The NBA Draft is tonight! I can't believe it's already here. It feels like the Finals just ended less than a week ago!
This year’s draft feels like there is absolutely no debate about who should go Number 1 overall because Zion Williamson is the overwhelmingly best prospect since Anthony Davis - New Orleans really nails it in the lottery when it matters most! He deserves to be the first overall pick because he did things during his freshman year at Duke that no one has even done before, and he has - by far and away - the best PER in college basketball history.
After Zion, the consensus number two pick seems to be Ja Morant with RJ Barrett going to the Knicks at three.
After that though, there doesn’t appear to be any other superstar potential players that can transform a franchise. This is bad for teams like the Cavs who spent all season tanking and will have nothing to show for it, but it’s good for teams like Atlanta who is only a couple pieces away from competing for a playoff spot in the East.
Players like De’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver, and Brandon Clarke are instant plug-n-play players who can help any team immediately since they know their roles and defend well. So while a lot of the players don’t have as high of ceilings as last year’s class, many of them have much higher floors in my opinion.
So my overall evaluation of this class is that its below average compared to last year or the year before which were stacked from top to bottom. This draft feels more like 2016 with Simmons, Ingram and Jaylen Brown. A lot of talent in the top 3, but nothing too great in terms of franchise defining players after those three went - that also means anything can happen which is awesome!
This draft is good for contenders looking to fill out their roster from 6-10 on the bench. Not great for teams looking to turn their fortunes around in one offseason (unless you draft Zion Williamson or Ja Morant).
So while there aren’t any many superstars, there are multiple safe players who will be good and can help a team right away. Those players – in no particular order - are Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga), Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga), Darius Garland (Vanderbilt), De’Andre Hunter (Virginia), Jarret Culver (Texas Tech), P.J. Washington (Kentucky), and KZ Okpala (Stanford). These players all will have solid careers in the NBA (barring some disaster) and can help a team get better from the jump.
Other players I think worth taking a gamble on just solely based on their talent and potential are: Cam Reddish, Bol Bol, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kevin Porter, and Tyler Herro. Reddish was really bad last year at Duke, but his high school mix-tapes still look awesome and his shot looks good every time he releases it. With a good system and plenty of development he can become a great player – I’m just not sure if he’ll go to the right situation. Bol Bol can’t defend to save his life, but his ball handling and shot look like the skills a 6’6” player has, not one who’s 7’3”. If he falls far enough, his talent may be too much to look past. Horton Tucker is only 6’4”, but he has a 7’1” wingspan which makes him an awesome defender with lots of switch ability. Herro looked like a mature point guard during the second half of his freshman year at Kentucky last year and his shot making makes him a viable player off the bench for a team that needs an offensive spark.
With all of that being said, this draft is deeper than three players and many teams can still benefit this year. So let’s go over every teams' needs going into tonight. We’ll go bytheir draft order.
Team Needs:
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williams…technically every team needs him, but he can really benefit the Pelicans with their new young core and versatile defensive unit. He also helps fill the void of losing super-star Anthony Davis.
Memphis Grizzlies: Also Zion but he won’t be available here. They need a point guard now after they traded away Mike Conley Jr. yesterday. Now they need a new franchise point guard, A.K.A. Ja Morant.
New York Knicks: Any able body player will do. Also a point guard of the future. Dennis Smith Jr. is not the answer. RJ Barrett just may be the answer.
Los Angeles Lakers: Whoever the Pelicans want is who the Lakers should take. They will probably want a guard who can handle the ball and score since Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday are great off the ball - besides wanting one, they also need one.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Scoring and defense (basically the two things you need to win a basketball game). Also more defense. They were dead last in defense last year (def rating: 116.7) and had a net rating of -10. De’Andre Hunter is the smart choice here and he would help this team out a lot. I feel like the Cavs will want to reach for a potential star and take Cam Reddish instead…not the player they need right now.
