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Hardwoodknocks listeners? I am Dampa Valley coming at you without by fantabulousts yet traitorous
co host Adam Frammo, who as of this moment officially no longer works with
me at Bleacher Report. As you can tell, I harbor no ill feelings
whatsoever towards him leaving today, though we're gonna be talking some NBA draft with
hardwood Knox's favorite draft guru, Adam Spinella. He is the Dickinson College assistant
men's basketball coach. He also contributes to Celtics Blog, and he does most
of his work at the Box end. One follow them on Twitter at the
box and one that's spelled out O n E underscore the box and one underscore.
He also has a YouTube channel with many followers where he's publishing draft content
scouting reports all the freaking time. YouTube dot com co search Adam Spinella,
SPI n E LA. He will come right up subscribe watch those videos.
He's gonna be taking us through some NBA draft consequences. Now, I guess
the way to put it. I know basically zero about the draft. I
mentioned that at the top, I have a good feel for two of the
players, most one of which is only because of him. So he takes
someone who is dumb ignorant to this draft class. For the most part,
aside from knowing the names and the top prospects, through what to expect,
we go through the top five guys, we look at how the draft could
unfold. After that, we look at some of his sleepers. After that,
we go into trying to figure out what's wrong with the Boston Celtics with
obviously because that's our brand on this podcast, providing a concrete conclusion as to
what for them to do. But as we recorded this, they're currently in
play in territory in the Eastern Conference, even though they're working off pretty impressive
but also very topsy turvy victory over the New York Knicks. This was a
blast, as always, follow Adam on Twitter at Spinella fourteen. That's at
spi n e l l A one four. Before we get started, though
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That is it, though, I now, without further delay, am
ready to take you through the NBA Draft and whatever the hell is ailling the
Boston Celtics with Adam Spinella Spins. Welcome back to the Hardwe Knox podcast.
I just before I yelled Spins, I was talking like I was going to
do my intro with you on here, but I always prerecord my intros when
I have guests that they don't have to listen to this fiel. So you
got to listen to me in real time, bring up all the info I
wanted, and I'm not going to use it with you because I'm going to
pre record it afterwards. Once you don't, we're talking about how are you
doing. I'm doing great, Dan, Thanks so much for having me back
on the pod. It's always great to be here, and I know today
talking a little bit about the NBA Draft, it's an exciting time because you
know, college season is done and it finally feels like there's a little bit
of a bow on what's been a really strange college season and pre draft process
for these guys, so we can finally talk about them a little bit in
terms of the sample size being complete, and I'm excited for that. Yes,
And as a preface for listeners, this is like Spins doing he does
most of the heavy lifting all the time, He's doing all of it this
time. I told him beforehand the two prospects. I know really anything about
Arcade Cunningham because people only talk about They talk about him NonStop. And then
I read an in depth piece he wrote on Jared Butler, So I feel
comfortable with saying that Jared Butler is going to be one of the greatest players
of all time, and that's just an opinion. I feel informed enough to
give. One of the things I didn't want to hit on before we get
to players, is this pre draft process now. I assume it's going to
get closer to normal than it was last season, where I had talked with
a couple of people sort of involved with the process that it was just difficult
with the logistics of not having those the same number, the same breath,
the same ability to have those in person workouts. And I'm assuming one that
those will be closer to normal this year, but also too, how much
do you sort of even read in to those. You know, like,
what type of impression can a prospect actually leave in those type of a settings.
It's a great question. I've always been one to believe that a pre
draft workout typically can only hurt you in your evaluation of a prospect. It
might be able to confirm what you thought of somebody that you weren't able to
see on the film. College coaches are concerned with one thing first and foremost,
and that's winning games. So they have to be able to make every
single puzzle piece on their roster fit together. Sometimes and we've seen this.
I'll use the Kentucky and John Calipari example, where he has so many lead
guards and really good scores that somebody has to play a little bit more of
a niche role and doesn't get to showcase every single skill that they have,
which is where Tyler Hero falls to fourteen or Emmanuel Quickly in the bottom end
of the first round of the New York Knicks. Like those guys, when
you get them in a workout setting, might be able to show a little
bit more pop than they did on film. And you know what you were
able to see watching games of theirs, But other than those circumstances. To
me, I think all it serves to do in the pre draft workout is
get somebody really overhyped about something that is a small data point on a really,
really a wide spectrum of things. It's just one other data point to
add to the whole picture. And you know, there are some prospects out
there this year who had a little bit of an underwhelming season in comparison to
where the expectations were for them coming out of high school or what they thought
they would be in college this past year. I think the predraft workout is
important for those guys because you're looking at the flashes of potential and saying,
is this real where we write about this guy a year ago and he just
didn't perform well in his circumstance, or is he really that far away from
becoming who we thought he would be a year ago. So it's a really
convoluted way of saying it's a little bit overrated the pre draft workout process,
But there are enough players out there that that will matter for that it's going
to be a good thing to have it back. Is there an element of
that to the March Madness Tournament itself? Where I would struggle to get even
knowing nothing about them. I would struggle to read good or bad in the
performances from kid coming to him or jail and subs based on how they perform
in such a tiny sample. I know it's higher stakes, which matters,
but isn't that body of work that precedes the March Madness tournament more important?
And maybe it's more so for less defined prospects where they don't have a specific
range that they can do more to make or break their case during that tiny
sample that ultimately is March Madness. To me, marsh Madness is the ultimate,
you know, late riser type of paradise. You can only help your
stock during that time if you're somebody that's outside the kind of top thirty five
or forty. A few years ago, that was Malachi Richardson at Syracuse.
Now people knew who he was and thought he was an okay prospect, but
he just exploded and Syracuse went to the final four, and then all of
a sudden he was a first round pick. A couple of years later.
He's probably not a guy that you're looking at and saying a smart pick taking
him early, But you know, Johnny Jusang of UCLA is right now having
a similar type of rise. Maybe I'm a little bit too. I don't
know if practical is the right word for this stuff, but I'm one hundred
percent with you that the overall sample of work that you have through twenty five
thirty thirty five games is much more indicative of who you are as a prospect
than what you do for a two weekend sample in March. One fact about
a Kai Richardson, Adam the other Adam who hosts the podcast with me,
we have a text thread with one of our other friends that's called Malakai Richardson.
I don't remember why. Something must have happened with him that we were
talking about, but it's been that way for like two years at this point.
