Idk where I would take Braden Smith but the guy knows how to play basketball. Because of his size and that's totally fair it pushes him down compared to his skill BBIQ etc. My guess is he will be a mid 2nd or later. He is a guy I would bet on being able to play in the league over other guys that are probably more potential that what they can actually do.
I'll say this that after watching Olivia Miles I think part of why there are fewer PG or the position is dead is to be honest idk how many guys really blow me away with their passing. It kinda feels like we just haven't had a whole lot of guys that have the skills to wow you as a playmaker passer and some of the ones that are pretty good have some other significant flaws. The most impressive passer in the league is probably Jokic?
Draft Night Thread - Second Round
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SameOldNudityDrew
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Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
Literally haven't looked into this all year, but . . .
I like what I'm reading about Saunders. His highlights aren't that impressive, but if the analysis on him is accurate, it's all the little stuff he does at all times on the court that make him a real impact player. Does sound a bit redundant with Donte, but we do need more guys who give a shit on this team, and the story on him seems to be that he's one of these Corey Brewer types that leaves it all on the floor at all times. But as a three point shooter. Gimme that. He also seems to want to get into transition as a 3 point threat, which sounds like it would fit well with Ayo. Bigger than Bones.
I like what I'm reading about Saunders. His highlights aren't that impressive, but if the analysis on him is accurate, it's all the little stuff he does at all times on the court that make him a real impact player. Does sound a bit redundant with Donte, but we do need more guys who give a shit on this team, and the story on him seems to be that he's one of these Corey Brewer types that leaves it all on the floor at all times. But as a three point shooter. Gimme that. He also seems to want to get into transition as a 3 point threat, which sounds like it would fit well with Ayo. Bigger than Bones.
Last edited by SameOldNudityDrew on Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BeenLurkin
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Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
lol, true story my thought watching Braden was “he has some Olivia miles to his game”! She is legit fun to watchMonster wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:40 pm Idk where I would take Braden Smith but the guy knows how to play basketball. Because of his size and that's totally fair it pushes him down compared to his skill BBIQ etc. My guess is he will be a mid 2nd or later. He is a guy I would bet on being able to play in the league over other guys that are probably more potential that what they can actually do.
I'll say this that after watching Olivia Miles I think part of why there are fewer PG or the position is dead is to be honest idk how many guys really blow me away with their passing. It kinda feels like we just haven't had a whole lot of guys that have the skills to wow you as a playmaker passer and some of the ones that are pretty good have some other significant flaws. The most impressive passer in the league is probably Jokic?
Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
I have spent a total of about 3-and-a-half minutes pouring over and analyzing 2nd round prospects, so I don't know much about these guys. But Braden Smith....I can't get over his size. He's sub 6-feet AND less than 170 lbs. Sorry, no amount of b-ball IQ can overcome that kind of physical disadvantage. "But what about TJ McConnell?", one might ask. TJ was about two inches taller and 20 lbs heavier when he entered the draft. That's how small Braden is. Heck, even Dilly was bigger!
And that was my conclusion after the 3-and-a-half minutes. Carry on!
And that was my conclusion after the 3-and-a-half minutes. Carry on!
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SameOldNudityDrew
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Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
It would be great to get a floor manager, which Smith clearly is, but a sub-6-footer? I just don't think a guy like that is playable in the NBA, unfortunately.
Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
You're bailing on Jack Kayil?!? Or is that just who you THINK the Wolves will take?WildWolf2813 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:15 pm Sign me up for Bruce Thornton at this point.
Copycat league right? Make your own Brunson. Maybe he can be close to that, who knows, but I want guys who relish getting hit and getting to the line. I want guys who have one elite skill. They’re all developmental guys. I just don’t want a player where you have to develop everything.
I’m out on Evans. Always was.
Veesaar is interesting but the solution to Wemby isn’t to get every tall oaf you can find. OG is 6’8” and had his way with him. Get strong players.
Here’s my top 5 at 33 tonight:
Bruce Thornton
Aaron Nkrumah
Braden Smith
Meleek Thomas
Tyler Nickel
After looking at some analysis of him, I would be fine with taking him, too.
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WildWolf2813
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Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
Kayil is who I think they'll take, not who I want them to take.60WinTim wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 4:09 pmYou're bailing on Jack Kayil?!? Or is that just who you THINK the Wolves will take?WildWolf2813 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:15 pm Sign me up for Bruce Thornton at this point.
Copycat league right? Make your own Brunson. Maybe he can be close to that, who knows, but I want guys who relish getting hit and getting to the line. I want guys who have one elite skill. They’re all developmental guys. I just don’t want a player where you have to develop everything.
I’m out on Evans. Always was.
Veesaar is interesting but the solution to Wemby isn’t to get every tall oaf you can find. OG is 6’8” and had his way with him. Get strong players.
Here’s my top 5 at 33 tonight:
Bruce Thornton
Aaron Nkrumah
Braden Smith
Meleek Thomas
Tyler Nickel
After looking at some analysis of him, I would be fine with taking him, too.
Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
Ok, I've now doubled my time studying this 2nd round at 7 minutes total. I second Lip and Wildwolf's vote for Bruce Thornton! Love the fact he's 6-foot 225 lbs! That is literally the size of a lot of NFL running backs, LOL!
Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
After looking at stats and reviews along with video highlights the past few days and all day today, here are my picks in order of preference for the Wolves tonight:
1. Isaiah Evans - ESPN lists him as the best available and I wasn’t sure why until I watched his highlight videos. He reminds me of TSJ but with better shooting form and less right-hand dominant. He’s athletic and just looks like he can make the leap successfully to the next level and perform.
2. Baba Miller — Great length with a 9’3 overhead reach. Also really quick and athletic for his size with a 2.70 shuttle and 10.71 agility time in the combine. He averaged 10.3 rebounds in 32 minutes this past season and we all know that rebounding translates from college to the NBA better than any other stat. But it was his video highlights that hooked me. He has a great motor, is extremely active, plays both ends and has as terrific handle for his position. If you watch his highlights you’ll see him take the ball coast to coast and score. He’s very bouncy and fluid. He’s also a very good passer at his position as evidenced by his 3.7 assists per game and you can see it in his highlight videos. If he’s available at 33 and Evans is gone, I think TC should grab this guy. With Randle out, we could use some depth at the PF position.
3. Bruce Thornton - I’ve mentioned him before. He’s the Jalen Brunson of this draft and not just because he’s built almost exactly like him. He also plays like him. Yes, he’s short at 6’0 without shoes. But he’s 223 pounds of muscle and has a 6’5 wingspan so size isn’t a negative for him. Then you look at his stats and you start to see why he’s such an impressive prospect. He’s a scorer, averaging 20 points per game as a senior. Ok, that’s nice, but what else. He can play make as evidenced by his 4 assists per game and he’s as terrific rebounder at the PG position, averaging 5 boards per game. Now here’s where it gets really exciting. IN 36.5 minutes per game he averaged only 1.3 turnovers per game. That’s not a typo - 1.3 turnovers per game in nearly 37 minutes. That’s obviously outstanding! But the excitement does stop there. He shot 55.4% from the field this past season. Again, not a typo. That sort of FG percentage from a college PG is almost unheard of. He also shot 40% from behind the arc on a healthy 4.6 attempts per game and 83% from the foul line on 5 attempts per game. So we know he gets to the line and hits his fouls shots when he gets there. Given his 55.4% FG percentage we also know he finishes a lot through contact. His video highlight are impressive as well. He’s not uber athletic, but he’s quick and athletic enough. He’s an elite ball-handler and very crafty with great instincts. I reluctantly have him #3 on my 2nd-round board somewhat out of deference to the “experts” who have him rated well below the two I’ve listed above. If I were TC I’d probably take one of the two listed above if available at 33, but I’d still be tempted to take Bruce instead. And because Bruce appears to be underrated relative to my assessment, the Wolves could trade down for him and probably get a future 2nd round pick in return.
4. Meleek Thomas — I love his 41.6% 3-point shooting on 5.3 attempts. I also like his low 1.0 turnovers per game and his 38” vertical. Watching his highlights, he doesn’t seem as athletic as his 38” vertical might suggest and unlike the three I’ve listed above, there’s nothing particularly exciting about his game that I was able to see in his highlights. But he’s clearly a shooter and solid. I’ll be disappointed if we end up with Meleek rather than one of the three I’ve listed above, but not super upset.
5. Richie Saunders — I love his 5.8 rebounds per game and 6’8.5 wingspan as a SG. He’s a decent 3-point shooter at 37.5% on 6.8 attempts. He looks athletic and fluid with a what seems like a high basketball IQ. But he’s extremely right-hand dominant. In fact, in the multiple videos I watched, I only saw him dribble once with his left hand. Others might look and find more, but it was striking to me how dependent he is on his right hand, especially as a ball-handler. Naz is a PF who handles the ball like a SG. Saunders looks to me like a SG with the handle of a PF — not a clumsy big, but a big. I won’t be terribly upside if we draft him but I’ll be very disappointed. If not one of my top three I’d much prefer Meleek over Richie.
I would absolutely stay away from Braden Smith. I actually like small guards and they don’t come much smaller than Smith who is 166.6 pounds with a standing reach of 7’9.5. When I started to watch his video highlights this morning I was expecting to see a super quick highly athletic PG who uses those attributes to compensate for his very small size. But that’s not what I saw. Instead, I saw a very solid, smart PG who can succeed at the college level but wouldn’t stand a chance in the NBA. I’d also stay away from Jack Kayil. I starting watching his videos expecting to see something exciting in his game. What I saw was a relatively slow, highly mechanical player who doesn’t look like he merits consideration as an NBA player.
So there you have it. Deep down, I’m hoping that the Rocco era becomes the Rocco-Thorton era after tonight.
