Drafting the Brightest Futures in the NBA

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily – "Drafting the Brightest Futures in the NBA"

Episode Information:

• Title: Drafting the Brightest Futures in the NBA
• Release Date: July 16, 2025
• Hosts: Dave DuFour, Adrian Schlecht, Keith Parish
• Description: This episode delves into a spirited discussion among the hosts about drafting promising young talents for NBA teams that missed the playoffs. The conversation emphasizes strategic decisions, team dynamics, and the potential impact of new players on each franchise's future.

---

1. Introduction to the Drafting Concept

The episode kicks off with host Dave DuFour introducing the concept of drafting the brightest futures for teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season. The hosts decide to focus on optimistic outlooks rather than the typically bleaker analyses.

• Dave DuFour [01:52]: "We're back live at Summer League... a little bit of draft podcasting."
• Adrian Schlecht [02:07]: "Yeah."
• Dave DuFour [02:08]: "Andrew had the great idea that we could draft the bleakest futures for the teams that missed the playoffs last season."

After a brief moment of clarification, they decide to concentrate on the brightest futures first.

---

2. San Antonio Spurs: A Promising Horizon

Keith Parish leads the discussion on the San Antonio Spurs, highlighting their substantial assets and strategic positioning for future success.

• Keith Parish [03:16]: "I don't like simple things, but I would say with the ample research that went into this, I would say the San Antonio Spurs feel like they have a lot cooking."

Key Points:

• Youthful Core: The Spurs boast a combination of young talents surrounding the highly anticipated Victor Wembanyama.

• Contract Flexibility: Emphasis on the importance of movable contracts, allowing the team to adapt and build effectively.

• Recent Signings: Highlighting the acquisition of Luke Cornett and the additions of Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant.

• Adrian Schlecht [04:16]: "We have to talk about him every podcast statistical darling."

Concerns were raised about the Spurs' lack of shooting ability, but confidence remained high due to the defensive prowess and overall team chemistry.

---

3. Dallas Mavericks: Balancing Star Power and Future Prospects

Adrian Schlecht takes the floor to discuss the Dallas Mavericks, expressing cautious optimism tempered by concerns over player health and long-term strategies.

• Adrian Schlecht [06:24]: "I think if we're drafting for the next five years, I think it's pretty easy to select the Dallas Mavericks."
• Keith Parish [07:19]: "You are selecting Cooper Flag, right?"

Key Points:

• Core Players: Focus on Cooper Flag (likely referencing a key young player) and Luka Doncic as central figures.

• Injury Concerns: Worries about the longevity and health of stars like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.

• Team Dynamics: Uncertainty about the integration of new players and the overall fit within the Mavericks' system.

• Adrian Schlecht [06:32]: "I also wonder, you're building a team around Cooper Flag and your best players are injury-prone guys in their 30s."

Despite these issues, the Mavericks possess significant talent and draft assets that could be pivotal in shaping their future.

---

4. Portland Trail Blazers: Navigating Youth and Experience

The Portland Trail Blazers are scrutinized for their current roster composition and strategic decisions involving young talents like Scoot Henderson and Drew Holiday.

• Dave DuFour [11:05]: "This is the first game he's ever played."
• Adrian Schlecht [12:02]: "This gets tricky."

Key Points:

• Young Talent: Scoot Henderson’s development is seen as crucial, yet his limited playtime due to strategic choices, such as the acquisition of Drew Holiday, raises questions.

• Veteran Presence: Drew Holiday’s role complicates Henderson’s ascent into a starting position.

• Team Potential: If Henderson and Holiday can synergize effectively, the Trail Blazers could leverage their youthful energy and growing defensive strength.

• Keith Parish [09:42]: "They have other very good players."

The discussion highlights the delicate balance Portland must maintain between nurturing young stars and integrating experienced veterans to create a cohesive and competitive team.

---

5. Washington Wizards: Strategic Rebuilding with Young Talent

Keith Parish explores the Washington Wizards, emphasizing their methodical approach to rebuilding without deliberately tanking.

