On the way to work in the mornings I am not a music person, so I listen to podcasts more for just background than anything. Anyways, I like the DLLS stuff for the most part and I have been listening some to the Mavs pod for their takes on some of the prospects, and idk why Bobby Karalla is so down on Acuff or really any of the guards. I get that he has flaws and they could be serious flaws, but the Mavs need talent across the board, and Acuff has offensive gifts that are awesome.
*** Official 2025 - 2026 Dallas Mavericks Season Thread ***
317,242 Views |
3058 Replies |
Last: 1 mo ago by M.C. Swag
Tksymm7 said:
Mann was much more skeptical of some of the Acuff stuff. Was a little surprising to hear tbh. Didn't say he was bad by any means, but that if you look at him purely through and NBA lens there's a lot more to question.
Having that at rim% in the half court is definitely eye opening. It completely flips the narrative that he has adequate rim finishing. The shooting is elite this season, though. I read that he shot under 32% from 3 on over 8 attempts per game his senior year at IMG, so that's a little strange.
I hope Burries is guarding Acuff all game tonight and we get to see how Acuff handles the type of defender he'd see in the NBA, as well as Arizona's team size that is comparable to NBA teams.
Tksymm7 said:
On the way to work in the mornings I am not a music person, so I listen to podcasts more for just background than anything. Anyways, I like the DLLS stuff for the most part and I have been listening some to the Mavs pod for their takes on some of the prospects, and idk why Bobby Karalla is so down on Acuff or really any of the guards. I get that he has flaws and they could be serious flaws, but the Mavs need talent across the board, and Acuff has offensive gifts that are awesome.
He wants top 4 so bad, so in that regard, having to draft any of the guards would be disappointing lol.
The people who really rely on advanced metrics have Acuff far below the consensus. It's probably a combination of his abysmal defensive metrics and the rim finishing in the half court being so low.
the biggest warning sign for Acuff is how much all the dumbest people in the media are gassing him https://t.co/nDnrgI89dh
— sterling cooper flagg 🇵🇸 (@SnackPr0tein) March 17, 2026
For a completely anti-lytics take on Acuff.
If you're gonna cut it down for only "half court" against "better teams" you can't just give Acuff's handicapped number without comparing it to his peers. It's irrelevant until you have something to compare it to. Is Fleming naturally better? Burries? DP?
M.C. Swag said:
If you're gonna cut it down for only "half court" against "better teams" you can't just give Acuff's handicapped number without comparing it to his peers. It's irrelevant until you have something to compare it to. Is Fleming naturally better? Burries? DP?
Fair, and I don't know. I wish I had access to that type of data.
This is the most recent data I can find. It's from 4 months ago, so not even 10 games had been played yet. It's so dated that Wagler and Burries aren't even on there lol.
The Ringer Top 100 was updated yesterday and Coop is 47th. Feels pretty fair.
However Kon comes in at 34. I guess the criteria can be pretty subjective, but there is no way Kon is a better overall basketball player than Coop right now. He may fit a specific role on his specific team better currently.
However Kon comes in at 34. I guess the criteria can be pretty subjective, but there is no way Kon is a better overall basketball player than Coop right now. He may fit a specific role on his specific team better currently.
A few of those are wonky and Kon at 34 is indefensible. So is Reaves at 32 when he is one of the worst defenders. Durant shouldn't be 13 anymore. Scottie Barnes is better than Jalen Johnson. Sengun isn't top 30, is a bad defender and can't shoot outside the restricted area. Trey Murphy isn't close to better than Gordon or Flagg.
You could really feel Simmons' finger on the scales for Kon and Murphy lol.
Idk I don't have a ton of issues with it. It's just a snap shot of the best players in the league AT THIS MOMENT. The one I'm not sure of more than any is Evan Mobley. I think he's had an average year and don't think of him as a top 20 player in the league.
Watching some of the guys tonight, and Wagler is such an interesting player. I've seen two of their games so far and in each game the defensive game plan has been to swarm him coming off the pick and roll. I think part of it is to keep him from shooting the 3 off the bounce (which he's elite at), and then the other part is because his handle doesn't look the absolute best.
But in each game I've seen he's pretty much said fine, I'll be a creator for others, make great passes and rebound. He's not the best athlete, although definitely not bad, so I don't quite know what his ceiling is, but I really like his game and his makeup. At the very least in the NBA he'd be a great three point shooter and secondary creator.
