Thumbs Up, Down, or Across on the Most Polarizing Prospects

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It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. It's the first panel of the year.

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We're going to talk about some of the most polarizing prospects, including Ron Holland, Montas Bezellas, Reed Shepard PERSON, and some more. Coming up on Lockedon, NBA Big Board ORG. What's up, everyone? My name is Rich Stamen PERSON. You probably know me better as Mavs ORG draft,joined by Leaf Tulein, one of the smartest college basketball fans that I know and then we also have raphael barlow's brother james barlow who is an amazing follow if you don't follow him already rachel does great work but so does james really good draft mind also if you haven't been listening to his episodes as well over the last few months they have been fantastic we all want to thank you very much for making us your first listen of the day means a ton to all of us today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel. Make every moment more. Right now new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $150 with any $5 bet. Visit fanduel.com slash locked on to get started. This is our first panel, I would call it, that we've done, this little roundtable that we've done.I know we did this back in the day with Raphael PERSON as well. And I found it to be fascinating. It was pretty much like we give a thumbs down, thumbs up, thumbs across, where we stand on some of these polarizing prospects. There's a lot of guys. Who do you guys see? We'll start with you, James.Who do you see is the most polarizing prospect in this class?

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He is on the uh run down list i'm gonna go at zachary risa PERSON shay for me the most polarizing guy well my opinion versus everybody else's opinion is polarizing

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so yes it'll be him i'm i'm assuming you're well on him yeah yeah not not the biggest

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fan i think he's limited uh can he shoot yes I'm assuming you're well on him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not the biggest fan. I think he's limited. Can he shoot? Yes. But when he's not making shots, what do you get? And I can't take somebody in the top three, maybe even five if he can't put the ballto the ground and make plays. And again, guys can be better. I just haven't seen anything that's like trending towards that.

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Yeah, I mean, I hear that completely. We'll dive into Reese and Shane PERSON a bit. What about you,

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Leith PERSON? Yeah, I would say the most polarizing just in general based on consensus of all the people I've read their stuff. I try not to look at other people's boards too often, but once I talk about mine, other people say this is where I have, it's Ron Holland. Like James and I talked about it in a previous episode. We each had him third on our respective boards. And then there's going to be people that had him 12. Like the ringer is very like well regarded and he's 11th on the ringer. I looked at another one. He's 12th. And and I thought, well, that guy was supposed to be in the running for number one to fall to 12 is prettycrazy. And then we have him like two of us, him at three and I know you've liked him a lot as well in this process Richard PERSON so I'd say he's probably among all draft people he's probably the most he's got the largest

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discrepancy in his range yeah I mean Raphael PERSON's talked about this before where he said to me like you know draft Twitter loves Ron Holland PERSON for the most part I think a lot of us are really big on him and think you know it's easy to see the tools I think a lot of us are really big on him and think, you know, it's easy to see the tools in the upside. But NBA ORG teams are pretty low on him. Like if you look at a lot of the sourced mock drafts,they have them closer to 10 than really five or three. So he is very polarizing. That's a good one. We'll dive into him first, but my answer, I would chime in on this actually, is somebody who's not on this list.And that's Cody Williams PERSON. I'm, we can dive into him at the end if there's some time. But I think he's somebody that just there's a lot of upside and there's a lot of downside to him. And also, I don't think he'd be getting as much upside praise if his brother wasn't a top

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75, 50 player in the league. So I think he's higher than that for Jalen. I think he's a top 30 player in like half a half a minute.

