The Ringer NBA Show - Bronny James Lands in L.A., Plus Our Favorite Second-Rounders | The Ringer's NBA Draft Show

Episode Date: June 28, 2024

KOC, J. Kyle Mann, and Tate Frazier return to recap the second night of the NBA draft! They dive into the Lakers' selection of Bronny James and discuss some of their favorite picks of the second round. Check out KOC’s 2024 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more! Hosts: Kevin O’Connor and J. Kyle Mann Guest: Tate Frazier Associate Producer: Jessie Lopez Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz Social: Keith Fujimoto and Eduardo Ocampo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, my name is Dave Gonzalez, and I haven't read any of the books in George R. Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire. I'm Joanna Robinson and I've read every book in George R. Martins, a song of ice and fire. And I'm Neil Miller and I have also read those very heavy books. Years ago, we hosted a Game of Thrones podcast called a Storm Spoilers, and we're thrilled to head back to Westrose to cover the second season of House of the Dragon on the Trial by Content feed. We'll be using our book knowledge to dive deep into each episode and answer your lingering questions. So send us a Raven every week to Trial by Content at Gmail. com. Follow and subscribe to trial by content on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast to join us on

Thursdays where these two will explain to me which Targaryen is right. Welcome back to another episode of the Ringer's NBA draft show. I'm Kevin O'Connor. Join again tonight from Jay Kyle Mann and Tate Frazier. I should say actually this afternoon, not tonight because we just watched the second round of the NBA draft at 1 p.m. start time over here on the West Coast. Tate, what did you think about the broadcast? That was kind of a weird night, wasn't it? I think I missed the first five picks because I had no idea that They were going to start at 1 p.m. Pacific time KOC. So maybe they were trying to bury this, or maybe they were trying to time it up.

So prime time was when the Lakers would make the 55th pick. I don't know who was behind the scheduling of all this, but I will say it was interesting. It was a little bit wonky to use a Bill Simmons word. And it was a lot of fun at times, but we also got some insane stories. So I'm excited to talk about it all. What did you think about the environment, Kyle? In studio. Let me just complain for a second.

The studio was weird. telling you all it looked like a like a it looked like a a a a rollover like overflow room in a nice restaurant similar to one that we all got three three got sat in uh i just thought that the tables were weird the weird set that i want to hear brian curtis like riff on this go back to one night nobody like i was i was like the like text activity you you just didn't you weren't getting this sort of like environment even digitally i thought the same whereas on this when it's all on one night people are like engaged like i think tate tate tate not to, I'm not, you know, tearing you down about this, but I think you're sort of an avatar,

I think, for what the broader fan, like, I just felt like a real lethargy among, like, even casual fans, like even, you get the casual fans when you do it on one night. I just felt like nobody gave a shit. Maybe it's like a function of, of this draft not being as good, but just take advantage to the captive audience. I don't think there's enough justification to make it two nights. I don't know. You all agree or disagree with me on that.

It was given major high school banquet vibes. I'll just say that. It did not feel like a professional event. Yeah. That's the way I felt as well, Tate. It felt like COVID to me. It felt like the 2020 draft just in studio. Nobody was messed up.

That's the only thing. But I failed. So I texted with a couple of executives earlier in the day, and all of them were like, why? Why are we waiting until later today to be doing this? Like, we're ready to go. Nothing's happening. But then some trades did happen during the day, but nothing dramatic, nothing exciting. nothing that I think was worth the weight to have a day two for the draft.

But ultimately, that's what the NBA tried this year. We'll see if they end up going back to it next season and beyond. Or if really this was just a big ploy to have a whole day for Brody James, because that's what the whole broadcast was about. We're going to talk later about our favorite picks in the second round, but we might as well just talk about Brony James. He does go to the Lakers with a 55th pick. They did it.

