NBA's Top 25 (25 and Under): Unveiling the Honorable Mentions

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: It's Wednesday, you know what time it is

[00:00:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Frontrunner Podcast Collective is back on the air. I am your humble host Vince and

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_00]: today's podcast is pretty exciting because

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Nothing is going on in the NBA

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: so

[00:00:32] [SPEAKER_00]: What do content creators do when nothing's going on in?

[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_00]: The legal choice that we cover

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER_00]: We rank stuff that's what we do we rank stuff because that's what all

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Podcasts do so we will also fall into this trope today and what we will be doing is

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: We will be counting down

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: the top 25

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: 25 and under

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_00]: NBA players now

[00:01:05] [SPEAKER_00]: We'll be doing the honorable mentions today and then how it will actually work is

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_00]: we'll pick some sort of number where we can talk about them very casually and

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Give you a kind of a perspective and we'll get into all of what the criteria was and all that in a second

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_00]: But we want to kind of let you know what was going on now as we go through our list of these players

[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Because this is gonna be a multiple

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Podcast list anything that pops up any kind of newsworthy type of situation that pops up

[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_00]: We will talk about it and there will be one before we get into our top 25 today

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So do not worry about that. So I just wanted to kind of let you in on what's going on with the podcast

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_00]: What you can expect

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00]: For a little while and also knowing that we're gonna keep up-to-date on all the news and notes that go on in the NBA

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: With that being said let's get to the socials

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: first and foremost

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_00]: X at front runner PC also the producers are at Raya

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: underscore punch FR PC

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: we've been having a little back and forth with some of the basketball

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_00]: intelligentsia today and

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Shots out to my guy at usher NBA great usher. He does tremendous work. We follow him

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: We need to have that dude on the podcast soon

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see if we can get that set up

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Our trustee, Saraya, she'll she'll make it happen

[00:02:43] [SPEAKER_00]: But he put out a tweet about Markel Foltz earlier today in regards to why he hasn't

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_00]: you know gotten a job in the NBA and

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I simply put

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: maybe

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_00]: shooting 22.3 percent from three point

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Line will probably not get you a job and the response to that tweet

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Was like crazy. So I want to thank everybody who kind of chimed in liked it

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Asked a couple questions. I had no problem answering it one guy asked me like

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Clearly you don't watch Markel Foltz and I was like, no, bro

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I've been watching Markel Foltz since

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_00]: early days when he used to put it on us when he was at the University of Washington UW and

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I would see him do it to the UCLA Bruins

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: But it was a good little interaction loved it loved all of it and we're gonna be doing more and more of that

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Because of the fact that we're trying to get you to come to the podcast

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Now with that being said

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for a lot of the people who have joined us because I can tell you right now and I'm gonna shoot out

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna shout out our producers

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_00]: We've doubled our

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_00]: followers in on X

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: In the last three months

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: So thank you for getting the podcast one

[00:04:15] [SPEAKER_00]: two

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: for downloading the podcast we're gonna get into the numbers in a second and

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Three, you know engaging with us and following us on Twitter. That's fantastic. This is what we want

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_00]: we want to be able to

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_00]: build out this community talk with you and

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Mix it up here and there and also maybe just maybe you'll spark an idea for us and

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe your idea will end up on the podcast which probably nine times that attended will because we need content

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_00]: now

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: With that being said the numbers we talked about it. We are record-breaking as of right now

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Sunday is my birthday as we've been talking about all month

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00]: We are surpassed what we did in the month of July already for the month of August

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: It's not even close now

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_00]: But I will continue to thank and show my appreciation to the audience

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_00]: For being a friend and telling a friend about the podcast and

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Friday

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Friday you will get hey Vince. I have exhausted my friend group

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: What should I do next?

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Who should I target as the next person who will be able to experience?

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_00]: FRPC and

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: be able to get a

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: NVA podcast Monday Wednesday and Friday

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_00]: well

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Friday we will make that happen for you

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: We will give you suggestions on Friday with that and then the last thing we need to talk about

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: before we get into the pod is the YouTube channel and

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_00]: We gained a couple subscribers, which is great

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna continue to bang this drum if you're following the podcast and you're saying why would I watch

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: the YouTube video

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Three reasons why

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Number one we have a video up there right now of the Atlanta Hawks

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: In that Atlanta Hawks video. Yes, it has portions of the podcast in it, but there are a lot of stats

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_00]: There are a lot of quotes or little things that are in there

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_00]: That did not make the podcast that I recommend that people go back and watch

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Because it's just kind of hammering home a point that we were making on the podcast

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00]: The other thing is that we have a Detroit Pistons

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: pre-camp tour

[00:06:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Observation clip up there and it has a lot of stats

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_00]: It has a lot of things that we did not put in the podcast. So I highly recommend

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_00]: going over to the YouTube channel, which is

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_00]: You can get it through

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Searching front-runner podcast collective on

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: YouTube or you can go at

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_00]: FRPC events, I believe that gets you the YouTube page as well

[00:07:25] but

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Continue to grow the numbers on the YouTube page. We kind of told you why we want to build this out for you

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Trust me more cool things to come

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_00]: So with all that being said we can get into our podcast. So

[00:07:41] [SPEAKER_00]: What we've done is

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_00]: We rank the top 25 players that are 25 and under

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_00]: we also have some honorable mentions and we're going to talk about those today and

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: then

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna get into the top 25 on the next podcast, which will be Friday

[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Now how we kind of went through this, you know, we looked at players

[00:08:07] [SPEAKER_00]: We looked at their their position in the league we looked at what they were trying to do when it comes to

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_00]: You know playing time

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Impact on team

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Impact on the league and just how they're doing, right?

