An early Atlanta Hawks glance at the 2024 NBA Draft with Brian Schroeder (Part 2)

An early Atlanta Hawks glance at the 2024 NBA Draft with Brian Schroeder (Part 2)

On today’s show it’s part two with my friend Brian schroer talking about the NBA draft and it’s on the way right now you are locked on Hawks your daily Atlanta Hawks podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every [Applause] day hello friends welcome to episode 1628 of the lot on Hawks podcast I am your host Brad Roland coming to you on Monday evening into Tuesday this is part two so if you missed part one of conversation with myself and Brian shers about the NBA draft I recommend starting

With part one it should be in your podcast platform of choice right now again this is part two picking up in the middle of that conversation so without any further delay part one’s available here’s part two talking all things draft myself and Brian let’s go a little bit further down

And talk about some college guys yeah um okay I’ll just ask it this way who is your favorite college basketball Prospect Stefan Castle from Yukon yes not a name people people probably know a lot of I know I’ve obviously seen him playj he’s been hurt he’s just coming back but um well so

He’s one of those guys in in high school he’s so very obviously he he was the Kevin Porter Jr he went to the Kevin Porter Jr School of watching James Harden tape if that makes any sense like there’s guys you see there’s there’s guys coming in who who very obviously

Watch one specific guy and like for a while every 68 guy was watching Kevin Durant tape and like Castle in high school was doing Harden floaters doing Harden getting to the rim taking those hits he’s 230 66 230s and he is he is jacked like he is very powerful but

Honestly what he’s been at Yukon is reminding me so much more of NBA Lonzo ball of like he this guy’s guarding up this guy’s guarding 234 he’s not a full-time point guard but he’s just like a connecting passer shot has been fine like he he has looked just really

Impressive to me racking up steals really looks like an instant like Dyson Daniels type like he will play 15 minutes a game but probably but the the jump shot if you could promise me if if you were to show me in 10 in like six years that he was a 38% three-point

Shooter I would take a top five because I think he has that kind of Versatility well wasn’t that kind of the Dyson thing too like yeah can he can he shoot and if if he can’t he’ll still be okay but if he can he becomes a monster kind of

Thing yeah um and by the way where I’m at with Stefan and I just a big I’ve always been a big fan 6 sixish yeah 65 66 230 at least that’s yeah I mean I’ve like what I’ve seen a lot um I’ve seen him more than most of the guys at the

Top just because of college basketball stuff and Yukon is not Yukon from last year but they’re still talented and good at the college level and that will I think he’ll probably he’s a candidate for getting some helium late in the process if Yukon goes another run like

They did last year um not that that would matter a ton to people like me and you but he might get more attention if he starts to play I think it I think it will matter more this year because the college there’s no super established College star yeah yeah I was going to

Say I mean the guy who was generally seen as maybe that breakout was Isaiah ker at the college level preseason he was the guy that was kind of up there with Holland and other guys and like he’s still kind of in that range would

He be in the next group guy or two he’s in the same group but he’s just not been he hasn’t I don’t know USC’s been like a nightmare yeah this is that’s a college thing but USC has been like disappointingly bad on every level this year like they they should be really

Good especially their like bogie Ellis is not a prospect prospect but he’s like 23 24 and like is a good they might have three first round picks and they’re like bad yeah it’s it’s very and uh Jaylen Johnson’s brother is on the team good

Prospect well I want you to guess so I I took I did I just did a mock draft on fans.com before this and for eight I took Stefan castle for the Hawks and at 23 I took Kobe Johnson jaylen’s brother because of course they’ take him there

Yeah because of and look I like I like I like Kobe JN I love I had KOB top 10 before his shooting fell off so I think he’s probably the guy I get asked about the most because Hawks fans just know he’s jaylen’s brother so it’s like hey

Jaylen you have another Jaylen please I’m like yeah he’s not quite Jaylen but like I like him quite a bit so he is um one of the best one of the highest and most consistent steel percentage guys in recent history of college basketball he’s 66 and he’s got like a 4.8 career

