If you've been wondering why you haven't heard from this show the past few weeks, we tell you why in this episode. The Draft Council is on hiatus for the time being. Thank you so much to everyone who's listened.
Description: Ahmed and Dan are joined by Derek Parker (@DParkOK on X) to talk about one of the best teams in the entire NBA, who are relevant to both the last few Drafts and the upcoming one.
2:00 — Chet and J Dub
15:00 — Nikola Topic and His Future w/ the Thunder
23:00 — Who Could the Thunder Pick in the 2025 Draft?
34:00 — MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Ahmed and Dan talk about some of the best players currently in high school basketball, including Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Darryn Peterson, as well as some lesser known names, and what has caught their eye with each of these soon-to-be college basketball players.
3:00 — Boozer, AJ, and Darryn
28:00 — Chris Cenac (Link Academy)
36:00 — Dante Allen (Montverde)
47:00 — A Class of 2026 Standout
Ahmed and Dan are looking forward to the new year by handing out resolutions they want to see in the games of some of the best prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft Class.
2:00 — Dylan Harper
9:00 — Cooper Flagg
20:00 — Ace Bailey
26:00 — Tre Johnson
37:00 — Khaman Maluach
Ahmed and Dan are joined by Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_ on X/Twitter) to talk about one of the most relevant teams to the 2025 NBA Draft — the Brooklyn Nets.
3:00 — The Dennis Schroder Trade + Direction of the Nets
12:00 — Potential Cam Johnson Trade Packages
31:00 — VJ Edgecombe
37:00 — Kasparas Jakucionis
44:00 — Ace Bailey
Ahmed and Dan talk about the things that have shocked them the most through the opening months of the season, including the Sixers' disastrous start to the season, the underwhelming rookie season performance from Reed Sheppard, and a whole lot more.
2:00 — The Sixers' Increasing Relevance to the 2025 NBA Draft
17:00 — What's up with Reed Sheppard?
27:00 — Labaron Philon and Mark Sears
45:00 — Jayden Quaintance Supremacy
Dan and Ahmed briefly talk about the upcoming college commitment of AJ Dybantsa, before recapping all three Big 5 games that happened in Philly this past weekend, and wrap up the show by answering some questions from the listeners.
3:00 — AJ Dybantsa Decision Day
9:00 — Big 5 Classic, Eric Dixon, Rasheer Fleming
26:00 — Derik Queen talk (again)
39:00 — Danny Wolf and Jeremiah Fears
49:00 — Anthony Robinson and Thomas Sorber
With a month of the college basketball season completed, Dan and Ahmed did their first Mock Draft since the summer, with updated takes on all of the highest profile prospects in this year's class.
6:00 — Cooper Flagg
18:00 — Who will the Sixers pick at No. 3?
35:00 — An Incredibly On-Brand pick for Ahmed
42:00 — The Collin Murray-Boyles Debacle
We discuss our favorite players to watch through the first few months of the 2025 NBA Draft cycle, including Maryland's Derik Queen, Ohio State's Juni Mobley, Alabama's Labaron Philon, and a whole lot more. Then, they wrap the show by talking about Prolific Prep's big win over Columbus, which was fueled by a superstar performance from 2026 prospect Darryn Peterson.
Timestamps:
4:30 Derik Queen
17:00 Kam Jones
25:00 John Mobley Jr (aka Juni)
31:00 KJ Lewis
36:00 Khaman Maluach
47:00 Darryn Peterson
Ahmed and Dan take a break from college basketball to rank all of the best young cores in the NBA, and see which franchises have the brightest futures ahead of them.
Timestamps:
1:00 — What is the NBA Farm System? (shoutout @klaytheist11 on X/Twitter)
4:00 — Wemby vs OKC
10:00 — We love Amen Thompson and Tari Eason
25:00 — The Wizards!
45:00 — Mandatory Hawks + Jared McCain discussion
Dan and Ahmed rehash everything that happened in the first week of college basketball, from the thrilling finishes of the UNC-Kansas and Auburn-Houston games, to the superstar breakout of Egor Demin, before finishing the show with a discussion of the best rookies in the NBA, including the Sixers' own Jared McCain.
Timestamps:
2:00 — Auburn vs Houston
7:30 — Kansas vs UNC
18:00 — Baylor vs Arkansas
25:00 — Egor Demin is HERE
44:00 — Could Jared McCain win Rookie of the Year?
A very tired Dan and Ahmed stayed up late to give you a full rundown of what happened with all the high profile NBA Draft prospects during the first day of the college basketball season, including: Gonzaga absolutely bludgeoning VJ Edgecombe and Baylor, Will Riley and Derik Queen going ballistic, and a whole lot more.
