2023 NBA Draft Thread

[Roy H.]

One disappointment:  the Warriors bought the #57 pick from the Wizards to draft Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Obviously, Brad didn't believe in the guy, but with him sliding like that, I would have gladly ponied up to purchase the pick.  I would have been thrilled with netting Walsh, TJD, and 4 seconds.

They didn’t just buy the pick for cash — they also sent out last year’s first rounder in Patrick Baldwin.

I read that was part of the Beal trade, and that the #57 for cash was negotiated separately.   Who knows?  We also don't know if Washington sees Baldwin as an asset, or if the Warriors just sent them a ton of cash to cover Baldwin and to open a roster spot for TJD.

[Celtics2021]

One disappointment:  the Warriors bought the #57 pick from the Wizards to draft Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Obviously, Brad didn't believe in the guy, but with him sliding like that, I would have gladly ponied up to purchase the pick.  I would have been thrilled with netting Walsh, TJD, and 4 seconds.

They didn’t just buy the pick for cash — they also sent out last year’s first rounder in Patrick Baldwin.

I read that was part of the Beal trade, and that the #57 for cash was negotiated separately.

Baldwin was announced as added into the deal the same time it was announced TJD was going to Golden State.  I think they’re processed separately because GSW wanted to send the cash this season, and the Paul trade isn’t until next season, but they’re connected.

[Who]

“The hidden thing about Jett is that he played most of the season injured [ankle] and we believe there’s more to Jett than he was able to show,” Weltman said. “Jett is more than just a shooter.”

Howard’s stats in his 18 games before injuring his left ankle in the first half of a Jan. 22 win over Minnesota: 15.4 points (44% shooting — 52.6% on 2s, 38.8% on 3s), 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32 minutes.

His stats in his final 10 games, which included him sitting two games because of a right ankle injury: 13.5 points (38.7% shooting — 47.4% on 2s, 34.6% on 3s), 3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 34 minutes.

“I was playing at 50% throughout that last stretch of the season,” Howard said. “It hindered my performance a lot from a lateral quickness standpoint, conditioning standpoint and explosive standpoint.”

Some Jett Howard stats via Magic press introducing their two new picks.

Right after the Magic drafted him Thursday night, Arkansas head coach and former Magic assistant Eric Musselman texted me to rave about Black.

“He led the SEC in minutes played as a freshman,” Musselman said. “He led all Power 5 freshmen in minutes played. He’s a great two-way player. He’s so unselfish. His teammates and Orlando are going to love him.”

Weltman, too, couldn’t help but gush about Black: “Anthony is one of the smartest players in the draft, maybe the smartest. We feel like he has an elite level understanding of the game. … And he’s a worker. He’s tough. He’s competitive. He’s aggressive. He doesn’t take a plays off. I think our fans are really going to love the way he gets into the ball.”

“He’s a multi-positional defender at a very high level. Not just he can guard guys, he can guard guys well. His game represents who he is as a person. He’s all about his teammates. He’s all about raising the ceiling for others. He’s a unique talent.”

[wiley]

“The hidden thing about Jett is that he played most of the season injured [ankle] and we believe there’s more to Jett than he was able to show,” Weltman said. “Jett is more than just a shooter.”

Howard’s stats in his 18 games before injuring his left ankle in the first half of a Jan. 22 win over Minnesota: 15.4 points (44% shooting — 52.6% on 2s, 38.8% on 3s), 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32 minutes.

His stats in his final 10 games, which included him sitting two games because of a right ankle injury: 13.5 points (38.7% shooting — 47.4% on 2s, 34.6% on 3s), 3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 34 minutes.

“I was playing at 50% throughout that last stretch of the season,” Howard said. “It hindered my performance a lot from a lateral quickness standpoint, conditioning standpoint and explosive standpoint.”

Some Jett Howard stats via Magic press introducing their two new picks.

Right after the Magic drafted him Thursday night, Arkansas head coach and former Magic assistant Eric Musselman texted me to rave about Black.

“He led the SEC in minutes played as a freshman,” Musselman said. “He led all Power 5 freshmen in minutes played. He’s a great two-way player. He’s so unselfish. His teammates and Orlando are going to love him.”

Weltman, too, couldn’t help but gush about Black: “Anthony is one of the smartest players in the draft, maybe the smartest. We feel like he has an elite level understanding of the game. … And he’s a worker. He’s tough. He’s competitive. He’s aggressive. He doesn’t take a plays off. I think our fans are really going to love the way he gets into the ball.”

“He’s a multi-positional defender at a very high level. Not just he can guard guys, he can guard guys well. His game represents who he is as a person. He’s all about his teammates. He’s all about raising the ceiling for others. He’s a unique talent.”

This combination of high IQ , effort and defense and likeability would be very welcome on our C's team, which plays a little too cool much of the time.   When a likeable player gives his all, intelligently, for 48 minutes, other get infected by it (at least the effort and the not falling asleep on plays).