2025 NBA Draft: Best Fits + Targets for the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 11 with @HoopIntellect

2025 NBA Draft: Best Fits + Targets for the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 11 with @HoopIntellect

in today’s show returning to the program Keandre Ashley you know him from the Hoop Intellect YouTube channel one of the great draft minds that we’ve got we’re talk all things Trailblazers in the number 11 pick welcome to Locked on Blazers let’s get into it you are Locked On Trailblazers your daily Portland Trailblazers podcast part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day what’s up world it’s past first point guard and trailblazers reporter Mike Richmond you are listening to another episode of Locked on Blazers part of the Locked On podcast network available wherever you get podcasts and also on YouTube thanks for making this show your first listen coming out to you each and every weekday Monday through Friday so make it a part of your daily routine make your first listen and tell your friends to do the same it’s Locked on Blazers your team every day in today’s program making his first a trip to the pod in 2025 Keandre Ashley you know him as Hoop Intellect on YouTube one of the great draft minds that we’ve got does incredible breakdowns over on his YouTube channel keandre how you doing i’m doing pretty good it’s a it’s a busy time but um I like this time of year quite a bit yeah I appreciate you making time for us we are closing in less than a week away from the NBA draft uh there’s a lot of moving parts here so we truly appreciate it um what I want to focus on today is the Blazers options at 11 um we were talking off air before we started is like there’s enough stuff that could happen in front of them that it’s hard to know like it’s it’s hard to say there’s like oh it’s going to be these five guys certainly you could pick a group of five guys and say they’re likely to be there but there’s a lot of unknowns so I’m going to throw you some names you tell me if you like them give me a quick breakdown and and we we can talk about their fits with the Blazers uh I want to start with Kaspar Yakonis you did a great breakdown on your YouTube channel of of of KJ what do you like about his game and and as what do you like like do you do you expect him to be on the board at 11 yeah so Yakonis he’s a he’s a really interesting prospect you know I think that there’s a lot of obvious appeal there with him for a 6’5 66 ball handler who um you know can can uh really pass it has high feel as a processor and also has the ability to get his own shot on those step backs and um you know frequently get to the free throw line and touch the paint a little bit more often than you might think um though it is still often through uh the pick and roll so I think there’s a a lot of appeal there with him as a player um and he is somebody that I would expect to be at least in the range his stock has fluctuated throughout the year um even you know going back to you know the beginning and then you know he he kind of tailed off towards the end and he’s kind of started to make a resurgence but I think that he’s definitely a prime candidate to be there at 11 and uh um you know specifically to this Blazers team I think that he they’re in a spot where they can consider a lot of people kind of like how you alluded to they can consider a lot of different people because um they don’t necessarily have those uh cornerstone pieces for sure yet um but yeah I think that there’s some some questions about uh him as a separator defender and um just fitting in as as easily um but you know he’s definitely someone I would consider what are your are you worried about him being able to get into the paint i feel like that is that’s like what’s going to you know if you’re an onball guy in the league and you can’t get into the into the paint you’re no good um and if you are your TJ McConnell man like TJ McConnell can’t shoot but he can he lives in the paint and it changes it it changes the sort of the calculation for him not everybody is going to be that but if you’re an onball guy the ability to get past people is crucial what are your thoughts on sort of KJ as a as someone who can break down maybe just in a one-on-one setting yeah that’s the big hangup for me especially for somebody who does project as a lead guard it’s just the separation the ability to you know take care of the ball um and to again do it without having a ball screen that’s the thing that I’ve been um you know debating a little bit more um I think you know when you look at just the craft and the processing and the playmaking overall there’s still enough there to consider him in the lottery it’s just not as as uh much of a home run as I would have uh I would have liked to see from him and I think you know you got the athletic questions in there as well a guy who only had one dunk on the season um doesn’t finish above the rim like those are some other questions that are are there so um that would be the main thing though yeah i mean he he his finishing numbers at the rim are pretty good but it’s like um it’s just a different level right and if you’re not a guy who’s who’s maybe particularly explo explosive do you keep shooting whatever 70% or or something in that range at the rim i think that’s