Steel percentage it’s is crazy that’s that’s like Alex Caruso level steel percentage in college Alex Caruso Beverly uh the Anthony Melton level like Steels and that always translates he’s 66 he’s a good secondary ball handly passer just in a high level per Defender he could for like the first for like the

First eight games this year he was shooting at a high level and then teams kind of made him they like made him force him to take like off the dribble jumpers and it’s just falling off the cliff yeah he’s and he’s just for the ref for reference he’s not the physical

Specimen that Jaylen is he’s three inches shorter probably yeah I mean he’s a pretty good athlete though no he is I’m just saying Jaylen was like jayen jayen is a 69ine freight train super athlete and he’s just not as big as Jaylen in a lot of ways so um anyway

That’s a little a little sidebar but he is I agree with you he’s a first- round pick not probably a top8 10 guy but certainly uh could be in the Hawks range let’s just say and it would be very funny if they drafted him in a good way

I think I would enjoy that especially in light of all the reporting over the weekend that the Hawks are building around Trey and Jaylen it’s like hey uh we have two Untouchables and now we’re going to add another one jaylen’s brother drafting somebody’s brother is not nepotism if they’re like good if

They’re good yeah is good yeah it’d be different if he was like the 40th pick in the draft and they took him 25 but he he should be higher than that or if he was somebody’s somebody’s cousin or or something and they gave him a two-way contract for multiple years which has

Happened multiple times uh so on caller quickly before we move on because he’s a a pretty famous college player um what is the book on ker supposed to be and what is he actually because I know 664 lead guard kind of was the thought process yeah he reminded me of scoot in

A lot of ways the difference has been he is not taking any jumpers like that he’s T he’s hitting okay percentage on like spot up threes he’s just like I don’t know there’s something wrong he’s not settling for floaters or 16f Footers at all like you have to do that he’s just

Going for high degree difficulty finishes and like he’s very good at those but it’s just not like he’s getting tricked by defenses way too much he’s not dictating things to defenses part of that is that he’s sharing point guard duties with Boogie Ellis and part of it is that they have really

Legitimately bad Bigs like yeah they can he can create all these open looks at dunk when the guys can’t catch a a pass two Fe in the rim and dunk what are you gonna do but it’s been and they have no spacing it’s just been really bad like

He’s had a really bad about as bad of years he could have had and he’s still like a positive player but it’s really hurt his cand like because if he doesn’t shoot if you don’t shoot at 6’4 and you’re a point guard like Baron Davis shot jumpers you know think of St Steve

Francis shot jumpers like we think these guys you’re better you’re better off especially if that’s your if that’s your game you’re better off shooting them and shooting a poor percentage than not shooting yeah you have to shoot like it’s Ben I mean very different players but like the Ben Simmons didn’t shoot it

Doesn’t matter it doesn’t matter about like Markel Foltz shoots Jumpers in theba he’s not good at he stopped when he like totally had the weirdness but like once he got back he’s not a good shooter but he will take them you have to shoot that’s the thing like uh and

Guys that don’t shoot at all this is a this is not the same exact reference but um a guy I like a lot Trent Forest is Right different this is not a prospect thing but Trent Forest won’t shoot and that is that holds him back like he took

A three the other day and I was like oh t t took a three but like he just won’t and guys just don’t get guarded if you don’t if you won’t shoot if you’re five if you’re five you can get away with it sure of course Jero Sims doesn’t have to

Shoot of course not but if you’re a perimeter player that has the ball in their hands yeah um especially because ker can shoot it’s not it’s not he can’t shoot like he’s it’s confusing I don’t understand it that is a little bit weird um I still believe in the he’s got kind

Of short arms he’s not super young but I still believe in like the burst and the craft and the just the the mental stuff with him it’s just I think he’s just had a really really awful year it’s just it looks really bad in general I still he’s

A top he’s a lottery pick but it’s yeah I mean probably not a hwk guy just because of the position and all they they they already have Trey they just draft a buff game like it’s not going to happen I don’t think but uh someone to keep an eye

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Make your first bet a layup with FanDuel one more time it’s fanduel.com lockon FanDuel official partner at the NFL I think a I think a hawks guy to look at uh he may not make it to them jacobe Walter from Baylor he was on my

