NBA Draft 2024: Atlanta Hawks, No. 1 pick options, Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland w/ Bryce Simon (Pt. 2)

NBA Draft 2024: Atlanta Hawks, No. 1 pick options, Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland w/ Bryce Simon (Pt. 2)

on today’s show it is part two of two with Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops in the game theory podcast talking all things NBA draft and here we go you are locked on Hawks your daily Atlanta Hawks podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hello friends welcome to episode 1723 of loton hawks podcast I am your host Brad Roland coming to you deep into the evening here going into Memorial Day weekend and today’s podcast is actually gonna be part two of two with myself and Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops as well as the game theory podcast talking all things NBA draft again this is part two of two so if you miss part one I would start there that’s the place to begin this conversation we’re going wall toall in the NBA draft because there is only about a month to go until the draft actually arrives stay tuned for all that and also want to tell you the top of the podcast that today’s podcast is brought to you by Folks at LinkedIn jobs help you find most qualified can you want to talk to help you do it faster post your job for free at linkedin.com loock MBA that’s linkedin.com loock NBA to post your job for free teric apply also want to tell you top of the podcast to make us your first listen each and every day please subscribe to the L on Hawks podcast anywhere you might find your podcast that includes YouTube that includes apple on Spotify as well as overcast and again anywhere you might find podcast just search loon Hawks and without any further light here we go we’ll dive back in part two of two with myself and BR I want to ask you I know you guys did a full breakdown of of of the ree second breakout whatever it was this earlier this week he had he had a really big game and he was it was H well timed for him as soon as the draft cycle kind of Shines on him he has this huge game but he’s the other guy that I think if you took a poll like he’s the closest guy to saw on a lot of people’s board uh I think ESPN still has a number one overall on their board for instance um what do you make of that whole experience because I have seen wildly Divergent opinions on Zack not not that anybody hates him but it’s more like this guy’s a role player versus this guy could be worthy of the number one pick and that’s that’s a very generalized breakdown but you know what I mean that the there’s there’s a little bit of a of a gap there on like what people make of him yeah and just for some reference I think it was on the recording last night Sam said that you know when he’s talked to people re is usually the second name that comes up after Alex star he is number three on my board and like I said at one point when he was shooting 4 5% from three it’s like I mean this is probably the number one pick in this draft whenever you’re talking about a 69 610 Wing forward who at the time was 18 years old playing in a professional League shooting 45% from three it’s hard to pass that up because he also has real defensive you know potential as well if you guys go watch the breakdown on YouTube me and Sam were pretty critical in that breakdown of his off the- ball defense which surprised us because throughout most of the Season we were somewhat impressed but he will get down and guard on the ball I listen I know people hate coach speak and like these cliches and I have it in my notes and like I he just plays the game the right way in my opinion like I I feel like he understands the game we broke down a couple clips of him rebounding and like on a defensive board the offensive player was going to come down with it he wasn’t the one boxing it out he was outside and he came in he just tipped it away to his teammate he doesn’t get a box score stat for that he doesn’t get a rebound but it kept the offense from a second possession you could see him reading the ball off the rim for an offensive rebound he is very much an off the- ball player and probably not an upside of a 25 to 30 point per night scorer but in this draft if I have a 69 610 Wing forward who’s going to shoot 38 to 40% from three defend rebound cut all of those things that’s hard for me to pass up to be quite honest right and I think that’s not to keep bringing everything back to this draft class but it it’s a little bit of of a different different calculus because again he’s another guy where it’s like this guy does not look like a number one braw picked a lot of and I understand why it’s the same for me I have the same thought but it’s just like if there isn’t a number oneall pick he might be the guy that you like the most and let me throw this at you real quick because you brought you brought up the Zub box com uh uh comp for Donovan kinging I I had a scout say to me can you draft French Trey Murphy II third at number one I I heard I heard like Prime Auto Porter as a comparison too very similar very similar like yeah so auto porter was was a $30 milon played at one point like he got people think of him like being old and bad like younger Auto Port was really good same with Trey Murphy everybody everybody loves Trey Murphy everybody loves Trey Murphy yeah I mean Trey Murphy shoots 39% from three this so yeah I mean 39% from three on almost six attempts a game but not a guy that gets a lot of assists doesn’t turn it over either I think his defense is fine but it’s not it’s not it’s not herb Jones defense he he’s he’s valuable because of his size and his athleticism I would say looking at this I would hope re is a little bit more impactful of a rebounder but yeah I mean I don’t hate that comparison but again like if you’re telling me Trey Murphy I can use that on my team of course and that’s a 16 game player