• Keith Parish [18:34]: "The Washington Wizards... have actually, in almost a palatable way to me... brought in a bunch of young talent in a way that didn't seem unseemly."

Key Points:

• Roster Overhaul: Clearing out old contracts and integrating young, athletic players to build a strong foundation.

• Movable Contracts: Leveraging flexible contracts to attract and retain promising young talent without long-term liabilities.

• Market Potential: Positioned in a good market with the capability to attract fans and build a winning culture.

• Adrian Schlecht [19:08]: "He’s hooping here."

The Wizards are seen as a team poised for growth, with a balanced approach that avoids the pitfalls of over-reliance on draft luck while strategically developing their young roster.

---

6. Charlotte Hornets: Balancing Star Power and Team Health

Adrian Schlecht delves into the Charlotte Hornets, focusing on their key players like Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball, while addressing concerns about player health and team chemistry.

• Adrian Schlecht [21:26]: "He’s outrageously popular. My oldest son has like three or four pairs of Lamelo's."

Key Points:

• Star Players: Brandon Miller’s potential and LaMelo Ball’s popularity and creative playstyle are central to the team’s future.

• Health Issues: LaMelo Ball’s recurring injuries are a significant concern, impacting his ability to consistently contribute.

• Fan Engagement: LaMelo’s charisma and connection with fans are valuable assets, but the team needs to balance this with on-court performance.

• Keith Parish [23:08]: "He needs to play."

The Hornets must navigate the challenges of maintaining star player health and integrating new talents to enhance their competitive edge.

---

7. Philadelphia 76ers: Title Contention and Future Potential

Dave DuFour advocates for the Philadelphia 76ers, highlighting their talent-rich roster and potential to compete for championships, contingent on key players’ health and synergy.

• Dave DuFour [23:50]: "They could theoretically win a title next year... if Embiid is healthy. He is an MVP level player."

Key Points:

• Core Strength: Joel Embiid’s dominance when healthy positions the 76ers as serious title contenders.

• Roster Depth: Contributions from players like Paul George, Maxi McCain, and BJ Edgecombe add depth and versatility.

• Strategic Flexibility: Ability to pivot and adapt based on player availability and performance ensures sustained competitiveness.

• Keith Parish [24:28]: "They have a better chance of winning a title."

Despite past challenges in advancing beyond the second round, the 76ers are viewed as a team with the necessary pieces to achieve championship success in the near future.

---

8. Conclusion and Recap of Draft Selections

As the episode winds down, the hosts recap their draft choices, emphasizing optimism for the selected teams' futures.

• Dave DuFour [27:35]: "Why not the Sixers? That's my pick."
• Adrian Schlecht [23:44]: "This is a team that I expect to be fighting for, like, a real shot at the play in this year."

Draft Picks:

1. San Antonio Spurs – Leveraging their young core and strategic flexibility.
2. Dallas Mavericks – Building around key talents like Cooper Flag amidst health uncertainties.
3. Washington Wizards – Strategic rebuilding with a focus on young, athletic players.
4. Charlotte Hornets – Balancing star power with player health and team dynamics.
5. Philadelphia 76ers – Capitalizing on a talent-rich roster with championship potential.

The hosts express a forward-looking perspective, anticipating exciting developments and growth for these franchises in the coming years.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Keith Parish [03:16]: "San Antonio Spurs feel like they have a lot cooking."
• Adrian Schlecht [06:24]: "I think if we're drafting for the next five years, I think it's pretty easy to select the Dallas Mavericks."
• Dave DuFour [23:50]: "They could theoretically win a title next year... if Embiid is healthy."

---

Final Thoughts: This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily provides an insightful exploration into the strategic decisions NBA teams face as they draft young talents. The hosts offer a blend of optimism and critical analysis, highlighting the potential and challenges each selected team may encounter. Whether it’s the Spurs’ promising core, the Mavericks’ balancing act, the Wizards’ strategic rebuild, the Hornets’ star management, or the 76ers’ championship aspirations, the discussion underscores the dynamic nature of team building in professional basketball.

