2026 NBA draft thread

[mvossman]

I really think the players discussed at this slot are all pretty good and may be sucessful even as starters, but they don't strike me as star quality at all. It almost seems like the Mavs could get their player at #8.... and it just wouldn't be all that much. Burries might just be another Max Christie. Brown and Flemings might just be C+. One of the biggest problems with the PGs potentially available is that there doesn't seem like much space between them. Even Philon might be lumped into that group.

Maybe the Mavs really like Aday Mara or Moritz and also think Philon is at least as good as the other PGs. Can you get both? That's the kind of thing I'd like to see. Maybe not exactly that, but something like that.

If the Mavs don't get top 4, the odds of getting a star are very low.  At that point the goal should be to get a core piece.  That means a quality starting level PG or an elite role player.  Anything less than that can be had with a quality MLE signing.  The question is do they have a better chance of getting that at 8 versus two shots at 12 and 17.  I lean towards 8.  I think there is a drop off after 8-9 range.

Don't think Burries will be another Max Christie.  He is a better defender, playmaker and rebounder.  I don't know if he will shoot as well as Christie has in the NBA, but he is a better player at everything else.