List ask so take yeah he was uh the latest in the in in the Baylor line of guards um more of a more of a big guard now is is he is he a wing he’s a wing he a wing yeah okay so 6 fiveish um another

You know Baylor is always seems to cheering these guys out you know I was not the the biggest ke George guy probably probably still not to be honest um he’s been pretty good he been yeah for sure but what’s the book on Walter because like you just said he might be

More of a hawk fit and he could be available somewhere in that he’s more a three and I think he’s more of a I don’t want to directly compare him to kcp but I think that’s going to be like his role like I classic 2000s two guard funny

Like he’s gotten the bum into like the top five and some of the mainstream stuff and it’s like kcp Danny Green uh oai abaji is a comparison I actually like the difference is this is aaji if you’d come out as a freshman okay not not 22y old senior aaji who was fine and

Aaji is still fine he’s in the NBA he’s the guy that he was supposed to be basically at the end like Jobe so jacobe I think he’s a guy in a normal draft that I just not he doesn’t excite me at all he doesn’t have any big there’s not

Any big tools plays there’s not any there’s not a whole lot of like real like Superstar pop but he’s 65 and he is one of the better Shooters in the draft the defense is good like he could probably start the NBA and so like top like six seven whatever like I’m not

Gonna say I’m not gonna say it’s a bad pick yeah he’s a guy he’s the guy who beat late lottery for me most most years maybe even like 17 18 yeah there’s just this draft is just so bearing like guys who guys who deserve that like have that real Intrigue as like stars

That at a certain point with this guy it’s just like well he’s probably gonna be good so and that’s being good is is helpful I mean I was going to ask you earlier and I met I held off on purpose we talked about Kentucky very briefly

Earlier uh they have the the two guys that are kind of up there and Rob Dillingham and Reed Shepard and Reed Shepard’s this crazy story where he was like a he was a borderline he’s like a four-star guy he a fourar yeah real Prospect uh by the way he’s the son of

Jeff Shepard claim to fame for the Hawks Jeff Shepard played 18 games in the NBA all for the Hawks and I remember being at one of them and people chanting for Jeff Shepard so that’s funny um anyway like Dillingham Shepard Kentucky discussion I mean dillingham’s usually

Higher I still like I still like DJ Wagner skill set to be fair he’s just been injured and he was playing he had this this is a real issue I I need to get better with the draft stuff people take it like the first two weeks are

Somehow more important than and and then the last two weeks are the most important weeks exactly DJ ragner had the worst first two weeks he could have had then he had like four very very good games then he got hurt and now he’s just coming back so it’s been it’s been a

Very um not the most ideal and he hasn’t let’s be honest he has not he is not a he is not three years ago he was a number one player in this class right I was gonna say he was uh very very and look he’s he’s danan and Milt and the

Whole the whole he will be the first third generation NBA player which is a cool thing and I think he still will be there and like he’s a good player but I think in general people see Dillingham and Shepard as their two top guys now Dillingham much was kind of supposed to

Be up there more Shepard is a crazy story I know our our guy sasini like loves Reed Shephard unconditionally um I like him too he had kind of a weird moment on Saturday he had a bad foul at the end of the game but like super skilled guy shooting’s been absurd he’s

Having metrically yeah metrically he’s having one of the best freshman seasons of all time yeah he just can’t miss a shot which I think is uh kind of real like no one’s he’s not going to do this because it’s just not possible he’s a really good shooter um it’s just

Whether he can do the idea of putting him in the top five to me is contingent on you thinking he’s like 50% three-point shooter in the NBA which is like no he’s not yeah he’s a first rounder oh yes absolutely yeah if he’s is he a is he a

Kirk Hinrich level shooter um yeah I think that’s probably probably probably isn’t he bigger than Kirk hinr too maybe a little bit no no no Kirk is 6’4 Kirk is big how big is Reed Shepard 6’2 and a half six3 okay I’m wrong I had him I had

