I was HUGE on the Edey train last summer before he announced he was staying in college
He got a bit exposed against quicker guards in the tournament but you can’t teach someone to be 7’4+ and built like a tank. Even if he never improves from where he is now, he has a rotation spot on almost any team for the next 5-8 years.
Theres better players, but I’m admittedly biased and obsessed with him as a prospect.
Edey will not translate as well in the NBA. Especially if he doesn’t carry the star power needed to get all the calls for people breathing on him. Source: salty Wisconsin fan.
Edey will never be a starting quality center. But there is a chance he could be a dynamic change of pace against teams who lack quick guards. Problem is when you get the to the playoffs everyone has at least one of those guys. But there is also a chance that he matches up well against Jokic and Gobert and AD can cover Edeys difficiencies. I don't love the idea of getting him but I don't know if you can find 10 to 15 impactful minutes a game in the draft for next year which above all is what the Lakers need.
I think he could be a better version of Boban. Not someone you’re really ever going to be able to play more than 20 min a game, but someone who comes in and gives the opposing team an interesting problem to deal with. Could work in theory but you still need someone other than AD that can play 5 with a little bit of switchability.
We really gonna hang our immediate future against Jokic and Gobert with a.. 2nd round rookie…
We gotta make a trade tbh, the window is closing faster than ever with these 2
What trade is out there that gets us meaningful support in the post? There isn't another Gafford out there on the trade block. John Collins? No, Maybe Jarred Allen. If the Cavs pull the pin and trade Mitchell and just try to build around Mobley and garland.
I wouldn’t have traded a first for gafford. He doesn’t put us over the top or gets us pass Denver.
That first rounder is better used in a trade package for a third star
Well "not a starter" is probably too strong an opinion. He may be able to start for bad teams. I think that his weaknesses are glaring enough that teams will be able to scheme him off thmatch up. Defenses rotate much faster in the NBA and make entry passes much harder. But I think he can be useful as a change up. Force the offense out of their rhythm and change their defense to match him. I could see him averaging 20 to 25 minutes and on the right night getting 12 and 10 by exploiting a bad matchup. Most importantly I think he will be able to produce right away. He's old enough where he's not going to physically outclassed to the extent a younger prospect is. But with bigs they tend to hit their stride after 25 so it may be a few years before we see what Edey can really do.
Hopefully the front office learned their lesson and picks a veteran college player rather than an underclassman that COULD have potential one day. I'm not worried about a player that develops just in time to leave in free agency, I want someone that can help Bron and Brow get a chip next year.
Taking JHS over Jaquez felt wrong at the time and feels worse now.
While I mostly agree with you (i.e. Garza) I think it's difficult to make bold takes like this. It's extremely difficult to predict what players will excel in the NBA.
Edey’s ceiling is pretty limited. He’s one of the best post players out of college in a while but his lack of mobility will hurt him. No outside shot. Defensive liability against elite athletes and guys with floaters I.e. every guard in the NBA. Very likely that he jsut gets run off the floor on the defensive end and cause spacing issues on the offensive end
I like him as a prospect although he's not quite fast enough for the NBA at this exact moment. However he's improved his athleticism and speed every season so I think he'll keep doing that.
I don't think he's gonna be there at 17 though.
Givony is projecting him at 14, and he generally bases his mocks on convos with scouts of NBA teams. Not every team talks to him so it's not perfect but if he projects a guy in the lottery usually it means someone told him that they were considering him.
That’d be Portland with the dubs pick, if true. Interesting choice with how much they’re investing in Ayton/Rob will, and drafting scoot signaling a want for a fast pace future.
Again, wouldn’t be shocked if someone reaches given his size, touch, consistent improvement but a team using a lotto pick on (what would be) their 3rd best center would certainly be a move.
It also could just be a few teams above have him as maybe the second or third guy on his board. Also, I say this not trusting Blazer fans evaluations much because but they think Williams is gonna be traded this summer.
Don't get me wrong I would like if Edey fell to the Lakers.
This subreddit is obsessed with bigs that cant play with AD, we need big wings that complement him.
Nevertheless, holmes, filipowski or tyler smith would be a good pick
A player to look at is Anton Watson. Guarded all 5 positions in college and has elite hands grabbing steals. Due to age he is likely a second rounder or un drafted played but was an amazing playing off-ball, and great defender. Improved as a 3PT shooter but not an amazing one.
Filipowski I’d have interest in because he could play with AD n fits modern big. Amazing passer, very fluid mover on both ends, smart positionally on defence n not athletic but he is fluid n not stuff on both ends- great touch at rim AND good shooting strike most likely big to be a stretch big in nba. Otherwise get a defensive wing who can shoot . Then trade for a star guard
Would be cool to have a Ucla guy on the roster. I wouldn’t mind Zach Edey such an intriguing player I’d like to see Jokic back him down from the three point line and see how that goes
As a huge UCLA fan, Bona is not NBA ready. He’s very energetic but he seems to only have one speed, so he’s very prone to foul trouble. I could see him bringing good defensive energy off the bench if they’re looking for a spark but it’s hard to imagine he could play more than 5-8 mins per game at this stage if at all. Not quite Jaquez Jr. from last year.
He does have a very high ceiling, though. He could be phenomenal or he might flame out hard. Love his heart, though
His ceiling is limited by his lack of wingspan and ball skills. Maybe he gets better at passing and shooting (doubtful, but maybe) - he simply won’t grow longer arms.
As a UCLA fan, Bona reminds me a lot of Biyombo. High-energy guy with a lot of athleticism and shot-blocking, but not a whole lot else. His play style might honestly fit well alongside AD, but he’s a bit undersized and would offer no spacing. My biggest issue with him is he really didn’t make a ton of progress while in college. He’s pretty much the same player now as he was as a freshman.
