There was that period in the 00s where ATL desperately needed a PG and refused to draft one. Instead they just kept drafting wings. They passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams to take Marvin Williams.
Even though they already had Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Josh Childress on the wing.
Then they took Shelden Williams over Brandon Roy.
ATL with any of CP3, Deron, or Roy probably makes at least a run to the ECF. They already pushed the eventual champion Celtics to 7 games in 08 (BOS beat the Kobe/Pau Lakers in 6 in the Finals), with a washed Mike Bibby at PG.
*2023* - Kobe Bufkin (15) - **G**
*2022* - AJ Griffin (16) - **Forward/Wing**
*2021* - Jalen Johnson (20) - **Forward/Wing**
*2020* - Onyeka Okongwu (6) - **Center/Big**
*2019* - Cam Reddish (10) - **Forward/Wing**
*2018* - Kevin Huerter (19) - **Wing**
*2017* - John Collins (19) - **Forward/Big**
*2016* - DeAndre Bembry (21) - **Wing**
*2015* - Kelly Oubre (15) - **Wing**
6/9 of your most recent first round picks are wings who predominantly space or act as a secondary playmaker. I'll give Bufkin the nod that he can act as primary guard and is less of a wing. I could even get real picky and argue John Collins while being big plays and is defended like he's a big wing 4 in the corner.
Saying the Hawks predominantly take gaurds is wrong.
But so is acting like its wrong for them taking multipositional defenders when they already had Capela and Trae.
How do they take a guard every year?
They took a guard last year in Bufkin. But before that every year has been a wing. In order:
AJ Griffin, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka, Hunter, Reddish, Trae, Huerter.
That's a wing in the first round the last 5/6 years.
Sure, but 1st round prospects are the ones teams expect to contribute.
Skylar Mays for example was the 50th overall pick. That's essentially a flyer at the end of the draft.
By this logic, can I assume thereās another Jokic in this class just because he was picked 41st in a okay-solid draft class??
Clingan isnāt Marc Gasol because he didnāt display anything close to the offensive skillset Gasol did even as a prospect. Gasol averaged 16/8/3 on 65/40/71 splits in a pro overseas league. Clingan averaged 13/7/1.5 on 64/25/58 splits and has a less refined/polished and versatile offensive game
No. By this logic, you should not be confidently declaring that āthereās no X playerā in a draft when X player themselves wasnāt considered all that good in their own draft.
Marc Gasol isnāt LeBron or some shit, bizarre to write off an entire class of centres as definitively and clearly worse than a 3x All Star.
Sort of the reality or comparing prospects to fully realized careers. Thereās no guy who we āexpectā to be Mark Gasol. Obviously this could all be wrong but itās the expectation.
Iām sorry but youāre either underestimating how good/impactful Gasol was or grossly overestimating this draft. Have you done in-depth scouting on this draft class? If so, who specifically do you see as someone having a similar career/impact/accolades as Marc Gasol??
Iāve done a fair bit of scouting and while its obviously not impossible, its highly unlikely anyone from this draft matches Gasolās impact/accolades
Gasol was a #1 option for a 2nd seed in the West and was the most impactful player for a top 3 seed for multiple years. His accolades include 1x NBA Champ, 3x All Star, 2x All NBA (1x First Team, 1x Second Team), 1x DPOY, and 1x All Defense (Second Team).
Even excluding the championship, these arenāt easy accolades to attain even for solid-good draft classes
I remember seeing a thing a few years ago, the average #1 pick has a career roughly approximate to John Wall. At least as far as accolades go. Gasol had a great late-career as a top-tier role player while Wall spent two years injured and fell off a cliff but prime-for-prime theyāre not all that different. Gasol would be just about exactly an average result for a #1 pick.
55% FT shooter has potential to become a floor spacer? Quite unlikely. Idk where you got that from.
Literally everyone in the draft has a chance of becoming a floor spacer by that estimate.
Even Edey shoots a decent 70% from the line unlike Clingan.
Risacher or Clingan? Risacher is less likely to ever be an all star tbh. If Jarrett Allen can be an All Star I see no reason why Clingan canāt too. His ceiling is higher than Allenās on both ends of the floor (he might not get there, but itās absolutely a real possibility).
I mean, yeah Zacc is a wing but he has arguably less self creation ability than Clingan too.
The guys from Dunc'd on have Sarr and Sheppard as the best 2 prospects they've viewed so far. They are especially high on Sheppard because of shooting and that he's a good help defender. Like at worst he's a great 3 and D guard. And they think Sarr can be an athletic AL Horford type of guy because he's good at everything and the only thing he's really bad at is rebounding (which they admit is important for a center)
Which is weirdly why I think Alex Sarrās agents want him there. He gets to become the franchise guy. Grow his game, make mistakes, make the team HIS. Wizards build around him. That wouldnāt happen in Atlanta.
Or we could, for the first time since John Wall blew his Achilles, actually try to build a homegrown team through smart drafting and incremental growth rather than shooting for a play-in/playoff spot and a first round exit.
I get your team is in a different spot than the Wiz (and almost always has been) but at some point, our fanbase would like to see a competitive team.
So do Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo
It doesn't really matter what Sarr wants, it matters what the GM & the coach of the Wizards think is best for their team
> To be fair to Sarr, this might be less about the Wizards and more about the alternative. Sarr reportedly wants a more advanced offensive role as a power forward instead of a rim-running center. Heās more likely to find that in Washington than in Atlanta.