a reasonable question can he play off the ball you mentioned he like profiles as a lead guard can you see a world in which he’s a sort of a two or is that that maybe not getting the most out of him yeah I I do I can see that and I think that that’s more likely for him is become like more of a secondary type of creator um just because of some of those those concerns but I think he could do that well um there’s some things that he’s going to have to nail down in terms of footwork and just being a more effective shooter off the ball that he hasn’t been to this point but you know you buy the mechanics like he shot a great clip from the free throw line he’s got good touch you would hope that an 18-year-old is able to continue progressing in that way especially in an NBA organization um which is why I haven’t it’s been hard for me to be too low on him but um yeah like that’s that’s the big thing for him it’s just putting all those pieces together but I think he could he could definitely play off the ball some sure yeah i I feel like if the best version of him is probably like a big 66 point guard but then there’s some other outcomes along the way uh another guy you recently profiled on your channel and and I want to say this before we get too deep into it hoop Intellect for player breakdowns is as good as it gets keandre is fair he’s well researched he’s balanced you’re not going to get crazy hype videos you’re going to get someone who watches the tape and says “Here’s what I saw here’s what I think.” Um that’s what’s what I really love about Hoop and Elect that’s why I first reached out a couple years ago and I was like “Hey Kre can you come on the show because you’re really stinking good at this.” Another video you recently did though is is the Northwest own Cedric Coward uh made his way from Wamtt University in Salem Oregon uh the Wamtt Valley’s own to you know through Eastern Washington and then Washington State for a little bit is 11 too high for Coward what are what are your thoughts on him yeah so I really I like Coward a lot and I I want to like him even more um 11 could be a little high i think just based off of my personal board there’s probably going to be a guy or two that falls there that um I’d be more interested in but that’s not really taking anything from him i think that what he brings to the table as a you know 65 66 wing with a a seven foot wingspan a guy who has proven himself worthy as a shooter and is able to um you know defend in a couple spots and and also you know just make a play when necessary that’s stuff that the NBA loves on you know every level whether it is from your role players to your stars like that’s the that’s the pitch there right um I think for me it’s just because we haven’t seen as much of a sample um on a higher level and he hasn’t been like JDub for example was a lead creator for that Santa Clara team um so that adjustment or at least that projection was a little bit easier even though he was a sleeper and had a late rise cedric hasn’t had that same type of opportunity yet so I think you know that’s my main hangup but I still think that like anywhere from like 13 on like just thinking about who would probably be there I think that he’s at least worth considering it’s just that’s the thing that I’ve been thinking about most yeah to me he’s like a very obviously an NBA player like he just he just he’s he’s 6’5 he’s 72 wingspan he’s got a little bit of shooting a little bit of defense it’s just what does he do that is like so what is the thing that he does so well that kind of separates him and makes him into like an elite prospect maybe nothing um but like he checks so many boxes as just like a this dude will play in the league for a decade like he he just that to me he looks like it so it’s I guess for the Blazers to some extent it’s like do you project that there’s more there like you said he didn’t he hasn’t had the opportunities to be a lead guy but does he get um does he kind of develop that can he develop that behind the scenes and be a little bit stronger there and then all of the ancillary roleplayer stuff that he does kind of uh takes him along the way um I think it’s maybe eyes of the beholder what his ultimate ceiling is um he’s Yeah do you think um like do you think he would have you know he chose not to go to Duke do you think a year in that higher profile would have like do you think he’s a definite lottery pick type of thing or do you think this is just a small sample size or or or what’s your read on that it’s tough to say particularly because next year’s class does have so much talent in it especially at the top um I think that he greatly would have benefited from the eyes and just the opportunity to do more on a higher level like from that perspective I think the confidence in who he was going to be was going to be 10 times higher 20 times higher than it is right now um at least for me uh not being able to see him in a workout setting and have that type of perspective um but you know I think that there is also a chance that he would um you know maybe not have those type of like that like untapped upside to be able to handle the ball and um you know create as a star somebody that the people who are highest on him um have more confidence in um so I think it you know you it could go either way one thing’s