NBA Draft Reactions – Pick No. 34, The Charlotte Hornets Select Ryan Kalkbrenner!

NBA Draft Reactions – Pick No. 34, The Charlotte Hornets Select Ryan Kalkbrenner!

the Hornets double dipped in back-to-back picks in the second round and at pick 34 they bring in Ryan Caulbrinter from Kraton a four-time defensive player of the year in the Big East dion remember that Dion remember that for your critiques i love Kaul the player i think he offers such a high floor just with his ability to completely shut things down at the rim there were quotes from Kraton’s assistants throughout the draft process saying that they didn’t ask him to switch much like that wasn’t their scheme they they wanted to keep him at the basket because that is just the style they preferred to play it works more in college you can get away with drop coverage more easily and yeah he was the best in the country at it but they the Kraton coaching staff believes he can switch there were instances of him getting switched onto the perimeter where he moved his feet and at the same time really good lob threat great hands great positioning and can step out and knock down the occasional three feels again like a safe pick matching the theme we’ve seen of the Hornets draft so far but I’m going to turn to you Dion because I know you’re a lot lower than Caulk than I am or excuse me lower on Caulk than I am so I want to hear your push back to to hyping up this pick i mean I think the NBA is low on him too right like four four time Biggies player of the year he went what 35th yeah 34th that
Excuse me
top 40 pick that’s an accomplishment
yeah yeah yeah yeah he might play a few years um like I I just you know that’s great that they believe he can switch uh but like he didn’t so like and also I also don’t know what benefit it is to have a switchable big who’s also a phenomenal rim protector and you don’t use him in a switchable role right like if the Wolves could let Rudy Gobear switch or not switch like they would love for him not to switch because when he does switch it’s terrible but he’s also like um you know maybe one of the best rim protectors of all time like I don’t want to give Rudy too much credit because I do think he’s food but I also think Caulk’s food at the end of the day and I I I think I I think the Kraton coaches told on themselves a little bit in that comment if I’m being completely honest respectfully like I if you actually don’t want a 7 foot1 270 lb rim protector to switch when you think he’s switchable if I’m the 80 I’m like “Yo let’s let’s chat like let’s have a conversation and see like where we’re at like are we sure we’re playing the same sport as everybody else?” Um and I understand in the college game it’s easier to get away with that
it ain’t that much easier though like it ain’t that much easier like I I think Purdue got away with it with Edy for a while but every time they lost it’s like how did they lose switch may I have this dancey you know what I mean so like it at the same time like it’s not like we didn’t see Ryan Cbrer switch respectfully to everybody involved like we know what can happen i I I think if he’s able to um in a limited role in the NBA I think he he could play for a very long time in a limited role but I think some of his deficiencies are going to prevent him from playing extended roles on teams um and also just the path that the game’s gone at the NBA level unfortunately is a little bit different than what his path as a player is too
yeah yeah i I see where you’re coming from i’m not saying that he for sure is like I don’t think he’s going to be able to replicate what Mark Williams was doing down the stretch of last year you know Williams is just a different level of athlete it’s kind of that that’s it you know he’s bouncier he’s more mobile caulk is a true 72 with a 76 wingspan so you you got all the skills there and I think he is probably more fleet of foot than you would assume watching a 7 foot white guy but that being said I think that is a fair critique to say you know with Kraton if you thought he could switch why didn’t you let him switch more same time definitely not a bad take right here there’s a clearly a glaring need in the front court with Williams out is there anything that like a path to Well I was going to say what do you what would be a path to playing time for him this year and even are there any skills that you look at it’s like that’s going to translate pretty quickly
uh yeah i mean he he’s a locked thread and that’s what Lamel needs most i think there is a very big path to him playing i just want to point out if Mark Williams never hurts his back this pick never happens right like they they moved off of Mark Williams because he began to move like Ryan Cough Brener ultimately
you know what I mean like if we’re being completely honest like I if if the Mark Williams of his rookie year like with the back injury still existed that’s the center that any NBA team wants and you know maybe hopefully he can get back to it but like the version of Mark Williams that they got is similar to what Ryan Cochrrener is and they moved off of him for the 29th pick and a future from the Deon Booker Phoenix Suns and they tried to move off of him for Dton Connect so I I don’t know i I would caution people on Coger but he’s a lob threat he’s a lob threat and he’s a great reenterer and he’s a great rim protector so I think there’s a way that he can play um Stephen Adams um feels to me like the the comp for him that I would like the most
i like that a lot i like the Adams shout that definitely seems like you know the path for him filling that same role and be in the league over a decade and even going back to the path to playing time right now the only real competition at the center spot is Yousef Nerkage and uh Nick Nerk’s on Charlotte
he finished this past season there
really what do they move for him
oh Nick Richard nick Richards in them i’m sorry i should know that my bad
i don’t think he was in the Richards the Nick Richards trade it was a long It was a 2026 first round pick oh excuse me it was Nerkageen a 26 first for Cody Martin Vicilier Misich and a 2026 second round pick
okay so Nick Richards so like the um they traded him with the Suns so I think the Hornets and the Suns just love trading with each other
yeah they do that that’s the clear takeaway here but yeah Kaulk could get a lot of playing time this year we’ll see how it shakes out

The Sleepers react to the Charlotte Hornets selecting Ryan Kalkbrenner at number 34!

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