re: Who we picking at 8?

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You don't want Mathurin because his defensive focus (should be coachable) even though he shows glimpses of being a great defender..

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you can't coach "give a shite". You either care about playing defense or you don't. And you also can't teach instincts on that end of the floor.
Anyone can show a glimpse of good defense.
The point is he obviously doesn't always care about playing defense, although you know he cares about winning. I'd liken it to who Donovan Mitchell is. Great offensive player that wants the ball in the clutch, has all the skills to be a great defender but just doesn't seem to put the same care on that end of the floor as he does on offense, and his team is worst b/c of his defense. Now if Mathurin gives you what Mitchell does offensively, you can live with the lack of defense, but if he doesn't turn into an offensive superstar, what do you have?

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but you want to trade down for Branham who I personally love but is arguably the worst defender in the 1st round...

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The knock on him isn't the effort defensively like with Mathurin. It's more of being young and maybe not knowing where he should be or how to defend certain situations. That's coachable.

Branham's offensive efficiency in his last 20 games was elite, and that's why i'm so high on him. He can knock down open 3's at a 40% rate, he can get his own mid range shot whenever he wants, and he finished at the rim at 70%.
Something you see in all the reports about him, as a 18 year old freshman who started off the season very slow but finished very high, is he's a natural leader and has a high basketball IQ. That's what i'm looking for in someone we draft.