It happened. Brony James is going to be a Laker, and assuming LeBrony James. James goes back. We're going to see the first father-son duo in the NBA. I do think that's pretty cool, but ultimately for the Lakers here, I'm sure they would have loved. They would have loved if somebody else took Brony earlier, so they wouldn't have had to do it at 55. And if someone did, Brony was going to go to Australia, which was the report. When I talked about insanity, that was the report that Bob Myers reluctantly told us during the broadcast with a little

bit of nudging from Woj and Wojj is like, just go ahead and tell the people what Rich Paul is telling these teams, which is basically like, if you try to pull something and you try to break up this great moment that we have created, I mean, I mean, what, I mean, you have to give respect where respect is due. And I do have to respect Clutch for being able to make this happen. I did not think that there was any way they would have this type of leverage about a year ago. As we inch closer to the LaBrony James timeline, it just became realer and realer that this day would come. But the fact that in the middle of this process to get to 55, we have Rich Paul saying, I will hold him in Australia while his rights expire to get him back to where we want him to go.

And I'm not sure if teams actually were affected by that, but the fact that it was reported in the middle of a second round on ESPN that probably will never be televised again, it just felt like a strange moment in time. And I'm still kind of reeling from it happening. I don't know about you, Kyle, man, but I just sat there kind of in shock. Yeah, I mean, I'm torn. Obviously, I've said this before on this very show that obviously every, every father-son thing just slices me into these days. I mean, you have a kid, you have a kid you soften up like this, like Charmin. You're a fine putty to just melt at any moment into a puddle. But I mean, I just can't get over like just the fatigue from this. Like I'm just ready to move on with the actual basketball part of this. I'm so, so ready just to let's just roll him out there and just see if we validate this or not. I understand what everybody is saying about like, This isn't the first time that leverage has been used to yada, yada, yada, yada. I understand, blah, blah, blah. Let's just, I'm ready to roll the balls out there and just see if Brony can do his thing.

So that's kind of where I am at the story at this point. Well, let's talk basketball then here, Kyle. There's a player who was selected one pick after Brony James. That's a person that you've really liked through the entire pre-draft process. Kevin McCuller goes 56 to the Knicks. Will the Lakers regret not taking Kevin? McCuller over Brony James with the 55th pick. McCuller's quite a bit older than Brony.

So, I mean, if we took a time machine and we went forward to see what Brony's going to be, but he's still going to be smaller than Kevin McCuller. I think McCuller has had to claw, not that Brony hasn't, but I just, I think McCuller, I told you guys over text that he's sort of a sort of proto Josh Hart. Like, I think that he's going to assert himself and establish himself. And the Knicks are going to be the perfect culture for him. It doesn't surprise me at all that that's where he ended up. If I had to bet my life, I think McCuller's going to end up the better player.

But, you know, I said all that stuff about Brony. I'm not, like, positive he's not going to work. But I just need, I'm in show it to me mode now. But I think McCuller to the Knicks is a great fit. All right, let's talk about our favorite picks in the second round then. We're going to go around to three of them each. Tate, you want to go first? Yeah, I'll start.

And I'll start with my guy who I thought was going to be a first round pick just based on what he did on the tape, based on his time at Stanford, based on his time at North Carolina. He played totally different roles in those two places. And the San Antonio Spurs said, we see what you're doing, Harrison Ingram. Come on down. We're going to bring you into this environment. I think he is going to be a five-tool player. He can wear a lot of different hats. I think he's just going to be a great locker room guy.

And we were kind of negging the Spurs after their first round. We were a little upset as a group. I feel like even Bill Simmons pointed out to us, he was upset about the Spurs and them trading that pickaway. I think them getting someone like Harrison Ingram going into that building, someone that I think that can contribute soon and be on a similar timeline as Wimby and kind of bring

some maturity to this team as well, even though he is a rookie. I just think it's a great pick. I think it's a great fit. And I think we can talk anybody into going to San Antonio with Wemby and it being a good thing. But Harrison Ingram, I feel like it's a great thing for him and I'm excited to see what he does. Ingram going 48th to the

Spurs. It's a weird thing to say, but it makes me feel better about them trading number eight because Ingram, I think, is going to be able to play right away. If Ingram is a guy that they believe in is somebody who can come in and earn 15, 20 minutes a game or even a little bit more, because I think he is ready. Defensively, he's ready. The shot looks so much better, as you saw last year at North Carolina, Tate. If he comes in and plays right away, maybe there would have been one too many guys for developmental pieces with the eighth pick.