So his legacy lives on after his performance with Syracuse. Let's so let's
start with Kay Cunningham here. The I think the most maybe it's a cliche
at this point or the best way to put it. The most popular comparison
is I've seen for him has been what if Ben Simmons could shoot? And
that does two things for me. Immediately, It's going to pique your attention,
and two, I'm like all right, are we setting him up for
failure? And so what are is he? And again my ignorant showing three
year, is he just the number one pick? No matter who has it,
He's just done enough. There's a he's a cut above the let's say
the other three or four Canadas, it might be there. And just too
what are your overall impressions insights into his game? So I'll set the table
a little bit for you, Dan, with with this class right now,
there are five names who probably would in any other year belong in contention for
the top overall pick, a pretty clear top tier in this draft, and
most guys that you would look at any of the last two or three years
and say this guy should go number one. Kid Cunningham is a half step
better right now than anybody else in that area. You know, you mentioned
the Ben Simmons type of comparison. To me, Simmons is a little bit
more of a live body athlete. He really pops in terms of his dunking
ability, how he plays in space, and just his fluidity overall. Kate
Cunningham's a little bit more grounded and scaled than that. I think the comparison
for me would be like a hybrid of Luca don Chich and Grant Hill.
So someone who's gonna be better in one on one situations than Ben Simmons,
right, A little bit better, yeah, because he's a he's a really
polished scorer. The knock on Cunningham coming into his college season was that he
wasn't a great enough shooter. People were really wondering to see, you know,
is he going to be able to hit shots when teams go under screen
means or play off with him in isolation situations? And because Oklahoma State,
the team that he played on this year, didn't have a lot of great
talent or great shooters outside of him, how would he react to the floor
just collapsing on him? And he winded up shooting forty percent from three this
year, So he blew expectations out of the water in that regard. And
again the amount of polish that he has on his game. When you're not
a live body athlete like a Ben Simmons, but you're able to be a
fantastic passer, you're an absolutely unbelievable isolation scorer and playmaker to be able to
do that as a not Lebron James like superstar athlete, shows the amount of
skill that he has for somebody his age. To me, if anybody who
wouldn't have him at number one is simply overthinking it at this point, because
he carried a pretty poor Oklahoma State roster to the NCAA Tournament and really finished
the season on a strong note. So he's that guy where you're drafting him
where last year it was, Yes, it felt like there's a consensus top
three, but you weren't sure if any of them were franchise altering and at
least looks like LaMelo Ball is that guy right now. Anthony Edwards might be
trending in that direction, but with Kay cutting him, it's zooming in on
him. He is that franchise, that fortune's turning type of talent very much
so. And you know, I think Luca don Chich was somebody that a
lot of people looked at as the most skilled player in his draft in a
lot of ways, but wasn't this wire to wire beginning of the season to
the end of the season consensus top guy. He's ended up being that,
And that's where that's where Kaid separates himself. He didn't have this late surge
to get there. He was the clubhouse leader, you know, coming into
the season, and he only played better than expectations were were set for him.
So I have no hesitation in saying he's a clear cut number one in
my book? Is there a clear cut number two in your book? And
I'm assuming when you're talking about that, I know the top four. I'm
not even sure if he's referring to with the top five, but like I
know, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, and Jalen Green will be involved with
the in the number two consideration, I agree, and I don't have a
clear cut winner out of those three. They're all very different types of players
and prospects. Mobley probably the most unique because he's a big you know,
he's seven feet tall seven four wingspan. But of the three, he's the
least likely to impact the game in a dominating way offensively. That's just not
who he is. And typically when you're looking at top overall picks or top
two or three guys, it's rare to see someone who isn't an offensive alpha
try to get that that spot. You know, Mobley is, from my
vantage point, the most polished defender that we've seen as a big man come
through the pre draft process since maybe Anthony Davis. Oh wow, you know
this very different type of player again, Davis super athletic. I think Mobley
is a little bit more length and angles understanding. But the modern NBA big
has to do so many different things right now. You have to be a
great rim protector, a great pick and roll defender, able to switch a
little bit onto guards at times, and offensively be able to either stretch the
floor to three or be a solid playmaker in that middle third of the court.
That's a lot of times where offenses are run through these days, and
delay actions and things like that. So Mobley checks every single one of those
boxes where the amount of skill, the amount of polish that he has sets
him apart from not just any other big in this class, but even a
Sugs are agreed like Mobiley is so much more of a finished product right now
that it's hard to pass that up. And I'm very much in the camp
I'm not even trying to single out. I remain very high on DeAndre Ayton,
I think higher than suns Twitter at this point. I think I've actually
been more impressed with what I've seen from James Wiseman because of how much I
throw out watching a rookie season than I thought I was going to be.
I'm just so reticent to use a top three pick on a big man who
isn't Zion Williamson. Who isn't you know? You mentioned Anthony Davis at this
point, given how the NBA as trended. So what you're saying, though,
is is that Mobile checks enough of those boxes where I think, even
with James Wiseman, and this might have been a symptom of how everyone viewed
the draft class last year, there was the question of does he check enough
of those boxes to be taken so high? But with Mobley, that's just
not an issue being a big man, even against a relative to the context
of today's NBA and how it's played and how building blocks kew. He's someone
that's worth gambling on. There he is, and he could be like if
you're asking me, we're on that right now. And I reserve all judgment
to change this between now and July. I have Mobley fourth set, by
the way, I just had it in November and now it's July. But
anyway, please carry on. Yeah, I you know I have Suggs and
Green slightly above him right now for a lot of those same reasons. It's
not to deny the impact that a guy that mobile can have on the basketball
court, but more so that the tantalizing upside offensively of guys like sugg and
Green is something that Mobile is just not going to be able to replicate offensively.
He's a really good third maybe fourth piece, facilitates can knock down some
open shots. But you know, I think most teams that are in that
top tier, top three or four picks, are looking for somebody that's going
to be an offensive game changer. That's where I give Suggs and Green kind
of the benefit of the doubt. Right now. Is Jalen Suggs. I'm
immediately drawn toward just because I've seen more of him by virtue of I paid
attention to the you know, to the end of the tournament, and I
have not watched a ton of G League. What have you seen from from
Jalen Suggs or what? He's a winner? Yeah, okay, he he's
you have to be at this point, and he came there. He was
a really really high class football player. He's a great quarterback in high school
and could have gone to any number of Division one schools and been the starting
quarterback as a freshman there. But basketball was was his his path and his
choice. You know a lot of times that it factor, that thing you
don't really know how to describe, but you know it when you see it.
That's what Jalen Suggs has. That's where you know it's no surprise that
he's the one that hits the half court shot to win the game for fregn
Zaga over UCLA because the big moment just seems to find a guy like him
and that IT factor. I'm not trying to compare him to a Michael Jordan,
a Kobe Bryant, but he's got that swag that or just the big
moment finds him. And I don't really know how to evaluate that or put
it in any different type of traits or terms other than just that it factor.