Transcript

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[Dave Dufour]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. We're back live at Summer League. I'm Dave Dufour here with Adrian Schlecht, our good friend Keith Parish joining us for a little bit of draft podcasting. You know how we all like to have drafts on a podcast.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Andrew had the great idea that we could draft the bleakest futures for the teams that missed the playoffs last season. I think this is excellent. We're always too positive on the show.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Brightest futures first. Yes.

[Dave Dufour]

Thought we were doing Bleakest Future.

[Keith Parish]

I can go either way.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Let's start with Brightest Future.

[Dave Dufour]

Let's do Brightest future. Okay.

[Keith Parish]

I mean, in honor of summer league and the exciting young prospects, Brightest futures.

[Dave Dufour]

Next will be bleakest but brightest futures for teams that miss the playoffs. You know, I'm. I guess since I'm the host, I'll be the arbitrary decider of who goes first. Keith.

[Keith Parish]

Yes.

[Dave Dufour]

The guest in the house. You get pick number one. I'll. I'LL go last.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Okay.

[Dave Dufour]

How about that?

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

That is a. This should be the entire concept. You think it should be easy?

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yes.

[Keith Parish]

You just pick the best player who missed the playoffs, who's young.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Maybe this should be.

[Dave Dufour]

This.

[Adrian Schlecht]

This should be very number one pick.

[Dave Dufour]

In this particular draft. Probably simple.

[Adrian Schlecht]

This should be very simple. We'll let you know if you're right or not.

[Keith Parish]

I don't like simple things, but I would say with the ample research that went into this, I would say the San Antonio spurs feel like they have a lot cooking.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

Right now it's the easy answer. And with their combination of obviously anything you put beside Victor Wembanyama going forward might look amazing. We think it's probably going to. And so the young cast they have around them also dear and Fox, there a lot of cool stuff that they can build in San Antonio. Also the infrastructure of a place that's done it before. They. I feel like that's important.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

You know, maybe the winning culture still lingers and so. Yeah. All right, first pick. Give me San Antonio spurs brightest future.

[Dave Dufour]

They got a lot of guys. They, they have a lot of assets. They even have players who are like young but movable, which is interesting.

[Keith Parish]

The always important movable contract. They have. They have many of those movable contracts.

[Dave Dufour]

And let's not forget they signed Luke Cornett.

[Keith Parish]

Great side.

[Adrian Schlecht]

We have to talk about him every podcast statistical darling. Yeah. I mean Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant, I think those are both great selections for them. Like they're. They just keep adding.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Adrian Schlecht]

To this team. That's a, that's a no brainer.

[Dave Dufour]

And everybody coming in can guard. Right. Like it's not just. They're they. These aren't one way players they don't have. You know, we watched in the playoffs. It was about the weakest link.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Who's their weakest link going to be? I mean it's going to be the young guys at first. But when, when these all. When they start hitting their stride, who's going to be the weak link defensively? I don't know. They're going to have one and if they do, Victor women. Yama is back there to clean it all up.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Maybe it doesn't matter.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah. They really don't have that. They just don't have shooting.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Adrian Schlecht]

That's the thing they lack. But don't figure it out.

[Dave Dufour]

Well if they play Cornet and Wembanyama together, it's not a theoretical.

[Adrian Schlecht]

It's a whole lot of theoretical.

[Keith Parish]

I guess maybe the only issue is it's there's not, maybe there's not perfect clarity with the depth chart. Especially thinking about like how does Dylan Harper play with Jaren Fox and what is Stephen Castle's role there and so how's that all going to work out and especially if you are missing that shooting with that team, maybe, you know, it's not going to be maybe with the enthusiasm for the future, if it gets off to a slow start next season, what do they feel like they have to do?

[Dave Dufour]

Were you on board with spurs needed to maybe move de' Aaron Fox this summer, just go young?

[Keith Parish]

I think there's a strong argument despite the fact just that they just acquired Darren Fox when they got lucky in the lottery and have the option for Dylan Harper. It's like, well, maybe you could move that for maybe an even better fit. But I don't know. I mean it seems like they have obviously had an interest in Darren Fox and made that commitment to him. Actually come coming back to my hesitation to pick the spurs. Just never been a huge fan of the jerseys, so I don't know if they would be open. I assume in this scenario I'm running the team and so I don't know if they would be open to some kind of redesign.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, the Fiesta jerseys are great.