1. Isaiah Evans - ESPN lists him as the best available and I wasn’t sure why until I watched his highlight videos. He reminds me of TSJ but with better shooting form and less right-hand dominant. He’s athletic and just looks like he can make the leap successfully to the next level and perform.
2. Baba Miller — Great length with a 9’3 overhead reach. Also really quick and athletic for his size with a 2.70 shuttle and 10.71 agility time in the combine. He averaged 10.3 rebounds in 32 minutes this past season and we all know that rebounding translates from college to the NBA better than any other stat. But it was his video highlights that hooked me. He has a great motor, is extremely active, plays both ends and has as terrific handle for his position. If you watch his highlights you’ll see him take the ball coast to coast and score. He’s very bouncy and fluid. He’s also a very good passer at his position as evidenced by his 3.7 assists per game and you can see it in his highlight videos. If he’s available at 33 and Evans is gone, I think TC should grab this guy. With Randle out, we could use some depth at the PF position.
3. Bruce Thornton - I’ve mentioned him before. He’s the Jalen Brunson of this draft and not just because he’s built almost exactly like him. He also plays like him. Yes, he’s short at 6’0 without shoes. But he’s 223 pounds of muscle and has a 6’5 wingspan so size isn’t a negative for him. Then you look at his stats and you start to see why he’s such an impressive prospect. He’s a scorer, averaging 20 points per game as a senior. Ok, that’s nice, but what else. He can play make as evidenced by his 4 assists per game and he’s as terrific rebounder at the PG position, averaging 5 boards per game. Now here’s where it gets really exciting. IN 36.5 minutes per game he averaged only 1.3 turnovers per game. That’s not a typo - 1.3 turnovers per game in nearly 37 minutes. That’s obviously outstanding! But the excitement does stop there. He shot 55.4% from the field this past season. Again, not a typo. That sort of FG percentage from a college PG is almost unheard of. He also shot 40% from behind the arc on a healthy 4.6 attempts per game and 83% from the foul line on 5 attempts per game. So we know he gets to the line and hits his fouls shots when he gets there. Given his 55.4% FG percentage we also know he finishes a lot through contact. His video highlight are impressive as well. He’s not uber athletic, but he’s quick and athletic enough. He’s an elite ball-handler and very crafty with great instincts. I reluctantly have him #3 on my 2nd-round board somewhat out of deference to the “experts” who have him rated well below the two I’ve listed above. If I were TC I’d probably take one of the two listed above if available at 33, but I’d still be tempted to take Bruce instead. And because Bruce appears to be underrated relative to my assessment, the Wolves could trade down for him and probably get a future 2nd round pick in return.
4. Meleek Thomas — I love his 41.6% 3-point shooting on 5.3 attempts. I also like his low 1.0 turnovers per game and his 38” vertical. Watching his highlights, he doesn’t seem as athletic as his 38” vertical might suggest and unlike the three I’ve listed above, there’s nothing particularly exciting about his game that I was able to see in his highlights. But he’s clearly a shooter and solid. I’ll be disappointed if we end up with Meleek rather than one of the three I’ve listed above, but not super upset.
5. Richie Saunders — I love his 5.8 rebounds per game and 6’8.5 wingspan as a SG. He’s a decent 3-point shooter at 37.5% on 6.8 attempts. He looks athletic and fluid with a what seems like a high basketball IQ. But he’s extremely right-hand dominant. In fact, in the multiple videos I watched, I only saw him dribble once with his left hand. Others might look and find more, but it was striking to me how dependent he is on his right hand, especially as a ball-handler. Naz is a PF who handles the ball like a SG. Saunders looks to me like a SG with the handle of a PF — not a clumsy big, but a big. I won’t be terribly upside if we draft him but I’ll be very disappointed. If not one of my top three I’d much prefer Meleek over Richie.
I would absolutely stay away from Braden Smith. I actually like small guards and they don’t come much smaller than Smith who is 166.6 pounds with a standing reach of 7’9.5. When I started to watch his video highlights this morning I was expecting to see a super quick highly athletic PG who uses those attributes to compensate for his very small size. But that’s not what I saw. Instead, I saw a very solid, smart PG who can succeed at the college level but wouldn’t stand a chance in the NBA. I’d also stay away from Jack Kayil. I starting watching his videos expecting to see something exciting in his game. What I saw was a relatively slow, highly mechanical player who doesn’t look like he merits consideration as an NBA player.
So there you have it. Deep down, I’m hoping that the Rocco era becomes the Rocco-Thorton era after tonight.
Re: Draft Night Thread - Second Round
Watch his video highlights if you haven’t already and it will confirm your view. He’s a very good college playmaking PG. But I just don’t see an NBA player in him and I’m someone who still believes in the potential of small PGs based on a long history of small PGs succeeding at a high level in the NBA. But if you’re than small, you have to be very special in other areas and I don’t see that in Smith.SameOldNudityDrew wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 4:04 pm It would be great to get a floor manager, which Smith clearly is, but a sub-6-footer? I just don't think a guy like that is playable in the NBA, unfortunately.