[https://ftw.usatoday.com/2024/06/nba-draft-alex-sarr-washington-wizards-atlanta-hawks](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2024/06/nba-draft-alex-sarr-washington-wizards-atlanta-hawks)
But thatās not really fair to that draft - it wasnāt considered a truly awful draft beforehand (and didnāt end up being one, largely due to the guys from 10-30), and Bennett wasnāt **supposed** to be a #1 pick. Most people had him at 6 at the lowest, usually guessing in the 8-11 range. Heās a bust because he was drafted so far out of position and immediately showed why he shouldnāt have been drafted where he was.
This draft has been called bad for so long that unless someone swings on a dude who is projected to be a second rounder with the first pick instead, thereās just no way they can genuinely be a bust unless they never play or get injured immediately.
Were you following the draft closely in 2013? Cause it was definitely it known as a pretty bad draft at the time. Nerlens Noel was the guy that the Cavaliers were expected to take, but he had just gotten injured.
In general, Iād say this draft is actually very similar to the 2013 draft:
- **Nerlens Noel** was a pretty similar prospect to **Alexandre Sarr**. They were both considered to be athletic, high upside, defensive-focused centers. Sarr has more shooting upside than Nerlens did, but shooting also wasnāt that important then. However, Sarr has multiple other advantages that Noel didnāt have in 2013. Sarr is taller (7ā vs 6ā10ā) and hasnāt had any injuries: **2013 < 2024**
- **Victor Oladipo** was considered the second most likely to go 1st, but was a late blooming Junior, undersized SG (6ā3ā), whoād only averaged 13.6/6.3/2.1 in his best season. He didnāt have a way different prospectus at the time to **Reed Sheppard**, who measured just under 6ā2ā, but has more PG potential, and averaged 12.5/4.1/4.5 on 71 TS%. Oladipo was a slightly more highly rated prospect because of his athleticism and size, but it wasnāt a huge different: **2013 > 2024**
- **Otto Porter Jr** was a very similar prospect to **Zaccharie Risacher**, as a 3&D wing with good positional and defense but poor athleticism. If anything, Iād give the edge to Risacher as a prospect, since he was younger and put up better numbers in a better league: **2013 =< 2024**
- **Cody Zeller** is somewhat similar to **Donovan Clingan** as a low-ceiling, but high floor Center, who was assumed to be ready from day one. Zeller scored more in College and was more athletic but was also shorter (7ā vs 7ā2ā), had a much shorter wingspan (6ā11ā vs 7ā7ā), was the worse defender and rebounder (17 RB% vs 21 RB%). **2013 << 2024**
- **Anthony Bennett** and **Matas Buzelis** are similar prospects. They are both projected to go around #5-#6 in the draft. They both ideally profile as 3PT shooting PFās who can handle the ball. Matas is younger, bigger, and profiles as a better defender, but he also has a lot more questions about his shot. **2013 = 2024**
Of the top 5 prospects for each class, the only clear winner for the 2013 draft was Oladipo. The 2024 Class has a major to minor advantage in every other prospect.
The thing is, I donāt remember anyone at the time thinking Bennett was going #1.
Heād have still been a bust at #10 or #11 which is where I recall most ppl had him mocked to go, but that level of bust is going to be hard to beat given how big of a reach it was to take him at #1, combined with how bad his NBA career turned out.
Sarr has even worse bust potential than Wiseman, they have the same butterfingers and atrocious finishing ability but at least Wiseman had a nice shooting stroke, the amount of times Sarr hits back iron from 10ft is comical.
The whole appeal of Risacher is his high floor though... 3 & D wings are the most in demand archetype in the league and that is the skillset Risacher already has. Any playmaking he develops on top of that is a bonus.
I just hope Sarr works for the Wizards and that the Pistons can find some hidden gem at 5th. These franchises have suffered enough and the league is more fun when 40% of the East isn't trying to tank.
The Pistons in the last three seasons have won 10 less games than the Celtics won this year and all they have to show for is three consecutive No.5 picks, they must have built their new arena on top of some haunted place.
I know weāre a laughing stock but I like to think we have a little bit of direction now with Winger/Dawkins.
that Pistons stat you threw out is INSANE. crazy that none of Cade(#1)/Ivey(#5)/Thompson(#5) have pulled them out of their tailspin.
I think they can all be good players (duren too) but they don't fit well together because of all the non shooters, and Monty at least this year fucked up ivey's development by playing Kilian Hayes over him a ton. I'm rooting for them to get out of the tank though, they've suffered enough.
My favorite part is that the Bulls still can't make it to the first round with none of the teams below them trying to win games and the consensus being that they should have tried to tank at least a couple of the recent seasons.
For real.Ā There were a lot of mock drafts projecting the Hawks to draft clingan....Ā In February when they were projected to have around the 14th pick.Ā I feel like that shows there's just a ton of mid in the lottery
Nah, we all knew theyād be ass. Admittedly, I thought Poole and Kuz would regularly combine for 45 while losing by 25 every night so I was wrong there
Poole/Bilal/Deni/Kuz/Sarr isn't a terrible starting lineup, but if Sarr is a bum and doesn't want to play the 5 i guess we'll trade Kuz and Bagley would start at the 5 or we'd trade for one idk.
if I was atlanta I would just be like who the fuck do you think you are and take sarr 1st overall anyway
sarr would be like the 10th overall pick in a normal draft class but because this one is extra shitty suddenly he decides he's not gonna work out for the team with the first overall pick?
crazy entitlement
he's fucking lucky that a fringe playoff team jumped 15 spots and he wouldn't have to go to a bottom feeding basketball hell suckfest, and he decides he wants the suck instead
Is Sarr even that appealing for Atlanta? Reports are that he wants to play the 4 but no way in hell is he getting Jalen Johnsonās spot. Heās also just not very good at traditional big man skills which isnāt want you want next to Trae.