He has a little bit of ways to go with his shooting consistency.
He's a terrific on ball defender. He's got decent size at six four,
incredibly underrated pick and roll playmaker, and very very good in the open floor.
So he just makes positive plays happen when he's out there. I think
there's a lot of room for him to be a three level square as he
continues to refine his jump shot and his pull up range from three. But
at this point he's an elite finisher, a really really good on ball defender,
and the probably the top competitor in this class. I feel like with
shooting, it's too often dismissed where it's like, well, if he becomes
a more consistent shooter, he'll be so good. And shooting is such a
huge part of today's NBA that I feel like we can't just frame it as
you know, once Ben Simmons has and this is a cliche itself, and
once Ben Simmons has more range, he's going to be an MVP candidate.
It just doesn't work like that. Did he sort of show enough? Because
even looking at his numbers really quickly, seventy six percent from the foulone or
whatever, that's probably encouraging. Almost thirty four percent from three, so that's
not bad. Forty two percent on two point jump shots. When you're watching
him, do you see someone who's gonna end up being an above average off
the dribble shooter at the NBA level. I think he will be. At
this point, he's more streaky than pure, like he'll have some games where
he's oz three oz four O five from three and then a couple more where
he's four or six, four or seven. You know, you've got to
bring it every night at the NBA level. And with Sugs, you know,
there's nothing glaring in terms of his form, his technique, his shot
selection is great. There's no one issue that you would pinpoint and say,
if he only fixed this, he'll be there. I think he's going to
get to that point. And you know, maybe this is a little bit
of my background having worked in high school before, but guys who are multi
sport athletes at that level, once they finally dedicate themselves to their craft,
they tend to continue to grow in ways that the guys who've been just playing
basketball for the last four or five six years don't necessarily have that upside.
I'm willing to bet on a guy like Suggs as a result of that.
With jarn green lyon him is I feel like what's been labeled as his biggest
weakness again across from what I've seen just on Twitter and reading, is that
his propensity for taking difficult shots and how lilliant is on them. Could that
also be construed as a strength though, because he's hitting them in a G
league where he's gone up against NBA first round picks and maybe more athletic wings.
Well, I'm not saying that talent is necessarily better by far and away
than college, but to see him hit those shots in the G League against
you know, maybe certain better defenders, does that actually help him it better?
You know, I kind of agree with you, like the talent is
is a little bit better that he faced in the G league bubble. It's
glorified college All Star games every single night against grown as men who've been working
on their bodies for many more years. That guys can't just physically or athletically
overpower, you know, Green is and I say this with all due respect
to Kaid Cunningham, Jalen Green is the highest ceiling prospect in this draft class
because of that ISO scoring ability, that that you know, incredible tough shot
making that he's already demonstrated. He's a solid competent on ball defender and not
a terrible help defender either. So there's a ton of upside to believe in
there with Green. But you know, whether you view that shot making as
a strength or a potential minus like Jalen Green has the ability to win you
a game just based on how he scores it. He can keep you in
games, he can he can shoot you and kind of completely take over.
He can also shoot you out of a game, you know. And and
that's where I think the surroundings are going to be really important for him.
As opposed to a guy like Cunningham or Suggs who really elevate anyone that's around
him, Mobley who's more of a complimentary piece on offense and just anchors everything
on d the Green is the one guy on this list who not just the
players that he's with, but the environment, the level of coaching and how
hard those guys will be on him with shot selection and refining his game is
really important. You know, you are the one who brought up his one
on one creation. If you ask me, the best trait that he has
is is finished ability at the rim. He is not just an athletic above
the rim type of finisher, but he adjusts and contorts his bodies through traffic
and through you know, rim protectors and guys that are trying to challenge shots
and still makes them at a really really high clip, Like his level of
body control is insane. But if he views himself as more of a perimeter
scorer and a guy who just relies on his jump shot every single time,
to me, he's mitigating his best trade. So it's going to be more
so about the environment and the realization that he has of being a well rounded
and a polished score off ball at the rim from three than it is just
relying on this really tantalizing three point ability and self creation to say he has
a chance to be a generational type of score, So let's take a risk
on him, Like it really does depend on where he ends up. And
so I guess that is that it's looking at. You know, he didn't
get to the free throw line at Ton, and he was playing a bunch
in Imagy League. That's there is that tendency then for his game to just
bail out, stall out whatever, but before he gets to the rim.
Unfortunately, so right now, and again we're talking about you know, nineteen
year olds. I don't think I knew anything about how to play basketball when
I was nineteen, and unfortunately for me, my career ended when I was
eighteen. So that should tell you something. But look, I'm thirty two
and still know nothing about basketball. So there you go. He has again
the highest ceiling in this draft class with his combination of athleticism and shot making,
and he can be a really good on ball defender. But it is
a little bit of pick your poison where you can he elevate your team.
He can with his scoring ability, but he can also shoot you out of
it. And depends on what the franchise it's picking second or third or fourth
is really looking for. But to me those are the clear top four and
then Jonathan Comingo would be number five. That kind of has an outside shot
of leaping one of those other three guys to get into the top four.
So what are can you give me this? Well, actually, my last
question on Jalen Green was does he have another level as a table setter or
is this someone who is going to fall? You know, maybe you see
him as time goes on. Make the Jalen Brown type playmaking leap or the
Klyi Leonard where if you have him run enough pick and rolls independent of other
point guards, the assist numbers will rack up. But he's not necessarily and
I'm not really ready to say this about Tatum, and I didn't mention him,
so I shouldn't have even brought his name to this. I think he
still has that extra year there. But is he someone who could maybe follow
a different trajectory or is he still going to be very much in the He's
just primarily a score and he's going to do some things by virtue of having
the ball in his hands, but he's not going to necessarily pass guys open
or elevate guys with his passing. I think that's more so what it is
with him, at least from what I've seen right now. You know,
the G League Ignite schedule was not very robust. I mean, we're still
talking about guys who played fifteen games like that's what we're basing a lot of
this on. I think of him a little bit more in the Carmelo Anthony
Gilbert Arena's role, where just because they have the ball in their hands so
much and he's that talented, he's going to get three or four assists the
game, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's making exquisite reads or making life
easier for his other guys. You know, point guard is as much a
mentality as it is a position. And that's where as a table setter,
as a creator, if you're always thinking shot first, it's just really hard
to do that. And you know, guys like Kawhi or Jalen Brown or
Jason Tatum have made small improvements too, I think play within the framework of
their team and learn to create, but they're not always thinking, here's how
I can put someone else in a position to succeed. What is the skinny
on Jonathan Cominga. Cominga is completely raw upside with a six foot eight height,
six to eleven wingspan, like his ability to score one on one in
the mid range reminds some people of Kawhi Leonard. He's another really really strong
competitor. You have the fortune of knowing a few contacts that have been around
him over the last few years in high school and all say the same thing.
