[jeffbobtomsteveParticipant]

This is what I would do, sorry Kings and Nets fans but I don’t run your team I assume they will do something stupid instead.
I’m going to post this in segments, lottery, first round, second round.

1. Washington – AJ – I considered Boozer but AJ just has so few questions about him, I think worst case scenario he’s still a multi time all star that scores in bunches. Best case scenario he’s a freakier version of Tatum and is in MVP talks throughout his prime. Normally I’d hate the fact that he’s going to the Wizards but they do have some new vets to help him ease into things until AD hurts himself on his new prank show.

Team building blocks 1. AJ – Instantly a top 5 under 25 guy
2. Sarr – Still only 21, Chet type on a contender
3. Riley, Kyshawn and Tre Johnson – all wings on rookie deals that seem like they could be starters
playing off ball

Excitement level for this pick – 9
The Wizards are fun for the first time since John Wall but I don’t think this rises to the excitement of a Wemby or a Luka. I would even take Cooper Flagg slightly above AJ as a prospect but Dallas was pretty hard to watch and I think the Wizards will be way more exciting.

2. Jazz – Boozer – This whole low ceiling argument is nonsense, literally why Luka fell to third in his draft. If you can combine size and skill you’ll be able to figure it out. He’s also 18 years old, he didn’t seem to have a midrange game at Duke but he also didn’t need one and has plenty of time to develop one. I don’t mind the Sengun comps but he’s already a better shooter.

Team building blocks 1. Boozer – Probably a high end #2 option
2. Keynote – Big year 3 improvement on volume and efficiency
3. Ace – I like Ace but he’s not an on ball guy, should score and defend at a high level though
4. JJJ and Lauri – Both have long expensive contracts, I would think you’d look to trade one of them

Excitement level – 6
He’s not overly exciting to watch and with the other bigs I think they would probably have him around 20 – 25 minutes a game. Kind of cool that he could follow in daddy’s footsteps though for Utah.

3. Memphis – Peterson – In my heart of hearts I would drop him lower but I’ve also been burned by passing on the upside swings before. He’s kind of a weird prospect, listed at 6 ft 6 but doesn’t seem that big, scores at will, not a passer. That doesn’t even speak to all the weird playing time stuff, don’t love an injury prone teenager, as a 36 year old it doesn’t get easier. All of that said it’s still hard to ignore how good it looks when he’s on his A game. I remember one play where he made a midrange shot and it looked exactly like SGA. There’s also just this voice in my head reminding me that Jalen Green was supposed to be a superstar also. Ultimately I think I’d peg him as being like Donovan Mitchell but with like a 33% chance that he is closer to Green and is an enigma with plenty of empty high scoring outputs.

Team building blocks 1. Peterson – Speaking of talented enigmas I think Peterson would replace Ja right away as their
franchise player
2. Coward – Oh boy this team went downhill fast, coward is a good starter

Excitement level – cautious 7
If him and Ja could work together it could be a tick higher but the Grizz have become pretty boring outside of those guys.

4. Bulls – Caleb Wilson – They finally cleaned house and now can land their best prospect since D Rose left. He’s really giving KG vibes from his highlight reel but obviously it would take a lot of improvement to be that level of player, but I think it’s safe to say his tools are special enough that he’ll be good on both ends and a high level starter even with very little improvement.

Team building blocks 1. Wilson – This is why people love this draft, there will be 5 – 7 teams that will have a new best
prospect to build around
2. Matas – Is there anything better than going on a players reference page and learning about
nicknames you’ve never heard of, Lil Buzi vert is awful and perfect at the same time
3. Giddey – somehow The Giddler did not make the cut for him

Excitement level – 8
The Bulls just haven’t had much to be excited about other than their hot start last year but Caleb is a fun player and should have them back in the playoffs within a handful of years.

5. LAC – Wagler – The Thunder have stolen all the juice from this franchise but credit them for finding a way to start a rebuild anyway. I won’t do building blocks for them because I think Wagler is the only one, I don’t trust Garland to be healthy into his 30’s and Kawhi will be long gone probably with his own dating show and/or focused on his many charities by the time Wagler is in his prime..

Excitement level – 5 – Wagler is fun and has a cool story but there’s a big drop after the top 4 picks and the team itself is still very unexciting.

6. Nets – Acuff – The Nets draft last year was a reminder of why I do this because whoever made those choices is just keeping the seat warm for when I get discovered. Another team that has no other building blocks despite 5 first round picks last year. Their payroll sheet looks more like a portsmith invitational roster.

Excitement level – 5 – Acuff himself is a treat to watch but this team is light-years away from contention and they quadrupled down on guards right before this guard heavy draft.

7. Kings – Kingston – Punching bag number 2, what the fuck is this roster? The best comp i’ve seen for Kingston is Fox, the guy they got rid of Haliburton for and then got rid of him too just so they could circle back and take a player who could be Fox like. They are forcing me to add Keegan as a building block just based on how much they pay him but I would still say Kingston is their new best building block.

Excitement level – 4 – Light the beam! This team was so cool for like half a season and now they are just a hodgepodge of overpaid scorers.

8. Hawks – Mara – Size is back. Every team should be thinking about how to beat the Spurs and just praying that OKC has injuries. The Hawks don’t have a true center and Mara is as big as they come.