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Like once he takes over one of these playoff games, he's going to rise to that. But just one quick thought I want to get from you guys. So if we were to compare the three players we just mentioned, Risa, Shea, Holland, and Cody Williams PERSON, I bet you that I think two of us,I bet James and I have the same order. I don't know if you do, Richard PERSON, but I bet if you were to compare all the listeners on the board between those three,I bet the order would be different, one, two, and three on all those guys. And so I personally go Holland PERSON, Williams PERSON resouchet, but if you were to look at like the big board at the beginning of the year,it would probably be the exact opposite order. Yeah, I mean, I go a different order, too. But I completely agree. That's why this class is so fascinating.Why don't we start on somebody I think that all of us agree on? You guys already kind of touched on it with Ron Holland PERSON. I think we're all generally at the same spot. So this might be the quickest one. So you guys both like Holland PERSON. You guys make the pitch.I'll make the pitch against. But James, all you do it since the Leaf ORG kind of already went? But what's your pitch in favor of Ron

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Holland? 18 years old, learning a new position. He's very raw, but he went from the four his whole life to playing the three. He's showing you that he can't put the ball in the ground. The jump shot isn't great, but it's not broken. And then if you look at guys like I've mentioned this relief, I mentioned it with my brother, coming out of college, what was RJ Barrett good at? He was playing hard, right? Wasn't a great ball handler. He's a better passer than Ron PERSON is right now. Ultimate upst upst upst now. Ultimate swing for the fences.Coming out of college, what was Jalen Brown good at? So it's like you have the athleticism, you have the motor, you have the tools. It's going to come down to, for me, is Ron PERSON going to get in the right situation that's going to continue to help him develop? Or is he going to be in a situation where I'm like, hey man, just go play play basketball. Now, if he's going, if he's going to go out there to just go play basketball, then maybe you see some of the, the things that you would not like to see from him,

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he just keeps piling on. But if he's in a good situation, I like his talent, I like his upside. I think he has obviously the best friend in the draft, like by far. And I think worst case scenario, he can be a guy that can say you know what go give me 18 to 20 a game we don't have to run a lot of plays for him yeah that's that's a strong pitch i

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i agree i think there is some if the frame measures poorly at the combine i think his stock is

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going to go down pretty badly what's poorly to you i think if he measures at 6-6, like, that's a huge blow.

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Because right now, I personally, look, one inch between 6-6 and 6-7, it wouldn't bother me. But I think it's just how NBA ORG teams would see it, where it's like, okay, the modern wing is

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somewhere between 6-7 and the 6-9. Rod being on the small side at 6-6, playing some power

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forward over his career. How does that scale down? And then also just the decision-making. I ultimately buy it. Again, I have Ron Holland second on my board, but a case against him would be like the decision-making is not so great.There are a lot of times where he dribbles into the paint with three guys on him,

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and he takes the shot. So that is a big issue. And then also how real is the jump shot?

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Free throw percentage is good. It's a really strong indicator. But the form needs a lot of work. Like his shot is far away. Does it ever come back? Like I come back around.I mean, I've seen people compare him like Michael Gaggokris PERSON, which feels like an absolute extreme. Like I don't see it. But there is an outcome where like his low end is just like maybe a defensive specialist. Right. Or like, maybe a defensive specialist. Right.

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Or, like, I hadn't mentioned it before, let's say worst case scenario, it doesn't work, and he's like Josh Okie PERSON, right?

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Because coming out of Georgia Tech ORG, I said that on my podcast. Yeah.

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Josh was athletic, great first step. He just was like, he just played hard. Yep. And he average, like, 17 as a young freshman as well, too.

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Yeah, it's funny you should say that because I'm filling in on Locked on Jazz for David Locke PERSON, and his whole pitch is analytically based. He hasn't watched these guys, but he says there's three or four players that just kind of analytically rule themselves out in the top. And he talked about Castle PERSON. He talked about Holland and Boozzealous PERSON in terms of their shooting.And those are the reason some of those guys are on the polarizing list here. And so I made the pitch of, look, he's one of the most high ceiling guys, kind of lower floor. If he hits as a shooter, I think he could be one of the guys who has all-star potential. And we talked about that on the episodes we did earlier this week. But then I said, what if he doesn't shoot well at all? And everything stays kind of clunky form-wise, and he shoots the 25, 30 percent. And he's a dare shooter and he's a defender. Who is he? And I said, Josh Okie PERSON. So the reason that I would say I'm hesitant toput Ron Holland PERSON as high as I have him is because my philosophy is typically reliant on I like to draft potential. If I'm drafting on the top four, I'm trying to get a big home run but I just don't think there's home runs in this draft there might be a double there might be a single but you're not getting a home run so maybe I need to temper it and and scale it more towards high floor guys than high ceilings like I typically do and so I'm wondering if a guy like Cody Williams PERSON will surpass Holland PERSON for even though Holland's been higher throughout the entire process yeah

