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 Stanford

Check out The Ringer’s 2025 NBA Draft Guide for all the latest prospect rankings, draft grades, and more!

Host: J. Kyle Mann
Guest: Sam Vecenie
Producer: Jessie Lopez
Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz
Social: Keith Fujimoto