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- [00:00]
Host
When I started podcasting, it felt like I had to figure everything out myself. Booking guests, figuring out rundowns, editing the show and publishing it. It seemed like the list of to do's got bigger and bigger and when you're starting off with something new, it seems like that just happens. Finding the right tool that not only helps you out, but simplifies everything can be such a game changer. And for millions of businesses, that tool is Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform, but behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. Get started with your own design studio. With hundreds of ready to use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store to match your brand style, accelerate your content creation. Shopify is packed with helpful AI tools that write product descriptions, page headlines, and even enhance your product photography. Get the word out like you have a marketing team behind you. Easily create email and social media media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling. And best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping to processing returns and beyond. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Turn your big business idea into a With Shopify on your side, sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com TheAthletic go to shopify.com TheAthLetic shopify.com TheAthLETic as we head into the playoffs, it's safe to assume there will be a few calls made by the refs that will be hard to accept. But you know what isn't hard to accept? Discover. Believe it or not, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard that right, 99%. So make a good call for your wallet and get Discover. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn more at discover.com credit card.
- [02:00]
Advertiser 1
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- [02:44]
Esperahini
Welcome to a special edition of the Athletic NBA Daily. I'm Esperahini joined by my guy, Bryce Simon, co host of the Pistons Pulse. You might know him as Motor City Hoops on X or Twitter, whatever you want to call it. Also co host of the Game Theory podcast with Sam Vesini. Look, Bryce, I don't know about you. A lot of people are going to be focused on the playoff race, the race to the top, as some might say. But me, as a person who covers the Toronto Raptors, I'm focused on the race towards the bottom, the. The seller Dwellers race. That's what I am focused on, which is the tank race. And since you do such a great job of covering the NBA draft, I would have you on to talk about the draft and everything that's happening. March Madness is around the corner. Obviously, you know, everybody's going to be focused on some of the stars that might be in that tournament. But I wanted to start it off with the guy that everybody is talking about, which is Cooper Flack. And I think general consensus coming into this year it was that he was the number one guy. And I would imagine so far the consensus is that he's still the number one guy. But he kind of scared a lot of people recently when he said that, man, maybe there's a chance I could stay and keep playing college. And you know, I kind of like this. This isn't a bad deal. How do you feel about his comments about potentially staying an extra year in college?
- [04:07]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, first off, this is my fifth year doing Pistons work and this is the first year I am not part of Congratulations conversation.
- [04:15]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [04:16]
Bryce Simon
And so I'm glad that you want to talk NBA draft and brought me on because the Pistons Pulse will not be talking NBA draft. Maybe some second round prospects as it looks like their pick will convey. Yeah. So this is interesting. I'll be honest with you, S. I don't know how much credence I've given it. Like, I'm like, there's no way he's really going to turn down being the number one pick. Listen, if that's what he wants to do, like if he loves college, he loves being the guy at Duke and all of that, you know, my immediate thought was money. And I wonder if Duke could. I almost think Duke could match what his first year salary would be in the NBA. Like, do you think I. I wonder.
- [04:55]
Esperahini
That's like eleven and a half million dollars.
- [04:56]
Bryce Simon
Yeah. I wonder. Now the long term risk of that is like, come on, please don't do this, Cooper. Because like I. Listen, yes. He could get hurt playing either place next Year. But one place would be one year at 11 million if they were able to go get that amount. And in the NBA, it would be four years, you know, whatever.
- [05:16]
Esperahini
Guaranteed money.
- [05:17]
Bryce Simon
Guaranteed money. And so I'm just like, money wise, please don't do this. Even though, like, I am a little bit of like the old school. Would love to see guys love college basketball, stay in college basketball, all of that.
- [05:29]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [05:30]
Bryce Simon
I just don't see any way that it makes sense. And like, he's consensus number one right now. Would be.
- [05:37]
Esperahini
I would be surprised, too. I would be surprised too. And also, do you think they could.
- [05:41]
Bryce Simon
Go get the money? That would be. That's what I would be most interested.
- [05:44]
Esperahini
If there is. Is if there is a program that could. Right. That's probably that.
- [05:48]
Bryce Simon
That would be my thought as well. Like, this isn't a high school recruit. This is a kid averaging 20 a game right now. Could you go get him? Like, we know schools can raise seven figures, right? We've seen it for guys that aren't even close to as good as Cooper. That was. That Aren't. Aren't living up to those numbers.