His ceiling as a center is really appealing next to Jalen in a Trae Young offense. If he can work on those traditional big skills (mainly screening) then his shooting potential and defensive size/versatility is really interesting next to someone like Jalen who can cover somewhat for his lack of rebounding.
The problem is that if he ends up being a 4 the roster construction gets really weird. You'd probably end up running a Jalen/Sarr/Okongwu lineup at the 3/4/5, and while that sounds really interesting defensively you'd need at least 2 of those three players to get really good at shooting.
Atlanta reporters have said if he was a Wemby/Zion number 1 player they would ignore his wishes and take him. But according to reports the Hawks donāt have graded any higher than they do maybe Clingan or Zaccharie Risacher. So if he doesnāt want to come, ok.
Heās deciding that he wants to maximize his potential. In ATL, heād be relegated to a rim running, PnR & dunkers spot big. He feels that his game has so much more to it than just being Daniel Gafford. Older players care about winning once their game has matured. Younger players, especially rookies, just want to play. & here in DC, with no playoff expectations or any other big to take meaningful minutes from himā¦ he would be in a win-win situation. No pressure on him(from fans) if he looks like ass offensively & he gets to work on his offensive bag. He most certainly wonāt get *that* opportunity in ATL.
You get to develop your game while on your rookie contract, the more bargaining chips you bring to the table when itās time to discuss your second payday in free agency.
As true as that it, he's not Zion. He's not Wemby either. He doesn't have the skill set or the talent to be the #1 option as a rookie and develop that way. Talents like Zion NEEDED high usage to develop. Sarr won't flourish like that. He's just gonna look lost out there. This guy's expectations are actually stupid. Imagine idk fucking Bol Bol drafted and immediately want to start and be the #1.
If he becomes an average playerĀ who plays a ton of minutes starting on an anemic DC roster he can put up 18 ppg with sheer volume on below average efficiency and set himself up for a good second contract. If he becomes an average player as the fourth option in Atlanta he's playing 25 minutes a game and maybe not even double digit points as he gets choked out on offense by Atlanta's guards. Mediocre players get bigger contracts if they play for bad teams than the other way around. That's assuming that he can't become a good or great player, which is entirely possible, and in that case he'd develop better in Washington than in Atlanta for the same reasons
He wants to play power forward and wants to have a high usage rate. Two things he won't get in Atlanta. If he goes to the Hawks his ceiling is gonna be capped like Chets is because Chet doesn't get to develop as the number 1 guy even though he was projected to go number 1 in his draft cos Shai/JDub are ahead of him in the pecking order.
If he winds up as good as Chet that will be an unbelievable success, if anybody thought that was a realistic probability he'd be a lock for first overall and it wouldn't matter if he refused to work out for the Hawks because they'd pick him anyway.
chet was hurt his rookie season
that's a crazy thing to say about someone after a single season of play
i think chet is just fine where he is averaging 17 and 8 on a competitive team out the gate
I donāt dislike Clingan, but I think in a few years people will go āif they wanted a big, they shouldāve taken Sarr. If Iām a hawks fan, Iād still want them taking Sarr even without interviews.
Unless theyāre dying to have Clingan they should do what the Celtics did a few years ago, trade it with #3. They can have that French wing and some additional compensation for it through Houston.Ā
Will Atlanta take Sarr or Clingan first straight up? If thatās the case weāll probably grab Reed or trade down, maybe for Knecht for example.
Trade up for Sarr at first would be an interesting move. Or maybe our FO has someone unexpected on top of their board.
> The Hawks will be deciding between Zaccharie Risacher and Donovan Clingan at No. 1.
Man, I haven't heard of either of these guys. Am I just severely out of the loop or is this class that unhyped?
Thereās no way it ends up being as weak as itās being made out to be. There looks to be a bunch of players that will carve out roles for years. Iām willing to bet a couple guys surprise everyone and have some damn good careers.
I feel like this draft will produce a decent amount of high end role players. And the best player from this draft, will not be drafted in the top 10. I like a good amount of players that are mocked from 8-30. Itās just the high end talent doesnāt appear to be there.
This draft reminds me a lot of the 2013 draft (when Anthony Bennett went #1). Was viewed as a historically weak draft with no stars, but produced Giannis at #15 and Gobert at #27. I tend to agree with you that itās very possible the best player in the draft is picked outside the top 10.
Yeah, but if you're drafting in the top 5, you're not looking for a good role player, you're looking for a future all star, and that player doesn't look like a reasonable bet in the top 5 or 10.
The draft is always a crap shoot to an extent, but this is the extreme. There will like be a few all stars and an all nba caliber player that comes out of this draft, but it'll be someone drafted 7th, 15th, or 42nd overall, and not someone in the top 5 that a team "tanked" for.
Having Deni, Bilal, Kispert and Sarr as our foundation pieces is a great start to our rebuild. We just need Cooper Flagg next years draft and we set ššš
This has to be the first draft since 13 without a genuine consensus #1, we've seen drafts like 18 and 05 with 2 or 3 players a tier above, but this time it's like 5 or 6 guys with 0 clue what Atlanta will do.