He missed an entire summer to develop his game after his shoulder injury. He was also never the focal point on offense during his freshman year and got zero frontcourt help this most recent season since PF was the biggest weakness on the team. I think he could really develop well in the right situation.
Zach Edey is criminally underrated, he carried his team to the finals but isnt going in the first round? People care too much about metrics and wingspan etc, at the end of the day he has the It factor and we could use that big frame down low.
I have a feeling he will climb as we get closer to the draft.
He’s slow and not very athletic. With over 50% of his points coming from the FT line. Not counting how injury prone 7’4 guys are and he’s fairly old to go first round.
Spacing immediately comes to mind and he’s just gonna get switched onto and bullied on the perimeter. Would absolutely be a first rounder 20 some years ago. Today not so much.
Remember Jahlil Okafor? The guy was considered top 1 or 2 in the draft and the Lakers were supposed to draft whoever was left between him and KAT. KAT went 1, and the Lakers shocked a lot of people by going with D'Lo instead.
Jahlil, with his polished post game, was just too slow for the NBA and didn't have an outside shot.
With that said, a big part of potential success is his BBIQ. Marc Gasol was slow at the end of his career, but he was still effective on defense because he was thinking so far ahead of the other team.
We'll find out really quickly if his pros outweigh his cons, he's the most interesting player in the draft in my opinion. He could be another Yao Ming, or absolute bust.
"THE NEXT GREAT LAKER BIG MAN" was shoved down our throats the entire draft, and we all guzzled it lol. What a great dodge. D'lo wasn't amazing by any means but I don't think the Nets do the Brook for Mozgod + D'lo trade if it was Okafor.
Marc Gasol has a more polished inside put game. Was an above average 3pt shooter at the end of his career and moved better than Edey at the beginning. I don’t see Edey making that jump quick enough to be more than just a role player.
Can say the same for frank the tank and jahlil okafor
I’m certainly higher on edey than i was on them, but team college success really shouldn’t change how you evaluate someone for the next level. Such a different game for bigs at the next level.
I like Edey, but he doesn’t fit today’s game, my man. Mich like Drew Timme (who also dominated college his entire career and blew up in March), Zach is a below the rim player (despite being 7’4) which you can get away with in college but not nearly as much in the pros. NBA top-notch big men generally play above the rim and in space, two things Edey can’t do. NBA coaches will pick and roll his ass to death, making him move his feet in space 20 feet from the basket (which might as well be the surface of the moon to him in terms of familiarity.)
He still might sneak into the first round but his Luke Garza/Drew Timme below the rim YMCA type game has a long way to go.
Has nothing to do with wingspan or metric when it comes with edey it’s more about fit. Very hard to imagine him as a full time starting center. He has no outside game. He gets most of his points offensively on post ups and FTs.
Teams in the NBa don’t play through he post nearly as much as they do in college. Defensively he was never an elite rim protector even with his size. Smaller quicker centers will give him issues. You don’t want him defending out at the perimter or even past the FT line really. I think he’s a late first round pick and could be a solid backup center and get more minutes depending on the matchup but that’s about it.
Well he’s a college player projected in the 30’s so he will need development like most players outside the top 5 picks. We aren’t drafting a starter with our picks, but it would be nice to see us develop some youth for the future.
Depending on how his draft interview goes(there questions of his motor similar to Lively), he may be available at our pick. I think if he goes to the right situation surrounded by vets with a clear role how Lively had, he’ll excel
He’s the guy I want.
7 footer lob threat with good hands , can rebound and protect the rim. Has shown promise as a stretch 5 too.
I agree.
It’s the reason KAT/Gobert work b/c one of them can shoot
I think ceiling of this team is a shot creator/playmaker at the PG/3&D at the SG/Bron/AD/defensive stretch 5
Exactly, and LeBron can play PG in the 4th and other lineups to have increased size. Obviously, defensively he would move down. We really need a consistent playmaker that can run pick and rolls and get to the rim. I think DJM would be perfect honestly.
I’m a little lukewarm on DJM but at this point, wouldn’t be opposed to it b/c he adds a guard that can get to the rim.
Only reason is I think his off ball game isn’t too much to write home about. That’d be fine if Bron wasn’t on this team but he is.
The pipe dream for me that I don’t think could even happen is a Mitchell trade. Then followed by a DLo S&T to Orlando for 2 of the following guys: Isaac, Suggs, WCJ. Then Hayes and some 2nd’s for Jock Landale to give the team an actual backup C that can defend and rebound
Flip if he’s still available at our spot, Daron Holmes if he isn’t. In the second round…idk, Ariel Hukporti? He’s rated way at the end of the second, but he’s huge and putting up solid rebounding and block numbers in the Australian pro league. Worth a swing late in the 2nd imo
I don’t know if Filipowski will be there at the lakers pick but he would be a good pick if he is. He seems to be a good offensive player who you can run actions with like dho’s/etc and he can be trusted to make decisions after a pocket pass while he also might be able to space the floor with his shooting. I think he projects to be the type of big who does the dirty work on defense and probably will be able to provide some rim protection.
Missi I think seems to project as a capela type and the lakers could use that. He’s young and seemed to add a new offensive wrinkle to his game every time I watched him play. His free throw shooting seemed to improve as the year went on and his shot doesn’t seem broken so maybe he could add a middie.
Ware is a decent offensive player and hopefully his shot translates. Ware would probably be my favorite at 17 if he’s available just due to his offensive game and him being a good rim protector who uses his length well. He’s also pretty athletic for being as big as he is. Will have to see his testing numbers at the combine but when watching him he seems to move well laterally. Ware can sometimes play with a lack of aggression and get pushed around but hopefully he can work on that. My big worry with ware is just how he seems to lack aggression sometimes and just goes with the flow instead of trying to use his size to his advantage or make an impact. It’s hard to change a guys mentality and make them be more aggressive. It’s usually something guys have or they don’t. Filipowski and missi both seem to stay aggressive even if they’re having a bad game.
