Evaluation Process, Draft Strategy, and the Weak Link Theory With Sam Vecenie

With the NBA draft just two weeks away, J. Kyle Mann brings on The Athletic's Sam Vecenie to discuss his latest mock draft, the excitement and challenges that come with evaluating players, and the concept of the weak link theory in the NBA. They also explore the potential of various prospects and the factors that could contribute to their success or limitations in the league.(00:00) Intro(01:42) The process of evaluating players(08:22) How Sam builds out his mock using tiers(15:55) On Kasparas Jakucionis from Illinois(17:28) On Carter Bryant from Arizona(22:41) On Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina(30:45) On Derik Queen from Maryland(36:28) Are you considering the "weak link theory" when scouting prospects?(43:12) Are there any top-15 prospects that you can see being on the floor in the current Finals?(46:01) Imagining Dylan Harper with the Spurs(54:06) On Tre Johnson from Texas(55:16) On Kon Knueppel from Duke(57:30) On Noah Penda from France(58:26) On Khaman Maluach from Duke(01:02:53) On Noa Essengue from France(01:05:35) On Joan Beringer from France(01:12:25) On Danny Wolf from Michigan(01:17:33) On Maxime Raynaud from StanfordCheck out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle MannGuest: Sam VecenieProducer: Jessie LopezAdditional Production Support: Ben CruzSocial: Keith Fujimoto
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The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann takes an in-depth look at who’s got next for the NBA’s future as he brings you 'The Ringer’s NBA Draft Show.' He’ll drop his takes on the rising and falling stocks of the best and brightest prospects in the 2025 draft class. This is a podcast for fans of every team, whether you’re tanking for ping-pong balls or you’re in search of sleepers later in the draft. Kyle will break it all down every week right here on 'The Ringer's NBA Draft Show.'

• No. of episodes: 76
• Latest episode: 2025-06-27
• Sports Basketball

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