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_00]: So this is where we start off with now

[00:08:30] [SPEAKER_00]: You'll also get in this in these few episodes is you'll get where we think their development path is

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Where it could lead to we're gonna give you stats. We're gonna give you quotes from

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Analysts we're gonna give you quotes from people

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Like me who do the podcast game and also scouts and executives on these particular players

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_00]: So it's a robust show

[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_00]: And here's the thing what I will tell you about the list, okay

[00:09:02] [SPEAKER_00]: You might not agree with it. I

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Top 25 list and there are gonna be disagreements on this list

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_00]: But also keep in mind that we're also thinking about pathway

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe are there are there spurts of development that we might think that are out there

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_00]: maybe we have a little bit of knowledge that you might not and

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but I don't I do understand the scrutiny I do understand that there will be

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: People up in arms about this list and things of that nature so

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_00]: 100% I

[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Am aware of where we're going. So let's go ahead and start the

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_00]: atrocities now I guess and we're gonna start bottom up right and

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna start off with our first guy here, which is

[00:10:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Cameron Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets, so cam Thomas a

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_00]: 6-foot-3 combo guard

[00:10:08] [SPEAKER_00]: 210 pounds

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_00]: He has played 70 game. He played 70 games last year. He averaged

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_00]: 16.8 points a game

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: 2.8

[00:10:20] [SPEAKER_00]: rebounds a game and 1.9

[00:10:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Assist crack game. He shot it at forty four point seven percent from the field

[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_00]: He shot a respectable what below

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_00]: NBA league average thirty four point nine percent from three. He did shoot eighty two

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER_00]: eighty two and a half percent from the free throw line now

[00:10:44] [SPEAKER_00]: His career averages over a hundred and forty two games is

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_00]: 14.2 points again

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_00]: 2.5 rebounds a game and

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_00]: 1.6 assists a game

[00:10:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Cam Thomas has quickly established himself as one of the most potent young scorers in the league

[00:11:03] [SPEAKER_00]: His ability to create his own shot in bunches has been a bright spot for the Brooklyn Nets who haven't had a ton

[00:11:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Of bright spots what cam Thomas is is a gunner. He is a old school kind of

[00:11:19] [SPEAKER_00]: He's really kind of a throwback to like the 1990s

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER_00]: We had a couple of these guys in the league that were like this

[00:11:27] [SPEAKER_00]: um, it really started with Allen Iverson but

[00:11:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Allen Iverson was so transcended with some of the other things that he could do

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_00]: where what it did is that

[00:11:39] [SPEAKER_00]: What came off the assembly line after Allen Iverson? Right the Steve franchises of the world

[00:11:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I know my god, Nico Miatello be really upset that I'm bringing up for Stevie franchise when we talk about this

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER_00]: But he was a gunner

[00:11:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, he was looking for his shot his shot only and cam Thomas so far in his

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_00]: young young

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_00]: NBA career

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER_00]: hasn't seen a shot that he hasn't liked and

[00:12:11] [SPEAKER_00]: His teammates are more of obstacles

[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_00]: instead of

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_00]: using them to kind of get off the ball and maybe get the ball back, but

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Keep in mind. There's gonna a lot of upheaval around cam Thomas, right?

[00:12:28] [SPEAKER_00]: he started his career with like the Durant's and the Kyrie's and the Hardin's of the world and

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_00]: By the time it was all over he's entering this year

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Where he's 24 years of age

[00:12:42] [SPEAKER_00]: He's entering this year without Mikel Grigis

[00:12:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Who was one of the players they got back from?

[00:12:49] [SPEAKER_00]: The KD trade and the team is in ruins

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_00]: So you're probably gonna see a lot more of cam Thomas gunning it this year

[00:13:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure we're gonna have some 40-point electric games from our guy

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_00]: But my hope as far as cam Thomas's concern concern is this

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:13:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is before we get into the executives and everything like that. I hope that he finds some sort of

[00:13:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Well roundedness to his game, I hope that it's not all about how many points I can put up

[00:13:31] [SPEAKER_00]: On this team get these opportunities

[00:13:34] [SPEAKER_00]: So I can maximize my you know next paycheck because keep in mind

[00:13:39] [SPEAKER_00]: We've talked about this a couple times on the pod before if you're in your rookie contract you are looking for

[00:13:47] [SPEAKER_00]: that

[00:13:48] [SPEAKER_00]: next contract which is where the real money is made and it also kind of gives you a

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Referendum of where you are as far as what the league thinks of you

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_00]: As a player now, sometimes it doesn't always work out that way

[00:14:04] [SPEAKER_00]: You might be

[00:14:06] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is when you have a guy it's that tweener guy

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_00]: This is not cam thomas, but a tweener guy is what I think of is

[00:14:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's worth max money, but i'm not 100 sure

[00:14:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay cam thomas is in a in a more

[00:14:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Different type of situation his situation is more. Hey

[00:14:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm on a

[00:14:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Franchise that has been dysfunctional

[00:14:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I am looking towards my next contract. So I need to get these shots up

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_00]: as much as possible

[00:14:43] [SPEAKER_00]: so it turns them into more of a

[00:14:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Self-centric player, you know, I don't want to use, you know

[00:14:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Derogatory words when it comes to this because I understand the self-interest part

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I understand that you know, you got it. You got to make sure that your family's eating. So

[00:14:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get to some of these quotes by

[00:15:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Some people around the league from an anonymous executive

[00:15:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Thomas is a natural born scorer. He's got that killer instinct and when he is on he's virtually unstoppable

[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_00]: The key to him is

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER_00]: consistency

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_00]: And improving his playmaking

[00:15:23] [SPEAKER_00]: One of the quotes from the no ceilings of draft team cameron thomas has the potential to be a perennial 20 point

[00:15:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Per-game scorer. He's already shown flashes of brilliance and with more experience. He's only going to get better

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_00]: so basically

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER_00]: i'm getting i'm getting wild tweets right now, and I don't want to freak out but

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Anyways, we'll might talk about it at the end of the pot but getting back to this deal

[00:15:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Kim thomas is

[00:15:56] [SPEAKER_00]: going to be

[00:15:58] [SPEAKER_00]: A guy that we're going to keep our eye on it will be the playmaking that I will kind of go

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, okay

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Is this going to come along or are we going to find out?

[00:16:08] [SPEAKER_00]: That cam is going to kind of go his own way

[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_00]: And we will see this year and we'll see what type of player he wants to be

[00:16:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Now the next guy on this list that didn't make the top 25 and I am sorry

[00:16:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Minnesota fans

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_00]: That your guy didn't make this top 25 list

[00:16:28] [SPEAKER_00]: And I know people are sitting there freaking out

[00:16:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Because they're saying aunt didn't make this list don't trip, you know aunt made this list

[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_00]: The guy that i'm talking about is jaden mcdaniels of the middle cell the timberwolves

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_00]: jaden mcdaniels

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Is a six foot nine

[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_00]: like 200 pound

[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_00]: wing

[00:16:49] [SPEAKER_00]: He's going to be known for his defense. Let me give you some of his stats

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Last year he played 78 games. He averaged 13.6

[00:16:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Points per game. He averaged 5.1 rebounds a game

[00:17:02] [SPEAKER_00]: 1.7 assists a game. He shot the ball at 49.3

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_00]: From the field and he shot 38.4

[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_00]: from beyond the arc. He also shot 81 from the free throw line

