NBA/Pro/International Basketball

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#1      

Dan

Dan
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Dan
Welcome to the NBA/Pro/International Basketball thread 🏀

2025 NBA Draft
Kasparas Jakucionis drafted by the Miami Heat (1st Round, 20th Pick)
Will Riley drafted by the Washington Wizards (1st Round, 21st Pick)

Illini in the NBA
Ayo Dosunmu with the Chicago Bulls (4 seasons)
Terrence Shannon Jr. with the Minnesota Timberwolves (1 season)
 
#4      
Oranges
As a Bulls fan I’ve got to say I love the Essengue pick. It’s a bit of a gamble but the Bulls aren’t in a position to pass on the upside he brings. Plus he does add some height to a team that really needs it
 
#5      
derrick6
Dan said:
Welcome to the NBA/Pro/International Basketball thread 🏀

2025 NBA Draft
Kasparas Jakucionis drafted by the Miami Heat (1st Round, 20th Pick)
Will Riley drafted by the Washington Wizards (1st Round, 21st Pick)

Illini in the NBA
Ayo Dosunmu with the Chicago Bulls (4 seasons)
Terrence Shannon Jr. with the Minnesota Timberwolves (1 season)
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Doubling every year now
 
#6      
EyeoftheIllini
Oranges said:
As a Bulls fan I’ve got to say I love the Essengue pick. It’s a bit of a gamble but the Bulls aren’t in a position to pass on the upside he brings. Plus he does add some height to a team that really needs it
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I fully admit that other than a few highlights and predraft scouting reports on this guy, I know very little about him. He just strikes me as a guy who you pick if you’re a good/very good team and can afford to gamble some on a luxury piece or a team that is completely rebuilding and might as well swing for the fences. Bulls are neither of those, and it smells of too many previous picks by AK that really don’t work out and have kept Bulls in a “tweener” position. Keeping an open mind and definitely hope the pick works out. Just have very little confidence that it will. Looking forward to seeing him in summer league to get a read on him.
 
#7      
phats22
EyeoftheIllini said:
I fully admit that other than a few highlights and predraft scouting reports on this guy, I know very little about him. He just strikes me as a guy who you pick if you’re a good/very good team and can afford to gamble some on a luxury piece or a team that is completely rebuilding and might as well swing for the fences. Bulls are neither of those, and it smells of too many previous picks by AK that really don’t work out and have kept Bulls in a “tweener” position. Keeping an open mind and definitely hope the pick works out. Just have very little confidence that it will. Looking forward to seeing him in summer league to get a read on him.
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unless they gut the roster and get rid of Vooch, Coby/Giddey, PWill (if anyone will take him).
theyve needed to go into rebuild mode for a while to get out of purgatory, maybe building around Matas will give them an excuse to do so
 
#8      
EyeoftheIllini
phats22 said:
unless they gut the roster and get rid of Vooch, Coby/Giddey, PWill (if anyone will take him).
theyve needed to go into rebuild mode for a while to get out of purgatory, maybe building around Matas will give them an excuse to do so
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I think AK has shown they aren’t going to gut anything. This past year was the perfect time to with a protected first round pick. Start the rebuild and ensure your 1st rounder is secure and accumulate draft capital with the trade assets they had. Instead, they putz around and have to use the biggest trade asset to secure a draft pick that shouldn’t have been in jeopardy in the first place.

As to Matas, I like him and how he progressed during season. But is he really a guy you “build around”? He’s definitely a nice piece, but not sure he’s THE piece on a good team. I hope they figure it out and the new pick is an important part of the solution. I just have no real belief that will be the case based on AK’s track record.
 
#11      
sacraig
illinibbcz said:
Didn't want to start a new thread but Hunter Dickinson was not drafted. I am certain everyone will be heart broken over that!
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Sad Get Over It GIF
 
#13      
RabidDawgClassic
illinibbcz said:
Didn't want to start a new thread but Hunter Dickinson was not drafted. I am certain everyone will be heart broken over that!
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My suspicion — with nothing to base this on other than five years of watching him play — is that his work ethic seems to be lax. In those five years he never really improved his game… he was good, but seemingly stagnant. And his body never seemed to transform as we’ve come to expect with our guys under Fletch. He’s always seemed a bit doughy around the middle.
 
#16      
Oracle21
I’m surprised Barnhizer was drafted. I don’t see any NBA skills there. Also surprised Mark Sears wasn’t drafted at all
 
#24      
the juiceman cometh
illiniguy24 said:
Further proof that you should go pro when you can
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Hunter Dickinson was never a 1st round draft pick. At best he'd have gone mid-2nd round and at worst he'd have ended up like Kofi. In his particular situation, staying was the right move. He made a bunch of money at Kansas and got a 2-way deal, which is what he would have gotten if he'd been drafted in the mid to late 2nd round anyway.
 
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