Really quick learner, really hard worker, and wants to win. And
those three traits when you look at just the amount of upside that he has
athletically speaking, how good of a one on one scorer he can be,
you know, they lead me to believe that he's going to find a way
to be successful. He is the youngest guy in the lottery or lottery prospect
and probably the youngest guy kind of overall getting first round looks right now.
There's so much bloom left on the rose for him. I think the Kawhi
Leonard comparisons are a little bit strong, you know, they're they're based upon
the similar trajectory that Kawai had in terms of turning himself into a really good
shooter in the league. Kaminga is not very consistent from three right now,
and the worry with taking him above Immobilia Greens or a sugs is what does
he really do off ball? Like? I think he's an underrated passer and
playmaker. I think he's a functional shooter, but he's not a high volume,
high percentage type of guy where you know, if you take him in
this top five and he never ends up being a high quality shot creator for
himself because teams just go under screens or leave him with a little bit of
room on the perimeter, he essentially becomes Jeremy Grant, which isn't a terrible
thing, but you know, are you taking that over somebody that any other
year would be in the conversation for the top overall pick that ends up being
a little bit of a stretch, so a ton of upside there. Really
really good kid. But the shooting is a swing skill for him, no
doubt. So if he is there, if he were to be taken with
one of the first four picks, which would mean that he usurped, we'll
say, obviously not Kay Cunningham, one of the other three. Would that
be based on a team fit decision or if you were right now because we're
not going to we don't know the draft order. Basically, is there anyone
that you could talk or can you talk to yourself into kaminga over any one
of those other three prospects after a Kake Cummingham Right now, to me,
the only way that COMINGA vaults into the top four is if Cunningham and Mobley
go one two and the team that's on the clock at three or four does
not have a need for a lead guard and thinks that the presence of a
Sugs or a Jalen Green would take away from what they currently have on their
roster at that position. You know, trying to think of teams off the
top of my head that might fall into that category. You know, perhaps
that might be Minnesota, Yeah, yeah, Cleveland a little bit and saying
like, you know, if we put Jalen Green and Anthony Edwards together,
is that going to be a pretty toxic concoction of to score first guys?
Or you know, Cleveland saying we really want to believe in in Garland and
Sexton as the back court of the future and keep investing in them, cominga
might vault somebody else there. So that would be the only real case for
me. But again, we've all seen some strange stuff happened through the pre
draft process where you know, who knows what agent is going to watch a
private workout for dark Omilichich and all of a sudden vault him up the board.
So you know, stranger things have happened. But to me right now,
he's he's a pretty firmly locked in at number five kind of guy,
is there? I think, and I say that it feels like this is
unique. Maybe it's not unique, but when you look at teams that could
find themselves just in the top four or five this year where it's you know,
just Toronto, keep like, are they tanking? It doesn't seem like
they are, or they naturally tanking. You have Minnesota, even if they
keep their pick, they want to be good they invested. You know,
they have the Angel Russell, they have Kat you get you have two max
salaries there, Anthony Edwards too. Or if they don't have their pick,
the Warriors could be right there in the top five. Warriors could be in
the top five with their own pick. Of these players, Let's say,
of the non Kate Cunninghams, which one can help out most of a team
that's going to have immediate postseason aspirations next season, It's either Sugs or Mobley.
Mobley. You know, I'm gonna go with Sugs. And the only
reason for that is, you know, you mentioned rookie season's kind of being
a wash a little bit a lot of times with big men in particular.
I remember listening to an interview with DeAndre Ayton on the wojpod where he talked
about how much he really grew in the middle of year two because he learned
what it takes to communicate bringing on a nightly basis and how much is dependent
on you as the anchor of the defense. So if I'm looking for an
immediate impact guy outside of Kate, it's probably Sugs. You know, he
does need to get the shooting consistency down where when he's more streaky and pure,
and he's a couple great nights and a couple where he's absent from three.
That is a little bit of a concern, but I would I would
lean towards him making the biggest immediate impact in that group when you move beyond
the top five. I guess there's two layers of this question. Do you
think we see a lot of one? Is there that huge of a drop
off where everyone seems to say this is a five player draft? And when
people say that, by the way, because they said this past draft class
was a three player draft, I think they're talking about who do you think
are going to be mega stars? So that's not necessarily an insult to say
that. We need to phrase that better. And also, I still might
take Tyris Alibert. And second, overall, when all this is said and
done, I'm still not over the Knicks not selecting him, by the way,
I'm also not over the Sun's not selecting him for some reason anyway.
Is that drop off? Is that being overstated or is it accurate? And
then because of that drop off, do you think that that's sort of the
there's always the noise before the draft. I think we've for the most part
learned to see through smoke screens. But is that sort of the area of
the draft where you look up and be like, okay, well, then
maybe this is where some movement could and looking at teams that might trade down.
I think from probably seven to twelve there's a decent chance of having some
movement. You know that. To me, the ledge that you get after
five and the major drop off there isn't a crazy talent drop. It's more
so the like Jonathan Comingo would probably go first overall a year ago, he
goes over Anthony Edwards. That's where I think that five person draft conversation really
comes in. I really like, I have two guys at six and seven
on my board who I really like and think are a half step better than
anybody else. And then it comes down to a lot of really unique decisions
where this draft, more so than any in recent memory, has sophomores and
juniors who have climbed their way into lottery discussions. I think we've thought about
this as a young man's game in the top fourteen or fifteen picks and always
being yeah, he was a freshman last year. If we can get in
on his developmental curve. Early, we develop him into who he is,
and when he signs his next contract, he's only twenty two or twenty three
years old and we reap the benefits of him in his athletic prime. That's
going to be a really unique discourse in this draft class outside of the top
six or seven. Is are you taking you know, a name like Azire
Williams and Jalen Johnson Greg Brown from Texas three guys who had really really flawed
freshman years declared for the draft but have such high, tantalizing upside. Or
do you take a Jared Butler from Baylor, you know, Corey Kisspert from
Gonzaga, These guys who are upper classman Franz Wagner from from Michigan, the
guys who had multiple years in college and aren't necessarily the sexy, really high
upside slam dunk if you hit on them type of picks, but are really
solid players and pros that you can can get a lot out of and will
not make you look stupid if you draft. So that's to me where the
legend the discourse comes in. But I do have a pretty firm six and
seven on my board right now. Scotty Barnes from Florida State and Usman and
Garuba from Real Madrid. I like that you took you answered my next question.