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Cody Williams PERSON doesn't check out as analytically strong. I don't know what it. It's tough to tell with the G League ORG because that stuff's not as readily available as colleges. I mean, there's Bart Torvik PERSON is right there with everything on college analytics. So it makes it a little bit tougher with G League.But I think Cody grades out kind of mediocre at best. But I think I think Holland PERSON would finish above him. So overall with Holland PERSON, where would you guys happen? Thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumb across? I go, I go a thumbs up.

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I'm mostly thumbs up. I have a little bit of a pause since it's not film related. It's just theoretical in my head of late. When I talk about ceiling versus floor, his ceiling I like a lot more than some guys. But typically when I'm drafting in the top, I want a lot more than some guys. But if, but typically when I'm drafting in the top, I want a guy that can be an all star. And I think he's one of the guys who could bean all star, but his floor is a lot lower than some of the guys I project to be good role players. Like, I'm not very high in resoucher, but his archetype, like if you were to say the top of that archetype is Michael Porter Jr. The next guy in that type of archetype that I think he's more like is maybe Cam Johnson PERSON. And that's a lot safer than having Josh O'Kogie be kind of the floor guy for Ron Holland PERSON. I agree.

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Yeah, I think that's completely fair. I'm excited to go over Reese PERSON and a bunch of the next guys as well. But first, let me tell you about DoorDash ORG. Mother's Day is coming up in this weekend on Sunday. If you want to make your mom smile, start Mother's Day with flowers or surprise her with gifts from the brand she loves, delivered the very same day with DoorDash ORG. DoorDash, right now,if you can get all your Mother's Day gifts all in one place, you can get 50% off your next order up to $15 when you spend $15 on or more on your next flower convenience grocery store retail order with code locked on NBA ORG. That's code locked on NBA, all one word. You can order using DoorDash today. Terms apply.When you're hiring for your small business, you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role. That's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs ORG. LinkedIn Jobs ORG has the tools to help find the right professionals for your team faster for free. I personally have used LinkedIn jobs for my nine to five. It has done wonders for me. LinkedIn ORG isn't just another job board.LinkedIn has a vast network of more than a billion professionals, which makes it the best place to hire, gives you access to professionals. You can't find anywhere else. LinkedIn ORG does all that, making the process easy and intuitive. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash locked on NBA ORG. That's LinkedIn.com slash locked on NBA to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Are you watching Fox Sports or ESPN on your TV all day and you have to turn down the volume with all that shouting? Make sure to switch to Locked-on Sports Today WORK_OF_ART,a free 24-7 sports streaming channel program for you every day to bring you the biggest stories without all the screaming and drama. Locked-on Sports Today brings you can't-miss analysis, opinions, news, streaming 24-7 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app, part of the Locked-on podcast ORG network, your team every day. So back here with James Barlow and Leave To Lean, we got the three of us backhere. Talking about some of the most polarizing players, we left off with Ron Holland on the G-League ORG. Let's pick right back up with the G League ORG. Where do you guys stand on Matas Bezellis PERSON? I personally, I'll start off with this. I'm not super high on him. I think he's extremely theoretical.In high school, he was really strong. He really struggled to adapt to the G League ORG. Leif, what do you think of Matas PERSON?

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I think he's a guy with a decent floor, just from the sense of he's six foot 11, and he's playing the two guard, in my opinion. So defensively, which a lot of people will say, well, he doesn't project well as a good defender, I think you can cover up for a lot of those liabilities with just length. Like you can rebound the ball for your position, and he can pass the ball, and he can create mismatches on offense with that lane. So I think that covers up for a lot of issues.I don't think he's a good shooter. And now the question becomes, how do you employ someone that's not a very good shooter? It isn't quite a point guard, but does like the ball in his hands. And so I don't think his potential's got as much ceiling as someone like Ron Holland PERSON, but I do think his base, his floor is probably a little safer. And that's why I lean towards Holland PERSON because, like I said, I tend to prioritize the player,I believe has more upside. But I'm a little worried about Bezellis PERSON. I remember when people had him number one in the G League showcase before Sarr PERSON exploded. I was like, man, Holland PERSON's better. Even if he doesn't shoot well, at least he impacts the game. And so I can't unsee that.But the more I think about floor, I get a little worried with some of these guys I have hired due to upside.