- [06:07]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [06:07]
Bryce Simon
And not the same exposure and the same name and any of that stuff. We're talking five times, though. That's at least six times almost. I would be. I would be fascinated to see if he said, like, hey, you know, Shire, I'll stay, but you got to match what my. My rookie year money is in Nil. I think you're right.
- [06:27]
Esperahini
I think it's a conversation, though. I. I think the fact that Nil has made this an actual conversation where it's like, could he. Could he possibly stay? Is there the potential for him to do that? That's the interesting part. Moving forward with the draft and it's like, from what I've heard, the 2026 draft is incredible, especially at the top two. So he has to consider, all right. Would I even go that draft compared to some of the other guys? Okay, so. So sticking with 2025, like I mentioned, Cooper came into the year as the number one guy. You mentioned some of his numbers off the top, but is he still in that tier of his own? Has he created a tier by himself where he's just chilling there as the number one guy?
- [07:06]
Bryce Simon
It's a great question. We'll talk about some of the other guys as we go throughout. I think coming into the year, I actually had Ace Bailey in a similar tier with Cooper because I think Ace is a like, NBA prototypical idea of a wing. Right. Like what you're Looking for. We'll talk about Ace later. As it turned out to start the year when Cooper was struggling a little bit offensively and that's where the questions were. It was actually Dylan Harper who was hooping at Rutgers, Ace Bailey's teammate. And I think there was a point there where Cooper never left number one on my board. But it was actually Dylan that may was in the same tier as him. And for me, tear means okay. If me and you are in the same tier s and a team is drafting, I would understand if they took me over you if my skill set made more sense than your skill set made.
- [07:56]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [07:57]
Bryce Simon
Right now Cooper Flag should be the number one pick for all 30 teams in the NBA. There's no question in my mind. He's in his own tier on my board. Number one pick. And it doesn't matter who's picking now. Are there teams that maybe he fits the roster better and all of that? Sure. But what he's done offensively is what has risen him to that clear cut tier of his own number one pick.
- [08:21]
Esperahini
Yeah, you mentioned the offensive side. Cause I think that was the big question mark. Moving like coming into this year where it's like how much potential does he have on the offensive end as a score and a shot creator? Can he create his own shot? And I think more recently you've seen him be able to do that. Like the crazy athleticism is just on another level for him. And I guess for people who might not be as well versed in Cooper flag and the NBA draft, like what is the number one overall pick? Whatever team the number one pick gets, like what are they getting in a player like Cooper Flag?
- [08:51]
Bryce Simon
Yeah. So I still want to start with the defense and the impact he can make on that end of the floor. I think Cooper Flagg is, if you want to assign a position like he to me is like a power. He's like a natural four that can play some three. Right. Like he. He has some versatility there. I don't know that he's like you're all NBA level point of tack defender. Like I don't know that he's that. But he has this big time athleticism off ball rotator low man. Like we always talk about those low man rotation, rim protection guys. Right?
- [09:21]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [09:22]
Bryce Simon
I think that is Cooper fly. I've watched him do it in high school. For those that don't know, he played at that awesome Mt. Ver team last season that had, if you follow draft, Derek Queen, Liam McNeill, these other guys that are all big Time players as well. Asa Newell, all of those guys are potential lottery picks in their own right. And that's part of why the offensive question marks were there. Was he played on this insanely talented offensive team. Here's what's impressive about Cooper. I really look at conference play numbers s. Because when you get it, I think a player can surprise people the first 10 games of the season. You can come into a college season and scouting reports not as out. You haven't had time. You get into conference play, everybody's a known quantity. I think the rotations ratchet up teams. He's averaging 22 a game on 54, 47, 85, almost seven free throw attempts, over four assists. I was looking at the synergy numbers. I don't always go to the numbers, but, like, catch and shoot. He's at 39%, whether it's guarded or unguarded. On dribble threes, he's. Excuse me, those numbers. Yeah, right. At 40%. Dribble jumpers. He's eight of 20. So he's doing a little bit off the bounce. It's just like a lot of those.
- [10:34]
Esperahini
Offensive questions, it seems.
- [10:36]
Bryce Simon
Yeah. And here's the thing that's exciting offensively. I've seen him run the ball screen as the handler. I've run it. Seen him run it as a screener. He can pop, he can roll, he can go play in the dunker. He can stand in the corner, knock down a three. He's a great cutter. And here's the last thing. He plays really hard and he, like, for a star, a superstar, he'll dive on the floor. He'll do all the little things. He'll play his butt like he does all of the intangible things as well.