Six5 in my head okay no he’s 62 and 6’3 If he if you could convince me that he was a point guard I’d be a lot higher on him I’m not but probably not but I did talk before about having the pop plays and having the Reed has like I do my

Draft classes on NBA 2K Reed is the first guy since Javon Carter I have given 99 hands he’s got Jason kid hands like Alex Caruso hands like he has great great hands defensively that helps when you’re when you’re Li when you’re a limited athlete and you’re 6’2 63 you

Kind of need to have some something like that calling card defensively so he’s absolutely NBA player I wouldn’t take him top like eight sure but like I don’t know if you just I’m thinking more hawy because they’re not gonna be in that range probably either unless something

Goes crazy wrong um and yeah not not the best fit with Trey probably but like I get it I think if you’re looking for him to be DeAnthony Melton style player I think that’s maybe like a better shooter although Melton’s become a decent shooter or like worse worse

Defense I mean he’s not gonna be Defender as Javon Carter but like you know just a little Juiced up and D Dillingham by the way is a is a point guard like probably not a hawk guy because of that reason but um he’s had a

Nice year top 10 top 10ish guy in this class probably dillingham’s Talent okay so I said pop plays Dillingham has he’s probably the leader in college as far as just like crazy plays because he has I mean he’s he’s a Kyrie guy like he’s very obviously Kyrie guy he watches

Kyrie he studies Kyrie he does Kyrie stuff like with the ball in his hands the only the real issue I have is he’s six one maybe I’m 6’1 he’s probably really and really thin too really thin he’s put on some weight though but it’s a lot of his shots in college are tough

Contested shots yeah which is not always a great sign yeah but but I I think worst case he’s like bones Island and best case he’s like quickly and I think quickly would be a top six seven pick in this draft so now for sure knowing what

We know no question about that so yeah I I was resistant to the idea of Rob as like an elite Prospect in this draft but and he had a bad game today but like the tal at a certain point he’s just too talented to not spend like a eight in

The top eight to 12 and so the talent is there he’s just really little it’s tough the threshold for really little guards there’s not as many of them as you think I was gonna say we uh a guy that I know we talked about a couple years ago Kenny Chandler is out

Of the league yep like and that was a guy who people liked and I liked and he’s just so small and it’s crazy like some of the numbers that have been thrown out there about guys who are and and um Dillingham is a little bit taller

Than that like he is 61 62 is’s not 5’11 he’s 61 yeah but some of the small guard numbers like some of the some of the like the how few guys under 6 feet or 61 or under actually even stick for me it’s six it’s under 6’2 6’2 and under that’s

How many how few of those guys even get drafted in the first round how few of those guys stick for more than a couple years like the numbers are getting crazier and crazier again that’s kind of why Trey such a freak is that Trey is that size and is incredible but like man

It was a wake up call it probably it’s again it’s one player but tny Chandler is just like gone after a year and a half and he had a guaranteed contract and he was just gone I’m like whoa like that’s like incredible but yeah yeah I think I’ve been talking about this I

Think the reason is that those guys for a long time were if they weren’t starters they were backup point guards ismith like is a great example of like what that guy used to be like a 15 like a 12 year backup point guard forever those guys you needed because you needed

Some you needed more handling because you couldn’t rely on your other players and now FR point guard aard so why would you have a six foot guy out there he’s just going to get targeted on defense when you could have a 67 guy do the same

Thing that’s exactly what it is and um because you don’t need you don’t need backup point guards the backup point guard is in for probably 15 minutes a game well and some some teams desperately need them and like if you if you don’t have one it can hurt you but

You’re right that like a lot of teams used to have three you know what I mean they’d have a backup and a third guy now nobody’s got three small you have Lindy Hunter and Chucky Atkins exactly or whoever you want to pick you know um but

Even with the just now so the Haw took the Hawks took buffkin and yeah they view him as a combo but I think he’s been playing exclusively point guard in the G league for a reason like I think that they’re going to use him as a backup point guard eventually like

That’s that that won’t be his his only role but like and buffkin is 6’4 65 like they’re not going to be trying to play a 511 guy behind Trey young they don’t they don’t want to do that it’s unfortunate because a lot of those guys are some of my favorite players of