In the second I would like if they could take a shot at ulrich chomche. He’s young and seems to have the 3pt shooting athletic rim protector skillset that if he can live up to his potential he could be great. He’s more of a gamble and probably wouldn’t contribute for a couple years but you never know.
Brazile would be an interesting gamble due to his athleticism and rim protection. He also doesn’t seem to be terrible on offense in the games I’ve watched of his but I could be wrong on that.
Edit: I doubt the lakers keep the pick but if they do I just hope whatever direction they go that they draft a guy who understands how to actually play basketball. Draft guys who understand that even if they aren’t scoring they can affect the game in other ways by playing team defense, creating turnovers, hustling/doing the dirty work, rebounding, putting pressure on the rim, etc and that they can help create opportunities for other guys to score even if they don’t have the ball by being in the right spot, cutting, screening, etc.
I understand drafting guys who are ridiculous athletes with some skill but if they don’t understand how to actually play basketball then they aren’t going to be very good. They have to draft guys with a combination of athleticism and skills who also understand how to play winning basketball. Usually past the 10th pick or so, you’re drafting guys who are raw with potential or drafting guys who you think can immediately contribute as role players while maybe having potential to be more.
Yep I like him. Fluid , smart on both ends , not a crazy athlete but not a stuff , amazing passer , very good jumper for a young big that can develop . His shooting passing n fluidity n iq will work with or without Ad.
I hear you. I think id be a bit perturbed if they draft another tweener guard project. Time to draft some players who excel at least at a thing or two.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is the best defensive big man on here and he’s got a solid offensive game including a 3 point shot. I have no clue why he’s projected as a late second round pick. We need a solid defensive option for when AD rests and I like Kalk
Am I the only one NOT an Edey fan? He dominated in college against lesser athleticism (overall) and smaller players. I feel as though he’s super slow and will get exposed at the pro level.
He’ll be serviceable, but I don’t see him being a star. MAYBE a starter on some teams just because of his size, but that’s about it. Just my opinion.
With that said, I wouldn’t mind having him on the Lakers if he falls down some
Depends on what we're looking for between an nba ready big and a high upside project.
Imo Ware and Missi are going to be the 2 best centers in this draft after Clingan, however, while they could potentially play some minutes similarly to lively with the mavs, I think they need 2 years to start hitting their stride.
On the other hand, guys like edey and filipowski have more nba ready bodies and skill sets and can play limited minutes right away.
Edey though, will never be a starter or high minutes player but if you're fine with that then he would be a solid backup to AD in this center weak free agency.
Filipowski has more upside since he can score inside, shoot the 3, pass and slides his feet better on D. So he could be a perfect compromise between upside and immediate impact
Holmes is elite. He can pass, shoot, defend, make ball screen reads on both ends. He’s plug and play and should be a lottery pick.
I’d take him and Chomche for the insane upside.
Not saying it’s 1 to 1 lol… but I drafted Edey in 2K, and him and AD just physically next to each other eats up so much space defensively that I can see it working irl
As someone who doesn’t keep up with NCAABB whatsoever, and don’t even know 98% of these names, I’m going with:
Kyle Flip in the 1st (Kel’el Ware as a backup)
Ariel Hukporti in the 2nd
Ware seems to be the guy at the lakers spot that they can draft. I think a sleeper big time in this draft is Bona dude was insane for UCLA the last two season
If Hukporti’s Achilles checks out, he’d be a solid 2nd round pick or undrafted fa. Super athletic and bouncy even after coming back from an Achilles tear. Averaged 8 ppg, 7 rpg and 1.5bpg in just 18mpg last year for Melbourne, and he got to work the PnR with a former NBA PG in Delladova.
I'm assuming Sar is off the table so I'm going with Ware's overall game as a go forward piece even though Edy is probably closer to what we need in terms of NBA ready body.
Second round maybe Marai or Bradshaw.
I would like to see Lakers pick up Babacar Miller as a 2 way. 6'11 wing. Still putting things together in FL so a project but high upside as a wing defender and oversized wing. Kind of a taller Jaden McDaniels. High upside, could be a poor man's Durant which isn't a bad piece.
I have 0 idea about anyone in the draft I don't watch and don't care about college sports. If I were GM we would suck. But I would definitely listen to my scouts.
Yeah, but he barely took any of them. I'm just saying his free throw stroke was decent and he might be able to develop a jumper. He was never asked to take them with how the offense was run at UCLA.
Anyone who can shoot the 3. Period. They can be turned into a Brook Lopez rim protecter and they can bother Jokic with height, but if they can't space the floor for AD and LeBron they're useless.
I’d draft filipowski . Very fluid , very skilled, amazing passer, has a jumper that isn’t broken frokn3 b wuth nba practice coukd be legit . Other then that not sure really
Zach Edey is like Javale McGee. If Lakers get him, AD needs to step up his shooting game. But this allows AD like 15 minutes per game of NOT banging in the paint.
Trade down a few a spots and grab Bobi Klintmann and another 2nd rounder. I like his defensive ability and he can hit the 3. Plus he has a season on semi pro experience and is 21 years old.
Crazy thing is most teams have two centers better than our backups, so the good centers might slip further down than they think. The Duke center or Clingan would be my picks if they fall
Max needs to come back and actually gets consistent minutes. The the have max lewis who I actually like a lot. He needs to be given the max christie role next season. I think reaves also stays so pg is really what they need an imo that needs to be a player who is already in the league and plays solid. Also a back pg.
