2024 NBA Draft Thread

[Mr. Body]

Hollinger:

”Risacher:
I’m not sure any player’s stock has yo-yo’d as much as Risacher’s in the last year. After a disappointing performance at the Nike Hoop Summit followed a poor shooting year in France, Risacher was seen by some as a fringe first-rounder. This season, his 3-point percentage rebounded sharply, and Risacher suddenly moved into the discussion for the No. 1 pick. Both pendulum swings now seem like overcorrections, with shooting variance ing the punch scouts were drinking.

Let’s take a step back. Risacher has obvious pathways to rotation-level usefulness: He’s a tall wing who can move on the perimeter and showed very good lateral quickness in particular. He has a solid feel for the game, and his shot, while a bit hitchy at the top, is reliable enough to demand the opponent guard him.

But once we start raising the bar to lottery-level pick, the questions become louder. One thing in particular that NBA teams have consistently underpriced is that the French League just isn’t that good. Turkey and Spain, to name two, are much, much stronger. It’s one thing if a guy like Clint Capela or Victor Wembanyama destroys the league as a teenager, but Risacher isn’t doing that – he has a modest 14.8 PER in 57 games for JL Bourg. At the French League level (and in EuroCup play as well, one notch below the EuroLeague), he’s fine … but he’s not an elite player.

Historically, drafting players like this from France hasn’t ended well. The two perimeter players in the last two decades who hit as imports from this league were Evan Fournier and Nic Batum, who both had much more impressive numbers in their pre-draft seasons. The ones who didn’t – the Frank Ntilikinas and Sekou Doumbouyas – were overdrafted based on seasons a bit worse than the one Risacher is having, but Risacher’s statistical profile is much closer to those guys than to Batum and Fournier. (I’m leaving Bilal Coulibaly out of this for now, as we don’t know how the story ends.)

History isn’t destiny, and it’s possible Risacher outperforms these comps. But his lack of on-ball juice at this level is a tell that his upside is probably more as a plus role player than a star, especially given that his shooting isn’t a lock and his thin build and lack of toughness raise added questions.

Risacher has shot better this year, hitting 38.9 percent of his 3s, but it hasn’t been on huge volume and his pedestrian shooting marks on 2s (51.6 percent) and from the line (71.9 percent) haven’t budged at all from a year earlier. Overall, big forwards are rare enough that he’s worth drafting, but a team would feel much better about the pick if it isn’t counting on him becoming a starter.”

Yeeeowch.

As I've been asking, how is he that much better than Champagnie. Is he any better than Champagnie?

[mo7888]

So, do you think we take on 2 or 3 rookies? I'm looking at the #35 pick and a couple trade down scenarios.

[heyheymymy]

[CorrectCrusader]

Any updates on the Topic injury?

[Mr. Body]

So, do you think we take on 2 or 3 rookies? I'm looking at the #35 pick and a couple trade down scenarios.

Only two, I'd say. I think they're keenly aware of not knowing where they are with Branham, Wesley, and especially Cissoko, and that more rookies are coming in next year.

[Uriel]

How does Risacher compare as a prospect with Brandon Miller?

Or Dillingham with Scoot Henderson?

[Dejounte]

So, do you think we take on 2 or 3 rookies? I'm looking at the #35 pick and a couple trade down scenarios.

In the name of “continuation” and “building upon last year”, it does feel like inserting two rookies to the starting lineup is counterproductive to that. Maybe they draft two and plug one into the starting lineup and have one off the bench.

[LeBowen]

Any updates on the Topic injury?

Apparently he's going to need a surgery, MCL and meniscus injury.
Wouldn't mind wasting 35th pick on him, but he's done with us as far as 4th and 8th are concerned.

[mo7888]

Only two, I'd say. I think they're keenly aware of not knowing where they are with Branham, Wesley, and especially Cissoko, and that more rookies are coming in next year.

So, you expect us to trade the two 2nds and not use them to move up Dejounte ?

I could see doing something with Portland for their picks or trading 2nds with NY to get their 25th pick.

[Mr. Body]

How does Risacher compare as a prospect with Brandon Miller?

Or Dillingham with Scoot Henderson?

Brandon Miller blows Risacher out of the water.

Dillingham and Henderson really have pretty different skill-sets. Henderson is a bulky, strong guard who can get into the lane and isn't knocked around. Has a good midrange, and his threat seems to be more within the 3-point line. Not an excellent comp, but is more Tony Parker-like in getting past a defender and causing defensive problems there. Dillingham's attack is much more perimeter-oriented, where he has great range. Is very shifty and uses spins, hesitations, and so on to break down the defender. I feel like Scoot is more of a threat once he gets into the lane, although his finishing is not great. Also feel like Scoot might be a better passer.

The height difference may not be that great, although Henderson is much more built. Scoot isn't exactly great on defense, but may improve.