Course there’s a guy in this draft I’m a big fan of tamon lipy who may not be in this draft Iowa State guy who’s six foot he’s uh he can’t shoot but he’s like a 35 assist five steal percentage guy and you know I love but but if you’re 5’11

And you can’t shoot man it’s uh yeah it’s tough but it’s gotten better but yeah it’s he’s not a guy it’s guy in past drafts I would have had like the top 20 like I had Maliki Flynn and just like what has Malik Flynn done you can’t do it

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Should at least uh mention a couple more names uh Cody Williams I think was G say he was the one guy I haven’t asked you about that was in my top 10 and then I also have to ask about Ryan Dunn because as you I’m sure know I love Ryan

Dunn it’s an absolute lock that I would love Ryan done and here and here we are Cody’s had a weird uh so he was a guy that he was a big he got a B like it’s it’s unfair to say he got a huge bump in the high school rankings because he is

Jaylen Williams younger brother Jaylen Williams Jay dubb as in OKC yes yes as in the guy the Hawks wanted two years ago in the draft and he didn’t get as in the top five player as in Joe Johnson Jr J Williams all right that’s that’s what

He looks like to me just he does the same kind of oh there’s my cat there’s a um uh she um but Cody got that done and he is 68 like 195 like he has skilled like he’s always been a big Prospect but he got a bump and I was really not a

Believer and then he really did not look very good in Colorado his first few games and then he looked awesome like defense awesome transition passing and then he got hurt so it’s like I’m waiting for him to come back because that’s the guy he might jump up if he

Keeps playing like how he was playing hitting hitting threes trans like scoring going crazy in transition defense just flying around making plays like he looked great I know you don’t look at this kind of stuff but um a lot on purpose because it probably doesn’t

Help you uh he is number three right now on ESPN’s board I get it I get I get it like I feel like he and Reay are guys a big thing for me it’s kind of why it was really high on Taylor Hendricks other than just the play is that you got to

Look at like how what guys are team’s going to get in a workout and fall in love with and like Cody Williams is that guy re that guy I mean Joe Alexander was that guy but you know what I mean like and I feel like NBA teams are better at

That now than they used to be but like that is true guy but yeah that’s a good it’s a good I can definitely see that and I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him they were uh I unfortunately for Cody Williams I watched part of that Arizona

Game they lost like a 100 the other night I watched part of that game did he play I don’t think he play I don’t I don’t think he played and maybe part of the reason why they didn’t because I I turned it on and I they were already

Down by 25 and I was like I’m going to not watch this I don’t think Tristan da Silva played either there were other he did not and they gotos um anyway main event of course Ry Ryan Dunn is built in a lab for me to like for people may don’t know anything about

Him he’s from Virginia um I’m sure the worst uh actually that’s not that’s not fair um people that don’t like the under Hunter are going to get mad that I like Ryan dun uh they’re not the same player by any means but they’re six8 guys from

Virginia so it’s gonna be this is a this is a hawks crowd Brian it is what it is Ryan Dunn is he’s a 68 thall is the best way to describe him yeah his defense is absurd and his offense is a giant question mark in the NBA the thing is though if he

Measures in at 69 220 he’s a center he’s like Paul Reed I he might be he’s bigul Reed with more with more perimeter defense would be a very interesting player and that’s what he would be maybe yeah I can kind of I can kind of dig

That I mean he might be a guy that if like he has a couple good offensive games in the tournament or something like that he’ll get up there but like does he still have I know one point I know you try stuff religiously his stock numbers were just like completely Dro

They dropped a little he’s still getting one to two a game though of each one CU wasn’t it like wasn’t he averaging like six stocks a game for the first like season some some abs like when I when I first did my per 36s in early in mid in

Like December 12th December 13th he had he was averaging 7.4 stocks per 36 which is insane it’s like legitimately unbelievable look right now and see what he’s at because he’s still he’s like AB rotate and like he can’t I’m sure everybody probably knows this he he can’t really

Right now um he’s shooting yeah he’s two of eight from three this year he doesn’t take him he doesn’t take him why take him when you can do dunks by the way this is a crazy this is a crazy stat I wonder I’m sure you’ll have this number