I still wish I'd ain't traded, but it makes me feel a little bit better about that pick. How about you, Kyle? Oh, I love it. I mean, he improved, like you said, as a three-point shooter this past season, 38. half percent. He passes extremely well. And like Tate said, he can wear a lot of hats and he can do well in a lot of different hats. Like he can pass out of the post, as I've mentioned a lot on this show. I'm not trying to tell anybody what to do, but the more they talk about chess, I feel like in Summer League, I feel like this is a paved path for somebody to yell checkmate after they

dunk on him if it should happen. It seems like a big setup here. But Ingram, like you said, I had him a lot higher on my board. I figured that he just fits the, modern sort of spatial intelligence at the NBA, and I think he's going to be a great piece for them that years from now, people are going to be like, how did he fall that far? I love Harrison Ingram. One of the picks that I really loved in the second round was Tyler Colick going to the Knicks with the 34th pick. He's a point guard out of Marquette. And the Knicks, they had an interesting draft. They entered with 24, 25, and 38, and then they walk away with four prospects. We mentioned McCuller. They got an international big with the final pick they took. They took the DA.

in the first round, as we talked about on Wednesday night show. But with Colick specifically, he's a guy that I've heard for quite some time, this whole month, that they love Colick, that they see him as a guy that's a good backup to Jalen Brunson, that he's a great pick and roll player. He shot over 40% on catching two threes at Marquette. So I think for them, they need to give up some salary in order to make the Bridges deal work. There was reports from New York that maybe they would have to trade Deuce McBride. They don't have to. They could go with someone else. but if it's McBride, Tyler Colick, I think, can come in right away and be a good backup point card for you.

And plus, Tate, they got two lefties, Brunson and Colick. That's pretty cool in the back court. Yeah, and they're Big East guys, you know what I mean? If you are a fan of the Big East as producer Kyle Crichton is or you're someone from New York that has watched the Big East tournament in MSG, you've seen Tyler Colick, you've seen Tyler Colick play great. You know who he is. The Knicks know who he is. I think he and Jalen Brunson are going to get along great. I think that locker room is going to embrace Tyler Colick.

And when you just think about who he is as a player, I mean, he was the biggest player of the year or not this past season, but the season before. He's been playing high-level basketball for a long time. He does have great instincts. I think that a lot of us were talking about where Koloch would fit in. We mentioned the Spurs, but getting him as a backup point guard, he is going to be a nice piece coming off the bench,

and he can run real offense and get you buckets and get you good looks. And I think the fan base in New York, they're going to be very excited to see Tyler Koloch a familiar face, and he's going to play some great basketball there for them. So this was a big win. I know that Stephen A was struggling in the first round, but I think Colick to the Knicks is a big win. And they also came away with three future second round picks in the draft as well.

So I think for the Knicks, they traded down multiple times, got cash in one of the trade downs. The Knicks front office is looking very competent right now, I'd say, Kyle. Yeah, definitely. I would say we can zoom in just a teeny bit on Colick and just say that, I think with the second unit, this is a guy that's going to fit a 0.5 mentality.

He's going to be able to play with the guys in that second unit really capably because he was one of the highest and most productive pick and roll players in all of college basketball. Almost 44% of his looks this past year were in the pick and roll. He's not a guy that's going to be like shooting him off triple pull-ups, but that's the luxury of what you're going to have here because he's going to be playing off the catch and give you a lot like a higher like threshold of quality decision making. He was almost 44% playing out of spot up situations. Really smart player. I think you could make the argument that he was had the highest pick and roll IQ in the draft up there with like the Nunez and guys like that. So I like that. So I like that.

It's a good pick for the Knicks. Who's on your list, Kyle, for favorite second rounders? There's a few different ways you could go with this. Actually, you know, I know there's been a lot of discussion today about Kyle Philpowski. I think with Utah, I think he's an interesting pick because you have a few downhill guys. Collier obviously has a long way to go in terms of an on-ball decision maker, but he gets to the rim. Sexton, we all know about that. Don't have to go there.

Kiante George is a work in progress who showed a lot of flashes. is Philip Houski gives you another wrinkle, a guy who can do some popping. He's not as consistent as I would like in his pick and pop, but he's a great passer. I think maybe people are going to have to come around to realizing because you see a big white guy who's like a shooter. You assume he's a shooter.

