Brian Geisinger on which player from Duke he thinks is getting drafted first this year

I am Adam and Graham is here.

Victoria is off for a few days. Brian Geisinger, our friend. I don't even know. Brian is a Hoops Savant. He is a Hoops Maven. He recognizes things in the sport of basketball that I only know that the ball is round.

I know he gets points if it goes inside the cylinder. That's basically my knowledge of the sport. 24-7 Sports, the Buzzbeat Podcast.

He joins us on the Adam Gold Show. Alright, let's start with the draft. We're only about, what, a month away from the NBA draft. And Jeremy Roach did come back to Duke.

But let me ask you this. Derek Lively or Dereek Whitehead, who is likely to be off the board first? I would say Whitehead off the board first.

But I think both guys will be in the top 15, top 20 of this draft. Whitehead, I know he had a tough year. But I know he's recovering still from injuries and some health scares that he's had. That surgery recently, right? Yeah.

You know, for the second time in, you know, in 12 months. So hope he's doing physically okay. But my thought would be the way he shot it at Duke along with his, you know, his pedigree as a as a big time prep recruit. That's enough to kind of like get him, you know, back end of the lottery. And in someone like Lively is like solidly in the first round, maybe he sneaks into the late lottery as well. But I think Whitehead slightly better odds to be off the board first than his former teammate.

Brian Geisinger is joining us here at big guys underscore bird. Interestingly enough, my from from reading and doing some draft research, it almost seems that Lively because of the size because of the athleticism and the potential defensively. And as I know a phrase you like to use rim runner that I have seen a lot of Derek Lively in the 10 to 12 range. Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't a team like Orlando like he kind of fits their their mold to and yeah, like he showed himself to be not just like, you know, a good rim protector where he was like elite, defensively protecting the rim this season, but just how versatile he was guarding pick and roll Duke used him in pretty much every different kind of coverage you could use them in this season, he can switch out, he can play up at the level he's he's he can drop, he's going to get stronger, which allow him to drop more, you know, as a center in the NBA guarding pick and roll against those types of ball handlers. But he's just shown himself to be able to cover a lot of ground at different levels of the floor defensively. We talk about offensive players being able to shoot or score from multiple levels and lively kind of gives you that multi level defense while also handling actions.

Um, and what I would also say with lively too, just as far as his defense goes, you know, I got to see him a lot of close at Cameron this year. Um, he talks defensively, in my guess would be that like when teams have him in for, for workouts, for scrimmages, like that type of stuff that that stuff will show up like he tests well, because obviously, he's a he's an incredible athlete at his size. But like, I think he has some of the intangibles and leadership qualities for someone that you would expect it to anchor defense, then offensively.

You know, we didn't he tried the three ball occasionally at do right. I do think that's something he's going to continue to do. He's going to continue to try to, to develop and improve as he does this as his professional career starts. But even if that never becomes a thing, like I like lively because he doesn't he is not the kind of center that like demands, you know, a handful of like token post touches every game to get him to compete in and give like max effort, right? Like, he's happy to just screen dive, keep the ball moving. You look at his assist numbers, about 10% assist rate this year, like lively can make some decisions on the short roll, like he can pass a little bit too. So he's not just appear like lot like you can throw it to him at spaces on the court that aren't just right at the front of the rim, that he can still help you in the half court offensively. So, um, yeah, I like lively long term. I think he's going to be like a really nice, you know, starting center in the NBA for a long time.

Brian Geisinger is joining us here. So those are two surefire first round picks. Is there a third first round pick in the triangle? You know, I mean, unfortunately, the last couple of months don't seem like they've gone, you know, gone great for to Quavion Smith, he didn't have a great combine. And obviously the last, you know, safer, maybe the Creighton game in the NCAA tournament where he was pretty awesome. Yeah, Turk had some had some tough games down the stretch, you know, if you think of the Clemson games, maybe, especially, I still think there's a chance that like, given where the grade that guys had on him a year ago, or he was, you know, back into the first round type guy, he did improve as a as a playmaker this season. And so maybe just like the creation upside with the Quavion is something that, you know, allows him to sneak into the, you know, keep his stock in the in the first round.

Like, I would still draft a Quavion Smith in the first round. But if you have your doubts, because he's he's skinny, and, you know, the shock can be streaky at times, which that was the case a year ago, like I, I do understand. I would just say, like, the context with him at state this season, he was put in a spot where he had to make a ton of plays. And he had to take a lot of tough, you know, pull up off dribble shots.

You know that, I think that maybe, like, maybe did a little bit of damage to some of those percentage numbers across the board. But ultimately, he's still like a big time, you know, you know, microwave type score shooter. And again, I think he made strides as a playmaker. So I think he could still get in there.