[00:17:18] [SPEAKER_00]: in over

[00:17:20] [SPEAKER_00]: 225 games he has averaged

[00:17:25] [SPEAKER_00]: 11.4 points a game 4.5 rebounds and one and a half assists again

[00:17:32] [SPEAKER_00]: All right, uh jaden mcdaniels has quietly become one of the best young two-way players in the league his defense

[00:17:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Defensive versatility and his improved shooting have made him an integral part of what the timberwolves

[00:17:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Are doing now and also in the future

[00:17:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Here's a quote from uh, zac low mcdaniels has all the tools to be an elite defender in this league

[00:17:56] [SPEAKER_00]: He's already a difference maker on that end

[00:17:59] [SPEAKER_00]: And if his offensive game continues to develop he'll be a force to be reckoned with

[00:18:05] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is from an anonymous coach

[00:18:09] [SPEAKER_00]: What stands out about mcdaniels is his defensive iq

[00:18:13] [SPEAKER_00]: He's always in the right place at the right time and that's something you can't teach

[00:18:19] [SPEAKER_00]: His offensive game is coming along nicely and that makes him even more valuable

[00:18:25] [SPEAKER_00]: So these are some of the succoratives that are going around about our guy

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_00]: jaden mcdaniels

[00:18:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Now a couple things

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Shots out to

[00:18:38] [SPEAKER_00]: The front office

[00:18:41] [SPEAKER_00]: in

[00:18:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Minnesota remember they were talking about well, we didn't give up jaden mcdaniels in you know

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00]: The rudy gobertre remember that remember how big they were on that situation. It turns out that that was the right call, right?

[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_00]: So you got that piece now. Here's the one thing we did see

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_00]: In the playoffs how effective jaden mcdaniels could be

[00:19:05] [SPEAKER_00]: We also saw in the playoffs how

[00:19:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Ineffective jaden daniels can be

[00:19:13] [SPEAKER_00]: It's the same problem

[00:19:15] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a fouling

[00:19:17] [SPEAKER_00]: He gets too many

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER_00]: What I call silly fouls on the perimeter like 40, you know like 40 feet away from the basket

[00:19:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Now understand that we've kind of spaced the game a little bit more and he's trying to be aggressive coming over

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Pigs and things of that nature what he has to clean that up

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER_00]: For him to be

[00:19:39] [SPEAKER_00]: As effective as he could really be in the mba

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_00]: The other thing is they talked about it. They talked about his improved shooting now, this is a

[00:19:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Chris finch special

[00:19:53] [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to give

[00:19:54] [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of the props to the coaching staff to the development staff of the minnesota timberwolves

[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And allowing this young man to continue to come along and progress and still give him the minutes that he needs to be able to

[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Apply his craft because here's the thing

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, this is this was the jerry vanderbilt replacement

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER_00]: If you think about it

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_00]: They had him

[00:20:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And they decided they wanted to go a different route

[00:20:28] [SPEAKER_00]: They did and they went with uh jaden mcdaniels and it has boomed

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_00]: You know

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_00]: If you if he can if he can shoot 38 from three point line

[00:20:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And if he can get his attempts up to like six a game it makes him just

[00:20:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Ultimately

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_00]: more valuable

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_00]: It also makes the team a little more diverse as far as

[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_00]: offensive aqua tight

[00:21:00] [SPEAKER_00]: and shot dive

[00:21:03] [SPEAKER_00]: It allows ant not to do as much

[00:21:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Which that's what we saw in the dallas series is you know ant was dead tired which he talked about his um

[00:21:16] [SPEAKER_00]: He talked about his uh physicality he talked about his training that he was going to have to get better

[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Because the season he expects to be

[00:21:25] [SPEAKER_00]: in

[00:21:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Long playoff runs from here on out. So my man is like I gotta get in really good shape

[00:21:32] [SPEAKER_00]: So there it is gotta love it

[00:21:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Um

[00:21:37] [SPEAKER_00]: The next the next guy on our list is kind of a guy that we

[00:21:41] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a little more of a womp womp because I don't know if he's gonna play

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh sadik bay of the atlanta hawks make this list as an honorable mention

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Six foot seven two hundred and fifteen pounds last year. He played 77 games

[00:21:57] [SPEAKER_00]: He did get a knee injury. So he's going to be out for most of the year if i'm not mistaken

[00:22:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, so we're probably not gonna see sadik bay until maybe close to the end of the year

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER_00]: But last year 77 games 15.2 points

[00:22:15] [SPEAKER_00]: per game

[00:22:16] [SPEAKER_00]: 4.7 rebounds a game

[00:22:19] [SPEAKER_00]: One and a half assist game. He shot the ball at 42.9 from the field

[00:22:25] [SPEAKER_00]: 36.1 from three point land

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And 81.3 from the free throw line

[00:22:34] [SPEAKER_00]: now

[00:22:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Sadik has been to a couple places, you know, he started out in detroit. He came to atlanta

[00:22:41] [SPEAKER_00]: There's been some up people there. I think he's in brooklyn now

[00:22:45] um

[00:22:46] [SPEAKER_00]: He's played 230 games he's averaged 13.8

[00:22:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Points per game. He's also averaged 4.4 rebounds a game

[00:22:55] [SPEAKER_00]: And he has uh hovered at that one and a half, uh assist again

[00:23:01] [SPEAKER_00]: What sadik bay brings to

[00:23:04] [SPEAKER_00]: The league is he is a reliable shooter

[00:23:07] [SPEAKER_00]: his ability to

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Basically space the floor and knock down shots at a high clip has made him a valuable asset for the hogs last year

[00:23:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Being 67 215 also helps

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, this is from an executive based shooting is his calling card, but he also

[00:23:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Developed into a versatile

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_00]: A player showing he can contribute

[00:23:30] [SPEAKER_00]: In other areas as well and then the no ceilings, uh draft team said this about bay

[00:23:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Bay's work ethic is off the charts. He's the kind of player who puts in the extra hours and has shown

[00:23:45] [SPEAKER_00]: And shows in his development. He keeps improving. He's going to be a major piece. Well now I believe for the nets so

[00:23:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Here's the thing about bay. I like them. I think that

[00:23:57] [SPEAKER_00]: This is one thing that we talk about when we talk about some of these players and we talk about development

[00:24:03] [SPEAKER_00]: And then we also talk about like second drafts and people get different opportunities

[00:24:08] [SPEAKER_00]: So sadik bay started out in detroit now. It is much

[00:24:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Documented how bad detroit has been over the last couple years and think about what sadik bay

[00:24:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Does well

[00:24:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And they got rid of him