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Yeah, what about you, James? You know what?

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It honestly depends on when you ask me, what day of the week, what month of the year, the draft cycle. Like, I've been up and down on my eyes and I'm kind of like I have him seventh right now. And it's just so much to like be desired. It's like he puts the ball on the ground, but he's not a good ball handler. I think he drooled straight up and down. And he lacks core strength. But when I saw him in person, he looked like he was like physically developed. So like,it's not a, he doesn't have his grown man body yet. Like he has his grown man body. And he just can't get low. Then like you said, he's supposed to be billed as a shooter, but he's not making shots. And then like, I think he can pass, but it's not because he's limited off the dribble. How much of a passer is he going to be? He's probably going to be a ball mover instead of a playmaker.And I just feel like in traffic, he's not super athlete. Now, he'll surprise you. He'll catch a fast breaker. He gets a clean, like, you know, ripped through. He'll jump out to gym, but I just don't. He's very decisive to me.I have him at seventh. I don't know what he quite to be because, again, he's supposed to be a shooter. He didn't shoot the ball well. Some people thought he was going to be a point forward. I don't think he can go by anybody. And him, I think he's going to have to play the four offensively because he's not a great athlete but if he can't shoot the ball like we thought he wouldn't be able to shoot the ball it kind of like limits him as a playmaker of ball handler so it's like I get the upside but at the same time I just wasn't happy with what I saw from him in the G league night but I will will say, while he does have defensive, like, limitations,he does compete on defense. Yeah. So you'll take that. And you can hide him on, depending on where he gets draft, he'll guard the 3-and-D guy that doesn't move, right? Or he'll guard the four who is not an athlete.But he does compete. And I'll take that. So I'm on the fence with him.

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Yeah, I'm right there with both of y'all. I have him at 10. We talked about how he's not really a shooter, but he's billed that is as one. He shot at 27% from three this year, 71% from the line. That's per synergy so they combine the regular season and the showcase and all that. So not very good.That's not very high shooting upside, even though he is almost seven feet tall but like it's just he's all theoretical and also i just kind of like what you said james PERSON the handle i just i'm not really bought in like i wrote that it's okay at best like he has some moves but they're turnover prone so easily everything he does

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he walks right into traffic way too easily and that to me negates a lot of the ball handling skills and also i just don't think he like you like you said he competes it's a weird thing because he competes on defense really hard but he's also like just

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almost scared of physicality and it's a weird thing for me like i just don't know how to blend him together so thumbs down thumbs up thumb across where you all at i'm i'm like I think I'm just about thumbs down on him. I'm not going to lie.

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I feel like Joaquin Phoenix and, who is the movie Gladiator WORK_OF_ART?

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Yeah. Yeah, that is probably the closest one for me. I think this next one will be pretty easy with Reed Shepard from Kentucky GPE. We all got really strong opinions on him. This is a guy who is very polarizing because he's a 6-2-6-3 combo guard. But for somebody who doesn't play defense, he records a record amount of defensive stats. Almost four stocks per game, steals plus blocks, 50 plus percent from three, but not a point guard. James, what do you think of, of Reed PERSON?How I agree, Shepherd.

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I know exactly what I'm going to get from him. I feel like the time at Kentucky GPE gives you a good glimpse of who he is. Now, somebody had him at number one at one point? That's crazy. I don't, I think was it, I don't want to call out names.

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I know he was really, really high. I don't want to, you know, I don't want to call out names. I know he was really, really high. I don't want to, you know, everybody's opinions, different. Somebody probably trash me in the comments.

