Thoughts on the NBA Draft
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The NBA draft is now over and I have some takes I want to put out in the world today, both good and bad.
First, the bad.
I am kind of stunned at what the Pelicans did. They gave up an unprotected 2026 pick to draft Derik Queen. I love Derik Queen, go look at my draft preview, but they could have gotten him without having to give up what many seem to believe will be a high lottery pick. They also got rid of CJ McCollum in a trade for Jordan Poole. Poole will forever be a legend to me for his shot in the tourney while playing at Michigan. But, save for two seasons, Poole cannot stay in one place too long, he is a ball stopper and he is a zero on defense. I am a little shook by what the Pelicans are doing, but Joe Dumars has built up other franchises before, so maybe he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
The Celtics got rid of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and brought in Anfernee Simons. They also drafted three dudes I have never heard of. Simons is a good scorer and not much else. Hugo Gonzalez, who they took late in the first round, might be a stash pick. And they will be without their best player, Jayson Tatum, for the next season, maybe more. Maybe they are just using this upcoming season as a bridge year, but I don't get trading Holiday for Simons, other than a salary thing. And Porzingis seemed to be coming into his own when he did play. Much like Dumars, Brad Stevens knows what he is doing, but still, this has been a puzzling offseason to me.
The Nets had a ton of picks, used them all and took some wild, wild shots. The Nets are not going to contend for a while, but you'd think they would try to build in the draft. They took Egor Denim about ten picks too soon. He has upside, but not of the 8th overall pick. Danny Wolf is a big point guard, but he is turnover prone and an iffy outside shooter. Nolan Traore and Drake Powell don't seem like they'll get a ton of early minutes. And I don't know a single thing about Ben Saraf, other than he was the pick before Wolf. The Nets took some swings, hoping that at least one or two of these guys would hit. The problem will be finding real minutes for them during the regular season. Maybe they will trade a ton of their veterans and really go for that first pick next season.
And my team, the Grizzlies, confused me to no end. They need to find a replacement for Desmond Bane and they are going to try that with Cedric Coward. I don't know much about him, but counting on him to be a big contributor as a rookie is asking a lot. Javon Small has potential, but he is small. And I feel like they only took Jahmai Mashack because he is a local kid. I don't really know what they are doing, but I do know that I'm not a big fan of the moves so far.
On to the good.
I mentioned the Pelicans first, the team that benefited from that deal is the Hawks. They recouped more picks, they got Kristaps Porzingis in the deal with the Celtics and they drafted Asa Newell in round one. Newell had lottery potential and the Hawks were able to snag him at 23. He will get to play alongside guys close to his age and a good point guard in Trae Young.
The Mavericks, after a season of making poor decision after poor decision, drafted Cooper Flagg. He is as can't miss as they come in this draft. He has an NBA body, he is ready for the spotlight and he has good teammates when they are healthy. The Mavs need to stay as injury free as they can, but when they won the lottery we all just hoped they would draft Flagg. They did and that was the best choice to make in this draft. This pick could ease the frustration of the trade they made last season.
The Thunder, coming off a title, took two guys that they can slowly develop and who can help replace other players when they sign elsewhere for more money. Thomas Sorber is a force defensively, the Thunder's calling card, and is a shockingly good passer. He is also only 19. And Brooks Barnhizer will get ample time to develop in the G League before coming to the league to provide sparse, but important bench minutes in the future.
The 76ers, who have made horrible decisions as of late, took VJ Edgecombe and plan on keeping him. He is hyper athletic, can make himself fit into a system and seems to love basketball. They were also able to sang Johni Broome in round two, and he will fit right in with the veterans on this team.
Finally, the The Spurs just added more talent that is on the same timeline as Victor Webanyama. Wemby and Dylan Harper are going to be a fun, fun pick and roll combo. And Harper gets to play in the back court with DeAaron Fox, who will be free to use his speed at his leisure now. And Carter Bryant is your prototypical 3 and D guy that every team needs now. The Spurs are coming, as long as they stay injury free.
That's it for the draft. I cannot wait until next season starts.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.