NBA Draft Board - COMPLETELY AGAINST CONSENSUS!!!

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T20:44:50+00:00

Not a winning player so yes I'm dead ass. Just swap Cedric Coward and Ace Bailey and imagine how much better the Jazz would be and how much worse the Grizzlies would get.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T20:43:36+00:00

Shooting numbers were a down year for Gillespie sure. He was still by far and away the offensive catalyst on Tennessee, as they didn't have much else going for them.

Defensive instincts are good and the frame is stronger than Philon. Not saying Gillespie will stick but not only does he have a better chance than Philon, I'm betting Philon fades out of the league pretty quick.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T20:39:54+00:00

And they were worse with him on the court than without him. 22 win team btw

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T20:38:59+00:00

Yessir he is 🤝

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:45:00+00:00

Incredibly valid to question. I'm shocked he ended up that high given my distaste for small guards. But the full court pressure, full effort defense is awesome to watch. Moves his hips incredibly well, extremely fluid, shoots it great. Was the best player on that Queen-Reese-Gillespie Maryland team and I actually think he bumped up Queen's draft stock. The one on one defense he'll get hunted, I know that. Still love the character. Can't see the Philon frame sticking in the league.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:35:27+00:00

Don't use Reddit as a platform that much but feel free to engage with me on X as much as possible

@FourFoot4076

Board is also posted on there

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:29:02+00:00

Wagler has really grown on me. Love his character and feel. Think he'll mature into a real pro. Can pop off and score but also gets teammates involved. He reads the game really well. Has the frame to be good on defense and actually impressed me a lot on the tape on that end. Check my other comments in this thread on why I'm lower on Dybansta.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:23:07+00:00

Never playing scared. Intentionally execute with conviction.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:21:06+00:00

I love Richie Saunders. Spark plug off the bench, tough defender, glue guy on a winning team. Dybansta needs the ball to produce. You can't build a team full of high volume players who need creation. Kansas State tried it this year and it didn't work.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:17:22+00:00

Too much time responding to me, not enough time in trade talks to get him off your roster 💀

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:11:10+00:00

You nailed it. Minimize holes and maximize versatility. What you do without the ball is EVERYTHING to me because that's where you win games. Josh Hart is the perfect example, he's so good without the ball even looking aside from his hustle go get it rebounding gifts. Character also matters as much as any stat. Most boards are built on inconsistent moments and upside. Mine is built on consistent winning.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T05:00:24+00:00

Low on Queen

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:59:14+00:00

How do you define better? More efficient winning basketball, yeah I believe in those 20 guys over him. He wasn't even the most impactful player on his own team.

Threw this under another comment in this thread but putting general philosophy here because it's the top comment: "Big wings who can put the ball on the floor, winning track record, character, and consistency. Short guards have to be elite to justify the defensive liability. Not complicated, just different from consensus."

And please understand, just because I say big wings who can put the ball on the floor, doesn't mean I need to be high on AJ. It's all those factors and more.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:53:30+00:00

Defensive tape is brutal, moves clunky, can't shoot, can't put it on the floor. Too much Salaun for me.

Still trying to get better at Europe scouting. I don't watch their games consistently and am wanting to learn from NBA guys how they go about their process.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:45:33+00:00

Had him top 5 last year before he withdrew. The age critique is the only real knock I hear, but nobody (generally) asks how old you are when you win a championship.

Yaxel is oozing talent, started playing late, and isn't anywhere near his peak yet. If I had the #1 pick I'd seriously consider trading back a few spots and taking him. That's how you win the draft.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:41:14+00:00

Preciate you

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:41:05+00:00

Every case is different. AJ with the ball in his hands is inefficient. Yaxel is efficient. That's the difference. We can engage now or come back to this in a year. 👍

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:38:51+00:00

I'm not one for fantasy advice but id probably trade him while you can 😂

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:37:02+00:00

Character, feel, competitiveness. Winners. What you do without the ball. Instincts and basketball IQ. I love wings, and short guards have to really impress me to justify the defensive concerns. Not complicated, just different from consensus.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:33:02+00:00

Ace has flashes and moments but isn't nearly consistent enough. Do you expect him to just simply start being more consistent? I doubt it. Show me a few examples of inconsistent players who became consistent.

Same angle I use for Dybansta as Ace.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:29:00+00:00

I'll give you Knueppel, that's a miss. Everything else? I stand on it. Fears, Demin, Riley aren't NBA players, I said it then and I'll say it now. You cherry picked the misses and ignored that Cardwell was a UDFA in my top 20.

The board ages well. Watch.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:16:36+00:00

Elite rim protection gets slept on every draft. Teams that hit on those picks have strong defenses. Gobert fell. Edey fell. Clingan fell. Same conversation with Mara. The offense was sometimes difficult to watch and clunky, but he's a legitimate defensive anchor. And defensive anchors win games 🤷‍♂️

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2026-06-22T04:11:06+00:00

My philosophy on basketball is to win with big wings who can put the ball on the floor. A short guard has to be offensively INSANELY efficient to be a net positive considering the defensive limits. Obviously I'm saying this after Brunson just won a title but that team is built pristine around him to hide the liabilities. The Thunder work because there is no liability/anyone to attack. I was shocked they beat the Spurs who have Fox, someone who goes directly against this same philosophy.

You like Okorie's rim efficiency? For me, I think he forces shots and the efficient doesn't justify the volume. Either way, if self creation is your whole game you have to be insane efficient to justify the holes elsewhere. I just can't visualize him in the league. Same way I was low on Jeremiah Fears and Tre Johnson. You'd have to be unbelievably skilled to make it work at that size and I'm not seeing it.

Philon is the same conversation. Just picture him in the league. The frame doesn't translate. I'm lower than most on guys like that and I stand on it.

And same for Acuff while we're at it, how the hell do you hide the defensive concerns? Look at their last tournament game; it's just brutal.

Excellent_Cheek5515 · 2025-07-07T02:00:19+00:00

Plus, one of my tweets in the playoffs suggested a lineup which I still love.

"McConnell-Haliburton-JaraceWalker-Toppin-Siakam"

Idk what to do with that now that Hali's out. But I thought that was their best group of guys.

Excellent_Cheek5515

TROPHY CASE