2026 NBA draft thread

[Mavs2021]

Valencia up 18 going into the 4th. De Larrea is -11. If he does not work out as in unplayable due to lack of athletic ability, despite some visible skills/brains that´s a huge miss for Schmitz.

[mvossman]

Valencia up 18 going into the 4th. De Larrea is -11. If he does not work out as in unplayable due to lack of athletic ability, despite some visible skills/brains that´s a huge miss for Schmitz.

You might be overreacting from a single player +/- in one game.

[Mavs2021]

You might be overreacting from a single player +/- in one game.

Maybe, but that´s exactly confirming the reservations I had before the game about him. I brought up his name many months ago, but I have since backed off him as a pick, cause I just have major doubts that he has the athletic ability for the NBA. I think he is lucky that he missed the combine. I think we would have bombed in most of the athletic tests. He looks good on highlights, cause he can clearly work passing angles and lobs, but they usually don´t put defense or offensive struggles on highlight reels. I think he has the brains, passing skills and court vision to be an NBA back-up, but I don´t think he can stay on the court athletically.

If they can develop De Larrea into an NBA player, then I give them major credit to their strength vs. weakness assessment/evaluation and player development. Cause unlike with a Luka or Rubio there is no actual evidence he can hang with NBA talent, but I can see how he´d stood out at the youth level, where the players are not fully matured physically and his combination of passing/court vision and size succeeds.

Well it´s over. They rolled over Barcelona.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Morez Johnson Jr. will wear No. 14 for the Dallas Mavericks, last worn by former two-way guard Miles Kelly last season.

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Chicago Bulls: OFFICIAL: Caleb Wilson will wear No. 8.

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[Chicagojk]

I think my best case for Johnson would be a similar path that I think CMB is on. Just a little bigger, a better shooter
And maybe slightly worse passer. That would be a really good player. His offense needs to come a way though.

[Winter]

I think my best case for Johnson would be a similar path that I think CMB is on.  Just a little bigger, a better shooter
And maybe slightly worse passer.  That would be a really good player.  His offense needs to come a way though.

I don't disagree with this, but this is a player that doesn't require the ball. He gets a LOT of putbacks, and some tough at-the-rim shots. Schmitz mentioned in his interview that Moritz was not going to take anything away from Flagg. Moritz doesn't create his own shot much in the mid-range, but I don't think it's a critical missing piece with this roster.

I like Moritz for the fact that he complements Flagg rather than competes for shots. He can get 14 points pretty easily. Some will be off offensive rebounds and at the end of the game you won't remember half of his shots.

[FireNicoHarrison]

So do we have the first Sergio hater? Oh well. Very fast.

[Torielp10]

Morez Johnson Jr. will wear No. 14 for the Dallas Mavericks, last worn by former two-way guard Miles Kelly last season.

x.com

Means we’re keeping gafford, no?

[ThisIStheYear]

@NickVanExit
NBA players to measure around 6'9 without shoes at the NBA Combine

6'9.5" DeMarcus Cousins
6'9.5" Dwight Powell
6'9.25" Anthony Davis
6'9.25" Moussa Diabate
6'9.25" Daniel Gafford
6'9.0" Dwight Howard
6'9.0" MOREZ JOHNSON JR.
6'8.75" Bam Adebayo
6'8.75" Wendell Carter Jr.
6'8.75" Naz Reid
6'8.5" Blake Griffin
6'8.5" Al Jefferson

New respect for Gaff. Seems like he’s one of the few players who lists himself at his real height instead of his fake height in shoes. He should list at 6-11 by the common NBA practice. And yes, Big Mo is a big dude. He can play center, but he’s not a center.

[ThisIStheYear]

Nothing. It’s over.

We have a big trade exception, that on paper may be the best asset we end up receiving in the Luka/AD trade series. Maybe we could use that to take on a modestly bad salary (for a still decent player) and also get a high 2nd rounder?

[KillerLeft]

New respect for Gaff. Seems like he’s one of the few players who lists himself at his real height instead of his fake height in shoes. He should list at 6-11 by the common NBA practice. And yes, Big Mo is a big dude. He can play center, but he’s not a center.