Can you give me the lowdown on Scotty Barnes. Scotty Barnes is a,
for lack of a better term, a six foot nine point guard.
He's a lead creator at Florida State. And to understand, you know Barnes
and what he showed this past year, you have to have a little bit
of an understanding of what Leonard Hamilton does at Florida State. They play twelve
guys every single night and rely on their depth. So if you look at
Scotty barnes raw numbers, none of it's going to impress to you. But
because they switch everything on defense, they rely on length and athleticism. They
were one of the worst shooting teams in college basketball all this past year,
and that lack of shooting ability really shrinks the floor for a six foot nine
point guard a little bit. So barnes stist numbers weren't really great. You
know, as I've watched him more and I just finished the scattering report on
him earlier this week, Like there are flashes when you get him in space
in transition, you're able to, you know, clear outside of the floor
for him, where he looks a little bit Yannest, like just with his
size and length, his burst, like he's one of those guys who he
just palms the ball and lays it up above the rim, and you're thinking
yourself, like, how do you stop this guy when he gets ahead of
steamed towards basket. He's still got to learn how to play a decent amount,
and he is not a very good shooter. He looks really really stiff
off the bounce. He's fairly inconsistent as a catch and shoot threat. So
there's I don't want to invite the Yannis comparison, even though I set myself
up for that. I don't want to invite that because you know, Yannis
is such a good rebounder and an impactful defender that early in his career he
more than made up for the shooting flaws and then work himself into a shooter
that propelled him to an MVP level. I don't know if I have the
same faith in Barnes. He struggles to rebound a little bit outside his area.
He's not as pure of a scorer and as a little bit more of
a creator, but the upside is there to reach a really really high level
because he's again a lead guard skills with a seven two wingspan. He seems
to be in just mock drafts that I've read and perused, and I didn't
give this much thought, he seemed to be consensus top seven. And I
guess, as you already mentioned, that's probably a big part because he's a
freshman, that's probably just what went into that decision. Well, not the
only thing obviously, but that probably ensures helps ensure that he's just not slipping
past number seven. I'd agree with that. Yeah, And who was the
other player you mentioned I already forgot, Yeah, Osman Garuba at Real Madrid.
The closest thing that will find to a Draymond Green defensively in the pre
draft process. You know, six foot eight seven two wingspan, but incredibly
impactful defender. Every single game you can probably cut up two to two and
a half minutes of defensive highlights that he finds. He can switch, he
can protect the room. He's a really really good shop blocker that just makes
winning plays and instinctual plays. He's got a long way to go on offense,
he's flirted with the thirty percent mark from three on incredibly low volume,
and he shows some ability to be a really good passer, whether it's out
of the short role in the middle third of the floor. He makes good
decisions out of post ups when they run them for him. At Real Madrid,
and again he plays against professional competition. He's not doing this in the
West Coast Conference against Santa Clara and Loyola, like he is dominating grown men
and professionals. Just the weirdest thing athletically. You watch him defensively and how
he switches and guards people in space, and just how he's able to time
every single one of his jumps to meet guys at the him he looks like
a sensational athlete. You look at him on offense and he's so robotic and
moves almost like the tin man, where you just want to increase his joints.
Like it's the strangest thing to me, and I can't really figure out
what to do with it, because you know, if he just moved a
little bit more naturally and you felt comfortable in saying that he could attack a
poor close out and make a decision as a true four you would find ways
to say he's going to be a really, really, really impactful player on
both ends. But I don't know where his offensive fit and role is right
now. He's a tiny bit undersized at the five, A tiny bit it's
probably his best role. But I have enough belief in him making such a
sensational defensive impact that I'll stamp that one as saying he's going to stay in
the top seven throughout this pre daft process for me, Like last year,
Devin Vassell was my guy on the defensive end, Guruba, is that this
year? Do you think you mentioned the lack of size and then sort of
just the ambiguous offensive skill set. Do you think that keeps him out of
the lottery or is he someone that you expect to go inside the lottery.
I hope that NBA team's kind of smarten up and get him to a lottery
guy, because he tends to be fairly polarizing in that regard. Like there's
some people that are doing mock drafts work and in the scouted process that think
of him as a true top seven or top eight guy. There are others
who have him in the twenty to thirty five range and just completely don't see
Howay's offensive role is going to translate at all, and are scared of taking
him, Like, you know, there's a little bit of I think people
are too afraid of drafting somebody that doesn't have a reliable jump shot right now.
You know, especially if you're a big man, you can find other
ways to impact the game where you don't need a jump shot. And what
I've seen from him in every other facet of his game is that it's good
enough that he's he's going to figure it out. I think I might know
the answer to this question. But is there a or do you have a
sleeping giant in this draft class where it's doesn't have to be necessarily the same
range, but outside the top ten where it's like, you know, we're
going to look back like a Tyrese Haliburton. I'm saying, you know,
I would have taken him second and probably no lower than third. Is there
that type of player with that potential here to you in this draft class?
Yeah? I feel like you're teeing me up from my guy, Jared Butler.
He's officially our guy because mock drafts had started sending him to the Knicks,
so speaking into existence, there we go. Butler was a guy last
year who flirted with coming into the NBA draft, and I had him in
the twenty to twenty five range. I liked his versatility as kind of that
combo guard that can score a little bit off the balance. Was an underrated
pick and roll playmaker and a really good shooter, especially off movement. Like
I thought, a team like Philadelphia who could play him where he would guard
ones and then have a front court creator next to him, like Ben Simmons,
was really going to be able to get the most out of him.
He came back to Baylor this year and not just proved that he's a winner
by cutting down the nets in the National Championship game and shooting over forty percent
from three to become a first team All American, but he greatly improved his
isolation shot making, where now he is hitting one on one stepbacks, he
is drilling shots whenever anybody gives him a semblance of space from deep, and
that tantalizing shot making ability has vaulted him up to kind of borderline top ten
on my board. I still think there are enough teams out there who have
unique rosters where you know their primary creator or Handler is a front court guy.
You know, Boston has Tatum and Brown, now you know Denver with
with Jokis, Like, there's so many situations where you can now get away
with playing somebody that's not a pure creator at the point and feel like you're
maximizing who you are as a team. Butler fits any number of those teams
so well that I just have a really difficult time in saying he's not be
successful no matter where he ends up, because if you play with the ball
in his hands, he's now proving he can drill shots and isolations. What
is kind of is that What I guess is have people now caught onto the
fact then that he's hitting those types of shots because he's still in a lot
of the mocks or big boards definitively behind the other Baylor guard Mitchell is there,
like it should there be that much separation between them. I am always
hesitant to put Mitchell that high because I'm not sure what his offensive role is.