that that helps you in the playoffs like when I say 16 game player I’m saying you know saying a playoff level player that’s a guy that that stays on the floor for you in the playoffs yeah I was going to ask you like we could talk about him forever and we won’t but defensively you mention you know I agree with you he’s just kind of okay uh what do you think re is going to be defensively because you mentioned the offb stuff but like let’s say a good outcome for him defensively is he gonna be someone you can be okay for instance put in the hawk standpoint if him and Jaylen Johnson are your forwards you’re feeling pretty I feel like you’re feeling pretty good defensively but neither one of them is probably like the absolute stopper I I don’t know what that looks like as far as like what his range is defensively overall yeah I don’t think he’s ever all NBA level you know like when we’re talking SAR kingan we’re talking all you know defensive all defense whenever we talk Steph Castle we’re talking all Defense level potential on that end the floor I don’t think that’s R I think Reet is I think he’s gonna be I think he’s gonna be good at the point of attack like he’s not gonna chase Steph Curry or you know on the same team but Trey young around and he’s so and he’s so long I mean the height the length that he has you don’t have to be that that much of a point of attack guy you can probably hold in the wing yeah and we broke down a clip where he was like right at the Circle the charge Circle pass is out to the wing and there’s just a one more so like a a drive kick and then the one more pass is going and he was able to close out and contest that shot and keep it from getting off and that’s just athleticism length those type of things and I think he does compete on that end of the floor so this isn’t a Lockdown Defender you know it’s not ludor or Jaden I don’t think he’s Jaden McDaniels even defensively right like maybe that’s a comp people would want to use as like a you know when you say three and D I don’t think he’s that level of Defender I think he’s a very good Defender you pair him with another very good Defender I think you can start to really fig that out this show is brought to you by Linked In jobs where you’re hiring for a small business you want to find quality professionals they’re right for the roles you have available and that’s why l jobs is a fantastic option for you they have the tools that you’re looking for to find the right Professionals for your team they help you to do it faster and they help you to do it for free I’ve been hunt I’m really been on the hunt for people to hire in my day job for several times in the past for years now and folks look the jobs have been huge in making the entire process easier and much more efficient for me know that small businesses are of wearing a ton of different hats you might not have the time or resources that you need to perfectly hire someone and they are not just another another job board though LinkedIn jobs they have a network of more than one billion professionals that makes it the best possible place to find someone to hire it gives you access to professionals that you can’t find anywhere else and they do it all making the process easy and intuitive for you hiring is so much easier when you have that many qualified candidates available for your roles so easy in fact that 86% of businesses get a qualified candidate within 24 hours they’re also finding and ways to make the process easier for you at LinkedIn jobs and two and a half million small businesses use LinkedIn jobs for hiring purposes post your job for free by going to linkedin.com lockon NBA that is linkedin.com lockon NBA transations apply and on offense do you buy the shooting I’m not it’s more of like a question of like how much you bu everybody everybody thinks he’s a good shooter but there was that stretch that I think you referenced earlier about he was shooting like in the mid- 40s for a while and he’s he really cooled off I feel like he kind of has to be a really good shooter justify this spot I don’t know if that makes sense but um I think it’s I think it’s more than fair here’s where I’m at with we and again I’m sorry to keep like referencing what we did but we we really broke down his footwork and some things and I I’m not super concerned like I think it’s something he can fix but he’s shooting over a 60 game sample now and again maybe I’m carrying more too much weight in these young kids playing in professional leagues but he’s shooting 40% on 3.6 attempts over 60 games right like I saw someone today like critiquing Reed Shepard which I don’t agree with but you know the sample size of his three-point attempts in one year at Kentucky and all of that wasn’t enough to say he’s an elite shooter I don’t agree with that but okay this kid has 60 games in a games in a pro league against you like you say Professionals in that particular game he his primary matchup was you know a guy that was taken in the second round by the Celtics a couple years ago so I I think the jumper also looks good like up top he has real good off ball reloc when I say he’s a true off the ball player it’s not necessarily a negative it’s he cuts well he anticipates offensive rebounds he relocates along the three-point line and knows where to be to get those shots off and this was a playoff game we’re talking about he scored 28 in a playoff game hit five threes and I think the offensive upside come I think he’s gonna shoot so what it comes down to is can he attack a close out and if he’s able to attack the close out can he do anything after that can he make a pass can you finish at The Rim because if he can’t do those things then you’re really talking about a guy who doesn’t look like a number one overall pick functional player role player good player but you’re gonna end up being a little disappointed I’m gonna let you choose your own Adventurer for a