Eventually right now Ryan Dunn is a projected top 20 pick at the very least on most boards and Ryan Dunn attempts five shots per game five attemps per game 10.1 block percentage 4.7 steel percentage that’s nuts now part of that is that Virginia plays still ially slow so the numbers

Are a little bit higher than that on the per 36 which is why you’re doing that which is better but um yeah actually makes it even crazier that he does that per 36 uh and also per game numbers because like they play they play so slow

They play so slow um so anyway I I love Ryan Dunn I’m not saying it’s gonna work um but look for what the Hawks need Ryan Dunn would be interesting and he’d be in their range because yeah offensively it may not be great but they don’t need

Offense yeah they need defense he’s he’s just a he’s legitimately gamechanging is just like a one foot in the paint cover ground point line shop blocker to be to be fair like I’ve never been the biggest table guy as an overall value in the NBA

I I’m still not but dble is an NBA rotation player like also D is six fo five yeah and also I I know you talked about this a lot back in then people didn’t really understand that D on ball wasn’t particularly good doesn’t matter it’s just I know I know it doesn’t

Matter I’m just saying it was his offb stuff’s great but like Ryan Dunn is what three inches taller and 20 pounds heavier at least yeah and like he could be on ball mement too like he could kind of he might be able to do it all on

Defense which would be kind of scary again offensively might be a problem but that’s why he’s available at maybe 14 versus five these are these are things I take this is stuff I do sort of to I mostly do it kind of to order my own

Thoughts about these guys to get them on paper and see them but when I make my draft stuff on 2K they they have the little like player descriptors and Ryan Dunn is hybrid Defender and it’s like yeah that’s that good he’s a hybrid Defender hybrid Defender sounds right

For Ryan Don um anyway I had to make I had to make sure we get to him uh who have I not asked you about anybody that you want to talk about we can talk about bronny if you want to that’s a prominent name of course t tjan salon from France

The other guy from chle who’s just kind of like a less polished little jerkier Reet but he’s got a weird follow through and he’s got a weird looking jumper but it goes in and he’s huge like he’s 610 plus he’s another one of these guys France keeps pumping out these Ryan

Repair looking guys who look like Domin englas like these mutants I don’t know what they’re doing over there but if half those guys hit they’re going to be they’re going to have the best Olympic team in the world um I actually and not to just I’m not trying

To do this because he’s a famous person I think Ronnie would be a good fit with the HW yes I I like bronnie I would still take Bonnie for Bonnie’s good he’s been good he just hasn’t played much because he’s he basketball get deal yeah and

Also you know I I think that it’s hard for to divorce Brony versus the perception of all the whole thing but like Brony does all the little things that’s the the thing about Brony is like he’s a good Defender he passes the ball very well he knows how to play Things

The Hawks might he’s a very good spot up shooter yeah think I’m not saying uh what they’re you know probably in the 20s would be at the at the moment I don’t think br’s gonna go super duper high at the moment but he like he could he could come on that wouldn’t surprise

Me I just wish the conversation was different about him but like I I do think objectively take put take it all out I think BR would be a good fit with what the Hawks need and also there’s a there’s a reasonable chance that if you draft him you get the

Retirement year LeBron that would be nice um I think you know LeBron and Tre get along that would be good so like but people people say that as like it’s a like it’s a demerit but like you pick a guy in their 20s and he gets you you’ll

Sell out every game for if LeBron comes there also LeBron is still really good yeah and then he’s then guess what that that that that selection is paid for itself like oh yeah of course and look and again I know just to be clear you like Ronnie as first round pick

Independent of all that like he’s a real he’s a real player um okay the only other guy uh there’s two guys I want to mention uh one is is is a known Prospect who I am a little biased as a big fan of my my good friend khil W

I knew that was coming well Indiana Center folks and Brian’s an Indiana guy so there’s that the thing about him that was really last year he just played he played so passively yeah and it was he quit so quickly and this year he’s been like the shot selection can still be