You know, he's probably the best on ball defender for a guard in
this draft, and maybe the best I've seen in college basketball in the last
few years. Like he has Patrick Beverley written all over him. He's a
little bit more elite when it comes to his change of speeds offensively than Patrick
Beverley was. But I don't think of Mitchell as a great creator for himself
or for others. His advantage at Baylor was getting to the rim against guys.
I don't know if that's going to be the same advantage that he has
in the NBA. So for me, it's pretty clear cut that Butler's ahead
of him. I think, you know, we talked about Malachi Richardson a
little bit earlier, like Mitchell is the one who popped a little bit more
through the NCAA tournament because you turn it on, you watch him play,
and he's just eating other guards alive, how good he is defensively. And
now we're getting a little carried away and saying he should be top ten,
he should be lottery, all these things, Like at the end of the
day, his offensive role is kind of as a glorified Patrick Beverley. That's
not to say that that type of player can't be taken in the lottery,
but that's also almost the best case scenario in my book. So I think
Butler's head and shoulders ahead of Mitchell right now, where does he fall on
your current big board? I have him at twenty four and you have Butler
at you say ten, Butler's at eleven right now? Is there that type
of fine margin between the guys, let's say, outside the top seven where
Butler could act. I think a lot of spots. I've seen him at
number twenty one. I've seen him like before. That is is it possible
for him to go inside the lottery or is there not that type of swing
potential in this draft class outside the top seven? Well, he's the He's
the guy that I talked about along with Corey Kisspert. You know, Butler
played three years at Baylor. Typically you see guys who are multi year college
players steered clear of in the lottery, at least if there's enough tantalizing talent
out there that teams want to draft younger. I don't know if that's the
case this year, just because there are so many question marks around those guys
where the top tier freshman at least coming out of high school did not perform
up to standards kind of across the board. Zaire Williams at Stanford had a
pretty disappointing season. Jalen Johnson was really poor at Duke and didn't even end
up finishing the season out there. Greg Brown at Texas was set historic lows
for assists per forty minutes. Like, there are glaring red flags with a
lot of these guys where you would think a guy like Butler or Corey Kissbert
Atkinzagam might be able to sneak their way into the lottery. You know,
I don't think. I don't think Kissbert does, but I think Butler does.
Is there sort of wrapping up the draft talk, which prospects in your
estimation are just not receiving enough attention right now that you're highest on those are
And I'll fore warn you and everybody these are probably gonna be then all of
a sudden, I'm just gonna monopolize them as cannibalize them as my guys after
this podcast, because that's what happened last year. You started talking about Devin
Vassel and I was just like, that's him. That's the guy I'm gonna
become obsessed with before the draft. I'll throw out a couple names and just
glance over each of them really really quickly. First, Jeremiah Robinson Earl from
Villanova six foot nine with really good defensive ability. I think of a career
Jared Dudley type of guy. Where you know, if you if someone came
to you today when you're drafting a team and said, you could have a
guy that has the career of a Jared Dudley, where would you take him?
I mean, what would your thought be to that dare where? Like,
what team or what spot in the draft? What spot in the draft
would you take a guy when you said, I know his career is going
to be that of a Jared Dudley, Like right outside maybe just inside the
lottery feels like a good spot. And I have Jeremiah Robinson Earl at the
fifteen spot because I believe he's too solid in so many ways defensively, he
is a capable shooter, pretty good pass or really fundamentally sound. I've always
said I love Villanova guys and think that it's role player university. So if
that's you know, if that's what you're you're looking for outside the lottery and
you get to the point where you say, we just need a good role
player, we don't want to strike out on this pick. I think Robinson
Earl has to have first round discussions. Another name I'm really high on is
Ron Harper Junior from Rutgers. He's all over pre draft boards. I think
I'm probably the highest on him. I have him having a first round grade.
But he's like a six foot six athlete who could probably guard two through
four at the next level. He doesn't play like his dad. He's a
human bowling ball, Like he's physically so strong that he can just barrel and
run guys over. Speaking of human bowling balls, my guy is ray Kuon
Gray, another Florida state prospect. I don't know if you've seen him,
but imagine if you gave Zion Williams in a flat tire. That's ray Kuon
Gray a little bit. He is a really strong, thick six foot eight,
but he has no burst to him where just the type of body and
frame and physicality that he plays with is really really hard to stop. But
he doesn't have the athletic upsider pop. I think that he's going to be
someone that sneaks up on people through this pre draft process. And then the
last one that I'll leave you with here is Trey Murphy from Virginia. Talk
about role player you with Villanova. I mean, when was the last time
of Virginia player came into the NBA and disappointed. You know, Malcolm Brogd
and Joe Harris, all these guys outperform their expectations. And Murphy, because
he plays in the slowdown offense, doesn't have the pure numbers that pop,
but he can be an elite shooter at the next level. He's six foot
nine, really really good defender. You know, those solid three and D
type prospects are never going to go out of style, and so many NBA
teams are hurting for quality, impact wings right now. I would feel comfortable
in saying that Murphy is going to be a first round guy and sneak into
those conversations. I am very interested. Those are all names that I'm going
to now keep an eye on and research a little bit more. But I
am very interested just to see the lottery for this draft. There feels like
there's just more stakes there when you're looking at the Golden State versus Minnesota commitments.
Even with Golden State or does their pick Land you have Houston, does
it keep its own pick? You can okay say swap it? Where does
okay see Land are they gonna have? They could feasibly wind up with two
top five picks technically, so there's gonna and there's just like I mentioned before,
it seems like there are teams on more immediate timelines that could find themselves
in that situation. The Pelicans still at their team that I can't figure out,
like where do they land? What can they do? So I am
going to be fascinated to see what the draft order ends up being, which
is probably the next time I'm gonna bother you. Bother the hell out of
you to try and get some insight onto prospects and where they might best fit.
You did say that you would help me equivocate on the Boston Celtics.
Are you ready to shift gears to what I guess has been Do we call
them one of the most disappointing teams or are they just one of the more
confusing teams? Or they just both? They're definitely both. I don't think
it's a stretch to say that they are a major disappointment right now. And
as a lifelong Celtics fan, somebody who covers the team at Celtics Blog,
it's been frustrating to try to figure out and diagnose, you know, what
is wrong, what needs to change, and why the team's not living up
to expectations. Yeah, there's to their credit, they use part most of
the Gordon Hayward trade exception to get Evan Fournie. I thought that was a
home run deal for them, even though he wasn't Obviously isn't offer the smoothest
start in Boston. The Tights tax dump is still sort of weird. But
even after making that move, which is very clearly the four name moves win
now, but then you go do something like Tights where it's like, well,
now you're just you're trying to worry about a repeater tax clock that hasn't
even started yet for you. I mentioned this to you in our direct message.