But in each game I've seen he's pretty much said fine, I'll be a creator for others, make great passes and rebound. He's not the best athlete, although definitely not bad, so I don't quite know what his ceiling is, but I really like his game and his makeup. At the very least in the NBA he'd be a great three point shooter and secondary creator.
And you can tell as soon as Illinois gets the ball they are looking to get it to him. Love that he's the engine of one of the teams in the conversation for best offense in the country.
Burries having the best game of the night.
I like Burries a lot too. Again not exactly sure what his ceiling would be, but he's just a really good basketball player.
He and Wagler both seem like combo guys who are probably best off the ball in the NBA but who have really good connective and secondary playmaking traits. Guys you wouldn't mind running your offense for a minute or two at times, but probably aren't full time lead guards.
I really like how Burries pushes the tempo early.
I really like how Burries pushes the tempo early.
Another thing on Wagler is that he still looks like a kid. Hasn't filled out a lick and looks like he's relying 100% on skill than physicality, so there's some physical projection left with him as well.
I like that both he and Burries have baby faces lol.
Something about a baby face that just makes you think a guy can grow in so many ways lol. No idea if there is data to back that up, it just seems like it could be true haha.
Something about a baby face that just makes you think a guy can grow in so many ways lol. No idea if there is data to back that up, it just seems like it could be true haha.
I like what I see from Wagler. It looks like he has a really strong feel for the game.
Some of the shot making by these lottery guards has definitely come back to earth in this round. Defense has tightened up quite a bit, less space, and a lot more oak trees in the lane.
Fun night of basketball. Burries probably had the best night. Wagler had a solid night. Tough nights for Acuff and Flemings.
The NBA presented three comprehensive anti-tanking concepts to its Board of Governors on Wednesday, with modifications expected to each before a formal vote in May, per ESPN sources.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 27, 2026
1. 18 teams in draft lottery (seeds 7-15 in each conference) – flattened odds, with bottom 10…
So you don't have to open it:
Quote:
1. 18 teams in draft lottery (seeds 7-15 in each conference) flattened odds, with bottom 10 teams having an 8% chance, the remaining 20% odds distributed in decreasing order for 11 through 18, and and a lottery drawing for all 18 picks.
2) 22 teams in lottery using 2-year record (seeds 7-15, plus the four playoff first round exits in both conferences). Lottery teams would reach a minimum win total floor in each season, such as 25 wins. If a team falls short of the floor, it gets slotted to meet the floor. Top 4 drawn as part of lottery, as is currently.
3) 18 teams in a "5 by 5" lottery bottom 5 teams have equal odds for the top pick, with lottery formed for picks 1-5. Bottom 5 teams have a floor at 10; those that fall out of top 5 get sorted in a separate drawing.
My first reaction is big meh.
Edit:
Someone suggested that the worst three teams automatically get picks 4-5-6 and the rest of the teams are in the lottery for 1-3.
I kind of like that.
I'm not sure there is massive difference between Burries, Acuff, Wagler, Flemings, Brown Jr., and Philon. Each one of them has identifiable weakness along with some interesting upside. The only safe bet is that whatever order they are drafted in will be wrong in hindsight.
I think after watching all of these guys, sans Wilson from UNC, you can tell why Peterson, Dybantsa, Boozer and even Wilson to some extent are just "better" NBA prospects and will likely get taken 1-4 in some order most likely. It's the size and athleticism the most for me.
Those four are all 6'6"-6'10" and built extremely well. The guard group of Acuff, Wagler, Flemings, Brown Jr. and Philon are just not the same caliber of athlete. Yes they have some amazing skill that will undoubtedly translate to the NBA, but the bigger more athletic guys are just more valuable in today's NBA, and you are going to bet on that in a draft over a 6'1" Acuff, for example.
Those four are all 6'6"-6'10" and built extremely well. The guard group of Acuff, Wagler, Flemings, Brown Jr. and Philon are just not the same caliber of athlete. Yes they have some amazing skill that will undoubtedly translate to the NBA, but the bigger more athletic guys are just more valuable in today's NBA, and you are going to bet on that in a draft over a 6'1" Acuff, for example.