[Keith Parish]

Lovely, right? Absolute.

[Dave Dufour]

We need more color, more of that.

[Keith Parish]

I can do more of that.

[Dave Dufour]

I'm with you.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Andrew, you're up.

[Adrian Schlecht]

I think if we're drafting for the next five years, I think it's pretty easy to select the Dallas Mavericks.

[Dave Dufour]

Absolutely.

[Adrian Schlecht]

I also wonder, you're building a team around Cooper Flag and your best players are injury prone guys in their 30s. I'm just, I'm curious to see what it looks like on the other side of. Anthony Davis is done. Kyrie Irving is done. What, what do the Mavericks do now? They have Cooper Flag, which is a great, obviously an amazing building block, but you have to have way more than that. 100 and so I don't, I don't know. I think I like their next like three years. Like what happens when Kyrie is done or wants to go somewhere else or what happens when Anthony Davis can only pick? I think I am taking, reluctantly taking the Mavericks. Okay.

[Keith Parish]

You. It feels like to me, Andrew, you're selecting Cooper Flag, right?

[Adrian Schlecht]

I am selecting.

[Keith Parish]

They have other very good players.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yes. I'll take Coop.

[Keith Parish]

Okay.

[Adrian Schlecht]

I think that's right.

[Keith Parish]

And you're just cool with not like drafting for a while, like not using draft picks because you've sort of spent a lot of those building around another Superstar who's no longer with the team.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

A lot of resources went into building around that guy.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yep.

[Keith Parish]

So I don't know, you might be right. I mean, Cooper Flag, very exciting player.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, this is another team that maybe should have considered. Oh, I know. We just made this big structural change not that long ago.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

But we just landed the number one pick. I mean, Anthony Davis probably gets you some good young players and some draft assets right now from a contest, like from a team that's trying to win a title. Don't you think?

[Adrian Schlecht]

Apparently it can get you Luka Doncic.

[Dave Dufour]

So maybe should they have and started thinking about the future?

[Adrian Schlecht]

I absolutely would have because, like him and Derek Lively, like, that's a great pairing.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. You start out with two rookies that can defend as your front court. That's crazy.

[Adrian Schlecht]

And the fact that we're hearing about like a PJ Washington extension, like, I'm just like perplexed by a lot of the other things that are happening.

[Keith Parish]

That starting shooting guard or starting point guard, PJ Washington.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Right.

[Keith Parish]

Where in the backcourt is he playing?

[Adrian Schlecht]

Who are the guards?

[Keith Parish]

Day one starter. I'm hearing Ryan Nimhard on the, on the two way. Yeah, we're hopeful there now. D' Angelo Russell brought in, but with long term questions. I mean, I know you have a very bright future with, with Kyrie returning from injury in many, in many months. It's not. You didn't take the short term answer. It's a long term. You have five years bright future.

[Adrian Schlecht]

I, I'm taking the, the positivity of maybe the first three years of this team. Okay. Knowing that the last two could be pretty bad, but.

[Keith Parish]

So you're pretty optimistic about this coming season?

[Adrian Schlecht]

I'm more optimistic about the next three years of the Mavericks. Yes. I think, I think they'll. I think they'll be an interesting team. You don't think that.

[Keith Parish]

I. I don't. I consider the Mavericks to be one of the more confusing teams in the NBA.

[Adrian Schlecht]

They are.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean they, they made the single worst trade in sports history and then.

[Keith Parish]

Got blessed for it.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yes.

[Keith Parish]

By being awarded by the lottery gods, the vision with Cooper Flag.

[Dave Dufour]

Yes.

[Keith Parish]

I don't see how the pieces currently fit on that roster. And again, I would call them one of the more interesting teams this year.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, Daniel Gafford is almost definitely getting moved.

[Keith Parish]

You would think they would move him for a guard.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Keith Parish]

Of some sort or a wing.