for sure though I think that he would have benefited from was defensively just in that structure and being able to um kind of patch up certain things that he has i buy I I like him as a defender i think that he’s going to be a good at least NBA defender eventually there’s just certain things that um haven’t been there yet and especially seeing him play in the Big West and Eastern Washington for most of the sample that would concern me just slightly um because you know when you start getting comped to like Kawaii or like this true shutdown wing it starts to get a little bit tougher if he was that and I had more confidence in that I think 11 100% you do it even take like he could be he could be less uh developed offensively and if he had that and I knew it um I would consider him as high as like seven or something but that’s kind of the the hangup for me yeah yeah i think that’s fair it’s just you haven’t seen him be you know he’s guarded he’s had some opportunities particularly at Eastern Washington to guard the best player on the other team but it’s like that’s a little different that’s different than the next level for sure so I I think it’s some of it is uh you got to with a guy like him you kind of got to trust that it scales um and that’s hard that could be hard to do um I want to tell you about my favorite prospect in this draft and you can tell me why I’m wrong we’ll do that in the second segment join us there first I want to tell you that today’s show is brought to you by Car Gurus 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watching him last summer um is when I I really started to dive in you know I had seen bits and pieces of what he did um at the junior club level with M but um playing you know FIA with with France I thought he was good good he was productive um did some interesting things defensively but he was more of that play finisher type um somebody who kind of just fit in especially alongside a guy like Nolan Trayori who uh you know took the the the majority of the creation responsibilities and and those types of things um but as the year has progressed especially playing at a at a much higher level than he had in the past and taking on a much bigger responsibility the stuff that he’s shown both you know defending multiple positions um you know finishing plays at a very high rate for somebody his age dealing with that physicality and the speed of the game and also showing those flashes as a driver and at times as a shooter especially late in the year has been tremendous especially for somebody who is 610 611 um you know just kind of getting into his body you can think about all the the the potential upside and and things there that you could um dream about him becoming um so I think that the rise has been uh warranted because you just don’t see guys uh perform at this level um in the way that he has too often especially for somebody who is as young as he is and then has those tangible pieces also because you know you’ve seen I’ve mentioned this in the video too but you’ve seen guys like Tan Salon and and Usman Jen who have certain tools that are intriguing but may not have the the tangibility or the certain spots that make it makes sense more at the NBA level um but yeah like he’s the guy who I would want most at at uh for the Blazers at 11 it seems like he’s going to go top 10 at this point like you said um I would I would hope that he’s there that’s like best case scenario to me um but yeah I think that’s that’s where I’m at we’re on the same page good i was hoping you weren’t like “What is the deal he can’t shoot he can’t dribble mike what are you talking about?” Um yeah i I I think some of like the sharpening skills like you know he hasn’t been a particularly good shooter for a big enough sample to be like he’s going to shoot in the pros right he might never be that he might be a dude who lives in the dunker spot um right he might be like kind of a four on offense like a true power forwardy four um he doesn’t have a lot of wiggle like off the dribble game but maybe that comes along but I just the physical tools and the like the level of productivity he’s had at his age at the level of competition he’s playing at I buy it like I I buy it i I I’m I’m I’m a believer um okay i want to I want to throw you a couple other names that I’m maybe not as high on but I but I want to I want to know your opinion derek Queen is someone who’s sort of mocked in the Blazers range i don’t love it as a fit perspective but in terms of just talent is he a is he like a in your eyes like a clear lottery talent yeah for sure i think that there’s and he was a hard person to you know really nail down an opinion on this year because I think it could go multiple ways and I’m still a little bit undecided in um you know where he plays best at the NBA level and also um I’ve also thought about even if he is a complete star right like how easy is it to build a winner around that player um but you know just from a talent perspective a guy that is 610 can score inside drive it like he can can really pass it um it’s just you know fleet of foot in a way that you just don’t see from guys that size uh the upside is intriguing i think that like there’s a uh a lot of interest for in him from from lottery teams for a reason um from the Blazers perspective I I’ve I’ve