NBA Draft Recap

 After days of speculation of my whereabouts, I have returned for an NBA Draft recap. On Monday, I was too busy preparing a podcast on today’s basketball events. Tonight, I’ll go over the big acquisitions of the draft and how they factor into the upcoming season and the future of the league as a whole. 

#1: Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards (Georgia)

Just a very solid pick. Maybe the only box Minnesota has checked is the scoring with D’Angelo Russell and Karl Anthony-Towns. There are many gaps left to be filled, and Edwards covers a lot of them, providing a lot on both ends as a physical player. The former Bulldog is still a raw prospect, but Minnesota’s rebuilding situation takes the pressure off for rapid development. He checks the quotable box too, as he said it would be “extraordinarily cool” to be picked #1, and admitted if given the chance, he’d switch over to football. 2 rules to live by: anyone who puts an adverb before a positive word like awesome/fantastic is hilarious, and anyone who admits they’d switch sports if given the chance is going to be a quote machine

#2: Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman (Memphis)

Wiseman may have only played 3 college games, but he definitely impressed, to the degree where I pleaded my father to let me watch him duel Oregon, in case it was his final game in a Memphis uniform (Narrator: it was). The lack of sample size is clearly the concern, where he may have just gotten lucky three times, and stopped before the scouts realized he didn’t know how to play basketball, and was just faking it until he made it. The bigger thing for my Dubs is the way he perfectly fits the team. He rounds out the lineup well, a team that was missing a great center who could also take off in transition, an ability Wiseman is known for. Also, even if they elect to move his talents elsewhere, it’s still a win, as Penny Hardaway’s student can help out any of the other 29 teams 

#3: Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball (Many different places) 

Lol. I didn’t know how to better start this paragraph, since the Ball Family is so strange. Lonzo carved out a solid NBA career, LiAngelo had a shoplifting issue, and LaVar enjoys being famous and saying he’d beat Michael Jordan in a 1v1, now his youngest son’s coach. So far, I don’t know what LaMelo likes, but he seems pretty solid at basketball. That being said, the fit makes no sense for Charlotte. Point guard is the one position they have figured out, and they take another one. I understand drafting for talent, but many teams want LaMelo. Maybe I haven’t watched enough film, but I’m also confused about the love for him. He’s a brilliant passer, but that doesn’t excuse his shortcomings at defense and shooting. I’m not even a big Obi Toppin guy, but just looking at him, he provides a much better, more diverse offensive repertoire. That’s just one example, many other players provide this same thing. I’m not buying LaMelo yet, but if his abilities can dazzle for the lowly Hornets, I’ll listen

(I’ll now begin one sentence summaries for each pick, you didn’t think I’d write a paragraph for 32 guys, did you?) 

#4: Bulls: Patrick Williams (Florida State)

I’m not sure what to think about Williams as a player, but given his perceived value, it feels like the Bulls should’ve traded down if they really liked him

#5: Cavs: Isaac Okoro (Auburn)

Loving the fit, adding a defense-centric wing is nice, and I’m 90% sure the city of Cleveland would burn if they took another point guard, so W I guess?

#6: Hawks: Onyeka Okungwu (USC)

No big takeaway, not a catastrophe, nothing great, just a solid selection of a guy who will spend his entire career as the “hey did you know he played HS ball with the Ball brothers” dude

#7: Pistons: Killian Hayes (Germany)

I’d argue the Pistons filled a hole with this selection, but that could be said for any prospect they took, regardless of position or skill set 

#8: Knicks: Obi Toppin (Dayton)

I like Toppin’s potential, I like all the touches he’ll have available with the Knicks, but I have to assume bust given the franchise he was taken by

#9: Wizards: Deni Avdija (Israel)

Good pickup for the Wizards, feels like Avdija will follow the typical foreign path of either irrelevant in 2 years or an elite player

#10: Suns: Jalen Smith (Maryland)

I was all over Smith heading into the draft, but as they did with Cam Johnson in the lottery last year, it feels like the Suns identified a solid prospect, but misunderstood their value and overpaid 

#11: Spurs: Devin Vassell (Florida State)

Serious L for Vassell, as his 3 and D capability makes him a great addition to a playoff team, but a non factor for a playoff afterthought like San Antonio

#12: Kings: Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State)

Haliburton is an absolute STEAL at 12, with Haliburton looking like a more complete, lower floor version of LaMelo; feels unbelievable that he fell to 12 (Am I cheating with the semicolon?)

