The Backcourt Diaries: V.I
All you really know is that in some way or fashion, basketball is going to be involved.
Many moons ago, I had an idea.
After spending years scribbling down notes on prospects in a notebook, I thought it was time to start transferring those thoughts to the internet.
“I know, I’ll create a basketball website.”
Yes, I was that blogging dork (and still am). While traveling down that rabbit hole, I had some segments that have been buried in the depths of darkness over recent years. Some of those segments will continue to sit in the seasoning until they are ready to be thrown back on the grill. But with your permission (just kidding, I don’t need it), I’d like to bring one of those segments back to life.
This is the part of the article in which you’d probably like to play Stone Cold Steve Austin’s walk-out music and get some pyrotechnics firing off at the same time.
There will be tears shed. There will be pain. Some of you might laugh. Others might question what is going on.
But that’s the beauty of this word-vomiting Picasso-like piece. You don’t really know what’s going to be talked about next.
All you really know is that in some way or fashion, basketball is going to be involved.
Welcome to the Backcourt Diaries.
The Rookie Class Doesn’t Suck; We’re Just Impatient
Yes, let’s start this one off with a bit of a bang. Do you remember how all of us spent the last entire NBA Draft cycle talking about how much of a “buzzkill” the 2024 class was going to be? Do you remember, during that same time (as is tradition), we also started to get some reports about GMs and Scouts being intrigued with the depth of that same class?
Folks loved to ring the dinner bell at the start of the 2024-25 season. Many liked to point out the lack of production from some of the top picks in this class to start out the year. At the same time, it seemed as if some of us forgot that…well…they are rookies.
BUT NOT SO FAST, MY IMPATIENT FRIENDS.
Just like the Undertaker, it looks as if the 2024 NBA Draft class is rising from the dead. In the words of Dr. Ian Malcolm: “No, I’m simply saying that life, uh…finds a way.” In this case, talent is finding a way.
If I had told you months ago that in the eleventh game of his NBA career, Alex Sarr would post an outing that featured 20 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three blocks, you would have thought I was insane. If I told you that in his ninth game, Zaccharie Risacher dropped 33 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two blocks against the Knicks, you would have checked me into Arkham Asylum.
Remember this class was supposed to be terrible? How about the #7 overall pick posting 17 points, 12 rebounds, and eight blocks in his second NBA start? Yeah, Cling Kong is legit, folks.
Look, I get it. We continue to be tormented by the idea of slowing time down. We want results immediately. As fans, we all get our hopes up when the idea of a new player comes in with the goal of that individual shifting the direction of our team's future for the better. Not to put unrealistic expectations on that player, but we are hoping they are the missing piece.
Sometimes, these players just simply take time, as well as opportunity, to develop confidence and run with it. Insert Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain. Coming into the year, the hope was that McCain would be able to step up as a rotation piece for a Philadelphia 76ers team that was coming off a sensational offseason.
In his first seven games of the regular season, McCain reached more than 20 minutes of playing time just once. During that span, the rookie guard averaged 6.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game in 11.2 minutes. In his last seven games, McCain has played north of 30 minutes in each game. His numbers over those six games? Just 24.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 48.0% from the field and 43.9% from three. Players need an opportunity to showcase that they belong. That’s what we are starting to see with some of these rookies.
Draft fans continued to shake their heads in disbelief when Dalton Knecht fell to the 17th overall pick. It seemed as if it was a gift for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite some inconsistencies with Summer League and early on, it seemed only a matter of time before Knecht “reminded” folks of his ability. That time has come. In his last four games, Knecht has averaged 24.3 points per game while shooting…
Wait, let me check my notes here. Is that right?
Okay, sorry about that. Knecht is shooting 67.7% from downtown on 7.8 attempts per game. A lot of us are obsessed with age and wonder about the upside. That’s completely fine, and if you ignored that, you’d miss a big part of scouting/evaluating. But there are also times when we should look at a player's strengths and say: “Can this work on an NBA court?” The answer is yes with Dalton Knecht.
Let’s top this off with another fun look at “opportunity”, because it is everything for young players in this league (see Jayson Tatum rookie year with Boston Celtics). Throughout last year, Stephon Castle was one of the most fascinating, and well-debated, prospects in the NBA draft space. Regardless of your thoughts, the San Antonio Spurs invested in Castle with the #4 overall selection. In his first seven games of the year, Castle averaged 6.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while coming off the bench for the Spurs. In 19.9 minutes, he was shooting 31.3% from the field and 12.5% from three.
Castle was then inserted into the starting lineup. In his eight games as a starter, the rookie guard is averaging 13.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 42.0% from the field and 34.2% from three. Castle has continued to make winning plays on the court and looks to be a talent who is already starting to slowly put the pieces together. Every draft class has talent, folks. It just comes down to fit and opportunity.
Random Incredible Stat You Need To See
I told you all that the Backcourt Diaries is simply a plethora of madness that involves everything related to an orange ball. So here’s a quick fun stat for you.