They feel like a team that hasn't committed to a direction when you look
at them on paper, I think they have a ton of rookie contracts.
Let's not even count Jason Tatums. They have like six or seven rookie contracts
that aren't Jason Tatum. And how you I don't know that you can be
a contender like that when you need a Peyton Pritcher to play these huge minutes.
And I know that you know you had markets smart injuries earlier, but
even just like moving a rotation big like Tis to where now you're more dependent
on Robert Williams, who doesn't match up that great with the burlier fives even
though he's really good, and then not you need Tristan Thompson just play better
overall. I think he's working his way back from COVID too. I just
I don't know it's they have time because Tatum and Brown are so young.
But I don't feel like this half baked direction suits. How good Jason Tatum
and Jalen Brown not are this season, but how good we knew they were
leading into this season already. I totally agree with that. You know,
the point I keep coming back to with the really young roster of role players
that they have is twofold one. It's really really challenging as a young guy
to figure out what your role is in the league for the first time,
because everybody is used to be in the best on their college team, the
elite high school guy. When you go from you know, like aaron Nie
Smith at Vanderbilt, having every single set play run for you every single game
that you play, to being a DNP coaches decision and having to figure out
how to get Tatum and Brown shots and use your shooting just to space the
floor around them. That's an adjustment. It doesn't matter who you are.
It takes time to learn how to be your role player there in the NBA,
and the lack of veterans who are great leaders who have gone through that
process and can show the ropes to those young guys in the locker room is
what's becoming evident. Because as Brad Stevens shuffles things around based on injuries,
based on matchups, based on wanting to give certain guys different chances, there
isn't that one veteran presence in the locker room to be able to pull them
aside and say, hey, I went through this, here's how you need
to handle it. So that absence is pretty clear to me from watching the
team. The other thing is Tatum and Brown have their hands full and figuring
out how to be the guy finally, and their role can't be to look
out for the younger guys and try to wear that hat, that advising mentorship
for lack of a better term, veteran leader. They need to handle the
you know, the challenges that come with being the top of the scattering report
every single night to deal with Kemba Walker being in and out of a lineup,
to deal with someone coming to you and say and hey, we're running
an offense that's built around you getting touches. Can you always take the right
shot and always know when to create for somebody else? Because we don't have
outside of YouTube and Kemba a ton of self creators. That's a hard role
to learn how to fill. And the difficulty in all of this is that
they haven't done either of these with much spirit in life, Like, they
don't play with a ton of energy to make up for what they don't know
or what they're trying to feel their way through. And when you're not polished
and when you're trying to figure things out on a fly, energy and effort
is always going to be the tie breaker. It's why they've struggled a little
bit defensively. It's why they've been really inconsistent and dropped games early in the
season to Detroit and Washington when they probably shouldn't have. Those are things where
when you have pros in the locker room, or you have a team that
knows who its identity is and knows what to expect every time you walk out
on the court, those things right themselves, and they just don't have it
right now. Yeah, there's they feel like a team that not the most
likely team, but where a lead just really isn't safe where or if they
have a six to eight point lead, it's not something that they're actually going
to build off. And I am wondering overall how much of their struggles can
be traced back to Kemba in the sense that he missed his time with the
knee injury, and then when you look at he's still been in and out
of the lineup. As you already mentioned, when you look at Kemba Walkers
like games by game, they are all over the place his performances, and
so there's a level I don't want to say of comfort, but it's if
Kemba Walker gets right or is more consistent. Leading into the playoffs, the
Celtics might have the best wildcard potential where oh, they're a lot better than
we thought during the regular season, but is that even enough and are they
at the point where they can even I don't want to say count on it,
but hope that that happens. You know. Tristan Thompson said something really
interesting the other night where back on his times in Cleveland, they were less
concerned about winning every single game in the regular season and more about just getting
to the point where they would all be healthy for the playoffs and playing at
their peak. It does seem like that's a little bit of what Danny Age
and Brad Stevens are trying to construct here in Boston by still limiting KEMBA on
back to backs and making sure that they give young guys certain opportunities so that
they would round out their rotation and not over extend everybody else. But and
look at the top of the East right now, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Milwaukee
are such a clear cut top three that if you want to make one of
those surprise runs in the postseason, you almost have to get up to the
four or five seed. That's the clearest path to getting out of the first
round right now. And without Daniel Tye, you know, Philadelphia is going
to be a really tough matchup for Boston because MBAD is, like you said,
going to be that burly post that eats Robert Williams alive a little bit.
Brooklyn and Milwaukee have the ability to spread Philadelphia out in a way that
Boston really doesn't right now, So you know it's going to be as much
about the draw for Boston as anything else. And the best way to avoid,
you know, needing it to be matchup dependent is to take matters into
your own hands and win enough games to the point where you're high enough see
that you're not going to play the Sixers in the first round or you know
that you're avoiding that matchup as best you can. So I think that there's
a little bit of that two sides of the coin of do you want to
play your best ball in the postseason then save yourself until then. Absolutely,
but there needs to be a little bit more urgency to continue to rise up
because they're closer to missing the playoffs right right now than they are of getting
up to the four seed. Yeah, I know the Eastern Conference standings are
just separated by just a mere matter of a couple of games. But it's
just not looking at it like, oh, we didn't expect Boston to be
neck and neck with the Knicks this year where there's a seventh seed and the
Knicks or the eighth seed that's playing territory as you already mentioned, is there
One of the things that I come back to on their offense, which is
I don't think it's not in the side before they struggled the most. But
do you believe that they have the skill sets when you're looking at Tatum and
Brown necessary to put consistent pressure on the rim to draw more free throwers.
They did a good job of that against the Knicks, a team that kind
of invites attempt that doesn't invite, but they just allow more attempts at the
rim than a lot of other teams. But is that I feel like this
is a reoccurring theme with the Celtics, where it was a reccurring theme with
Jason Tatum for so long. He's gotten a little bit better at it.
Is it the playmaking that they're shouldering. Does that take them out of that
mindset a little bit potentially? I'm just very curious to whether you think that
something that can be remedied from within. And so unless you don't even think
that it's a problem, no, I don't. I don't know if it's
a problem for Brown. I think his issue now is he's turned himself into
such a good shooter and been so consistent with that that sometimes that's a better
decision for him than trying to drive and continue to have the floor collapse on
him as he tries to attempt something at the rim. Tatum, I've always
been a little worried by his lack of attempts at the rim. I think
that that's as indicative of what he needs to do to take that next step
as it is is playmaking. You know, to me, he's just he's
missing that pure aggression. And one thing Daniel Tice did really really well was
that screen and seal move where he would roll to the front of the basket
and then just completely bury some rim protector and try to hold him off on
his back, so Tatum could have a clear path at a layout. And
you know, I don't know if Thompson's is good at that. Robert Williams
is let's just say, subtlety is not his strong suit, So I don't
know if he's going to be the type of guy that the phil that role.