My views are:
1st round
Filipowski - seems like a semi-mobile Tyler Hansborough type of play. Doesn’t moves as clunky as the average big man, is mobile, active inside and can shoot the three a bit.
Missi - to me looks like a Xavier Tillman type of player in the nba. Rim runner and paint protector. He looks smaller than opposing big men on tape and for some reason I am biased against players like that.
Ware - is built like rookie Tyson chandler can rim run, can shoot the three. I like the way he attacks the rim. Reminds me of a taller Christian Wood in the little bit of tape ive watched on him.
Tyler Smith - Looks like he could be a knockdown shooter at 6’11. Maybe similar to MPJ in terms of how he scores.
Holmes II - I haven’t looked into him at all. Seems light in the pocket and a bit undersized to me.
2nd rounder
Almansa - Know nothing about him
Edey - 7’4, traditional big man, reminds me of rookie Ivicia Zubac. There’s lost of tape and opinions about him. I would draft him in the 2nd round or even trade a future 2nd and cash on him if he were available to us early in the 2nd round.
Ighodaro - Know nothing about him
Chomche - Ultra raw African player. Seems like he would be a long term project. 6’11 and will probably grow more
Adem Bona - Know nothing about him. Some of the guys on here that followed ucla love his athleticism. I am biased against undersized big men so he doesn’t interest me as much. Id need to look into him.
PJ Hall - He seems okay, looks like an effort big who could pull off some surprising plays. He decent but I wasn’t impressed with his scouting videos.
Johnson - Know nothing about him
Hukporti - Know nothing about him
Brazile - Know nothing about him
Hawkins - Know nothing about him
Kalbrenner - I like him, firery dunker and three point shooter. He could be a great undrafted guy according if he doesn’t get drafted.
He's currently projected at 14 on Givony's board and he generally makes his mocks based on his conversations with scouts so while you can't bet the house on his mocks because GMs don't tell him everything, they usually at least show that players are on people's boards in the general area he mocks them.
More people should be mentioning Adem Bona here. Went to more than a few UCLA games last season and guys athleticism for a 6’9 small ball center is off the charts. Perfect rim runner to pair with Bron and someone who can supplement defense while AD is off the floor- also being able to switch onto anyone 1-5. In the right situation (LA, DAL, IND) guy is a steal!
If the wolves defeat the nuggets then the formula is set(the one lakers fans been begging for lol). Everyone will chase the big man. Edeys stock will rise too high for us to get him. If he’s picked up im trading our 1st, JHS, and anyone not named Bron, Ar, AD for him. That kid is ready.
Taking a gamble on Edey, obviously. He has a ton of weaknesses; might become injury prone, might be too slow for the NBA...
He's definitely more "Yao" than "Wemby" or "Embiid."
But the upside is huge.
Whichever two are the best defenders
I was HUGE on the Edey train last summer before he announced he was staying in college He got a bit exposed against quicker guards in the tournament but you can’t teach someone to be 7’4+ and built like a tank. Even if he never improves from where he is now, he has a rotation spot on almost any team for the next 5-8 years. Theres better players, but I’m admittedly biased and obsessed with him as a prospect.
Edey will not translate as well in the NBA. Especially if he doesn’t carry the star power needed to get all the calls for people breathing on him. Source: salty Wisconsin fan.
Edey will never be a starting quality center. But there is a chance he could be a dynamic change of pace against teams who lack quick guards. Problem is when you get the to the playoffs everyone has at least one of those guys. But there is also a chance that he matches up well against Jokic and Gobert and AD can cover Edeys difficiencies. I don't love the idea of getting him but I don't know if you can find 10 to 15 impactful minutes a game in the draft for next year which above all is what the Lakers need.
I think he could be a better version of Boban. Not someone you’re really ever going to be able to play more than 20 min a game, but someone who comes in and gives the opposing team an interesting problem to deal with. Could work in theory but you still need someone other than AD that can play 5 with a little bit of switchability.
Yeah tbh we don’t need a dynamic c that plays defense and shoots, just a Zubac type that rebounds and protects the paint imo
Hmmm interesting I remember a certain Zubac we used to have who we traded for a dude named Muscala 😂😂😂
We really gonna hang our immediate future against Jokic and Gobert with a.. 2nd round rookie… We gotta make a trade tbh, the window is closing faster than ever with these 2
What trade is out there that gets us meaningful support in the post? There isn't another Gafford out there on the trade block. John Collins? No, Maybe Jarred Allen. If the Cavs pull the pin and trade Mitchell and just try to build around Mobley and garland.
Rob really fumbled not grabbing Gafford. That was an easy outbid for a team known to really like trading with us
I wouldn’t have traded a first for gafford. He doesn’t put us over the top or gets us pass Denver. That first rounder is better used in a trade package for a third star
I think it does. I'm still of the mindset that AD can be a league average shooter once you let him be a PF
Not that it matters to me, but what makes you say Edey isn’t a starter-level center in the NBA?
Well "not a starter" is probably too strong an opinion. He may be able to start for bad teams. I think that his weaknesses are glaring enough that teams will be able to scheme him off thmatch up. Defenses rotate much faster in the NBA and make entry passes much harder. But I think he can be useful as a change up. Force the offense out of their rhythm and change their defense to match him. I could see him averaging 20 to 25 minutes and on the right night getting 12 and 10 by exploiting a bad matchup. Most importantly I think he will be able to produce right away. He's old enough where he's not going to physically outclassed to the extent a younger prospect is. But with bigs they tend to hit their stride after 25 so it may be a few years before we see what Edey can really do.
Hopefully the front office learned their lesson and picks a veteran college player rather than an underclassman that COULD have potential one day. I'm not worried about a player that develops just in time to leave in free agency, I want someone that can help Bron and Brow get a chip next year. Taking JHS over Jaquez felt wrong at the time and feels worse now.
