Analyzing the Draft: Quick Thoughts
By Michael Schneid
Here are some quick thoughts and analysis on how we feel teams did last night in the draft.
Hornets: Hard not to love a team that gets the draft's best player, Anthony Davis. But beyond that, the Hornets made some noise. They took Austin Rivers 10th. Paired with Eric Gordon, the Hornets have a dynamic backcourt. They took another Kentucky guy, Darius Miller in second round who could be a good role player for them.
Bobcats: I like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. But not for this team. This team needs an immediate impact player - a scorer, a leader, a guy to build around. MKG is the perfect piece...to build with, not around. MKG is a great defender and rebounder. He has those intangibles. But I do not see him as a franchise player. Jeffery Taylor was a good pick in the beginning of round two. MKG will not, alone, improve the Bobcats win total significantly. Not many guys in this draft could, but they might have been better suited taking Harrison Barnes.
Wizards: Washington could compete for a playoff spot in the east in 2012. Their backcourt is great with John Wall and Bradley Beal. The recent additions of Trevor Ariza, Nene, and Emeka Okafor willl have a big impact on this team. It allows guys like Jan Vessely, Trevor Booker, and Jordan Crawford to come off bench as role players now.
Cavs: I'm torn on what Cleveland did. Dion Waiters is actually a very good pick. Just a little surprising. Him and Irving is a great backcourt. They later acquired Tyler Zeller, who fell a bit to 17. The Cavs did well. But something about these picks seems underwhelming for some reason. They now have Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller. Clearly, trying to build through the draft. Time will tell if these picks pan out.
Kings: Kings did well taking Thomas Robinson, who fell to them at 5. Robinson and Demarcus Cousins will do well down low together. The Kings have a lot of talent and need to find a way to put it all together. But this frontcourt is a good start.
Blazers: Not a fan of Portland's moves. I know people are high on Damian Lillard, but I would have taken Kendall Marshall over him. And I would have taken John Henson over Meyers Leonard. They filled two positions of need but both players may become busts, I see at least one of them not developing. Portland's best pick was in round two, with Memphis SG Will Barton.
Warriors: Golden State had the best all-around night in my opinion. They have Harrison Barnes fall to them. SF is the Warriors biggest and really only need. With a backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and now the addition of Barnes plus David Lee and Andrew Bogut, if healthy (big if) this team could compete for a playoff spot. They also drafted Vandy center Festus Ezeli at the end of first round. They got Draymond Green in round two, a 6'8 forward with great ball handling skills. The Warriors got three immediate impact players.
Raptors: Toronto took Terrence Ross and Quincy Acy. Both head-scratching picks. I would have taken Acy's teammate, Quincy Miller, who was picked one spot after, over Acy. And I would have picked a handful of guys over Terrence Ross (Jeremy Lamb, Austin Rivers). Ross was a good player in college, but this might have been a reach at 8. Toronto has not drafted well the last few years and this could end up being another example of that.
Pistons: Detroit is happy Andre Drummond dropped to 9. Paired next to Greg Monroe, Detroit has an ideal situation like the Kings. Two good, young big men down low. They got Kris Middleton in round two, a solid role player off the bench. Pistons also got Missouri SG Kim English in round two. A solid scorer, who can replace Ben Gordon.
Rockets: Houston had three first round picks following a couple trades this week. Ultimately, they did not end up with Dwight Howard or anyone. They drafted Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Jones, and Royce White. I do like all three guys, especially Lamb and Jones. They did well drafting, but considering all the rumors (Dwight, Rudy Gay, Josh Smith) last night had to be considered an underwhelming disappointment. I don't think these players have the Rockets any closer to the players than they were yesterday.
Suns: The Suns ended the Steve Nash era last night. It's possible he comes back but they used the #13 pick on Kendall Marshall. I think Marshall is the best PG in the draft, so the Suns come out winners last night. The need to get younger at every position and finding their PG of the future is a good start.
Bucks: Bucks moved back two spots earlier in the week and they still ended up with the guy they were believed to have targeted all along, John Henson. Henson replaces Bogut and given they acquired Samuel Dalembert too, this could spell the end for Ersan Ilyasova. Bucks did very well in round two, selecting Kentucky guard Doron Lamb. Lamb provides valuable bench scoring when Monta Ellis is out of the game.
76ers: Philly did well draft Mo Harkless 15th and acquiring the rights to Arnett Moultrie from Miami. Moultrie averaged a double-double at Mississippi State and Harkless is an athletic wing that will play the 3 or the 4. He could be used to replace Andre Iguodola ultimately and Moultrie will play big minutes at the 5, where Lavoy Allen was playing playoff minutes in 2012.
Mavs: Dallas drafted Tyler Zeller and traded him to the Cavs for three picks which turned out to be Jared Cunningham, Bernard James, and Jae Crowder. None of these guys are likely to become stars but are all good role players, for the roles they play. Cunningham is an excellent defender, James is also a defender and bruiser down low who can grab rebounds. Jae Crowder is also similar to James. These guys all have a certain uniqueness to them which will benefit Dallas. The Mavs need to replace a few players and made the right move adding more players and trading their initial pick.