He really came into college basketball as more of a passer with that reputation. So I think that he fits really well with the guards that they have and the shooting that Utah is prioritized. Do you stand for supporting a Duke prospect date? Yeah, I was going to say, KOC. I actually am a real big fan of, Philipowski going to Utah because I like to fit with this team and I like the fact that Laurie Marketing was an archetype that I feel like Calipowski should be looking at to try to develop his

game and now he gets to see it on a day-to-day basis. I do think they have to figure out if Philpowski is a four or he's that stretch five out guy, that Porzingis role that I think Khalil Ware was a perfect example. Miami's trying to find that as well. Maybe he is that guy. I think he is going to be more of a four at the next level. Utah is a nice place to develop. I really like this draft for Utah, and he kind of fell into their laps. I mean, he is a first round talent. I know there's some weird stuff with his interviews, his workouts. I heard he was terrible in workouts prior to some of the stuff that was coming out today. I didn't really understand how he could be so terrible other than missing shots. And I guess guys get nervous, guys miss shots.

So I wasn't really that freaked out about it. But going to Utah, he can isolate a little bit. He can be with the team and with Danny Ains, who knows how to develop guys. So this is a great fit for Filipowski, even though I know he was upset after not going in the first round. And understandably so as a guy, you got some top 20 hype and he ends up falling to the early second round. But you know what? 30 second pick for him. You know, Wodge had, you know, posted or said on the broadcast how, you know, maybe this frees up Lari-Marketing for trades for a massive haul like the Nets got for bridges. And I think if you're the jazz, you get at least, you know, listen for Mark.

I like Markin a lot, but he's not an untouchable in my book. And Danny Ains has said many times over the years going back to when he was running the Celtics, there are no untouchables. And it's like, Larry Marketing is definitely not an untouchable. So I'd be listening if somebody wants to go over the top. He's got a great contract too. You know what I mean? He got a contract before he was actually who he is now. So like it's the same with McKell Bridges, right?

It's good to find those guys on, you know, in a world where we're in the second apron, which I don't even understand. You guys can maybe explain that to me at some point. But, uh, you know, it's a good contract. And, Tate is he only has the one year left on his deal. And that great contract is running out. So he was on a cheap deal. but then a new big deal is going to be coming.

So for the Jazz, do you want to pay Lowry Marketing in that massive contract next summer when he's up? No, play Philopowski. That's the plan. Swab him in there. I want to talk about another big that I really liked in the second round. Quentin Post went to the Golden State Warriors with the 52nd pick, seven-footer, a true seven-footer, no-shoes, seven-footer, shot over 40 percent from three last year for Boston College,

some synergy numbers for you. He shot 78% on rolls to the basket out of picking rolls. And out of those rolls, isn't a dunker, but he's a guy who would receive the ball in the dunker spot, dribble, spin, get into the lane. He's good with the ball in his hands, and he shot 45% on pick and pop threes out of the pick and roll.

So I think for the Warriors, the way they envisioned James Wiseman developing, well, Quentin Post. Like, you know this guy can shoot. I look forward to seeing what Steve Kerr does with a guy who could play on the perimeter, run DHOs, be used in pick and roll. To me, like, this is pretty exciting for the Warriors, even though it's, you know, it's a pick in the 50s.

There's no guarantees, but I've been high on Quentin Post for some time. And Kyle, I think, I think for Gold's say this is a nice pick for them, especially as Kavanaugh is getting older. Yeah, you got to start thinking about what your looks going to be, because we always think about this standard warrior's way that they play. You mentioned the shooting. he's a knockdown shooter from that spot. He's got to work on his agility.

I think defensively he'll get attacked. We're a long way. We don't want to act like this as like a plug and play. Roll it off the assembly line. He's ready to roll. He's somebody that's got a lot to work on defensively to hold up in the league. But yeah, he can shoot the hell out of the ball, man. So in that sense, he does fit.

