We have Toronto’s (top 6 protected) and Charlotte’s picks (lot protected) next year so I’ve been interested enough to follow them both this season. Toronto was/is a popular pick of a team to blow it up via OG and Siakam trades and start a rebuild, but from how they’ve played so far this year they do not look like a bottom 6 team as is.
It’s early in the season but this pick is looking like it could be in the middle sweet spot for a team that is neither top 10 nor bottom six. And I think we benefit from Masai’s stubbornness as he showed last season by not trading Van Vleet or taking some good offers for OG.
Charlotte is a total shitshow and the best I could see for them is maybe fighting for a play-inn spot once they get their abuser back and manage to stay healthy.
I don’t follow college at all so the mock drafts don’t do much for me but having more swings high in the draft is always a good thing. For the more informed of you, where do y’all see the Toronto pick possibly landing and what do y’all think about making both picks versus packaging them for a trade (be it a player or higher draft spot)?
McDermott is in a trade before the deadline this year. He’s lost his minutes to Cedi. Hopefully to a competitor looking for some shooting.
The Hornets have a better than bad chance of making the playoffs in the East. Only Bos, Phi, Bucks are the only sure things to make the playoffs in the East. That leaves 7 spots for at least the play-in and Cha can fall right into that mix with ‘the abusers’ return (I think that’s how I’ll reference him from now on. Well done!).
The Toronto pick is almost certainly going to convey barring them winning the lottery or jumping into the top 4. There is no consensus top pick unlike next year (Connor Flagg) so they’re better off waiting a year before fully buying into the tank.