Alphabetically
1. Atlanta Hawks:
John Jenkins (SG) Vanderbilt, Mike Scott (PF) Virginia
The Hawks made a a solid choice with this late first round
pick. John Jenkins can shoot the lights out, and he has worked hard to be able
to put the ball on the floor a little bit too. He instantly gives the Hawks a
legitimate outside shooter, which they have not really had lately. Nice Pick. And Mike Scott should provide a bit of stability off the bench. y'know, to take some of Zaza's minutes.
2. Boston Celtics:
Jared Sullinger (PF) Ohio State, Fab Melo (C) Syracuse, Kris
Joseph (SF) Syracuse
Boston addressed some pretty big needs in this draft. They
picked up a low post scorer in Jared Sullinger (who had slipped because of some
red flags about his lower back), a shot blocker in Fab Melo who can give Kevin
Garnett a bit of a break, and a slashing wing who ISN’T old in Kris Joseph.
Really solid draft.
3. Brooklyn Nets:
Ilkan Karaman (PF) Turkey
This draft was already a failure because the Nets traded
away all of their draft picks to get Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace during
last season. If they aren’t able to keep Williams, it will have all been for
nothing. Poorly planned, Brooklyn.
4. Charlotte Bobcats:
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF) Kentucky, Jeffery Taylor (SF)
Vanderbilt
The Bobcats did the smart thing and drafted players to help
their new coach succeed. Dunlap wants to run up and down and defend hard. MKG
and Taylor love to do both of those things. It fits perfectly for Gilchrist to
slide right into the starting lineup and Taylor to come off the bench to keep
the level of intensity up. Taylor really improved his outside shot at Vandy,
and hopefully the No 2 overall pick will work to do the same.
5. Chicago Bulls:
Marquis Teague (PG) Kentucky
If you hadn’t heard, Derrick Rose will probably be out until
Christmas or later as he recovers for the ACL injury that he suffered last
season. That means the Bulls have a rather large and conspicuous hole at PG
this coming season. Now, Teague probably won’t start, but he will get a chance
to come off the bench and run this team a little bit. He can eventually start
learning from the best when Rose comes back. Smart.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers:
Dion Waiters (SG) Syracuse, Tyler Zeller (C) North Carolina
The Waiters pick at No 4 overall was a rumor that started
late in the day on Thursday, and it turned out to be true. Waiters is a slasher
and a playmaker, not the 3 point shooter that many thought the Cavs needed.
However, he also is one of the players in this draft who can really change an
offense. With Zeller, the Cavs traded a first round pick and 2 2nd
round picks to get him, which I am ok with. Zeller brings the same workman
attitude that Varejao does, but he already has a higher skill level and
ceiling. He will work really hard to be his best, and his best will be pretty
good. Great Draft.
7. Dallas Mavericks:
Jared Cunningham (SG) Oregon St., Bernard James (C) Florida
St., Jae Crowder (SF) Marquette
Speak of the devil, here are the 3 picks the Mavs got from
the Cavaliers. I love these picks. Jared Cunningham is a slashing ball handler
who can get to the rim and distribute, Bernard James will punch you in the face
after he blocks your shot, he works that hard! And Jae Crowder was one of the
most impactful players in college basketball last year. He is small, but he can
do absolutely everything on the court. If the Mavs keep all of these players,
they really have a chance to develop into solid NBA role players, which is
really as much as you can ask for.
8. Denver Nuggets:
Evan Fournier (SF) Spain, Quincy Miller (SF) Baylor, Izzet
Turkyilmaz (C) Turkey
Lets see, the current small forwards for the Nuggets are
Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Justin Hamilton. Now there is also Evan
Fournier and Quincy Miller. While both of these players have high ceilings and
should develop well, at some point you have to consider the redundancy on your
roster. Maybe the Nuggets are planning some sweet trades, and I really do like
these players, I just question the timing. Nobody on earth knows anything about
that dude from Turkey.
9. Detroit Pistons:
Andre Drummind (C) UCONN, Khris Middleton (SF) Texas
A&M, Kim English (SG) Mizzou
The Pistons did a great job of addressing needs, both
present and future, in this draft. Andre Drummond will (hopefully) pair with
Greg Monroe to give the Pistons a great front court. If Drummond can develop
even 70% of his potential, he will be a double-double guy who blocks a ton of
shots. Khris Middleton is a solid SF who will help mitigate the eventual
departure of Tayshaun Prince, and Kim English has a beautiful stroke from 3.
The Pistons really needed a Center and a shooter, and they got both of them in
this draft. Good job.