#13: Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr (Alabama)

Lewis looked super raw in Tuscaloosa, but a high ceiling guy, and given the solid names currently on the Pelicans, it’s worth taking a few spins at the superstar or bust wheel 

#14: Celtics: Aaron Nesmith (Vanderbilt)

Like with last year with Herro, feels like the Celtics have barely missed out on a great player falling back to back years, and come out with a mediocre consolation prize like Nesmith, but it’s not all bad, as a big man upgrade could help the Celtics, who have been weak at the 5

#15: Magic: Cole Anthony (North Carolina)

Garbage/fun/Tom Cruise Movie performance last year at UNC, good job by the Magic filling the PG, but let’s just appreciate the fact that Spike Lee was there for… no explained reason

#16: Trail Blazers: Isaiah Stewart (Washington)

Blazers have a very complete team, so I respect them going after anyone, and Stewart could really produce there as a big coming off the bench, as they struggled with big man depth last year in the playoffs

#17: Timberwolves: Aleksej Pokusevski (Greece)

I’ve got a better chance of spelling this dude’s name right than I do of evaluating him well, so I’d just say good job by Minnesota of grabbing a good front court mate for KAT

#18: Mavericks: Josh Green (Arizona)

I like Josh Green, but backcourt is a position of strength and depth for Dallas, I would’ve wanted them to pick up a larger human, especially with the next 2 picks being solid forwards

#19: Nets: Saddiq Bey (Villanova)

LOVE it, Bey is a great modern player who can definitely contribute from year one, my lone concern being the lack of touches, with Durant, Kyrie, perhaps Harden, and a slew of good role players currently in Brooklyn not allowing Bey the chance to show himself

#20: Heat: Precious Achiuwa (Memphis)

Any time you get the chance to pick someone named after an adjective, go for it, especially if they’re actually good at the sport you’re selecting for, and Precious was, averaging a double-double

#21: 76ers: Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky)

Maxey was a good facilitator for Calipari’s offense in Lexington, but the Sixers need to upgrade their shooting, even after acquiring Danny Green, so if they’re pulling the trigger on a guard, I’d like to see them shoot 30% from 3-point range

#22: Nuggets: Zeke Nnaji (Arizona)

Nice piece for a pretty stacked Arizona crew last year, I just feel like this acquisition would mean fewer Bol Bol minutes thanks to the introduction of another center, a loss not just for the people of Colorado, but for all inhabitants of Earth

#23: Timberwolves: Leandro Bolmaro (Barcelona)

I don’t really have any thoughts on Bolmaro, I was just thinking about whether Barcelona basketball players get to meet Messi or if they’re considered inferior

#24: RJ Hampton (Australia)

The Bucks took a flier in 2013 on a kid named Giannis, and they’re taking another one on RJ Hampton, one of the best athletes in the draft, as this team has the established talent to take risks on potential players to lead the next generation

#25: Knicks: Immanuel Quickley (Kentucky)

Again, a 3 and D guard isn’t ideal for a team that needs star power, but Quickley is a great pickup who can immediately add to Thibs’ ragtag bunch

#26: Celtics: Payton Pritchard (Oregon)

Really… I thought all the NBA owners made a pact not to pick these high volume, high scoring guards; hard to see this working out for Boston

#27: Jazz: Udoka Azubuike (Kansas)

Azubuike was a great college player whose slow, dominant skills were hard to carry over to the pros, but Rudy Gobert, a similar slow shot blocker/post player has thrived in, so it’s easy to see Utah implement the same schemes for the backup

#28: Timberwolves: Jaden McDaniels (Washington) 

McDaniels is solid, but I’m just bored of the T-Wolves taking PFs (or just players for that matter), so this was therefore considered a moronic move by the Casey At Da Bat draft expert

#29: Raptors: Malachi Flynn (San Diego State)

SDSU was fantastic last season on the back of that guy, a player who didn’t require the ball too much and can thrive in a modern offense

#30: Celtics: Desmond Bane (TCU) 

Unlike their Pritchard selection, this is exactly the type of player I’m looking for to contribute to a contender like Boston: just a complimentary player, a good shooter and defender, not a ball dominant guy