[Dave Dufour]

But who's the guard?

[Adrian Schlecht]

I don't know.

[Dave Dufour]

You know, who do they go get now? I Think Gafford has a market. I think he's going to probably be pretty good for the next team that he's on.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yep.

[Dave Dufour]

But he's on his way out. So they're going to make some. They're going to be some more changes for them. But I also don't know who's going to dribble for me. Guys with my pick, I think it's kind of easy. Portland, the Trailblazers, they're already pretty good. They're too. They're really too good to tank. They add Drew Holiday and, you know, we. You know, if that works out and he plays for them, I mean, this is a really good player, a veteran that you could put out there with these young guys. I expect some growth from Denny Abdia.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Just.

[Dave Dufour]

And I'm just talking about this coming season.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Much less down the line. You know, they. They get off Deandre Ayton, who it seems like was not like, had a. Had a positive impact on that locker room at all. And I got to say it. I've not watched very much of him, but the six minutes I saw of Hanson Young, I'm all in. I think you build around him right now.

[Adrian Schlecht]

That's right.

[Dave Dufour]

And I can see you look. First play of the game, they're running a. They're running him off a pin down screen.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yep.

[Dave Dufour]

Absurd. This is the first game he's ever played.

[Keith Parish]

Can't hide that skill.

[Dave Dufour]

It is nuts. And so, you know, we saw him throw some beautiful passes.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

I'm all in. Scoot Henderson's growth, I think is. Is maybe gone under the radar a little bit. But you should know that they don't move Anthony Simons unless Scoot is ready to take on a bigger role. Although the. The Drew Holiday thing kind of complicates that. But Drew's there short term.

[Keith Parish]

Maybe they.

[Dave Dufour]

If they eventually move him, they get even more assets. I think that they've just done a good job, put together a good young team. And that run that they went on last year, where we all kind of found them. Right. I think that's who they are.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

This. This is a team that I expect to be fighting for, like, a real shot at the play in this year. And if everything went right for them, I think they could be like 7, 8, not 9, 10.

[Adrian Schlecht]

What do we do with the fact that they just don't start Scoot Henderson?

[Dave Dufour]

It's tricky because you should be starting him this year, but now you've got Drew Holiday. I don't think that that necessarily was.

[Adrian Schlecht]

On Purpose the top. He's the third pick in the draft.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, he had his first year was not good. The ankle issue that he had, you know, he injured his ankle in summer league. That lingered for a little bit during the season that first year. And then year two is when he really, I thought, started to look good. He rounded the corner. He's not turnstile on defense. You know, he's able to see the court a little bit better. This is the year that he's supposed to start. And so that's why I think this Drew Holliday situation is actually, it's tricky because I think for Portland, it's better for them to start a scoop. It's a little bit of a crutch if they keep Drew and he's the starter.

[Adrian Schlecht]

It's frankly very weird.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Adrian Schlecht]

If they. Can you imagine if the Grizzlies drafted a guy at three and in his third year, he doesn't start.

[Keith Parish]

What if his name was Hashim Thabeet? I mean.

[Adrian Schlecht]

You know what I mean, though.

[Keith Parish]

Draft pedigree certainly means something in an investment. But at some point I think you can look at your player and say, like, we think it's best for your career. Maybe if you're coming off the bench behind Drew Holiday. There's no shame coming off the bench behind Jrue Holiday. This is not. We went and traded for another point guard. Are we even drafted? Drafted upon.

[Dave Dufour]

Came off the bench for his entire career.

[Adrian Schlecht]

For a title contender, though. We're talking about the Blazers.

[Keith Parish]

I don't, I don't see how it will hamper scoot necessarily. If you're playing behind a good veteran, you're still going to get the reps. I also think about like the career of his coach.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

Chauncey Billups.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

Chauncey Billups wasn't a great player until like eight years in. I don't know what it's like many, many years into his career where he became the All Star. Chauncey Billups. And so, you know, maybe people come along a little bit slower, actually, unrelated to the. Whoever starts in the backcourt. I think Portland's interesting because, like I took the spurs, obviously because of Wimby and the. And you think about the huge upside and a lot of other young players. And then Andrew with Cooper Flag and we think about how exciting Cooper Flag is going to be. Portland finished the year really nice. Showed signs of having a good defense, actually.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

And now it's like, but who's their. Who's their A list star?

