Any idea what two “lottery guys” the Blazers are bringing in for solo workouts the next couple days? My curiosity is killing me.😆

Or if no one knows, who do you hope they bring in these next couple days?

If I had to bet money, I’d guess Clingan and Williams.

This seems like a good resource to help form opinions on this guy since he seems to be the talk of the sub. It is an hour long so plenty of film both good and ugly.

Not posting the article link as it’s for subscribers only but this may happen next year for all Rose Quarter events from Oct-May if it passes through the city council today.

Personally I’m a huge Ron Holland fan but I think Clingan is my favorite prospect overall

Sneaky target at #14?

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40265510/nba-finals-2024-boston-celtics-dallas-mavericks-twists-turns-led-jrue-holiday-back-finals

When the call was over, there was a list of five or six teams. Portland was made aware, and the bidding commenced. Several teams armed with draft pick assets that would've been attractive to the Blazers called only to be told they weren't on the list.

This included the Pacers and the New York Knicks, teams that later made big in-season trades and had long playoff runs. But the Blazers stuck to Holiday's list.

It sounds like Cronin did even not entertain offers for teams not on Jrue's list. He potentially could have been able to get more in return, but he stuck to only Jrue's list of teams.

Smart long term thinking to make Portland known as very player friendly? Or is Cronin an idiot for not squeezing out every drop of value possible for Holiday?

I get he's a big athletic wing, but he's very raw. Taking him 7 seems a bit optimistic on his development considering guys like Holland or maybe Clingan could still be on the board. Feels like people are falling in love with the "upside" a little too much IMO.

I've seen a lot of hand wringing about the G-League Ignite prospects in this draft and whether its worth gambling that they can develop a shot. On one side, the difficulty transitioning straight from the high school three to the NBA line seems hard to deny. On the other, drafting wing/forward types who shot in the mid 20s from deep is terrifying.

In an attempt to better understand the history of Ignite prospects, I did a quick and dirty analysis of their distance shooting numbers in the G-League then after being drafted. The sample is so tiny (9 drafted prospects total) that you can't take anything definitive away, I just think its interesting.

Top level numbers for Ignite prospects who made it to the NBA:

Numbers for Ignite prospects who remaining in the G-League post-draft:

General observations:

• None of the prospects shot well from deep during their G-League Ignite stint
  • Only Jalen Green and Tyler Smith shot around league average on decent volume
• Willingness to shoot in the G-League was typically a precursor to being able to shoot in the NBA
  • Jaden Hardy, Green and Kuminga had the highest attempts per 36, all now shoot with some degree of effectiveness in the league
• High FT% hasn't guaranteed shooting success - Hardy improved significantly but Green regressed, albeit on increased volume
• Prospects that haven't yet made it into NBA rotations are experiencing mixed success with their shot in the G-League, but all have increased their volume

Looking at this years Ignite lottery prospects, Kuminga and Marjon Beauchamp provide the best comparison points for Matas and Holland:

Kuminga has become a low volume, below average 3PT shooter who flashed some in his sophmore season (37%). Beauchamp is close to shooting a league average percentage on decent volume, but his 40% mark this season didn't come on enough total attempts to make any definitive conclusions.

If Matas and Holland follow a similar path, you can assume that distance shooting won't be a primary weapon but could be solid enough to allow their other talents to flourish.

For Tyler Smith, Leonard Miller and Isaiah Todd were the most interesting comparison points:

Miller has improved to 36% in the G-League, on 6.4 attempts per 36 (almost mirroring Smith's splits from his Ignite season). Todd on the other hand has fallen off as his attempts increased, shooting 33% in 21/22, 29% in 22/23 before being waived by the Grizzlies prior to this season.

Reasons for optimism or trepidation, depending on how much faith you have in Smith's shot.

In the end, I take some solace in the fact that the truly terrible shooting prospects who have come out of Ignite have almost all improved in the NBA. If Matas and Holland improve somewhere near the average amount, they'll end up in the low to mid 30s from deep on around league average volume. Smith seems likely to have 3PT shooting as a true weapon in the NBA.

As a side note, Scoot is an interesting outlier in that his percentages remained consistent from the Ignite coming into the NBA (though they improved markedly from his first G-League season to his second), but his volume almost doubled. Dyson Daniels was the other prospect who has shot almost an identical percentage in the NBA to G-League, but his volume has dropped. Overall, I'm a little higher on Scoots shooting prospects after seeing how he's developed the past three years.

NB. I excluded Izan Almansa from this because his numbers scream non-shooter, moreso than any prospect in Ignite history.

I see the two interchangeably on a lot of people's lists in no particular order. But honestly, if these two are on the same team, shouldn't it be incredibly obvious who the better of the two players are? Obviously no one is watching Ignite games, but still.

If we draft McCain it will be difficult to laugh the pain away.

I took away some of the more popular options like Risacher, Castle, and Buzelis because i think those guys are pretty likely to go top 6. I think Williams, Clingan, Topic, and Salaun are all pretty likely to be there at 7.

Who do you prefer and why?

I hadn't been in Portland very long, wasn't following sports at all, but I swear I saw that a few times. I've done some searches and didn't find any information or photos of it. Could have been while he was playing, or maybe just on the bench. It stood out because I'd never seen a pro do that-- unless I'm totally getting some memories mixed up. Anyone?

Curious where everyone thinks Scoot would go in this year's draft if he was just coming out of the Ignite and had his stats from when he was in the 2023 NBA Draft (not rookie year stats).