Iffy he can shoot but the shot selection has been iffy but the thing I’ve been really impressed with KH with khil we is he’s playing like a center if that makes sense he’s he’s pushing people around physically he did a thing that Lively did last year I was not a big Lively guy

Coming into the year but Lively was the only guy who was able to kind of guard Zak straight up just take take his hits in the chest and actually like contest his shots and light and and where did the same with Hunter Dickinson and Donovan kingan like they both outweigh

Him severely and they both shot like I think I think what kingan was like four of eight against him and I think Hunter was like two of 11 like Hunter did not play well against k at all which is um and that’s a good test for him I I did

Not love we at Oregon I just didn’t but like I see it I see it now he’s a different guy he’s just playing better anyway object which what you’re saying he’s just he’s been he’s been different this year but I kind of do see it now I

Don’t know how high I’ll end up with him I’ve seen him probably play honestly maybe top five most in the whole class because he just he plays he plays in the Big 10 and it is what it is um and there’s no Michigan guys in this class

At all so uh unless Doug feels like wasting money and leaving I I like Doug um you know I I I kind of like CL War I proba I shouldn’t say this is the first time in three years the Hawks could draft a center they might actually do that it

Wouldn’t like totally stun me if they did um I lost my I lost my camera so if you’re watching on YouTube my apologies um I’m still here uh I’m not going to try to plug it back in for the last two minutes this podcast but um anyway that

Is kind of well the one other guy I have Lottery that that nobody talks about is my boy AJ Mitchell at us us UC Santa Barbara I am a huge fan of in this class in this context 64 200 and is uh I don’t know where the numbers are now but two

Or three weeks ago there somebody put out a list of this is a great description of what he is of self-created field goal attempts at the rim and he was three ahead of anyone else on the like he is a slasher awesome passer defense is pretty good 64 probably he’s

Probably two 205 210 long arms he is is he Belgian I forget where he’s from but it’s Aja a y Mitchell Aja one word Mitchell uh you see Santa Barbara yeah he I’m a huge fan there’s a lot of uh big combo guards in this class yeah he’s

Belgian um big combo guards in this class like Trey Alexander from kraton AJ bronnie all those kind of guys Tre Alexander and he’s not having a great year he’s been fine um I’ve always liked him still a guy that I would take probably what top 35 40 something like

That uh kylin Boswell is one of those guys Zeke Mayo from South Dakota State Tyrese Proctor kind of and uh I like AJ the most with all those guys but huge margin he’s just really fun he’s really physical guard long arms really awesome just a crafty finisher the

Pull-up shooting has bought much better he’s had to do it more passing is good defense he just looks like a guy who should be a third guard for somebody like a maybe not Brogden but like that kind of like this is this is your third guard and third guards have real I mean

Third guards if you’re good make real money too like those are also he’s a lefty that’s why you like him in the end no I’m kidding um I not as many lefties this year yeah I was gonna say there aren’t I was trying to think as I said

That I was like who’s left in this class um okay that’s a pretty good rundown I mean obviously we I’m gonna beg you to come ony Evans is left-handed uh I think Tyler KCK is Left-Handed me look uh Tyler yeah I guess that’s right Tyler Smith the G ignite is

Left-Handed Hunter Dickinson he does not count uh I I had to laugh uh I I this I’m not picking I don’t I don’t dislike him more than I dislike Zack Ed’s NBA draft prospects I was I actually I literally was about to ask you CU I saw

Zach Ed in the lottery in a prominent place this week and I was like I don’t I don’t understand and look I like Zack e as a college player he’s great great and honestly I think I like Zak as an NBA player more than you do but I don’t I

Still don’t really see it I see a shot he’s a second round pick that’s what he is yeah he’s a second Pi yeah and that’s fine I mean and I think that actually makes sense and I think that he could be a backup center I I do think that could

Happen I just don’t he probably has a better shot at it than Luca Garza does I agree with that he’s just so huge I mean that’s the thing with yeah not to go down the rle entirely on on E but he’s so big that I think he might be able to

Defend in a way that a lot of a lot of this kind of guy just can’t true Timmy could never defend at M level no chance it’s never happening um but Zach e it’s I was going to be drop coverage and like standing under the rim but like he’s so