[Adrian Schlecht]

That's right. That's part of what I'm getting at.

[Dave Dufour]

Who's the guy? Who's.

[Keith Parish]

Who's going to win?

[Adrian Schlecht]

So Scoot's not the guy. And who's the guy?

[Keith Parish]

It's not Shannon Sharp and it's not a team.

[Dave Dufour]

More like the Pacers, where they have a lot of guys.

[Keith Parish]

Why. All right, why not Tomani Kamara, the next Pippin?

[Dave Dufour]

I mean that, I mean, I don't think he's going to have the offensive game.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

To do that, frankly. And also we got J Dub, who is really like the modern Scotty.

[Keith Parish]

I don't. What if we. I don't, I don't know if, if Nico Harrison would make this type of trade, but what if Cooper Flag was traded to Portland? Because that's a great fit. It is a great fit. Maybe getting that superstar four Hanson Young. I don't. Well, actually, that's too far.

[Dave Dufour]

You can't do it. You gotta build a rap.

[Keith Parish]

That's the deal.

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[Adrian Schlecht]

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[Keith Parish]

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[Keith Parish]

Messing with a mic. I'm just helping us catch people's attention.

[Dave Dufour]

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[Keith Parish]

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[Adrian Schlecht]

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[Keith Parish]

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[Dave Dufour]

All right, Keith, who's next?

[Keith Parish]

All right, I'm back up, so.

[Dave Dufour]

I.

[Keith Parish]

Don'T want to come across as being. Is this opinion being too bold?

[Adrian Schlecht]

Okay.

[Keith Parish]

I'm looking at a lot of the teams that missed the playoffs last year.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

I don't really want to be in their shoes.

[Dave Dufour]

No.

[Keith Parish]

There's several teams that are obviously tanking up for the future.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

There's several teams that are like, oh, let's trade for picks. Let's get rid of our veterans. We're taking this long route to hopefully be good once again. That's not appealing to me personally because, I mean, still, we're talking about who's the brightest future. Also think about, well, who are your good players?

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Keith Parish]

Go into the lottery the next five years, hope I get a good player. I'd rather have a player that's already good. Now I'm looking at the other teams that aren't in this boat, and it's like, oh, you actually. You were trying to be good and it failed, and now you have very few picks. So it's very difficult now, actually, to pick a situation that I'm honestly that enthusiastic about. But I guess I will go with a team that's been purposely bad, some would say in the Washington Wizards.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Oh, man. That's who I wanted to. Okay, talk to me about the Zards.

[Keith Parish]

The Washington Wizards, I think, have actually, in almost a palatable way to me, who has a refined taste for not losing on purpose. They at least have, like, cleared off their books and brought in a bunch of young talent in a way that didn't seem unseemly. Maybe that's a very objective call.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Right.

[Keith Parish]

Or a subjective call. Excuse me. Where it's like, they weren't trying to win a lot. I feel like they shut down, like, Keyshawn George at the end of the year last year. You're like, that guy's young.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

Why is he, like.

[Adrian Schlecht]

He's. He's hooping here.

[Keith Parish]

But they. They have a lot of athletic young players, right?

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

They have the ability to. Those movable contracts. They have a bunch of veterans currently right now which makes them actually interesting.

[Dave Dufour]

Like what are they actually 95 million? Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

What are you going to do with Chris Middleton and Marcus Smart and CG McCollum? I mean are those guys going to run a basketball camp for all their teammates you know like this coming season. But I do think the Wizards are set up and it's also theoretically, I mean not in my lifetime have they been a dominant team but it's a good market.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

And it's like being there it seems like they could build a winner and so like they have a lot of options what they could do. There's nothing on. There's no players where I'm like I don't really like that guy. But basically because they're so new and unproven. Maybe it's because I don't. I thus don't have a bad impression of any of them but I'm like man, like Koulibaly's kind of cool and Alex Sar showed me some stuff and like they played Bob Carrington like all these guys hustle athletic, you know, strong players and so I would, I wouldn't mind taking over right now. I didn't have to live through any of the losing.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Keith Parish]

So now let's start building that up and trying to compete a little bit.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah. And I like Tre Johnson a lot. Same.