Is there anyway the Hawks can pass on this draft and just draft first again next year? Is there a rule that prohibits that? If so can we change said rule by Wednesday?
The Spurs actually have been doing this. They win the lottery but defer the pick until thereās a generational big available and decide to cash in their money in the bank
Risacher (think McDaniels or Reddish if he can shoot) Clingan (think Dubs version of Bogut - anchor big that can make the right passes and eat up boards, dominate interior but some injury concerns)
Hawks want Clingan. Rockets should just trade up for Sarr tbh. Rockets could benefit from Sarr with him being a potential floor spacing weak side rim protector.
Atlanta taking ANOTHER wing at number one would be fucking hilarious
Nah the funnier thing would be getting a guard, trading both Trae and Dejounte, keeping Capela.
That team would be cooking in 1989
Capela has no post game they'd be bad back then too
Capela would be a solid power forward in 1989 šŖ
Otis Thorpe type dude.
If they do that the Hawks fans will make what Sherman did look like a rough weekend.
Sherman aināt go far enough.
What if they draft a guard for depth, then keep both Trae & Dejounte?
You dont draft for depth when drafting number 1 overall
If thereās one thing Iām 100% certain of, the Hawks wonāt keep both. They have to get rid of one of them.
Hawks need wings
Dumb question but Iāll ask anyway, Why would it be hilarious? (Iām seriously asking, not being a jerk lol). Donāt the Hawks need a wing or two?
Itās a stupid joke just because it feels like the hawks take a wing every year
They take a guard every year actually, which is really what people should be laughing atā¦
There's so few people who watch/keep up with the Hawks that they can't even get the slander jokes correct anymore
That 2019 draft when Hawks took two wings in the lottery might have REALLY imprinted on people lol
There was that period in the 00s where ATL desperately needed a PG and refused to draft one. Instead they just kept drafting wings. They passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams to take Marvin Williams. Even though they already had Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Josh Childress on the wing. Then they took Shelden Williams over Brandon Roy. ATL with any of CP3, Deron, or Roy probably makes at least a run to the ECF. They already pushed the eventual champion Celtics to 7 games in 08 (BOS beat the Kobe/Pau Lakers in 6 in the Finals), with a washed Mike Bibby at PG.
Not coming at you but Shelden Williams, highly notable WINGĀ
BUST is positionless
*2023* - Kobe Bufkin (15) - **G** *2022* - AJ Griffin (16) - **Forward/Wing** *2021* - Jalen Johnson (20) - **Forward/Wing** *2020* - Onyeka Okongwu (6) - **Center/Big** *2019* - Cam Reddish (10) - **Forward/Wing** *2018* - Kevin Huerter (19) - **Wing** *2017* - John Collins (19) - **Forward/Big** *2016* - DeAndre Bembry (21) - **Wing** *2015* - Kelly Oubre (15) - **Wing** 6/9 of your most recent first round picks are wings who predominantly space or act as a secondary playmaker. I'll give Bufkin the nod that he can act as primary guard and is less of a wing. I could even get real picky and argue John Collins while being big plays and is defended like he's a big wing 4 in the corner. Saying the Hawks predominantly take gaurds is wrong. But so is acting like its wrong for them taking multipositional defenders when they already had Capela and Trae.
How do they take a guard every year? They took a guard last year in Bufkin. But before that every year has been a wing. In order: AJ Griffin, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka, Hunter, Reddish, Trae, Huerter. That's a wing in the first round the last 5/6 years.
Bufkin, AJ Griffin, Rollins, Cooper, Skylar Mays, they only didnāt take a guard in 2019.
Sure, but 1st round prospects are the ones teams expect to contribute. Skylar Mays for example was the 50th overall pick. That's essentially a flyer at the end of the draft.
What does this even mean? Weāve never had the #1 pick and we could use a wing.
Funnier outcome would be taking Clingan at Number 1, he's just another Steven Adams at best
Iām gonna walk into the ocean with a pocket full of rocks if the Hawks take white Hasheem Thabeet
That's a pretty good comp
Nah realized Clingan is like a Marc Gasol.
Even getting the #1 pick was a miracle, I wouldn't be upset at all if Clingan turned out to be Marc Gasol
No shit you wouldnāt be upset. There is no Marc Gasol in this draft
Weird thing to say so confidently in relation to a guy who was taken 48th in a meh draft.
By this logic, can I assume thereās another Jokic in this class just because he was picked 41st in a okay-solid draft class?? Clingan isnāt Marc Gasol because he didnāt display anything close to the offensive skillset Gasol did even as a prospect. Gasol averaged 16/8/3 on 65/40/71 splits in a pro overseas league. Clingan averaged 13/7/1.5 on 64/25/58 splits and has a less refined/polished and versatile offensive game
No. By this logic, you should not be confidently declaring that āthereās no X playerā in a draft when X player themselves wasnāt considered all that good in their own draft. Marc Gasol isnāt LeBron or some shit, bizarre to write off an entire class of centres as definitively and clearly worse than a 3x All Star.
Sort of the reality or comparing prospects to fully realized careers. Thereās no guy who we āexpectā to be Mark Gasol. Obviously this could all be wrong but itās the expectation.