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That's fine. But I understand what Reed Shepard PERSON is. In my head, Reed Shepard is like a six to Malcolm Brogden PERSON drilled down,

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where he can play on the ball for a moment. He can play off the ball for a moment. He can play off the ball for a moment.

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And I feel like he's a good rotation guard. I've mocked him to Houston ORG so many different times because I feel like, you know, he would play very well next to Jalen Green PERSON next to an almond. He would like compliment those guys, right? So whether he's a super six or he's just like your starter who's really good who's who's good not get it I'm buying the shooting and it's kind ofhard to say a guy can't defend when he gets like steals and blocks it's weird but he just he finds a way to have some kind of impact but like I had, I had him mocked, I believe, at eight, eight or nine. And I like, I like him there. And is he a, what is he shot, like 50% from the three-point line? He's not a 50% three-point shooter. No, but I still buy him as a really good guard.

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See, I'm the lowest of the bunch on Reed PERSON. And it's not because I don't think he can play. I think he understands the game very well. I think he's a really good shooter, probably the best shooter in the class, despite, like, I don't think his values of shooters is as his high as sum just because he's smaller.But I think the teams that are taking him in the top 10, especially if someone takes him five through seven-ish, which is, I think the highest he actually feasibly goes, are the teams banking on him being a point card? And I think that's a little rich for my blood because it's conjecture. Are you picking him based on what he's done or prediction? And everyone has some sort of like, oh, Kentucky GPE guards, like no one knew for sure Tyrese Maxie was going to be as good as he was. But you could at least know, like, hey, he shot 29% from three at Kentucky, but he had all the traits. He just was missing shots. Shepard PERSON shot the lights out. You'rebound to regress there, as James just pointed out. He hasn't played the point guard, and you'd be like, well, he had Dillingham PERSON, but many people have him above Dillingham, so make that one make sense to me if he's playing the not his position. But then the player he reminds me of, and I phrased it this way and unlocked on jazz today, was if you were to like think about a draft and you're taking someone five through 11, I've got him 11th on my board,and I assume five's about as high as you're going to find him, is you're typically picking for a high-end role player. I see him more of like a Peyton Pritchard PERSON, of someone who plays a role and does well in his role, but that's scaled down. And I know Pritcher's on a really good team, but he's like the eighth man.And that's the type of pick you're okay with in this draft at 11. But I still don't want that player super high because I don't think his upside's high. I think his floor is pretty high just because you know what you're going to get in terms of his shooting. But I don't think you know what you're going to get whatsoever from the point guard spot. And I think you do know he's not going to be a good on ball defender in the NBA ORG. He's more of an anticipation type of defender. Yeah, I've got, I got nothing to have.

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You guys tackled everything. I hate the paid impression one because it does sound true. I hate it because I have him three on my board. So that being said, and I just, I value, I'll back that up real quick.

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I can't just go off of that. Yeah, he's three. I, I just feel like I value floor a ton.

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I think he's somebody that is going to be impossible to play off in the playoffs despite being small because he has so much defensive activity and he just knows what to do. And intelligent players on the defensive end find a way to stick in the playoffs, especially if you have that offensive skill. I also think he's just such a good decision maker that even if he is just a, you know, like a Payton Pritchard type, like that decision making goes such a long way.I also do think Peyton Pritcher PERSON would be better if he had more rain, more freedom. So that also comes down to it. But I'm also not a huge Peyton Pritchard PERSON fan, so I hate hearing that. But I have them three. So thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs across where are we? I got thumbs up.We got thumbs down.

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James and I are thumbs up pretty clearly. But I love watching him play. I just don't think you can pick a point guard to be a point guard that hasn't been a point guard, and that be like the upside part. Like the reason he's polarizing for me is that you're projecting him to play a position he didn't play even in college. And he's small.So if he plays his natural position, he's considered diminutive and makes your back court kind of really have to, or your wings have to be enormous to make yourself.