wrestled back and forth like I think that actually could work like there’s a scenario especially with Clling in there um because I think if you if you have confidence that he can shoot it in the future um that could work and you’d have a really interesting front court there um but you know like you already have you have Aiden right now like there’s a lot of things you know Tammani Kamar plays the four well also so there’s a lot of things to consider there but just from a talent perspective if he was there at 11 it would be hard for me to not you know heavily consider him even with with all those things in mind yeah I I like him as a skilled player i don’t It’s a weird It’s It’s a weird fit on the Blazers and I maybe I don’t love the like the archetype i just like don’t love a 69 dude who I think is a center um I worry that it’s like you’re hoping that he becomes Alprren Shenon and that is a that is that’s a that’s a big ask right like he’s a very good basketball player and even then you see some of the limitations of Shenon as like sort of a non-shooter non-rimm protector obviously he played on an elite defense this year you can you can figure it out right there are ways to play high high level defense with a center who doesn’t protect the rim the Rockets are proof of it even the Kings with Deanna Sabonis obviously another very high-end outcome here but like they were they were above average defense with Sabonis in the middle like you can you can figure it out but if he has like a four mostly and he’s like a non-shooter it’s it’s a little bit tough and something you alluded to there is like I think I my whole challenge with the Blazers where does anybody play where does where does any rookie play on this roster right because not only do they have recent lottery picks in uh Scoot Henderson and and Shaden Sharp and Donovan Klingan who are like the guard spots and at center tammani Kamar is pretty young and like had a breakout last year and it’s like okay this dude needs to play a bunch denny Aia was probably the Blazers best player last season it’s like well yeah this dude needs to play a bunch so there isn’t like an obvious spot there and that’s without even mentioning Anthony Simon’s still on the roster Jeremy Grant still on roster or DeAndre and Stone the roster like whoever they draft and as a team that’s sort of out of the playoffs it’s this is maybe unique is like there isn’t a clear path to like a ton of minutes and an obvious role so while I’m a best player guy like I I I I truly believe best I’m best player available it’s hard to figure out like what the sort of natural spot is uh and then that’s kind of leads me to this next guy who who is has such a weird natural spot kind of guy what do you make of Colin Murray Boils he is um you know some people think he’s the best defender in this draft class but he is he’s a unique player um where does where where would how would you maximize his gifts and what are his gifts yeah so I think CNB is definitely up there with the best defenders in his class i think that he’s somebody who um is naturally a four but can you know play on the perimeter and can also you know help serve as a rim protector and did that at the college level at least at at a pretty you know uh terrific rate you know he’s active he’s got great hands i just think that there’s a ton there on the defensive end of the floor um and then offensively the strides that he made as a driver and just overall playmaker Melissa more confidence at least that he’ll be able to figure something out now he is a strange fit especially how far away he is as a shooter i I think that um he needs a context that’ll be you know appropriate for him to like really maximize his gifts and I think that’s where he pops right now portland probably isn’t the that place for him especially like if you’re thinking what do you do with a Klingan in in Colin Murray Bole’s front court if that’s that’s the the direction you go i’m not 100% sure i think it’d be great defensively but offensively especially in a playoff setting that’d be um pretty difficult especially if you factor in some of the other guys on a roster but like yeah it just comes down to the shooting like if if a team picks him and has confidence that or you know maybe even not even a ton of confidence uh in it like that he’s going to become a a decent shooter then I think that you’re fine and you you live with that but um because he hasn’t been that yet it makes it a little bit more complicated but everything else in this game I love and that’s why he’s continued to be a lottery pick uh really like a a top 10ish type of guy for me so um it’s context dependent but uh I think that he figures it out yeah he’s it’s like when you get comp to Draymond Green I always get worried because it’s like Draymond is is one of the most unique players in the history of the sport right like he’s a he’s 65 maybe but he played a ton of a ton of center during his career and like a lot of his value is tied to this perfect context he played with Clay he He’s played with Steph his whole career and he’s a perfect compliment in terms of his IQ and his skill set with those guys his you know like is CMB going to get dropped into the perfect Hall of Fame compliment situation if he does he might be a hooper right he might be awesome but if but like