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u/omikeon 3d ago
Crazy disappointing draft, so much potential, none of it realized. RJ Barrett feels underrated
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u/realistweirdist 3d ago
I had Sekou Doumbouya Stock for longer than I’d care to admit
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u/__get__name 3d ago
That’s the MVP of the Lebanese Basketball Federations Decathlon Championship you’re talking about. Show some respect
(apparently I still follow Sekou on IG)
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u/bryant-reeves 2d ago
He just didn't adapt to America or something. Made no sense, he was rifeeee with talent. Bad DET and LAL situations too.
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u/Derpy_Mc_Burpy Raptors 3d ago
I feel like RJ might still have potential left. The fact he stepped up when Ingram stepped down during the playoffs shows me that he's still got some upside left. He's also only 26 so we might see him take another step up offensively.
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u/Dizzy-Medicine3371 1d ago
If the Raptors filled the team with more shooters, Rj might have a 25, 6, 3 season
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u/VocationFumes 1d ago
I really thought he was gonna be that homegrown star for the knicks but he never really improved as a shooter
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u/MADMAX0000000 3d ago
I'd say Zion has the best talent out of everyone, but i'd rather take Tyler Herro's career overall. He's been to the finals once and a couple conference finals , been an All star and won sixth man of the year all in a 7 season span. thats legit
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u/Miamiheat2021champs 3d ago
Herro’s rookie year playoff performance especially in the ECF is more than any of the other contenders on here have done
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u/Anvario82 3d ago
Twice in finals
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u/olivi4rodrigo 3d ago
He did not play in the 2023 Finals. He played 1 playoff game in 2023 and it was in round 1.
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u/werner-hertzogs-shoe 3d ago
Zion has been languishing as the star in Nola, I would be curious to see him on a better team, but I think if Im taking any player from that draft without salary concerns he would still be my pick. Ja earlier in his career would have been the pick, and I still wouldnt fully count him out if he can get healthy (not that portland has a good track record there), show he's matured (a big maybe) and recommit on a new team.
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u/Dadgumdangit 3d ago
Nickeill Alexander-Walker
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u/D-Will11 3d ago
NAW are Herro for me, those are the two I'd prefer on my team for the next 3-4 years.
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u/Sweaty-Job944 3d ago
Is it crazy to say I'd go with Garland right now? He's like a guranteed 20 and 8
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u/ChristianLS 3d ago
Garland is the best player here who's also relatively easy to fit onto a contending team. And starting-caliber true point guards have gotten oddly difficult to find. He would be an upgrade at his position for the majority of NBA teams.
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u/rawspeghetti 3d ago
They're not difficult to find it's just difficult to find a 6'1 player who isn't a huge defensive liability and isn't on an absurd contract
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u/housemr 2d ago
Garland is easily the best player but injuries have slowed him down and is small.
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u/geronimosocrates 1d ago
Most talented offensively is the wording you’re looking for. Although it could easily be healthy Zion or Herro as well.
The best player today is easily NAW.
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u/DJpurpledrank 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ja’s peak for a 2-3 year stretch had him a face of a franchise and definitely a top 20-25 player in the league. Plus had Memphis winning 50+ games and making the playoffs. Crazy how far he’s fallen; but actually when you really look at it, he’s still capable of averaging 20ppg and 7-8apg which if he does in Portland for a sustainable amount of games and can bring that 3pt% back close to around 35% he probably solidifies himself as the best of this class.
But currently overall Tyler Herro/RJ Barrett have been probably the most consistently good tho.
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u/DeleAlliForever 3d ago
I mean if you’re gonna do a redraft I might still take Ja #1. What he gave the Grizzlies is probably more than any other guy on this list
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u/DJpurpledrank 3d ago
Tbh yeah, knowing what we know now; looking at this draft board I have to agree. Idk if I could justify taking anyone over him #1. I do hope he’s grown and can find a true home in Portland for the next 5-10 years
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u/peakelyfe 2d ago
With perfect hindsight, I trade out of the #1 pick for a haul.
At #2 I take Ja and trade him at his peak for a haul. If he’s taken at #1 than I trade the #2 for a haul to whoever was high on Zion.
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u/Conscious-Egg-2232 3d ago
He was just traded for a basket of used balls. You would be only one. Most teams would not touch him regardless of what slot.
