01-10-2025, 06:43 PM
So decided to do a highlight "deep" dive into the tankathon mock draft, so take it with a grain of salt. Ranked whether I think that player is properly ranked and which players in a realistic range, I´d be interested in.
Top 5
Cooper Flagg YES
Dylan Harper NO - just cause it feels like a safe pick, and if that is an all-time draft there has to be better.
Ace Bailey YES - looks like a wide range of outcomes, probably a very high ceiling.
Egor Demin OH HELL YES - easily my #2 pick.
V.J. Edgecombe OH YES - maybe Demin not so easy #2 pick, watched his FIBA highlights with Ayton. Huge green flags, never looks to pass to Ayton, plays with huge motor and energy even down 20 and has skills. His 18 year old commanding FIBA highlights reminded me of Jamal Murray bossing the Canadian national team at age 18 out of high school.
My ranking
Flagg
Demin/Edgecombe
Harper/Bailey
Ranked 6-10 (EDIT oops that were 11)
Kasparas Jakucionis - NO - almost wrote this with Denim, do we see a new generation of Euro players taking the college route, cause they are more advanced in their fundamentals? He fits that description imho. Very solid and smart player, but does not look like a standout prospect, mediocre athlete.
Nolan Traore - YES - watching the most recent highlights I started to have doubts, not about his ceiling, but that his floor might be lower. The longer the highlights went the more comfortable I felt again. He ain´t no Killian Hayes.
Tre Johnson - NO - will probably be a 6th man type SG, handles like Hardy. If you want a versatile player you look elsewhere.
Kon Knueppel - HELL NO - who does he know at Tankathon to be ranked that highly? I tried my hardest not to fall into the stereotype traps, but I kept watching the highlights and thought: Yeah very underwhelming athletically, nothing inside 3pt line will work in NBA, must be a killer 3pt shooter. 35.7% and less than 3 APG, too. LOL. I´m out.
Asa Newell NO - in the sense, I´d make no effort to move into this range for him. First thing he did was flex like PJ Washington and then his highlights looked a little like him, too. Advanced stats seem to love him, too. That´s another a guy, your fanbase will hate, if you are a rebuilding franchise and love, if you are a contender.
Collin Murray-Boyles NO - I´d feel a lot more comfortable, if you told me he has a 7 ft wingspan. He uses his skillset well, but it also feels like all the defenders in his highlights could also play in a local Sunday park game. Isaiah Stewart at best?
My ranking 6-11
For an all-time draft that was a very sad watch. Nothing really popped here. Traore is kilometres ahead of these other guys. i´ll just type it, cause if I do the actual gap with spaces, this would look idiotic.
Traore
Johnson/Jakucionis/Newell
Murray Bowles
Knueppel
Ranked 12-14
Khaman Maluach HELL NO - worst case he´s Hasheem Thabeet. Not even sure what his best case is. Another case of does not move properly at that size to be a factor in NBA today. Somebody stupid will talk themselves into him being the next Lively.
Ben Saraf NO - Ulm is to the NBA draft, what Indian call centers are to Microsoft. It´s a scam just hang up the phone. Okay that´s harsh on Ulm, since they had a Mavs-esque title run 2-3 years ago behind their strategy, though powered by Brazilian power couple Yago and Bruno, but the prospects (*cough* Killian Hayes) are highly suspect. Saraf isn´t even the best Ulm player in this draft.
Derik Queen NO - At least Queen has a Looney type ceiling. The only ceiling Maluach will ever touch is of the coffin of his NBA career. Jonas Grunloh is rated #41 (#5 at center) in their mock draft and I´d take him over these two lottery suggestions without even blinking. This is Hartenstein (43rd pick) vs. Justin Patton (#15) levels of stupid.
Lottery summary
Flagg, Demin, Edgecombe, Traore, Harper, Bailey seem a pretty easily identifyable top 6 from the lottery options provided. I think there is a gap like the Grand Canyon between top 6 and the others. I´d be highly disappointed, if the next batch doesn´t have some better prospects.