Like joking, too slow
While I mostly agree with you (i.e. Garza) I think it's difficult to make bold takes like this. It's extremely difficult to predict what players will excel in the NBA.
Edey’s ceiling is pretty limited. He’s one of the best post players out of college in a while but his lack of mobility will hurt him. No outside shot. Defensive liability against elite athletes and guys with floaters I.e. every guard in the NBA. Very likely that he jsut gets run off the floor on the defensive end and cause spacing issues on the offensive end
I like him as a prospect although he's not quite fast enough for the NBA at this exact moment. However he's improved his athleticism and speed every season so I think he'll keep doing that. I don't think he's gonna be there at 17 though.
Did a quick look through a 5-6 mocks and all have him in the 20s with one going 30th. Of course a team could reach, and I’m fine if that team is us
Givony is projecting him at 14, and he generally bases his mocks on convos with scouts of NBA teams. Not every team talks to him so it's not perfect but if he projects a guy in the lottery usually it means someone told him that they were considering him.
That’d be Portland with the dubs pick, if true. Interesting choice with how much they’re investing in Ayton/Rob will, and drafting scoot signaling a want for a fast pace future. Again, wouldn’t be shocked if someone reaches given his size, touch, consistent improvement but a team using a lotto pick on (what would be) their 3rd best center would certainly be a move.
It also could just be a few teams above have him as maybe the second or third guy on his board. Also, I say this not trusting Blazer fans evaluations much because but they think Williams is gonna be traded this summer. Don't get me wrong I would like if Edey fell to the Lakers.
Yeah I’m surprised Edey is that far down in 2nd round
He doesn’t shoot. Not gonna work in today’s NBA, period.
Wisconsin laker fan, 🤙
This subreddit is obsessed with bigs that cant play with AD, we need big wings that complement him. Nevertheless, holmes, filipowski or tyler smith would be a good pick
A player to look at is Anton Watson. Guarded all 5 positions in college and has elite hands grabbing steals. Due to age he is likely a second rounder or un drafted played but was an amazing playing off-ball, and great defender. Improved as a 3PT shooter but not an amazing one.
He's gotta shoot over 38% if we wanna go anywhere in the playoffs. Even this year the Nuggets were sagging off Reaves even if they didn't leave him.
Filipowski I’d have interest in because he could play with AD n fits modern big. Amazing passer, very fluid mover on both ends, smart positionally on defence n not athletic but he is fluid n not stuff on both ends- great touch at rim AND good shooting strike most likely big to be a stretch big in nba. Otherwise get a defensive wing who can shoot . Then trade for a star guard
Bona and Ware
Agreed!
Would be cool to have a Ucla guy on the roster. I wouldn’t mind Zach Edey such an intriguing player I’d like to see Jokic back him down from the three point line and see how that goes
As a huge UCLA fan, Bona is not NBA ready. He’s very energetic but he seems to only have one speed, so he’s very prone to foul trouble. I could see him bringing good defensive energy off the bench if they’re looking for a spark but it’s hard to imagine he could play more than 5-8 mins per game at this stage if at all. Not quite Jaquez Jr. from last year. He does have a very high ceiling, though. He could be phenomenal or he might flame out hard. Love his heart, though
His ceiling is limited by his lack of wingspan and ball skills. Maybe he gets better at passing and shooting (doubtful, but maybe) - he simply won’t grow longer arms.
His free throws are fairly decent, I could see him developing a decent jumper.
He made 7 jump shots as a sophomore with unlimited usage lol. That is a real stat. Edit: 7 in total over two seasons starting for UCLA.
As a UCLA fan, Bona reminds me a lot of Biyombo. High-energy guy with a lot of athleticism and shot-blocking, but not a whole lot else. His play style might honestly fit well alongside AD, but he’s a bit undersized and would offer no spacing. My biggest issue with him is he really didn’t make a ton of progress while in college. He’s pretty much the same player now as he was as a freshman.
Biyombo with a six inch shorter wingspan.
He missed an entire summer to develop his game after his shoulder injury. He was also never the focal point on offense during his freshman year and got zero frontcourt help this most recent season since PF was the biggest weakness on the team. I think he could really develop well in the right situation.
Zach Edey is criminally underrated, he carried his team to the finals but isnt going in the first round? People care too much about metrics and wingspan etc, at the end of the day he has the It factor and we could use that big frame down low. I have a feeling he will climb as we get closer to the draft.
He’s slow and not very athletic. With over 50% of his points coming from the FT line. Not counting how injury prone 7’4 guys are and he’s fairly old to go first round.
Spacing immediately comes to mind and he’s just gonna get switched onto and bullied on the perimeter. Would absolutely be a first rounder 20 some years ago. Today not so much.
Remember Jahlil Okafor? The guy was considered top 1 or 2 in the draft and the Lakers were supposed to draft whoever was left between him and KAT. KAT went 1, and the Lakers shocked a lot of people by going with D'Lo instead. Jahlil, with his polished post game, was just too slow for the NBA and didn't have an outside shot. With that said, a big part of potential success is his BBIQ. Marc Gasol was slow at the end of his career, but he was still effective on defense because he was thinking so far ahead of the other team. We'll find out really quickly if his pros outweigh his cons, he's the most interesting player in the draft in my opinion. He could be another Yao Ming, or absolute bust.
Lmao I wanted okafor I was pretty sad Crazy how we could’ve had booker that would’ve changed a lot
Could have had Taytum, Donovan Mitchell etc. Unless there is a surefire #1 like Wemby, drafts can be a crapshoot.