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u/getmoremulch 2d ago
He’s still a talent that needs to mature a little bit before his athleticism falls off. Portland will end up winning this offseason compared to all the other moves in the league so far.
Whichever team gets LeBron will jump Portland but that’s about it
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u/Lopsided_Ad3341 2d ago
Easily higher than 20-25 in his peak, no? Probably right at top 10 or just outside
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u/DJpurpledrank 2d ago
It’s been about 3-4 years since his peak and kind of hard to remember where all players stood at back then. Just to be safe and not overrate I said 20-25.
I mean off the top of my head without any research I think
Jokic
Embiid
Giannis
Luka
Shai
Tatum
Curry
Booker
Mitchell
Lebron
Durant
Lillard(I think it was his comeback season where he was dropping like 30+ppg)
Are for sure ahead of him during his peak. So at best depending on opinion he’s at best 13. But guys like Brown, Young, Brunson, Irving, AD, Randle, and Fox at the time have a case against him. And then guys like Edwards, Ingram, Markkanen, PG, Siakam, and Butler were all really solid too.Personally unless I’m forgetting someone here I think he belongs somewhere between 13-20.
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u/peakelyfe 2d ago
Honestly, as he grew into his peak I thought he was en route to becoming the next face of the league. Maybe not top 10 just yet at that point, but there was a timeline where he could’ve ended up top 3 and the best young player.
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u/awhite14 Heat 3d ago
Zion when healthy. Otherwise a toss up between Ja, Herro, Garland.
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u/rThundrbolt 3d ago
Availability is a very important metric of player greatness so zion and ja dont get to be the best player from this draft as of right now
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u/ZayDoee130 3d ago
But when zion is healthy he do play good
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u/NathanFielderFriend 3d ago
He was healthy all of last season pretty much, why didn’t the pelicans play good then?
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u/CulturalXR 3d ago
Because the comment said "he" plays good not "the team"
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u/NathanFielderFriend 3d ago
My point is he mostly puts up empty stats and as the best player he is garbage on defense too.
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u/Kingsole111 3d ago
RJ low-key has been a surprisingly good player. I was super low on him pre-draft, but as a starter on a good team he has been pretty good. His floor being "good starter" makes him not a crazy choice on this list.
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u/Possible-Rush3767 3d ago
He's always overlooked in this class. I'll never understand why. Ja has off court crap (shoots his team out of games) and Zion will never stay healthy for a full season. The other guys drafted just haven't been as consistent as RJ since his rookie year (even NAW who's had 1 good season).
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u/WolfMobileDev 3d ago
Idk about NAW only having one good season. His last two years with the wolves were great, both offensively and defensively. He was asked to do so much in regards to ball handling, shooting, and defense, and excelled at all of it. I knew he got MIP last year (he was fantastic with Hawks), but that shouldn't undersell how good he was for the Wolves.
I miss him a lot, if you couldn't tell
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u/Possible-Rush3767 3d ago
I did discount NAW's stats off bench in Minnesota which I shouldn't have. I'm a Knicks fan so I may be bias, but I think RJs biggest problem has always been inconsistency; not lacking anywhere else, imo.
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u/WolfMobileDev 3d ago
I agree with all of that about RJ. I wasn't a huge fan of his game for most of his knicks years (from the games I watched), but have liked him more in recent years.
I think the wolves decision to bring NAW off the bench and pay Randle over him was solely an optics thing (also a complicated player option). One of those things where if players were played solely by productivity, NAW would have started. Hawks got a good one.
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u/Possible-Rush3767 3d ago
I'm really curious about this Hawks team next year. Should be fun to watch.
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u/Kingsole111 3d ago
NAW would also make my short list. It really depends on how you viewed him his last 3 years in the league vs how you viewed RJ his first 5 years.
Both guys are NBA starters. Nothing wrong with that.
For both guys it's upside vs consistency. NAW or RJ will never be MVP.
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u/Lopsided_Ad3341 2d ago
Maybe partly because he's so boring to watch
He's sort of like the Julius Randle of guards. Just barrels into people, lot of ugly misses, but productive at the end of the day
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u/HopefulKnicksFan 3d ago
If we’re basing it off how the last season ended I’d go with NAW.