[00:24:24] [SPEAKER_00]: So for james wiseman of all people

[00:24:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So keep that in the back of your head. So detroit who was

[00:24:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Devoid of shooting got rid of sadik bay who was a volume three-point shooter

[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_00]: For james wiseman

[00:24:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And doesn't make a lot of sense

[00:24:45] [SPEAKER_00]: So then he goes to atlanta and now you got the dejonte murray thing. You got trey young

[00:24:51] [SPEAKER_00]: You got the front office we've talked about it at nauseam we're not going to get into it anymore

[00:24:56] [SPEAKER_00]: You talked about the coaching changes so quinn-sneider comes in

[00:25:01] [SPEAKER_00]: So new completely new offense for sadik bay

[00:25:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh the emergence of jalen johnson, you know, you still had other guys that needed time on the court

[00:25:13] [SPEAKER_00]: and sadik bay

[00:25:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Found himself

[00:25:16] [SPEAKER_00]: in 77 games

[00:25:18] [SPEAKER_00]: He also found himself as an integral part of what atlanta was doing even though

[00:25:25] [SPEAKER_00]: They kind of kind of struggled for most of the year

[00:25:29] [SPEAKER_00]: But they did find their footing towards the end of the year and got into the plane

[00:25:34] [SPEAKER_00]: so

[00:25:36] [SPEAKER_00]: We hope sadik bay has a speedy recovery so he can go ahead and get out on the court and hoop

[00:25:43] [SPEAKER_00]: our next guy on this list is

[00:25:47] [SPEAKER_00]: One of our favorites and a team that we really kind of adopted last year. So this is

[00:25:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Pre-producers

[00:25:58] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, so the producers are probably looking like who the hell is this?

[00:26:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's uh lou dort of the oklahoma city thunder

[00:26:06] [SPEAKER_00]: He did not make the top 25, but he was an honorable mention. I wanted to get to him

[00:26:12] [SPEAKER_00]: And the reasons why are so significant

[00:26:16] [SPEAKER_00]: First of all, let's give you his stats and bios and what have you. So he's 6 3

[00:26:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I think about 6 4

[00:26:24] [SPEAKER_00]: They lift him at 215. This dude plays like 240. I mean he plays like a monster

[00:26:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Last year he played in 72 games

[00:26:34] [SPEAKER_00]: 14.3 points a game

[00:26:36] [SPEAKER_00]: He averaged 1.8 rebounds. He averaged. Uh, i'm sorry. He averaged 4.2 rebounds

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER_00]: 1.8 assists a game he shot the ball

[00:26:48] [SPEAKER_00]: 41 41.7 from the field

[00:26:52] [SPEAKER_00]: He he shot 33 from three point land and he shot 78

[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_00]: From the free throw line now

[00:27:02] [SPEAKER_00]: His career numbers he's played in

[00:27:04] [SPEAKER_00]: 281 games

[00:27:06] [SPEAKER_00]: He's ever 13.2 points a game. He's also averaged 3.9 rebounds a game

[00:27:13] [SPEAKER_00]: And 1.8 assists

[00:27:16] [SPEAKER_00]: But what lou dohr is known for is his tenacious defense

[00:27:21] [SPEAKER_00]: But he's also shown significant growth in the offensive and ability the to lock down opponent's best player while contributing on offense

[00:27:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Makes him invaluable to the thunder

[00:27:33] [SPEAKER_00]: There is a ceiling to lou

[00:27:37] [SPEAKER_00]: dork

[00:27:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is why you don't make the top 25 right he has got to get a little more consistent from the three point line

[00:27:46] [SPEAKER_00]: and

[00:27:47] [SPEAKER_00]: That would be so helpful to sga

[00:27:52] [SPEAKER_00]: And here's the thing. It's really it sucks, right?

[00:27:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Last year oklahoma city is in this like

[00:27:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Honeymoon phase everybody's like oh we love oklahoma city and I still love oklahoma city

[00:28:04] [SPEAKER_00]: So this is no shade to okc

[00:28:07] [SPEAKER_00]: But now that you are in the winning time area

[00:28:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Of your developmental path

[00:28:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Now we're looking for

[00:28:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Can lou dork shoot it at 36 from three point line?

[00:28:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Can he drive to the basket with better efficiency?

[00:28:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Those are the type of things can he can he assist a little bit more

[00:28:33] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, maybe not be able to make the most intricate pass, but can you make you know the

[00:28:40] [SPEAKER_00]: The semi the semi difficult pass

[00:28:43] [SPEAKER_00]: You know

[00:28:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Those type of things are the things that we are looking for

[00:28:49] [SPEAKER_00]: from lou dork now

[00:28:52] [SPEAKER_00]: If you want to talk about mart degnault if you want to talk about their

[00:28:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Developmental thing. I mean lou dork is a absolute

[00:29:01] [SPEAKER_00]: jewel

[00:29:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Keep in mind

[00:29:04] [SPEAKER_00]: This guy was not very touted coming out of college

[00:29:09] [SPEAKER_00]: uh

[00:29:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Had this defensive potential

[00:29:12] [SPEAKER_00]: They saw something in him. They signed him. They signed him to a

[00:29:17] [SPEAKER_00]: pretty long-term deal right off the bat

[00:29:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Got him real cheap

[00:29:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And then he got into his second contract and he's starting to make money, but lou dork

[00:29:28] [SPEAKER_00]: As far as a defensive player this is like all nba type of dude like perennially all nba

[00:29:36] [SPEAKER_00]: first team second scene

[00:29:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Type of dude

[00:29:39] [SPEAKER_00]: He will be in your grill

[00:29:42] [SPEAKER_00]: For 48 minutes if mart degnault allows him to be

[00:29:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay

[00:29:48] [SPEAKER_00]: um a couple quotes

[00:29:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh from people about lou dork

[00:29:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Dort's defensive instincts are elite

[00:29:56] [SPEAKER_00]: He's the type of player that every coach wants on their team because he brings the grit and the intensity every single night

[00:30:04] [SPEAKER_00]: We also got a quote from our guy zack harper of the athletic

[00:30:09] [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't

[00:30:10] [SPEAKER_00]: If dork can become more of a consistent shooter his value will skyrocket

[00:30:15] [SPEAKER_00]: He's already a key part of okc's future and he's going to only get better

[00:30:22] [SPEAKER_00]: I agree with that. It will it will take the shot though. It will take the shot taking a leap

[00:30:29] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:30:29] [SPEAKER_00]: and the problem is is that the