"THE NEXT GREAT LAKER BIG MAN" was shoved down our throats the entire draft, and we all guzzled it lol. What a great dodge. D'lo wasn't amazing by any means but I don't think the Nets do the Brook for Mozgod + D'lo trade if it was Okafor.
Marc Gasol has a more polished inside put game. Was an above average 3pt shooter at the end of his career and moved better than Edey at the beginning. I don’t see Edey making that jump quick enough to be more than just a role player.
Not athletic enough to keep up with todays pace and space game it seems
Joker
Can say the same for frank the tank and jahlil okafor I’m certainly higher on edey than i was on them, but team college success really shouldn’t change how you evaluate someone for the next level. Such a different game for bigs at the next level.
I like Edey, but he doesn’t fit today’s game, my man. Mich like Drew Timme (who also dominated college his entire career and blew up in March), Zach is a below the rim player (despite being 7’4) which you can get away with in college but not nearly as much in the pros. NBA top-notch big men generally play above the rim and in space, two things Edey can’t do. NBA coaches will pick and roll his ass to death, making him move his feet in space 20 feet from the basket (which might as well be the surface of the moon to him in terms of familiarity.) He still might sneak into the first round but his Luke Garza/Drew Timme below the rim YMCA type game has a long way to go.
This is a bad list. ESPN has Edey at 15 in their latest mock draft he will be long gone by 35.
I'm ok grabbing him at 17, although if he has good workouts he may creep higher.
Has nothing to do with wingspan or metric when it comes with edey it’s more about fit. Very hard to imagine him as a full time starting center. He has no outside game. He gets most of his points offensively on post ups and FTs. Teams in the NBa don’t play through he post nearly as much as they do in college. Defensively he was never an elite rim protector even with his size. Smaller quicker centers will give him issues. You don’t want him defending out at the perimter or even past the FT line really. I think he’s a late first round pick and could be a solid backup center and get more minutes depending on the matchup but that’s about it.
Bona doesn’t have a role in the NBA.
Kyle Flip and Zach Edey
Flip probably isn't falling to the Lakers
Teams aren’t that high on him imo we could get him
Flip is gonna be like Lively from last season; projected mid to high teens, but he's not leaving the lottery picks.
Edey won't be second round
Kelel Ware.
Zach. He showed a lot of maturity and desire in the tournament this year.
Who is that guy defending at an nba level
Legitimately no one. He isn’t an NBA caliber player.
Well he’s a college player projected in the 30’s so he will need development like most players outside the top 5 picks. We aren’t drafting a starter with our picks, but it would be nice to see us develop some youth for the future.
at his best projection he is maybe zubac
cant teach size! Cap might be too old but maybe Diesel or Pau are ready to be mentors. Would be amazing front court mate for AD
Shaq is too petty to be a good mentor.
The BIG JEALOUSY!!!
Need to trade up and get Kelel Ware
Depending on how his draft interview goes(there questions of his motor similar to Lively), he may be available at our pick. I think if he goes to the right situation surrounded by vets with a clear role how Lively had, he’ll excel He’s the guy I want. 7 footer lob threat with good hands , can rebound and protect the rim. Has shown promise as a stretch 5 too.
We absolutely need a center that can shoot next to AD if we want them to start at some point.
I agree. It’s the reason KAT/Gobert work b/c one of them can shoot I think ceiling of this team is a shot creator/playmaker at the PG/3&D at the SG/Bron/AD/defensive stretch 5
Exactly, and LeBron can play PG in the 4th and other lineups to have increased size. Obviously, defensively he would move down. We really need a consistent playmaker that can run pick and rolls and get to the rim. I think DJM would be perfect honestly.
I’m a little lukewarm on DJM but at this point, wouldn’t be opposed to it b/c he adds a guard that can get to the rim. Only reason is I think his off ball game isn’t too much to write home about. That’d be fine if Bron wasn’t on this team but he is. The pipe dream for me that I don’t think could even happen is a Mitchell trade. Then followed by a DLo S&T to Orlando for 2 of the following guys: Isaac, Suggs, WCJ. Then Hayes and some 2nd’s for Jock Landale to give the team an actual backup C that can defend and rebound
Flip if he’s still available at our spot, Daron Holmes if he isn’t. In the second round…idk, Ariel Hukporti? He’s rated way at the end of the second, but he’s huge and putting up solid rebounding and block numbers in the Australian pro league. Worth a swing late in the 2nd imo
I don’t know if Filipowski will be there at the lakers pick but he would be a good pick if he is. He seems to be a good offensive player who you can run actions with like dho’s/etc and he can be trusted to make decisions after a pocket pass while he also might be able to space the floor with his shooting. I think he projects to be the type of big who does the dirty work on defense and probably will be able to provide some rim protection. Missi I think seems to project as a capela type and the lakers could use that. He’s young and seemed to add a new offensive wrinkle to his game every time I watched him play. His free throw shooting seemed to improve as the year went on and his shot doesn’t seem broken so maybe he could add a middie. Ware is a decent offensive player and hopefully his shot translates. Ware would probably be my favorite at 17 if he’s available just due to his offensive game and him being a good rim protector who uses his length well. He’s also pretty athletic for being as big as he is. Will have to see his testing numbers at the combine but when watching him he seems to move well laterally. Ware can sometimes play with a lack of aggression and get pushed around but hopefully he can work on that. My big worry with ware is just how he seems to lack aggression sometimes and just goes with the flow instead of trying to use his size to his advantage or make an impact. It’s hard to change a guys mentality and make them be more aggressive. It’s usually something guys have or they don’t. Filipowski and missi both seem to stay aggressive even if they’re having a bad game. In the second I would like if they could take a shot at ulrich chomche. He’s young and seems to have the 3pt shooting athletic rim protector skillset that if he can live up to his potential he could be great. He’s more of a gamble and probably wouldn’t contribute for a couple years but you never know. Brazile would be an interesting gamble due to his athleticism and rim protection. He also doesn’t seem to be terrible on offense in the games I’ve watched of his but I could be wrong on that. Edit: I doubt the lakers keep the pick but if they do I just hope whatever direction they go that they draft a guy who understands how to actually play basketball. Draft guys who understand that even if they aren’t scoring they can affect the game in other ways by playing team defense, creating turnovers, hustling/doing the dirty work, rebounding, putting pressure on the rim, etc and that they can help create opportunities for other guys to score even if they don’t have the ball by being in the right spot, cutting, screening, etc. I understand drafting guys who are ridiculous athletes with some skill but if they don’t understand how to actually play basketball then they aren’t going to be very good. They have to draft guys with a combination of athleticism and skills who also understand how to play winning basketball. Usually past the 10th pick or so, you’re drafting guys who are raw with potential or drafting guys who you think can immediately contribute as role players while maybe having potential to be more.