second now you mentioned you’re mention your number one guy your number three guy re who who’s in between them on your board uh topit I like topit um okay so before I before you dive in is that is that a guy that the Hawks could reasonably draft if they plan to keep Trey Young I don’t think so me either I I listen I have this conversation with um like he’s one of my good friends he produces the podcast that we do with the he’s been with me ever since almost since I started when literally we were getting like no downloads as Motor City Hoops podcast and we’ve grown this thing out and we talk probably once a week about Topic in Detroit and I’m just like he’s an on bball guy like I think he’s exclus like if you’re drafting nicoa topic especially in the top five top three whatever it’s because you believe in him running your offense running a ton of pick and rolles for him and you know just believing in his ability to manipulate those I manipulation all of those things and so I like him but I’m very Ron Holland is the same for me I have Ron Holland higher on my board than what I think he’s actually gonna go because some of the fit stuff really starts to play in with those guys yeah I mean and it doesn’t mean we have to ignore topich but I just I feel like I’m gonna talk about him so much less because of what you just said because we agree I think he’s an onall player because I mean I had someone ask me the other day offline someone I trust it’s like okay let’s assume they trade Trey but they want to keep the jante it’s like I still wouldn’t take because I think we’ve seen Deon as an on ball player as well and that doesn’t it still doesn’t work for me so it’s like I feel bad not talking about toach more but I think we are just in alignment there and if if they were to do it and shock the world maybe they just fall in love with him like okay but then it’s like okay then the rest of your decision- making process have to be you know go ahead real quick so I’m doing right now for the basketball bulletin uh the substack I do with Trevor and Keith Smith we’re doing a mock draft where we are allowing trades this is the first time so it’s it’s taking a while the Hawks have completely rebuilt like I’m not gonna say the trades right now but they’ve traded Trey young and dejonte Murray and we’re five picks in and here’s what’s crazy they didn’t topic has been on the board for some of the they ended up with three picks in the top five um gotta find my camera here full blood rebuild yeah full and they they still I I was sure that topic was going to be be the guy and they still so it it’s been amazing um I’m excited for it to drop because I can’t wait to see what hawks fans think of it whenever it comes out and and the return they get for those guys and where they end up but yeah listen I like topic I want him to go to I mean San Antonio would make sense sure Washington I think makes a ton of sense for him but then here’s here’s the thing you get past those teams I don’t think Detroit takes him I Charlotte Portland doesn’t take him San Antonio’s back on the clock Memphis doesn’t probably by the time you get to Utah Chicago it’s like hey like this is the guy that’s too good for us not to take but this is where this thing gets real interesting really fast yeah if you’re an onall player like that I mean it’s the same kind of goes for for Dillingham on a lot of ways like you gotta have the right team for him uh Reed’s a little different because Reed can play more off the ball but agreed there’s also a split on him and sizewise and we talked about them guys earli I don’t mean up repeat it but I I haven’t removed them from my discussion about the Hawks number one overall but it’s like I just can’t I can’t really see them get doing it um so there’s that uh okay we I think we there’s three guys we haven’t talked about that are on that list of guys sure um you talk Steph Castle came up before Steph Castle reportedly is telling teams that he’s a point guard and wants to play point guard now in theory that would kind of disqualify from Atlanta because uh you know that’s the reality but I like Steph Castle I think you do too I let’s just forget he said that for a second you know what I mean I’d be pretty inged by I’m not saying number one overall I’d be pretty intrigued by Steph castle with TR young I think those guys would actually make a lot of sense together given what Steph Castle does defensively um but what do you make of the player because I think uh I haven’t checked recently I I know the ringer at one point recently had him number one on their board um so there was a there’s a national op that has has number one um point guard stuff aside what do you think of Steph castle and is he a point guard I guess also also matters yeah so he’s number five on my board I think Sam actually likes him more than me I’ve warmed up to the idea of like yeah if the Hawks were going to trade to Jon Murray and him playing off of Trey young makes a little bit of sense and again like I’m sorry to come on a hawks podcast and reference the Pistons a team that suck you cover the Pistons it’s fine I know but um be and it’s because though it’s like okay would Steph Castle make sense next to Kade Cunningham and for the some of the reasons you mentioned I’m like yeah he takes the primary perimeter matchups defensively I like that he’s really smart he can play off the ball cut offensive rebound all of those things and then he’s the secondary Creator like in in bench units or on a second side the floor spacing is a real question I’m sure we’ll talk about it eventually so because of that I could see him being in play just for me you know let’s say you don’t want to draft a big for whatever reason yeah well then I’m taking ree you know what I mean like I I just don’t need to get to Castle because I’ll take ree in this situation I will tell like I do think that Steph Castle is the best perimeter