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So I think you have to thread the needle if you're picking a guy like like shepherd

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who i compare to pritchard yeah i think that's fair can't put him somewhere like portland GPE well we still

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got a couple more guys to get through including zachary rissas shea and nicola topitch PERSON the european guys but first let's pause here to talk more about monopoly goopoly Go, you can team up with your friends for time tournaments where you work together to build up each other's boards. The more you win together, the more awesome prizes you unlock. And there's so much to get, including unique stickers that you can trade with friends to complete albums for big prizes, cool new pieces, playing pieces to travel the boardswith hilarious emojis for taunting friends for when you smash their buildings or heist their vaults. Plus Monopoly Go PRODUCT feels a new and exciting every single day with constantly changing tournaments and challenges. A ton include their own unique mini games like digging for treasure or robot Pachinko machine. And there's always new timed events that help you win big like massive multipliers for everything you win on rent frenzies. There's always something fun to discover in Monopoly Go PRODUCT.So go get off the bench and go download it now for free on Google Play or the App Store PRODUCT game.

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international guys to go through. James, I'm letting you take the lead on this one. Zachary Riesisichet PERSON at the very beginning. If you've been listening to the whole episode, you didn't just jump to Zachary Riesichet PERSON. James said that was his absolute most polarizing player.Go ahead and the floor is yours, James.

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So if this is your first time hearing me talk about him, I've had him as high as four because he was shooting like 48% from three, right? And that's not realistic, but, you know, it was like January or something like that. So that's where we were during that time. Now, he's cooled off a lot. And again, my thing, if I'm like, like a Leaf ORG says, I want upside. I want talent. I don't see playmaking. I don't see ball handling.I don't see high free throw rate. I see a stand in the corner guy who six, nine, six, ten. He can shoot. But like, what do you do when you can't make threes? And again, this is my first time being on air with you guys. I can say hate now because Kendrick Lamar PERSON made hate cool.I hate 3D guys. I really do, man. Because when you're not, we live in Dallas, Rich PERSON. Those guys are not making threes. What do they do? We dare you to shoot. You're just standing there and you're on a treadmill. I can't stand them. I don't like those guys.And I had mentioned last year, I'm getting long-winded, but like Miami doesn't play three in D guys in a sense, right? Duncan Robinson couldn't play because all he could do is shoot threes now he not this season but last season he started to put the ball in the ground he became playable Caleb Martin PERSON was almost the Eastern Conference uh whatever MVP because he was putting the ball on the ground um Boston GPE they play Sam Hauser but like their wings or we don't I don't consider Derek White. He's not a three and D guy.He can run off as he can initiate. Long story less long. I want my top three pick to score, make guys better, put the ball in the ground. The shot is off. What are you going to do? A 7 of 19 game from Risa Sheay means he probably scored 19 points, right?I want my 7-19 guy to get me 25 still because he got to the foul line. And I just, I don't feel comfortable with him being a top three pick if that's all he can do is shoot.

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Yeah, I'm, I mean, I'm right there.

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One of my biggest things with scouting is like, I mean, I've talked about this on a lot of episodes on here,

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is what do you do when your best skill is off that game?

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If your defense is bad, how are you bringing value to the tables? You're preaching to the wire as well here with a lot of that where it's like, okay, what do you do when your shot isn't falling? I actually love his defense personally. So I do think there is a lot of value, especially at like 610. There's not a world where I'm taking him any like three. If you have the ideal situationin someone that's like a play like somebody in 10 to 14 jumps, that would be the only way I'm taking him top three. I've never understood why he's top really the top pick for a lot of these places, Moths like the big ones that have sourced information. I don't get it. I'm right there with you. Did you have anything else at or do you want to go to Topich PERSON?

Speaker 11726.44s - 1735.2s

Let me ask one thing real quickly about this type of player. So I mentioned at the outset that the best archetype of this player is Michael Porter Jr. Right.