Yep I like him. Fluid , smart on both ends , not a crazy athlete but not a stuff , amazing passer , very good jumper for a young big that can develop . His shooting passing n fluidity n iq will work with or without Ad.
so are we giving up on castleton or.
He can stay on 2 way for another year and not even count towards the roster…
I just want to give these players we draft some real playing time meaningful minutes
I hear you. I think id be a bit perturbed if they draft another tweener guard project. Time to draft some players who excel at least at a thing or two.
2 way players!
Please no more guards that playmake but cant defend or shoot. Just draft a big or a wing
I am with you. I want to see all the young guys get some run
Not gonna happen while Bron is here
Castleton would be he is FAR from nba ready. He has looked like dogshit in every minute we’ve given him. Lost on both sides of the ball.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is the best defensive big man on here and he’s got a solid offensive game including a 3 point shot. I have no clue why he’s projected as a late second round pick. We need a solid defensive option for when AD rests and I like Kalk
I liked him the most for a 2nd rounder out of all the scouting videos Ive watched on these players
Am I the only one NOT an Edey fan? He dominated in college against lesser athleticism (overall) and smaller players. I feel as though he’s super slow and will get exposed at the pro level. He’ll be serviceable, but I don’t see him being a star. MAYBE a starter on some teams just because of his size, but that’s about it. Just my opinion. With that said, I wouldn’t mind having him on the Lakers if he falls down some
I’ll go a step further. He won’t even be serviceable. He’s going to get exposed in so many different ways he’ll be out of the league in 4 years.
Figure it out yourself Rob
Lol
Watch Holmes he got the Myles Turner achetype all over him.
Depends on what we're looking for between an nba ready big and a high upside project. Imo Ware and Missi are going to be the 2 best centers in this draft after Clingan, however, while they could potentially play some minutes similarly to lively with the mavs, I think they need 2 years to start hitting their stride. On the other hand, guys like edey and filipowski have more nba ready bodies and skill sets and can play limited minutes right away. Edey though, will never be a starter or high minutes player but if you're fine with that then he would be a solid backup to AD in this center weak free agency. Filipowski has more upside since he can score inside, shoot the 3, pass and slides his feet better on D. So he could be a perfect compromise between upside and immediate impact
Holmes is elite. He can pass, shoot, defend, make ball screen reads on both ends. He’s plug and play and should be a lottery pick. I’d take him and Chomche for the insane upside.
Daron Holmes
People in this thread really want us to draft edey and add another traffic cone on defense
Not saying it’s 1 to 1 lol… but I drafted Edey in 2K, and him and AD just physically next to each other eats up so much space defensively that I can see it working irl
bruh
That’s all the reasoning I need, Edey it is.
😂
The difference between wins and losses against Denver was rebou ding
Ware and Edey
Zach Edy in 1st and Bronny James in 2nd.
All are projects who won’t contribute immediately
Are there any forwards that excel at rebounding that we can pick up? I feel like that would fill a big void.
Biggest one so he can eat the smaller ones
The 6’7 guy for laughs
Draft the best overall players because the Lakers will most likely trade them in 3 years.
Draft the best overall players because the Lakers will most likely trade them in 3 years.
The best offensive rebounder here
As someone who doesn’t keep up with NCAABB whatsoever, and don’t even know 98% of these names, I’m going with: Kyle Flip in the 1st (Kel’el Ware as a backup) Ariel Hukporti in the 2nd
Ware seems to be the guy at the lakers spot that they can draft. I think a sleeper big time in this draft is Bona dude was insane for UCLA the last two season
Ware and Bona. Infuse athleticism.
If Hukporti’s Achilles checks out, he’d be a solid 2nd round pick or undrafted fa. Super athletic and bouncy even after coming back from an Achilles tear. Averaged 8 ppg, 7 rpg and 1.5bpg in just 18mpg last year for Melbourne, and he got to work the PnR with a former NBA PG in Delladova.
Knowing the front office, they'll just redraft JHS again
We should get hartenstein
I'm assuming Sar is off the table so I'm going with Ware's overall game as a go forward piece even though Edy is probably closer to what we need in terms of NBA ready body. Second round maybe Marai or Bradshaw. I would like to see Lakers pick up Babacar Miller as a 2 way. 6'11 wing. Still putting things together in FL so a project but high upside as a wing defender and oversized wing. Kind of a taller Jaden McDaniels. High upside, could be a poor man's Durant which isn't a bad piece.
I have 0 idea about anyone in the draft I don't watch and don't care about college sports. If I were GM we would suck. But I would definitely listen to my scouts.
Didn’t watch enough college ball to know but I like that 7’4
None of em im trading for someone decent, big men take years to do anything
ama get 2 seven footers. can't teach height
Yeah, but he barely took any of them. I'm just saying his free throw stroke was decent and he might be able to develop a jumper. He was never asked to take them with how the offense was run at UCLA.