- [11:03]
Esperahini
Yeah. That's what makes him really exciting, is like he's willing to do everything else on the floor, on top of be this potentially great offensive player. Okay, I want you to make one fan base's day right now. Okay, let's. Let's say there's. There's five teams right now at the bottom. There's the Wizards, there's the Pelicans, there's the Jazz, the Hornets and Raptors. Right there. That's the race really towards the bottom. Which one of those teams would you like to see Cooper flag on the most? Whether that be fit or whether that be just like, that team deserves a player like Cooper flag.
- [11:36]
Bryce Simon
Okay, so like I said at the top, I think I want to be clear. He should be the pick for all of these teams. Right?
- [11:42]
Esperahini
Right.
- [11:43]
Bryce Simon
Just Because Toronto has BI and Scotty Barnes and RJ Barrett. I don't think if they get the number one pick, they should be like, you know what we're actually going to take.
- [11:51]
Esperahini
Right, right, right.
- [11:52]
Bryce Simon
You know, so and so they should. But because of that roster, I'm like, okay, Toronto don't love it as much. I'm not saying the Wizards shouldn't take him because they have Alex Sar, but I think that'd be interesting fit. But I'm like, okay, that would be. I think where he really slots in are actually places that have four men. But I think is like, hey, you move on from those guys and let Cooper Flag be the guy. So it's either the Pelicans and it's like, you know, how funny would that be? Kind of like, very funny. You move on from Zion, the. The most recent big time Duke guy.
- [12:23]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [12:23]
Bryce Simon
For Cooper Flag, I'm like, okay, let him and Trey Murphy and me see and whoever else, let those guys build out this thing. Or in Charlotte, I think him and Brandon Miller compliment each other very, very well as like this wing forward combination. I would have said Mark Williams two weeks ago, but I don't know what that means for him anymore. And then obviously you have Lamelo Ball there as well. So I think those are the two teams for me that it's like, I would go ahead and move on from Miles Bridges, I go and move on from Zion Williamson. I let Cooper Flag come in. You know, Utah would be interesting, but those are the teams that stick out for me, I guess, are those two.
- [13:02]
Esperahini
Yeah, the Hornets are interesting because I think adding Cooper would also make it more viable to keep Lamelo just because of the defensive potential of a guy like him on the weak side. Roaming around like that just enhances you so much defensively that you actually can live with some of the mistakes that Lamelo has on the defensive end, which is sure kind of an intriguing fit there. Okay, so Charlotte, maybe New Orleans, those are the teams. Okay. Hornets fans, Pelicans fans, rejoice. Cooper Flag for. For. For those teams. Okay, we'll be back in a sec. We're going to talk about the rest of the draft with Bryce Simon, Motor City Hoops. And we're back. Okay, so Cooper Flag done finished. Very, very great prospect. Can't wait to see him go number one. We'll see how that shakes out over the next couple months, especially with the tournament. I think the tournament will be a very, very interesting part of this whole number one case. Who is in that second tier, though? It's because it's Cooper and then it's everybody else who's in that second tier.
- [14:12]
Bryce Simon
It's funny you say that. We'll get a chance to watch these guys in the tournament because two of these guys will not be in the tournament, most likely. Which makes it very, very interesting. Yeah, I find myself go, I did this last year with who was Colorado. Colorado had Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and K.J. simpson. And throughout the year they struggled at times. And I'm like, can all three of these guys be first round picks if their team isn't? And so my point is Rutgers is like right around 500 right now and may have the two best players in the draft after Cooper flag. So I will give you my four names in the next tier and then we can go wherever you would like.
- [14:49]
Esperahini
Are all these names in the same tier with each other?
- [14:52]
Bryce Simon
Correct? Yes. So these guys would be. Cooper is the first pick for all 30 teams.
- [14:56]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [14:57]
Bryce Simon
Whoever gets number two between, I would draft one of these four guys no matter what. But I would factor in like, oh, we have this roster. We need a ball handler. This guy makes more sense. Or we really need, you know, whatever. So Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper at Rutgers, Casperus Yakichonas at Illinois.
- [15:16]
Esperahini
Okay.
