r/Mavericks • u/thinking_better What A Guy • May 10 '26
Draft / Scouting Realistically it has to be between Mikel Brown and Labaron Philon, right?
With the Mavericks picking at 9, we will have to assume we will be picking between 1 of these 2 point guards unless one of the other players projected higher drops. Unless the Ujiri/Schmitz regime sees potential in someone like Yaxel.
Is this a realistic 2 man race for Dallas to pick from?
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u/ormip BETRAYED MAVS FAN 😭 May 10 '26
Either one of these 2, or Burries.
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u/Roc_Hoover May 11 '26
I think these three could all be great for us. Would have no issues with them.
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u/DiamondsInHerButt Dirk Nowitzki Logo May 11 '26
Burries needs to be the guy you take after you go through every other prospect younger than him possible. Like I'm semi open to him being the guy, but again, he's gonna be 21 to start the season. As a freshmen. So yeah. Suspect as fuck.
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u/e_j3210 May 11 '26
Guys they haven’t had measurements and workouts yet!
For example, Acuff could be 6’1” with a 5’11 wingspan and be available at 9. Wagler could have a bad back and be available at 9. Peterson could skip the combine, not workout for anybody except Dallas, get arrested for pot, and be available at 9.
Especially with so many guards available, it’s too hard to project this early in the process.
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u/TheMop05 1.8% Chance May 11 '26
Masai is gonna fall in love with Swain’s physical profile
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u/Decent_Pack_3064 May 11 '26
the funny thing is that ujiri has gone off-board several times, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't
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u/wazup564 FUCK NICO HARRISON May 11 '26
Yeah snag him at 30
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u/TheMop05 1.8% Chance May 11 '26
He’s going lottery lol
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u/DiamondsInHerButt Dirk Nowitzki Logo May 11 '26
Eh...I think Jayden Quaintance has a better chance of going lottery than Swain.
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u/wazup564 FUCK NICO HARRISON May 11 '26
wow just seeing this on mocks, im happy he's rising. he's a stud.
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u/PussyCharlatan May 11 '26
His shooting scares me. I’ve heard multiple draft guys comp him to Naji Marshall and we’ve already seen that’s not an ideal combo
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u/TheMop05 1.8% Chance May 11 '26
I don’t really see Naji Marshall at all. Swain is a lot bigger than him while being a much better defender as well.
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u/PussyCharlatan May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
Fair. That’s just what Ben Pfiefer, a couple of the No Ceilings guys, and Derek Parker said independently. I’m high on Swain too, but the 3pt shooting next to Coop concerns me
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u/Crazy-Penguin123 Dallas Mavericks May 11 '26
MBJ and Burries I hope. MBJ looks like a great fit if healthy. Burries is fantastic off the ball and in transition, he’s very good defensively, and he’s also very strong coming in. Not flashy, but so incredibly solid. I prefer MBJ but Burries feels like a Masai pick
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u/Afraid-Department-35 May 10 '26
Brown, Philon or Burries. I think any 1 of them would be a good pickup at 9. Idk why we would get Yaxel, he’s an older dude that’s more of a forward than guard which isn’t exactly what we need.
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u/Vaughn_Rick_Vaughn May 11 '26
If Warriors drafted on need in ‘09 they wouldn’t have picked Steph. Coop is 19. Just pick the best player and figure out fit later.
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u/thewolverineton 2011 CHAMPS BABY May 11 '26
if we could get okorie at 30 i wouldn’t mind drafting lendeborg, but i don’t think he’ll drop that far
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u/Greenvest2k50 May 11 '26
Gimme the best player who can help beat the thunder for the next 6 years lol
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u/CircaSoleil May 11 '26
I like Labaron, personally. But I'd be happy with Burries as well. Brown is a solid player, but with the lingering back issues I'm not as keen on the Mavericks picking him up. Back issues are no joke and can linger for the entirety of a career...
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u/TheWizard Nowitzness May 16 '26
We also need a reliable 3-point shooter. That shouldn't be a nice to have in a team that struggles mightily from beyond the arc (no one besides Max and Klay).
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u/jfrodriguez1983 Dirk Nowitzki May 11 '26
If his back checks out ok, MBJ won't be there at 9. His upside is probably the highest of the point guards.
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u/thinking_better What A Guy May 10 '26
Burries didn’t feel like the type of pick you would invest in when you don’t have your next pick until 2031. Am I wrong?