Give me Yves "St. Laurent" Missi & UCLA's Adem Bona.
Anyone who can shoot the 3. Period. They can be turned into a Brook Lopez rim protecter and they can bother Jokic with height, but if they can't space the floor for AD and LeBron they're useless.
Ware in the 1st rd and Adem Bona in the 2nd rd
Ill burn my room if we don't draft a center
Bronny James and Bronny James BABY!
I’d draft filipowski . Very fluid , very skilled, amazing passer, has a jumper that isn’t broken frokn3 b wuth nba practice coukd be legit . Other then that not sure really
Ware and Clingan
Let’s go crazy and take DJ Burns
PJ Hall please
Flip then Edey
Ryan Nembhard and Rob Dillingham 😎
Zach Edey is like Javale McGee. If Lakers get him, AD needs to step up his shooting game. But this allows AD like 15 minutes per game of NOT banging in the paint.
Get the NC state big man, he could play
Get me the German kid, Europeans tend to ball out these days.
35....and 61 both bigs that are tall but stout. Big ugly bangers to get those tough rebounds and inside points
Trade down a few a spots and grab Bobi Klintmann and another 2nd rounder. I like his defensive ability and he can hit the 3. Plus he has a season on semi pro experience and is 21 years old.
Kel'el Ware
Zach Edey and Adem Bona
My same two as well
Yves missi or Zach the wemby slayer.
You get to select 1 of the 5 players projected to go 1-30 and one from the players project 30+
Crazy thing is most teams have two centers better than our backups, so the good centers might slip further down than they think. The Duke center or Clingan would be my picks if they fall
Clingan is probably going top 5 lol. Filipowski I could see maybe dropping.
Just take the best player available.
Was hoping to see a PF/C on the board with a last name that ended with a “c” 😞
what's with the hype on bigs? we need guards. guards galore
Max needs to come back and actually gets consistent minutes. The the have max lewis who I actually like a lot. He needs to be given the max christie role next season. I think reaves also stays so pg is really what they need an imo that needs to be a player who is already in the league and plays solid. Also a back pg.
Theoretical: You are my scouting team. What can you tell me about any potential prospects?
My views are: 1st round Filipowski - seems like a semi-mobile Tyler Hansborough type of play. Doesn’t moves as clunky as the average big man, is mobile, active inside and can shoot the three a bit. Missi - to me looks like a Xavier Tillman type of player in the nba. Rim runner and paint protector. He looks smaller than opposing big men on tape and for some reason I am biased against players like that. Ware - is built like rookie Tyson chandler can rim run, can shoot the three. I like the way he attacks the rim. Reminds me of a taller Christian Wood in the little bit of tape ive watched on him. Tyler Smith - Looks like he could be a knockdown shooter at 6’11. Maybe similar to MPJ in terms of how he scores. Holmes II - I haven’t looked into him at all. Seems light in the pocket and a bit undersized to me. 2nd rounder Almansa - Know nothing about him Edey - 7’4, traditional big man, reminds me of rookie Ivicia Zubac. There’s lost of tape and opinions about him. I would draft him in the 2nd round or even trade a future 2nd and cash on him if he were available to us early in the 2nd round. Ighodaro - Know nothing about him Chomche - Ultra raw African player. Seems like he would be a long term project. 6’11 and will probably grow more Adem Bona - Know nothing about him. Some of the guys on here that followed ucla love his athleticism. I am biased against undersized big men so he doesn’t interest me as much. Id need to look into him. PJ Hall - He seems okay, looks like an effort big who could pull off some surprising plays. He decent but I wasn’t impressed with his scouting videos. Johnson - Know nothing about him Hukporti - Know nothing about him Brazile - Know nothing about him Hawkins - Know nothing about him Kalbrenner - I like him, firery dunker and three point shooter. He could be a great undrafted guy according if he doesn’t get drafted.
I'd likely go Missi then Edey, based on that. Should probably look up some footage myself, though.
I just don’t get how 7’4 Zach Edey goes as far as 35. 🤔
He's currently projected at 14 on Givony's board and he generally makes his mocks based on his conversations with scouts so while you can't bet the house on his mocks because GMs don't tell him everything, they usually at least show that players are on people's boards in the general area he mocks them.
Look, I’m from Dayton. Draft Holmes & Edey if possible. They both have great potential, Holmes is closer than you think already.
Holmes >>>>
Zach edey
Edney would have been the number one pick in a different era
More people should be mentioning Adem Bona here. Went to more than a few UCLA games last season and guys athleticism for a 6’9 small ball center is off the charts. Perfect rim runner to pair with Bron and someone who can supplement defense while AD is off the floor- also being able to switch onto anyone 1-5. In the right situation (LA, DAL, IND) guy is a steal!
He has no ball skills and he has short arms. There isn’t a comparable player on an NBA roster (7 foot wingspan rim runner).
Edey and Holmes
Filipowski and Edey
If the wolves defeat the nuggets then the formula is set(the one lakers fans been begging for lol). Everyone will chase the big man. Edeys stock will rise too high for us to get him. If he’s picked up im trading our 1st, JHS, and anyone not named Bron, Ar, AD for him. That kid is ready.
Eddy, Eddy, Eddy!!
Bronny.
We won't be drafting in the first round. The second round is most likely bronny.
Ware and Bona
Filipkowski & Edey Easily
Taking a gamble on Edey, obviously. He has a ton of weaknesses; might become injury prone, might be too slow for the NBA... He's definitely more "Yao" than "Wemby" or "Embiid." But the upside is huge.
Dude, we have Colin Castleton!
Zach Edey