10. Golden State Warriors:
Harrison Barnes (SG) UNC, Festus Ezeli (C) Vanderbilt,
Draymond Green (SF) Michigan St, Ognjen Kuzmic (C) Spain
To start off, once again nobody has any idea who Kuzmic is,
but he is really tall. Now, for the other picks, Barnes should be able to start
at the shooting guard is Golden State right away. Klay Thompson and he will
kind of slide between the SF and SG spot as needed, but they really give the
Warriors a deadly outside duo. Ezeli is a monster inside. He can’t really score
that well but he rebounds like an animal and can block some shots, a great
backup to Andrew Bogut. Draymond Green will just continue to do what he does,
play smart basketball at any position on the floor and contribute however he
can. Good Draft.
11. Houston Rockets
Jeremy Lamb (SG) UCONN, Royce White (SF) Iowa St., Terrence
Jones (PF) Kentucky
I loved this draft. For all the talk that they were trying
to trade for Dwight Howard, the Rockets still chose high ceiling players with
their 3 top 20 picks. Jeremy Lamb is long and lean and can put the ball in the
basket. He should be a great wing addition for this team. Royce White is a very
interesting player. He can pass the ball, score in the post, run the break with
or without the ball, and defend 3-4 positions on the floor. If his shot gets
un-broke, he will be awesome. And Terrence Jones is a hard nosed 4 man who
gives the Rockets yet another weapon. Now if they could only find a center…
12. Indiana Pacers:
Miles Plumlee (C) Duke
Remember, this is team by team, not draft order, so don’t
freak out that this is No 12. Plumlee will really help strengthen the Pacers
frontcourt. He can (somehow) jump out of the gym, he works as hard as anybody,
and he has a desire to get better. He will do a great job of backing up Roy
Hibbert if he stays with the Pacers, and Miles could possibly develop his jump shot
enough to be an offensive threat as well.
13. LA Clippers:
Furkan Aldemir (PF)
IDK. He seems nice. In better news, it looks like the
Clippers are trading for Lamar Odom, for whatever that means.
14. LA Lakers:
Darius Johnson Odom (SG) Marquette, Robert Sacre (C) Gonzaga
The Lakers did a good job of finding some potential in the
final 10 picks of the draft. Odom has a real chance in this league as he is an
athletic slashing guard who has delevoped into a shooter over time. He works
hard and defends hard, and that means a lot. Sacre is a reasonably unathletic
center, but he has great footwork and a decent jumper. He will probably stick,
since most big men seem to.
15. Memphis Grizzlies:
Tony Wroten (PG) Washington
Wroten is one of those guys that get a GM fired or get him a
raise. He has all the ability in the world as a 6’5” athletic point guard. He
has great vision and he loves taking the ball to the rim. However, he also
turns the ball over a lot, can’t shoot worth a lick, and that scared some
teams. If he can develop his jumper, he is a going to be really, really good.
Here’s hoping.
16. Miami Heat
Justin Hamilton (C) LSU
What is the one thing the world champions needed? Size.
Hamilton brings that. He isn’t a shot blocker, but he is a wide 6’10” who can
bang, grab boards, and shoot a really good mid-range jumper. He should help to fill
that void at center, though he may not totally fill it.
17. Milwaukee Bucks:
John Henson (PF) UNC, Doron Lamb (SG) Kentucky
The Bucks made some really solid picks in this draft. They
finished acquiring shot blocking, as they add Henson to Samuel Dalembert, Ekpe
Udoh, and Larry Sanders. Henson should also be able to develop into an adequate
offensive threat, once he finished gaining 30 pounds by eating nothing but
Milwaukee cheese for the next month. Doron Lamb fills another void on this
roster. He knocks down threes like its his job, and the Bucks really needed
that. I think these are two really intelligent picks. Should work out.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves:
Robbie Hummel (SF) Purdue
The T’wolves think that they already have a good foundation
for their team. They added a knockdown shooter in Chase Budinger through a
trade, and now they add Shane Battier lite in Robbie Hummel. The Purdue senior
is a 3 point shooter who will work his butt off 100% of the time. He may not be
the same defender Battier is, but his offensive game may be a bit more diverse.
This wasn’t a spectacular draft, but the Timberwolves think they will get
better just by having some age on their team.
19. New Orleans Hornets:
Anthony Davis (PF) Kentucky, Austin Rivers (SG) Duke, Darius
Miller (SF) Kentucky
Anthony Davis, blah, blah blah. If you haven’t heard of him,
don’t worry about it, he is an obscure, out of nowhere player…nvm. Anyway,
adding Austin Rivers was an interesting choice. He really divided scouts,
because he mostly has eyes for the basket, not for his teammates. However, he
can be a really valuable player as he develops, and Monty Williams will make
sure that he has every chance to learn how to play. The pick of Darius Miller
is smart in all ways. He is a great glue guy, and he can be buddies with their
franchise cornerstone, Anthony Davis.
