2024 NBA Draft Thread

[tenn_smoothie]

So much fun watching the draft tonite with all the talk about what teams need to do to compete with the Celtics.
All the commentators going on and on about our defense and length that is so difficult for others to replicate.

I also loved hearing them once again call the Boston Celtics the greatest franchise in the NBA !!!!
So happy to be Top Dog again.

[Ilikesports17]

I think they can get a big at 54 perhaps, there's Dante who played at Oregon and had and 28 and 20 in the tourney, also Enrique Freeman who smaller and more of a 4. they can bring Kornet and Tillman back and there always some big they can find

No one they draft there will be NBA ready this season. It's either Kornet, Tillman or they sign someone.

Given our significant need for post depth, signing Tillman seems like an easy decision.
The guy can play and is the one post player we have who doesn't get pushed around. (IF JOE WILL PLAY HIM)

Also think it's important to keep Hauser, even with the addition of Scheierman, who I am thrilled to get.
Where we have seen title winners fail to repeat of late has been not keeping their important rotation players, like Hauser, Tillman and Pritchard for us (though I know Pritchard is already on his extension). We gotta pay while the titles are out there to be won.

We have a team option on Hauser. He will be back. Ideally, Moneybags Wyc just pays the insane tax bill and we extend him. If not the hope is that by this time next year Schierman, Walsh or both are ready to step in and be his replacement.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Brad Stevens made a first round pick!?

[Who]

Are the Lakers a good fit for Knecht?

LeBron is an aging slower defender at this point. He likes to have a solid if not strong defender next to him at forward. This allows LAL to pick and choose matchups and hide LeBron on lesser offensive players. Knecht is a below average defender who will further expose LeBron defensively.

The Lakers have a bad defensive backcourt with D Russell and A Reaves. Can they afford to have a bad defensive forward combination as well?

Will Knecht's role be limited minutes wise due to the number of dodgy defenders already on the team? More of a 18-20mpg guy rather than an opening for a 30+mpg role?

[Surferdad]

So much fun watching the draft tonite with all the talk about what teams need to do to compete with the Celtics.
All the commentators going on and on about our defense and length that is so difficult for others to replicate.

I also loved hearing them once again call the Boston Celtics the greatest franchise in the NBA !!!!
So happy to be Top Dog again.

I agree about the summaries of team needs as compared to the Celtics. This will be the third time in two days that I post, It is a copy-cat league. Other teams will always try to emulate the champs (Celtics) but you cannot replicate their top-end talent so they are trying to copy the perimeter defense: OKC getting Caruso when they already have Dort, NYK getting Bridges when they already have OG.

[Roy H.]

So much fun watching the draft tonite with all the talk about what teams need to do to compete with the Celtics.
All the commentators going on and on about our defense and length that is so difficult for others to replicate.

I also loved hearing them once again call the Boston Celtics the greatest franchise in the NBA !!!!
So happy to be Top Dog again.

I agree about the summaries of team needs as compared to the Celtics. This will be the third time in two days that I post, It is a copy-cat league. Other teams will always try to emulate the champs (Celtics) but you cannot replicate their top-end talent so they are trying to copy the perimeter defense: OKC getting Caruso when they already have Dort, NYK getting Bridges when they already have OG.

Yeah, even as offenses increase their efficiency, the ability to defend is going to remain ultra-important.  Having several very good to elite defenders is the way to separate good teams from great teams.

I still strongly believe that the lack of defensive intensity was the reason we lost in 2023, and why we won in 2024.

[hwangjini_1]

so, will we be using this thread for the second round today? or will someone open up a new thread for that?

[Roy H.]

so, will we be using this thread for the second round today? or will someone open up a new thread for that?

This one.

[ETNCeltics]

As a UT fan and Tennessean, I hate to see Knecht go to the Lakers.

Scheierman is a good get. The one thing Knecht does much better is take the ball to the hoop. He's a better athlete. They played each other in the tourney, and BS kept Creighton in the game until the end. Tough guy, he's 202 not 180 as someone posted earlier.

Yes, yes and yes.

Surprised to see Knecht fall that far and I naturally want to see him do well in the pros as long as the Lakers continue to flounder. 
Though maybe we want the Lakers to improve enough to make it to the finals so we can win another head-to-head series with them.