Phoenix Suns Ryan Dunn was the talk of the town during the opening month of the NBA regular season. It’s become one of the most fascinating case studies in NBA Draft prospect history. It’s quickly made every evaluator look into a puddle on the ground like Derek Zoolander before saying out loud: “Who am I?”
Ryan Dunn last year at Virginia (2023-24):
8.1 PTS, 6.9 REB, 1.3 STL, 2.3 BLK
54.8 FG%, 20.0 3P%, 53.2 FT%
6.1 FGA, 1.0 3PA, 2.3 FTA
Ryan Dunn after 14 NBA Games (2024-25):
6.9 PTS, 2.5 REB, 0.5 STL, 0.5 BLK
42.2 FG%, 32.2 3P%, 16.7 FT%
6.4 FGA, 4.2 3PA, 0.4 FTA
It’s incredible that Dunn is shooting four times as many three-pointers this year. The jump in percentages from downtown is INSANE, especially if you watched the film last cycle and understood his hesitancy to even shoot it at all. But the free throw percentage is even more of a “what the heck is going on.”
If you want things to really get nuts, just wait until the defensive production starts to come along. Regardless, Dunn has been impressive and continues to look like a great piece for the Suns organization moving forward.
Awesome Nickname Alert
Shoutout to PJ Hoops on Twitter. “Area 51” for Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama is an incredible nickname. Well done.
The Battle At The Top of the Draft
You’re probably reading the title of this section and thinking to yourself, is this another Cooper Flagg rant? No, actually, see…you’re starting to be intrigued with this whole Backcourt Diaries experience.
What if I told you the battle for the remaining spots is going to be the most exciting thing about this class? Now, let me go backward a bit before we go forward. Yes, I have Cooper Flagg at #1. Yes, he will remain there. He’s doing freakish things on the basketball court, and you should continue to remind yourself that he’s currently 17 years old.
Heading into this draft cycle, many considered two other names to be right there with Flagg in the discussions at the top of the draft. Those two names were Rutgers freshman teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.
Let’s talk about each, shall we? Dylan Harper has the goods you’re looking for in a potential franchise floor general. He’s shifty. He can beat you off the dribble with an assortment of dribble sequences. Harper also has the ability to finish with finesse in traffic. He will check all of the boxes when it comes to what you’re looking for when it comes to a versatile offensive weapon in the backcourt. On the other side of the ball, Harper takes after his father, Ron Harper. His old man was a vicious defender, and you can tell that ability was passed on to Dylan. The most intriguing part with Dylan is the combination of his frame and mentality. He’s an absolute bully on the court, listed at 6’6”, 215 (he looks more like he’s 230). At first glance, you would think Harper just overcomes his opponents with strength. But he can get places quickly with an explosive first step and cobra-like instincts defensively. Make no mistake—Harper should be in the conversation with every pick…yes, that includes number one.
Then we get to his teammate, Airious “Ace” Bailey. In a draft class that is going to offer plenty of firepower, Bailey will offer the biggest upside. He’s listed at 6’10” and 200 pounds. Bailey has an outstanding combination of size and fluidity on the court. He glides around the court like a guard before finishing around the rim with big man like intensity. There’s a lot to be excited about. At the same time, an 18-year-old wing like Bailey is still figuring out how to use his frame. It’s going to take time, and evaluators are going to realize that with Bailey throughout the year. Still, there are some ridiculous things that Bailey can do with the basketball in his hands. It will leave you monologuing like The Joker, “laughing while he does it…” Bailey has drawn plenty of doubters for his tough shot-making and shot selection at times.
A friendly reminder: a tough shot to some of us might not look so tough for someone who’s 6’10”.
But then there’s another name who has thrown his name into the mix. BYU Cougars freshman guard Egor Demin has become one of the hottest names in the draft scene. I recently texted an NBA executive while doing my check-ins and gauging the excitement about this year’s class. Before I could even get a name out, I got a “how about EGOR?!” The excitement and buzz are real, folks. But the tape is just as impressive.
Demin spent the last year overseas with Real Madrid. He’s listed at 6’9” and possesses guard-like skills. Egor is a deer on the court. The game seems to be two levels of speed slower for him than everybody else on the floor. He can set you up with hesitations before attacking and finishing with power. Then he can come down and finish with touch in traffic. Before you know what hit you, Demin will then throw a gorgeous dime to his teammate before the defense even realizes what happened.
The early returns have been sensational for Demin, and he’s got NBA scouts licking their chops. But things are going to get even more interesting for the talented freshman. Demin has been steamrolling while playing some lower-level competition. The big one to look out for moving forward is January 4th. That’s when BYU will head to take on Houston on the road. After that, BYU will have plenty of intriguing draft matchups, including a January 28th showdown vs. Baylor and a February 4th matchup vs. Arizona.
So Uh, What About the Philadelphia 76ers?