Phoenix Suns: A point guard or a wing defender. Tyler Johnson was a nice find for them in their deal with Miami last year, but he isn’t a long-term solution for them. Anyone who can help Devin Booker play defense is a must have in this draft for the Suns – Booker ranked 500th out of 530 total NBA players in defensive rating last year. Taking Culver here would be a smart move for them.
Chicago Bulls: They need more perimeter players and guards to help facilitate the development of Lauri Markkenan and Wendell Carter Jr. Chandler Hutchinson (their pick from last year) was hurt most of the season, and besides this sick dunk, didn’t contribute much on offense. They have their potential front line of the future solidified for now. They just need players around them now.
Atlanta Hawks: Let me know if you’ve heard this one before…the Hawks needs wings and defense. They could also use a center. A lot of the lottery teams’ needs are pretty simple – their fulfillment of those needs is entirely more difficult. Trae Young was statistically one of the worst players of all-time last season on defense and any wing who can play defense alongside him and Huerter is a must have for the Hawks.
Washington Wizards: They need centers and forwards, maybe even a point guard who can help steer the ship while John Wall continues to rehab his heel. They need to replace Otto Porter Jr and they need to find a better option at center than Dwight Howard or Ian Mahimni. What they need is another team to trade for this pick and take on one of their bad contracts in exchange. I wouldn’t bank on that if I’m the Wizards. This is the ideal place of the Wizards to not take the right player and gamble on Bol Bol.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Shooting to surround Towns – they were bottom 5 or 6 in every major 3-point shooting category last year. Last year, after the Wolves fired Tom Thibodeau, they finally embraced Karl-Anthony Towns (lots of credit to Ryan Saunders for doing that) as the focal point for their franchise and utilized him on offense like they should have all along.
They need to continue to build around him which means they need more shooting. They should try to be like the ’09 Magic in this sense. Just surround Towns with shooting and give him space to work.
Charlotte Hornets: Shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. Pretty much any position Kemba Walker can’t play. And if he decides to leave in free agency, then they also need a point guard.
Miami Heat: They are currently in cap-hell, but after next year (2019-20) they will finally be off of Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic’s contracts which will give them a chance in free agency and the draft. For now though they need a plug and play wing who can help them compete for a bottom four playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Boston Celtics: They need a point guard and a center. Coincidentally these are both positions that they are about to lose in free agency. Kyrie and Horford are both on the way out and Terry Rozier doesn’t seem like he wants to return to Boston unless its on his terms. They have three picks in this draft so they can make a safe pick here and then gamble on a player they like later if he’s still available. Remember when the Celtics were going to compete for a title and maybe challenge the Warriors? Yeah, me neither.
Detroit Pistons: Guards. Lots of guards. Preferably a point guard who will be better than Reggie Jackson and one who can play off of Blake Griffin. They could use a solid fundamental point guard who can create his own shot but also knows how to play well with a big man. Tyler Herro is perfect for this team if he’s still available here.
Orlando Magic: Offense because their defense is already good. The Magic are probably one of the the more interesting team in the draft because they are on the cusp of making something special happen if they can get more scoring. They have the potential to catch a bunch of teams off guard next season like how the Nuggets did this year. They had a defensive rating of 107 (8th overall) but an offensive rating of 108 (22nd). Evan Fournier was their best shooter last year and he shot a career low from three. Their front line is solidified (assuming Vucevic doesn’t leave) so they need a scoring guard. I think they’ll end up taking Tyler Horton-Tucker here. He has a huge wingspan which fits in with their defensive scheme.
Brooklyn Nets: Coming off of their first playoff berth since 2015, the Nets have the potential to become an elite Eastern Conference team next year. All of the reliable rumors point to Kyrie Irving going to Brooklyn so they should draft anyone and everyone who can play off of Kyrie. They also need wing defenders because there is no world where Dinwiddie, Russell (if they retain him), and Irving stop any guard on defense. I think KZ Okpala is a perfect fit here.