Magic: Andrew Nicholson is likely going to be their starting center very soon. The Magic drafted Nicholson knowing Dwight Howard will not be there very long. The Magic have a few holes to fill and started with replacing the biggest shoes first. They also took Norfolk State center Kyle O'Quinn in round two. Orlando is stockpiling young centers preparing for his departure.
Nuggets: Denver has so many assets and solid role players. They should use these guys to acquire a superstar (Carmelo Anthony?). They took French guard Evan Fournier at 20 and Baylor wingman Quincy Miller in second round. Denver is a great example of how you can never have to many wings, and too many role players. They have been stockpiling talent for years.
Celtics: Jared Sullinger would have been a top five pick last year. He is one of the most talented players in this draft, injury flags or not. They took Fab Melo and Sullinger back-to-back in round one and took Melo's teammate Kris Joseph in round two. All three players have their question marks but are also good picks. If the Celts resign KG, he would be as good a mentor as there is for Sullinger and Melo. KG can certainly teach both a thing or two about playing hard.
Hawks: Would have loved to see Atlanta take Marquis Teague to pair with his brother, but they made a nice pick with SG John Jenkins. Jenkins is a true shooting guard, as that is his biggest strength.
Grizzlies: Their biggest need was probably a backup point guard and they came away with Washignton guard Tony Wroten. An experienced player who can come in and backup Mike Conley. Wroten is a depth pick, and a good one for Memphis.
Pacers: Pacers took Miles Plumlee, a guy that fits them perfectly - high motor, hard worker, aggressive. Plumlee will fight for loose balls and hustle down the court. Watching him and Tyler Hansborough together should be fun.
Thunder: Perry Jones was the best pick in the draft. By far. He fell to the Thunder because of a knee problem but if there really is no problem than the Thunder did great. Perry Jones is one of the most talented players in the draft and his fall was a little surprising. Jones is very athletic and can play PF. A lineup of Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Jones, and Ibaka would be pretty special and impressive.
Bulls: I thought all along Tyshawn Taylor would have made a great pick for Chicago, point being they need a PG while Derrick Rose is out for most of next year. But Marquis Teague slipping to them was lucky. Teague can start or come off bench, but he provides a similar aggressive and fast style of play like Rose. When Rose returns, he can fall into a bench/sixth man role or perhaps be used as an asset in a big trade if he plays well.
Second round thoughts:
Here are some quick thoughts and analysis on how we feel teams did last night in the draft.
Hornets: Hard not to love a team that gets the draft's best player, Anthony Davis. But beyond that, the Hornets made some noise. They took Austin Rivers 10th. Paired with Eric Gordon, the Hornets have a dynamic backcourt. They took another Kentucky guy, Darius Miller in second round who could be a good role player for them.
Bobcats: I like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. But not for this team. This team needs an immediate impact player - a scorer, a leader, a guy to build around. MKG is the perfect piece...to build with, not around. MKG is a great defender and rebounder. He has those intangibles. But I do not see him as a franchise player. Jeffery Taylor was a good pick in the beginning of round two. MKG will not, alone, improve the Bobcats win total significantly. Not many guys in this draft could, but they might have been better suited taking Harrison Barnes.
Wizards: Washington could compete for a playoff spot in the east in 2012. Their backcourt is great with John Wall and Bradley Beal. The recent additions of Trevor Ariza, Nene, and Emeka Okafor willl have a big impact on this team. It allows guys like Jan Vessely, Trevor Booker, and Jordan Crawford to come off bench as role players now.
Cavs: I'm torn on what Cleveland did. Dion Waiters is actually a very good pick. Just a little surprising. Him and Irving is a great backcourt. They later acquired Tyler Zeller, who fell a bit to 17. The Cavs did well. But something about these picks seems underwhelming for some reason. They now have Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller. Clearly, trying to build through the draft. Time will tell if these picks pan out.
Kings: Kings did well taking Thomas Robinson, who fell to them at 5. Robinson and Demarcus Cousins will do well down low together. The Kings have a lot of talent and need to find a way to put it all together. But this frontcourt is a good start.
Blazers: Not a fan of Portland's moves. I know people are high on Damian Lillard, but I would have taken Kendall Marshall over him. And I would have taken John Henson over Meyers Leonard. They filled two positions of need but both players may become busts, I see at least one of them not developing. Portland's best pick was in round two, with Memphis SG Will Barton.
Warriors: Golden State had the best all-around night in my opinion. They have Harrison Barnes fall to them. SF is the Warriors biggest and really only need. With a backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and now the addition of Barnes plus David Lee and Andrew Bogut, if healthy (big if) this team could compete for a playoff spot. They also drafted Vandy center Festus Ezeli at the end of first round. They got Draymond Green in round two, a 6'8 forward with great ball handling skills. The Warriors got three immediate impact players.
Raptors: Toronto took Terrence Ross and Quincy Acy. Both head-scratching picks. I would have taken Acy's teammate, Quincy Miller, who was picked one spot after, over Acy. And I would have picked a handful of guys over Terrence Ross (Jeremy Lamb, Austin Rivers). Ross was a good player in college, but this might have been a reach at 8. Toronto has not drafted well the last few years and this could end up being another example of that.