[00:30:32] [SPEAKER_00]: The free throw percentage is 78 percent usually

[00:30:37] [SPEAKER_00]: The guy who takes the leap in the shot is the guy who shoots like 83 84 from the free throw line

[00:30:47] [SPEAKER_00]: but

[00:30:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Lou dork is an incredible worker

[00:30:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, he works so hard

[00:30:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is the type of guy that you just want to sit there and go

[00:30:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Well down

[00:30:58] [SPEAKER_00]: I I just want good things for him

[00:31:02] [SPEAKER_00]: and okc has a really good one and he's going to be

[00:31:06] [SPEAKER_00]: even more valuable

[00:31:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And you pair him with now alex caruso who they brought in

[00:31:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you can't you can't get better than that. So

[00:31:18] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:31:18] [SPEAKER_00]: That's what we're looking at. So lou dork is also an honorable mention on this list

[00:31:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Now there's one thing I do want to

[00:31:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Throw out there to you guys. We're not done with the

[00:31:34] [SPEAKER_00]: pre-camp

[00:31:36] [SPEAKER_00]: tour

[00:31:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, we're not taking a real break or anything like that. We're just adding another thing to this

[00:31:43] [SPEAKER_00]: so what you'll end up getting is like

[00:31:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Three or four players of the top 25 and then like a

[00:31:51] [SPEAKER_00]: uh pre-camp

[00:31:52] [SPEAKER_00]: team

[00:31:53] [SPEAKER_00]: So that's what you'll start seeing pop up on your feed

[00:31:58] [SPEAKER_00]: in the next

[00:32:00] [SPEAKER_00]: You know starting friday

[00:32:02] [SPEAKER_00]: But we wanted to get this off to a good start and kind of explain how it was going to go

[00:32:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And get you into the bible what we're trying to do

[00:32:12] [SPEAKER_00]: So we carry now on

[00:32:14] [SPEAKER_00]: To our next guy on this list and it's kelden johnson of the san antonio spurts

[00:32:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Now kelden johnson is six foot five 220 pounds

[00:32:25] [SPEAKER_00]: He gets the opportunity to lace him up with our guy

[00:32:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Victor win by yama now victor win by yama

[00:32:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I can guarantee you he's on this list

[00:32:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay

[00:32:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, um last year kelden johnson, uh averaged

[00:32:47] [SPEAKER_00]: 20.1 points per game 5.3 rebounds a game 2.8 block or 2.8

[00:32:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Assist a game he shot the ball at 45.6 percent

[00:33:00] [SPEAKER_00]: His three point percentage is uh, 34.8 percent

[00:33:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and he

[00:33:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Had a free throw percentage of 75.9 percent

[00:33:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Now he did all this in 75 games

[00:33:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Career averages are through 268 games are 16.5 points per game

[00:33:22] [SPEAKER_00]: 5.3 rebounds a game and 2.0

[00:33:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Assist a game so let's talk about guy kelden here

[00:33:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh kelden really jumped up on its consistency last year

[00:33:36] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:33:37] [SPEAKER_00]: It seemed like he found some sort of synergy with victor and

[00:33:42] [SPEAKER_00]: He was the beneficiary of cutting

[00:33:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Moving without the basketball so that was great

[00:33:51] um

[00:33:53] [SPEAKER_00]: But if this scoring is going to continue it's because the maturation process of victor win by yama also

[00:34:00] [SPEAKER_00]: remember

[00:34:03] [SPEAKER_00]: That they now have chris paul

[00:34:06] [SPEAKER_00]: And they also have harrison barnes, so if you're thinking let's say harrison barnes is the four

[00:34:14] [SPEAKER_00]: They're going to keep winning by y'all meant to five

[00:34:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Chris calls now the one that means that devin mussel

[00:34:20] [SPEAKER_00]: And kelden johnson are in that two three and then they can switch because they're basically about the same size anyway

[00:34:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Now you're talking about good vets

[00:34:32] [SPEAKER_00]: solid guys who know the game

[00:34:36] [SPEAKER_00]: I think this is a slam dunk

[00:34:40] [SPEAKER_00]: For the development of kelden johnson for devin vasel

[00:34:44] [SPEAKER_00]: And for victor win by yama all three

[00:34:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, so yeah, you could have made splash your moves. You could have got more impactful dudes

[00:34:53] [SPEAKER_00]: We don't think that san antonio is on that timeline

[00:34:57] [SPEAKER_00]: We think they have their eyes on the 2025 draft

[00:35:01] [SPEAKER_00]: so

[00:35:02] [SPEAKER_00]: um keep in mind about that now

[00:35:08] [SPEAKER_00]: kelden scoring

[00:35:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Ability has only grown since entering the league. He is kind of clear that he does all the little things which makes him very

[00:35:18] [SPEAKER_00]: valuable to a lot of teams

[00:35:21] [SPEAKER_00]: A quote from zac low kelden johnson is the heart and soul of this young spurs team

[00:35:26] [SPEAKER_00]: His toughness and work ethic are exactly what san antonio needs

[00:35:32] [SPEAKER_00]: As they rebuild

[00:35:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and from an anonymous

[00:35:35] [SPEAKER_00]: uh nba scout kelden's ability to get to the rim

[00:35:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And finish through contact is impressive

[00:35:43] [SPEAKER_00]: He's still improving as a shooter and once that comes around he'll be a complete offensive weapon

[00:35:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, that's what it's going to take

[00:35:53] [SPEAKER_00]: It's going to take the shot coming around

[00:35:55] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:35:56] [SPEAKER_00]: i'm not saying that I don't believe it will but keep in mind what we just said with uh

[00:36:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Lou dork

[00:36:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Kelden johnson shoots 75.9% from free throw

[00:36:12] [SPEAKER_00]: That means that touch touch

[00:36:15] [SPEAKER_00]: feel

[00:36:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Has to get better

[00:36:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Or they need to work on a on a specific part of the mechanic for that

[00:36:23] [SPEAKER_00]: That might not matter because playing with victor is a cheat code

[00:36:28] [SPEAKER_00]: So we'll see how it all works

[00:36:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh the things that I want to see out of kelden this year

[00:36:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I want to see a more intentionality to his defense

[00:36:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I think that he could he could really make some strides in that

[00:36:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Part of his game

[00:36:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I would like to see a little more

[00:36:50] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:36:51] [SPEAKER_00]: offensive creation from him

[00:36:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Not just not for himself but more like oh, okay

[00:36:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me make sure that I hit the open man

[00:36:59] [SPEAKER_00]: There were too many times last year that victor wimbayama would go four or five minutes of actual game time

[00:37:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Where he didn't touch the ball and I know that won't be the case this year

[00:37:11] [SPEAKER_00]: I know chris paul will not allow that to happen. I know that harrison barnes will be in the young guy's ear talking about hey

[00:37:19] [SPEAKER_00]: We need to get the ball to the big fella, right?

