Who do you see being those guys at that spot?
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I would take Ivey then Keegan. Keegan is a guy you could probably project to create out of face-ups atleast. I canāt take a guy like Mathurin who is explicitly just going to be 3 and D above someone with some more wiggle. I might even take Sharpe over Mathurin but honestly I donāt know enough about Sharpe
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Hmm I guess Iām not sure how much offense I see Keegan creating. But I guess even āa littleā is more than ānone at allā from Mathurin.
Is Paolo your #1?
Iām a Chet believer on the defensive end. So Iād take him 1 then Paolo 2. Then Ivey at 3.
Their comment on his D was that he was on an extremely undermanned EYBL team, played every minute of every game, and had the ball in his hands the whole time, so his defensive effort waxed and wanedā¦but that he was capable of flipping the switch to great effect.
On Daniels they just didnāt think heād do anything particularly well - he was just ok at lots.
I think there may only be 1 guy in this draft who profiles as āoffense creatorā and the guys who profile as defensive anchors are mostly later (Kessler? Williams?). I think Murray will be a good defender but are even the most elite wing guys āanchorsā?
I know people will say Chet too, and yeah who knows, given his bizarre body.
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Sochan. Guess it depends on what you mean by anchor but he can be an elite defender
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Yeah but heās not anyones idea of a top 5 pick I think.
Past Ivey I see a lot of players with flaws. If a team took Sochan 5 I can understand.
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Maybe they realize itās not happening that they get a top-10 pick for Jerami Grant. If you take Murray at 5 and keep Grant, it doesnāt make sense. If you take Murray at 5 and trade Grant for 14 or 16, there arenāt any starting caliber SGs they can get at those picks. If you take Mathurin at 5 (or Sharpe or whoever they like out of the guards), then get another pick at 12-16, they can replace Grant with whoever is available out of Sochan, Eason, maybe Mark Williams, etc.
I like Mathurin. I also like Keegan. I donāt like Sharpe. So that probably means Sharpe is going to be the All Star of the group.
Unicorn:
Chet
Primary offense driver:
Banchero
Elite off ball guys:
Jabari Smith
Keegan Murray
Upside guys who could crash and burn:
Ivey
Sharpe
Daniels
A handful of 3 and D shooting guards that are impossible to tell who will be good or bad:
Mathurin
Agbaji
Davis
Bigs:
Duren
Williams
Kessler
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Sochan can absolutely be an elite defender. I see him a bit like Marcus Smart, defense was always his claim to fame but he added an offensive bag throughout the years that made him a good two player. Think Sochan at five is very reasonable.
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I think Sochanās offensive game is too raw to get him that high. I only saw him in that UNC tournament game and he struck me as a major behind hole.
Iād take Paolo 1.
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I love Sochan. If he can be an average shooter, he would be amazing piece for contenders.
Murray is about to be 22 years old too and Mathurin just turned 20 so there may still be some upside to be had.
Vecenie has both of them in his Tier 3, High Leverage Starters category (Mathurin #5, Murray #8). Not sure you are getting a star outside that top group in this draft.
There is a high floor for Mathurin because of his natural shooting ability. Heās going to hit shots off the catch, and heās going to do so off real movement, meaning he can generate open 3s on his own with or without the ball. On top of that, heās a steady pull- up shooter who has taken strides both as a creator and a playmaker. Itās hard to see how he fails on offense. Defensively, there are questions because of Mathurinās lack of fundamentals, but he has enough tools worth investing in to where he can make strides in the coming years. Ultimately the reason heās ranked this high, though, is his upside. I think teams, in time, are going to have a chance to run second-side actions if he can learn how to control the ball in terms of his handle. There is a world where he can be a solid No. 3 option offensively on a good team, with a bit of upside beyond that. Thereās safety here, plus a chance at upside.
I buy Murray being an impactful NBA player and probably a starter who puts up numbers as a scorer. Heās going to knock down shots, attack closeouts and take advantage of any leverage-based mismatch he gets. I brought up Tobias Harris earlier, and heās ultimately the guy I see most when I watch Murray. He is at his best when keeping things simple with no frills. Heās going to push the ball in transition, catch and shoot, make the occasional mid-post, self-created bucket, and hit opposing guards on post mismatches. I also buy him as a shooter from all over the court in a variety of situations, meaning coaches will be able to move him around. Ultimately, it all comes down to whether you buy him as a switch guy on defense who can at least hold up at the point of attack, even if heās not truly impactful. I think I buy him holding up enough to not be a liability, which when combined with the offense provides a pretty safe prospect to project. I donāt think heās a guy you have to take out of the game because heās getting crushed in switches. Heās skilled, heās strong and heās fundamentally sound. I wouldnāt be blown away with Murray as a top-five pick, and itās not going to be the sexiest upside play, but heās going to be a good NBA player.
That Tobias comp seems to undersell his defense quite a bit.
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FWIW Iāve been all over the board about who Iād like the Pistons to take if Ivey is off the board. Iāve had Sharpe days, Murray days and Mathurin days depending on what I read and watch most recently haha. All I know is that the one that turns into a star will be the one that the Pistons donāt take
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I think this is fair for the most part. I didnāt listen to the podcast but ācompetitive defenderā is just not something I would use to describe Sharpe.
Daniels is the best perimeter defender in this class and has the capacity to be an all-league guard defender (1-3, really), in my opinion.
And Veccine had Ivey in the same tier as the big 3 which I agree.
- After Michiganās Caleb Houstan opted not to attend the combine, there was immediate speculation as to whether he had a promise for a team. And while he may not have had one at that time, his draft range has come into greater clarity: the 28-35 range feels most likely, with the Warriors, Grizzlies, Magic and Raptors having come up with rival teams as potential landing spots. He may not be securely in the first round, but should be in line for a guaranteed deal.
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