You know, maybe a fit with Pajimski down the road. Should they try to expand what he does? I got another guy for you that I want to throw out for both you guys. And he's a guy that I've been in love with since I first saw him down in Pullman. Jalen Wells with a 39th pick going to play for the Memphis Grizzlies. This is a guy who shot 42% from three. He's got a clip. He's an elite shooter.

I think he is the, we hear everybody's a 3-and-D so much so that Gavoni at one point called Brani, a 3-D guard. I've never heard that expression. But I mean, I think this is a three as in he's going to be a wing, and he's going to play really good defense. He was not afraid to guard someone's best player on the perimeter. Jalen Wells is a great fit here.

I think he is a great story in this draft. One of my favorite stories goes from D2, Sonoma State to Washington State, gets that team to the NCAA tournament, which was tough to do in the Pac-12 this season. He was one of the main machines of it. Everyone told him he needed to stay in college basketball and needed to come back. He bet on himself. So for Jalen Wells to get picked, 39th, and for him to have an opportunity to go play with his Grizzlies team, I think it's great.

And I think he's going to be willing to play in the G-League. He's going to be willing to do whatever it takes to get on the floor. And, you know, if you saw his interview, you saw his family, you know what type of kid he is, high character. And I'm excited to see him at the next level. So very excited about Jalen Wells. They get Jalen Wells at number 39. And then they get Cam Spencer from the two-time champion, Yukon Huskies, with the 50 third pick. Two shooters in the second round, two guys that shot over 40% from three this past season, Spencer did in his entire time in college.

They take Ety first round tape. And they have this team with Jomorant, Pick and Rolls, Jaron Jackson. as a spacer. Do you think E.D. kind of as this big investment they made, does he have potential long term to be one of those kind of like hubs, like a DHO guy with Spencer and Wells coming through handoffs and screens? Like, does Eadie have that feel, you think, to work with these shooters? I just think, in terms of E.D., I think E.D. obviously has the confidence in the Moxie to be one of those guys. I hope that the Grizzlies will try to fit him in where he can fit in. And eventually he could be one of those hubs for this team. I mean, I do think the Grizzlies might be almost

changing into a new phase of what this team may be. It was the John Morant team. I don't know if it's the Jaron Jackson, Zach Eady, two bigs team. Who knows what it may look like. But I do know that the Grizzlies love college basketball based on their picks. Cam Spencer is a competitor. That's the best way to describe him. This guy is a maniac. It's probably the second best word to describe him, just like his head coach, Dan Hurley. So getting that guy into the building, getting James, Galen Wells into the building who has a lot of an upside. And then getting Zach Edy, guess what they all have. Grit.

And that is what Memphis loves. They love guys that have in play with a chip on their shoulders. I think all three of those guys bring that. And I think Edy, I was impressed. I mean, you saw his party pictures from the draft party. I mean, he's looking like a guy who expects to go down to Memphis. Yeah, and just make things happen. So we need some juicy j-drops.

We need some Project Pat. We need a whole bunch of Memphis to get him fired up. So I'm excited for Zach Eadie. I'm going to be curious to see how he and Cam Spencer sort of hit it off because Cam Spencer talked enormous shit to Edy at the final four. I was getting a big kick out of that. So that'll be a fun sort of reconciliation there between those two. But yeah, they added two guys that are.

I think another thing about Cam Spencer is people need to realize that he is, he's one of those. I mean, there was like a playoff series a few years ago where Pat Conantton just kept coming up with like backbreaking offensive rebounds that extended possessions. That's the kind of gritty sort of like he finds little areas to add value. Of course, we're reading a lot into this. This is the second round pickup for a team that has an identity already. But Spencer is somebody that can get in the mid-range too. And he's a toolsy kind of guy there too.

But he's a fun player. Kyle, who else is on your list? I'm going to say Johnny Furphy. Johnny Furphy headed to the Pacers. There was some talk about the Blazers liking him. I thought that would have been interesting too. But Furphy is somebody this past year. I think his catch and shoot numbers were really good overall on the season.