After watching last night, I think I can safely assume what Darius Acuff looks like in a playoff series. It's allowing guys to walk by him in to the lane for layups and constantly having his defense in rotation to the tune of a 144 defensive rating. He's had the worst defensive rating on the team in all of Arkansas' tourney games. Whenever Arizona couldn't get in to early offense, they'd find Acuff and get an easy bucket. It will get even worse when the game is more spread out in the NBA. He's Cam Thomas meets James Harden, without Harden's size or rebounding. I really encourage anybody who thinks the defense won't be a problem to rewatch the first half and focus on Acuff's defense.
A report recently came out that the Kings have Acuff in their top 3, and possibly first. The dumbest team in the league thinks they need to have Acuff over almost everybody else in this draft...
A report recently came out that the Kings have Acuff in their top 3, and possibly first. The dumbest team in the league thinks they need to have Acuff over almost everybody else in this draft...
Arkansas defense is atrocious. It’s like a layup drill for Arizona.
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) March 27, 2026
Darius Acuff is Trae Young. Special scorer but defense is virtually non existent.
Even Harden is a better defender. https://t.co/xU9Pg5cIfs
He was a major issue last night, and so was everyone else for that matter. You could drive by Acuff or swing the ball around and get a borderline wide open man under the basket and so on. A really embarrassing defensive effort for a No. 4 seed in the tournament.
I like Acuff, I really do, but the defensive issues are a serious serious concern, and he's going to get absolutely crushed when they do his measurables. It's very, very Trae Young I have to say. Acuff is probably a better overall offensive player than Trae Young was coming out, and he's a solid athlete, but it's eye poppingly bad at times.
I like Acuff, I really do, but the defensive issues are a serious serious concern, and he's going to get absolutely crushed when they do his measurables. It's very, very Trae Young I have to say. Acuff is probably a better overall offensive player than Trae Young was coming out, and he's a solid athlete, but it's eye poppingly bad at times.
Mavericks are gonna regret their current draft circumstances if they adopt the flat odds 1-10 option.
I really like Yaxel Lendeborg as well, and I would draft him over a guy like Ament (duh) and maybe even over a guy like Mikel Brown Jr., but good lord is he old. He's over 23.5 years old. I knew he was older, but compared to literally the rest of the lottery guys he is almost an entire four years older. That is crazy in basketball terms. It's actually a good draft for him considering it is so guard heavy after the top four, so he could go higher than he maybe should because of the age.
Brayden Burries is also sneaky older. He's almost 21.
Brayden Burries is also sneaky older. He's almost 21.
Isaiah Evans is known as a shooter, but his paint/rim scoring has been impressive today and in the other tourney games. Really hope he's available at 30.
When did Lindeborg get this good?
He hit a shooting slump in the second half of the season that really hampered him. When he's hitting 3s at a passable clip, he's awesome. I'd take him 10th in the draft after all the young guards go. Maybe Philon goes before him, but he's going to make someone in the last lottery extremely happy.
Vessel said:
He hit a shooting slump in the second half of the season that really hampered him. When he's hitting 3s at a passable clip, he's awesome. I'd take him 10th in the draft after all the young guards go. Maybe Philon goes before him, but he's going to make someone in the last lottery extremely happy.
Yaxel played through a calf strain through the early part of conference play.
He was a 36% shooter last year.
He was at 40% on the year when he pulled the calf early in the USC game.
Over his next dozen games, he shot just 8 of 49 from three.
In the last 13 games since then, he is 32 of 62 from three.
I think that Charlotte or OKC drafts him with their mid-round picks. I think the Spurs would as well, but it looks like the Hawks pick will be after the Charlotte/OKC picks.
Coop looking all world tonight.
I hate tanking.
I hate tanking.
I cannot believe that in such a short amount of time we went from Luka in The Finals to Marvin Bagley self sabotaging our tank. Unfathomable turn of events
One guy picked Wagner, and one picked Acuff.
Featured Stories
See All
13:21
3h ago
3.6k
Ask Liucci: Getting ready for football season ahead of Week 0
by Billy Liucci
Horton adds extra dimension to A&M's passing attack
by Richard Zane
10 SEC-specific stats to consider as kickoff approaches
by Connor O'Gara
7:06
11h ago
4.8k
25 Players in 25 Days: #2 Marcel Reed
by Olin Buchanan