I have no idea what you mean by that, frankly. There are loads of different types of centers. Other than Jokic, who you have to build your entire team around because of his special talent on offense and very recently, Wembenyama, Lively is probably the only center over 7' tall I'd even want. 

The dream is Ban Adebayo, so I'm naturally thrilled that they drafted someone with potential of being similar in any way. Good potential, I'd say.

[ThisIStheYear]

I have no idea what you mean by that, frankly. There are loads of different types of centers. Other than Jokic, who you have to build your entire team around because of his special talent on offense and very recently, Wembenyama, Lively is probably the only center over 7' tall I'd even want. 

The dream is Ban Adebayo, so I'm naturally thrilled that they drafted someone with potential of being similar in any way. Good potential, I'd say.

I just mean that I always see him listed as 6-9 and that’s actually his height barefoot. I’d bet that 90% of players add the fake 1.5 inches to their listing to account for shoes (and then they round up). But Gaff keeps it real it seems. Refreshingly credible. Lebron is one of the few others I think who’s listed at his barefoot height, not his height with shoes. It’s a topic that deserves some research. NBA players are tall but not as tall as we think.

[KillerLeft]

I just mean that I always see him listed as 6-9 and that’s actually his height barefoot. I’d bet that 90% of players add the fake 1.5 inches to their listing to account for shoes (and then they round up). But Gaff keeps it real it seems. Refreshingly credible. Lebron is one of the few others I think who’s listed at his barefoot height, not his height with shoes. It’s a topic that deserves some research. NBA players are tall but not as tall as we think.

No, no...I understood that part and agree. 

What's with the "he's not a center" part? I think Johnson has some positional flex (that's a good thing) but I'm pretty confident the 5 will end up being where he makes his money.

[BigDirk41]

Bam is the best comparison I keep hearing. I'm all for it.

[KillerLeft]

Bam is the best comparison I keep hearing. I'm all for it.

I doubt the Mavs' offense will ever run through Johnson like it always has through Adebayo, but if there's still a plausible comparison on the defensive end in five years...even if Johnson is only 80% of what Adebayo has been on that end...that's MORE than worth the 9th pick.

[F Gump]

If I am guessing, the next C on the way out may be Lively rather than Gafford.

I'm not in the group that is desperate to trade Gafford somehow and sees him as a pure liability, and while he has often been made available (at least by people who are theorizing trades THEY think could happen), I'm not convinced the Mavs have some desperation -- I see them as open to the right deal that returns value that they need (a swap of talent for talent), but not just to move him. Some forget how desperate we were to get a good rotation-level or starting center just a few years ago. Now that we have one, because he's not perfect in every way (then again, who is), there's this mad rush to get rid of him. Not smart, imo. Mavs NEED a center who is a beast like that, at times in the very worst way. Most teams do.

[Winter]

No, no...I understood that part and agree. 

What's with the "he's not a center" part? I think Johnson has some positional flex (that's a good thing) but I'm pretty confident the 5 will end up being where he makes his money.

I can't really decide about Moritz playing center regularly. I realize you're not saying that exactly, but it's going to be interesting this first year for him. I just don't know if that's the future for the Mavs.... mainly because I'm interested to see what kind of team we have when someone like Lively or Cisse is manning the middle.

[BigDirk41]

I doubt the Mavs' offense will ever run through Johnson like it always has through Adebayo, but if there's still a plausible comparison on the defensive end in five years...even if Johnson is only 80% of what Adebayo has been on that end...that's MORE than worth the 9th pick.

Never know. Bam wasn't known for his offense out of college. I agree it's unlikely, but hopefully that's his goal.

[KillerLeft]

I can't really decide about Moritz playing center regularly. I realize you're not saying that exactly, but it's going to be interesting this first year for him. I just don't know if that's the future for the Mavs.... mainly because I'm interested to see what kind of team we have when someone like Lively or Cisse is manning the middle.

I think we're likely to see both of those looks quite a bit.