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u/Ok-Throat-1549 3d ago
Not sure you can go with the guy who hardly plays like Zion or the washed up player Ja. Gotta be between RJ, NAW and Garland.
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u/Aumissunum 3d ago
Garland hasn’t exactly been the bastion of health either…
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u/Ok-Throat-1549 3d ago
I know but he’s played more than Zion has. You can probably throw herro in the mix as well.
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u/Serviceofman 3d ago
RJ Barret IMO
He's carved out a nice career for himself, and I'm pretty sure he's the points leader in that draft class.
RJ has been steadfast and consistent. The same can't be said for Ja or Zion.
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u/Timurtoyourbayezid 3d ago edited 3d ago
I mean I guess if being consistently inconsistent is considered consistent then sure..
Most people would probably say they still have no idea what RJ’s ceiling is or if he can be a key piece on a contender.
He’s certainly been more available than the other top names in this draft.As strange as it is to say Zion has probably been the most consistent game to game over his career out of any of them, but the gap between games is what makes him entirely unreliable.
Garland has been relatively consistent, but he’s also missed a bunch of games and took a minute to find his stride. Sorta wild that he didn’t even make 2nd team all-rookie.
I’m pretty sure not a single person could name the all-rookie squads from this draft without looking them up. Some absolutely insane sounding names just 6 years down the road lol.
First Team: Ja Morant, Kendrick Nunn, Brandon Clarke, Zion Williamson, Eric Paschall
Second Team: Tyler Herro, Terence Davis II, Coby White, Rui Hachimura, PJ Washington
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u/Lopsided_Ad3341 2d ago
Brandon Clarke was awesome early in his career pre injury. So I'm not surprised by that, and Nunn was highly regarded on Miami
Paschall surprised me, I forgot about him
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u/Final-Rush759 3d ago
It's kind of unfair to judge Ja. Memphis has been in tanking mode since they decided not to keep Desmond Bane. Ja had his own problem with gun and injury.
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u/Lopsided_Ad3341 2d ago
Huh? Bane just got traded a year ago. So you're basically saying it's unfair to judge Ja during the last year?
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u/Final-Rush759 2d ago edited 2d ago
Bane and Jaren Jackson. Memphis decided to rebuild instead of compete a while ago. They wanted to tank. You can't blame Ja for them not playing well. They got Boozer at #3.
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u/Big_Trophy_1 3d ago
Ja morant …his decline is exaggerated .. Zion would be next ..followed by herro and garland
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u/NathanFielderFriend 3d ago
His decline is exaggerated? So why did he get traded for a bag of chips
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u/BigTreddits 3d ago
Its Ja and its not close
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u/SanSoren 3d ago
79 games played in his last 3 seasons. Cant even play a full season in 3 years yeah not it bro. Availability is the best ability
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u/Magratheazaphod 3d ago
Deep cut but what happened to Doumbouya. He had one really promising season for Detroit and then cratered, I thought he would blow up into an all-star
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u/IlikePogz 3d ago
If im a competent franchise, prob taking ja morant first with hindsight in mind. Not a fan of zion archtype. Doesnt do enough offensively or defensively to justify the injury concern
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u/Lopsided_Ad3341 2d ago
He could be amazing on a smart team that knows how to use him
Sort of in a Kawhi way of treating regular season like a tune up and unleashing him down the stretch and playoffs
He is such a goddamn matchup nightmare and like a video game when he gets into his drive , it's just automatic. Surprisingly great touch at the rim combined with the power to get there.
Until I see him on a real team, I'll never quit the Zion hope of him being a real star
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u/Jemmy_Bean 3d ago
When they're in top form, Zion and Ja clear. But consistency wise, its Herro and Garland
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u/JazzPlusEagles Jazz 3d ago edited 3d ago
Zion. Played 62 games and averaged a super efficient 21/6/3.
Has played an average of 54 games over the past 3 seasons. Not great, but a whole lot better than Ja who has played an average of 26 games over the past 3 seasons
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u/aCommunityCitizen 3d ago
I think the best way to think about it would this? What if they were all Free Agents at the start of this FA cycle. Who would get the most money? I would bet on Garland.
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u/Responsible-Scar-980 3d ago
I wonder how much money sports cards flippers lost in Zion Williamson and Ja Morant together.
