2026 NBA draft thread

[Scott41theMavs]

SH, not going to quote your whole post, but with Schmitz on board, no, I'm not worried.

What worries me is that they still haven't hired a damn ***coaching staff.*** And where's our new medical staff?

[Dirknows]

He is a better scorer, better playmaker, better rebounder and better defender.  I really don't get this comparison.  They are very different players.

Carr is a pure scorer who didn't impact winning as much as his combine measurements would have you expect.  Given Schmitz recent comments stating mental makeup is a big factor, my guess is they will much more interested in Burries.

What’s the deal with Burries age? How is he already turning 21 in September but just coming off his freshman season? Must have been held back at some point in his life. People talk about Yaxel’s age, but Burries kinda has age against him too as he will be a 21 year old first year player with only one year of college experience.

[khaled1987]

Mavs fans talking Burries

https://www.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/s/6nlVa98QZM

This feels like it was written by me, he is ahead of Brown in terms of players I am not interested in drafting, and for whatever reason it feels he is the most popular in this board.

[michaeltex]

SH, not going to quote your whole post, but with Schmitz on board, no, I'm not worried.

What worries me is that they still haven't hired a damn ***coaching staff.*** And where's our new medical staff?

I was going to ask SH how Schmitz being on board could change the draft dynamic and whether he (Schmitz) has had better results.

[loki]

This feels like it was written by me, he is ahead of Brown in terms of players I am not interested in drafting, and for whatever reason it feels he is the most popular in this board.

It's just a size thing. Everyone is so afraid of getting burned by a small guard that they would rather get kicked in the Burries. I also think the "combo guard" term is massively overused and it leads to wishful thinking that anyone can moonlight as a point guard. I bet THJ would be getting the combo guard label too if he were in this draft, but every Mavs fan knows how far that is from the truth.

[mvossman]

It's just a size thing. Everyone is so afraid of getting burned by a small guard that they would rather get kicked in the Burries. I also think the "combo guard" term is massively overused and it leads to wishful thinking that anyone can moonlight as a point guard. I bet THJ would be getting the combo guard label too if he were in this draft, but every Mavs fan knows how far that is from the truth.

There is definitely an element to watching conference and NBA finals and thinking Burries looks more like these guys then the other guards.

I think there is more to the Burries combo guard status than what you are making it out to be.  He was an elite lead guard in high school, he went to a specific situation where it makes sense he played off ball, and his numbers when playing lead guard are very encouraging. A lot of scouts think he has lead guard upside, and I doubt you were hearing that about THJ.

[Winter]

His trades are legendary. Draft not so much.

All of this ramble to say, I hope Masai is as good as advertised.

While I appreciate all the work that went into that, the only way to evaluate Masai with that method would be to compare him to every other GM's picks in that time frame.

[Luka77]

There is definitely an element to watching conference and NBA finals and thinking Burries looks more like these guys then the other guards.

I think there is more to the Burries combo guard status than what you are making it out to be.  He was an elite lead guard in high school, he went to a specific situation where it makes sense he played off ball, and his numbers when playing lead guard are very encouraging.  A lot of scouts think he has lead guard upside, and I doubt you were hearing that about THJ.

I think you are way overrating his passing and playmaking skills.  Put any playmaker in an off-ball role and they walk into more than the 2 assists per game that Burries averaged in college by just being a connector.

[Smitty]

I think you are way overrating his passing and playmaking skills.  Put any playmaker in an off-ball role and they walk into more than the 2 assists per game that Burries averaged in college by just being a connector.

I get the criticism and have some doubts that Burries is a full time on-ball lead guard at the next level but it does take some projection for all these prospects. Several think Peterson can be that guy at the next level and he averaged 1 assist in college. It’s not always about counting stats though. Again, I’m not disagreeing with you - just providing some prospective from my POV.

[Winter]

I get the criticism and have some doubts that Burries is a full time on-ball lead guard at the next level but it does take some projection for all these prospects. Several think Peterson can be that guy at the next level and he averaged 1 assist in college. It’s not always about counting stats though. Again, I’m not disagreeing with you - just providing some prospective from my POV.

Not only that, you're putting Burries in a situation on this Mavs team where he doesn't have to show "lead guard" right away. You can find out plenty with a roster of Flagg and Kyrie, and not have to force the issue. If the pick is Burries, you just want to make sure he gets the ball in his hands a lot.

I realize I may not have the popular idea of what Burries should be, but I'm not convinced there's a serious downside to Burries on this roster.

[Torielp10]

I think I’m back on the Philon wagon. Only thing keeping him from being top 10 imo is weight.

Mikel(Top choice)
Philon(second choice, but more of a long term investment)
Carr (measurements make me think he’s the guy we take)
Burries(every game I watch of the finals moves him higher for me, he could hold up right now imo)

[Luka77]

I get the criticism and have some doubts that Burries is a full time on-ball lead guard at the next level but it does take some projection for all these prospects. Several think Peterson can be that guy at the next level and he averaged 1 assist in college. It’s not always about counting stats though. Again, I’m not disagreeing with you - just providing some perspective from my POV.

