This is the second NBA draft I have
now written about, and I think that it will be a more talented one than last
year’s pool of players. Outside of the NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving, no
real stars emerged. Ricky Rubio was an interesting flash in the pan and there
were some decent role players taken such as Kawhi Leonard and Iman Shumpert,
but the fact that these guys were somewhat legitimate rookie of the year
candidates showed how Irving made the only severe impact from last year’s
draft. Even Kyrie came as a surprise to me, who I doubted because of his foot
injury and inexperience. I was happy to be proved wrong and see a needy city
like Cleveland find their next superstar so soon after losing their last one.
This year, there may be multiple players who can go above and beyond the minor
contributions that most of last year’s draft class had to offer. One thing that
annoys me about the NBA draft is how players are drafted and by the next
morning they have already been traded. The NFL trades draft picks, but NBA
teams draft and then trade the players. Hopefully everyone stays put so this
all still applies later on. I may not be blown away by the talent available,
but it is a good enough class to provide some immediate help to this summer’s
draft winners.
Kentucky’s one-two punch led off as
Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist took the first and second spots. Davis
was an obvious but still interesting decision by the New Orleans Hornets. Davis
lacks versatility, slightly undersized against opposing centers and lacking in athleticism
against small forwards. His shot blocking is the only guarantee but also has a
decent mid-range shot and an improving post game. Davis will immediately be a
defensive/rebounding presence, and his offensive game should develop as the
year progresses. He moves well but is not nearly as big as he is tall, and may
be in for a surprise when battling NBA big men under and above the rim. While
Kidd-Gilchrist may not have as high a ceiling as a potentially dominant big
man, I believe that right now he is a more complete player. Physically, he is a
beast who can provide great athleticism, rebounding (for his small forward
position), and defensive ability. He can attack the rim on offense, guard any
of the 1-3 positions on defense, and will make the hustle plays that ultimately
change games. He may not be the best shooter, but he is a difference maker.
Unfortunately, he plays for the Bobcats…so everything I just said may not
amount to anything.
Decisions made outside of the
lottery picks have always been more interesting to me because good teams are
acquiring quality players. I think the Celtics are a major draft day winner.
Their only glaring weakness was rebounding and, of course, how they get older
every day. Losing Ray Allen will not be a problem with the emergence of Avery
Bradley. Between him and Rondo, their back-court is set. The possibility of
losing Garnett is a troubling one, but taking Sullinger and Fab Melo with
consecutive picks, in my opinion, was a great move. These two moves may, if all
goes well, single handedly make their front-court younger, stronger, and
ultimately better. Boston got great value by taking guys whose stock had
fallen, which allowed top tier talent to fall to the latter stages of the first
round. Imagine all age related criticism disappearing when Paul Pierce is the
only old guy and he is surrounded by Rondo, Bradley, Sullinger, and Melo. The
new look Celtics will not need a transition stage between eras as an elite
eastern conference team.
I love what Boston did, but the
ultimate draft day winner was still the Hornets. Taking Austin Rivers with the
10th pick was a very nice compliment to Anthony Davis. Those two
players, in my opinion, actually make New Orleans a legitimate contender to
make the playoffs, even in the superior western conference. Rivers can make the
biggest shots and create open looks for himself. When all else fails on
offense, he doesn’t. There are some miscellaneous picks that I like, even
though no one pick is enough to make a team a draft day winner. Dion Waiters
and Kyrie Irving make a great pair of guards in Cleveland. Kendall Marshall has
the best inheritance in the NBA as the Suns pass down Steve Nash’s offensive
system to him after Nash presumably leaves for Miami, New York, or another
destination. Miles Plumlee is a great fit for the Pacers because not having a
solid backup for Roy Hibbert and his foul trouble were one of their leading
causes of death against the Miami Heat. If they kept playing good defense with
Hibbert on the bench, they stand a much better chance at not blowing that 2-1
series lead. Perry Jones III lost a lot of value in draft stock over the past
year, but moving to OKC may make him better than ever.
I must dedicate a few thoughts to my
New York Knicks, who have decided to not participate in the first round again.
I guess those 24 games of 9.4 points per game from Tracy McGrady were worth
sacrificing this year’s first rounder. I decided to not include a section on draft losers because no selections were confusion enough to frustrate me. I instead replaced that segment with this, hence the name change from "Winners and Losers" to "Winners and Knicks". The Knicks do not like to draft in the
first round on the off chance that it will help our future. I paid very close
attention to that 18th pick, and the Rockets selected Terrence
Jones, the Kentucky Forward. He can play either the 3 or 4, and reminds me a lot
of Kidd-Gilchrist. He brings a lot of defense and athleticism but, despite his
tendency to linger around the three point line, is also not the best shooter.
He sounds like the kind of athlete the Knicks could use, one willing to hustle
and play defense. Last year we actually had a first round pick and used it to
take someone with second round talent, so maybe I am not missing out on much. I
actually ended up really liking Shumpert, but of course Kenneth Faried had to
go and have a better season to remind me that the Knicks still made a mistake.
Faried was the name I was yelling at my TV as we received the no name Georgia
Tech guard, and despite how much we lucked out with him my opinion has not
changed on the matter. They play similar games, strong defense, but he plays it
at a position we needed more from and has two good knees. Amare and Shumpert
combined have one good knee. To be honest, I am finishing this article before
the Knicks’ 48th overall pick in the second round because they have
already taken up more space here than they deserve. If they take anyone who
plays good defense, I consider it a good pick.
Overall, I believe a draft day
winner needs to make two great picks. Three teams, in my opinion, were able to
do this. The Hornets took the most talented tandem of any team by far with
Davis and Rivers. The Celtics addressed their needs to perfection and drafted
as well as possible with two late picks with their Sullinger and Melo
selections. Finally, I love the Warriors combination of Harrison Barnes from
UNC at 7 and Draymond Green from Michigan St at 35. These are two guys who can
simply do it all on both sides of the court and led two great programs for a
combined six years. The Warriors always seem to have good players but never
seem to piece it all together. Perhaps these two are the steps needed to put
them over the top and into the playoffs. These are my three personal picks for
NBA draft winners, and I think each one is on a much better looking path to
next year’s playoff race.
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