[exstatic]

Apparently he's going to need a surgery, MCL and meniscus injury.
Wouldn't mind wasting 35th pick on him, but he's done with us as far as 4th and 8th are concerned.

Someone will pick him in the lottery if he stays in. Wouldn’t be the worst thing to make a pick that won’t help this year, and be bad again for the 2025 draft. His stock won’t be higher next year, and probably will be lower, since he likely won’t play this coming season.

[RC_Drunkford]

good news

[CorrectCrusader]

good news

GREAT NEWS!!!!

[mystargtr34]

Great news on Topic.

Givony also says Topic will getting measurements taken June 6 and will be a participant in pre draft workouts.

He’s a good chance with the Wizards at 2 imo. Possibly Spurs at 4 or 8. I can’t see any other team in the top 10 taking him tbh. Maybe the Jazz at 10.

[CGD]

Apparently he's going to need a surgery, MCL and meniscus injury.
Wouldn't mind wasting 35th pick on him, but he's done with us as far as 4th and 8th are concerned.

Nah, they’ll still think long and hard about taking him if he’s there at #8.

Also sounds like you’re medical diagnosis is way off per the last tweet.

[Uriel]

• The Spurs were big winners again, jumping one spot to No. 4 and then watching Toronto fall from No. 6 to No. 8 -- meaning the Raptors must send their pick to the Spurs as penance for the Jakob Poeltl trade. (The pick was top-six protected.)Toronto is probably not that broken up about losing the pick now. It extinguishes its obligation to San Antonio, freeing it to trade more picks going forward. Had it retained its pick this time around, it would have owed it next season -- when the draft is projected to be much stronger -- with the same top-six protection. The Raptors hold the No. 19 and 31 picks in this draft after acquiring both in their respective trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.

• After the first four-number combination determines which team gets the No. 1 pick, the league then draws combinations for the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 picks. The Raptors had three of the four numbers in each of those combinations, too.

• With the phenom Wembanyama, the Spurs could make a big leap next season if they want to. Insiders wondered whether they might package both the No. 4 and No. 8 picks and chase some young-ish veterans who fit around Wembanyama. They could have about $19 million in cap space even with those two picks factored in, meaning the Spurs could trade them for significant incoming salary.
The Spurs will surely look at everything, but flipping both picks for veterans only feels a little rash. San Antonio could trade one, or go the other way, and package them to move up. Rival executives in Chicago pegged Serbian point guard Nikola Topic and French forward Zaccharie Risacher as nice potential fits around Wembanyama. They could also keep both and keep building (mostly) organically.
Wembanayma is so good already, the Spurs are going to win lots more games next season almost no matter what they do this summer.

• I ran into Spurs CEO R.C. Buford after the televised lottery, and he assured me his now-famous leather blue chair -- the one he was sitting in when the Spurs won the Tim Duncan lottery in 1997 -- made no appearance this year in Chicago. A year ago, with Wembanyama in play, Buford's family had secretly arranged for that same chair to be waiting in Buford's Chicago hotel room when he arrived for the lottery and combine.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/sto...t-lottery-room

[Cardinal]

I’ve soured on Risacher as a wing prospect at 4 or 8. I’d rate both Buzelis and Holland above him, and would love to get one of them to plus a guard. Buzelis would probably need to be taken at 4 but Holland could potentially be had at 8

[vy65]

Topic news is two sided. If he’s back in play, that means we could still take him. I wasn’t a fan before, but he’s developing a history of injuries right before our eyes that makes me even lower on him

[LeBowen]

good news

Interesting, because the most reliable Serbian site says he's going to need a surgery.

[mo7888]

good news

It still gives me pause, I have dropped him down my BB, but I could see a team like Washington taking him ahead of us anyway.

[exstatic]

good news

His MCL seems a bit wobbly. Second time it’s put him on the shelf.

[mo7888]

I’ve soured on Risacher as a wing prospect at 4 or 8. I’d rate both Buzelis and Holland above him, and would love to get one of them to plus a guard. Buzelis would probably need to be taken at 4 but Holland could potentially be had at 8

I'm not soured on him at all, but I do have Buzelis ahead of him.

[exstatic]

Interesting, because the most reliable Serbian site says he's going to need a surgery.

I did some research, and since it’s an MCL, the athlete recovery time, if there’s surgery, is 3-6 months. Not like an ACL, apparently.

[LeBowen]

I'm not soured on him at all, but I do have Buzelis ahead of him.

What is Buzelis' realistic projection? He has so many questions around his game.
Defense, shooting, handles, motor, playmaking, nothing is polished.

If he puts it together he can be a star, but he's could also be out of the league in a couple of years.

[couchman]

Even if he has MCL surgery that’s a significantly better prognosis than ACL.
Topic to Washington at #2 is alive.
Or perhaps to the Spurs at 8