[Dave Dufour]

I think that again watching this young guys at summer league for that team they pop. Alex Sar I thought the end of the season last year really came on strong. His offensive games started to get more comfortable and defensively I do think that that guy is going to be a monster.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Like a real like a three block a game guy.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Andrew, you're up.

[Adrian Schlecht]

This gets tricky.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. How do you think I feel right now?

[Adrian Schlecht]

This gets really tricky. I. Despite them not having any big men to speak of I think I'm going to take the Charlotte Hornets as a team that I think they, they just. Something's happening with Hanson.

[Dave Dufour]

Something. Yeah. Young just did something and the fans.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Something is clearly happening with Hanson.

[Dave Dufour]

Yang.

[Adrian Schlecht]

That's the only reason anybody would be this upset. Charlotte Hornets or maybe they're booing this pick. They're just like how could you possibly choose the Charlotte Hornets?

[Dave Dufour]

Look, Concan Nipple is good.

[Adrian Schlecht]

I like the direction they're going. I. I really think Brandon Miller is going to be awesome.

[Dave Dufour]

I do too.

[Adrian Schlecht]

He's got to stay healthy. He only played 27 games last year. I think that Con Cannipple is going to be a good player. He's. He's not had the best showing here in Vegas. But I think that he is going to get it together. I think he's going to be just fine. I just like having connecting players like that. Yeah. With Brandon Miller, with Lamelo. I know people are probably tired of Lamelo, but the fact is, for the Hornets, people show up to see Lamelo play. Well.

[Dave Dufour]

He's a very popular player.

[Adrian Schlecht]

He's outrageously popular. Did you see people in the arena just screaming at him just so he would turn around and look at them?

[Dave Dufour]

The shoe I've seen the Most today is 100%. 100%.

[Adrian Schlecht]

My oldest son has like three or four pairs of lamelos.

[Dave Dufour]

But popular doesn't win you basketball games. Like, if Lamelo can be healthy, like, if you can tell me he's going to be healthy. Yeah, they're going to be much better than they were. He's got talent.

[Keith Parish]

Yeah, but is he going to be.

[Dave Dufour]

Healthy and then also play like team basketball, like a normal human being with. With the rest of his teammates? That's also the question.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

I love that this guy is so creative and willing to take 13 shots and miss all of them. You know what I mean? That is good. It's a good thing. But gotta find a way to reign this in and turn that into functional basketball play on the court.

[Adrian Schlecht]

How many times has he played 60 games in a season?

[Keith Parish]

I would.

[Dave Dufour]

I would guess zero.

[Keith Parish]

I would guess once.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Once. Yeah. Yeah. That's tough. That was his second year in the league and he made the all star team.

[Dave Dufour]

There you go. Yeah. He needs to play.

[Keith Parish]

Him and Brandon Miller.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean, this was the thing last year, right? Like the health issues. They were fun when those guys were on the court. They got better players that they're going to add into the mix.

[Adrian Schlecht]

I like that pick and I think they're okay with losing now. I think that they. They pushed back on it, but it pushed them into this zone where they're picking later in the draft. And that made it tough. But now, like, they're like, they got Brandon Miller. I think that's a great pick. I don't think that they have anybody that's going to get in the way of them losing.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Adrian Schlecht]

In the next couple years. And if you get lucky, then I think this team's really got something.

[Dave Dufour]

All right. For the last pick.

[Keith Parish]

Yes.

[Dave Dufour]

Guys, I will take the Philadelphia 76ers. Oh, all right.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Okay.

[Dave Dufour]

They could theoretically win a title next year. Right. Like, who knows? The east is wide open. I hope you do the thing that we all do. Right. If Embiid is healthy. He is an MVP level player, theoretically.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Win the title. Win the title, Dave.