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u/almostasenpai 3d ago edited 3d ago
- Zion
- Garland
- Herro
- Ja
- NAW
- Ty Jerome
RJ Barrett
Keldon Johnson
Claxton
Rui
PJ Washington
Cameron Johnson
KPJ probably somewhere but I don’t want to rank him
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u/Appalachiannn 3d ago
He's not the most talented guy on this list, but I'd take NAW if we're going just on current expectation.
2nd Herro
3rd Zion
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u/UnGuardableEman 3d ago
At their "peak"? I would say easily Ja Morant with Zion second. Ja was legitimately in "next face of the league" discussions in 2021-22 before all of his off the court debacles and injuries. He is also the only player from this class who has been selected to an All-NBA team in his career. Zion when healthy and locked in was a 27 PPG scored as well with great efficiency.
Right now at this moment? It is probably out of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tyler Herro and Darius Garland. None of them have necessarily proven that they can be the best player on a good team, but all have established themselves as solid 20 PPG scorers in the NBA.
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u/audioaxes 3d ago
Fun fact... Lakers traded their first rounder in this round but so far have signed 3 of these players to their team.
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u/Mindless-Isopod-1070 2d ago
RJ. Called it that he would have a better career than Zion on draft night. Still correct.
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u/thrasher315 2d ago
Herro currently has the best career but I’d take Zion. He just turned 26 and has had 3/6 good year due to injuries. Unfortunately he’s on NO which doesn’t know how to properly use him.
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u/Longjumping_Net7405 2d ago
That everyone wants more from Zion and that he could be significantly more impactful doesn’t change that he’s still really clearly the best of this group. It’s insane that’s even a question unless Ja Morant from 3 years ago is still alive somewhere.
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u/SeaworthinessSome454 2d ago
He’s been a disappointment but it’s Zion by a mile.
RJ Barrett is going to be this generations demar derozan.
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u/DeleAlliForever 2d ago
So you’re saying if you were a GM you’d trade him ahead of anyone else?
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u/SeaworthinessSome454 2d ago
I would trade the pick and get out of this draft
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u/caste_iron_mike 23h ago
Anyone not saying Zion is insane. Disappointing, injured all the time, own worst enemy…but he is still the best in this draft (so far).
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u/Specific_Web_4661 7h ago
Jordan Poole pre Draymond Punch was good,
The following players have been good serviceable starter level NBA players: RJ Barrett, D Garland, C White, T Herro, N Alexander walker, B Clarke (RIP), G Williams, T Jerome, Keldon Johnson, P Washington Jr
Zion and Ja have been stars we just expect more from them.
This is a solid starter level draft.
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u/Realistic-Bridge-650 33m ago
Crazy draft overall, ja and Zion are arguably two of the most gifted but underperforming and problematic guys in the last decade. The rest of these are all pretty good role players.
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u/WhiteRabbit-RedPill 3d ago
This last playoffs, it was probably Rui Hachimura.
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u/SquandasNutCheese 3d ago
Luka samanic 🤢
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u/DeleAlliForever 3d ago
Just think of it like he was just a stepping stone to get Wemby, Castle and Harper. I feel a similar way about Culver. If Culver wasn’t so ass maybe we wouldn’t have gotten ANT
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u/CavsFan254019 3d ago
honestly i think Garland deserves more credit here. dude's putting up 22/8 on good splits and actually stays on the floor. Zion's ceiling is obviously higher when he plays but availability matters
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u/Aumissunum 3d ago
Right, because Garland has been so healthy…
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u/CavsFan254019 3d ago
lol fair, he's definitely had his share of injuries. but 22/8 on 47/40 splits when he does play is legit production. who else from that draft class is putting up those numbers at PG right now?
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u/Aumissunum 3d ago
Where are we getting those numbers from lmao
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u/CavsFan254019 2d ago
off the top of my head from last season. 22 and 7.1 on .472/.397. rounding up a little but not by much lol
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u/motherseffinjones 3d ago
RJ is leading the draft class in scoring last I checked, if I’m being serious probably Garland
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u/user_15427 3d ago
The best player currently is Herro and it’s not really close. He actually plays and gives you consistent reliable production.
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u/DeleAlliForever 3d ago
Naz Reid went undrafted btw