20. New York Knicks
Kostas Papanikolaou (SF) Greece
A draft and stash kind of player, he should be able to come
over in a couple of years and make a reasonable impact.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder
Perry Jones III (SF) Baylor
I loved this pick. Jones slid down draft boards because of
concern about his knee, coupled with the already existing concern about his
desire to be great. I think he landed is a perfect situation. Kevin Durant and
Serge Ibaka are the two players that he should model his game and work ethic
after. This team gives him a chance to develop into the player that he wants to
be, whatever that may be.
22. Orlando Magic
Andrew Nicholson (PF) St. Bonaventure, Kyle O’Quinn (C)
Norfolk St.
The Magic are obviously preparing for the possibility of a
large void in their frontcourt. If Dwight Howard leaves, these two players can
attempt to fill some of that void. Nicholson is by far the better scorer, with
Ryan Anderson type range, but a bit of a nasty streak inside. O’Quinn is the
banger of the two. He is a large body with a decent touch who will grab many
rebounds. Decent choices.
23. Philadelphia 76’ers
Moe Harkless, (SF) St. Johns, Arnette Moultrie (PF) Miss St.
The Sixers made some smart choices here. First, the picked
up Harkless who could really develop into a high scoring small forward. He has
length, athleticism, and a desire to beat people. Moultrie is a really bouncy
power forward who will rebound the ball really well. He also has a decent
jumper and will be a threat on both ends of the floor. Really good trade with
the Heat to get the player that they wanted. Good draft.
24. Phoenix Suns
Kendall Marshall (PG) UNC
If Nash stays with the Suns, Marshall will be able to develop
his already extraordinary passing skills behind the best passer in a
generation. If Nash leaves, Marshall will be given the keys to an offense that
he has basically already played. Run and gun with some pick and rolls thrown in
there. Great pick by the Suns, as they
got their point guard of the future no matter what happens in free agency.
25. Portland Trailblazers
Damian Lillard (PG) Weber St., Meyers Leonard (C)
Illinois, Will Barton (SG) Memphis
Fantastic draft. The Blazers knew that they needed a PG, so
they drafted the best one in the draft. Lillard compares really nicely to
Derrick Rose in terms of measurements. He is less explosive and a better
shooter, but that isn’t a bad thing by any stretch. Meyers Leonard fills the
hole at center, although he may not be a strong contributor for a couple of
year. He is huge, he loves to dunk, and he has a great skill set. The late pick
of Will Barton is one I really like too. He is one of those players that isn’t
crazy athletic or elusive, but can somehow just put the ball in the basket. He
will be really valuable as a replacement for Jamal Crawford.
26. Sacramento Kings
Thomas Robinson (PF) Kansas
The Kings weren’t sure if they wanted this pick, but they
did the smart thing and took Robinson with this pick. He will team with
Demarcus Cousins to make up a really strong frontcourt for this team. Robinson
really improved his post up game, developed a jump shot, and added those things
to his terrific rebounding skills. He is a great player, and could be a 20-10
guy really quick.
27. San Antonio Spurs:
Marcus Denmon (SG) Mizzou
The Spurs love laughing at everyone else during draft night.
They let everyone else pick the character problems, or the potential busts,
then they just pick solid players who fit their scheme. Denmon is a great
shooter and is basically a quicker clone of Gary Neal. You really can never
have enough shooters, and the Spurs just grabbed a good one.
28. Toronto Raptors
Terrence Ross (SG) Washington, Quincy Acy (PF) Baylor
The Raptors really wanted some outside shooting or a
playmaker with this pick, and they obviously thought that Ross was the best
option on the board. He is a great shooter and a good leaper. He will need to
improve his ball handling, but he should help stretch the floor immediately for
this Raptors team. Also, Quincy Acy is the type of player that every coach
wants. He rebounds, he takes charges, he gets offensive rebound, he is a great
pickup for late 2nd round.
29. Utah Jazz:
Kevin Murphy (SG) Tennessee St.
The Jazz really wanted to move into the first round in this
draft, but couldn’t get it done. They consoled themselves by picking up another
young player to add into their team. If Alec Burks turns into the starter, then
Murphy would be his high scoring backup. He really puts the ball in the basket,
like a lot. He likes to score, and he can get to the rim. Decent choice at this
point.
30. Washington Wizards:
Bradley Beal (SG) Florida, Thomas Staransky (SF) Spain
The Beal pick was what everyone hoped for. Beal will give John
Wall a running mate in a fast paced offense. He can take the ball to the basket
or shoot the three, and he should be ideal for this Washington team. Sataransky
is a decent player already, but he won’t be ready to come to the States for a
few years at least. The Wizards definitely improved their team here.
Well, that is the draft! I didn’t grade any of these picks,
but I obviously gave my opinion. Remember, I love the draft, and I think
everyone will average 20 ppg, so be cautious! Let me know what you think of my
thoughts. (is that metacognition?)
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