Like, I really do worry about Tatum being so heavily jump shot dependent
that it makes it less likely help defenses are going to try to scramble to
the rim, therefore limiting his playmaking upside. So the biggest way to untap
More and Tatum is to get him to the rim more, which then forces
defenses to collapse and probably opens up a few more passing lanes for him.
Who is the most important non Marcus Smart, Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum,
Keima Walker player on this team? And that's where it feels like reliability.
And I don't think Kempa has not been reliable, but it feels like after
those four guys, you legitimately know if you're looking at it through the lens
of the rest of the season, a postseason series, who are you looking
at saying you know we can bank on his performance? I guess Evan Fournier
is now the reflective answer. But then even moving beyond him, like who
becomes most important to this team? I think it has to be Robert Williams.
I mean, you don't trade away you're starting center without believing in what
he's going to be able to give you in the postseason. And that's where
I think the one thing the Celtics lack is a small ball five, Like
they can't really commit to spreading other teams out by playing somebody at that spot
anymore. Grant Williams maybe, but he's just been so inconsistent in his own
world right now that it's hard to bank on him in that spot. Like
they have stretched fives like Luke Cornette, Moe Wagner, but I wouldn't really
want to see either of them playing heavy minutes in a postseason series right now.
You know they're committed to playing with Williams or Thompson as that rim,
protecting, shot blocking, screen roll or catch and finish type of five,
which means that they have to be really really good in that role, or
at least good enough to the point where you know when they face a Brooklyn
that can go a little bit smaller and try to spread them out that Boston
doesn't feel exposed. Do you look at this, and I'm not trying to
trade away their young players, but there's obviously Robert Williams, But do you
look at you know, Nay Smith, Romeo Lankford has a three game Samples
Eyes under his belt this season. Now we should all throw confetti for that.
You have Peyton Pritchard. You mentioned I really like Graham Williams, but
as you said, he's been super inconsistent this season. Do they have anyone
on this team that can either pop for them semi immediately or who could be
a centerpiece might be too strong of a word, but an actual trade magnet
for them because they are they have to do something over the offseason. This
is they're not looking at this team. Even if Kemba goes off, they're
not going to make or run to the NBA Finals. And it feels like
they're it's not even just a player short. I feels like one point five
player short at this point. And so you either need someone from within to
really go boom, either for you on the court or as a trade asset.
Yeah, I'm going to give you the cop out answer, Dan,
Like, at this point, I don't care who it is. It just
needs to be like one or two guys that establish themselves as rotation pieces so
we can get rid of everybody else, because you can't have eight guys on
rookie contracts trying to figure out who they are on a roster that tries to
compete. There's just no room for that. So, you know, I'd
love for it to be Nice Smith because he's the role that he fills is
probably the most important one next to Tatum and Brown, which is just straight
up catch and shoot success. And I'd like for it to be Grant Williams
because, as we mentioned, having that small ball five, which I still
think is his best kind of role in position, is really important. But
then you have to make the decisions. You've got to get rid of the
Carson Edwards. You've got to get rid of the semi ojulas, like those
guys can't be getting playoff minutes on a team. I think Romeo Langford has
upside to him, but if you're talking about trade targets, that would be
the one for me, where if you develop him and he shows that he
can do something this year, kind of cash out a little bit and get
a little bit more of a shooter or a defined three indeed type of role,
because that's ultimately what you need at the wing spot next to Tatum and
Brown. Do they have Does he have the room to do that? I
know his his defense is kind of tantalizing, but is he Is he that
complimentary offensive player that seems more like it could be a Pritchard or a Nie
Smith. Keep going back to how he was in high school. He was
a prolific scorer in high school. You know, everyone is waiting for it
to click to the point where he does that in the NBA. He struggled
at Indiana. He had some risk issues, I believe, and didn't shoot
the ball very well from deep. Celtics drafted him thirteenth, thinking that that
would fix itself. He hasn't proven to be an incredibly reliable shooter yet,
but he's certainly also not the generational type of scorer that people thought he was
when he was in high school. Spins, this was fantastic. Thank you
so much for coming on. I have no strong opinions about the Celtics.
I feel like they're in trouble, but it's also it's tough to They have
two of the most tantalizing building blocks in the NBA, and just you can
imagine them making a really strong push. I I wouldn't consider them a title
contender, but if they just get more from Kemba Walker, that's still a
in theory and act big three and things, can you know, round out
from there. But they're they're so even their most recent Knicks game maybe one,
but it was just like that had I know. The cliche is the
basketball is a game of runs, but that was like a game of runs
and dry spells, and that feels like the EBB and flow of so many
of their games this season. Yeah, look, there's still the fourth most
talented team in the East, probably right behind the Big three there of Brooklyn,
Philly, and Milwaukee, and that's got to count for something. You
know, you can't count behind Miami. I think they're probably a little bit
more top heavy talented. I think I'd rather have Tatum and Brown than I
would Butler and Oladipo. But it's very close with those two teams. Very
Miami at least has such a defined identity and they shoot the ball so well
that I would pick Miami in a postseason series. But I don't think it's
a stretch to say that Boston is just as, if not more, individually
talented. Yes, Miami could carve out floors Bay Seeing in a flash mob.
They are spectacular doing that. Spins, This was so great. Thank
you so much for coming on. You know I will be bothering you again
down the line, but for now, can you tell our listeners where they
can find your work? Follow your work? Well, Dan, thanks for
having me. I'm pretty active on Twitter. Follow me at Spinella fourteen that's
SPI n e l l A one four writing a lot of NBA draft scouttering
reports and doing YouTube scouts and tons of in depth breakdowns either on our YouTube
channel and you can find me at Adam Spinella or on the Box and One
which is the Box in One Duck weebly dot com. And for more half
to press Celtics Takes, you can follow me and my colleagues over at Celtics
blog right now. Definitely follow I mean follows Adam directly as you already mentioned
at Spinella fourteen, but definitely follow Box and One. He writes so much
great stuff I'm watching. His YouTube scouting reports are a godsend for me,
especially when I'm doing a draft crash course or just trying to feign some knowledge
before a podcast with Spins himself. Thank you so much, Finn, I
will be talking to you sir. Thanks day