Speaker 01735.4s - 1825.6s

Michael Porter Jr. PERSON is a really good player. But when he was coming out, he probably would, and that was a really good draft class, he would have been a top five pick. And that's generous. He could have very well been number one. Michael Porter Jr. is a better athlete than Reese Soucher PERSON prior to injuries. And he's been arguably the best shooter in the NBA ORG right now. Granted, he gets great looks fromYolkich PERSON. And that guy's not an all-star. So if you're drafting, you can't even make the upside pitch for Ryshachet PERSON. Now, I do think his floor is actually pretty high. And I explored this today when I brought up that whole Cam Johnson PERSON argument earlier. Like, if you think of who are the players that are touch under Michael Porter Jr. PERSON And maybe it's they're younger and their development or they're older and they're just not quite as talented. I think Cam Johnson PERSON's one of the elite marksmen, but he's paid $24 million to score 13 and shoot 39 from three.And that's really good. So that type of player is in vogue. And I do think that the, I don't want my top three guy to be a three and D who is reliant on just hitting threes. But I do think I've had, I have him at eight. And I thought that was as high as I put him.But there's a world in which if I shift my, my thoughts from thinking, okay, I want home runs one through three and then four through six, I want doubles, you know, to continue that baseball. Now if I think of it, okay, there's singles and doubles it right there. I still think he's kind of a single. And so there's a chance he, I move him up just because his floor is higher than I initially thought because those type of players that shoot that well or had the indicators shooting that well hardly have failed. Yeah, I think that's fair

Speaker 31825.6s - 1832.88s

so thumbs up thumbs down or thumbs across did all three of us say thumbs thumbs across or is that

Speaker 01832.88s - 1839.48s

a thumbs down okay yeah all three of us said thumbs thumbs across it is just very much like yeah he's nice

Speaker 31839.48s - 1844.4s

i agree with every one of y'all's points though like i have him at 10 so like i don't hate hate him i'm not

Speaker 01844.4s - 1845.7s

saying he's going to be a bus.

Speaker 31845.8s - 1851.02s

It's just that if he showed me he could play like just a little bit of pick and roll, right?

Speaker 01851.16s - 1891.6s

And again, I understand they, especially overseas, you get, they're trying to win. We're not trying to develop, right? So I get that. But like, and he's not the same player, but like Pocomteu PERSON, right? He shows that he can put the ball on the ground even in the little bit of opportunity that he does to get to put the ball on the ground, right?So it's not just they have me boxed into this role. It's just like I just don't see it. And, you know, again, if Detroit somehow falls out of the top four or five, like he fits in Detroit GPE, right? Because he can supposed to be able to shoot. He can play the four and then he should. But like if he goes to like Washington ORG, good luck.

Speaker 31891.9s - 1895.4s

Because you're going to, you expect him to be a top three pick.

Speaker 21895.84s - 1897.18s

And you expect him to be great.

Speaker 31897.18s - 1900.02s

And that's just not what he's going to be as like a score.

Speaker 01901.04s - 1902.2s

Yeah, I agree with that.

Speaker 31902.66s - 1918.46s

Let's get to the last one, Nicole Toppich PERSON. He's over in Europe going to be turning 19 a month and a half after the draft, so he's pretty young. Leif, how much of Nicola Toppich PERSON have you seen where you want him?

Speaker 11920.7s - 2015.9s

I really want him, but I think part of it's theoretical. So the thing about Toppich PERSON is I think he's got a chance to be the best player in this class if his shot comes around because he's got a unique blend of offensive potency. He's an 89th percentile pick and roll guy at 18 years old that is 6 foot 6. So think about the players that are 6 foot 6 and run pick and roll in the NBA ORG. There's not too many of them that run that ton of it.Like the player that I think he most resembles is not Luca PERSON, his countryman, obviously. But, but like people are going to conflate that. So I want to eradicate that. But he's kind of like Josh Giddy in the sense that he can run around a pick and roll and create. And there's a lot of people pretty infatuated by Giddy PERSON, but now Giddy is thinking, like, or I guess I'd be thinking, if I'm Josh Giddy, I'm probably the odd man out in Oklahoma City GPE. He doesn't factor into their future.That's because he doesn't shoot it well enough. So if Topich PERSON can punish defenses for playing drop coverage or going under screens, he becomes a better version of Josh Giddy, who I think is an even better pick and roll decision maker. I think the way he processes the drop-offs or versus lobs or kick to shooters is really advanced. So there's a reason I think he has got an all-star potential. It's higher than some of these guys.But I do think it's harder for him to just coexist with other players than a lot of these other guys. It's like if he's not the guy at the ball, I have my questions about his topage meant to me on the NBA ORG basketball court. Not as like he doesn't, he won't make the NBA ORG. I'm not saying anything like that. But I'm saying does he start if he's not on the ball? And how many teams are going to have their guy that theydraft presumably in the top five, seven, you know, not be on the ball. So that's why he's the