when you’re trying to find those sort of fits for guys like him like he might be a guy and you mentioned it and I I think I heard it in your in your breakdown as well is like might be a dude who just needs the ball like that’s how you that’s how you kind of mitigate some of the shooting concerns give him the rock let him drive let him pass let him do those things but on a team like the Blazers what do you do with Scoot what do you do with Denny like what do you do with some some of your other guys who also sort of seem to do better in that role like how do you maximize that you could even argue Shaden Sharp has looked better with on ball reps as opposed to being an offball guy so it’s a balance um and if you can’t maximize a pick even if they’re really talented it’s maybe not the best use of a selection okay i got a couple other names I’m going to ask you about to close the show join us in that third segment first I want to tell you that today’s show is brought to you by Wayfair there’s nothing like stepping into your own outdoor space and feeling like you’ve escaped into a personal oasis if you’re wanting to update your patio this season Wayfair has made it so easy to turn it into a space that feels like yours comfortable stylish and ready for summer it doesn’t have to just be a patio wayfair’s got outdoor stuff for any space you got so whether you have a large patio whether you have a huge backyard or a just a little porch on your apartment you can go to Wayfair and get everything you need to level up your outdoor space conversation sets outdoor bars fire pits hot tubs gazeos string lights you can give your backyard that resort feel without the resort price tag uh they’re gonna have a whole bunch of different options so whatever your style is Wayfair is going to have a whole bunch of different styles plus they’re 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point guard wants i want someone’s like “Look listen if he gets if we get him open it’s going up.” I love it i love it um okay a couple other names for you uh Rashir Fleming worked out for the Trailblazers for me 11’s probably too high for Fleming but um he does pose some ski you know we talked about skill sets and fit and stuff like he’s a rim runner who can shoot a little bit and they kind of need that what do you make of Fleming uh with the caveat that 11 probably is a little bit of a reach for yeah 11 11 is definitely just slightly high for me i think you know I like what he brings to the table like just his tools they just don’t fail too often like uh 68 69 75 wingspan uh has the potential to space the floor can you know cover ground extremely well and and kind of guard all over the floor he’s kind of uh he’s not great as a playmaker he is more of a big than he is a wing i think those are the biggest concerns for people especially because he hasn’t had the the long track record as a shooter if you could bank on that I think more teams would be interested especially because he is at least big enough to play some some small ball five or you know survive there in moments but I think that he has a chance to be a rotational piece um it’s just probably going to be in that like 18 to to 30 range in this draft yeah I I think so too i think he’s he’s probably a top nine guy in his at his peak um but it’s again like it’s it some of it is is positional stuff like if he had more wiggle off the bounce like if he could go get himself a bucket and it wasn’t just a standstill guy you’d feel really good about it and if he had more than one season in college of shooting well you’d be like well he could be a standstill guy who cares so it’s like some of it is is just is projecting that um what about Asa Newell i feel like he’s a guy who’s been all over the draft board as like okay he could be top 10 to now seeing some places where he’s going to fall into the 20s what do you make of his of his spot in this draft yeah I’m not a I’ve kind of become a little bit lower on Asa over the year i still like him a decent amount i think he’s a easy you know first round pick somebody I would consider in the top 20 in the right spot but um because he is a little bit of a tweener um and hasn’t had um great success shooting the ball um and also isn’t a true center or rim protector right those two things kind of work in tandem and it it makes him it makes his his his pitch as a player a little bit tougher also when you think about like he can move defensively and and move out on the perimeter and guard but he’s not a a wing or somebody that you would like navigating ball screens or those types of things and also has has never really been much of a playmaker even going back to to Mer and even playing in FIA and those types of things so um I think he’s a solid big I think he’s somebody who will be in a rotation and I I do buy the shot more than he actually shot it this year but um to be in that you know top 14 potential at 11 I would need a little bit more yeah that’s I’m I’m kind of in the same place with you uh I I don’t think this player makes sense with the Blazers but I’m I’m I’m very curious about him jace Richardson seems to be a dude who everyone says he’s an NBA player but he’s six feet tall like I think he’s of a different size is he’s he’s totally different what do you Where are you at with with Jace yeah I mean