[Dave Dufour]

Why couldn't it? They have talent. It's not like they don't have good players on this team.

[Adrian Schlecht]

It's a team that's never made it out of the second round.

[Dave Dufour]

I know.

[Adrian Schlecht]

I mean, do you feel that way, too?

[Dave Dufour]

I just see the way that it's open. It's wide open.

[Adrian Schlecht]

It is wide open.

[Keith Parish]

I feel like the Sixers, among all the teams we've talked about, probably have a better chance of winning a title.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Oh, yeah.

[Keith Parish]

In the next five years, maybe you dream up the spurs because we think Wimby is going to approach MVP levels of play in the next couple of years.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parish]

So maybe Wimby, maybe the Spurs. But of course, there's a world where Embiid works out the KAWHI system where he doesn't play the first half of the season and he somehow figures out a way to be healthy for the playoffs. And if Paul George is okay, Paul George can be Tobias Harris.

[Intuit QuickBooks]

Good.

[Dave Dufour]

Now that's too soon. A lot to ask.

[Keith Parish]

Too soon.

[Dave Dufour]

That's a lot to ask.

[Keith Parish]

They have enough talent. I mean, they're backcourt. They got so many. Yeah, I can, I can envision it.

[Dave Dufour]

That, like, yeah, Jerry McCain, BJ Edge.

[Keith Parish]

And of course, I think, of course, when we also talk about that, as Dave said, the east being wide open, that's a huge part of it with, with the Celtics and the Pacers, you know, like, look, you said, can Paul.

[Dave Dufour]

George be good for them? Can Paul George get them other good players? Actually, that's the thing that I've started to think about with Paul George, like his fit there is really weird now. They have so much guard ball handling that they don't really need the stuff that Paul George does. He's taken such a drastic step back defensively and obviously the injury stuff. So I wonder, is Paul George even on this team, really, you know, for longer than half a season?

[Adrian Schlecht]

Who's taking pg?

[Dave Dufour]

Well, that's where you got to get on the phone with the Miami Heat and just, hey, here we got this name that, you know, maybe we could get Andrew Wiggins.

[Adrian Schlecht]

He has a player option in 27, 28 for 56 million.

[Dave Dufour]

That's so much money for Paul George. But even if Paul George, like, he's not Paul George that we know, but even if he could be 18, 7 and 4 or whatever, you know what I mean? More than he was for them last year, they're a better team, but it's all about Embiid. And then I love those young guards. I mean, Maxi McCain and Edgecombe will.

[Adrian Schlecht]

See, but I like those, too.

[Dave Dufour]

I just think that when you've got that much firepower and ball handling gives you a shot, and then you've got him beat there as this ultimate. What if, you know, he's a mystery box and he. We've seen him be mvp. And the thing that has held him back has been physical, both his own physical fitness and then the health stuff. So if he can. If he can get over those humps, that's a team that literally could win title next year, much less five years from now. But they are also set up to be able to succeed if they want to pivot. Embiid is a guy I think that you can sell another team on. So if they wanted to do this thing where they try to reload a little bit, like they've already got good young talent on the team and they.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Could reset a little bit in 28, 29. Joel Embiid has a player option for 67 million.

[Dave Dufour]

That's. That's cheap, though. By the time you get rising cap, Andrew. Yeah, that's. That cap is going up like 10 a year, right? That's nothing. It's nothing. But I, I think. I think Philadelphia, look, we. They had the year from hell last year. There's no way that they can have a year as bad as what they just had. Yeah, they are going to be better this year. Why not the Sixers? That's my pick.

[Adrian Schlecht]

Okay.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Guys, if you're watching on YouTube or whatever, let us know in the comments. Who won the draft? I think I did, even though I was at a steep disadvantage on draft order. We'll be back with the bleakest future. Tomorrow is a bleakest or brightest tomorrow. Bleakest, bleakest, bleakest tomorrow. Thanks, Keith Parrish for hanging out. Thanks to Andrew Schlecht for, you know, just being a guy. I'm Dave Dufour. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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