Timestamps:
2:00 — Gonzaga destroys VJ Edgecombe and Baylor 101-63
10:00 — The Kon Knueppel Victory Lap will never end
14:00 — Ohio State vs Texas, Juni Mobley vs Tre Johnson
19:00 — Will Riley and Derik Queen
27:00 — Asa Newell and Georgia (Good!) Collin Murray-Boyles and South Carolina (Bad)
32:00 — Ahmed really likes Flory Bidunga and Jase Richardson
Basketball is back! Dan and Ahmed break down why so many rookies are struggling through the first week of the NBA season, but also highlight a few guys who look like draft steals in Ryan Dunn, Jonathan Mogbo, and Yves Missi. Then, the two get you ready for college basketball by picking out their favorite upcoming matchups in November, and raving about the incredible scrimmage play of Boogie Fland and Kon Knueppel.
5:00 Ryan Dunn the best rookie in the NBA?
8:00 The Draft Council's First Official Houston Rockets Check-In
16:00 Why is Zach Edey struggling?
21:00 Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr
35:00 Jonathan Mogbo and Yves Missi — Steals of the Draft
45:00 The CBB Games we're most looking forward to in November (Plus BOOGIE FLAND)
Dan and Ahmed break down the Jalen Green and Trey Murphy extensions, before giving a brief 2024-25 NBA season preview, including which young players they think will make their first All-Star appearances. Then, the show wraps up with some talk about how Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and so many others have performed in their college basketball preseason scrimmages.
Timestamps:
1:00 — 2021 Draft Class Extensions
16:00 — NBA Finals + MVP Picks
27:00 — Who is making their first All-Star game this year? (Plus THE BULLS ZONE)
36:00 — Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, Ryan Dunn
49:00 — CBB Preseason Scrimmage Reactions
Dan and Ahmed kick things off by reacting to the biggest news in the NBA Draft world this week, as Cam and Cayden Boozer committed to Duke over Miami. Then, the two ran through a list of "Are we sure?" statements about this upcoming basketball season, talking about everything from who will be the best SEC freshman, to why Zach Edey is a good bet to win Rookie of the Year.
Timestamps:
1:00 Cam Boozer to Duke!
12:00 Is Labaron Philon the best freshman in the SEC?
25:00 Why Zach Edey will win ROTY
48:00 A surprisingly large amount of Toronto Raptors talk
Dan and Ahmed kick things off by breaking down some recent games from Nolan Traore and Rocco Zikarsky, before shifting gears and talking about 10 young NBA players they've got their eye on for the 2024-25 season.
Timestamps:
2:00 Nolan Traore
8:00 Rocco Zikarsky
18:00 Amen Thompson
32:00 Ricky Council IV
45:00 Nikola Jovic
49:00 Finally letting Ahmed talk about the Hawks
Dan and Ahmed first react to the trade that sent shockwaves through the entire NBA this past week, before giving an update on how a few international prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft class have performed so far this season, and playing the first ever rendition of College Basketball "Who He Play For?"
1:00 KAT Trade Reaction
11:00 Big Duke basketball update
18:00 Nolan Traore
27:00 Ben Saraf
33:00 Noa Essengue
43:00 AJ Dybantsa
51:00 Who He Play For???
On this week's episode of The Draft Council, Dan and Ahmed reacted to some of the hottest takes that you, the listeners, had for this upcoming college basketball season, ranging from Indiana winning the national title, to one of the best prospects in the country falling out of the lottery.
2:00 — Mike Thinks Indiana is going to win the national championship
14:00 — Is Purdue gonna be good this year?
28:00 — Koby Brea is the most underrated shooter in the country
32:00 — Can Ace Bailey Fall Out of the Lottery?
36:00 — A Dark Horse to win Big Big Ten Player of the Year
47:00 — Paul McNeil is a Top 10 Pick?
Dan and Ahmed talk about four of the NBA's young rebuilding teams in the San Antonio Spurs, the Detroit Pistons, the Utah Jazz, and the Toronto Raptors, and how each franchise should approach the next few seasons.
Timestamps:
3:00 — San Antonio Spurs
20:00 — Detroit Pistons
35:00 — Utah Jazz
46:00 — Toronto Raptors
55:00 — Listener Question on College NlL Deals
Dan and Ahmed break down the best players in the NCAA who decided to forgo the 2024 NBA Draft, and instead returned for one more season of college hoops.
5:00 — Mark Sears
14:00 — Alex Karaban
20:00 — Collin Murray-Boyles
27:00 — Johni Broome
33:00 — Ryan Kalkbrenner
38:00 — Kam Jones
41:00 — Nique Clifford