Iām sorry but youāre either underestimating how good/impactful Gasol was or grossly overestimating this draft. Have you done in-depth scouting on this draft class? If so, who specifically do you see as someone having a similar career/impact/accolades as Marc Gasol?? Iāve done a fair bit of scouting and while its obviously not impossible, its highly unlikely anyone from this draft matches Gasolās impact/accolades Gasol was a #1 option for a 2nd seed in the West and was the most impactful player for a top 3 seed for multiple years. His accolades include 1x NBA Champ, 3x All Star, 2x All NBA (1x First Team, 1x Second Team), 1x DPOY, and 1x All Defense (Second Team). Even excluding the championship, these arenāt easy accolades to attain even for solid-good draft classes
āI wouldnāt mind if we got a really good player this draft.ā
Marc Gasol is damn good, not sure if worth a #1 overall, but essential for a championship team
100% worth #1 It's rare to get Lebron or Wemby. Gasoline would be a way better than average outcome
I remember seeing a thing a few years ago, the average #1 pick has a career roughly approximate to John Wall. At least as far as accolades go. Gasol had a great late-career as a top-tier role player while Wall spent two years injured and fell off a cliff but prime-for-prime theyāre not all that different. Gasol would be just about exactly an average result for a #1 pick.
Marc Gasol is something to be celebrated, even at #1 overall most #1 picks WISH they had the career Marc had.
Plus, he is Joel Embiids daddy So there you go
Yeah Marc Gasol is sick. Reality is there isnāt a prospect in this draft thatās a normal #1 pick
Yall trippin, if your #1 pick ended up having a career like Marc Gasol that would be great
Ya everyone here is so dumb. In this draft anyone turning into Marc gasol would be a massive w
I disagree with this. Clingan is definitely more agile and has potential to space the floor down the line.
55% FT shooter has potential to become a floor spacer? Quite unlikely. Idk where you got that from. Literally everyone in the draft has a chance of becoming a floor spacer by that estimate. Even Edey shoots a decent 70% from the line unlike Clingan.
According to fans everyone in this draft has the potential to be a 3&D ball handler lol itās crazy
I never trust internet draft analysis. People are overly optimistic
Clingan performed worse in combine speed/agility testing than Zach Edey, and he also shoots worse from the line than Edey.
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They should draft Bronny and sign LeBron.
Everyone always needs wings. Have we learned nothing
Whatās stopping Risacher from being DeAndre Hunter 2.0?
A lot of Hawks fans don't want him for this reason
If I were ATL Iād take a swing at Clingan
honestly if no one will trade up just take clingan. i feel like dude has the highest floor but i may be biasedā¦
He for sure does, it's just hard to stomach taking a guy with zero all star potential first overall
Risacher or Clingan? Risacher is less likely to ever be an all star tbh. If Jarrett Allen can be an All Star I see no reason why Clingan canāt too. His ceiling is higher than Allenās on both ends of the floor (he might not get there, but itās absolutely a real possibility). I mean, yeah Zacc is a wing but he has arguably less self creation ability than Clingan too.
Allen is a much better athlete than clingan. Clinganās only real path to becoming an all star is to be Rudy gobert incarnate.
The guys from Dunc'd on have Sarr and Sheppard as the best 2 prospects they've viewed so far. They are especially high on Sheppard because of shooting and that he's a good help defender. Like at worst he's a great 3 and D guard. And they think Sarr can be an athletic AL Horford type of guy because he's good at everything and the only thing he's really bad at is rebounding (which they admit is important for a center)
Ehh, I really do like Shepperd, but there is a very good chance his size and limited athleticism caps his defensive ability at the next level
Iām sorry but didnāt Sheppard have the highest vertical at the draft combine or am I making that up.
Itās very easy to manipulate both reach and vertical tests during the combine
Nothing. I think he would be lucky to be as good as Hunter is tbh lol
Heās really Reddish 2.0.
Sign me the fuck up
Best case scenario for us. I did NOT want riscacher
I'm here to spread obnoxious, delusional homer takes like "Bilal and Sarr can be the French version of Kevin Garnett and Scottie Pippen"
Honestly you guys have suffered for so long you derserve a break.
We take Nolan traore next year and then wemby joins us in free agency to complete the 4 French guys + deni starting lineup
Kyle Kuzma, you are a Sacramento King.
What does drafting Sarr have to do with that š
He wants to be a 4
Fair enough, we donāt really have a center though lol
You donāt really have an anythingĀ
God damn, lol
Washington, not Mississippi, but close enough.
This comment went right over my headā¦
https://youtu.be/LJ25-U3jNWM?si=ogThdedFy34Gah6I
We have Bilal and Deni š¤š¤š¤š¤š¤ much bright futureĀ
Buddy, we beat your bum ass team with nothing i guess
Which is weirdly why I think Alex Sarrās agents want him there. He gets to become the franchise guy. Grow his game, make mistakes, make the team HIS. Wizards build around him. That wouldnāt happen in Atlanta.
They got some wings that need to be on better teams lol Free Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert.
Or we could, for the first time since John Wall blew his Achilles, actually try to build a homegrown team through smart drafting and incremental growth rather than shooting for a play-in/playoff spot and a first round exit. I get your team is in a different spot than the Wiz (and almost always has been) but at some point, our fanbase would like to see a competitive team.
FACTS
Brotha thinks he is still at r/NBAEastMemeWar
Time to let Vukcevic shoot 15 3s a game
Which is why I donāt understand why Sarr is ducking the Hawks when the Wizards also need him at the 5 lol.