I’m kind of in a similar boat man like I love watching him play i think he’s good and that that means a lot um he can shoot it he makes the right play on most possessions uh whether it’s just making the extra pass or you know running the second side pick and roll um he competes hard on both ends but you know he plays hard defensively it’s just you know he’s six foot and a half without shoes on um you know it’s it’s an uphill battle at that point and he hasn’t been like uh a true lead guard and a pull-up threat in that way that you would you know just be like hey he can just go get it similarly to like a Rob Dillingham or a Darius Garland or somebody like that um I still like him i mean I think in the right spot and I I wish Orlando would have you know still had their two picks because those are both like 16 to 25 you got two shots at potentially getting them um right because I think that context would be great for who he is um but yeah I think that he could go like he could honestly go anywhere from um like 15 to to you know 25 26 20 like somewhere in there i think it could could go that way is he a one can he play like is that what he has to be does he have to be a point guard i think so and I think um if you’re drafting him you at least have confidence or a path for him to have those responsibilities it’s just hard like to to not be a point guard um at that size you like look around the league the guys who do that or have done that like a Fred Van Fleet or a Kyle Lowry they played at the same time even in Toronto um much bigger much stockier hold their own defensively in a in a completely different way so um and I’m speaking like just on both ends being able to play on and off the ball and guard up a little bit i think it’ just be tough for him so he’ll definitely have to lean into some of those creation skills that we’ve seen in the past um you know with PG lead and those types of things yeah i I think if he was if people were confident one I think he’s a high draft pick right i think because of the shooting and the that stuff it’s just it if you view him as a two that’s why you’re saying like he could be at 25 um he did work out in Portland so um just a name I wanted to ask okay this is kind of the news of the day as we’re recording this you were listening you’re listening to uh Friday June 20th show and on Thursday there’s a lot of whispers that Ace Bailey is falling in the draft now is Ace Bailey going to fall to 11 i don’t know but what do you make of this what do you make of the of the sort of the Bailey fall cuz at one point he was two right like he was like “This dude’s going to go second behind Cooper Flag and he’s like he’s he’s maybe just as good and now he’s like he’s going to drop probably he seems like a guy who’s going to drop on draft night.” What do you make of Ace yeah there’s been a lot of pieces to this i think it comes back to um some of the concerns just in his game in general like just all the outside noise uh you know aside um some of the concerns in his ability to uh separate you know make good decisions uh make plays for others um how good of a you know true shooter is he i mean I think he’s going to be you know pretty good but like that starts to matter a little bit more when you when you can’t do those things at uh a better rate than he has and then like I think he’s going to be fine defensively and that’s why I think that he’s still a a top seven type of pick but um you know he had some some moments there so that’s where I think the the questions start and then it starts to become a little bit more of a different conversation when um he’s he’s at least not as willing to fill a role and kind of grow from there in a way that we’ve seen guy stars from from Paul George to Kawhi Leonard to you know name him there’s a lot throughout the lottery even like a Gordon Hayward or somebody like that um I think that that’s that’s been the the hangup on you know is he willing to attack his his uh weak areas and and continue to grow from there um so you’ve kind of got this and there’s there’s rumors about him wanting to get into a situation where he can um you know have a lot of opportunity early even if it means losing um so that that that’s where I think the the fall comes from but it really stems from the fact that uh there’s more questions in his game than maybe his highlight reel uh would um show you yeah I think if he was better then like they’ll sort of like worry about like well he wants to shoot a lot wouldn’t matter you’d be like well let’s let him shoot a lot but is that’s the question i do think he has a lot of good role player indicators it’s like I know there’s small samples and stuff but it’s like it’s he he offensive rebounds pretty well he’s he’s been he was really good as a catch-and shoot guy it’s like he does obviously he doesn’t fancy himself that way right now or maybe his people just don’t fancy himself that way and he’ll figure it out on his own but it’s like he does seem to he does have a lot of roleplayer indicators i also think it’s really funny um that apparently New Orleans is is enamored with him because it’s like they just they had three months without Brandon Ingram and they just got to get a teenage Brandon Ingram again and a guy like you’re like you’re telling me this this skilled 676 68 wing who takes a lot