I mean, sooner or later, we need to start having ourselves a serious conversation about this. Now look…I’m the CEO of the let’s be patient club. It’s important to stress caution so early in the regular season. Teams start the year hot before turning cold, and vice-versa. But at the same time…how long before we start to look around and inch towards hitting the panic button?
Philadelphia had an impressive offseason when they landed Paul George in free agency, giving them a dangerous three-headed monster in the Eastern Conference. If the Sixers were able to stay healthy, which was an elephant-sized if heading into the year, they looked like one of the top teams to deal with in the East. The biggest question for the Sixers then was their overall depth. Could they have enough contributors in the rotation to help the team, especially when getting into the late regular season and playoffs.
So far, it’s been a nightmare-ish start for Philadelphia. Embiid has been in and out of the lineup. Paul George got injured, then returned, and got injured again. Tyrese Maxey missed time. Before we realized it, the preseason juggernaut crashed to an astonishing 2-12.
The problem with finding yourself in a hole early on is that other teams can be looking to take advantage of that start. You’ve got teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons, respectively, who are flirting with .500. Even after a slow start, the Milwaukee Bucks are quietly moving back up and find themselves at 6-9.
I’m not saying that 76ers fans should be in full panic mode just yet. Things are about to get extremely interesting for the Sixers. Here’s a look at their upcoming schedule.
vs Brooklyn
vs Clippers
vs Houston
at Detroit
at Charlotte
vs Orlando
vs Orlando
at Chicago
vs Charlotte
Despite the injuries, that looks like it shouldn’t be “too bad” of a stretch for the 76ers. But when you see the following slate, you’re going to realize just how important it is for Philadelphia to go on a “mini-run” here. Here are the following games:
at Cleveland
vs San Antonio
at Boston
at Utah
at Portland
at Sacramento
at Golden State
With showdowns with Cleveland and Boston before a lengthy road trip to the West Coast, Philadelphia needs to balance things in a hurry or that hole they are digging themselves into could get fairly deep.
Big Upcoming Matchups in College Hoops
Things are slowly starting to ramp up in the college basketball world. That means that some of the matchups will be getting juicy, especially when it comes to NBA Draft prospects for the 2025 class. Don’t believe me?
Well, that’s why I’m here. Check this out.
Duke vs Arizona (Friday, 11/22)
Names to watch:
Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor (Duke)
KJ Lewis, Carter Bryant, Motiejus Krivas (Arizona)
Yes, another opportunity to see the gauntlet of talent that is the Duke Blue Devils roster. It will be an interesting showdown regardless, but especially with both teams coming off some tough losses, it could be a statement game for a number of players in this one. I’ll be curious to see if Arizona continues to increase the minutes for a number of players, as they are still figuring out their rotations. Look out for Carter Bryant and KJ Lewis in this one. Some solid showings could start to sound the sirens for their draft stocks heating up.
Marquette vs Georgia (Saturday, 11/23)
Names to Watch:
Kam Jones, Chase Ross (Marquette)
Asa Newell (Georgia)
It’s been a heck of a start to the regular season for Kam Jones. An absolute walking bucket, Jones has been red-hot to start the year for the Golden Eagles. He’s coming off an impressive triple-double and is currently averaging 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 46.2% from three. The name I want to see here, as well, is Georgia big man Asa Newell. The talented freshman has impressed so far this year, but this will be a legit showdown to see how Newell shapes up against the big boys.
Auburn vs Iowa State (Monday, 11/25)
Names to Watch:
Johni Broome, Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
Milan Momcilovic, Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State)
One of those classic showdowns that should be considered a potential bar-fight. Senior big man Johni Broome has been sensational for Auburn this year. Despite being older, Broome has been putting up some eye-opening numbers and will have plenty of fans in draft circles. Keep an eye on Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey for Iowa State as some potential sleepers in this class.
Houston vs Alabama (Tuesday, 11/26)
Names to Watch:
Milos Uzan, LJ Cryer (Houston)
Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Derrion Reid (Alabama)
This showdown just seems like it should be a tournament matchup already. Both Houston and Alabama continue to bring a scrappy team to the table each year. This season is no different. Milos Uzan has been impressive to start the year for the Cougars and will be one worth monitoring. The hot name to keep an eye on in this one is Alabama freshman Labaron Philon. He’s been sizzling in draft circles and should be a popular riser in the ranks. Philon is currently averaging 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Kansas vs Duke (Tuesday, 11/26)
Names to Watch:
AJ Storr, KJ Adams, Flory Bidunga, Rylan Griffen, Zeke Mayo (Kansas)
Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor (Duke)
It’s a gauntlet of madness. Just lock the doors, turn out the lights, and prepare for anarchy.
Rutgers vs Alabama (Wednesday, 11/27)
Names to Watch:
Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper (Rutgers)
Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Derrion Reid (Alabama)
Should be the first “alright kids, let’s see what you got” showdown for Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Just enjoy the ride.