc unless Djokovic was switched onto him. He's still somewhat raw but the ingredients are all there to be like a good defending Mike Muscala maybe. Huge comeback down by like 20 if Radakovic and Miljasevic (if he can actually have a single good game) can step it up they can win it all.

Even more reason France should've played Doualla! He's shooting 76.9% from 2pt range in the tourney! However physical it is, it's not too physical for that kid, when he can straight up beat his man whenever he wants with a first step and he's 6'5" with solid strength and he's long armed.


Serbia does seem to be a threat. Djokovic will have plenty of eyes on him in the matchup vs Almansa, who seems to be on his way to winning the U17 and U19 MVP in the same summer..


It sucks that Urban Klavzar isn't on this Slovenia team he led the U20 team in scoring but is born in 2004 so young enough for the U18.

 

[Ozymandias]

Seems to be plenty of believers that 6'5" Swedish guard Pelle Larsson is about to have a breakout Junoir season at Arizona.

They sure have been hording overseas talent. Tubelis and Ballo will obviously do most of the damage in the frontcourt and be showcased for this draft. It should be interesting to see what Estonian bigman Henri Veesaar and Arizona's own in-state talent Dylan Anderson can produce in year 1.

They've also got a 6'8" Serbian wing player named Filip Borovicanan who looks skilled. Would've been interesting to see what he could do in this tournament. He looks to have considerably more potential than most of the wings I've seen in this U18, I like what I see from his handle for a player that height and also looks confident shooting the ball.

I'm extremely confident that Arizona is WAYYYY too low in these composite team recruiting rankings... 247 has them as the 41st best class coming into college --- that is completely ****ing absurd... Soooo far off from reality.. Even On3 has them ranked at 18, thats also way too low. Can't help but be reminded of when these scouting services put Lauri Markkanen barely in their top100.. Now in their defense they have Borovicanan and Veesaar unranked, so they dont get calculated, but therein lies the flaw..

 

[serbiangoat]

38 points in an entire game.....the guards after the first two games were shocking Miljasevic could not have had a worse tournament if he tried to tank the team. That was Ramon Sessions on the Kings level bad. Is Garuba (brother of the former Real Madrid player I assume?) any chance of the NBA? Looks physically ready and defends well not that skilled but,

The PG situation when it comes to NBA level Serbian PG's has been beyond dire the best and most successful one in the NBA was Marko Jaric who was except for a couple season basically at best a backup (had some starting roles on crap teams) but more of a 3rd PG imo, Nedovic failed miserable and Teodosic's game could not translate. I have not seen anything in the FIBA comps to suggest that will improve.

 

[Ozymandias]

38 points in an entire game.....the guards after the first two games were shocking Miljasevic could not have had a worse tournament if he tried to tank the team. That was Ramon Sessions on the Kings level bad. Is Garuba (brother of the former Real Madrid player I assume?) any chance of the NBA? Looks physically ready and defends well not that skilled but,

The PG situation when it comes to NBA level Serbian PG's has been beyond dire the best and most successful one in the NBA was Marko Jaric who was except for a couple season basically at best a backup (had some starting roles on crap teams) but more of a 3rd PG imo, Nedovic failed miserable and Teodosic's game could not translate. I have not seen anything in the FIBA comps to suggest that will improve.

That game was brutal. Yep, thats Usman Garuba's little brother , I'm pretty confident he's not an NBA guy, basically a 6'4" SF who cant shoot.

dissappointing showing from Milajisevic indeed. Didn't shoot it well and didnt' take care of the ball very well either. At least he was out there playing, the biggest flop for this tournament, player who did absolutely nothing was Martin Kalu on Germany whowas supposed to have some hype and performed well back in the U16's.

I'd say it's not just Serbia, overall the PG play in this tournament has been pretty bad. It would seem the best PG talent overseas is 6'7" Egor Demic from Russia, and I'm not sure if there's really anyone else close. I don't mean to sound like a hater but knowing how some of the PG's from here in the states look that are the same age, there's a big gap.

The 2nd Tournament MVP of the summer for Almansa seems imminent. I do wonder about his chances at the first round, he's probably got a good shot, though i dont think he'll go that high. But he's too young and still has another year to develop

Turkey-Slovenia is about to tip off, I hope Turkey wins. The homecrowd is fun to watch, I like the 6'9" forward they have Buyuktuncel, If there's anyone left who can steal the MVP from Almansa, it's gotta be him. Tough and active player who seems to fill the stat sheet every game.

 

[Ozymandias]

Consider me not a big fan of Rayan Rupert, if watching this tournament has changed my mind about anything it's that..... He has all the potential to change my mind once again, but his skill level is just glaringly bad.. Finishes the tournament shooting 15% from 3, 42% from the FT line, and he doesnt really even get to the ft line at all..

I think I compared him earlier to Jalen Williams who ended up in the lottery out of Santa Clara, that's just a superficial comparison based on having a similar frame, their games are not similar.. Now there's a big age discrepancy but Williams was so much more skilled, not just shooting the ball but tighter with the handle..

Rupert looks like a young bambi on ice out there all arms and legs but he's clumsy. In a world where just a few years ago Derrick Jones Jr. goes undrafted, I just don't see this kid Rupert as a possible 1st rd pick at all. I dont think the Kings have time to develop such a player. I feel strongly that his stock will continue to drop as the months pass, and we're seeing his peak in these mocks right now..

He's a guy where I would say maybe he should just declare for this years draft and ride the hype he's got now. He's a solid development project but will his skill level really every get to the point where he'll be a meaningful impact player at the NBA level? I'm more wondering how he'd perform in the G-leauge than up in the NBA...

Houinsou and Cissoko closed this tournament out in impressive fashion vs Italy.. Cissoko truly shows excellent instincts and anticipation for getting steals on and off the ball.