of questionable mid-rangers is available we must bring him to New Orleans they they really need him obviously I feel like Brandon would be a pretty darn good outcome for Ace Bailey obviously but like it’s I I think that’s pretty amusing and I would I would just add to that I feel like there’s a lot of uh confusion around the the like role player as like conversation it’s more about just being able to you know be a compliment like be a part of an offense rather than like saying that hey he’s an 18-year-old who’s never going to get better he’s just going to continue to be this it’s just about continuing to uh you know fit in and and be able to be a positive piece on a winning team i think that that’s the biggest question about him more than than like saying oh he just can’t ever be this or that right um and I think you you compare that and contrast it to like an Anthony Edwards who there was a lot of questions about at the time his just athleticism his ability to get to the bucket um the shot making uh versatility was just in a completely different stratosphere than Ace i think a lot of his stuff is is uh is tougher and less translatable but you know again I say this as somebody who has continued to have him high when I could have him much lower um you know if that’s how I felt but I just think the talent is is still worth betting on yeah well if he does end up falling to 11 on draft night I I I want to I want to see the Blazers have to make that decision right because I don’t think he will right i think Brooklyn or or New Orleans will will come in and make that decision like I I think I think the talent will kind of you get to a point where the talent go kind of balance out or they’re just like “Yeah this is too much this is too good of a bet to make.” But it is interesting when someone as talented as him is is is reportedly going to slip it seems like uh based on some sort of like in some ways offc court stuff there’s obviously court stuff there’s basketball stuff that is the reason why the slide happened in the first place but there’s some there’s some sort of like personality stuff that I think people are are are weighing on here and it’s like “Hey take the bet take the bet if you have it.” I I I’d be intrigued by it yeah i I would I would I would just just quickly hear put you off um I would say yeah that it’s a lot of the stuff that we we talked about um and the the weird thing is like he does fit in well with like his teammates his teammates like him he’s a great personality guys that type of thing uh I feel like that can get kind of turned a little bit to uh I just wanted to to just clarify oh yeah yeah i think the confusion is like in the NBA two guys on the team usually get the sort of like primary creator role that that’s like typically how it works and then you everyone flows off of that it doesn’t mean you never get to dribble it doesn’t mean that you only stand in the corner but it’s like who gets the like we need a bucket type of set drawn for them that is a that is a that is that is a typically reserved for a select few and then and then other people fit in i think Channing Fry likes to say the league is 85% role players it doesn’t mean you can’t be really good it’s just like if you view yourself as I want to be one of you know every team has two of these i want to be one of them right away that’s a little bit different than saying like I’m going to figure out where I fit and then I’m going to be undeniable with the talent first and I think that’s kind of the balance here is like yeah I don’t want to I don’t want to watch Paul George i don’t want to watch Paul George in Tyrese’s Maxi i want I want the ball in my hands i want a chance to like make some decisions and um I I think that’s kind of what they’re weighing is it’s it’s less character stuff than it is like feel of of how you fit into a basketball system when the league is so much about how the puzzle pieces fit like that is so much of how how you win in the NBA um Keandre if people are looking for more of your wonderful stuff where can they find it yeah you can find me on YouTube at Hoop and Elect um you know going to be dropping the the final draft board of the year here soon and and maybe a couple more scouting reports on the way as well um can follow me on Twitter for for stuff and Instagram as well Hoop and Elect um but yeah yeah listen I’ll say it one more time if you have not checked out the Hoop and Elect YouTube channel you’re missing out great breakdowns just like smart basketball analysis um Keandre does does really good work you’re going to want to check it out it’ll be linked here in the episode description so you can go find it and dear listeners come back next week because next week is draft week we made it uh so you know check out Kandre’s work over the weekend and then come back for draft week uh it is upon us it’s what we do five days a week wherever you get podcasts and also on YouTube tell your friends about the program i appreciate you listening i’ll talk to you soon hey hey hey

Keandre Ashley of Hoop Intellect joins the show to talk NBA Draft prospecs and the best fits for the Trail Blazers at No. 11.

Check out the fantastic Hoop Intellect channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/hoopintellect

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