Building blocks 1. Jalen – Has been improving rapidly enough that he probably still has one more tier left to get to
2. Dyson and NAW – Both are locked up for awhile
3. Okongwu and Mara – Kuminga is interesting also but his contract is up next year

Excitement level – 5 – More of a safe pick, kind of reminds me of the Clingan pick where Portland is mildly exciting now and Clingan is a part of that but not the biggest part. I think Mara will bring a new element to the team and they should be making their way to a top 4 seed in the East soon.

9. Dal – Burries – Really any of the lottery level guards would work here but Burries was the best of them for the second half of the season.

Building blocks 1. Cooper – Part of what makes Cooper so great is almost any type of player would fit with him
2. Burries – There’s legit #2 star upside but probably better suited to be a third option
3. Lively, PJ or Gafford – Lively had a lost season but still only 22 and the other two are on long contracts,
at least one of them should get traded.

Excitement level – 5 – If they are healthy this team will be way better next year but this pick is more about the long term fit with Cooper.

10. Mil – M. Brown – The last of the high upside guys unless you still really believe in Ament. The Bucks are in turmoil and are about to pawn Giannis off to some sucker. Brown is their only prospect unless Rollins is better than I’m imagining, can’t say I watched any Bucks basketball this year.

Excitement level – 3 – Still an unwatchable team and while Brown might be better than advertised he’s not the name that people would get excited about first.

11. GSW – Steinbach – The 9th team to get a player that would instantly become their best prospect. I see a lot of Yaxel here but I’d rather not start my rebuild with a 24 year old.

Excitement level 1 – I think most fans would hate this pick but 4 years from now they’ll thank me.

12. OKC – Yaxel – As an OKC fan i’ve been wanting a combo forward ever since PJ Washington destroyed us in the West finals. I looked at plenty of other very realistic options, Morez, Lopez, Graves, Jefferson but Yaxel is just too obvious with his versatile game and readiness to compete instantly.

Building blocks 1. SGA – The MVP
2. Chet, J Dub – Both locked up
3. Cason, Ajay – I believe Cason is someone we need to keep but it could be hard to keep both these
guys forever and Ajay is becoming more and more vital.
4. Yaxel – gonna be more of a glue guy just because the roster is so loaded

Excitement level – 4 – It’s a luxury pick but maybe this is the pick that helps them break regular season records or cement their dynasty.

13. Heat – Ament – The first one that should consider returning to school. He drew a ton of fouls though and with a little Heat Culture sprinkled on him he could be a go to scorer down the line.

Building blocks 1. Bam and Herro – They don’t tank so these two are still involved in their long term plans
2. Ament, Ware, Kasparas – They also signed Jovic long term but he doesn’t seem that good as of now

Excitement level – 3 – Ament is kind of a shot in the dark and even if he hits I don’t see him as a primary option but they have just enough young talent that someone could pop and make this team mildly interesting.

14. Hornets – Quaintance – This team has plenty of scorers and could use an elite defender. Diabate seemed to unlock something for them and Quiantance is a higher upside version of him.

Building blocks 1. Miller – Some debate here but I think to reach their ceiling Miller needs to become their best player
2. Kon – He’s already a star at age 20
3. Ball – Not sure if he’ll ever be a winner but they need him to mature a little
4. Quaintance – They could also resign Diabate if Quaintance doesn’t seem like he’ll work out

Excitement level – 5 – An exciting team and a great fit, I’m also a sucker for shot blockers

[jeffbobtomsteveParticipant]

15. Bulls – Cam Carr – Bulls the big winners of this draft so far getting one of the big talents and another starter level prospect here.

16. Mem – A. Graves – Memphis is banking on Peterson to be an MVP level player so getting some grit and grind to pair with him should be a priority.

17. OKC – Morez – They have so many guards, not sure how they pay them all but they have them. I think Dort and I Hart are the first casualties of the cap situation so more bigs is always helpful.

18. Char – Lopez – I am really bad with overseas guys but the idea of him could be a capable Bridges replacement.

19. Tor – Philon – They have shelled out a lot of money to mediocre players so hitting on these types of picks will be key for them moving up in the East.

20. Spurs – I Evans – This team is loaded with young athletic talent but they will need to plan ahead to replace shooters like Champagnie and Barnes.

21. Det – Swain – Duren is only 22 so I can forgive him for his playoff no show but him and Cade are really the only no doubt stars on this team.

22. Sixers – Jefferson – Building around VJ Max, wouldn’t take another small guard and I’ve pegged Jefferson as the type of guy that should be ranked higher based on his size and skill.

23. ATL – C Anderson – This is why they grab Mara over Brown earlier, lot of good guard options still in this range.

24. NY – Luigi – He’s huge, he’s rising up boards, he plays for Mega, that’s good enough for me.

25. Lal – De Larrea – Play to your strengths. They still need better bigs at some point but the guys in this range aren’t moving the needle.

26. Den – Stirtz – They need immediate contributors and more shooting.

27. Bos – Yessoufou -They also need bigs but this group is leaving me cold, this could be traded or they just try to find a high upside guy like Yessoufou.

28. Min – Okorie – This is the 10th attempt to replace Conleys minutes and probably need him to be a player if they want a shot in the West.

29. Cavs – Peat – They are surprisingly deep so I think it’s worth taking a chance on a polarizing player like Peat.

30. Mavs – Amari Allen – I think he’s boring but he can do a little bit of everything and should be a good enough shooter for Flagg and Burries to kick it to now and then.

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