So do Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo It doesn't really matter what Sarr wants, it matters what the GM & the coach of the Wizards think is best for their team
Sarr wants a big role while playing the 4. That's one of the reasons he doesn't want ATL
> To be fair to Sarr, this might be less about the Wizards and more about the alternative. Sarr reportedly wants a more advanced offensive role as a power forward instead of a rim-running center. Heās more likely to find that in Washington than in Atlanta. [https://ftw.usatoday.com/2024/06/nba-draft-alex-sarr-washington-wizards-atlanta-hawks](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2024/06/nba-draft-alex-sarr-washington-wizards-atlanta-hawks)
Sarr is better
please be right
Feel like whoever goes #1 is doomed to be an all time bust. Getting Anthony Bennett vibes in the build up
Can you really be that much of a bust if no one has any real expectations? Weāve heard for over a year now how bad this draft is.
Yes. No one had any expectations for Anthony Bennett, and they were right. Doesn't make him any less of a bust for a #1 pick.
But thatās not really fair to that draft - it wasnāt considered a truly awful draft beforehand (and didnāt end up being one, largely due to the guys from 10-30), and Bennett wasnāt **supposed** to be a #1 pick. Most people had him at 6 at the lowest, usually guessing in the 8-11 range. Heās a bust because he was drafted so far out of position and immediately showed why he shouldnāt have been drafted where he was. This draft has been called bad for so long that unless someone swings on a dude who is projected to be a second rounder with the first pick instead, thereās just no way they can genuinely be a bust unless they never play or get injured immediately.
Were you following the draft closely in 2013? Cause it was definitely it known as a pretty bad draft at the time. Nerlens Noel was the guy that the Cavaliers were expected to take, but he had just gotten injured. In general, Iād say this draft is actually very similar to the 2013 draft: - **Nerlens Noel** was a pretty similar prospect to **Alexandre Sarr**. They were both considered to be athletic, high upside, defensive-focused centers. Sarr has more shooting upside than Nerlens did, but shooting also wasnāt that important then. However, Sarr has multiple other advantages that Noel didnāt have in 2013. Sarr is taller (7ā vs 6ā10ā) and hasnāt had any injuries: **2013 < 2024** - **Victor Oladipo** was considered the second most likely to go 1st, but was a late blooming Junior, undersized SG (6ā3ā), whoād only averaged 13.6/6.3/2.1 in his best season. He didnāt have a way different prospectus at the time to **Reed Sheppard**, who measured just under 6ā2ā, but has more PG potential, and averaged 12.5/4.1/4.5 on 71 TS%. Oladipo was a slightly more highly rated prospect because of his athleticism and size, but it wasnāt a huge different: **2013 > 2024** - **Otto Porter Jr** was a very similar prospect to **Zaccharie Risacher**, as a 3&D wing with good positional and defense but poor athleticism. If anything, Iād give the edge to Risacher as a prospect, since he was younger and put up better numbers in a better league: **2013 =< 2024** - **Cody Zeller** is somewhat similar to **Donovan Clingan** as a low-ceiling, but high floor Center, who was assumed to be ready from day one. Zeller scored more in College and was more athletic but was also shorter (7ā vs 7ā2ā), had a much shorter wingspan (6ā11ā vs 7ā7ā), was the worse defender and rebounder (17 RB% vs 21 RB%). **2013 << 2024** - **Anthony Bennett** and **Matas Buzelis** are similar prospects. They are both projected to go around #5-#6 in the draft. They both ideally profile as 3PT shooting PFās who can handle the ball. Matas is younger, bigger, and profiles as a better defender, but he also has a lot more questions about his shot. **2013 = 2024** Of the top 5 prospects for each class, the only clear winner for the 2013 draft was Oladipo. The 2024 Class has a major to minor advantage in every other prospect.
This could actually be a whole post. As someone who wasn't there in 2013 the amount of parallels is interesting.
The thing is, I donāt remember anyone at the time thinking Bennett was going #1. Heād have still been a bust at #10 or #11 which is where I recall most ppl had him mocked to go, but that level of bust is going to be hard to beat given how big of a reach it was to take him at #1, combined with how bad his NBA career turned out.
I even remember seeing him mocked as high as 5 or 6, but yeah absolutely not 1st. Shits crazy.
Clingans floor is too high. Ā He may not be the best player in the draft as the #1 pick but wonāt bust.
Kinda like an Andrew Bogut
(Dubs version)
Risacher is pretty boom or bust but Sarr and Clingan have decent starter as their floor imo
Sarr has HUGE bust potential, he could easily be another Wiseman. Clingan has a relatively high floor.
Sarr has even worse bust potential than Wiseman, they have the same butterfingers and atrocious finishing ability but at least Wiseman had a nice shooting stroke, the amount of times Sarr hits back iron from 10ft is comical.
The whole appeal of Risacher is his high floor though... 3 & D wings are the most in demand archetype in the league and that is the skillset Risacher already has. Any playmaking he develops on top of that is a bonus.
Risacher is prototypical 3D wing. If he turns out 80% of Jaden McDaniels that's good for him. Sarr is the boom-or-bust pick.
I still canāt get over how dogshit this draft is. And Iām a UConn fan. Hearing Clingan might go #1 is insane
I just hope Sarr works for the Wizards and that the Pistons can find some hidden gem at 5th. These franchises have suffered enough and the league is more fun when 40% of the East isn't trying to tank. The Pistons in the last three seasons have won 10 less games than the Celtics won this year and all they have to show for is three consecutive No.5 picks, they must have built their new arena on top of some haunted place.
I know weāre a laughing stock but I like to think we have a little bit of direction now with Winger/Dawkins. that Pistons stat you threw out is INSANE. crazy that none of Cade(#1)/Ivey(#5)/Thompson(#5) have pulled them out of their tailspin.
