Reverse Enigma

Here are the east teams.

Inspired by @iztokfranko.bsky.social latest post, wanted to see how the western conference teams looked broken down using the clusters from nbavisuals.com/player_style
Cluster names still need some work.

How the West Is Built A data-driven look at player archetypes for the top 10 Western Conference contenders including the Lakers and Mavericks

How are the top 10 teams in the West really built?
I ran a clustering model on 300+ players to break down offensive archetypes. And reveal strengths, gaps, and roster building shifts from last season.

Lakers, Mavs, Nuggets, OKC, Rockets... all included👇
digginbasketball.substack.com/p/nba-west-p...

I kind of trust the raptors to figure out how to make it work. They have liked these kinds of guys in the past, and figured out ways to slot them in.

I have questions, but i think its workable. The raptors like playing multiple guys that can handle and drive, and CMB can slot into that pretty well. I think there are ways to make it work with him at the 4 next to Poeltl, but he will also thrive as a 5 next to B
arnes.

New feature out!
This is Court Sketches's playlist tool.
Give it any team, player and date range combination across the last 5 seasons, and it will serve you a stylized playlist of filterable clips, one you can share with the click of a button. Let me know what you think!

nbavisuals.com/playlist

The draft cycle continues. Very early look at my board for 2026. Should be a fun class

Warriors: Alex Toohey. Big wing with feel who rebounds, cuts, and keeps the ball moving. Reminds me of Otto Porter Jr’s plug-and-play value in Kerr’s motion offense.

Celtics: Amari Williams. Boston values bigs who pass up top; Williams makes quick reads in delay sets, screens, and protects the rim. Good depth behind Horford and Kornet.

Pacers: Kam Jones. Indy lands a steady decision maker who scores or spots up and keeps pace with Haliburton’s tempo. Loved his off-movement shooting at Marquette; great fit for the Carlisle system

Lakers: Adou Thiero. Best move was adding a defensive wing, sorting the big spot later. Thiero is a live-wire slasher who can guard 1-4 and finish above the rim. Even without a jumper he can be their DJJ-style spark.

Some second round steals I loved:
Charlotte: Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Hornets grab the draft’s most NBA ready rim protector plus a connective wing who moves the ball and defends. Nice mix of spacing and interior presence. Been a while since I thought Charlotte nailed the draft. Good change

Jase Richardson ➜ Magic
Orlando craved shooting and quick decision making, and Jase Richardson supplies both. Lethal shooter, zips the extra pass, and thrives as a secondary handler. The Magic’s length blankets his small frame and amplifies his strengths.

Asa Newell gives Atlanta the vertical punch it lacked. 6-10 pogo finisher who sprints lanes and hammers lobs from arguably the best lob passer in the NBA. Gives them a nice counter to the KP outside presence, and some much needed finishing to the worst team in that area last year.

Kasparas Jakucionis ➜ Heat
Kasparas Jakucionis sliding to Miami feels inevitable. Tall Dragic vibes: crafty pace shifts, slither drives, slick PnR reads. Can steer bench units or play off Bam handoffs, and Heat infrastructure should harden some of his deficiencies.

Walter Clayton Jr. ➜ Utah
Walter Clayton Jr. lands in Utah where Will Hardy’s motion offense shines. Elite bomber with deep pull-up range that forces tighter tags and opens lanes for their grab bag of guards. Even if he never runs the show, that shooting gravity is real.

Thomas Sorber ➜ OKC
OKC grabs Thomas Sorber and the devastating defense gets another drop anchor. 7-6 wingspan, soft hands, great passer. Vacuums boards, sets walls for SGA, and can fill a Hartenstein-style role on a rookie deal.

Some of my favorite draft fits so far:

Cedric Coward to Memphis is pretty seamless. With Bane gone they needed a rangy wing who can spot up, cut, and guard 1-3.

VJ Edgecombe: 6'5 wing with electric first step, pogo-stick hops, and nonstop motor. Turns steals into dunks, slices through tight lanes, and hounds guards on D. Jumper is catching up, but he’s a nightly highlight reel. Perfect spark to revive your joy.

Most puzzling teams tonight have been the Pels and Nets. New Orleans gave up an unprotected first to snag Derik Queen and just built what might be the league’s worst defense. Brooklyn is stacking point guards and bigs who think they’re point guards.

Biggest risers so far: Hansen Yang (I had him 25) and Yanic (52). Both skyrocketed past almost everyone’s projections.

• Rasheer Fleming - board rank 19
• Noah Penda - 21
• Adou Thiero - 25
• Kam Jones - 27

Fun first day of the draft! Wild and sometimes baffling choices all over. Twenty-six of my top 30 prospects are gone. Here are the four still waiting:

NBA Big Board 2025

Final draft board is set. More movement than expected: some late risers, a few tough drops. Took a step back to reassess the big picture. Tried to balance film, data, and role projection, and especially who I trust to earn a second contract in the new CBA.

🔗 docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Yeah, updated my board since the databallr update. The version on Gsheets is up to date

New tool out, in collaboration with Owen Phillips
of the f5!
This is our League Rankings tool. Based on a graphic from a recent f5 piece, it allows you to select up to 80+ stats, and see where every team ranked in that stat for the past 12 nba seasons.
nbavisuals.com/leagueranks
Lmk what you think!

databallr | NBA Stats & Analytics Advanced NBA statistics, player analytics, and matchup data for basketball fans and analysts.

Stats from databallr.com/nbadraft. Fantastic resource for all your draft needs. @databallr.bsky.social

Built like a tank at 6'1.5", but plays much bigger. Not a PG, not a wing, but just finds ways to impact the game. If the shot stays stable, he’s got enough juice off the catch or bounce to stick. If I had an open two-way spot, this might be my first call.

Alijah Martin
One of the most physical perimeter defenders in the class. Explosive athlete, great screen navigator, and tough as nails at the point of attack. Fought through everything for Florida. Hit 35.8% of his pull-up 3s this year. Just wins possessions.

Also showed real craft as a driver and finisher: 57.8% at the rim, despite not being a top-tier athlete. 4.0 AST to 1.7 TOV. He’s not flashy, but he’s productive, tough, and knows how to fit in. If you're betting on skill + IQ, Shulga makes a lot of sense in the 2nd.