Pistons: Detroit is happy Andre Drummond dropped to 9. Paired next to Greg Monroe, Detroit has an ideal situation like the Kings. Two good, young big men down low. They got Kris Middleton in round two, a solid role player off the bench. Pistons also got Missouri SG Kim English in round two. A solid scorer, who can replace Ben Gordon.
Rockets: Houston had three first round picks following a couple trades this week. Ultimately, they did not end up with Dwight Howard or anyone. They drafted Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Jones, and Royce White. I do like all three guys, especially Lamb and Jones. They did well drafting, but considering all the rumors (Dwight, Rudy Gay, Josh Smith) last night had to be considered an underwhelming disappointment. I don't think these players have the Rockets any closer to the players than they were yesterday.
Suns: The Suns ended the Steve Nash era last night. It's possible he comes back but they used the #13 pick on Kendall Marshall. I think Marshall is the best PG in the draft, so the Suns come out winners last night. The need to get younger at every position and finding their PG of the future is a good start.
Bucks: Bucks moved back two spots earlier in the week and they still ended up with the guy they were believed to have targeted all along, John Henson. Henson replaces Bogut and given they acquired Samuel Dalembert too, this could spell the end for Ersan Ilyasova. Bucks did very well in round two, selecting Kentucky guard Doron Lamb. Lamb provides valuable bench scoring when Monta Ellis is out of the game.
76ers: Philly did well draft Mo Harkless 15th and acquiring the rights to Arnett Moultrie from Miami. Moultrie averaged a double-double at Mississippi State and Harkless is an athletic wing that will play the 3 or the 4. He could be used to replace Andre Iguodola ultimately and Moultrie will play big minutes at the 5, where Lavoy Allen was playing playoff minutes in 2012.
Mavs: Dallas drafted Tyler Zeller and traded him to the Cavs for three picks which turned out to be Jared Cunningham, Bernard James, and Jae Crowder. None of these guys are likely to become stars but are all good role players, for the roles they play. Cunningham is an excellent defender, James is also a defender and bruiser down low who can grab rebounds. Jae Crowder is also similar to James. These guys all have a certain uniqueness to them which will benefit Dallas. The Mavs need to replace a few players and made the right move adding more players and trading their initial pick.
Magic: Andrew Nicholson is likely going to be their starting center very soon. The Magic drafted Nicholson knowing Dwight Howard will not be there very long. The Magic have a few holes to fill and started with replacing the biggest shoes first. They also took Norfolk State center Kyle O'Quinn in round two. Orlando is stockpiling young centers preparing for his departure.
Nuggets: Denver has so many assets and solid role players. They should use these guys to acquire a superstar (Carmelo Anthony?). They took French guard Evan Fournier at 20 and Baylor wingman Quincy Miller in second round. Denver is a great example of how you can never have to many wings, and too many role players. They have been stockpiling talent for years.
Celtics: Jared Sullinger would have been a top five pick last year. He is one of the most talented players in this draft, injury flags or not. They took Fab Melo and Sullinger back-to-back in round one and took Melo's teammate Kris Joseph in round two. All three players have their question marks but are also good picks. If the Celts resign KG, he would be as good a mentor as there is for Sullinger and Melo. KG can certainly teach both a thing or two about playing hard.
Hawks: Would have loved to see Atlanta take Marquis Teague to pair with his brother, but they made a nice pick with SG John Jenkins. Jenkins is a true shooting guard, as that is his biggest strength.
Grizzlies: Their biggest need was probably a backup point guard and they came away with Washignton guard Tony Wroten. An experienced player who can come in and backup Mike Conley. Wroten is a depth pick, and a good one for Memphis.
Pacers: Pacers took Miles Plumlee, a guy that fits them perfectly - high motor, hard worker, aggressive. Plumlee will fight for loose balls and hustle down the court. Watching him and Tyler Hansborough together should be fun.
Thunder: Perry Jones was the best pick in the draft. By far. He fell to the Thunder because of a knee problem but if there really is no problem than the Thunder did great. Perry Jones is one of the most talented players in the draft and his fall was a little surprising. Jones is very athletic and can play PF. A lineup of Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Jones, and Ibaka would be pretty special and impressive.
Bulls: I thought all along Tyshawn Taylor would have made a great pick for Chicago, point being they need a PG while Derrick Rose is out for most of next year. But Marquis Teague slipping to them was lucky. Teague can start or come off bench, but he provides a similar aggressive and fast style of play like Rose. When Rose returns, he can fall into a bench/sixth man role or perhaps be used as an asset in a big trade if he plays well.
Second round thoughts:
- Nets made a good move buying a second round pick to take Kansas PG Tyshawn Taylor
- Eight foreign players were drafted in the second round
- Lakers bought a second round pick that was Darius Jonhson-Odom, a valuable pickup
- Spurs always found steals and gems. Missouri guard Marcus Denmon, picked 59th overall, may be another one
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