Defender at the top of this draft now like when you want to get later on like Ryan Dunn has an argument whenever I love I love Ryan Dunn so much yeah so there’s a conf when you’re talking just top 10 Steph Castle can really guard and I will say this I evaluated him as a point guard coming out of high school that’s what I thought he was gonna be and it just didn’t materialize at Connecticut I don’t know why I can understand if he wants to go back to that I don’t know where I’m at if that’s where I I think I’m seeing more value as him like a second side Creator off ball player because he can do those things especially if he can shoot a little bit and then like I said earlier like maybe he’s your second unit point guard yeah and the shooting is the big question I mean I I could form a I could form a pretty easy coherent presentation to tell you to take castle if I assume he could shoot and it’s just that I I don’t think you guys it’s a hard assumption to make based on what we’ve seen so far um I’m not saying it can’t happen but anytime and look I’m a sucker I’m a sucker for the guys who I hope we you cross your fingers and you hope they shoot that do everything else I I will admit that I a sucker for those guys but with Castle it’s like man I I just I don’t know if I believe it I mean I think it’s possible but if you have him so let’s just say in the hypothetical world you have him number one you have to think he’s gonna be able to shoot right you can’t get there otherwise yeah I mean we me and Sam have had this uh usually we debate Ron Holland versus Steph Castle who has the higher who has the higher ceiling we can do it right now yeah who has the higher ceiling if they can shoot just for reference I looked it up real quick re is Tak over 200 threes this season Castle took 75 and so in college in College college threes yeah and so like there’s just a difference there and here’s the other thing and this is why this is the first year I I’ve done this where I’ve done my research and my homework like I’ve already started scouting 2025 guys for next seon because I want Foundation I want to know what they were in high school to see did they improve what carried over what what didn’t like we’ll talk about that with Matas as well Castle’s jump shot was a question coming out of high school also and so like that’s why it concerns me a little bit more is there was a question in high school I think there’s a weird hitch with it and I we also saw him like lose confidence and when you’re losing confidence you’re on the best team in the country like you have potentially three first round picks and you know a couple more maybe second round picks and there were times he refused like I watched him travel because he refused to shoot the ball that concerns me a little bit now I don’t know the kid the Intel is really good maybe it was just freshman thing and whatever and again that’s where a lot of this stuff happens behind the scenes we don’t know but if there’s questions about his confidence around it then I wonder whether it actually comes around to the level that you need it to yeah you could argue and I’ve actually heard this argument from somebody that I that I trust but it’s it’s also a guess like maybe because he was at Yukon and they were playing for the national title okay sure the freedom wasn’t there that you might have had somewhere else I can see both sides because like on one hand he was able to he was able to contribute to an awesome college team yeah and a lot of guys couldn’t have done that as freshman um so that’s that’s the more optimistic Viewpoint I’m not sure why I Fall To be honest with you um I I don’t want to make too I don’t love the I am a point guard thing to be honest with you if that if that’s real I don’t love that I don’t I don’t I don’t either and so like we’ve done this with a couple other players I’ve had someone throw out like look how Josh Hart how uh impactful Josh Hart is for the Knicks and I’m not saying that’s a onetoone comp but you know when we talk about Zub for cling in and we talk about Trey Murphy for Zachary Reet you know now with you know Steph Castle it’s like okay is Josh Hart you know a number one pick like are you happy if that’s what you get now I also want to give this caveat Josh Hart is Josh Hart because there’s just a crazy insane competitiveness and for what he does and so that’s almost not even fair to Castle compared to the other two but no I get I get that for sure and um it’s just what do you trying to be realistic of what the guys average outcome like obviously his ceiling is higher than that we all know we understand that I’m just yeah goad so that’s what I I always get frustrated with the SE and I’m sure I do it the ceiling floor thing because we all do it like tell me the percentage chant right like it’s like Rob dillingham’s ceiling may be higher than anybody’s but percentage chance he actually hits that to me is much lower than Steph Castle hitting whatever his ceiling is which may be a little bit low you know what I mean like the absolutely we got to put the extra caveat in yeah like dingham could be Tyrese Maxi what percentage chance is there that he’s Tyrese Maxi how many of these little guys you know paning out I don’t I I I don’t mean to crap on Rob Dillingham I think he’s an incredible offensive Talent same but the NBA is what it is in terms of size and athleticism and defense and all of those type of things today show was brought to you by eBay motors and passion driveing Pati the form with winning championships it’s also the formula for keeping your white or die alive eBay Motors says you need to maintain your vehicle and level up to be performance as well at superchargers they have roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights the list goes on and on and on with things that you can get for your car or truck eBay Motors whether you’re into Power speed or style they have you