[00:37:23] [SPEAKER_00]: He creates offense for us. That's how we're going to be successful

[00:37:27] [SPEAKER_00]: So

[00:37:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Those are the type of things that i'm looking for with kelden johnson in this next coming year

[00:37:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Our next guy on this list is ammanuel quickly of the toronto rafters

[00:37:40] [SPEAKER_00]: remember

[00:37:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Quickly was pretty much the jewel of what was coming back

[00:37:45] [SPEAKER_00]: In that nix trade that sent og and anobi to the nix and then rj barrett and ammanuel quickly

[00:37:53] [SPEAKER_00]: To the toronto rafters and then they paid them

[00:37:57] [SPEAKER_00]: They paid ammanuel quickly

[00:38:00] [SPEAKER_00]: So now he did not have to worry about his dollars all he has to worry about is hooking so

[00:38:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Little background on ammanuel quickly iq is six foot three. He's 190 pounds

[00:38:15] [SPEAKER_00]: He played 68 games last year. He averaged 17 points a game last year

[00:38:21] [SPEAKER_00]: 3.8 rebound 4.9 assist

[00:38:25] [SPEAKER_00]: He shot the ball at 43.4 percent from the field, but he shot it at 39.5

[00:38:33] [SPEAKER_00]: From the three point line. He also shoots free throws very well 85.3

[00:38:40] [SPEAKER_00]: In 291 games so that's including the next games and the rafter games

[00:38:47] [SPEAKER_00]: He's averaging 30 13.7 points a game

[00:38:51] [SPEAKER_00]: 3.4 rebounds and three and a half assists again now

[00:38:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Ammanuel quickly is going to get every opportunity to be kind of like the secondary creator off of scotty barnes in toronto

[00:39:06] [SPEAKER_00]: That's what they envision him as

[00:39:09] [SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of more of a expanded role off his sixth man

[00:39:14] [SPEAKER_00]: What he's going to be doing it as a starter what they're hoping is that the development on the defensive side

[00:39:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Um that

[00:39:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe also we get a pull-up game or a floater that is more consistent

[00:39:28] [SPEAKER_00]: So then you don't shoot 43 from the field total

[00:39:33] [SPEAKER_00]: That would be helpful

[00:39:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and also

[00:39:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Be able to find open men quickly

[00:39:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't allow the ball to stick to your hands

[00:39:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Now those are things that he's going to have to work on

[00:39:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Because he was the sixth man and when he was with the nicks it was like just go score man go be lou williams

[00:39:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Right. So now he's going to be in a more

[00:39:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Kind of like okay, let me get the ball to this guy

[00:40:02] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, he didn't touch you for a second. You know, he's gonna have those type of things on his head as well

[00:40:07] [SPEAKER_00]: But he's the secondary

[00:40:09] [SPEAKER_00]: ball handler

[00:40:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Because scotty barnes is the point guard of that team

[00:40:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Now getting to some of his strengths and what have you ammanuel quickly continues to prove himself as one of the most

[00:40:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Dynamic guards in league his shooting range and playmaking abilities

[00:40:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Make him a key asset for the rafters

[00:40:29] [SPEAKER_00]: one nba executive said this

[00:40:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Quickly's growth as a scorer and a play banker has been impressive

[00:40:36] [SPEAKER_00]: He's not just a spark off the bench anymore. He's a legitimate starter in the league

[00:40:41] [SPEAKER_00]: And then this is from an anonymous coach his ability to hit the big shots

[00:40:48] [SPEAKER_00]: And make plays under pressure. What is what sets him apart quickly has a bright future ahead

[00:40:54] [SPEAKER_00]: And I wouldn't be surprised to see him crack the top 25 very soon

[00:41:00] [SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of people are high on ammanuel quickly

[00:41:05] [SPEAKER_00]: I am one of those people but here's the thing that I want to see

[00:41:10] [SPEAKER_00]: He's playing in a completely different role and last year was kind of like, okay, this is a test model

[00:41:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get you know, this is the open run now. You're going to be in entrance in a full training camp

[00:41:22] [SPEAKER_00]: you're gonna understand the

[00:41:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Toronto philosophy

[00:41:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Offensively how they want to run their offense and also it's also a developing situation in toronto still

[00:41:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Who's gonna take?

[00:41:39] [SPEAKER_00]: these amount of shots

[00:41:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Right is grady dick gonna play a role in that

[00:41:46] [SPEAKER_00]: You know what's gonna happen?

[00:41:49] [SPEAKER_00]: right

[00:41:50] [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't there's still a fluid situation

[00:41:53] [SPEAKER_00]: But I think what they have decided on right now is that scotty warrens is their number one

[00:41:58] [SPEAKER_00]: IQ is their number two and then they're hoping that they can get something from our guy rj barrett

[00:42:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, who did not make this list?

[00:42:09] [SPEAKER_00]: a little dicey on that one. All right, um

[00:42:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I like iq. I I just think that

[00:42:17] [SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be interesting to see

[00:42:21] [SPEAKER_00]: him

[00:42:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Learn this kind of new style playing where he isn't going to have the ball in his hands a lot

[00:42:30] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out

[00:42:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Now we have two more guys on the list and then we can get up out of here

[00:42:39] [SPEAKER_00]: but

[00:42:40] [SPEAKER_00]: The last two guys are the two that I saved to the end and also

[00:42:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Might be the two biggest

[00:42:51] [SPEAKER_00]: What do you what you want to call them snubs of the top 25

[00:42:56] [SPEAKER_00]: But i'll explain my answers

[00:42:58] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll explain our top 25

[00:43:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't worry. So the next guy on this list is

[00:43:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Brandon miller of the charlotte hornets and brandon miller had a awesome year

[00:43:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get into some of his stats and bios or what have you?