- [15:17]
Bryce Simon
And then Vijay Edgecombe has moved back into this tier. The wing at Baylor, guard, wing, whatever you want to call him at Baylor. So those are the four guys that I have in this next tier. These are the other four guys I'm pretty excited about.
- [15:30]
Esperahini
Those are really exciting names. I'm a big Edgecomb guy, especially World cup and then, you know, Olympic qualifiers. He had some really, really nice flash where you're like, whoa, this is a guy who's already competing against grown men. Very exciting. Okay, let's talk Dylan Harper because I feel like he, he feels like the guy out of that bunch that will likely end up the number two overall pick. What team getting in a guy like Dylan Harper and I guess your favorite fit for where he might go.
- [15:57]
Bryce Simon
Yeah. So Harper is like your, you know, on ball, primary creator type of player. He shot the ball better so far this season than what I thought he was going to. Now if you look at the numbers, you're like 33% from three that I wasn't expecting a lot. Now I will say this. He is one where the conference number numbers have dropped a little bit. He's down to 30% from 3. So it's one of those, I think at the end of the year you go back and evaluate and was like, did he just have A hot shooting stretch, you know is there because there were questions around the jumper. He has a nasty, nasty in and out hesitation dribble. He, he has a strong body. He's not super explosive S but he gets to the rim, he gets to the paint using this kind of creative but practical handle and then this really, really nice body control and then the defense is good. Like that's one thing with this top five is there are some ace probably has the most defensive questions, maybe Casperus as well. But as we mentioned with Cooper, defense is going to be a calling card for him. I don't know that it's a calling card for Dylan Harper but I think Dylan Harper is very good on the defensive end as well. So just kind of your on ball primary creator. Good size, really good size. Right. Like he's not like six foot or something like that. Defends really like how much do you believe in the jumper with Dylan Harper? I think is what it's going to come down to with teams how much.
- [17:22]
Esperahini
Of that is combine. Like do you think teams take into consideration like how well he's going to shoot at the combine?
- [17:27]
Bryce Simon
When it comes down to it, it's funny. Here's what makes me feel better about doing NBA draft. I've got to know scouts from different teams over the last couple of years and like I'll talk to a scout about a player and one will be like oh he's a lottery pick and then the other one will be like he's, you know, he's a second rounder for me and I'm like oh okay. Well this makes me feel better that you know, sometimes my gu guys are in different spots than other guys. I've had scouts be like we had a whole sample size to evaluate his shooting. We're not, I think at the combine it's. I think maybe you can evaluate confidence mechanics, some stuff like that but we're going to get. Well let me pull up his totals here. You know we have 103 point attempts, we have 130 free throw attempts from Dylan Harper to really evaluate what is the jumper. I will mention he's 74% from the line. I've had plenty of people tell me in the actual like NBA and media realm of NBA draft that that free throw percentage is a. Not a better but a very good.
- [18:25]
Esperahini
But it's a good indicator, right?
- [18:27]
Bryce Simon
Yes. You know, just in terms of touch and those type of things. So I don't know how much a great shooting combine performance does for Dylan Harper because I just think at this Point you can go back through high school in the film and you have so many numbers with synergy now and all of that to get. Okay, well he had one maybe workouts, right. Maybe private workouts is where teams feel better because they, they put them through their own shooting workouts and I have heard some of those like they put a lot of weight into because it's moving and they wear them down and those type of things.
- [18:59]
Esperahini
That's interesting. And, and I think Harper, his game is like you said, the in between is so nice. Like he's able to get in and around the basket really well. The mid range shot, the creation and that level is very fun. So if the three point shooting pans out then it's like wow, this is a, this is a guy who can score on all three levels and that's very, very intriguing. From the guard position. Let's talk about his teammate Ace Bailey, who I feel like is the most polarizing player in this top, top of the class. Either you really, really like what he has or you really don't. Why is he that type of player And I guess again favorite fit where you, where you kind of see him going and what, what you expect from him.
- [19:33]
Bryce Simon
So listen, I said it at the top. Ace was a guy that I thought could challenge cooperation for the number one pick coming into the year because it's it to me. And I'm not saying they're the same type of players. It was a lesson learned from Brandon Miller. Like prototypical NBA wings are going to be valued, especially ones that can get buckets. So again, conference play for Ace Bailey. 19 points a game on 46, 39, 73 from the free throw line. And he also rebounds. Like listen Ace, the passing is going to be a question. The defense, I think he has potential and you see some of the defensive playmaking at times, I see communication at times but it's not always consistent which he's a young kid, that's going to happen. I think he has potential to be a real two way player, not three and like hopefully he's more than that as a score. But I do think he has defensive potential. The big questions is honestly s is the shot diet. It's, it's a little bit of the Jabari Smith Jr. You're people are going to give the Jabari Smith Jr. Comparison of.