covered across the board at eBay Motors over2 million parts for number one ride or die you’ll always find the best possible thing that you’re looking for exactly what you’re looking for in real time and and with eBay guaranteed fit your parts guaranteed to fit your ride the first time every time or your money’s coming back to you because eBay motors you are burning rubber you are not though burning cash with all the parts you need the prices that you want it’s easy to turn your car into the MVP and become that win that you are seeking keep your r or die alive right now at ebaymotors.com one more time the URL is ebaymotors.com eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers eligible only exclusions apply we’ve also seen the league pretty harshly go against small guards yes the last couple I mean even guys who like I like as prospects and um they fall way further than you think and then they’re out of the l i I keep saying keny Chandler but that’s that’s the most recent example of this BR like I liked him a lot he didn’t last a year and a half he was just out of the league and it’s like this guy I mean and it’s not only size but if you look up and down you got to be and look the Hawks have AR one of the best small guards if not the best small guard in the league and it’s like he’s an outlier man speaking of outliers like you have to be crazy skilled to be able to do that at that size well because he he really passes Brad and he shoots from and I’ll steal this from Phillips he shoots from like the fourth level like I don’t think people realize how important that is for small guards to be able to short shoot from that depth to pull the defense out and then open up the floor even more so I do want to get to the Julie guys because we okay that wasn’t intentional but we’ll pair them together because they’re the last two on my list um you mentioned Holland a second ago in comparison to castle that’s natural comparison and then also you know I feel like M gets compared to rishe yeah yeah and then uh holl gets compared to Castle I don’t know I don’t I don’t know what that says about anybody but it is what it is um but we can all agree that g leag knight uh situation was not great this year for anybody involved that hurts everybody I I have a pet theory that if those guys had gone to college they would they probably be consensus top four picks or whatever but um what do you what do you think of go go go whever you want to on Holland re Holland and balis because on the right day Holland looks like a guy who could be number one number one overall pick he’s got the physical tools for sure modest same thing another highly regarded High School guy who was up there top on the list and then they had weird Seasons yeah I mean I said from the start listen I don’t get much right but I didn’t think Monas should go to the ignite I didn’t think he was physically ready I don’t think I thought he would have been better in college for just you know production and stuff like that like I don’t I didn’t think he was ready for the physicality and and those type of things and that like I do want to like that caveat is important that people need to understand that program was so bad they got rid of it the NBA said we’re done we’re not going to try to improve it we’re going to scrap it we give up we give up they had no point guard with a bunch of wing forwards off ball players and so I I do give these guys a little bit of a bump because of that I’ll start real quick with Holland I think him and Castle are naturally compared against but they’re completely different players like Castle’s High feeli Holland’s probably biggest question mark is his feeli neither of them shoot it real well I think Holland’s jump shot actually looks a a little more fluid um whenever he takes it but there is some I think Holland’s probably the best athlete I think you just talk about Rim pressure which I think is important in the NBA I think Holland probably does that as good as anybody at the top of the draft and then defensively they’re completely different Defenders Holland’s impact comes with Straight Energy a little bit frantic and frenetic at times it’s not always going to be super solid but he plays hard he’s going to be disruptive that’s kind of how he does it on that in I do think he’s a little bit more of a high upside low ceiling type of player because you know like these slashers if they don’t figure out how to shoot it if the feel for the game really is questionable and every time he drives he’s making the he’s not selfish I I want to be very clear like I have it like capitalized in my notes to make sure I EMP emphasize it every time I talk about him he’s not selfish he just doesn’t always make the right decisions yeah no I I agree with you and I I think I get B on Holland like I understand I think John holler has hollow number one on this he does yes and I actually get it I’m not saying he’s right but I get it because if you look at just the league and just the physical tools the W the wing size and the way that he plays as hard as he does the character stuff’s apparently fantastic I’ve never talked to the kid but apparently he’s got great off off Court reviews all that package like I I I get it because like everyone’s looking for that player right everyone wants the 6667 monster physical Wing like that why wouldn’t you want that but it’s just it’s the Polish stuff you’re the feel that you mentioned and the shooting that those are the two questions R Holland for me it’s like you if if both of those were checked off as yeses he goes if not one definitely the top three for me yeah it’s just those are those are questions he probably would be number one for me if if I knew if even if I just knew he was going to shoot it because then I think this is a 25 either one of those things would be good just pick one because then he’s shooting 20 he’s scoring 25 a night and I know he’s gon to be