TO BE CONTINUED
Liam McNeeley
Hugo González
Noa Essengue
Jeremiah Fears
Boogie Fland
Adou Thiero
Labaron Philon
Will Riley
Kam Jones
Jase Richardson
Drake Powell
Ian Jackson
Rocco Zikarsky
JT Toppin
Johni Broome
Alex Karaban
Top 5
Cooper Flagg YES
Dylan Harper NO - just cause it feels like a safe pick, and if that is an all-time draft there has to be better.
Ace Bailey YES - looks like a wide range of outcomes, probably a very high ceiling.
Egor Demin OH HELL YES - easily my #2 pick.
V.J. Edgecombe OH YES - maybe Demin not so easy #2 pick, watched his FIBA highlights with Ayton. Huge green flags, never looks to pass to Ayton, plays with huge motor and energy even down 20 and has skills. His 18 year old commanding FIBA highlights reminded me of Jamal Murray bossing the Canadian national team at age 18 out of high school.
My ranking
Flagg
Demin/Edgecombe
Harper/Bailey
Ranked 6-10 (EDIT oops that were 11)
Kasparas Jakucionis - NO - almost wrote this with Denim, do we see a new generation of Euro players taking the college route, cause they are more advanced in their fundamentals? He fits that description imho. Very solid and smart player, but does not look like a standout prospect, mediocre athlete.
Nolan Traore - YES - watching the most recent highlights I started to have doubts, not about his ceiling, but that his floor might be lower. The longer the highlights went the more comfortable I felt again. He ain´t no Killian Hayes.
Tre Johnson - NO - will probably be a 6th man type SG, handles like Hardy. If you want a versatile player you look elsewhere.
Kon Knueppel - HELL NO - who does he know at Tankathon to be ranked that highly? I tried my hardest not to fall into the stereotype traps, but I kept watching the highlights and thought: Yeah very underwhelming athletically, nothing inside 3pt line will work in NBA, must be a killer 3pt shooter. 35.7% and less than 3 APG, too. LOL. I´m out.
Asa Newell NO - in the sense, I´d make no effort to move into this range for him. First thing he did was flex like PJ Washington and then his highlights looked a little like him, too. Advanced stats seem to love him, too. That´s another a guy, your fanbase will hate, if you are a rebuilding franchise and love, if you are a contender.
Collin Murray-Boyles NO - I´d feel a lot more comfortable, if you told me he has a 7 ft wingspan. He uses his skillset well, but it also feels like all the defenders in his highlights could also play in a local Sunday park game. Isaiah Stewart at best?
My ranking 6-11
For an all-time draft that was a very sad watch. Nothing really popped here. Traore is kilometres ahead of these other guys. i´ll just type it, cause if I do the actual gap with spaces, this would look idiotic.
Traore
Johnson/Jakucionis/Newell
Murray Bowles
Knueppel
Ranked 12-14
Khaman Maluach HELL NO - worst case he´s Hasheem Thabeet. Not even sure what his best case is. Another case of does not move properly at that size to be a factor in NBA today. Somebody stupid will talk themselves into him being the next Lively.
Ben Saraf NO - Ulm is to the NBA draft, what Indian call centers are to Microsoft. It´s a scam just hang up the phone. Okay that´s harsh on Ulm, since they had a Mavs-esque title run 2-3 years ago behind their strategy, though powered by Brazilian power couple Yago and Bruno, but the prospects (*cough* Killian Hayes) are highly suspect. Saraf isn´t even the best Ulm player in this draft.
Derik Queen NO - At least Queen has a Looney type ceiling. The only ceiling Maluach will ever touch is of the coffin of his NBA career. Jonas Grunloh is rated #41 (#5 at center) in their mock draft and I´d take him over these two lottery suggestions without even blinking. This is Hartenstein (43rd pick) vs. Justin Patton (#15) levels of stupid.
Lottery summary
Flagg, Demin, Edgecombe, Traore, Harper, Bailey seem a pretty easily identifyable top 6 from the lottery options provided. I think there is a gap like the Grand Canyon between top 6 and the others. I´d be highly disappointed, if the next batch doesn´t have some better prospects.
TO BE CONTINUED
Liam McNeeley
Hugo González
Noa Essengue
Jeremiah Fears
Boogie Fland
Adou Thiero
Labaron Philon
Will Riley
Kam Jones
Jase Richardson
Drake Powell
Ian Jackson
Rocco Zikarsky
JT Toppin
Johni Broome
Alex Karaban
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