Speaker 32015.9s - 2023.26s

most polarizing guy in my opinion. What about you, James? I like him. I like him a lot. I think

Speaker 12023.26s - 2029.3s

I'm a big fan of ball handling tall guys who can pass.

Speaker 02029.52s - 2086.48s

Me too. He's got the vision. He gets downhill. He's creative finisher. He finishes not above the rim, but he finishes at the rim. I think he has good speed in the half court.Is he a break you down guy and switches? Maybe not. But I feel like if he comes down and he gets downhill, I trust him to make the right play. And again, if he ends up being Josh Giddy in this draft, I will take it. If Josh Giddy wasn't in Oklahoma City where that timeline speeds up every single day. We're talking about 15, 6 and 6. So if we put, and I even think I'm going to disagree with you leave. I feel like if you put him on a bad team and he has to play off the ball some,I still think he can be effective. I don't think he rebounds like Giddy, but at the same time, let's just say Portland ORG. I don't feel like I mean they have

Speaker 12086.48s - 2114.48s

other guys that need to move out the way but I feel like he would still get an opportunity to to be a secondary ball handler just because he's such a good passer and he's such a good playmaker like you as a coach you have to scheme him on the ball some and you have to think if he's in Portland Simons can play off the ball because he's a very good three-point shooter Shaden is an athlete he cuts he dun play. Now, how it works with like Scoot PERSON, obviously somebody has to learn how to shoot between the two of them, but I just feel like

Speaker 02114.48s - 2144.4s

his floor would be like a Josh Giddy type. And like if Josh Giddy wasn't, didn't have a game tomorrow, we would be talking about one of the good young talent in the NBA ORG because he's a a triple double threat who's very good pastor and like I said I like top it's I think he has better shooting mechanics touch than giddy so he's not decisive to me I have him number two on my board and he's been number two basically the whole draft season for me yeah I

Speaker 32144.4s - 2198.58s

worry I'm just like overthinking him because the free throw percentage is good, even though the shot doesn't look that good. It's flat. Like I don't buy the looks of it, but like there's too many upside indications there where I'm like, I just feel like I'm overthinking. And like you said, like he finishes at the rim and he does it with both hands.So like there's a lot of like. There's a lot of people that don't like him. I don't think he's super polarizing. So I'm kind of in between y'all. I just, I feel like he's got the,he's got an easy path that that jump shot really develops. So, but I do hear both y'all's concerns. Like this is why this draft is not a popular and good one. Like you can make the case just as strong for negative or positive for almost every one of these players at the top of the draft.So, last vote. Where are we on Nicola Toppich PERSON? Thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs across? I think, so Leaf ORG is at that thumbs across, like, tempting the thumbs up.

Speaker 12198.98s - 2215.84s

James just talked him into it. And then James and I are at thumbs up. I have him number four, because I think he's got crazy like he's got probably the highest ceiling in my opinion of this class but I just worry that the floor is significantly lower than other guys I consider with decent ceilings that's fair I would

Speaker 32215.84s - 2258.98s

also say watch the past euro like international youth games like I think it was like the u18s like a year ago a year or two ago watch those he really stands out so if you're looking for that, I think that's a good way to check him out, too. But that's all the time we've got. Thank you so much for listening to Locked-on NBA Big Board for James Barlow, Leaf to Lean, and myself, Richard Semen PERSON. We are out. And don't forget, check out Locked on Sports Today. It's free on Amazon Fire TV and YouTube streaming 24-7. Thank you so much.I can't wait for the next one. Hey, Prime members.

Speaker 12259.4s - 2266.5s

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