Indiana Pacers: Point guard or other wings who can score. The Pacers were third overall last year on defense and 18th on offense. If not for the Oladipo injury, they could have made the Celtics series last longer and maybe even beaten them. Miles Turner had a career year on defense last year and looks like he’s primed to make the jump to All-Star status that we’ve been waiting for him to make for two years now.
San Antonio Spurs: They need some Euro that they can stash who will then be the steal of the draft two years from now. Realistically they need shooting and another center/power forward. They also need to pair that with Pop finally embracing the three pointer. They get Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker back from injury next season. Additionally, players that can spread the floor will help facilitate the offense around DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Oklahoma City Thunder: They really need a good draft pick here because they literally can’t do anything in free agency this offseason. They owe $146 million in salaries and all of their contracts (expect for Paul George’s) look bad. Their ideal player would provide bench depth and shooting.
Utah Jazz: I was going to say they needed playmaking and shooting but now they have Mike Conley Jr.! They have the playmaking; they just need more shooting now along with another wing defender. Their only pick now is the 53rd pick in the draft so I don’t think they’ll find him there. I think an alternative for them would be to trade that pick for a player like Moe Wagner. The Lakers are desperate for second round picks to clear cap space and the Jazz could get a young big man who can space the floor in return.
Portland Trailblazers: Guard depth to back up Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. They don’t have a lot of cap space to make any other moves, but their current roster (as constructed) is pretty good as it is now! They just need more guard depth in case either one of them go down. They can’t stand a long-term star injury, but they could at least ride it out during the regular season if Lillard or McCollum go down for a small stretch.
Milwaukee Bucks: Big men shooting, guard shooting, and forward shooting. They have a couple major free agents who could potentially leave them this year. Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton both could leave them which would change everything for the Bucks. However, their system and success run through Giannis Antetokounmpo. They need to get players who can play around him.
Team Needs Continued | Teams Without a First Round Pick or Any Pick at All
Toronto Raptors: They won the title, so they just need to celebrate and enjoy their title. Don’t worry about the draft. They're good! They have the second to last pick in the draft which won’t mean much to them this year.
Dallas Mavericks: Them getting Porzingis is their draft pick this year. They traded away their actual pick from this year to the Hawks for Luka…which they’d do over and over again. The Mavs have a single second-round pick which I don’t think will matter much to them because they have a ton of cap space this summer – until they sign Porzingis to his massive extension which is coming up soon.
Denver Nuggets: They need a low-post scorer or just another scoring power forward in general. They can trade to make some space and maybe land Tobias Harris in free agency which they will need to do because they don’t have any picks at all in this draft. However, they have Michael Porter Jr. (who they took 14th overall last year) who is scheduled to begin his rookie year in 2019-20 so he counts as their draft pick this year. He also could fulfill both of their needs because he can flat out score the ball.
Los Angeles Clippers: They need a point guard, but they don’t care about that. They have potentially $56 million in cap space so they should focus all of their efforts on landing Kawhi Leonard in free agency. I’d be surprised if they even care about the draft at all even though they have two second round picks this year.
Sacramento Kings: They have the last pick in the draft, and they need a center or big man because I don’t see them wanting to retain Willie Cauley-Stein at the price he’ll demand. They have a ton of cap space, so I think they have their eyes towards free agency.
Houston Rockets: They don’t have any picks in this draft, but I’d be surprised if they don’t find a way to grab a couple of these second-round picks from a few other teams as they attempt to grab role players at an affordable price; they really need some cheap role players to fit with Harden and CP3.
The draft is tonight, and I can’t wait! It’s always a really fun time of year, especially when a player begins to drop, or one gets picked too high. We’re all going to be upset when our teams pick some guys two picks before he was projected to go and we’re all going to frantically Google search some senior from George Mason who goes in the second round.
It’s always a great night and it also feels like a celebration of basketball as a whole. Plus the battle between Woj and Shams to tip picks is going to be legendary – especially after Woj went on a legendary thesaurus run last year.
Enjoy the NBA Draft and be sure to check back here for more NBA Offseason content!
*all stats and info retrieved from NBA.com
*photos taken from CBSSports.com and NCAA.com