- [20:39]
Esperahini
That's what you hear all the time.
- [20:40]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, like he lives on this really tough shot diet because he can't create his own shot. And in college, you know, he's bigger than guys and Longer than guys and he's scoring over that. Then you get into the NBA and it's like he either has to be elite shooter or find a way to get better shots. But now these defenders are longer and better and all of that. All of those things. And so I think that's where the question marks come in with him. I think people are dropping him too low. I think not having him in the top five would be tough for me because he is this 6, 8, 69 wing that we've seen have huge games, like huge scoring outputs and can really put the ball in the basket along.
- [21:23]
Esperahini
With some of the shooter too. Like yeah, you watch some of his shooting. It's like off movement. He is running into those shots. And that's what's really intriguing as like an off ball player, you know.
- [21:33]
Bryce Simon
Oh, definitely off ball player. I should have said that at the top. Very much an off ball player for me. Yeah.
- [21:37]
Esperahini
I think like one of the intriguing things about Ace and maybe this is a debate of like what you prefer when it comes to the NBA draft, but you talk about like college spacing. Like Ace could really, really benefit from NBA spacing, whereas the. There's the other side of the argument where it's like length and the size and the speed of the NBA might actually hurt his ability. So where do you land on that for Ace? What, what do you think? Do you think he's actually going to benefit more from the space or will it be harder for him to create those shots?
- [22:05]
Bryce Simon
I think he'll benefit in terms of the off ball player in terms of that space where like somebody breaks down the defense and now he's getting good looks and you know, all of those type of things. My biggest worry is though, like I don't know if he has the handle to take advantage of the space on the ball. And that's where I think I've come down just a little bit like I thought Ace may would be. And he still could be right. Like hub of your offense, like the primary option. He can do it with the ball in his hands, he can do it without the ball in his hands, all of those things. I'm not saying you can't run zoom action for him or something like that.
- [22:39]
Esperahini
Yeah, yeah.
- [22:39]
Bryce Simon
I'm just not sure he has the wiggle and the tightness in his handle to like break you down in isolation and get something better than a mid range pull up over a.
- [22:49]
Esperahini
Two different types of players.
- [22:50]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, two different types. Now can he tighten his handle? We've seen players do it. I'M not like that's the crapshoot with all of this. It's just not as far along as what I thought. But he makes NBA level shots when you watch him play. And again he's a 6 8, 69 wing who has real two way potential that can make shots, that's had big games, that rebounds. Is this not what every single NBA team is looking for? Right. Like wings like that. You're always taking a chance when you draft somebody. I think taking a chance on that archetype that has been productive makes a lot of sense.
- [23:26]
Esperahini
Yeah. So okay, so you mentioned that Rutgers is definitely not going to be making that tournament. Right. Not in March Madness. So there is an opportunity for someone else to jump into those two, those that top three. And you mentioned two names already in Kasparis and vj. But is there anyone that can really make this a conversation over the next couple of months? And is it one of those two.
- [23:46]
Bryce Simon
Guys for the number one pick for.
- [23:49]
Esperahini
Like two, three for two, three? Yeah.
- [23:52]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, I think so. I think Dylan is probably better than Casperus but like if, if he led Illinois through the NCAA tournament and especially if he cut that. My biggest thing with him right now is his like I watch him a lot and it's like listen, I've loved him going back to the summer. Well built kid. Another, for those who don't know, Casperus is a primary initiator. Not quite as big.
- [24:17]
Esperahini
Very unique type of player.
- [24:19]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, yeah.
- [24:20]
Esperahini
Like he kind of like goes at his own pace. It's very interesting to watch.
- [24:23]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, yeah. But you know, orchestrates the offense, has all the live dribble, hook pass, both hands. But I do have some questions about the turnovers in terms of reading the floor at time, getting himself into trouble, those type of things. The shooting again, it's funny in a world where people are complaining about too much three point shooting. If you follow NBA draft coverage, there seems to be a lot of questions about guys knocking down shots at a high rate. He's at 34% on the season but had some big games as well. Another guy that I think the defense is okay. I thought the pre college defense was better than what I've seen in the season. And then the other guy, your guy, VJ Edgecombe. Defense is not the concern with bj. VJ is going to guard, especially trailer. Right.