crazy aggressive and you know productive defensively yeah buellis is a guy I’ve been all over the place on I didn’t love him coming into the cycle I’ve had people kind of talk me into him in terms of what he offers defensively with his size and his length and uh here’s where I’ve come around on Montas like I don’t think balis is a wing at all so this is what I told like Sam and I had this conversation where I don’t like the ret buellis conversation is I think they’re different types of players I think R is more of a wing and buellis is more of a forward and so like some people may like that’s the same thing to me it means a little bit different like ret is a three that will play some four eventually buellis is a four who maybe plays as a small ball big at times later in his career if he ever figures out the physicality but here’s the thing with him can he shoot like answer tell me whether or not mat because if he can actually space the floor you’re talking about a forward slash like I say he’s not a big yet let’s let’s say five years down the road that can dribble pass and shoot and we talk all the time about guys that can dribble pass and shoot and how effective that is in today’s NBA and on the other end again he has this length Lowman Rim protection he was very disruptive in with the ignite in terms of steals and blocks I like a lot of this stuff is he gonna get physical and can he actually make jump shots and I’ll tell you this I’ve had a lot of conversations with people in all sorts of Realms like media non like everywhere in the space and it’s like 5050 some people are like I’ve tracked every shot and think he’s gonna shoot and I’ve W other people I watched him shoot at the combine and it looked awful and I’m like oh my gosh I don’t even know what to think now which one of those things no I you’re right I mean the dribble pass shoot thing is funny I I always think of Travis schank because that was his ethos he was a big he was a big drible pass shoot guy um yeah same thing with balis I feel like if you if you took the optimistic viewpoint on particularly the shooting and the versatility I could see him being the number one pick like would that that it makes sense to me it’s just that um Sam K that’s about and uh and the situation and just a little bit of a it’s there’s just weird tape there and he’s not he’s not quite as um you know holl kind of assert himself just physically in a way that some guys can’t whereas is gonna able to do that he’s got length for sure and I think he’s he makes good decisions like but yeah I mean it’s not just a shooting but man I would love to know what what his Baseline is is because I think Ray is a safer bet to shoot just to be very clear I I would agree so if I looked at my top nine because that’s where my tier break is at I think Reed is is probably number one yeah connect is probably two and then Reay and then I think there’s like a tier break in terms of my belief in whether guys can can really knock down shots or not which makes sense and you know that’s not all of everything but if you’re a team like look the Hawks this this is a hawks podcast so it’s like when when they’ve had enough shooting around Trey young they’ve been really awesome and when they haven’t had enough shooting around Trey young it’s not this simple but it really kind of has been offensive it’s been a huge differentiator and that’s why I always have to bring it up because yeah you’re trying to find that everyone wants to find that balance between shooting and defense and if you can do both that’s why you’re so valuable I get all that but um yeah I mean that was a relatively quick rundown of all these top guys we could do forever I’m not gonna make you stay forever I do want to get to because I have you here I have to take advantage of your wealth of knowledge I know you have some favorite players in the class that are not in in the mix for number one overall I could think of one of them off top of your head it’s been kind of a joke on the podcast now but it’s true um but it look this could be lottery picks this is just a non- number one overall pick segment where you can uh you can wave your flag on anybody want to because look the Hawks might not have another pick in fact right now they have one pick in the draft and it’s number one overall they could get back in though so I’m not gonna just ignore two through 58 in this draft so uh who do you like who are your guys Bryce yeah so I do want to start with Dalton connect a guy that we’ve mentioned a couple times and part of it’s just the the path he’s taken to get to this point so for your listeners that don’t know like I’m I’m a Jo kid before I went division one I I played a couple years of division one and so I kind of have a soft spot for Jo kids just getting to know Dalton connect story in terms of a late bloomer in high school then went Joo then Northern Colorado transferred to Tennessee and then just went crazy there you know he’s not your normal 23y old in the trajectory of that and so I I love that he’s getting top 10 but so I like to mention him when I get a chance the next guy I would go to is Don Holmes II out of Dayton I think this is a kid that is really good he played in the A10 where he doesn’t get as much recognition but that Dayton team was really good and this you know you talk about dribble pass and shoot I don’t know that donon gets as much dribble pass and shoot love as other bigs because he shot the ball well from three this season he can pass it a little bit he can definitely put it on the deck if you go watch the film and he he was a really good Defender so I think Don Holmes the second is a definite first round pick and I think he’s a a guy that teams whoever ends up with him is he’s going to be a very useful I think he has enough skill he can be that kind of tweener big play a little bit four a little bit five I’ve always liked him a lot too I’m actually glad