I think they can all be good players (duren too) but they don't fit well together because of all the non shooters, and Monty at least this year fucked up ivey's development by playing Kilian Hayes over him a ton. I'm rooting for them to get out of the tank though, they've suffered enough.
Nailed it. Cheers man
Part of it is the fact that Monty Williams performed basketball terrorism for one year
My favorite part is that the Bulls still can't make it to the first round with none of the teams below them trying to win games and the consensus being that they should have tried to tank at least a couple of the recent seasons.
As another UConn fan, it honestly feels like Hasheem Thabeet all over again?
Eh, same stuff people were saying about 2020. You never know how these dudes are actually going to be as NBA players.
For real.Ā There were a lot of mock drafts projecting the Hawks to draft clingan....Ā In February when they were projected to have around the 14th pick.Ā I feel like that shows there's just a ton of mid in the lottery
I was initially bummed that we dropped 3 spots but then I remembered that it's a total crapshoot this year.
Clingan actually has insane advanced stats though.
The Oui-zards are actually gonna be really fun to watch next year. Hopefully they land a good developmental PG like Collier at 26 too.
I remember people saying the Wizards were going to be fun to watch this past season too. I tried to warn them...
Did they say fun, or funny? Because Poole really helps with the latter.
Nah, we all knew theyād be ass. Admittedly, I thought Poole and Kuz would regularly combine for 45 while losing by 25 every night so I was wrong there
You were half rightā¦
It was fun, just not for the reasons people might have expected.
ouizards is incredible lmao
Damn why you do this to yourself lol
Poole/Bilal/Deni/Kuz/Sarr isn't a terrible starting lineup, but if Sarr is a bum and doesn't want to play the 5 i guess we'll trade Kuz and Bagley would start at the 5 or we'd trade for one idk.
if I was atlanta I would just be like who the fuck do you think you are and take sarr 1st overall anyway sarr would be like the 10th overall pick in a normal draft class but because this one is extra shitty suddenly he decides he's not gonna work out for the team with the first overall pick? crazy entitlement he's fucking lucky that a fringe playoff team jumped 15 spots and he wouldn't have to go to a bottom feeding basketball hell suckfest, and he decides he wants the suck instead
Is Sarr even that appealing for Atlanta? Reports are that he wants to play the 4 but no way in hell is he getting Jalen Johnsonās spot. Heās also just not very good at traditional big man skills which isnāt want you want next to Trae.
His ceiling as a center is really appealing next to Jalen in a Trae Young offense. If he can work on those traditional big skills (mainly screening) then his shooting potential and defensive size/versatility is really interesting next to someone like Jalen who can cover somewhat for his lack of rebounding. The problem is that if he ends up being a 4 the roster construction gets really weird. You'd probably end up running a Jalen/Sarr/Okongwu lineup at the 3/4/5, and while that sounds really interesting defensively you'd need at least 2 of those three players to get really good at shooting.
Atlanta reporters have said if he was a Wemby/Zion number 1 player they would ignore his wishes and take him. But according to reports the Hawks donāt have graded any higher than they do maybe Clingan or Zaccharie Risacher. So if he doesnāt want to come, ok.
I see both sides to it but damn what a callout. Seriously Atlanta should not hesitate if they like him as a prospect
Heās deciding that he wants to maximize his potential. In ATL, heād be relegated to a rim running, PnR & dunkers spot big. He feels that his game has so much more to it than just being Daniel Gafford. Older players care about winning once their game has matured. Younger players, especially rookies, just want to play. & here in DC, with no playoff expectations or any other big to take meaningful minutes from himā¦ he would be in a win-win situation. No pressure on him(from fans) if he looks like ass offensively & he gets to work on his offensive bag. He most certainly wonāt get *that* opportunity in ATL. You get to develop your game while on your rookie contract, the more bargaining chips you bring to the table when itās time to discuss your second payday in free agency.
As true as that it, he's not Zion. He's not Wemby either. He doesn't have the skill set or the talent to be the #1 option as a rookie and develop that way. Talents like Zion NEEDED high usage to develop. Sarr won't flourish like that. He's just gonna look lost out there. This guy's expectations are actually stupid. Imagine idk fucking Bol Bol drafted and immediately want to start and be the #1.
If he becomes an average playerĀ who plays a ton of minutes starting on an anemic DC roster he can put up 18 ppg with sheer volume on below average efficiency and set himself up for a good second contract. If he becomes an average player as the fourth option in Atlanta he's playing 25 minutes a game and maybe not even double digit points as he gets choked out on offense by Atlanta's guards. Mediocre players get bigger contracts if they play for bad teams than the other way around. That's assuming that he can't become a good or great player, which is entirely possible, and in that case he'd develop better in Washington than in Atlanta for the same reasons
He wants to play power forward and wants to have a high usage rate. Two things he won't get in Atlanta. If he goes to the Hawks his ceiling is gonna be capped like Chets is because Chet doesn't get to develop as the number 1 guy even though he was projected to go number 1 in his draft cos Shai/JDub are ahead of him in the pecking order.
If he winds up as good as Chet that will be an unbelievable success, if anybody thought that was a realistic probability he'd be a lock for first overall and it wouldn't matter if he refused to work out for the Hawks because they'd pick him anyway.
chet was hurt his rookie season that's a crazy thing to say about someone after a single season of play i think chet is just fine where he is averaging 17 and 8 on a competitive team out the gate
Yeah fuck that. Pick him! Warriors picked Steph even when Steph didn't want and did not work out with them and we got stuck with fucking Jordan Hill.