Big I hate the like oh he’s just big about Zack it’s like yeah he’s big but like he’s actually very very good at he’s well he’s the ultimate he’s just big of course cares though Isaac H Isaac H and and uh Kofi Cobra and fused together yes but like the idea like

People thinking it’s like a novel concept to be like oh if he was only 6 to8 he wouldn’t be that good like yeah cool like who cares he’s 610 wouldn’t be that good so doesn’t matter anyway all right we’re off the rails thank you for doing this Brian uh please plug all of

What you do I know you are covering draft things year round which is why you’re my first call every time talk we talk about the draft on this podcast but what’s going on same stuff I always do just patreon.com Brian jmba I’m G to get my csal board out that is patreons only

For a while just because it’s it’s in work at progress I don’t want to put it out to and also I want to give people who pay me money a reason to pay me money um I’m planning doing some little writeups I did want about like because

There’s so few pre-draft guys I did want about like the older guys like cevin mcculler Dylan Jones from Weber State who I like uh God who else was on that oo Garo my son oh yeah just a bunch of like guys who are Xavier chillman types

Like this guy’s like 22 but he could probably play 15 minutes for you if you want him so draft him um and yeah I’m going to have more stuff about like just I want to write the other real killer this class is they for about three weeks there are a bunch of

Interesting new guys to watch and I was like o who’s this guy and then they all kind of fell off the cliff like bub Carrington stopped hitting 40% from three yeah that got he’s been a little better there was a lot of Buzz about him

For about a week like you just said I saw I was I’d say about three weeks about three weeks yeah but it kind of peak and then it went away turns out you you have to take you can’t take less than 10 percent of shots at The Rim even

In college that’s not going to work no you got to get to the rim um but he’s also the Young I think he’s like the second youngest player in college basketball he’s younger than Holland I think I think he’s like a September Roi birthday so he’s got time to figure it

Out he needs to do two years he needs do two years that’s fine that’s okay I I I have determined myself to not especially guards because I wrote off quickley was a guy I kind of wrote off Quinton Grimes was a guy kind of guy kind of wrote off

Their after their first Years everybody did with Quinton Grimes he just kind of Earth they had significantly better years and I just kind of ignored it and I’m going to try not to do that as much that’s something I’ve tried to be better at if a guy like almost saying like I

Wipe the Slate clean for all the returners like if a guy was horrible as a freshman comes back and starts playing well I’m not gonna well you know he played bad last year psky is kind of like that yeah it’s probably good to have a fresh start and like there’s this conversation that’s

Happening all the time and we’ll get out of here I promise about like you know there’s age and then there’s like there’s this whole narrative about foure guys now again it’s kind of making the rounds like that that’s like impossible to be a foure guy so like when some when

Somebody actually does it it’s like this is the first time there’s been a foure like no like foure guys work sometimes it’s okay age still matters but like you know this doesn’t mean you get better year matters more than age because like again I don’t want to be guy who shits

On Brandon Miller all the time because he’s good he’s been he’s been pretty good but like the thing with him people talking about him like a Lon Superstar he is almost he’s what is he like 13 months older than Patrick Williams or younger than Patrick Williams who’s a fifth year guy

Or whatever who’s got he’s about to get he’s about to get $130 million oh Lord uh and Brian’s a bulls fan folks um all right let’s get out of here I’m Gonna Let You Go thank you for doing this my friend I appreciate it we always go longer than I tell you we’re

That we’re going to thank I expect it as for everybody else please subscribe to the podcast check out Brian’s work at patreon in particular I’m a patreon there you should be as well and we’ll see you all next time

Brad Rowland (@BTRowland, DIME on UPROXX) hosts episode No. 1628 of the Locked on Hawks podcast, and he is joined by Brian Schroeder (@BrianJNBA) for Part 2 of a 2-part discussion. The show focuses on the 2024 NBA Draft in early January, highlighting contenders for the No. 1 pick, some of Brian’s favorites, the overall depth of the class, the perceived weakness of the group, and much more.

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