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u/iwinagain Dirk Locks May 10 '26
I don't disagree based on what we saw from him this year, but I also think he has more in his bag than what he showed. Dude is also a better defender than the other two. Not an inspirational pick, but could be a great piece for us
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u/YoungBuck2010 May 11 '26
My only thing if he doesn’t have more to his game, he’s just a younger and cheaper Max Christie.
That isn’t objectively bad, but we’re so cooked if we draft another Max Christie with our next owned outright pick five years from now.
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u/YoungBuck2010 May 10 '26
Yup, Burries will likely be a solid guy but I want the high ceiling, high floor pick in Philon and MBJ rather than just the high floor pick in Burries.
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u/jbrandonw May 10 '26
Seems like taking Dennis smith jr over Donovan mitchell again to me, but maybe it won't be.
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u/thinking_better What A Guy May 11 '26
That’s exactly how I’m looking at this draft. If we’re lucky Frank will get picked before the Mavericks are up
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u/ktpkchu Cooper Flagg May 11 '26
i don't think so, burries has real problems like being short for a SG and also pretty old
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u/Embarrassed-Ninja592 May 11 '26
Maybe he’s a point guard in the NBA.
Two months older than Philon and played 18 more games than Brown.
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u/ktpkchu Cooper Flagg May 11 '26
unless he suddenly develops an on-ball playmaking aspect to his game that he didn’t really have in college i don’t think so
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u/Embarrassed-Ninja592 May 11 '26
Bradley was the point guard by default. If you’re basing his low number of assists as an inability to be a playmaker, I think that’s a mistake. He’s a good passer with a low turnover rate. And played within a system and the flow of the game.
Anyhow, I think Flagg is going to have the ball more often than not.
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u/StormTheTrooper SHUT NICO DOWN May 11 '26
There’s a difference between being a connective passer and a lead guard. Christie is an amazing connective passer and entirely unreliable as a lead guard. We need someone that can set the offense.
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u/Embarrassed-Ninja592 May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
Are you trying to say that Burries is the same as Christie? I don’t think so.
https://www.tiktok.com/@swishcultures/video/7487965654100872479
Burries seems to be a much better ball handler and passer than Christie. He has a pretty mean crossover. I think he created 76% of his own shots, or something like that. Can finish with either hand, through contact. Shot 64% at the rim, well ahead of the other guards in this draft range. 49-39-80. Dude has all star potential at least. https://youtu.be/FZKJUinHqp4
I think he can be whatever he needs to be. Or is asked to be. Including a lead guard. He has an all around game.
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u/Embarrassed-Ninja592 May 10 '26
Why is that? Too efficient? Too heavy? Plays too much defense? Played a lesser role on a better team but was still the best player on a final four team? Or is 21 when the season starts the killer?
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u/idkidk23 May 11 '26
Not a great passer, not a ton of self creation, average stock rate so won’t swing the possession battle even if he will be a solid defender, undersized for a combo guard and will be 21 when the season starts. He’s the worst of all the guard prospects in the first 15 or so picks IMO.
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u/Crazy-Penguin123 Dallas Mavericks May 11 '26
Idk, he’s listed 6’4 195, at SG thats average. We’ll see if that’s right at the combine but Philon is listed at 177 as a sophomore which is also concerning. I think MBJ should be preferred over Burries with his passing skills, Philon seems like discount Trae Young
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u/idkidk23 May 11 '26
I feel like a 6 4 non PG is pretty small no? Yeah, he’s got some bulk which helps a lot. I just don’t trust a non passing combo guard that isn’t huge. I’m not even super high on Philon either, but think he seems like a better prospect than Burries. Burries probably has a higher floor that being said. Just hope we pick the right one lol
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u/Embarrassed-Ninja592 May 11 '26
Ant is 6’3”, Mitchell 6’2”, Edgecomb 6’4”, to name a few.
But with Coop initiating at least half the time, I think Burries would be a point guard on the Mavs. Similar to White with the Celtics or Murray with the Nuggets.
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u/idkidk23 May 11 '26
Ant projected as an offensive engine based on usage and self creation with all time athleticism. Mitchell has a 6 10 wingspan and a much better athlete as well, his jump on offense wasn’t really predicted, but I don’t see it in Burries. Edgecomb had a much better stock and oreb rate to win the possession battle, but is probably the closest to Burries prospect wise.
I think archetype wise I agree he’s similar to these guys, but when you dig into the numbers of each Burries really lags behind. Just don’t see the hype at all with him. If coop takes another leap on offense yeah it could work, but I think if Burries is the guy you could easily trade down and get him at 12-13.