I don't think Peterson will be setting up offense for others either.  I see his role as a primary offensive hub in the NBA (Kobe, MJ, ect) or an SG that can initiate offense from time to time.  Put him on the Mavs, I'm all about it.  They will need a Derek Fisher, John Paxson, BJ armstrong, Steve Kerr (off the ball shooter playing the point) to win a championship. That role is easier to find.

I see the easiest way to unlock Flagg's offense is to get him a Chris Paul-type point guard (Acuff?) or do the above and put him in his ideal role as Scottie Pippen-like slasher/defender/scorer (SF/PF).

[Chicagojk]

I think for the most part you have to be really careful defining young kids.   The sample size is so small.  I don't watch enough college basketball to really have do or die takes.    I do like listening to the draft guys who watched these kids in high school.   I put a lot of stock in that.    I think judging kids who are mostly 18-19 off 30 games when they are just filling into their body and being put in a new spots leads to a lot of mistakes.  I also don't really put much into the analytics.   I think NBA teams have different metrics which may really help, but for the most part I think fan scouts using them may do more damage than good.    30 games is around a third of an NBA season.    To make firm judgements off 30 games can be really tricky.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/2064838125734567988

I will be surprised if he goes late first.  I think right outside the lottery him, Anderson and Stirtz will get close looks.  One will probably go late teens.  One may go late teens/early 20's.   Maybe one slips...my uneducated guess is Stirtz goes mid 20's.   I don't think Okorie is the one who slips.

[mvossman]

I think you are way overrating his passing and playmaking skills.  Put any playmaker in an off-ball role and they walk into more than the 2 assists per game that Burries averaged in college by just being a connector.

So you think he is Max Christie based off his one college season.  Lets do a little comparison:

            Max                        Burries
Pts        9                            16
Rbs       3.5                          4.9
Ast        1.5                          2.4
Tov        1.5                          1.5
Stl          .5                           1.5
Blk         .5                            .5
3PA        3.5                          4.6
3P%       32%                        39%
TS%       49%                        62%
OBPM      .8                           6.0
DBPM      1.1                         5.7
BPM        1.9                         11.7

This was each players only year in college.  Do you see the difference?  Its glaring.  Clearly Max developed and became a better player than he was in college.  Honestly if you just look at his freshman season you wonder why any team drafted him (it was the second round) and why he didn't stay another year in college.  There is expectation that Burries will show a lot of improvement as well, but he is starting from a much higher place than Max did.  The scouts are not looking at Burries stat sheet when they say he could develop into a lead guard eventually.  There is room to grow.

[Winter]

https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/2064838125734567988

I will be surprised if he goes late first.  I think right outside the lottery him, Anderson and Stirtz will get close looks.  One will probably go late teens.  One may go late teens/early 20's.   Maybe one slips...my uneducated guess is Stirtz goes mid 20's.   I don't think Okorie is the one who slips.

I think Vicenie had Okora is in his top 20. There was so much buzz about him late, that I expect him to go before 20.

[Smitty]

So you think he is Max Christie based off his one college season.  Lets do a little comparison:

            Max                        Burries
Pts        9                            16
Rbs       3.5                          4.9
Ast        1.5                          2.4
Tov        1.5                          1.5
Stl          .5                           1.5
Blk         .5                            .5
3PA        3.5                          4.6
3P%       32%                        39%
TS%       49%                        62%
OBPM      .8                           6.0
DBPM      1.1                         5.7
BPM        1.9                         11.7

This was each players only year in college.  Do you see the difference?  Its glaring.  Clearly Max developed and became a better player than he was in college.  Honestly if you just look at his freshman season you wonder why any team drafted him (it was the second round) and why he didn't stay another year in college.  There is expectation that Burries will show a lot of improvement as well, but he is starting from a much higher place than Max did.  The scouts are not looking at Burries stat sheet when they say he could develop into a lead guard eventually.  There is room to grow.

Max was also 18 years old his freshman year. 2 years younger than Burries. I don’t really get this comparison between the two though. Max has developed into a really good off-ball guard at the highest level. Burries is a prospect that shows more than he did coming out of college, but who cares? Nobody knows what these guys will become when it’s all said and done.

[windjc]

Max was also 18 years old his freshman year. 2 years younger than Burries. I don’t really get this comparison between the two though. Max has developed into a really good off-ball guard at the highest level. Burries is a prospect that shows more than he did coming out of college, but who cares? Nobody knows what these guys will become when it’s all said and done.

Max is not “really good.” He is inconsistent as hell which makes him mediocre overall. He’ll have to go up 2-3 notches to be anywhere close to really good.

[Smitty]

Max is not “really good.” He is inconsistent as hell which makes him mediocre overall. He’ll have to go up 2-3 notches to be anywhere close to really good.

A 22 year old second round pick playing 30+ mpg in the NBA, shooting 40%+ from three, on good volume, about to sign his 3rd NBA contract is really good in my book. The criteria some people have for players and the criticism is over the top at times.

[windjc]

A 22 year old second round pick playing 30+ mpg in the NBA, shooting 40%+ from three, on good volume, about to sign his 3rd NBA contract is really good in my book. The criteria some people have for players and the criticism is over the top at times.

Really good means someone pretty darn close to starter material on a championship team. Max is not that. He played a lot of minutes on a tankathon team. Big deal.

Maybe he gets better. But he doesn’t have a pedigree that suggests that’s high probability. We will see. Anyway we need someone better than Max from this draft.