[00:43:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Brandon miller stands six foot nine. He is 201 pounds now. I thought this was going to be a complete

[00:43:22] [SPEAKER_00]: detriment to him last year

[00:43:25] [SPEAKER_00]: not so much

[00:43:27] [SPEAKER_00]: In 74 games, which that's excellent all by itself

[00:43:32] [SPEAKER_00]: He averaged 17.3 points per game he averaged 4.3 rebounds a game

[00:43:38] [SPEAKER_00]: He also averaged 2.4 assists a game. He shot the ball at 44

[00:43:45] [SPEAKER_00]: He shot the three ball at 37.3 percent very good

[00:43:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And also he got to the he shot at the free throw line 82.7 percent

[00:43:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So our guy put in some work

[00:43:58] [SPEAKER_00]: I thought he wasn't going to have the physicality to be able to hold up

[00:44:02] [SPEAKER_00]: He proved me wrong

[00:44:04] [SPEAKER_00]: he also proved me wrong in the sense of

[00:44:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, we made the argument that bigger is better

[00:44:11] [SPEAKER_00]: But we also made the argument that we thought scoot was a better prospect

[00:44:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Right now it's looking like brandon inger. Uh, brandon miller is the better prospect. There's no question

[00:44:22] [SPEAKER_00]: No scoot struggled last year

[00:44:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, he did not make this top 25 list

[00:44:28] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you're looking for scoot if you have not heard him, you're not gonna hear him so

[00:44:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, which is tough for our guy because we love scoot. We think that he will have a bounce back year

[00:44:39] [SPEAKER_00]: But brandon miller

[00:44:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Had the year that we thought scoot was going to have he was able to dominate at times

[00:44:47] [SPEAKER_00]: He was able to show off some of the defensive versatility with the long arms and being able to get into passing lanes

[00:44:53] [SPEAKER_00]: He was able to also be able to knock down that um mid-range jump shot from about 15 feet

[00:45:02] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:45:02] [SPEAKER_00]: He was able to handle the ball and also what I saw that I was

[00:45:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Particularly impressed with was his ability to handle the ball

[00:45:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Against like press coverage when somebody was up on him being physical

[00:45:18] [SPEAKER_00]: He was still being able to hold his handle it was tight and he was able to get into the lane and finish

[00:45:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So these are all great things about our guy brandon miller. Let's get into a little bit

[00:45:34] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:45:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Reversal unseen he had outstanding ricky season. We just talked about it

[00:45:39] [SPEAKER_00]: He was the number two overall pick which I will tell you was a bone of contention

[00:45:45] [SPEAKER_00]: The day of that draft I was like, I cannot believe that charlie did this but

[00:45:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Egg on my face, right? No problem with that

[00:45:55] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:45:56] [SPEAKER_00]: But his combination the size and skill and shooting it makes him just a matchup nightmare

[00:46:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Here is what zac harper from the athletic had to say

[00:46:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Brandon miller has all the tools to be a star in this league

[00:46:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He's a three level scorer I cannot I can co-sign that I can definitely co-sign that

[00:46:17] um

[00:46:17] [SPEAKER_00]: He's a three level scorer who can also contribute defensively

[00:46:22] [SPEAKER_00]: The hornets have found a cornerstone to build around that is true

[00:46:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Now the other thing that we hope to see this year is we hope to see with brandon miller

[00:46:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Is the synergy between lamello ball and brandon miller?

[00:46:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And here's the thing that i'm gonna say about charlotte

[00:46:41] [SPEAKER_00]: And we might have to clip this for our guy

[00:46:45] [SPEAKER_00]: coach t in charlotte

[00:46:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh shots out to mud talk radio. It's a podcast. It's also a youtube channel go check it out

[00:46:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, he's into fashion shoes

[00:46:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Situations like that and also he talks a little bit of basketball every once in a while

[00:47:02] [SPEAKER_00]: We're probably going to need to get him on the pod soon. So

[00:47:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh soraya might need to work on that

[00:47:08] [SPEAKER_00]: um, but I think that charlotte could make a significant leap this year, I think that um

[00:47:15] [SPEAKER_00]: the only thing that might hold them back is

[00:47:17] [SPEAKER_00]: if

[00:47:18] [SPEAKER_00]: The front office decided

[00:47:20] [SPEAKER_00]: They wanted one more year

[00:47:22] [SPEAKER_00]: to grab another guy, but

[00:47:25] [SPEAKER_00]: when you have

[00:47:28] [SPEAKER_00]: miles bridges

[00:47:29] [SPEAKER_00]: When you have lamello ball if healthy

[00:47:33] [SPEAKER_00]: When you have brandon miller and mark williams

[00:47:36] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's your talent around around the team

[00:47:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you should be good

[00:47:42] [SPEAKER_00]: i'm not saying you should be

[00:47:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Top five in the eastern conference good, but you should be sniffing around a play-in

[00:47:50] [SPEAKER_00]: So I hope that brandon miller continues his development

[00:47:54] [SPEAKER_00]: continues to show off all the skills that he has been showing

[00:47:59] [SPEAKER_00]: And then the other thing is this the no ceilings guys chimed in with this

[00:48:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Miller's poise and maturity

[00:48:08] [SPEAKER_00]: On the court is beyond his years. He's got potential to be primary option for charlotte

[00:48:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And we're just scratching the surface

[00:48:17] [SPEAKER_00]: On what he can do

[00:48:20] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's one of our guys from no ceilings, you know

[00:48:23] [SPEAKER_00]: how much I

[00:48:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Respect the guys from no ceilings. They do great work in the draft

[00:48:29] [SPEAKER_00]: and uh

[00:48:31] [SPEAKER_00]: We rely on them a little bit

[00:48:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Now the last guy

[00:48:36] [SPEAKER_00]: That we're going to talk about in the honorable mentions

[00:48:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I will say that

[00:48:42] [SPEAKER_00]: With brandon miller and this next guy

[00:48:46] [SPEAKER_00]: These were the two hardest

[00:48:49] [SPEAKER_00]: To keep off the list

[00:48:52] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think next year, you know, it's just body of work

[00:48:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Brandon miller only had one year

[00:48:59] [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see how the league adjusts to him this year

[00:49:02] [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see his adjustments to the league and we'll see if that development continues on that uptick

[00:49:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Now this next guy that we're going to talk about also broke out last year

[00:49:14] [SPEAKER_00]: so

[00:49:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Jalen johnson of the atlanta hawks does not make our top 25 list so our

[00:49:22] [SPEAKER_00]: 25 and under

[00:49:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Top 25 list jalen johnson just missed it

[00:49:28] [SPEAKER_00]: So let's give you the bio on jalen johnson

[00:49:32] [SPEAKER_00]: six foot nine

[00:49:33] [SPEAKER_00]: 220 pounds out of duke

[00:49:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Last year, he played 56 games. He got injured

[00:49:40] [SPEAKER_00]: He scored 16 points per game 8.7 rebounds a game key step