I’m glad people have started to not started to but I think he’s kind of risen for a lot of people in the last however long and I’m like I’ve always I I love the guy I think he’s he’s obviously an awesome college player which is not all always what what this is about and man could you touched on but the connect story is just incredible the fact that he performed the way he did not even just the shoot because the shooting is obvious but like the scoring yes to do that at the SEC level coming from literally division two the previous year is like has it ever happened to anyone I don’t even know like in the modern era has anyone ever done that I talked to someone before the season and they just said Bryce he he’s a three-level bucket getter at any level like it’s not just like they that is a parent now yeah he’s like it’s not even going to just be the SEC it’s going to be in the NBA like he can get Buckets the question is can guard K yeah that’s yes uh if he was I do wonder if he was if he was 19 if people would be like putting the cape on you know I’m not saying they would but you know I wonder if he was 20 if people would have him five spots higher and this this is why I’ve had him this High I think most people have him top 10 now I had him top 10 way before a lot like we did a mock I took him seven to Portland and Sam kind of gave me some crap about it and then you know a month later that’s where you know that’s a a really popular spot for him and and it’s it was because of I listen I feel bad doing this to Kevin mcculler every time there’s a like Kevin mcculler is the same age the difference is Kevin mcculler has six years of highlevel division one basketball weight training strength training nutrition all of those things and he went through the draft process twice already to get the feedback and all connect was Jo and listen I’m a Jo kid I love Jo my former assistant just won the Jo National Championship like I love that but it’s not the same it it just straight up is not the same and then like say a lower level division one school where again it’s not the same there at Northern Colorado and he didn’t even get 12 months at Tennessee you know and here’s the thing he went he I I do know he went to Tennessee because of the defense like that that is that is definitely some a reason he chose and because he loved Kevin Durant and Rick Barnes obviously coached Kevin Durant but he went to Tennessee to be like learn to play defense and all of that and then he had to be their entire offense like how much energy did that kid have left to play defense during his games at Tennessee so I I give him a that was a long way of saying I give him a little bit more leash than your normal 23 year old no that makes sense for sure and you’re right I mean he carried a huge workload offensively and I always say that you know not always about Trey it because because up a lot Lally because because of Trey it’s like talking point of how much can you do defensively when you have to do so much on offense that’s always been a talking thing um do you have favorite second round picks or potential like non top 20 guys because yeah I think if the Hawks just try to Spence the Hawks a little bit if the Hawks get back in this draft they could trade down from one I suppose but they also could end up getting back in with a future pick or whatever somewhere in that 30s or 40 range I I know I know pton Sanford’s on your list because that that’s that’s your favorite guy from the from Game Theory but uh you can talk about him if you want to anybody else that you love or that you feel like you’re super high on compared to everybody else yeah I mean I’ll talk about Payton and just Oso eodo is a guy like if the Hawks don’t take alexar number one maybe Oso is a guy that could come in and yeah if you do if they did move on from capella and then Oso’s a guy like completely different type of player like can’t shoot at all like at all Oho at all but he can really pass short roll float and he has more vertical pop than what he gets credit for like he is a guy I think that that would come in catch lobs all of that I like Kad Johnson out of Arizona old player come in play on the wing um and then yeah let’s do pton so pton Sanford I’ve like continued to say the best shooter in the draft listen you’re people are gonna go pull up his combine numbers and be like oh he didn’t like I don’t care by the way me either and I’m not I’m not as invested as you are common shooting numbers for Shooters I just I do not care I don’t care I don’t care and I said this on Vini and this is like the most arrogant thing I’ll ever say publicly but if you gave me two weeks like I could find I could go get a video of me hitting a pretty good number of Threes out of 50 and I’m 37 years old whereas a mid-30s three-point shooter division one like I was very at a low level so like my point is like you can train for those things and I I just don’t value them as much as Sanford I said 600 he’s taken 500 three-pointers in his career this last year alone he took almost 250 shot 38% and over a 100 free throw attempts and shot 91% like shots too by the way taking some difficult attempts and and this is no shot at Iowa or anything like that he was the main focus of defenses and it wasn’t like he wasn’t getting again I’m not trying to take shots like at Alex Caravan but he wasn’t at Connecticut getting wideopen looks because he had crazy amount of talent to ride him like insane attempts some of the ones he had to take and so like I just I think the kid can really really shoot it he’s shown enough of an ability to attack Closeouts and then I think what he did really well this year was he went got impactful on the boards so people like he he didn’t have a great combine testing athletically he averaged 6.6 rebounds in the Big 10 Brad in the Big 10 6.6 rebounds so I don’t care what his vertical was or anything else he averaged almost seven