- [25:11]
Esperahini
Like those guys love to guard.
- [25:12]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, they love to guard. He really loves to do it. You turn on a game and you're going to see like highlight level verticality contests, chase down blocks like we talked about low man rotations. VJ does that. He's engaged on the ball. Like, there's a chance for him to be a real impact on the defensive end. I'm a little concerned offensively. Okay. Now he has been better. So you talk about, like, improvement throughout the year. Yeah, let me. Like, that is something that is true with him. The shooting was bad, bad earlier in the year.
- [25:51]
Esperahini
But it's come around recently, right?
- [25:52]
Bryce Simon
Very much come around. He's up to 37% on the season in conference play. And again, I don't want to overstate this, but I do think it matters.
- [26:02]
Esperahini
Yeah.
- [26:02]
Bryce Simon
He's at 17 points on 48, 42 from 3, and 88 from the free throw line. I think he's a guy that people would like to see him do a little bit more with the ball in his hands. Right. Like some of that stuff. But the fact he's knocking down shots along with the defensive potential and all of that has definitely put him back. Yeah. I mean, I think if he showed some more on ball stuff, some creation, whatever, I could see a team falling in love with VJ over Ace and. Or Dylan. Like, I think right now I would have Dylan to Ace 3. Casper is 4, VJ5. But if you told me by the time we got to the draft that VJ ends up the number two pick with the right team, I wouldn't be shocked. Like, it wouldn't be crazy to me.
- [26:47]
Esperahini
Right. That's interesting because I think with Vijay, you know, similar to Ace in the sense that like, maybe NBA spacing could really help him out. It's like the. The spacing opening things up. He's such a great athlete. We already saw it in international competition where it sort of that extra space allowed him to do some more. I don't know. He's very intriguing. He's definitely like one of the. One of my favorite guys to watch in this draft cycle. Okay. There are a couple of teams in the draft world right now that are hoping that their teams tank a little bit more to finish the season. I'm thinking about the Brooklyn Nets. Think about the Portland Trail Blazers. Think about the Toronto Raptors, where everybody is like, all right, let's try to focus on losing for the rest of the season. Now, you can agree or disagree with that approach, but that's how people feel. That's how strongly people feel about that draft. Is there a player, though, in the back end of the lottery or top 10 that you think has that star potential to make these fan bases feel a little bit Better about their situation.
- [27:42]
Bryce Simon
So. So there's some interesting names. What I will say is I think this draft has gotten a little bit overstated because here's what I've learned the last two years. We only talk about drafts in terms of if it's a good draft or a bad draft or whatever based on the top. That's the only. That, like, that's how it ends up getting, you know, labeled. My least confident tier is the tier we're about to talk about in this range where if I was drafting a lot of these guys, you know, maybe some of these guys would end up in the back end of the lottery. But, like, Whoever I'm taking 6 through 10 in the next mock mock draft, I'm a little nervous about throwing out those names. Six through 10. Does that. Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah. Some of those guys, we still got a month to evaluate them. All of that where you get to the end of the first round and I'm like, okay, I really like this guy. Into the first round, top of the second, stuff like that. So the rest of the lottery is. Is a little all over the place for me. I will throw out a name. I'm not saying he's my favorite guy, but if you want, like, star potential, there's two names I think that you take swings on. One is Trey Johnson at Texas, who had a huge game last night in an upset win. The dude can get buckets. And you talk about like a sh. He has a very difficult shot diet at 6. 6. And again, it's like, okay, is that a positive S or is that a negative? Like, is there a reason that he's not able to get easier shots for himself and isn't able to get to the rim and finish? And does he have the speed? But he can make shots? Like, I guarantee you that, you know, he can make shots. And then it's. What's the rest of his game? Completely other side of the spectrum here. Common Moloch Cooper, Flag's teammate. Yeah. Big man who I thought was going to be like a top five pick. Like, he was the guy that I pegged to, like, hey, I really hasn't shown all of the things I was excited about, but you talk about size, you talk about a big man, potentially. Spaces the floor, eventually defense, all of those things. Movement, mobility, like, that's another. Like, if you just want to get about excited about upside and ceiling, those are probably the two names in this range compared to some other names that are like, this guy's going to be really, really solid. Like Liam McNeely I think is going to be a really good pro, but he may not like excite your fan base because he's going to come in and be your leading scorer or something.