Any info on why Knecht fell out of the top 10 picks I saw him predicted to make ?

I imagine it's his age. But the fact is, he was the best one on one player in college basketball last year, and a good shooter. I have little doubt he'll be better than 75% of the guys taken ahead of him.

[Kuberski33]

So much fun watching the draft tonite with all the talk about what teams need to do to compete with the Celtics.
All the commentators going on and on about our defense and length that is so difficult for others to replicate.

I also loved hearing them once again call the Boston Celtics the greatest franchise in the NBA !!!!
So happy to be Top Dog again.

I agree about the summaries of team needs as compared to the Celtics. This will be the third time in two days that I post, It is a copy-cat league. Other teams will always try to emulate the champs (Celtics) but you cannot replicate their top-end talent so they are trying to copy the perimeter defense: OKC getting Caruso when they already have Dort, NYK getting Bridges when they already have OG.

You need to be able to defend the perimeter and the lane - and make 3's at the same time. That's not an easy combination of skills to find. Danny laid the foundation, but could never get the team over the hump because he couldn't find enough reliable shooting. Brad prioritized that, but also had Danny's foundation to work with.

It's not an easy combination of skills to find. I do like both OKC's and the Knicks moves. I think both Caruso and Bridges are great fits with their respective teams.

[Who]

So much fun watching the draft tonite with all the talk about what teams need to do to compete with the Celtics.
All the commentators going on and on about our defense and length that is so difficult for others to replicate.

I also loved hearing them once again call the Boston Celtics the greatest franchise in the NBA !!!!
So happy to be Top Dog again.

I agree about the summaries of team needs as compared to the Celtics. This will be the third time in two days that I post, It is a copy-cat league. Other teams will always try to emulate the champs (Celtics) but you cannot replicate their top-end talent so they are trying to copy the perimeter defense: OKC getting Caruso when they already have Dort, NYK getting Bridges when they already have OG.

I don't think OKC are copying BOS. Nor are NYK. I wrote a post about NYK not copying BOS yesterday. So I'll link that rather than repeat my reasons for saying so.

https://forum.celticsstrong.com/index.php?topic=108985.msg3264911#msg3264911

For OKC,

OKC's plan is not new to them. They have been on this path for last two years. Not exactly the same path as BOS but some similarities in terms of big ball-handlers and one perimeter orientated big man. A five out offense.

OKC drafted a similar type of player as Caruso in the draft last year in Cason Wallace. Another big defensive guard. One with more explosive scoring potential although we haven't seen that yet in the NBA. So Caruso is not new. It is continuing a path they were already on.

They were building a 4 wing 1 big team last year. A bit different than BOS 2 guard 2 forward 1 big team. They had two big ball-handling wings in Giddey and SGA. Two wings in Dort and J-Dub.

Even now Dort and Caruso are not similar to any BOS players. BOS has no one-way defensive guard. Or defensive 3+D wing. We have two way complete combo guards in D White and Jrue Holiday. We have versatile forwards in Jaylen & Tatum and an offensive orienated sharpshooter in Hauser.

Presti has always gone after defensive role players. It was something Durant cited as a reason he wanted to go to GSW. He was sick of having guys who weren't shooters or passers. The lack of team offense. The reliance on him & Westbrook to play one-on-one. Targeting guys like Caruso and Dort is something Presti has done throughout his time in OKC. Sefolosha, A Roberson, Perk, S Adams, Ibaka. What they hoped R Jackson would be as a big defensive guard behind Westbrook.

[Who]

Geez, Zach Edey moves around the court like Tacko Fall.

I am watching an old Utah Jazz game from the 80s at the moment and Zach Edey moves like Mark Eaton did.

Or Yao Ming. Boban Marjanovic.

God, that guy (Edey) is slow. Absolutely horrible at changing directions. Agility, body balance, lateral quickness. Not good. Bad.

[Donoghus]

Big board is updated

[hwangjini_1]

an interesting article on watson as a "skeleton key" type player.

https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/anton-watson-is-this-years-skeleton

[Phantom255x]

I hate that Post was taken two picks ahead... ugh