rebounds in the Big 10 and I think he got better defensively he’s not going to be like a plus level Defender but even if he’s neutral with the floor spacing I think that’s valuable yeah and on the on the few draft shows I did pre Lottery uh Ryan Dunn is my pton Sanford I love Ryan Dunn and I and by the way I know how bad he has on offense I understand you know you people people tell me I was like I I know how bad he is I watched I’ve watched him a lot he doesn’t really do anything well on offense at the moment I don’t care figure it out uh I hope I hope he goes to like somewhere with a shot doctor New Orleans is don’t they have a great shot doctor in New Orleans yeaha City I think here’s my thing with you know what at a certain point isn’t Ryan Dunner really Valu 82 game player like at some point okay maybe you just draft him like you know what he’s never going to play in the playoffs but that dude defensively whenever the the schemes and you know all of that Arn is locked in is gon to be valuable to us for 82 games and more and more after watching these playoffs I think 82 game players matter we’ve talked so much about Steph Curry being tired LeBron James being tired the Knicks players being tired the Nuggets players being tired because of how many minutes these guys had to play in the regular season I’m not saying you take an 82 game player in the lottery maybe not even in the first round but at some point guys that you just you know what they can go get Buckets for 82 games or they can defend their butts off for 82 games I think at some point that becomes valuable oh yeah and look I I’ve been banging this drum for a long time the Hawks they think they have it with moay who they like a lot from last year they they love moay but uh in the last 10 years the Hawks haven’t really found a single contributor in the second round yeah the last guy that they found in second round was Mike mcalla which tells you how long ago it’s been and Mike’s still in the league shouts to Mike but like it’s been a long time I coached against Mike muscala that’s how long ago I and there you have it I spent one year coaching in The Patriot League after I graduated and um CJ McCullum Mike mcalla there you go game plan for those guys anyway I will not take up any more of your time brush you were uh very gracious with a lot of time for me so I really appreciate it we’ve done it already but please plug anything you like to I know you are very busy piston stuff is also Rel I know it’s a hawks podcast but listen the Pistons are a relevant team that’s it’s it’s an Eastern Conference rival might be might be might be a trade partner rival Rivals I don’t know it’s too it’s too strong I understand it might it might be a trade partner I mean I’ve seen some fake trades between the Pistons and the Hawks it’s like there’s there’s some stuff going on there do jeante Murray may may not have gotro pistons in this mock that I did I’ve heard that a few times as a as a potential thing not not like super Intel based but like it it’s if you take a like just think about it for a second it’s like all right him him and kind of kind of makes some sense together I can see it so uh yeah so Motor City Hoops on Twitter you can find all the stuff I do I don’t tweet out too crazy much about the Pistons monly it’s just content stuff um the Pistons PSE podcast if you do want some we’re we’re doing a mock actually on Tuesday if you guys want to T we so we’d be making a selection for the Hawks um and then Game Theory with s Vini couple times a week I find it on YouTube and then I do put out some interesting stuff on substack or I think it’s interesting so the Motor City hoop substack is little more piston specific or the basketball bulletin and again that’s with Trevor Lane and Keith Smith who have the front office show and I put out all my Scouts and like I think I’m I put out my 30th Scout today these are just individual Scouts on on the draft so if you’re into the draft plus obviously Trevor and Keith contribute over there um you can check that out as well the basketball bulletin you’re a very busy man sounds like my res I I have like five things to plug every time I do a podcast like that’s that’s probably enough for now but no thank you again Bryce I really do appreciate it man I great Insight hopefully we’ll have more great Insight coming up on this podcast but they have a high billing now that say you brought on the show ask for everybody else please subscribe to the podcast follow Bryce’s work we’ll see you all next time

Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) hosts episode No. 1723 of the Locked on Hawks podcast, and he is joined by Bryce Simon (@MotorCityHoops, Game Theory Podcast) for Part 2 of a 2-part discussion. The show touches on the Atlanta Hawks NBA Draft options for the No. 1 pick, including Alex Sarr, Donovan Clingan, Zaccharie Risacher, Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland, Stephon Castle, and more.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOHawks?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

#AtlantaHawks #NBA #TraeYoung

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

Yahoo Finance

For comprehensive financial news and analysis, visit the brand behind every great investor, YahooFinance.com.

BetterHelp

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

Monopoly GO!

Get in the game and join your friends. Download MONOPOLY GO! now free on The App Store or Google Play.

Nissan

Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com.

eBay Motors

For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

BetterHelp

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

PrizePicks

Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime

Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel

FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – win or lose! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)