Had it pulled up, went away from it, and we're back, 43% on his spot-up looks. But the thing about him is that, you know, Kansas was such a, you know, they would go in these droughts where they struggled to produce open shots. When McCuller went down, that made it even tougher. They were just looking for answers, ways to produce ball movement, and he still shot the ball pretty well. And that led to a lot of, like, guarded looks. I think that in the up and down flow of the way that,

they like to play, that could be a great situation for him. And he's big and he's really young. So I really like the Furfie pick there. Yeah, Furfie's interesting. They flipped those picks, you know, earlier in the draft. Spurs ended up with Nunes, Pacers with Furfee. Furfee's interesting because he's a guy, Kyle, that a lot of people thought he could be top 20. He ends up staying in the draft class as a super young, raw prospect out of Kansas. And you'd think, you know, you stay, you're going to go first round. But I think whether it was Colick, who we already talked, about or Filipowski or Furfee for that matter. There's a bunch of guys that I think felt like they were going to be first round draft picks. But when you have some surprises in the first round,

like, OK, see, taking Jones, like stuff out of nowhere, that's what happens and guys end up falling. Does Furphy have, is Furphy more likely a role player or only a role player? Do you think he has kind of some type of star upside where he can be one of those classic guys drafted in the 30s who ends up being a key player on a team. I don't know about star upside, but I do think starter upside is there for him. I think that he could be a solid, like, outlet for a star player, like a Tyrese Halbert. And I think the other thing, we mentioned the shooting.

You talk about a guy who's that young coming to the American game on a really experienced team. Not a huge sample, but he was a crazy efficient finisher this past season, 88.5% in the restricted area. That is a really crazy number for a guy, his size, who kind of made a name for him, a style of play the way that he does. So I think you have those two into the spectrum. You start to figure out the in-between stuff,

and he's somebody absolutely that can support. Get to the rim, hit open shots, and he has great size. So I like the starting point for him, and I like where he ended up. Who else you got, Tate? Yeah, I just want to shout out Johnny Furphy. Three-level scorer. I love three-level scores.

That's my favorite. I want to shout out Tristan Newton getting drafted, M-O-P himself, a guy that I don't think gets talked about enough, but him just, you know, getting drafted, I was worried. There was some talk at the Combine, you know, he wasn't willing to do some certain things, and maybe that was making him fall, right? I don't know all the back channeling that was going on, but I like to see Tristan Newton come off the board. You mentioned Cam Spencer as well.

So just from a college basketball standpoint, I like that the Yukon Huskies got respect from the NBA at large, and they decided to make a pick, you know, based on the chops and the production, not just the potential. So I was happy to see Tristan Newton go off the board and going to the pace or Tate. Yeah, I was going to say, going to the Pacers, which I really like this draft for the Pacers. I mean, the Wizards, the Pacers, the Hornets, dare I say. I think some of the teams that get made fun up quite a bit did have a fun draft. And I like Tristan Newton. I like to fit here.

And I think he can be a guy who makes an impact, just not on the ball, but maybe off the ball as well. I think a lot of people are like, are we sure he's going to be a starting point guard? He might not have to be. But it's not to have a guy who can handle the ball like that. And he showed what he could do at the highest level in college. Do you have any others on your list, Kyle? I had one more. The Battle of L.A. Christy Brothers,

who we'll see who wins that, the underrated Christie Brothers. There's some people that think Cam is more talented than Max. So it's an interesting situation here where Cam has good size, got off the ball pretty well. I honestly thought the Thunder might take him because he fit their template.

I thought they might just be like, screw it, let's take another one. So I like that value play for them. They've done this a lot. They've picked these sort of perimeter players to sort of see if they'll bake and bear fruit. I've mixed my metaphors there. But I think this is a good pick, a good roll of the dice for them. It doesn't even feel like that much of a roll of the dice.

I think he's a really talented player. Yeah, we had a run of, I think, pretty solid picks and interesting, you know, fits there. Like he did Christie going to the Clippers, Antonio Reeves, your guy out of Kentucky, Kyle, going to the Pelicans. and then Ingram who we talked about, Newton who we talked about with the Pacers, even Enrique Freeman going to the Pacers with that 50th pick. I think there was a good stretch there.