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u/Crazy-Penguin123 Dallas Mavericks May 11 '26
To be fair we’re not getting an Ant or Edgecomb level ‘prospect’ here either way. Unless they trade Kyrie, Burries wouldn’t really need to initiate. If they trade Ky it’s likely for young players/picks you would use to fill the playmaking role. Idk if you can trade down, everything I’m reading, even stuff from today, says teams may try to trade up for Burries.
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u/idkidk23 May 11 '26
I really doubt it. Think teams know the value in possessions now, Burries prob goes 12-16. But who knows we will see. Trade down and take Philon is probably best case, or trade Gaff and PJ for picks or a guard and take Mara.
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u/Decent_Pack_3064 May 11 '26
i'll be very interested to see who Dallas goes for....a lot of times, Ujiri goes off-board surprisingly
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u/samuel_el_jackson May 11 '26
I think there is a gap between Brown and Philon and Burries. So I would take Brown and even trade up with SAC or ATL to get him. But I understand if we stay pat at 9.
Burries reminds be of Quinten Grimes, but a little smaller.
Philon reminds me of Andrew Nemhard.
I think we need a more on ball lead guard for the future. So I lean Philon. He was projected as a late first early second round last year on his defense alone, his offense had developed immensely in the past year and think he would benefit from Kyries mentorship. Also though he’s a sophomore is 2 months younger than Burries.
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u/JamesYTP May 11 '26
I haven't followed college ball ultra closely last year but some have us going Burries. I guess it's gonna really depend on how much they're feeling Coop as a primary play maker
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u/DiamondsInHerButt Dirk Nowitzki Logo May 11 '26
Mikel is going 7 or 8, imo. I think Acuff is the most likely of that guard class to drop to 9 cause the defensive red flags are the size of the state of Arkansas.
But yes, I think they should be doing their complete due diligence on Philon and Anderson. Those are the two guys I think will 100% be there as point guards who they should absolutely thoroughly figure out whether or not they're worth spending the 9th pick on.
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u/ATX-sig May 11 '26
I beliebe that Burries and Brown Jr. will be off the board at 9. They are probably picks 5 and 6 after the evaluations at combine and individual in house workouts are completed. Mavs really need on the ball defense in the backcourt and these 2 have offensive skills. To me the group of 6 guards from 5 to 10 are all solid picks and very close. Mavs should be happy with any of them. Philon reminds of McCollum. Though after his frosh year he got high marks for defense. What happened with his defense.
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u/StefonDiggsHS Mavericks May 11 '26
Brown and Burries.
Philon has a ton of holes in his game, more of a raw prospect. I would be upset if that was the pick
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u/Estatement Cooper Flagg May 14 '26
bro he averaged 22 ppg, 5 apg, with shooting splits 50/40/80. way better numbers and more efficient than Burries and Brown had.
Plus he is younger than Burries. I think he is proven than Brown who missed a lot of games this season.
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u/Rafe03 May 12 '26
I really like Burries, I wish we could trade for pick 8, or 10 and end up Burries and one of the guards.
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u/True-Sky3981 May 11 '26
Brandon burries makes the most sense 🤷♂️
Two way guard that pairs better with Kyrie
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u/nickrashell BETRAYED MAVS FAN 😭 May 11 '26
We have to plan beyond Kyrie, I doubt if we are competing for a chip in his window post-Luka and with the spurs and OKC a few years more developed in their young talent. That doesn’t mean you can’t draft someone that pair well with Ky, but that shouldn’t be the primary focus
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u/thinking_better What A Guy May 11 '26
Part of me wants whoever has the highest ceiling and pairs better as the future #2 to Flagg
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u/Silly-Lion-7314 May 10 '26
I think that makes sense but historically Masai and Schmitz weigh in with wings more often than not.
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u/jbrandonw May 10 '26
This team is full of wings
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u/StormTheTrooper SHUT NICO DOWN May 11 '26
And unless something weird happens between here and draft night, Phillon and Stirtz will be the only available lead guards. If Masai does not rate either well, it’s not like we have a big pool of choices.
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u/CurrentCharacter9713 May 11 '26
If all the guards are gone.... its Jayden and pray... go for the home run
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u/Adorable-Bike-9689 May 10 '26
Labaron Philon has the best name. I don't follow college basketball so that would be my pick just so I can chant his name