- [30:06]
Esperahini
Okay, interesting.
- [30:07]
Bryce Simon
Yeah.
- [30:08]
Esperahini
You know what? Come on. Is also a guy that. From just Raptors people that's. That's someone that's mentioned often.
- [30:15]
Bryce Simon
It makes sense.
- [30:16]
Esperahini
They obviously they need a big. They need like a big of the future. And so that's why most of the time people are like, come on my luck. Why not?
- [30:22]
Bryce Simon
Listen, if. If they're drafting at 7 or something like that, like, that's higher than. Some people have him on their board. But I think that would make sense for them as a. Like, does Toronto need to add what I just said in Liam McNeely who is one of the best shooters in the draft? Yeah. Does way more than that. Or con canopy another Duke player or great game? Yeah, yeah.
- [30:45]
Esperahini
Incredible name.
- [30:46]
Bryce Simon
Do they need. Do they need Jaguar, you know, out of byu another, you know, a guy that needs the ball in his hands but may not be able to shoot. Do they need to add any of those guys?
- [30:55]
Esperahini
Right.
- [30:56]
Bryce Simon
Maybe they're. Toronto is the team that's better off taking common. And that's where I say, like, I don't love having some of these names at 6, 7, 8 on my board, but when you talk about team specific, it's like, okay, this makes it. Derek Queen is another name that like.
- [31:13]
Esperahini
Yeah, really intriguing player.
- [31:14]
Bryce Simon
Yeah, probably my hardest evaluation. I don't know what to think, but it's like, okay, you have this like, interesting big who can pass and do these things. All right, send him to Golden State. I love that. Like, let's see, like, let. Let him go there and figure it out and contribute to that. So I think that range in the rest of the lottery is really going to come down to a. A lot of fit type stuff. Not solely, but I think a lot is like, hey, you know what? We're a team. Liam McNeely makes a lot of sense. Just come in, be really solid, make shots, be a good defender. That's what we can add to our team and that's what we would value this year.
- [31:51]
Esperahini
That just sounds like an OKC pick. That just sounds like a guy that, you know, OKC Philly is going to end up losing that pick and going to Oklahoma City and he's going to end up being on the Thunder and a steal. That's. How do they.
- [32:04]
Bryce Simon
Do they need any more picks? I don't.
- [32:06]
Esperahini
I don't even Know, that's a, that's a better question for Andrew Schlecked to answer.
- [32:11]
Bryce Simon
But my thing is, if you're a prospect, do you want to go to. Okay, I don't want to go to okc. I would tell my agent, like, listen, I realize it would look good for me that they, you know, that Sam Presti drafted me. How do I get in the rotation there?
- [32:25]
Esperahini
You play.
- [32:25]
Bryce Simon
You know what I'm saying? Like, I was thinking the other day, like, could they draft a guard? And I like, no, they have Topage sitting on the bench, recovering from injury on top of everybody else. So, no, I don't. Don't draft me okc. I want to go somewhere where I'm going to get a chance to play. And that's obviously a compliment to Schleck's. Oklahoma City.
- [32:44]
Esperahini
Absolutely.
- [32:44]
Bryce Simon
Yeah.
- [32:44]
Esperahini
Look, there's. There's actually a few teams in this draft where it's like they have multiple picks, so multiple kicks at the can. Brooklyn is a team that I'm thinking about. Utah is another team, obviously okc. So the, the opportunity for moving up and down. We didn't even talk about San Antonio, that if the Hawks lose their pick, they have a potential of getting two lottery picks in this draft. So there's that aspect of it, too, of like moving up and down and shape shifting. See how it happens throughout the rest of this draft cycle. Bryce Simon, thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate you giving us the low on everything the 2025 NBA Draft, folks. Check out Bryce Motor City Hoops at the Pistons Pulse. If you want your Pistons coverage, do great work. Also co host of the Game Theory podcast with Sam Bassini. Talk about all the NBA everything you can look for. Bryce, thank you so much for coming on, man.
- [33:31]
Bryce Simon
I appreciate it. I. I enjoyed a chance to talk some NBA draft, so thank you very much. Foreign.
- [34:02]
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Bryce Simon
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