Yeah. I mean, whether or not his first pick, I think if the if he just get a little bit more consistent with his jump shot, to me, he looks like a great, you know, second unit guard. Like, he could come in, and he could give you 15 points. The archetype for him is like Jordan Poole, Jordan Clarkson, Bones Highland, you know, these kinds of, you know, Malik Monk, like these types of like, you know, six, seven, six, seventh man, you know, guys that can can run an offense and are also sort of like wired to score. And I would just say with young shot makers like that, like, it'll take some time, you know, because it, what is the things that Turquavian does best are like he takes and makes tough shots. And again, I think he made strides as like a creator and a guy that can make reads in the pick and roll. You know that there's just some, there's an adjustment curve into the NBA, if you're not sort of like set up to be, you know, at, you know, a decent defender or playoff ball a little bit more to actually to play beyond a good spot up shooter.

So maybe he can, he can help out, you know, doing second side stuff too. But I think ultimately, that's the hope for him is to becomes that type of microwave, you know, playmaker off the bench. All right, Brian, guys, let me let me spend our next three or four minutes or last three or four minutes a little bit on the NBA. How do you process Miami kicking Boston in the teeth in game three, and then the last two games, especially last night, which was pretty much over at the end of the first quarter. Yeah, I mean, it was a pretty non competitive for the majority of the game, and I would just say like this kind of looks like the Boston team that we have seen for for stretches this season, and I was kind of expecting to see more of in the postseason. They they're, they're the deepest team in the league, or, you know, one of the biggest teams in the league, they happen all season. They've got really, really good high end players, if they don't have the best player in the series, that's probably Jimmy Butler, they've probably got the next best how many good players, you know, in Tatum's right there and I just thought Tatum like set the tone last night like he's a top whatever player in the world right now, top seven, eight, you know, whatever, whatever, however you want to define him, he's incredible.

Some of the past and he had last night was just spectacular. I think the last couple of games he's been so committed to getting downhill, getting to the rim, using that the handle in his skill, and that the body of his to really like get a little bit of a paint but Derek white, it wasn't just taking like Derek white had had an absolutely monster game, but Marcus smart and Marcus smart you know they're finding Rob Williams on lobs like he gets to be a pressure point for them on the rim and just like I do think they found something lineup wise in look Miami didn't have Dave Vincent, I mean they're, that's one of their tough shot makers so what are their better ball handlers they're also without Tyler hero, like, good bad however you want to say that, um, you know, I thought I thought Boston's defense did a nice job as the defense that was number two defensively in efficiency in the NBA this year did a nice job pressuring ball handlers enforcing turnovers, and when Miami tried to go to the ISO face up mode on the block like that's not his game, you know Al Horford I thought did a nice job on on on BAM and those sort of like one on one mid post isolation scenarios, and the zone which had been given Boston so much fits the first couple of games of the series like, you know, I don't know if this is just a two game blip or, but Boston does seem to be doing a little to be a little bit more comfortable, finding Tatum more at the nail and making a little bit more place against the you know the zone Miami sort of like curveball right they can throw at you defensively and so when the off speed stuff isn't hitting you got to lean on the fastball. Boston's got kind of like, you know, better talent across the board. So, um, I still think Miami is winning this series, you know, but it better happened tonight, or tomorrow, Saturday Yeah, I mean game seven, although it would be so like quintessential Celtics this year if they force it to game seven and then just Jimmy rip their hearts out and Miami, Miami is the type type of team to do that real quick. We got like 60 seconds left the whatever happens in this series.

And I know they will have been off for at least a week. The, the, the Denver version of the Denver Nuggets we saw against the Lakers, man, that team is a juggernaut. Yeah, yeah, special.

I mean, look, you're just probably the best player in the world right now. And he's just having I mean the playoffs he's gold he's 30 points 13 rebounds tennis this per game on like 55% shooting 47% from deep like he could they get good shots with him every time it's tough for the offense to like go through a slump when he's on the court, you know, and I've seen the postseason he's playing crazy minutes I think his defense and his energy have been good, but like they're hungry. They wanted their, I mean they're they've really taken on like Mike Malone Michael Malone's personality Murray showing up as a shotmaker Porter Jr as a third option is just like ridiculous to have a 610, you know, 40% 44% three point sniper that shoots coming off of off of screens, and if they play Miami Denver is going to have home court. It would be playing a, you know, a tired Miami team. Yeah. And with the rest advantage they haven't lost an altitude yet this year like that first game is basically going to be a wash you know.

And so yeah I mean I think Denver will be will be favored regardless of whomever they play but add in now a rest advantage to a mounting list of evidence suggests that like, yeah, they're probably going to, or they should be projected to win the title here, Brian Geisinger at B guys underscore bird 24 seven sport BuzzFeed podcast. I appreciate your time my friend I will talk to you very soon. You guys have a good weekend, you too. Memorial Day weekend have a great barbecuing season. I did that on purpose. Fight me.