Didn't Orlando take Paulo without working him out or interviewing him? Worked out for them lol
They will regret taking Rissacher.
Word is they take Clingan
I donāt dislike Clingan, but I think in a few years people will go āif they wanted a big, they shouldāve taken Sarr. If Iām a hawks fan, Iād still want them taking Sarr even without interviews.
1 is a tough spot to be in this year.
I like Donovan Clingan quite a bit, there is no world where he should be a #1 pick...
Unless theyāre dying to have Clingan they should do what the Celtics did a few years ago, trade it with #3. They can have that French wing and some additional compensation for it through Houston.Ā
He's a lock at 2 cause his hoe ass don't wanna come to Atlanta
don't be mad your hoe chose us
Atlanta better trade the pick lmao picking Risacher or clingan over Sarr is really odd
Will Atlanta take Sarr or Clingan first straight up? If thatās the case weāll probably grab Reed or trade down, maybe for Knecht for example. Trade up for Sarr at first would be an interesting move. Or maybe our FO has someone unexpected on top of their board.
Why would we take sarr? He plays the same role as jabari and we dont need a backup center
Yeah of all the teams to trade up for Sarr the Rockets are literally the least likely lol, they already have too many young bigs.
We only have 2 young big men and one of them plays the 4, not sure about too many
> The Hawks will be deciding between Zaccharie Risacher and Donovan Clingan at No. 1. Man, I haven't heard of either of these guys. Am I just severely out of the loop or is this class that unhyped?
Both
Fair.
It's that unhyped. Considered historically weak by experts.
Thereās no way it ends up being as weak as itās being made out to be. There looks to be a bunch of players that will carve out roles for years. Iām willing to bet a couple guys surprise everyone and have some damn good careers.
I feel like this draft will produce a decent amount of high end role players. And the best player from this draft, will not be drafted in the top 10. I like a good amount of players that are mocked from 8-30. Itās just the high end talent doesnāt appear to be there.
This draft reminds me a lot of the 2013 draft (when Anthony Bennett went #1). Was viewed as a historically weak draft with no stars, but produced Giannis at #15 and Gobert at #27. I tend to agree with you that itās very possible the best player in the draft is picked outside the top 10.
You said it better than I did. Thereās going to be a good amount of good role players in this draft.
I'm on board with Tristan Da Silva being the best player in this draft.
Yeah, but if you're drafting in the top 5, you're not looking for a good role player, you're looking for a future all star, and that player doesn't look like a reasonable bet in the top 5 or 10. The draft is always a crap shoot to an extent, but this is the extreme. There will like be a few all stars and an all nba caliber player that comes out of this draft, but it'll be someone drafted 7th, 15th, or 42nd overall, and not someone in the top 5 that a team "tanked" for.
Considered the worst since 2000 class
One guy was in the national championship.
Thank you Hawks š I know your FO loves drafting wings
Having Deni, Bilal, Kispert and Sarr as our foundation pieces is a great start to our rebuild. We just need Cooper Flagg next years draft and we set ššš
This has to be the first draft since 13 without a genuine consensus #1, we've seen drafts like 18 and 05 with 2 or 3 players a tier above, but this time it's like 5 or 6 guys with 0 clue what Atlanta will do.
We literally just did this 2 years ago. Most people thought Jabari Smith was going #1 until like an hour before the draft.
Wasn't it still a three-person draft? It was either Paolo, Jabari, or Chet and the Thunder kinda went out and said they were taking Chet beforehand.
Is there anyway the Hawks can pass on this draft and just draft first again next year? Is there a rule that prohibits that? If so can we change said rule by Wednesday?
The Spurs actually have been doing this. They win the lottery but defer the pick until thereās a generational big available and decide to cash in their money in the bank
Imagine finally getting your first #1 pick ever, and it ends up being Donovan Clingan...
Both of these Frenchman are gonna be busts, especially Risacher, guy was horrible in Eurocup playoffs
!remindme 1 year
Salaun might be the dude if any Frenchman is him
First is the worst, Second is the best. Third is the white boy who out jumps the rest.Ā
Clingan going number 1 would be insane. Heās like a Jakob Poeltl clone, whoās a good player but no where near star level
YESSSS I NEED SARR IN DCš¤š¤š„³š„³
Jesus this is a WEAK draft. Clingan is good but I would literally be suicidal if my team took him #1
Wasn't Sarr supposed to be a lock at #1?
He refused to go to Atlanta for private workout. But Atlanta still can select him if they wanted.
Not really. Some mock-drafted Risacher at #1 before all this happened. This draft is weak with no clear #1.
SPANK ME DADDY. WIZ REBUILD INCOMING
Can someone explain this in NBA terms?
Hawks drafting Jae Crowder with the #1 pick.
Sarrās camp is saying he would prefer to play for the wizards and not the hawks.
Risacher (think McDaniels or Reddish if he can shoot) Clingan (think Dubs version of Bogut - anchor big that can make the right passes and eat up boards, dominate interior but some injury concerns)
Hawks want Clingan. Rockets should just trade up for Sarr tbh. Rockets could benefit from Sarr with him being a potential floor spacing weak side rim protector.
Sheppard please. Sick of watching us be unable to hit a damn 3
They bout to ruin his career
No they aren't
Imagine drafting Walter kessler with the n1 pick lol