Pella Larson, but even before that, to the heat at number 44, Jamal Shed, who I think everybody loves and respects as a college basketball player out of Houston. He goes to the rappers at 45. A lot of interesting picks there,

but the guy I want to talk about last here is a dem bona to the Sixers, because I love what the Sixers did in this draft. They get Jared McCain in the first round, McCain, great shooter, going to fit with Joel Embed, it works with Maxi, a lot of smiles, as we talked about with our pot on Wednesday night, with those two in the back court. But then in the second

round for Philadelphia, a Dem Bona. They need a backup center who's better than Paul Reed, better than Obamba, and Bona, his defensive versatility, the energy, the hustle that we saw at UCLA the last two years, I think he's going to be a really good backup for Embed, but also

there's a chance that he could play with Joel Embed, because on offense, you have Embeddy, who's one of the best shooting bigs ever. He can space the floor in certain situations. Bona can do more of your traditional center stuff. But then on defense, with Embedde being your five, your rim protector, Bona can do a little bit of defense on the perimeter. He's very versatile with the schemes that he plays.

And for Philadelphia, maybe you have him in kind of that roaming role next to Embed. So I think it adds kind of a new element to what Nick Nurse can do with those six teams. Do you think that makes sense for Philadelphia? Are they one of the winners of the draft here, Tate? I will say I like a Bona behind Embed. Every time you say Moamba, I think about Seth Greenberg talking about him being a mix of Embed and Anthony Davis. I don't think that worked out. So I think Bona could be a guy.

I wish. You like a Bona behind Embedite? Sorry, I'm 12. Hey, no. Hey, I think it's going to be good. Pack 12 defensive player of the year. You know, high energy guy. And just someone that's fun to watch.

Fun to watch is a lot of threat. I'm going to just talk through it. I love his lateral quickness. You know what I mean? I just love his lateral quickness. I'm sure that Rick Petino respects his lateral quickness as well. Mick Cronin's a tough coach. He's gone through that.

He's dealt with that environment. I don't think the Philadelphia fans will scare him. I do think that Philadelphia fans will have some groaning moments with the Dem Bono when he has some foul trouble. And he has, yeah, no, Kevin, stop. Let me just take it to the basketball. ball. I think to take what Tate's saying dead serious, like,

you, that's sort of the tight rope that you walk with him. This guy was like, he could end up being the best energy big in the draft. That's very possible. You know, he's incredible athleticism. Sorry, Tate. And like, you know, block, block rates, steel rates, through the

roof. He's super disruptive. He's going to be this annoying second unit guy that comes in and causes you all kinds of problems. And he's played in winning environments before. I know UCLA struggled this year, but last year they didn't, and he was a big part of that. And I just, I think, yeah, I think the Sixers pick two guys that are ready to go. And I think that's what they had to do. So, and they succeeded. Well, I'm glad we're all fans of Bona behind the bead.

Anything else, any other notes that you guys want to empty out before we wrap up here? Tate, Kyle, anything on your mind? Did we give Brony James enough of his due? I mean, I'm just kidding. The first seven minutes. Another five minutes. The first seven minutes of the broadcast was about Brony James as I went back to rewatch it. I was shocked by that. But no, I think it was a fun second round. I think there was a lot of good swings. I like some of the trades that had to be May shout to Reggie Jackson and the second round picks that were dumped on the Hornets.

Excited about that. But I like this second round. There's one more thing we got to say. I don't know why the Bucks picked another. I don't know when Tyler Smith's going to be ready to go. I could be wrong about that. I'm surprised. I thought they would take somebody that was more ready because they need somebody.

And I don't think that AJ, I don't think AJ and Tyler are going to be like bankable. Like, oh, my God, these guys are for sure the next wave. I didn't understand that. I thought for sure they'd take somebody that was more ready to contribute sooner. Kyle, I wonder what's up. Like, is there something that the bucks know that we don't know yet? We do know that they've explored, you know, Brooke Lopez trades that Doc Rivers and wants to play maybe a bit more of an aggressive defensive scheme, which would require changing personnel.