[00:49:47] [SPEAKER_00]: 3.6 sys assists a game

[00:49:50] [SPEAKER_00]: 51.1 percent from the floor

[00:49:54] [SPEAKER_00]: He shot 35.5 percent from three

[00:49:57] [SPEAKER_00]: and

[00:49:58] [SPEAKER_00]: 72.8 from the free throw line so

[00:50:02] [SPEAKER_00]: So far it's been really up and down last year was really kind of his breakout year

[00:50:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Before that they didn't know what to do with him

[00:50:10] [SPEAKER_00]: He's played in 148 games total in his career. He's averaged 9.1 points per game

[00:50:18] [SPEAKER_00]: 5.4 rebounds in two assists a game now

[00:50:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Jalen johnson

[00:50:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Is one of those guys for me when he came out in the draft, I thought he went to the right team

[00:50:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Um at the time nate mcmillan was the coach

[00:50:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I still think he went to the right team because

[00:50:40] [SPEAKER_00]: quinn snider

[00:50:41] [SPEAKER_00]: As soon as he got there

[00:50:43] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what he saw

[00:50:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Like in the in the

[00:50:49] [SPEAKER_00]: When he was watching tape

[00:50:51] [SPEAKER_00]: On jalen johnson. I don't know what it was but he fell in love immediately

[00:50:57] [SPEAKER_00]: And he really started to feature featured jalen johnson last year and then jalen got a had a I think he injured his ankle

[00:51:05] [SPEAKER_00]: He missed a a lot of time

[00:51:09] [SPEAKER_00]: But you could tell

[00:51:11] [SPEAKER_00]: That they missed him

[00:51:14] [SPEAKER_00]: and

[00:51:15] [SPEAKER_00]: They played completely different without him. So he was very impactful on the hawks last year

[00:51:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me give you

[00:51:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Some of the things that other people have said about him i've talked about him at nauseam zac low

[00:51:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Zac low jalen johnson is one of the one of those guys who can do a little bit of everything his versatility

[00:51:39] [SPEAKER_00]: On both ends of the floor is what makes him so intriguing. He's still polishing his game

[00:51:46] [SPEAKER_00]: But his potential is undeniable

[00:51:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Here's what one nba scout said

[00:51:52] [SPEAKER_00]: His growth this season has been remarkable

[00:51:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Jalen's ability to read the game and make plays for his teammates has really stood out

[00:52:02] [SPEAKER_00]: If he continues to improve his consistency, he's going to be a problem for opposing defenses

[00:52:10] [SPEAKER_00]: And

[00:52:12] [SPEAKER_00]: That dude really did show a lot of versatility

[00:52:18] [SPEAKER_00]: last year

[00:52:22] [SPEAKER_00]: It's my hope

[00:52:24] [SPEAKER_00]: that

[00:52:25] [SPEAKER_00]: His growth his development is what allows trey young to get off the ball

[00:52:31] [SPEAKER_00]: And allows trey to feel comfortable

[00:52:34] [SPEAKER_00]: With getting off the ball and moving

[00:52:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Without the ball not steady just standing 35 feet out and just kind of saying okay

[00:52:43] [SPEAKER_00]: It's y'all's turn to to do what y'all want to do and i'll just chill out over here

[00:52:48] [SPEAKER_00]: My hope is that with jalen johnson

[00:52:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Zachary rissachet who they picked up who was the first overall pick in the draft

[00:52:56] [SPEAKER_00]: You can see the change in the team. You can start to see the metamorphosis

[00:53:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Between what the hawks were and what the hawks look like they're going to be

[00:53:07] [SPEAKER_00]: It looks like they're gonna have a lot of lengthy people

[00:53:11] [SPEAKER_00]: around trey

[00:53:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Some people who will be able to kind of clutter

[00:53:17] [SPEAKER_00]: the the paint area

[00:53:20] [SPEAKER_00]: uh with their arms and their length

[00:53:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And I guess what they're also hoping is that they're going to be able to knock down some shots now with jalen

[00:53:29] [SPEAKER_00]: What makes him so special is not he's not just a 3d wing. He has offensive creation with him his

[00:53:38] [SPEAKER_00]: ability to see over defenders at six foot nine gives him an advantage and also

[00:53:45] [SPEAKER_00]: there's a

[00:53:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Level of creativity in his passing that you don't see a lot with young

[00:53:55] [SPEAKER_00]: players unless it's something that

[00:53:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Is really part of their game

[00:54:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Like it's it's like an extent. It's a existential part of them

[00:54:06] [SPEAKER_00]: With jalen, you can tell this is something like hey i'm work. I worked on this

[00:54:11] [SPEAKER_00]: You know what i'm talking about? It's it's the difference of

[00:54:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh when you saw somebody like like uh

[00:54:19] [SPEAKER_00]: jason kid like jason kid had flair

[00:54:22] [SPEAKER_00]: to his passing

[00:54:24] [SPEAKER_00]: But that was part of him

[00:54:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Like that was just part of jason kid

[00:54:29] [SPEAKER_00]: With jalen johnson. It's like no i'm smart enough to do this and I think i'm going to go ahead and

[00:54:37] [SPEAKER_00]: And basically create this as a skill a skill set for me

[00:54:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think you're going to see another leap this year as well and if he does take that next leap

[00:54:49] [SPEAKER_00]: atlanta is going to be in business because

[00:54:53] [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter is zachary ruchichet comes out like a house on fire

[00:54:59] [SPEAKER_00]: But if he can just replicate what he did

[00:55:03] [SPEAKER_00]: In france and you get a full season season of jalen johnson

[00:55:08] [SPEAKER_00]: You get a full season of trey young

[00:55:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, it might be spicy in atlanta

[00:55:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Just saying a couple more things and then we can get up out of here

[00:55:20] [SPEAKER_00]: um again, I wanted to say again, I wanted to thank everybody for

[00:55:25] [SPEAKER_00]: just

[00:55:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Big upping us and

[00:55:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Allowing our downloads to just

[00:55:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Continue to kick butt. I can't be more thankful to everybody with that

[00:55:38] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:55:40] [SPEAKER_00]: It's it's it's just amazing to me honestly really

[00:55:44] [SPEAKER_00]: And without you we can't do it

[00:55:46] [SPEAKER_00]: So keep on making sure that you are being a friend telling a friend about the podcast

[00:55:51] [SPEAKER_00]: We are grateful to you and we're going to get up out of here. The best part of you is you

[00:55:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Make sure that you got people that are just accentuating your light

[00:56:01] [SPEAKER_00]: The people who are diminishing your light

[00:56:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's kind of break away from them do good in this world

[00:56:08] [SPEAKER_00]: And we'll see with you back on this pod on this feed on friday deuce