That could mean Bobby Portis goes too. But draft AJ Johnson, who averaged 2.9 points per game in Australia last year, Tyler Smith, who has been very streaky as a shooter, who definitely isn't ready yet, in terms of spatial awareness on defense. Like, he looks to par up, but he's not there yet. So you drafted two unready players in the top 33 of the draft, which was filled with guys who you feel like can, you know, earn a bench roll right away. there's no guarantees, but this is a deep draft

with quality role players. As we've talked about this whole podcast with guys that could help a lot of teams, Ingram, Wells, Newton, I mean, like, Colick, there's a lot of guys in this class. And yet, a team that is supposed to be contending for the finals, Tate, what's

the logic behind this? Like, what could be going on? I just think, you know, the windows can get closed quicker than you realize, and I think sometimes you may figure out that your future is more important and more pressing, than you maybe even realize in the present. So I just think the Bucks might be trying to make a plan just in case, you know,

in case of emergency, in case, you know, the Dame, Janus experience all kind of comes to a head. We have A.J. Johnson, who's probably about three years away from being a really interesting player. Or Tyler Smith, who's probably on the same timeline. So maybe you get two guys on the same timeline with a lot of potential. It doesn't threaten what you already have in the building. But it also gives you some optimism that, hey, if what we have now doesn't work, we got something to look forward to. and we found it in the draft for cheap.

But by the time they get there, they're going to need a new contract. So I also don't know how that goes. It's very interesting. I just don't. I don't know how often the AJ Johnson body type works out. Like that type of player, that makes me skeptical. I'm just, I'm a little, I don't understand it, but maybe somebody can explain it to me.

But I don't know. You know what else makes it strange? The fact that Doc Rivers just never likes to play young guys. He's been that way since he was coaching the magic since his early years of the Celtics. He just doesn't like to play young guys. So maybe they know that. They know that Pella Larson wouldn't go there and play, right? They know Kevin McCuller wouldn't go there and play.

So maybe they're just saying, we make a decision based on who are coaches. You know, who knows? I mean, that definitely could play a role in it. But at the same time, I mean, like sometimes, like you see Calvin Booth trade Reggie Jackson tonight and granted that's partially for financial reasons. It's also because all year they had hoped. that Jalen Pickett would be able to earn minutes and earn a role, that Julian Strother as a wing would be able to get minutes.

And so you remove a veteran, and then a younger guy needs to get inserted. So, like, that's what happened when they traded Bones Highland, and then it made space for Christian Brown to play more the year they won the title. So, like, as the GM, you can construct your roster in a way that almost forces the coach's hand. And in this sense, like, Doc is definitely not going to play these guys. Definitely not.

He might play a money ball situation. Let's be honest, will he know their names? You know what I mean? That's the real question. I don't think you will. I do not think Doc Rivers well. They're two pretty basic names too. Like AJ Johnson, Tyler Smith, they're pretty easy to forget or mix up AJ Smith.

You know what I mean? Like, there's going to be a lot of confusion. Imagine Doc Rivers goes on Bill Simmons podcast for like, you know, annual appearance with Bill and he mixes up their names. Yeah. I see it happen. I was like, how's A. doing um yeah he's um he's coming along coming along smith's a hard worker his head's in the right place yeah it all checks out it'll be good well i mean second round was fun do you guys want a day two next year

you want a day two drafts yes or no a final answer for me is a no it's a harsh no it's gonna be a no for me too it's gonna be a no for me shout out to randy jackson um but i'm happy because this is the propaganda into that you want for the future if you're clutch LeBron James, the whole family, because like now Brani has a moment, a draft moment that you can look back on and have video evidence and photo evidence. And that is really the whole

goal of this. That's why we do this, guys. You know what I mean for these types of moments? So we witness history. Who would have thought? So, you know, good for us. All right, guys. Well, that's it. The 2024 NBA draft is over. Thanks, Kyle. Thanks, Tate. See it.

Thanks, Casey. Thank you, to Jesse. Thank you, to Jesse. Lopez for producing the ringers NBA draft show and please be sure to subscribe if you haven't done that already. We still have more to go. We get Summer League coming up. There'll be more player and prospect interviews. I'm excited about what we got planned. Appreciate Tate and Kyle joining the show to recap.

If you didn't hear our first round recap, that was published on the feed on Wednesday night. I'll be on the mismatch. I'll be hop in the recording with Chris Vernon right now. We're going to be talking about the entire draft. So listen to that on the mismatch podcast feed. Lots more to come. Have the rest of your week.